What will Lansdown and co do ?

[DT The Optimist]

10 games in.  1 win.  Some good performances.  some Indifferent ( as perhaps today).   A terrible recruitment in the summer and nonsense in letting ( or allowing) certain players leave. (no not that old chesnut)

 

If I was the majority shareholder what would I be thinking.  last season was fantastic, brilliant.  Party time.  Happy days in open top buses and all that.  A truly great stadium rising from the ground.  But all gone a bit sour.

Almost quarter of way into season and we are rightly bottom.  Yes, a few wins and the situation will change, but do we actually look like being able to get those wins.  Today was alarming.  MK Dons were poor, at half time for the taking.   second half we were taken to the cleaners and seemingly no way of changing what everyone could see was going to happen ?

 

What is SL thoughts now.  How can he stop it all going down the proverbial pan.  A nice shiny stadium back in league one and everest to climb again ? 10000 at best rattling around ?  Cotts is not for changing.  We seem to have used up all our loan players quota. cannot strengthen until January ?  What is he going to do !  

[Numero Uno]

Therein lies the problem. Despite investing tens of millions of pounds the Major Investor has never seemed to operate with a long term plan or at least none that has ever been stuck to and is therefore forced to act "off the cuff" (or Press the Panic Button) again and again.

[bristolcitysweden]

As an investor he should appoint someone with documented knowledge of football

[Nomad]

As an investor he should appoint someone with documented knowledge of football

You mean documented like a note from his Mum ? I heard that is what SC brought to his interview.

[Major Isewater]

Therein lies the problem. Despite investing tens of millions of pounds the Major Investor has never seemed to operate with a long term plan or at least none that has ever been stuck to and is therefore forced to act "off the cuff" (or Press the Panic Button) again and again.

Now Major Investor , there's a chap, used to play Polo together in India , sunk all his money in rubbish,  Methane ,caused quite a stink down at the officers club . Sound familiar ?

[havanatopia]

If there is only 1 loan signing left and no permanents available until January then very little is the answer. Not sure if these rules apply to overseas recruits?

I suppose he could ship one of the loanies back, if one is not panning out, and that then gives him two positions he can take up.

[WayOutWest]

The million or billion dollar question.

The answer to that only he knows. After last season the club had momentum.  The south stand was rising like a phoenix out of the east end ashes, and the whole club felt unreal.

However, we have hit the self destruct button. We look directionless.  Our summer was nothing short of horrendous. Like headless chickens running around. One minute we were scoffing and acting all hurt by wage demands and transfer fees of players. Only for the week after trying to sign the same players (possibly) and it's no wonder they didn't want to come.

The club have backed themselves into position of weakness instead of being strong and resolute with a plan.

January will define this board, management and team. We cannot get it wrong. SL cannot get it wrong

Stevo

 

[Bristol Rob]

As an investor he should appoint someone with documented knowledge of football

Do you not think that his (almost) 20 year association with the club as a director and investor qualifies him to know at least a 'bit' about running a club?

[bristolcitysweden]

Do you not think that his (almost) 20 year association with the club as a director and investor qualifies him to know at least a 'bit' about running a club?

No

[Numero Uno]

Do you not think that his (almost) 20 year association with the club as a director and investor qualifies him to know at least a 'bit' about running a club?

You would think so, to be fair, which makes the events of pre-season all the more bizarre. It was like we handed over the reins to a five year old and gave them a box of crayons to be starting off with.

[Nibor]

Do you not think that his (almost) 20 year association with the club as a director and investor qualifies him to know at least a 'bit' about running a club?

Given the results against the money spent, not really.

[bristolcitysweden]

I don't blame SL for pre season. He had a meeting with Cotts, Pelling and Burt where they asked for a budget for their signings. They did not have a clue about the overall cost. 

[AshtonGreat]

One thing I will say: if Lansdown isn't prepared to dig into his pocket to pay decent wages, he shouldn't be charging us fans what he does to watch poor results every week

[Northern Red]

I don't blame SL for pre season. He had a meeting with Cotts, Pelling and Burt where they asked for a budget for their signings. They did not have a clue about the overall cost. 

You know this, I presume?

[bristolcitysweden]

You know this, I presume?

It's common knowledge

[Barrs Court Red]

The summer was almost like a microcosm of his tenure at City. "We're going to be prudent" that fails, so plan b comes in, "we're gonna spend big" before falling back to the loan market.

If club is to live within its means then fine do so. I applaud that and wish it would. If the club is to spend and chase the dream, so be it and enjoy the ride. The constant u-turns make it impossible see any sustained progress from either plan.

[AshtonGreat]

I don't blame SL for pre season. He had a meeting with Cotts, Pelling and Burt where they asked for a budget for their signings. They did not have a clue about the overall cost. 

I find that hard to believe. These are very experienced football men. Lansdown isn't

[bristolcitysweden]

Maybe we should bring Peter Hargreaves on? He won't spend any money but that's not the problem though.  

[WayOutWest]

Towards the end of last season, when we were pretty much guaranteed promotion, SC stated they were planning  for life in the championship. 

