Your Views - Response

[Nibor]

If you ever want to implement a £2m software development you'll find it very difficult without any project management.

ALL of the world's most successful companies depend on it.

Done poorly it holds companies back. Done properly its the difference between success and failure.

We're getting quite off track but anyway...

I'm not arguing against project management per se (though traditional PRINCE style project management is completely and utterly useless in software).

I'm arguing against the underlying business bullshit culture - working groups, action owners, ticklists. The kind of things that happens in any large business when senior management start talking about "initiatives". That has no place at a football club, we need action not the perception of it. The custodians have enough information to act, so they should act - not run an action plan.

BTW the last software project my team worked on was of a similar scope to that, a team of 18 spread across three continents. It ran for nearly a year. It was complete on time, on scope with zero defects - and most importantly our customers loved it. I've been doing that for over a decade now, it's not hard when you understand it, and you don't need traditional project management to do it.

[freezer]

And breathe......................

Lots of words - more from some than others - let's see what might change.

My personal opinion is that not much will unfortunately. The club has lost most of my 'support' (money), due to a lack of communication/interest in treating me with the basic courtesy of a reply on certain matters. Shame.

Up The City

[Big Joe]

does the club help grassroots football teams by helping out at presentaion or sending someone down to a training session etc? i thought they did however i just contacted the club and they say it is NOT something that they do...

[City fan 1982]

you would have thought they might do something like this, the local league club involving themselves within the community, where no doubt lots of kids in bristol are city fans who spend their money at ashton gate , hence keeping the players in work !!!

the club do have some strange ideas about how they mix in the community , one token players at a local hospital picture in the post surely they could do more ?

[Big Joe]

im sure they could, i will be emailing dave L

[redysteadygo1]

does the club help grassroots football teams by helping out at presentaion or sending someone down to a training session etc? i thought they did however i just contacted the club and they say it is NOT something that they do...

Can remember when Terry Cooper was BCFC manager we arranged for him to attend our annual Youth Club dinner and presentation. Not only did he preresent trophies he gave a very inspiring speech of how determination got him out of the pits and into pro football. He was there for about 3 hours and was happy to mix and chat to anyone. No edge or airs an graces from this gentleman regardless of his acheivements. Boy,how times have changed.

[Cambridge Batch Red]

The club should go for some quick wins. Or low hanging fruit in management spiel

1) Move the advertising behind the goal - let the flag days return.

2) Emphasise the importance of stewards displaying good manners and good customer service towards fans.

Hardly rocket science.

[Big Joe]

Can remember when Terry Cooper was BCFC manager we arranged for him to attend our annual Youth Club dinner and presentation. Not only did he preresent trophies he gave a very inspiring speech of how determination got him out of the pits and into pro football. He was there for about 3 hours and was happy to mix and chat to anyone. No edge or airs an graces from this gentleman regardless of his acheivements. Boy,how times have changed.

as a young kid i wrote to terry after the wembly bolton win, giving congrats to the team, i got back a hand written letter from terry, i was well chuffed. wouldnt happen these days im affraid

[phantom]

as a young kid i wrote to terry after the wembly bolton win, giving congrats to the team, i got back a hand written letter from terry, i was well chuffed. wouldnt happen these days im affraid

try it out, see what happens

[bucksred]

It's really quite simple. The culture that underpins the type of organisation where actions, owners and delivery dates are deemed important is a culture where mediocre talentless nomarks can and do hide, where fear of failure is rife and perception is more important than reality. Decisions aren't made, safe options are pursued, nothing meaningful gets done. Lots of things get ticked off, but problems don't get solved.

In truly successful businesses of any size, this sort of management bullshit isn't necessary because people know their roles and aren't afraid to take the initiative and take responsibility. Bold decisions are taken, problems get solved, progress is made.

I've worked in enough organisations to see the difference, and I recognise the smell this whole "feedback" initiative is giving off. I hope one day you get to have a broader experience than hiding in a bureaucracy. The fact that you ask about my reputation as a "team member" tells me you don't really have experience of how a real team functions. Study it, it's really quite interesting.

Our football club needs people who understand football and fans making the right decisions and getting things done. Not talking, meeting, consulting and all that other crud that is just a smoke screen to hide inaction in.

Let's see what's actually changed a month from now shall we?

Well said Nibor. I dont see a lot of sense being talked about Bristol city, but they really should lok at, inwardly digest, and proceed along these lines..

But what do I know, or indeed you, we are just paying fans..

[Cowshed]

The club should go for some quick wins. Or low hanging fruit in management spiel

1) Move the advertising behind the goal - let the flag days return.

2) Emphasise the importance of stewards displaying good manners and good customer service towards fans.

