Had we not had the holdups with Ashton Vale I think we may well be in the PL now . The financial sustainability the rebuilt stadium brings, along with the new training ground and the next stage of the Ashton Gate redevelopment , a yearly improvement on the pitch is acceptable for now, but soon i don’t think SL will tolerate anything other than promotion. I believe LJ is aware ultimately that’s the reality too. In fairness LJ has so far managed to deliver year on year improvements . Whetyer he’s taken us as far as he can or whether he is able to get us promoted I’m not sure, he seems to have ran out of ideas a bit lately, only time will tell.
I would accept being a yo-yo team as it shows real ambition but above all it shows it can be done by teams of our stature. Other teams are able to achieve that status without breaking the bank by buying over priced players who will bolt for the door the minute you get relegated claiming they came to the specific club for Premiership football. Promotion can be obtained on a budget but you need better footballing nous which means good credentials based on success and an indepth history of achievement. That mystery person must be out there somewhere waiting to get the call from SL, but then again that will probably never happen based on previous experience, in other words a manger who doesn't need excuses for consistently poor performances. Things will not change until the person you hired to achieve your aims is able to ride the slings and arrows of Championship football and adapt their thought process to change the outcomes to a positive and stable condition. I can't see that happening soon and the alternative is obvious, but who, why, where and when?
I wouldn't want to be a yo yo club between League 1 and Championship at all.....that's not easy getting out of that division plus, much better to play Championship clubs IMO......yes the odd bit of silverware, but fairly worthless for how often it happens!!
FFP is a mine field … only 3 teams can go up … so if 6 teams push the boat out 3 could be in dire trouble ...wounded … stood on the mine …. blown to bits? take your choice! every season 1 team probably has it … a team that can get them promoted either 1st 2nd or PO winners minimum spend! so reality is only 2 can gamble! SL is sound financial guru!..... so he wont gamble unless there is a fall back plan …….? You go up …. massive debt and come back down ..... bought a few players … earned £200m paid off your debt return with wage bills discontented players and maybe a bank balance that says after first game of the new season …£0.01p …. has financialFP caught up with previous season in the division ? ...etc etc etc … being a yo yo might work for 2 or 3? but not all …...
Ok let’s look at some of the managers that have been successful in getting to the Prem on a budget - and how well they would be received at AG: Neil Warnock - probably the MOST promotions from the Championship Ian Holloway - amazing feat with Blackpool - all on £500k I think Tony Pulis - got Stoke promoted and kept them there for years Daniel Fark - probably one of these that the city fans could stomach at AG - did brilliantly finding Pukki for next to nothing - finding it a bit tougher now David Wagner - did well at Huddersfield - probably another candidate who might be accepted Adkins? Possibly but Southampton are rich and spent a lot of money. Coppell? Er - we’ve been there before There are probably others but these come to mind first
yo maybe you channel some of your abject negativity into a polar opposite... as the leading LEE OUT campaigner … knocking RP into a fastly distant 2nd you have such a narrow vision it is almost as straight and thin as one of the arrows you refer to …
