Where is our CEO...who is he?

[Phileas Fogg]

I've only just got round' to listening to this - after reading most of the comments.

It was a very sanitised interview and obviously a bit of a PR exercise. He was quite evasive about some key areas, but he'd clearly gone in with a brief about what and what not to discuss.

The thing I found odd though, and it's been something that's been happening for years and years, was all the praise about SL. I've never heard anything quite like it - it's very odd that there's so much focus on how amazing the Lansdown family are. It's really OTT and unnecessary. 

We don't need to be told how great SL is from a relative newcomer - he's been owner for ages now, fans have an informed opinion based on years of experience. It felt like at least a third of the interview was Alexander praising Lansdown either directly or indirectly. 

Also - a couple of answers were strange. 

1. Describing Scott as our "best player" - notwithstanding whether it's true or not, I just don't think you'd hear that from a club with serious ambition. My interpretation of that is that implies that the level Scott is at is far beyond our reach which contradicts all the talk of wanting a top 6 finish. 
2. Pretending there was some sort of risk about buying players that we were intending to fund with Scott money - Anyone sensible knew that Scott was going this summer. We aren't stupid - so please don't pretend that spending a % of anticipated income in advance of a sale was some sort of gamble. 
3. Pretending not to know about macro issues ie potential change of ownership - Not being able to talk about it in the public domain is understandable, but he'll obviously know about it so don't pretend otherwise. 

Overall - I think he did ok, just frustrating he was clearly keeping to a party line. I didn't rate Gould as a speaker particularly, but appreciated the way he generally approached questions with a straight bat. Pearson does the same, so when you have someone who gives a bit of spin in answers it's just tiresome, especially after years of Ashton. 

 

[W-S-M Seagull]

27 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I believe what they mean is that when the arena is set up for basketball it will be all-seater and capacity will be 3,626.

However when it’s set up for say a concert it could be 5,202. Of course for some events it might be part seating part standing but the highest capacity with be when it’s all-standing.

I’ve been involved (to a very small degree) on the basketball stuff through the Flyers Supporters Group.  Had a couple of zooms with Pete Smith.

I guess the stands will be retractable? To offer maximum flexibility of the space.

Firstly it's great for the Flyers to have a home. 

But secondly to have an arena that is in the same sort of bracket as Utilita Cardiff is absolutely fantastic for the whole region. I'm quite surprised they've not really mentioned this much. But I understand why they'd want to focus on the basketball. Framing it as a sporting venue makes the planning easier. Framing it as a events centre would probably have got all sorts of complaints. 

If we can attract half of the events that the Utilita does then we're on to a real winner. 

I vaguely remember that SL once said that Ashton Vale could possibly have had an arena alongside the new stadium. 

He's getting a lot of stick for the footballing side (justified) but on this sort of thing he can't be criticised. He could have packed it all in after the AV fiasco but over the past decade or so has tried to deliver the AV project at Ashton Gate instead. 

He certainly seems like a guy that likes a project!

 

 

 

[exAtyeoMax]

10 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

I guess the stands will be retractable? To offer maximum flexibility of the space.

Firstly it's great for the Flyers to have a home. 

But secondly to have an arena that is in the same sort of bracket as Utilita Cardiff is absolutely fantastic for the whole region. I'm quite surprised they've not really mentioned this much. But I understand why they'd want to focus on the basketball. Framing it as a sporting venue makes the planning easier. Framing it as a events centre would probably have got all sorts of complaints. 

If we can attract half of the events that the Utilita does then we're on to a real winner. 

I vaguely remember that SL once said that Ashton Vale could possibly have had an arena alongside the new stadium. 

He's getting a lot of stick for the footballing side (justified) but on this sort of thing he can't be criticised. He could have packed it all in after the AV fiasco but over the past decade or so has tried to deliver the AV project at Ashton Gate instead. 

He certainly seems like a guy that likes a project!

 

 

 

The Grand Mare golf project interview that Spud posted earlier in this thread reinforces that idea. 

[ExiledAjax]

21 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

Pretending there was some sort of risk about buying players that we were intending to fund with Scott money - Anyone sensible knew that Scott was going this summer. We aren't stupid - so please don't pretend that spending a % of anticipated income in advance of a sale was some sort of gamble. 

I agree with most of what you say, although I'd say there is a difference between "spin" and "withholding some truth". I think Alexander did more of the latter, whereas Ashton was more of the former.

But that aside, I don't think the bit I've quoted is fair. There's always a risk that a deal doesn't happen. Scott could have broken his leg in 3 places during pre-season. Hell he could have been killed in a car crash on the way to the airport. Any number of suitor clubs could have gone for someone else. A global pandemic could have broken out and crashed the market. Football deals fall through all the time, most don't even get reported in the press, but they do fall over a lot. It was a gamble.

