A fish rots from the head down

[Red-Robbo]

23 minutes ago, redordead1 said:

I've heard from two past and present H&L execs that Jon Lansdown was way out of his depth in the workplace, to the point that many suspected he was on the spectrum. He worked on the help desk there for 4-5 years and would call his colleagues repeatedly asking the same question and wasn't able to take on board even the most basic of information they relayed. In short, he struggled hugely despite the clear nepotism he was benefiting from.

A few years later Jon finds himself as the Managing Director of Bristol City with another hugely insulated and protected job and is given the authority to involve himself in football matters.

The whole reason SL acquired BCFC and formed Bristol Sport is to create a toy/interest for him and his son, away from the pressures of a standard business.

Now part of me understands why a father would do that. Unfortunately, he chose to do this with our club and their constant interference and incompetence has cost us dearly.

 

 

He's vice-chairman.  We haven't had an MD since Ashton was appointed COO. 

I doubt he has much influence on club matters to be honest, but I hope he's not litigious for your sake because making potentially libellous statements about wealthy people on an open forum isn't a good idea.

[Guest]

6 hours ago, Psychopomp said:

It has taken a long time, and it is with sadness and a little bit of regret that this season the reasons for the continued failure at Bristol City has brought the focus to one man.

Lee Johnson ? No, absolutely not, he is the pawn in what was clearly a pre arranged plan to allow Mr Lansdown to finally get his way.

On any footballing level, Lee J should never have been appointed, and since then, all of the reason for not appointing him, have become clear and evident in the most brutal way. He has not got a clue what he is doing. Any other club would have fired him, and not one club in the Championship would have a coach trio of Johnson, Mcallister and Holden. None.

So why have we got this situation ? Why have we got a blatantly incompetent coach, with the worst losing record in our history with the greatest transfer budget ever and 19 new players still sat smugly in a job?

The answer lies with the owner. From his interviews he has always wanted to be close, go into the changing rooms, be involved , and be part of the system. As well he might, as he would argue, having thrown  millions at the club. He has alledgedly wanted compliant managers and wanted people do do his thing. But the appointment of LJ has taken this to new levels. He himself talks of debriefing with the manager after games and offering advice.

Is the only reason LJ is in a job is because it allows Mr Lansdown to play out some middle aged fantasy of being a football manager. It's not new is it ? How many owners have done it, played at it ? Numerous. They cannot help themselves. The passion and desire takes over, and they feel they know better and can do better. Numerous people have left BCFC, but few talk, you don’t want to ruin your name in the game, or you are bound by a confidentiality order with your pay off. Mr Lansdown said the one thing he dislikes about football compared to business is confidentiality. Of course, because he wants to carry on with his game and he does not want the fans of the club to know about it.

There have been a few occasions over the last months when people have given accounts of what is going on at AG, but unless you hear that first hand you are reluctant to put it out and it needs to go on record. It goes beyond gossip though, goes beyond tittle tattle and forum chat , it is serious, and whilst we battle relegation, it is hardly supportive to put out anything that could be described as destabilising, not least when you know Mr Ashton will try and use legal means to stop it ( as he did at Watford). But it is the sort of thing that would interest newspapers, the media, not just fans, because what has been happening at BCFC is a form scandal. Not a financial one, not illegal, no one is going to prison, but before fans keep thinking that Mr Lansdown is the savour of this club, you should think about other clubs that have survived worse and start to consider than instead of the saviour, Mr Lansdown is in fact the problem. 

There is no footballing or business reason Lee Johnson is in a job, not one club in England would still employ him, and now, probably few others ever will. So you have to ask why Mr Lansdown has behaved so irrationally, never explained any footballing reason, or logic for his choice. He cannot, because he is unable to admit, it is he who wants Lee Johnson as manager so he can continue his personal game. There is good reason why BCFC cannot employ top managers, it is because of the way the club is run. There is one common factor.

Amongst all this, fans have now become conditioned to thinking that the only person in the world that will support BCFC is Mr Lansdown. Other clubs have shown that there are no lack of buyers of English football clubs. It is simply not true. Someone will replace him, one day they will. But to hear the moaning and complaints of fans, almost held under their breath these days, not transferred to a protest at games has been one of the most shocking aspects of this sorry charade. Our fans have lost their voice, and are now happy to be treated as fools and abject failure as if it is better than nothing. Sometimes you deserbve what you get, and at the moment that is true of BCFC fans. No longer is there a bite no longer is the passion there. We are as limp as a Lee Johnson press conference. It is time we got our voice back. The numbers who write on here are small compared to the fans at games, so you can understand why such forums are regarded as minority groups. If indeed people here are the minority, then forget all of this, and be happy for product that is offered. I rather think it is quite the opposite though, and the vast majority are arriving at the same conclusion. 

