Steve Lansdown speaks to The Times

[Never to the dark side]

THE TIMES WANT YOU TO SIGN UP, SO HERE IT IS IN FULL

 

 

In an act of selfless sacrifice 40 years ago, eight Bristol City players ripped up their contracts to save the club from financial ruin. City celebrate the Ashton Gate Eight at Saturday’s Championship game with Middlesbrough and it will be a poignant occasion for Steve Lansdown, the club’s owner who is battling to steer them through troubled financial waters whipped up by the pandemic.

Working with his son, Jon, now chairman, and the chief executive, Richard Gould, Lansdown draws on his 26 years’ involvement at City to tackle the present predicament which could see a well-run club deducted points next season unless the EFL shows some leniency in the age of Covid.

City’s situation is echoed across the country and Lansdown argues that the Championship needs a salary cap, to become “a Premier League 2” and the game needs the appointment of an independent regulator.

Webster was sold by Bristol City to Brighton for £22.5 million in the continuing battle to balance the books

His club are trying to do the right thing, including moving from a shirt sponsorship deal with betting company MansionBet to an ecommerce fulfilment company, Huboo, which will also sponsor the other teams in Lansdown’s Bristol Sport group, the Bears rugby team and the Flyers basketball team.

City have always had a model of balancing books through developing and selling players, a plan ruined by the pandemic. They have already announced a £38.4 million pre-tax loss for 2020-21.

Over the past six years, City have sold Lloyd Kelly to Bournemouth for £13 million, Adam Webster to Brighton & Hove Albion for £22.5 million, Josh Brownhill to Burnley for £9 million, Bobby Decordova-Reid to Cardiff City for £10 million, Joe Bryan to Fulham for £6 million, Aden Flint to Middlesbrough for £7 million and Jonathan Kodjia to Aston Villa for £15 million. Kelly, Decordova-Reid and Bryan were all home-grown.

City are at risk of failing the EFL’s profit & sustainability rules for next season, a situation they believe may afflict five other Championship clubs. The fans’ concern is that they will have to sell such talents as the 20-year-old midfield player Han-Noah Massengo, 22-year-old striker Antoine Semenyo or midfield player Alex Scott, 18.


“We have issues following on from Covid,” Lansdown says. “Having had no income for a while and the transfer market being completely scuppered, so balancing our books is difficult. I am having to fork out more and more money to keep the club afloat.

“If you don’t balance the books you don’t have a club. We’ve seen instances of that already [such as Bury]. One thing that is close to my heart and I’m very proud of is Bristol City Football Club has always paid its bills, always paid its staff, and it has always looked after its community as best it can. Football generally is still spending money on contracts and agents which it shouldn’t do. A cap scenario needs to come in because we need some control in that area.

He agrees that the game deserves its “Wild West” image to a degree. “I think it’s fair in certain places. I’ve been in football for 26 years and somebody’s always prepared to pay more, somebody’s always prepared to push the boundaries, somebody’s always prepared to perhaps do an underhanded deal somewhere. Football is its own worst enemy in a way.”

Lansdown, who built up a successful financial services company, looks at the way Derby County overstretched themselves under Mel Morris attempting to get into the Premier League. “Derby was a prime example of where the numbers run have away from the club,” he says. “You’re always going to get a Derby because there will always be somebody [not playing by the sustainability rules], like you had with Saracens in rugby who were successful because they overstepped the mark.


“We have to have some form of salary cap. I’ve always been a free marketeer but having been in rugby a lot, I’ve seen how the cap works there. It’s not perfect but it gives you control over those salaries and it makes your managers and other people work within a budget. It makes coaches better. I remember having a conversation with [manager] Lee Johnson a few years ago saying in this [belt-tightened] scenario it doesn’t mean going out and looking for this better player, it means you coach what you’ve got better.

“Our plan is developing the younger players so we’ve invested into our Academy, we have great training facilities now with the Robins High Performance Centre and our recruitment is looking to have younger players that have development value.

“Fans always like to see a name coming in but we can’t really afford that. If you’ve been in the Championship for a long time like we have, without ever having featured in the promised land, the problem is you don’t have those parachute payments. The Championship has effectively got to become Premier League 2 and a better distribution of the monies down through the pyramid would improve things.

