Lj Deserves His Place Says Steve Lansdown

[bully]

I did read that he'd been booed and the Stoke fans retort was that there very existence in the Premier League hinged on Cresswell never making an appearance for them again. Harsh. I suppose we will always wonder if Lee Johnson was called Lee Smith, whether he's get half as much stick or even any at all? The cynics will obviously say if he was called Lee Smith, would he even get a game?! I'm not against criticism of players, but everything in moderation and it isn't with Lee Johnson.

I honestly think if GJ selected anyone week in week out in the most influential position in the team, and that player had a variable level of performance then that player would get a whole lot of stick.

McAllister gets picked like that but frankly he's not in the game as much as LJ is he?

It suits the GJ/LJ supporters on this topic to maintain the moral high ground and say that it wouldn't happen if LJ had a different surname.

I think it would happen.

[lager loud]

Is LJ good enough to play Championship football? Yes (just about).

Is LJ so good he should clearly be an ever present? No.

Is he so good we should build the structure of our midfield around him (3 man central midfield, wide men tucking in etc)? No.

Has midfield been one of our main weak areas this season? Yes.

Have we ever voluntarily tried a midfield without LJ since he's been at the club? No (I don't count the PO Final because starting LJ after others' performances in the Palace games would have been outrageous).

If I had to choose between keeping both LJ and GJ or losing them both....Keep them both, no question.

Would the club and the relationship between the club and fans be better if LJ left? Yes.

Would we be able to find a replacement who was at least as good? Yes - we've already got them.

Would LJ be an ever present in any other top half Championship team? No.

Is he only picked because he's the manager's son? Difficult to believe it's conscious nepotism, but the manager's opinion of him seems out of sync with quite a lot of the fans.

Will he leave? I doubt it. If he went to another club and succeeded, it would be great for him, but why would he uproot his family and give up a City contract and regular football for an uncertain future?

All this is only my opinion of course, but from what I've seen he hasn't justified his status as first name on the team sheet. He's had a few very good games, but doesn't contribute enough on average. His untouchable status has created a rift between some fans and the manager (which really doesn't make any difference to anyone at the club unless the manager chooses to throw his rattle out of the pram) but may also have caused some problems inside the squad, which is more serious - can't prove this, but I believe the accounts I've heard.

The fact that the Manager and Chairman have both commented on this matter recently suggests it's some sort of issue for the club, and what they've said gives no indication that LJ will be anything other than first name on the teamsheet at the start of next season. So this issue is unlikely to go away.

I believe that to make genuine progress we need better players in midfield than LJ. With him there we can probably consolidate in the middle third of the Championship, as long as we don't lose too many of our better players. And consolidating will be fine - I'm very happy with our position at the moment, if not with the entertainment I get for my £450 a season - but there will be plenty of us who will wonder if we could do better until an alternative central midfield is given a chance to show what it can do.

[milo1111]

I did read that he'd been booed and the Stoke fans retort was that there very existence in the Premier League hinged on Cresswell never making an appearance for them again. Harsh. I suppose we will always wonder if Lee Johnson was called Lee Smith, whether he's get half as much stick or even any at all? The cynics will obviously say if he was called Lee Smith, would he even get a game?! I'm not against criticism of players, but everything in moderation and it isn't with Lee Johnson.

fact is LJ wouldnt get anywhere near as much stick if he was dropped now and again after a stinker. but he doesnt and thats why this whole debate exists in such a controversial form. its not his fault its GJ's.

[Seend Red]

So SL thinks he deserves his place in the team as do the manager.So next season it looks like the he will be staying.

he says"If he plays poorly, which he doesn't do that often in my opinion, people will always say he is being kept in the team because his father is the manager and try to put him down because of it."

I respect our chairman and I think he will become a legend but I'm frightened that a rift between the club and the fans will become out of hand next season.

A cant remember any other city player causing such a stink between fans,so surly for the sake of unity,is it better the player leaves.I have personally stated that I don't think hes good enough this season,but thats my oppinion.

So be it- As Manager and Chairman that's their choice. Either way from the 'frustrated fan' point of view it's a win win situation.

Either Johnson makes the changes that are imperative for us to improve and everybody is happy or we don't and we get more of the same dross next season which will see us struggle even relegated and put Johnson's position under serious threat.

