Where is he?

[Bobbie]

10 hours ago, Robbored said:

It’s been many years since I last bought replica shirt and I’m sure I’m not alone in not giving a shit who supplies our kit. To me the club shirt is a club shirt regardless which manufacturer produced it.

I really don’t understand why some posters think it’s such a big deal………….

Couldn’t agree more. Literally irrelevant and I can never understand why fully grown adults buy and wear replica kits. Why not go the whole hog and wear the full kit with your socks pulled up. You’re not playing so why dress up like you might get subbed on 

[Malago]

Thank God there’s only another 6 days to the start of the season.

[BasSavage88]

1 hour ago, Bobbie said:

Couldn’t agree more. Literally irrelevant and I can never understand why fully grown adults buy and wear replica kits. Why not go the whole hog and wear the full kit with your socks pulled up. You’re not playing so why dress up like you might get subbed on 

Is this what old people think when they see someone in a football top? 

[maxjak]

16 hours ago, tin said:

That’s a fair assumption to make IMO, but the robin splat farce is down to JL, of that I have little doubt. That and the kit deal make us look naff and unprofessional.

Sorry......it must have passed me by during a summer away........what is the "robin splat farce?"

[bpexile]

9 hours ago, WECANDO said:

I hate people who use capitals.

SO DO I 

[Robbored]

6 hours ago, BasSavage88 said:

Is this what old people think when they see someone in a football top? 

Yep - especially a ‘large’ person.

[Robbored]

1 hour ago, maxjak said:

Sorry......it must have passed me by during a summer away........what is the "robin splat farce?"

I’m assuming it’s the logo with the Robin with its wings spread out. 
 

It looks like it’s flown into a pane of glass and gone splat.

[tin]

2 hours ago, maxjak said:

Sorry......it must have passed me by during a summer away........what is the "robin splat farce?"

If you search ‘robin flying’ on Google you will literally see the iStock image the club have used for its shite new badge, if we can even call it that. No consultation with the fans either. Absolutely woeful IMO. 

[Out of his pie crust]

11 hours ago, Silvio Dante said:

Then….why comment on it unless you’re trolling?

I have no interest in who Taylor Swift is dating so I’d not comment on a thread of that nature. So why would you comment on a thread largely about the kit if you don’t care.

Its a bit needy and weird.

Wait….Taylor Swift is dating? 

[maxjak]

Whoever is responsible for that........to quote Ron Burgundy, "Should be locked in a closet".   Awful......and in the outline version, doesn't even look like a Robin...what a pheck up!

[kiwicolin]

You can't win can. Mark Ashton was in our face all the time. Now you are not happy that Phil Alexander is nowhere to be seen  

Make up your mind . 

[headhunter]

17 minutes ago, kiwicolin said:

You can't win can. Mark Ashton was in our face all the time. Now you are not happy that Phil Alexander is nowhere to be seen  

Make up your mind . 

You missed the praise of Gould. Ashton & Phil are opposite ends of that spectrum.

 

[kiwicolin]

Gould was somewhere in the middle. 

As long as he is doing his job, which he has with 4 signings, then so be it. 

[Henry]

Don’t feed the troll.

[BasSavage88]

3 hours ago, Robbored said:

Yep - especially a ‘large’ person.

And that's why you're an irrelevance to the club commercially and this thread 

[Robbored]

11 minutes ago, BasSavage88 said:

And that's why you're an irrelevance to the club commercially and this thread 

I pay for my SC every season along with thousands of others - so we’re all irrelevant?

[BasSavage88]

26 minutes ago, Robbored said:

I pay for my SC every season along with thousands of others - so we’re all irrelevant?

If you don't care or buy about the kit then commercially yes. The club know it has a percentage of older fans who buy their season ticket every year and that's it. Nothing else they do is aimed at you and they wouldn't waste their time or research trying. 

Edited July 30, 2023 by BasSavage88

[phantom]

22 hours ago, Harry said:

I don’t think there’s any doubt whatsoever that the O’Neills deal comes from Alexander. 
They were Wycombe’s kit manufacturer when he was there and now he’s left they’ve ditched them. 
 

https://www.wwfc.com/news/2023/may/02/o-neills-partnership-comes-to-an-end/

Was 100% nothing to do with him, it was all sorted a very long time before he stepped into the roll 

On a personal note I met Phil for the first time on Friday in a meeting, by his own admission he's still finding his way around Bristol City / Bristol Sport but I have no doubt we have made a great appointment with him

I was actually surprised by how much is going on that we are not aware of.

I think that we are comparing his lack of appearance against his predecessors of course we know how at least one of them couldn't get enough attention. I am not honestly sure if CEOs at other clubs regularly appear in interviews. 

