Pearson Post Match

[Simon bristol]

8 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

His signings have generally been good, when weighted for resources due to firstly necessity, and then an inexplicable swing in policy this season.

The Clear Successes

Tanner, Improved since he joined and still under 25 which can be key for outfield players.

Atkinson- Excellent when fit, he is 25 or just under I think. Still can develop age wise, centre backs may also have extra growth compared to e.g. full backs. I like how he can carry it into CM, a bona fide left sided centre back and can score goals- a double v Preston in the rain a good example.

Naismith- Can play at CB, in a back 3 and midfield. Technically strong, perhaps a central 3 in midfield or between defence and midfield is his best position as it accentuates the positives and masks one or two weaknesses.

James- Good, excellent. Can be an adhesive glue in midfield, name checked by Pep.

King- Player, player coach. Free, relatively low wage and has covered in a host of positions- always a depth player barring serious injuries and a good experienced pro to have, much like James and Wells.

Knight- Duracell bunny, 22. Will grow as age on his side, needs to add some goals perhaps but his early years at Derby showed good signs in this respect.

Gardner-Hickman- Looks promising, versatile too even if not a true RB probably and time very much on his side.

Sykes- I would say he needs to add some goals, a big flurry in January and scored at QPR too in May. Can he get between 5 and 10 the League? Wingback, pushed high on the right. 

Cornick- Depth player. Unfair flak, no he isn't spectacular but works very hard, thought for phases of the Middlesbrough game in February as well as the goal and assist be showed some good positioning for defensive shape out of possession 1st half especially. Central or wide? Bit like Weimann, that is good and bad!

Exciting but a bit to prove? Or did a job for a time.

Klose- Thought he did fine for a time, but ran out of legs and steam. Still a free, probably relatively low cost. Was he a decent pro?

Roberts- Free, young, versatile, talented. 21..okay he had a tough day today but time is very much on his side and let's be fair we are horribly patched up.

Mehmeti- I'll be honest I expected to see a bit more. Has he stalled a bit, is just that Bell is strong so Mehmeti stays out. Otoh he is 22 so has gone on his side very much so 

Possible fails

Bajic- He did not show much vs Lincoln. Otoh nobody covered themselves in glory that evening. Relatively low cost sure, age 21 turning 22 this December. Keepers can peak and plateau years later, question is how long should we leave it and indeed he want to leave it for his own career.

Simpson- Cheap,didn't really do much though but not especially bothered.

I also liked his re-signing of Baker and Weimann plus Wells on longer but much cheaper terms- real shame how it ended with Baker but the principle was sound.

Obviously I respect your views, but id say some of these ratings are on the generous side! I don’t mind tanner but hes lacking going forwards and weve spent a load on trying to replace him. Naismith too came in as one of our top earners and while theres been some moments of quality, the general consensus is that his best position isnt the one he was brought in for? Knight looks really good, but to call cornick a clear success is very generous!

the quality of our own youth players has made the difference for us, certainly bell vyner pring and conway are probably our most valuable, not that we would ever sell them….

[Spike]

I think when it comes to Pearson and a new contract the fans want him to stay, I think with the right backing he'd want to stay and if he falls in line with the boards finances he will stay. The problem IMO is after all of the money saving NP has had to do for us I think he's going to want some real investment and the club are probably looking to prevent over spending. 

I think Nigel may walk because he wants a real investment going forward and the club will have already set their finances which won't meet his demands. 

I want Nigel to stay but my concern is he wants to make us competitive and his view of how to do that doesn't match the owners financial plans. 

If he walks I'm not going to blame the board solely as some are suggesting because at the end of the day he took on the job knowing what the board expected. If Pearson wants to push on but it doesn't match the clubs plans then does the club take a roll of the dice and potentially end up in a bad financial situation again or does it let Pearson go and hope the new man can gain success without that large investment?

I'm very much on the side that I'd like Pearson to stay on but I do wonder if perhaps he's expecting the club to invest a lot and they simply don't meet his expectations which will end in him walking away. 

[headhunter]

6 hours ago, fisherrich said:

Lansdown needs to go NOW. He is killing this club. Wake up City fans. 20 years of nothing. Now he is driving out the best manager this club has ever had. Time to rise up and drive Lansdown out. He has no idea how to run a football club.

"Best manager this club has ever had" is quite an overstatement.