So stop worrying about lee Johnson, he is the least of your worries, the problem is at the top. Hero to zero and time he sold out.

So is this a long winded way of saying you don't like SL?

[Major Isewater]

8 hours ago, Mike Hunt-Hertz said:

Being a pendant can be a millstone around the neck.

Now we're talking Flinty's jewelry.

[Kid in the Riot]

A post as fine as the Bristolian gin you take your name from @Psychopomp

[Goatersfloater]

13 hours ago, Psychopomp said:

It has taken a long time, and it is with sadness and a little bit of regret that this season the reasons for the continued failure at Bristol City has brought the focus to one man.

Lee Johnson ? No, absolutely not, he is the pawn in what was clearly a pre arranged plan to allow Mr Lansdown to finally get his way.

On any footballing level, Lee J should never have been appointed, and since then, all of the reason for not appointing him, have become clear and evident in the most brutal way. He has not got a clue what he is doing. Any other club would have fired him, and not one club in the Championship would have a coach trio of Johnson, Mcallister and Holden. None.

So why have we got this situation ? Why have we got a blatantly incompetent coach, with the worst losing record in our history with the greatest transfer budget ever and 19 new players still sat smugly in a job?

The answer lies with the owner. From his interviews he has always wanted to be close, go into the changing rooms, be involved , and be part of the system. As well he might, as he would argue, having thrown  millions at the club. He has alledgedly wanted compliant managers and wanted people do do his thing. But the appointment of LJ has taken this to new levels. He himself talks of debriefing with the manager after games and offering advice.

Is the only reason LJ is in a job is because it allows Mr Lansdown to play out some middle aged fantasy of being a football manager. It's not new is it ? How many owners have done it, played at it ? Numerous. They cannot help themselves. The passion and desire takes over, and they feel they know better and can do better. Numerous people have left BCFC, but few talk, you don’t want to ruin your name in the game, or you are bound by a confidentiality order with your pay off. Mr Lansdown said the one thing he dislikes about football compared to business is confidentiality. Of course, because he wants to carry on with his game and he does not want the fans of the club to know about it.

There have been a few occasions over the last months when people have given accounts of what is going on at AG, but unless you hear that first hand you are reluctant to put it out and it needs to go on record. It goes beyond gossip though, goes beyond tittle tattle and forum chat , it is serious, and whilst we battle relegation, it is hardly supportive to put out anything that could be described as destabilising, not least when you know Mr Ashton will try and use legal means to stop it ( as he did at Watford). But it is the sort of thing that would interest newspapers, the media, not just fans, because what has been happening at BCFC is a form scandal. Not a financial one, not illegal, no one is going to prison, but before fans keep thinking that Mr Lansdown is the savour of this club, you should think about other clubs that have survived worse and start to consider than instead of the saviour, Mr Lansdown is in fact the problem. 

There is no footballing or business reason Lee Johnson is in a job, not one club in England would still employ him, and now, probably few others ever will. So you have to ask why Mr Lansdown has behaved so irrationally, never explained any footballing reason, or logic for his choice. He cannot, because he is unable to admit, it is he who wants Lee Johnson as manager so he can continue his personal game. There is good reason why BCFC cannot employ top managers, it is because of the way the club is run. There is one common factor.

Amongst all this, fans have now become conditioned to thinking that the only person in the world that will support BCFC is Mr Lansdown. Other clubs have shown that there are no lack of buyers of English football clubs. It is simply not true. Someone will replace him, one day they will. But to hear the moaning and complaints of fans, almost held under their breath these days, not transferred to a protest at games has been one of the most shocking aspects of this sorry charade. Our fans have lost their voice, and are now happy to be treated as fools and abject failure as if it is better than nothing. Sometimes you deserbve what you get, and at the moment that is true of BCFC fans. No longer is there a bite no longer is the passion there. We are as limp as a Lee Johnson press conference. It is time we got our voice back. The numbers who write on here are small compared to the fans at games, so you can understand why such forums are regarded as minority groups. If indeed people here are the minority, then forget all of this, and be happy for product that is offered. I rather think it is quite the opposite though, and the vast majority are arriving at the same conclusion. 

