Jerseybean

Bet ya @BigTone ‘s response won’t take quite so long to compose

Plymouth fans of a certain age will always associate this fixture with Argyle beating us 4-0 at Home Park to secure promotion from the old third division in 1986. Attendance was officially announced at 19,900 reflecting the safety certificate in place at the time, which was half the actual capacity (when the ground was 90 per cent terracing), but the ground was packed. Easily 30,000 plus in attendance for a third tier fixture in the 1980s which must have been very rare. https://youtu.be/K8FmDpNTBwI Under the lights, at Ashton Gate, back in September we won 4-1, highlights: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/city-men-news/extended-highlights-bristol-city-4-1-plymouth-argyle/ We have sold our maximum allocation of 1,739 tickets for the trip to Home Park, so it could be quite a noisy affair. Like many of today’s modern sides, Argyle started out in a small way and in fact were an off-shoot of an amateur set-up known as Argyle Athletic Club. Various versions have been told of their origin, but the most feasible is that in 1886 a few keen former college pupils and public school boys met at the Borough Arms to discuss the formation of an athletic club in the Mutley area of Plymouth. Soccer was to be part of the activities from the start in those days when rugby was the main sport in the “Three Towns”, which consisted of Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse. The name ‘Argyle’ is unusual to say the least, so controversy surrounds how the name was adopted. One school of thought says that it derived from a local street named Argyle Terrace where the club’s committee used to meet in The Argyle Hotel. Another says that the club was named Argyle in honour of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders who were stationed at the time in Plymouth and whose football skills were much admired. Or was it that ‘Argyll’ and ‘Argyle’ were fashionable names at the time due to Queen Victoria’s’ fascination with all things Scottish? Plymouth Argyle have embraced two different badges through their history. One is in fact the shield in the arms of the city and county borough’s council, on record at the Heralds’ College. It shows the saltire of St Andrew, to whom the mother church of Plymouth is dedicated. The four towers represent fortifications. The more familiar badge is the one that depicts the Mayflower which sailed from Plymouth to America in 1620, carrying the early settling Pilgrims to the New World, and also giving rise to the illustrious nickname. Onto more recent times. They signed Spanish defender Julio Pleguezuelo. The 26-year-old agreed a two-year deal after leaving Dutch top-flight side FC Twente and is the first Spanish player to ever join the Pilgrims, https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65978721 In January they added Tottenham defender Ashley Phillips on loan until the end of the season. They also signed Leeds United midfielder Darko Gyabi on loan until the end of the season. The 19-year-old worked with new Argyle head coach Ian Foster when he was in charge of the England Under-20s side. He has played five times for Leeds since moving to the club from Manchester City in the summer of 2022. He is however set to miss the rest of the season with a groin injury and has returned to parent club Leeds United. He made 10 appearances for the Championship strugglers after joining on loan in January. Also signed Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Alfie Devine on loan until the end of the season. The 19-year-old spent the first half of the campaign at Port Vale where he scored three goals in 26 appearances. They also signed Lino Sousa on loan after the England Under-19s left-back joined Aston Villa from Arsenal. In December they lost their gaffer Steven Schumacher to Stoke City, https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67753445, they named former England Under-20 manager Ian Foster as their new head coach, in January. The ex-Liverpool academy player, 47, was working as Steven Gerrard's number two at Al-Ettifaq, in