Why Are We Constantly Celebrating Average & Our Failed Past?

[Mr Popodopolous]

13 minutes ago, BCFC31 said:

Probably because we are a bang average underwhelming club ? We love this club but that is the truth and as I have said before untill we have ownership who wants to have a go and wants to change that then we will continue to be a bang average underwhelming club

We did give it a bit of a go in fairness in the Johnson and Ashton era.

Record wage bills, record spend..One year contained record turnover and record losses simultaneously.

However we gave the keys to the Kingdom to Lee Johnson and Mark Ashton. My god.

A squad with some PL experience, high Championship experience, International players and players from top 5-7 divisions in Europe.

That or the budget to attract those...and Lee Johnson and Mark Ashton had the keys to the Kingdom. It's incredible thinking about it..

[The turtle]

While the past players birthday nonsense is beyond pointless.

 

I feel your missing three key points.

1. The stories of days gone by are what hook future generations. Alan walsh, forest, square posts; one of many stories which enchanted me to the legend of the club.

2 they wrote that history and deserve it. It's a manager's job to be onto the next game, fans should never forget. Even just writing this I'm taken to Mansfield away (good game eh @elhombrecito)

3. The football has not been great since peak LJ, that's a lot of years. There's a reason future players has it's own sub forum.  When football gets you down.... You know that was then but it could be again.

You look back to Remind yourself, why you still go, why you take 2 hrs out your day in lisbon to watch city defend, why you don't book holidays at the end of may. When football is punching you in this face (often) memories is often your best defence.

 

...

Ps. Seriously city, 90 mins of football should be accessible on robins tv from the moment the game kicks off, not 3 days later.

[Bazooka Joe]

1 hour ago, Ghost Rider said:

Absolutely, Bazooka. Regardless of whether he was ousted, stepped down, or whatever the case may be, he's no longer in the picture, and that's the bottom line.

When it comes to the Lansdowns, it's a bit of a tricky one for me. Defining success becomes a grey area. If success is solely reaching the Premier League, then it's clear we've fallen short thus far. However, if success is measured by winning LDV Vans trophies, securing promotions, Championship playoff final, establishing a new stadium, a state-of-the-art training ground, and maintaining financial stability as a Championship club, then they've undeniably been successful.

Ultimately, their primary aim has been to secure Premiership football, so they've fallen short in achieving that goal so far, BUT, It's important to reflect on the journey. I recall a time when we were a struggling League One club, with a dilapidated Ashton Gate and not much to boast about, so I also have to reassess my opinions at times and look at the bigger picture of where we are going. 

For me, and probably most City fans, given we are in the Championship, I am certain the definition of success is plain and simple.

Promotion.

By the end of next season at the latest.

The very same measure of success that I had for Pearson (realistic or not).

A play-off spot would not be success. It would certainly be a major achievement and milestone, but, if it didn't bring promotion, it would not merit success.

After achieving promotion, the definition of success would, clearly, be something different.

Above I have stated clearly and precisely, what for me, with the Lansdowns/Tinnion/Manning at the helm, would constitute success.

I still await a specific, concise definition of success under Manning, including a precise (non-movable) timescale, from anyone that supports the Lansdowns' readiness to undermine and sabotage a popular, experienced and respected manager and eventually remove him on some false pretext.

I hope they spare me the usual "Manning needs at least 3/4/5 windows" and other such lame excuses.

The bigger picture of where we are going @Ghost Rider will be back where we came from, unless/until we collectively agree that only promotion constitutes success and set a firmly fixed deadline for that.

 

 

[Winterstoke toad]

There’s definitely a tin pot mentality that runs right through the club from boardroom to fans . It started to get better under Pearson but unfortunately that’s come to an end .

 

If you didn’t know much about football you would of thought we had won the fa cup and league cup the way some out of fans bang on about a win against man united and Liverpool . 
 

We’re a big city and a huge catchment area yet as a fan base we don’t have the ambition that a football club in a city our size should . As an example here are some clubs from places with a similar metro population, Athletic Bilbao , Valencia , Nice and Newcastle. 
 

