Why I've hated this season more than any I can remember

[CotswoldRed]

In 30-odd seasons I've seen just about everything and felt all the emotions. 

This year, for me, is entirely different. An utterly excruciating season with only Plan A. Plan A isn't working and so it's everyone else's fault and we are victims of modern football, players and their agents. Oh, and bad luck in almost every game hasn't helped either, has it?

All at a time when our predicament appears to be exclusive to us. We all believe that, don't we? 

We have no plan B, the excuses are the same as last week, and every other week, and nobody at the club can offer anything in the way of a new dimension or approach. As plan A is an unmitigated disaster, the narrative is one of almost resignation. 

At every stage,  the demeanour of the club feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Our board has sunk into cowardly invisibility and they can no longer ride on the crest of last year's wave.

And overconfidence (I'll call it arrogance) allowed us to gamble with our squad, breaking it up and leaving us with a threadbare squad because we assumed a flash new stadium and a cheque book would secure the services we sought. 

Arguably,  it's not what's happened on the pitch that has destroyed our season. It's awful boardroom management that's done it for us. 

I can deal with losing every day of the week if you are beaten by the better team, having tried to do things right. Someone has to go down after all! 

What leaves my feeling so let down is this will be the first City season I've watched where I feel like the club has beaten itself. 

 

[NickJ]

Just now, CotswoldRed said:

In 30-odd seasons I've seen just about everything and felt all the emotions. 

This year, for me, is entirely different. An utterly excruciating season with only Plan A. Plan A isn't working and so it's everyone else's fault and we are victims of modern football, players and their agents. Oh, and bad luck in almost every game hasn't helped either, has it?

All at a time when our predicament appears to be exclusive to us. We all believe that, don't we? 

We have no plan B, the excuses are the same as last week, and every other week, and nobody at the club can offer anything in the way of a new dimension or approach. As plan A is an unmitigated disaster, the narrative is one of almost resignation. 

 

I thought Plan B that all the experts have been calling for was to use substitutes.

Which he did tonight.

Only on this forum can a manager be criticised for not doing something and also be criticised for doing the thing he was criticised for not doing.

 

[CotswoldRed]

Just now, NickJ said:

I thought Plan B that all the experts have been calling for was to use substitutes.

Which he did tonight.

Only on this forum can a manager be criticised for not doing something and also be criticised for doing the thing he was criticised for not doing.

 

Erm, can't a forum have at least 2 viewpoints?

Only on this forum? This assertion is often peddled here. People think our forum is uniquely contradictory, fickle or extreme in its views. This just isn't true. 

[And Its Smith]

Shouldn't we give 5-3-2 one more try? 

[JM91]

The only feasible way this can be your least enjoyable season would be if you started supporting at the start of last season.

[CotswoldRed]

2 minutes ago, JM91 said:

The only feasible way this can be your least enjoyable season would be if you started supporting at the start of last season.

I agree we've had less successful seasons. Cant think of any where we've snatched defeat from the jaws of victory so cleary. All while effectively declaring we're powerless to do anything about it. 

[BS4 on Tour...]

I've read lots of posts on here on various threads alluding to the Board's "cowardly invisibility" as the OP puts it here.

What do people expect from the Board in this regard? A weekly press conference to give their viewpoints to the world on our predicament?!

How many other clubs' Boards are consistently visible, public and high profile, telling the fans of their clubs everything that's going on and why?

I don't know of any...

[Red Exile]

4 hours ago, CotswoldRed said:

I agree we've had less successful seasons. Cant think of any where we've snatched defeat from the jaws of victory so cleary. All while effectively declaring we're powerless to do anything about it. 

Couldn't agree more. A truly awful season and I've watched every relegation since we left the top flight. In the past it's usually been clear what's going wrong…this season has been made all the worse by the failure of anyone at the club to account for the position we find ourselves in. The narrative is indeed one of resignation.

