Bristol City CEO Richard Gould admits the team are around nine points shy of pre-season internal targets with the expectation that Nigel Pearson’s side would have finished closer to the top half of the Championship.
City have two fixtures remaining of a challenging 2021/22 campaign in which the Robins have been in “transitional” mode as Pearson has had precious financial resources and has leaned significantly on the academy.
They have spent the majority of the season in the lower mid-table area, unable to crack into the top half having failed, prior to Saturday’s game against Hull City, to win back-to-back games all season.
Last weekend’s 3-1 win at Derby County did mean City eclipsed their points total of 2020/21 but the highest City can finish in the table is 17th, albeit with the opportunity of adding six more points to their haul.
In March, Pearson very publicly disagreed with chairman Jon Lansdown’s assertion that City should be higher in the table and although Gould has been complimentary of strides made elsewhere, in particular the introduction and development of so many young players, he has mirrored the idea that this team has underperformed.
“All windows are important windows and all seasons are important seasons, in terms of league tables, we’re around nine points below where we would have wanted to be ideally, Nigel will say that himself in terms of looking at the division, it’s not where we want to be in terms of points,” Gould told BBC Radio Bristol.
“In terms of performances, there are some positive signs there. Those are ones that we want to build on.
“When Nigel took over the club was in a very difficult stage and it’s not all plain sailing but the amount of hard work that goes on behind the scenes, and amongst the supporters, they’ve been amazing this year because we’ve had some difficult games and lost a lot of games and some beyond the 90th minute and they’ve been there and we’ve been grateful for it.”
An important summer awaits, with further restructuring of not just the squad in the transfer market but also the backroom staff and recruitment operation, however the expectation is that Pearson will be once again working with modest financial resources.
City spent just under £2million last summer on Rob Atkinson and George Tanner, with Andy King, Matty James and Danny Simpson also arriving on free transfers, and it’s likely to be a similar scenario in this forthcoming window as City and the Championship continue to deal with the financial fallout of Covid-19.
The Robins need to reduce their wage bill further, which will likely see the departures of Nahki Wells and Kasey Palmer, with a need to find more value in the market. Those two players are among the highest earners at the club but have been on the periphery of the squad for much of the campaign - Palmer hasn’t played since January 8.
Pearson last week attended the League One match between Oxford United and MK Dons and, following on from the arrivals of Atkinson and Tanner from further down the pyramid, that appears to be the pool City will be fishing in.
“We’re not working to a reduced budget at this point and we just want to make sure that the budget we use, that we get as many pounds out on the pitch at the same time,” Gould added. “That’s what it’s all about and that’s been one of the challenges over the last 12 months.
“We were one of the few clubs that spent last year, if you remember. Last year set the tone with where transfers are likely to be in that fees are likely to be paid on promising players coming up from League One and League Two rather than shopping at Chelsea.
“We’ve got to make sure that every pound is really well spent and that it is inching us towards our goal and our objectives. We have, because of the support that we’ve got, we’re going to average 19,000 across the season, and our amazing owners, we will and we should always be in and around the top 10 in terms of salary bills within the Championship, last year we were sixth in terms of salary bill, we finished 19th. It’s all about getting the best value.”
City remain in discussions with the EFL over Financial Fair Play, particularly with the threat of failing Profit & Sustainability regulations next season which would lead to a points deduction.
The Robins have requested transfer “add-backs” included in next year’s submission which would allow for the money they would have made in the market had Covid not occurred; City estimate the pandemic and the collapse of the market outside of the Premier League has left them around £30m million down in lost transfer revenue.
Earlier this month UEFA released their new “sustainability” regulations which includes requirements that clubs must not spend more than 70 per cent of revenue on player salaries and transfer fees.
For 2020/21, it was revealed in the most recent accounts that City were spending 212 per cent of their revenue on wages (with 17 clubs in excess of 70 per cent). A figure they have worked to reduce but one that highlights the challenges the club are facing moving forward.
“There is some work to do on finances across the game in truth. UEFA issued their new financial fair play regulations and the EFL are going through those,” Gould said.
“There will be changes to (Financial) Fair Play, we don’t know when that is going to come in and obviously we are still dealing with Financial Fair Play post Covid. There’s a bit of uncertainty as to what any team can invest across the Football League and we hope that that gets resolved soon.
“Back in November, December, it’s not just us but half a dozen clubs looking at the finances trying to get the EFL to understand that business plans had been affected by Covid. The EFL have listened and have asked for us to submit our thoughts and numbers and we are waiting for that feedback.
“We have let the EFL know that we would like that feedback by June 10, when the transfer window opens, in the event that it has an effect on our decision making.”
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