[Official Site] ADAM MURRAY PRE-BRISTOL CITY

The offer that's come in. When was the last time an offer was strongly rumoured in the press and we didn't end up selling? They'll have come in with a million, we'll pretend we want five, he'll be sold for two plus an interest in his future.

 

A lot of fans appear to have made up their minds about Murray, for different reasons, however wether you like him or not you have to be sympathetic to him with the current situation, trying to prepare a side for Saturday's match when he could lose players on Friday is a nightmare for the lad, I wish him the best of luck, he surely deserves that

 

Can't be bothered writing a mammoth essay but I can only say how the last month or two have led me to total disillusionment.

Even leaving aside the turmoil off the pitch; grounds, names, unpaid sums, court cases, the simple and plain fact as I see it is that this is by far the weakest playing squad that we have had for this division during my near 40 years of 'marriage'. Yes, there have been some poor players in the past, there have been some terrible signings but never have I seen a situation like this of playing strength being left to wither on the vine.

And yet the opportunity was there - after the miraculous survival there was a perfect opportunity to take the playing strength forward for serious football investors in a controlled and affordable way. What we have though is a terrible ownership - I agree that there is no evidence of them taking any money out of the club, yet - but they sure as hell aren't prepared to put any money into it, not even to support taking their own transfer model to the next levels.

They are prepared to pay decent money or an overseas coach that fits a style but that's their lot - the coach then, by and large, has to operate with what he's given, whatever that may be, and all his players are fair game for a fee that is marginally higher than purchase price, at any time. That's no way to build as team/squad. And when one player goes, he will never be replaced with one of equal or higher calibre and experience, never. No wonder the last three decent coaches have all seen fit to want to out.

The owners say they learn but as with many other of their pronouncements, these are empty words. Yet again we are scrabbling around over a month since the season started on the last day of the extended window with four games and eleven points already up the Swannee. Yet again we lose one of our best players, underpriced and with no adequate replacement and are left in fear that the other two will be off too.

So, all in all the owners are a shambles, they do not even invest to the level of their supposed wealth that each and every one of us supporters do. I do suspect they are also recouping their purchase fee with a nice bit of interest on top but even forgiving them that they have some spectacular incompetence and ineptitude in their limited, late and inadequate transfer dealings, selling the best players for ludicrously low sums and not replacing them with anything near like-for-like, let alone enhancements.

Add now to the incompetence and ineptitude with a complete indifference and arrogant complacency. To be in this situation with an absolutely threadbare playing staff in terms of proven ability at this level is arrogance and/or negligence beyond belief.

For anyone within a hundred miles of the club to be saying that we don't need a left back at this stage is just staggering. We do not have a fit left-footed defender at the club ffs. Clark Odour and Callum Styles are both midfield players by trade. Clark having done a decent job for fans' money but not his coach's in a limited number of opportunities there may provide one option particularly in a wing-back system but a true left back is absolutely needed as Clark is young, not a natural in that position and struggled in a four at the back if we want to switch at any point. Moreover, none of our plethora of centre backs is left-footed. To even be suggesting that Styles, by far our most exciting midfield talent should be a makeshift left-back shows how poor the squad-building has become.

Up front we needed two proven strikers before this window even began and at least one central midfield player to allow Mowatt and Styles to play in their most effective roles. But with a little more than a day to go, we have nothing.

And yet the reliance on this ludicrous spreadsheet continues - time now to move on surely? After all, this spreadsheet sponsors the recruitment of 'bargain' overseas players but the only recent one with any real ability at this level wasn't even on it (Soll). This is recruitment by numbers which knows nothing about building a squad or a team, with imbalances and incompatibilities throughout - the whole cadre of defenders, not one of whom is left-footed, the bunch of pretty midfielders who are all left-footed, the complete lack of athleticism and physicality, the lack of natural leaders and the predominance of midgets, not even midgets with pace!

I have a love affair with the team, the players, the fellow supporters and friends, the ground, the unique surroundings, my surroundings where I feel comfort and relaxation, the experiences, my experiences, joy and pain. I could empathise with the likes of Cryne and Dennis as people who, at the end of the day were fans of the team and, accepting their limited financial resources relative to the opposition, I still felt that they were trying to do the best that they could. I don't feel that with this lot. As I said I'm totally disillusioned.

A minimum of a nett four additions, all of the ability to immediately impact in this division are needed in the next day imho. Sadly, I know there's about as much chance of that happening as there was of me keeping this short, sorry!