Implosion At Bcfc?

[Chivs]

I know this has been covered elsewhere as "hot headed reaction" but the recent events at BCFC are beginning to worry me.

In the past year we have lost Matt Hill and Tommy Doherty, two local Bristol players who seemed to have the club in their hearts. There are many arguments for and against keeping these players and I wouldn't repeat them here. Nevertheless, I was willing for Tinnion to shake things up since Hill, Doherty and others have had plenty of opportunity to get promotion and failed.

And so we go to the academy and begin again...BUT we've just sold Anyinsah and Lita!!! Where do we turn to now?

On top of this, we have lost two senior people form the retail side of the business. Indeed, Lansdown has said he wants to take more of a backseat role.

Is there no-one left in this club with the ambition to take it forward?

We've sold our best experienced players, we've sold our best young players. Are we doomed to forever be a second rate team?

Please tell me my head is too hot, and apply a soothing counter argument.

[NailseaRed]

spot on mate, I just wrote the same kind of thing at the same time in another thread. There is no ambition in the club. OK OK we're in debt that will be peoples arguments, but we'll always be in debt! If we move up a league then the income is going to be so much greater every single season. So we have the choice, sell anyone who is good and make back a little bit of money each season that way OR we stick with our good players and BUILD a team that will get us promotion and with it increased revenue in ALL areas of the game, higher attendances, higher ticket prices, higher shirt sales. The way to get there is NOT to sell all our good players! Surely that's obvious? it's SO frustrating! ARGH!

[Riaz]

But we have no choice but to sell Lita and Anyinsah! signing marcus stewart shows me the club has ambition.............

[everreddy]

Good post!

On a similar theme, did anyone else hear the SL interview on Radion Bris, just before 8, this morning.....?

Seemed to me he was very defensive, his arguments for the sale of LL didn't sound convincing, and there was a very defeatist tone to his voice. Not the upbeat Chairman we've heard, up to now.

Methinks all is not well in the state of BC.....

...and so on to the third blow below the belt (after Caughlin's about turn and LL's unnecesary departure)....the cancellation of the new stand proposals????

[RedTop]

Chivs, it's all part of the roller coaster.

One minute we're signing Stewart and everyone's top of the world. The next, Lita's off and it's all coming apart at the seams. The season hasn't even started yet!

We would obviously be much better off if Lita and Anyinsah stayed. But the balance of power has changed towards the player in modern football, and us fans seem to find that hard to take in. The club cannot force players to sign, and it would be irresponsible for us in our position to compete with the likes of Reading, Preston etc on salaries to keep players here. In any case, as Leroy said, for many of them it's about playing at a higher level. We cannot MAKE them sign for us. With JA we had no option at all. With LL our only option would be to forego a million quid and gamble on him getting us promotion this year. Apart from the fact that with MS and SB here I don't think LL would be the difference between promotion or not, £1m is too much to gamble with for a club in our position.

Your post seems to come from an age where clubs had power over players. In these days, it is players and agents who hold the power. Clubs have to act in their best interests from a much-weakened position and us fans have to accept that instead of blaming the club.

I really don't think that losing Richard Gould or the shop manager is a big deal. Personally, I never rated RG and feel the club would be better off with a marketing man who is better at providing what the fans want. I thought RG should have gone over the club badge and shirt farce. As for the shop manager, well I can't believe that's a crucial position and I'm sure there are plenty of people capable of filling the role.

If it helps, let me suggest that losing Leroy will actually HELP our promotion campaign. Why? Well, my fear was very much that BT would be tempted to play Lita, Stewart and Brooker, as it would have been a waste of talent to have one of them on the bench. That would have meant either playing one of them behind the front two - which I have never believed is a convincing structure - or playing 4-3-3. That would have meant less width, and more pumping the ball up to the front men.

Personally, with just MS and SB I think BT will opt for a straightforward 4-4-2 with two wide men. That's how I like to see City play, and that's how I think we'll defeat other teams.

