Positives

Bristol City were 18th the season before Johnson took charge. In his first 3 seasons they finished 17th (they were 22nd when he took over), 11th then 8th. I’d say that’s improvement.

Something clearly went wrong last season though.
There are obviously questions to answer for Johnson but we’ve got to look a bit deeper and analyse. All these people talking about how it’s a fact that he’s mediocre and is guaranteed to fail are chatting absolute bollocks tbf. I understand why of course. This club has a real history of disappointing. However, this is something genuinely different for Safc. A modern way of working that will push us closer to the cutting edge than many other clubs in England (most of whom are merely playing at this sort of structure in truth). That’s gonna feel weird for the fans - and will limit our choice of appointments in a pyramid where candidates all fantasise that they’re Brian Clough. So be it. A safc that is run like everyone else will be a mediocre team whose ceiling is as a yoyo team. We’ve got to find an edge. This structure is that. If that means that Johnson is the first one to get a shot at the first team, so be it.
I like the theory of speakman and his role what for makes me nervous is his first appointment is somebody nobody wanted or rates and has achieved the grand total of nowt in his career.
For weeks we’ve been saying the first appointment will show the ambition and here we have it.
A lot of posters are going out of their way to convince themselves it’s a great call, those sticking to original call are getting pelters.
The first appointment was Speakman. As I’ve said all along, that’s the crucial one. Let’s see if he’s a good one.
 
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There are obviously questions to answer for Johnson but we’ve got to look a bit deeper and analyse. All these people talking about how it’s a fact that he’s mediocre and is guaranteed to fail are chatting absolute bollocks tbf. I understand why of course. This club has a real history of disappointing. However, this is something genuinely different for Safc. A modern way of working that will push us closer to the cutting edge than many other clubs in England (most of whom are merely playing at this sort of structure in truth). That’s gonna feel weird for the fans - and will limit our choice of appointments in a pyramid where candidates all fantasise that they’re Brian Clough. So be it. A safc that is run like everyone else will be a mediocre team whose ceiling is as a yoyo team. We’ve got to find an edge. This structure is that. If that means that Johnson is the first one to get a shot at the first team, so be it.

The first appointment was Speakman. As I’ve said all along, that’s the crucial one. Let’s see if he’s a good one.
Is this structure really that special though? I’d say most teams have someone in the sporting director or director of football role nowadays and we’re playing catch-up. Speakman seems to be cracking appointment though.
 
Is this structure really that special though? I’d say most teams have someone in the sporting director or director of football role nowadays and we’re playing catch-up. Speakman seems to be cracking appointment though.
Yes. That’s exactly my point. Most clubs have a sporting director. But most are using it the way that SAFC previously used it. A confused power structure with no clear accountability, loads of potential for conflict and a series of ‘hero’ managers doing what they’d have done anyway. Basically a ceremonial position. From what seems to be the case here we’ve got a very clear hierarchy with a head coach who is just one part of the system under a sporting director who has the remit to align all parts of the football structure. From what we can tell it is better integrated than the vast majority and unlikely to fall into the hero manager trap.
 
Bristol City were 18th the season before Johnson took charge. In his first 3 seasons they finished 17th (they were 22nd when he took over), 11th then 8th. I’d say that’s improvement.

Something clearly went wrong last season though, but even then he left them 12th - it’s not like he’d dragged them back into the relegation places he’d just gone on a stretch of bad form again (which is my main concern about him btw)

Think it started the season before when they went pretty much all season around 5th only to bomb out of the playoffs in the last few weeks. Won 1, drew 2 and lost 3 in their last six games. Just looking back at that season, the reason they failed really was they kept getting beaten by the good teams, did badly against Leeds, West Brom, Norwich, Villa and others.
 
It looks like Johnson is the man so can we stop with all the negative stuff and focus on his positives.

