SL Radio Bristol interview

[YorkshireSection]

4 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

Wouldn't have to go far either, he lives in Clifton.

 

Yeps mate.

This club is crying out for a leader, a winner.

Would you want to explain why you didn't looked interested out there today to JJ or LJ......................hmmmm.

 

 

 

[Nogbad the Bad]

2 minutes ago, YorkshireSection said:

Yeps mate.

This club is crying out for a leader, a winner.

Would you want to explain why you didn't looked interested out there today to JJ or LJ......................hmmmm.

 

 

 

Mmmm.. I'll have to think about that one. 

[YorkshireSection]

1 minute ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

Mmmm.. I'll have to think about that one. 

I rest my case your honor.

[ZiderEyed]

Joe Jordan is actually a brilliant shout tbh. Local, experienced, hard nosed bastard, proper hard man, knows the division.

Gerrim in

[Merrick's Marvels]

2 hours ago, YorkshireSection said:

It has been since January, hasn't it?

On a serious note, we need a strong character, someone who knows the club, has experienced winning and understands the championship and the league above.

I know who I'd approach.

I think it's obvious Guernsey doesn't want to work with the type of character you're describing and therein lies our problem.

[WessexPest]

Makes pretty damning listening / reading for Mark A - would not be in the least surprise if the upshot of the post-season debrief is that he’s “decided to explore other opportunities.”

The line about improving on last season is wearing thin pretty fast; the first half of the season was, the second half of the season we were more or less back where we were 12 months ago.

End of the season didn’t come a minute too soon - lots of work to be done in the next few months if we want to tread water, let alone “kick on.”

 

[YorkshireSection]

1 hour ago, Merrick's Marvels said:

I think it's obvious Guernsey doesn't want to work with the type of character you're describing and therein lies our problem.

Unforunately true, but you just never know.

If things aren't going well, maybe it'll be a compromise that LJ can't turn down. Whatever happens we all want the same thing, promotion.

[WessexPest]

3 hours ago, Badger08 said:

Interesting interview.  You can tell SL is a bit annoyed with how the last part of the season worked out.  

Will the form role into next season, obviously not as a lot of things will change over the summer as it always does. Our squad will be different, the team dynamic will be different etc etc.  If we start off badly next season, it won't have anything to do with the end of this one. 

What I don't get is the notion of selling our best players and trying to replace them with better ones for cheaper!! What? To me that model simply doesn't work (as a rule).  I can think of maybe Burnley who have done this in a successful way? 
Southampton, look at them imploding.  

What I don't understand is, if we do get rid of Flint, Bryan and Bobby, and we mess up their replacements.... then we truly are up the creek. 

We were extremely fortunate that Bobby dropped off our own production line just as Tammy’s loan ended. If we had been left without a goalscorer we would likely have been in the mire again.

Lightning not likely to strike twice so if Bobby goes (and you have to say it’s an evens bet at best that he will stay) we will need to spend big to replace him; that’s just the way of the footballing world.

[Merrick's Marvels]

11 minutes ago, WessexPest said:

We were extremely fortunate that Bobby dropped off our own production line just as Tammy’s loan ended. If we had been left without a goalscorer we would likely have been in the mire again.

Lightning not likely to strike twice so if Bobby goes (and you have to say it’s an evens bet at best that he will stay) we will need to spend big to replace him; that’s just the way of the footballing world.

Reid's replacement is already here - at least in terms of a striker capable of scoring 20 goals because Diedhiou would have done so this season if he hadn't been injured.

Imo, the striker we buy using any Reid money is more likely to be a nippy, mobile type who has the energy levels to press and press and press (while contributing goals too, of course).

Plus Marley Watkins (just a guess on my part as to a potential summer signing) will bring the ability to play that role as well as - in addition to his usual wide midfield position. 

[Superjack]

4 hours ago, YorkshireSection said:

It has been since January, hasn't it?

On a serious note, we need a strong character, someone who knows the club, has experienced winning and understands the championship and the league above.

I know who I'd approach.

So do I. 

 

Does he have a house in Clifton by any chance? 

[Superjack]

4 hours ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

Wouldn't have to go far either, he lives in Clifton.

