With all the frustrations about recent events, it's easy to look around at other clubs and hoping to be like them. The question is...... Which club would you like to be more like and why? For example I want our club to be more like Borussia Dortmund because of the atmosphere. The "yellow wall" is an amazing example of atmosphere at a club.
Stoke Upper reaches of the EPL and a club even more on the up. A board who back and stick by their manager, and overall it appears to be a club who goes about its business in a professional way with none of the drawbacks of being a Chelsea or a Man U and being in the spotlight all the time. Stoke on Trent has approx half the population of Bristol yet supports two better teams pro rata A role model of a club, along with the likes of Swansea.
I think the Norwich model is probably the closest to ours in comparison. Swansea may be beginning to come off the edge of their fabulous journey?
I would say Norwich as well (though their Chief Exec called Mcnally is a bit of a ruthless b***ard) of the Big Guns - Arsenal
Southampton are probably the model club for us, given the similarities in size and potential fanbase, and the desire to develop youth. Shame I can't stand them or their fans as a club. EDIT: Fully aware that Southampton are a much bigger club than us right now before someone jumps down my throat!
Bristol City x Bristol Sport x Pula means that other models are nigh impossible to aspire to. Ours and sole ownership are incompatible unless Mr Lansdown bequests assets and FC to fans. Bristol Sport is not a normal sporting club model in the UK or Europe. I would like to see the FC pursue elements of both Southampton and German models where great importance is placed upon youth development and regional significance. Bristol City FC should aspire to be the team of the West playing in the City of Bristol, and via Bristol Sport / the Community Trust/ Sporting facilities spread throughout Somerset and Wiltshire (football schools - academies) provide the very best coaching opportunities it can for players/kids in its region whether they have the potential for the FC XI, or not.
Tbf our community link has increased a lot recently but as said there are lots of areas to exploit. We are still the biggest club in the south West. Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk
Southampton, Norwich, Ipswich , Leicester, Middlesbrough's, Stoke are all clubs in cities/towns that are smaller than Bristol. Yet in my lifetime, all have spent considerably more time in the first and second tiers and, more importantly, getting to Cup finals, European competitions. An existence that is just a far off dream for City fans. I'm not a jealous person but it certainly puzzles and hurts me that we have so little to show for our efforts. And as a Bristol Rugby fan , the last thirty years have mirrored City's.
Maybe it's the philosophy of the organisations, so unless we start to ask why others have succeeded where we have failed miserably and consistently I can't see the overall picture changing anytime soon, yet alone in the upcoming transfer window. There are many clubs that have chosen the right path to success and sustainability and that's where we should be taking our lessons and throw the 5 pillars rubbish, including all that other rah rah garbage and everyone associated with it out the window. Is there someone left who knows what to do and how to do it?
Southampton is the one club we could mirror ourselves on. Fantastic what they have done. Credit to them. That is where BCFC should be aiming.
Southampton's youth scouts have been poaching the talent from this area for the last 4 decades at least and it needs to stop. This is why we set up the academy but it needs to start producing now, whatever happened to Joe Morrell who signed for us despite being persuaded by Liverpool, he must be about 19 by now so if he was any good, he should be at least in the first team squad. What we don't see coming out of our set up is the great big hulking bruts that the Premier league clubs churn out like Barkley, Stones, Kane and Alli to name but a few. We obviously don't put ours in grow bags...
It's a shame that we sit back and allow local young talent to be lured by promises and hope of playing top class football. They generally will be a bit part player at most and will just become part of the scoop all policies of clubs that spend beyond belief and have a hoard mentality.
Bristol City are hardly sitting back and have made improvements to the academy status. The lure of other clubs is not solely about promises it is also about opportunity. If your son is good enough do you choose Southampton who provide private schooling, better facilities, better coaching, more 1 2 1 hours or Bristol City! Bristol City - Bristol Sport - Steve Lansdown have to decide what the FC is. Southampton has a clear and long standing narrative that commits the FC to a long term strategy of youth development, Bristol City FC does not. Steve Lansdowns wealth and the potential of the redeveloped Ashton Gate alongside a sporting facility at Ashton Vale /and regional development centres e.g Bridgewater , Melksham (?) could create a impressive functioning framework to be proud off.
So where are these products of our academy and when will we see them populating the first 11 ? The catchment area of greater Bristol and surrounding towns with the best part of 1m inhabitants or more should provide a huge pool of potential talent for us and for any other club encroaching on our geographics too. Clubs like Southampton, Villa and WBA have long had a scouting presence in this area and no-one can blame kids or parents wanting to be associated with a Premiership outfit, but even so, there should still be plenty of talent to satisfy all levels.
That is a strange question. If a kid joins City's academy at nine it could be a decade or more before he plays first team football. The view has to be long term e.g decades. When John Laycock was Chairman City's first team was full of local players, competed for promotion a division lower and the club made small profits v massive losses. That model was abandoned while clubs like Southampton bolstered what they do. Would City be worse off if Mr Lansdown had put the tens of millions City have lost into facilities and a Cat 1 academy instead of buying some seriously mediocre players? From 2007 to 2015 City have gone from big losses v income to five pillars to Bristol Sport. That is not a long term strategy. Whatever the FC becomes if the club want to emulate clubs that do want to develop their own players development has to become one of the fundamental bedrock of the FC like it was over ten years ago till Mr Lansdowne took over.
Cardiff had the same issue as us. When you look at Gareth Bale coming through the ranks of Southampton when he was born and brought up in Cardiff. Then you also have Craig Bellemy as well he was taken by some bigger club with a higher cat accademy. Hopefully we can follow Cardiffs lead who no doubt started taking some of the South West prospects when they got Cat B. But now holding onto their prospects going forward. As Cliftonville says we won't see the benefit of this for 8-10 years but if we stick with it then maybe we might have the next Rooney, Bale someone who we can cash in and push us on.
Is 9 years old the eldest we take kids in at ? I would have thought that given the academy has been running for a few years, any lads that were 12 years old or above then would be in the running for a tilt at the first team by now ?
