Sean O'dismal's Message Of Doom

[Red-Robbo]

I think management of expectations is one of the biggest challenges SO'D faces.

There are people calling for his head because we aren't running away with the league.

So: it's going to be a long, hard season. Sorry.

No there aren't. Even most O'Dismal critics aren't calling for his head.

We are calling for him to try to impart a bit of positivity rather than constantly give out the message that we are crap. That's going to gee up his players, put bums on seats and inspire the crowd, isn't it!

[Red Faction]

By not winning.

Good job Sean

Do you honestly think he is trying not to win? Jesus Christ....

[BristolCity?]

I can see what Sod is saying, and I can see why he is saying it. But I just wish he didn't feel the need to. I don't want to hear how Colchester will be hard to beat, I want to hear him say that Bristol City will be hard to beat. I've said it before we are the home team, they are visitors to our City lets have a great game of football but we are really up for it and the game is ours, the points are ours.

And as for booing, no I don't like to hear it as it means things are very wrong. I don't think City fans boo too easily, infact we are very patient considering the rough few seasons we have had. I'm afraid life is tough sometimes, even the top players and managers hear a few now and again. But as long as SoD and the players feel they have done their very best, given their best performance, made the right decisions, they can hold their heads up and ignore the boos. I don't think during the last home game they did personally, maybe deep down SoD knows that too and that's why it's getting to him so much?

Exactly, exactly! Finally someone talks some sense on this forum.

[NickJ]

I was actually feeling a little bit positive about tomorrow and therefore apologise at the outset for starting yet another, negative thread.

I have my justification however. I've just read the latest Bristol Post article here:

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Meeting-expectations-big-challenge-says-Bristol/story-19853124-detail/story.html

Inspiring that's our lads well and truly motivated then!

SOD is trying to lower expectations but at what cost and for for whose benefit?

He may be right we cant expect to turn up and lay 6 past the recent Conference Colchester, but if he's right, who is to blame for that? SOD is saying the club has been run dismally in the past, who would disagree with that. The question, if its been mismanaged in the past, why would the fans expect it to be any different now?

[Portland Bill]

Bill the problem is people do get it, they get it in ******* spades but they don't need to reminded of it every game, because what you are advocating is we the fans have to be happy but SOD can spread misery.

I think it doesn't matter what he says anymore, some of you have made up your minds and will

pick fault whatever.

[Guest]

Inspiring that's our lads well and truly motivated then!

SOD is trying to lower expectations but at what cost and for for whose benefit?

He may be right we cant expect to turn up and lay 6 past the recent Conference Colchester, but if he's right, who is to blame for that? SOD is saying the club has been run dismally in the past, who would disagree with that. The question, if its been mismanaged in the past, why would the fans expect it to be any different now?

Exactly this. There are few criticisms of other recent managers which cannot also be levelled at him. The more worrying though is that he seems to wish to pick battles, or in the very least, antagonise, quarters of the fan base.

With affiliation with the club being at a low ebb, and continued failures to get a result, this is an extremely dangerous tactic. I honestly believe he is stoking the fires that are fueling the pressure and he could be as culpible for his downfall, should it come to that.

[Portland Bill]

Stop making excuses would be a good start for me and instead of alluding to the size of the task, why dosen't he have the balls to say stick with me, i'm the man for the job, it will improve and I will build a team for you to be proud of, just a thought, you see some on here are spreading the myth that the negativity is only coming from 'some' fans' when in fact it's coming more from the head coach.

Negative people read things in a negative way.

A lot on here actually get what he's saying, and we don't find it negative!

[Guest]

Negative people read things in a negative way.

A lot on here actually get what he's saying, and we don't find it negative!

I believe best all round for the foreseeable would be to pull SOD from all media duties.

It may only be a minority, but it is at least a significant one at that, which are interpreting his remarks in a derogatory way.

Like I said, I think he is stoking the fires and if results over the next few weeks go the way they have thus far this season, more and more will deflect from him.

[shirered]

Always be a pessimist then you will never be disappointed . 4-0 to the City tomorrow COYR

[Red-Robbo]

Negative people read things in a negative way.

A lot on here actually get what he's saying, and we don't find it negative!

Kumbaya me lord, kumbaya...

Don't hurt your hands too much.

[NickJ]

IMO he's refreshingly honest in his interviews.

Or getting his excuses in early.

[BrizzleRed]

I don't exactly know what people expect here... do you want someone who tells you what you want to hear or someone to be blunt and tell it as it is?

Personally I prefer the latter, a guy with blunt honesty who is not afraid to tell it as it is.

Oh come on ..... how many fans genuinely expect us to win at all, let along by 5 or 6? There may be a few brainless numpties who still haven't woken up to where we currently are, but I'm starting to get really tired of him tarring us all with the same brush and having a swipe at all us long suffering supporters.

We all know he isn't charisma personified, but if he's as intelligent as he's supposed to be, he must surely be able to see how these continual digs at the fans is a strange way to get people on his side at a time he needs all the support he can get.

I personally think he's a far better manager than GJ in most areas, but in terms of dealing with the fans, GJ beats him hands down.

