SL Speaks

[CodeRed]

3 minutes ago, 2015 said:

Why is he on about Luton for? Their model is totally different to ours. It worked for them, but their model wouldn't for us, simple as that. He's obsessed with comparing us to others instead of creating our own identity.

Exactly, Swansea Brentford now Luton 

[2015]

Just now, CodeRed said:

Exactly, Swansea Brentford now Luton 

All totally incompatible with Bristol City. Obsessed with other clubs, dont get it. Create your own success, stop copying.

[INCRED]

4 minutes ago, 2015 said:

Why is he on about Luton for? Their model is totally different to ours. It worked for them, but their model wouldn't for us, simple as that. He's obsessed with comparing us to others instead of creating our own identity.

Luton had players that came up through the divisions with them, not sure we want to be starting from the national league 

[glynriley]

7 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

he does say (paraphrased) “investing in players and developing players” but I don’t know if investing in players means buying players?

This is my point from posts over the past few days.

The Luton thing pisses me off.  He’s now looking at another football model to benchmark against.

I’m sorry, thanks for all your money Steve, but appoint the right football people and let them get on with it.

 

Yep. It's Luton now, was Brentford a couple of yesrs ago. Work out what's best for us (Nige will tell you) and crack on with it.

[downendcity]

49 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Anyone want to read anything into these comments…?

https://x.com/gsypresssport/status/1690264686258716672?s=46&t=oNPHaJCf-XZnPFOJQiVJjg

(1m 30 audio interview in Guernsey. Since Twitter went to X posting links is a lottery. Cheers Elon)

Everyone apparently!

 

[mozo]

Just now, glynriley said:

Yep. It's Luton now, was Brentford a couple of yesrs ago. Work out what's best for us (Nige will tell you) and crack on with it.

The Luton example proves it is possible, it doesn't make it probable that a club with a low squad value will go up.

[RedRock]

13 minutes ago, JoeAman08 said:

Feels like next season every season. He is right we have the squad, the performance centre, the stadium and while I am not always convinced, the manager who built that squad.
 

Why would you not give him the resources to be successful this season? 
 

If he doesn’t like NP and was always going to sell Scott, why not get rid of NP and get a new man in? The cost wouldn’t be crazy with NP having a year left. 
 

I just don’t get SL. Gets bit by one regime. Gets a decent one in and restricts them because he was bit. Few years go by and backs wrong regime and gets bit again. Whats he do? Restricts the better one again. Never fault him for letting city push ffp and spending his money but he is seriously a poor decision maker. Think the club may need s change from the top to every really succeed. 

I think they both admit not seeing eye-to-eye on occasions. 

Suspect one of those occasions would have been signing Danny Simpson … and I fully understand that.

Think the football side is now Nige’s, with little interference from Steve. Nige  doesn’t get involved in the financials. Clearly there is an interface, such as transfers, where Steve has the trump card. Think that would have been explained to Nige at his appointment. 

Nige’s brief is to build a squad that can take us to the Prem, which I believe he is more than capable of doing, with the occasional star player loss to fund running costs and the purchase of squad players with potential. The subtle and crucial difference from previous regimes - that player must be one that Nige believes will enhance the squad and fit HIS player template - ie not just a random speculative ‘hit’, hoping for player profit.

[Barrs Court Red]

It would be interesting to see, when looking at Luton, what sort of interaction the owner and/or chairman were having in the club. Were they leading from the front, or were they hiding away in foreign shores. 

[The Swan and Cemetery]

2 minutes ago, mozo said:

The Luton example proves it is possible, it doesn't make it probable that a club with a low squad value will go up.

Exactly. Reminds me of ‘from good to great’ a book doing the business consultancy psycho-babble rounds back in the day. Looked at US companies that had thrived over the long run and then identified traits they shared… made no attempt to identify other companies, with the same traits, that failed. 

[beaverface]

So what happens when that nest egg is built up? Do we give the cash to another incarnation of LJ and Mark Ashton, who basically put us in austerity for the last three years?

I previously mentioned that the best approach would be for us to get a manager in who has won promotion from this division (by hook or crook) and somehow drag us into the Premier league.

NP has done this, and he needs to be backed, both where financially possible and verbally.