Other reasons to look forward to the coming season? Two words: Cole Skuse. And another two: Dave Cotterill.

[NailseaRed]

I just thuoght LL and MS were an ideal combination and would of torn this league apart. LL would of learnt so much from MS and Ms would of thrived on LL enthusiasm and bursts. Was so looking forward to seeing the greatest front pairing at Ashton Gate in many a year. Oh well heads up I guess, as you say season hasn't started yet, here's to a promotion season

[Chivs]

Chivs, it's all part of the roller coaster.

One minute we're signing Stewart and everyone's top of the world. The next, Lita's off and it's all coming apart at the seams. The season hasn't even started yet!

We would obviously be much better off if Lita and Anyinsah stayed. But the balance of power has changed towards the player in modern football, and us fans seem to find that hard to take in. The club cannot force players to sign, and it would be irresponsible for us in our position to compete with the likes of Reading, Preston etc on salaries to keep players here. In any case, as Leroy said, for many of them it's about playing at a higher level. We cannot MAKE them sign for us. With JA we had no option at all. With LL our only option would be to forego a million quid and gamble on him getting us promotion this year. Apart from the fact that with MS and SB here I don't think LL would be the difference between promotion or not, £1m is too much to gamble with for a club in our position.

Your post seems to come from an age where clubs had power over players. In these days, it is players and agents who hold the power. Clubs have to act in their best interests from a much-weakened position and us fans have to accept that instead of blaming the club.

I really don't think that losing Richard Gould or the shop manager is a big deal. Personally, I never rated RG and feel the club would be better off with a marketing man who is better at providing what the fans want. I thought RG should have gone over the club badge and shirt farce. As for the shop manager, well I can't believe that's a crucial position and I'm sure there are plenty of people capable of filling the role.

If it helps, let me suggest that losing Leroy will actually HELP our promotion campaign. Why? Well, my fear was very much that BT would be tempted to play Lita, Stewart and Brooker, as it would have been a waste of talent to have one of them on the bench. That would have meant either playing one of them behind the front two - which I have never believed is a convincing structure - or playing 4-3-3. That would have meant less width, and more pumping the ball up to the front men.

Personally, with just MS and SB I think BT will opt for a straightforward 4-4-2 with two wide men. That's how I like to see City play, and that's how I think we'll defeat other teams.

Other reasons to look forward to the coming season? Two words: Cole Skuse. And another two: Dave Cotterill.

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Redtop, it's always a pleasure. I feel like a damp flannel has been applied to my forehead.

Although I think you read more into my post than I put. I accept that players have power these days. In fact, I think this is right and proper. The only way lowly poor clubs like us can persuade players to stay is to show ambition.

This is the nagging feeling that I have. We seem to be stagnating.

And, as you know, I always have two words for you : Clayton Fortune.

Ahhhhhhh.

[RedTop]

Redtop, it's always a pleasure.  I feel like a damp flannel has been applied to my forehead.

Although I think you read more into my post than I put.  I accept that players have power these days.  In fact, I think this is right and proper.  The only way lowly poor clubs like us can persuade players to stay is to show ambition.

This is the nagging feeling that I have.  We seem to be stagnating.

And, as you know, I always have two words for you  :  Clayton Fortune.

Ahhhhhhh.

←

Glad to help ;-)

I don't think we're stagnating. Even minus Leroy, we have a lot of promising talent that just started to show towards the end of last season what we might expect this time out. Scott Brown is another one with genuine talent, along of course with Golbourne.

I agree that each year we feel we've not achieved anything, because it's true that we're in the same division. But I've rarely looked forward to seeing a City team start out the way I'm looking forward to the team this year. There is so much new to see that I don't think stagnating will be our problem. If anything, it will be a lack of experience and strength that could be a problem, but I think the lads are up to it.

