NickJ

When I expressed an opinion that O'Driscoll would not succeed, I expressed that opinion without personal insults, without wishing he was gone. I also said that I hoped he would prove me wrong. Big difference. Whether O'Driscol would have been successful given time we will never know for sure. Its easy to say he would have been successful eventually, because you can never be proved wrong. The fact is that in 40 games he was the least successful manager we have ever had, thus at the point of his departure vindicating my original opinion. I have never said Cotterill will be successful because he "stays late". What I have said is that I know he works extremely hard, so for that and the fact he is on OUR SIDE he should be given support. If people want to say in their opinion he will fail, I think that's fine, its just an opinion. But the constant personal insults form some from day one is out of order, embarrassing, and counter productive.

On this site or ziderheads, can't remember which, I not only said O'Driscoll would not be a success, but explained my reasons. On ziderheads at the beginning of August when most were saying we'd either go up automatically or play offs or mid-table at worse, I said O'Driscoll would take us down again.

Luckily for us all, I am never wrong. I said from day one SOD would be a disaster and so it proved - even though like you I constantly said I hoped he'd prove me wrong, not that that was ever going to happen. Its a simple equation, workers look to leaders for leadership and inspiration. That doesn't mean being loud, some of the best leaders do so in a quietly effective way. But SOD is simply not a leader. I don't know what happened at Sheffield as I wasn't there however Sheffield were always going to improve after appointing Clough and I have seen enough to know that results will be better under this manager than the previous one. But then that's also not a very difficult prediction.

This 1 loss in 7 that you like to speak of included 3 draws, a home FA Cup game against Dagenham & Redbridge, and was preceded by 14 league games without a single victory. And that was just this season. I could put up a very strong mathematical case to demonstrate that things were not, in fact, being turned around but then, so could anybody that isn't selective with the facts. Plus, I have never been so bored watching football than under the SOD era.

Not sure I worded the original post that clearly, but to clarify. Looking at our home fixtures, most are against lower placed teams so yes I can see us only losing one or two and not impossible we could go unbeaten. Away, as I said, and like you I agree, Peterboro will stuff us unless they've regressed a lot since the home game and/or we've improved massively, but other than that we play a lot of teams who are not much different to us, from what I saw of them in the home games. So it would only take a small improvement in form and confidence to potentially see quite a big improvement in results. Yet this forum is full of threads that give the impression our fans don't want that to happen because its much more fun slagging off the manager and players.

Yes, but the difference is Cotterill has been hammered by a significant minority since the day he arrived, mainly if not exclusively by those who bought into SOD's rhetoric about long term player development. Those people have expressed disappointment at SOD being sacked, that's fair enough its their opinion, but they have gone further than that with insults of Cotterill which have been personal, unnecessary, and unfounded. In response, others have come to Cotterill's defence and in doing so have inevitably compared Cotterill's record here with SOD's. The out and out hostility from some towards Cotterill, who I have to repeat is on OUR SIDE, while he is here and trying to do a job for us, is IMO unforgivable and far less understandable than criticism of SOD who is no longer here.

Under Cotterill we have picked up 11 points from 7 home games, not brilliant but not a complete disaster either. Away from home, we have only lost at Wolves, Brentford and Sheffield, where most of us wouldn't have expected anything anyway. Of the 13 games left, I can see us going unbeaten or close to it at home and only one away - Peterboro - where I would be surprised if we picked up anything, based on the home game against them. I may be wrong, but if not this thread and some of the contributors will look a bit sad, and in any case the constant sniping from day one at a bloke who is on OUR SIDE is embarrassing.

Yes I stand corrected Harry, I'm a big fan of Pack, I had it in my mind you weren't. But google "otib Harry Pack" puts me right there! Its just I'm so used to us having different opinions - ie me right you wrong - I just naturally assumed you thought Pack was shite! Get yourself on that bus to Shropshire mate I'm holding a seat for you.

Thank goodness SC did what you thought he should have done Harry!

Ha yes similarly much as I didn't like SOD always said hoped he'd prove me wrong. Seriously considered going up tonight, only the tube strike put me off, credit to a certain young lad who I know is up there, especially as he rates Cotterill even less than you !! Yes there are a few spaces for Shropshire, sent out details by email so far and relied on others to forward so clearly you have it, don't have yours - PM it to me and I will send on further details.

Think you may have also said you don't rate Pack mate! Or Cotterill !! Lets see.

Any entertainment under O'Negative was in spite, not because of him. I'll see you with the games you mention and raise you with the home games against Shrewsbury, Colchester, Sheff Utd, Brentford, Crawley, all of which were dire. The home games against Oldham, Peterborough, Bradford and Wolves were entertaining purely because the opposition played decent football and we didn't. I personally don't want bollocks about how it will take 5 years to learn how to be a club playing the right way, I could be dead by then. O'Dozy was sending this club to sleep and I cannot fathom how anybody could defend him!! The ball is now being zipped around under Cotterill with purpose. Whether its bluff and purpose, at least the bloke is having a go.

