chipdawg

16 hours ago, westonred said:

Glen Murray in the studio banging on about Stoke should have had a defo penalty he doesn't notice that Massengo is having his hair pulled by the stoke player so if anything its a freekick to us 

I thought that for the Massengo one; it was at best 6 of 1, half dozen of the other. Certainly not a nailed on penalty. The Kalas challenge where he apparently "made no attempt to play the ball" was also bollocks.

But **** it. Got a win, channel that bias into some more wins 

I've always rated Nagy more than most, but if he wants to go then let's get some cash for him and reinvest. We have plenty of options in midfield

1 hour ago, davidoldfart said:

Drive a coach and horses through the rule book ,spend like its gone out of fashion then get a let off by the EFL ..

It is because big billy bollocks (Wayne Rooney’s Derby ) is a bigger club than Wednesday so we have to be lenient .

Wonder if S/Weds will start legal action against the EFL and seek to have their points rescinded.

 

Actually, it's very much in line with the Sheff Wed judgement. They got found guilty for how they reported the sale of the ground, not the act of selling it. Derby (iirc) were in trouble for inflating the value of their ground, which Wednesday were specifically found not guilty of. And as others have said, I would think that the EFL will appeal

The whole thing is an absolute farce, just ban clubs selling their grounds to their owners in this manner.

5 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

It probably isn’t, but feasibly that lineup could be a 433 - O’Dowda or Paterson, Brownhill and Pack central - Eliasson, O’Dowda or Paterson wide. Weimann as centre forward.

More likely a 4411/451 though I think. Paterson playing behind Weimann with Eliasson and O’Dowda wide.

Might suit Paterson playing there.

Yeah, I could see Paterson, Weimann and Eliasson having fairly free roles up front and O'Dowda and Brownhill playing either side of Pack and pushing forward. It's an attacking line up, however you arrange them

PS many congratulations @havanatopia, though glad you got your priorities right and still knocked up a match thread on this very important day (by which I mean the first day of the season, of course)

3 hours ago, Curr Avon said:

He fouled Moore for the free kick that led to the first goal and Baker was just as culpable. We're conceding sloppy goals and failing to create chances at the other end.

The crazy thing is, when City face a team playing high tempo football, they can respond in kind. Fulham being a great example.

Unfortunately teams at the bottom of the table play at their own pace, often opting for a direct game that utilises big, physical players 

It's City's failure to adapt that's stalling our season. Too many players go missing and lesser teams dominate us

We've still got the quality to start a winning run, but the players need to believe in their own ability and fast. 

I agree with the gist of your post, but it was never a foul. That referee was awful, barely seemed to understand the rules of the game

33 minutes ago, havanatopia said:

Interesting story there Chip.

It is surprising to think we are so much further north in any part of the UK than New England; All about the gulf stream; without that we would have winters like Montreal.

Could be right about the vultures buying the bits of GKN. I am still hoping the govt blocks it. 

Thinking about it further, we lived a stones-throw from Filton before we left for the north so further connections there.

Montreal though suffers/benefits from the Continental Interior Effect, which results in harsh winters and hit summers. I'd bet it's round about the same latitude as Bristol actually

5 hours ago, havanatopia said:

The two GKN Aerospace factories at Western Approach, Bristol and at Filton cumulatively employ about 1/3 of the companies' UK workforce; 484 in Bristol and 1454 in Filton. The two most important clients for GKN Bristol are BAE Systems and Airbus. I know this has little to do with today's match but it is a significant moment in the history of Bristol industry and it needs mentioning. GKN started life as the Dowlais Ironworks Company near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales in 1759. Yesterday GKN, with 60,000 employees in 30 countries, was sold by a 52% shareholder majority vote to a hostile takeover predator named Melrose Industries formed in 2003. Their motto is 'buy, improve, sell'. Although, for once, a hostile takeover has taken place by a British based and run company it is essentially an asset stripper and jobs will inevitably go. Airbus, curiously, has already gone public by saying it will stop buying from GKN. That might be hard in the short term as there are few factories in the world with the expertise to build Wing Spars as they do in Bristol and GKN supplies BAE Systems which in turn supplies Airbus. It could get a bit messy. I hope the Gov't will not regret not stepping in to prevent a takeover on national security grounds. This would not have happened anywhere else in the world and is why Britain is the most open market in the world, for good and for bad.

