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Where Did It All Go Wrong

farmeronecow

By farmeronecow
in Football Chat

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farmeronecow

farmeronecow

Posted
Posted

:city: to cheer myself up i have just been on to the video highlights, looking at the great games we have had over the years.

wins over rovers , the great escape, and one of our finest moments ever, that great one nil win over arsenal on the 24 /08/ 76. our first in division one. wow they were great days.

instead of cheering me up i am now feeling pretty dam low......what happened and where did it all go wrong.

we were once a good side with great support, and it saddens me to see the state we are in now.

some of our boys could do with watching some of those videos, and see if they have any of the passion for the club, like me and all our supporters have.

here`s hoping we can get back on track, and get back to the dizzy heights where we once were..... :farmer:

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annanimo

annanimo

Posted
Posted

:city: to cheer myself up i have just been on to the video highlights, looking at the great games we have had over the years.

wins over rovers , the great escape, and one of our finest moments ever, that great one nil win over arsenal on the 24 /08/ 76. our first in division one. wow they were great days.

instead of cheering me up i am now feeling pretty dam low......what happened and where did it all go wrong.

we were once a good side with great support, and it saddens me to see the state we are in now.

some of our boys could do with watching some of those videos, and see if they have any of the passion for the club, like me and all our supporters have.

here`s hoping we can get back on track, and get back to the dizzy heights where we once were..... :farmer:

Football has changed a lot in the 3 decades since we beat Arsenal. It's not just Bristol City. There are plently of other clubs whose stock has fallen, and of course we now have an elite of three or four teams who dominate British football to such a ridiculous degree. Football has evolved from a working man's sport to a corporate marketable commodity and while a few "big" clubs have got even bigger as a result, the Bristol Cities of the world just can't compete.

However, the early 80s were a terrible time for City. I was very young at the time and my only knowledge is from other fans. But reading between the lines it's always been finances that have been our undoing.

Even in recent years, the appointment of Tinnion (a disaster) was dictated by finances and now our current predicament, caused as a direct result of such short-sightedness, is unlikely to change because of the terrible financial position the club is in.

It's easy to say with hindsight but I'm sure there have been times where if the board had been more decisive or had been more careful in their decision making our current situation would have been different.

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Brianred

Brianred

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:city: to cheer myself up i have just been on to the video highlights, looking at the great games we have had over the years.

wins over rovers , the great escape, and one of our finest moments ever, that great one nil win over arsenal on the 24 /08/ 76. our first in division one. wow they were great days.

instead of cheering me up i am now feeling pretty dam low......what happened and where did it all go wrong.

we were once a good side with great support, and it saddens me to see the state we are in now.

some of our boys could do with watching some of those videos, and see if they have any of the passion for the club, like me and all our supporters have.

here`s hoping we can get back on track, and get back to the dizzy heights where we once were..... :farmer:

The man himself Harry Dolman, new what the club needed both within the club and with the support. he treated the manager(Alan Dicks) with respect and loyalty. AD never had it plain sailing, but came through with the back up of the chairman (rarely seen these days)everything about the club was good, until players like Garry Collier was given new contract laws, longer contracts to keep players became the norm! Suppose what i'm getting at SL is for the club to pull with all the supporters and listen to our thoughts as well. Lets get this club back on track :city:

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REDOXO

REDOXO

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Posted

The man himself Harry Dolman, new what the club needed both within the club and with the support. he treated the manager(Alan Dicks) with respect and loyalty. AD never had it plain sailing, but came through with the back up of the chairman (rarely seen these days)everything about the club was good, until players like Garry Collier was given new contract laws, longer contracts to keep players became the norm! Suppose what i'm getting at SL is for the club to pull with all the supporters and listen to our thoughts as well. Lets get this club back on track :city:

While in general I see your point, I don't understand why you should specifically mention Gary Collier...?!

Gary was a great player and a good servent to the club who was sold by us to Coventry for the kind of money that we can only dream of receiving for many of our players thirty years later...So Why Gary?

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Brianred

Brianred

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While in general I see your point, I don't understand why you should specifically mention Gary Collier...?!