So stop worrying about lee Johnson, he is the least of your worries, the problem is at the top. Hero to zero and time he sold out.

I couldn't agree with you anymore, what a superb post! 

Without a doubt, like in business for example, poor leadership & management really does affect everything below and around it...................

[oldstandrobin]

8 hours ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Read this four times now - absolutely brilliant post and well constructed & written

One of the best posts I've ever read 

I think you are so so close , if not right on top of , the truth

Quite agree Bob, as I said months ago it reeks of 'The Emperors New Clothes'

Sadly it is not Bristol City FC that we support now but Lansdown United FC

[Warwickshire Red]

Yes a fantastic and articulate post. 

If only the EP and/or RedExiled(?) site would pick up on this.

A questioning/debate of SL's ownership more widely outside this forum would be a healthy thing IMO and take this to a wider audience.

[exAtyeoMax]

11 hours ago, cidered abroad said:

What I am about to write was told to me by someone who appears to have an ear to various people who are close to the inner sanctums of BCFC. It may be complete fiction, part truth or whole truth. The events and goings on at English professional football clubs are more secretive than royal bedchambers or the upper echelons of a Stalin regime.

A while ago, SL met with someone about managing City to ensure we are not relegated this season. The deal obviously had a lucrative pay off, how much was not disclosed. The anonymous "manager" declined the offer because the payment would not be made until SL has sold his interest in BCFC.

If this is true or a figment of someone's imagination we'll never know. My only comment would be is that when SL did the round of press and TV about six weeks ago, he appeared to me to be not the upfront confident personality we've all seen in the past, but instead a withdrawn, reticent and very wary version who has perhaps had enough of his involvement with City and perhaps even Bristol Rugby.

I personally like the objectives of Bristol Sport as an umbrella organisation to spread the admin and stadium maintenance over two ir more clubs. That will benefit City and Bris more than we realise. But SL's involvement with both clubs playing performances has hardly set the world alight, while other smaller clubs with much less financial clout, regularly outperform us in both codes.

Funny, I was thinking something along those lines only last night. More to do with SL selling up and certain deals being done (hence the delay) than being told to by a manager. 

I do have a lot of straws…

[KeepUpLino]

13 hours ago, Psychopomp said:

It has taken a long time, and it is with sadness and a little bit of regret that this season the reasons for the continued failure at Bristol City has brought the focus to one man.

Lee Johnson ? No, absolutely not, he is the pawn in what was clearly a pre arranged plan to allow Mr Lansdown to finally get his way.

On any footballing level, Lee J should never have been appointed, and since then, all of the reason for not appointing him, have become clear and evident in the most brutal way. He has not got a clue what he is doing. Any other club would have fired him, and not one club in the Championship would have a coach trio of Johnson, Mcallister and Holden. None.

So why have we got this situation ? Why have we got a blatantly incompetent coach, with the worst losing record in our history with the greatest transfer budget ever and 19 new players still sat smugly in a job?

The answer lies with the owner. From his interviews he has always wanted to be close, go into the changing rooms, be involved , and be part of the system. As well he might, as he would argue, having thrown  millions at the club. He has alledgedly wanted compliant managers and wanted people do do his thing. But the appointment of LJ has taken this to new levels. He himself talks of debriefing with the manager after games and offering advice.

Is the only reason LJ is in a job is because it allows Mr Lansdown to play out some middle aged fantasy of being a football manager. It's not new is it ? How many owners have done it, played at it ? Numerous. They cannot help themselves. The passion and desire takes over, and they feel they know better and can do better. Numerous people have left BCFC, but few talk, you don’t want to ruin your name in the game, or you are bound by a confidentiality order with your pay off. Mr Lansdown said the one thing he dislikes about football compared to business is confidentiality. Of course, because he wants to carry on with his game and he does not want the fans of the club to know about it.

