Strength In Depth In Every Position......

[Mad Cyril]

Doing well always attracts the spot light, which can be a double edged sword. The publicity and feel good is fab, but invariably, a bigger club comes sniffing for your talent. Ask any 'small' team on a good cup run - one minute its good news, the next you have lost your star winger, or class striker.

I am not too concerned come the transfer window though. We really have a team rather than individuals, and the talent across the squad means we could probably cope if we did receive any offers too good to turn down.

The risk though lies not with the players, but with the manager. Lose Johnson, and an awful lot could come unwound very quickly. And surely he is one of the biggest shining lights on the attention radar of several premiership chairman.

Now I don't think we should lose him to another championship team, and realistically, the big 8 or so clubs in the Prem are probably out too. I also get the feeling GJ is a bit of a home bird, so rellocating to the other end of the country is probably a no no. But what if a mid table prem team, in the southern half of England suddenly had a vacancy?

Am I the only one who has started taking a keen interest in the results at Reading, hoping Mr Coppell is doing OK?

[Rocky]

I'd be worried if Aidy Boothroyd left Watford for a Prem team, therefore leaving a vacancy at Watford!

[yeovilmac]

I'd be worried if Aidy Boothroyd left Watford for a Prem team, therefore leaving a vacancy at Watford!

I'd be very worried if AB leaves Watford for a Premiership team. GJ has previously been at Watford and still has contacts there and I'd not be surprised to see him go to Vicarage Rd.

[Robbored]

Doing well always attracts the spot light, which can be a double edged sword. The publicity and feel good is fab, but invariably, a bigger club comes sniffing for your talent. Ask any 'small' team on a good cup run - one minute its good news, the next you have lost your star winger, or class striker.

I am not too concerned come the transfer window though. We really have a team rather than individuals, and the talent across the squad means we could probably cope if we did receive any offers too good to turn down.

The risk though lies not with the players, but with the manager. Lose Johnson, and an awful lot could come unwound very quickly. And surely he is one of the biggest shining lights on the attention radar of several premiership chairman.

Now I don't think we should lose him to another championship team, and realistically, the big 8 or so clubs in the Prem are probably out too. I also get the feeling GJ is a bit of a home bird, so rellocating to the other end of the country is probably a no no. But what if a mid table prem team, in the southern half of England suddenly had a vacancy?

Am I the only one who has started taking a keen interest in the results at Reading, hoping Mr Coppell is doing OK?

Carefull - you'll be accussed as being 'negative' before long.

You may even get an offensive pm as I did from someone you've never met.

[WTFiGO!?!]

Gotta weird feeling about Birmingham, man.

He won't go yet. He could make himself an enormous reputation with us, no point in nipping it in the bud.

[Marlon King]

There's not a chance in hell Boothroyd would leave us, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Watford fan.

He's been quoted on hundreds of occaisions that he isn't interested in leaving and that he does want to manage in the Premiership, but with Watford (he doesn't want to inherit it). He's also very grateful that Watford gave him the chance to manage, he was a nobody before he got this job and so he isn't about to turn around and say "Cheers for the chance, I'm off now"

I recon there is exactly the same chance of Boothroyd leaving as there is Rovers winning the cup. So you can stop talking about all this NONSENSE now.

[fka dagest]

I believe Johnson's the sort of man who likes to finish a job he has started. I can't see him leaving for a little while yet.

[bh_red]

There's not a chance in hell Boothroyd would leave us, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Watford fan.

He's been quoted on hundreds of occaisions that he isn't interested in leaving and that he does want to manage in the Premiership, but with Watford (he doesn't want to inherit it). He's also very grateful that Watford gave him the chance to manage, he was a nobody before he got this job and so he isn't about to turn around and say "Cheers for the chance, I'm off now"

I recon there is exactly the same chance of Boothroyd leaving as there is Rovers winning the cup. So you can stop talking about all this NONSENSE now.

fair shout about Boothroyd, I really do hope he stays loyal to your lot, as you say, everyone was gobsmacked when he got the job, and whoever employed him deserves a serious pat on the back,

if I remember rightly, didn't he suffer a bad spell when he first came in, prior to turning the club around, very similar story to Gary Johnson

[Mad Cyril]

Carefull - you'll be accussed as being 'negative' before long.

You may even get an offensive pm as I did from someone you've never met.

To avoid offensive PM's - not meant as a negative at all. Just a thought to bear in mind.

Thinking about it in advance can mean that when/if it does happen, we don't have to be so shocked or negative about it. And its always better to lose a manager because you are doing well, than losing one because you are doing badly.

Or putting the whole thread another way, surely Johnson is our most valuable asset?????

[Rob k]

There's not a chance in hell Boothroyd would leave us, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Watford fan.

