SL Radio Bristol interview

[BobBobSuperBob]

4 minutes ago, Jacki said:

I took the ‘up there’ on wages speak to mean that we’re paying not far off top dollar for our top earners, but not the whole squad. He used Villa as an example of a team who are paying that kind of cash for all their players where we only seem to be paying it for one or two. I imagine O’Neil leaving will free up £25k per week, for example. 

Yes - exactly what I understood

So some Clubs wage budgets are higher because they pay , let’s say 25 players £20k a week whereas only a few of our might be getting that

ie we have to slice up our smaller wage budget more efficiently 

I get that

But I’m no financial expert and SL is , but I’d suggest packing your squad out with million pound plus (With associated wages)  ‘punts’ who to date IMHO look very ‘questionable investments’ is actually draining that budget and preventing us competing for players that directly effect the quality of the match day squad 

SL wants to finish top 6 and get promoted yet  makes it clear that the income gap has to be closed and the Club must be run as an efficient business

Certainly with the current set up , I just can’t see those two correlating 

IMHO ....said it a few times , after SC lost the plot he actually left us with a very slim squad with some very decent players , very little ‘dead wood’ , and players with talent , and almost a perfect / dream scenario for the man coming in ...... a perfect base to add too and supplement

We didn’t need to dismantle that squad so drastically or need to sign 30 odd  players to be in better shape on the pitch than we are now

We f****^d up big style at that point IMHO

and IMHO went ‘wayward’  recruiting for the business model rather than the match day squad players / quality

What makes that worse, on top of that is IMHO the actual quality of our recruitment is generally flawed and the investments are eating money and likely to negatively effect the overall budgets

Kodjia was a financial sucessv and that success may have convinced SL further that this was the way to go

Profit on Academy graduates BR and JB will help balance the books further Tbf

The question is ,

(a)can you produce enough of these successes yearly , year in year out ,

(b) whilst replacing them , adequately, and

(c) whilst hoping to compete in this league , or in fact as SL wants top six / promotion at some point

You can but when looking at current evidence and indicators I personally don’t see the current set up delivering all  three , putting it mildly 

[cidercity1987]

17 minutes ago, cidered abroad said:

Surely Ashton is, in effect as COO, our Director of Football? 

Before the inception of Bristol Sport, our COO would have been involved with all the off the field bits that are now, I believe, run by BS. Pitch maintenance, stadium maintenance, refreshments concessions, ticketing. 

So apart from overseeing football, assumed for all ages up to Academy and first team, dealing with the money and terms of transfers and contracts, what else is included in his job description? 

So if all the above is correct, unless Johnson reports directly to the board (SL) on playing matters, Ashton is our DOF. 

Perhaps therein lies the real problem? He is interfering with team selection and tactics? Either that or Johnson is doing his own thing with no football related assistance from Ashton? 

And whichever way Ashton and Johnson run it, could it be that we already have an unpaid DOF? The current manager of Cheltenham Town? 

Like father, like son. Neither are capable of managing players above Third or Fourth Division level! 

How does your 3rd 4th division theory explain the fact old Johnson and now young Johnson have achieved our highest league placings in the last 40 years?

[DT The Optimist]

Not sure where people are grasping this 'DOF'  certainly not from the SL interview !  Having listed to it again he does not hold back. A few bullet points !

• We 'blundered along' after Man City defeat
• Over elaborated
• Lost our way after Xmas
• Not done what we should have done from where we were 
• Scored goals, not defended
• Our salaries are pretty good for division
• LJ nothing he is aware of him re WBA interest.  He is here for the long term and we will learn from what happened this year.
• Still creating a large deficit and looks at likes of Burnley who we should try and emulate
• clubs like Millwall and Preston no bigger then us and we should compete with them

TBH after the slump that has been done to death here on the forum it was great to hear it.  (of course this interview was before yesterdays defeat)

 

[Floatn Over]

12 minutes ago, cidercity1987 said:

How does your 3rd 4th division theory explain the fact old Johnson and now young Johnson have achieved our highest league placings in the last 40 years?

Old Johnson - That was then, this is now, it was fun but the Chamionship has moved on.

Young Johnson - Fully agree but from 2nd !!!!!

I'm not LJ knocking, really want him to succeed but some of the decisions..... 

[Robbored]

6 minutes ago, DT The Optimist said:

Not sure where people are grasping this 'DOF'  certainly not from the SL interview !  Having listed to it again he does not hold back. A few bullet points !

