How confident are you we will appoint the right man this time?

[Flagon]

Many fans seem to feel that if we are to lose the Rotherham game it is likely that LJ would be asked to leave.

In Lansdown's statement where he refers to the off field success he said "I have no intention of seeing this wasted." I think this game along with the Sheffield Wednesday one could be the limit. 

However, if this were to happen any incoming manager would not have the opportunity to improve the squad with new players as January would obviously be over. 

The immediate remit would be the same as LJ's when he got here last year, just please keep us up. We would then hit the summer transfer window, assuming all being well, still in the Championship where the inevitable conundrum of who to let go, who to get in begins.

At this current time I genuinely believe the players are as much at fault for some terrible errors defensively, poor finishing and decision making coupled with some bad tactics.

So how confident are you that the board would actually appoint the right person this time round and importantly sustain a turnaround in form for the future and not just this season?

[Guest Benjam!n Ultra]

No confidence whatsoever tbh. 

[glynriley]

Not at all confident, and I know it was a different board (not in thinking maybe) back then, but the long term future of our club walked out when Joe Jordan went to Hearts.

We've been treading water ever since. I don't think we'll ever have a manager , having picked up Coopers reigns, who'll get this club in a position to challenge at the top table like he did. We were ready for lift off and we waved him goodbye.

 

 

 

[Xiled]

Not particularly confident.  Oxford beating Newcastle 3-0 means that Appleton's name will be thrown around again when LJ finally gets the push.  And if it happened, I can see City paying Oxford a stack of compensation only for us to find out that what worked at Oxford doesn't work at City.

I would like to see us break from tradition.  We seem to switch between "tactician" to "toughguy" manager and then back to "tactician" (O'Driscoll > Cotterill > Johnson being the latest in this sequence).  Maybe it's time to try something different...I'll regret saying this but perhaps someone from overseas.

Right now if an interview candidate said "I'll guarantee you mid-table Championship next season" I'd bite his hand off!!

[Loosey Boy]

If LJ does go.....Pembo will get the job until the end of the season on the basis that he knows all the players......

[southvillekiddy]

10 minutes ago, Flagon said:

Many fans seem to feel that if we are to lose the Rotherham game it is likely that LJ would be asked to leave.

In Lansdown's statement where he refers to the off field success he said "I have no intention of seeing this wasted." I think this game along with the Sheffield Wednesday one could be the limit. 

However, if this were to happen any incoming manager would not have the opportunity to improve the squad with new players as January would obviously be over. 

The immediate remit would be the same as LJ's when he got here last year, just please keep us up. We would then hit the summer transfer window, assuming all being well, still in the Championship where the inevitable conundrum of who to let go, who to get in begins.

At this current time I genuinely believe the players are as much at fault for some terrible errors defensively, poor finishing and decision making coupled with some bad tactics.

So how confident are you that the board would actually appoint the right person this time round and importantly sustain a turnaround in form for the future and not just this season?

Thing is mate. We don't have a Board, we have an owner. The others are puppets - Keith Dawe?????

Unless SL has a massive mind-change we will end up yet again with a non-entity. I believe SL is a good bloke but is misguided. Whatever his fantasies about Premiership Football we will get an unqualified, cheapish replacement chosen from the ranks of those who will not threaten SLs benevolent dictatorship.

[GrahamC]

1 minute ago, Loosey Boy said:

If LJ does go.....Pembo will get the job until the end of the season on the basis that he knows all the players......

I disagree.

Think he would be the interim whilst we looked for a permanent appointment.

Although I'm cynical about it the theory behind the head coach model we have is that they simply work with what players are signed for them.

The transfer window may close next week but that does not apply for managers/head coaches..,

[milo1111]

11 minutes ago, Londoner said:

The problem is we will beat rotherham 

Yep and that will the give him the extra couple of months he needs to finish the job of relegating us.

[Xiled]

4 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

I disagree.

Think he would be the interim whilst we looked for a permanent appointment.

Although I'm cynical about it the theory behind the head coach model we have is that they simply work with what players are signed for them.

The transfer window may close next week but that does not apply for managers/head coaches..,

Sheffield Wednesday might be the final nail in the coffin (assuming we lose - and I hate saying that but it's the reality)

Give Pemberton the job as an interim because he will probably get a reaction from the players and we'll get three points against Rotherham.

It takes time to appoint a new manager so like last time it could be several games before a replacement is in post.  Assuming Pembo is doing a good enough job then I could see him staying in charge until the end of the season.

