Nigel Pearson the ' Task Ahead'

  • Please bear with us on the new site integration and fixing any known bugs over the coming days. If you can not log in please try resetting your password and check your spam box. If you have tried these steps and are still struggling email [email protected] with your username/registered email address
  • Log in now to remove adverts - no adverts at all to registered members!
bcfcredandwhite said:
In all seriousness RP I'm struggling to answer that, because I don't know who Mark Ashton will buy in or let go (no-one does). I also don't know which of our 'crocks' will be available. We could be stuck with certain players because we have no alternative for their position. There is also the elusive player we have been missing - it's POSSIBLE that with that midfield 'general' on the pitch, the likes of Nagy, Pato, Massengo and O'Dowda etc could be free to play to their own personal strengths(?)
I'm not trying to duck the question - just struggling to answer because there are so many different scenarios.

I flippantly said earlier that we should only keep about 5 players from the current squad. That's unrealistic of course and we still need a full squad, so I've listed my more realistic recommendations below.
I think we both agree on Bentley and Kalas. I would NOT want to lose either of them.
With regards to the rest, I think that many could still do a job for us if we get our midfield 'General' in to run the show, but with nobody currently available for that role they are struggling. I don't believe they are simply 'crap', but there are definitely better and more consistent players in the Championship, so I would be keeping an eye on the market to try and improve on them.
However, the number one focus should be on getting our General - and I wouldn't simply let any of the current first-team players go without replacing them. I suppose that puts them in the 'keep if there is nobody better' category, rather than the 'dump at all costs' category!
Palmer I would unload because of his wages. He has ability for sure, but not £20k per week's worth (or however much he's on). I'd expect far more for that money.
I honestly can't judge Walsh or Williams - they've only played a couple of times. I like what I hear about them, but it remains to be seen if they can deliver.
I'd get rid of Baker. Good player but always injured.

So to summarise, naming the squad from memory and assuming the injured ones are fit:
First on the team sheet:
Kalas, Bentley
Keep:
O'Leary, Vyner, Semenyo, Massengo (yes, he's starting to grow on me!), Edwards, Weimann and possibly Bakinson,
Keep if no better replacement found:
Pato, Wells, Martin, Nagy, Hunt, Mawson, DaSilva, O'Dowda, Mariappa, POSSIBLY Walsh and Williams (I honestly don't know about these two)
Actively look to replace:
Palmer (wages), Baker (injuries - shame), Sessegnon (I just don't rate him)
Buy:
Midfield 'General' - URGENT
Replacement for Diedhiou

There are a lot of players I haven't mentioned by name because I can't think of them off the top of my head, so I guess we can do without them........

There you go RP - sorry it's a bit of a long read - and it took a lot of thought, and I've tried to be realistic - there is no way we'd replace everyone except Kalas and Bentley.
Click to expand...

I know it was reported on this forum about Palmer's wages but my understanding is, he not earning anything like the wage that was stated, in fact he doesn't even seem to register in the top 10 BCFC earners.

Mawson was top of list this season, his wage was obscene.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bcfcredandwhite
Jiffie said:
I know it was reported on this forum about Palmer's wages but my understanding is, he not earning anything like the wage that was stated, in fact he doesn't even seem to register in the top 10 BCFC earners.

Mawson was top of list this season, his wage was obscene.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jiffie - I've edited my post accordingly. To be honest that makes it easier - Palmer plays more of a part than Mawson.
 
Last edited:
Jiffie said:
And the glee club need to accept that our transfer has been dysfunctional for far too long leading us to the position in which we find ourselves.
Click to expand...
Our tradition of poor signings (unless buying and selling purely for financial gains) pre-dates LJ and has lived on after his departure.
I'm hoping that NP will be strong enough to be absolutely clear on who he wants and not accept any others that Ashton throws his way.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Angelicnumber16
bcfcredandwhite said:
Our tradition of poor signings (unless buying and selling purely for financial gains) pre-dates LJ and has lived on after his departure.
I'm hoping that NP will be strong enough to be absolutely clear on who he wants and not accept any others that Ashton throws his way.
Click to expand...
I get the distinct impression that NP doesn't suffer fools gladly, and he will hopefully be very forthright when telling the suits exactly what players we need and why.
 
