The silent majority

[Mattredrobin]

13 hours ago, The Humble Realist said:

Am I alone in thinking I'm in the silent majority that are pretty fed up with the current situation, unhappy at how the Pearson situation was handled BUT completely willing to wait til next season to judge manning (where he WILL be judged from game 1 onwards)?

Theres a lot of noise about manning out etc but do most fans feel like me ?

Not looking to knock anyones opinion (2024 has been dreadful and masked from looking even worse by the FA cup), just sometimes the loudest voices portray a larger sentiment than the reality. 

 

I'm in the same camp as you, very aware I'm in a small minority, willing to give manning the summer, however the negativity is something I can't recall for a long time, sadly its just the way the world is these days. 

[BCFC_Dan]

2 hours ago, Silvio Dante said:

Wont be that unique if we keep Liam in charge for much longer!

The Holden era was interesting because what it did was mean although nobody was attending games, everyone was watching them. If you go back 5 years, although streams existed you didn’t get the huge influx of people flying VPN. It’s rare now that a game isn’t watched by the vast majority of the fanbase and that creates its own pressure.

Without VPNs or streams yesterday you’re reliant on the Bristol Post view (said we controlled first half) or what is said on Radio Bristol.

5-6 years ago Liam could have hid being poor for longer. Now it becomes apparent all the quicker as everyone has more evidence. Pick your poison as to whether in Liams words it’s reflective of “society wanting immediate results” and a bad thing or a good thing as it weeds out the incompetence quicker.

This is an odd thing about Manning's tenure so far. I live away from Bristol, so I generally only see televised games, and, Leeds aside, they've all been good performances. I've seen us beat West Ham comfortably, annihilate Southampton, and put in a good show against Ipswich. From the games I've seen, the football has been the best since 2017/18.

It's odd, therefore, to come on hear and read all the discontent. The difference between the TV games and all the others must be staggering.

[BrizzleRed]

1 hour ago, Robbored said:

The current situation isn’t anywhere near as bad as it’s been over the decades. I compare things to when City fell down the divisions in the early 80s to the point where attendance were as low as 5-6k. The times back then were truly grim. I remember one attendance of around 4K. 

Since the arrival of Davidson and then Lansdown the club gradually recovered and have become an established Championship club.

However expectations have now become more demanding and the owners and us fans all want the same thing - a successful club that we can be proud of and to become established in the PL . Everything in place. A decent stadium, the new training facilities at the HPC but getting there is the hard part as we all know. 

The current unrest is largely down to getting rid of Nige and the flimsy explanation given and then the appointment of Manning who many of us had never heard of. That said despite him looking out of his depth at Championship level we have to get behind him and hope that one more win or three draws will guarantee survival - I doubt it’ll come on Friday tho.

Another three points and we can truly relax and see what happens in the summer window followed by a full preseason going in to the next campaign. Manning won’t be able to whinge about “no time on the grass’ after preseason.

Lets see this disappointing season out and go into the next campaign with more optimism.

 

Come on, you don’t really believe that, do you???

Sure, that’s what the fans want, but Lansdown has consistently shown that aiming for the Premier League is the last thing on his mind.  

That would involve far too much investment and he’d rather just chug along in the Championship and being a feeder club for the likes of Bournemouth to bring in the occasional transfer fees.

I’m sure he’d want us performing better and probably flirting with the play off places, but I reckon he’d shit himself if it looked like there was a serious chance of us actually going up.

I’ve completely lost trust in Lansdown as an owner who only wants the best for this club.

[Mike Hunt-Hertz]

9 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

 

I'm getting the fear!

Be seated. It will pass (hopefully!). 

[Antman]

1 hour ago, Mike Hunt-Hertz said:

On the grass again.

the Camberwell carrot?

[pillred]

1 hour ago, Mike Hunt-Hertz said:

I now won't be able to get that awful picture out of my mind (and yes I know I shouldn't know what this is really is meant to mean :laugh:).

[bearded_red]

11 minutes ago, SotonRed said:

You’d of actually stayed up with 1 point per game in 7 of the last 10 seasons, but that’s by the by. 
 

You’ve decided to take his worst run of results to make your point in what is, to me, still too small of a sample size to judge him fairly. 