 

[CotswoldRed]

3 hours ago, BS4 on Tour... said:

I've read lots of posts on here on various threads alluding to the Board's "cowardly invisibility" as the OP puts it here.

What do people expect from the Board in this regard? A weekly press conference to give their viewpoints to the world on our predicament?!

How many other clubs' Boards are consistently visible, public and high profile, telling the fans of their clubs everything that's going on and why?

I don't know of any...

I don't particularly want to hear their polished patter, however, last year they were almost high-fiving week to week online. This season they are too scared to man-up and have left Steve to deal with the public, the media, the fans completely on his own. 

I don't like that.

[054123]

Think I'm in this camp.

Whilst I'm no super fan like Nick and the gang, I've never known a season gut and  deflate me like this.

I've had friends who have been home and away for 40 years, die hards who I could describe and who would all know them, texting me saying that they just don't feel like bothering anymore. They still do but its almost the sad acceptance that eats away at me. People who during the chap years were angry we were crap, aren't angry, just disillusioned.

[BRISTOL86]

6 hours ago, NickJ said:

I thought Plan B that all the experts have been calling for was to use substitutes.

Which he did tonight.

Only on this forum can a manager be criticised for not doing something and also be criticised for doing the thing he was criticised for not doing.

 

I know you won't hear a thing against Saint Steve or the club in general, but tonight was the first time I can remember a positive substitution happening before about 80-85 minutes.

You can spin it however you like, but 4 wins in 28 - if that continues at that rate for the rest of the season we WILL be a League One club next season.

You may be happy/accepting about that, the majority aren't and know we could, and should be better.

To allow ourselves to be in this absolute mess after the season we had last year is bordering on negligence from the board. 

[Jack Dawe]

6 hours ago, JM91 said:

The only feasible way this can be your least enjoyable season would be if you started supporting at the start of last season.

Hopes were raised somewhat, before the summer transfer window closed, as we made large bids for a 26 year old scoring goals in the PL, for one of the best young strikers in the Championship etc etc. The sense of letdown and disappointment has been compounded by what we got in the end and how the team has gone on to perform

[Red Exile]

39 minutes ago, 054123 said:

Think I'm in this camp.

Whilst I'm no super fan like Nick and the gang, I've never known a season gut and  deflate me like this.

I've had friends who have been home and away for 40 years, die hards who I could describe and who would all know them, texting me saying that they just don't feel like bothering anymore. They still do but its almost the sad acceptance that eats away at me. People who during the chap years were angry we were crap, aren't angry, just disillusioned.

Precisely this. I couldn't make it last night, and listened at home to Steve Cotterill more or less saying that he had too few players, those he had were exhausted, the match schedule was going to continue to be exhausting and there was no immediate prospect of signing anyone who can improve the squad. Not a glimmer of optimism, and a strong sense that none of this was his fault. I quite accept that it may not be and I'm not convinced that getting rid of him is the right thing to do if nothing else will change.

The club is poorly run. Has been for years. After a while the hope that things will improve dwindles. Last season was unexpectedly uplifting, this season could hardly be more deflating. And that eats away at enthusiasm.

[grove park city]

On 1/13/2016 at 07:00, 054123 said:

Think I'm in this camp.

Whilst I'm no super fan like Nick and the gang, I've never known a season gut and  deflate me like this.

I've had friends who have been home and away for 40 years, die hards who I could describe and who would all know them, texting me saying that they just don't feel like bothering anymore. They still do but its almost the sad acceptance that eats away at me. People who during the chap years were angry we were crap, aren't angry, just disillusioned.

I think this is the onset of later life thinking back in 1970 when i started going we had the building blocks  of our golden age starting to form

Bristol City » Squad 1970/1971

Season 1970/1971 Over the next few seasons key players were bought in also the likes of Gary Collier and Clive Whitehead emerged through the ranks we grew up with these players

even in the infamous 1982 culling Terry Cooper came in as a player then manager and dragged every ounce of guts drive and determination out of the players,staff and fans the last time i can truly say a manager gelled with the fans was under Gary Johnson . I don't get angry as much any more we have had gilt edge chances to change and build but have backed off and missed them.