Hardly rocket science.

Quick win. Answer Ciderheads points. That is what is lacking. Concrete gestures. It all smacks of the identity, traditions, and it will follow much of the culture of the "club" is down to whatever the business people decide it will be. A stark us and them.

.

[NickJ]

5 January

Let's see what's actually changed a month from now shall we?

Tick Tock

[cider head]

Quick win. Answer Ciderheads points. That is what is lacking. Concrete gestures. It all smacks of the identity, traditions, and it will follow much of the culture of the "club" is down to whatever the business people decide it will be. A stark us and them.

.

Had a meeting with kevin smith on saturday which was very positive and plan to speak to DL with a few others at the supporters trust meeting this week and also the topic raised at the fans parliament in feb, but things are moving in the right direction

[City fan 1982]

about time, we want our eastend back

[WTFiGO!?!]

Now let’s look at some of the common themes:

No affinity with the players.

This was a commonly expressed view throughout the thread. It’s a football-wide issue that’s not unique to Bristol City, and it’s something that we are trying to address.

Clearly, better performances on the pitch would help, but I think it goes further than that. Our players – like players at other clubs – are very well paid, and supporters who struggle to make ends meet have every right to feel short-changed after some of our recent home performances. It’s the manager’s job to get those players performing at the best of their ability, and Derek and his staff will continue to do everything they can to get things right on the pitch.

The Bristol City Community Trust, which is an independent charity, was set up with this in mind. ‘Crusader’ in post number 13 makes some points about the work Shaun Parker used to do well over ten years ago. It’s worth pointing out that all of the things that he cites are being done now, and more besides – in fact, this year they have worked with 50,000 young people through a range of participation, health, social inclusion and educational programmes. Since being set up a year and a half ago, the Trust has

In reply to post 137 from ‘blockbrowt1’ – that’s why we closed the

To summarise (not limited to):

The Trust has seen the arrival of seven new staff members who have each made a fantastic contribution to furthering the reach of our community work. Our coaches are delivering high-quality, fun, safe football sessions to children in schools and community settings.

We have has helped to raise standards in grassroots coaching with over 150 local people undertaking FA level one and two courses with us.

Whilst we are happy with the progress against our development plan, we recognise there is still a lot to be done. We are confident that with the support of the community and fanbase, 2013 will be a monumental year for the Trust and our work in the community.

Of course, this won’t happen overnight, but the Trust was set up because of a genuine realisation that we weren’t doing enough in the community and that we needed to do more. It’s work in progress, but progress is being made. All players at the club – and new ones coming in – are being made fully aware of their responsibilities to the fans and the community.

Some people mention the gates behind the Atyeo Stand which are locked before the game. This is something we need to look at again.

The East End / Stewarding

This always has, and always will be, an emotive subject.

Cast your minds back to 2002. The East End was closed, and a body of fans embarked on a campaign to get it re-opened. Little by little, this happened, but restrictions will be asked to move. Supporters in the East End have campaigned long and hard to be treated like fans in all the other stands, so they can hardly complain when they are. But how this is done is clearly an issue.

There are several general criticisms of the stewarding in the East End. If anybody has any specific allegations about a particular steward, then let me know, and I promise it will be investigated thoroughly. I have received, by e-mail, a complaint about a specific stewarding issue at the Peterborough game, and I have promised that I will follow it up. There are usually two sides to every story and it’s important that we hear both.

The fact that there are currently no flags on display in the East End is because supporters have decided to stop displaying them. You are welcome to display flags wherever you want, providing they don’t cover advertising. As I have also made clear previously, you are free to surf the large flag before games or at half-time and we will actively support you in doing this. The decision not to surf is another that has been made by supporters.

I have repeatedly said, and will say again now, that I am more than happy to meet with fans from the East End either individually or in groups at the pub of your choice, or even at your house, at a time of your choosing, to discuss anything you want. I have made this offer several times before, both in my blog and on this forum, and repeat it now. I really believe that if we all sit down and talk about these issues it will be easier for us to find common ground. We won’t find that via internet postings and blogs. I will be getting in touch with activists in the East End to discuss a suitable time and date.

I was impressed with posts from Cider Head and Frome Valley showing what Crystal Palace are doing at Selhurst Park. There was a time last year when I thought we were heading in that direction too, but we seem to have gone off the rails somehow.

The PA system has clearly seen better days and needs replacing. I don’t know why home fans were not allowed behind the goal for the Peterborough game. I will find out.

I am very busy on a matchday meeting with supporters around the ground. I don’t usually get to the East End before a game as most fans tend to turn up quite late, by which time I am busy elsewhere. I think it’s important that I rearrange my schedule so that I watch a whole game from in there, and meet with fans beforehand, and I will.

