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Mark Ashton Said - Another Look at the December Interview.

Discussion in 'Bristol City' started by wizered, Jan 25, 2020.

  1. wizered

    wizered Ol' Mucker
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    What Mark Ashton and Bristol City have said on the January transfer window
    CEO's update from last month is well worth re-reading as window draws to a close.

    Bristol City CEO Mark Ashton has explained in the past that the club prefers to do business on the quiet as talking publicly can affect commercial and player deals.

    Not for the Robins are the loud proclamations of Darragh MacAnthony, David Gold, Andrea Radrizzani and others.

    Instead, the Robins will work diligently on making things happen behind the scenes in a way that will impress those who they deal with. Countless other sides - from Peterborough United to Angers FC in France - have talked up the work of the City hierarchy.

    Indeed, perhaps that is one factor in how Ashton was recently recognised as a leading business figure in football, with a place on the EFL board and having been also named the Championship Chief Executive of the Year for 2019.

    And here's what the club CEO told BBC Radio Bristol at the beginning of December, as Geoff Twentyman asked the questions.

    Are you looking for a striker?
    It doesn't take the brain of a bishop to work out that we need a nine. We were devastated to lose Benik, who we thought had come in and done so well. It's a difficult market, it always is in January as the pond you're fishing in is so small. It's a position we'd like to recruit but we've got to get the right one.

    How many are on the list?
    You talk about lists, let’s be clear, we don’t suddenly try and recruit players in a transfer window, work goes in all year round. All year round we are building relationships, whether it’s with big clubs like Manchester United or Chelsea, or international clubs, to sell the vision of this football club so that when we get to windows, the relationships are in place to get those players in.

    At this point, the list whittles down so now it’s around discussions with those targets to try and make sure the club and the player can work and we can get everything lined up. We’ll work tirelessly to bring the right one in.

    How many names are on the list right now?
    Realistically, more than a handful. Both national and international options, but it’s getting the right one. The problem is you can be 99 per cent there on a deal and lose it at the last second, so I have to have more than one option. More than five are on the list.

    What's a handful in your language?
    More than five would be on the list.

    I assume you’re in discussions with different clubs with January round the corner?
    Absolutely. The discussions don’t just start in January, they almost start the minute the last window closes, we have to work like that.

    The bottom line is, if you can get in a striker who can score goals, you'll likely make the play-offs.
    I'd like to think so, yeah. If you look at the squad we’ve assembled, it’s a strong squad. The fact we’ve had the injuries we’ve had and have remained competitive and in contention in this division shows our approach in the summer right.

    The Benik injury was beyond disappointing, let’s not hide away from that, but we’re not in bad shape and we’ve got key areas we think we can improve on.

    You won't be able to sell £30m worth of players every year will you? In terms of healthy accounts, that's the danger.
    You never know. If you look at our squad, we have value all over the place. I have to be very clear on this, neither myself or Lee have ever been put under pressure by Steve Lansdown to sell a player at this football club.

    When you get offers for players at a certain level and the player knocks on the door and says it's Premier League, they want to go, and they have the ability to sometimes quadruple their money, at that point we have to do what we do and move onto the next one.

    No pressure to sell anyone.

    https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/what-mark-ashton-bristol-city-3774181


     
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  2. AshtonRed

    AshtonRed Well-Known Member

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    The truth is if we want to be able to bring in players with potential, if a PL or upper level championship with the ability to pay much more shows an interest it’s then about maximising profits , unpalatable, but unfortunately true until we are able to somehow get promoted and become a club with parachute payments to back us should we get relegated back to the championship
     
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  3. johngalleyfan2

    johngalleyfan2 Well-Known Member

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    there is some interesting between the lines info there. No illussions as to the boards feelings regarding the season up to December and the disappointment of the injuries and if I was anti LEE I would be putting my banners away, checking my supply of anti depressants and going off on holiday to the sahara with some sun block and a bottle of water …………
    there is a tad of we are still there and can make the play off's but I think that was before the 4 on the trot!
    LIST OF 5 or more interesting, no specifics but could be 1 striker and 4 defenders or ?
    only bit of alarm is the apparent will sell over building a squad for the next couple of seasons .. gives the impression [as I stated elsewhere yesterday ] they are hoping to to fall into the prem over the next couple of seasons
     
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