 

Edited December 20, 2023 by Winterstoke toad

[Gimme Shelton]

It's no good me stamping my feet and saying 'I'm really really ambitious for promotion' even along with thousands of others in the fanbase ,if the club owners don't match that ambition.

[BCFCGav]

2 hours ago, Clevedon Red said:

Get yourself on the dull men’s club on Facebook they’d love stats like that

That keeps appearing as a ‘recommended group’ for me which I have mixed feelings about. I do enjoy the posts though so clearly not wrong!

[glynriley]

10 minutes ago, Winterstoke toad said:

There’s definitely a tin pot mentality that runs right through the club from boardroom to fans . It started to get better under Pearson but unfortunately that’s come to an end .

 

 

 

 

For the first time (ever..?) we had a manager and a CEO who had been there and done it in the premier league. They were both shown the door quick smart by the owner, for reasons unknown (too ambitious..?)

What was it Phil Alexander said on leaving, "The team is in good hands with Nigel Pearson"..?

We've now got the chuckle brothers running the club, not much to look forward to IMO.

Edited December 20, 2023 by glynriley

[Mr Popodopolous]

8 minutes ago, Gimme Shelton said:

It's no good me stamping my feet and saying 'I'm really really ambitious for promotion' even along with thousands of others in the fanbase ,if the club owners don't match that ambition.

We gave it a go under Lee Johnson and Mark Ashton, but again Steve Lansdown backing the wrong horse on 2 or 3 fronts.

[Tim Monaghan]

34 minutes ago, Gimme Shelton said:

It's no good me stamping my feet and saying 'I'm really really ambitious for promotion' even along with thousands of others in the fanbase ,if the club owners don't match that ambition.

I believe that's a bit too harsh on the Lansdowns. As someone mentioned earlier, we did give it a shot, but unfortunately, things didn't pan out – that's football for you.

Take a glance at Chelsea and Manchester United; despite spending hundreds of millions, they seem to have worsened. SL might have backed the wrong horse, but to argue that he lacks ambition is untrue. While some believe football is a straightforward equation of money equaling success, it's far more intricate, an unsolvable formula.

The Lansdowns have indeed made some questionable decisions, but as fans, all we have is hindsight to critique them with. I don't recall anyone advising MA and LJ to curb their spending at the time; in fact, we were all clamouring for the signings of Palmer, Kalas, Dasilva etc. At that moment, no one labelled these as poor decisions. However, with hindsight, these very actions are now used as a stick to criticise everyone involved.

 

[Ivorguy]

For me our glorious past was glorious if you think of Wedlock, whom my grandfather’s generation lauded as the best of the best, and my hero Atyeo, whose like we are unlikely to see again - a one club footballing genius and truly great bloke.

 

That is some history to e proud of.  I am 

[Mr Popodopolous]

13 minutes ago, Ghost Rider said:

I believe that's a bit too harsh on the Lansdowns. As someone mentioned earlier, we did give it a shot, but unfortunately, things didn't pan out – that's football for you.

Take a glance at Chelsea and Manchester United; despite spending hundreds of millions, they seem to have worsened. SL might have backed the wrong horse, but to argue that he lacks ambition is untrue. While some believe football is a straightforward equation of money equaling success, it's far more intricate, an unsolvable formula.

The Lansdowns have indeed made some questionable decisions, but as fans, all we have is hindsight to critique them with. I don't recall anyone advising MA and LJ to curb their spending at the time; in fact, we were all clamouring for the signings of Palmer, Kalas, Dasilva etc. At that moment, no one labelled these as poor decisions. However, with hindsight, these very actions are now used as a stick to criticise everyone involved.

 

I suppose he can stick and twist at the wrong time too.

He backed us fairly lavishly in the 2016-2021 period, but his timing is terrible. I also believe Jon Lansdown to be less competent than Steve.

I firmly believe SL thought that, three things maybe..

1) The market would remain quite flat at this level as Covid was huge.

2) The stricter rules on Foreign Player Criteria would remain.

3) Maybe there would've been a new FFP system by now as was mooted in April 2022.

He predicted all 3 incorrectly and I dare say some of his strategy was based on the above.

None of it has materialised and we are suddenly behind the curve a bit.