Barnsley mined the coal that powered the iron foundries and made the glass. They may still make glass in Barnsley but Bristolians should be enormously proud of our industrial heritage past and indeed present. In fairness to Barnsley I did give them the benefit of the doubt with 30 minutes of research and found that they can indeed stand proud today as hosting the world's largest mince pie factory, oh yes. here it is:-

Next time you buy a box of 6 mince pies think of young Doris there quality controlling out the burnt or cracked top pies to take home to Fred for his tea. 720 pies a minute they make; how does she do it?

Or perhaps, when you next go over one of those very common pot holes in your Mini, your Jaguar, your Land Rover or your Volvo think of that GKN CV Joint that beautifully distributes power from the transmission through the axle and the CV Joint to the wheels and protects you and your car from the harshness of it.

Surely our manufacturing superiority will transcend into the DNA of our players today as they descend on Oakwell? Chien Lee took over Barnsley and thus ended the reign of the now sadly departed Patrick Cryne. Lee, from Hong Kong, is also 80% owner of Nice Football Club and partners part of the shareholding at Barnsley with Billy Beane of the Oakland Athletics Baseball team. Remains to be seen if they buy back the stadium and surrounding Oakwell sports venues procurred in 2002 by the council to save the club from going under. Of course, the kiss of death for City is to talk about the poor managerial record of Jose Morais; he may have assisted Jose Mourinho along the way at Chelsea, Inter and Madrid but as a number one its not great. Time will tell, but not today thanks.

Enjoy the drive up folks but enjoy it much more coming back. And remember GKN on that bumpy M6 and if it gets really bad stop at Charnock Richard for a mince pie and a cuppa tea.  

That mince pie factory is what dragged my dad (and by extension, 3 year old me) north from Bristol 30-off years ago. Right at the start of the miners strike, the cake factory was located a stones throw from Carlton Main colliery- quite the introduction to Northern life for my dad.I haven'tlivedfurther south than Sheffield since (if you don't count a year in Massachusetts, which is at a lower latitude than anywhere in the UK).

I worked in Barnsley for over a decade and despite it's many rough corners, it's a town and a club I have great affection for so I always look forward to these games. This is my first trip back since I left my job there in December. But there'll be no time for sentimentality and I expect a decent city win. We need to watch the boy McBurnie though by all accounts

COYR

PS watch for Airbus or BAE using their buying leverage to purchase parts of GKN as Melrose break it up. I suspect they're haggling for a good price

9 minutes ago, Alex_BCFC said:

Can only see 2 or 3 nil defeat. 

That's the spirit!

(Though I fear you might be right)

Going to be -1 by the match finishes kids so wrap up warm. I'll be there, thermal base layer, ski jacket and all! 

People who are driving up may want to consider getting off at M1 j29, coming through Chesterfield and parking on a street in Heeley. Sheffield traffic is awful at the best of times and there is free parking and some good pubs (Sheaf View, The Brothers Arms, The White Lion, The Crown are all good, Tramshed if you like your hipster bottle bars) which I believe are fine with away fans

If you are in town, West St is good for a party (if you like that kind of thing) Sentinel Brewhouse on Shoreham St is the best beer near the ground

Enjoy everyone, 3-1 to The Mighty Reds

PS Re: Sheff Utd and West Ham, what people forget is that had SU beaten an abject Wigan on the last day, they would have relegated West Ham. So despite WH stacking the deck unfairly, they still only have themselves to blame

We were the better team today, though it has to be said that Wednesday finished stronger than us. I thought we were defensively excellent and my Wednesday supporting mate couldn't believe we didn't score at least one goal. Brownhill was excellent and O'Dowda looked great too- the way they read the game makes me believe they're both destined to play at a higher level. Thought Taylor had some good spells too and Flint and Baker looked rock solid all game

However, Bobby was too deep all game. When he got the ball in the final third he was always a threat but on occasion he was picking up the ball in front of the back 4. Also, Magnússon was the obvious weak link. He wasn't all bad, but he kept misreading the play and getting beaten too easily. I'd like to see Lloyd Kelly given a go there next time Joe isn't playing LB 

Decent performance though, I really think we're contenders this season

3 minutes ago, iamalagerdrinker said:

Be careful if you're traveling up today..