• We 'blundered along' after Man City defeat
• Over elaborated
• Lost our way after Xmas
• Not done what we should have done from where we were 
• Scored goals, not defended
• Our salaries are pretty good for division
• LJ nothing he is aware of him re WBA interest.  He is here for the long term and we will learn from what happened this year.
• Still creating a large deficit and looks at likes of Burnley who we should try and emulate
• clubs like Millwall and Preston no bigger then us and we should compete with them

TBH after the slump that has been done to death here on the forum it was great to hear it.  (of course this interview was before yesterdays defeat)

 

Excellent summary DT. 

Having heard the interview SL simply says it as it is. No corporate speak or bluff. Good honest answers.

[Floatn Over]

7 minutes ago, DT The Optimist said:

Not sure where people are grasping this 'DOF'  certainly not from the SL interview !  Having listed to it again he does not hold back. A few bullet points !

• We 'blundered along' after Man City defeat
• Over elaborated
• Lost our way after Xmas
• Not done what we should have done from where we were 
• Scored goals, not defended
• Our salaries are pretty good for division
• LJ nothing he is aware of him re WBA interest.  He is here for the long term and we will learn from what happened this year.
• Still creating a large deficit and looks at likes of Burnley who we should try and emulate
• clubs like Millwall and Preston no bigger then us and we should compete with them

TBH after the slump that has been done to death here on the forum it was great to hear it.  (of course this interview was before yesterdays defeat)

 

The last words in brackets - good point.

[chinapig]

20 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Yes - exactly what I understood

So some Clubs wage budgets are higher because they pay , let’s say 25 players £20k a week whereas only a few of our might be getting that

ie we have to slice up our smaller wage budget more efficiently 

I get that

But I’m no financial expert and SL is , but I’d suggest packing your squad out with million pound plus (With associated wages)  ‘punts’ who to date IMHO look very ‘questionable investments’ is actually draining that budget and preventing us competing for players that directly effect the quality of the match day squad 

SL wants to finish top 6 and get promoted yet  makes it clear that the income gap has to be closed and the Club must be run as an efficient business

Certainly with the current set up , I just can’t see those two correlating 

IMHO ....said it a few times , after SC lost the plot he actually left us with a very slim squad with some very decent players , very little ‘dead wood’ , and players with talent , and almost a perfect / dream scenario for the man coming in ...... a perfect base to add too and supplement

We didn’t need to dismantle that squad so drastically or need to sign 30 odd  players to be in better shape on the pitch than we are now

We f****^d up big style at that point IMHO

and IMHO went ‘wayward’  recruiting for the business model rather than the match day squad players / quality

What makes that worse, on top of that is IMHO the actual quality of our recruitment is generally flawed and the investments are eating money and likely to negatively effect the overall budgets

Kodjia was a financial sucessv and that success may have convinced SL further that this was the way to go

Profit on Academy graduates BR and JB will help balance the books further Tbf

The question is ,

(a)can you produce enough of these successes yearly , year in year out ,

(b) whilst replacing them , adequately, and

(c) whilst hoping to compete in this league , or in fact as SL wants top six / promotion at some point

You can but when looking at current evidence and indicators I personally don’t see the current set up delivering all  three , putting it mildly 

Largely agreed, though at the same time many seem to regard it as a criticism of LJ that he has in fact kept the core of the team.

Of those he did not, how many would we want back? Only Ayling perhaps, though we gave Wilbs another contract of course.

Achieving your a-c is certainly a hell of a challenge for any manager! I wouldn't be any more confident than you and the belief that LJ has a job for life is a mistaken one I think. SL is not as soft as some seem to reckon.

[Murraysrightplum]

8 hours ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Just listened to it and agree

He wasn’t asked directly about LJ but I didn’t get the unequivocal backing vibe he proclaimed last year

Biggest concern for me was the impression that we are going to need to make a profit on transfer dealings using the value of the squad and he said on a number of occasions ‘reinvesting wisely’

the flaw in that plan Mr L is there is little evidence , in fact the contrary that we are anywhere near set up to do that 

If you look at the comings and goings over the last 3-4 seasons we have brought in and sold on players for tidy profits. Not perfect but then who is? 

