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Martin was beyond all of us. He followed City home and away for more than 50 years while living in South London. He was so positive and brought City fans together at away games all over the country. I spent hours with him on trains and night buses. He loved his friends and family and was chatting to me during 99% of my abysmal match reports. The best City fan ever.

I first met Martin in 1976 when I joined the London Branch and immediately struck up a rapport. It was hard not to as he has to be one of the most friendly individuals it was ever my privilege to meet. We shared a passion for City and Real Ale and enjoyed countless trips watching games. I fondly remember our days in Division 4 at such wonderful venues as the Shay (Halifax), Spotland (Rochdale), Victoria Ground (Hartlepool), Feethams (Darlington) and especially Bootham Crescent (York). In each City/Town we found a wonderful pub recommended by CAMRA and additionally in York we were part of the London Branch party that contributed to the upkeep of the Minster and I have a scroll to show for it. We shared a belief that City's best ever centre half was Jack Connor and the most skilful man to wear a City shirt was Jantzen Derrick. As a result of his friendship and guidance in the early 80s I became Chairman of the London Branch, a post he had previously held. A tenacious midfielder we played both 11 aside sand 5 aside football together and his encyclopaedic knowledge of football was invaluable in the APFSCIL quiz league. Despite living in South London, this Filton boy rarely missed a game home or away and it will be very strange next season without his presence. Rest in Peace Tinners. Prayers with love to all family and friends. ??

What is so beautiful about everyone's comments is they convey the same warmth and outgoing nature that those of us who were lucky enough to meet him all recognise so well. On every single train I shared with him he'd quickly strike up conversation with all those around him and instantly engage on their interests and background not his. He was selfless like that. In recent years on GWR - BTM to PAD I'd be waiting for the trolley to buy us some drinks, he would be waiting because he was curious on the background of a member of staff and to speak with warmth about where they were from or even because he'd been there. "Oh you're from Cameroon originally, how amazing, do you know x, what's interesting about the country is y" etc etc. I've seen more of the world through Tinners stories than I will ever see for real. My most vivid memory of him but that sums him up best is sharing the 00:52 night bus Paddington to New Cross Gate after the last train back from many home midweek games (he would depart somewhere in deepest South London for a change of bus to Wimbledon). 45 minutes together at gone 1am on a bus with all the waifs and the strays and on a work night - cleaners, shift workers, night owls all around us from the four corners of the globe (as is the way in London) and by the time I was in Peckham he would have struck up conversation with the South American guy behind me, established that the teenager at the far end of the upper deck had an uncle who used to play for Sheffield Wednesday, and explained to the rest of the bus about the finer details of a City performance in 1959. He was outgoing and connected people. @ExiledAjax I remember the Blackburn game where we drank together in the Old Vic in Preston afterwards. As is his way with all the people he meets and engages along the way, once you'd gone your separate way he spoke with a genuine warmth about you as he does many people "what a smart guy he was". He didn't suffer fools and hated moaners - but if you engaged his brain he had all the time in the world for you. Others have known him for a lot longer than I have but he is a fixture week in week out for those of us travel from the South East which I've spent the best part of ten years now doing. He connected many of us too. I sent flowers to his wife last night and hoping to meet @allyolly later to raise a glass.

I cannot convey how sad I was to have heard this yesterday evening. Like many, I first met Martin whilst living in London in the 80s. He found out that I'd gone to his school (QEH although 10 years apart), knew his cousin (Dave Perkins - German teacher and ex-Bristol scrum half) and that was always the opener in any conversation we had. When the boys came along (I have 3) and I started taking them to games, Martin would always engage them in conversation and seek their opinions like they were adults. Their sadness at this news was just as deep last night when they passed the news on to me. Every home game, in the Orchard or under the South Stand, we'd chat and if we didn't, one of the boys would say "didn't see Martin today". When we moved to Wales, the conversation was invariably about how he had family in the Rhondda. I know that I am dealing with my own grief at the moment, but when I heard this (at a 60s reggae night in Cardiff), I had to step out of the pub and I cried. A lovely man. A truly lovely man.

Flint was immense for us and has had a good career. Presumably he’ll drift down the leagues now as he gets older, but good luck to him.

As RoystonFoote'sNephew so eloquently writes, since the early 80s come Tuesday or Saturday and wherever City were playing you'd find Martin (aka 'Double Ex') in the best 'proper' boozer in town and other side of the turnstile as soon as entering the ground. Forget where City were in the league, forget recent performances, forget distance, weather or any other variables - Martin was a standing fixture. If there were only 50 men and a dog in attendance Martin was one of them. Too many London Branch jaunts to recall, none bettered than in his company - who else might recall the buying and selling club for that nameless full back City signed in late 63 (or was it 64,) balding, played twice, one-footed? Martin, the ubiquitous settler of mysteries and arguments. As the years pass it'll be strange next season that yet another of the perennial stalwarts won't be there to bump into for a chat, reminisce and 'glass half full' halftime assessment as to how City were going to turn round that dire first half performance. Ever the optimist Martin, always saw the best when sometimes best there was none. That was his nature, his enthusiasm. Condolences to Carole & the boys.