I'm still conflicted about all of this.  I listened to LJ's interview after today's match at Burnley and to me he talks complete sense.  He's interesting and insightful to listen to.  I really do think he's a good guy trying desperately to get the results that we need.  But the reality is that even 6 points in the next two home games might not be enough to springboard us away from relegation.  Unfortunately there are times in life where the situation is irretrievable - setting a club record for consecutive league defeats means that he will forever have that as a label.  You don't come back from that.  It's over.  It's just a matter of when.

[southvillekiddy]

We're like a dodgem car with a broken steering wheel and a governor on the gears. Mr LANSDOWN. I hope he can finally make a change, he looks weary and strained.

Pembo is a decent pro. He knows how to organise the team and he's saved us once. Not sure if he could stand doing it for another stint.

[southvillekiddy]

4 minutes ago, Xiled said:

Sheffield Wednesday might be the final nail in the coffin (assuming we lose - and I hate saying that but it's the reality)

Give Pemberton the job as an interim because he will probably get a reaction from the players and we'll get three points against Rotherham.

It takes time to appoint a new manager so like last time it could be several games before a replacement is in post.  Assuming Pembo is doing a good enough job then I could see him staying in charge until the end of the season.

I'm still conflicted about all of this.  I listened to LJ's interview after today's match at Burnley and to me he talks complete sense.  He's interesting and insightful to listen to.  I really do think he's a good guy trying desperately to get the results that we need.  But the reality is that even 6 points in the next two home games might not be enough to springboard us away from relegation.  Unfortunately there are times in life where the situation is irretrievable - setting a club record for consecutive league defeats means that he will forever have that as a label.  You don't come back from that.  It's over.  It's just a matter of when.

I agree but there is more than a hint that he is impervious. For the sake of his career he will obviously cling on. Which makes it excruciatingly awful for us because SL finds wielding the axe (at least in football) against his appointees distasteful to say the least

[Harry]

The job will go to Rowett.
Whether he is the right man or not, I don't know.
He'll probably be the right man for about 8 months, and then become very much the wrong man, leading us to change again.

SL has done all he can off the pitch to raise the profile of this 'project'.  What he needs now is to get the right man at the helm of the football club to take his 'project' to the next level.  For me, it's time to appoint a well-known, big name manager.  Only a 'name' will bring the attention to BCFC.  I don't think any of the other managers we could employ who are 'up and coming' or have 'potential' will do much of a different job.  Get a name that will surprise the football world, bring the media attention to our doorstep, let the players who are here know you mean business, let players who we might want to bring in know we mean business etc etc.  SL needs to raise the profile of this club and his project to a national level, and he will only do that with a BIG appointment, a household name.
That person may or may not be as good a coach as the latest 'next great thing', but the difference the name can bring will trump that.  Time we thought big.

I'd be all for having a word with Hodgson, see if he fancies one last managerial challenge before retirement.
I'd be all for getting Hoddle in (with Wilkins to assist him), to really set eyebrows raising across the country.
Something along these lines has to be done in my opinion, to take the so-called project to the next level.

[Guest JHAGa]

None, hence why I'm not as bothered about LJ staying as some. It'll just be the same old, same old.

[cidered abroad]

Our situation was hammered home to me when watching Derby v Leicester last night. They are a bigger club than us attendance wise, have won titles in the past and like many other clubs that I could list (*), believe that their place in the football hierarchy is either Premier or at worst, challenging for promotion from the Championship.

As a club they and their supporters, EXPECT that to be the situation and that they expect promotion sooner rather than later. It's what drives them on through the bad times

And one of the "pegs in the right shaped holes" is the management of the team - An ex England manager with very good experience of the top two leagues and his assistant, Chris Powell, a good enough manager at this level in his own right. 

At Bristol City we have been out of this scenario for so many decades that, as a Club even with such a catchment area that many clubs can only dream of, with a benefactor who loves the club as only a local person can, a new stadium in place, we just HOPE that we'll get there one day. Compare Derby's management team with our inexperienced set of coaches. This is not a slag at Johnson and his coaches but a comment on how realistically we want/expect/need to move compared with Derby and others. 

So if LJ goes, will we get another rookie or a wise old bird? And change the HOPE to EXPECTATION!

 

Note (*) in no particular order; Ipswich, Southampton, Wolves, Leicester, Leeds, Sheff U, Sheff W, Burnley, Palace, Brighton, Forest, Middlesboro, Stoke, Fulham, Watford, Norwich, Derby, Bolton, Blackburn and lot more.

[REDOXO]

4 minutes ago, Xiled said:

Sheffield Wednesday might be the final nail in the coffin (assuming we lose - and I hate saying that but it's the reality)

Give Pemberton the job as an interim because he will probably get a reaction from the players and we'll get three points against Rotherham.

