Where is our CEO...who is he?

[And Its Smith]

Just now, Ian M said:

Nige does seem the most relaxed he’s been at City in the last week.

When I recently worked a notice period I was at my most relaxed at any point when at my then employers as well! 

[lenred]

Just now, Davefevs said:

Ta.

Yep, especially when he’s backed and backed and backed previous “regimes”.  It doesn’t sit well with me either.  I’m very disappointed, that after all the hard work he chooses now to constrain the football club.

(Those are by understated feelings!)

This is what hurts.  If he’s shut up shop he just needs to exit the building asap.  But he won’t.  He loves the power he has owning City. He’ll pretend that he’s acting in the best interests of our club and can’t find the right buyer but all he’s interested in is his legacy.  
 

The fact that he won’t allow himself or his minions to give any credit for the job that Pearson has done and the opportunity Pearson, Tins and the coaching staff have given SL to rein his spending in in the first place is utterly embarrassing.  He thinks he’s a smart arse who is cleverer than the City faithful because of his billionaire status but his football smarts are non existent.  And I think he may be surprised at the strength of feelings against him should it start to go south this season. 

[Mr Popodopolous]

Just now, And Its Smith said:

When I recently worked a notice period I was at my most relaxed at any point when at my then employers as well! 

Demob happy basically.

[exAtyeoMax]

The interview seemed a bit 'lacking'

• Kept forcing the idea that SL is really enthusiastic about the club

• Didn't have much or anything to say about JL - what does he do?

• Mentioned the HPC etc a bit too much

• Didn't mention the kit fiasco

• No mention of Nige's good work

• Mentioned SL's generosity as an owner

A lot of words but no substance

[Davefevs]

Spot on @lenred.  Petty and childish.

I have no sentiment of “be careful what you wish for”…I know what I wish for, and that’s new investment / owners.  Had enough tbqh.

[exAtyeoMax]

15 minutes ago, Superjack said:

This is why we need another fan's forum.

Bet it would just be Nige,Tins and Nahki though...

I thought you meant another OTIB 

[Davefevs]

1 minute ago, exAtyeoMax said:

The interview seemed a bit 'lacking'

• Kept forcing the idea that SL is really enthusiastic about the club

• Didn't have much or anything to say about JL - what does he do?

• Mentioned the HPC etc a bit too much

• Didn't mention the kit fiasco

• No mention of Nige's good work

• Mentioned SL's generosity as an owner

A lot of words but no substance

CEO managing upwards.

[chinapig]

22 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

So, it’s clear…and pretty much as I suggested.

1. SL doesn’t want to put in the amounts he has in the past.

2. The budget is set to minimise 1.

I'm sure you're right and he is perfectly entitled to do so.

As ever though there are contradictions in his and Alexander's statements. For instance if he is doing as you suggest how do we build a nest egg? If for instance he uses the £25m from Scott's sale to reduce his own funding by the same amount the net effect would be neutral. So no nest egg then.

It's hard to know if this is typically muddled communication, muddled thinking or both. Whatever it is it is not encouraging

[tin]

55 minutes ago, Ian M said:

Particularly given Nige has:

• reduced the wage bill by approaching £10m per annum,
• reduced amortisation cost by around £9m per annum,
• generated sales of around £35m,
• still kept us competitive on the pitch with a tiny injury hit squad.

And yet he appears to have no supporters in the club’s hierarchy.

And that, in my opinion, once again shows us a) SL knows jack shit about football, and b) despite being fooled by Ashton in the past, he loves employees who blow smoke up his ass. It’s clear to see why Pearson’s face doesn’t fit. 

Bristol City Football Club is, and always will be, bigger, more important and  longer lasting the Lansdowns.

[mozo]

31 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

So, it’s clear…and pretty much as I suggested.

1. SL doesn’t want to put in the amounts he has in the past.

2. The budget is set to minimise 1.

It’s as simple as that.

He (SL) has taken “advantage” of the “opportunity” of having home-grown players (Semenyo and Scott) being sold (full transfer profit) and a likely conveyor belt of other Academy players that might be sold in future for good numbers (Vyner, Pring, Conway and Bell) to lessen the amount he puts in.  So basically he’s used a good situation created by Nige thru Tins thru the Academy staff to constrain the budget of the first team.

I think he’s taken the wrong time to do that…and not recognised why he can execute the plan of 1 and 2.  Again, effing outcome based, not viewing the process that got us here.

Now is the time with a lower cost base and saleable home-grown assets to be a bit more flexible.  I’m not talking going mad. I’m just talking about creating that depth with one, maybe two more players, of the same ilk as the summer recruits.