I'm now also in the disillusioned camp  couldn't give a monkeys if some kid wants to stay in Bolton if he doesn't want to be part of Bristol City FC then fine we are cannon fodder at this moment stuck in a ground-hog day film the total lack of positive action from owner and board leaves a manager walking to the scaffold partly through sheer bloody blinkered  mindset tactics if nothing is in the pipeline player wise as Cotts said himself which i find hard to credit then its a effing disgrace. 

[Jack Dawe]

On 13/01/2016 at 07:01, BRISTOL86 said:

I know you won't hear a thing against Saint Steve or the club in general, but tonight was the first time I can remember a positive substitution happening before about 80-85 minutes.

 

I can think of just one other obvious example, Leeds at home. Wes and Bobby in the 50 mins, then Agard on about 71 mins. At 0:2 down.

[WolfOfWestStreet]

Being bottom of league one under Sean ODriscoll was way worse than this. Wasn't even that long ago, has that shit been forgotten already?? 

[LondonBristolian]

34 minutes ago, WolfOfWestStreet said:

Being bottom of league one under Sean ODriscoll was way worse than this. Wasn't even that long ago, has that shit been forgotten already?? 

For me, this season's far worse.  For a start, SOD had gone by early December so it didn't stretch on for so long.  Secondly JET was a joy to watch, even in the bad times. Thirdly we beat Rovers and that counts for a lot.  Fourthly it was pretty clear, even under SOD, that we were a decent team playing badly and that ultimately, perhaps (as was the case) with a change of manager, we'd pull out of it.  I don't really remember a point where I really believed we were going down.  Fifthly, again even with SOD and subsequently with SC, it was clear we were trying different ideas to get out of it and it felt like eventually we'd find the combination that worked.

Even the season with McInnes and SOD, I felt up to January that McInnes was trying things out and trying to find solutions to get us to play better.  What's more I could accept the club were doing things behind the scenes to improve things in the long-term and I believed, awful though the short-term was, it was part a plan to make things better in the long-term.  (sadly the long-term hasn't been as long as we hoped).

I can't remember a season where the problems have been so evident from day one but nothing has happened (tactically or in terms of personnel) that can change things.  We lack the players to play the current system but we also lack the players to play any other system.  New signings aren't arriving, changes can't or won't be made from the squad and it's pretty evident that we've entered the season working entirely on the basis that, with the right signings, we can play the way we played in the Championship with no consideration to what we do if that doesn't work or the new signings don't arrive.   We're doomed, we were doomed from the start and nobody seems to have the first clue about what to do about it. 

[phantom]

The reason this season feels worse to me is that last season for the first time in my 41 years City actually had the perfect season

Winnings both the league and cup

Into the summer confidence was high, the place was buzzing with the new stand opening - then all of a sudden that familiar feeling of being dropped from a great height!

The team we have now is worse than 12 months ago, on the pitch we seem to regressing quicker than ever - and nothing seems to being done about it!

 

For once we were a truly great side, but stitch by stitch it is slowly all being undone ! 

[Lack of Action Man]

4 minutes ago, LondonBristolian said:

I can't remember a season where the problems have been so evident from day one but nothing has happened (tactically or in terms of personnel) that can change things.  We lack the players to play the current system but we also lack the players to play any other system.  New signings aren't arriving, changes can't or won't be made from the squad and it's pretty evident that we've entered the season working entirely on the basis that, with the right signings, we can play the way we played in the Championship with no consideration to what we do if that doesn't work or the new signings don't arrive.   We're doomed, we were doomed from the start and nobody seems to have the first clue about what to do about it. 

This for me is the crux of the matter. 

[The Journalist]

For me, the most demoralizing aspect is the feeling that if you can't make a decent fist of it in the second tier when you've just smashed up the league below, with a team of mostly young, talented and hungry players playing great football, scoring loads of goals and generally giving us one of the best seasons of our lives... When can you make a decent fist of it?!