Point being you live and die in football by the decision you make and stand by, I think by claiming so early that 7 of the current starting 11 are sure bets to start when fit and now this about LJ being good enough to be a top end Championship midfielder doesn't show me that we are going to do anything that drastic this summer, even the biggest LJ symthazier must see that he's not built or tooled to be what the Manager thinks he is...

I also don't have this blind faith that so many seem to show in Gary Johnson. Just be grateful that we had as many points has be did on the board or there wasn't another month left in the season otherwise we would of been knackered as we'd completely lost the plot and were playing like a bunch losers.

That concerns me and I worry for us next season.

[redfred]

I honestly think if GJ selected anyone week in week out in the most influential position in the team, and that player had a variable level of performance then that player would get a whole lot of stick.

McAllister gets picked like that but frankly he's not in the game as much as LJ is he?

It suits the GJ/LJ supporters on this topic to maintain the moral high ground and say that it wouldn't happen if LJ had a different surname.

I think it would happen.

I never recall centre midfielders of the past getting the level of stick that LJ recieves. Stick yes, but not the regular stick he gets even when he's played well.

[westy]

fact is LJ wouldnt get anywhere near as much stick if he was dropped now and again after a stinker. but he doesnt and thats why this whole debate exists in such a controversial form. its not his fault its GJ's.

that's about the size of it milo - also if he was subbed from time to time would help

[redfred]

fact is LJ wouldnt get anywhere near as much stick if he was dropped now and again after a stinker. but he doesnt and thats why this whole debate exists in such a controversial form. its not his fault its GJ's.

I wholeheartedly agree that if a player has a bad game then he needs a break from the team to realign the focus. There has to be a reason why GJ doesn't do it with LJ, and there is no way on earth it is because it's his son, so until we discover why this debate will run and run.

[big p]

fact is LJ wouldnt get anywhere near as much stick if he was dropped now and again after a stinker. but he doesnt and thats why this whole debate exists in such a controversial form. its not his fault its GJ's.

Fair play mate,you hit the nail on the head in 2 lines.

[William Stand]

fact is LJ wouldnt get anywhere near as much stick if he was dropped now and again after a stinker. but he doesnt and thats why this whole debate exists in such a controversial form. its not his fault its GJ's.

But McCallister gets nowhere near the same level of grief ?

[William Stand]

that's about the size of it milo - also if he was subbed from time to time would help

But he has been subbed from time to time ??

[westy]

I wholeheartedly agree that if a player has a bad game then he needs a break from the team to realign the focus. There has to be a reason why GJ doesn't do it with LJ, and there is no way on earth it is because it's his son, so until we discover why this debate will run and run.

totally agree - which is why i just feel it's an unecessary situation for the club.

Maybe when we discover this reason we might also discover why the hell GJ doesn't change a poor performing side. I strongly agree that you don't change a winning side which is what gary always says and therefore by definition when we lose or have very poor performance that is the time the others get to stake a claim for a position otherwise what he's saying is bull and very demotivating to the fringe / academy players

[milo1111]

But McCallister gets nowhere near the same level of grief ?

obviously because he's not the managers son. i don't think that GJ picks LJ in a concious case of nepotism. but some do. i just think he genuinely overates him.

but also Left Back isnt as vital a part of the team as the creative element of CM. and whatever you say about maclister its his distribution thats the problem, his defending and in particular his positional play is usually dependable. so in that sense whilst he underperforms he does his basic job okay most weeks.

[big p]

But McCallister gets nowhere near the same level of grief ?

But LJ is in the most important position on the pitch,he takes the corners and free kicks.If Mcallister has a bad game we might get away with it but if a centre midfielder has a bad game hell get found out,of which we have the last 11 or so games

[milo1111]

But he has been subbed from time to time ??

this must be toungue in cheek???

[westy]

this must be toungue in cheek???

i hope so - i wasn't going to dignify the comment with a reply

[bully]

But McCallister gets nowhere near the same level of grief ?

Exactly - based upon fans expectation of how much a player should influence a game, i'd suggest that's about right.

If McAllister played in the centre mid role, performed as inconsistently yet was picked week in week out then he'd get the same level of grief I believe.

[redfred]

totally agree - which is why i just feel it's an unecessary situation for the club.