He's been quoted on hundreds of occaisions that he isn't interested in leaving and that he does want to manage in the Premiership, but with Watford (he doesn't want to inherit it). He's also very grateful that Watford gave him the chance to manage, he was a nobody before he got this job and so he isn't about to turn around and say "Cheers for the chance, I'm off now"

I recon there is exactly the same chance of Boothroyd leaving as there is Rovers winning the cup. So you can stop talking about all this NONSENSE now.

watford are no bigger than City, I'm not sure it would be a great move for Johnson if I'm Honest. City are potentially on the verge of big things and I'm sure Johnson will want to be the man who finally gets us back in the top flight, That will say far more on his CV than taking a yo yo club like watford back to the Prem.

[Always Believesham]

Gotta weird feeling about Birmingham, man.

birmingham fans are so fickle, a few weeks ago it was "bruce out" and now it's to quote a close friend "unless your going to hire god, keep bruce" like us birminghams a big city in need of some football revitalising and i don't think birmnghamm prospective owner will discharge of bruce too quickly. watford are my main concern but perhaps at the end of the season, if boothroyd gets another job/resigns/sacked for some reason johnson may be approached weather he'll accept is a different matter.

[WTFiGO!?!]

birmingham fans are so fickle, a few weeks ago it was "bruce out" and now it's to quote a close friend "unless your going to hire god, keep bruce"

That's a bit worrying.

I don't think GJ's going to move on anytime soon, just in the future maybe.

I always think of them as the Bristol City of the next level. There are a no. of similareties and it's got the sort of potential that GJ thrives on fullfilling.

Like I say, just a weird hunch.

[Marlon King]

watford are no bigger than City, I'm not sure it would be a great move for Johnson if I'm Honest. City are potentially on the verge of big things and I'm sure Johnson will want to be the man who finally gets us back in the top flight, That will say far more on his CV than taking a yo yo club like watford back to the Prem.

Are you blind? I said there's no chance Boothroyd is leaving Watford, meaning all of the above is just pointless babble.

Also, please use your brain next time when you refer to us as a "yo yo" club. Being in the top division twice in 20 years hardly deserves the term "yo yo".

[Lordofthebling]

Are you blind? I said there's no chance Boothroyd is leaving Watford, meaning all of the above is just pointless babble.

Also, please use your brain next time when you refer to us as a "yo yo" club. Being in the top division twice in 20 years hardly deserves the term "yo yo".

Woah dude, chill out...

Its just us, talking about our messiah of a manager - leave us be! If Aidy does get the poke or looks elsewhere, I'm sure GJ's name will be mentioned. Excuse us for getting paranoid about a non event. We are all suffering from light heads and bleeding noses, Bristol City have not been up this high in a long time...

[Red_Mat]

If I remember correctly, when Johnson was at Yeovil and he turned down Derby, didn't he say there was only two teams he'd leave the yokels for? Clearly, one of them was us, or he wouldn't have come, so who are the other club?!

Now, again, I may be wrong, so don't all start having a go at me at once, but isn't he a bit of a West Ham fan...? I seem to remember hearing that he's from Essex and was a supporter as a kid.

I couldn't imagine him going somewhere like Watford. They've got a very good manager who's unlikely to go and aren't likely to be taken that much further than us. West Ham, on the other hand, are a bigger club than us. Not massively, but perhaps big enough to tempt him away?

Having said that, they now have one of the best young, and loyal, managers in England, Alan Curbishley. You've only got to look at his history there to see what he achieved. It's unlikely he'd go quickly at WHU - unless they had the sort of chairman who liked to fire managers willy, and indeed, nilly...

Hmm.

Anyway, just thoughts. Feel free to shout at me, but I'm just trying to remember what I'd heard in the past.

[downendcity]

Are you blind? I said there's no chance Boothroyd is leaving Watford, meaning all of the above is just pointless babble.

Also, please use your brain next time when you refer to us as a "yo yo" club. Being in the top division twice in 20 years hardly deserves the term "yo yo".

MK, compared to us that makes you a yo-yo club!

[swindlered]

As a fan of a mid-table Premier League team you struggle to score goals. One of the options to bolster the attack is a mid-twenties Striker who has scored 20 goals plus each season in the Conference and Leagues One and Two and now tops the scoring charts after 13 games in his first season in the Championship.

Are you happy?

As a manager Johnson shows great promise but is still largely untested at the higher levels of football. Because of this he's perhaps not as tempting to Premier League chairman at present as some fans make him out to be.

I'll reserve my worries until next season as in the scenario that he is able to take us from flirting with League One relegation direct to the Premier League then that would mark him out as someone special.

[dragonreds]

i,m a hugh fan of boothroyd. i think he is very under rated but always comes across as very impressive. i would love it if watford went up(2nd to us of course) as i think the board and the manager deserve each other. i mean that in the nicest possible way. the board took a gamble when they apointed him and what ever you say they did over achive in going up but last season they could have sacked him as is the norm with teams going down but they stuck with him and he,s stuck by them and doing very well because of it. in the fickle world of hire and fire football and where contracts don,t mean diddly squat it,s great to see loyalty being on both sides. i don,t think boothroyd will quit he has too much honour than that. same as our own gj who came here to do a job and also has the backing of the chairman

[REDOXO]

I seem to remember (correct me if I'm wrong anyone) he once made a comment he'd only leave Yeovil for Bristol City or Charlton...