I have no doubt we'll all pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and crack on again if we were to get relegated - the problem is we're simply not going to better what we've just achieved. And other than fantastic entertainment and a warm fuzzy feeling at the time, what will those achievements actually count for? The worrying thing is, potentially very little in terms of adding to the continued growth of the football club.

We really, really do need to scab our way out of trouble. I don't care how we do it now, we just really need to.

And so, from that point of view, I can sort of understand the original poster's point. It's not the worst season on paper, of course it's not, and the players are really bloody trying their arses off too. That's so refreshing to see.

It'll just be immensely deflating if it doesn't end well.

[extonsred]

Agree with the OP totally -- been supporting since 1958 and have experienced mostly lows throughout that time. Last year was by far the most enjoyable -- at least since we got to Div 1. I don't just hate it -- I am so so bloody angry. The momentum we had -- we could and should have been able to sign from a rich crop of targets who would at that time willingly have come to us despite the double hi profile fiascoes -- but screwed up in a way I have not experienced before. If we had done just the basics in the summer I am confident we would be upper half of the table. I feel these players are good enough -- but to have total responsibility and playing week in week out without the chance of a break when they are exhausted physically and mentally is gross negligence. What is more infuriating is that I don't know who to blame.

bad teams, bad managers, players who clearly don't care, players more interested in the high life -- we have had it all but this group I really do feel are honest, committed and care about doing their best - yes all of them including the ones currently at the front of the firing line.

 

Sorry but I think we should be hearing more from the source of the club. Other clubs apologise when they get it wrong -- and last summer was the crassest mismanagement of our situation I can remember -- what an opportunity wasted.

[oldstandrobin]

9 minutes ago, extonsred said:

Agree with the OP totally -- been supporting since 1958 and have experienced mostly lows throughout that time. Last year was by far the most enjoyable -- at least since we got to Div 1. I don't just hate it -- I am so so bloody angry. The momentum we had -- we could and should have been able to sign from a rich crop of targets who would at that time willingly have come to us despite the double hi profile fiascoes -- but screwed up in a way I have not experienced before. If we had done just the basics in the summer I am confident we would be upper half of the table. I feel these players are good enough -- but to have total responsibility and playing week in week out without the chance of a break when they are exhausted physically and mentally is gross negligence. What is more infuriating is that I don't know who to blame.

bad teams, bad managers, players who clearly don't care, players more interested in the high life -- we have had it all but this group I really do feel are honest, committed and care about doing their best - yes all of them including the ones currently at the front of the firing line.

 

Sorry but I think we should be hearing more from the source of the club. Other clubs apologise when they get it wrong -- and last summer was the crassest mismanagement of our situation I can remember -- what an opportunity wasted.

[LondonBristolian]

5 minutes ago, The Journalist said:

For me, the most demoralizing aspect is the feeling that if you can't make a decent fist of it in the second tier when you've just smashed up the league below, with a team of mostly young, talented and hungry players playing great football, scoring loads of goals and generally giving us one of the best seasons of our lives... When can you make a decent fist of it?!

 

In a weird way, I think this might be the issue.  Last year we were brilliant.  We were fluid, we were creative, we were dominant and at times we were so fluid it bordered on total football.  Our outside centre-backs could push onto become full backs, our full backs could become wingers, our midfield and attack could change shape at will and our one solely defensive player ended the season having scored 15 goals!  It was, without question, the best football I've ever seen Bristol City play and I don't think there were many teams in any division better to watch than us.

But we did that by signing the best players in the division from other clubs - Korey Smith, Mark Little, Luke Freeman etc. - and playing like a team who knew they could out-class the opposition week in, week out.  If it was 0-0 at half time or opponents getting the opening goal, the team could relax because they knew 9 times out of 10 that greater class would prevail.  It was brilliant players who knew they could dominate their opponents dominating their opponents in spectacular fashion.