Alexander admitted the Club wanted to sell Scott, hence they felt ok pre-spending the money (presumably at a certain point). That's risk management, and it's a normal part of business. Lansdown was willing to cover the cost, but really doesn't want to, so we sold Scott.

[Davefevs]

2 minutes ago, Ghost Rider said:

and it's becoming increasingly apparent that Nigel is unlikely to receive or may not even desire a new contract.

I think that is more speculation that gleaned from what PA said per se.

All the stuff about financial support I totally agree with though.

[Dr Balls]

My take is that SL is not getting any younger, and that despite the amounts he has put into the club, we are no nearer to becoming a Premier League team than we were 15 years ago, and in some ways, further away. We have seen spending turned on and off, with in some cases dire effects, but actually my impression is that SL’s interest in Bristol City has waned and there are other projects beyond Bristol Sport in which he is far more interested.

On that basis, it does look like the football club at least is being set up for a sale. I am less clear that he would want to sell Ashton Gate and the rest of the “Sporting Quarter”, assuming that’s built, as property is much less likely to lose its value, plus it can still bring in a considerable income, whereas the men’s football team particularly is a constant drain on resources.

There is the element of be careful what you wish for in terms of new owners, but most football fans have only a limited moral compass when it comes to the funding of their team (how many Geordies really care about the Saudi human rights record or Chelsea fans that Abrahamovic was a close mate of Putin’s) as long as the money is coming in and the team is successful. You would suggest that compared to some English clubs we should be an attractive option - big city, no nearby PL teams, decent stadium, but it does somewhat depend on the financial state of the club, which fits with a newly tightened wage structure and no new big purchases over the summer despite 2 relative big sales in the last 9 months to bump up the reserves or SL walking away with less of a loss.

[Alessandro]

Absolutely mental to think - after just fielding a team with only 2 LJ/Mark Ashton era signings - the rest all but gone from the squad bar Weimann (all 3 also with virtually no sell on value now too) - that it's taken 2 home developed academy players to balance the books from that whole period of signings. 

Imagine how much SL would have been down to cover if it wasn't for Scott and Semenyo - no wonder he was keen to sell them. 

[CyderInACan]

2 hours ago, mozo said:

But do they do kabaddi?! And if not, why not?!

Yeah they have lots of different food offerings on a matchday 

[Dolman Queen]

and it's becoming increasingly apparent that Nigel is unlikely to receive or may not even desire a new contract.

There was a radio interview a little while back when Nigel commented re a new contract something like this:

"the club may or may not offer me a contract and I may or may not accept it if it was offered" which led me to think that he may have already told the club he wouldn't re-sign.  That would be very disappointing from my perspective.

 

DQ

[Numero Uno]

36 minutes ago, Alessandro said:

Absolutely mental to think - after just fielding a team with only 2 LJ/Mark Ashton era signings - the rest all but gone from the squad bar Weimann (all 3 also with virtually no sell on value now too) - that it's taken 2 home developed academy players to balance the books from that whole period of signings. 

Imagine how much SL would have been down to cover if it wasn't for Scott and Semenyo - no wonder he was keen to sell them. 

The interesting thing, whatever his critics might think, is that Nige is building a squad with lots of sell on value. Sykes and Tanner definitely have far more sell on value than the amounts we paid for them. Knight won't take long to reach that position imo and then you have the likes of Pring, Conway, Bell and potentially Yeboah if the things being said about him materialise. Vyner is also twice the player he was 18 months ago and is now tied up for three years so if anyone wants him they've got to pay for him and you would hope that the likes of Roberts and Mehmeti get there in time. Before people say Nige doesn't get the credit for the Academy boys you have to remember there are plenty of managers out there who wouldn't blood youngsters if their lives depended on it. They only bring value if they are given real minutes on the Championship pitch to show it.

You can't do it with every player though and you do have to bring in a few for the here and now (the likes of Cornick, Williams, James, King, Naismith and Dickie) and keep one or two experienced heads (Wells and Weimann) which is what we've done. The worry for many is that the more players we "cash in" on the more we have to bring in lads who are "here and now" players who will only recoup your initial outlay at best. Building up your nest egg with £10-25m players is great until the tap runs dry.............and Academies do tend to be cyclical in that regard.

[One Team]

1 hour ago, Alessandro said:

Absolutely mental to think - after just fielding a team with only 2 LJ/Mark Ashton era signings - the rest all but gone from the squad bar Weimann (all 3 also with virtually no sell on value now too) - that it's taken 2 home developed academy players to balance the books from that whole period of signings. 

Imagine how much SL would have been down to cover if it wasn't for Scott and Semenyo - no wonder he was keen to sell them. 

Good comment, although let’s put into context SL’s wealth; circa £1.7 billion. 

Covering the costs of Scott and Semenyo would be negligible to SL. 