There have been a few occasions over the last months when people have given accounts of what is going on at AG, but unless you hear that first hand you are reluctant to put it out and it needs to go on record. It goes beyond gossip though, goes beyond tittle tattle and forum chat , it is serious, and whilst we battle relegation, it is hardly supportive to put out anything that could be described as destabilising, not least when you know Mr Ashton will try and use legal means to stop it ( as he did at Watford). But it is the sort of thing that would interest newspapers, the media, not just fans, because what has been happening at BCFC is a form scandal. Not a financial one, not illegal, no one is going to prison, but before fans keep thinking that Mr Lansdown is the savour of this club, you should think about other clubs that have survived worse and start to consider than instead of the saviour, Mr Lansdown is in fact the problem. 

There is no footballing or business reason Lee Johnson is in a job, not one club in England would still employ him, and now, probably few others ever will. So you have to ask why Mr Lansdown has behaved so irrationally, never explained any footballing reason, or logic for his choice. He cannot, because he is unable to admit, it is he who wants Lee Johnson as manager so he can continue his personal game. There is good reason why BCFC cannot employ top managers, it is because of the way the club is run. There is one common factor.

Amongst all this, fans have now become conditioned to thinking that the only person in the world that will support BCFC is Mr Lansdown. Other clubs have shown that there are no lack of buyers of English football clubs. It is simply not true. Someone will replace him, one day they will. But to hear the moaning and complaints of fans, almost held under their breath these days, not transferred to a protest at games has been one of the most shocking aspects of this sorry charade. Our fans have lost their voice, and are now happy to be treated as fools and abject failure as if it is better than nothing. Sometimes you deserbve what you get, and at the moment that is true of BCFC fans. No longer is there a bite no longer is the passion there. We are as limp as a Lee Johnson press conference. It is time we got our voice back. The numbers who write on here are small compared to the fans at games, so you can understand why such forums are regarded as minority groups. If indeed people here are the minority, then forget all of this, and be happy for product that is offered. I rather think it is quite the opposite though, and the vast majority are arriving at the same conclusion. 

So stop worrying about lee Johnson, he is the least of your worries, the problem is at the top. Hero to zero and time he sold out.

Nail on the head....Great post 

[Gert Mare]

In fairness to Lansdown he has been pretty clear for years about how he wants to run this club. He doesn't want to keep dipping into his own pocket to fund transfers which is why we cannot compete. He has always wanted young value for money youngsters and to breed our own from the academy. Other managers have "so say" bought into the plan but the reality of football today is that managers are quickly set upon if the results dive on the pitch. A few years ago following relegation under McInnes/SOD Lansdown admits that the closest he came to a manager buying into his plan for a self sustained Bristol City was Gary Johnson and as LJ was part of that era and is Gary's son he understands what Lansdown wants to achieve. Lansdown also admits that League One is a good place to blood academy youngsters, so this is why ultimately he doesn't see relegation as a problem. Players on high wages have to jog on under FFP with the wage bill only being 60% of the clubs turnover, and with a mixture of academy players on low wages you can afford the odd luxury player and the club is still solvent without Lansdown having to continually dip into his own pocket.

Unfortunately, results under his prodigy have not just been bad, they have been awful, and the players brought in are league one standard at best, promising, but promising league one nevertheless.

I think this really boils down to trust for Lansdown. I don't think he trusts many people , but he does seem to trust the Johnson family implicitly, which is why he has stuck solidly by his appointment, even if it means League One is the outcome. He sees beyond that.

As supporters we have to decide whether we want success or to watch a solvent club floating aimlessly boom busting?

These youngsters won't stay any longer than established players if they are any good, so we will just be a selling club. We will have one good season now and again, lose some of our quality in January, and the rest close season, and then it will be another season like this one.

As fans there are two options. Accept that we won't be competing unless we reach the promised land by good fortune and then last one season with the same squad, or take our support elsewhere if success is our only driver.

This is why LJ isn't going anywhere soon.

 

[LondonBristolian]

It's an interesting original post I don't want to jump to any conclusions about what SL does or doesn't do because I don't know and it's not at all clear to me what is fact, what is speculation and what is rumour at the moment. However, what I do think is noteworthy is that - in essence - our problem this season with Lee Johnson is exactly the same as our problem with Steve Cotterill.

