Jerseybean

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-cardiff-famara-diedhiou-9132699

The Robins take on the Bluebirds at 1230 on Saturday. LMs presser ahead of his first Severnside derby: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/video/interviews/liam-mannings-severnside-derby-press-conference/ Here are some reminders: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/the-best-of-the-severnside-derby/ and https://youtu.be/AKTNLkCltjY and https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/the-best-of-the-severnside-derby-2/ Last season we won the corresponding fixture 2-0 https://youtu.be/7mbEFUkPeDE Back at their place at the end of October we were down to the bare bones and this was our squad: O'LEARY SYKES DICKIE PRING J.JAMES GARDNER-HICKMAN KNIGHT WEMMANN MEHMETI CORNICK BELL Subs: BAJIC, THOMAS, KNIGHT-LEBEL NELSON, IDEHEN, BACKWELL, CONWAY, YEBOAH It finished 2-0 and proved to be NPs last game in charge. This is what he said post-match: https://youtu.be/atLeDm7cQ-M In January they signed Liverpool defender Nat Phillips (26) on loan for the rest of the season. On 31 January Famara Diédhiou signed on loan. Naismith may be in the squad but James is a doubt and Twine unavailable. Officials Ref: Stuart Attwell Assistants: Ian Hussin and James Mainwaring Fourth Official : Lewis Smith Head to head Won 42 Lost 38 Drawn 21 We are 15th in the form guide they are 17th we have both lost 3, won 2 and drawn 1 of our last 6 games = 7 points. Players in the recent past who’ve played for both teams include Diedhiou, Pack, Flint and O’Dowda. Going back Brian Clark and Peter Hooper (who also played for Bristol Rovers) represented both teams. When Hooper’s career ended in 1966 by a bout of peritonitis he moved to North Devon where he played non-league football for Barnstaple Town. After retiring from professional football, Hooper was landlord of The Three Pigeons in Bishops Tawton, where he lived, before spending 19 years as a probation assistant in Barnstaple. Callum O'Dowda suffered a setback in his recovery from groin surgery in mid-January and has been out of the team due to this. This suggests he might be in their squad: https://www.bristolworld.com/sport/football/bristol-city/bristol-city-callum-odowda-callum-robinson-famara-diedhiou-cardiff-city-4533709 and https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/former-bristol-city-winger-set-9127663?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 Their match preview: https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news/match-preview-bristol-city-vs-cardiff-city-3 TC pre-match: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/video/interviews/conway-talks-severnside-derby/

Fish and chips https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/bristol-fish-chip-restaurant-thats-9131705?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

As it stands, with 1.29 points per game, we are on pace to finish with 59 points which was exactly our tally last term when we finished 14th.

I know it’s highly unlikely REDOXO but the way we are performing I’m with you, let’s get to mathematical safety asap.

Last game of the season is away to Stoke City. A bit of a doomsday scenario, nevertheless, it could be that we need points from this game to avoid relegation. With a dozen games of the season left we are nine points ahead of Stoke (who currently occupy 22nd place.) This is simply by virtue of our 12 wins opposed to their 9 wins (we have both drawn 8.) Given our last couple of performances/results, against teams in the relegation zone, we just could get dragged into a survival fight and our final game could be crucial to both teams. Just for added giggles we were, of course, 2 up against the Potters at Ashton Gate and lost 2-3.

Some interesting posts on this thread. My personal position is that with 12 games of this season left we should stick with him (sure we will) and make a decision immediately the final whistle goes away at Stoke. Of course I’d expect the hierarchy to be telling him this is their stance now, as well as be planning for a potential successor, however, sadly I doubt either is happening. In essence, that means, rather like some of our current players, his future is in his own hands. Of course the Club have created this problem by appointing him along with some delusional comments surrounding that decision. So for me, I’d give him to the end of the season and then if the Club have got any ambition whatsoever. they need to make an immediate decision one way or the other. I’d agree with a few other points in this thread as follows: there are some LJ similarities, the hierarchy want a yes man, whoever is in charge we need to invest in players.