Id like to see players stay longer to build, but we are where we are

[CotswoldRed]

9 hours ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Just listened to it and agree

He wasn’t asked directly about LJ but I didn’t get the unequivocal backing vibe he proclaimed last year

Biggest concern for me was the impression that we are going to need to make a profit on transfer dealings using the value of the squad and he said on a number of occasions ‘reinvesting wisely’

the flaw in that plan Mr L is there is little evidence , in fact the contrary that we are anywhere near set up to do that 

The unequivocal vibe he fed last year, I think, had more to do with the supporters questioning his own authority/sanity/ability. It was a 'Vs' up to many of us. 

[RumRed]

That interview has actually lifted my mood, a hell of a lot better than the 'I'm considerably richer than you' one from last season.

He certainly sounded cheesed off and I don't think AG is going to be all backslaps over the summer.

As @billywedlock pointed out above the Mitrovic and wage comments have destroyed part of LJs defence of the lack of form pretty comprehensively.

[BobBobSuperBob]

3 minutes ago, Murraysrightplum said:

If you look at the comings and goings over the last 3-4 seasons we have brought in and sold on players for tidy profits. Not perfect but then who is? 

Id like to see players stay longer to build, but we are where we are

Accept that , and I’ve highlighted Kodjia

Anyone else ?

 

In the last 3 seasons our overall defecit on transfer dealings is app -£13m) (Brentford’s over same period app +£35)

That also doesn’t take into account for our catalogue of wasted loan fees and wages in the last 2/3 years

You may argue its early days , but Think Im right that to date we are yet to make a profit in anyone signed by MA / LJ

(Tbf a future profit on FD looks likely / possible and COD likely/ possible - 

MT should produce a small profit but the good investments are looking thin in the ground atm IMHO

We look to have more hope of profit / financial balance with the Academy players in LK / ZV etc But again you can’t really expect to keep producing Championship players from the academy , if we can , fair play ...big ask

 

[spudski]

19 minutes ago, billywedlock said:

More LJ excuse generation . When will the Emperors new clothes finally sink home to SL. 

Lee J 

We're just not in that market. We're not. It's where we are as a football club. Do you know what I mean?

"People can speculate but the wages that it took to get Mitrovic in for example was right up there with a top Premier League player, if you include the loan fee and the wages.

"And if you balance that out weekly it was a huge amount to pay, and obviously it's been successful and Mitrovic is a very good player and everybody will have their version of that.

"We tried to be creative for the wages that we pay and the way that we try and recruit. There's not an awful lot of names that come into the funnel if you like, in January, because it's very difficult to get a standard player out of a club that you'd be looking for like the two players you mentioned there.

 

SL 

Was Mitrovic ever on the January radar or was he out of your price range?

To be honest I don't know what his price range is and he didn't come into the discussion. 

Will you increase your top-line basic pay to attract better players to the club?

I don't think we need to do this.

I think we are up there.

 

 

It's not rocket science as to what's happened here...

LJ and MA would have looked at every player available and what their wage demands were.

As LJ said...Mitrovic was top wack and didn't fit in with our wage structure...we may pay well, but not to Prem standard wages which Mitrovic would be near.

LJ and MA would have written any player like this off the list of possibilities.

The list they would show to SL would be realistic targets available within our wage structure.

That's why SL wouldn't have known about Mitrovic...as he wouldn't have been spoken about to him.

I'm not sure why you need to put a spin on it, which obviously isn't there.

[BobBobSuperBob]

59 minutes ago, Olé said:

For anyone who hasn't or can't listen to the audio, the EP has ripped off transcribed the interview in full here:

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/full-transcript-steve-lansdown-january-1538603

It reads as SL being very direct about the poor standard of the past four months and the shambles of a January transfer window, I agree that he is not as "protective" of LJ in his comments, as I might have expected. Well done to Geoff Twentyman for not giving him room for easy throwaway PR.

Whether this translates into any meaningful change is another matter - one thing you can say for LJ and MA is they will give SL a commentary on what they are doing that will sound convincing, even if the outcomes themselves are flawed. But I read it as LJ under pressure to deliver next season.

Not saying this with any pleasure or spite for LJ, but based on that tone/expectation from SL, I would have wanted to be coming out the back end of this season having already established far more long term key players and an effective style of play, ready to hit the ground running in August. LJ is toast.

Great post

On the button for me

again

[RumRed]

1 minute ago, spudski said:

It's not rocket science as to what's happened here...

