Bristol City owner Steve Lansdown talking to Geoff Twentyman on BBC Radio Bristol.
What are your thoughts on the sell-out, biggest home crowd on the first game of the season for 44 years?
It's reassuring isn't it? I think it's brilliant because what it says to me is that although we didn't have a great season last season there were a lot of things to talk about and people to see that we've laid the foundations to move forward, they like what we're doing and are willing to support us and get behind us and that's all you can ask for.
Make a lot of noise and support the guys and as I said to the players downstairs that's what it shows and all they have to do is believe in themselves and perform in the best way they can and that's all you ask.
13,500 season tickets sold, that's just another further endorsement of the football club isn't it?
it just shows the progress we're making as a football club. Sometimes you have to go back in life to go forward and we certainly did that over the last few years with Covid and everything else and we're now making steps forward and we're really hard together as a group all the way through the club and we're seeing the benefits of it.
I spoke with Nigel on the Monday before the start of the season and referenced the three-year plan for him to get this club into the Premier League, but he said he doesn't look upon that now. He said because it's taken longer to sort things out, it may take longer than three years. Are you in tune with that?
It will take as long as it takes, the reality is that we set three years, we know what the issues are. We are still working on that plan to be honest but yes we're realistic.
Very, I'm not getting any younger either so I would like to see it very soon. That's where we want to be. That's what we built the stadium for, that's what we built the HPC for, we have a place and plan for investing in the academy and it's all to build to get the squad and the infrastructure together so we can get to the Premier League and hopefully stay there.
How are the football finances here, it's been devilishly tough for everyone but in football terms, how damaging has the pandemic been?
I think it has a lot more damaging than people would led on because we were paying out quite high wages, I'm not just talking about us but football in general, and we're still having to do that because contracts are still in place. We're working our way through that. We haven't really had the income to replenish the coffers.
You have to remember we went from people coming in, people paying their season tickets which we then had to refund, to no income. No business can afford to do that. It's only with the way we've worked hard to get together and kept it going really.
I don't want people to be thinking, it's all down to me, but I suppose it is yea.
How big a worry is financial fair play that Bristol City are in the rules and regulations?
I'm not too worried about FFP, the only thing that worries me is that people start to do it in theory and I think in practice we need a cap on which we're not allowed to spend more than. To my mind, that's the best way forward, a bit like rugby.
I didn't like it when I got involved with rugby but I've seen how it works to a degree and nothing's perfect but if you want a level playing field and you want people to invest and you want the coaches to coach better. If you have a limited amount you can spend you have to spend it better to make it work better for you on the pitch.
I think that's what's going to happen otherwise the teams that come down with the parachute payments that are still there at the moment and the people with the bigger crowds and everything else, they're going to have an advantage over you.
I know people will say you can get 40,000 people paying - that makes a big difference and it does but there has to be some control on the player wages and the agent's fees and everything else that goes with it.
Where would you put that cap?
My own feeling would be about £18 or £20m. We're under that now but we have been above it. I've got my resources but we're not a big club in spending terms compared to other clubs in the division.
In terms of the ownership, are you still happy to keep total ownership of the football club, are you looking to bring people in to put a financial injection alongside your ownership?
Yea, I think I said last year we're looking for investors to come in. I'm not getting any younger. I've been involved in the club for over 25 years now. This is my 26th year. I've invested a lot of money in the club, it needs another injection, it needs fresh blood, fresh ideas and things to push it forward.
I'm not going to bring any person in but we are looking and we've put the information in place so people can assess what we've got and if they want to be a part of what we're doing and we're looking to bring people in.
And you would still have overall control?
Not necessarily.
So you'd sell the club?
I would, if it's the right deal but I'm not looking to sell the club, let's put it that way. I'm looking for people to come in and invest.
Someone might want to come in and do the whole thing and that would be another discussion. I've invested... I don't want to put numbers on it. I'm 70 this month and the family has been involved for a long time and we can't keep on doing it forever.
So for someone to be involved, what would be the minimum investment you'd have to table?
We're not looking for someone to come in with a million pounds. They would need to come in with tens of millions to put in. It has to be the right number, we're looking for serious investment.