But that only works if you are the best team in the division.  Now we're up a league we simply cannot dominate games in the same way and was fluid football last year now becomes players being caught of position and a potential weakness.  People talk a lot about whether 5-3-2 works in the Championship and the answer to that is "yes, if you've got the right personnel" but no if not - particularly as we're using it as a Dutch-style fluid attacking formation rather than an Italian-style catenaccio based around remaining rigid and not conceding.  The reality is that it's not - exactly - a case of our players not being good enough for the division so much as we've got a group of players who are used to being better than their opponents and firstly it's a massive step up en-masse and secondly we're setting up as a team who are better than their opponents and that makes it hard when you meet better teams or even when the teams you do dominate against are more capable of a sting in the tail.

In some ways, I actually feel sorry for the players in that I think several of them do have the ability to play in this division but it's such a big transition for an entire team to make and, for one reason or another, I don't think we've got the experienced heads and direction they need to support them to make that transition.  It's a real shame and I hope it doesn't knock their ability for the future. 

[WolfOfWestStreet]

2 hours ago, LondonBristolian said:

For me, this season's far worse.  For a start, SOD had gone by early December so it didn't stretch on for so long.  Secondly JET was a joy to watch, even in the bad times. Thirdly we beat Rovers and that counts for a lot.  Fourthly it was pretty clear, even under SOD, that we were a decent team playing badly and that ultimately, perhaps (as was the case) with a change of manager, we'd pull out of it.  I don't really remember a point where I really believed we were going down.  Fifthly, again even with SOD and subsequently with SC, it was clear we were trying different ideas to get out of it and it felt like eventually we'd find the combination that worked.

Even the season with McInnes and SOD, I felt up to January that McInnes was trying things out and trying to find solutions to get us to play better.  What's more I could accept the club were doing things behind the scenes to improve things in the long-term and I believed, awful though the short-term was, it was part a plan to make things better in the long-term.  (sadly the long-term hasn't been as long as we hoped).

I can't remember a season where the problems have been so evident from day one but nothing has happened (tactically or in terms of personnel) that can change things.  We lack the players to play the current system but we also lack the players to play any other system.  New signings aren't arriving, changes can't or won't be made from the squad and it's pretty evident that we've entered the season working entirely on the basis that, with the right signings, we can play the way we played in the Championship with no consideration to what we do if that doesn't work or the new signings don't arrive.   We're doomed, we were doomed from the start and nobody seems to have the first clue about what to do about it. 

Nice post.

during the sod period I was really depressed and  hated a lot of the players. I don't feel the same with this team I know they are trying hard they just need help they must be knackered.

we're not doomed though, a lot of fans have given up already, which is wrong and weak.

[Fat Cigar]

On Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 00:22, CotswoldRed said:

In 30-odd seasons I've seen just about everything and felt all the emotions. 

This year, for me, is entirely different. An utterly excruciating season with only Plan A. Plan A isn't working and so it's everyone else's fault and we are victims of modern football, players and their agents. Oh, and bad luck in almost every game hasn't helped either, has it?

All at a time when our predicament appears to be exclusive to us. We all believe that, don't we? 

We have no plan B, the excuses are the same as last week, and every other week, and nobody at the club can offer anything in the way of a new dimension or approach. As plan A is an unmitigated disaster, the narrative is one of almost resignation. 

At every stage,  the demeanour of the club feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Our board has sunk into cowardly invisibility and they can no longer ride on the crest of last year's wave.

And overconfidence (I'll call it arrogance) allowed us to gamble with our squad, breaking it up and leaving us with a threadbare squad because we assumed a flash new stadium and a cheque book would secure the services we sought. 

Arguably,  it's not what's happened on the pitch that has destroyed our season. It's awful boardroom management that's done it for us. 

I can deal with losing every day of the week if you are beaten by the better team, having tried to do things right. Someone has to go down after all! 

What leaves my feeling so let down is this will be the first City season I've watched where I feel like the club has beaten itself. 