Saudi Arabia. Head-to-head record: Won: 27 Lost: 23 Drawn: 13 Sports Mole preview: https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/plymouth-argyle/preview/preview-plymouth-vs-bristol-city-prediction-team-news-lineups_540101.html?cQx=NN&newsnow On Good Friday they lost 2-1 away at Norwich, with both the Canaries goals coming from corners. They currently occupy 20th place with 41 points. Referee is Keith Stroud. He will be assisted by Matthew Smith and Robert Hyde; David Rock is the fourth official. Played for both teams: Kieran Agard, Paul Anderson, Ian Baird, Tyreeq Bakinson, Andre Blackman, Yannick Bolasie, Joe Bryan, Richard Davis, Keith Fear, Arnold Garita, Rene Gilmartin, Trevor Jacobs, Joe Lennox, Guy Madjo, Sean McCarthy, Alan Miller, Kevin Nugent, Karleigh Osborne, Scott Partridge, Forbes Phillipson-Masters, Bobby Reid, Gary Sawyer, Steven Sessegnon, Enoch Showunmi, Phil Starbuck, Ryan Taylor, Robbie Turner, Zak Vyner and David Burnside. Well known fans include: Michael Foot - Former politician. Josh Widdicombe - Comedian. Jeff Brazier - TV presenter. Evander Holyfield - Heavyweight boxing legend. In April Argyle’s return to the second tier for the first time since 2010 was confirmed, https://youtu.be/jybZxpN06gE They were crowned League One champions after coming from behind to win at Port Vale on the final day of the season. Guide to Home Park: https://footballgroundguide.com/leagues/england/league-one/home-park-plymouth-argyle.html We last faced them in the league in 2010 when they beat us 3-2 with a 90th minute winner, we have played them twice in the League Cup since. Our 2010 team was: Dean Gerken Louis Carey Jamie McAllister Liam Fontaine Bradley Orr Jamal Campbell-Ryce Marvin Elliott Cole Skuse Ivan Sproule Stefan Maierhofer Nicky Maynard Our bench: Stephen Henderson Christian Ribeiro Lewin Nyatanga Paul Hartley Lee Johnson David Clarkson Danny Haynes We played them in a pre-season friendly in July 2022. A late goal from Nahki Wells was enough for us claim victory on a day of sizzling sunshine at Home Park: https://youtu.be/PZfqdGnsvPI?si=ytJoeoZcDYQtLm59 Plymouth facts Unbelievably, 50 years ago the Pilgrims managed to beat Pele and his Santos side. March 14, 1973, saw almost 40,000 fans crowd both inside and outside of Home Park to watch the spectacle between Plymouth Argyle and Santos FC - who were taking part in a European tour that brought them down to the South West. The friendly match resulted in a 3-2 win to Argyle, the three goals by the home side being scored by Derek Rickard, Mike Dowling and Jimmy Hinch. While Pele and Edu clawed back two, it wasn’t enough to avoid defeat. Plymouth has always caught the attention of prominent Naval powers, but in 1815 it was a Naval power that caught the attention of Plymouth. After Napoleon Bonaparte’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, he surrendered himself and was held on the HMS Bellerophon. After nine days of sailing, the boat arrived first in Brixham but then moved to Plymouth Sound where he was temporarily held. The news spread and for 10 days the Sound became an absolute hotbed, attracting tourists not just from the South West but all across the country. In one day, 8000 people took to the water in small boats hoping to get a better look at this notorious enemy. The bakery that supplied the Pilgrims is still open. Jacka Bakery and Delicatessen on the Barbican is Britain's oldest commercially working bakery, dating all the way back to 1597. In the over 400 years it has seen 20 reigning monarchs and is said to have supplied the Pilgrim Fathers with biscuits on their maiden Mayflower voyage of discovery. On the topic of old buildings, Plymouth’s Orthodox Jewish Synagogue dates back to 1762. It holds the European record for over 250 years of uninterrupted use. The history behind the building is incredible, having survived not only a hostile religious climate against Jews, but also being one of just two buildings that survived the German bombing on Catherine Street. It also narrowly escaped being literally wiped off the map by Patrick Abercrombie, a town planner who was