It we made it analogous to the wealth of the average man on the street it wouldn’t be much at all.  

I’m not even sure it’s about the money for him, I get the perception he just wants out. 

Edited September 6, 2023 by One Team

[Riaz]

1 hour ago, Ghost Rider said:

I've had the opportunity to carefully listen to the interview, and I must admit, my perspective differs from the prevailing sentiment. In my view, Phil conducted himself quite commendably, and it's becoming increasingly apparent that Nigel is unlikely to receive or may not even desire a new contract. This signals a shift in SL's approach, as he appears to be scaling back his financial support for the club.

The rationale behind SL's change in strategy remains somewhat elusive, and we may never truly grasp it unless someone directly poses the question to him. Nonetheless, it's evident that the seemingly endless source of funds has been curtailed. I found it intriguing how SL displayed a keen interest in the sale of AS, as it suggests that without such revenue, he might need to inject more capital into the club by the end of the financial year. Consequently, it appears that the era of lavish spending is drawing to a close.

As an ardent supporter, I find myself pondering a pertinent question: "If the owner is no longer committed to injecting funds, should we, the fans, continue to pay some of the highest ticket prices in the league?" While I fully appreciate that it's SL's prerogative to manage his money as he sees fit, it's equally important for him to recognize that we, as fans, are also investing our hard-earned money based on our financial capacities. This calls for a balanced consideration of both perspectives.

 

Cant see that - why would Pearson stick around now, if he has no intention of being here next season?

[chinapig]

25 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

and Academies do tend to be cyclical in that regard.

Talking of which:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2023/sep/05/youth-academies-premier-league-clubs-revenue-stream

It doesn't just apply to Prem clubs as Steve's expectation/fantasy that we might raise £25m a year from selling academy graduates shows.

[Mr Popodopolous]

4 hours ago, Merrick's Marvels said:

Perhaps we were going to sign just one,  not both, of Thomason and Murphy? Thomason said no, so we moved on to Murphy? 

Still leaves the question what happened to the Kalas money, though. The Post were quoting Nige on Aug 3 as saying he hadn't completely closed the door on Kalas coming back, so presumably at that stage there was a wage available for him. 

Maybe some of that has gone on Taylor G-H plus pay increases for Pring and Vyner?

Just a guess though. What we know - for sure - is Pearson ain't getting a penny more! 

Vyner and Pring would have been a bit of it, perhaps they have also budgeted for anticipated/hoped for deals for Bell and Conway.

Gardner-Hickman was very much unplanned and a £700,000 loan fee plus whatever percentage of wages could...although a loan fee wouldn't be in the wage pot surely.

Not arguing that the budget isn't too low but it could align a bit.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[Sir Geoff]

3 hours ago, ExiledAjax said:

I agree with most of what you say, although I'd say there is a difference between "spin" and "withholding some truth". I think Alexander did more of the latter, whereas Ashton was more of the former.

But that aside, I don't think the bit I've quoted is fair. There's always a risk that a deal doesn't happen. Scott could have broken his leg in 3 places during pre-season. Hell he could have been killed in a car crash on the way to the airport. Any number of suitor clubs could have gone for someone else. A global pandemic could have broken out and crashed the market. Football deals fall through all the time, most don't even get reported in the press, but they do fall over a lot. It was a gamble.

Alexander admitted the Club wanted to sell Scott, hence they felt ok pre-spending the money (presumably at a certain point). That's risk management, and it's a normal part of business. Lansdown was willing to cover the cost, but really doesn't want to, so we sold Scott.

But but but....we had £10 million from the Semenyo sale and would have used that to fund Mehmeti, Cornick, Roberts, Mcrorie, and Knight with change left over. The Scott sale was a bonus 

[Mr Popodopolous]

5 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

But but but....we had £10 million from the Semenyo sale and would have used that to fund Mehmeti, Cornick, Roberts, Mcrorie, and Knight with change left over. The Scott sale was a bonus 

Although if the £20m loss laat season even if Semenyo was accurate then that actually would have meant we maybe would have breached FFP this season without the Scott sale. All the same we will be well clear by now.

That loss seems £5-7m too high to me but shows the cost base if true, once the accounts are our we will know more.

[Sir Geoff]

4 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Although if the £20m loss laat season even if Semenyo was accurate then that actually would have meant we maybe would have breached FFP this season without the Scott sale. All the same we will be well clear by now.

That loss seems £5-7m too high to me but shows the cost base if true, once the accounts are our we will know more.

Not according to Richard Gould at the fans forum last November. We were within limits although close and as he said ( I think) better to have a points penalty than have to sell our best players 

[Red-Robbo]

1 hour ago, Riaz said:

Cant see that - why would Pearson stick around now, if he has no intention of being here next season?

 

Because he's being paid - and breaking his contract by leaving mid-season would mean he wouldn't be. 