It takes time to appoint a new manager so like last time it could be several games before a replacement is in post.  Assuming Pembo is doing a good enough job then I could see him staying in charge until the end of the season.

I'm still conflicted about all of this.  I listened to LJ's interview after today's match at Burnley and to me he talks complete sense.  He's interesting and insightful to listen to.  I really do think he's a good guy trying desperately to get the results that we need.  But the reality is that even 6 points in the next two home games might not be enough to springboard us away from relegation.  Unfortunately there are times in life where the situation is irretrievable - setting a club record for consecutive league defeats means that he will forever have that as a label.  You don't come back from that.  It's over.  It's just a matter of when.

I agree with much of this. Although I don't find him interesting or insightful. I find him repetitive and uninspiring and devoid of sense, but I guess that's me. 

The rest is the way I see it. A defeat by two or more on Tuesday will probably be enough Even for SL. 

LJ himself could resign. Self respect will Become an issue if we are dicked. 

[Xiled]

10 minutes ago, southvillekiddy said:

I agree but there is more than a hint that he is impervious. For the sake of his career he will obviously cling on. Which makes it excruciatingly awful for us because SL finds wielding the axe (at least in football) against his appointees distasteful to say the least

Well, very few managers resign these days because they would receive less compensation.  Mutual consent and the sack are the same thing so I expect it will be the former with a decent pay-off.

I've relieved one person of their job and I found the process pretty traumatic.  And she was awful in a number of ways.  So I completely understand why Steve Landsdown wouldn't want to do it again so soon.  He clearly has a strong friendship with LJ.

But the recent interview and club statement made absolutely no promise to LJ that his job was secure.  If Johnson was 'impervious' then it would have been easy to add the line "Lee Johnson will remain first team coach even if we are relegated to League One in May".  As I've said before, I think there will be two triggers - firstly it will need to be February and secondly we might have to fall into the relegation places.

[Davefevs]

@Harry I jokingly mentioned Hodgson earlier in the week, along with Moyes!

Would love to see Hoddle.

I want a manager with pedigree, who can either use his playing career at the top level, or his proven managerial record to give kudos to 1) what happens at Failand and 2) on the pitch or changes he makes during the 90 minutes.

[shelts]

I'm not confident. Every manager is a gamble . We can only hope . 

[glynriley]

8 minutes ago, Harry said:

The job will go to Rowett.
Whether he is the right man or not, I don't know.
He'll probably be the right man for about 8 months, and then become very much the wrong man, leading us to change again.

SL has done all he can off the pitch to raise the profile of this 'project'.  What he needs now is to get the right man at the helm of the football club to take his 'project' to the next level.  For me, it's time to appoint a well-known, big name manager.  Only a 'name' will bring the attention to BCFC.  I don't think any of the other managers we could employ who are 'up and coming' or have 'potential' will do much of a different job.  Get a name that will surprise the football world, bring the media attention to our doorstep, let the players who are here know you mean business, let players who we might want to bring in know we mean business etc etc.  SL needs to raise the profile of this club and his project to a national level, and he will only do that with a BIG appointment, a household name.
That person may or may not be as good a coach as the latest 'next great thing', but the difference the name can bring will trump that.  Time we thought big.

I'd be all for having a word with Hodgson, see if he fancies one last managerial challenge before retirement.
I'd be all for getting Hoddle in (with Wilkins to assist him), to really set eyebrows raising across the country.
Something along these lines has to be done in my opinion, to take the so-called project to the next level.

Agree with all that, maybe not the names you've mentioned, but we do need a manager or head coach with that wow factor.

Can't see SL paying for one though.

Cheap option managers litter his stewardship.

[wookey]

Does SL have any more best friends who fancy the job, because we might as well get them out of the way before appointing a decent manger.

[Xiled]

8 minutes ago, cidered abroad said:

Our situation was hammered home to me when watching Derby v Leicester last night. They are a bigger club than us attendance wise, have won titles in the past and like many other clubs that I could list (*), believe that their place in the football hierarchy is either Premier or at worst, challenging for promotion from the Championship.

I take your point and agree with much of your post but Derby got it seriously wrong with their previous appointment - Nigel Pearson.  So they aren't getting it right all of the time regardless of their fan's expectation.

And we need to be realistic.  As much as we want Premier League football at Ashton Gate, we've done very little in 50 years to indicate it's where we belong.  The stadium and recent spending have changed our potential but that's basically the last 12 months.  It can happen but it isn't going to be overnight.

[Red Exile]

I have very little hope we'll appoint anyone significantly better. I don't see any willingness - or perhaps ability - to learn from past mistakes. That said the current situation isn't sustainable...and I fear it isn't about to improve without a change.