responsible for rebuilding demolished post-war buildings. The humble building still operates today and is open to pre-booked visitors practising and not. The local coastline has attracted some interesting aquatic animals. One of the most popular was Snorkel the Loggerhead turtle, which washed up on a Cornish Shore in 1990. Snorkel lived in the National Marine Aquarium for 15 years and reached her late 20s until she died as a result of health complications. Mad Jack’ is one of the city’s slightly less well known aquatic characters. The lobster was caught by a Plymouth fishing crew back in 2008 and weighed in at 12lb 9oz (5.7kg), this monster was thought to be somewhere between 50 and 100 years old and also became a resident at the Aquarium. But perhaps the most daunting is the barrel jellyfish that washed up on the Turnchapel Wharf slipway. These are the UK’s largest species of jellyfish, weighing up to 35kg (a staggering 5.5 stone) - thankfully their size is the only terrifying thing about them, as their stings are relatively harmless to humans. The original fort of the Citadel was built in the 1590s under Sir Francis Drake’s advice, allowing for the strategic defence of the city’s waters. But years later, the civil war which drove Parliament into a brutal battle against the monarchy put the city in the bad books of King Charles II as we, unfortunately, picked the losing side. The Royal Citadel was then built by Bernard De Gomme under the King’s directions, but its strange design incorporated the ability for the guns to turn on Plymouth folk if they ever made the choice to revolt against the monarchy again. Plymouth Gin is arguably some of the finest in the country, although the locals love of it may very well be to their detriment judging by how the Barbican looks on a Saturday night. Plymouth Gin is distilled in Plymouth’s Black Friars Distillery, which is the oldest working gin distillery in England - operating since 1793. Not only this, but the building was originally a monastery built in 1431 which housed some of the Pilgrim Fathers on their final night in England. Plymouth Tea opened Devon’s first tea plantation, on the banks of the River Tavy. It’s only the second plantation in England. Also, somehow, Plymouth managed to nab the title of oldest pasty recipe from their pasty-loving neighbours. Discovered within one of the Plymouth Borough account books, the nation’s oldest pasty recipe dating way back to 1510. Plymouth sweets are a global phenomenon too, gum made in Plymouth’s Wrigley factory is enjoyed in over 180 countries globally. The factory produces a jaw-dropping three million packets of gum per day. Janner was originally an 18th and early 19th century seafarer's term of contempt for non-nautical people who lived in ports (literally "Johns"). In other places this has died out, but in Plymouth it's still used and adopted as a badge of pride. Although the club nickname themselves "the Pilgrims" no Pilgrim, or any other passenger on the Mayflower, came from Plymouth. One, Francis Eaton, did come from Bristol however. Pubs James Street Vaults, 24 James Street, Plymouth, PL4 6EQ, https://www.jsvplymouth.co.uk Almost engulfed by the ever expanding university campus, this is a predominantly student pub. Up to four ales can be available, with Dartmoor Jail Ale and Legend, and St Austell Proper Job supplementing the Tribute. Butcombe Bitter, Brains SA Gold and Caledonia Golden XPA also feature occasionally. Britannia – a Wetherspoons outlet around 10 minutes from the ground by foot – welcomes travelling supporters. Cherry Tree pub on Ham Drive, PL2 3NH, https://www.craftunionpubs.com/cherry-tree-pub-pennycross?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=homepage Hyde Park Social Club, 5 St Gabriel’s Avenue, PL3 4JQ is also 10 to 15 minutes from the stadium (but in the opposite direction) also welcomes away fans. https://www.hpscplymouth.co.uk Further away from the ground try one of these three: https://thegoodpubguide.co.uk/?s=&gpg=Plymouth&pub_category=2-worth-a-visit Let’s be loud and proud and make it a six point Easter at the Theatre of Greens.

