we definitely needed a proven manager with experience and that NP has-but as said previously you cannot turn donkeys into stallions. NP is fully aware what he has at his disposal and big changes I’m sure are forthcoming. NP would have wanted assurances from SL before committing to our club. We have to get to Jan and see what NP does. I am happy with Tanner-James-Atkinson all NP signing’s the only poor one has been Simpson which I have been told by a younger fringe players father is a complete asshole.
Well he has got a point, even you reckon that a 'decent' coach could get the best out of Wells, Palmer and ODowda and so far 3 different managers and all of their coaches have failed with all 3 and 4 managers and even more coaches have failed with Palmer.
I actually think, out of the 3, LJ managed to get most/more from those players, how ever small.. We've had quite a few players at BCFC that struggled over the years to make an impact with the managers we've had and gone on to be so much better under different coaches and setups at different clubs.... I've always said that certain players (with flair) need better players around them to make them tick.......I believe at least two of those are in that category along with the likes of Massengo.. Spontaneous appearances affects consistency, which doesn't IMO help them or us, in trying to get a side to gel... What ever has happened in the past with these players or previous coaches, is not important....NP needs to get these players playing to the best of their ability and find a way to do it now, or just drop them for good and get rid at the earliest opportunity..............I'm yet to be convinced that NP gets the best from any of them as yet....but we will see!!
I think as time goes on it seems more and more like LJ was 'saved' by the sack. I don't think the current players are quite as Godawful as RP does, but they ARE very inconsistent - and they were when they were playing for LJ too - Palmer in particular was sent out on loan because he wasn't getting games under LJ. They can ALL play on a good day, but those good days are not frequent enough. For years under the Mark Ashton regime, it seemed like anyone who was any good (Kalas and Bentley excepted) were sold on to make a quick buck, leaving the rest behind for LJ, DH and now NP to scrape a team from. I've no doubt that if Massengo and Semenyo had 'matured' slightly earlier under LJ then they would have gone too by now.
Of course he did. He turned Wells from 13 goals in 26 games to a striker who scored 5 in 17. Palmer hardly featured after the first 15 games of LJ's last season and most of the time never even made the bench. And he was instrumental in ODowda signing a new incredibly lucrative contract, from when his form has been appalling ever since, QPR away last season was his last good game. Since signing that contract and yes he has had injuries he has scored the grand total of 2 goals and even worse this 'skilful' wide man has 2 assists to his name. I will repeat LJ failed, Holden failed, Pearson is failing, god knows how many coaches have failed and are still failing with these 3 players and super coach Steve Cooper and his Swansea coaches failed with Palmer as well, surely even you can see the common denominator here? it's not the coaches it's the players, how much more evidence do you require. In a very selfish way I hope that they bring in another manager and when he also fails with the 3 of them maybe you will open your eyes.
Here we go another all the good stuff was LJ's doing and all of the bad stuff was Ashton's doing. If you truly believe that (and it might be true) then LJ should not have signed a new 4 year contract in 2019, allowing Ashton the role of DOF/CEO. Take a look at stats of Wells, Palmer and ODowda over the past 2 years, players who cost us big fees and are on big wages and tell me they are not as bad as people think and then tell me why LJ and Holden and their coaches failed to improve them in the same way that Pearson isn't. Wells 16 goals in close to 70 games. Palmer 5 goals and assists in close to 70 games. ODowda 2 goal and 2 assists in close to 60 games. That is there stats for the past almost 2 years.
Seriously NP has big balls and will sort it-but us fans have to give him time. I don't want another manager he is quietly turning things around behind the scenes-but players win games and those players on the books have been given their chances changes will happen-give the man time it will not happen overnight.
I will reserve judgement on Pearson, but I fully understand the **** he has to clear up, sadly some people will be happy with the stats on the 3 players that I have just posted, clinging on to it was slightly better 2 years ago, but hey that is when the cancer took hold.