What's needed is the appointment of someone who knows how to do what is needed and has probably done it before. I imagine such people were drafted in to rebuild the stadium...not people who fancied a go and said "trust me". 

[Harry]

4 minutes ago, glynriley said:

Agree with all that, maybe not the names you've mentioned, but we do need a manager or head coach with that wow factor.

Can't see SL paying for one though.

Cheap option managers litter his stewardship.

Yes, not necessarily those names, but those are examples of the something that we need.  Otherwise we will continue to lurch from one appointment to the next without getting anywhere fast.  Wow factor is what is needed to take SL's so-called project to the next level.  At the moment, many many fans across the country probably have no idea who Steve Lansdown is, how much dough he's got or what he's trying to achieve with his Bristol Sport project.  He needs to get his project to national attention.

[Full nelson]

Harry is coming!! 

[southvillekiddy]

7 minutes ago, Xiled said:

Well, very few managers resign these days because they would receive less compensation.  Mutual consent and the sack are the same thing so I expect it will be the former with a decent pay-off.

I've relieved one person of their job and I found the process pretty traumatic.  And she was awful in a number of ways.  So I completely understand why Steve Landsdown wouldn't want to do it again so soon.  He clearly has a strong friendship with LJ.

But the recent interview and club statement made absolutely no promise to LJ that his job was secure.  If Johnson was 'impervious' then it would have been easy to add the line "Lee Johnson will remain first team coach even if we are relegated to League One in May".  As I've said before, I think there will be two triggers - firstly it will need to be February and secondly we might have to fall into the relegation places.

A few points mate. After most dismissals at the level I believe you are citing the sacked person doesn't get the massive level of pay-off that all our last 6 failed managers have had. When I say LJ is impervious I mean that there is little prospect of him owning up that our predicament now is largely his responsibility. LJ is starting to sound like O'Driscoll now, praising performances when we lose. Brian Tinnion was not impervious. Even Cotterill could admit a mistake.

I can't see how SL can allow himself to be friends with any manager let alone LJ, knowing that one day he will have to sack them. If he's doing that it's a sign that he truly is naive in his football activities.

We could be in the relegation zone on tuesday night.

[joe jordans teeth]

1 hour ago, Loosey Boy said:

If LJ does go.....Pembo will get the job until the end of the season on the basis that he knows all the players......

That applies to all the pub owners down clevedon as well then

[man in the middle]

Close the door on the way out Mr Johnson please, and this time invest in a proven championship manager. I do seriously believe we have the players to finish easily mid table.

[Xiled]

4 minutes ago, southvillekiddy said:

A few points mate. After most dismissals at the level I believe you are citing the sacked person doesn't get the massive level of pay-off that all our last 6 failed managers have had. When I say LJ is impervious I mean that there is little prospect of him owning up that our predicament now is largely his responsibility. LJ is starting to sound like O'Driscoll now, praising performances when we lose. Brian Tinnion was not impervious. Even Cotterill could admit a mistake.

I can't see how SL can allow himself to be friends with any manager let alone LJ, knowing that one day he will have to sack them. If he's doing that it's a sign that he truly is naive in his football activities.

We could be in the relegation zone on tuesday night.

Who knows what our previous 6 managers received when they were sacked?  I would be surprised if anyone outside of the boardroom had that knowledge.  Most managers have their contracts paid up - probably very expensive in this instance but I'm sure it will happen again.

I wouldn't expect LJ to own up to his mistakes.  In management circles (not necessarily football) it's seen as a weakness.  It doesn't happen at the highest level (Ferguson, Mourinho, Wenger) so as a scholar of the modern game, I wouldn't expect Lee Johnson to start blaming himself publicly.  His recent interviews clearly show someone under stress compared to September.

I certainly agree that SL will look at this appointment and learn from it.  He should probably appoint someone and then keep a healthy distance from them so that friendship doesn't become an issue.  But I have sympathy with him.  Football is about entertainment and I'm sure SL would rather have a good rapport with his manager/coach.  It's great when the club is heading up but a nightmare in our current position.  We do not need the reputation of a hire/fire club like Leeds.

[AppyDAZE]

4 minutes ago, man in the middle said:

Close the door on the way out Mr Johnson please, and this time invest in a proven championship manager. I do seriously believe we have the players to finish easily mid table.

I think the "easily" has gone this season tbh whoever comes in . I agree the squad is big enough and possibly good enough though

[BigAl&Toby]

No confidence at all. Although I hope LJ is able to turn things around I'm feeling less and less confident. Part of me would like to see a longer term strategy in which he plays a part but I suspect he's now on borrowed time.

I don't see Lansdown as a philanthropic benefactor like some see him. I see him as a shrewd investor. A man who admittedly has spent/invested/lost a lot of money but equally someone who had the foresight to protect that investment.

