handsofclay

Question to be submitted by Cole Not Gas:

'Nigel, was it your greatest moment in football to be replaced at Bristol City by the genius tactician and ebullient raconteur Liam Manning?'

Unfortunately, some players have promising careers shattered because they are prone to injury. Christian Ribeiro springs to mind. Great player but constantly suffered long term injuries which is why we had to let him go.

Went on to play for Scunthorpe and Exeter but his time at those clubs was also stifled through picking up injuries keeping him out for long periods until he retired early due to a knee injury.

Sadly, I think Ayman's career will follow a similar trajectory, poor lad. As CityFarAndWide says above, he won't be the same player having himself had to call it a day very early due to this domino effect. 

10 minutes ago, The Gasbuster said:

No doubt there will be an appeal , then it will be reduced to one point.

If it was Man City it would be reduced on appeal to a ten point addition. 

8 minutes ago, Jerseybean said:

Yep when we went to sleep and they took a quick free kick to score the winner! 

So quick, in fact, the ball wasn't stationary it was a rolling ball. Should've been disallowed for that and retaken.

12 minutes ago, Robbored said:

I don’t have much recollection of Dickie Rooks but he must have been playing when I first went to AG in 1967. John Atyeo was playing as well but aged only 12 it was a few decades before I discovered who City played that day.

Your memory must be playing tricks as Atyeo retired before 1967

On my 8th birthday I watched my second City match v Carlisle. I had the all red City kit on that was my present. I had insisted on having a Number 5 put on the back as Dickie Rooks was my favourite player.

Fitting that in his position the season of his passing and a strong candidate for player of the season is another Dickie.

RIP

6 minutes ago, Redtucks said:

A bit like in Scotland, I've always said there must be no middle sized people.

You hear about big Jimmy or wee Jimmy, big Hughie or wee Hughie, big Billy or wee Billy, but never anyone middle sized!!!

 

Rather like the English language. One can be overwhelmed and one can be underwhelmed but there's no such thing as being just whelmed.

It's a fascinating watch and we are more than matching them at present. In fact Manchester City have yet to be seen as an attacking force. Which is a shame as I am trying to figure out who'll be the next Mebude. 

20 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Atyeo finished in 65/66, so even if this person’s first season supporting us was his last, that was 58 years ago.

Assuming he was at least 12, that makes him 70.

So younger than you say, but still as irritating.

He actually stated that he had been a City fan since Atyeo was playing for England which makes it about 9 years earlier (1956-57).

To be fair to Mr Kitchen he misunderstood the news that Leicester will escape any punishment this season.

I have been a critic on here of LM, but like Silvio I am still passionate about my team. I thought we played very well yesterday and credit to Liam Manning for that. For a few years now top teams have come to Ashton Gate and left with the points and hardly a glove laid upon them as we accept it due to the discrepancy of the parachute payments. Credit where it's due, Liam Manning has addressed that and we are not only competing with them but beating two of the three 100% pp clubs this season.

The boss also seems to have listened to the cry from us for entertainment as from kick off yesterday we went for the jugular. That is what we want. If Liam takes on board our criticisms and works to address them then that is a positive that we all welcome as it will mean the experience of watching City has become an enthralling one and we will be climbing the table.

I would love nothing more than for Manning to be successful in his post here and I would even tell the bloke to his face while City are celebrating promotion to the top flight that I wanted him gone during his early tenure but commend him for turning things around and learning from mistakes.

However, as others have said, he has a very good record against the top teams and those in the top flight, it's the bread and butter fixtures where we have struggled and stunk the place out and there are far more of those in a season to negotiate. Once that is addressed and we are picking up the points, by and large, we should be and for the most part playing decent football, then I will think he has turned the corner and I will be changing my opinion. I sincerely hope that is the case.

I would like to think if that occurred it would be in no small part due to the manager reacting to valid criticism. It's because we love our club that we air our concerns. It's when we become indifferent as supporters that there's more to worry about.

39 minutes ago, slartibartfast said:

I stand on the far side (always have) and being a tad colour blind ,when the play was over the other side I had a job differentiating the two teams  , the kits merging into "all grey" under those lights !

Quite agree it can be murky at times. I also know one or two supporters who stand on the side opposite the grandstand and they have also said that they cannot hear the announcements. If, once the ground has had its makeover (estimated to finish late-September) the tannoy still cannot be heard there I will raise the issue. 

But you are not alone in hoping the lights are brighter next season. 