I can see that might sound on first glance like I'm talking nonsense - Steve Cotterill fell out with the board and Lee Johnson seems rather too tight to them but the key point in both situations is the manager's relationship with the board and the owner has been allowed to become unhealthy to a point where it affects everything else at the club. In Cotterill's case, he obviously fell out with the board early last season and it felt like between August and December, every single press conference, every team selection and everything else he did was more about proving a point to the board than it was getting results on the football pitch. In Johnson's case, the fact the owner likes him seems to mean that every other consideration - such as our results, how he motivates the team, whether or not his managerial style alienates key staff and players - seems to fly out the window. There are rumours that with Coppell and O'Driscoll too, the issues came down to the relationship between the manager and the board. Not too sure on Millen (although perhaps, as with LJ and Tannin, Lansdown showed too much faith due to to liking him) or McInnes but you could could broadly argue the majority of our managerial appointments seem to have struggled either because they have felt alienated by the board and executives or because, when that has not happened, the board have whacked a halo on managers and decided to sanctify them to a point where they can do no wrong.

Essentially to succeed the club has to get to a point where - even though the relationship between the board and manager must always be important - it does not become the defining feature of the club or an impediment to future success.

[Ivorguy]

12 hours ago, glos old boy said:

don't mention the gas forgot about them what if we go down and they...............no I wont go there;

hey maybe then they would get invited into the BS fold..... nah too horrible to think of.

See my opening piece on paranoia thread!

[RaspberryRed]

Only Dead Fish go with the Flow 

[Redstreet]

14 hours ago, Psychopomp said:

It has taken a long time, and it is with sadness and a little bit of regret that this season the reasons for the continued failure at Bristol City has brought the focus to one man.

Lee Johnson ? No, absolutely not, he is the pawn in what was clearly a pre arranged plan to allow Mr Lansdown to finally get his way.

On any footballing level, Lee J should never have been appointed, and since then, all of the reason for not appointing him, have become clear and evident in the most brutal way. He has not got a clue what he is doing. Any other club would have fired him, and not one club in the Championship would have a coach trio of Johnson, Mcallister and Holden. None.

So why have we got this situation ? Why have we got a blatantly incompetent coach, with the worst losing record in our history with the greatest transfer budget ever and 19 new players still sat smugly in a job?

The answer lies with the owner. From his interviews he has always wanted to be close, go into the changing rooms, be involved , and be part of the system. As well he might, as he would argue, having thrown  millions at the club. He has alledgedly wanted compliant managers and wanted people do do his thing. But the appointment of LJ has taken this to new levels. He himself talks of debriefing with the manager after games and offering advice.

Is the only reason LJ is in a job is because it allows Mr Lansdown to play out some middle aged fantasy of being a football manager. It's not new is it ? How many owners have done it, played at it ? Numerous. They cannot help themselves. The passion and desire takes over, and they feel they know better and can do better. Numerous people have left BCFC, but few talk, you don’t want to ruin your name in the game, or you are bound by a confidentiality order with your pay off. Mr Lansdown said the one thing he dislikes about football compared to business is confidentiality. Of course, because he wants to carry on with his game and he does not want the fans of the club to know about it.

There have been a few occasions over the last months when people have given accounts of what is going on at AG, but unless you hear that first hand you are reluctant to put it out and it needs to go on record. It goes beyond gossip though, goes beyond tittle tattle and forum chat , it is serious, and whilst we battle relegation, it is hardly supportive to put out anything that could be described as destabilising, not least when you know Mr Ashton will try and use legal means to stop it ( as he did at Watford). But it is the sort of thing that would interest newspapers, the media, not just fans, because what has been happening at BCFC is a form scandal. Not a financial one, not illegal, no one is going to prison, but before fans keep thinking that Mr Lansdown is the savour of this club, you should think about other clubs that have survived worse and start to consider than instead of the saviour, Mr Lansdown is in fact the problem. 

There is no footballing or business reason Lee Johnson is in a job, not one club in England would still employ him, and now, probably few others ever will. So you have to ask why Mr Lansdown has behaved so irrationally, never explained any footballing reason, or logic for his choice. He cannot, because he is unable to admit, it is he who wants Lee Johnson as manager so he can continue his personal game. There is good reason why BCFC cannot employ top managers, it is because of the way the club is run. There is one common factor.