[Bristol Oil Services]

12 hours ago, Bobbie said:

Couldn’t agree more. Literally irrelevant and I can never understand why fully grown adults buy and wear replica kits. Why not go the whole hog and wear the full kit with your socks pulled up. You’re not playing so why dress up like you might get subbed on 

It’s the feel of the nylon, mate, and the stretchiness of the fabric (fitting nicely over the pot belly), and also the opportunity, for us blokes, in this day and age to express our/their inner and largely sub-conscious Grayson Perry, to go big on colour and/or pattern. Specially the goalie tops.

[ExiledAjax]

13 minutes ago, phantom said:

I was actually surprised by how much is going on that we are not aware of.

This is the issue though. I know the Club always cry "commercially sensitive" but all I want from them is communication.

Explain what they are doing and why and that removes the speculation and cries of "bullshit". Yes it opens them up to challenge and debate but we're supposed to be a Club where like minded people join together to support a common goal - our team(s). They shouldn't be afraid of some communication.

Communicate, collaborate, and club together. 

Gould understood this from his time at Surrey, I wish Alexander would buy into it a bit more.

[Fuber]

1 hour ago, ExiledAjax said:

This is the issue though. I know the Club always cry "commercially sensitive" but all I want from them is communication.

Explain what they are doing and why and that removes the speculation and cries of "bullshit". Yes it opens them up to challenge and debate but we're supposed to be a Club where like minded people join together to support a common goal - our team(s). They shouldn't be afraid of some communication.

Communicate, collaborate, and club together. 

Gould understood this from his time at Surrey, I wish Alexander would buy into it a bit more.

I think the thing to consider here, is that until Phil's comfortable in the role - we're unlikely to hear much until he gets the measure of it. Gould, initial press release aside, had precious little communications with the fans.

As for the kit situation - its shambolic. But ultimately JL made that decision as a quick cash-grab with the Man City cup tie in view of the Hummel/Distributions issues; we're now seeing a case-study in how short term decision making can implicate longer term damage. He likely asked Alexander (at short notice) if there was a supplier at hand who could do it.

As for the badge element - if anyone is to blame its the marketing and media team who likely helped or at least corresponded with O'Neils with regards to the iconography used. It's annoying - as I have family in Ireland and their GAA merchandise is superb.

I'd have just turned to them and said - take your GAA Cork 22/23 kit - alter it to Bristol City badge, iconography and sponsors. Done, sorted. Not much lead time as its something for which the press/template already basically exists and the quality is better than your current football shirt line-up. Simple and clean.

[Davefevs]

28 minutes ago, Fuber said:

He likely asked Alexander (at short notice) if there was a supplier at hand who could do it.

If you read an earlier post this had nothing to do with Alexander. The member who posted it is very reliable.

[ExiledAjax]

@Fuber without quoting your post I'll just say that I don't buy the "still not comfortable" line. Alexander is a 61 year old man, an experienced football club CEO, and has now been with us for 6 months. He had a month's handover from Gould, who bar the launch of the rewards scheme left him a pretty tight ship. Alexander is also supported by long serving staff members like Barton, Knights, and Tinnion. Between them they should be able to muster a couple of press releases when the shit stuff happens.

Personally I don't think it's true that Gould didn't communicate. Sure he wasn't hanging out in the Rising Sun or the Spanish before every home game, but he had a video chat with the SC&T every 6 weeks or so, it was under him that the MOU was signed, and he did a number of pieces through the season, as well as an excellent turn at the Fan's Forum. He wasn't perfect, and I wish he'd done more, but my personal opinion was he struck a good balance between being visible, but not being in every photo shoot possible like his predecessor Mr. Ashton.

I agree with your other points - and I'm not saying I blame Alexander for the kit issues (or anything else) - but he is the figurehead and he should be sticking his head above the parapet and at least providing context for the decisions being made.

Edited July 30, 2023 by ExiledAjax

[Harry]

3 hours ago, phantom said:

Was 100% nothing to do with him, it was all sorted a very long time before he stepped into the roll 

On a personal note I met Phil for the first time on Friday in a meeting, by his own admission he's still finding his way around Bristol City / Bristol Sport but I have no doubt we have made a great appointment with him

I was actually surprised by how much is going on that we are not aware of.

I think that we are comparing his lack of appearance against his predecessors of course we know how at least one of them couldn't get enough attention. I am not honestly sure if CEOs at other clubs regularly appear in interviews. 