“The parachute payments don’t really help. Stoke is a good example, a very well-run club. They’ve had the parachute payments, they spent it and haven’t made it [back up], so they’re having to readjust quite a lot. You’ve had the Boltons in the past that have got it wrong and gone all the way down. It’s more controlling expenditure when you come down. Parachute payments create an unfair playing field.”

Lansdown can see the former sports minister Tracey Crouch’s proposal for an independent regulator happening. “I think it’s inevitable,” Lansdown says. “Personally, I don’t really feel we should have one for any sport, you should be responsible enough to stand on your own two feet.” But because of the financial woes in English football, a regulator would control excess.

“The one thing any report that comes out doesn’t say is the problem being faced by anyone running a club which is fan expectation and the desire to succeed. It is difficult sometimes to balance those books.”

So it was a significant step when City moved on from a lucrative betting sponsorship, although they may prove ahead of the curve given pending government legislation banning it. “Supporters are making their voices heard that they would rather not see it,” Lansdown says. “From a business perspective clubs are in a difficult position because they have to maximise their income but we have to listen to public opinion. We have a responsibility to our communities and our supporters.”

City did so much for the community during the pandemic. “Ashton Gate was used as a vaccination centre for the NHS, the first one in a stadium,” Lansdown says. “Hundreds of thousands of people were vaccinated there. It showed what the stadium could be used for and everybody appreciated that.”

City also worked with FareShare, which helped feed hungry schoolchildren and adults during the pandemic. “We provided them a warehousing facility to store their food and help distribute it,” he says. “Our chefs and everyone at the stadium produced food packages to go out to the community.

“It does shock me [the food poverty] but I suppose nothing surprises you in this day and age. It’s sad. The counter [side] to that is the willingness of people to put themselves at risk themselves to help others. I’m very, very proud of that.

“The club is the hub of the community. Since the pandemic, I’ve had more people saying ‘thank you’ and being appreciative, which is nice. I’ve also had a few people saying I should be spending a lot more! So nothing changes there.

“Bristol is a great city but it probably doesn’t know it. I’ve always felt that Bristol is successful in spite of itself. It puts itself down too much. It doesn’t push itself forward enough. But there is a buzz here, lots of great industries like Huboo, a local business in a growing industry, e-commerce fulfilment, and a partner we are glad to be associated with.
“Bristol still runs in the same old way with the same council problems and sometimes I feel exasperated. But Bristol’s a great place to live. Students love it, there’s a great night life. What we’re doing with Ashton Gate is creating a destination for people to come and enjoy sports and other events.”

And salute the Ashton Gate Eight on Saturday, the closest home fixture to the 40th anniversary of February 3, 1982. The eight players who ripped up their contracts that day — Peter Aitken, Chris Garland, Jimmy Mann, Julian Marshall, Geoff Merrick, David Rodgers, Gerry Sweeney and Trevor Tainton — and their families have been invited to the game. There will be a pre-match parade and applause in the eighth minute.

“The club nearly went bust and we had to ask players to rip up their contracts and we are very grateful they did,” Lansdown says. “It says a lot about the heart of the club and the heart of the community.”

 

 

 

[Wiltshire robin]

Thanks for posting the whole thing

 

jesus 26 years at the club and he still hasn’t learned and got it right

[chinapig]

On the football part of what he says there are a number of inconsistencies between what he says and what he did but I'll just say this:

Steve, we weren't balancing the books!

[Eddie Hitler]

5 minutes ago, Wiltshire robin said:

Thanks for posting the whole thing

 

jesus 26 years at the club and he still hasn’t learned and got it right

 

Wow, 26 years. I didn't realise that it had been that long.

That's a hell of a tenure.

Subtract 26 from your current age and that shows how long a time it is.

[The Original OTIB]

5 minutes ago, Eddie Hitler said:

 

Wow, 26 years. I didn't realise that it had been that long.

That's a hell of a tenure.

Subtract 26 from your current age and that shows how long a time it is.

26 wherever you start.

[tin]

SL's ego knows no bounds. Absolving himself of any blame after allowing costs to spiral out of control under Ashton, instead laying the blame solely on the pandemic; claiming food poverty "shocks me" when he's paid no tax into the UK economy for 10 years.