LJ and MA would have looked at every player available and what their wage demands were.

As LJ said...Mitrovic was top wack and didn't fit in with our wage structure...we may pay well, but not to Prem standard wages which Mitrovic would be near.

LJ and MA would have written any player like this off the list of possibilities.

The list they would show to SL would be realistic targets available within our wage structure.

That's why SL wouldn't have known about Mitrovic...as he wouldn't have been spoken about to him.

I'm not sure why you need to put a spin on it, which obviously isn't there.

That's quite a lot of spin you've added to get it to fit your narrative too though tbf

[GrahamC]

One thing that comes out of it is Geoff Twentyman is far and away by the best local sports journalist.

Like he did when we were on our previous awful run under LJ, he doesn’t shy away from asking awkward questions.

Really think it helps that he played the game at pro level too.

[Kid in the Riot]

9 minutes ago, RumRed said:

That interview has actually lifted my mood, a hell of a lot better than the 'I'm considerably richer than you' one from last season.

He certainly sounded cheesed off and I don't think AG is going to be all backslaps over the summer.

As @billywedlock pointed out above the Mitrovic and wage comments have destroyed part of LJs defence of the lack of form pretty comprehensively.

That's if we believe SL.

I will have a look for it later but the excellent Swiss Ramble twitter account did a review of our last set of accounts and concluded we still had one of the lower wage budgets in the division.

[spudski]

1 minute ago, RumRed said:

That's quite a lot of spin you've added to get it to fit your narrative too though tbf

It's not at all...that's how it works.

 

[RumRed]

1 minute ago, Kid in the Riot said:

That's if we believe SL.

I will have a look for it later but the excellent Swiss Ramble twitter account did a review of our last set of accounts and concluded we still had one of the lower wage budgets in the division.

Whether he's telling the truth or not he was undermining LJ's narrative, which tells it's own story.

[BobBobSuperBob]

2 minutes ago, spudski said:

It's not rocket science as to what's happened here...

LJ and MA would have looked at every player available and what their wage demands were.

As LJ said...Mitrovic was top wack and didn't fit in with our wage structure...we may pay well, but not to Prem standard wages which Mitrovic would be near.

LJ and MA would have written any player like this off the list of possibilities.

The list they would show to SL would be realistic targets available within our wage structure.

That's why SL wouldn't have known about Mitrovic...as he wouldn't have been spoken about to him.

I'm not sure why you need to put a spin on it, which obviously isn't there.

Have to say - that’s how I would have anticipated this

If Playet A becomes available but his wages are £80k a week plus whatever loan fee

If MA

a) Knows that SL won’t sanction it

or 

b) The numbers don’t fit into or would blow a big hole in the finances/ his ‘allocated budget’ to work with

There would be little point in wasting time discussing any such proposal with SL

 

What SL looks like he might be doing is looking hard at the numbers and value or not , of what we have done / did , particularly in January

[RumRed]

6 minutes ago, spudski said:

It's not at all...that's how it works.

 

Damn just as I was feeling positive that SL was going to get a handle on it!  And no I am not one of those advocating ridiculous expenditure, just better use of what we do have to take into account short term goals as and when we are in a good position.  Historically it seems we spend on the way down and not on the way up.

[Frenchay Red]

I've cut and paste just one short part of what he said.

"Lee is here for the long-term", 

For me, says it all really.

 

[ScottishRed]

9 hours ago, Float'n Over said:

The conclusion is that the club must finish higher than this year and to do that he and others will be looking at what need to do better.

I'm probably totally wrong but I have a feeling that a Director of Football will be brought in, an experienced name to oversee and hopefully stop some of the terrible decisions made between LJ and MA (signings not used, loans not used etc etc)

And we could all make a pretty educated guess on who a DoF might be.......

[RumRed]

2 minutes ago, ScottishRed said:

And we could all make a pretty educated guess on who a DoF might be.......

Scotty?

 

 

He'd get my vote!

[Kid in the Riot]

16 minutes ago, RumRed said:

Whether he's telling the truth or not he was undermining LJ's narrative, which tells it's own story.

Indeed. Certainly not singing off the same hymn sheet.