Edited August 12, 2023 by beaverface

[sglosbcfc]

24 minutes ago, INCRED said:

Luton had players that came up through the divisions with them, not sure we want to be starting from the national league 

It worked for Rovers..oh no it didn't

[Bristol Oil Services]

1 hour ago, Red Exile said:

Riddled with contradictions for me. I mean which is it:

'we've got to bide our time' - 'we can't compete with the parachute payments' - 'if we can sell players for £25m every year we're building that nest egg up to be able to compete in the longer term' 

all of which suggests its a long haul, steady building

or: 

Luton went up with 'far less talent than we've got in our squad' - 'with the squad of players we've got we've got a great chance of competing at the top end of the table - maybe we'll strike lucky - that's the way we've got to look at it' - 'we've got the makings of a promotion winning side if we can get that little bit of luck and that consistency'

which suggests over to you Pearson, if we don't go up its your fault.

Good to hear something from him I guess but hardly inspirational!

 

He actually said this? 

 

[Mr Popodopolous]

3 minutes ago, Bristol Oil Services said:

He actually said this? 

 

On the one level it is a statement of the obvious. We cannot spend as much as Parachute clubs unless said clubs come with major accumulated losses but even then...

It depends if he means in absolute terms or full stop.

[Son of Fred]

1 hour ago, mozo said:

 I can never shake the feeling that he doesn't like Nige

I feel he likely struggles with people that are straight talkers..

[Davefevs]

40 minutes ago, 2015 said:

Why is he on about Luton for? Their model is totally different to ours. It worked for them, but their model wouldn't for us, simple as that. He's obsessed with comparing us to others instead of creating our own identity.

Isn’t he!

39 minutes ago, Dolman Block B said:

Out of interest does anyone know if BCFC had to give Guernsey a cut of the Scott deal?

Nothing owed.

36 minutes ago, CodeRed said:

Exactly, Swansea Brentford now Luton 

And Brighton too.

19 minutes ago, beaverface said:

So what happens when that nest egg is built up? Do we give the cash to another incarnation of LJ and Mark Ashton, who basically put us in austerity for the last three years?

I previously mentioned that the best approach would be for us to get a manager in who has won promotion from this division (by hook or crook) and somehow drag us into the Premier league.

NP has done this, and he needs to be backed, both where financially possible and verbally.

I bloody hope not.  I do fear for Nige / RG (Now PA’s) rebuild / plan will get us to a really good position, then we will throw it in the bin.

[Mr Popodopolous]

Brentford, Brighton are quite good models tbh. Luton not so much, Swansea did he really ever speak of this.

[One Team]

1 hour ago, mozo said:

He says we've got a great stadium, fantastic training facilities, strong squad with experienced players...

He forgot to mention a top manager  I can never shake the feeling that he doesn't like Nige, albeit that is only based on that one strange and unnecessary comment a while ago about them not always seeing eye to eye, but also just my estimation of their very contrasting, probably conflicting, personalities.

Agreed. He’s only ever liked his yes men nepotism based appointments. 

Of course you can argue he doesn’t have to like NP, or anyone else of similar robust character, they just have to be successful. But history would suggest he will make yet another decision at the wrong time and appoint someone he’s comfortable with; and we’ll go on the ride for a fourth time. 

Like I am sure many of you I really appreciate what he’s done in the round, but it does feel time for a change now. Obviously easier said than done in terms of selling the club and finding associated investment of course. 

[Elruliri]

At the end of the day it's bloody simple what he needs to do, invest the Alex Scott money in five players. A attacking midfielder  a defensive midfielder, a centre half  a keeper and a forward. Spend half of the Scott money and at the end of the season get rid of some more dead wood.

[The Swan and Cemetery]

5 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I do fear for Nige / RG (Now PA’s) rebuild / plan will get us to a really good position, then we will throw it in the bin.

Yep, feels like a few years without a young/forward thinking/innovative/sycophant coach is about as much as SL can bear. Suspect one of the reasons we don’t hear much from PA is due to his full time job managing the relationship between NP and SL. Maybe correlation rather than cause and effect, but our success tends to come via stronger/reasonably traditional managers (eg JJ, GJ, SC) rather than up and coming ones (eg DMc, LJ)? Risk with stronger managers is they expect to be both accountable and empowered, whereas SL seems to like the idea that they should just be accountable! 

[The Nest Egg]

Has been a reluctant owner for some time now. Same old, unconvicingly delivered comments. Thank you for what you have done Steve but I still think we aren't getting to the Premier League with him owning the club - and his stereotypical billionaires son 'running' it! 