Never said he has substance Harry, honestly don't know. But bluff and bluster is at least more interesting than the shite from O'Boring. I'd argue the crap from O'Bluster-Driscoll was bluster, he said we were going to do this and that but it would take years "because of the years of under achievement". **** me forget the excuses in advance just get on with it - Crawley are above us for ***** sake. And the football is infinitely better, surely you agree that? If not you need to watch an O'CoverMyAssWithBollocks game sober mate.

The reason people will forgive Cotterill more easily than O'Dreary is he's got a personality and we are playing football which is 10 times as attractive, win or lose. That's not having it both ways mate that's having what we want, entertainment. I would have ditched my season ticket if O'SafetyFirst had stayed.

There is a reason for that mate

There is a reason for that mate

I don't know. Is it relevant?

I'm not anti SL and I haven't asked for the board to resign because that isn't what my point is - although looking from the outside they appear to be doing a spectacularly dismal job, despite what SL says. But that's the problem, looking from the outside, which means we don't know what problems they face, what they do, how they arrive at decisions, the calibre of the thought process. My opinion is that the fans should be represented on the board. That doesn't mean Jon or even Ernie Aarathoon appointed by SL, that means somebody independent of the current board capable of genuinely representing the fans. Organising a protest of the types you mention would be relatively easy as "sack the board" is sensationalist and would stir the emotions of many and the crowd effect would take over. I doubt that many would turn up for a "Supporters Trust on the board" meeting.

Touche!

The Supporters Trust is a group and as a member I have consistently called for it to be represented on the board of directors, as was indicated would happen several years ago. This forum as we know is widely read. Standing outside the Williams car park with a placard is possible. Given that the majority shareholder lives in Guernsey comments on here are more likely to receive attention. I have also asked the Fans Liaison Officer to pass this request on. I was given an unequivocal reply that the answer - No - will not change. The majority shareholder has in the past suggested that any fan representation would be given on Bristol City Football Club only, not Bristol City Holdings, ie excludes stadium matters. That to me is unacceptable, although not even that has been offered yet. Not sure what other action you have in mind.

You are quite right Timbo7 although Steve would no doubt be indignant as to any suggestion that he would indeed take the ground as part payment for the debt. Greater transparency and unequivocal statements, possibly even enshrined in an agreement of some sort would help. Regarding the ownership of Ashton Gate, in fact Bristol City Holdings was always the proud owner, not the subsidiaries, until it was hived off in 2005 to the newly incorporated Ashton Gate Ltd.

Yes it was me. I questioned Steve about it immediately after it was announced at an AGM. There was no prior notice about it, no other shareholders were consulted, and it was announced at the AGM as though it was just an administrative change. The impression I formed was a hope that it would go through under the radar. I was given an explanation by Steve that made no sense whatsoever, and a statement that Ashton Gate Ltd could be partly sold to external investors to raise funds which would have been madness - except that since then with everything that has happened with Ashton Vale I have realised that those "external" investors may have been a bit closer to home than was indicated. I guess it was Steve's misfortune that as an accountant I knew the explanation for doing it did not stack up and any proposal to sell our ground or even a part of it was ridiculous, and so I challenged further.

I'm not saying it was over exuberance at all. Notwithstanding the clown hitting a police horse and some idiots throwing things - which should be punished severely as being so cowardly and indiscriminate - in the main, it was kids shouting and posturing. Some of them will have had fisticuffs outside the ground - very little direct physical contact took place inside. I don't think that makes them vermin or scum though I do think they should get the proverbial clip round the ear. I'm not complaining about the police, just questioning why the need for a dawn raid. Maybe there were logistical issues, but it seems OTT to me.

Thanks I will. You are of course right that anti-social behaviour should not be tolerated, but some of your comments are sensationalist, ironically aggressive, and come across as attention-seeking, in a one man contest on how many times you can use words like vermin and scumbags in one sentence. I doubt very much if many if any of those who will eventually be convicted are indeed vermin or scum, and lets hope they learn from what will probably be a very expensive, disproportionate, lesson. Dawn raids for a group of young lads that ran onto a piece of grass and shook their fists a bit? As we all know, most of them actually want to be stopped - had they wanted to they could have easily got through the stewards and to the Rovers fans. Shock horror maybe some of them even had a bit of a scrap outside the ground. Whether you like it or not its what some young lads do, always have done, always will do. It's liable to happen every time large numbers of youths congregate, in any situation. Not all, but many, and I would suggest that in crowd behaviour even the least likely are likely to get caught up in it. I'm not condoning breaking of the law or their actions, I'm not condoning aggressive behaviour, in the slightest. But it happens, and society, through the police and the courts if necessary, brings them back into line. Job done. But dawn raids and some of the emotive language you use is way OTT, in my opinion.