Yep. I corrected my initial post earlier in the thread based on some further information received. 
I’ve nothing against Phil, but just put a 2 and 2 together and I made 5 regarding Wycombe and their kit deal. So I acknowledge that this presumption was incorrect. 
From the further info I’ve now received, I’m confident that Phil is trying hard to get to all the parts of the club that need fixing. It’s a tough job due to how these area’s have been managed in the past, but I do believe he’s got a grip of certain things. 

[phantom]

7 hours ago, ExiledAjax said:

This is the issue though. I know the Club always cry "commercially sensitive" but all I want from them is communication.

Explain what they are doing and why and that removes the speculation and cries of "bullshit". Yes it opens them up to challenge and debate but we're supposed to be a Club where like minded people join together to support a common goal - our team(s). They shouldn't be afraid of some communication.

Communicate, collaborate, and club together. 

Gould understood this from his time at Surrey, I wish Alexander would buy into it a bit more.

Sorry for the slow reply, I've been out all day 

At the end of the day Bristol City is now a business, it's not what it was when lots of us started supporting and I believe we still look back and compare to those days 

No business goes into details of what they are doing behind the scenes, I think we all need to realise times have changed 

Again I'm not sure we can compare any person against any previous employee it's dependant on the individual 

We just have to realise that it's a business now and many things are not going to be the same again 

[The Swan and Cemetery]

8 hours ago, BasSavage88 said:

If you don't care or buy about the kit then commercially yes. The club know it has a percentage of older fans who buy their season ticket every year and that's it. Nothing else they do is aimed at you and they wouldn't waste their time or research trying. 

City’s commercial success or otherwise is dependent on sales of replica kit? 

[ExiledAjax]

4 minutes ago, phantom said:

Sorry for the slow reply, I've been out all day 

At the end of the day Bristol City is now a business, it's not what it was when lots of us started supporting and I believe we still look back and compare to those days 

No business goes into details of what they are doing behind the scenes, I think we all need to realise times have changed 

Again I'm not sure we can compare any person against any previous employee it's dependant on the individual 

We just have to realise that it's a business now and many things are not going to be the same again 

No. 

You know that I'm not talking about the Club telling us it's transfer plans or precise costings for each event at AG. I'm not even asking for it to tell us details of it's contracts with Hummel or O'Neills.

I'm talking about properly explaining things like why they've now got 4 logos, one of which has been used on what is our de facto away kit at the expense of the official crest. I'm talking about fully communicating the ticketing process, and admitting when things aren't going to plan or change. Full disclosure about new systems, and responses to criticisms and setbacks.

What's commercially sensitive about any possible answer to those items? Nothing. So don't buy the Club's kool-aid about "being a business" and stuff being "sensitive". It's deflection and it's irrelevant. They're a football club that happens to be formed as a private company limited by shares. They can decide to operate such a company in a more open way, but those own it and are in charge choose not to. That's legally their prerogative, but it is wrong.

There are other issues as well, but those are the two I'm setting out in this reply.

The behaviour of those in charge of communication and planning at the Club right now is cowardly. The CEO is invisible and seemingly unaware of certain things and is still getting settled when he's been here 7 months!? No. It's bollocks.

The longer they batten down the hatches the worse the feeling gets. 

[REDOXO]

8 hours ago, phantom said:

Was 100% nothing to do with him, it was all sorted a very long time before he stepped into the roll 

On a personal note I met Phil for the first time on Friday in a meeting, by his own admission he's still finding his way around Bristol City / Bristol Sport but I have no doubt we have made a great appointment with him

I was actually surprised by how much is going on that we are not aware of.

I think that we are comparing his lack of appearance against his predecessors of course we know how at least one of them couldn't get enough attention. I am not honestly sure if CEOs at other clubs regularly appear in interviews. 

I tend to agree vis a vis a certain previous incumbent and the whole thing with the new kit and clothing supplier 

The what is (so much) actually going on that we are not aware of, is of course his responsibility. If he thinks it’s better to keep a lot of stuff within the company then I don’t have an issue with it. But stakeholders/supporters will then naturally speculate and utter nonsense is given credence (which is do often the case on OTIB). 

 

[MelksRed]

23 hours ago, Bobbie said:

Couldn’t agree more. Literally irrelevant and I can never understand why fully grown adults buy and wear replica kits. Why not go the whole hog and wear the full kit with your socks pulled up. You’re not playing so why dress up like you might get subbed on 

What????.....there is no chance of me (a 40+ years old overweight geezer) being subbed on to score the goal that takes us to the prem?......this is truly earth shattering. Cancel my season ticket. 

[fgrsimon]

Oh well, things could be worse, we could have knocked down the Atyeo and started building its replacement before getting Planning Permission...