http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTO...ited-s-Jesse/story-27544927-detail/story.html We lived in false hope.... BRISTOL CITY: Reported bid for Manchester United's Jesse Lingard is a red herring.. By a_stockhausen please log in to view this image Jesse Lingard in action for England Under-21s BRISTOL City boss Steve Cotterill will continue to pull out all the stops in a bid to deliver quality signings for the club as they prepare for life back in the Championship. But Manchester United youngster Jesse Lingard will not be moving to Ashton Gate, despite media reports linking him with a possible switch to the League One champions. A report in The Sun newspaper yesterday claimed the Robins were preparing to table a £2.5 million bid for the 22-year-old England Under-21 international, who has made just one Premier League appearance for United. Reports in the North West suggested United manager Louis van Gaal was prepared to let the 22-year-old midfielder leave Old Trafford, while a host of national newspapers linked him with a possible switch to Premier League Newcastle United. City supporters, anticipating new signings ahead of Saturday's opening Championship fixture against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, welcomed the speculation linking their club with such a high-profile player. While United may well consider sending Lingard back out on loan as part of his development, reports suggesting they are prepared to sell him appear to be premature. Certainly, City seem to be looking elsewhere as Cotterill and director of football Keith Burt pursue those players they believe can improve last season's League One title and Johnstone's Paint Trophy double-winning squad. But the Robins have missed out on Paul Konchesky, who last night joined Championship rivals Queens Park Rangers please log in to view this image on a season-long loan from Premier League Leicester City. As revealed in yesterday's Bristol Post, former England defender Konchesky was wanted by City as a replacement for Greg Cunningham, the left-back who joined Preston North End for an undisclosed fee last week. City made an approach for the 34-year-old defender, who has a year left on his King Power Stadium contract but does not feature in Foxes manager Claudio Ranieri's plans for next season. But the Robins were unable to compete financially once QPR, bolstered by a multi-million pound parachute payment following relegation from the Premier League last season, declared their interest. Having joined the race for the ex-West Ham United, Fulham and Liverpool man, cash-rich Rangers were able to lure him to Loftus Road. Although the Barking-born defender boasts the kind of experience City need, he always preferred a move back to his native London. Time is now running out for City to recruit new players ahead of Saturday's trip to Sheffield Wednesday and Cotterill may well have to go to Hillsborough with the players currently at his disposal. http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTO...ited-s-Jesse/story-27544927-detail/story.html
Although the Barking-born defender boasts the kind of experience City need, he always preferred a move back to his native London. Voila ! So, its the reason and not because we are a tiny, tiny club who are fortunate enough to be spending the next 10 months in the Championship. Maybe Lingarde was wishful thinking, but hey ! It sells newspapers I think this summer has been badly planned by a somewhat complacent and sleepy board and management. Compared to their dynamic actions of last summer, this break their performance has been piss-poor. But we still have 4 weeks to go. Now its time for everyone involved in the development of the squad at Ashton Gate to perform their arse off, and bring back a little of that rosy glow which has been so alarmingly eroded over the last few weeks.
'I think this summer has been badly planned by a somewhat complacent and sleepy board and management. Compared to their dynamic actions of last summer, this break their performance has been piss-poor' Verbatim.
It just goes to show how failure allows you to outbid your competitors in the transfer market the season after your demise from the Premiership. I have never been a fan of a system that seemingly takes better care of those yoyo teams (QPR for example) that questionably buy their way to some success and usually fall at the first hurdle only to be told that they will receive a gift from the league of some ridiculous amount of money. My faith in the integrity of football has long since disappeared into the annals of sanity and history, and you only have to look at the mercenary type players that have been recruited to supposedly save our sport from extinction in the excitement stakes. How many of these players have long since disappeared in to the cosier climes of their dreams and never given a glance at the resentment they have left behind at the club they couldn't wait to sign for just a few short years or months ago if you are lucky. The parachute payments awarded for failure have to stop if clubs like us ever are to have a chance of reaching our well stated belief of reaching the Premiership. Put yourself in the mind of some supposed up and coming player whose future is up for grabs by being transferred from a top club and tell me that you wouldn't want to be at a new employer that has silly money, and the past history of over spending, to offer you more than a club such as Bristol City. Regrettably the first example was based on QPR and obviously the second was us, so is it any wonder we are falling flat on our asses when it comes to the fine details of what we can offer these types of players down at Ashton Gate? I have often questioned from afar the antics that have gone on behind the doors at City over many seasons but my past anger, or confusion, on the happenings has caused me to be annoyed at our seeming lack of effort to produce what so many of us want, and that is a competitive team playing at a decent stadium either at the upper levels of the Championship or blissfully in the Premiership. My future wishes for the success of my lifetime football club have now been permanently tempered by the knowledge that the likelihood of us bringing the level of players required to fulfill any, or all, of our dreams has long since faded because I can never see Bristol City competing with the likes of the supposed bigger teams that travel the other road of spending. The only problem with the spending habits of the other clubs that have come to my notice is that the road can suddenly come to a dead-end and we don't need to go there - do we?
Often these stories are Agents getting things into the press to generate more offers - we seem to be doing our business (well 2 so far) well off the radar
An odd rumour this one, as little old Bristol City, or more simply Bristol when live on Sky, seldom attract column inches on the BBC site or national press, so why would they link us to a player from such a prominent club? Perhaps the bid was made and accepted, and the suggested £20k a week put the club off?