Was looking forward to 1For and Supcon72 player suggestions from 4 years of Johnson.
Their silence is deafening.

Fair play R&W but I gather from your reply it's only Kalas and Bentley from the 65 Johnson signings who'll make the first game in August.

An appalling legacy.
 
Supcon72 said:
No, I said, if he accepts a lower contract as a squad player he could be worth keeping. If he wants a bumper contract, then he isn’t - it’s not rocket science.
Click to expand...

Pay him less keep him round the place and expect him to put full shifts in when he couldnt on more money. that rocket wouldnt get off the ground!!


Cliftonville said:
Mr Pearson has made a point about collective passivity.

The first goal may be of interest. At the bottom of the screen is Kasey Palmer. Bristol C 0 - 2 QPR - Match Report & Highlights (skysports.com)

At no point does he take part in collective defending. He can be seen jogging (slowly) with no urgency to influence what is happening . Other players in advanced roles did similar at points in the game when collective defending was required. It is a passive behaviour I hope to see improved upon.
Click to expand...

Pay as you play. Stop moving stop paying. Starts running again start paying again. Stop moving stop paying. Starts running again start paying again. Stop moving stop paying. Starts running again start paying again. Stop moving stop paying. Starts running again start paying again.
 
Redprintt said:
Was looking forward to 1For and Supcon72 player suggestions from 4 years of Johnson.
Their silence is deafening.

Fair play R&W but I gather from your reply it's only Kalas and Bentley from the 65 Johnson signings who'll make the first game in August.

An appalling legacy.
Click to expand...

I think it's only Kalas and Bentley that can't be improved on. There's nobody in the current Championship and bottom-end Prem that I would sacrifice them for. They are indeed the only 'stand out' players for me.
With the others - it's clear to me that SOME (probably most) of them will start next season, whether we like it or not. In the unlikely event that we manage to sign Son, Kaka, Messi or C Ronaldo we are probably stuck with them - which may or may not be a bad thing if we can land our midfield 'General'. It's possible that they are better than they currently appear and are just suffering because we don't have anyone in that role. They aren't 'crap' they're just inconsistent under the current conditions.

I know what you are trying to get me to say, but since I have been supporting Bristol City, we only had a complete 11 set of players that are able to challenge for the top level of English football in the late 1970s. Before AND after that period we've had 2 or 3 'brilliant' players at the most, with the rest being bang average - or even poor individuals.
When we got to the playoff final under GJ we had Carey, Marvin, Basso and Orr. The others were average players punching above their weight, but the team spirit under GJ brought us through - a living example of the old 'sum of the parts' saying. This is something our friend Neil Warnock excels in. It could be argued that even Basso was out of his depth back then - he disappeared into oblivion after playing for us - to use the same formula you apply when judging a certain ex-player and manager - 'he hardly played for anyone other than GJ, so that's proof he must be 5h!te' (I think he warmed the bench at Hull for a while).......
The fact that we have only a couple of great players in our team isn't unique to the LJ era - it's NORMAL at our football club, so YES it's true now (that's what you wanted to hear), but, with the exception of the years 1976-1980 it has ALWAYS been true.
 
  • Like
Reactions: oneforthebristolcity
Supcon72 said:
Well, maybe that shows how good LJ was to keep this squad in and around the play-offs over the last 3 years... 3 of these signings were Holden's, not LJ's.

Plus, the thread was about improving on what we have, something you have bleated on about forever.
I would possibly say we should keep Fammy, but tell him he would be a squad player and his new contract would reflect that; however, imo he, and his agent wouldn't go for that, and would almost certainly think he deserves a bumper pay rise on a new contract; therefore, for me he isn't worth and we should let him go.

I should have added Paterson in, as I do think he adds something to the squad, but again, he needs to be told that will be his role.

So, to clarify, imo we should only look at offers to 5 of these 13 players listed, that would be 50% of LJ's signings I would keep, and 0% of Holden's signings I would keep!
Click to expand...