Gary was a great player and a good servent to the club who was sold by us to Coventry for the kind of money that we can only dream of receiving for many of our players thirty years later...So Why Gary?

Wasn't it then that they brought some law in about freedom of contract and we never had much say about him leaving. something went on and i'm sure i'm correct in saying this .

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megansdad

megansdad

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Posted

For me there were two turning points- Gary Collier leaving was certainly one. But I would ascribe as much importance to a misty Tuesday night game when Paul Cheeseley went up for a challenge with Peter Shilton and never played effectively again.

Absent that I think we would be in a far better place than we are now because for me that's where our problems began, although we did enjoy several years in the top flight with a fit PC who knows what we could have achioeved.

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22A

22A

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Posted

I talked this over with some other exiles and they reckon it went wrong in the summer of 1977. The board should have turned round to Alan Dicks and thanked him for his efforts in getting the club into the 1st Div and keeping us there that first year. Then they should have announced AD had taken the club as far as he can, dismissed him and recruited a top manager.

Megansdad also makes a valid point.

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Filton Red

Filton Red

Posted
Posted

October 1998 :dunno:

I take it your on about when Benny Lennartsson took charge from John Ward... I'll agree Scott Davidson was very underhand over the whole issue and bringing him in as "Director of Football" as it was all the rage at the time. Ward was having none of it and walked. Having read interviews since from Benny L, he didn't seam to have the backin of the board. Otherwise I reckon he'd of been a very good manager for us... :city:

Worse still was his replacement in July 1999... Tony Pulis :devil::farmer:

Best interview I ever read from Benny L was the old incider website one from last year. If its still on the net its a good read...

EDIT - found link to interview... Benny Lennartsson Interview

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red panda

red panda

Posted
Posted

My recollection was that Benny was meant to be coach, working alongside John Ward. But Ward wanted someone else (Ray Lewington???). As for whether Ward walked or was sacked - let's not go there!

I reckon Benny would have made a superb coach - this was the job he was recruited for I think, but he ended up as manager. With this, and the impact of Ward's departure on the players, Benny took a single point from his first five games. Things improved, but we still got relegated and have been trying to get back up into the Championship ever since.

I agree Pulis was bad - but he was mercifully short lived. And he would never have come anywhere near the club if things had gone better in the previous season.

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Guest Cherrypie

Guest Cherrypie

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Posted

:city: to cheer myself up i have just been on to the video highlights, looking at the great games we have had over the years.

wins over rovers , the great escape, and one of our finest moments ever, that great one nil win over arsenal on the 24 /08/ 76. our first in division one. wow they were great days.

instead of cheering me up i am now feeling pretty dam low......what happened and where did it all go wrong.

we were once a good side with great support, and it saddens me to see the state we are in now.

some of our boys could do with watching some of those videos, and see if they have any of the passion for the club, like me and all our supporters have.

here`s hoping we can get back on track, and get back to the dizzy heights where we once were..... :farmer:

Where did it all go wrong? So money twists and turns and dodgy cards dealt by the fickle hand of fate.

Cheesley's injury - would he have been a 20 goals a season striker at the highest level? Probably, he was VERY good but who knows.

Joe Jordan - built a squad with sweeney capable of going a long way in my opinion. Should we have tried harder to keep him. He appeared to be on the right track and it also seemed that Bristol city was in his heart and soul. John ward inherited the squad and got promoted on the back of it in my opinion.

Osman, Pulis and Tinnion - all very expensive errors that cost the club momentum. I only hope that Gary Johnson can turn around the mess we are in.

The one thing that still gets me seething though and something that I will NEVER accept is seeing away fans sitting in my beloved East End (sits to attention and salutes). The club should never, ever have been allowed to take away our sacred end. Somethin in the club died and will never return. Amen

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GrahamC

GrahamC

Posted
Posted

me thinks you're wrong there!!

I was wrong it was £325k but that isn't free, is it?