 

Oops... hadn't scolled down far enough. That answers my question. 

[Mr Popodopolous]

7 hours ago, CotswoldRed said:

Exactly. I couldn't give a **** what religion anyone is. No more than anyone should give a toss what my own interests are. 

Could have had an impact on the dressing room harmony tbh- is a great point by @spudski and one I'd never even considered!

Bosnians and Serbs (and Croats for that matter)- well let's just say that in for about half a decade in the 90's, there's a reason why putting 2 from there together wouldn't work! Wouldn't even say it was merely religious either, the enmity there. 

Djuric was from Tuzla too, born around the time the Balkans started to disintegrate, Serbs ethnically cleansed that place during 90's. OTOH, his name sounds fairly Serb so maybe wouldn't have been an issue- impossible to say though! Very, very complex issue.

[Mr Popodopolous]

19 hours ago, NickJ said:

Most of your posts on here are a micro defence of specific actions by the club and its management.

How about the big one - since sacking Danny Wilson 14 years ago, during which time there have been about 7 different strategies, and 5 pillars, why is it that about 20 clubs including the likes of Bournemouth and tin pot towns like Burnley, have overtaken us to the Premiership?

If every decision that the club and its management makes is so right, and SL, MA and LJ are so ******* brilliant, why for example can Cardiff rocket above us from a standing start?

You can defend all these little decisions as much as you like, but the reality is that, looking at the big picture, our "progress" is snail paced.

Tbh, on a case by case basis...each club has been with us then above, or overtaken from different bases.

• Bournemouth- Flouted FFP to a large level- plus Howe worked miracles in his first spell and did great things when he returned.
• Brighton- I remember them in the division below us, I remember competing with them in League One and us even being above them from 2007-2011. Amex move again, helped them in a major way financially, plus lots of money being spent. Agan, penalties for FFP are harsher than before so how much we could replicate it in that regard, it's hard to say. Where the hell a further 11,000 fans came from though?? Look at their attendances at last year of Withdean then first year of Amex- maybe put in 2k upwards for away fans, but still! That major boost in attendances, let alone the commercial revenue definitely would have helped them. As you can see, a near trebling of the turnover from final year at Withdean in League One to Championship at Amex!
• 
• Burnley- Unsure they would be where they are today if they didn't just rocket up under Coyle with a lot of Cotts' team, hit a perfect storm- that IMO set them up very well for the coming years, parachute payments and that- they have been very clever. Their promotion under Coyle was where it all began IMO.
• Cardiff- Had Sam Hammam and were hitting financial buffers for a time, when FFP was but a twinkle in Platini's eye. Then in 2009, moved to Cardiff City Stadium- in terms of gates and off field revenue, this made a big difference undoubtedly. Move to CCS while we were at AG still pre redevelopment would have given them a big advantage tbh. 
• Hull- there's another who were well behind. Moving to KC Stadium in 2002- that gave them a major boost, both financially and in terms of growth of fanbase. Their attendances in 2001/02 at Boothferry Park? Last full season there, 9,506 in the Fourth Tier. Their first full season at KCOM as it's now called? 16,847. That's about a 77% boost- as stated a major boost financially, factor in the commercial facilities too...

Those are 5 examples- there are doubtless a number of others, but those are 5 and all have some quite unusual factors, an element of right place right time to some- taking an opportunity when it presents itself.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, NickJ said:

Well you've just answered the question you want to mate rather than the one I've asked.

Look at the clubs that have made it to the Premiership over the past 18 years.

Charlton. Bolton. Fulham. West Brom. Birmingham.Portsmouth. Leicester. Norwich. Crystal Palace. Wigan. Reading. Sheffield United.Watford. Derby. Stoke. Hull. Blackpool. Swansea. QPR. Bournemouth.Cardiff.

Some of them more than once and some of those have even made it starting life from the 4th division.

Are all of these clubs so infinitely bigger than us? No. None of them are.

Put it another way. I believe I'd be correct in saying that of last season's Championship clubs, apart from ourselves, It's only Preston, Millwall and Burton that haven't played in the Premiership during the last 18 years.

