Frustration boils over for Darrell Clarke

I'm going to get stick for expressing my point of view, because I don't agree with a lot of what has been said before.
I go back a long way when football was watched by large crowds, mainly on open standing terraces.
I was fortunate to be able to watch Alf Ramsey's Ipswich win the old First Division and change the way football was played for ever. Other than minor meddling, tactics haven't changed that much since to be frank.
I watch highlights of matches with teams in the EFL playing in multimillion pound stadiums. The side of the ground opposite the cameras and one end are often looking ominously devoid of paying customers.
OK. I agree the Mem is horribly underfunded, but at least it's got something that most others don't have. The football is played in the midst of an all round audience
and the standing terraces permit more of the crowd to be in closer contact with the players on the pitch.
I've been to the old Wembley and watched matches from high up on the terracing and there was no feeling of contact with the game.
I'm no great lover of stand seating, although I do nowadays use it for convenience.
Before anyone thinks I'm having a dig at AG. I'm not. It would appear that SL has overcome the empty seat problem to a certain extent by offering low price season cards to juveniles. I believe almost a third of AG season cards are taken by this group. Can't knock it! What dad wouldn't want to take his youngsters to the match for £4 a seat! But on average doesn't that mean a third of all the seats are still unoccupied?
Bear in mind that unlike rugby matches one can still not sit down and watch the match with a glass of alcohol in hand.
So be careful what you wish for.

 

Aren't all seater stadiums prem division only at the present time, if they are we could still have standing in the new stadium and convert to all seating only when and if we reach those giddy heights of the premier league, I to sat in the Dribuild stand once and thought the atmosphere was not present

 

Personally I love the atmosphere the old type of stadiums bring. However, its not just keeping up with the times but it makes financial sense to offer more to those who attend. The Mem as it is has a small section for families in the corner by the tunnel. Part of which isnt even next to the pitch but instead along side the back of the pitch. Of course you get kids all along the front of the Blackthorn end too. I havent been in the South stand but I presume who get kids/families in their too. Yes they just made a new family stand which has seats but again, this is in the corner opposite the other family stand and with the railings in front, the view for kids may not be the best! Now a new all seater stadium will bring in more kids and families. The kids will be the next generation of fan base for the club. At the moment, I am sure we are losing a lot of youngsters who are looking for a local team to support to City. If you take a random family who just moved into the area who wants a day out to watch local football, and let them experience a game at the Mem and a game at BS3, I bet 99 out of 100 of them will choose to keep going to BS3 over us. Seats and standard of football and I am sure the whole match day experience is better at BS3 than at BS7, regardless of the result of the game itself.
It is proven that a new stadium increases the capacity for a number of seasons. That creates extra revenue which in turns improves the playing squad which in turn improves our league position to a high standard. Yes, I like the old style football grounds that has the atmosphere and character but stay as we are and we will forever remain L1 at best but most likely be a average to good L2 team, maybe yoyoing between the 2 divisions. Some fans I think would prefer this strangely enough. But then whats the point. Where is the ambition? A new stadium gives us a chance improve fortunes on the pitch and where the facilities would be greatly improved, we can use the place for other uses too which creates extra revenue. You see clubs rising up the leagues who are doing exactly this. Football is no longer a sport. Its a business. A badly run business does not last. A good run business gets better and better and bigger and bigger, if you have the ambition to do so. A new stadium for me wins hands down over the old fashioned type of stadiums. Our of which is just totally not even fit for purpose anymore. Especially with all the tents! To me we now look more like a Sunday market with fruit and veg stalls around the ground.

 

I've had enough I think DC's time is up

 

Now is the time to get behind the team and the manager and I am talking about the board and the fans DC I believe is still the manager to take us forward but he needs support from ABOVE

 

Sorry you gasheads you need a massive cash injection, you need an all seater stadium, but sadly for you I can't see you getting any of that, like the Captain said you will be a yo yo club going from league one to league two, sad to say, you are years behind Bristol City and you always will be.