I would say there is Bob Hope of Paterson or Diedhiou accepting anything like this, again I would point to 4 years of total inconsistency for both of these players.

However I do see a point about Diedhiou being an impact player from the bench, but it won't happen, so he is already a goner or we will foolishly give in to his demands and we will still have a player incapable of holding the ball up, poor first touch, puts effort when it suits him and spends a lot of time on his arse.

As for Paterson unless we can build a midfield around his lack of physicality and to me that is a long way off with midfielders available to us and he won't afford us the luxury of being an impact player from bench.
 
Bristol City are currently in what I would call a flex stage and this situation has been caused by dereliction of duty on the part of many who were employed. Who those people are, or were, will always be open to discussion depending who you listen to for the information and you pay your money and take your choice. The postings on here reflect the varying views from supporters but to me the main thing we should get out of our current situation is the fact that it has been created over many seasons when the suits either stuck their collective heads in the sand or refused to accept that their way could even possibly be wrong.

The dismissal of Dean Holden had to come and if it was the result of Steve Lansdown finally conceding that his way wasn't working then all is well and good in BS3. This is the time for Bristol City FC (not Bristol Sports) to face the truth of what has happened, but even more importantly why it happened, and the hiring Nigel Pearson has to be considered the best decision made by SL during his ownership. Let's hope that the decision on our new manager changes the philosophy of the club and should that be the case then I think we have a chance of redemption, but only if NP decides he likes the cut of our jib enough to make him stay long term.

I have this gut feeling that as long as SL and NP stay on the same page until the end of this season we will probably have a good shot at achieving SL's dream of better football in the future, but if the partnership dissolves for any reason then I fear for the future because we could end up having the same conversations next year and the year after that and so on. We have needed a footballing person who knows his way around the game and has had previous success and in NP we at last have that and it would be criminal if we should let him go without the opportunity of a full campaign to prove his worth. I hope the now wiser Steve Lansdown will realize that it's in all our best interests to stay on the newly found path and see where it takes us.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Supcon72, Redprintt and Jiffie
bcfcredandwhite said:
With the others - it's clear to me that SOME (probably most) of them will start next season, whether we like it or not.
Click to expand...

I agree, and expect Pearson to bring in at least 5 far better players. Add Bentley, Kalas and Vyner with our experienced manager we wont be far away.
If Pearson is able to do this it will prove employing Johnson and Holden implementing SL's vision was a huge mistake.
Time will ultimately tell.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Angelicnumber16
Redprintt said:
If Pearson is able to do this it will prove employing Johnson and Holden implementing SL's vision was a huge mistake.
Time will ultimately tell.
Click to expand...
Boring <doh> same old same old...:emoticon-0114-dull:
I've been saying for over a year we are a few players away from being a decent side...
We have quite a few players in the squad (I'm not gonna keep repeating them as that's as boring as your comments) that will become so much better with better players around them..........takes you a while to catch on RP <laugh>
 
bcfcredandwhite said:
In all seriousness RP I'm struggling to answer that, because I don't know who Mark Ashton will buy in or let go (no-one does). I also don't know which of our 'crocks' will be available. We could be stuck with certain players because we have no alternative for their position. There is also the elusive player we have been missing - it's POSSIBLE that with that midfield 'general' on the pitch, the likes of Nagy, Pato, Massengo and O'Dowda etc could be free to play to their own personal strengths(?)
I'm not trying to duck the question - just struggling to answer because there are so many different scenarios.

I flippantly said earlier that we should only keep about 5 players from the current squad. That's unrealistic of course and we still need a full squad, so I've listed my more realistic recommendations below.
I think we both agree on Bentley and Kalas. I would NOT want to lose either of them.
With regards to the rest, I think that many could still do a job for us if we get our midfield 'General' in to run the show, but with nobody currently available for that role they are struggling. I don't believe they are simply 'crap', but there are definitely better and more consistent players in the Championship, so I would be keeping an eye on the market to try and improve on them.
However, the number one focus should be on getting our General - and I wouldn't simply let any of the current first-team players go without replacing them. I suppose that puts them in the 'keep if there is nobody better' category, rather than the 'dump at all costs' category!
Mawson I would unload because of his wages. I originally thought Palmer was the one on stupid money but apparently it's Mawson.
I honestly can't judge Walsh or Williams - they've only played a couple of times. I like what I hear about them, but it remains to be seen if they can deliver.
I'd get rid of Baker. Good player but always injured.