+++++++++

I have no real issues with PA tonight nor Richard Hoskin.  It was a decent enough interview.

This is going to be a very unpopular and frustrating experience supporting Austerity City. 

To your point about the conveyor belt of assets, it's pretty naive if the club thinks it can bank on a £25m sale every year. I think we've just experienced purple patch or golden generation with those players you highlighted, but we're not going to promote a fresh batch of new Championship-ready first teamers every season. In fact, Pring and Vyner took years to get there. Besides Southampton there aren't many comparable sides that have consistently cashed in on homegrown players, and let's face it Walcott and Bale were quite a long time ago now and Ward-Prowse didn't leave til he was 28 (like most kids nowadays...). Southampton also had the advantage of being a regular Prem side.

If Gremlins 2 taught us anything, it's that the new batch isn't always as good quality...

Edited September 4, 2023 by mozo

[joe jordans teeth]

5 minutes ago, Ian M said:

Nige does seem the most relaxed he’s been at City in the last week.

When you know you have done a bloody good job and knowing you will pick up a job as soon as the door hits your ass on the way out why wouldn’t he

[And Its Smith]

3 minutes ago, tin said:

And that, in my opinion, once again shows us a) SL knows jack shit about football, and b) despite being fooled by Ashton in the past, he loves employees who blow smoke up his ass. It’s clear to see why Pearson’s face doesn’t fit. 

Bristol City Football Club is, and always will be, bigger, more important and  longer lasting the Lansdowns.

SL is probably insecure. I thought that when he named a stand after himself!

[ohhhshauntaylor]

Playing devils advocate here… 

Everyone has moaned they haven’t/don’t hear from Phil Alexander - They just have. 
 

Everyone now moaning they don’t like what they heard from Phil Alexander - see initial point. 

what do you really expect him to say, after GT tore Ashton a new one, there is no chance PA would get into that type of situation, Hence a pre recorded interview, probably with a club option to approve etc. 

************
 

Now, back to not playing devils advocate  

The (again) reference to Luton is worrying,  and unhelpful.

The failure to acknowledge or praise Nige is bizarre- you can appease pretty much everyone by just saying “Nige is doing a great job, and sticking to the plan- but it’s too early to discuss anything else at this stage, transfer window has just shut, it’s an international break etc” 

And my 2p worth on Hoskins was he’s not a patch on what 20man was for us in terms of being direct, and straight to the point  

 

[Sheltons Army]

It’s quite surprising that our owner , who has clearly made a significant decision about the Clubs Finances and his willingness to fund has not come out publicly himself and said so 
 

All we’ve had is the references to Nest Eggs , Nigels explanation that we are spent out on our wage budget , various gooey envy at Luton from the hierarchy, and now Steve’s spokesmen revealing , publicly , for the first time (As far as I’m aware) that the owner is not prepared to fund the same budget losses as he has (Which is his right of course)

 

His faithful supporters will undoubtedly say ‘Well he doesn’t have to’

 

No he doesn’t , but his silence , during and since this stance ,  save the Golf Club interview in Guernsey , speaks volumes 

[exAtyeoMax]

1 minute ago, ohhhshauntaylor said:

Playing devils advocate here… 

Everyone has moaned they haven’t/don’t hear from Phil Alexander - They just have. 
 

Everyone now moaning they don’t like what they heard from Phil Alexander - see initial point. 

what do you really expect him to say, after GT tore Ashton a new one, there is no chance PA would get into that type of situation, Hence a pre recorded interview, probably with a club option to approve etc. 

************
 

Now, back to not playing devils advocate  

The (again) reference to Luton is worrying,  and unhelpful.

The failure to acknowledge or praise Nige is bizarre- you can appease pretty much everyone by just saying “Nige is doing a great job, and sticking to the plan- but it’s too early to discuss anything else at this stage, transfer window has just shut, it’s an international break etc” 

And my 2p worth on Hoskins was he’s not a patch on what 20man was for us in terms of being direct, and straight to the point  

 

Yeah? And? I don't see the connection. 

I'd expect some recognition for Nige. News about the kit fiasco.

[chinapig]

2 minutes ago, mozo said:

To your point about the conveyor belt of assets, it's pretty naive if the club thinks it can bank on a £25m sale every year.

It's just a variation on the strategy when Ashton was CEO. Then the assumption was that we could sign a perpetual stream of players whose value would always increase so we could sell at a profit. No actual football strategy was apparent.

Naive would be a generous description, dumb less so but I prefer Nigel's word - bonkers.

