BRISTOL CITY: Signing right players in January is "nigh-on impossible" claims boss Steve Cotterill a_stockhausen BRISTOL City boss Steve Cotterill has described the task facing him during the January transfer window as "nigh-on impossible." Following a summer window in which the Robins made just two permanent signings and were forced to fall back on short-term loans, City urgently need to replenish a squad that is short of numbers and struggling to stay afloat in the Championship. Required to make amends for the failure of the club's recruitment policy last year, Cotterill now finds himself in the unenviable position of trying to persuade prospective new players to sign up for a relegation fight. Loan signings Simon Cox, Elliott Bennett, Liam Moore and Callum Robinson all departed Ashton Gate earlier this month and, as of today, goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell remains the only new face. Cotterill has just 18 senior players from which to select, three of which are goalkeepers. Cotterill gave journalists an insight into the difficulties facing him immediately following Tuesday's 2-1 home defeat to Preston North End, a result that left the Robins two points adrift of safety. Asked if he was close to bringing any new players to Ashton Gate, he replied: "Not at this moment in time." He added: "It (the size of the squad) has been a problem for me since May. That's the answer to that. "We have to try and get players who are going to be of a certain to come into our football club. Those players are very hard to come by and there will even be top clubs in this transfer window that won't be able to get what they want. "All of a sudden, we are trying to do a season's worth of recruiting in this window. Is it tough in the transfer window? Yes it is. It's nigh-on impossible for us." Although Cotterill managed to sign Wigan keeper O'Donnell on loan until the end of the season, his attempt to lure highly-rated young striker Zach Clough from fellow Championship strugglers Bolton Wanderers appears to have ended in failure. Bolton accepted a bid of £2m and allowed Clough to hold talks with City last weekend. But the 20-year-old forward has turned down City's advances, leaving Cotterill to work down his list of targets. As things stand, new recruits are unlikely ahead of Saturday's home game against Middlesbrough and the Robins will have to take on the league leaders with the players already at their disposal. Putting a brave face on a difficult situation, Cotterill said: "We have to try and give the best care and attention to the players and that is what I'm doing. I'm managing them through games, after games and also their lives in between games. We have to get through these tough times. "It is very tough on the players at the moment. It's disappointing for them, because they are fantastic professionals and are doing everything right. I don't think they can do anything more than they are doing now. "We need to be at full tilt to win games in the Championship, but when that fatigue button is pressed, they cannot quite get to the level they need to be at." Cotterill's lack of options was apparent on Tuesday night. Preston boss Simon Grayson made six changes from the side that lost to Peterborough in the FA Cup three days earlier, while Cotterill started with the same 10 outfield players who had seen action at West Bromwich Albion. City's manager said: "Had we been able to rest six players at the weekend, we might have been able to keep a clean sheet. Good luck to them (Preston), they can do that, we are unable to. "I couldn't rest six players at West Bromwich Albion, because we would probably be beaten 5-0. In the end, that is our undoing. We cannot change it enough. I don't whine about it, I just get on with it. "The players have given everything they have to give and left nothing in the dressing room. What they didn't have to take onto the pitch they left on the pitch at West Brom." http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTO...January-nigh/story-28519052-detail/story.html
What an excuse 'Nigh On Impossible' when nearly all of the other teams have been successful, it makes us look pathetic, I'm beginning to fall off the Steve Cotterill band wagon..
SC isnt the problem... SL is. We have a wage cap and that will not be broken under any circumstances!!
I wonder why we lost out on Zac Clough, fee agreed and happy to pay his wages, manager failed to persuade him, training and tactics, substitutions and selections, press interviews and articles, arguing with home fans, match results and league positions, none of these are down to Steve Lansdown, they are down to Cotts..
I'm not trying to score petty points here but in this article in the BP it says, 'The striker held talks with the Robins on Sunday and was offered a big-money contract to sign at Ashton Gate But it is believed the 20-year-old did not feel it was the right move at such an early stage in his career and opted to stick with the club he has represented since the age of eight.' That tells me the manager failed to persuade him.. http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTO...Clough-turns/story-28522193-detail/story.html
Even though it's been shown that we're willing to pay high wages... SL himself said that we offered Dwight Gayle what he's on at Palace, and there's absolutely no evidence to suggest that we don't pay enough. Don't let facts get in the way though...
he probably thought better options will come in for him. We are heading for L1 at the moment, so why even bother with the whole move if he is in the same boat at Bolton? Players talk as well remember...who know's who has said what to who about our club and set up? Maybe we just ain't a good move for ANY player?
It is no good trying to play the blame game. We cannot affect what the clubs does. In the short term prospective employees don't want to work for us. They want to be and can be selective. Eventually there will come a time when the ball will be on the other foot i.e. we can pick and choose. You have to believe that or "give up". We are at the moment a small geographically in the wrong place club trying to climb onto the gravy train. We are playing the long game. My advice is if you don't like it, withdraw your support. If you agree with the policy then you will understand that commercially we are doing the right thing. This season the only objective is to stay up and if that means buying in experienced loan players then so be it. It isn't pretty but if needs be, it must be done
SC is part of the problem, he has a bad reputation and players I suspect don't want to play under him
Maybe he should stop moaning every day and do something about it then, hilarious the position we're in right now
WE DO NOT KNOW THIS IT IS A BIG WRENCH TO MOVE 3-4 HOURS AWAY FROM HOME, 190 MILES, TO A PLACE WHERE YOU HAVE NO IMMEDIATE FRIENDS..AND LETS FACE IT HE FALLS INTO THE CATEGORY OF ONE OF THE WEAKER END OF SCALE EMOTION WISE.. WHEN YOU GO OFF TO UNI you sometimes go with a few you may know, or at worst you know there will be at 50 the same age as you are! all looking for the same...
Have to say Tetbury we have offered the wages and contracts to players,but they do not want to come here. Even a shiny new stadium and billionaire owner does not entice them. So you have to question SC and his ways as to possibly being the problem,pm me why you think clough did not come,i would be interested, or let pete now and he can tell me Saturday.
As I've eluded to in several threads, our geographic location doesn't help us either. A 20 year old isn't going to be 'worldly' enough to see beyond the 4 walls he saw Ashton Gate into a beautiful city and all the other prospects it might hold down here. He'll also miss his family, mates etc etc. That's why seasoned older professionals will be more to our taste.
Blimey don't agree with you,my youngest went from the comfort of a loving home, with every thing done for him. To going up north to leeds uni for a minimum five year stint in medicine at the age of 18, very lucky to get in especially at that age.He studied and gots the A stars he required at sixth form,study,study,study, that is what he did, to make sure he got the chance. He is not earning a bean,we pay the fees,clothes food etc,he went because he wants it badly and wants to progress in medicine. You have a guy from the same neck of the wood who has made it as a pro footballer 20 years old, being offered huge amounts of money, and contract, to come to Bristol. Sorry the kid clough thinks we are beneath him,not good enough for him,well i tell you which one i respect more, and it certainly is not the football player.
He has had a full blast in nearly every article and press interview he has given of late, in this last article he ends up saying.. " I don't whine about it, I just get on with it."
What evidence do you have for this ? My feedback is that as a manager he is a motivator. Come what may before you get rid of him you need to think who you will replace him with. Is there someone better? I have come down off the fence and absolutely believe that it is the quality of the playing staff that is letting us down, not the manager. I remain convinced that SC is only part of the transfer process and that alone has been our downfall this season. I suspect two refusals to come (due partly to non SC interference) has helped generate apperception that we are a suspect club to join. I want only one thing from this season...survival