 

Agree. I’ve not enjoyed it one bit. It didn’t have to be this way.

 

This is a city that has consistently punched below its weight with regards to its football teams. There are places like Preston, Burnley, Wolverhampton, Stoke (I could go on) that have been far more successful than we will probably ever be. They’re not the nicest places to live (understatement of the decade), with populations far smaller than ours, nowhere near as wealthy, but with rich footballing traditions. We’re lucky (still) to have Steve Lansdown. He’s a local lad, extremely wealthy, and cares passionately about the club. He’s also highly ambitious. He wants top flight football. The redevelopment of the ground is one sign of his ongoing commitment.

 

However, this season has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster, both on and off the pitch. No one is (or should ever be) immune to criticism  - no owner, manager or player. The club (any club) belongs to its supporters, not to the board, or the manager or the players.

 

Last season was wonderful, but that was in League One. That’s over now. No doubt it’s giving Cotterill more breathing space than he’s entitled to.

 

Since the summer, we have behaved like amateurs. On wild goose chases over players who will never join us. Now, there’s nothing wrong with showing people we mean business, and I can just about understand the pursuit of Gayle (as a kind of let’s see what happens), but he was never leaving Palace for us. Gray? If he’s as good as he really thinks he is, he’ll choose a club with a good chance of going up or one that knows what it’s like to compete in the Premiership. Not a club recently promoted who’s finding its feet. The Zac Clough fiasco has been the final straw for me. Why why why would a kid leave his hometown club for one also in a relegation dogfight?? Rather go down with the club he adores than one he couldn’t give a damn about. What are we playing at? Have we not learned anything this season? Clearly not.

 

If we get relegated (I think we will, and the 3-0 defeat at Rotherham has been the key result for me this season), it’ll be a disaster…unless we come straight back up, with a far bigger and better squad. Again, it’ll be really hard to attract top quality players. It’ll be hard even if we somehow avoid relegation. We have to earn the right for the good ones to want to join. Not just splash the cash. It may work if you’re a team in the top division, but not in the second tier.

 

Of course Lansdown is preferable to many other owners, but he (and his board) have demonstrated breathtaking naivety this season. At times I’ve been embarrassed.

 

If we don’t want to compete with the big boys, fine. Don’t bother doing up the ground and let us spend the rest of our days bouncing around between League One, Two, with the odd season in the Championship to keep us fans on side. But, we clearly do want to move on to bigger and better things. Despite what people may think, the creation of Bristol Sport isn’t supposed to be to the detriment of Bristol City, but as a way of building up its (I’m about to use a word I despise in football….sorry) brand. *Sorry…* To show the footballing world we mean business. We have a long term plan and are going places. When players join they’re not just joining another League One/Championship club but one with an exciting and ambitious vision with the facilities to go with it.  

 

This has been squandered. For the moment. I wrote a piece on here (after our 4^th or 5^th game) that said our football was naïve. Nothing has changed since then. In fact, it’s got worse.

 

Every home game I sit in the Lower Dolman and stare at the emerging new West Stand. And I sigh and think what a waste. It’ll be the best ground in League One. This is not me being unreasonably negative for the sake of it, merely commenting on what’s happened. Yes, we need to get behind the team, but my patience is wearing thin. I have to say I think we as supporters have been great all season. There has been the odd bit of booing, but on the whole we’ve stuck by them. And the manager.

 

If we go down, there will be a hell of lot of questions for the board to answer. Although the lot of them should be fired before they’ve had time to answer. The worst thing about this season? There’s still 20 games of this to go. Slow torture.

 

[southvillekiddy]

On 13 January 2016 at 00:22, CotswoldRed said:

In 30-odd seasons I've seen just about everything and felt all the emotions. 

This year, for me, is entirely different. An utterly excruciating season with only Plan A. Plan A isn't working and so it's everyone else's fault and we are victims of modern football, players and their agents. Oh, and bad luck in almost every game hasn't helped either, has it?