If my view was just on the results then maybe that would be fair, but it isn’t, the football is horrific. I can take losing, I’ve seen City do it plenty of times, it’s fine. I can’t take being bored rigid.

[steviestevieneville]

15 minutes ago, SotonRed said:

Yes I have. We’ve been consistently inconsistent and often played better against top half teams.
 

Sorry that you are offended I have a different point of view to you. Who’d of thought you’d find that on a forum! 

Having a different point of view is of course absolutely fine. I really can’t see your logic though . He is possibly the worst manager we’ve ever appointed . However that isn’t the biggest problem . Having sacked Pearson for no good reason apart from the Lansdown’s ineptitude , they’ve backed themselves into a corner. It’s another in a long list of terrible football decisions & just sacking the manager won’t be enough this time . There’s a lot of anger among the fans that won’t just disappear by getting rid of manning .  

[BS3 Ark at Ee]

Big question though is what can we all do about it? We need a reaction at home like our Away support showed yesterday! But we don’t, we just sit quietly then moan about it on forums like this. The Lansdowns need to see first hand we aren’t happy 

[Robbored]

43 minutes ago, spudski said:

If season tickets are poor, and he continues losing then I can't see it RR.

LJ never lost the fans this quickly. Plus he and his family are close to the Lansdowns.

 

If, and it’s a big if Manning goes on a run of defeats after the summer window after a full preseason then SL might  decide to cut his losses. However SLs strategies have been sustainability and stability and changing managers so soon after appointing them isn’t his style - we saw that with LJ who in the eyes of many should have been sacked at least a season before he was.

Manning has never won the fans over. It was a tough task to follow a well respected manager who most fans rated highly. LM has inherited an angry fanbase and was on a loser from day one.

That said - should Manning manage a run of victories next season and after 10 or 15 games are near or at the top of the table fans attitudes will automatically change - that’s the nature of us fickle football fans.

 

 

[spudski]

1 hour ago, Robbored said:

If, and it’s a big if Manning goes on a run of defeats after the summer window after a full preseason then SL might  decide to cut his losses. However SLs strategies have been sustainability and stability and changing managers so soon after appointing them isn’t his style - we saw that with LJ who in the eyes of many should have been sacked at least a season before he was.

Manning has never won the fans over. It was a tough task to follow a well respected manager who most fans rated highly. LM has inherited an angry fanbase and was on a loser from day one.

That said - should Manning manage a run of victories next season and after 10 or 15 games are near or at the top of the table fans attitudes will automatically change - that’s the nature of us fickle football fans.

 

 

I accept what you think based on the past RR...but imo he will change tact if the losses continue and the fans become more vociferous.

He can go on a winning streak all he likes, if he does it playing Manningball, then I'd rather stick pins in my eyes. 

He's boring, his football is boring. 

[Robbored]

33 minutes ago, spudski said:

I accept what you think based on the past RR...but imo he will change tact if the losses continue and the fans become more vociferous.

He can go on a winning streak all he likes, if he does it playing Manningball, then I'd rather stick pins in my eyes. 

He's boring, his football is boring. 

None one on here including students of the game like yourself, DaveF and Cowshed can work out hat Manning is trying to implement and if you guys can’t see it then what hope have the rest of us got?

The best half I’ve seen under LM was at Portman Rd when he adopted a high block and kept the opposition in their own half. Second half McKenna countered it and made the appropriate substitutions to which LM did not react despite it being obvious that Pring was struggling and wasn’t fully fit but no sign of Roberts coming on or the vastly experienced King to try and dictate the game better.

I agree that his pre and post match comments are uninspiring to say the least and I’d like hear a different voice once in a while.

LJ used let Holden do interviews and Nige let Fleming do the same.

 

Edited March 17 by Robbored

[RSW8]

Each to their own but I do struggle a little with the argument of ‘he deserves the summer and early part of next season’. What has he done to justify that opportunity?
 

He’s taken a mid table team with some potential to basically relegation fodder/form in 24 games which is over half a season. He didn’t inherit a bottom 3 team in free fall low on confidence. People like Danny Rohl at sheff wed (yesterday aside!) or Cifuentes at qpr deserve a summer as they have generally overseen an upside in form/results since their respective appointments.
 

