Worst decision since when.....?

[Steve Watts]

For me, this is possibly the worst decision the club have made since they phoned David Moyes and told him not to fly back from America to interview for the job as we'd given it to Tony Pulls. Genuinely don't think we've made as bad a call as today since then. 

Any advances on the Moyes/Pulis call?

[SDBS36]

Since sacking Cottle

[CodeRed]

Since.....His last one?

[Sir Geoff]

Dean Holden

[bearded_red]

Ever.

[Sir Geoff]

4 minutes ago, SDBS36 said:

Since sacking Cottle

Gerry ?

[Bedred31]

Since the ghastly 125th anniversary shirt. And the common thread is….

[milo1111]

Appointing Holden , Lee Johnson , Millen and tinnion were rubbish decisions . I’d say they were not quite at this level though. 
 

 

[robinforlife2]

Time will tell if it was a bad decision or not. It may not feel great right now, but if we bring someone in and they get us top ten this season and we push on next year, then it will turn out to be the right decision. How bad a decision it is, can't be judged now. 

[Bourne End Red]

2 minutes ago, robinforlife2 said:

Time will tell if it was a bad decision or not. It may not feel great right now, but if we bring someone in and they get us top ten this season and we push on next year, then it will turn out to be the right decision. How bad a decision it is, can't be judged now. 

Exactly this, I hate this decision, but we may appoint someone everything clicks and we get promoted. Massively unlikely but we won’t know yet how good or bad this decision is.

Edited October 29, 2023 by Bourne End Red

[nebristolred]

This one is stupider than Holden and Johnson imo. It's one thing to appoint the wrong manager, clubs do that all the time. But to actively get rid of a manager building a decent culture at the club? That's rare, and a special kind of stupid.

[Dredd]

I don't think ive ever seen us sack a manager with 90% of the fan base still firmly behind them. Probably the next most unpopular sacking was Danny Wilson? 

[RedEyez]

He laid the foundations for Leicester’s premier league successes before they even knew he had done.

Perhaps he has done the same for us with championship promotion. We just don’t know it yet. 

[cellist]

Sacking a good one feels worse than appointing a bad one - bad appointments happen (though admittedly embarrassingly often for us). It certainly has parallels with the Cotterill situation - appointment made to steady the ship, but not really given the right sort of backing. Almost like we have (twice!) stumbled upon a good manager by accident, then proceeded to make their position untenable. Couldn't make it up.

Edited October 29, 2023 by cellist

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

The worst decision was appointing JL as Chairman along with the Atyeo stand being for the exclusive use of away fans.

The decision of sacking NP will only be the worst if relegation is the outcome and that is pure speculation. 

Outpouring of righteous indignation will soon dissipate after a few wins or grow after a few more losses. This is football.

[BarneyCity]

I doubt there is any club where on the back of polls ( albeit only 1000 or so votes) with 95% in favour of the manager - go and do something so patently dim, against all the evidence of good management, if doing the job that had been asked.

I’ve been going for 35 years never know something so half witted.

angry beyond words !

[One Team]

3 minutes ago, nebristolred said:

This one is stupider than Holden and Johnson imo. It's one thing to appoint the wrong manager, clubs do that all the time. But to actively get rid of a manager building a decent culture at the club? That's rare, and a special kind of stupid.

It’s quite something isn’t it? It’s like they don’t know anything about football. 

Oh hang on….

[Bristol Oil Services]

10 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

Gerry ?

Joe?

[Kingswood Robin]

Since Lansdown senior told us all, that until we'd put in as much money as him we should just shut up. 

[2015]

3 minutes ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

The worst decision was appointing JL as Chairman along with the Atyeo stand being for the exclusive use of away fans.

The decision of sacking NP will only be the worst if relegation is the outcome and that is pure speculation. 

Outpouring of righteous indignation will soon dissipate after a few wins or grow after a few more losses. This is football.