Luke Skywalker must be a red

http://youtu.be/q1mfxGd0YCw

42 minutes ago, MichaelRobartes said:

You've seen a lot more than me then. Last season I watched properly was when the Reds were basically playing basketball with Genia and Cooper on their way to the title! I guess Luatua will know Lam from his Blues days as well. That transfer annoyed Hansen enough to be a gobshite and mouth off about Lam which was interesting. I think Mitch Eadie is leaving and I'm sure he'll be an upgrade on Crane who I've always thought was a bit of a show pony.

Good to hear about Morahan. Can he tackle? Would be an improvement on Varndell if so!

I thought Crane was a good signing when he arrived, lots of experience but I haven't seen Bristol much this season- live up north and actually don't particularly enjoy watching English club rugby. Luatua more fits the modern template for powerful, heavy back row forward and I guess he has a little bit of 'x-factor'. I've read he can play lock too, though I'd guess he'll come in to play 8 at Bristol? 

I love Super 15, when our daughter was first born I'd always take the early shift with her so I could watch games first thing while she slept on me. I saw Morahan a couple of times, he was playing centre at least one of those games so I'd assume he can tackle! It's difficult to tell in Southern Hemisphere rugby to be honest, so many breaks and broken tackles. It's just the way they play more than an inability to defend, it's one of the reasons I enjoy it. More freedom to attack less worrying about solid defence

14 minutes ago, MichaelRobartes said:

KITR is right that Lam will be a huge factor for the guys who have signed on. I suppose most of them are thinking that a year in the Championship isn't the end of the world. Luatua is a funny one alright, he started for NZ last year against Italy but it's not that unusual for players to leave Super Rugby for Europe or even Japan when they're in the reckoning for further test caps.

I don't know much about Morohan, I see he's playing for the Force now, and I read that he scored against the Lions when they played the Queensland Reds on the 2013 tour. Handy enough to have a 3-cap Wallaby on the wing anyway!

Perhaps. I mean with the squad they're putting together and the league winner now going up automatically, promotion shouldn't be an issue and they'll be able to plan for the Premiership much earlier. Just seems odd that so many players should be buying in. With regard Luatua, I guess NZ aren't exactly short of back row options and perhaps they've told him their going a different direction. He's not the most 'subtle' of players, but I would think he'll be a good player over here

I've watched a fair bit of Super 15 rugby (not so much since the little one figured out how to ask for cartoons!) and Morahan is dynamic in broken play from when I've seen him. Always difficult to tell how players will translate coming from Southern Hemisphere though as it's such a different style. He has ability though

38 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

It can't be the Premiership expanding, this was muted a couple of years ago but died a death. Really don't think they'd announce it at this late stage. Is it possible all 4 teams currently in the Championship play-off positions have indicated they can't/ don't want promotion due to finances/quality of stadiums?

If none of those then I just think the players you mention are getting a fat paycheck and are willing to do a 12 month stint in the C'ship before being back in the Premiership. Also, I'd put it down to "the Lam effect"!

EDIT: Closing the Atyeo for next season also indicates they don't expect to be in the Prem.

Perhaps your right, but I can't imagine that any of them didn't have other offers. Luatua has 20-odd caps for the All Blacks for goodness sakes! I'm sure SL is putting his hand in his pocket, but still. Just seems like their recruiting to be in the top flight. Perhaps I underestimate to pull of Lam

Sorry, but the way Bristol are recruiting I just don't see that they expect to be in the Championship next season. I reckon they've been given the nod on an expended Premiership or a change to a no relegation system. Morahan, Luatua and Madigan would all have had decent options all over Europe if they wanted to play in the northern hemisphere, so why sign for a team who are going to be in the second tier? I'm sure they're well paid, but I can't imagine they'd earn significantly more than they would elsewhere in Britain, Ireland or France. Plus, these aren't players at the end of their careers, these are guys in their prime. Doesn't make sense unless Bristol know something we don't

2 hours ago, MichaelRobartes said:

I agree that it would make sense to do it now if they had any notion of expansion and ring-fencing. I just don't see it so soon after the announcement about automatic promotion from the Championship, it would make everyone involved look pretty silly.