Maybe when we discover this reason we might also discover why the hell GJ doesn't change a poor performing side. I strongly agree that you don't change a winning side which is what gary always says and therefore by definition when we lose or have very poor performance that is the time the others get to stake a claim for a position otherwise what he's saying is bull and very demotivating to the fringe / academy players

My take on why he hasn't changed the side despite performances solely rests with strength in depth. There aren't the players in the current squad to come in and make a difference and perhaps this is why LJ doesn't get dropped? I appreciate though that this point could well be argued using Williams and Noble. Both players more than capable of playing alongside Elliott or Skuse in the middle and City playing well. One of the best performances under GJ was at Palace where Noble and Elliott ran the show in midfield and we played some excellent football. However i think we can all accept that Noble will never feature at this club again, so we can rule him out, leaving Williams who is a carbon copy of Noble in terms of style but he has a more attacking edge. Again, there has to be a reason but we just don't know what it is?

[headhunter]

Is LJ good enough to play Championship football? Yes (just about).

Is LJ so good he should clearly be an ever present? No.

Is he so good we should build the structure of our midfield around him (3 man central midfield, wide men tucking in etc)? No.

Has midfield been one of our main weak areas this season? Yes.

Have we ever voluntarily tried a midfield without LJ since he's been at the club? No (I don't count the PO Final because starting LJ after others' performances in the Palace games would have been outrageous).

If I had to choose between keeping both LJ and GJ or losing them both....Keep them both, no question.

Would the club and the relationship between the club and fans be better if LJ left? Yes.

Would we be able to find a replacement who was at least as good? Yes - we've already got them.

Would LJ be an ever present in any other top half Championship team? No.

Is he only picked because he's the manager's son? Difficult to believe it's conscious nepotism, but the manager's opinion of him seems out of sync with quite a lot of the fans.

Will he leave? I doubt it. If he went to another club and succeeded, it would be great for him, but why would he uproot his family and give up a City contract and regular football for an uncertain future?

All this is only my opinion of course, but from what I've seen he hasn't justified his status as first name on the team sheet. He's had a few very good games, but doesn't contribute enough on average. His untouchable status has created a rift between some fans and the manager (which really doesn't make any difference to anyone at the club unless the manager chooses to throw his rattle out of the pram) but may also have caused some problems inside the squad, which is more serious - can't prove this, but I believe the accounts I've heard.

The fact that the Manager and Chairman have both commented on this matter recently suggests it's some sort of issue for the club, and what they've said gives no indication that LJ will be anything other than first name on the teamsheet at the start of next season. So this issue is unlikely to go away.

I believe that to make genuine progress we need better players in midfield than LJ. With him there we can probably consolidate in the middle third of the Championship, as long as we don't lose too many of our better players. And consolidating will be fine - I'm very happy with our position at the moment, if not with the entertainment I get for my £450 a season - but there will be plenty of us who will wonder if we could do better until an alternative central midfield is given a chance to show what it can do.

Top post - it isn't a direct LJ bash it simply spells out the facts of a situation that will get worse next season if there are no changes from our poor end of season form. It is midfield that remains, IMHO, the source of most of the gripes about how City play. Sproule weak, inconsistent ; McIndoe, works hard, lacks real pace, not enough quality in final ball; LJ, works hard, costly lapses of concentration, good short passer [backwards or sideways].

[William Stand]

Exactly - based upon fans expectation of how much a player should influence a game, i'd suggest that's about right.

If McAllister played in the centre mid role, performed as inconsistently yet was picked week in week out then he'd get the same level of grief I believe.

But this doesn't stack up. In the last 25 years we have had loads of central midfielders miles worse than Johnson, they haven't had so much stick ??

Surely if his position is so important & he is so poor, we'd have been relegated back to Lg1, not enjoying our best consecutive finishes in years ??

[screech]

LJ does deserve his place most of the time, unfortunately Gary johnson is to blame for not dropping him when he doesn't deserve it, that is the problem and as long as this continues, the debate will go on and on.

The worrying thing for me is the noises from the club that we appear to be happy with 6 or 7 players. I assume 3 of those are from midfield; Mcindoe, Elliott and Johnson.

If we run out with this midfield next season and start the first quarter of our games like how we finished the final quarter this season (1 win in 12) then the pressure from the stands will be unbearable on GJ to drop Lee, he will cop the anger from the dissenters far more than anyone else on the pitch. And I can only see it ending badly.