Player ratings…https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-player-ratings-leicester-9196885?utm_source=bristol_live_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Bristol+Live+-+BCFC+Newsletter_newsletter&utm_content=&utm_term=&ruid=eda3a0ce-34ec-4a85-96cd-ae68727a6b80

More Manning-speak to digest….anyone got any idea what he actually means? “I definitely think there’s an element of that where a couple of games has compounded what then happens after that and some of that has led to me trying to tweak things, try to ease pressure off players, try to help and support them in that way which, rightly or wrongly, I think it’s always done with the best intentions,” “We’ve sat down and looked at it and some of it, when you look at December-January-February, being able to press when you have a game every three-and-a-half days, the physical output, it’s been challenging from that perspective.” “In general it doesn’t change what I want the game to look like across the course of a season. It might look different in certain games, depending on the level and who you’re playing against but, in general, I want to be a team that gets after it, I want us to go and engage higher.”

In a nutshell….much improved performance, great result, rode our luck somewhat, on another day Vardy could have had a hat-trick, Max my MotM, happy Easter City fans

Works for me

Many thanks ETR

Anybody got a stream please

LM pre-match https://www.bcfc.co.uk/video/interviews/liam-manning-previews-foxes-clash/

It’s a sell out, but will it be a Good Friday for Bristol City? Their last game was a 4-2 defeat against Chelsea in the FA Cup, a game in which Callum Doyle got a red card, so he won’t feature. We lost 1-0 at the King Power in September with Jamie Vardy scoring from the spot: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/video/highlights/extended-highlights-leicester-city-1-0-bristol-city/ Based on the last 10 league games they are 8th with 17 points and we are 17th with 10 points, in the form table. Nigel Pearson had two spells in charge at Leicester City, 20 June 2008 - June 2010 and 15 November 2011 - June 2015. Here’s a fascinating perspective: https://www.leicestertillidie.com/nigel-pearson.html Last season they won their last game against West Ham to give hope of PL survival, however, Everton’s 1-0 victory against Bournemouth sealed Leicester’s fate. Gary Lineker’s thoughts at the time: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/65743099 and Dean Smith’s reaction: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/65715134 Prior to this season we last played them in January 2013 when they won 4-0 (Chris Wood scored a first half hat trick and Matty James notched the fourth), our line up that day was: Dean Gerken Stephen McManus James S Wilson Liam Fontaine Greg Cunningham Ricky Foster Liam Kelly Stephen Pearson Cole Skuse Steve Davies Jon Stead Players introduced from the bench were Paul Anderson, Joe Bryan and Bobby Decordova-Reid. Manager Derek McInnes was sacked shortly after the game, https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/jan/12/bristol-city-sack-derek-mcinnes, McInnes was dismissed after losing 31 of his 62 games in charge. Head-to-head record Won: 20 Lost: 29 Drawn:19 James and Williams are likely to be included in our squad following injury. LM comments: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/video/liam-manning-on-international-break/ Match preview: https://www.theleaguepaper.com/latest-news/football-league-championship/422511/match-preview-bristol-city-v-leicester-city-friday-12-30pm/ Their forum: https://www.foxestalk.co.uk/topic/134328-bristol-city-a/ Officials Referee: Andrew Kitchen Assistants: James Wilson and George Byrne Fourth Official: Martin Woods City will remember supporters who are no longer with us at half-time, a tribute video featuring the names of supporters who have passed away this season will be played. The foxes were crowned Premier League champions for the 2015-2016 season. Their unlikely success has been hailed as the ultimate example of what can be achieved with team spirit, dedication, self-belief, vision and no small amount of ability. Last week it was revealed they could face a points deduction https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68580638 and https://www.otib.co.uk/topic/224809-leicester-city-points-deduction/ and https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68635985 As mentioned there is the NP connection (plus MJ and AK) thought one of their fans summed NP up well, ‘It always saddens me when Nigel Pearson gets sacked. Pearson builds a team, doesn’t buy one. He’s got the ability to work within a budget and change the mentality of the the team and players. He pays special attention to a players character and personality. None of that can happen overnight and not many teams give him enough time. It seemed like you guys were starting to do that so fair play to you but then it all came crashing down.’ Another said ‘think I speak for many LC fans when I say that Bristol City had become our second team for the obvious connection of Nige, Matty James, Kingy and briefly Simoo. But that all disappeared when you culled our favourite guy.’

