Steve Lansdown Legacy: I'm grateful, but if LM doesn't work, it's time to sell.

[Tim Monaghan]

I've been a devoted Bristol City supporter for 34 years, I find myself at a crossroads, a juncture if you will, where admiration and concern intersect. Its all steamed from the debate this morning on the FBC Podcast. Steve Lansdown, the visionary behind our beloved club since 1996, has left an indelible mark on our history. His passion, commitment, and financial backing have propelled Bristol City to new heights, this is undeniable, yet, as we stand on the precipice of another season of mediocrity (some on here will argue self inflicted), I can’t help but feel that this is a pivotal moment—a last chance saloon—for Lansdown’s ownership.

First of all, let me begin by expressing my gratitude. Steve Lansdown’s journey with Bristol City mirrors that of many fans. From fan on the terraces through his sons love of Bristol City, he transitioned from a passionate supporter to a director, and eventually, the owner. His investment in the club has been transformative. Nobody can deny that. The redevelopment of Ashton Gate stands as a testament to his commitment. Our new modern facilities and infrastructure have surpassed expectations, providing our players and fans with an environment befitting a club with ambitions.

But success in football is a fickle mistress. It demands results, both on and off the pitch. And herein lies the conundrum. While I will forever be grateful for Lansdown’s contributions, I can’t ignore the recent growing turbulence. Liam Manning’s appointment as head coach—I feel a pivotal decision—has placed the spotlight squarely on Lansdown’s shoulders yet again. I feel his success or failure will reverberate through the corridors of Ashton Gate on this occasion. 

As fans, we yearn for stability in fact its a must, however, football and sport in general is about progress, and silverware. But I'm asking myself, is it too much to ask for both? I want to see our team compete at the highest level, challenging for promotion, and perhaps even gracing the Premier League. I get that football is a game of fine margins, tiny percentages and a dash of luck, but I feel that they have made so many wrong decisions on the football side, that if Mannings tenure doesn't work out how we hope, the Lansdowns must introspect. He must consider whether it’s time to pass the baton—to let someone else steer the ship with new ideas and investment into the team. 

If, or as some are convinced, when, Manning fails, Lansdown must be prepared to make the toughest decision of all. Selling up. By his own admission, SL isn't a footballing man. JL is, I've actually played football with him, but this is also under question with a vast majority of our supporters. He will also always be the rich boys son or crayon boy as the highest intellectuals will crow. A highly unfair tag, but one he will never shake, lets be fair. 

Above all, do I trust the current set-up to choose another manager should (when) this one fails? After all, their track record is somewhat erm, shite (when you also include hires when he was part of the board etc): 

• John Ward - Success
• Benny Lennartsson - Failure
• Tony Pulis - Failure 
• Danny Wilson - Played nice football, but... 
• Brain (judge me on) Tinnion - Huge failure 
• Gary Johnson - Success 
• Keith Millen - Failure 
• Steve Coppell - Huge Failure after owners signing of David James meant he only lasted 3 months
• Derek McInnes - Huge Failure
• SOD - Huge Failure
• Steve Cotterill - Huge Success (pretty sure he was Keith Dawes appointment though and SL didn't want him)
• Lee Johnson - Mixed
• Dean Holden - Failure 
• Nigel Pearson - Failure 
• Liam Manning - Looking like its failing (even though I feel its too soon to tell) 

Anyway, this is a very long winded way, and maybe a chance for me to verbal diarrhoea some words on to a page, to say that if this doesn't work out then maybe enough is enough. Bristol is one of the biggest cities in the United Kingdom. Our catchment area is insane. We as a football club should have tasted success, especially with how committed, and lets be honest, patient, our fanbase have been. 

Mr Lansdown, selling isn’t a sign of defeat; it’s an acknowledgment of responsibility. It’s saying, “I’ve given my all, but now it’s time for fresh ideas, renewed vigour, and a different path.”

My mind has been swung. I appreciate your dedication, your love for the club, and the dreams you’ve woven into the fabric of Bristol City. But we also recognize that this is a critical juncture. I'm praying the footballing gods smile upon us, and Liam Mannings reign lead us to glory, I believe it can, but if I'm wrong (and many of you think I am) may you find the courage to pass the torch—to let another custodian shape our destiny. I feel its time. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 6 by Tim Monaghan

[Kid in the Riot]

Yawn. I've been saying this for years. Glad everyone else has now seen the light though. 

Quick one to cheer everyone up: the last time Jon was left in charge was the McInnes and SOD days (both were his picks) which ultimately ended in relegation from the Championship. Same may well happen again. 

[Mr Popodopolous]

O'Driscoll had a rather at least competent not stellar but safe track record prior to joining us tbh and was experienced but not past it age wise.