Surely it's better for everyone involved at the club that LJ moves on, it's not as if we won't be able to pick up someone with the same attributes for free this summer.

[simon uk]

I agree with the yes/no post above. Yes, I reckon LJ is an average championship midfielder, but I don't think he is good enough for us to cause our wide players to sit tight so we don't get carved apart, which limits our creativity. I think I recall GJ saying he likes the role of one of the midfielders who can pick the ball up from the defence and pass it around, but my opinion is that to do it, he has to be a bit like Viera was - ie an absolute rock who can take control of the game. Either that, or we change the formation, and have a monster in midfield with little offensive responsibility like toure for barcelona or senna for spain with 2 ball players alongside him (Xavi and Iniesta in the above example) with 2 very strong attacking full backs to provide the width. Maybe Marvin could do that role, but that will take away something from him, as he likes to get forward if possible, but Gavin Williams would be ideal in our version of the iniesta role. I'm not sure though that our full backs are consistent enough with their delivery to make it work though with the current squad - maybe ribeiro could do it? As mentioned above, is LJ good enough that we have to play this formation to free him up to dominate the play? I wouldnt say so.

I will however bow to the best manager we have had in 20 years. Anyone who suggests LJ only gets a game because of his surname is a mile wide of the mark though.

Si.

[Tunley Legend]

I honestly believe that if GJ introduces some GENUINE COMPETITION for LJ's place then a lot of the issues and hysteria on here surrounding him will go away. If LJ is playing well then I have no problem in seeing the number 33 out on the park. However, if he has three below par games in a row (which has happened this season) then it is surely fair to expect the lad to be treated the same as any other player who has three bad games in a row - and that is normally a spell on the bench.

[edson]

As you say its a forum and your opinion is as worthy as anyones - not more or less..

people have not suddenly turned on GJ so far as I can see - a few tongue in cheek posts about him leaving do not reflect the view of the vast majority of fans.

I don't like how the bloke comes across to be honest, and I daresay that's a few shared by others, but I don't think he should go.

That's fair enough. I fully accept some people won't like his managerial approach, but it's a style that has served him incredibly well over a large number of seasons, so I'm happy to bow to its effectiveness, regardless of whether I like it or not.

I'm not saying my opinion is worth more than anyone else's at all, I'm saying how it comes across to an ex-pat (so to speak) who would love to be in a position to watch us every other week in the top half of the Championship. As I say, people will look back on this period as one of the better times in their Bristol City-supporting lives, yet they seem programmed not to enjoy it, so I question why they bother.

Its the people who leap to his defence after a lousy run of results with nothing appearing to be done to arrest that slide which is ridiculous.

We are not a competitive team at present - certainly not with the teams who finished above us anyway.

I think the key word there is 'appearing'. Gary Johnson doesn't strike me as the sort to suffer fools gladly or do nothing to address problems. But maybe I've got that wrong and he just kicks back after a defeat and does nothing.

However, up to now, I've seen nothing to suggest I shouldn't trust Gary Johnson to do the best thing by Bristol City in the long term. If that changes in time, I will say so, but until then I trust him.

He is not that good that he cannot be criticised - he himself said 'judge me at the end of the season' - well some people have done just that, and don't appear to be kissing his ass.

He has identified that changes are needed - we will see what he does about that, and where, and like every other coach in the country he will be judged on what he is doing in the present, not two seasons ago.

I'm not suggesting he's beyond criticism, but some of the stuff I read on here is beyond criticism. It's insulting, disrespectful claptrap and it baffles me. The club is in good shape, the team needs tuning up after two years of good service and the manager recognises that, yet some people seem absolutely determined to damage what we have, and I can't understand it.

Better managers than GJ get criticised - comes with the territory.

As I say above, I'm not against constructive criticism at all. What I am against, is people trying to pull apart what we have, when it's the envy of a lot of clubs.

You know, it's quite revealing in a way (not your post, but the situation I'm talking about). I vividly recall posting a thread many years ago on this forum titled "What is our level?" and I recall the concensus being that we should be a top half Championship club (I seem to recall Norwich being mentioned as a club we should be looking to emulate).

I even remember speculating as to what we would find to moan about if we ever achieved that status. Still, at least I am finding that out now.

[big p]

so Edson how many times have you been down this year

[Nibor]

Is LJ good enough to play Championship football? Yes (just about).