I'll start.
At 39 he's still young and will have gained good experience managing at a higher level than we are now.
This^ people keep saying its a SD and CM appt, when its not, its the new sporting directors decision
 
There are obviously questions to answer for Johnson but we’ve got to look a bit deeper and analyse. All these people talking about how it’s a fact that he’s mediocre and is guaranteed to fail are chatting absolute bollocks tbf. I understand why of course. This club has a real history of disappointing. However, this is something genuinely different for Safc. A modern way of working that will push us closer to the cutting edge than many other clubs in England (most of whom are merely playing at this sort of structure in truth). That’s gonna feel weird for the fans - and will limit our choice of appointments in a pyramid where candidates all fantasise that they’re Brian Clough. So be it. A safc that is run like everyone else will be a mediocre team whose ceiling is as a yoyo team. We’ve got to find an edge. This structure is that. If that means that Johnson is the first one to get a shot at the first team, so be it.

The first appointment was Speakman. As I’ve said all along, that’s the crucial one. Let’s see if he’s a good one.

His first appointment hasn’t convinced me 😉
 
His first appointment hasn’t convinced me 😉
I can understand. I’m not over the moon about it. But Having listened to the Speakman interview I can guess at some of the questions asked. How would a notably temperamental man like Poyet react if he’s told that making sure that there’s a pathway for young players into the first team is a demand and not a nice to have? It seems that tactics, game management and youth integration are the remit. If the club as a whole buys well and develops players well (we haven’t done the former but we already do the latter at youth level) then the club will move forward. Besides johnson will likely be gone by 2022 anyway so there’s no point wasting energy on him:lol:
 
I can understand. I’m not over the moon about it. But Having listened to the Speakman interview I can guess at some of the questions asked. How would a notably temperamental man like Poyet react if he’s told that making sure that there’s a pathway for young players into the first team is a demand and not a nice to have? It seems that tactics, game management and youth integration are the remit. If the club as a whole buys well and develops players well (we haven’t done the former but we already do the latter at youth level) then the club will move forward. Besides johnson will likely be gone by 2022 anyway so there’s no point wasting energy on him:lol:

I would love to know what number down the list he was, having the requirement for a Spd has probably deleted a few who were potentials.
I’ll support him like I did with donkey baws Parky but I’ll be reminding posters this time next year how right I was 😉😂


Or wrong
 
I would love to know what number down the list he was, having the requirement for a Spd has probably deleted a few who were potentials.
I’ll support him like I did with donkey baws Parky but I’ll be reminding posters this time next year how right I was 😉😂


Or wrong
This is a nervous time for me. I’ve been banging on about SAFC doing exactly what they’re doing right now for a decade.:lol:

Of course if it doesn’t work I’ll be blaming Speakman and not the structure. If it does work, though, I expect nobody to argue with me on here again!;):lol:
 
If you’re able to fool yourself like that then I’m jealous. That sounds sarcastic but I’m being genuine.

No one wants to be disappointed, angry or miserable despite what people say on here. Fact is in the modern era we know far, far more about managers and players than we used to. We’ve got social media, myriad of stats websites to learn what we don’t know as well. There’s years of data to judge these appointments and we keep making bad decisions. It’s impossible for me to look at all that and still be positive and I’m genuinely trying to be.

If this comes off it will be a massive shock. We’ll get people coming on and telling people like me they were right all along and I’ll have to take my medicine. If it does I’ll gladly take it. But it would be one of the first times I’ve had to. To be successful here Johnson needs to pretty much double his win percentage that he’s managed at every club he’s been at. If he does then it’s 1 in a 100 and whoever made the appointment is either a visionary or incredibly lucky. There’s nothing he’s done to suggest he’s got what it takes.

I did first time round actually. But when you put him alongside the other candidates he’s streets ahead. One of those was in the premier league where the vast majority of managers will have win rates between 30 and 40% for starters. He’s also actually improved other clubs and gotten promotion from this league and the championship (I think I’m right in saying).

Johnson’s best achievement is finishing in the top half. At least cook and the cowleys et al have a history of improving teams. They’ve done something that justifies another team looking at them.
You're entitled to your opinion. And if it comes off some might well give you grief, but I certainly won't mate. I just want to enjoy football again.
The other option is to respect other peoples views no matter how different they are to yours.
I totally do, and will continue to (unless you say you rate Parkinson then all bets are off). I just find the overwhelming negativity crazy when literally nobody knows how it will go.
 
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Yes I agree but appointing people who seem to have peaked at utter mediocrity isn’t going to change nowt like

He's 41 yrs old. He hasnt peaked... he's just started.

All top managers had to start somewhere and succeed. All the so called big named managers we have had were shite anyways except big sam.
 

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