 

Hi AD

Of course you are correct. Football as aa busines rarely pays for itself.
Our clubscG are a perfect example of that.
I watched almost exclusively every professional football match in Bristol from 1962/3 to the end of 1976/7.
No offence meant to yourself, but l couldn't
stomach anymore of AD's style of play and
reverted solely to Rovers.
City have been bank rolled twice in my time initially by HD and latterly by SL
We all know what happened when Harry turned the tap off and City went belly up.
So don't take it as a dig. Please.
Your club is an excellent example of the fact that unless sponsorship money is injected into a club, it is unlikely to be successful. And also that money doesn't necessarily bring success.

 

Thing is, who ever comes in, they cant do anything about the squad until January. May as well keep DC until mid December then get someone new in so they get the whole month of January to sort the squad out. However, do you trust the owners to recruit a manager who will do better than DC? They probably bring in Mike Bassett!!!
Getting rid of DC now will just make the players upset as I dont think DC has actually lost the dressing room.

This season is all about survival now. We need to stay together and support the team

 

I wouldn't get rid of DC - definitely not. It is a pretty bad run - probably the worst since he has been in charge - but he's shown that he can turn things around and bring success. This season may well be a battle to stay up, or the lads may over achieve again but I think he should be backed to keep us in the division and then keep rebuilding. I would only consider the exit door if we get relegated. He's a good manager and we would struggle to get anyone anywhere near as good.

 

Surely it’s down to DC that you are even in L1 , shouldn’t you be looking to the owners for not backing him, genuine question . Who would replace him and would anybody do any better with no cash to buy in players.

 

You are right. I am still in DC's corner. But if we are going to sack him, mid December will be the best time. But I think it will be a mistake to get rid. My only issue with him is his bizarre team selections and his stubbornness of playing certain players who are just useless.

 

Has his tendency to do this changed this season ? , because if it hasn’t it obviously worked previously. Or is it just you are noticing it more because you are not as successful as in previous seasons.

 

Had he been given resources and you were struggling then plainly it would be legitimate to blame him , the simple fact is he’s done an amazing job to get you where you are and keep you there with little or no funds , to then turn on him could be seen to be fickle , shouldn’t you be turning your attention to the people that haven’t provided the resources.?

 

The buck stops with the Manager, always has, always will, ask Big Joe.

 

Where were you when DC took over and where are you now , & it’s all been achieved against the turmoil of changing owners , and squabbles over the ground etc and very little investment in the playing squad, he’s massively over achieved.
Unless you can find someone with an even better record , then employing a new manager is just papering over the cracks.
What you need is major investment from your owners.

 

Totally agree.
So far the owner has done virtually nothing for the club.
DC has been badly let down.

 

He has his favourites that can do no wrong regardless of how crap they are and always seems to play. Then you get players who actually play ok or are our best player on the pitch that game but is then taken off before half time for tactical reasons but is then dropped for a few games. He has always been like this. But the honeymoon period is over after our double promotion as this is our 3rd season back in L1 and these players are now being found out. Yet DC still continues to play them.

Like I said before, regardless of this, I still think he is the best man for us.

 

Most managers do this though , & like I said before it’s served him well so far.
I don’t get the bit about honeymoon period , that would have gone years ago , bloody hell how long did your honeymoon last .
He has every right to question the backing he’s had and there’s no answer really, had he been given the backing and you found yourself in the position you are now that would be a different question , but he hasn’t.

 

If he’s not happy then he can do like everyone else does and look for employment elsewhere, we are where we are I think that is blatantly obvious now so he should just get on with it and do what he is paid for and manage the club instead of whining all of the time, it is starting to get a little tedious now.

 

I hope we don't lose Bonham anytime soon. He's attracting a lot of attention - quite rightly, and he may even get an international call up for the Republic.