I don't know but I suspect Lansdown is the now the ultimate beneficial owner of Ashton Gate and I suspect other pockets of land that once belonged to BCFC.

Football to him is one of a number of income streams that contribute to his return on the new stadium. Perhaps currently the most significant one, but one of a number nonetheless. If football takes a dip it can be replaced by another - perhaps a few more concerts? 

Does that make him a bad bloke? Not at all, but I fear that the idea of a board of directors making decisions based on the thing that matters most to you and I - a successful future for the team that we love - matters far, far less to them.

Shame but I suspect that's the future we can look forward to.

[italian dave]

28 minutes ago, southvillekiddy said:

 Even Cotterill could admit a mistake.

 

I must have missed that one!

[bobbyhutchscurlymullet]

i wouldnt be surprised if we went down the european route of appointing a manager/head coach...surely they must be looking on enviously at huddersfield and seeing what they are acheiving, plus its seems our player recruitment is heading in that direction

[Fiale]

 I said in a thread somewhere a week or so back we should appoint Frank De Boer. Now I know we would never get him, but I said it because I am so tired of seeing these threads every yer or so and we end up with McInnes, Coppell, SoD, Cotterill, Johnson  - but what other names do our fans band around Warnock, Appleton, Pearson etc etc always the same names.. where the hell is our ambition... ok we are not a huge club but we could be, we could be at least be a Southampton, or even a Ajax if Lansdown wanted us to be - somethings really are down to money, and there are people out there who would love to oversee and start something like that here especially if being rewarded by a good wage and backing... maybe we need Cat 1 academy first, but I just wish we would think bigger, expect bigger and not just accept that we are little Bristol City, backwater Championship L1 yo,yo club. With youth team coaches no one has even heard of that get changed as often as our managers.

 

btw name was on the radar, when Frank was let go in November - got us onto talking about our youth set, and if our large influx of "ones for the future" suggest we are not producing players we think will make it in the Championship. Started talking about other setups etc...   

[man in the middle]

Just now, AppyDAZE said:

I think the "easily" has gone this season tbh whoever comes in . I agree the squad is big enough and possibly good enough though

I believe it could be easy if we can play to our start of season form as most of the teams near the bottom lose week in week out.

[AppyDAZE]

2 minutes ago, man in the middle said:

I believe it could be easy if we can play to our start of season form as most of the teams near the bottom lose week in week out.

What , like us?  I know what you mean too though  hope youre right

[man in the middle]

maybe we should look abroad for a manager like we have been for players

[AppyDAZE]

1 minute ago, man in the middle said:

maybe we should look abroad for a manager like we have been for players

anyone named Benny need not apply

[AppyDAZE]

2 minutes ago, tinman85 said:

As much as I want Johnson to leave we simply MUST win those two games. The away games coming up are horrendous. Seriously cannot face League 1  again. What a waste it would be and a massive massive setback. 

Far too logical for this forum

[Ciderhead433]

Must be loads of 2nd and 3rd rate managers out there 

[Red-Robbo]

Arguably, we made the right appointments with the last two managers. Cotts got us out of L1 when it looked we were there for another protracted stay, Johnson saved us last season when Cotts' lack of preparedness looked like taking us down. Now Lee has taken us as far as he can go, and he's faced with a crisis he is failing to manage. Be nice if the next appointment lasts longer, but even Lee has been here nearly as long as the average league manager. The average tenure at English clubs is 14-months.

[Dr Balls]

29 minutes ago, Fiale said:

 I said in a thread somewhere a week or so back we should appoint Frank De Boer. Now I know we would never get him, but I said it because I am so tired of seeing these threads every yer or so and we end up with McInnes, Coppell, SoD, Cotterill, Johnson  - but what other names do our fans band around Warnock, Appleton, Pearson etc etc always the same names.. where the hell is our ambition... ok we are not a huge club but we could be, we could be at least be a Southampton, or even a Ajax if Lansdown wanted us to be - somethings really are down to money, and there are people out there who would love to oversee and start something like that here especially if being rewarded by a good wage and backing... maybe we need Cat 1 academy first, but I just wish we would think bigger, expect bigger and not just accept that we are little Bristol City, backwater Championship L1 yo,yo club. With youth team coaches no one has even heard of that get changed as often as our managers.

 

btw name was on the radar, when Frank was let go in November - got us onto talking about our youth set, and if our large influx of "ones for the future" suggest we are not producing players we think will make it in the Championship. Started talking about other setups etc...   

The reality is that managers are cheap compared to players. It's the same at pretty much every level. So going down the option of appointing "cheap" makes no sense.

