So now that SC has had his bedding in period, how do we access his managerial capabilities, i don't tend to go along with one of our posters views, examples. he's a PLANK, IDIOT, SIMPLETON, USELESS,MAD AS A HATTER, DAFT AS A BRUSH, i personaly think he's steaded a sinking ship, i think some of his signing have been very good, some not so, i said back a while that i think we will finish 17th, i think i maybe wrong now, could finish a little higher, i know the jobs not done yet, and we could still come a cropper, but with Jet & Baldock (42goals between them) we have strike force that should see us over the line.
You have put Redprintt in his place AD, who's the useless one now & dont forget, Gillett & Wagstaffe are doing their bit too! SC doing a great job...hope he can do the same next season!
Much to feel optimistic about Thing about promise is it means nothing unless fulfilled. But at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel
I shall really question Cotts if he puts El-Abd back in the team Saturday.... Overall though I've been very happy with him. Certainly showed SOD up. Imagine if we kept him, honestly think we would be down with Notts County
Thankfully we are starting to look as if we are safe now and the question remains as to who gets the credit. The upsurge in our fortunes must reflect in some way what the manager has achieved with a less than ideal mix at the start of his disposal and combine that with extra motivation then he must get a slightly higher than just a passing grade. Let's put all the negativity directed at him by some fans down to the fact that his arrival was not exactly manna from heaven based on his predecessors. Now we have the opportunity to assess him more deeply than when he was under the cosh, but the real acid test will come during the summer when he must surely rebuild the squad with more seasoned and accomplished players. The overall mix needs to be drastically improved if we are to return to the Championship in such a manner that we can more than hold our own against the better teams, and that is a cause that we fully understand after the criminal lack of dedication to duty after our trip to Wembley. Forget what some others have said about him because if he can prove his footballing intelligence by making some savvy signings, and moving some players to other clubs, during the summer then I believe we are in safe hands for the future. Survival is the only key at this point in time but I am starting to feel considerably more confident about our future and that, in my book, is down to Steve Cotterill, and only time will tell if that confidence is well placed. Go for it Steve.
I had reservations about SC when he was appointed. Since he came here, performances have improved and the record of league games played is: P20 W8 D7 L5 Goals for 35 against 29 Points 31 Over a season almost play off form!
Am I allowed to comment I like Cotterillâs involvement from the dugout. Or playing Patterson and Baldock with JET behind. His first game in charge he played this way, itâs Jets best position. Pity the silly bu**er hasnât done it more often. There, Iâve called him a silly bu**er again. Iâve called Cotterill all sorts and will continue to as and when I feel necessary. As I will when he next selects his stellar signing EL Abd.
The worst run of matches I have seen this season was under Mr Cotterill. So poor I became an irregular attendee at away games v a regular one. The team itself now does have far more cohesion about it. Mr Cotterill has ditched his tactics producing the above, but this appears to be based on "get more players". Get more players put City into this position because it was based on little else other than "get more players". A local coach who has coached my son at development level, and this season provided players for academies at City and Southampton told me he feels that Steve Cotterill places little emphasis on developing young players. Barely a local player featured tuesday. I hope "get more players" does not become BCFC's long term strategy again. City have an expensive academy, which went considerably over budget to bring up to a higher standard. I want to see City define themslves as the club of choice for local kids. I would like to see City extend their involvemnet in kids football with a network of development centres based on foreign ideals. City now have a Spanish coach, and appeared to be pushing forward a new identity, it all becomes a white elephant if "get more players" means buy them in.
bottom line is results and you need quality,prooven players to keep the public entertained and happy. Footy is a results based business.
The academy, a good idea as it is, has been an expensive white elephant that hasn't produced all that much. Cottrell has done well with his loan signings and the 3 that played Tuesday all looked good, particularly Elliott, who was the best player on the pitch. Our results in March have gone a long way towards keeping us up and his policy of getting players in has been necessary to achieve this. Long term, the academy idea is good, but we have had it long enough by now to have shown better results.
Footy!!! Football is like no other business. A footbal club should be just that a club. At their best e.g. Bayern Munich they are just that clubs, clubs that represent their communities. Even a global superpowers like Bayern Munich produce "local players" who play in the first XI regularly. The best clubs in the world have strategies. Small time clubs like City fumble and stumble along without them. Reducing BCFC to a mere business here now. This business should have been wind up. Which other clubs have performed so badly when spending so far past their income? The answer over a period of five years in the entire UK is a handful. City created astronomical debts/losses and no one in their right mind will invest in the FC as it is ... That is the bottom line. The performance of rthe club has been pathetic for a reason "buy more players" without planning goes nowhere.
Bill Shankly - God bless him.. * Shankly on boardroom meetings - 'At a football club, there's a holy trinity - the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don't come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques.' * 'Football is a simple game based on the giving and taking of passes, of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass. It is terribly simple.' * 'If you can't make decisions in life, you're a bloody menace. You'd be better becoming an MP!' To name but 3.
Local players are a thing of the past unfortunately, and that's now a true reflection of English football from top to bottom aside from at amateur level. In terms of SC, like many on here I was underwhelmed by his appointment, especially the way in which the job was never properly advertised. However he has steadied the ship and managing Bristol City when he came in must have been like trying to turn an oil tanker at full speed. I totally agree with Shiny that had we retained SOD we'd be bottom of the league and heading for the abyss of the 4th division. The guy just wasn't for us. What I do like is Cotts enthusiasm, fire and commitment, and the way he tells it 'as it is' as rather than mumbling like SOD did. I cant see anyone else above our level taking a chance on JET, but keeping Baldock is key to our chance of success next year and given his goal return he will be attracting bigger fish I'm sure. We're on a decent run at last but its not a time to be complacent. We still need points on the board to get to a position where we're mathematically safe asap.
The academy wasn't expensive. For a period ot time it operated in the black and produced a stream of players into the first XI of varying standards. The emphasis of BCFC changed when John Laycock left the club. Change the focus on producing players, the players don't appear as fequently. The academy now is expensive. Its costs are up to reach new standards under the EPPP. A change in focus from the club could make the academy superfluous = Starting XI's with no local players.
No it is not. Clubs more successful than City have numerpous players going into their first teams. A Zaha at Palace does not happen by luck.
Why the need to have a academy player in our team? Yes its great when they come through and shine but there is no need to bang on about it as if its the be all and end all. We have Reid, Bryan and burns all in the match day squad consistently. Not many teams can say they have 3 academy players regularly in the team.
Need to bomb out all the dead wood like Burns, Bryan, Reid ... Go Egyptian EL Abh, couple of camels, some Slovaks ... Get Peter twety Stuyvesant back, find another Henry McKop. Thats a BRISTOL City.
For Christ sake don't start the stattos orf. You might have to change that to not many teams can say they have 4 academy players regularly in the team. Some crafty swine this end cheat and have more than three.
Rp, of course your allowed to comment, this site wouldn't be the same without them, you always bring a smile to my face with your comments, especially when you say your never wrong, "tongue in cheek i hope", anyway keep calling SC all sorts, we seem to perform better when you do.
