SOD's latest....... HEAD coach Sean O'Driscoll has warned Bristol City fans not to expect a quick fix in League One. Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Wolves at Ashton Gate means the Robins have taken just one point from their first three games and worried supporters fear another season of struggle may be on the cards. Early-season optimism has been dampened by back-to-back defeats at the hands of Coventry and Wolves and confidence among the players could be an issue going into Saturday's fixture at MK Dons. But O'Driscoll, pictured, is more concerned by the bigger picture and insists it will take time for the sweeping changes he has put into place to take effect following relegation from the Championship. "We are trying to arrest a two or three-year decline and it is never going to be easy," said O'Driscoll, who recruited nine new players during the summer as part of a radical overhaul in personnel. "It is not a case of clicking your fingers and it happening straight away. We are trying to change the culture at this club and that will not happen overnight." He added: "Wolves came here confident after a 4-0 victory over Gillingham and they have not been that way for a long time. "We are in a similar boat and we have to make sure we feel confident and good about what we are doing. But he is adamant he will not be rushed into making signings for the sake of it and repeating the mistakes made by previous City managers. He said: "There is plenty of talk going on, but it is important we bring in the right ones and don't block the path of the youngsters we have here. "The club wants to go down the road of developing promising young players like Joe Bryan and Bobby Reid. "But we have to get the balance right between short-term gains and long-term development." I have no issue with what he is fundamentally saying but I would take issue with his comments about the 2-3 years of decline, because he has been here for a fair part of that timespan and aside from a couple of half decent results when he first came in, I can honestly say he hasn't exactly worked any miracles.
The club has been in a decline since 2008. Sean O'Driscolls budget will be far less than his last four predecessors. Miracles? I hope to see improvement.
We have seen improvement this season,and it will continue to improve as time goes by. I have been at all three games so far. i am gutted at the last three results but Bradford was a giveaway. Coventry tremendous fightback,stupid mistakes by the player dropped cost us. Wolves was a fantastic display of football second half,we deserved at least a draw,Many wolves thought we played very very well indeed,they say we will be right there come the end.
'We have seen improvement this season' ? My definition of improvement is not 1 point from 3 games. SOD's judgement has certainly not improved. Kilkenny is always on the team sheet only to be subbed when losing. SOD talks (if you can stay awake long enough) the talk but signs are not good.
Sack him then ... failed after a few games. Get another in spend a few more million and let's go direct airborne. I can see a team clearly attempting to try to play a more technical style of football at times. I don't expect to see the team tear up the division with total football but I can see what is being attempted. So yes I see improvement hope things for optimism all it what you want for instance last saturday Bryan and Emmanuelle Thomas.
This is a long term project - SoD is right there is no quick fix We lost 14m pounds last year and that could not continue - the Board in conjunction with the manager have a plan. I think we have bought / acquired some useful younger players. It was always going to be a difficult first 4 games (including next Saturday) - there are encouraging signs - let's stay behind our team
fed up with all the negativity, i do understand it a bit, but its TOO EARLY to panic surely..........only 3 games in, plus we all said it was a difficult start to the season the first month!!!!!!!!!!!! COYR CTID
Got to be honest, I've come away from AG this season not too disappointed. I can live with losing if I can see the team trying to do something. It's when they can't be arsed I get pissed off. Once SoD realises which I would say is pretty close that Kilkenny is not a starter and things improve 100% when he's gone off both games I would think pretty soon some fans will be looking for another scapegoat. I don't like his waffle because it has a monotone drawl to it, and too quiet, but what he says after I've turned the radio up full blast and digested what he's saying it ain't to bad. We had Del who was fantastic in front of the camera's but lost the plot so we can't have the best of both worlds. We need to be patient it will improve and we can all join in with RR for a love in with SoD.
I am not one to mince my words and although I can appreciate what everyone is saying, both positive and negative, when will be the break off point for the positive to become skeptics? Let's say that after the next 3 league fixtures we have added another 2 points to our measly current total, will you carry on staying non-critical of the management or will you want better things? Reality tells me that you will start to waiver, so please bear in mind that the critical ones are not necessarily directing their concern directly at SOD but rather at his superiors who have hired many others only for the supporters to hear the same old lame words and excuses. Very little of the mess we are in was created by specific managers, but rather by the super bosses who seemed to help very little when it mattered most and totally disappeared in the sand when critical decisions should have been made. The employees, SOD in this case, can only be as good as their bosses allow them to be and it seems that individuality is soon crushed at Ashton Gate. Come on guys we all know that we want SOD to succeed, rather like all his predecessors, but the real proof will come when our current boss decides to go up against the board for lack of support. Bailing out with lousy excuses as to why we are failing will not win over the supporters and I have been shocked to see the size of the crowds for our 2 home games this year but their patience will start to wear very thin, very soon. Harping on about what has happened in our recent past is counter productive but it really is the sole reason we are in such a poor state of affairs and that fact is still alive and well in a lot of our minds.
I don't want SOD going anywhere but any team that's gone 12 games without a win want's sorting out, the guy needs a kick up the ass, which ever way you look at it, at the moment we are a bunch of losers at the bottom of the 3rd tier, that's crap and I find unacceptable. All the excuses in the world doesn't make him a messiah, I'll say it, " Do the ****ing job you're paid for and shut the **** up"....
Let's forget about last season. We have played 3 league games and not won, but we did win away from home in the cup against a team in our league. There are encouraging signs on the pitch.
I an sorry mate, I'm not prepared to forget last season, the guy told us we had enough quality to stay up, he did sweet fanny adams to keep us there, no signings, no loans, nothing, we've had all the rhetoric, he had 20 plus games and we were relegated with him at the helm, our start in a lower league is crap, all the sermons have been preached, we need points not sermons..
I'm another who does not believe that SO'D is the new messiah for City. Too many bad team selections, too many tactical cock-ups so far and of course only when Fontaine and Kilkenny are screwing another club, will I begin to look at SO'D in a new light. I was fearful for this month but we have not been hammered out of sight by anyone - we've just carried on giving away stupid goals just like the last two or three seasons. Enough will soon be enough even for some of those who apparently think he can do no wrong. We need points now or we'll be at the bottom of the heap before end of September,
The team would benefit from support not this drivel. Angry Robin, bring the noise, positive junk, When the moon shines, ealle se folc ... Indeed.
We're three games in and even the moderators are calling for SOD's head. Sometimes I wonder if the Gas fans are more sane than ours.