He also doesn't strike me as the sort of chap who'd cut and run and leave his players and us fans in the lurch.

Next season, it's a different ball game. He'd need pretty concrete assurances he wouldn't be expected to operate with a below-average playing budget. He'd need assurances that profits on sales would be ploughed back in.

It's not hard to imagine that, at 60, Pearson sees this as his last job in football and he'd like to leave a legacy. He probably took the job because he saw us as like Leicester: at least in terms of fanbase/city size/potential/lack of glamour.  He'd like, if at all possible, to leave us with a promotion I'm sure.

[Riaz]

13 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

 

Because he's being paid - and breaking his contract by leaving mid-season would mean he wouldn't be. 

He also doesn't strike me as the sort of chap who'd cut and run and leave his players and us fans in the lurch.

Next season, it's a different ball game. He'd need pretty concrete assurances he wouldn't be expected to operate with a below-average playing budget. He'd need assurances that profits on sales would be ploughed back in.

It's not hard to imagine that, at 60, Pearson sees this as his last job in football and he'd like to leave a legacy. He probably took the job because he saw us as like Leicester: at least in terms of fanbase/city size/potential/lack of glamour.  He'd like, if at all possible, to leave us with a promotion I'm sure.

I'm not sure he's the type to carry on if he knows he's not going to be around next season

[Guest]

Whatever losses this club has made and however many pounds SL has paid in to cover those losses...they are ALL HIS, his choices of managers/plans etc so its all down to SL; HIS CLUB,

Now it seems to me he has had enough slamed the wallet shut and is looking for payback preferrably from a sale day.

Dont think for one second Steve is interested in the prem for us.... the transfer fees/wages,would blow his mind, he wants out asap and a stressless life.

Bricks and mortar yes, football club nah hes had a play, not for him.........next.

[Mr Popodopolous]

32 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

Not according to Richard Gould at the fans forum last November. We were within limits although close and as he said ( I think) better to have a points penalty than have to sell our best players 

I remember he said that in January 2022, February 2022 kinda thing.

In subsequent commenrs, Aufudy, November and Janaury to an extent he also said final numbers were still to be ratified etc.

I believe that had we kept Semenyo maybe the EFL would have referred us if not then, now. Semenyo probably saw us fine but Kieran Maguire did interestingly say early in the summer that he didn't us to be spending much.

Oh it (a breach) doesn't just come with a deduction it also comes with restrictions on paying fees etc.

I do remember the initial claim in early 2022 about how we would rather take a deduction than sell key assets.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[RedRock]

The problem is Steve L, for all the errors he’s made (how many other owners would have made similar?), is still the owner I would most wish to be in charge of my Club.

A Bristol lad, passionate about Bristol, provided the Club with the physical infrastructure the envy of many in the Premier League, believer and investor in our Academy, a great Bristol Sport/Sporting Quarter vision and still with great wealth to support the delivery of that vision.

Nice chap too, who does much to support other worthy (conservation) interests.

I, for one, will be sad to see him go. Be careful what you wish for, there are many, many ‘investors’ who would never get near to delivering what Steve L has for us. 

[Mr Popodopolous]

FFP aside, 10:46 to the next section and 32:19 have a bit of Bristol City. 

This was in June, pre the sale of Scott Kieran Maguire and Benjamin Bloom.

He said we would have little further wiggle room but that was obviously before the Scott sale.

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[Merrick's Marvels]

2 hours ago, One Team said:

Good comment, although let’s put into context SL’s wealth; circa £1.7 billion. 

Covering the costs of Scott and Semenyo would be negligible to SL. 

It we made it analogous to the wealth of the average man on the street it wouldn’t be much at all.  

I’m not even sure it’s about the money for him, I get the perception he just wants out. 

This is the crux of it, I think.

He can afford to keep funding us the way he's done in the past. 

What this calendar year has shown us - (FFP considerations aside) the sale of Semenyo then Scott, 35 million quid transfer income showing in the accounts but less than 25% given to the manager to spend, and the lowered wage budget - is that he's chosen not to, or at least not to the same extent.

His perogative. Fair enough.

What I would then say to him is - please have the decency to explain why and how that affects us going forward. Don't hide in Guernsey, saying nothing. There's no need for this thread, or multiple others like it, if there was clear, timely communication from the top.

And please don't talk about promotion - we're not idiots. Instead, how about a little praise or encouragement for your manager - is that really asking too much? Or are you really that petty? 

Edited September 6, 2023 by Merrick's Marvels

[CodeRed]

1 hour ago, Riaz said:

Cant see that - why would Pearson stick around now, if he has no intention of being here next season?

Nige did say in a recent interview with one of the national papers ( the one where he was interviewed at his local pub in Nailsea) that he fully intended to honour his contract.

I think he meant it, and he will see how things play out in the summer.

Personally I don't think he will sign again if budgets, player sales continue as per the current situation.