1 hour ago, slartibartfast said:

Couldn't hear that ,either !  Seriously, are they going to encroach into the "hut field", that will all cost a few bob ,won't it ?

Yes they are apparently, and all the electrics being done which I assume will include the floodlights. I agree about the current state of the lighting, when teams arrive with numbers that aren't that distinctive on their shirts it can be a nightmare trying to ascertain, under those poor lights, who has scored etc to make the announcement.

5 hours ago, slartibartfast said:

Never mind plastic pitches, they could do with a decent set of lights, went Thursday night, could hardly see a thing , surprised they are deemed suitable !

I believe that is also being done. Plus the pitch is being widened outwards with the far side being knocked down and rebuilt so there is more room between the touchlines and the perimeter fencing/walls.

I was doing the ground announcing on Thursday night. 

I was in the Open End the night we beat Liverpool 2-1 when there were 38,000 there. There were Liverpool fans behind me and I didn't make out I was a Liverpool fan to get in. Then again it was the same colours. So even though there was some sort of segregation going on it was definitely not rigourously enforced. 

1 minute ago, Countryfile said:

Buse, Idehen, Clarke and Yeboah, quite a number of City or ex City players.

I guess helping Bath get into the National league would be very useful for us in getting some serious game time for our younger players, think Bryan and possibly Reid played for Bath at that level before pushing on.

Was that a synthetic pitch?

Yes it was. Increasing numbers of non league clubs opting for that now.

Next season Mangotsfield United will be playing on a plastic pitch for home games.

That was a far better watch than the England v Brazil tepid crap. 

1 hour ago, ralphindevon said:

That sounds nuts. Was there an area where you were expected to go in the ground as an away fan or did you just go anywhere?

I can remember going to a Brentford v Exeter game in the 70’s where fans just swapped ends at half time and even that dog without a few scuffles .

In the top flight days I watched mainly from the East End, occasionally from the Enclosure and several times in the Open End. The away fans mainly congregated in The Open End and there wasn't any restriction on me going in there with my mates all decked in City scarves. 

Also, there were several times away fans got together in the East End to attack it before being escorted to the Open End.

I think when there were big away turnouts the police formed a line down the Open End to form a barrier to keep fans of both clubs apart if it got a bit feisty. Iirc there was also fencing to separate rival fans if needed in the Open End. Although that might've come slightly later.

If we shouldn't be so concerned about the ENGLAND flag being changed on the shirts worn by ENGLAND players in Euro 2024, what is the point of getting behind ENGLAND playing in a tournament against other countries. In fact, why not change all the notes in the National Anthem. We could take the lead and by the 2026 World Cup no team will play under their flag or their anthem and by Euro 2028 the first fixture will be One Team against Another Team as by then the names of the countries will be irrelevant too. 

3 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

No need to apologise to me.

FWIW. Here’s what I posted yesterday:

I did read that one and think I gave it a like. It was reading that that prompted me to look at the possession stats for all LM's matches and plainly saw that Manningball, in terms of dominating possession, clearly produces very little. 

7 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

Thanks but you could have saved yourself time. Davefevs posted those stats yesterday. 

We are better without the ball and Mannings best performances have come by playing 'Nigeball.'

I was away for most of yesterday and caught up with a fair few (but not all) posts in the early hours, but obviously that's one I missed. Apologies to DaveFevs. 

It was mentioned a few times how teams have caught us up and then overtaken us on the way to the Premier League. (Thankfully, it being SotC no Gasheads were listening to give them ideas.) It was pondered why is this so.

I'd venture it's because those clubs gear themselves up to become successful. If they get a manager who brings kudos and success they stick by him and cling to his coattails on the upper trajectory. Here, if any manager does well or becomes popular it seems to signal his demise because the owner doesn't like it. The manager is dispensed with and we return to this Head Coach title with the next appointment, the man in charge of training and selecting the sides firmly knowing his place. 

1 minute ago, steviestevieneville said:

Owers taking the piss about emotions 

It was brilliant he said about imagine Roy Keane with his steely stare about to lead the Manchester United players onto the pitch against Liverpool and Fergie approaching him and telling him to cut out the emotion today.

Or before a City v Rovers match at Ashton Gate it being announced over the tannoy 'Could the City fans please cut out the emotion, thank you'. 

Ross: Hey, Tommy are you also going to get a programme for the boss?

Tommy: Nah, he came pre-programmed unfortunately.