Here we go another all the good stuff was LJ's doing and all of the bad stuff was Ashton's doing. If you truly believe that (and it might be true) then LJ should not have signed a new 4 year contract in 2019, allowing Ashton the role of DOF/CEO. Ok then by the same token NP shouldn't have signed as he knew what he was getting into and what he had to work with - and NP had the luxury of a 'trial' period after which he could have walked away - he chose not to. BTW I've never said LJ did no wrong - I've stated time and time again that it was right that he left as he'd run out of ideas. I can't see that NP has ever had any ideas.... or at least I can't fathom what they are. Take a look at stats of Wells, Palmer and ODowda over the past 2 years, players who cost us big fees and are on big wages and tell me they are not as bad as people think and then tell me why LJ and Holden and their coaches failed to improve them in the same way that Pearson isn't. I'm not sure what you are trying to fight me about here - I've referred to them as 'inconsistent' and their good moments are few and far between. I expected NP to get a BIT more out of them though, given his pedigree, experience and reputation - all of which trumped the other 2 incumbents - otherwise he's no better than LJ or DH. Wells 16 goals in close to 70 games. Wells is interesting because he has PROVED that he can do it - top scorer in the league when we took him from a poor QPR side - then dried up almost as soon as we signed him. Not good enough - but I think due to bad management rather than ability. Yes, for the record that includes bad management by LEE JOHNSON as well as the others. I would have expected Nigel with his wisdom and experience to get him scoring again - or at least work out WHY he isn't scoring (service? positioning?) Palmer 5 goals and assists in close to 70 games. Not good enough - happy to see him replaced as I've said time and time again on a number of posts - not sure why you are throwing this at me because I agree.... ODowda 2 goal and 2 assists in close to 60 games. Again, not good enough and happy to see him replaced - again I've said this on a number of posts - nothing to argue with here - I agree. That is there stats for the past almost 2 years.
I take your first point and I agree, but your original post comes across as all the good was LJ and all the bad was Ashton and going by that we have also give Ashton credit for the Webster signing and other stuff. Again why is it naturally accepted that Pearson should get more out of these players than LJ and Holden and in Palmers case Steve Cooper as well? Wells in a poor team that had and still has an incredibly creative midfield but poor defence, in us he joined a team with a mistake prone defence who couldn't defend set pieces and a midfield who were as weak as piss water and could not create if they tried. These players are the 3 high earners who have been poor since their arrivals but only Pearson is expected to reverse their poor attitude and form, as I keep saying in a selfish way I would love Pearson to be replaced and then see if the next poor sod could coach them to anything like consistency and maybe then some on here might recognise the common denominator between 2 years ago and our ongoing problems, these 3 are meant to be our main creative and scoring hub. The sad reality is we are playing **** but individual mistakes all over the park have us cost goals conceded and worse than that goals we should have scored, I can look to at least 5 to 6 points needlessly thrown away, our problem is right now not so much getting performances right (something that would be helpful of course) but having to go back to the drawing board pretty much every week, going over schoolboy stuff that should have been eliminated weeks ago all over the pitch. I accept all the arguments about selection, tactics, set up and substitutions they are all things that a manager can and should be able to affect, but as we found with LJ and Holden when things are going serially wrong because of recurring individual mistakes, panic sets in and things are tried that are so left field that they rarely come off. What no manager can ever affect is glaring individual mistakes that occur during a game once the 11 players step over the white line. PS:- The overriding problem for me is by February 2019 quite a few of us were predicting that the squad was weak and things would get worse and with a few weeks here and there that bucked the trend it has proved the case, however our glorious owner for obvious reasons actually believed that we had a strong squad and even said so after sacking LJ and then sacking Holden and even his latest mouthpiece Mr Gould half heartedly claimed the same in the Twentyman interview. The truth is we have been sleep walking into the situation where we now find ourselves, by poor quality signings and lack of onfield investment.
Correct but in LJ's last 20 games in charge Palmer made just 5 starts, 7 times he was on the bench and 8 times not even in the squad, Holden carried on with that in his first 3 games Palmer was not in the squad but played in the final 2 games. I think the writing was firmly on the wall during LJ's last 20 games.
The boss is back- https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-nigel-pearson-illness-6224290