I also think RG leaving will prevent stagnation. Whoever takes the role up will hopefully listen to supporters more. The (presumably financially costly) fiascos that RG was in charge of could have been prevented if he had not thought he knew best and actually listened to the customers. I think that's a lesson learned by the club, and hopefully will be reflected in his replacement.

It does worry me a little that SteveL intends to take more of a backseat role. But who can blame him? And so long as he keeps his hand on the tiller then that's the most important thing.

It's difficult to debate the player power problem. As a fan, you want the clubs to wield more power than the players. The days when players had to stay with a club until their registration was released were great for clubs. Money stayed within the game in the form of transfer fees, and more of it trickled down to lower division clubs. It was much better, in my opinion, for the grass roots game.

However, it is difficult to argue that most people in life should be free of restraint of trade, and then in the same breath argue that players should not be allowed the same privileges. The one argument that can be made is that they get paid very high wages in compensation for this. But the bottom line is that these rights are inalienable, and so it just doesn't wash. We all have a right to ply our trade and get as much money for our talents as we can command on the free market. Footballers are no different, and despite my instinctive, irrational dislike of them, neither are agents. I say 'irrational' because as a good old fashioned unreconstituted capitalist, I believe in the free market and should therefore in theory be on the side of the agents!

Anywa, I digress. Roll on August 6. Doncaster, you won't know what's hit you!!!!

[richieb]

Good post!

On a similar theme, did anyone else hear the SL interview on Radion Bris, just before 8, this morning.....?

Seemed to me he was very defensive, his arguments for the sale of LL didn't sound convincing, and there was a very defeatist tone to his voice. Not the upbeat Chairman we've heard, up to now.

Methinks all is not well in the state of BC.....

...and so on to the third blow below the belt (after Caughlin's about turn and LL's unnecesary departure)....the cancellation of the new stand proposals????

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I think he has left the 'gee-up' tactics to RedTop.

[RedTop]

I think he has left the 'gee-up' tactics to RedTop.

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Well Chivs requested some help delivering a cool flannel, and I merely tried to help him apply it.

I'm just trying to get a sense of perspective on all this. The best part of a million quid when you're left with a strike force of Marcus Stewart and Steve Brooker is good business, and to suggest our season hangs on Lita is just not the case. There are going to be so many exciting things to watch in the coming season.

The truth is that none of us will know until the season starts how this team will fare, but I think it's a decent blend and we saw enough of the likes of Cotterill, Brown, Golbourne and particularly Skuse to realise that there is plenty of talented youth in this squad that can help us get out of this division.

As for SteveL sounding glum, I've not heard the interview but my guess is that he's as frustrated and depressed as the rest of us about the change in balance of power between clubs and players/agents these days.

But as far as I can see, with or without Lita, the future's bright. Even with my rose-tinted specs on... ;-)

[Chivs]

Well Chivs requested some help delivering a cool flannel, and I merely tried to help him apply it.

I'm just trying to get a sense of perspective on all this. The best part of a million quid when you're left with a strike force of Marcus Stewart and Steve Brooker is good business, and to suggest our season hangs on Lita is just not the case. There are going to be so many exciting things to watch in the coming season.

The truth is that none of us will know until the season starts how this team will fare, but I think it's a decent blend and we saw enough of the likes of Cotterill, Brown, Golbourne and particularly Skuse to realise that there is plenty of talented youth in this squad that can help us get out of this division.

As for SteveL sounding glum, I've not heard the interview but my guess is that he's as frustrated and depressed as the rest of us about the change in balance of power between clubs and players/agents these days.

But as far as I can see, with or without Lita, the future's bright. Even with my rose-tinted specs on... ;-)

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You've gee'd me up. Thanks a lot Colin.

The players you mention are exciting (though, in truth, I don't recall seeing Golbourne..is he any good?)

I was very disappointed with Anyinsah moving on as I thought he was the most exciting prospect (even more than Lita). And, I still think we need a commanding centre back.

Nevertheless, let the roller coaster begin!