He HAS cleared up the mess left by the Lansdown indulged Lee Johnson & Mark Ashton and maintained Championship status but from an achievement perspective he's behind Dicks, Jordan and GJ in my book.

[Jeez]

3 hours ago, Spike said:

I think when it comes to Pearson and a new contract the fans want him to stay, I think with the right backing he'd want to stay and if he falls in line with the boards finances he will stay. The problem IMO is after all of the money saving NP has had to do for us I think he's going to want some real investment and the club are probably looking to prevent over spending. 

I think Nigel may walk because he wants a real investment going forward and the club will have already set their finances which won't meet his demands. 

I want Nigel to stay but my concern is he wants to make us competitive and his view of how to do that doesn't match the owners financial plans. 

If he walks I'm not going to blame the board solely as some are suggesting because at the end of the day he took on the job knowing what the board expected. If Pearson wants to push on but it doesn't match the clubs plans then does the club take a roll of the dice and potentially end up in a bad financial situation again or does it let Pearson go and hope the new man can gain success without that large investment?

I'm very much on the side that I'd like Pearson to stay on but I do wonder if perhaps he's expecting the club to invest a lot and they simply don't meet his expectations which will end in him walking away. 

I think Spike you may be closest to the truth. 

Not for one minute do I think his contract  terms are linked to SL trying to sell the club. The money involved in a purchase would dwarf any compo & there needs be someone at the wheel.

Pearson is taking us as far as he can, given the resources & naturally he wants to aim higher for the squad & fanbase. He’s telling the club what’s needed to progress but the club are intent on profitability & cashflow which is hard to align with guaranteed progression.

There is so much Pearson brings to the table especially in terms of values & the work ethic he’s instilled. Could he get more out of the group? Debatable, but I think this might be where the disconnect is with the board.

NP is popular with fans, hitting the financial brief, but I suspect SL is expecting more e.g Luton et al. So he’s a bit stuck when it comes to changing manager.

I’m ok with a change of management next season if we’re clear on the direction of travel from the top of the club, however, the only real audible or visible leader at a senior level in the club is Nigel, so changing him becomes a huge risk as he’s driving culture more than the club.

So if SL wants an easy life, surely a simple 2 year extension fill the brief & the silent board can continue to shuffle around in the shadows.

 

[bexhill reds]

15 minutes ago, headhunter said:

"Best manager this club has ever had" is quite an overstatement.

He HAS cleared up the mess left by the Lansdown indulged Lee Johnson & Mark Ashton and maintained Championship status but from an achievement perspective he's behind Dicks, Jordan and GJ in my book.

I wouldn’t be quite as disparaging as opinions such as best ever are always so relative and often linked to the era of watching, and in the case of City managers there is no real comparative baseline in terms of starting point. 
 

Arguably NP has done an excellent job on the brief he inherited, Dicks is just outside of my football memory so can’t really comment on him, but apart from perhaps Jordan I’m not sure that Cotts or GJ would have rebuilt the footballing set up in the same way that NP has.

[Numero Uno]

13 minutes ago, bexhill reds said:

I wouldn’t be quite as disparaging as opinions such as best ever are always so relative and often linked to the era of watching, and in the case of City managers there is no real comparative baseline in terms of starting point. 
 

Arguably NP has done an excellent job on the brief he inherited, Dicks is just outside of my football memory so can’t really comment on him, but apart from perhaps Jordan I’m not sure that Cotts or GJ would have rebuilt the footballing set up in the same way that NP has.

GJ would never have used the youth to anywhere near the extent Pearson has, that’s for sure. Look how he ultimately destroyed Yeovil after he had initially built them up.

[RedEd73]

6 hours ago, The Masked Man said:

Don't get me wrong I think City should back Pearson as with the right support I think he'll get us to the playoffs but some of the criticism of Steve Lansdown is overdone. I get that people want success but you also need to remember where we came from. This is where we started when SL became chairman. http://stats.football.co.uk/league_tables/2002_2003/league_division_two/index.shtml I think it's only Brentford who have shone from that league. 

Not only Brentford who have shone.

Wigan, Blackpool, Luton, QPR, Huddersfield and Cardiff have all had spells in the Prem since 2002/03

Wigan won the FA Cup too!

