| Brizzle fan in peace 21:01 - Apr 14 with 7545 views | BristolCityFan20 |
Hi all,
After the recent departure of MA to you guys and reading some of the posts on your forum, I thought I would sign up and give you my opinion on Mark Ashton and his time with us.
Firstly as you may have read he is very unpopular with much of the fan base and some fans have been crying for him to leave all season. Such disdain was said by previous clubs Watford and Oxford and when he first joined us.
The reasons for such dislike amongst City fans especially this season Is because some blame him for our horrendous injury crisis. We have had the most in the championship and our situation has been so bad that we were forced to bring in second string and youth players. Now the reason he gets the blame is because he controls the medical section and hired the staff. One of which was previously at West Ham when they had an injury crisis and then moved to Arsenal about 5 years ago. Now there's not really any evidence to suggest any incompetence but we have had an issue with Hamstrings throughout our team and reoccurring ones at that. Two of our central midfielders have made one or two appearances before getting injured again. There have been several reoccurring injuries relating to soft tissue Injuries and we have had over 10 first teasers out all season and the players agents publicly questioned how the club dealt with the players. Nigel Pearson has also said he has never known situation like it and an inquiry will be made.
The other reasons for dislike are that people perceive him as a 'suit' who throws around corporate slang too often. He appears more when things are going well and seems to contradict himself alot when discussing transfer policy and contracts. I feel sorry for the guy though and dont think he deserves all the abuse he is getting.
He gets given in my opinion false plaudits for the Stadium which was with our owners money and was always going to be redeveloped after our move down the road was cancelled due to a bunch of dog walkers.
Did he single handedly improve our standing...somewhat you could argue but he's not the only man in the building. Lee Johnson was very innovative but after a while things go stale and we have became a really soft touch with half the team showing no desire and fight whilst being low on confidence. Its been a tough season and we have been lucky not to be in the bottom three and as I saw last night Cook also alluded to a soft touch culture at your club, so we know the feeling.
Time will tell but overall our standing has improved and no doubt he has contributed to it and he commanded some great fees for some of our players but our club needs a complete overhaul and we are looking forward to a fresh start.
You could still get promoted this season but if not there's always next season. Strange to think when I stated watching football you got promoted to the prem and finished 5th! Good luck for the rest of the season.
|  | | |  |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:08 - Apr 14 with 6190 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
So, basically, in short - don't give him responsibility for dealing with the fact we already have a medical team even worse than the one you describe.
We have had at least one player out for 2 years for the past 10 years or so or at least it feels like that. To have 10 or 11 players out injured at the same time is about usual for us. Hamstrings, ACLs and mental illness all featuring regularly. |  |
| |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:10 - Apr 14 with 6145 views | GeoffSentence |
Oh gosh! He has presided over a team that suffering an injury crisis and is a soft touch.
What we need is someone who can fix a long time injury crisis and a team that is a soft touch.
I wonder if he is the right fella. |  |
| |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:15 - Apr 14 with 6067 views | rgp1 |
What's the verdict on Pearson and why is such an experienced manager on a short term deal? | | | |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:15 - Apr 14 with 6061 views | BristolCityFan20 |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:08 - Apr 14 by Nthsuffolkblue |
So, basically, in short - don't give him responsibility for dealing with the fact we already have a medical team even worse than the one you describe.
We have had at least one player out for 2 years for the past 10 years or so or at least it feels like that. To have 10 or 11 players out injured at the same time is about usual for us. Hamstrings, ACLs and mental illness all featuring regularly. |
Ouch well as I said no evidence to suggest its the medical team, some have alluded to our pitch or even our training sessions. Its buzzare because we had players out on loan and we recalled them to cover the injuries and within a few days they are injured as well. | | | |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:17 - Apr 14 with 6017 views | Bluespeed225 |
TBH mate, we’re just glad of the change, and for someone that has actually worked in football! I’m sure you could read, if you were interested, an article on here recently by the Turnstile Blues bolg( sorry, don’t know how to link!). It has been catastrophic here for well over a decade, total destruction of the foundations of ITFC. BCFC seemed to have been on the up of late, a club we now aspire to be like again! So we’ll roll the dice with Ashton, but as I say, you honestly couldn’t make up some of the lines trotted out by our previous ‘CEO’s’! | | | |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:18 - Apr 14 with 5986 views | Marshalls_Mullet |
Will just have to see how it goes.