In the meantime, Kevin Smith and I will be travelling up on one of the supporters coaches to Blackburn on Saturday and watching the game with City fans. Come and say hello.

A faceless board

For many years we were very fortunate to have Steve Lansdown and Colin Sexstone as media-friendly figureheads at City. It was great to see Steve on the pitch at the Peterborough game, and that served as a reminder that fans like to feel there is someone out there wh via communication with the board on a basis that suits everyone.

No plan or vision / where is the club going? / what’s happening with the stadium?

A great post from Timbo 7:

It should not be overlooked that much (if not all) of the current dissatisfaction stems from years of under-performance on

People clearly feel that they don’t know what the plan for the club is any more. The stadium isn’t being discussed, no-one knows where the club is heading, is Steve Lansdown still committed?

Hopefully Steve will have demonstrated his commitment to City by what he said at the Peterborough game.

Although it may not have seemed like it, there have been a lot of very positive things happening behind the scenes recently. All I can say at this stage is that there is a plan, and we will be discussing it with supporters when the time is right. Expect some important developments in the months to come.

Club trying to fleece the fans / only after us for our money

Like it or not, City has to

If we were to charge the actual cost of a ticket (operating costs divided by attendance) we would have to charge over £80 a game to every man, woman and child coming to Ashton Gate. In order to keep ticket prices down, we have to find other sources of revenue. Shirt and other sponsorship, stadium advertising, etc, are therefore absolutely vital.

Clearly, in doing this, we must make sure that we don’t lose our soul, or ever forget that our supporters are the lifeblood of our club. We couldn’t

Your ticket is actually the only thing you need to pay for to actively support City. Everything else: food, beer, programme, shirts etc is an add-on, and it’s up to us to make sure that what we offer is fairly priced and gives value for money. You have every right to vote with your wallets if we don’t make sure prices for the ‘extras’ are fair.

The vouchers for season ticket holders have been seen as being poor value and unnecessarily inflexible by some. Although it was the intention to give fans extra value as part of a complete package, we clearly haven’t been successful, and will look at this again next season.

Catering

When I first started in my job, I had two main objectives. One was to support those campaigning for full access to the East End and to make that happen. I think that has been achieved, although clearly some issues still remain. The other

Dolman Bar / bookies / TVs

Several people commented on the reduced quality of the facilities inside the Dolman bar. With the internal re-organisation at the club over the summer, a lot of things which were due to happen were delayed, and this led to a lack of accountability for making sure that certain things – like working TVs – actually happened.

For too long we have used the excuse of impending relocation as justification for not spending money on refurbishing basic facilities around the ground, and this season has proved a tipping point, particularly in the DEH. Following a review, we have just installed a new Sky dish and fixed some of the cabling faults that were affecting the sound in there. Hopefully you should start to see an improvement.

Winning Post didn’t want to continue to offer bookmaking services around the ground, including the DEH, as they couldn’t make it commercially viable thanks in the main to the increase in online betting over mobile phones. They wanted to half the amount of rental they paid us for

Any suggestions about how we could radically change the atmosphere and the offering in the DEH would be very welcome. Whenever I’ve been in there before games this season it’s felt quite dead.

I will speak to our two ‘Dolman Stand’ Fans Parliament members about this.

Website / media department

I think that the poor quality of the website has been a major contribution to the information gap that fans have experienced – certainly complaints have arisen since we reluctantly launched in October (one of the last two clubs to switch over).

Virtually everyone – including those who have to operate it – agree that the new website is very poor. It’s gone from something that won four awards a few years ago to something that is barely fit for purpose. Unfortunately we are locked into a contract with Football league Interactive until 2017 and have to make the best of it. To come out of that contract early would cost a sum running into several million pounds, which is clearly not financially viable.

Our head

People refer to the ‘decimation’

The content on the website is the same as before, but unfortunately the system we have to work with does not allow it to be presented as is needed (ie. accessibility and usability).

With regards to Player, we continue to produce extended highlights internally, over and above the basic highlights package supplied centrally, to enhance the offering to subscribers. To those requesting that we make all interviews and highlights free-to-air to supporters, or at least season ticket holders, that is not a possibility under the terms of the FLi contract.

With regards to commentary issues. There has been one game from the 26 played where centrally the log-in system failed, preventing supporters who had attempted to sign in has always been a minor delay on online commentary (expected when it runs from an ISDN line at the stadium, back to BBC on Whiteladies Rd, down the line

Some supporters have asked if there could be a regular Q and A session on here, in the vein of the Ask Steve L / Ask

At first the vast majority of the questions were reasoned and constructive, and were answered in kind by Steve and Colin. But gradually, more and more

I already have a regular column in the programme where I respond to fan’s questions and complaints. I am also happy to answer any other questions that anyone has by e-mail.