All at a time when our predicament appears to be exclusive to us. We all believe that, don't we? 

We have no plan B, the excuses are the same as last week, and every other week, and nobody at the club can offer anything in the way of a new dimension or approach. As plan A is an unmitigated disaster, the narrative is one of almost resignation. 

At every stage,  the demeanour of the club feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Our board has sunk into cowardly invisibility and they can no longer ride on the crest of last year's wave.

And overconfidence (I'll call it arrogance) allowed us to gamble with our squad, breaking it up and leaving us with a threadbare squad because we assumed a flash new stadium and a cheque book would secure the services we sought. 

Arguably,  it's not what's happened on the pitch that has destroyed our season. It's awful boardroom management that's done it for us. 

I can deal with losing every day of the week if you are beaten by the better team, having tried to do things right. Someone has to go down after all! 

What leaves my feeling so let down is this will be the first City season I've watched where I feel like the club has beaten itself. 

 

I agree that something very different is going on this season. It is very very disappointing and dispiriting at a deeper level this time. It's not the usual scenario - the team isn't good enough. It might have been were it not for the absence of 5 players who helped take us up in what was a brilliant last season - JET, Wade Elliot, Cunningham, Tavernier, Matt Smith, who haven't been replaced, when we are facing an even higher standard Championship than before. We're attempting to do much more with half of what we had last season.

We have an invisible Board. The owner, who is Chairman in all but name ( since Keith Dawe and Jon Lansdown have disappeared) and the Manager are saying things which are contradictory. I get the feeling that the key individuals are being sulky or at the very least pig-headedly stubborn.

Is Bristol City FC serious anymore about playing at a decent level - let's forget about the Premiership, I mean the Championship because the people in charge seem incapable of promoting our Club nationally in such a way as to recruit the players necessary for Championship football.

 

[bend it like brian]

16 minutes ago, nickolas said:

 

 

3 hours ago, WolfOfWestStreet said:

Being bottom of league one under Sean ODriscoll was way worse than this. Wasn't even that long ago, has that shit been forgotten already?? 

This is on the money, 40+ years supporting our great club but sods tenure was so painful  

[bristol south end]

I have been falling outta love with full time pro football for many years. Bristol City have become victims of the modern game.  Leagues 2 and 1 are ok,  So are the early rounds of the cup.  The rest of it bores me to death. Infact i don't take any notice of it.  I don't seem to indentify with the players at all.  Or like them.  Hate the greed that comes with the game, plus the over hyping.  Football for me has lost many of its charms.  I do not feel apart of it any more.   I have to say i really enjoy watching non league football.  Its cheap, fun, friendly, with low expectations.  Without the rubbish of the pro game. It is what it is.  I enjoy it for what it is.

[CotswoldRed]

1 minute ago, bristol south end said:

I have been falling outta love with full time pro football for many years. Bristol City have become victims of the modern game.  Leagues 2 and 1 are ok,  So are the early rounds of the cup.  The rest of it bores me to death. Infact i don't take any notice of it.  I don't seem to indentify with the players at all.  Or like them.  Hate the greed that comes with the game, plus the over hyping.  Football for me has lost many of its charms.  I do not feel apart of it any more.   I have to say i really enjoy watching non league football.  Its cheap, fun, friendly, with low expectations.  Without the rubbish of the pro game. It is what it is.  I enjoy it for what it is.

Absolutely.  And nobody has a moustache in the game any more.  It's all changed.

[RedJim]

1 hour ago, Fat Cigar said:

Agree. I’ve not enjoyed it one bit. It didn’t have to be this way.

 

This is a city that has consistently punched below its weight with regards to its football teams. There are places like Preston, Burnley, Wolverhampton, Stoke (I could go on) that have been far more successful than we will probably ever be. They’re not the nicest places to live (understatement of the decade), with populations far smaller than ours, nowhere near as wealthy, but with rich footballing traditions. We’re lucky (still) to have Steve Lansdown. He’s a local lad, extremely wealthy, and cares passionately about the club. He’s also highly ambitious. He wants top flight football. The redevelopment of the ground is one sign of his ongoing commitment.