I agree with him on the salary cap, an independent regulator and parachute payments, and not a lot else.

 

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, Never to the dark side said:

THE TIMES WANT YOU TO SIGN UP, SO HERE IT IS IN FULL

 

 

In an act of selfless sacrifice 40 years ago, eight Bristol City players ripped up their contracts to save the club from financial ruin. City celebrate the Ashton Gate Eight at Saturday’s Championship game with Middlesbrough and it will be a poignant occasion for Steve Lansdown, the club’s owner who is battling to steer them through troubled financial waters whipped up by the pandemic.

Working with his son, Jon, now chairman, and the chief executive, Richard Gould, Lansdown draws on his 26 years’ involvement at City to tackle the present predicament which could see a well-run club deducted points next season unless the EFL shows some leniency in the age of Covid.

City’s situation is echoed across the country and Lansdown argues that the Championship needs a salary cap, to become “a Premier League 2” and the game needs the appointment of an independent regulator.

Webster was sold by Bristol City to Brighton for £22.5 million in the continuing battle to balance the books

His club are trying to do the right thing, including moving from a shirt sponsorship deal with betting company MansionBet to an ecommerce fulfilment company, Huboo, which will also sponsor the other teams in Lansdown’s Bristol Sport group, the Bears rugby team and the Flyers basketball team.

City have always had a model of balancing books through developing and selling players, a plan ruined by the pandemic. They have already announced a £38.4 million pre-tax loss for 2020-21.

Over the past six years, City have sold Lloyd Kelly to Bournemouth for £13 million, Adam Webster to Brighton & Hove Albion for £22.5 million, Josh Brownhill to Burnley for £9 million, Bobby Decordova-Reid to Cardiff City for £10 million, Joe Bryan to Fulham for £6 million, Aden Flint to Middlesbrough for £7 million and Jonathan Kodjia to Aston Villa for £15 million. Kelly, Decordova-Reid and Bryan were all home-grown.

City are at risk of failing the EFL’s profit & sustainability rules for next season, a situation they believe may afflict five other Championship clubs. The fans’ concern is that they will have to sell such talents as the 20-year-old midfield player Han-Noah Massengo, 22-year-old striker Antoine Semenyo or midfield player Alex Scott, 18.


“We have issues following on from Covid,” Lansdown says. “Having had no income for a while and the transfer market being completely scuppered, so balancing our books is difficult. I am having to fork out more and more money to keep the club afloat.

“If you don’t balance the books you don’t have a club. We’ve seen instances of that already [such as Bury]. One thing that is close to my heart and I’m very proud of is Bristol City Football Club has always paid its bills, always paid its staff, and it has always looked after its community as best it can. Football generally is still spending money on contracts and agents which it shouldn’t do. A cap scenario needs to come in because we need some control in that area.

He agrees that the game deserves its “Wild West” image to a degree. “I think it’s fair in certain places. I’ve been in football for 26 years and somebody’s always prepared to pay more, somebody’s always prepared to push the boundaries, somebody’s always prepared to perhaps do an underhanded deal somewhere. Football is its own worst enemy in a way.”

Lansdown, who built up a successful financial services company, looks at the way Derby County overstretched themselves under Mel Morris attempting to get into the Premier League. “Derby was a prime example of where the numbers run have away from the club,” he says. “You’re always going to get a Derby because there will always be somebody [not playing by the sustainability rules], like you had with Saracens in rugby who were successful because they overstepped the mark.


“We have to have some form of salary cap. I’ve always been a free marketeer but having been in rugby a lot, I’ve seen how the cap works there. It’s not perfect but it gives you control over those salaries and it makes your managers and other people work within a budget. It makes coaches better. I remember having a conversation with [manager] Lee Johnson a few years ago saying in this [belt-tightened] scenario it doesn’t mean going out and looking for this better player, it means you coach what you’ve got better.

“Our plan is developing the younger players so we’ve invested into our Academy, we have great training facilities now with the Robins High Performance Centre and our recruitment is looking to have younger players that have development value.

“Fans always like to see a name coming in but we can’t really afford that. If you’ve been in the Championship for a long time like we have, without ever having featured in the promised land, the problem is you don’t have those parachute payments. The Championship has effectively got to become Premier League 2 and a better distribution of the monies down through the pyramid would improve things.