Is LJ so good he should clearly be an ever present? No.

Is he so good we should build the structure of our midfield around him (3 man central midfield, wide men tucking in etc)? No.

Has midfield been one of our main weak areas this season? Yes.

Have we ever voluntarily tried a midfield without LJ since he's been at the club? No (I don't count the PO Final because starting LJ after others' performances in the Palace games would have been outrageous).

If I had to choose between keeping both LJ and GJ or losing them both....Keep them both, no question.

Would the club and the relationship between the club and fans be better if LJ left? Yes.

Would we be able to find a replacement who was at least as good? Yes - we've already got them.

Would LJ be an ever present in any other top half Championship team? No.

Is he only picked because he's the manager's son? Difficult to believe it's conscious nepotism, but the manager's opinion of him seems out of sync with quite a lot of the fans.

Will he leave? I doubt it. If he went to another club and succeeded, it would be great for him, but why would he uproot his family and give up a City contract and regular football for an uncertain future?

All this is only my opinion of course, but from what I've seen he hasn't justified his status as first name on the team sheet. He's had a few very good games, but doesn't contribute enough on average. His untouchable status has created a rift between some fans and the manager (which really doesn't make any difference to anyone at the club unless the manager chooses to throw his rattle out of the pram) but may also have caused some problems inside the squad, which is more serious - can't prove this, but I believe the accounts I've heard.

The fact that the Manager and Chairman have both commented on this matter recently suggests it's some sort of issue for the club, and what they've said gives no indication that LJ will be anything other than first name on the teamsheet at the start of next season. So this issue is unlikely to go away.

I believe that to make genuine progress we need better players in midfield than LJ. With him there we can probably consolidate in the middle third of the Championship, as long as we don't lose too many of our better players. And consolidating will be fine - I'm very happy with our position at the moment, if not with the entertainment I get for my £450 a season - but there will be plenty of us who will wonder if we could do better until an alternative central midfield is given a chance to show what it can do.

Agree with every word of that post.

I think what's really irritated me about the LJ situation this season is the way that playing him continually has resulted in us tucking in the wingers to protect the midfield more. If weacknowledge the need to do that to play LJ (and I think the manager has) then surely we have to look seriously at other options. But we haven't really tried them out.

If we don't try other options in the middle of a 442, particularly Williams who looks made for it, then this criticism and the sadly personal abuse that goes along with it will persist.

[lager loud]

It is midfield that remains, IMHO, the source of most of the gripes about how City play. Sproule weak, inconsistent ; McIndoe, works hard, lacks real pace, not enough quality in final ball; LJ, works hard, costly lapses of concentration, good short passer [backwards or sideways].

Just to add - I agree that LJ hasn't been the only problem in the midfield this season. For me, Sproule has had enough chances to show he's worth a place, and, to my mind, just doesn't do enough to show he has a football brain. I've watched Gary Johnson screaming at him to make runs into space rather than hanging back to get the ball facing the defender; and I'm sure that he's been told in training to do that for the last 18 months - but he hasn't done it enough. So to make progress we need better midfielders than Sproule, too.

I feel a bit differently about McIndoe, who certainly hasn't performed as well this season as last, but who I still think generally puts in a pretty solid shift. I'd certainly like the 2007/8 McIndoe back, but I don't think he'd be easy to replace if we sold or dropped him.

[bully]

But this doesn't stack up. In the last 25 years we have had loads of central midfielders miles worse than Johnson, they haven't had so much stick ??

Surely if his position is so important & he is so poor, we'd have been relegated back to Lg1, not enjoying our best consecutive finishes in years ??

I think it does stack up - in the past 25 years, who has played so many games in CM producing such variable performances without being dropped?

Tinman? Tommy D? - both produced many more influential performances albeit generally at a lower level.

That's the point - we are at the second level of English football and we are talking about a player who is always in the team regardless.

His position is so important, and he has been generally poor - he himself said last season he only played 15-20 good games.

This term I think he's been worse.

As for relegation - last term the collective effort plus heroics from Basso plus the odd bit of good fortune got us where we were.

This season, we have more often than not disappointed because the three factors I mentioned have generally gone away - if we maintain the form we have shown over the last few months with the same personnel then I think we stand a reasonable chance of getting back to league 1.