 

However, this season has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster, both on and off the pitch. No one is (or should ever be) immune to criticism  - no owner, manager or player. The club (any club) belongs to its supporters, not to the board, or the manager or the players.

 

Last season was wonderful, but that was in League One. That’s over now. No doubt it’s giving Cotterill more breathing space than he’s entitled to.

 

Since the summer, we have behaved like amateurs. On wild goose chases over players who will never join us. Now, there’s nothing wrong with showing people we mean business, and I can just about understand the pursuit of Gayle (as a kind of let’s see what happens), but he was never leaving Palace for us. Gray? If he’s as good as he really thinks he is, he’ll choose a club with a good chance of going up or one that knows what it’s like to compete in the Premiership. Not a club recently promoted who’s finding its feet. The Zac Clough fiasco has been the final straw for me. Why why why would a kid leave his hometown club for one also in a relegation dogfight?? Rather go down with the club he adores than one he couldn’t give a damn about. What are we playing at? Have we not learned anything this season? Clearly not.

 

If we get relegated (I think we will, and the 3-0 defeat at Rotherham has been the key result for me this season), it’ll be a disaster…unless we come straight back up, with a far bigger and better squad. Again, it’ll be really hard to attract top quality players. It’ll be hard even if we somehow avoid relegation. We have to earn the right for the good ones to want to join. Not just splash the cash. It may work if you’re a team in the top division, but not in the second tier.

 

Of course Lansdown is preferable to many other owners, but he (and his board) have demonstrated breathtaking naivety this season. At times I’ve been embarrassed.

 

If we don’t want to compete with the big boys, fine. Don’t bother doing up the ground and let us spend the rest of our days bouncing around between League One, Two, with the odd season in the Championship to keep us fans on side. But, we clearly do want to move on to bigger and better things. Despite what people may think, the creation of Bristol Sport isn’t supposed to be to the detriment of Bristol City, but as a way of building up its (I’m about to use a word I despise in football….sorry) brand. *Sorry…* To show the footballing world we mean business. We have a long term plan and are going places. When players join they’re not just joining another League One/Championship club but one with an exciting and ambitious vision with the facilities to go with it.  

 

This has been squandered. For the moment. I wrote a piece on here (after our 4^th or 5^th game) that said our football was naïve. Nothing has changed since then. In fact, it’s got worse.

 

Every home game I sit in the Lower Dolman and stare at the emerging new West Stand. And I sigh and think what a waste. It’ll be the best ground in League One. This is not me being unreasonably negative for the sake of it, merely commenting on what’s happened. Yes, we need to get behind the team, but my patience is wearing thin. I have to say I think we as supporters have been great all season. There has been the odd bit of booing, but on the whole we’ve stuck by them. And the manager.

 

If we go down, there will be a hell of lot of questions for the board to answer. Although the lot of them should be fired before they’ve had time to answer. The worst thing about this season? There’s still 20 games of this to go. Slow torture.

 

 

Great post. My concern is that as a club we don't seem to be learning anything. It's like we are drifting to relegation and no-one is getting a handle on the situation and saying 'hang on, might we need to change our approach?'. We're making the same mistakes over and over. I'm embarrassed, it's humiliating watching us chase these unattainable targets like a drunk bloke in a pub. If I supported another team I'd be laughing at Bristol City. I remember getting a text while on holiday in the summer saying we'd bid £9 million for Andre Grey and my reaction was 'what the hell are we doing?'. When I heard about Zach Clough I said exactly the same thing. I'm proud of my club and I'd love to play for City but the transfer strategy smacks of delusion. Why aren't we seeking out players who actually might want to play for us and then acting on it?

Something has got to change! If Cotterill can't/won't go after some realistic targets then get shot of him. We're going down with this current squad, it's time to do something about it.