BUTOR

With our exaggerated abundance of talented youth it is sometimes easy to forget that players aren’t traditionally supposed to come into their ‘prime years’ until about exactly the age Zak Vyner is now. For me that’s what has happened here, a player who has grown into himself through experience. Patience is a virtue sometimes.

What a great goal from Bell! Talk about Sykes as the next Murray, but that’s Scotty to a tee! Decent assist for the first goal too.

Forgot how bad listening on the radio is for your blood pressure

However did we cope before VPNs and firesticks? Confusion on this thread is gold

It was the most stringent it had been so far this season on Saturday. There was even two policeman outside the concourse entrance. The club were clearly aware, which makes me think bar stopping selling tickets in A Block or implementing hostile stewarding methods (not advised) I’m not really sure what they can do to stop it?

What they want and what they may get are two different things.

What exactly can they do? Contrary to reports the club anticipated this happening on Saturday, there was two police and a steward on the concourse entry to the section and four stewards checking tickets above the stairs. You simply can’t control a crowd that large on mass without excessive force and they are hardly going to bring in the riot gear are they? Shut A Block down all together? Perhaps, but I doubt the long term season ticket holders will be particularly happy with that either.

Club are planning to come down on this later today with a statement. Expected, but hopefully not too dismissive or divisive.

I have seen atmospheres startle players and supporters and change games, countless times. That feeling of pure intimidation doesn’t necessarily exist anymore (there were times and places where you would have every reason to feel terrified) but atmosphere can hugely impact a result.

As Turtle above said… felt like the stadium had its soul back. Hopefully from this day forward no more more soft, rollover Ashton Gate, we aren’t and never have been that sort of club, just taken us a while to find our feet after the redevelopment

Makes a huge difference! Let that be the proof… I haven’t heard all 3 sides singing together for yonks.

Like you give a shit mate

The players who went out of their way to clap the area FT (and who usually ignore it) may disagree. Noise levels above anything this season, two blocks going at it got the whole ground singing at times. Ridiculously negative attitude, what’s the point?

Or simply revert to the original plan: Standing across the back of the south stand as was promised.

But there comes a point when the corporate gleam becomes counter productive to securing new fans as it is meant to do. What is it that made us all fall in love with Bristol City as young people? Less likely was it to be about gorgeous football and stunning eras of success as it was about personality. Pride in the rough edges and the culture, fascination in the little pockets of chaos, and love and belonging in the soul and sanctity of Ashton Gate. I don’t see any of that right now. Young fans are well aware of the past and that they’re missing out, I don’t blame them for wanting to change that.

I take all the points re policing, upsetting season ticket holders in A block (I am one and do enjoy my seat currently), but I guess the issue is we as a fan base have been met with brick walls and dismissiveness whenever the topic of atmosphere has been brought up in recent years. It’s a ‘there’s yer lot’ attitude regarding Section 82, I think the club may genuinely believe that they’ve gone above and beyond with that area to assist atmosphere, and I don’t really believe they’ve been sat around in candle lit rooms plotting how to rid the scallies for Barber coated Bears’ fans and make Ashton Gate a library. But… it has been their inability to listen to concerns around the atmosphere over the last few years that was inevitably going to lead to something like this at some point. I believe the last time it was brought up in an interview (around S82 expansion on RB) the chuckling line from Gould was ‘no, they’ll complain whatever we do’. The fanbase would not get anywhere going through official lines, their best hope is to organically arrange something, be a little persistent, yes probably upset a few, show what a difference it makes and work with the club there on after. The PR of banning hundreds of supporters or going way overboard to stop it, perhaps shutting down A Block, would be awful compared to simply listening to concerns.

They will have an army of stewards ready to stop this Saturday so will have to be some thought put in. But if fans are finally getting organised and bringing some life back to the Gate then all for it and fully support it. It’s about time our young’uns did. Just need to get past JL’s tears.

How many years can Neil keep giving exactly the same hour long interview for post retirement?

Yes, I was going to say, I can’t imagine many of the folk in there now giving a shit, it’s not like trying to start a vocal section in the cushion seats of the Lansdown, although that would be a laugh… More so A block to be fair! Memory is naff though. Are you referring to Del Naja? Don’t remember that. Did see him eating a goat curry in The concourse recently though…

There was regular persistent standing in both blocks A and B for years previously and this was never an issue

Cardiff and Swansea also had a much higher of supporters in lower block A than usual, all standing and making noise. I have had a season ticket there for years so I’m very wary of the difference it makes to the overall atmosphere when it’s busy and noisy. Particularly since away fans were given the entire Atyeo. It’s about not letting away supporters turn Ashton Gate into a home away from home fixture for them. They need to be met with some resistance. Physiologically I’m convinced it makes some kind of difference on the pitch. The players themselves say it makes a massive one, but then of course they would.

Judging by Twitter the young uns are buzzing off ‘E34’ from the weekend. Sounds like it’s well under way. Time to get some ******* life back in the stadium. We are the A block, we are the A block, we are the A block Ashton Gate…

So easily done these days too with the internet. Just needs one of the bigger City ‘platforms’ to pick it up and push it. Or old school, letters placed on seats before games in block A and in section 82. Wouldn’t take long for mass movement. Club wouldn’t like it but doubt they would have the desire to physically prevent it from happening.

It was because they were being told to get off the stairwell rather than to get closer to the home end

I met someone who has direct communications with JL at Coventry away (would be unfair to name them here), and he told me that Jon was actively against ‘vocal’ areas or any kind of expansion/change to the fan setup. He said that JL wanted to shut Section 82 down on numerous occasions last season. Sometimes for as little as bad language. When you hear that you realise the current atmosphere is exactly what the club wants. Sounds conspiratorial to suggest they’ve been purposefully diluting atmosphere over recent years but it’s 100% the case. So that’s what I was referring to when I said Jon would be raging.