Totally agree on JL. What on earth has he done to merit such a position at a Championship club? The guy has his finger prints over everything bad that happens at City.

[JoeAman08]

Not losing any sleep over this. I don’t think we’d ever be a threat to be promoted with him. The football was dreadful. I am looking forward to something new. Talk about him laying the foundations at Leicester is fair but they also played a much better brand of football after he left. He set up the structure and someone else set them free to play actual football not percentages. 
 

That all said, got no faith in SL to appoint anyone decent or sort things out at all really. Don’t really see us going anywhere as long as he owns the club. Pearson going, while I am not gutted, was too soon. We aren’t safe from relegation and NP would have kept us steady enough. Off into the unknown now and little faith in the decision makers that we’ll be better off. Should have let him see out his contract. That said NP didn’t seem the most content on that either

[chinapig]

3 minutes ago, 2015 said:

Totally agree on JL. What on earth has he done to merit such a position at a Championship club? The guy has his finger prints over everything bad that happens at City.

I believe the term these days is nepo baby.

[MartockRed]

25 minutes ago, SDBS36 said:

Since sacking Cottle

Phil? 

[Bris Red]

10 minutes ago, Dredd said:

I don't think ive ever seen us sack a manager with 90% of the fan base still firmly behind them. Probably the next most unpopular sacking was Danny Wilson? 

Certainly can’t remember a sacking as unpopular as this one. As much as i liked Wilson the manner in which we lost the play-off final that year it did probably feel the right decision to get rid.

This is unbelievable though IMO. As the dust is settling i just cannot get my head around it. Absolutely bollox is it a footballing decision and that is what is the most frustrating thing.

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

9 minutes ago, 2015 said:

Totally agree on JL. What on earth has he done to merit such a position at a Championship club? The guy has his finger prints over everything bad that happens at City.

Exactly- I almost feel sorry for JL as pretty much in any universe he would not have ended up as Chairman of a significant football club.

Time for change beyond just the Manager. I'm grateful for the support and money Steve has poured into our club but , jeez, he really does make it hard for himself.

Edit: And us

Edited October 29, 2023 by Marina's Rolls Royce

[David Brent]

Since ‘Splat’ the Robin. 

[GrahamC]

29 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

Dean Holden

Yep & before that appointing Pulis.

Worst sacking I can remember, was very disappointed when Cotts left but he got longer in our first season up & we were struggling more than we are now.

[cidercity1987]

14 minutes ago, 2015 said:

Totally agree on JL. What on earth has he done to merit such a position at a Championship club? The guy has his finger prints over everything bad that happens at City.

This guy boils my piss.

What has he ever done in life to retire to the Bahamas in his mid 30s? Absolutely **** all whilst the rest of us slave away trying to provide for our families 

[2015]

Just now, cidercity1987 said:

This guy boils my piss.

What has he ever done in life to retire to the Bahamas in his mid 30s? Absolutely **** all whilst the rest of us slave away trying to provide for our families 

Me too. He employs people in jobs at the club who are friends of the family. It's all nepotism and everything that goes is on his say so. 

He says he has been a childhood fan since 1990, yet he shows he knows nothing about the culture of the club. The new badge, the kits, the crayons, the stupid hashtag slogans - all him. 

[RedZepperin]

13 minutes ago, JoeAman08 said:

Not losing any sleep over this. I don’t think we’d ever be a threat to be promoted with him. The football was dreadful. I am looking forward to something new. Talk about him laying the foundations at Leicester is fair but they also played a much better brand of football after he left. He set up the structure and someone else set them free to play actual football not percentages. 

I agree. Nothing wrong with sacking a manager. The problem is when you appoint a worse option which, although likely, hasn't happened yet.

[Odd socks]

Scrumpy ?

[GrahamC]

4 minutes ago, cidercity1987 said:

This guy boils my piss.

What has he ever done in life to retire to the Bahamas in his mid 30s? Absolutely **** all whilst the rest of us slave away trying to provide for our families 

Have a billionaire father, that’s it.

