The Problem

[Globe Trotter]

The problem is this:

Gary Johnson and us!

Following our relegation from whatever the championship was called then back in 98/99 city were dire and I think us as fans slowly started to accept that playing Carlisle and Chesterfield and Colchester and losing was as good as it was going to get.

Eventually though GJ turned up and we were playing Leeds, West Ham and Newcastle. While the quality of football wasn't quite as good as that under Wilson....the team spirit was the best seen down the gate for many a year...which in turn inspired the fans who rose to the occasion...bounce around the ground...etc...it was truly an enjoyable experience being a city fan for a good 2/3 years. Beating palace and coming so close to the premiership raised expectations to a level that I've not seen in my 20+ years watching city.

The board, and us fans must take some blame, then got a bit over excited and lots (and lots) of money was then wasted on poor appointments who in turn signed poor/average/overrated/marquee football players on silly wages in a desperate attempt to assert our dominance in the championship.

While clearly Coppell, Millen and McInnes were not the men to take the club forward they were all still afforded money to build their vision for city and we all know how that worked out.

We are now back in league 1 and expectations need to be lowered...GJ's reign was brilliant ****il the end!) but it cannot be expected to be the norm. I loathed watching city under McInnes and Millen (most of the time) but now SOD is giving youngsters, some of whom are local lads, a good go and signing exciting young players - Pack, Flint and JET for example and for SOD all money and combining them with genuinely valuable experience in Shorey, Harewood.

The last two sentences sum up, IMHO, what a lot of city fans have wanted in the past few seasons so...my take on it is that its been shit before and it'll be shit again but I honestly believe that the philosophy of what city are trying to do works and will work and I think most City fans want this...its just important to be patient.

SOD may not be the most exciting character but how many fans reading this wanted him before/during the reign of Derek McInnes? Rome wasn't built in a day, keep the faith.

[You Do The Dziekanowski]

Oooh the first 'Rome wasn't built in a day' comment It must be Christmas time

I agree with what you are saying though, That day in may was the worst thing that could've happened to us, Even reaching the play offs, We set that season as a benchmark and tried hopelessly to reach there again by signing old has beens on ridiculous wages, If as a club as a whole we saw that season as a bit of a fluke or we over achieved massively I reckon we would have been in a much stronger position,

Now we are building for a strong future what we should of done in 08/09 not buying for now which is what happened in 08/09, Even SOD has said all he is doing is setting the club up for the next manager (if there is one) So we have our style of play and are financially safe,

So don't worry about the results on the pitch because we still have a club to support which if we carried on as we did we wouldn't or we would've been bottom with -100 points because of FFP

[David Brent]

Coppell replacing GJ backs up your theory about trying to assert our dominance on the championship so perhaps you are right. Not many people were against that appointment. So to then appoint Millen still baffles me.

[TV Tom]

Coppell replacing GJ backs up your theory about trying to assert our dominance on the championship so perhaps you are right. Not many people were against that appointment. So to then appoint Millen still baffles me.

Dead right, Copple's appointment seemed a fantastic one at the time, it was not Lansdowne's fault he turned out to be such a weak character, but the appointment of Millen was a complete disaster and so unimaginative, the beginning of the end.

[Guest]

The problem is;

We are paying the price for previous poor decisions, by "The Boss" his selection of previous managers has not been great.

We have been put on the shelf now, right next to the AV plans and speeches. An interim board/management team has been assigned to keep us ticking over.

Until someone else shows an interest in us, that is where we will stay gathering dust.

WE ARE WAITING FOR A LEADER, ON AND OFF THE PITCH

[Kibs]

The problem is;

We are paying the price for previous poor decisions, by "The Boss" his selection of previous managers has not been great.

We have been put on the shelf now, right next to the AV plans and speeches. An interim board/management team has been assigned to keep us ticking over.

Until someone else shows an interest in us, that is where we will stay gathering dust.

WE ARE WAITING FOR A LEADER, ON AND OFF THE PITCH

Yes SL is funding the redevelopment of AG just to keep us ticking over so he can then sell the club at an enormous loss....

[Major Isewater]

Yes SL is funding the redevelopment of AG just to keep us ticking over so he can then sell the club at an enormous loss....

Best pût "GOB" on ignore ,the miserable ,negative ficker

[Bat Fastard]

The OP has hit the nail on the head. Rock on Tommy!!

[Guest]

Best pût "GOB" on ignore ,the miserable ,negative ficker

What a knib head atb is, changing a letter how original..........twit

[Clarky89]

Problem is we ain't very good at football.