[ohhhshauntaylor]

1 minute ago, exAtyeoMax said:

Yeah? And? I don't see the connection. 

I'd expect some recognition for Nige. News about the kit fiasco.

For clarity- I did say I was playing devils advocate with that part. 
 

My point (being pedantic) was you can’t moan you never hear from PA, and then when you do hear from him moan you didn’t like what you heard. 
 

The content provided was/is down to the questions asked etc as much as the answers given. 

[Glen hump]

1 minute ago, chinapig said:

It's just a variation on the strategy when Ashton was CEO. Then the assumption was that we could sign a perpetual stream of players whose value would always increase so we could sell at a profit. No actual football strategy was apparent.

Naive would be a generous description, dumb less so but I prefer Nigel's word - bonkers.

Someone else has already posted this , sl would’ve been raging at Pearson for saying that, his card was marked from that point 

[exAtyeoMax]

1 minute ago, ohhhshauntaylor said:

For clarity- I did say I was playing devils advocate with that part. 
 

My point (being pedantic) was you can’t moan you never hear from PA, and then when you do hear from him moan you didn’t like what you heard. 
 

The content provided was/is down to the questions asked etc as much as the answers given. 

Off course you can…

 

[eardun]

23 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Ta.

Yep, especially when he’s backed and backed and backed previous “regimes”.  It doesn’t sit well with me either.  I’m very disappointed, that after all the hard work he chooses now to constrain the football club.

(Those are by understated feelings!)

Isn’t that part of the problem though - he’s backed previous regimes too much and that got us nowhere. Hence why he’s now swinging the other way. 

[IAmNick]

Surprised by people saying/complaining he's "towing the party line"... He's the bloody CEO, he is the party line! His job is to take (and influence) the will of the owners and make it happen. What were you expecting?

He's not going to say "yeah Steve is being a bit shit with the funds lads I'll have a word in Jan don't worry" is he?

Whatever he thinks or indeed has even said about the current strategy to Lansdown he's not going to air that in an interview, that'd be madness. We don't really know if he's currently petitioning Lansdown to agree to extend Nige's deal every day or not.

[chinapig]

Just now, Glen hump said:

Someone else has already posted this , sl would’ve been raging at Pearson for saying that, his card was marked from that point 

Yep, plus the fact that Nigel doesn't say every week how wonderful the Lansdowns are.

Steve likes a sycophant so Alexander's interview would have earned him a gold star.

[Davefevs]

6 minutes ago, chinapig said:

I'm sure you're right and he is perfectly entitled to do so.

indeed he is.  But he’s done his usual - follow a new approach - and ignored how that approach achieved its success.  Swansea, Brighton, Brentford…now Luton.

As ever though there are contradictions in his and Alexander's statements. For instance if he is doing as you suggest how do we build a nest egg? If for instance he uses the £25m from Scott's sale to reduce his own funding by the same amount the net effect would be neutral. So no nest egg then.

first of all I don’t think we will lose £20m in 22/23 because of costs reduced and Antoine, and won’t in 23/24 now we’ve sold Alex.  But you’re right, we won’t generate fees like Alex every year.  So, no nest-egg, but less debt converted to shares.

It's hard to know if this is typically muddled communication, muddled thinking or both. Whatever it is it is not encouraging.

It’s SL via PA, so SL ultimately.  Too much money imho, it’s his version of you or I’s trainset.

6 minutes ago, mozo said:

This is going to be a very unpopular and frustrating experience supporting Austerity City. 

To your point about the conveyor belt of assets, it's pretty naive if the club thinks it can bank on a £25m asset every year.

it certainly is.

I think we've just experienced purple or golden generation with those players you highlighted, but we're not going to promote a fresh batch of new Championship-ready first teamers every season. In fact, Pring and Vyner took years to get there. Besides Southampton there aren't many comparable sides that have consistently cashed in on homegrown players, and let's face it Walcott and Bale were quite a long time ago now and Ward-Prowse didn't leave til he was 28 (like most kids nowadays...).

exactly, sometimes they come in batches.  You’d think a bloke who made his money in the financial sector might think “previous performance is not a guarantee of future performance”.

Southampton also had the advantage of being a regular Prem side.

If Gremlins 2 taught us anything, it's that the new batch isn't always as good quality...

I’ll have to take your word for that, thought the first one was crap!

[Superjack]

16 minutes ago, exAtyeoMax said:

I thought you meant another OTIB 

Oh my god! Just imagine...