So to summarise, naming the squad from memory and assuming the injured ones are fit:
First on the team sheet:
Kalas, Bentley
Keep:
O'Leary, Vyner, Semenyo, Massengo (yes, he's starting to grow on me!), Edwards, Weimann and possibly Bakinson,
Keep if no better replacement found:
Pato, Wells, Martin, Nagy, Hunt, Palmer, DaSilva, O'Dowda, Mariappa, POSSIBLY Walsh and Williams (I honestly don't know about these two)
Actively look to replace:
Mawson (wages - see below), Baker (injuries - shame), Sessegnon (I just don't rate him)
Buy:
Midfield 'General' - URGENT
Replacement for Diedhiou

There are a lot of players I haven't mentioned by name because I can't think of them off the top of my head, so I guess we can do without them........

There you go RP - sorry it's a bit of a long read - and it took a lot of thought, and I've tried to be realistic - there is no way we'd replace everyone except Kalas and Bentley.

EDIT:
I originally named Palmer as being on shockingly high wages because of a historic post on here a few months ago, but according to Jiffie it's Mawson, not Palmer, who is being paid stupid money. Not sure where the original source of the Palmer 'rumour' was but I've updated my post above in response. It's easier if we unload Mawson to be honest - Palmer plays an active part these days.
I've edited my post above accordingly and swopped them around.
Click to expand...
I actuality agree with most of your selection, although find Hunt, Moore & Rowe (not mentioned) frustrating but I do like the look of Adelakun
 
Redprintt said:
If Pearson is able to do this it will prove employing Johnson and Holden implementing SL's vision was a huge mistake.
Time will ultimately tell.
Click to expand...

Mistakes have been made because we are still not in the Premiership.
Comparing the mistakes is interesting. You keep going on about LJs tenure as being a ‘mistake’ and a ‘disaster’, yet make no reference to our flirtations with Coppell, Millen, McKinnes or O’Driscoll. I would call THOSE appointments disasters, as was Holdens. LJs by comparison was very minor, if a mistake at all.
We can agree at least, that Pearson’s appointment gives us the best chance of building on what we have and pushing onwards and upwards towards the promised land.
Let’s hope he doesn’t run off in the summer.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Supcon72
I just hope that Lansdown and Pearson see enough in each other to continue the programme beyond the end of the season. Mistakes over the years have had a bad affect on the club during that time and whether it was managers or their signings really doesn't matter anymore because I hope we are at a transition in our culture. Nothing would please me more than for Pearson to say he sees potential growth and would like to take the project further. Fingers crossed.
 
You don't need a team of 11 geniuses to achieve good things.
The promotion squad of 1976 had 3 or 4 players at the top of their game. The rest were just brilliantly managed and in some ways the whole squad over achieved by 'believing' they could beat anyone.
The Notts Forest team under Brian Clough and Peter Taylor were the same, and won the 1st Division title and 2 European Cups from having a few amazing players, and belief amongst the rest of basically a mismatched rabble of journeymen.
It's all about the man Management (as well as the tactics and transfer dealings) and I hope for the first time in many many years we have the right man for the job.

Oh and Nige, while you're there, please sort out the home form too, which has been woeful for years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: oneforthebristolcity
Redprintt said:
Silence is golden <laugh>
Click to expand...
Best players sold off, Record 4 years in the championship. Platinum <laugh>
For you, whom I still like and would do a job with better players around to name a few!!
ODowda
Paterson
Bakinson
Semenyo
Walsh
Adelakun
Weimann
Hunt (needs work)
Dasilva
Kalas
Bentley
Palmer
Massengo
Nagy
Pereira (not sure what's happened to him)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back