Waltersgotstyle

Great to hear Aribo is fit and available.

There are far more questions than answers surrounding this deal. £13m is a lot of money for a fans group to raise, a sum of that size should be going into the club not to any individual. I say this as a big Dave King fan as well. 

6 hours ago, Scott7 said:

After United, Liverpool and Arsenal, who in England would sell more shirts than Newcastle? Chelsea maybe?

Man City, Chelsea, Spurs? 

Remember the PL is global and most shirts sales probably happen in Asia. 

Wilshere has been released and we have apparently shown an interest, he is only 28.

Gazza was 28 when we signed him and like Wilshere he was written off by some.

2 hours ago, DMAA said:

A poster on FF claiming he is friends with a Scottish player at Reading and we are "definitely interested" in John Swift.

 

He seems well out of our budget to me. Even if he is, I hope it's true we have shown interest because that would be a much more ambitious signing than Johnson in my opinion.

If Twitter is to be believed Reading have knocked back £6m from Aston Villa for Swift.

Daniel Johnson deal done according to their ITK forum member. Announced early next week. 

Now favourite for the job on some bookmakers sites. 

Someone claimed to have seen him in Bristol on Monday on their forum. They obviously are ignoring the fact that he took training on Monday and Tuesday in Glasgow. ?

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/bristol-city-earmark-liverpool-legend-4319053https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/bristol-city-earmark-liverpool-legend-4319053

It may be yesterdays news however it seems a couple of "ITK" posters on the Bristol City forum are claiming both parties have expressed interest.

https://www.otib.co.uk/index.php?/topic/207712-steven-gerrard/

Quote

As DavidFevs will be able to verify (though it's up to him if he wants to!) I told him on Thursday, three days ago, that Gerrard had expressed an interest in the City job so to me it is very interesting that this story has been leaked to the Express, that WE want him, and they are not unreliable when it comes to football coverage.

As I expressed on another thread, he is my number 2 choice after Hughton and I'd be very happy with his appointment. 

Joining the dots, it sounds like a very real possibility. I for one, am excited! 

Quote

Both ways, as I posted on page 1 of this thread. I was told of his interest before hearing about ours.

I for one do not believe Gerrard would be at all interested in the Bristol City job - but you just never know.

Thoughts?

6 hours ago, der Berliner said:

We didn`t twice in a row with e.g. Kent and Morelos and Arfield and ...

 

Stewart got 24 games last "season" and an average of 26 mins per game. Thrown in every now and then or with a weakened side for 90 mins, didn`t play like Ronaldo and was quickly removed. Despite being a good impact player every time a I saw him, but each game a few mins here and there. Polster played a few times, hardly set a foot wrong (rather on the contrary) yet as sson as Tav was fit, no matter how dire he played, was constant pick. He does "so much" for the team ... only that I don`t see it. He was smashing in his first season, had a good partnership with Candeias (and hardly a good partner after that, granted) ... but ever there was nothing that would make him an instant pick ahead of others. (And don`t come up with his goal tally or assists ... 90 % of his goals of these last 2 yeasons came from the penalty spot and for every assist he has five or more crosses that end somewhere  in Nirvana. Yet if Polster lashes one into the stands, he "is garbage" for eternity.)

 

Jones, Stewart, Murphy, Polster et al have all what we need to put the Killies and Accies of this league to the sword. But we let Kent and Tavernier and Co. at those team with an end product that is dire time and again.

I completely disagree. (this is despite my hope that Stewart would succeed as I have a few friends in common with him.)

Jones, Stewart, Murphy and Polster are not good enough. They would get nowhere near Celtic's team and should in turn be nowhere near ours if we want to challenge.

6 hours ago, der Berliner said:

I would welcome if we actually start using the squad, i.e. Polster, Stewart and Hastie ... instead of shoe-horned Aribos, Hagis and a inconsistent undroppable Tavernier ...

We won't win the league then. 

I see that the Stuart Armstrong rumour is going strong again.

The SPFL have made themselves a laughing stock

Souness is being quoted as being interested in returning to Rangers in an advisory role, could he realistically be the chairman we need? 

Let me be clear to everyone above. 

I am not blaming the OO for everything.

What I am saying is that in a time where we are trying to promote ourselves as an all inclusive club - hiring a head of PR who is a member of such an organisation - in my mind and many others is a PR own goal. 