[ohhhshauntaylor]

1 minute ago, exAtyeoMax said:

Off course you can…

 

You’re kind of missing my point…

What did you honestly expect him to say in an interview (pre recorded) with the interviewer being someone who isn’t experienced or probably brave enough to really put the foot down. 
 

So (again, my devils advocate/pedantic point) we moan we never heard from him, then when we do hear from him (as expected it’s scripted, it’s safe and it blows smoke up SL’s arse) we moan we don’t like what we heard (which is what we expected we would I hear, if we ever did hear from him….) 

[Mr Popodopolous]

2 minutes ago, eardun said:

Isn’t that part of the problem though - he’s backed previous regimes too much and that got us nowhere. Hence why he’s now swinging the other way. 

Overcorrection, boom and bust, feaat and famine etc etc.

Nobody is yet well most anyway aren't yet saying surely we should return to the Ashton and Johnson days but this is too much.

[Superjack]

2 minutes ago, eardun said:

Isn’t that part of the problem though - he’s backed previous regimes too much and that got us nowhere. Hence why he’s now swinging the other way. 

The wrong ones. 

And that is not hindsight. We could have told him. 

We probably did. But he wouldn't listen. 

And he still won't. Because it is "his" club.

 

 

[Mr Popodopolous]

7 minutes ago, IAmNick said:

Surprised by people saying/complaining he's "towing the party line"... He's the bloody CEO, he is the party line! His job is to take (and influence) the will of the owners and make it happen. What were you expecting?

He's not going to say "yeah Steve is being a bit shit with the funds lads I'll have a word in Jan don't worry" is he?

Whatever he thinks or indeed has even said about the current strategy to Lansdown he's not going to air that in an interview, that'd be madness. We don't really know if he's currently petitioning Lansdown to agree to extend Nige's deal every day or not.

True but even so I have less faith in him than I did Gould.

However of course the CEO of a business (club) doesn't critique the strategy or criticise the owner.

Edited September 4, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[exAtyeoMax]

4 minutes ago, ohhhshauntaylor said:

You’re kind of missing my point…

What did you honestly expect him to say in an interview (pre recorded) with the interviewer being someone who isn’t experienced or probably brave enough to really put the foot down. 
 

So (again, my devils advocate/pedantic point) we moan we never heard from him, then when we do hear from him (as expected it’s scripted, it’s safe and it blows smoke up SL’s arse) we moan we don’t like what we heard (which is what we expected we would I hear, if we ever did hear from him….) 

I guess we were expecting some news re the kit fiasco, some acknowledgement for the work the Tins and Nige have done over the last three years - hence the questions/concerns from OTIB.

Edited September 4, 2023 by exAtyeoMax

[Davefevs]

14 minutes ago, ohhhshauntaylor said:

Playing devils advocate here… 

Everyone has moaned they haven’t/don’t hear from Phil Alexander - They just have. 
 

Everyone now moaning they don’t like what they heard from Phil Alexander - see initial point. 

what do you really expect him to say, after GT tore Ashton a new one, there is no chance PA would get into that type of situation, Hence a pre recorded interview, probably with a club option to approve etc. 

************
 

Now, back to not playing devils advocate  

The (again) reference to Luton is worrying,  and unhelpful.

The failure to acknowledge or praise Nige is bizarre- you can appease pretty much everyone by just saying “Nige is doing a great job, and sticking to the plan- but it’s too early to discuss anything else at this stage, transfer window has just shut, it’s an international break etc” 

And my 2p worth on Hoskins was he’s not a patch on what 20man was for us in terms of being direct, and straight to the point  

 

I’m very comfy with what PA said tonight.

It clarified SL’s position and re-affirmed my view on his football-business acumen.  And that is that’s it’s just an expensive toy.  Some might see that as harsh.  Honestly?  I don’t care.

5 minutes ago, eardun said:

Isn’t that part of the problem though - he’s backed previous regimes too much and that got us nowhere. Hence why he’s now swinging the other way. 

Maybe.  A good owner would understand why though…not just do the opposite.  That’s hardly smart ownership is it.  I guess it is tied to new investment too, but just feels like crap timing to me.

4 minutes ago, IAmNick said:

Surprised by people saying/complaining he's "towing the party line"... He's the bloody CEO, he is the party line! His job is to take (and influence) the will of the owners and make it happen. What were you expecting?

He's not going to say "yeah Steve is being a bit shit with the funds lads I'll have a word in Jan don't worry" is he?

Whatever he thinks or indeed has even said about the current strategy to Lansdown he's not going to air that in an interview, that'd be madness. We don't really know if he's currently petitioning Lansdown to agree to extend Nige's deal every day or not.

Agree.