Martin is one of a kind and I feel privileged to have known him. His knowledge and passion for our club is beyond anything I have experienced. Legends are frequently spoken about on the pitch. Today we respect and honour the memory of a true legend off the pitch and a friend to so many of us.

No, before anyone suggests it.

Arguing with the ref. Automatic yellow.

Truly shocked to hear the news about Martin. I had a text from him a fortnight ago when after exchanging news on City he wished me a happy summer and also expressed his good wishes to my son who had been ill. Typical Martin. I had no idea he was ill. Very proud man. I first met him on the train back to Paddington after an evening game at Ashton Gate. When we met up subsequently at other evening matches at the Gate he didn't trust me to keep up with him on the jog back to Temple Meads to catch the last train back to London and would disappear into the distance! I had a call from Mike in Brighton just now. Martin, Mike, Ellie, another Martin and I travelled to Away matches together regularly for some years. The away experience was truly the best way to appreciate Martin's many qualities as others have already said. I also was touched by the way he would strike up conversations with passengers on any train in which he was travelling while simultaneously revealing his encyclopaedic knowledge of passing historic landmarks as well as his beloved Bristol City. There can't be many who knew more about City than him, as well as being aware of players, past and present, throughout the League. BCFC was his life. We were of similiar age and it was great for me to be able to talk about City players we had seen in a very bygone era including the great John Atyeo. Martin knew the lot of them. Like Atyeo, Martin was fiercely loyal to City and that included loyalty to the Lansdowns. He didn't take kindly to any criticisms. Couldn't stand people moaning about City. Like the truest of fans he was grateful to be able to support the Club he loved. R.I.P my friend. My deepest condolences to the family. SK.

LJ’s CV. 1) Oldham. First season. In relegation zone when he took charge. 10 games, 15 points. Survival. Points per game ratio would have seen them 8th in the league across the season. 2) Oldham. First full season. Took them to their best league finish in years. 3) Oldham. 3rd season. Had them into the top 10 before being hunted by Barnsley. Oldham would win only 3 of their remaining 15 without him. During that 2 years he also took a previously struggling Oldham to a semi and a quarter in the JPT. 4) Barnsley. Took them on at 16th and again managed a 1.5 ppg ratio to guide them to 11th. Then guided them to the final of the JPT before being hunted by City. 5) Bristol City. Took over a relegation threatened team which had won 3 games in 17, and guided them to 8 wins in 17 to safety. Proceeded to present 3 playoff challenging seasons for a club that had challenged the 2nd level playoffs only once in the previous 40+ years. Add in a quite remarkable league cup run. 6) Sunderland. Took an underperforming team to the playoffs and to a JPT victory. Season 2, had the team in the playoffs and when dismissed had produced the highest win percentage of any Sunderland manger in nearly 100 years. So, with 2 unfashionable clubs (for their level) he achieved a quarter, a semi, a final in the JPT, then with another unfashionable club (for the level) managed a league cup semi and 3 seasons of playoff contention, then led a sleeping giant to a JPT win, the playoffs and a best win percentage in 100 years. Ok, no promotions to his name. But it’s stretching it to say he has nothing on his CV. Success is all relative to the club. I’d say he’s improved every club he’s been at so far.

Amazing to see the comments and tributes on this thread. Tinners was one of kind and forged so many great friendships through City. He loved the club and following home and away. He will be sorely missed. As mentioned above, I know his brother Sean has seen this thread and its provided the family with some comfort during this hard time. There will be plans to have a proper city send off at the start of next season to raise a pint to such a great man - and in true Tinners fashion share past stories. RIP my mate.

I think we should leave the Darrell Clarke thing well alone now. He’ll forever have my best wishes.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/one-stream-in-bristol/id1296647791?i=1000461565235 Here it is. Was the best osib ep before, and definitely is now! Hopefully those closer to him than I was will be able to find comfort in being able to dip into this and hear his voice whenever they need to. Only had the pleasure of meeting him a handful of times, namely at some random away game or in the concourse for a quick chat, can only echo what has been said above. Always so much more interested in how things were going in your life, than ever ‘troubling’ you by speaking about himself. I never thought anyone would be interested to hear about the times I used to do circuit training with Glyn Riley as teen. How wrong I was. RIP mate

Genuinely gutted to hear the news yesterday, was one of the nicest blokes you could ever meet. Hardly missed a game and that was seriously impressive considering he lived in Wimbledon. Must’ve went to half the grounds in the UK along with him & Chimo who you’d usually see him at every ground with. I said to a friend he knew every town and city in the UK like the back of his hand, to which he replied ‘and a good pub in each of them’ RIP my friend. I know his brother Sean reads this forum, and although I know he realises how much of a top man Tinners was, he will see the love a lot of others have for him even if they’ve only met him once or twice.