Him aside, don't see how NP was or could be classed as a failure.

Mediocrity maybe the least of our concerns unless we wake up sharpish albeit at Ipswich we showed signs.

[OneTeamInBristol]

Hasn't Lansdown said more than once recently he's looking for fresh investment in the club?

Maybe that is the start....

[Tim Monaghan]

7 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Yawn. I've been saying this for years. Glad everyone else has now seen the light though. 

Quick one to cheer everyone up: the last time Jon was left in charge was the McInnes and SOD days (both were his picks) which ultimately ended in relegation from the Championship. Same may well happen again. 

Some of us aren't as intelligent and as wise as you clearly are, Sir.  Useful info on the McInnes and SOD hires. Funnily enough, the people I know within the game have always raved about SOD and still do. He just wasn't the right fit, was he. 

[Mr Hankey]

Classing Pearson as a failure is mind boggling.

[Tim Monaghan]

7 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

O'Driscoll had a rather at least competent not stellar but safe track record prior to joining us tbh and was experienced but not past it age wise.

Him aside, don't see how NP was or could be classed as a failure.

Mediocrity maybe the least of our concerns unless we wake up sharpish albeit at Ipswich we showed signs.

I just said to KITR that SOD has a great rep within the football community. Eddie Howe raves about him all the time. He thinks hes a genius. Funny old game. 

[Merrick's Marvels]

"Visionary"? I stopped reading right there.

Agree with the overall sentiment, based on the thread title.

[Merrick's Marvels]

13 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Yawn. I've been saying this for years. Glad everyone else has now seen the light though. 

Quick one to cheer everyone up: the last time Jon was left in charge was the McInnes and SOD days (both were his picks) which ultimately ended in relegation from the Championship. Same may well happen again. 

McInnes was Colin Sexstone, surely?

[ray savino]

The biggest signing SL should have made is a Sporting/Football Director (Stuart Webber type of Huddersfield/Norwich successful period) who was football world street wise, knowledgeable and experienced, to run and establish that side of the club. SL should have someone (GM is it?) to oversee the financial and business stability of the club. Finance after all is his expertise, football vision isn’t. 

I think SL thought he had done this with Mark Ashton, but SL’s hands off approach and JL’s inexperience seemed to let MA run riot. MA seems to be managed by Ipswich owners and SL give him too much freedom. I think that is why SL doesn’t trust football industry people through this and his dealings with agents so forth. 

Pearson, however good or bad a manager debated to death. But he told so home truths about the strange passive running of the club and comfy attitude. SL doesn’t trust relinquishing much control but he should have done to a football CEO/Director to run that bit. 

So what next? Can’t see Manning going easily, as this seems the Boards attempt of a planned football strategy and template. To me it feels a bit lightweight, but they have publicly announced it so they have to live or die by their decision. So if Manning does stay(barring a relegation catastrophe this season), then they have to back him properly if they have faith in him.

But for me, as with his previous business at HL, he should have got in some pretty heavyweight experience in to run and structure the football model to the available budget to grow that side of the club.

Sure of one thing, we can’t vote the owners out, we can only hope that they get an appointment right for a change.

[Silvio Dante]

20 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Yawn. I've been saying this for years. Glad everyone else has now seen the light though. 

Quick one to cheer everyone up: the last time Jon was left in charge was the McInnes and SOD days (both were his picks) which ultimately ended in relegation from the Championship. Same may well happen again. 

To be fair, there was some logic to both McInnes and SOD. The former had come off a decent playing career and done well at St Johnstone. I’d argue at the time he was seen as fairly hot property. The mistake was that his level was very much Scotland and he decided to flood our (in his words already bloated squad) with below average Scottish players and Jody bloody Morris. A few synergies with Manning in terms of doing well at a lower level with the added point of no prior sackings and the playing career. Got the logic, but didn’t work.

SOD I wanted as our manager when Tinnion left originally. And I think he did a pretty decent job here in every aspect but on the pitch (so the most important bit!) - in hindsight he’d actually be better suited as, dare I say it, a director of football job. Unlike McInnes who was wrong man, wrong time, I’d say SOD was right man, wrong time.

[bearded_red]

22 minutes ago, Mr Hankey said:

Classing Pearson as a failure is mind boggling.

Absolutely staggering isn’t it.

[RedRaw]

How can you class Pearson as a failure? He was given a 3 year remit and completely turned the club around. He was not given the opportunity of completing his contract where I am certain we would have ended the season higher than we are likely to now. He was then sacked on a whim from crayon boy for non-football reasons

[GrahamC]

Firstly I’m not grateful to Steve Lansdown for anything other than the development of the stadium.