[B block]

It certainly looks like joe and Reid are off, I would take good money for joe as I think kelly is quality but if Reid goes you need 21 goes from somewhere next season and goals when you need them, in tight 0-0s not when your 3-0 up

we can’t keep getting lucky with goal scorers, if we don’t replace Reid if he does go then it’s hoof ball to Duroc and fammy, unless Tammy comes back

[spudski]

11 minutes ago, billywedlock said:

No spin, just facts. The only spin is from your self, yet again. This season has been spectacular in that regard. You make things up to back your point of view. Ignoring facts in continuation, even when others give you the numbers to explain it in more simplistic terms. The Cardiff game was exceptional in that regard. 

Everything you have written, again, is all based on "would have" . 

So, as you clearly feel you know these things, what are Fulham paying Mitrovic ? When you know that number, do you know if SL, if presented with the facts, would not have sanctioned a short term loan ? 

We wasted more money on Engval . SL has paid out enough money to have afforded Mitrovic . It is how that money is spent the issue. 

Get back to your LJ and MA spin. It will end in tears. 

 

 

 

That's how it works fella...not spin...but a fact.

Do you're own research as to Mitrovic and how he went to Fulham. The process, who had to be sold to move on, who paid what, where he was going etc, etc.

It's not like shopping in the supermarket.

Lets also see how a Serb and a Bosnian get on together shall we.

Come back when you understand the inner workings of a football club instead of seeing it like a shopping list your missus might have given you.

Even if SL had sanctioned what you want...if we had the budget to do so...what makes you think he'd come here?

Again...so many permutations...which you seem to ignore.

Happy shopping ;-)

[Major Isewater]

1 hour ago, B-Rizzle said:

It’s hard to compare us to Cardiff. Every year there are teams that over achieve, something clicks and they surprisingly earn promotion.

This year it was Cardiff, before that Huddersfield and Bournemouth etc. We were doing the same in the first half of the season but fell away.

It’s not about money. It’s about togetherness, momentum, a bit of luck. We couldn’t maintain that for whatever reasons, cup run, injuries, poor jan recruitment, Johnson believing the hype, poor tactics etc. I don’t know.

Next year, it’s about rebuilding that momentum, belief and togetherness in the squad and club to see if we can get ourselves on ‘a run’ again but this time maintain it for a whole season.

The big word here is TRUST.

Does LJ trust the players and staff around him and equally does he have their trust ?

I'm not so sure .

[Sniper]

Everyone wants to know how the same set of players mostly (as the injured players slowly came back in) could be so Jekyll and Hyde.

The way they played first half of the season beating the likes of Cardiff/Derby/Fulham then against Man U and Man C was jaw dropping in the context of our run since the turn of the year.

The question I would like to know is were there any clauses that meant wages would go up for all players/some players on us getting promotion?

I don't think any of us would be too chuffed being told at work that you'd have to work a lot lot harder for the same salary?

So am I saying that the players may have taken the foot of the pedal?

So am I saying that the players can turn it on and off when they feel like it?

The one thing that worries me with LJ and he said it last season and this season. I need to play a team I can trust! - What does that mean? So there are players that he doesn't trust, really?

Answers on a post card please.

[BobBobSuperBob]

With our ethos and philosophy , and off the back off SLs interview I keep coming back to the potential breaker or maker for us for the foreseeable

LOANS

get then right as we did with Tammy (Tomlin was a,ways likely to be a good LOAN signing) they can take us upward , get them wrong (Leko , Woodrow,Diony , Kent ) ( especially in a single season ) and it can destruct us

The quality and success of our loans may well significantly impact on  our destiny in the next few seasons

[Floatn Over]

6 minutes ago, Sniper said:

Everyone wants to know how the same set of players mostly (as the injured players slowly came back in) could be so Jekyll and Hyde.

The way they played first half of the season beating the likes of Cardiff/Derby/Fulham then against Man U and Man C was jaw dropping in the context of our run since the turn of the year.

The question I would like to know is were there any clauses that meant wages would go up for all players/some players on us getting promotion?

I don't think any of us would be too chuffed being told at work that you'd have to work a lot lot harder for the same salary?

So am I saying that the players may have taken the foot of the pedal?

So am I saying that the players can turn it on and off when they feel like it?

The one thing that worries me with LJ and he said it last season and this season. I need to play a team I can trust! - What does that mean? So there are players that he doesn't trust, really?

Answers on a post card please.

I think promotion bonuses were probably on the table but the players may have felt let down by not recruiting the right quality to assist in delivering that.

The players on duty yesterday we all know can play a lot better than that.