7 minutes ago, craig said:

Where are they ?  Why didn’t they apply for the job or, if they did, why did the club go with Graham ?  I suspect the club went with David Graham because they felt he was the best candidate.  I doubt his OO affiliations came into it and that the club merely felt he was the best candidate for the job.

 

His affiliations with the OO doesn’t prevent him from carrying out his job.  The one he is employed to do.

 

i think you’re reading far more into his OO background than needs be - and I, personally, think you are significantly overplaying what impact his OO affiliations will have on the remainder of the support.  Indeed, his experience in the OO will give him a particular insight into how to combat the add-ones in some of our songs and how to reach out to that element of our support

Lets hope you are right. 

2 minutes ago, Stevie - 4lads Blog said:

What a pile of absolute uneducated shite you have just spouted 

 

 

Well done Stevie - great debating skills there. 

I expected more from you. 

12 minutes ago, craig said:

I’m not being obtuse at all - indeed, I’d say it’s you who is being obtuse.  You say there are plenty of bluenoses who could do this job but, as yet, still haven’t been able to suggest anyone.

 

who are these candidates and why are they better than David Graham ?  I’m not saying there aren’t any but we also don’t know if any of them would be as good as David Graham at the job.

I am suggesting there must be other bluenoses with a PR background whose appointment does not come with the baggage that David Graham does. 

11 minutes ago, Stevie - 4lads Blog said:

What has the Orange Order got to do with our Uefa fines? 
 

He’s from NI who have superbly turned round their own image and song sheet, he has that knowledge 

 

What has Gerrard got to do with it also? David comes from a very diverse family, you saying because he’s in the OO he must be a bigot or something? 
 

The only irony is you are hell bent against this appointment citing loads of reasons yet none of them disguise your hatred for the OO 

 

So who has the issue here ? 

I want our club to be all inclusive and IMO being a member of the OO does not go hand in hand with that message or idealogoy. 

As for Steven Gerrard he has spoken out in regards to fan behaviour this season and has made it known that  certain songs and ideas are not welcome. Songs which stem from the OO culture. 

IMO if the club chooses to hire a member of the OO then an element of our support will see this an excuse to continue singing certain songs and in turn will bring more Uefa sanctions. 

1 minute ago, Gonzo79 said:

Because two red tops, of ill-repute, have criticised it?

 

I couldn't careless about the tabloids, I'm more worried about the message this sends out to our fans. 

We are trying hard to rid ourselves of various offensive songs and IMO this appointment undermines that message.

51 minutes ago, craig said:

Being well educated doesn’t mean well versed in PR matters.  I’m well educated... but don’t have the requisite PR skill set for the job.

 

I’ll ask again, who are these bears that are suitable for the role, with the appropriate skill set and why didn’t they apply in the first place ?  To merely suggest there are without so much as a name doesn’t make it so.

 

Our club is inclusive.  To exclude David Graham because he’s in the OO would make us non-inclusive.  Would you have wanted to reject Dave King’s cash if he were in the OO ??

Come on Craig are you being deliberately obtuse here?

I was merely surmising that there must be other candidates out there who do not come with political baggage David Graham comes with.

10 minutes ago, Stevie - 4lads Blog said:

Nailed it 

Damn right he "Nailed it".

The orange order is a completely out dated organisation. We have been fined on numerous occasions from UEFA this season and IMO this appointment undermines everything our board has done thus far to persuade elements within our support to drop the anti Catholic rhetoric. 

As a big Steven Gerrard fan do you not worry how feels when reading the headlines regarding this appointment?

I really thought we were making big steps forward but already this feels like a PR disaster. 

Oh the irony. 

31 minutes ago, craig said:

Aye but do they also come with the requisite PR skill set ?

 

who are these bluenoses waiting to step in and why didn’t they apply for the position in the first place ?

There are many well educated bears who could easily fulfill the role. 

The OO is a completely outdated organisation and any association stops our club moving forward. 

2 hours ago, Stevie - 4lads Blog said:

I wrote this in my blog this week & I’ll say it again

 

His remit is the following 

- sort issues with BBC 

- sort issues with Fare

- sort issues with local politicians

- sort issues with our media 

 

He has the experience, he has the knowledge and has dealt with many things 

 

Am I biased? Absolutely but my opinion (mine) is I’m prepared to give him a go 

 

I’d rather a bluenose who was aware of the challenges we face than a big company who know nothing of our current dilemmas 

There are many other bluenoses who do not come with this unneeded baggage though. 

I fear we have shot ourselves in the foot on this one.