Perhaps the problem is what we saw with Cotterill near the end. SL doesn't fancy a manager who would take him on, especially one who is successful. Do you honestly believe that he would ever appoint someone like Fergie or Mourinho? No way!!

[Red-Robbo]

Just now, Dr Balls said:

The reality is that managers are cheap compared to players. It's the same at pretty much every level. So going down the option of appointing "cheap" makes no sense.

Perhaps the problem is what we saw with Cotterill near the end. SL doesn't fancy a manager who would take him, especially one who is successful. Do you honestly believe that he would ever appoint someone like Fergie or Mourinho? No way!!

Should this be moved to the homosexuality in football thread?  

[Dr Balls]

8 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

Arguably, we made the right appointments with the last two managers. Cotts got us out of L1 when it looked we were there for another protracted stay, Johnson saved us last season when Cotts' lack of preparedness looked like taking us down. Now Lee has taken us as far as he can go, and he's faced with a crisis he is failing to manage. Be nice if the next appointment lasts longer, but even Lee has been here longer than the average league manager. The average tenure at English clubs is 14-months.

14 months??? Just feels that long since we were last on a decent run.

LJ has had 12 months so far, of which at least 1 is more than he has deserved!

[Gert Mare]

1 hour ago, Harry said:

The job will go to Rowett.
Whether he is the right man or not, I don't know.
He'll probably be the right man for about 8 months, and then become very much the wrong man, leading us to change again.

SL has done all he can off the pitch to raise the profile of this 'project'.  What he needs now is to get the right man at the helm of the football club to take his 'project' to the next level.  For me, it's time to appoint a well-known, big name manager.  Only a 'name' will bring the attention to BCFC.  I don't think any of the other managers we could employ who are 'up and coming' or have 'potential' will do much of a different job.  Get a name that will surprise the football world, bring the media attention to our doorstep, let the players who are here know you mean business, let players who we might want to bring in know we mean business etc etc.  SL needs to raise the profile of this club and his project to a national level, and he will only do that with a BIG appointment, a household name.
That person may or may not be as good a coach as the latest 'next great thing', but the difference the name can bring will trump that.  Time we thought big.

I'd be all for having a word with Hodgson, see if he fancies one last managerial challenge before retirement.
I'd be all for getting Hoddle in (with Wilkins to assist him), to really set eyebrows raising across the country.
Something along these lines has to be done in my opinion, to take the so-called project to the next level.

I was with you up until you mentioned Hodgson.....From one tactically inept clown to another.

[Red-Robbo]

Just now, Dr Balls said:

14 months??? Just feels that long since we were last on a decent run.

LJ has had 12 months so far, of which at least 1 is more than he has deserved!

At the same time, he deserves our thanks for picking us up from the relegation zone and hoiking us well clear in 2015/16 and for improving the squad.

Time for someone who can halt the panic though and instill belief in our players.

[Dr Balls]

9 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

At the same time, he deserves our thanks for picking us up from the relegation zone and hoiking us well clear in 2015/16 and for improving the squad.

Time for someone who can halt the panic though and instill belief in our players.

He didn't start the turnaround. That was Pemberton. LJ had enough sense last season to not mess around too much with what he had started.

This season we have really had LJ at the helm and although we started well, it's been downhill since October. And you don't need to be much of a conspiracy theorist to wonder about the appointment of his mate Dean Holden, the effect on Pemberton's role and the drastic dip in our form.

If we get relegated LJ will rightly go down as one of our worst managers. At least when MacInnes kept us up, he did it his way. And he had gone back to Scotland and thrived at Aberdeen, so he can't be that hopeless. I can't see LJ going anywhere significant after he leaves Ashton Gate, or making a success of it.

[Major Isewater]

1 hour ago, Full nelson said:

Harry is coming!! 

Don't bring Harry ...

[YorkshireSection]

If SL sanctioned half the finances he has given LJ for players on a Manager fit for his ambition, our support, stadium and facilities then we'd be looking at a potential play off place, it's complete madness.

Rowett or Tisdale will do no better than Lee, it's time to spend some money on a experienced manager. We need the likes of Pardew, Harry or Hoddle looking after us, unfortunately getting them anywhere near such a sinking ship would be near impossible; especially with no transfer window to work with

[Red-Robbo]

2 minutes ago, Dr Balls said:

He didn't start the turnaround. That was Pemberton. LJ had enough sense last season to not mess around too much with what he had started.

This season we have really had LJ at the helm and although we started well, it's been downhill since October. And you don't need to be much of a conspiracy theorist to wonder about the appointment of his mate Dean Holden, the effect on Pemberton's role and the drastic dip in our form.