One of the best things about being a proper football fan is on away days you see the same familiar faces over the decades that make following your club feel like a 2nd family. In some cases a first family. Tinners was one of those faces that when you saw him in some grim northern town, you immediately felt good because you were amongst family. It’s sad when those longstanding familiar faces reduce over the years. RIP

We got the best of him, no doubt about that.

Rest in Peace. What a hero, and a fascinating man to spend time with. I met him just once, at an away game and he was interesting, accommodating, and incredibly generous with both his time and his knowledge. Plus he was so clearly City to his core. My thoughts are with those who knew him better than I.

The best of us. A gentleman. A beautiful soul, City to his core. God bless dear friend.

I would enforce the rule that goalkeepers must release the ball from their hands within six seconds.

Probably all Brexiteers I expect, I worry for the players out there today

How the hell have you even brought Brexit into this?

What the Championship's not good enough for Sunderland comment, what an embarrassment he was cringeworthy.

We lost our daughter just over 14 years ago and life has never been the same since. It’s the worst thing that can happen to a human being and my heart goes out to him as I know what a long long journey he has in front of him. Life will never be the same again.

Does make me laugh when rovers crow about attendances . Besides a few 9k plus attendances towards the end of the season they averaged 7.5k at home. 600 less than Wrexham averaged in the conference. Whilst playing teams like Dover and Wealdstone.

No no no, surely?

One of your better posts . worth repeating.

Just remembered @Olé @Shtanley @petehinton, Tinners was once an exceptional guest on OSIB. I cannot for the life of me remember the episode, but I'd love to listen again in his memory. A few others might like to listen as well maybe? Could you kindly post the link or episode number if you have it? Edit: found it! Episode 87 "Double-Dipping Disappointment".

Well I didn't know him personally but I can tell by your reaction what he meant to you and he sounded a good and loyal city fan and friend to you and for that I'm sorry he has gone and hope if their is an afterlife he is up their with like minded people and one day we all meet again like on here and have a good chat about city and life in general. RIP Martin.

Didn't realise that ex city centre half john mcphail had a fall in December and is still in a coma. Understand they are having a minutes applause at Wembley on 5 minutes tomorrow. Very sad news loved watching him play a no nonsense defender .Best wishes to the family ?

Behave they only pulled out because of the backlash and the fact that they earn billions from the premiership deal worldwide,if they were Spanish with their deal they would be carrying on as well

The obsession with Liverpool on here is weird, and I don’t mean those who “support” them.

I get that. I lost my Mum pre 1st lockdown. She had cancer and it wasn't unexpected. I was fine, went back to work, attended the funeral and weeks later....I went to phone her. It hit me at that point!!

FA cup semi finals played at a neutral ground. FA cup final played at 3pm on a Saturday.

It hasn't worked that well for Bristol City, ideally we need a 45 minute first half and a 44 minute second half.

Sanderson and Andersen:

Commentators, pundits and journalists have a list of teams they like to say deserve to be in the Premier League. Sporting merit doesn't come into it for them. Just as one day there will be a European Super League I wouldn't be surprised if at some point the PL becomes a closed shop of teams elected as members on the basis of their perceived size. Which is shorthand for how much money they can generate.

Flint was outstanding for us and pivotal in that Cotts double winning side but we definitely saw the best of him. He would be a superb signing for a club in league one now though.

According to Barton on radio Bristol the other night wallys gonna give them the same size budget as Sheffield Wednesday and other clubs at the top end of the league .

10 minute sin bin for yellow cards

Indeed. He was an example of a real success in the transfer market. We got him for a good price, got great performances from him, sold him at the precise right time for a great fee and replaced him with Webster. There’s lots of valid criticisms of our transfer policy in recent years but Flint is a great example of how things can be done.

Love the guy, he is exactly what he need He would never go on board on emotional attachment but he knows the unfulfilled potential of the club and I believe he is building the groundwork for a much more successful future

You haven’t been to Delhi then . It is chaos . No one takes any notice of the signs or the direction of the traffic . Throw in Tuk tuks, cyclists, motorcycles,beggars and cows and you have total mayhem.

Episode 87, thankful to the podcast for being able to hear his voice and sense of humour. Lovely last minute of him signing off sums up how he felt about our club.

Another point is the idea that getting a trophy or promotion is the only way to judge his performance is ridiculous. As @Harryhas shown, the only one of the teams he has Managed that would reasonably "expect" promotion is Sunderland, and it could be argued he was well on the way to achieving it when they hit the panic button. There are something like 600 Managers registered with the LMA, many of whom would be considered for jobs despite the majority probably never having "won" anything.

So glad to hear he has made a recovery from his lowest point and is at least in a position to enjoy the game tomorrow, best wishes and that he makes a full recovery in the fullness of time, hope he realises the goodwill and gratitude from all of us here at Bristol city.

RIP Tinners. Such sad news. Was a lovely bloke and City through and through. ?️

Of ours did that he’d just get the other 11500 moaning that it wasn’t them!

I agree they're a disgrace and only fit for gasheads!

So genuinely pleased for the lad. Takes some balls to go abroad and the fact he is succeeding is great.