 

So for the sad people nit picking on this forum, give us something to hang our hat on.

What evidence is there that the current strategy and management is any more likely to work than the strategies and pillars of the past 18 years, given that it's the same person responsible for the strategy and choice of management?

There isn't any, so apologies but I can't get too excited about the current strategy or management, especially when the previous strategy and management which worked very successfully over 18 months was discarded at the first sign of difficulty.

Great post but the current strategy/management from very top to the bottom WILL NOT CHANGE until enough fans either; 1, stop buying ST`s; 2, protest enough or 3, do both;

Neither likely to happen anytime soon, so around and around and around we go cause a million posts wont change anything.

The list of clubs that have left us in their wake is depressing and gets longer as the years go by..... its ok though cause we are building

[Davefevs]

9 hours ago, Red Exile said:

@spudski for what it's worth I thought it very interesting that SL mentioned Burnley as a club that's done things the right way. I seem to recall, years ago, you and I agreeing that the the Burnley set up was a good one...and for me, having meet their then Chairman, that started in the Boardroom, where to this day there is no majority  shareholder (although he holds something like 49% of the shares), the former Chair is vice-Chair and the directors have been around for a while and seem independent minded people. A team effort is how it was described to me. City are not organised that way...and for me therein lies the issue...who challenges the Lansdown view? Anyone who's met Steve - nice chap and all that - must be struck by his sense that it's his club. It's most definitely not a partnership. I don't believe he has the necessary experience around him to do a 'Burnley'.

I think those that have worked for him (some on this forum) at HL might suggest he’s a bit of a "b@st@ard”, as in very tough / demanding.  I don’t think LJ or MA will be allowed to make him look foolish.

[Mr Popodopolous]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

I think those that have worked for him (some on this forum) at HL might suggest he’s a bit of a "b@st@ard”, as in very tough / demanding.  I don’t think LJ or MA will be allowed to make him look foolish.

Suspect that's the case- you don't become a billionaire without that streak.

[NickJ]

3 hours ago, Davefevs said:

I think those that have worked for him (some on this forum) at HL might suggest he’s a bit of a "b@st@ard”, as in very tough / demanding.  I don’t think LJ or MA will be allowed to make him look foolish.

Personally I think they already have and I also don't think hes a bit of a bastard or very tough/demanding at all. Misguided is more my perception although I would question the actions which resulted in becoming the owner of a piece of real estate at a very favorable price.

And @Mr Popodopolous your examples are all well and good but at the end of the day 20+ mediocre clubs have done it where we haven't. They haven't all had shiny new stadiums to enable them to "compete" (Burnley, Bournemouth Blackpool, in fact the majority of those on my list).

At what point does it stop being bad luck and unfortunate circumstances and "we are playing catch up".

 

[BobBobSuperBob]

3 hours ago, Davefevs said:

I think those that have worked for him (some on this forum) at HL might suggest he’s a bit of a "b@st@ard”, as in very tough / demanding.  I don’t think LJ or MA will be allowed to make him look foolish.

Problem is Dave I honestly believe his understanding of football is ‘limited’

[Davefevs]

6 minutes ago, NickJ said:

Personally I think they already have and I also don't think hes a bit of a bastard or very tough/demanding at all. Misguided is more my perception although I would question the actions which resulted in becoming the owner of a piece of real estate at a very favorable price.

And @Mr Popodopolous your examples are all well and good but at the end of the day 20+ mediocre clubs have done it where we haven't. They haven't all had shiny new stadiums to enable them to "compete" (Burnley, Bournemouth Blackpool, in fact the majority of those on my list).

At what point does it stop being bad luck and unfortunate circumstances and "we are playing catch up".

 

I think it’s likely that he’s a very different character at HL than he is at BS.

[Davefevs]

Just now, BobBobSuperBob said:

Problem is Dave I honestly believe his understanding of football is ‘limited’

I agree.

I recall an interview last season where he said he’s old fashioned, and to him he wants a squad of 442 with 2 in each position.

[DT The Optimist]

14 hours ago, spudski said:

At the moment...this forum is just full of people nit picking everything about the club, presuming things, making things up, then the next minute it's gospel.