Edited October 22, 2023 by RedEd73

[Numero Uno]

7 hours ago, Ivorguy said:

I am horrified at how this club is run.  Absentee Chair, non existent Board, and tax avoiding owner.  Time for the Lansdowns to go after two decades of failure and now, judging from Nige’s comments, threatening the best manager I have seen in over 7 decades of following City.

If Nige is in effect sacked shall support Torquay until we have a new owner. 

Hope Nige reads all the positive comments here.  Can’t imagine what a rough reception any replacement will receive.  Doubt anyway if Nige is sacked anyone with anything about them would wish to come here.

Get behind the best manager we have ever had, folks

 

Add team meddling hierarchy to the list. Whether it’s Steve himself, the boy wonder (if you had to guess…..) or anyone else on the board thinking they have the right to question team selection this is what Steve Lansdown’s ship sails like after 20 years plus of fine tuning.

[ExiledAjax]

9 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Agree Nige is not the silver bullet but he is dictating the standards that are set through the football club at the moment. To suggest his influence is just in the dugout is doing him a massive disservice. He's setting the footballing standards for the men's teams, and the women's teams. He's creating the culture at the club that lays the foundations for success. 

It's very possible that he might not be able to realise the full potential of the club via first team results, but his impact as of now is massive, and we have an owner who has a track record of making incredibly poor footballing decisions. 

So I don't think we should underestimate what we have in Nige. 

 

8 hours ago, Sheltons Army said:

You are trying to hard to hide your dislike of a Pearson aren’t you

I don’t know how long you’ve been around , but you totally underestimate the job Pearson has done

Name me a better manager we’ve had in last 40 years 

You both say I underestimate the job Pearson has done. I think that you are overestimating the job he might do in the future. He's done a good job, he didn't do it singlehandedly, and he's not the only person who could have done it (let's not play the name game, but other men (and women) are capable of doing what he's done).

@Sheltons Army to be clear - I like him as a person and I do value the job he's done. I'm not arguing against extending his contract and I have never called for him to be sacked. If his contract was extended then fine, I don't hate that. 

All I am saying is that I'm not in the camp that thinks if we don't extend him then it's the end of the world. Why is my lower level of enthusiasm an issue?

8 hours ago, cidercity1987 said:

Nigel got wind his position was under threat without results against Coventry/Ipswich?

I see that Piercy says "Pearson indicated his job could be under threat with a poor result in midweek against Ipswich Town", but where does he quote Pearson saying that?

[Wedontplayinblue]

1 hour ago, headhunter said:

"Best manager this club has ever had" is quite an overstatement.

He HAS cleared up the mess left by the Lansdown indulged Lee Johnson & Mark Ashton and maintained Championship status but from an achievement perspective he's behind Dicks, Jordan and GJ in my book.

He is the best manager we have ever had though, career wise, you won’t find anyone who has been better?

[Harry R]

Not really defending the Lansdowns here, but I imagine the 'previously' in relation to Andy King's selection refers to the time when he was being picked at centre half ahead of Rob Atkinson in the middle of a bad run of results. If you were the owner, you might reasonably have asked about that.

Seems pretty obvious that it wasn't about King's selection yesterday.

 

[Street red]

58 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

GJ would never have used the youth to anywhere near the extent Pearson has, that’s for sure. Look how he ultimately destroyed Yeovil after he had initially built them up.

Yep and Yeovil have payed the price for giving up on local talent which there is plenty of.

[RedEyez]

If the general consensus of city fans is that Nige deserves a new contract then can’t section 82 arrange another fancy banner so we can get those feelings across to the powers that be?

Something like , “Pearson in or Lansdown out” should do the trick. 

[Wokingham Red]

“There’s only one Nigel Pearson” on repeat Wednesday night 

[RedRock]

Only City could win, move up to 8th and still depress their supporters.

Not a clue what’s going on. It needs sorting quick though and I think Nige’s move yesterday could just bring this festering mess to a head.

May be Steve needs a personal coach, tell him age-wise 70 is the new 50, that his Bristol Sport vision is delivering - the basketball, rugby, football all doing relatively well, the sporting complex is getting there - and he should stick around to enjoy the fruits of his labours. 

If he doesn’t want to stay, cause he’s bored, wants to invest (admirably) in his conservation work, or is just fed up with the hassle … and I get that …. then ‘uncouple’ in a way that doesn’t damage the Club’s or his legacy.

Either way, let’s just have some communication on the current state of affairs before you lose the fan base and people waste energy on negative thinking. 