[Portland Bill]

Kumbaya me lord, kumbaya...

Don't hurt your hands too much.

I presume your about to slash your wrists then.....

[BristolCity?]

Negative people read things in a negative way.

A lot on here actually get what he's saying, and we don't find it negative!

Don't forget SOD is only human. Despite what you might think he will make mistakes and get things wrong from time to time. Sometimes you can't defend the indefensible.

[Portland Bill]

Don't forget SOD is only human. Despite what you might think he will make mistakes and get things wrong from time to time. Sometimes you can't defend the indefensible.

If I'm guilty of standing behind the manager of my football club then so be it.

It's that simple.

[Red-Robbo]

I presume your about to slash your wrists then.....

Bill, I'd be as happy as you are if he walks the walk. ATM though he's just been talking the talk.

[AshtonGreat]

Oh come on ..... how many fans genuinely expect us to win at all, let along by 5 or 6? There may be a few brainless numpties who still haven't woken up to where we currently are, but I'm starting to get really tired of him tarring us all with the same brush and having a swipe at all us long suffering supporters.

We all know he isn't charisma personified, but if he's as intelligent as he's supposed to be, he must surely be able to see how these continual digs at the fans is a strange way to get people on his side at a time he needs all the support he can get.

I personally think he's a far better manager than GJ in most areas, but in terms of dealing with the fans, GJ beats him hands down.

A far better manager than GJ? That, my friend, is a massive shout

[BrizzleRed]

A far better manager than GJ? That, my friend, is a massive shout

Far better may have been a bit strong, but better definitely in my book.

SO'D tries to get his teams playing the right way and has done that with more than one side. With the exception of his short spell at Forest, SO'D hasn't had the luxury of the finances GJ had available to him at City, which was largely squandered anyway.

IMHO, the areas where GJ does win out over SO'D is the togetherness he creates with the fans, along with the battling spirit he instills in the players, but that only seems to work up to a certain point. I very much doubt GJ will ever get to a higher level, as that would probably involve him dealing with players with a bigger ego than him, which seemed to be a problem for him at City.

GJ did a great job for us and SO'D has fallen way short of that so far, but I still think he offers us a better long term future than GJ did.

That said, if he continues pissing off long suffering fans who've shown massive patience considering what's been dished up on the field over the last few years, HIS future with us may not be that long, so he needs to wise up!

[AshtonGreat]

Far better may have been a bit strong, but better definitely in my book.

SO'D tries to get his teams playing the right way and has done that with more than one side. With the exception of his short spell at Forest, SO'D hasn't had the luxury of the finances GJ had available to him at City, which was largely squandered anyway.

IMHO, the areas where GJ does win out over SO'D is the togetherness he creates with the fans, along with the battling spirit he instills in the players, but that only seems to work up to a certain point. I very much doubt GJ will ever get to a higher level, as that would probably involve him dealing with players with a bigger ego than him, which seemed to be a problem for him at City.

GJ did a great job for us and SO'D has fallen way short of that so far, but I still think he offers us a better long term future than GJ did.

That said, if he continues pissing off long suffering fans who've shown massive patience considering what's been dished up on the field over the last few years, HIS future with us may not be that long, so he needs to wise up!

I realise you're not trying to cause an argument and are just putting forward your opinion, so here's mine:

GJ's Bristol City team played football the right way. Never once was I bored watching them - in fact, I enjoyed every moment of our Championship play-off season (and not just because of our league position). Equally, I wouldn't say GJ squandered the finances given to him. With the exception of the last few months, he brought nothing but success to this club

[BrizzleRed]

I realise you're not trying to cause an argument and are just putting forward your opinion, so here's mine:

GJ's Bristol City team played football the right way. Never once was I bored watching them - in fact, I enjoyed every moment of our Championship play-off season (and not just because of our league position). Equally, I wouldn't say GJ squandered the finances given to him. With the exception of the last few months, he brought nothing but success to this club

Thanks for the reply AG and that's the joy of football I guess, as we can watch the same game and yet see things differently.

I was usually a bag of nerves watching us play under GJ, because when we got our noses in front, it generally seemed to signal scenes resembling the alamo, as we sat deeper and deeper trying to defend the lead. In our promotion and play-off season then the football was pretty good, although even then we often only won by a single goal. It really went downhill after that and in my eyes and to call our style of play sterile was a compliment I think. I personally got bored to tears in the last couple of seasons under GJ.

As for squandering the finances, do you really think he spent well? I think history will tell us that the majority of signings he made resulted in significant losses for us. Considering the high number of players he signed during his time here, I'm really struggling to think of anyone we actually sold on for a profit, but maybe that's just my memory failing me.

I was certainly a fan of GJ in his earlier time with us, and will be forever grateful for the great couple of seasons he gave us. Even so, I think his shortcomings were becoming very apparent long before he was actually dismissed. By the end of his reign the club had far more of a relegation look about it than it does at present IMO, though admittedly we're now in a lower division.