[LoyalRed]

I don't understand this 'Rome wasn't built in a day comment'? , some still believe that god created the world in 6 days and had a rest of the 7th, so building Rome wouldn't even take a day, maybe an hour.

[marmite]

If we are now at a level when "we shouldn't be expecting to beat Colchester", at home, we have really reached a new low. My view is that we can and should win this match easily, a view not shared by SO'D.

[sunningdalered]

OP is bang on. Too many people are holding SOD somehow responsible for the things that have led us to where we are now. He came here to try and break us out of the downward spiral we got ourselves into. Whether he accepted this poisoned chalice out of ego or purely for financial reward is his business - but he has clearly started us on another chapter in our illustrious (ha ha) history, and not by just repeating the same pattern of making expensive, long-term signings as we have down previously.

Oh, and the fact that he doesn't constantly come out with the "we'll work even harder in training / we'll watch lots of dvd's" rubbish that a lot of other managers spout, continues to please me.

[AshtonGreat]

The problem is this:

Gary Johnson and us!

Following our relegation from whatever the championship was called then back in 98/99 city were dire and I think us as fans slowly started to accept that playing Carlisle and Chesterfield and Colchester and losing was as good as it was going to get.

Eventually though GJ turned up and we were playing Leeds, West Ham and Newcastle. While the quality of football wasn't quite as good as that under Wilson....the team spirit was the best seen down the gate for many a year...which in turn inspired the fans who rose to the occasion...bounce around the ground...etc...it was truly an enjoyable experience being a city fan for a good 2/3 years. Beating palace and coming so close to the Premier League raised expectations to a level that I've not seen in my 20+ years watching city.

The board, and us fans must take some blame, then got a bit over excited and lots (and lots) of money was then wasted on poor appointments who in turn signed poor/average/overrated/marquee football players on silly wages in a desperate attempt to assert our dominance in the championship.

While clearly Coppell, Millen and McInnes were not the men to take the club forward they were all still afforded money to build their vision for city and we all know how that worked out.

We are now back in league 1 and expectations need to be lowered...GJ's reign was brilliant ****il the end!) but it cannot be expected to be the norm. I loathed watching city under McInnes and Millen (most of the time) but now SOD is giving youngsters, some of whom are local lads, a good go and signing exciting young players - Pack, Flint and JET for example and for SOD all money and combining them with genuinely valuable experience in Shorey, Harewood.

The last two sentences sum up, IMHO, what a lot of city fans have wanted in the past few seasons so...my take on it is that its been shit before and it'll be shit again but I honestly believe that the philosophy of what city are trying to do works and will work and I think most City fans want this...its just important to be patient.

SOD may not be the most exciting character but how many fans reading this wanted him before/during the reign of Derek McInnes? Rome wasn't built in a day, keep the faith.

I love this. Did you hit a 'C' instead of an open bracket, by any chance?

[TRL]

Dead right, Copple's appointment seemed a fantastic one at the time, it was not Lansdowne's fault he turned out to be such a weak character, but the appointment of Millen was a complete disaster and so unimaginative, the beginning of the end.

He had history doing this. Just a little homework would have shown the character flaws.

[italian dave]

Great OP - dead right, and just how I feel.

It's also easy to forget a few things along that 5 year way. Like just how much GJ lost the plot in the final months. I was at Plymouth for the notorious last game, and it was an embarrasment. We deliberatley set out our stall that evening to play the most dire, awful, football that I've ever seen us play in 50 years of watching City.

And I don't remember the appointment of Coppell being greeted with anything but acclaim - especially on OTIB! And even the appointment of McInnes was pretty popular. Sometimes things just don't work out - but we always expect them to!

Where I also think the OP is dead right though is that we are at least starting to play some good football again. I all but gave up going away last season - and didn't look forward even to home games. The past two years were so awful. But I've enjoyed this season. Yes, I know that we need to win too - but I honestly think that the foundations of something really good is being built. But it's true - Rome wasn't etc etc. Maybe SOD's "5 or 6" comments should have been about weeks to turn things round rather than goals against Colchester. It will take a year. The first 2 months of SODs reign were nothing to do with rebuilding - just about trying to stay up. I think he'd given up that ghost by start of April, so he's had 3 months (in football season terms!). No where near long enough, and we just have to be realistic and patient.

[Aizoon]

The problem is this:

Gary Johnson and us!

Following our relegation from whatever the championship was called then back in 98/99 city were dire and I think us as fans slowly started to accept that playing Carlisle and Chesterfield and Colchester and losing was as good as it was going to get.

