TDarwall

People like being involved with football clubs.  Some of the biggest clubs in the world were a nightmare to get money out of (& in context the insurance premiums were peanuts). If they were an "ordinary" client it wouldn't be tolerated but football clubs get away with it.

I've insured a fair no. Of football clubs for their death in service benefit.  For non playing staff, once you get below Assistant manager, the salary levels were unbelievably poor. The head groundsman for what was a big Championship team was on an absolute pittance.

Maybe we should crowd fund Fevs so he can do it but still afford to eat!

1 minute ago, 1960maaan said:

I read a great book about scouts a while back 

The nowhere men??

A great read.

3 hours ago, GrahamC said:

Went back in 1998, horrible but so glad I did.

Completely subjective but something there will just break you

 

 

Same, went in Jan about 4 years ago. It was about 3 foot deep in snow. A guide explained that one of the punishments was to make children stand outside barefoot overnight.

You can't remotely describe it as an enjoyable experience but I'm glad I went.  I wouldn't blame anyone for not going but a visit should be compulsory for anyone that even flirts with extreme nationalist/far right views.

Ralph Milne = cult hero.

17 hours ago, mozo said:

It's annoying that because of the board talking bollocks, we're all here bickering about the head coach.

Ultimately, Nige wasn't sacked because of performance or expectations. The problem was the working relationship and the perception of Nige as not what the club wanted long term. So we lose a few games and the board jump at the opportunity. 

 

 

Spot on. Its even more annoying that anyone whose paid any attention to the way we are "governed" could have easily predicted that SL would not ultimately like the cut of NP's jib & it would end in tears.

If we were super ruthless you could say we used NP to get us out of a hole & jettisoned him ASAP after, however that infers a certain level of strategy & planning that I'm not sure we possess.

Went to the Ivy in Cardiff last night. Went a couple of yrs ago before watching The Cure & it was v good. Last night, food was good, service sub Fawlty Towers. Starters took well over an hour - they gave us a free bottle of wine as compensation. Then brought wrong mains / sides - I felt sorry for the waiter in the end but fair play to them, they gave us the lot (2 people, starters & mains + wine) for nothing, so at least they put it right.

29 minutes ago, Renaissance Williams said:

Saint John - Cold War Kids

The Skids - The Saints are coming.

25 minutes ago, italian dave said:

Station to Station……David Bowie

Driver 8 - REM

11 minutes ago, Cidre Monita said:

So how much more of the Lansdown regime are you willing to put up with TD? 

I can't imagine a time I will stop supporting the club. This isn't a perfect analogy, but to me it's like saying "why are you so loyal to your family, other families have achieved so much more on fewer resources". 

I think a change of ownership would be for the best, but I won't let my discontent with the owners stop me enjoying something I've done for the last 40+ years.

33 minutes ago, Cidre Monita said:

Yes Graham you are correct it is our club and means a hell of a lot to us all. However it’s now got to the point where I think that buying season cards, or putting any money into the coffers is helping prop up the Lansdown regime. We need rid of these people and it’s gone beyond the ‘careful what you wish for’ stage. Fair play to all you fans that have renewed, but I think it would have made a massive statement if people had withdrawn their support for one season to send a message to SL. 

Everyone is off course entitled to their own opinion, but this approach to me is contrary to what it means to support a team.

I am with @GrahamC its our club. It would really vex me if we were owned by a despotic regime & whilst I'd hate that aspect of it, I'd still support City, because the club is bigger than the owner, manager etc.

When you break it down, everything about a football club is transient, the only thing which isn't is the fan base.  I 1st went with my dad, now I go with my son. When I'm gone I hope he goes with his children.

Earlier in the thread, I think @pillred said no other medium gets the same sort of loyal support & that's absolutely right.  I love music & there are acts I've really liked & no longer do (hi Morrissey), however City are different, the connection is deeper. I didn't like Pulis, but I supported City when he was the boss. I don't see anything changing that (but Hollowhead would be a test.....).

Kiss with a fist - Florence & the machine.

Nicky Morgans header from Dave Smiths cross (v Blackburn) is one of my fave city goals.

Lively is a good word @GrahamC, with the helicopter circling it had Apocalypse Now vibes!!

It was my mates 18th & we got soundly drunk in Bath pre kick off. I use that season to sum up supporting City to people that support other teams; even when we succeed we find a way to screw it up.  For me, the Millennium stadium  non event v BHA still trumps it as my worst day supporting City. At least we looked like we were trying v Rovers.