If we get relegated LJ will rightly go down as one of our worst managers. At least when MacInnes kept us up, he did it his way. And he had gone back to Scotland and thrived at Aberdeen, so he can't be that hopeless. I can't see LJ going anywhere significant after he leaves Ashton Gate, or making a success of it.

I'm aware of our debt to Pemberton, but he was only in charge for three games. I think Johnson does deserve some credit.

And he's nowhere near our worst manager. There have been far worse.

[Dr Balls]

8 minutes ago, YorkshireSection said:

If SL sanctioned half the finances he has given LJ for players on a Manager fit for his ambition, our support, stadium and facilities then we'd be looking at a potential play off place, it's complete madness.

Rowett or Tisdale will do no better than Lee, it's time to spend some money on a experienced manager. We need the likes of Pardew, Harry or Hoddle looking after us, unfortunately getting them anywhere near such a sinking ship would be near impossible; especially with no transfer window to work with

I know what you mean but right now all I want is a steady manager at this level who will keep us up, stabilise the club as an established Championship team. Rowett fits that bill although I understand fans who suggest it displays a lack of ambition.

The more I think about it I do wonder about SL being risk averse, and that his business model that might work in financial services does not translate to football and it's unique circumstances. 

The overseas option has its merits. If you assume we wouldn't get a big name, appointing an assistant to one of the most successful coaches seems a good option e.g. David Wagner, Aitor Karanka, Paul Clement. Could we? Yes. Would we? Probably not.

[Fiale]

@Dr Balls  still think Huddersfield played the best football I have seen this season. I have no idea how much they have spent, but would love to see that playstyle being used by a city side. Getting successful coach from Dortmund certainly worked for them.

[Dr Balls]

9 minutes ago, Fiale said:

@Dr Balls  still think Huddersfield played the best football I have seen this season. I have no idea how much they have spent, but would love to see that playstyle being used by a city side. Getting successful coach from Dortmund certainly worked for them.

Also Mourinho loaned Bamford to Boro from Chelsea. So even those links are useful.

By contrast we have a novice whose greatest point of reference is his dad, who has had some success particularly at the lower echelons of football but hardly a major managerial name vying for top European honours.

[Red Wardy Returns]

2 hours ago, Flagon said:

Many fans seem to feel that if we are to lose the Rotherham game it is likely that LJ would be asked to leave.

In Lansdown's statement where he refers to the off field success he said "I have no intention of seeing this wasted." I think this game along with the Sheffield Wednesday one could be the limit. 

However, if this were to happen any incoming manager would not have the opportunity to improve the squad with new players as January would obviously be over. 

The immediate remit would be the same as LJ's when he got here last year, just please keep us up. We would then hit the summer transfer window, assuming all being well, still in the Championship where the inevitable conundrum of who to let go, who to get in begins.

At this current time I genuinely believe the players are as much at fault for some terrible errors defensively, poor finishing and decision making coupled with some bad tactics.

So how confident are you that the board would actually appoint the right person this time round and importantly sustain a turnaround in form for the future and not just this season?

In all honesty, what could be worse than LJ?

[Eddie Notgetinya]

If LJ is to leave then I am sure another underwhelming appointment will be made 

[Dr Balls]

Could we not just recruit whoever picks the managers at Southampton since the Liebherr family took over? Adkins, Pochettino, Koeman & now Puel.

Remember after a succession of bad managerial choices (including both Redknapp & Pardew) they ended up in League 1 just 7 years ago, below us who were in the Championship at the time, with no guarantee of matching earlier successes. But look where they are now - comparisons are just so depressing!!

[BS4 on Tour...]

1 hour ago, Dr Balls said:

Could we not just recruit whoever picks the managers at Southampton since the Liebherr family took over? Adkins, Pochettino, Koeman & now Puel.

Remember after a succession of bad managerial choices (including both Redknapp & Pardew) they ended up in League 1 just 7 years ago, below us who were in the Championship at the time, with no guarantee of matching earlier successes. But look where they are now - comparisons are just so depressing!!

Pardew a 'bad managerial choice' by the Saints?! Not true. Firstly he was appointed by Liebherr and despite a ten point deduction at the start of the season he was there, he nearly got Southampton to the play offs and he also won the Football League Trophy, an accolade dear to the hearts of many on here! That was Saints' first trophy since 1976.

And he also plucked Rickie Lambert from some lower league tinpot outfit.

Pardew won over 53% of his 64 games in charge of Southampton; Pochettino won 38% of his 60 games at the helm of the Saints...and of the four 'successful' recent Southampton managers you listed, only Adkins had a better record than Pardew. So not sure how that makes him a 'bad managerial choice.'