I struggle to see many, if any, upsides to manning since he came in. For me, he has lost that opportunity over time due to our poor form (both as individual players and the team as a whole), results, unwillingness to adapt and general negativity which now engulfs the club. He has absolutely zero rapport with the fans which I really struggle to see him ever establish. 

 

 

 

 

[spudski]

13 minutes ago, Robbored said:

None one on here including students of the game like yourself, DaveF and Cowshed can work out hat Manning is trying to implement and if you guys can’t see it then what hope have the rest of us got?

The best half I’ve seen under LM was at Portman Rd when he adopted a high block and kept the opposition in their own half. Second half McKenna countered it and made the appropriate substitutions to which LM did not react despite it being obvious that Pring was struggling and wasn’t fully fit but no sign of Roberts coming on or the vastly experienced King to try and dictate the game better.

I agree that his pre and post match comments are uninspiring to say the least and I’d like hear a different voice once in a while.

LJ used let Holden do interviews and Nige let Fleming do the same.

 

The problem is...the players can't work it out and implement it RR.

[Rob k]

He’s got the summer for me and then I will review in the new season. Partly as I have zero faith in the people above Manning to get it right if they appoint again.

[redsquirrel]

6 hours ago, Silvio Dante said:

Liam and Brian approve of this post. But even more, they love your username.

even asked for your contact details to see if you want to get on bored

[Jerseybean]

19 hours ago, The Humble Realist said:

Am I alone in thinking I'm in the silent majority that are pretty fed up with the current situation, unhappy at how the Pearson situation was handled BUT completely willing to wait til next season to judge manning (where he WILL be judged from game 1 onwards)?

Theres a lot of noise about manning out etc but do most fans feel like me ?

Not looking to knock anyones opinion (2024 has been dreadful and masked from looking even worse by the FA cup), just sometimes the loudest voices portray a larger sentiment than the reality. 

 

The ‘great divide’ section of this article is relevant and worth a look, https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-verdict-process-proving-9170907

Personally, I do now want Manning out, although initially I was minded to give him this season I have - based on the evidence - changed my mind.

 

[Davefevs]

5 minutes ago, Jerseybean said:

The ‘great divide’ section of this article is relevant and worth a look, https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-verdict-process-proving-9170907

Personally, I do now want Manning out, although initially I was minded to give him this season I have - based on the evidence - changed my mind.

 

I tweeted this in response to James, picking out a few paras:

 

[Slack Bladder]

7 hours ago, SotonRed said:

You’d of actually stayed up with 1 point per game in 7 of the last 10 seasons, but that’s by the by. 
 

You’ve decided to take his worst run of results to make your point in what is, to me, still too small of a sample size to judge him fairly. 

I get your point about it's a small sample size, but what do you think will change?

In all those games he's been in charge, the tactics have been the same, the subs have been (in the main) like for like, he doesn't change the formation, not even when we are having to chase the game.

It worries me, that teams seem to work us out in the first half and tweak things and when that happens Manning just has no response. Will a preseason change this? I doubt it.

If he buys the players he wants for his system, teams will still work us out and adapt, where as we will continue to flog the same horse.

I agree he needs time, but i don't see where the progress is going to come from, unless we can  become ultra clinical and score 2 or 3 first half goals. 

[Artcliffe exile]

Bum on a seat all my life not since pullis have I been so bored by our football seriously considering not renewing next season 

[AshtonGreat]

6 hours ago, spudski said:

I accept what you think based on the past RR...but imo he will change tact if the losses continue and the fans become more vociferous.

He can go on a winning streak all he likes, if he does it playing Manningball, then I'd rather stick pins in my eyes. 

He's boring, his football is boring. 

To be fair, we haven't played consistently exciting football since we left League One

[GrahamC]

8 hours ago, BCFC_Dan said:

This is an odd thing about Manning's tenure so far. I live away from Bristol, so I generally only see televised games, and, Leeds aside, they've all been good performances. I've seen us beat West Ham comfortably, annihilate Southampton, and put in a good show against Ipswich. From the games I've seen, the football has been the best since 2017/18.

