handsofclay

I think it unlikely we will get relegated but we should never have been in this position as the club had been on an upward trajectory albeit a very gradual one. I have heard that if we are relegated and Derby promoted they will buy Max Bird back off us but lend him to us for the 24-25 season. I want Manning to succeed as I am a Bristol City fan but as Silvio Dante has pointed out the worrying aspect of all this isn't this season it's next. We have been in relegation form since Manning took control fortunately we had enough points in the bag when he took over to most likely avoid the drop this season but what about next. There are parallels, in the opposite way, with when Cottrell became manager. Under SOD we were relegation bound, but Cottrell provided us with promotion form the rest of the season, unfortunately we had far too few points behind us when he took control and only achieved mid table. But as we know that form with some great additions to the squad continued the following season and we were promoted.

They did that with a match a few months ago. Like yourself it wasn't for me.

Yes but he might have placed it on the spot for Tommy.

Jane Austen also predicted one of our loan signings 200 years before it occurred in the title of one of her novels Nathan Abbey* *The publishers weren't keen on the title as they wanted it also included that he would also play for Northampton and he was also a goalkeeper so Jane compromised with the first word which became mashed. So we now know it as Northanger Abbey. Good local girl was Miss Austen. Mixed in the elite circles and picked up all the gossip on City's potential signings way ahead of even Ian Gay.

Brian McNeil played a few games for us but then went over to play in the States. 32 players apparently played for City in the top flight in 1976-80 but he was the only one who couldn't be traced. Last known to be somewhere in Canada.

Gardner Hickman pulled back a player from entering the box off the ball. It was well spotted by the ref. The amount of supporters remarking upon the McCrorie incident as if he did nothing. He did. He pushed off a Forest player in the face. It was again well spotted by the referee. In fact he was somewhat fortunate to escape a yellow. That having been said I thought McCrorie was immense tonight.

I agree that was his only mistake though. Otherwise got everything right, including the McCrorie hand off into the face of his opponent missed by so many others it appears. Also got each yellow card correct. No complaints at all about his performance.

Yes the first game was abandoned at 1-1 due to floodlit failure, the rearranged match also ended 1-1 before City won the replay at Anfield. Highlights were shown on the BBC midweek sports programme. The only live coverage was of the replay when it was broadcast on a big screen at Whitchurch Sports Centre.

That was brilliantly put. I didn't mention Jacki because I feared being targeted as a Neanderthal for as you say he has been elevated to legend status amongst City fans. As soon as Osman dropped him he became the target of the boo boys and it seemed to become fashionable to blame City's struggles in the second tier and lack of entertainment value upon this decision. It wasn't, for as you say we lost plenty and stunk the place out with the mercurial Pole in our side. Yes, he was a fantastic player on his day and I am glad I seen him in a City shirt, but Osman chopped him at the right time and we were a stronger TEAM as a result.

I don't get the downers on Osman's tenure as manager. Yes, the football wasn't great but it hasn't been for years now. But the difference with Osman is he had diddly squat to spend. One of our top signings during the summer when he was boss was a midfielder from Gresley Rovers!!! He kept City in the second tier and beat Liverpool over two and a half matches in the cup. Yet he is much maligned. If the present manager was restricted to signing midfielders from Gresley Rovers yet kept us at this level the paucity of entertainment would be forgiven. He was sacked during a two week break in the fixtures and Joe Jordan brought back and suddenly given the funds Osman was denied.

No it was before Tammy Abraham's time.

I think the rule is he would have needed to have been available for the original tie to be able to play in the replay.

I remember the bandsman before the semi final in 1988, but wasn't there also a member of a band (a guitarist?), performing on the pitch as pre match entertainment in the mid-1970s (just prior to the top flight days?) who died from an electric shock at Ashton Gate? Once again the match went ahead. I'm assuming that as has been stated by others, that back then anybody suffering cardiac arrest or whatever was mainly stretchered off to hospital where equipment was then used to assist them in the recovery process if possible. Whereas now paramedics are working in the serious instances on the spot rather than wasting valuable time by waiting until the patient arrives in hospital. Thus, it is a far more involved procedure. But, despite that, I am surprised games get postponed unless it's very clear that to take this action will help save the life of the person experiencing the trauma. Maybe it's a mixture of that and the prevailing attitude now for organisations etc not to seem insensitive to situations involving life and death. Bill Shankly wouldn't have agreed with that.

It was a split board with Davison, the chairman, wanting Moyes. As chairman he had the casting vote and inexplicably voted for Pulis as he thought it would unify the board more, even though he didn't want him!!!

Great, classy, majestic player. Still think we should have signed him rather than Gary Stanley. RIP

I don't know if the club will be interested in buying my bubble making machine?

Don't worry, FNQ, we haven't lost our sense of humour. The reason for the lack of replies is because it was posted three hours earlier by pongo88 on the match day thread.

I am sure the club are sharing this now as they know that the dummies will shortly be replaced by AI dummies and boy will it be rare for any mere human player to ever get the better of them again.

Included in the 18 goals that made him our top scorer in the promotion season was a hat-trick at home to York City in a 4-1 win. What made it extra special was it was on Match of the Day that night and I recollect Jimmy Hill, I think, commenting about the fact it was the first hat-trick on MotD for several years. Goals in general were harder to come by in the 1970s when away teams tended to play for draws more in the days before 3 points for a win.

Yes there was film footage but lost during the second world war. It had been shown in local Bristol cinemas in 1934 on the 25th anniversary of our appearance in the final. Radio was a bit behind film. There was no radio coverage of the 1909 Cup Final as radio that could broadcast voices hadn't long been invented. The BBC, for instance, didn't start broadcasting until 1922.

Get well soon, lad.

When I was doing research to assist David Woods mainly at The Central Library but also other city libraries, I found myself at the Bath library and studying wartime matches discovered that a game between Bristol City and Bath City in about 1944 had live commentary on national radio.

I remember when Danny Wilson was manager, I think when we just missed out on auto promotion, we played at his old club Barnsley. Our away strip was either black or white that season but for some inexplicable reason City turned out in yellow. And won. When asked afterwards Wilson said that yellow is the best colour strip in football as it psychologically feels like the team wearing yellow has an extra player as the colour catches the eye more. Plus way back Herbert Chapman was the first to introduce hooped socks at Arsenal as he thought players are mainly looking down when the ball is at their feet so usually see the boots and socks of the fellow players first. Thus if teammates are wearing hooped socks that catches the eye that bit quicker than plain socks.

I think all the top flight games were off bar this one. I am fairly sure Radio 2 where the sports coverage was then (before Radio 5 Live) had commentary on the whole match as there was precious little going on elsewhere to report on. They usually only had second half commentary on a match. The fact WBA wore astro boots that gave them an advantage in the snow emerged the following day on the back page of the tabloids.

I don't know much about this Arron Banks or GoSkippy but judging by your comments it sounds like it would be more appropriate if it was our new Back of Shorts Sponsor instead.