[exAtyeoMax]

20 minutes ago, RedRock said:

The problem is Steve L, for all the errors he’s made (how many other owners would have made similar?), is still the owner I would most wish to be in charge of my Club.

A Bristol lad, passionate about Bristol, provided the Club with the physical infrastructure the envy of many in the Premier League, believer and investor in our Academy, a great Bristol Sport/Sporting Quarter vision and still with great wealth to support the delivery of that vision.

Nice chap too, who does much to support other worthy (conservation) interests.

I, for one, will be sad to see him go. Be careful what you wish for, there are many, many ‘investors’ who would never get near to delivering what Steve L has for us. 

Yes but there's also investors who can deliver more.

It's not necessarily SL or bust…

[spudski]

25 minutes ago, RedRock said:

The problem is Steve L, for all the errors he’s made (how many other owners would have made similar?), is still the owner I would most wish to be in charge of my Club.

A Bristol lad, passionate about Bristol, provided the Club with the physical infrastructure the envy of many in the Premier League, believer and investor in our Academy, a great Bristol Sport/Sporting Quarter vision and still with great wealth to support the delivery of that vision.

Nice chap too, who does much to support other worthy (conservation) interests.

I, for one, will be sad to see him go. Be careful what you wish for, there are many, many ‘investors’ who would never get near to delivering what Steve L has for us. 

I hear what you say, and agree in some ways. 

In others...someone else could have invested more...and just in the football...and made far better decisions. 

He's liked in football circles, especially as he gives managers a decent go of it time wise. 

It's the other aforementioned situations he's created that are the problem.

[Davefevs]

30 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

I remember he said that in January 2022, February 2022 kinda thing.

In subsequent commenrs, Aufudy, November and Janaury to an extent he also said final numbers were still to be ratified etc.

I believe that had we kept Semenyo maybe the EFL would have referred us if not then, now. Semenyo probably saw us fine but Kieran Maguire did interestingly say early in the summer that he didn't us to be spending much.

Oh it (a breach) doesn't just come with a deduction it also comes with restrictions on paying fees etc.

I do remember the initial claim in early 2022 about how we would rather take a deduction than sell key assets.

Re FFP, the one thing that is very likely is that the EFL didn’t need to see the full £9m from the Semenyo sale, maybe a bit of “show willing” if that makes sense.  If we go back to Che Adams, Brum had bids and decided to hang on to him.  Had we decided the same with Antoine, the EFL might’ve seen it as a bit of a piss-take.  Pure speculation from me.

26 minutes ago, RedRock said:

The problem is Steve L, for all the errors he’s made (how many other owners would have made similar?), is still the owner I would most wish to be in charge of my Club.

A Bristol lad, passionate about Bristol, provided the Club with the physical infrastructure the envy of many in the Premier League, believer and investor in our Academy, a great Bristol Sport/Sporting Quarter vision and still with great wealth to support the delivery of that vision.

Nice chap too, who does much to support other worthy (conservation) interests.

I, for one, will be sad to see him go. Be careful what you wish for, there are many, many ‘investors’ who would never get near to delivering what Steve L has for us. 

I’m sure there are many like you too.  But the “be careful what you wish for” really grates.  Sorry.  It’s like there is nobody out there who might’ve done better / done it differently or both.

Hypothetical Question: Just imagine SL sold us to someone who we didn’t like / took us for a ride…would you think any differently about SL, ie his due diligence wasn’t really in the football club’s best interests.

I don’t think he’d do that, do you?

So, why the need to worry about who might take over?

[Bristol Oil Services]

17 hours ago, Paul G said:

About double a mcrorie or just about a Kalas

Football costs/loses more than rugby, you reckon? Well I wish someone had pointed this out before ....

[Nogbad the Bad]

3 hours ago, Dolman Queen said:

and it's becoming increasingly apparent that Nigel is unlikely to receive or may not even desire a new contract.

There was a radio interview a little while back when Nigel commented re a new contract something like this:

"the club may or may not offer me a contract and I may or may not accept it if it was offered" which led me to think that he may have already told the club he wouldn't re-sign.  That would be very disappointing from my perspective.

 

DQ

I don't see that comment indicating he may have already told the club he wouldn't re-sign.

More that with all his experience in football management he's learnt never to take anything for granted and the board (SL) shouldn't assume anything either.

My view is that Nige is (generally) really enjoying the challenge here and fully intends to see the job through by signing another contract, and if that doesn't happen it will be because SL has cocked up, one way or another.

 

[Mr Popodopolous]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

Re FFP, the one thing that is very likely is that the EFL didn’t need to see the full £9m from the Semenyo sale, maybe a bit of “show willing” if that makes sense.  If we go back to Che Adams, Brum had bids and decided to hang on to him.  Had we decided the same with Antoine, the EFL might’ve seen it as a bit of a piss-take.  Pure speculation from me.