I cannot believe they were that naive regarding the cost of doing business in a higher league. It just looked very amateur. 

January is the first opportunity to gain some semblance of recovery for the fiasco that was this summer.

Identify targets and get the personnel in.  I don't want to read in the press ever again, about how much this player costs or his wage demands. We wanted to be in this division, we now need to belong. I am talking in terms of stadium, budget and squad. 

Stevo 

 

[Bristol Rob]

I find that hard to believe. These are very experienced football men. Lansdown isn't

But he is though. 20 years of hiring and firing managers, God only knows how many players bought, sold and loaned and probably a complete range of agents worked with.

I think the club have been naive in expecting players to want a reasonable wage when it sounds like most of them want top end money for second tier football, but if the sustainability of the club is in jeopardy and the harmony in the squad open to upset because someone comes in on 4 times as much cash and isn't 4 times the player of the rest then he is to be applauded.

[bristolcitysweden]

Towards the end of last season, when we were pretty much guaranteed promotion, SC stated they were planning  for life in the championship. 

I cannot believe they were that naive regarding the cost of doing business in a higher league. It just looked very amateur. 

January is the first opportunity to gain some semblance of recovery for the fiasco that was this summer.

Identify targets and get the personnel in.  I don't want to read in the press ever again, about how much this player costs or his wage demands. We wanted to be in this division, we now need to belong. I am talking in terms of stadium, budget and squad. 

Stevo 

 

How old is Keith Burt then?  

[Numero Uno]

But he is though. 20 years of hiring and firing managers, God only knows how many players bought, sold and loaned and probably a complete range of agents worked with.

I think the club have been naive in expecting players to want a reasonable wage when it sounds like most of them want top end money for second tier football, but if the sustainability of the club is in jeopardy and the harmony in the squad open to upset because someone comes in on 4 times as much cash and isn't 4 times the player of the rest then he is to be applauded.

Except you don't go chucking round bids of £7m like confetti and then expect the lads concerned to come down and ask for £5K per week. And neither would the rest of the squad either.

[WayOutWest]

 harmony in the squad open to upset because someone comes in on 4 times as much cash and isn't 4 times the player of the rest then he is to be applauded.

Hey Rob

I am not sure I agree with that. This team is currently bottom. If we had signed Grey for instance and he did agree terms and he was earning 4 times what say Pack was on, would Pack be that upset?

Over the summer we never sold player for a vast sum of money. Their valuations and wages are commensurate. I would hope that success on the pitch with higher calibre players was more important, than he earns twice as much as me.

Regards

 

Stevo

[AshtonGreat]

But he is though. 20 years of hiring and firing managers, God only knows how many players bought, sold and loaned and probably a complete range of agents worked with.

I think the club have been naive in expecting players to want a reasonable wage when it sounds like most of them want top end money for second tier football, but if the sustainability of the club is in jeopardy and the harmony in the squad open to upset because someone comes in on 4 times as much cash and isn't 4 times the player of the rest then he is to be applauded.

20 years of hiring and firing A LOT of managers suggests that Lansdown isn't the most astute when it comes to footballing matters.

He isn't to be applauded if his tightness means we're at the bottom of the league.

[BCFC Jordan]

Had our best summer window in years in the summer of 2014, we then go on to have an amazing season. Why we didn't try to do the same again, I will never know. It's like we looked at everything that brought us success last season and decided to do the exact opposite.

 

It's completely inexplicable.

[bristolcitysweden]

20 years of hiring and firing A LOT of managers suggests that Lansdown isn't the most astute when it comes to footballing matters.

He isn't to be applauded if his tightness means we're at the bottom of the league.

They should really not have been appointed is what they are saying  

[Northern Red]

20 years of hiring and firing A LOT of managers suggests that Lansdown isn't the most astute when it comes to footballing matters.

He isn't to be applauded if his tightness means we're at the bottom of the league.

Indeed. In that time he's got 2 appointments right, GJ and SC.

Not a great track record really, is it?

[hortonred]

The million or billion dollar question.

The answer to that only he knows. After last season the club had momentum.  The south stand was rising like a phoenix out of the east end ashes, and the whole club felt unreal.

However, we have hit the self destruct button. We look directionless.  Our summer was nothing short of horrendous. Like headless chickens running around. One minute we were scoffing and acting all hurt by wage demands and transfer fees of players. Only for the week after trying to sign the same players (possibly) and it's no wonder they didn't want to come.

The club have backed themselves into position of weakness instead of being strong and resolute with a plan.

January will define this board, management and team. We cannot get it wrong. SL cannot get it wrong

Stevo

 

How can we carry on like this until January. We need to change what we are doing or expect more of the same.If nothing changes until January we will be gone.

[bristolcitysweden]

SL is now the investor. I don't know what his directives are saying really.

[old_eastender]

How can we carry on like this until January. We need to change what we are doing or expect more of the same.If nothing changes until January we will be gone.

Indeed, we all know and agree it was the horrendous failings to strengthen in the summer that has results in us being where we are now (I blame Burt & Cotts not SL for that). HOWEVER we can't fix that, but we can make some changes now, just that Cotts us too stubborn or blind to see where the problemslay... Repeat our form over the first 10 matches for the next ten and we will be cut adrift and the season lost before the January transfer window comes.