Eventually though GJ turned up and we were playing Leeds, West Ham and Newcastle. While the quality of football wasn't quite as good as that under Wilson....the team spirit was the best seen down the gate for many a year...which in turn inspired the fans who rose to the occasion...bounce around the ground...etc...it was truly an enjoyable experience being a city fan for a good 2/3 years. Beating palace and coming so close to the Premier League raised expectations to a level that I've not seen in my 20+ years watching city.

The board, and us fans must take some blame, then got a bit over excited and lots (and lots) of money was then wasted on poor appointments who in turn signed poor/average/overrated/marquee football players on silly wages in a desperate attempt to assert our dominance in the championship.

While clearly Coppell, Millen and McInnes were not the men to take the club forward they were all still afforded money to build their vision for city and we all know how that worked out.

We are now back in league 1 and expectations need to be lowered...GJ's reign was brilliant ****il the end!) but it cannot be expected to be the norm. I loathed watching city under McInnes and Millen (most of the time) but now SOD is giving youngsters, some of whom are local lads, a good go and signing exciting young players - Pack, Flint and JET for example and for SOD all money and combining them with genuinely valuable experience in Shorey, Harewood.

The last two sentences sum up, IMHO, what a lot of city fans have wanted in the past few seasons so...my take on it is that its been shit before and it'll be shit again but I honestly believe that the philosophy of what city are trying to do works and will work and I think most City fans want this...its just important to be patient.

SOD may not be the most exciting character but how many fans reading this wanted him before/during the reign of Derek McInnes? Rome wasn't built in a day, keep the faith.

Ace post! Now watch the moaners tear it apart - I mean, how can a manager be any good if he doesn't leap about waving his arms?

[italian dave]

If we are now at a level when "we shouldn't be expecting to beat Colchester", at home, we have really reached a new low. My view is that we can and should win this match easily, a view not shared by SO'D.

So, SOD's right (about some City fans if not necessarily all). You ARE expecting us to win easily. We have a right to win easily - because we are Bristol City?.

I don't understand why you think that? We're in the same league as Colchester. They are above us. They've won more games than we have. Why should we be expecting to beat them?

[Nogbad the Bad]

Best pût "GOB" on ignore ,the miserable ,negative ficker

Out of order Atb, glos old boy's been around ( at the Gate and on here) for a very long time and is entitled to give his opinion about the state of the club without receiving personal responses like that.

If you don't agree with his post why not just state exactly what you disagree with?

That's how a forum works, your sort of response above just poisons it.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

The problem is this:

Gary Johnson and us!

Following our relegation from whatever the championship was called then back in 98/99 city were dire and I think us as fans slowly started to accept that playing Carlisle and Chesterfield and Colchester and losing was as good as it was going to get.

Eventually though GJ turned up and we were playing Leeds, West Ham and Newcastle. While the quality of football wasn't quite as good as that under Wilson....the team spirit was the best seen down the gate for many a year...which in turn inspired the fans who rose to the occasion...bounce around the ground...etc...it was truly an enjoyable experience being a city fan for a good 2/3 years. Beating palace and coming so close to the Premier League raised expectations to a level that I've not seen in my 20+ years watching city.

The board, and us fans must take some blame, then got a bit over excited and lots (and lots) of money was then wasted on poor appointments who in turn signed poor/average/overrated/marquee football players on silly wages in a desperate attempt to assert our dominance in the championship.

While clearly Coppell, Millen and McInnes were not the men to take the club forward they were all still afforded money to build their vision for city and we all know how that worked out.

We are now back in league 1 and expectations need to be lowered...GJ's reign was brilliant ****il the end!) but it cannot be expected to be the norm. I loathed watching city under McInnes and Millen (most of the time) but now SOD is giving youngsters, some of whom are local lads, a good go and signing exciting young players - Pack, Flint and JET for example and for SOD all money and combining them with genuinely valuable experience in Shorey, Harewood.

The last two sentences sum up, IMHO, what a lot of city fans have wanted in the past few seasons so...my take on it is that its been shit before and it'll be shit again but I honestly believe that the philosophy of what city are trying to do works and will work and I think most City fans want this...its just important to be patient.

SOD may not be the most exciting character but how many fans reading this wanted him before/during the reign of Derek McInnes? Rome wasn't built in a day, keep the faith.

Rome wasn't built in a day, but I bet after 9 months the emperor had said to builders no more ******* excuses.

[bucksred]

We have what we deserve currently, and have been headed this way since GJ's last season, cracks were papered over, but those problems we are now suffering from were clearly obvious since then.

Will be very interesting to see how long the bad run goes on for. Pressure will be on SOD the longer it goes on, the team is all his now. Hes talking a very good game, and the team is potentially a good one, BUT!...