Edited August 12, 2023 by An Outstanding Human

[Jeez]

1 hour ago, ChrisBW said:

Predicting his wish list for the summer assuming Pearson goes, Roseignor (sp?) assuming Robins unavailable.

I’d say his top of his wish list is to sell up.

Never felt his heart is truly in it, think this explains why we are where we are in the football pyramid.

 

[marcofisher]

Sometimes the most productive relationships are between those who don’t see eye to eye or agree on everything.

 

If everyone in a business agreed about absolutely everything they would get shafted when that opinion turns out to be wrong and nobody saw the other side of the coin! 
 

Opposing voices add balance to the situation, it is far better now than the LJ days. 

[stortfordred]

38 minutes ago, beaverface said:

So what happens when that nest egg is built up? Do we give the cash to another incarnation of LJ and Mark Ashton, who basically put us in austerity for the last three years?

I previously mentioned that the best approach would be for us to get a manager in who has won promotion from this division (by hook or crook) and somehow drag us into the Premier league.

NP has done this, and he needs to be backed, both where financially possible and verbally.

How to build a nest egg in football? Start with half a dozen eggs and a few nests. 
 

oh and give some of them to a rugby club. 

[Redrascal2]

1 hour ago, Dynamite Red said:

I wouldn't be concerned in micro analysing every word of a SL interview, who is prone to going a little off script.

We will invest and develop in young talent, sell where there is a large offer and continue to build, once strong enough we thrn make a push when we think it's the right time. Hasn't this always been the strategy?

I have to be honest I was never aware that SL had a strategy. Just as I have never believed he wishes to really set his sights on promotion.

[spudski]

I don't think SL is comparing Luton's model with ours in that statement. 

He mentions before not being able to compete financially with parachute payments...then...' we have to wait for our moment ' like Luton had. 

How I see it, he's saying Luton were in a similar situation to us, as in no parachute payments, and that they got promoted ( with lesser players than ours). 

So he's pointing out, it is possible to get promoted without parachute payments, with a bit of luck and consistency. 

[marcofisher]

Luton are such an exception. They were and still are in dreamland and completely defied expectations and overperformed. It’s incredibly harsh to compare.

[Major Isewater]

SL speaks , and says nothing.

[fingers]

1 hour ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

I didn't like the sound of that.

 I mean the stuff about Parachute Payments isn't necessarily wrong, but to talk of not even reinvesting a chunk, although maybe the full interview will give more context and sounds a bit like the trading model unless I'm mistaken??

Don't think NP will like the sound of this either- which is much more important.

I’d say look at what he does, not what he says. We’ve spent a fair bit of the Semenyo money already (Mehmeti, McCrorie etc), and history says that we’ll often reinvest what we recoup. It also says we don’t do that very wisely, but the intent has been there.

Clubs know we have a big chunk of money coming in, any bravado statements in the media about how we’ll spend it won’t help any negotiating positions.

FWIW, I think we’re closer now than we’ve been since the LJ cup run era, and I’d be surprised (and disappointed) if we didn’t use a decent chunk of the Scott money to give it a go again. A couple of quality signings might be all the difference between 12th and play offs.

[Ivorguy]

The blinkers falling off many on Otib.  Some of us have been saying for years, even decades, that our biggest problem is the owner.

 

I started a recent thread asking if Nige might walk.  SL’s comments are not likely to be well received by NP.

I also recently wrote on another thread that following our current policy it would take a near miracle of everything coming together in one season to gain promotion.  This is not the Alan Dicks or Harry Dolman method of progression.

 

Until new owners arrive we are destined to remain as we are until the inevitable bad season sees us back in the comfort of the old third division, and the depressing cycle continues once again.

 

[stortfordred]

4 minutes ago, stortfordred said:

How to build a nest egg in football? Start with half a dozen eggs and a few nests. 
 

oh and give some of them to a rugby club. 

Seriously though: the only goose laying eggs is the Prem and although Luton have got there without much investment, their progress (as well as Sheff Utd) is a little more random than Brighton or Bournemouth. Brighton appears to be the only model that bears scrutiny. 
They can afford to sell players now they have got there. 
We can’t afford not to but with the likes of Scott and Webster, we are selling any chance of promotion. 
Football is never a jam tomorrow profession. It’s all in the here and now.