Transfer Rumours 2024/25 Summer Transfer Window

Defensively he’s been really solid hasn’t he?, going forward still not a strength, but he knows, and plays within his limits, I like him a lot. I must admit I had my doubts he’d be good enough at this level, well done to him for proving me wrong.

 

Manager v coach BCRW !...? It seems the only manager we may have had is NP ,,, ALL THE OTHERS... including GJ have been "head? coach's"
Listen to or read NP's latest comments on his tenure/ demise...............

How the retained list is presented is a bit of a mish mash, the players gone pretty much clear and final but all the rest retained needs carefuol study to see what is "squad fit for championship" / fringe and academy still works in progress

Boil it down and we have about 60% of players fit [ quality] for the championship and a couple of those may be gone by August!

 

He’s a fine one to talk about being arrogant and “doing the right thing”. Whilst I agree with his comments about the premier league JL ought to practice what he preaches.

 

Why, because he got rid of your precious Nige. Dear oh dear, a manager got the sack, it’s the only certainty in football for goodness sake.

 

No, he can get rid of the manager anytime he likes, that’s not in question, it’s the way things are done that determines whether someone is arrogant and does the right thing.

 

Good news or bad ?

https://m.skybet.com/football/manager-specials/next-permanent-norwich-manager/33603067

 

I would in an instant.

 

I didn’t see Nige on that list….

 

ExNor

Ex Norwich affiliation would say everything about Bristol City if he went there.

 

Nige was not on our list when he got the job.
It came out of the blue.

 

I'd be disappointed if he did, but if he has an affiliation, as you say, then why wouldn't he want to go to a side that was in the top six this season?

 

I think it ridiculous that he's on the list.
Norwich have far bigger fish to fry.

 

Jon Lansdown on buyouts, budgets and why Liam Manning can raise the bar at Bristol City
Exclusive: In the third and final part of our interview with Bristol City chairman Jon Lansdown, he discusses the search for external investment, the Robins' summer budget and what that means for Liam Manning

please log in to view this image

Bristol City chairman Jon Lansdown has indicated a sale, or partial sale, of the Robins remains in the future for now as the family search for the “right partner”, three years after Steve Lansdown first announced his intention to seek outside investment.

Lansdown Snr’s involvement with City dates back to 1996 and has personally spent around £250 million to meet various financial obligations but in April 2021 told 3 Peaps in a Podcast, “we are actively looking for other investors to come into the football club to expand our brand and grow the club.”

The Football League was hit hard by Covid-19, as the transfer market collapsed and it all became too much for some with a number of current or recent fellow Championship clubs sold since: Hull City to Turkish media magnate Acun Ilicali, Southampton to investment firm Sport Republic, and in the cases of Leeds United, Ipswich Town, Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town, Norwich City and West Brom to American investors.

City are established as a solid Championship outfit and are preparing for a 10th-straight season in the division but with their highest finish having been eighth, their lowest 19th and an average placing of 14th during that span, there is a growing frustration from fans of patiently treading water for a promotion bid that will never materialise.

The concept of a succession plan has long been mooted as Steve Lansdown’s position has become far less public-facing than before, since he passed his 70th birthday, but City remain very much under the stewardship of the family.

Steve Lansdown has called Guernsey home for several years now, and such are the family ties to the area and the work they’ve done in modernising Ashton Gate and building the High Performance Centre to carry the club through the 21st century, they don’t want to threaten that by seeking the wrong kind of investment.

Everton are a case in point with the proposed ill-fated takeover of 777 Partners on the brink of collapse after a deal was agreed in September as the US-based investment firm have called in bankruptcy specialists. Meanwhile, League One Reading continue to be beset by penalties for various irregularities by the EFL as owner Dai Yongge has presided over catastrophic financial losses.

“You've got to find the right partner, is the key from my point of view and if there’s someone who just says, ‘right, I want to buy a football club’, well there are lots of football clubs for sale, because of the finances, the lack of help and whatever else,” Lansdown told Bristol Live, with reference to the financial impact of Covid-19 and continuing arguments around the redistribution of Premier League revenues. “You’ve got to get someone who buys into what this is, and also it depends on what position they think your club is in.

“We’re in a very strong position now for someone to come in and have a push, we’ve got a very strong base from which to do it from, but at the same time, we’re not just going to hand it over to anybody because we care about the place. It’s making sure, as much as you can, it’ll get looked after, at whatever point that happens.

“It’s not like we’re saying we’re going to get rid of something now, it’s just at some point you have to look at succession planning, and that could take however long it takes, especially if you’re looking for the right partner.

“It’s not like, right, we’re looking for investment, it’s going to be sold tomorrow, it’s ‘guys, we’re open to this, this is what we are’. Obviously we’ve talked to loads of different people but even if you do find someone who’s right on both sides, it still takes a long time to go through the process. It’s not something I’m expecting an imminent update on.”