Unless you’ve been watching us in very recent times only you can’t say he’s “taken us to new heights” Lumsden with Jordan’s team did better than all bar one year of SL’s entire time under the legendary Les Kew..

This is a bit Groundhog Day but he’s meddled when he shouldn’t & been too detached (especially the disastrous Mark Ashton/LJ era) when he should have got a grip.

His track record of appointments is shite, I wouldn’t trust his son to run a coffee shop, let alone the biggest sporting operation in the South West & he’s allowed an illiterate Geordie into a pivotal role he’s no more qualified for than the one his son occupies.

Sell up & **** off.

[Kid in the Riot]

3 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

To be fair, there was some logic to both McInnes and SOD. The former had come off a decent playing career and done well at St Johnstone. I’d argue at the time he was seen as fairly hot property. The mistake was that his level was very much Scotland and he decided to flood our (in his words already bloated squad) with below average Scottish players and Jody bloody Morris. A few synergies with Manning in terms of doing well at a lower level with the added point of no prior sackings and the playing career. Got the logic, but didn’t work.

SOD I wanted as our manager when Tinnion left originally. And I think he did a pretty decent job here in every aspect but on the pitch (so the most important bit!) - in hindsight he’d actually be better suited as, dare I say it, a director of football job. Unlike McInnes who was wrong man, wrong time, I’d say SOD was right man, wrong time.

Both times the problem is the structure behind the manager. McInnes knew he was out of his depth and asked for help from the board and got none. Albeit in Scotland, McInnes has gone on to have a good career in management. 

SOD seems to have had similar problems to Manning in style of play. SODs Donny teams were superb and great to watch. Despite some trying to diminish his previous achievements, Manning got both MK Dons and Oxford playing very attractive, attacking football. He was "fairly hot property" as you describe and likely would have been picked up by another Cship club this season, if not us. 

The problem is both were/are operating in an empty vessel. Behind the scenes there's no structure, no plan, and frankly a couple of people out of their depth in the most senior positions. 

It's the same as it was 10 years ago, and it's just become completely laughable. 

[Barrs Court Red]

Loses its punch as the dates are wrong. 
 

Bottom line is, regardless if anyone’s  view is stay or go, the man himself has said the club is up for sale.  He’s off. 

[Sheltons Army]

7 minutes ago, bearded_red said:

Absolutely staggering isn’t it.

And embarrassing 

 

[bearded_red]

Just now, Sheltons Army said:

And embarrassing 

 

Couldn’t agree more.

[Superjack]

7 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Firstly I’m not grateful to Steve Lansdown for anything other than the development of the stadium.

Unless you’ve been watching us in very recent times only you can’t say he’s “taken us to new heights” Lumsden with Jordan’s team did better than all bar one year of SL’s entire time under the legendary Les Kew..

This is a bit Groundhog Day but he’s meddled when he shouldn’t & been too detached (especially the disastrous Mark Ashton/LJ era) when he should have got a grip.

His track record of appointments is shite, I wouldn’t trust his son to run a coffee shop, let alone the biggest sporting operation in the South West & he’s allowed an illiterate Geordie into a pivotal role he’s no more qualified for than the one his son occupies.

Sell up & **** off.

[fisherrich]

46 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Yawn. I've been saying this for years. Glad everyone else has now seen the light though. 

Quick one to cheer everyone up: the last time Jon was left in charge was the McInnes and SOD days (both were his picks) which ultimately ended in relegation from the Championship. Same may well happen again. 

Unfortunately you will be proven right. 

[fisherrich]

8 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Both times the problem is the structure behind the manager. McInnes knew he was out of his depth and asked for help from the board and got none. Albeit in Scotland, McInnes has gone on to have a good career in management. 

SOD seems to have had similar problems to Manning in style of play. SODs Donny teams were superb and great to watch. Despite some trying to diminish his previous achievements, Manning got both MK Dons and Oxford playing very attractive, attacking football. He was "fairly hot property" as you describe and likely would have been picked up by another Cship club this season, if not us. 

The problem is both were/are operating in an empty vessel. Behind the scenes there's no structure, no plan, and frankly a couple of people out of their depth in the most senior positions. 

It's the same as it was 10 years ago, and it's just become completely laughable. 

Think everyone now knows that the bullsh*t and lies from the Lansdowns has run its course.
MESSAGE to Steve & Jon - Time to f#ck off PLEASE.