 

[One Team]

50 minutes ago, RedEyez said:

If the general consensus of city fans is that Nige deserves a new contract then can’t section 82 arrange another fancy banner so we can get those feelings across to the powers that be?

Something like , “Pearson in or Lansdown out” should do the trick. 

Not a bad shout I think at least one of the lads posts on here, but might be worth messaging them on Instagram. Depends whether they agree with the views though I guess! 

[Mike Hunt-Hertz]

14 hours ago, Whitchurch said:

We really are the football definition of all the gear no idea 

Yeah...we've got a great f*****g concourse.

 

[Ashtongreight]

2 hours ago, headhunter said:

"Best manager this club has ever had" is quite an overstatement.

He HAS cleared up the mess left by the Lansdown indulged Lee Johnson & Mark Ashton and maintained Championship status but from an achievement perspective he's behind Dicks, Jordan and GJ in my book.

Agreed, maybe best recent manager would be more accurate, the ones you list are from years ago. 

[Alessandro]

I always try and look at all situations with a bit of logic to understand what is going on at the club. 
 

But TBH everything that is happening defies logic.

We all know the arguments around the Scott money - “football spends what football earns” well, not always.

Lansdown wants to be more hands off - so he fires his CEO and doesn’t reappoint, meaning there is 1 person (Tinnion) doing the role of maybe 3 at another club - lovely guy Tinnion, but he is the ultimate yes man to SL. So now we hear about the board questioning team selections, I mean, WTAF?!

And despite this, we sit, somehow even with our young, injury hit squad, in 8th, 1 point off the hallowed play offs. Everything SL apparently wants, yet, he interferes, he doesn’t give the man who is undertaking the huge task of cleaning up his mess and installing the culture we needed and now have at the club the tools to really get it done.

Nige is building something here and SL in his hubris could very quickly throw it all away.

It all defies logic - unless you look at the personality himself. 
 

Ego and emotion - two things that seem to be ruling SL’s actions at the moment - perhaps even jealous of NP’s popularity. Imagine if NP actually got us up, it would be all about the miracle job NP has done, not what SL has built.

So he continues to seemingly tie one of Nige’s hands behind his back, despite the job he is doing.

Whether he survives this latest outburst, we’ll see. What money he gets in Jan, we’ll see. 
 

SL has run this club with ego and emotion for years hasn’t he really and I fear he’s losing sight of reality, losing touch with the fans. Could he turn into an old dictator clinging on, lashing out?
 

Ousting Pearson would defy all logic.

Edited October 22, 2023 by Alessandro

[RedEyez]

5 minutes ago, One Team said:

Not a bad shout I think at least one of the lads posts on here, but might be worth messaging them on Instagram. Depends whether they agree with the views though I guess! 

Ah shame. I don’t have instagram. Anyone know any “82ers” on here to tag them ? 

[MartockRed]

1 hour ago, Harry R said:

Not really defending the Lansdowns here, but I imagine the 'previously' in relation to Andy King's selection refers to the time when he was being picked at centre half ahead of Rob Atkinson in the middle of a bad run of results. If you were the owner, you might reasonably have asked about that.

Seems pretty obvious that it wasn't about King's selection yesterday.

 

And Rob Atkinson came back a better player for it, he stated that himself. 
It wasn’t the first time NP done this with a player who he feels aren’t reaching their potential, and it won’t be the last. 
Tough love but excellent man management. Players resting on their laurels is main ingredient for inconsistency. 
NP is changing the culture of our forever present achilles heel of being a soft touch, and his methods should not be questioned by the hierarchy.

After Holdens appointment in 2020, then the comments from SL a few months later (which have been totally swept under the carpet) about how he was massively in favour of Project Big Picture, I’d lost all faith of any kind of relative success for our football club. 
 

NP was the last person on earth SL would employ. I was back on board and buzzing again, not just because NP was top of my list, but it was also a massive indication that SL (11 years on since the last proper manager we had,Steve Coppell) may have finally learnt his lesson. Obviously not according to all this.

Im well up for something visual and vocal in support of NP over the next few games, or however long it takes. If he goes, then after 26 years a season holder I’m gone too. 

Edited October 22, 2023 by MartockRed

[Bazooka Joe]

14 hours ago, Numero Uno said:

I can imagine the conversation”why is King starting?”. “Cos I picked him you daft ***”…..:::

Lansdown Idiot #1 or #2 : "Why is King starting?"

