While I see and can fully agree that our start has been dreadful and Millen has made some bad decisions I do have some sympathy for the guy. Basically we have no money whatsoever, Millen has inherited a load of crap/hugely overrated players on big wages that don't perform on the pitch. Unfortunately noone will take them off our hands any time soon so we have to make do with what is here. Do you really think any half decent manager is going to want to come to a club where there is absolutely no cash to get 'his' players in? If, as many want, KM gets the boot then we start buying a load of players I would totally blame the board for our current position rather than the manager himself. Given the choice between relegation and getting and extra 2 defenders in I'd have thought the board would just bite the bullet and get the players in.. From memory Hunt, Ribeiro, Wilson, Marv, JCR, Macca, Carey, Johnson, James are all out of contract next year. The only two i'd renew are Wilson and JCR tbh, the rest are not play-off quality so not needed. Maybe one year extension for Macca as cover and Carey joins coaching team. So we will be able to overhaul the squad next year which may persuade a decent manager to join, I just don't think it'll be anywhere near as easy as some think to get a 'proven' boss in. Some people have mentioned Billy Davies or Dave Jones... Both are used to having huge funds and would never come here as a consequence. I'd want Tisdale or Sean O'Driscoll, both haven't spent loads but have got decent improvements out of their teams.
Maybe I'm a bit thick, but why don't we have any money to bring someone in? It's the Elephant in the room. We have a wealthy owner, yet we're being run as if we're a club in financial turmoil. As pointed out we've got a squad of around 35, yet I'd say that we've only got around 15 in our current squad who are of Championship quality. We've got several players who could reach their potential, but a whole lot of dead wood. Additionally the argument that we need to sell is pointless, as the market shows that apart from Maynard no one wants what we're selling. Millen's hands are tied. He may not be the best tactician around, but no other manager in the Championship has had to work with so little. Even the likes of Chris Hughton had a solid, yet underachieving squad at Newcastle to start from. Without knowing exactly what Millen has done it's hard to know whether he is doing the best possible job for the club. However, as he had mentioned his signing goals so early on, and had mentioned repeatedly the need to sell it may send a message that he, possibly like Coppell, is annoyed at the lack of resources at the club. To make matters worse we have a poor academy so we cannot be self-sufficient. The club is in a desperate situation, not just because we're bottom but because so many players are on their last year of contract. If we go down this year we lose a large number of first-team players and have to build from scratch, again with no money. In effect, if the board resign the club to relegation it won't be an easy task getting back to the Championship and the Bristol derby will probably become a new fixture in the Football League calendar year after year. In the same boat, if we can hang on in the Championship for another year we can reduce the wage bill substantially by getting rid of the nine players on the books at the moment. However, unless things improve now we'll be at the point of no return by January. If I'm honest, and a lot of fans won't like this, I think that the fault lies solely with the board. They let GJ build a bloated squad that we largely tossed away after a season, they made the poor decision of signing Coppell and they've tightened the purse strings at a time when we need a cash injection more than ever. We could have Jose Mourinho in charge and we'd still struggle to stay in the league. It seems to me that the plan from the start has been to get to the Championship and to build a stadium to increase Lansdown's estate portfolio and to make the club and city more attractive to investors who want to buy the club out. Foreign money is more likely to come into Bristol if we can create the illusion of 30k fans and a modern stadium and city for investors to take advantage of. Naturally, over time the stadium was halted, millions were lost and Lansdown stepped aside from his Chairman duties in the hope that Millen can keep us in the league until the squad naturally depletes so that we can move forward. Millen made good strides to forge relationships with Premier League clubs to get some players in on the cheap through loans, and luckily we made enough of an impression on Spence to get him back this year. Hopefully Millen can continue to get on the phone to fill in some gaps and hopefully we can take some chances on some promising academy players from the Premier League. If I were Millen I'd start rotating the squad based on previous form, switch players who under-perform and get every last drop of effort out of those who probably won't be here next season. Secondly, even though he's our only player capable of scoring I'd try and work out some deal with a decent Premier League club to sell Maynard in exchange for a cut price and a number of loan signings for this season. Rather than see our current players as a financial burden we should see them as potential first-team players and give them the chance to either stick around with us or to make themselves wanted when they do leave. If our current crop can't win matches give others a chance. In short, Millen will have to bear some responsibility, but in his position no one could do any better. If we're going to get a new manager we need someone special.
In part I think you can blame the board for appointing KM on the back of the coppout debacle after a few good results. However up until that point it appears to me that they have dipped into their pockets to fund GJ and KM. Stead, Woolford, Taylor, Bolassie, Pitman, Kilkenny, Spence (loan) and Caulker (loan) all came under KM although not all transfer fees, wages still have to be paid. How many of these, so far have commanded a regular first team place (ok so some are new). Two defenders on loan and one midfielder when it has been obvious for ages that it is these areas that we need players and although I think Pitman is a good player and may prove to be an inspired buy. £800,000 (I believe that is what we paid) for another striker? couldn't we have spent that on defenders? KM has had a year and I see no real improvement. and just to get really stupid, isn't Martin O'Neil out of work at the moment?
A well presented post Ender, a few points in reply;- 1). First, regards money - Like ALL clubs, come next year we will have to live within the constraints of our budget. I haven't studied the document yet so I am not sure what the situation is in respect of the existing squad but at best, we will get one more season of spending and then sooner or later, we will need to trim so there is little point bloating it even more... 2). Despite everything, the "deadwood" themselves undermine your argument. In each of the 4 seasons we have been in this division, they have managed to accumulate 60 points or more and other than last year, finish in a very respectable position. In addition, in the year that everyone was really focused and driven, we all know what happened and arguably, we have theoretically improved the squad since then so to say that Millen has so little to work with is frankly, just silly... 3). I disagree that the accademy is poor - we have at least 3 players who could perform in the first team, IF THEY WERE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY and, if we are as poorly resourced as you claim, I would rather see some hungry youngsters running around trying their hearts out, ala 1982 4). KM moaning about being unable to sign new players - is this a joke...? Everyone, INCLUDING THE MANAGER knows that we need a CB and a LB so, what positions do we fill...? ANYTHING BUT...!!!! In summary, I disagree that the club is in a desperate situation. What we need now is a manager capable of re-energising and focusing this squad which IMHO, is 2 defenders short of challenging in this division under a capable manager. Sadly, the current encumbent just doesn't have that about him. Until Keith worked out to shut the window, I've personally heard the half time dressing room rants and it is clear that the players don't really listen to him. They really aren't that poor footballers that they need to be constantly bawled at so, something is very wrong... Martin O'Neill is a brilliant shout - he has a habit of throwing his heart and soul into a project and liking to see it through to a conclusion. If we could get him here, that would be a dream...
No chance Martin O'neil would come here, didn't he throw his toys out the pram at Villa because of no money given to him ?
With the right Manager, this season can be turned around. Even with most of the current squad, just a couple of signings, decent tactics and playing players in their right postions. WE NEED TO CHANGE THE MANAGER. Cutting corners after Coppell by bringing in Millen was a big mistake by SL if we were looking to progress.. Now more than at any other time since he's been on the board, Steve Lansdown,( if he still has any passion left for BCFC) will dip his hand into his fortune and sign a decent manager for this club. Otherwise, Forget Championship & Premiership, it will be League 1 next season....and at the same time forget the stadium...... It will all be back to what it was 10 years ago........IMO what a missed opportunity.
