Dwight Gayle and Andre Gray refused to come here at all and even worse Ryan Fredericks decided to bolt soon after he arrived at Ashton Gate stables. Should these outright rejections concern us as being a sign that it doesn't take outsiders to see something, nobody knows what, wrong with our organisation? Are they the same issues that sent Steve Coppell scurrying away just after we thought the messiah had arrived on our doorstep to lead us to the promised land? I don't quite know why I bother to try and find solutions because I don't earn the same big bucks as the people who are hired to do that job. My message to them is get your head out of the sand, brain in gear and listen to your manager and get the job done Simples.
Dwight Gale a premiership footballer, looking to drop down to championship club just promoted to that division. This was never going to happen hence he did not even entertain talking to us. Andre Gray had a choice to make, play for us or for Burnley a club tipped highly to go back up. He's no allegiance to us, the area or anything so he made a footballing decision, every one of us would of done if we was given the choice. Ryan Fredericks was released for personal reasons, even the buying club was secret till a few hours ago. So maybe that it was just that personal reasons. But I'm struggling to understand what the relevance is to Coppell almost 5 years ago?
Quite agree with your reasoning's, especially on Gray- I was in the Atyeo and I though the treatment he got was unfair- I was going to bring my mum yesterday- With the language that was coming his way, I'm glad I didnt
Rejection was the thought ROD, and Fredericks departure was somewhat fast rather like Coppell. Is there a bad aura around Ashton Gate or are we just not a destination of choice for supposed up and coming footballers? I understand why these young guys either didn't want to come here or leave for valid personal reasons, but is there another factor involved other than money?
Maybe we are reading too much into this. Gayle wanted to STAY in the prem - and we would NOT pay Prem wages (quite rightly). Gray chose a club with parachute money to help them bounce back up. Not sure about Fredricks, but there are rumours circulating linking us to a couple of Fulhams players, so it could be part of a bigger plan.
Not a destination of choice for up and coming footballers? I reckon Agard, Little, Freeman Ayling Flint Korey Smith and Robinson would disagree with you there
We need to be realistic. When a footballer looks at Bristol City, they don't see a rich owner that support the club, a passionate group of supporters, or the potential. They see a club that has sacked its fair share of managers, has never been in the Premier League in their lifetime, and is in a sporting backwater. After our recent transfer issues, they see two attempts at a panic buy, and a player that has just bolted. We've just been promoted from League 1, so we're ultimately one of the favourites for relegation. We say we dominated the league, but ultimately we dominated alongside another group of very strong teams that have found their feet in this league (probably thanks to doing early transfer business). At this point, I'd say we're now favourites for relegation. We had the luxury of being able to do our business early and we didn't. We've also destroyed the reputation of the club in a single transfer window. Cotterill complains about the window being unfair while throwing £6-9m around, all after the fans have (rightly) been up in arms after losing a bunch of players and not replacing them. Deep down, I think a lot of fans want to see the club spend a few million to get the two or three players that we need today. Not because we need them, but because it's a necessary punishment for the club and the board for once again underestimating a league that tore us apart two years ago. There ARE players out there, and now Lansdown and co need to write a few hefty cheques to ensure that we can get these players to Bristol.
Writing cheques is only part of the solution. The major hindrance is as you stated; players perception of BCFC as a small player in with the big boys.
Well it is. There is no gain to be made by pretending otherwise. The thing is, either Lansdown and the board WISE UP or Bristol City (5th largest city in England) will remain a club that yo-yos between Championship and League 1 as per our history (albeit with a shiny new ground). Hell, even Bournemouth have been to the Premiership now ! Why the hell can't we ?
In my mind, Bristol City are a child with a cut knee after jumping off the swings, and a huge cheque is a plaster. The plaster will cover the wound, but ultimately the solution is to not jump off of the ****ing swings! Either way, we can't have it both ways. We offered stupid money on a somewhat decent forward. We can't say we're a small fish when we're throwing around as much money as those with parachute payments.
Very philosophical there cidered and I like your dialogue. Here we are again playing at the transfer market and after attempting to splash out the biggest fees in Bristol City's history we end up in the little pool searching for loan deals and whatever else falls at our feet to seal over the cracks when they really require a longer term fix. How nice it would have been to enter the new season full of confidence because the team had been skillfully recreated with the right players to mount a challenge for stability in the Championship - but no, City moved ahead in the usual half hearted manner at a snail's pace and suddenly realised way too late that perhaps they hadn't done their homework very well or even worse, not at all. Two new players so far who could be part of the answer, but time alone will address that question and it leaves us wondering what else might happen in the next hour or so. Is it my imagination or did the transfer window end at midnight before and now it's 6 p.m.?
Despite the ineptitude and denial on general display re the lack of quality players coming in, or even their seeming lack of desire to join us, I still maintain that getting us safe in the Championship is the one and only priority this season, and this needs to be achieved via whatever methods we can use. With the stadium revamp final phase about to start with what will culminate in a mammoth new Grandstand, maybe that will attract a better class of player when the window reopens in the New Year. Meanwhile, providing we win a game or two here and there. Meanwhile SC can suss out other targets.