Pearson: "Cos, you've given me virtually no support and are trying to do everything possible to force me out. I'm doing whatever I can, with the bare bones available, to demonstrate what I am capable of achieving, and to give these great supporters what they deserve"

Lansdown Idiot #1 or #2 : "Right you cheeky bstard, just for that, we're giving your job to Downsey"

 

For anyone who thinks this is a joke, it may be closer to the truth than we can imagine. (Apart from the Downsey part, of course).

The Clownsdowns' dislike of Pearson is inexplicable and embarrassing.

 

[RedEyez]

29 minutes ago, One Team said:

Not a bad shout I think at least one of the lads posts on here, but might be worth messaging them on Instagram. Depends whether they agree with the views though I guess! 

@James

[bcfcnick]

I suspect the detail in this story may have influenced the lack of extension to Pearson's contract.  https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-nigel-pearson-health-8849140

If it is, I strongly disagree because firstly, Nigel has done a brilliant job; transforming the culture, reducing the wage bill substantially yet improving the style of football (when injuries allow), and he has brought the best out of young players of which two (Semenyo and Scott) have brought in £30m for the Club.  The recruitment has been pretty astute as well given the wage constraints. He's put a lot of emphasis on character as well as age and ability with the result that we have a committed squad and the same togetherness and culture that he developed at Leicester. 

He gets plaudits from most former players he's managed and many believe he built the foundations for Leicester's success. He is clearly committed and wants to finish the job he has started. We are lucky to have him and it's a mystery why SL doesn't appreciate this.

There is no indication he can't continue to do his job effectively despite his back/neurological issue and as he says himself, his style is leading via observation rather than that of a hands-on coach.  It's also a health issue that is hopefully going to be resolved.  It would leave a sour taste both with Nigel and the fans if the issue was left until he has recovered. He's a leader, respected by the players, an authoritative figurehead and pretty much the sole spokesman for the Club including a few issues that SL and JL should take responsibility for.

Football and businessmen can be ruthless but SL needs to recognise the fantastic job Nigel has done and do the decent thing that also happens to be in the best interests of the Club.   

[Spike]

2 hours ago, RedEd73 said:

Not only Brentford who have shone.

Wigan, Blackpool, Luton, QPR, Huddersfield and Cardiff have all had spells in the Prem since 2002/03

Wigan won the FA Cup too!

The issue with those names though is to look where they've been since. Blackpool are a league below us and most of their fans would kill to be where we are right now, Cardiff survived relegation due to a points deduction of they'd be down there too, Huddersfield also avoided relegation thanks to points deductions, QPR have been mediocre for the longest time and Luton will probably be in the same situation if they can't find a way to start in the Premier League for a few seasons. 

This is why I think SL is so coy about promotion now, not a lot of teams in our financial group have gone up and managed to adapt and all of them have struggled with the jump. With Pearson we have some structure in the football part of the club, with SL we have financial strength but in the middle where you link these together we seem to have no one capable and that's a recipe for distaster. 

People need to stop comparing us to "teams who made it" because for every success story there are 20 stories of failure. We're not Luton, we're not Brentford, we're not Cardiff, QPR, Huddersfield and so on, we're Bristol City and we need to do it our own way, not by looking at other clubs and saying "well they did it", especially when a lot of those who "did it" are now below us or less competitive than before they managed it. 

[redrob]

40 minutes ago, Ashtongreight said:

Agreed, maybe best recent manager would be more accurate, the ones you list are from years ago. 

Crieky GJ is "from years ago". I've never felt so old

[ray savino]

1 hour ago, Jeez said:

I’m ok with a change of management next season if we’re clear on the direction of travel from the top of the club, however, the only real audible or visible leader at a senior level in the club is Nigel, so changing him becomes a huge risk as he’s driving culture more than the club.

So if SL wants an easy life, surely a simple 2 year extension fill the brief & the silent board can continue to shuffle around in the shadows.

 

I think this is the most relevant aspect of this whole conversation. 
 

Like Pearson or not, there has seemed to be a method or plan to what he(or the football management side of the club, Tinnion, closer ties to the Academy, etc., attempting to create a playing identity, therefore a more focused style of identifying players to recruit, etc. All under financial constraints. And trying to change the comfy mentality of the club.