He’s not actually qualified for much, which is why he’s let lose with the crayons & a video camera from time to time.

Would say nice work if you can get it, but he doesn’t “work”.

[Shauntaylor85]

45 minutes ago, Steve Watts said:

For me, this is possibly the worst decision the club have made since they phoned David Moyes and told him not to fly back from America to interview for the job as we'd given it to Tony Pulls. Genuinely don't think we've made as bad a call as today since then. 

Any advances on the Moyes/Pulis call?

Apparently it was SL who went for Pulis too! 

39 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

Dean Holden

That was just a mistake that should never have been repeated. Eg Tinnion, Fawthrop and Millen. SL will never learn! Failure after failure! 

[Davefevs]

34 minutes ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Exactly- I almost feel sorry for JL as pretty much in any universe he would not have ended up as Chairman of a significant football club.

Time for change beyond just the Manager. I'm grateful for the support and money Steve has poured into our club but , jeez, he really does make it hard for himself.

Edit: And us

I’m glad you put “almost” in your opening sentence.

He could easily have said “no” or walked away at any point if he felt it wasn’t for him / he wasn’t capable.

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

1 minute ago, Davefevs said:

I’m glad you put “almost” in your opening sentence.

He could easily have said “no” or walked away at any point if he felt it wasn’t for him / he wasn’t capable.

Neither you nor I know whether JL said "Dad I want to be Chairman for Christmas" or "Son, I'll make you Chairman for Christmas".

Either way - it was dumb dumb dumb.

Although I appeared to be in a minority , I liked Colin Sexton as a Chairman- at least he worked his way up on merit . Chairman are invariably likely to be unpopular in  most scenarios which don't involve honours or beeing a saviour but JL really isn't fit to wear the job.

[Davefevs]

7 minutes ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Neither you nor I know whether JL said "Dad I want to be Chairman for Christmas" or "Son, I'll make you Chairman for Christmas".

Either way - it was dumb dumb dumb.

Although I appeared to be in a minority , I liked Colin Sexton as a Chairman- at least he worked his way up on merit . Chairman are invariably likely to be unpopular in  most scenarios which don't involve honours or beeing a saviour but JL really isn't fit to wear the job.

My view is that SL kinda forced him into it, ie “Keith, can you mentor Jon so he can take over from me in the long-run”.  That was kinda alluded to in the announcement of his role back in 2013-ish (?).

I don’t remember the Sexton years….my falling out of love with football era.

[Mike Hunt-Hertz]

1 hour ago, Sir Geoff said:

Gerry ?

Well, we are a circus.

[Redrascal2]

How does a Manager who has any knowledge of the tremendous job that Pearson has done in extremely tough circumstances, take a job with the people who have sacked him. I know it is about money but they must surely realise what low life's they would be working for.

[The Bard]

1 minute ago, Redrascal2 said:

How does a Manager who has any knowledge of the tremendous job that Pearson has done in extremely tough circumstances, take a job with the people who have sacked him. I know it is about money but they must surely realise what low life's they would be working for.

Because they have egos.  They believe they can succeed despite the obstacles because they believe they are footballing geniuses.  

Football is not full of realistic reflective types.

[W-S-M Seagull]

This is probably a worser decision than leaving Lita out of the play off final squad. 

[Superjack]

1 hour ago, RedEyez said:

He laid the foundations for Leicester’s premier league successes before they even knew he had done.

Perhaps he has done the same for us with championship promotion. We just don’t know it yet. 

No. Because the ****s above turned the taps off and stopped him.

[Superjack]

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

This is probably a worser decision than leaving Lita out of the play off final squad. 

Absolutely. 

That ****ed a season. 

This has ****ed a future.

[2015]

In terms of Football at City then since appointing Dean Holden Might be an even poorer decision coming up too.

Edited October 29, 2023 by 2015

[MelksRed]

This decision is utterly shocking. Worst decision since Waddle was asked to take a Pen at Italia 90.