I’m sure there are many like you too.  But the “be careful what you wish for” really grates.  Sorry.  It’s like there is nobody out there who might’ve done better / done it differently or both.

Hypothetical Question: Just imagine SL sold us to someone who we didn’t like / took us for a ride…would you think any differently about SL, ie his due diligence wasn’t really in the football club’s best interests.

I don’t think he’d do that, do you?

So, why the need to worry about who might take over?

Agree in the main on the Semenyo bit Dave but time will tell. I do believe we were unduly restricted in those 3 windows until Semenyo went compared to some other clubs but that's also another debate.

I suppose the best laid plans can still go wrong even with  a new owner. Big red flags about Morris at time of takeover? None I expect. Dai Yongge and Chansiri both went in with big plans I am sure..

Hopefully the improved regs would counteract such risks now but any sale pretty much will have a risk attached but that is also life.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[GrahamC]

5 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said:

I don't see that comment indicating he may have already told the club he wouldn't re-sign.

More that with all his experience in football management he's learnt never to take anything for granted and the board (SL) shouldn't assume anything either.

My view is that Nige is (generally) really enjoying the challenge here and fully intends to see the job through by signing another contract, and if that doesn't happen it will be because SL has cocked up, one way or another.

 

Yep & the Piercy article today suggests as you say, that Nige likes the area very much & wants to carry on with the job that he’s started & in my opinion, is doing extremely well.

Absolutely no reason to doubt that is the case just because he’s 60 now.

[Davefevs]

[RedRock]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

Re FFP, the one thing that is very likely is that the EFL didn’t need to see the full £9m from the Semenyo sale, maybe a bit of “show willing” if that makes sense.  If we go back to Che Adams, Brum had bids and decided to hang on to him.  Had we decided the same with Antoine, the EFL might’ve seen it as a bit of a piss-take.  Pure speculation from me.

I’m sure there are many like you too.  But the “be careful what you wish for” really grates.  Sorry.  It’s like there is nobody out there who might’ve done better / done it differently or both.

Hypothetical Question: Just imagine SL sold us to someone who we didn’t like / took us for a ride…would you think any differently about SL, ie his due diligence wasn’t really in the football club’s best interests.

I don’t think he’d do that, do you?

So, why the need to worry about who might take over?

Already stated in a previous posting that I will view his legacy in the context of who he allows to purchase the Club and the nature/vision/ambition/resources of the new owner. If a Glazier-type or asset stripper, I will gauge Steve’s tenure not just wasted years, but disastrous for the Club. 

I would really hope any deal - mindful that loads of us gave SL/the Club our shares which we originally purchased when the Club were in dire trouble - will have some form of ‘arrangement’ whereby fans can veto any future transfer of ownership to persons deemed unsuitable as a custodian of our Club. Unlikely outcome, I have to say, as SL does seem to view his involvement more as an owner and not custodian - which, for me is one of his weaknesses. That said, if I’d put best part of £250 million into something I might think the same way! 

[Mr Popodopolous]

There is one factor which could turn out to be irrelevant but anyway.

Could the Floating Charge by Pula secured against Ashton Gate etc safeguard against new owners of uncertain motives in the medium term.

Or would it just be paid off at time of takeover.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[ExiledAjax]

7 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

There is one factor which could turn out to be irrelevant but anyway.

Could the Floating Charge by Pula secured against Ashton Gate etc safeguard against new owners of uncertain motives in the medium term.

Or would it just be paid off at time of takeover.

Yes. Settled and released would be the market expectation.

[Mr Popodopolous]

4 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

Yes. Settled and released would be the market expectation.

Thought so, thanks EA.

In theory then SL may not come out at a loss of any kind. Or a low one anyway.

All of the equity conversions could be included In a valuation and obviously this loan.

Of course that also then comes down to how much debt he is willing to write off on departure and how much of a write off the market may expect in order to proceed wirh a purchase.

[Numero Uno]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

The interesting bit for me is at the bottom. If Nige is on a performance related review the comments from both Owner and CEO recently seem to indicate a slightly unrealistic performance expectation. It’s easy to be cynical about that…….

[Merrick's Marvels]

6 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

The interesting bit for me is at the bottom. If Nige is on a performance related review the comments from both Owner and CEO recently seem to indicate a slightly unrealistic performance expectation. It’s easy to be cynical about that…….

Yep. 

(My gut feeling - he has to have us top half consistently)

Edited September 6, 2023 by Merrick's Marvels

[Shauntaylor85]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

The Exiled Robin appears to be a happy clapper! 

[Shauntaylor85]

I don’t get what the board expect from Nigel. I really don’t. What other manager would tick all their boxes and yet still not get a contract? Academy pathway, reduction of wage bill, selling best players and on whole buying well. I left Bristol for the capital many many years ago, I love the city but it’s a comfy place, something Nigel alluded to in the past. He has shifted the mentality and approach in a good way I believe. I would happily give him another three years! 