The club has disengaged with its core supporters, and occupies nearly a siege mentality against fans groups

I can see the logic we will service, and we need to work harder at it. We have recently introduced some fans ambassadors - volunteers who meet and greet fans before the game and help them with

Without suggesting that we are perfect, I would point out

Several fans also refer to the ‘our Supporter Services team. They are all massive City fans who between them have racked up many, many years at Ashton Gate.

Sometimes we get it wrong, as we all do, as in the case that Frenchred highlighted. But when we do, we aim to apologise as quickly as possible and rectify the problem.

Unfortunately one widely-reported small mistake can undo the hundreds

Individual issues:

Reading Tom: Post number 146. I will need to look into this further, but on the face of it he does seem to have had a rough deal.

Rich: Post number153. I forwarded a very supportive e-mail from him to Guy Price, but he has had no reply. In Guy’s defence, he if Steve and the board would find it necessary to invite a supporter to attend board meetings.

My role and how well I am doing[/. It takes all sorts.

I will always try and respond as honestly and openly as I can, admit it when I get things wrong and try and make sure I don’t make the same mistakes again.

Ultimately it’s the people who employ me who are best placed to decide whether or not I am doing a good job. As long as I enjoy their confidence, and that of the majority of our fans, I will continue to serve our club as best as I can.

In Summary

Things that

· Better communication

The first of those is a variable that we can’t always control. The other four are entirely within our own control and we need to work with supporters to achieve them.

I welcome your comments and constructive suggestions as to what, specifically, we can do.

We will also put this out to consultation with the Fans Parliament. We hope that will become a significant focal point for fan input.

Dave

Using an I-pad, and don't know how to block deleat, so have periodically deleted until I got bored of a particular section and moved on. This approach, I feel, having thought it over, reciprocates appropriately the approach of the custodians of our club towards me.

Thankfully, Dave, it does take all sorts. Othrwise we'd continue in our current, apathetic, societal status quo indefinitely. As with the banking situation, the huge bonuses and the fobbing off of the masses, the people who will hold this club together, as in1982, long after the faceless, salaried suits have packed their bags and ****** off, will be us, here. So sorry to be a whining ******* pain in the ass but I have at least told you straight.

I want a fans liaison officer democratically appointed by the fans. Again, sorry to be objectionable. Did you broadcast, yet, your trip to Blackburn on the official site? Why the **** was this thread necessary, why did you not already know the discontent amongst City masses?

Don't come back with 'I've fully backed the East End'. Why then were campaigns, meetings and patitions necessary to begin with? It was a struggle to give fans what they essentially wanted and the biggest opponent were your employers.

Lot's of people would do a hell of a better job than you and do it for free. Nothing personal, just telling you straight. Sean, or any better suggestion to be a man of the people for the people to be liaison officer.

Good day, sir. Until the current custodians can actually internalise the spirit an soul of the people who will be there if we have to reform, I shudder to forecast our future.

Ps/ hope last nights meeting went well, couldn't be there, sorry.

[steve o]

Well i'd like to thank Dave and Kay for meeting up with me and my Dad a couple of weeks back on a Tuesday afternoon at the Gate.

We had some issues regarding wheelchair access and were invited down to look at ways of resolving them. Solutions were put in place by the next home match, really chuffed with the speed and effort put in to get it sorted.

[CotswoldRed]

Well i'd like to thank Dave and Kay for meeting up with me and my Dad a couple of weeks back on a Tuesday afternoon at the Gate.

We had some issues regarding wheelchair access and were invited down to look at ways of resolving them. Solutions were put in place by the next home match, really chuffed with the speed and effort put in to get it sorted.

Brilliant. That's encouraging. Can I ask what was changed?

[phantom]

I can't recall what was said about those who "Bought a brick" for the last planned rebuild of the Wedlock Stand.

Has this been mentioned anywhere in either of the new ground plans?

[cider head]

I can't recall what was said about those who "Bought a brick" for the last planned rebuild of the Wedlock Stand.

Has this been mentioned anywhere in either of the new ground plans?

Those who bought a brick had their names put on a big plaque which is on the wall inside the dolman stand corridor leading out towards the toilets

[steve o]

Brilliant. That's encouraging. Can I ask what was changed?

Damn sorry CR, only just read that!

Along the front row there's a gap of about 3 seats which have been removed, this makes pulling a wheelchair in nice and easy. We turned up for the Leicester game and the gap had been filled in with new seats. After consultation with Dave and Kay they were taken back out by the next game, spot on.