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

33 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

My view is that SL kinda forced him into it, ie “Keith, can you mentor Jon so he can take over from me in the long-run”.  That was kinda alluded to in the announcement of his role back in 2013-ish (?).

I don’t remember the Sexton years….my falling out of love with football era.

Perhaps if he started off carrying Buster Footman's magic sponge or polishing the boots or serving sandwiches and worked his way up then maybe he could have gained some credibility?

Interestingly- your moment of falling out of love was during my second period of 'fever pitch'  (the first being Joe Jordan era)- perhaps that's why we see some things from different perspectives?

[Red-Robbo]

1 hour ago, cidercity1987 said:

This guy boils my piss.

What has he ever done in life to retire to the Bahamas in his mid 30s? Absolutely **** all whilst the rest of us slave away trying to provide for our families 

It's called capitalism and it's why - as Jim Morrison sang in 1967 - "some are born to sweet delight, some are born to the endless night".

Jon can't help being born the son of someone who our system allows to have more money than a medium-sized African nation 

However he may be able to stop running the club he's "chairman" of, like a dick. 

[Malvern Red]

The Charge of the Light Brigade 

[Shauntaylor85]

16 minutes ago, 2015 said:

In terms of Football at City then since appointing Dean Holden Might be an even poorer decision coming up too.

Even Holden was allowed to escape a 6.0 at Watford and the fact we didn’t have a corner for several games! LJ given time and time again and cash galore. It’s a joke! Absolute shambles. 

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Perhaps if he started off carrying Buster Footman's magic sponge or polishing the boots or serving sandwiches and worked his way up then maybe he could have gained some credibility?

Interestingly- your moment of falling out of love was during my second period of 'fever pitch'  (the first being Joe Jordan era)- perhaps that's why we see some things from different perspectives?

I fell out of love with footie, not City.  I had to stop playing (I bloody loved playing) through injury at 30/31 having had 4/5 years of trying to and failing to overcome a ruptured ACL.  I watched City from afar, HTV news on a Monday night, but that was about it, until I started taking Joe in 13/14 under SOD.  So I had 10+ years “away”.

I saw the decline from Div 1 to Div 4.

I missed the GJ years.

I was back for Cotts Tier 3 success.

Some real downs and ups.

Today feels like a huge down from a promising position.

[Aipearcey]

4 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Neither you nor I know whether JL said "Dad I want to be Chairman for Christmas" or "Son, I'll make you Chairman for Christmas".

Either way - it was dumb dumb dumb.

Although I appeared to be in a minority , I liked Colin Sexton as a Chairman- at least he worked his way up on merit . Chairman are invariably likely to be unpopular in  most scenarios which don't involve honours or beeing a saviour but JL really isn't fit to wear the job.

I heard what Jon actually asked for was a cowboy outfit, Steve misunderstood and gave him Bristol city to run.

Edited October 30, 2023 by Aipearcey

[Isawjonshaw]

10 hours ago, RedEyez said:

He laid the foundations for Leicester’s premier league successes before they even knew he had done.

Perhaps he has done the same for us with championship promotion. We just don’t know it yet. 

we do, sorry

[Major Isewater]

Bullet meet foot. 

[Major Isewater]

8 hours ago, Malvern Red said:

The Charge of the Light Brigade 

Send three and four pence we’re going to a dance. 

[CliftonCliff]

8 hours ago, Davefevs said:

I fell out of love with footie, not City.  I had to stop playing (I bloody loved playing) through injury at 30/31 having had 4/5 years of trying to and failing to overcome a ruptured ACL.  I watched City from afar, HTV news on a Monday night, but that was about it, until I started taking Joe in 13/14 under SOD.  So I had 10+ years “away”.

I saw the decline from Div 1 to Div 4.

I missed the GJ years.

I was back for Cotts Tier 3 success.

Some real downs and ups.

Today feels like a huge down from a promising position.