If we have aims of getting to the Premier League, if we have aims of being a top club in the country over a period of time, I can't tell you what the club is worth but people are going to assess what the club is worth and then put the money in and to a degree share the burden going forward.
So tens of millions would get you into the boardroom, what would get you total control?
I'm not putting a figure on the total club, you have to remember part of the Bristol Sport, the rugby involved and the stadium involved. If you break it down into the component bits there's a lot of value added there.
We have people talking to us, we haven't got any offers on the table and I don't expect any in the short-term but we're talking a number of different people and different angles.
It has to be open (the door). We're not the only club doing it of course.
That was an amazing Sunday at Wembley, the women winning the European Championships. Again part of the Bristol Sport empire the women's side, how important is it to get back to the Super League?
We've been there before and it's tough. There's two things. If we got into the Premier League as Bristol City Football club, then it makes it easier for us to do that. But I'm very happy to take the decision when we got relegated to build, to find young players, to get that team spirit together and I think last season Lauren and Co showed us that's what they've got.
They've done very well and we've strengthened again this year and I'm hoping like everyone else on the back of the success of the Lionesses, that more people will come and watch and we can invest more and build it.
We've got a very good set-up with Bristol City women so that's the main thing and lets keep building it.
They need to play here (Ashton Gate) more to get people to watch them, is that a reality?
Well, you say that but the crowd we had at the HPC was up to 900ish.
There were 5,000 here for Liverpool...
Yea, that's good and I think we have three games scheduled here this season so again, we're building it. If I'm honest and just being factual, Bristol City women's football is part of the overall group who have got to earn the right to be playing football here with crowds coming in and everything else but we'll help them as much as we possibly can and keep pushing it.
Han-Noah Massengo may run his contract down, what are your thoughts on footballers who do that?
I don't like it because I think people should be honest with us. I don't want to say disloyal because that's the wrong word because they're looking after themselves and I understand that. I had it with Joe Bryan in the past.
I try to convince players if they are good enough people will come in and make offers for them. If they're not going to sign then we have to look for ways to capitalise on them which means we'll have to move him on at some point.
Any interest in him, Han-Noah?
Not that I'm aware of.
VAR... you were on the backend of a decision at Hull last week, would you welcome VAR?
Yea, but I think I'd like it more like rugby where the crowd can be involved as well so the crowd can see what's happening with these decisions because they're sitting in silence waiting for them to decide whether it's a penalty or not a penalty.
In rugby union, you can see what they're looking at on the screen and at least you can understand where they are coming from. I think it's got to come really. Goalline technology has been a bonus to all of us I think and with VAR I think it's just a matter of time.
Alex Scott and Antoine Semenyo, what's the strategy? Would you sell and how would you retain them while the window is open?
The first thing you have to have is an offer for them which we haven't got so we're not under pressure there. How do we retain them? They're under contract. Antoine's got two years, Alex has got four and we don't need to sell them and we don't want to sell them so like all these things you have to make offers to make you change your mind because that money can be reinvested to bolster the rest of the squad if they go.
We did it with Adam Webster, we didn't want him to go but he was adamant he wanted to so we put a price-tag on him that gave us a good return on him. That's business.
I'd understand it if it was a mega offer but we don't know where the transfer market is at Championship level?
I think the transfer market is only with the Premier League sides. They have the capital to do it and the owners who can put the money in to do something but strictly speaking, I don't think that's there anymore. Why would Alex or Antoine want to go to someone else in the Championship?
They have fantastic facilities here, it's a great club to be a part of, great team-mates and a progression that they can see in their own careers. When a Premier League club comes in for them that's when it's difficult to turn down and I wouldn't stand in their way.
Did you say 25 years involved in boardroom level?
It's been a bit of a rollercoaster over those years. I've got no regrets, I've loved every minute of it. Not every minute I should say. I've had a few arguments along the way but no regrets having taken that decision to get involved. No regrets in making the decisions I've made. I just want to see the club move forward now and go from strength to strength and the Premier League would be a fantastic way to end your career here.
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