[Roe]

I don't think he needs to sell, but he just needs to employ competent people below him. Jon, Tinnion, Gavin Marshall etc quite clearly aren't the right people

They were somewhat on the right track with Mark Ashton, other than allowing free reign to waste so much money

I thought/hoped Phil Alexander would be the right person to give us the direction we needed but he was also somewhat bizarrely binned off

[Superjack]

2 minutes ago, Roe said:

I don't think he needs to sell, but he just needs to employ competent people below him. Jon, Tinnion, Gavin Marshall etc quite clearly aren't the right people

They were somewhat on the right track with Mark Ashton, other than allowing free reign to waste so much money

I thought/hoped Phil Alexander would be the right person to give us the direction we needed but he was also somewhat bizarrely binned off

He doesn't want competent people. He wants subservience.

He needs to sell up and **** off.

Edited March 6 by Superjack

[Tim Monaghan]

47 minutes ago, Mr Hankey said:

Classing Pearson as a failure is mind boggling.

Sorry, I forgot about the terrible team that Pearson inherited that included Scott, Semenyo, Wiemann, Kalas, Palmer, DaSilva, Bentley, Wells. 

I get that he ran some contracts down, but he still had one of the best squads we've had in YEARS scrapping a midtable finish and a 17th place. If that's success, then I'm out. Do you think the squad he inherited vs the team now was worse? Anyway, I'm not having this Pearson argument again.  

But, lets say he was a success then! 

Edited March 6 by Tim Monaghan

[Antman]

12 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Both times the problem is the structure behind the manager. McInnes knew he was out of his depth and asked for help from the board and got none. Albeit in Scotland, McInnes has gone on to have a good career in management. 

SOD seems to have had similar problems to Manning in style of play. SODs Donny teams were superb and great to watch. Despite some trying to diminish his previous achievements, Manning got both MK Dons and Oxford playing very attractive, attacking football. He was "fairly hot property" as you describe and likely would have been picked up by another Cship club this season, if not us. 

The problem is both were/are operating in an empty vessel. Behind the scenes there's no structure, no plan, and frankly a couple of people out of their depth in the most senior positions. 

It's the same as it was 10 years ago, and it's just become completely laughable. 

SL never wanted a 'board' , thats been a problem for years that there never was a group to call out his selfish and often flawed decision making.

everyone in post at the club is a sock puppet or a lightning rod which is damning. at this time the senior management is woefully underqualified.

as you say SL has had a very long time to see the mistakes he's making, but keeps on doing the same shite again and again.

you'd think he might learn. but no, it  points at his vanity and his need to get a return on the 'investment' he has put in.

[Superjack]

It might be too good to be true, but I hope that I am right in finally sensing a groundswell.

I think that the tide may at last be turning among the fanbase. 

About bloody time.

 

Edited March 6 by Superjack

[Mr Hankey]

Just now, Tim Monaghan said:

Sorry, I forgot about the terrible team that Pearson inherited that included Scott, Semenyo, Wiemann, Kalas, Palmer, DaSilva, Bentley, Wells. 

I get that he ran some contracts down, but he still had one of the best squads we've had in YEARS scrapping a midtable finish and a 19th place. If that's success, then I'm out. Do you think the squad he inherited vs the team now was worse? Anyway, I'm not having this Pearson argument again.  

But, lets say he was a success then! 

You are clueless.

You say he "inherited" Scott & Semenyo? He was the one who brought them through........you carry on playing Fifa & leave the forum to the adults.

[Sheltons Army]

As I said , embarrassing 

 

Mind you he did have Watkins and Bakinson too 

Maybe he did ‘fail’

 

 

Edited March 6 by Sheltons Army

[lenred]

7 minutes ago, fisherrich said:

Think everyone now knows that the bullsh*t and lies from the Lansdowns has run its course.
MESSAGE to Steve & Jon - Time to f#ck off PLEASE.

It’s been time for years.   It’s really ******* time now! I’ve despised them (in terms of them being custodians of our club) ever since the ‘my club’ bollocks during LJs tenure. Not one ounce of footballing nouse between them and too ‘proud’ (too ******* controlling more like) to ask for proper proper help.  They just need to go. 

[GrahamC]

2 minutes ago, Tim Monaghan said:

Sorry, I forgot about the terrible team that Pearson inherited that included Scott, Semenyo, Wiemann, Kalas, Palmer, DaSilva, Bentley, Wells. 

I get that he ran some contracts down, but he still had one of the best squads we've had in YEARS scrapping a midtable finish and a 19th place. If that's success, then I'm out. Do you think the squad he inherited vs the team now was worse? Anyway, I'm not having this Pearson argument again.  

But, lets say he was a success then! 

Weird that he inherited a side that had lost 7 on the spin then, seeing as they were “the best squad in years”?

Scott hadn’t played a minute of first team football when Pearson took over, hardly “inheriting” him, is it?

Weimann was already out for the season as well, his comeback in the following one (down to him) was truly incredible.