Well, some of us have been through a pretty much uninterrupted period of well over half a century, in my case from the early sixties, and I can tell you the only thing that surpasses this is the club almost going out of existence in 1982. The clowns who steered City into that catastrophic financial position, who included Stephen Kew, if I remember rightly, were in some respects of a similar ilk to the Lansdowns, and every bit as arrogant, stupid and detached from reality.

Sometimes it’s not just what you do, but how it’s done. The way that NP has been hung out to dry and shafted for personal, not football reasons, is really quite despicable. Like countless others, I have defended SL in the past against what at the time was very unfair criticism, but you can’t defend the indefensible and the only feeling I have towards the ownership now is one of complete and utter contempt. There is now a profound distrust among the fan base that will never be overcome, regardless of whether the Lansdowns stay or go in the long run.

One of the lowest points I’ve ever experienced in sixty-odd years of following this club. 

Edited October 30, 2023 by CliftonCliff

[glynriley]

The worst decision since Olaf The Hairy, King of all the Vikings, ordered 80,000 battle helmets with the horns on the inside. 
 

Lansdowns Out. 

[1960maaan]

10 minutes ago, CliftonCliff said:

Like countless others, I have defended SL in the past against what at the time was very unfair criticism, but you can’t defend the indefensible and the only feeling I have towards the ownership now is one of complete and utter contempt. There is now a profound distrust among the fan base that will never be overcome, regardless of whether the Lansdowns stay or go in the long run.

I'm with you there

I guess we can hope for a similar outcome as when Southampton sacked Nigel Adkins, many thought it strange at the time but turned out well. TBF Southampton did seem a well run Club so there's a difference there.

10 hours ago, Davefevs said:

I don’t remember the Sexton years….my falling out of love with football era.

Hmmm he was involved with Gloucester during their most successful spell ever, and they still managed to lose money. Thought it was a dubious appointment at the time. Should , in hindsight, been a good appointment in as much as he replaced SL as Chairman. Lansdown should have stepped away and let the people he employed run things. 

Sadly he can't help himself, that and bad choices of who he put into high places has made it a shambles.

[nebristolred]

1 hour ago, CliftonCliff said:

 

Sometimes it’s not just what you do, but how it’s done. The way that NP has been hung out to dry and shafted for personal, not football reasons, is really quite despicable. Like countless others, I have defended SL in the past against what at the time was very unfair criticism, but you can’t defend the indefensible and the only feeling I have towards the ownership now is one of complete and utter contempt. There is now a profound distrust among the fan base that will never be overcome, regardless of whether the Lansdowns stay or go in the long run.

 

Brilliantly put.

This is a proper 'head's gone' moment and I have been exactly the same as you, nearly always defending them. Done with them now.

Edited October 30, 2023 by nebristolred

[Steve Watts]

38 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

I'm with you there

I guess we can hope for a similar outcome as when Southampton sacked Nigel Adkins, many thought it strange at the time but turned out well. TBF Southampton did seem a well run Club so there's a difference there.

Hmmm he was involved with Gloucester during their most successful spell ever, and they still managed to lose money. Thought it was a dubious appointment at the time. Should , in hindsight, been a good appointment in as much as he replaced SL as Chairman. Lansdown should have stepped away and let the people he employed run things. 

Sadly he can't help himself, that and bad choices of who he put into high places has made it a shambles.

Sadly he did do that for a while when he appointed the King of the Snake Oil Salesmen as CEO in 2016.

This particular bit I have a (very) small degree of sympathy with SL.  He appointed what appeared to be  a football man, acknowledging that his decision making on football related matters wasn't up to scratch.  Unfortunately for all his smooth talk and schmoozing when SL was present, he leaves and SL discovers that we've racked up more than he thought.  Won't be the last person to be sold on the patter of someone else's pitch.

Sadly, since Snake Oil left, the decisions have continued to be baffling.  The last good decision he signed off on was extending NP's contract from the initial "to the end of the season" appointment.