Even allowing for the poor results this year, I personally much prefer this, compared to the way we played in GJ's last couple of years, but fully respect your view that you enjoyed GJ's way more.

That's why there will probably never be a manager who'll be universally accepted by all fans, because we all have different likes and expectations. Anyway, wouldn't it be boring if we didn't?!!

[Robin1988]

I realise you're not trying to cause an argument and are just putting forward your opinion, so here's mine:

GJ's Bristol City team played football the right way. Never once was I bored watching them - in fact, I enjoyed every moment of our Championship play-off season (and not just because of our league position). Equally, I wouldn't say GJ squandered the finances given to him. With the exception of the last few months, he brought nothing but success to this club

Got to disagree with 'the right way'. Replace right with effective. We won something like 15 games 1-0 when we got promoted, in terms of winning if that isn't boring I don't know what is. Granted there were exceptions, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, etc. but not for the most part.

[mossey]

I must admit, I didn't like this line very much:

'Unfortunately, Bristol City the club is not Bristol City the team and I keep on banging on about it. We’re trying to get there, but we are a million miles away from it.'

A million miles? Good to see progress is being made.

Makes you think and wonder what the board and Lansdown been doing all these years, and how come that they've not noticed the mess that we were in, why has it taken S O D to come in, and find this out.?

[Banned Tansley]

Much as I don't like his dour nature there are a lot of people on this forum apparently too stupid to understand hyperbole.

I can hear the likes of Fontaines50phead hammering away at their keyboards trying to find a definition of hyperbole.

[RedZepperin]

Much as I don't like his dour nature there are a lot of people on this forum apparently too stupid to understand hyperbole.

Thankfully there are enough people on this forum who recognise gibberish and bullshit when they hear it. The main hurdle we face is for Mr O'Driscoll to put an end to this atrocious run. While he's working out how to do it, he could act with a tad more grace.

[Robbored]

Makes you think and wonder what the board and Lansdown been doing all these years, and how come that they've not noticed the mess that we were in, why has it taken S O D to come in, and find this out.?

Coppell knew it and that's largely why he walked away. McInness realised the club was in a mess as well and had a long term plan in place to turn things around. That's why he was so surprised when he was sacked.

[Red-Robbo]

Coppell knew it and that's largely why he walked away. McInness realised the club was in a mess as well and had a long term plan in place to turn things around. That's why he was so surprised when he was sacked.

Wrong. Coppell walked because he was mentally all over the place and he had problems in his personal life. McInnes's long-term plan seemed to consist of bringing numerous terrible players to the club, and persisting with them when they were manifestly not performing.

Those two contributed to the mess SOD has to face.

[AshtonGreat]

Thanks for the reply AG and that's the joy of football I guess, as we can watch the same game and yet see things differently.

I was usually a bag of nerves watching us play under GJ, because when we got our noses in front, it generally seemed to signal scenes resembling the alamo, as we sat deeper and deeper trying to defend the lead. In our promotion and play-off season then the football was pretty good, although even then we often only won by a single goal. It really went downhill after that and in my eyes and to call our style of play sterile was a compliment I think. I personally got bored to tears in the last couple of seasons under GJ.

As for squandering the finances, do you really think he spent well? I think history will tell us that the majority of signings he made resulted in significant losses for us. Considering the high number of players he signed during his time here, I'm really struggling to think of anyone we actually sold on for a profit, but maybe that's just my memory failing me.

I was certainly a fan of GJ in his earlier time with us, and will be forever grateful for the great couple of seasons he gave us. Even so, I think his shortcomings were becoming very apparent long before he was actually dismissed. By the end of his reign the club had far more of a relegation look about it than it does at present IMO, though admittedly we're now in a lower division.

Even allowing for the poor results this year, I personally much prefer this, compared to the way we played in GJ's last couple of years, but fully respect your view that you enjoyed GJ's way more.

That's why there will probably never be a manager who'll be universally accepted by all fans, because we all have different likes and expectations. Anyway, wouldn't it be boring if we didn't?!!

An excellent and well thought-out post, my friend

[...]

It's not all doom and gloom, you know!

SOD has actually looked at the league table this week.

I know this for a fact, as he says 'our league position needs addressing'.

So, he must have looked at the league table, or someone has told him we are so far up shit creek, we are nearly at pooh corner.

8-0 to city today?

[BrizzleRed]

An excellent and well thought-out post, my friend

Cheers for the kind words AG!

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Negative people read things in a negative way.

A lot on here actually get what he's saying, and we don't find it negative!

OK, I GET what he's saying in general just not the excuses, I have said I don't want him sacked, I have predicted a 2-1 win for us today and I have further predicted that sooner or later this team will give somebody a right dicking. How is that negative?.

SOD is the negative one not me and perhaps you as well for reading my points in a negative way

But I will repeat what my problem is, did I expect us to be vying for promotion this season, not in a million years, did I expect to have a couple of wins by now, of course I did, SOD is fast running out of excuses and they are becoming more and more obscure, just take responsibility and stop making excuses and let's have a bit more fighting talk and try to rally the fans for a change that's all, that is what most managers do isn't it?.