Blaming the CEO for the injury crisis, but not giving credit for the stadium seems a bit unbalanced. |  |
| |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:20 - Apr 14 with 5976 views | GeoffSentence |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:17 - Apr 14 by Bluespeed225 |
TBH mate, we’re just glad of the change, and for someone that has actually worked in football! I’m sure you could read, if you were interested, an article on here recently by the Turnstile Blues bolg( sorry, don’t know how to link!). It has been catastrophic here for well over a decade, total destruction of the foundations of ITFC. BCFC seemed to have been on the up of late, a club we now aspire to be like again! So we’ll roll the dice with Ashton, but as I say, you honestly couldn’t make up some of the lines trotted out by our previous ‘CEO’s’! |
One of whom was Eddie The Eagle's bag carrier. | |
| |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:21 - Apr 14 with 5962 views | BristolCityFan20 |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:15 - Apr 14 by rgp1 |
What's the verdict on Pearson and why is such an experienced manager on a short term deal? |
Great appointment i think and for all the good our owner does he does not appoint experienced manages. He inherited an absolute ****show and I think he is the man to bring discipline to these players. He has a decent CV and if he brings in his own staff we are hoping as much as you guys with Cook, that he gets the best out of the team that makes us perform consistently to a decent standard. I believe short term was favourable to both NP and the club as NP was suffering with long covid and the club didn't want to commit to someone who could not be the right fit. That's how I see it anyway but rumours are he is due to sign this week permanently. | | | |
Login to get fewer ads
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:21 - Apr 14 with 5952 views | J2BLUE |
Don't mean to be rude but couldn't care less what your fans think. Nothing personal but over the years we've had countless fans sign up to tell us what sort of player, manager, coach we're getting and to be honest, they are rarely accurate. We've had no structure for 14 years. What you needed and what we need are night and day.
Again, no offence intended and appreciate the effort. |  |
| |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:23 - Apr 14 with 5913 views | BristolCityFan20 |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:18 - Apr 14 by Marshalls_Mullet |
Will just have to see how it goes.
Blaming the CEO for the injury crisis, but not giving credit for the stadium seems a bit unbalanced. |
The stadium redevelopment had started before he was here. | | | |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:28 - Apr 14 with 5835 views | BristolCityFan20 |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:21 - Apr 14 by J2BLUE |
Don't mean to be rude but couldn't care less what your fans think. Nothing personal but over the years we've had countless fans sign up to tell us what sort of player, manager, coach we're getting and to be honest, they are rarely accurate. We've had no structure for 14 years. What you needed and what we need are night and day.
Again, no offence intended and appreciate the effort. |
No offence taken. My intent was not to be negative about him just to explain why fans were against him as I didnt see that point made too well on here. As I said he has improved us somewhat and with the right structure could do even better. | | | |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:33 - Apr 14 with 5761 views | Ftnfwest |
Sounds dreadful overall, but dreadful would be a significant step in the right direction for us compared to the last few years |  | | |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:34 - Apr 14 with 5736 views | Illinoisblue |
A crippling injury list you say? He’ll be a perfect fit. |  |
| |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:35 - Apr 14 with 5734 views | mr_bean |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:15 - Apr 14 by rgp1 |
What's the verdict on Pearson and why is such an experienced manager on a short term deal? |
I see what you did there... | | | |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:35 - Apr 14 with 5723 views | jeera |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:28 - Apr 14 by BristolCityFan20 |
No offence taken. My intent was not to be negative about him just to explain why fans were against him as I didnt see that point made too well on here. As I said he has improved us somewhat and with the right structure could do even better. |
Don't take any notice of J2.