They always pay the bills and stick within Financial regs which is good.

Edited December 20, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[Davefevs]

6 minutes ago, Ghost Rider said:

I believe that's a bit too harsh on the Lansdowns. As someone mentioned earlier, we did give it a shot, but unfortunately, things didn't pan out – that's football for you.

Take a glance at Chelsea and Manchester United; despite spending hundreds of millions, they seem to have worsened. SL might have backed the wrong horse, but to argue that he lacks ambition is untrue. While some believe football is a straightforward equation of money equaling success, it's far more intricate, an unsolvable formula.

The Lansdowns have indeed made some questionable decisions, but as fans, all we have is hindsight to critique them with. I don't recall anyone advising MA and LJ to curb their spending at the time; in fact, we were all clamouring for the signings of Palmer, Kalas, Dasilva etc. At that moment, no one labelled these as poor decisions. However, with hindsight, these very actions are now used as a stick to criticise everyone involved.

 

Agree in the main.

Some of us did tender caution re spending at the time though.  Some of us wrote about it at length.  Covid sped up the impact hitting home, covid wasn’t the reason (not saying you are saying this, many do though, and it’s wrong)!  Classic risk and reward, just like the other clubs.  Chelsea still trying it with their 8 year contracts!!!  Some never learn.

I’m not a huge fan of them, but they always pay the bills, they aren’t without some credit in my eyes.

[Davefevs]

7 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

I suppose he can stick and twist at the wrong time too.

He backed us fairly lavishly in the 2016-2021 period, but his timing is terrible. I also believe Jon Lansdown to be less competent than Steve.

Here is the thing. I believe he believed that the most Covid subdued market at this level would carry into this season. It hasn't.

This defacto post Scott sale puts us behind the 8-ball a bit. The game, the market moved quickly.

Then you look at another factor. This summer the FA liberalised Work Permits or some kinda deal Idk. Won't affect top players but it opens possibilities at this level.

We stick with Plan A.

Suddenly we are behind the curve a tad..and I don't believe SL anticipated either of these and failed to adjust his strategy a bit to account for it.

That is a good point(s)!

Couple that with the new tv deal, bringing in circa £3m per season extra, it has quickened the recovery.

Edited December 20, 2023 by Davefevs

[Mr Popodopolous]

14 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

That is a good point(s)!

Couple that with the new tv deal, bringing in circa £3m per season extra, it has quickened the recovery.

I edited my post slightly but agreed. The £3m kicks in year but some have already started spending it. Not us though.

In some ways we trying to belatedly run a bit more sensibly are victims of operating in an industry that is already forgetting lessons. Not perhaps as much as say Barnsley, Rotherham who consistently run within their means especially Rotherham.

Edited December 20, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[fisherrich]

1 hour ago, Winterstoke toad said:

There’s definitely a tin pot mentality that runs right through the club from boardroom to fans . It started to get better under Pearson but unfortunately that’s come to an end .

 

If you didn’t know much about football you would of thought we had won the fa cup and league cup the way some out of fans bang on about a win against man united and Liverpool . 
 

We’re a big city and a huge catchment area yet as a fan base we don’t have the ambition that a football club in a city our size should . As an example here are some clubs from places with a similar metro population, Athletic Bilbao , Valencia , Nice and Newcastle. 
 

 

Agreed

Owners, Boardroom, CEO, Scouting Setup, Club shop, Website, Robins TV = Tinpot examples.

Lots more examples but I can’t be bothered to mention them.

[BCFC31]

2 hours ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

We did give it a bit of a go in fairness in the Johnson and Ashton era.

Record wage bills, record spend..One year contained record turnover and record losses simultaneously.

However we gave the keys to the Kingdom to Lee Johnson and Mark Ashton. My god.

A squad with some PL experience, high Championship experience, International players and players from top 5-7 divisions in Europe.

That or the budget to attract those...and Lee Johnson and Mark Ashton had the keys to the Kingdom. It's incredible thinking about it..

