The Bard

All I want to hear from them is something along the lines of 'we're employing a Director of Football and a Head of Recruitment to be chosen by Nigel and Richard. We currently have some limitations financially due to FFP but we want to put in place a structure that will allow us to develop over the next few seasons. If and when Nigel leaves, we want the structure and people in place that will allow the club to develop and be an attraction to the next manager.'

Someone with a grudge certainly

Okay. First home game after the play off final...

08. First game after play off final

Or , they won't and never will get it.

Yep. Bring back LJ & Ashton. I much prefer being lied to by charlatans.

Joe Bryan is under contract to 2023 with a 1 year option. Pack definite possibility. Especially if Massengo, Bakinson and King all leave.

'Did he not say 'At the moment '? That means he doesn't have a transfer pot now. Just means we need to sell to buy.

Yep. Neither of us know do we?

Liverpool' are miles more entertaining

Killer comment in your footnote Dave. Why are you thinking like that? Do you think Pearson won't get what he wants and will walk? Or be sacked?

The boat was taking on water. We needed someone who knew how to fix it.

Amazing. I've been told that he's been offered a contract. That's by someone who is normally reliable.

When Tanner is fit and available, I'd like to see us try Cundy and Atkinson as a partnership in a back 4 with either Pring or Dasilva on the left. They won't be first choice ongoing but if they are good enough to do the basics at this level than that is promising ongoing. We're looking a little bit better defensively at the moment. I sense Kalas could be on his way in the summer with a leader being signed.

Good post but I would say that Cundy has come into a side struggling defensively so, unlike the situation your describe, he is actually being stressed tested now. Dealing with Solanke etc is going to give him more confidence long term and a clear indication of what is needed to be a good CB at this level. That in itself makes it an absolute no brainer to get him a deal. Retaining players like him as nominally our 4th choice CB is very good business. We need to look at our 1st choice one IMO. Great defender but offers nothing in the way of leadership or control in games. We need to fix that.

How is that going to compare to a reasonably competitive league 1 side who will probably say to him you'll be our starting CB?

What would be Cundy's wage expectations? Absolute no brainer. 3/4 year deal. He will get a number of offers from league 1 We may struggle to keep him if he doesn't think he'll play...

Not at all. We have completely messed up of that there is no doubt. Fact this has come out and is impacting our recruitment shows we are not cheating which is what a lot of fans of other clubs think. We'd be cheating if kept quiet and engineered an alternative way of paying those we want to get rid of. If Jake Armstrong retires from Rugby to be the kit man, I would be suspicious put it that way. I can remember speaking to this ape of a Wasps fan who couldn't get in his head that for a Charles Piatau, Steven Luatua or Nathan Hughes on good money there was a Piers O Connor, Fitz Harding or Henry Purdy on a fraction of that who were also playing in the team. That was Bristol's initial strategy. Get high earners in to guide the younger ones before they leave to allow the likes of Joyce etc to push on with an academy that is starting to produce players. Pity now is we've probably had to lose some good older players earlier than we hoped and may lose a couple of really promising players whilst 5 or 6 we don't want hang around holding tackle bags for a season.

The list of possible scorers for us includes a load of players who definitely won't be playing (King, Baker, Palmer, O'Dowda) and doesn't include a load who will almost certainly play (Klose, Cundy, Atkinson, Dasilva, Pring). Shows how little care they take to come up with the odds.

Staggering isn't it? If we'd won the Euros some people would have just whined about the timing of one of his substitutions and said it would've been better if Harry Redknapp had been appointed. They must be too young to remember Graham Taylor dropping Chris Waddle for Tony Daley and playing Carlton Palmer and Geoff Thomas in midfield and leaving Gazza on the bench. Vast majority of his decisions have been vindicated and he deserves to be supported.

On loan at Everton..

Usual. People are really ******* stupid aren't they?

Remember watching Messi in his pomp at Camp Nou in a standard La Liga game and he spent the first 60 minutes receiving it then laying it off, either sideways or backwards. Not a dribble in sight. If he'd played it forward every time he'd have probably given it away continuously. What's the point in getting it forward when there is no one to pass to?

Similar scenario to when Liam Rosenoir left for nothing as City forgot to offer him a contract. If Bristol lose someone like Frisch due to this it would be a calamity. He looks top class but we'll be stuck with 6 players the coach doesn't want. Massive **** up.

Story in today's Telegraph:- Bristol Bears are being forced to enter a fire sale owing to a salary-cap blunder. Second row Dave Attwood on Thursday signed for his former club Bath as Bristol struggle to balance the books. Several other top players, including centre Antoine Frisch and wing Luke Morahan, are being linked with departures to ensure the club stay under the Premiership salary cap for next season after a major administrative error. When the Premiership clubs voted two years ago to reduce the salary cap from £6.4 million to £5 million for the 2021-22 season, a lot of clubs, including Bristol, took advantage of a clause that allowed them to count 75 per cent of existing contracts against the revised cap. In Bristol’s case, the majority of players signed “two plus one” deals, which is a two-year contract with an option of a third on the same terms unless either party decides to pull out by a set deadline. It is understood Bristol intended to release six players, whose contracts were worth an estimated £400,000. However, they missed the deadline, meaning the third-year extensions had already kicked in. A club spokesman declined to comment on Thursday night. Even if those players are paid off, it is understood that would still count against the salary cap, so Bristol are now having to make savings wherever they can. Including their marquee players, Bristol had one of the biggest wage bills in the Premiership and an emergency board meeting was convened when the mistake came to light in March. They have also committed to signing England prop Ellis Genge and Sale fly-half AJ MacGinty for next season. Yet offloading players is no simple matter. Many other clubs are struggling to balance the books with the “existing contract” clause coming to an end. It is estimated that up to 30 players could be left without a club this summer.”