It's all a bit sad really.

The Club aren't perfect...I'm not so sure about MA myself. But imo, they are trying to do things the right way and improve and have a long term plan. They may not get it right, and mistakes will be made. We are still massively playing catch up with others.

Considering how crap our infra structure was in the past, our constant short term strategy, and being only a few seasons up, I'm struggling to understand how so many supposedly knowledgeable people expect us to be Promoted to the Prem so quickly.

When you say our progress is snail paced...how else do you expect it to be faster? We bought Brownhill and Odowda....they took a whole season to 'develop'.T

That is plain wrong. I do not see evidence of nit picking.  I see fans wondering how we could collapse so spectacularly after xmas, as alluded to by SL in the interview, yet not a squeak comes from the 'staff' to offer explanation to the fans for same. SL said, in his words, we 'blundered along' and 'over elaborated'   How true.  Side ways and backwards, you can have it in your own half all day long. So many games without a shot on goal.  A few weeks back LJ was asked on a recorded interview about the jan transfer  window and he 'blanked' the question.

I am actually a LJ fan, like him and want him to succeed.  I wish Twentyman could ask him the same questions he put so candidly to SL . If the staff could simply be honest with the fans instead of the gibberuish we get after matches all well and good.   

[steviestevieneville]

Let’s face it apart from cotterill who apparently was Keith Dawes appointment , SL’s choice of manager has been nothing short of shambolic. He’s wasted millions on players because of poor management choices 

[BobBobSuperBob]

5 minutes ago, steviestevieneville said:

Let’s face it apart from cotterill who apparently was Keith Dawes appointment , SL’s choice of manager has been nothing short of shambolic. He’s wasted millions on players because of poor management choices 

Accept Gary J

[steviestevieneville]

11 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Accept Gary J

He stayed 6 months longer than he should of. Remember SL. Saying at the time he was too close to GJ and some of the players and wouldn’t do it again. Um , practise what you preach 

[Dastardly and Muttley]

On 07/05/2018 at 10:48, bs3 said:

To suggest Lloyd Kelly can replace Joe Bryan is absurd. 

Joe Bryan easily is Premier League class, played over 150 In the League, he have scored some world class goals.

Kelly on the other hand has an handful of appearances.

Good job Fulham never gave that Sessegnon a go, he only had a handful of appearances at the start of the season.

[Nogbad the Bad]

5 minutes ago, Dastardly and Muttley said:

Good job Fulham never gave that Sessegnon a go, he only had a handful of appearances at the start of the season.

Sessegnon made 30 appearances for Fulham last season

They gave him a run as a (very) young player last season, have stuck with him since, and he's now made 78 appearances.

[BobBobSuperBob]

2 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

Sessegnon made 30 appearances for Fulham last season

They gave him a run as a (very) young player last season, have stuck with him since, and he's now made 78 appearances.

If Kelly justifies starting even 20-25 games next season he will have done well IMHO

[Davefevs]

3 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

If Kelly justifies starting even 20-25 games next season he will have done well IMHO

If he gets a fully fit, fully focussed, Nathan Baker inside him at LCB (or an equivalent if Baker goes), then he could develop and play those 20-25 games you suggest.  Not ready to play LCB yet, unless it’s part of a 3.  Needs to strengthen imho.

 

[BS4 on Tour...]

On 07/05/2018 at 08:21, 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....

Nothing surprising about Cardiff’s promotion....they were languishing in 23rd position in the championship, so they brought in a proven, successful, experienced championship manager and he took them from relegation fodder to promotion to the premier league in no time at all....take a bow Mr Warnock.....an 8th promotion....a record in this country....not surprising at all....

[BobBobSuperBob]

25 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

If he gets a fully fit, fully focussed, Nathan Baker inside him at LCB (or an equivalent if Baker goes), then he could develop and play those 20-25 games you suggest.  Not ready to play LCB yet, unless it’s part of a 3.  Needs to strengthen imho.

 

Said on another thread , if he learns quickly try and integrate him with spells at LB with the odd 20 min cameo , where circumstaes allow and Carabao Cup at CH ? (and take some pain if need be)