Amongst all this, fans have now become conditioned to thinking that the only person in the world that will support BCFC is Mr Lansdown. Other clubs have shown that there are no lack of buyers of English football clubs. It is simply not true. Someone will replace him, one day they will. But to hear the moaning and complaints of fans, almost held under their breath these days, not transferred to a protest at games has been one of the most shocking aspects of this sorry charade. Our fans have lost their voice, and are now happy to be treated as fools and abject failure as if it is better than nothing. Sometimes you deserbve what you get, and at the moment that is true of BCFC fans. No longer is there a bite no longer is the passion there. We are as limp as a Lee Johnson press conference. It is time we got our voice back. The numbers who write on here are small compared to the fans at games, so you can understand why such forums are regarded as minority groups. If indeed people here are the minority, then forget all of this, and be happy for product that is offered. I rather think it is quite the opposite though, and the vast majority are arriving at the same conclusion. 

So stop worrying about lee Johnson, he is the least of your worries, the problem is at the top. Hero to zero and time he sold out.

15 hours ago, Psychopomp said:

It has taken a long time, and it is with sadness and a little bit of regret that this season the reasons for the continued failure at Bristol City has brought the focus to one man.

Lee Johnson ? No, absolutely not, he is the pawn in what was clearly a pre arranged plan to allow Mr Lansdown to finally get his way.

On any footballing level, Lee J should never have been appointed, and since then, all of the reason for not appointing him, have become clear and evident in the most brutal way. He has not got a clue what he is doing. Any other club would have fired him, and not one club in the Championship would have a coach trio of Johnson, Mcallister and Holden. None.

So why have we got this situation ? Why have we got a blatantly incompetent coach, with the worst losing record in our history with the greatest transfer budget ever and 19 new players still sat smugly in a job?

The answer lies with the owner. From his interviews he has always wanted to be close, go into the changing rooms, be involved , and be part of the system. As well he might, as he would argue, having thrown  millions at the club. He has alledgedly wanted compliant managers and wanted people do do his thing. But the appointment of LJ has taken this to new levels. He himself talks of debriefing with the manager after games and offering advice.

Is the only reason LJ is in a job is because it allows Mr Lansdown to play out some middle aged fantasy of being a football manager. It's not new is it ? How many owners have done it, played at it ? Numerous. They cannot help themselves. The passion and desire takes over, and they feel they know better and can do better. Numerous people have left BCFC, but few talk, you don’t want to ruin your name in the game, or you are bound by a confidentiality order with your pay off. Mr Lansdown said the one thing he dislikes about football compared to business is confidentiality. Of course, because he wants to carry on with his game and he does not want the fans of the club to know about it.

There have been a few occasions over the last months when people have given accounts of what is going on at AG, but unless you hear that first hand you are reluctant to put it out and it needs to go on record. It goes beyond gossip though, goes beyond tittle tattle and forum chat , it is serious, and whilst we battle relegation, it is hardly supportive to put out anything that could be described as destabilising, not least when you know Mr Ashton will try and use legal means to stop it ( as he did at Watford). But it is the sort of thing that would interest newspapers, the media, not just fans, because what has been happening at BCFC is a form scandal. Not a financial one, not illegal, no one is going to prison, but before fans keep thinking that Mr Lansdown is the savour of this club, you should think about other clubs that have survived worse and start to consider than instead of the saviour, Mr Lansdown is in fact the problem. 

There is no footballing or business reason Lee Johnson is in a job, not one club in England would still employ him, and now, probably few others ever will. So you have to ask why Mr Lansdown has behaved so irrationally, never explained any footballing reason, or logic for his choice. He cannot, because he is unable to admit, it is he who wants Lee Johnson as manager so he can continue his personal game. There is good reason why BCFC cannot employ top managers, it is because of the way the club is run. There is one common factor.

Amongst all this, fans have now become conditioned to thinking that the only person in the world that will support BCFC is Mr Lansdown. Other clubs have shown that there are no lack of buyers of English football clubs. It is simply not true. Someone will replace him, one day they will. But to hear the moaning and complaints of fans, almost held under their breath these days, not transferred to a protest at games has been one of the most shocking aspects of this sorry charade. Our fans have lost their voice, and are now happy to be treated as fools and abject failure as if it is better than nothing. Sometimes you deserbve what you get, and at the moment that is true of BCFC fans. No longer is there a bite no longer is the passion there. We are as limp as a Lee Johnson press conference. It is time we got our voice back. The numbers who write on here are small compared to the fans at games, so you can understand why such forums are regarded as minority groups. If indeed people here are the minority, then forget all of this, and be happy for product that is offered. I rather think it is quite the opposite though, and the vast majority are arriving at the same conclusion. 

