Ah well, we should be satisfied with one shot and besides that apparently it was all the fault of the referee. Those 2 facts must surely let Lee off the hook then!
I thought when Brownhill got booked that maybe he should have been replaced at half time - like he was at Stoke - to the bemusement of May of our fans. He seems to have developed a reckless streak this season that I don’t remember him having before. I’m NOT happy with the result - or the trend of the results - but blaming the manager when one of his players gets himself sent off by a stupid tackle is not really fair as it’s not LJs fault, or if the tackle was NOT reckless in which case LJ was right and the ref was wrong. Of course if my first statement is right and he should have been subbed at half time then it IS LJs fault (?).
It has to be said that is a bit of a startling stat. I try to remain patient and grounded in my expectations for the club, as I feel some have somewhat unrealistic ones. It's difficult to balance realism with ambition, with the too timid using the former to justify mediocrity and the too pompous using the latter to criticise even the most sensible of decisions, let alone the debatable ones. On the positive side, we've improved our league position several years running in the 2nd tier, for a club that has spent the majority of its history in the 3rd, improved the infrastructure and earned quite a bit on player sales, but the caveat will always be what results are like. I think even the harshest critics of LJ will admit that there have been spells where we have played some great football, but the issue has pretty much always been consistency, which is vital over a League season. There are teams that are renowned for playing attractive football, of which I believe we often are, but it's effectiveness at winning points that is rewarded, not style. That's not to say that's it's a choice between the two, but it seems as though we need a lot to go our way in order to win points, whereas other sides may be capable of winning them even when playing poorly. An analogy I think of is that we're like a classic sports car - when in full working order we drive like a dream, but we spend too much time in the garage, where we're no use to anyone. On the one hand, we're not yet in true trouble, but on the other, we shouldn't wait until we are, because relegation would be a complete disaster & a waste of a lot of the progress we have made. I won't set a target or criteria for wanting him out, but I think we're approaching a crisis meeting. Being realistic, Bristol City isn't a big enough club to earn real success at this tier by doing the same things as anyone else and appointing a vanilla manager, who has experience, but only in treading water. Whoever would hypothetically come in would need to be a bold choice I think. The possibility of a big name like Moyes would be very tempting, though Steve Coppell seemed like a great appointment at the time.
I believe we will always have a problem hiring what you might call an experienced manager until it is decided that we need to up the ante in our search for a top person. Our track record of hiring mediocre managers is well documented and because of that history we possibly get short shrift from potential candidates who are concerned as to whether they will get enough rein to do the proper job by Steve Lansdown. Strong and correct decisions have been made regarding our beloved Ashton Gate and it's re-development but as far as our manager goes the jury left the building some time ago I think.
Again with the ****e you’ve read on the football forums regarding Lansdown. Please tell me where are these top managers that we should be getting? And don’t be so stupid as quoting Coppell as you’re one example. It wasn’t just us he turned his back on in a short time he also done it to Man City. Moyles said he wouldn’t say no to managing us when interviewed at a function at our club when he was hardly likely to say no was he. Looking at the teams who are top of the league at the moment barring Middlesbrough their managers are all chances. And if we had them those managers before they went to their respective clubs Lansdown would of been critised. I can see some are saying we should be getting the ex Fulham manager, but barring last season Fulham were no different to where we are at the moment. RR wanted Nigel Pearson, but he was awful at Derby and is now abroad at a club most of us have never heard of. Most of our fans want a manager who has previously taken a team out of this league. Which looking at some of them Atkins who took the championship by storm with Southampton is struggling with Hull. But the list could go on and on the managers that took their clubs up are not very successful at doing it twice. Unless you go for Warnock type, great at taking the club up, but then struggles. I’m not happy with our choices of managers but when we are the back water of the football gene pool (due to location and past history) the choices are never that great. So we’ve got to look at potentials instead of experienced. So I ask you again, please tell me these top managers that are available?
I think most of us would have difficulty pinpointing the better managers and even then they don't always work out as advertised. My comment is intended to highlight that we always seem to end up in the bargain basement when it comes to choices for managers and I really have no idea who could do the job for us on a long term basis. Without going for a Pep or Jose there must surely be clones of Eddie Howe or Sean Dyche out there begging for an opportunity to show their stuff and when I look at their success with lesser clubs it makes me wonder - why not us? P.S. Don't call me stupid.
I think Burnley fans would take issue with being referred to as a 'lesser club' than City, even before Dyche's time - historically they've been more successful, though I take your point of them being used as an example to aspire to. Bournemouth's success under Howe is a great achievement, though not a complete fairytale due to the investment of Maxim Demin, and though Howe is a great success there, he had a rather uninspiring spell at Burnley, ironically. All fans want their team to upset the odds, but it doesn't seem to be as easy as following a recipe - the people running things can only increase their chances of success through the decisions they make, but never guarantee it. The question is whether those decisions are maximising the odds of success. Interestingly you've mentioned two names that weren't 'experienced' managers at the time of their appointments, yet many will insist that is what is required.
A bit of a conundrum with those two because they have both achieved above and beyond the call even though they both work with teams with a low capacity stadium. That must prove that there is still life below 50,000 attendances and I compare them both to us because we could be there with them. Although budgets can limit your potential it just goes to prove that a good manager can work with what he has at his disposal and I think both Dyche and Howe can hold their heads high' It will be interesting to see what happens in both their futures and whether they will shun the floodlights that await them.
He will be gone in two games,lose at Ipswich and a loss against Millwall at home he will be gone and If not then we are up **** creek. This will have fans clamouring for his head if the powers that be don’t remove him.
RR Even if we lose the next 3 or 4 all LJ will get, like the last terrible run, is an extension to his contract. LJ is bombproof. I see the usual suspects are saying, let's keep LJ as there's nobody out there. What a bloody attitude. Pathetic. All you're saying is 'we keep a man in a job who is totally out of his depth because Ashton can't find another'. Ashton should get off his ass and do his job.
To be honest Ashton needs too go as well and pay the going rate for a top manager not a rookie bumbling along.
I know I made a list but realistically I'd only be happy with Moyes or Jokanovic. I think the latter could be more feasible.
Yep i have to agree with you Tom none of these would be puppets and we will have another puppet employed by the top brass. As said get rid off Ashton and LJ and spend on a proper manager.