He hates everyone. |  |
| |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:35 - Apr 14 with 5727 views | Illinoisblue |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:33 - Apr 14 by Ftnfwest |
Sounds dreadful overall, but dreadful would be a significant step in the right direction for us compared to the last few years |
Painfully true. When do we stop being the punchline? | |
| |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:45 - Apr 14 with 5597 views | BristolCityFan20 |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:33 - Apr 14 by Ftnfwest |
Sounds dreadful overall, but dreadful would be a significant step in the right direction for us compared to the last few years |
Well Lee Johnson, Nigel Pearson and our owners speak very highly of him so their opinions should count for something. He has the contacts and whether you like him or not if he gets structure to the club then great. | | | |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:46 - Apr 14 with 5585 views | Ftnfwest |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:35 - Apr 14 by Illinoisblue |
Painfully true. When do we stop being the punchline? |
I honestly think the players as a squad have been hit by a bit of a sledgehammer in (proper) training recently and they’re both rebelling against it and unable to also keep the energy levels going into games. Can’t wait for the majority to go. | | | |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:47 - Apr 14 with 5568 views | Ftnfwest |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:45 - Apr 14 by BristolCityFan20 |
Well Lee Johnson, Nigel Pearson and our owners speak very highly of him so their opinions should count for something. He has the contacts and whether you like him or not if he gets structure to the club then great. |
He’s what we need tbh, I’m sure he’s a sharp operator but we need to stop being everyone else’s doormat | | | |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:57 - Apr 14 with 5476 views | rgp1 |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:35 - Apr 14 by mr_bean |
I see what you did there... |
 | | | |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 22:17 - Apr 14 with 5297 views | HARRY10 |
"he has contributed to it and he commanded some great fees for some of our players"
The question is what has he been brought in to do.
I think it is agreed that we need to completely upgrade the structure of the club, with a football man in charge and more defined roles for others.
However the above words from the OP makes me wonder if the intended return on the investment will be through player trading (as with Webster) rather than and all out attempt to get to the PL. | | | |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 22:22 - Apr 14 with 5257 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 22:17 - Apr 14 by HARRY10 |
"he has contributed to it and he commanded some great fees for some of our players"
The question is what has he been brought in to do.
I think it is agreed that we need to completely upgrade the structure of the club, with a football man in charge and more defined roles for others.
However the above words from the OP makes me wonder if the intended return on the investment will be through player trading (as with Webster) rather than and all out attempt to get to the PL. |
The key is that they will be looking for a return on the investment. The higher the club is playing, the higher those potential sales fees will be. Also, to sell for profit the players will need to be performing well. I would certainly take us in the Championship playing attractive attacking football and selling our best players on above what we are witnessing year on year at the moment. | |
| |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 22:32 - Apr 14 with 5178 views | BristolCityFan20 |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 22:22 - Apr 14 by Nthsuffolkblue |
The key is that they will be looking for a return on the investment. The higher the club is playing, the higher those potential sales fees will be. Also, to sell for profit the players will need to be performing well. I would certainly take us in the Championship playing attractive attacking football and selling our best players on above what we are witnessing year on year at the moment. |
Absolutely but the only club who does that is Brentford. We did for a couple seasons but the last two we have played awful football with no identity. Not saying its Ashtons fault but at one point we went like 3 games without a corner and 3 shots on target in 5 games. In league one Peterborough always had a good model and play really good stuff at times and finally look like they get autos. | | | |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 22:33 - Apr 14 with 5169 views | unstableblue |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 21:28 - Apr 14 by BristolCityFan20 |
No offence taken. My intent was not to be negative about him just to explain why fans were against him as I didnt see that point made too well on here. As I said he has improved us somewhat and with the right structure could do even better. |
Don’t listen to J2.
And actually in my opinion when a clubs fans have a near unanimous opinion on something (player, manager, best pre match pub) it tends to be right 8 times out of 10.
I have reservations about Ashton, business acumen and language does not a football operator make. BUT, and it’s a big BUT, we have had zero commercial and business leadership at the club for a long time, and if a blend can be found between Ashtons skills and the managers squad/technical knowledge, it could perhaps work. |  |
| |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 22:49 - Apr 14 with 5030 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
| Brizzle fan in peace on 22:32 - Apr 14 by BristolCityFan20 |
Absolutely but the only club who does that is Brentford. We did for a couple seasons but the last two we have played awful football with no identity. Not saying its Ashtons fault but at one point we went like 3 games without a corner and 3 shots on target in 5 games. In league one Peterborough always had a good model and play really good stuff at times and finally look like they get autos. |
You still don't get it.
We have gone 2 games against sides in and around the relegation zone of League 1 without having a single shot on target. We spent months hardly touching the ball in the opposition half but playing tame possession football in front of our own defence.
As bad as you think BCFC stats that you are quoting appear, our situation is massively worse. Whether Ashton is an upgrade or downgrade time will tell.
Yes, I would take the Brentford model, better still the Southampton one. At the end of the day I would even accept the Peterborough one (even though it saw them stuck at this level for many seasons). What I really want is to see my team playing attractive football and competing. Neither of those things have happened here for nearly a decade now. | |
| |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