It’s not perfect, but it has kind of worked so far. To this end, I believe Pearson has achieved the main part of his brief. Build a foundation, introduce a plan to stabilise the football side and to grow again, all with financial constraints and crucially without being relegated. In the past we have attempted to do this after a relegation.

History also shows us that the current ownership have seemingly changed direction in terms of coaches, management, transfer/financial policy many times over the past two decades.

And this is my worry. I think that the lack of a real plan comes back to the lack of expertise and leadership in the board of directors. SL does not appear to have a clear plan anymore about how to achieve his vision of premier league sport for Bristol. We need to have the same type of planning and succession planning as the Brightons, Brentford’s, etc. That doesn’t mean trying to copy their model. But at least have a consistent and coherent plan. It seems to me that SL has clearly lost enthusiasm and needs to sell up to allow new impetus and a board with a focused plan to take over. The fact that he has not wanted to put in a new CEO and has been pretty frugal with the Scott money compared to his support for the manager when money was around, makes me think he is clearing the decks for a new investor asap.

So my feeling is that Pearson or no Pearson, unless there is some resolution to what is happening to the overall direction of this club in terms of long term planning, then we await yet another haphazard reactive team manager appointment without much logic beyond “this one might do it, we haven’t tried this style of management yet!” And hope that SL strikes lucky.

SL has been a great financial benefactor and a vital one too, make no mistake. But he has been a poor decision maker in implementing a team around him to help him put together a plan to achieve his very laudable vision of giving Bristol much needed sporting success.

As for Pearson, I like him overall. You can see what he’s trying to do under the constraints. But whoever is at the helm, there has to be a plan and afeeling of overall direction from the top - and I mean the board of directors, ownership. If SL has run out of steam then a change in the ownership is a must. Even if that means SL stays but allows new dynamic investors onto his board.

 

[Olé]

To this day one of the most defining moments of the club since we got back to the Championship was an SL interview with Radio Bristol when in doing what he thought was attempting to draw fire away from LJ, he clumsily bigged up the fact that he would actually have calls with LJ on the Friday night before a game and on the Sunday after to debrief, as (his words - or at least something along these lines) a means for LJ to have someone to discuss his plans with.

At the time I thought it was very very odd and was quite surprised more wasn't made of it, I'd love to find the transcript again. It's why the appointment of Dean Holden was completely predictable and is why Nigel Pearson has always had a limited lifespan at Ashton Gate and he knows it (hence the constant comments about whether or not he is the one to finish the job or someone else will do so). NP knows very very well what SL wants from a manager - sorry Head Coach.

Pearson has done everything this club has badly needed - shed the bloated squad of indulged signings and average squad players, brought though youth, and created a tight unit and culture that we haven't had since the last promotion side. I also think he's created a sense of leadership and accountability that now runs through the footballing operation (whether explicitly or just by exposure to his standards). None of that is as important as the access that SL is missing.

[Jose]

10 hours ago, Ivorguy said:

I am horrified at how this club is run.  Absentee Chair, non existent Board, and tax avoiding owner.  Time for the Lansdowns to go after two decades of failure and now, judging from Nige’s comments, threatening the best manager I have seen in over 7 decades of following City.

If Nige is in effect sacked shall support Torquay until we have a new owner. 

Hope Nige reads all the positive comments here.  Can’t imagine what a rough reception any replacement will receive.  Doubt anyway if Nige is sacked anyone with anything about them would wish to come here.

Get behind the best manager we have ever had, folks

 

It feels like we’ve been saying this about Lansdown for years. ( I’m an old user as couldn’t log on for some reason ) I take no pride in being proved right but it I’m glad people are finally seing the light. 
 

It is so frustrating. Look what Nige is doing with basically two hands tied behind his back. I hope there is big big support for him Wednesday. Really would be interested to see what he could do with even a tiny bit of backing. 

[Galley is our king]

Interesting isn't it, the current situation, good large group of youth talent with with the odd experienced head reminds me of the Alan Dicks era.

Most of the crowd wanted Dicks out! But Harry Dolman saw something in Dicks and kept him.... the rest is history.

We are now in a similar situation BUT it seems the roles are reversed. The supporters want the manager to stay but the owner seemingly wants rid.

Please Steve, take a lesson from History. Be the bigger man and keep NP at Ashton Gate. There is no better example that that of Harry Dolman to follow.