Nogbad the Bad

On the contrary, SL providing those funds to attend to glaring weaknesses in a small squad and giving renewed hope to the fans that we can still have some hope of an exciting season, would make a huge difference. Most crucially though it would be a show of support for the manager.

Really not interested in all that peripheral stuff, why should I be? My interest is confined to Bristol City F.C., the club I've supported for 50+ years.

Didn't SL say that his expectation was a push for top 6 this season? If so Nige could hardly publicly say he disagreed, because however unlikely, it couldn't be ruled out. Presume you're quoting NP from pre season when his optimism to push for the top 6 would be based on his squad at the time and envisaging Scott, Conway and McCrorie as regular starters. With a small squad losing 3 such key players collectively right at the start of the season obviously makes a big difference, most fans know and accept that, and expectations will be tempered until those at the top are seen to be sharing NP's ambition by supporting him financially rather than apparently being content to stagnate in this division and frustrate both the manager and the fans. It almost feels by SL's inaction to back the manager that he is writing off this season already and is completely unbothered about having a discontented manager and fanbase and the prospect of dwindling, restless crowds. Very odd imo.

Don't think so. 7 in since January, but almost twice as many out, so the squad clearly requires strengthening.

I'm sure we would be if we genuinely thought he was at fault, but he has to work with the tools he's got which are clearly insufficient to progress. Most of us can see that having sold Semenyo and Scott, and with the injuries to Conway. McCrorie, Weimann and Atkinson, we can't expect much more from NP until SL properly backs him. My patience is running out with SL, not NP.

Listen to the roars of the crowd, and not just when the ball hits the back of the net. Fantastic atmosphere, exactly what attracted me to the game. You forget how good it used to be. Football matches are so much quieter now with a far slower tempo, far less excitement and crowd involvement, and all too often plain boring. You get the odd good game, but so much that made attending football matches special has gone now.

Yep, the first home game I saw him in he was playing further forward, looked exceptional, and almost scored twice.

Owners are desperate for their appointments to be seen as a success, hence the last thing they want is to have to admit to the fans they got it wrong by sacking them. No better example than close to home - just look how excruciatingly long it took SL to see the error of his ways after the bewildering appointment of LJ.

Not the sort of thing we're used to hearing in Bristol admittedly, but In some places journalists are actually local, not only that but fans of the club themselves, and aren't afraid of asking the sort of blunt questions fans are asking themselves. We could have done with one or two like that when LJ was here. Can't see LJ getting another appointment like City or Hibs, neither does he deserve to.

Not that it makes too much difference but the 21 OOC includes the 5 loans.

Very much so. Looking at wiki they've got 32 players now, including 5 on loan (2 from Brentford) but looks like 21 of those 32 are out of contract at the end of the season.

Can't answer that Spike but it sounded like great sustained pressure on the radio and unbelievable it didn't end with Owers roaring for a goal.

3 on target shots from City, all blocked. Much better, come on City.

Time and place Andy, this is a match thread, plenty of other threads to discuss that.

A question for our long time owner and decision maker SL perhaps? But you seem to be questioning the future of the best manager we've had since Cotts, a manager who has only been here a couple of years and done nothing but good.

Yep, and if it does let's see who the booing is directed at.

I think expectations were justifiably quite high for this season, not for play offs imo but at least for a far more enjoyable season. But the football God's do seem to be against us as just at the moment of well founded optimism we suffer a series of below the belt sucker punches that completely deflate us. Fans favourite and likely top scorer Tommy picks up a long term injury, big new signing McCrorie's completely unexpected and unusual long term absence, Scott sold with no sign of a reasonable amount of that money being given to the manager, just as thing's seem to be coming together nicely one big deflationary blow after another, resulting in a dull season in prospect. The bigger problem is many of us have been uninspired by SL's City for years, maybe since Cotts, having sat through so many seasons of mostly boring football and poor results at AG, and having our hopes to actually enjoy ourselves at AG again seemingly dashed so quickly has left little enthusiasm for the season ahead, and in some cases for BCFC at all. SL needs to pull his finger out, and quickly, or this disenchantment will turn to anger.

OK, if it means anything I've been a City fan over 50 years and on this forum since it started 20 years ago, and it's predecessors before that. There will always be a percentage of fans who don't like a particular manager, or whose expectations are unrealistic, who are just waiting for the moment to start threads calling for his head. Though perhaps relatively few in number these posters may flood the forum with threads calling for a sacking if we are mid table after 20 games, however that doesn't mean they are right or that the majority will support them.

You've no idea what will happen in those circumstances so can only assume your comments to be based on your own thoughts. If you're saying you know this is how SL will view things I'd say his expectations are totally unrealistic. As things stand, without bolstering the squad, we're a mid table team and that's the best SL can expect.

Why would anyone expect us to be top 10, and why would there be growing calls for him to be sacked if we're in mid table? Your expectations for the season are unrealistic.

That's right, if we're going to be mid table that's actually fine for me for now but in that case there must be some entertainment, at home at least. I think Nige knows that and is in fact really keen to provide a team that entertains, but he's clearly not being given the tools to do so. Still have high hopes for Anis in the slightly longer term, but it looks like we might have to be patient there. Basically we're just a workmanlike team lacking any real spark who probably won't go down but fans have very little to look forward to as they trudge towards the Gate.

Cotts' appointment was a one off, it was made quite clear at the time that SL had taken a back seat and the appointment was entirely down to Keith Dawe.

Cotts wasn't appointed by SL, he was very much a Keith Dawe appointment.

Definitely, probably accounted for at least half the number of games missed. I really can't remember.

Almost certainly the season of the Watkins incident, but he must have missed matches due to other injuries too. Pretty sure his jaw injury didn't rule him out for half the season.