The thing is until we get promoted we’ve kinda reached a limit, better players won’t come here, partly of course as we can’t compete wages wise with clubs with parachute payments etc. It’s why I was disappointed with the appointment of DH, as it doesn’t show the kind of ambition needed to push us to the next level. It has taken years to get to the point where I believe we were attractive to better quality coaches and I feel we may have missed an opportunity.
The problem is the football side of BristolSport is dysfunctional, we have no clear plan or vision, we muddle on from one disaster to the next one. The pillars have long since crumbled. It's a mess, we sign players who are going to be the future but they very rarely deliver ODowda and Massengo for instance. We then go into panic mode and sign ageing has beens Brunt, Rowe and Marriappa for instance and we sign players who looked good as youngsters and have 'lost their way, but we are sure that there is a good player in there somewhere' type players Rodri, Perriera, Engall, Diony, Djuric and Hegeler for instance all a waste of space and there are young much heralded youngsters from premiership clubs like Kent and Woodrow loaned in and failed and then dips into the lower leagues for the likes of Szmodics, Adelakum and Eisa. The rugby club runs seamlessly, the club has a vision and the players have bought into that vision and the knock on effect is bigger and better players are prepared to buy into that vision as well and the club has some of the best players in world rugby already on their books already and more that would be prepared to sign if the chance arose. They have world renown coach whose mantra is "trust the process" and the players, staff and fans have fully bought into that process, the players always mention it in interviews. They are fully in touch with it's fanbase, their social media is brilliant. We have a nodding dog manager, controlled by a smarmy CEO, a chairman (yeah right) and an owner who has lost control. 2 days ago Holden intimated that Diedhiou was close to signing a new deal, last night he says he might have to go in this window, I think the fans are beginning to get pissed off with the BS that we are spoon fed, luckily there are no crowds allowed in because I suspect they would be vocal in their disappointment and the attendances would be plummeting. We need to sell a new vision to a new manager, somebody the fans and the players and potential players will buy into, somebody with pedigree, somebody who commands respect. PS:- As I have said before the difference is that we have Ashton running the **** show and the rugby club does not.