“The parachute payments don’t really help. Stoke is a good example, a very well-run club. They’ve had the parachute payments, they spent it and haven’t made it [back up], so they’re having to readjust quite a lot. You’ve had the Boltons in the past that have got it wrong and gone all the way down. It’s more controlling expenditure when you come down. Parachute payments create an unfair playing field.”

Lansdown can see the former sports minister Tracey Crouch’s proposal for an independent regulator happening. “I think it’s inevitable,” Lansdown says. “Personally, I don’t really feel we should have one for any sport, you should be responsible enough to stand on your own two feet.” But because of the financial woes in English football, a regulator would control excess.

“The one thing any report that comes out doesn’t say is the problem being faced by anyone running a club which is fan expectation and the desire to succeed. It is difficult sometimes to balance those books.”

So it was a significant step when City moved on from a lucrative betting sponsorship, although they may prove ahead of the curve given pending government legislation banning it. “Supporters are making their voices heard that they would rather not see it,” Lansdown says. “From a business perspective clubs are in a difficult position because they have to maximise their income but we have to listen to public opinion. We have a responsibility to our communities and our supporters.”

City did so much for the community during the pandemic. “Ashton Gate was used as a vaccination centre for the NHS, the first one in a stadium,” Lansdown says. “Hundreds of thousands of people were vaccinated there. It showed what the stadium could be used for and everybody appreciated that.”

City also worked with FareShare, which helped feed hungry schoolchildren and adults during the pandemic. “We provided them a warehousing facility to store their food and help distribute it,” he says. “Our chefs and everyone at the stadium produced food packages to go out to the community.

“It does shock me [the food poverty] but I suppose nothing surprises you in this day and age. It’s sad. The counter [side] to that is the willingness of people to put themselves at risk themselves to help others. I’m very, very proud of that.

“The club is the hub of the community. Since the pandemic, I’ve had more people saying ‘thank you’ and being appreciative, which is nice. I’ve also had a few people saying I should be spending a lot more! So nothing changes there.

“Bristol is a great city but it probably doesn’t know it. I’ve always felt that Bristol is successful in spite of itself. It puts itself down too much. It doesn’t push itself forward enough. But there is a buzz here, lots of great industries like Huboo, a local business in a growing industry, e-commerce fulfilment, and a partner we are glad to be associated with.
“Bristol still runs in the same old way with the same council problems and sometimes I feel exasperated. But Bristol’s a great place to live. Students love it, there’s a great night life. What we’re doing with Ashton Gate is creating a destination for people to come and enjoy sports and other events.”

And salute the Ashton Gate Eight on Saturday, the closest home fixture to the 40th anniversary of February 3, 1982. The eight players who ripped up their contracts that day — Peter Aitken, Chris Garland, Jimmy Mann, Julian Marshall, Geoff Merrick, David Rodgers, Gerry Sweeney and Trevor Tainton — and their families have been invited to the game. There will be a pre-match parade and applause in the eighth minute.

“The club nearly went bust and we had to ask players to rip up their contracts and we are very grateful they did,” Lansdown says. “It says a lot about the heart of the club and the heart of the community.”

 

 

I think some of this might have been rehashed from an interview in May 2020 that Winter did, with a bit of a Feb 22 update.

[spudski]

I find this quote rather odd...'scenario it doesn’t mean going out and looking for this better player, it means you coach what you’ve got better.'

The scenario was...if you haven't got the money to buy better players, then you have to coach what you have better...

That's all very well, however...you can coach players to the very best standard, but if they haven't got the talent to get better and find their level, then you are stuck. Which imo, is what we have with some in our squad right now. 

it's also implying that you aren't expecting them to be coached to the highest standards always, if there is money available to buy ' better' players.

is this what the owner and board are saying now to NP...' sorry mate, no money, just coach better'...expecting better results...

[Selred]

1 hour ago, Never to the dark side said:

always paid its staff,

Not the case when we furloughed people.

[Eddie Hitler]

1 hour ago, tin said:

SL's ego knows no bounds. Absolving himself of any blame after allowing costs to spiral out of control under Ashton, instead laying the blame solely on the pandemic; claiming food poverty "shocks me" when he's paid no tax into the UK economy for 10 years.