So stop worrying about lee Johnson, he is the least of your worries, the problem is at the top. Hero to zero and time he sold out.

Excellent post PP . However the manager is the one who can either fix it or not so whilst I get your points on the  business , LJ , by his press conferences has angered fans to such a degree that the vitriol  will continue even if we stay up , which I think we will ! 

[Shelton’s Love Gravy]

15 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

Fish - and other dead animals - rot from the guts up.

Sorry. Wish I wasn't such a pedant. 

Not if you gut them but leave the head on

[Major Isewater]

2 hours ago, Cheesleysmate said:

In fairness to Lansdown he has been pretty clear for years about how he wants to run this club. He doesn't want to keep dipping into his own pocket to fund transfers which is why we cannot compete. He has always wanted young value for money youngsters and to breed our own from the academy. Other managers have "so say" bought into the plan but the reality of football today is that managers are quickly set upon if the results dive on the pitch. A few years ago following relegation under McInnes/SOD Lansdown admits that the closest he came to a manager buying into his plan for a self sustained Bristol City was Gary Johnson and as LJ was part of that era and is Gary's son he understands what Lansdown wants to achieve. Lansdown also admits that League One is a good place to blood academy youngsters, so this is why ultimately he doesn't see relegation as a problem. Players on high wages have to jog on under FFP with the wage bill only being 60% of the clubs turnover, and with a mixture of academy players on low wages you can afford the odd luxury player and the club is still solvent without Lansdown having to continually dip into his own pocket.

Unfortunately, results under his prodigy have not just been bad, they have been awful, and the players brought in are league one standard at best, promising, but promising league one nevertheless.

I think this really boils down to trust for Lansdown. I don't think he trusts many people , but he does seem to trust the Johnson family implicitly, which is why he has stuck solidly by his appointment, even if it means League One is the outcome. He sees beyond that.

As supporters we have to decide whether we want success or to watch a solvent club floating aimlessly boom busting?

These youngsters won't stay any longer than established players if they are any good, so we will just be a selling club. We will have one good season now and again, lose some of our quality in January, and the rest close season, and then it will be another season like this one.

As fans there are two options. Accept that we won't be competing unless we reach the promised land by good fortune and then last one season with the same squad, or take our support elsewhere if success is our only driver.

This is why LJ isn't going anywhere soon.

 

We can't take our support elsewhere .

It's like your longstanding local has just been taken over by a big brewery and ripped the place apart .

All your memories crushed like Japanese commuters . 

You can go and drink elsewhere but it all seems false . Eventually you just stop going .

[CotswoldRed]

5 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

We can't take our support elsewhere .

It's like your longstanding local has just been taken over by a big brewery and ripped the place apart .

All your memories crushed like Japanese commuters . 

You can go and drink elsewhere but it all seems false . Eventually you just stop going .

Unfortunately SL seems to think the club is about bricks, mortar and turnover. That's not why I go. 

[EnderMB]

I've been saying this for a while now, but you've explained it in a way I've struggled with for a very long time. Every time someone bitches about LJ, or whatever sad sap we put in the hot seat, this post should be quoted.

Great post, and bang on the money.

[Gert Mare]

39 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

We can't take our support elsewhere .

It's like your longstanding local has just been taken over by a big brewery and ripped the place apart .

All your memories crushed like Japanese commuters . 

You can go and drink elsewhere but it all seems false . Eventually you just stop going .

I've stopped going. Now getting back into managing amateur football again. Grass roots still has an appeal 

[weymouth red]

We can all watch Bristol second bigest team ! Bristol Manor Farm 

[Jack Dawe]

15 hours ago, cidered abroad said:

. My only comment would be is that when SL did the round of press and TV about six weeks ago, he appeared to me to be not the upfront confident personality we've all seen in the past, but instead a withdrawn, reticent and very wary version who has perhaps had enough of his involvement with City and perhaps even Bristol Rugby.

 

I saw this - Steve's demeanour - differently. I saw a man reluctantly having to defend the indefensible, again, ie his failing head coach with his club record run of failure. Which is why since January he has given us fibs, whoppers ("everything is working well and Lee is part of that"), deception and diversionary nonsense ("I could see the players shrink" it's the fault of the crowd etc after Fulham; "Lee Tomlin needs to buckle down"). Anything but face the reality staring us all in the face.