Thing is the clubs very amateurish it's okay throwing money at it now and again but you need the recruitment to back it up we just end up having a mare and signing bang average players for high wages etc hulls new owners have gone in there chucked abit of money at it along with some very smart business and there in the play offs this season having a go it can be done I don't mean go mental and bankrupt the club obviously but we seem to be extremely cautious now under Lansdown or he simply refuses to have another go if they got recruitment sorted and put some money in I feel we could make a push but I don't trust the lansdownes to do it all properly 

[redsquirrel]

20 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

I edited my post slightly but agreed. The £3m kicks in year but some have already started spending it. Not us though.

In some ways we trying to belatedly run a bit more sensibly are victims of operating in an industry that is already forgetting lessons. Not perhaps as much as say Barnsley, Rotherham who consistently run within their means especially Rotherham.

pm sent 

[Mr Popodopolous]

9 minutes ago, BCFC31 said:

Thing is the clubs very amateurish it's okay throwing money at it now and again but you need the recruitment to back it up we just end up having a mare and signing bang average players for high wages etc hulls new owners have gone in there chucked abit of money at it along with some very smart business and there in the play offs this season having a go it can be done I don't mean go mental and bankrupt the club obviously but we seem to be extremely cautious now under Lansdown or he simply refuses to have another go if they got recruitment sorted and put some money in I feel we could make a push but I don't trust the lansdownes to do it all properly 

Let's see with Hull, make you right on one level. Otoh their owner said he had trebled the wage bill or the average pay of the players by August 2022, and he only had his takeover finally ratified in January.

If they're down here in 18 months it could be a problem.

Agree on the 2nd point, if we still had NP, Gould and some money I would feel confident of a good go at the top 6 tbh. Playoffs not top 2.

[The Nest Egg]

5 hours ago, cotswoldred2 said:

And why does Mr P edit 99% of his posts?

Livid...

And use of acronym R.I.P.

IF we need to remember a person's passing at least have the time to say something meaningful.

Troll, a insult levelled at someone who doesn't agree with your ridiculous views.

XMAS ...it's Christmas.

Football at Christmas to make us even more miserable than we have ever been up to then... as in last ******* XM ...err Christmas.

Happy Holidays. 

 

 

 

 

You've just reminded me actually, I need to get some bottles of Baileys before Christmas 

[Lack of Action Man]

Nostalgia - it ain’t what it used to be.

But in all seriousness, whilst we may as a club have a tendency to fixate on the past (I do agree wishing former players happy birthday on social media is bizarre), we’ve little of note presently to talk about!

Seems patently obvious we are more at risk of going down than up under the new regime and the board couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery.

People long for those tangible, yet fleeting, moments where our club really did shine in the sun. Because for the vast majority of the time, we languish in a monumental mass of manure.

[Mr Popodopolous]

One thing I found a bit, although it helped with the atmosphere seeing Baker again and Shaun Goater on the pitch but I found in that last game before the WC break, marking the 25th Anniversary of our third tier promotion tussle with Watford a bit odd.

I know it was v Watford 25 years but that was somewhat different.

[BCFC31]

27 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Let's see with Hull, make you right on one level. Otoh their owner said he had trebled the wage bill or the average pay of the players by August 2022, and he only had his takeover finally ratified in January.

If they're down here in 18 months it could be a problem.

Agree on the 2nd point, if we still had NP, Gould and some money I would feel confident of a good go at the top 6 tbh. Playoffs not top 2.

Lots of clubs have had success with it tbf Nottingham forest, Fulham,  brentford, bournmouth, wolves  it can get you there if you do it properly of course.

Edited December 20, 2023 by BCFC31

[Mr Popodopolous]

14 minutes ago, BCFC31 said:

Lots of clubs have had success with it tbf Nottingham forest, Fulham,  brentford, bournmouth, wolves  it can get you there if you do it properly of course.

I agree with your underlying point and it is possible but I'd say Hull have 18 months pretty much.

If they do it and don't break regs, well done.

Bournemouth broke FFP when it was easier to do so, 2nd time hugely Parachute bolstered and Parker just about got them over the line.

Fulham have been in receipt of Parachute Payments or PL cash since 2001-02, Al Fayed spent freely indeed pre FFP. However credit.

Wolves are a bigger club anyway and superagent tieups always help but it is intelligent.