I agree with him on the salary cap, an independent regulator and parachute payments, and not a lot else.

 

 

I've paid no income tax for more than double that time.

The guy's an amateur.

[firstdivision]

1 hour ago, Wiltshire robin said:

Thanks for posting the whole thing

 

jesus 26 years at the club and he still hasn’t learned and got it right

Yeah, absolutely useless. Redeveloped  ground, new training ground, play-off final (second closest we’ve got to the top league in about 110 years), League Cup semi-final, last seven years in the Championship. What a waster. How has he not made us a top-ten PL club? Because we were so good in the other one hundred-odd years of our history. 

[Wiltshire robin]

1 hour ago, Eddie Hitler said:

 

Wow, 26 years. I didn't realise that it had been that long.

That's a hell of a tenure.

Subtract 26 from your current age and that shows how long a time it is.

I’d be 1

Edited February 18, 2022 by Wiltshire robin

[Selred]

8 minutes ago, firstdivision said:

Yeah, absolutely useless. Redeveloped  ground, new training ground, play-off final (second closest we’ve got to the top league in about 110 years), League Cup semi-final, last seven years in the Championship. What a waster. How has he not made us a top-ten PL club? Because we were so good in the other one hundred-odd years of our history. 

The play off final was 14 years ago. We've since been relegated to league one, got promoted and then once again have a bloated squad, on big wages and little sell on value (which Pearson is trying to sort out). We need to learn from our mistakes, especially SL, that's more of the point of his post I believe.

We've wasted a lot of money over the past 26, we haven't had a clear strategy on player recruitment, style etc since we were in League One with Cotts and Burt. It's been hit and hope tactics from SL, rather than a culture, style and plan running throughout the club over a long period, like Brentford for example.

 

[firstdivision]

15 minutes ago, Selred said:

The play off final was 14 years ago. We've since been relegated to league one, got promoted and then once again have a bloated squad, on big wages and little sell on value (which Pearson is trying to sort out). We need to learn from our mistakes, especially SL, that's more of the point of his post I believe.

We've wasted a lot of money over the past 26, we haven't had a clear strategy on player recruitment, style etc since we were in League One with Cotts and Burt. It's been hit and hope tactics from SL, rather than a culture, style and plan running throughout the club over a long period, like Brentford for example.

 

Pah, the Lansdowns - what have they ever done for us...

About time they moved on and let a Saudi Arabian prince or a Russian oligarch take over. They wouldn't make the mistakes the Lansdowns have made. 

[Waconda]

50 minutes ago, Eddie Hitler said:

 

I've paid no income tax for more than double that time.

The guy's an amateur.

certainly nothing to be proud of.

[Eddie Hitler]

10 minutes ago, VT05763 said:

certainly nothing to be proud of.

Your opinion.

I am hugely proud of it.

[Waconda]

10 minutes ago, Eddie Hitler said:

Your opinion.

I am hugely proud of it.

University of life.

[Wiltshire robin]

1 hour ago, firstdivision said:

Yeah, absolutely useless. Redeveloped  ground, new training ground, play-off final (second closest we’ve got to the top league in about 110 years), League Cup semi-final, last seven years in the Championship. What a waster. How has he not made us a top-ten PL club? Because we were so good in the other one hundred-odd years of our history. 

Yep and every club of a similar size and even a few smaller have passed us and got the the promised land . Lansdown talks constantly about the goal being prem football while other clubs just do it . 

[Mr Popodopolous]

Thanks for posting the interview.

Agree with a good chunk of what he says although a cynic/sceptic might wonder if he is floating a salary cap at this time and tbh he has mentioned it before, because he knows we are set to have an FFP crunch or issue next season.

I also seem to recall him suggesting during Covid that the Rugby Salary Cap shouldn't be reduced. Clearly a massive difference in economy of scale but it's quite convenient no?

[firstdivision]

7 minutes ago, Wiltshire robin said:

Yep and every club of a similar size and even a few smaller have passed us and got the the promised land . Lansdown talks constantly about the goal being prem football while other clubs just do it . 