[Davefevs]

8 minutes ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

The Exiled Robin appears to be a happy clapper! 

You’ve lost me, sorry.

[One Team]

1 hour ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

I don’t get what the board expect from Nigel. I really don’t. What other manager would tick all their boxes and yet still not get a contract? Academy pathway, reduction of wage bill, selling best players and on whole buying well. I left Bristol for the capital many many years ago, I love the city but it’s a comfy place, something Nigel alluded to in the past. He has shifted the mentality and approach in a good way I believe. I would happily give him another three years! 

Completely agree but he’s not a yes man or ex player who they can manipulate. NP, like very few before him, was appointed due to experience, not nepotism, which is normally the favoured aspect of the managerial decision making process. 

[exAtyeoMax]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

You’ve lost me, sorry.

twitter

[Davefevs]

5 minutes ago, exAtyeoMax said:

twitter

Ahhhh, I think he’s doing a fair bit of “devils advocate” tweets at the mo’.

[bcfc01]

6 hours ago, CodeRed said:

Nige did say in a recent interview with one of the national papers ( the one where he was interviewed at his local pub in Nailsea) that he fully intended to honour his contract.

I think he meant it, and he will see how things play out in the summer.

Personally I don't think he will sign again if budgets, player sales continue as per the current situation.

I agree.

If the club shows no ambition, such as the weirdly timed austerity (I have my suspicions on that), then I would think he'd not want another contract if offered. Why carry on when the owner doesn't seem interested in cracking on ?

I can see him seeing out his contract and walking away - not often a manager gets to do that and it may appeal to him.

[W-S-M Seagull]

8 hours ago, One Team said:

Good comment, although let’s put into context SL’s wealth; circa £1.7 billion. 

Covering the costs of Scott and Semenyo would be negligible to SL. 

It we made it analogous to the wealth of the average man on the street it wouldn’t be much at all.  

I’m not even sure it’s about the money for him, I get the perception he just wants out. 

I have no idea of how much money SL has in his bank account but being worth 1.7 billion is different to having 1.7 billion. 

At the moment SL is undertaking two huge projects. The Sporting Quarter and the golf resort. The sporting quarter alone costing upwards of 150 million. 

SL isnt a guy thats gonna struggle to get finance but i'm just wondering that maybe these two projects are responsible for him wanting to reduce his funding. 

3 hours ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Thought so, thanks EA.

In theory then SL may not come out at a loss of any kind. Or a low one anyway.

All of the equity conversions could be included In a valuation and obviously this loan.

Of course that also then comes down to how much debt he is willing to write off on departure and how much of a write off the market may expect in order to proceed wirh a purchase.

The best way for him to make his money back would be for us to get to the Premier league. 

Brighton are now worth over 225 million for example. Probably even more than that now. 

But if we were to get to the Premier league. With our facilities all in place already, we would be primed for a takeover.

[Son of Fred]

3 minutes ago, bcfc01 said:

I agree.

If the club shows no ambition, such as the weirdly timed austerity (I have my suspicions on that), then I would think he'd not want another contract if offered. Why carry on when the owner doesn't seem interested in cracking on ?

I can see him seeing out his contract and walking away - not often a manager gets to do that and it may appeal to him.

Especially when this signals retirement & you are walking off into the sunset!!

[Shauntaylor85]

2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Ahhhh, I think he’s doing a fair bit of “devils advocate” tweets at the mo’.

Getting a lot of likes from our Director of Recruitment too….all praising SL. 

[Davefevs]

6 minutes ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

Getting a lot of likes from our Director of Recruitment too….all praising SL. 

Tins likes stuff praising the club…which is fine by me.

[Riaz]

1 hour ago, Ghost Rider said:

As he's got a contract. 

And? He wouldn’t put his heart and soul into, if he was deciding to leave at the end of the season 

[Davefevs]

45 minutes ago, Riaz said:

And? He wouldn’t put his heart and soul into, if he was deciding to leave at the end of the season 

Out of interest whose intention is it for Nige to not be here next season?  Nige himself or someone else?

FWIW, I don’t Nige is capable of not putting his heart and soul into anything.

[And Its Smith]

7 hours ago, Riaz said:

And? He wouldn’t put his heart and soul into, if he was deciding to leave at the end of the season 

Insight into your mindset rather than Nige’s I think 

[Riaz]

1 hour ago, Ghost Rider said:

That's just fantasy isn't it. How could you possibly know that he wouldn't put his heart and soul into something if he knew he was leaving? 

1 hour ago, And Its Smith said:

Insight into your mindset rather than Nige’s I think 

What nigel has done here - he's been building for the long term. At his age with his no-nonsense personality, i just cant see him sticking around and building for someone else.