As per the title: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink/food-drink-festivals-taking-place-9172604?utm_source=bristol_live_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Bristol+Live+-+Daily+Newsletter_newsletter&utm_content=&utm_term=&ruid=eda3a0ce-34ec-4a85-96cd-ae68727a6b80

The Derby midfielder is out for another week or so after picking up a calf injury in training. Speaking after the win over Bristol Rovers, Warne said: "He damaged his calf in the warm-up last Tuesday. We dropped him out and he had a scan and he's going to be out for three weeks maybe. That's a big blow to the team.

Man v Fat heard a good programme on Radio 4 about this recently: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001tgtn https://www.manvfatfootball.org

Just listened to the programme from last night. Several key points stood out for me…. 1) How to turn things around - winning games seemed the solution, as nobody in the studio suggested the Club would dispense with LM any time soon. Given our recent performances, low confidence (which was also discussed) and the increasingly toxic atmosphere it’s hard to see us winning many of our remaining eight games. 2) Lack of leadership - an old chestnut and as pointed out on the programme and above NP filled that role very well. 3) Owners lack of ambition - another old chestnut, references were made to significant investment in infrastructure much less said about investment in quality/proven players. 4) Communication - JP was pretty straightforward and forthright when discussing the framing (untruths) of NPs sacking and in many ways there was an agreement that the mess we are in all stems from that decision and the way it was handled. A good listen even if if the content was very concerning.

You of course can if you want to RS. I however think it’s important to hold the Club and individuals to account for their words and actions. Many of us considered what they had to say as total nonsense, but nevertheless they said it and I for one ain’t about to ignore it.

So I’ve actually credited LM with a win which in fact belonged to CF

TLC I did consider doing that, however, in terms of a comparison it seemed more reasonable and more realistic to compare the resources available to NP at the end of his tenure which were then made available to LM

Thanks. I stand corrected Mr P I’d overlooked the game CF was in charge, 23 it is.

The prediction thread about our remaining eight games relates

Manning compared to Pearson. Manning has now been in charge for 24 league games, here are the stats comparing his 24 league games with Pearson’s last 24 league games in charge. Nigel Pearson Won 8 Lost 11 Drew 5 Liam Manning Won 8 Lost 11 Drew 5 Yep, identical and Pearson was sacked. A few references follow which apparently informed the decision to sack NP and appoint LM. We currently have a squad deemed capable of winning promotion/ being at the top end of the league (JL/BT) 100% the aim this season is promotion (GM) “This squad should be at the top end”, “the aim is promotion and we wouldn’t have made the change if we didn’t think we could achieve that”, “there would be no point in making the change now if we were happy to just bumble along for the rest of this season”. We (the Board) know (apparently for the first time) what we want from our new Head Coach which will include playing in a particular way (see next point) (JL/BT) We (the Board) know our style of football, throughout all teams, we will play progressively, on the front foot, pressing, attacking, showing aggression and pace (JL/ BT) The Board opted to sack an experienced manager, citing recent results as the reason (at the time we occupied 15th place with 18 points 5 wins, 6 defeats and 3 draws) our form in the six games pre the sacking was lost 4, won 2. LMs last six games = lost 5, won 1 (scored 4 and conceded 9 ) We were only five points off a play- off spot when NP was sacked and only three points before the Cardiff game, which we faced with an injury ravaged squad. We are in a really good place as a Club and it is set up nicely for somebody to take forward (BT) ‘We aren’t doing as well as we wanted to and that’s what the decision was based upon’ (JL) We had a three year plan with NP and the objective for this year was to be challenging at the top end of the table (GM)

Highlights: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/video/highlights/highlights-west-brom-2-0-bristol-city/

Coming across for the Huddersfield game so really hope you and @Cityboy1954 are wrong!

Half of our remaining games are against teams who are currently below us, our record against such teams is poor. Lose those four and the current mood among many fans will get much worse.

Given the mess we are in a bit of light relief seems appropriate. So captions invited.

The ‘great divide’ section of this article is relevant and worth a look, https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-verdict-process-proving-9170907 Personally, I do now want Manning out, although initially I was minded to give him this season I have - based on the evidence - changed my mind.