Yes, that’s true. And that includes Swindon, Bolton, Oldham, Ipswich, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton, Bradford, Wimbledon, Barnsley, Derby, Cardiff, Birmingham, Hull and Reading who, the last time I looked, were below us in the EFL. 

We all want success. I’d love to see us have a go in the PL. But it ain’t easy getting there. We were so close in 2008. We were in with a couple of play-off shouts a few seasons back. Apart from 74-5 and 75-76, we’ve generally struggled to get that close in over a hundred years. We finished 3rd in 1920-21,  5th in 1965-66 and 5th (but 15 points off promotion) in 1972-73.

A little perspective can sometimes help.

[Wiltshire robin]

Yeh I understand and agree with what your saying but the truth is half of those clubs you mention will have got promoted back to the champ and challenging for the prem before we ever will whilst the lansdowns are here . His ego gets in the way of common sense .

[Sleepy1968]

8 minutes ago, Wiltshire robin said:

Yep and every club of a similar size and even a few smaller have passed us and got the the promised land . Lansdown talks constantly about the goal being prem football while other clubs just do it . 

Quite. We cetainly haven't made the most of our opportunities. Things like a redeveloped ground and training facility came behind the curve, and could have and maybe should have happened before they did. (Some of that was down to outside influences I know.) As for the footballing side, it's clear to all that we've squandered millions, wasted opportunities to progress and indulged to too much self-congratulation for under-achievement over the years, whilst (as you point out) competently run clubs just got on and did it.

It'll be depressing to leave this mortal coil with Steve Cotteril's double winning promotion season being the pinicle of my Bristol City supporting life. But I fear it will be - and I've hopefully got another 20+ years left!

I'm also a bit cynical about the 'Ashton Gate Eight' commemorations this weekend. Don't got me wrong, it's deserved. But part of me thinks that if the club were that concerned about them, at some point they'd have said 'look, we know we have no legal obligation, but we'd at least like to make your contracts losses whole. It's the right thing to do'. Would be a drop in the ocean compared to what we're paying some non-playing footballers at the moment. And it would make the plaudits handed out by the current owner seem more meaningful.

Anyway, wind allowing, I'll be holding up a card from E31 on the eighth minute tomorrow, and cheering on the team as ever.

[Red Exile]

6 minutes ago, firstdivision said:

Yes, that’s true. And that includes Swindon, Bolton, Oldham, Ipswich, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton, Bradford, Wimbledon, Barnsley, Derby, Cardiff, Birmingham, Hull and Reading who, the last time I looked, were below us in the EFL. 

We all want success. I’d love to see us have a go in the PL. But it ain’t easy getting there. We were so close in 2008. We were in with a couple of play-off shouts a few seasons back. Apart from 74-5 and 75-76, we’ve generally struggled to get that close in over a hundred years. We finished 3rd in 1920-21,  5th in 1965-66 and 5th (but 15 points off promotion) in 1972-73.

A little perspective can sometimes help.

Blimey, City fans have tolerated mediocrity for far too long! 

[Wiltshire robin]

4 minutes ago, Red Exile said:

Blimey, City fans have tolerated mediocrity for far too long! 

Part of the problem, our fans just accept unlike other fan bases who push for their club to actually try and achieve something 

[firstdivision]

15 minutes ago, Red Exile said:

Blimey, City fans have tolerated mediocrity for far too long! 

What was the alternative? Storm the club and oust the owners. Can't keep doing that every couple of years. They'll improve the security on the entrance.

[Red Exile]

1 minute ago, firstdivision said:

What was the alternative? Storm the club and oust the owners. Can't keep doing that every couple of years. They'll improve the security on the entrance.

The alternative, pointed out a decade or more ago by a number of posters on here, was for SL to get on board some folk who actually knew how to run a football club, to marry his wealth and investment in infrastructure to consistent success on the field of play. He's finally actually appointed one such to manage the club, time will tell whether SL likes what he's being told.

Alternatively he could sell up and give someone else a chance.

[Mr Popodopolous]

42 minutes ago, firstdivision said:

Yes, that’s true. And that includes Swindon, Bolton, Oldham, Ipswich, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton, Bradford, Wimbledon, Barnsley, Derby, Cardiff, Birmingham, Hull and Reading who, the last time I looked, were below us in the EFL. 