Just my opinion of course.

However, Bristol Live understand he's happy here and intends to stay.

Its just now up to SL to offer him a new contract or not. I hope he does, because i feel, he's done a good job of getting the wage budget down and deserves to get the opportunity to see it through.

[And Its Smith]

8 minutes ago, Riaz said:

What nigel has done here - he's been building for the long term. At his age with his no-nonsense personality, i just cant see him sticking around and building for someone else.

Just my opinion of course.

However, Bristol Live understand he's happy here and intends to stay.

Its just now up to SL to offer him a new contract or not. I hope he does, because i feel, he's done a good job of getting the wage budget down and deserves to get the opportunity to see it through.

He’s actually said in the past that whether it’s him or someone else who finally takes us up isn’t that important as long as we get there.  He clearly has personal pride so my opinion is he will try his best whether he gets a new contract or not 

[Ian M]

1 hour ago, Riaz said:

What nigel has done here - he's been building for the long term. At his age with his no-nonsense personality, i just cant see him sticking around and building for someone else.

Just my opinion of course.

However, Bristol Live understand he's happy here and intends to stay.

Its just now up to SL to offer him a new contract or not. I hope he does, because i feel, he's done a good job of getting the wage budget down and deserves to get the opportunity to see it through.

Can’t remember what it was exactly he said but in a recent press conference he was already talking about planning for next season, I just think he’s a good sort who regardless of personal job security, cares about the players and people he works with. You could see the pride in his face when talking about the likes of Sam Bell in his post match interview last weekend.

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, And Its Smith said:

He’s actually said in the past that whether it’s him or someone else who finally takes us up isn’t that important as long as we get there.  He clearly has personal pride so my opinion is he will try his best whether he gets a new contract or not 

Yep.

Same as when he joined on a short-term deal initially, he said he was planning for 21/22 season whether he was here or not.

People talk about the drop off of results, but it’s clear (to me anyway) that once those couple of wins were achieved relegation was off the cards, and it was about planning for next season, hence why we started to see certain players left out and others given a chance, inc young ones.  He needed to find out about the squad, their character, whether the young ones could backfill, etc.

[Shauntaylor85]

13 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Tins likes stuff praising the club…which is fine by me.

I don’t think you should be that open on comments from fans personally in a senior role.  It also isn’t appearing to align with how majority of fans and the manager appear to be feeling. 

[Davefevs]

2 minutes ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

I don’t think you should be that open on comments from fans personally in a senior role.  It also isn’t appearing to align with how majority of fans and the manager appear to be feeling. 

What tweets of Exiled Robins did he like btw?  I had a look at Tins twitter and couldn’t see any…but that might be I was looking in the wrong place…or he deleted them?

[Merrick's Marvels]

8 minutes ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

It also isn’t appearing to align with how majority of fans and the manager appear to be feeling. 

That ain't his job, mate!

[bcfc01]

1 hour ago, Shauntaylor85 said:

I don’t think you should be that open on comments from fans personally in a senior role.  It also isn’t appearing to align with how majority of fans and the manager appear to be feeling. 

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a bloke more optimistic than Tins, heart on his sleeve, what you see is what you get, and he loves this club. He'll like anything that praises the club/players/management/board etc.

I'd also say that the mood of the support base isn't necessarily represented on here. I speak with friends and relatives who support the club who have no interest at all in this forum and take what is put out by the club at face value. If anything, I would say that the majority of the support base are alligned with SL and the CEO.

[Superjack]

58 minutes ago, bcfc01 said:

I'd also say that the mood of the support base isn't necessarily represented on here. I speak with friends and relatives who support the club who have no interest at all in this forum and take what is put out by the club at face value. If anything, I would say that the majority of the support base are alligned with SL and the CEO.

I don't think that's necessarily true. Granted, this forum only consists of a fraction of the support base, but I think it generally represents a good cross section.

[bcfc01]

2 minutes ago, Superjack said:

I don't think that's necessarily true. Granted, this forum only consists of a fraction of the support base, but I think it generally represents a good cross section.

You may well be correct with regard to some topics and, just to be clear, the people I've spoken to are fully in support of NP, but also fully support SL. 

Each to his own as they say.

[Shauntaylor85]

9 hours ago, Davefevs said:

What tweets of Exiled Robins did he like btw?  I had a look at Tins twitter and couldn’t see any…but that might be I was looking in the wrong place…or he deleted them?

There is one about how we had sold Scott earlier in the window would fans have been happy with our current business. It’s still there if you go to profile and check out posts liked. Also one recently around how the budget from Scott sale needs to be spent on signing up Pring Vyner etc there or thereabouts. This was all around the time of the anti board posts on here and online when Nige came out to say no more business. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Shauntaylor85

[Superjack]

@W-S-M Seagull You're welcome.