Pardew's time there wasn't bad in my opinion...

[cityloyal473]

In response to the title: not at all.  We'll end up with another 'meh' manager and be having this very same conversation in about 12 months from now.  And the year after that.  And that.

[Dr Balls]

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

Pardew a 'bad managerial choice' by the Saints?! Not true. Firstly he was appointed by Liebherr and despite a ten point deduction at the start of the season he was there, he nearly got Southampton to the play offs and he also won the Football League Trophy, an accolade dear to the hearts of many on here! That was Saints' first trophy since 1976.

And he also plucked Rickie Lambert from some lower league tinpot outfit.

Pardew won over 53% of his 64 games in charge of Southampton; Pochettino won 38% of his 60 games at the helm of the Saints...and of the four 'successful' recent Southampton managers you listed, only Adkins had a better record than Pardew. So not sure how that makes him a 'bad managerial choice.'

Pardew's time there wasn't bad in my opinion...

Ok. Don't follow Siuthampton that closely and bow to your greater knowledge. That said it makes my case even stronger because before Liebherr bought the club I do recall them going through a list of fairly forgettable and unsuccessful managers that got them relegated as far as League 1 with a nice new big stadium. Surely that bit sounds like a familiar scenario to any City supporter?

[Der no.2]

Confident?

Depends whats on the job search spec and the diligence of the interviewers.

Knowledge, track record, confidence, passion, steel, someone who can get the best out of every player. Big name?

Board needs to understand that hiring a manager is an INVESTMENT and nothing less than top quality will do!

[Inactive user]

12 hours ago, Londoner said:

The problem is we will beat rotherham 

Stunning. How many 'fans' want us to lose. Just unbelievable.

[GrahamC]

3 minutes ago, Rednwhiterob said:

Stunning. How many 'fans' want us to lose. Just unbelievable.

Not at all.

I want us to win but the real issue here (as Harry and I both posted independently  last night) is that if we do (after presumably failing to beat Sheffield Wednesday) it will prove absolutely nothing, because even if you forget the record breaking last 8 league games stat, the last 13 results now are won 1 drawn 1 lost 11.

We have managed just one league win since October, so the reality is beating a side in Rotherham (who may well be the only team below us soon) proves nothing and if our owner thinks doing so proves he is the right man for the job, then he is completely wrong.

[RedRidingHood]

I am sure that the readers of this forum and the wider fan base must be so sick of this merry-go-round of fighting relegation -  relegation - promotion and spending  season after season watching who is below us.  With the notable exception of the double cup season we have the same threads/sense of despair  year after year after year.   I am almost done with it all. 

[Jack Dawe]

49 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Not at all.

I want us to win but the real issue here (as Harry and I both posted independently  last night) is that if we do (after presumably failing to beat Sheffield Wednesday) it will prove absolutely nothing, because even if you forget the record breaking last 8 league games stat, the last 13 results now are won 1 drawn 1 lost 11.

We have managed just one league win since October, so the reality is beating a side in Rotherham (who may well be the only team below us soon) proves nothing and if our owner thinks doing so proves he is the right man for the job, then he is completely wrong.

We just need that one win, though Graham. That's all. First it was three windows. Now it's just one win. Then watch us go

[GrahamC]

6 minutes ago, Jack Dawe said:

We just need that one win, though Graham. That's all. First it was three windows. Now it's just one win. Then watch us go

Then watch us go down?

[Mike Hunt-Hertz]

1 hour ago, Rednwhiterob said:

Stunning. How many 'fans' want us to lose. Just unbelievable.

Stunning how many people are happy for us to be relegated, purely to try and prove some bogus point about Lee Johnson.

[Davefevs]

4 minutes ago, Mike Hunt-Hertz said:

Stunning how many people are happy for us to be relegated, purely to try and prove some bogus point about Lee Johnson.

Those 'fans' are few and far between imho

I think this thread has got into the direction of either you think a win at at home to Rotherham will start the move forward or a win is just window dressing.

My view is that SL's judgement will be clouded by a win at home next Saturday.....and I'm not sure where the guaranteed three points comes from....it won't be an easy game.

Do I want us to win on Tuesday and Saturday? Yes.

Do I want us to get relegated? No

Do I want someone else in charge? Yes

By when? Ahead of Sheffield Wednesday - because any positive results we get in the next two games will be seen as Johnson is the man to take us forward, when I've reached the conclusion he isn't.

Dressing room bust-ups or not, media interview spin or not, I have no doubts that this squad is more than capable of 10-14th place, yet it is being stifled.  I think the current head-coach is the reason.

Personally, I think you could put Pembo in charge and you'd see a change immediately.  I think the players have no belief in the coaching textbook.