The money was available. Those deals fell through but the money WAS available, which means COTTS HAD MONEY AVAILABLE TO HIM. Those deals falling through doesn’t change that. People who say Cotts wasn’t backed financially are simply WRONG - or in denial.
When I read some of the replies on here I would expect to see some banter back and forth regarding personal thoughts and sometimes they get a bit fruity to say the least.Our history in just about every department isn't exactly a bed of roses and we all clamour to see that our club has actually done something to make us proud begging for the next chapter to unfold. Unfortunately our club has rarely reached the heights of our expectations and the arguments will continue as to what, or whom, has created this seeming disarray. Blaming this or that gets us nowhere because the biggest problem for me is that it continues ad nauseum without any sign that we have someone on board who cares enough, or knows enough, to resolve the issue once and for all. Think back to all of the players who arrived and were crowned to be our possible salvation only to disappear somewhere else or put in as little effort as possible to stay just below the transfer out radar. Despite all our troubles and woes trying to become a football club of note there is one constant that will remain until someone wakes up and sees the light and that is: "We are a work in progress". I believe I have used this analogy before but it goes like this; Every time I return to England it seems that the same witchy cones at road works are located at the same spot they were during my last visit 3 years ago, and possibly 5 years as well, and it always the same for Bristol City .It appears the work in progress will never end but rather change shape and appear slightly different when in reality little or no progress has actually taken place. Perhaps we can take our lead from your great leader and build it back bigger and stronger but delivering may pose a bigger problem than speaking with a forked tongue.
100% agree. He couldn’t persuade Gayle or Gray to sign after £9m bids were accepted. The Maguire deal was allegedly scuppered, so may be harsh to hang that on SC.
Depends what you mean, was he as well backed as LJ, no, but then LJ had to sell first (Kodja) before he was afforded the sums he was, but that was also because he secured Championship football, something SC was looking highly likely not to achieve. If, SC had kept us comfortable and not got sacked, he would have been backed by SL and Ashton, it just happened it was LJ who many on here despise. SC was given a lot of money in L1 for fees -£750k for Agard, as well as wages to bring in Elliott, Wilbraham etc. Those who don't recognise that are in denial!
I see it differently, we were never in a position to attract either Gayle or Gray, so SC made City a laughing stock, but couldn't see it. I said many times, SC came across as arrogant and that probably rubbed SL the wrong way. It's like NP trying to sign Mitrovic in this window, laughable...
Steve Cotterill opens up old wounds regarding his departure from Bristol City The double-winning Robins manager was dismissed in January 2016 More than three years on, the bruises of Steve Cotterill's departure from Bristol City don't seem to have quite healed. After leading the Robins to promotion from League One, winning the division with a remarkable 99 points, and claiming the a record third EFL Trophy triumph at Wembley, Cotterill lasted just 256 days in the Championship before he was sacked. That was on the back of a seven-match winless run and with the team in 22nd but also disagreement with the board over transfer funds to make some serious purchases he thought would turn City into a serious Championship promotion prospect. Aden Flint, Marlon Pack, Derek Williams, Luke Freeman, Luke Ayling and Jonatha Kodjia plus academy products Joe Bryan and Bobby Reid have all since moved on. please log in to view this image https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/steve-cotterill-opens-up-old-3391422
Interesting article I wonder what SCs ask was then, if £30m wasn’t enough (the £12m for the Maguire bid plus the £9m each for Gayle and Gray bids) I was going from memory I think that’s more or less what the bids were…. My criticism of SC was his sticking to a losing formation and strategy, and deploying his subs at around the 85th minute when chasing the game. Many people make a big thing about the likes of Flint, Kodnia and co being Cotts’s signings - and it’s true they were - but he couldn’t get them playing effectively in the Championship.
How England's Euro 2020 hero Harry Maguire came so close to becoming a Bristol City player The Manchester United defender lines up for England tonight in their Euro 2020 semi-final at Wembley against Denmark, six years after he nearly became a Robin * Sky Sports reported a £2.5m bid from the Robins that summer that was officially denied by the south west club, but the interest was real. Indeed, then-Bristol City chairman Keith Dawe told Bristol Live on July 3, 2015, that: "We made an enquiry for Harry Maguire and a proposal was probably discussed. But there was no formal bid, because Hull are not interested in selling the player at the present time." However, Bristol Live understands that a deal was far closer to coming to fruition than was made public back then. * The chance to snap him up was deemed too good to let pass, especially at the agreed price. "It was a bargain," explained one source. * Deals were lined up by Cotterill and then director of football Keith Burt for strikers Dwight Gayle and Andre Gray, with Brentford attacker Gray even visiting Bristol and staying in the Marriott Hotel to seal a transfer to Ashton Gate on a contract not too far from what City's highest earner receives now. As is well documented, both moves fell through. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport...ws/england-harry-maguire-bristol-city-5616839
He did well in L1 because he got backing, he didn’t in the championship because he fell out with SL so didn’t get backing. We’ll never know how he’d have managed had he been given backing., end of!!
So, the club says there was no formal bid! So where do the ones who claim to 'know better' stand on this now?
If he wasn't backed then how did he get two £9million bids accepted for Gayle and Gray? FYI, that level of backing for a single player is more than any other manager in the history of our club!
If he went around making official bids for players before the funds were approved then he was bloody stupid and will have brought our club into disrepute. Nobody will trust our bids again. OR …. he WAS granted the funds but his bids failed because the Gray and Gayle bids were too ambitious and the Maguire bid was scuppered after it had been accepted. I suppose a 3rd option is that he made those bids on the back of funds being promised but SL then withdrew the offer of funds after the bids had been submitted. In this case it’s Landsdown who’s the main guilty party - although as Supcon said it was never likely that Gayle or Gray would have come to us.
Maybe the likes of Gayle or Gray didn't want to play for him or didn't want to come....doesn't mean he didn't have the funds to use..