Evidently the Lansdowns are being especially selective over who next takes the club on, whether that be due to the sources of the money from the proposed investors, their own plans or because they would ideally like to retain a stake in the club that some interested parties may not be willing to leave for them.

There have often been discussions around exactly what a takeover would look like given City fall under the overall Bristol Sport umbrella alongside Bristol City Women, Bristol Bears and Bristol Flyers, but Jon Lansdown told BBC Radio Bristol earlier this month that wouldn’t be a problem, as such, should someone just want to buy the football club independent of the rest.

“For me, it’s someone who comes in and helps you take it to the next level, right? That’s financially, expertise-wise, it’s just got to be somebody who’s the right fit. You’re looking for a partner, for want of a better word, who can help push the club to the next level, however that might be,” Lansdown added.

please log in to view this image

Maggie and Steve Lansdown, pictured at Ashton Gate (Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)
“It’s something I care about. I wouldn’t want to see what we’ve built taken down. I’m not naive, it depends who comes in. You might have someone who says they want to be with you on this journey, you might have somebody who says ‘I want it’, and then it’s a question of how do you manage that?

“You want someone who gets it for the right reasons, who understands the community element, and everything else. You want someone who has similar values as you so you’re either leaving it in good hands or partnering up with somebody who will work.”

In the here and now then, City are through the challenging financial landscape of Covid and although their losses published for 2022/23 stood at £22.2m, it’s been a steady reduction from the record high of £38.4m for 2020/21 and with the wage bill also being incrementally reduced, there’s a feeling the worst is behind them.

In tandem, and those within the club very much insist it’s through design and judgement rather than fortune, the Robins are preparing for arguably one of their most settled off-seasons for some time. Previous summers have either been dominated by the amount of senior figures out of contract and/or the prospect of a big sale or players wanting to leave.

With the exception of the uncertainty around Tommy Conway, as he enters the final 12 months of his deal, and the decision to release Matty James, there seems to be a distinct lack of drama around the next three months. At this stage, anyway, given it’s not always sensible to forecast due to the potential for the unexpected.

Lansdown, though, does subscribe to the theory that the club, as a whole, feels more settled having come through the “financial reset” as dubbed by former CEO Richard Gould before he left last year for the ECB.

“We’re well-positioned in the sense we’re stable, we have a lot of players under contract that we want under contract,” Lansdown said. “We’ve had the last few years of getting things back under control.

"With the academy, we’ve got players coming through that system and you can see a really strong pipeline of opportunity on the way - we’re not going to rely on it but you can see there are more experienced academy graduates in the team who are playing a lot, which is great.

"You want your blocks of academy graduates getting older and becoming the regulars of the team in the future. We’ve had four academy debuts and two Football League debuts, so there’s always that progress.

“Performances are improving, (and) you can see from a head coach point of view, we have shown improvements certainly towards the end of the season. So with an off-season you can look positively forward on that and then you’re trying to add to it with good recruitment.”

fans comments

CharlesBridge4 MIN AGO
It's an open and honest interview at least and we should be forever thankful for the investment and best intentions.

What I just do not understand is why having got into this so deeply and for such a long time, why would you not just go for it? The Prem would be transformational, provide income beyond anything ever seen at City. Why not flog off the Rugby? Focus on Bristol City MENS team Club and go full-on, super ambitious? We know the only reason the girl's team is there is to use the stadium more and tick the ESG box for inclusive and diverse status what I care about if Bristol City FC.

Get the results on the pitch and everything will transform. If I were 70 years old and had gone this far, I would want that one thing, I would want us up and in the big league having a right old go. We should never aim to spend another man's money, we all have different motivations but seriously, go in mega hard, focus on this one goal, rather than step back, thorw all focus into that big one.

REPLY 1

953Pirate9 MIN AGO
From the outside I see Mr Lansdown Snr as a great benefactor to both Bristol City and Bristol as a whole who should be thanked for his generosity.

REPLY 0





scattered_dreams17 MIN AGO
I'd have respect for him if he actually appeared on the concourse having a drink and a chat like a real fan. But that's not the Lansdown way. Fans are, at best, an annoyance and an inconvenience to be avoided whenever possible. Patronised, drip-fed meaningless spiel and ultimately ignored.

REPLY 1

 

There have been far too many seasons as a City fan where I’ve dreamed of being a well established club in the 2nd tier, I do t think it’s a bad place to be!!
Be careful what we wish for, the boom, and often bust of promotion to the PL could be the worst thing to happen to us. I’d be happy with consistent top 10 finishes though.!

 

I don’t think we’re set up for the PL tbh, the money would be nice and would allow us some breathing space. My worry is it’s becoming increasingly difficult to maintain championship status without P/P.