Looking back on comments when Steve Cotterill was appointed manager. "Hoof ball will reign" "Another failure to run our club further into the ground" He is not even a "has been", he is a "never was" manager "I have never felt so disillusioned following BCFC, and i've seen some crap in my time" "I'm taking a trip to the suspension bridge" "F**k your hoof ball Cotterill" "He comes across as a smarmy arrogant f*****" "Getting behind Cotterill and f*****g Pembo's BCFC team will be an absolute waste of time" "We are doomed without a shadow of doubt" That was only a few of many. How times have changed, i wonder how many negative comments would be written know.
hands up, i was one of the disullusioned ones when Cotts when hired, but i am more than happy to eat humble pie and say " i was wrong", and thanks Steve for the season so far, long may it continue
I still think, although I never made any remarks as above, he is not the strongest manager and so far we are proving to be the best of a average bunch. At the mo I think this division is nowhere near as strong as the past couple of years. Yes we are unbeaten, but we are only about 60% of the finished artilce needed to sustain a 2 or 3 year challenge!
I was a Gary & Delboy fan, I hated Millen & O' Dismal with a vengence, with Cotterill I didn't know, now thankgod we've got him..
Humble pie matey,humble pie,however if he does not take the best squad in the division up this year it will be a failure. And yes this is as weak a league as it gets.
"I have never felt so disillusioned following BCFC, and i've seen some crap in my time" I think I need to own up to this one.! My only excuse can be the way we were all feeling at the time, I desperately tried to buy in to the SOD philosophy but it was a total joke, I believe he was worst manager we ever had and I was looking for some inspiration on his departure, I have to admit Cotterill did not do that for me at that point. With regard the O'Driscoll saga it has been suggested that the board formed and shaped a philosophy and found the perfect appointment in Cotterill to follow it through, I personally don't believe this happened, the fans were criticising the money spent and lack of local talent with nothing to show for it (quite rightly) and I believe O'Driscoll sold his style of football and philosophy to the board at just the right time and convinced them to give him a go. As we all know his man management skills turned out to be woeful and that followed in results. With regards Cotterill, What more can he do right now? Yet he still gets criticised, every goal we concede is his fault somehow. If we don't WIN the league it won't be good enough because of the funds he has had available to him, well lets get some perspective. All the previous managers that had those funds available weren't able to build a team of the calibre here now, 7 or 8 quality players and no, there hasn't been the promised hoofball and if we don't get over the line this season it won't be for the lack of trying, this team has the best spirit and character I have seen at Ashton Gate for a long time! It appears I was wrong, and I will happily admit to that..
I was underwhelmed by his appointment to be honest but I never slate the management. I agree with the comments about this being a weak league. Enjoying being top, but god help us when we are playing Middlesborough or Wolves every week....
It goes to show that when an appointment is made you should always give the guy a chance (which I believe is what I said at the time)
Could it be that following GJs reign, we had a succession of Nice guys in Messrs Millen, McInnes and O,Driscoll, which would explain why they all enjoyed a honeymoon period, but in the long term failed to deliver, and that Mr. Cotterill did not fall into the mould of Mr. Nice Guy which is why myself and many others did not take to him, but he did have the respect of the players.... In one of his recent interviews SC when asked how he related to the players said .we have an honest open discussion and then I tell them that I am right. Reminiscent of BRian CLoughs philosophy and he didn't do too badly. It. Isa fine line between managing autocratically and managing with respect. Fortunately Steve Cotterill has succeeded thus far and long may it continue
Are you seriously telling me that people on this site actually said words like that? Don't believe it myself and certainly not City fans - what's the world coming to? Daft I call it!
Yep you said this at the time Like Wiz I desperately wanted wanted McInnes to come good, but in the end had to agree he had to go. When SoD was appointed I spoke to a Forest fan who told me everything he thought of him and it all turned out to be true. And got to be honest I started to feel that I was losing my way with City, I still went and supported but it just felt hollow support. When he came in we had 20 games left and was 4 points away. Yes we had a hard run in but we surrendered that league with a diverring fool in charge. When Cotterill first got mentioned I was the same as everyone else underwhelmed and did not really want him, so I talked to the same fan. He reminded me that when he went to Forest they were at the bottom and looking certs for relegation. He said he will get the team fighting for each other. When SMHBCFC made the comment about give him a chance I agreed but as I stated it wasn't without being told what sort of manager he was, otherwise I would of been amongst the comments, if I was it was prior to his appointment before I checked out the facts on him.
Disillusionment attributed to Mr Cotterill could be associated with the FC. BFC is an like a toy. After years of austerity and a club setting out its long term strategy overnight it was thrown away. The form of the previous two Managers / Coaches is irrelevant. The FC is no longer ran like that. Before a ball was kicked I expected City this season to be Champions. Mr Cotterill says the aim is Champions, and so it should be. City are the galacticos v financial minnows. The question is what comes next after the first aim is achieved.
Well first and foremost he was appointed to keep us in this division, which he did, next was to kick on, which he's done, and his third year, keep heading upwards, which we all hope he does, at the moment he doesn't appear to be the idiot someone thinks he is, keep up the good work SC.
I expected the division to be tougher this year than it was last time around, but its still early days. The names I expected to be challenging are already there or there abouts.
Peterborough and Sheffield are 2 clubs who should be competing, as should MK Dons who actually do have money and are well connected in terms of getting premier players on loan. But maybe that is about it. Doncaster and Barnsley and Yeovil seem to be the weakest 3 to ever come down from the Championship. As we proved ourselves when we came down - you don't get relegated by being a good side.
