I went on Swansea's board and asked a pertinent question;- "Bristol City fan in peace You got there playing total football, and have lit up the Premiership on next to no money. My question ? How did you do it ?" I got 2 inciteful answers 1. Scout new managers based on their prefered style and choose those who match ours, Insisted that the chosen new manager keeps the style of play that we like, Insisted the new manager works with the present coaching team by not replacing them, however, they may add to it a maximum of four people. The board works to a strict budget. The key is continuity so we don't go after managers who may change the setup because all the players will have to start from step one all over again. Most of the coaching team is loyal to Swansea and the Swansea way, so restricting what the new manager can add to it means that when he leaves, few of the coaches will be prepared to leave with him thus maintaining our coaching base in place for the next guy to hit the ground running. On day one, the new manager and the ever present coaching staff will be on the same page because we targeted somebody who shares the same ideals. How many times have you seen Bristol changing a manager who wants his team playing nothing like the previous manager had them playing? All that progress from the season or two before is lost because those players must now learn a new system, if Bristol found coaches loyal to them and insisted a new manager could only bring in four of his own people, the core of the coaching will always be there. They should also be targeting a manager whose style matches that of the coaching team already in place. Bristol would fly up the leagues if this happened with them but most board of directors panic and think a certain style of play is not working, the truth is, those players were not given the time needed to gel into the style. Whilst our style is pretty, it is not the only successful way to play football. Give most players four or five years playing one system of football and they will become masters of it and outperform their immediate rivals in the same division. That is how we have players from League Two dominating some of the Premier League thoroughbreds, virtually every team in the Championship and Premier League has struggled to get even close to containing Leon Brittons role of mopping up the mess and passing the ball away from danger. He was there with us from the beginning of the revolution and has played that role for many years with no deviation.... he is now the best at it in all the UK. I'd add that our strict wage structures also ensures that we don't really attract massive egos and the bonus structure (you're paid a basic wage but the player gets a bonus depending on cup success and league position) ensures that the team success is a priority over individual player success. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. if you want to look at two opposites of well run club and a poorly run club. Look at us and QPR. Swansea. Start from scratch, add some continuity of players and management and stir in some hard work. Players who match the style of play you want and managers who want to continue with the style of play introduced. Then you have a successful side. Year on year tinkering with the squad and improving it slowly with players who fit the system. Then take QPR, Philosophy, rich owners, pay over the top wages and throw darts at a list of players on a wall. which everplayer the dart hits, pay ridiculous amount of money for and an even more ridiculous amount of wages. this for players who do not fit any style of play, if you had the forsight to decide which way you want the team to play and just wing it and hope it comes together. By the way add that all your players need to be individuals and not a team at all. The outcome abject failure. Your owners need to have a vision and stick with it. It cant happen straight away but with perserverence it can. Mind you it does help when your Chairman has the knack of picking the right managers everytime. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well there u have it folks Pick the bones out of that lot
Spotted the word philosophy. Last five years have been knee jerk and an increase in wages and has seen a decrease in form. BCFC ran a tight financial ship till 2007 ish and then started spunking the millions. Short term thinking v long term. John Laycock ran a club nearly breaking even. City's promotion didn't need to lose six, eight, fourteen millions. Less can be more. Clubs above city do spend less and adhere to a bigger picture. Philosophy top to bottom is what the spanish do club to club, school to club to national XI. Good thing now is O'driscoll obviously has had teams before that were versed in what he does, clubs in tune with it. Mcinnes changed ideas by the week.
Very interesting comments from two Swansea fans. Slightly different perspective but both so close in what they say that it is apparent that their fans understand how the club has progressed so far in such a short space of time. There are a couple of things at least in relation to City that come to mind; Firstly that Our money man, Steve Lansdown, to whom I am eternally grateful for his financial support is probably the unwitting reason for our problems; He has always struck me as a very down to earth person and possibly he is like so many of us, in that we take people at face value. Believing that because we are straight and honest in our dealings with people, that they in return will be the same. I wonder how much the "Football" people who convinced him that they were the best manager for the job, and who kept asking for more money for player's wages and signing on fees, let alone the transfer and loan fees, have managed to "deceive" him over the past few years into reckless and costly adventures with various players we signed. I still believe that he needs someone on the board who is a football person; who will know all about these pressures and be able to see through them. Or perhaps he and the Board have learned lessons that Swansea realised about ten years ago. Secondly was that we were also pouring money down a big plughole on an Academy that was probably being run by the senior people in the Academy for their own benefit and not the Club's. From what has happened in the last twelve months with appointments within the Academy, the dictat that in general we will only sign players under 24 unless considered to be absolutely essential and now a manager who many feel will ensure that the guidelines are followed and who I feel, will get the first team, Under 21's and all the rest, playing to a similar system so that progress up the age and success ladder is that much easier for all of our Academy youngsters. He will also next season, because of the FFP restraints, have to use Under 21's in the match day squad and not be able to ignore them like some of our recent managers did. I sincerely hope that the past club policy of signing players for big transfer fees coupled with high wages and then giving them away for nothing in some cases will never happen again. And finally, as this thread was started by BRR posting on the Swansea board, it's ironic that they managed to get their house in order by flogging us an overpriced and underperforming player who shall remain nameless.
Yes but didnt they use their money well. Swansea, Reading and Southampton have all been success stories in the last couple of years, and its important to analyse wwhat they were doing right. They are good models for the smaller sides in their approach, organisation, philosophy and dogged resilience. They prove that you dont need to be Man Utd to get success.