I don't think it'd be 'ring fenced', I think they'd either make the financial and stadium rules so strict that promotion was practically impossible, or they'd have a 'hiatus' to allow the leagues to adjust. It certainly doesn't appear that they're considering it at the minute though, just seems like the perfect opportunity if a 14 team league is the aim

1 hour ago, MichaelRobartes said:

The playoffs are no more.

Lam bought into a project in Galway after getting the curly finger in Auckland, I don't think he'd have any problem spending a year in the Championship for another long-term assignment (especially given what Bristol are probably paying him). Sorting out Bristol should be a piece of cake in comparison to what he's done with Connacht.

It's possible, but we've been waiting for that development so long that I'm starting to think it won't happen. Especially after the Championship promotion announcement the other day, as @JBFC II says above. 

We'll see I guess. Take Irish and Leeds our of the Championship, not sure who there is that would meet the promotion requirements- especially if they got 'beefed up'. It might come to nothing, but it'd certainly be the opportunity to do such a thing, if that is indeed what the authorities are looking to do. Bristol certainly seem to be building a top flight team for next season

4 hours ago, MichaelRobartes said:

The Evil Post are reporting that none of the new guys have a relegation clause. Bristol should absolutely monster the Championship next season.

Either that or they've had a nod that the Premiership is going to be expanded next season (it's been rumoured for a while) and there'll be no relegation. The only shareholders in Premiership Rugby (or wherever its called) who aren't in the top flight are comfortably 1st and 2nd in the Championship

Timeline:

1. Sale Sharks sign expensive cross-code winger

2. Sale Sharks find they're spending rather a lot of money on wingers 

3. Sale Sharks find reason to sack existing winger with whom they had a contract saving them wages and/or severance pay

A big one for me this, though can't make it due to family commitments. Grew up in Huddersfield, loads of mates and colleagues support them so you better do me proud today boys! 

3-1 City. Tammy, Flint, Tomlin

Brighton were absolutely outstanding defensively tonight. Meanwhile, we huffed and puffed and created little of note. While I'm certainly not of the 'panic stations' persuasion, we are not functioning as an attacking unit at the minute. Not at all. LJ needs to do something to sort that out ASAP. In our defence though, I didn't think Brighton were that much more threatening. They scored one from the half way line and one deflected shot and other than some chances on the break that they were unlikely to have had if the score was still 0-0, they didn't create loads. Plus, Wilbs should have had an absolute, stonewall penalty. But still, not really good enough. At least we're still 3-0 better than Norwich though 

I'd also like to add that while he defended stoutly, Mark Little just doesn't have enough ability to play the way LJ wants the team to play. Flints lack of ability on the ball was also exposed a little tonight, but he brings enough else to compensate

The game's been fairly even to be honest. They scored one from the half way line and one that was deflected. That said, we haven't created enough chances and paid the price

My Barnsley-supporting friends are fairly gloomy about this-apparently they have 9 players unavailable from their 'full strength' squad. Therefore, I'm predicting 1-0 to The Tykes 

Only kidding, I reckon 2-0 to City, Tammy and Flint to score

Excellent OP @havanatopia, Oakwell is the ground I have visited most in Britain (other than AG, though it's actually pretty close) and it's a special fixture for me too. Mainly for bragging rights at work. Glad to hear the funeral was as happy a time as these things can be

One correction from your OP; Orgreave was actually a coking works, not a colliery. Hopefully it'll soon be known as part of the title of an Independent Enquiry too

Cardiff already look a proper Warnock team. Hate them more now than I did at 7.45

Only decision the ref has got right all night is their penalty

The build up to our goal is exactly why they changed the rules regarding injured players.  Immers fouled out lad (can't remember who it was now), saw space had opened up and stayed down to try and slow play

We'be been shit, but Cardiff are just as bad. Decent wingers, defensively solid nothing through the minute. We'be created next to nothing but look to have more ability than them. Just failed to use it

I'm nearly out of beer

9 hours ago, cityexile said:

Just for clarity, I was suggesting the flack Tomlin might have come in for, not Tammy. 

Ah, get ya. Tomlin's getting flack anyway, but I do agree. If Tomlin let Tammy take it and it missed, Tomlin would get grief