Nottingham Forest are also a bigger club and rode their luck in some ways.

Brentford in some ways are a good parallel. They probably had another year and the cost base was rising rapidly but yeah Hats off tbh! If you look at a range of their foreign players at time they were signed, not a dissimilar starting point or pedigree to some of ours.

We failed to push to the financials that we should in January 2008.

Edited December 20, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[bredwood]

6 hours ago, Ghost Rider said:

Why can't we, as a club and a fanbase, be a bit more with the times?

I don’t really understand what you mean by this. All fans forums look back at the past, we aren’t any different. We are looking at another season of mid table mediocrity so it’s only natural to look back to happier times. 

[luke_bristol]

5 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

No matter where we are- that night at the Man U game was simply sublime. Nothing bitter for me.

I started attending matches in the early 80's so thats 40 years now. Probably half that has been in Div 3. I genuinely don't get the "we should expect more" in that if you choose to drive a Ford Fiesta 1.1 then it's silly getting frustrated that it doesn't do 0-60 in 4.2 seconds.

I think we've only once looked like we may genuinely get to the top tier since 1980 and we've never come close since that season or before.BCFC are rank outsiders every year and I don't see that changing without a really big slice of luck/rub of the green/everything clicking.

 

We’re driving a Ford Fiesta but paying the equivalent of the monthly finance on a 5 Series M Sport  

[noize]

The reason the club seems obsessed with the past is because that's the only good thing about the club, the "present" is a shit show to be honest, so why would they focus on it? Better to talk about the odd star player here and there than shine a light on the current miss-management.

The reason people talk about Pearson is because those fans believe forward thinking and progress would be to reach the Prem, that's not people stuck in the past, its people that believed Pearson was the answer to a prosperous future, which got taken away by the clowns. So that feeling of frustration will last a while.

The fans are not the problem with this club, the problem is the Lansdown's end of, a little bit of investment in the right places and some good decisions and the club could of reached the prem ages ago. I think i would struggle to do something for nearly 30 years and not improve at it.

The true "obsession" is the Lansdown's obsession with the Championship, as i said before, they have turned City into a boring club, that lacks ambition with shit owners.

Anyway, i actually liked lee trundle.

Edited December 20, 2023 by noize

[The Wild Bunch]

Liverpool and Man U games were great but having posters around the ground celebrating  these games is tinpot.  

[pillred]

6 hours ago, 2015 said:

We're a small club that plays in a big City. Our history is very very modest, at best. 

We should expect better. Unfortunately, we've missed the boat on appointing the right Manager's, many nearly moments and an ownership that isn't ruthless enough to see us get to the top.

I wouldn't go as far as calling us a small club, as far as the ground, facilities, crowd numbers, and potential are concerned, but we are definitely an underperforming one.

Edited December 20, 2023 by pillred

[Mr Popodopolous]

6 minutes ago, noize said:

The reason the club seems obsessed with the past is because that's the only good thing about the club, the "present" is a shit show to be honest, so why would they focus on it? Better to talk about the odd star player here and there than shine a light on the current miss-management.

The reason people talk about Pearson is because those fans believe forward thinking and progress would be to reach the Prem, that's not people stuck in the past, its people that believed Pearson was the answer to a prosperous future, which got taken away by the clowns. So that feeling of frustration will last a while.

The fans are not the problem with this club, the problem is the Lansdown's end of, a little bit of investment in the right places and some good decisions and the club could of reached the prem ages ago. I think i would struggle to do something for nearly 30 years and not improve at it.

The true "obsession" is the Lansdown's obsession with the Championship, as i said before, they have turned City into a boring club, that lacks ambition with shit owners.

Anyway, i actually liked lee trundle.

Tbh ground, markedly better (whether the atmosphere has improved certainly weighted cor attendance post rebuild is a very different debate).

HPC likewise. The Academy is producing a higher average range than it used to.

We have had a more prosperous decade than the one which preceded it and a more prosperous 20 odd years say in terms of which division than the prior 2 but...at the same time...it's a bit glacial and I totally agree on NP and such a bad decision which probably sets us back somewhat.

[Major Isewater]

I think we should celebrate our Europa cup win five years from now.