Not sure if he's a Charlton fan but probably not out of the question being as he's from that part of the world.

However MY gut instinct is he'll take seriously any approach from a Premier League outfit...But keep in mind there is a very good relationship between the Chairman/Board and Manager and any club trying to persuade Mr Johnson to leave a club thats flying to a club thats struggling (managers rarely go to clubs doing well...The nature of the game) would first have to get permission from SL to speak with GJ.

Keep the Faith

[BCFC_Dan]

I seem to remember (correct me if I'm wrong anyone) he once made a comment he'd only leave Yeovil for Bristol City or Charlton...

Not sure if he's a Charlton fan but probably not out of the question being as he's from that part of the world.

I can understand the Charlton bit, but why would City be the other club? I'm not aware of any previous connection, so why would he put City above other clubs? I suspect he probably just knew it would be a good thing to say.

[Rob k]

Are you blind? I said there's no chance Boothroyd is leaving Watford, meaning all of the above is just pointless babble.

Also, please use your brain next time when you refer to us as a "yo yo" club. Being in the top division twice in 20 years hardly deserves the term "yo yo".

I said i don't think it would be a good move for Johnson to leave City for team like watford, why the hell would he?

For the record i think there is more chance of Boothroyd leaving you than GJ leaving us, if you go up again this year (which i think you will) imo your a YO Yo club just like west brom, sunderland etc. Unfortuantly you don't have the balls to stay there very long. i would be disgusted if i was a fan of your club when your board made no effort whatsoever to stay a premier league team.

[swindlered]

I said i don't think it would be a good move for Johnson to leave City for team like watford, why the hell would he?

For the record i think there is more chance of Boothroyd leaving you than GJ leaving us, if you go up again this year (which i think you will) imo your a YO Yo club just like west brom, sunderland etc. Unfortuantly you don't have the balls to stay there very long. i would be disgusted if i was a fan of your club when your board made no effort whatsoever to stay a premier league team.

I'd be quite pleased as a Watford fan given their current situation. Not spending wildly to consolidate in the Premier League was a wise move. Boothroyd was able to spend the season building a team that would win promotion if relegated and they're not saddled with crazy wages and prima donnas.

In regards to GJ leaving for Watford then who knows, maybe he's a massive Elton John fan...

[REDOXO]

I can understand the Charlton bit, but why would City be the other club? I'm not aware of any previous connection, so why would he put City above other clubs? I suspect he probably just knew it would be a good thing to say.

My thought is he wouldn't have to uproot himself and wife so BCFC was a step up without moving home and thus why he identified the City

[ooRya]

I can understand the Charlton bit, but why would City be the other club? I'm not aware of any previous connection, so why would he put City above other clubs? I suspect he probably just knew it would be a good thing to say.

I'm not sure if there is a connection or not. But I do remember LEE Johnson saying something like "I would have crawled on my hands and knees to join Bristol City"..........a bit more than the usual "Bristol City are a big club with loads of potential" than we usually hear when a player joins us. So maybe there's a family connection there somewhere?

[redysteadygo1]

Going back to the original statement of plenty of cover for each position.

My view is that it appears the only natural full backs at the club have limited reserve team expeience. Unavailibility, for whatever reason, of the current incimbents would mean other players, i.e. Fontaine or Carey, switching and upsetting a well functioning back four. Suppose Brian Wilson could be considered but is this a healthy position for a leading CCC team?

Your thoughts please.

[Geoff65]

Back to GJ and him leaving us - his worth to a premiership side or a yo yo club is proven promotions - I cant think of any other reason for Shef Utd taking on Robson or any one emploting Neil Warnock or Megson for that matter - but if you have a record of getting a club promotion and doing it more than once then your long term stock as a football manager goes up considerably. GJ has got proven record of promotion in the lower leagues so if he ever leaves City on bad terms then he is certain to get a job in the lower divisions (ala Sturrock @ Plymouth Shef Weds now swindle) so if he wants long term recognition then I can't see any team offering him more than he hasa got here at city aka fans/board/players/total control/academy etc... etc...

[Mad Cyril]

So I will be keeping an eye out for results at Watford, Charlton, West Ham, as well as Reading. Any where else?

This is going to cost me a fortune in text updates....

[Midge]

I really don't think anybody should worry whatsoever.

GJ loves this club,he has full control with no interference from the chairman who has backed him with every signing,his rapport with the fans is remarkable.

I think he will be around for a very long time and don't think we need to even contemplate the possibility of him moving elsewhere,so much so that I think he is a modern Bill Shankly and really feel that he will make us the club that we really are.