What are the Long-Term Issues?

The Mem is a massive problem, it’s just a shithole!
How many years have we been waiting for a new stadium? Too Dam long!

Yeah, sure. I mean when JB says he is going to deal with the long term issues behind the scenes, what is he going to deal with? He won't be building a stadium.

Recruitment.

that will not change until we get back to challenging at the top of league 1. If we go down then thats at least another 3 seasons of nothing.

we need to forget all about a stadium until we have the revenue to afford a stadium. Do we realistically want a 20000 seat bowl with 5000 in it cos we are rebounding between L1 and L2?

Stadia comes from season tickets and tunrnstiles turning. Pasties sold. Drinks and programmes bought. Shirts for the kids.

More people do that if a good standard of football is played

look like knocking on the top six another 1000 turn up. Autos then the Mem is full.

I'm done with dreaming about stadiums cos unless we give the owner the headache of a packed Mem with fans locked out cos we are assaulting the championship, its absolute pie in the sky

we are rag-ass rovers, we don't have a scout or anywhere the entire academy can train together. why are people even bothering to type the S word ffs

we are at least ten years from a stadium and anyone who thinks this is more important than sorting out the current on-pitch debacle and behind the scenes issues needs their head read.

Was wondering the same thing.  It concerns me that 2 managers have said it... really confused by it

Its easy to call out things like the Stadium or Training facilities etc as these are physical things, but in reality we have had success previously with the same facilities as we have now so I don't think that's as big an influence on this seasons disappointing performance as some may think. Others mention scouting, but what do they mean? Player recruitment or opposition scouting or both? Again I don't think we're any worse than many in our league (yes it can always be improved but I don't think its a fundamental key issue that has necessarily impacted this season). 

For me I think its much more subtle - I think we have a combination of things at play. On paper the squad we have should be more than capable of performing at this level but I think there a few issues with the squad. Balance: We have a squad of young, technically gifted players with potential in the main and no real solid experience in key positions. I also think we have too many 'nice' players - gifted, skilful but not the strength of character to stand up to the physicality and bullying from many of League 1 teams. We also don't practice the 'dark arts' of football enough - the things that we all moan about cos every team does it to us! With a squad like that, its very confidence dependent and therefore when things go against us and the confidence is shot, we fade and fade badly as there is no-one around with the strength of charater or experience in the key core positions to pull us out or stop us from withdrawing into ourselves.

I also think people are not considering how big an impact COVID and all the restrictions that has brought has had on this season of despair. The impact of playing in stadiums without any fans, turning up to training already dressed in your kit, being locked in at home and unable to go out (especially for players that have moved to Bristol from elsewhere and possibly without their families and therefore are also unable to travel to see them), the lack of ability to socialise with your team or stay on at the training ground to build team spirit etc. It can't be easy on their mental health and wellbeing - same as many of us in this last year have suffered in different ways and found things tough - the difference for us is that our every move or performance on the job isn't being scrutinised by thousands of people and the media and posted all over social media. Players are more worried about making and causing mistakes than just playing the game and trying things as they lack the confidence and character to deal with the fall out if they do make mistakes.

Couple all this with the having 3 different managers with 3 different philosophies and 3 different approaches to things, its understandable how and why players have struggled to consistently perform. You then weigh in that there is a lack of ability to put proper training in place between matches because of the velocity of games every week, and the fatigue that gets built up - even when things have changed, we haven't been able to build the solid foundations for it to stand on. 

If you look at most of our games this season (yes there are some exceptions), we have been competitive in most and it has been our inability to score when on top (creating pressure on the defensive side of the team), poor refereeing decisions at key points (e.g. last nights disallowed goal) or individual mistakes that have cost us. I don't recall any team really completely outplaying or dominating us (maybe exception right at the start of the season) where I have felt we have been deservedly beaten with no complaints. 

Our team lacks strength of character for a variety of reasons and is extremely fragile and that is one of the core things I think will be addressed. 

No player ever chooses to play badly - some we have may have joined the club based upon Garners philosphy and now they find themselves mentally challenged and uncomfortable as he is no longer here and they maybe don't quite believe in the new approach - I don't know. 

So what I think JB will try to rectify: 

- Mental strength - Get players in a space where they can cope with the rigours and demands of being a footballer who's every move is assessed and scrutinised
- Fitness - I think with a team of technical players, too much of pre-season was based on pass, pass, pass football where its constant short passing and therefore the ball does most of the work, rather than the more blended approach Tis and JB play
- Balance - I do think we'll see an overhaul of the squad with a number of players departing and other, slightly more experienced seasoned League 1 players in core positions come in (remember though that this seasons inexperienced youngsters will now have had a season of experience in them so will be better for it). We'll keep technically gifted players but look to balance that with more stronger, experienced, never say die attitude players to help them.
- Righting some poor recruitment decisions - I expect us to bring in an experienced League 1 striker to add balance and nous to our forward line
- Culture - our team is too nice and so I do think we'll see JB try and make us more physically ready and more aggressive in our play

There are other things that I think will help us but will come more naturally - e.g. as COVID restrictions relax, an ability to build more commeraderie and team spirit, put in place more structured training etc with less concern on fatigue. 

Lengthy post but if you look at the above then JB is right - none of those things can really be addressed in the mist of a relegation fight and 2 games a week or no transfer window and it is something that will need a pre-season to work on. 

Just my thoughts anyway

Easy - we're sh*te.

Personally I think for this one (and at Charlton) it would have benefitted us. We were on top for long periods and I think the fans would have been that 12th man helping to drive the team on. Also I don't think the goal would have been as easily disallowed - just imagine the noise and pressure that would have come down from the fans on that linesman and the referee? It certainly would have made him think for a lot longer! Also, throughout the commentary last night you had Rodders saying, keep the ball moving, more urgency, move it quicker - our fans would have helped with that and stopped us from unecessarily slowing the game down.

At Charlton I think it would have been the Charlton fans (as well as ours) who would have helped us as at 2-0 down, the Charlton fans would have got on their teams backs and put more and more pressure on them around making mistakes with ours helping to keep confidence high and drive us on. 

In many games I think it could have gone either way - but generally we haven't been outplayed this season and I think having fans in the stadium would have helped us and our confidence rather than having a detrimental effect (I'm basing this on the fact that when we've been on top, our fans would help drive the confidence and therefore the performance and as such the mistakes we experienced etc that have cost us goals wouldn't necessarily of happened).... 

The issue with our squad though is their fragility and I think JB will build a squad in the summer that will perform irrespective of a crowd and be confident and able to maintain their confidence and consistency without overthinking or relying on someone else to do that for them.