It was a great season though & I hardly missed  a game home or away. Remember getting pelted by coins & bottles (warm Lucazade, i think?) at the end of the game away to Cardiff. Still, that seemed tame compared to the scenes leaving St Andrews!

For me, Jordan then leaving is a massive sliding doors moment. Even Lumsden got us close to the top 6, had Joe stayed I reckon we had a really good chance.

13 minutes ago, old_eastender said:

At a much reduced pay rate I hope...

If its that much reduced then I suspect he'll be off.

1 minute ago, Alessandro said:

He did - and also add I feel like I’ve noticed him making good runs into the box off the ball and getting into good positions on a number of occasions, only not to be found by a team mate - he could and should well have added several more goals to his tally if he was picked out more often.

Since he joined, our results when he's played have I think been far better than when he hasn't.  He hasn't always massively impressed me but it may well be he brings things to the team my untrained eye doesn't see. Causation & correlation et al but if nothing else, he gives the oppo something different to think about.

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

In fairness, parity has been reached, imho

I'm sure we said a few games into LMs reign that we thought he achieve much the same as NP but in a different manner. Its been a roundabout way of getting there, but that's kind of where we have ended up. 

As well as his goal, I'm pretty sure Twine played TC through for the pen & Anis for his 1v1, so he could have ended with a goal & 2 assists.

Notwithstanding the fact Rotherham was unbelievably bad (thought they'd be much more in our faces), in fairness to us we were on it from the start & it was pleasing to see us open teams up so much without having to rely on counters on translation.  

There was a fantastic bit of interplay between TC & James, arguably TC should score but the keepers does pretty well.

On the basis we're not going to get a budget busting fee for TC (back of a decent, not stellar, season & final Yr of contract) I'd be happy to keep him & "get our value on the pitch" (no sniggering at the back!). Depends somewhat on his mindset really as not point keeping a non motivated player.

When (if) all of our centrebacks are fit we're going to have a lot of good options there. A few months back the thought of losing Dickie or Zak was terrifying but Roberts & Tanner have done great. Ironically the problem next season could be keeping them all happy with their game time.

9 minutes ago, LondonBristolian said:

 

I’d have thought Stokes would be very much in the frame to be in and around the squad at a minimum.

This is my view too, out squad isn't large enough to be loaning players like him out.

I think we're in for a disappointing day. Steve Evans is the sort of manager whose style we often struggle against & I expect them to be incredibly obdurate. Aligned to that thr players will be aiming to impress the new boss.

An early goal would change the dynamic entirely but I can see it being pretty drab otherwise as they will see 0-0 as a moral victory.

I can understand a player getting too big for his boots. They come thru academies & have smoke blown up them no end. Then they have their agent telling them they're the next Zidane.  So I get how a young man can believe their own hype & lose focus. The thing I can't get is how they allow this to happen at 3 consecutive clubs & even if they don't have the wherewithal themselves they don't have anyone close to them that can make them see the folly of their ways.

There is clearly talent there with Bakinson & midfielders with an eye for a goal are rightly sought after, but I agree with others that he seems destined to ply his trade below league 2.

VAR is total nonsense. Genuinely I'd rather the odd decision go against us than have a game held up whilst we're checking it a nasal hair strayed offside. Lots of decisions are subjective & VAR hasn't remotely got rid of bad decisions. Tech is great for black & white calls; has the ball crossed the goal line, but for everything else it's a waste of time. VAR should be binned, I hope it never gets brought into our level.

I worry we will lose James & Williams as either they'll get better ££ offers elsewhere or they will want to move back North.  James def has young family, not sure of Joe's position?.

Keeping 1 of them would be ideal for the knowledge etc, on balance I'd keep Joe, mainly cos he's a few yrs younger but think we'll miss his edge if he leaves.

3 hours ago, petehinton said:

 
 

4,500 miles from Delhi still the best curry house in Bristol though as it stands, imo. 

Been there many times, but gut feel is that it's gone down hill a bit in recent times.  Like Urban Tandoor, the chilli fish starter is the best thing.

1 hour ago, GrahamC said:

Always liked him, Noggers.

Think Coops genius move to switch Keith Curle to defence did for him in BS3, but he was good.

Was it home v  Newport where Curle ran 3/4's of the pitch to score?

12 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Premier League on the training pitches…..

Best 7 aside player in the world......