Dissing BFC

I a.ways thought Larry Mays was the best, can’t remember who we were playing though!

 

Steady! My next suggestion was to set up a separate page called Gobshite Corner.

 

the same people who wouldn’t have a bad word said about conman and lee, the same people who believe we are achieving above our station being at top end of league one. The same ones that are happy to see our captain sold ever year, because the powers that be said we are skint. The same ones that quite frankly lack ambition and have accepted being a feeder club to the likes of Luton town!

 

No. Most of the people you call happy clappers were fervently opposed to Conway and Lee.
We're not "happy" to see players sold. We just realise that some have to be or we'd go bankrupt. Rather that than live in your fantasy world where we pay our best players four and five times more to hold onto them.
I'd love to see you and your like minded tinpotters in charge of an actual club. Just not ours.

 

We wouldn’t have to sell as many players if we got the correct fee for them, we get low balled by clubs because we have a history of flogging players on the cheap.

We wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for the current board, one way or another they are not blameless for us being in league one after finishing 5th the the championship.

I accept that they are trying but let’s wait and see what happens the rest of the transfer window, if we don’t achieve promotion this season the board has failed.

btw nice to see the club has improve the changing rooms they look class.

 

1. An assumption not fact. Do you honestly think they would under sell. They are in a position now to reject offers. That wasn't the case with most of the recent transfers for various reasons. Some of the players have forced a sale through. Clauses work both ways. Mads could have gone for nothing in 12 months time. We apparently got £3m Promotion wouldnt be guaranteed. Regardless of what players stay. It's a gamble but a risky one.

2. They were overruled by the previous majority shareholders votes. Conway/lee. After a season where the Prem was a possibility. (Who made stupid decisions whether unintentionally or not) They were Partly to blame you could say. as they were investors but got shut at the first opportunity when Conway's time was up as chairman and his controlling holding taken away by those he represented. I think Nereev was ready to call it a day if it didnt happen. Unhappy at Conway's role as CEO. For that calamitous period. And that for me was where it went downhill.

3/4 No guarantees can be given re promotion. There are too many obstacles in the way namely 23 of em. Yes we'd hope to go one better than last year and the board want that. The manager, players and fans want that. I suppose you could say failure to a degree.
Every club in the top 10 in the prem would consider anything less to be a failure next season. Especially those who think a champions league european place should be a given. Liverpool an example. Last season.

5 Not seen em. So can't comment

 

I don't actually blame the club for both Ismael & Duff leaving. And to be honest I think both were interested in other clubs, even before those Play offs started.
But its disgraceful what happened with Conway and Lee, especially putting us in the position we were in after the relegation.
And this current lot were all part of the same set up at the time, and are definitely not blameless here.
It feels like there's something fundamentally wrong though, that managers/coaches just don't want to stay. Is it really just down to the fact that its bigger clubs offering more money and better prospects, etc!.

 

In answer to your last question. 100% yes. Money talks and an easy step up the next rung of the ladder.
Lee Johnson had an affinity to Bristol city to sway his decision.

 

If it’s true we actively sell the club as a next stage development or stepping stone then we are self fulfilling our own prophecy.
Some will say we have to to get some to join and that may be true but if we are selling ourselves in such a way they are never going to be here long.

 

I know it sounds obvious when you think of it like that (bigger clubs and more money etc).
But haven't we often heard suggestions of interference from above, and that the manager/coach is being told what to do and who and how to play.
Hence the reason maybe, why we don't hire 'managers' anymore.

 

Yes you are correct, 2000 mins guaranteed for the kids!

 

That's a given in the sense of they want and the fans want to see pressing football and all the signings fit that model from academy to 1st team. It's often spoke about. We are not alone in that. Many clubs are now going for head coaches. Attaining badges is the priority for most modern day professionals and clubs want to see that. Coach the team, not the rest of the roles old type managers used to have to do.
It seems to be the modern way. Leave the rest to those behind the scenes. Re contracts etc. The coach has input on who may fit the bill. So is involved in most decisions. Some of the players brought in will be developed to continue the model. And slot straight in so to speak.
I'm not in full agreement with it all (as I'm old school).but as the game is always evolving. some of it makes sense. Just takes getting used to.

 

Its also been mentioned on here about budgets, and what each manager/coach gets given to spend. And over the years, some have been given more than others, for whatever reasons.
For me, Hecky had lost the plot a long time before he left, and I'll be honest and say who can blame him. The January '17 window fiasco was enough to make anybody lose interest.
And oddly enough Lee Johnson did say he couldn't resist the move to his boyhood club Bristol City. When in fairness, he should have been sacked a month or more before that!!.

 

One thing that confuses me about that is that if all the signings fit that pressing model then how the hell did we end up with the likes of Josh Martin, Jon Russell, Watters and even Cole? None of them are exactly known as hard working pressing players.

And that's just last season. We've done the same for the last few years, signed quite a few players who just don't seem to fit the model at all and they never seem that popular with the managers either so why are we signing them? Must be a reason but it baffles me a bit.

Also agree that the managers job has changed in general these days. I think our biggest mistake as a club is being so vocal about that and openly admitting it.

 

Is that true though (Hooky), do the majority of us fans really want to see the pressing style ALL the time.
Especially when we're given no choice in the matter, and if almost the whole squad has been signed based on that, and it doesn't work...then we're in trouble with no plan B!!.

 

It's an interesting discussion.

I think the start of me falling out of love with BFC was when our Chief Executive told the world that us finishing 5th in the Championship was not a successful season because we didn't receive any bids for players.

Then when the Head Coach who inspired us to said finish left (which wasn't an issue - these things happen), the two blokes who replaced him that season were utterly incompetent - but because we managed to sell a few players, it seemed those in charge seemed ok with what happened on the pitch.

Football became secondary to the business side of things - when to me, it should be the other way around. And having a successful playing side, would help pay for itself through player sales that may or may not need then need to happen.

Oh and the West Stand Debacle really shot it up me too - the cloak and daggers stuff created a mistrust and a sense of a feeling that it wasn't the same Club anymore. A feeling and a disconnect that I still have - despite a season that was above everyone's expectations.

 

I think this is the key part of where the club has been for a couple of years now.

For different reasons people have questioned from day one the owners intentions and motives and since then have influenced this by some of their actions since. Irrelevant of what they do moving forward it will take a long time to change that perception if ever.

 

The announcement about the season not being successful, plus the 2 signings on obscene wages with ridiculous long contracts as set us bk years.

 

Good post.