That's simply based on results - no witch hunt.

I think GJ will somehow strengthen the team in the summer, but I bet none of the new signings are in the CM unless Marvin goes, and thats who will be replaced, never LJ.

[bcfcbs20]

SL says that LJ deserves his place in the team, and so do I. However, what SJ didn't say was whether he felt that LJ deserved his place in the team for every match, no matter how poor previous performances might have been.

why should stern john have a say in the matter

[tompo]

As I say above, I'm not against constructive criticism at all. What I am against, is people trying to pull apart what we have, when it's the envy of a lot of clubs.

You know, it's quite revealing in a way (not your post, but the situation I'm talking about). I vividly recall posting a thread many years ago on this forum titled "What is our level?" and I recall the concensus being that we should be a top half Championship club (I seem to recall Norwich being mentioned as a club we should be looking to emulate).

I even remember speculating as to what we would find to moan about if we ever achieved that status. Still, at least I am finding that out now.

I heard a Norwich fan on 606 on Sunday.

He said that a lot of people cite Norwich as being an example of a well run club but he said that in reality nothing could be further from the truth. His gripe was that the club had been run very badly recently and that the board appeared to want spend more on developing the stadium at the expense of the team.

Living in Norwich, would you say that was fair comment?

I see Norwich and Charlton as being similar.

Both had settled managers (Worthington and Curbishley) and both clubs, but certainly Charlton, could be seen as over achieving given their resources. Both clubs appeared to have wanted to go that one step too far. Is that due to ineptitude at board level or did both clubs bow to fan pressure with the consequences we see now?

If nothing else it highlights what a fine line it is between success and failure and how difficult it is to for clubs to manage expectations without putting themselves at risk.

[edson]

I heard a Norwich fan on 606 on Sunday.

He said that a lot of people cite Norwich as being an example of a well run club but he said that in reality nothing could be further from the truth. His gripe was that the club had been run very badly recently and that the board appeared to want spend more on developing the stadium at the expense of the team.

Living in Norwich, would you say that was fair comment?

I see Norwich and Charlton as being similar.

Both had settled managers (Worthington and Curbishley) and both clubs, but certainly Charlton, could be seen as over achieving given their resources. Both clubs appeared to have wanted to go that one step too far. Is that due to ineptitude at board level or did both clubs bow to fan pressure with the consequences we see now?

If nothing else it highlights what a fine line it is between success and failure and how difficult it is to for clubs to manage expectations without putting themselves at risk.

I can only go on what their fans say round here when I speak to them.

Peter Grant, who took over from Worthington was given money to strengthen the squad - he bought Earnshaw, Cureton and Ostemobor to name but three. They finished safe from relegation in 2007, but Earnshaw and Etuhu left and were never really replaced, resulting in a dreadful start to the 07-08 season which saw Grant sacked and Roeder brought in.

Roeder, from what I am told, was a terrible appointment. He fought off relegation in his first season through use of the loan market, but never looked to replace these loans with permanent signings this season. I think I'm right in saying they had 8 loanees at one point, as well as letting their talisman, Huckerby, go. Whilst the loanees were ok when he was firefighting, they were never a long term solution and the club's results suffered again this season as players came, played a few games, and left again. eventually culminating in Roeder being sacked.

Bryan Gunn, much like Tinnion (and Shearer), was a well-liked figure around the club and should never have taken the job he was ill-equipped to take on. But, again like Tinnion, it was too good an opportunity for him to turn down and he thought his love, knowledge and passion for the club would be enough to pull them out of the mire - it wasn't.

I can't really comment on the club's finances. People may complain about the money put into the stadium, but they fill it, so I'd be surprised if it was that much of an issue. Having said that, there has been a buy out attempt, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was reignited now, with the club's value presumably far less than it was.

When Worthington was manager, they finished 9th in 05-06 and were 14th in the 06-07 season when he was sacked. What those fans wouldn't give to be between 9th and 14th now, hey?

Whilst things may not seem perfect at Bristol City, we'd do well to remember stories like this when we complain about not progressing or not competing with the top six. There are 23 other clubs trying to achieve the same thing as us, and even if Alex Ferguson was in charge of all of them, three would go up and three would go down - that's sport. But whilst we're competing and not struggling over a season, I think we are far better served persevering with the management team we have than assuming change will make us better, as that isn't always the case.