[Spoons]

Think SL will sack SC. I wouldn't but the £47 million stadium project is a massive factor in his thinking. Personally think that the international break will mean the end of SC. I hope I'm wrong, but wow that 2nd half was awful. Feels like we lost.

[Guest]

How can we carry on like this until January. We need to change what we are doing or expect more of the same.If nothing changes until January we will be gone.

No we wont, the season dosen`t finish then. Seems some teams we`ve played already have more belief in our team than our own fans.

[bristolcitysweden]

I have an agenda. We will end up with 100 percent foreigners - and they will all be Scandinavians. Just to let you not in the know to know 

[WayOutWest]

How can we carry on like this until January. We need to change what we are doing or expect more of the same.If nothing changes until January we will be gone.

I am referring to the transfer window.

[CityCiderEd]

Towards the end of last season, when we were pretty much guaranteed promotion, SC stated they were planning  for life in the championship. 

I cannot believe they were that naive regarding the cost of doing business in a higher league. It just looked very amateur. 

January is the first opportunity to gain some semblance of recovery for the fiasco that was this summer.

Identify targets and get the personnel in.  I don't want to read in the press ever again, about how much this player costs or his wage demands. We wanted to be in this division, we now need to belong. I am talking in terms of stadium, budget and squad. 

Stevo 

 

January may be too bloody late if we carry on with performances like that!

[Guest bristol south end]

Yeah Jan is going to be well to late. Not sure how the management team are going to get themselves outta this hole.  They do not have the playing staff they need to obtain the points needed.  They missed the boat with regard to transfers.  That is now translating its self into a pattern of poor results over the last 10 games. Who is to blame, all of them.  One big massive **** up by all at the club.  New ground is going to look out of place in League one half empty.  Oh well, never simple being a city supporter.

[cidered abroad]

if we go down we are ******

Flint, Bryan, Freeman, Kodjia, Little won't be hanging about.

 

If I was Kodjia, I would want out in January! He is too good for us.

and next season a stadium half full. More like 75% empty!

[Kingswood Robin]

January probably is too late and as we've heard before, decent championship players won't want to join us if we're bottom of the table in January. At this level, if you don't get your squad sorted in the summer, you're in the shit and boy are we in the shit. I can't believe we've repeated the same mistakes of not sorting the squad out in the summer and then filling it with loan signings, a complete disaster before and so it's proving again.

Clearly money was available in the summer. Is there no sensible calibration between the wage budget and recruitment budget? Is someone making financial decisions on behalf of Lansdown in his absence? Some serious questions need to be answered as to why we find ourselves in the position we are currently in.

[TRL]

I find this all very amusing.  It's not like we have not seen the same thing happen time after time with the stewardship of this club over the past 10 or 15 years.

As long as SL owns this club this roller coaster of hope and despair will continue. Mistake after mistake after mistake with the odd season of success.

Yet some how these odd seasons is all it takes to sucker in people over and over again.

[Numero Uno]

I find this all very amusing.  It's not like we have not seen the same thing happen time after time with the stewardship of this club over the past 10 or 15 years.

As long as SL owns this club this roller coaster of hope and despair will continue. Mistake after mistake after mistake with the odd season of success.

Yet some how these odd seasons is all it takes to sucker in people over and over again.

The biggest disappointment for me is that Cotterill actually seemed to put a proper recruitment plan in place last season. For the first time ever - no "clubs in the bag" bollox or seven loan players who didn't give a to$$ about the club. He identified the system he wanted to play and the players he brought in fitted the system perfectly at the level we were playing and were, in the main, young with the potential for re-sale value. Joe Bryan was utilised from the Academy and Reid and Burns were sent out to learn men's football so that they could hopefully benefit us in future seasons. Loans were used when necessary to COMPLEMENT what we had. We were operating with a smaller squad than you would call ideal but I just assumed Cotterill thought he could get away with it in League 1 once we reached the New Year injury free and with no sign of our form slipping.

But fast forward 12 months and, it doesn't matter how optimistic you are and even if you have 500% confidence we will avoid relegation, we are in a complete and utter mess and have thrown the above plan in the bin. We have one signing of note (and what a signing to be fair), another signing who did not fit the system and left the club for personal reasons within weeks, a number of loan players who are struggling big time with the exception of Baker who seems to be finding his feet, embarrassing bids of £7m plus for players who we never had a hope in hell of attracting when we should have been looking at three or four players to be signed at a COMBINED TOTAL of £7m. We are rudderless at the moment, Bristol Sport has gone very quiet and, in my mind, the guy who invests the money has to take the responsibility for the rubbish we are putting up with to date this season in addition to the glory of last season.

I still think we might eventually claw our way to safety somehow this season but whether we do, or not, the leadership at the very top has been irresponsible this season and seems akin to a man with plenty of money getting bored with his personal toy because he doesn't understand how to use all of the features it comes with (a personal toy is what it is at the end of the day because none of us has the cash to take it off him).