Its Not What Is Happening On The Pitch That Concerns Me.......

[Big Red Rich]

It's whats happening off it!<br /><br />A youth system that is apparantly not producing good enough players for our first team....<br />A manager that keeps falling out with players: Basso, Noble, Trundle, Keogh, Mcindoe, Phillips, Blackman etc etc<br />A scouting system that is giving us the likes of: Styvar, Clarkson, Betsy etc etc. Why is it other clubs can pick up non-league bargains or cheapies from Scotland &amp; we can't?<br />Falling attendances...<br /><br />The board want us to get promoted obviously......its must be in the new stadium business plan somewhere. Are we going to get in the playoffs this season? Not likely, will this team get us into the playoffs next season? No........ Therefore we need to spend some cash, is Lansdown gonna give GJ is kid's inheritance to play with? Not on performance to date with signing players.<br /><br />You can talk about 2 wins in 16 games or only beaten 3 times at home over a 12 month period etc etc.<br /><br />But off the pitch we are in dire straights, I would say a similar state as when Wonderson was in charge although at least the team seem fit enough.<br /><br />I havn't really had an issue with Johnson, but questions have to be asked now after that shower tonight.......<br /><br />It would not surprise me to see another figure added onto the government unemployment stats over the next 48 hours.<br /><br />Watch this space...............................................................

[Maesknoll Red]

It's whats happening off it!<br /><br />A youth system that is apparantly not producing good enough players for our first team....<br />A manager that keeps falling out with players: Basso, Noble, Trundle, Keogh, Mcindoe, Phillips, Blackman etc etc<br />A scouting system that is giving us the likes of: Styvar, Clarkson, Betsy etc etc. Why is it other clubs can pick up non-league bargains or cheapies from Scotland &amp; we can't?<br />Falling attendances...<br /><br />The board want us to get promoted obviously......its must be in the new stadium business plan somewhere. Are we going to get in the playoffs this season? Not likely, will this team get us into the playoffs next season? No........ Therefore we need to spend some cash, is Lansdown gonna give GJ is kid's inheritance to play with? Not on performance to date with signing players.<br /><br />You can talk about 2 wins in 16 games or only beaten 3 times at home over a 12 month period etc etc.<br /><br />But off the pitch we are in dire straights, I would say a similar state as when Wonderson was in charge although at least the team seem fit enough.<br /><br />I havn't really had an issue with Johnson, but questions have to be asked now after that shower tonight.......<br /><br />It would not surprise me to see another figure added onto the government unemployment stats over the next 48 hours.<br /><br />Watch this space...............................................................

Some thought provoking points there Rich, I have been wondering if it really is worth having an academy, I'd like to see it stay, but players breaking into the first team are few and far between. I've posted it befoe, Man City bloodied the 28th youngster from their academy in their first team the other night, we are light years away from this.

[Big Red Rich]

It just never seems like there is anyone promising and exciting to bring through. When we were searching for a left winger I was just praying we had some raw, enthusastic talent in the youth team who could make the step up and run up and down the left wing for 65 minutes and give us the belief that we can actually turn out some good players.

We're one of the biggest, if not THE biggest club in the South West, you would have thought we could attract and nuture some decent talent??

Still, my post isn't just about the acadamy, its the falling attendances as well. 13800 for out biggest derby of the season? Granted we have played them twice in the last two weeks but for those games there was only 7000 turning up.

Something isn't right and whilst this new ground is something to look forward to, I really don't think the club is heading in the right direction for Premiership football which is the Board's aim.

[Tunley Legend]

Falling attendances are a direct result of disatisfaction with the Manager and team. Whether people on here like it or not people are becoming fed up with life at City under Gary Johnson and are taking his previous advice to people who dare criticise him of "not to bother coming if they don't like it". Johnson must surely be waking up realising this morning that he has a limited amount of time to win back the minds of the supporters and keep his job. The way he "hid" in the dugout last night for the very first time sent out a massive message to me that he now feels under pressure. He was also unable to blame the fans this time because, given what was produced last night, the fans were very restrained in the circumstances - an hugely embarrassing result against our biggest rivals in this league could have turned out a lot nastier for him than it ultimately did.