What he wouldn't be is straight and honest, say that Johnson will be here whatever the outcome, and then explain why (if we can take the unorthodox route of backing a catastrophe coach, why not try being much much more straight with the fans?)

Having to defend the indefensible always shows in your voice and on your face and in your general body language.

[BCFC_Mike]

Said for a while Lansdown is taking this club down, and he clearly doesn't give a shit.

Think it could get ugly down the Gate Saturday, and I honestly hope it does. Obviously I hope we get the 3 points, but that's a long shot lets face it. 

Johnson Out.

Lansdown Out. 

[Tin Soldier]

19 hours ago, Psychopomp said:

It has taken a long time, and it is with sadness and a little bit of regret that this season the reasons for the continued failure at Bristol City has brought the focus to one man.

Lee Johnson ? No, absolutely not, he is the pawn in what was clearly a pre arranged plan to allow Mr Lansdown to finally get his way.

On any footballing level, Lee J should never have been appointed, and since then, all of the reason for not appointing him, have become clear and evident in the most brutal way. He has not got a clue what he is doing. Any other club would have fired him, and not one club in the Championship would have a coach trio of Johnson, Mcallister and Holden. None.

So why have we got this situation ? Why have we got a blatantly incompetent coach, with the worst losing record in our history with the greatest transfer budget ever and 19 new players still sat smugly in a job?

The answer lies with the owner. From his interviews he has always wanted to be close, go into the changing rooms, be involved , and be part of the system. As well he might, as he would argue, having thrown  millions at the club. He has alledgedly wanted compliant managers and wanted people do do his thing. But the appointment of LJ has taken this to new levels. He himself talks of debriefing with the manager after games and offering advice.

Is the only reason LJ is in a job is because it allows Mr Lansdown to play out some middle aged fantasy of being a football manager. It's not new is it ? How many owners have done it, played at it ? Numerous. They cannot help themselves. The passion and desire takes over, and they feel they know better and can do better. Numerous people have left BCFC, but few talk, you don’t want to ruin your name in the game, or you are bound by a confidentiality order with your pay off. Mr Lansdown said the one thing he dislikes about football compared to business is confidentiality. Of course, because he wants to carry on with his game and he does not want the fans of the club to know about it.

There have been a few occasions over the last months when people have given accounts of what is going on at AG, but unless you hear that first hand you are reluctant to put it out and it needs to go on record. It goes beyond gossip though, goes beyond tittle tattle and forum chat , it is serious, and whilst we battle relegation, it is hardly supportive to put out anything that could be described as destabilising, not least when you know Mr Ashton will try and use legal means to stop it ( as he did at Watford). But it is the sort of thing that would interest newspapers, the media, not just fans, because what has been happening at BCFC is a form scandal. Not a financial one, not illegal, no one is going to prison, but before fans keep thinking that Mr Lansdown is the savour of this club, you should think about other clubs that have survived worse and start to consider than instead of the saviour, Mr Lansdown is in fact the problem. 

There is no footballing or business reason Lee Johnson is in a job, not one club in England would still employ him, and now, probably few others ever will. So you have to ask why Mr Lansdown has behaved so irrationally, never explained any footballing reason, or logic for his choice. He cannot, because he is unable to admit, it is he who wants Lee Johnson as manager so he can continue his personal game. There is good reason why BCFC cannot employ top managers, it is because of the way the club is run. There is one common factor.

Amongst all this, fans have now become conditioned to thinking that the only person in the world that will support BCFC is Mr Lansdown. Other clubs have shown that there are no lack of buyers of English football clubs. It is simply not true. Someone will replace him, one day they will. But to hear the moaning and complaints of fans, almost held under their breath these days, not transferred to a protest at games has been one of the most shocking aspects of this sorry charade. Our fans have lost their voice, and are now happy to be treated as fools and abject failure as if it is better than nothing. Sometimes you deserbve what you get, and at the moment that is true of BCFC fans. No longer is there a bite no longer is the passion there. We are as limp as a Lee Johnson press conference. It is time we got our voice back. The numbers who write on here are small compared to the fans at games, so you can understand why such forums are regarded as minority groups. If indeed people here are the minority, then forget all of this, and be happy for product that is offered. I rather think it is quite the opposite though, and the vast majority are arriving at the same conclusion. 

So stop worrying about lee Johnson, he is the least of your worries, the problem is at the top. Hero to zero and time he sold out.

MODS - this post should be pinned!