We all want success. I’d love to see us have a go in the PL. But it ain’t easy getting there. We were so close in 2008. We were in with a couple of play-off shouts a few seasons back. Apart from 74-5 and 75-76, we’ve generally struggled to get that close in over a hundred years. We finished 3rd in 1920-21,  5th in 1965-66 and 5th (but 15 points off promotion) in 1972-73.

A little perspective can sometimes help.

Well...I dunno about parts of that list.

Derby, Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland are all bigger clubs than us, a lot more time in the top 2 divisions for a start!

To a lesser extent, Birmingham and Bolton also- clearly bigger historically but not in the category of the 1st 3. Ipswich have won a League title post war and a European trophy.

More modern times, Reading brought their way up to a decent extent and got ahead of the game infrastructure wise as far back as 1998. Hull also got a new ground in the early 2000's with new revenue streams and spent reasonably, see also Wigan in the Reading category. Think even Cardiff got a new ground in 2009 was it- quite big spenders in the pre FFP era, Parachute Payments aided their return I'd suggest.

Wimbledon were a one off never to be repeated, charging up the Leagues in their unique style- perfect storm springs to mind, once up they stayed up for years. At that time we were recovering from the ruins of 1982 which will have set us back years.

Otoh in 2008, if we twisted in January I think we go up. FFP didn't exist and we had a golden opportunity! Was quite telling that Stoke in 2nd did (Shawcross among others) and Hull who beat us in the playoff final, basically surged up the table, momentum- something we have failed to grasp several times from 2007/08 to 2019/20.

Barnsley I dunno how they did it? Was much more open then- Oldham unsure how they did it. Chalton had a stronger history in the top 2 divisions but happy to go back and check.

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

3 hours ago, Eddie Hitler said:

 

Wow, 26 years. I didn't realise that it had been that long.

That's a hell of a tenure.

Subtract 26 from your current age and that shows how long a time it is.

 

1 hour ago, Wiltshire robin said:

I’d be 1

Clearly- you haven't found it easy to move on from that age:-

16 minutes ago, Wiltshire robin said:

Part of the problem, our fans just accept unlike other fan bases who push for their club to actually try and achieve something 

Lordy ,lordy- well done! Just as I thought there couldn't possibly be anyone else left to blame - it's now partly our fault as fans and we're not as good as other fans. 

Well, I'm pretty sure you've summed up your own association with BCFC but you definitely don't speak for me and about 12,000 -15,000 current fans who go week in /week out and the countless ones before us -sadly no longer about.

What do you think we should have done all these years? Boycott the club all our lives or stage a protest every season?

[Wiltshire robin]

32 minutes ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

 

Clearly- you haven't found it easy to move on from that age:-

Lordy ,lordy- well done! Just as I thought there couldn't possibly be anyone else left to blame - it's now partly our fault as fans and we're not as good as other fans. 

Well, I'm pretty sure you've summed up your own association with BCFC but you definitely don't speak for me and about 12,000 -15,000 current fans who go week in /week out and the countless ones before us -sadly no longer about.

What do you think we should have done all these years? Boycott the club all our lives or stage a protest every season?

No you melt I’m just saying lansdown talks a good game but doesn’t actually make any moves ( other than appointing Pearson) 

why do some of you think the lansdowns are the only thing keeping the club at this level when like I said above loads of clubs the same size and smaller than us have overtaken us . Brentford literally got promoted whilst playing in a shed , lansdown can spend all he wants on infrastructure but reality is it’s the squad that needs money and he let Johnson blow our only decent opportunity. 

 

The cup run season we were second on Boxing Day all we needed was a clinical striker at this level but sl wouldn’t let Johnson loan the likes of Gayle and gray instead he let him cherry pick some donkey from France . 
 

you’re deluded if you think we’ll get promoted under sl his ego gets in the way to much 

[Davefevs]

32 minutes ago, Wiltshire robin said:

The cup run season we were second on Boxing Day all we needed was a clinical striker at this level but sl wouldn’t let Johnson loan the likes of Gayle and gray instead he let him cherry pick some donkey from France . 

I thought we needed a quality midfielder, not a £900k signing from Everton, who despite playing a few games wasn’t ready to take over from a gradually fatigued Pack and Smith.