Coventry City Football Club

Players Database

NAME Gary Collier

We do not have a picture for this player yet

DATE OF BIRTH 4 February 1955

BIRTHPLACE Bristol

DIED

bar-blue-400x3.gif (874 bytes)

FIRST SEASON 1979

LOAN

BOUGHT FROM Bristol City

SOLD TO Portland Timbers

DEBUT DATE 18 August 1979

DEBUT GAME Stoke City (a)

TRANSFER FEE PAID £325,000

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Brianred

Brianred

Posted
Posted

I was wrong it was £325k but that isn't free, is it?

Coventry City Football Club

Players Database

NAME Gary Collier

We do not have a picture for this player yet

DATE OF BIRTH 4 February 1955

BIRTHPLACE Bristol

DIED

bar-blue-400x3.gif (874 bytes)

FIRST SEASON 1979

LOAN

BOUGHT FROM Bristol City

SOLD TO Portland Timbers

DEBUT DATE 18 August 1979

DEBUT GAME Stoke City (a)

TRANSFER FEE PAID £325,000

But as i said, the player wanted to leave and i think this fee was sorted by a tribunal? one of the first under freedom of contract. City wanted to keep him! Thats what went wrong.I think players like Clive Whitehead was on something like a 7 year contract.

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Guest Officer Dibble

Guest Officer Dibble

Posted
Posted

Went wrong after 78-79 season our highest ever league placing and pushing for Europe complete with Hunter,Royle, Gow, Ritchie, Cormack, Merrick et al - including famous 6-0 win over Chelsea. The following season was all optimisum yet we collapsed - the top players left and we were relegated (sound familar) - the rest is history.

No easy answer - we should have rebuilt the year after promotion along the Chalton model.

Easy in hindsight - since perhaps the best thing now is to forget we were ever in Div 1 or 2 even and just believe we are Yeovil!

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NATCHER

NATCHER

Posted
Posted

I talked this over with some other exiles and they reckon it went wrong in the summer of 1977. The board should have turned round to Alan Dicks and thanked him for his efforts in getting the club into the 1st Div and keeping us there that first year. Then they should have announced AD had taken the club as far as he can, dismissed him and recruited a top manager.

After all his hard work you would of given Dicks one season at the top? That seems very harsh.

Who would you have replaced him with?

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Pewsham

Pewsham

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Posted

Where did it all go wrong? Simply this. It's really never been right (apart from the odd high spot). For most of this clubs life we've lumped around Division 2, Division 3 or Division 3 South. Finance has always been a major failure at this club - and that is basically at the root of it all. As soon as we look like we're getting a bit of success, finance trips us up.

People keep saying we're a big club. We aren't! We are a failing club in a big City. We're capable of getting some pretty big gates when we're doing well. We pull some of the biggest gates in League 1 - and we're certainly not the meanest of payers. Historically we have never been able to maintain any successn though and many fans don't feel part of the Bristol City community.

Essentially we need a model to follow because I think we are in danger of being trapped in some sort of analysis paralysis. Norwich City seems a reasonable example. They've had much more success than us in the last 30 odd years in as much as they've consistently played at a higher standard, played in the Premier League, played in Europe and have brought youth through very well indeed. When we work out what clubs like Norwich have got so right, where we have it so badly wrong, we'll be in a position to improve.

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Brianred

Brianred

Posted
Posted

Where did it all go wrong? Simply this. It's really never been right (apart from the odd high spot). For most of this clubs life we've lumped around Division 2, Division 3 or Division 3 South. Finance has always been a major failure at this club - and that is basically at the root of it all. As soon as we look like we're getting a bit of success, finance trips us up.

People keep saying we're a big club. We aren't! We are a failing club in a big City. We're capable of getting some pretty big gates when we're doing well. We pull some of the biggest gates in League 1 - and we're certainly not the meanest of payers. Historically we have never been able to maintain any successn though and many fans don't feel part of the Bristol City community.

Essentially we need a model to follow because I think we are in danger of being trapped in some sort of analysis paralysis. Norwich City seems a reasonable example. They've had much more success than us in the last 30 odd years in as much as they've consistently played at a higher standard, played in the Premier League, played in Europe and have brought youth through very well indeed. When we work out what clubs like Norwich have got so right, where we have it so badly wrong, we'll be in a position to improve.

Come on! Norwich have a chairwomen who looks after her supporters, she makes it feel like a football club. :farmer:

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