It's odd, therefore, to come on hear and read all the discontent. The difference between the TV games and all the others must be staggering.

Trust me, it is.

The cup games were massive outliers.

The other decent performances you can count on the fingers of one hand.

I haven’t been as bored since Pulis, even O’Driscoll’s team had JET to watch, this is awful fare.

[22A]

A Leeds fan was bragging about how his team is now top of the Championship. I pointed out that Leicester have a game in hand on Leeds and their next game is v Bristol City.

"You're not going to lose are you"? he asked  "On our  current form, yes" was my reply. "You ought to have more faith in your team. If QPR can beat Leicester, you can" was his comment.

[Numero Uno]

22 hours ago, BCFC_Dan said:

This is an odd thing about Manning's tenure so far. I live away from Bristol, so I generally only see televised games, and, Leeds aside, they've all been good performances. I've seen us beat West Ham comfortably, annihilate Southampton, and put in a good show against Ipswich. From the games I've seen, the football has been the best since 2017/18.

It's odd, therefore, to come on hear and read all the discontent. The difference between the TV games and all the others must be staggering.

12 goals in the last 14 league games and failed to score 7 times in that period. What do you reckon?

The three games you speak of were games where we set out to counter attack teams we knew would come at us, which the players are obviously comfortable with. It's when Manning starts trying to impose his own style on the players that we look absolute litter. In addition we set out to counter attack on Saturday but West Brom play a slightly different way to the three teams you mention and hence we had fans at the game singing "we're ******* shit" because we were ******* shit.

Edited March 18 by Numero Uno

[Silvio Dante]

10 minutes ago, 22A said:

A Leeds fan was bragging about how his team is now top of the Championship. I pointed out that Leicester have a game in hand on Leeds and their next game is v Bristol City.

"You're not going to lose are you"? he asked  "On our  current form, yes" was my reply. "You ought to have more faith in your team. If QPR can beat Leicester, you can" was his comment.

Fair point. We did beat Southampton as I understand it.

[Nogbad the Bad]

19 hours ago, spudski said:

I accept what you think based on the past RR...but imo he will change tact if the losses continue and the fans become more vociferous.

He can go on a winning streak all he likes, if he does it playing Manningball, then I'd rather stick pins in my eyes. 

He's boring, his football is boring. 

Agree. Even if the results start improving his style of football is unwatchable.

[Numero Uno]

7 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Fair point. We did beat Southampton as I understand it.

I would check with the club first.............

[Nogbad the Bad]

18 hours ago, Rob k said:

He’s got the summer for me and then I will review in the new season. Partly as I have zero faith in the people above Manning to get it right if they appoint again.

As a fit for Bristol City it's hard to imagine they could have made a worse choice.

On that basis any subsequent appointment must at least be an improvement.

[Baldyman]

On 16/03/2024 at 21:39, Mike Hunt-Hertz said:

I can't bring myself to attend games whilst this Lansdown shitcuntery continues.

WTF are they doing?

With you on this . I’m watching the Leicester game as my son is travelling up to join me but that aside , this will be my last game this season and I’m a season card holder . It’s not just unenjoyable now it’s actually depressing! 

[Baldyman]

19 hours ago, RSW8 said:

Each to their own but I do struggle a little with the argument of ‘he deserves the summer and early part of next season’. What has he done to justify that opportunity?
 

He’s taken a mid table team with some potential to basically relegation fodder/form in 24 games which is over half a season. He didn’t inherit a bottom 3 team in free fall low on confidence. People like Danny Rohl at sheff wed (yesterday aside!) or Cifuentes at qpr deserve a summer as they have generally overseen an upside in form/results since their respective appointments.
 

I struggle to see many, if any, upsides to manning since he came in. For me, he has lost that opportunity over time due to our poor form (both as individual players and the team as a whole), results, unwillingness to adapt and general negativity which now engulfs the club. He has absolutely zero rapport with the fans which I really struggle to see him ever establish. 

 

 

 

 

Must be sacked asap . His record over his 24 games is awful . The football is awful . The players look desperately unhappy. The fans are desperately unhappy . How on earth has he done enough to give him a summer window ?