Not all relevant to this thread but this may help. Thought it would be useful, for future reference, to make a note of what has been revealed or confirmed by the key decision makers at BCFC, since Nigel Pearson was sacked. City fans are passionate and will continue to support the team (JL) 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 they 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 have entrusted Brian Tinnion as technical director to lead/advise on footballing matters (implied) 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. We were only 5 points off a play- off spot when NP was sacked and only 3 points before the Cardiff game, which we faced with an injury ravaged squad, which SL refused to bolster after the Scott sale (JL) In NPs final game, as noted above, the squad was ravaged by injuries, the actual squad was: O’Leary J James substituted for Knight-Lebelat on 73 minutes Dickie Pring Sykes Gardner-Hickman Knight Weimann Mehmeti substituted for Yeboah on 67 minutes Bell substituted for Conway on 45minutes Cornick Substitutes Conway Bajic Knight-Lebel Yeboah Nelson Thomas Idehen Backwell The majority of fans were pro Nigel Pearson with 80% (683) wanting him to be given a two year contract extension just a few days before he was sacked, https://www.otib.co.uk/topic/222365-poll-does-pearson-deserve-a-24-month-contract-extension/page/3/#comment-4704118 The majority who posted on OTIB were outraged by how he was treated (https://www.otib.co.uk/topic/222465-he’s-gone/#comments) An OTIB poll indicated that 90% of respondents thought it was not right to sack NP, 66% want SL to sell up, 80% did not trust the Board to make good decisions in the club’s best interests and 70% (500 respondents) thought City were a top half Championship side, with less than 1% (4 people) believing they were capable of promotion Everyone was very happy with our summer recruitment (BT) Recruitment will be easier now as we have a style of play and we will seek players who fit that (BT) The new HC will be expected to blood academy players (BT) We are in a really good place as a Club and it is set up nicely for somebody to take forward (BT) Unusually the Supporters Club and Trust issued a statement, which included asking the club executives and owners for more transparency and improved supporter engagement going forwards, starting with greater clarity and context around the reason for Nigel Pearson’s sacking. They (the hierarchy) refused an invitation to speak on Sound of the City and instead prepared two short, carefully scripted, in-house videos (as per below) and were still unable to provide a clear narrative as to why the decision was made. Communication - ‘It is up to us to explain better what we are doing’ ‘Up to us to explain what we are doing and communicate better so they (the fans) understand our decisions better and can feel connected’ ‘I freely admit our communication hasn’t been as good as it should have been and that’s not just now’ (JL) GM also acknowledged there has been reflection on communication (or perhaps more accurately the lack of it) and that this needs to improve CEO - ‘With our set up there isn’t really a need for a typical CE’ (JL) Reference sacking NP - ‘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) Money for transfers - both JL and GM explained that some of the money realised through the transfer of Alex Scott would be available for transfers in 2024 References: B Tinnion Technical Director, BT: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/video/interviews/update-from-brian-tinnion/ J Lansdown Chairman JL: https://t.co/eiD0x1xmyc and https://t.co/snozPDGdCU G Marshall Bristol Sport CEO and is on the Board of BCFC GM: https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2023-11-03/we-want-promotion-this-year-bristol-city-board-on-sacking-nigel-pearson Supporters Club and Trust statement: https://www.bristolcitysupporters.org/statement-nigel-pearson/

Two shots on target for us today and IMO we were fortunate to only lose 2-1. Unfortunately, the rhetoric around ‘front foot football’ when LM was appointed was, as many of us knew, just delusional. Certainly frustrating for fans to watch and I suspect pretty frustrating for the players and staff too. Nobody had a really good game for us and IMO AM looked miles away from a Championship player. Brilliant support from our traveling fans who deserve great credit for making that journey and enduring that performance. Suspect (at least based on the last couple of games) that the remaining games of this campaign are going to be pretty difficult/frustrating, I really hope to be proved wrong.

Just watched their second goal again, we were passively chasing shadows and I don’t think Knighty needed to head it (needed a shout to leave it) or maybe even head it out for a corner. Poor from us.

First half observations. It’s been a very underwhelming and stuttering Bristol City performance. The first goal looked like a carbon copy of the one against QPR the week before. Rob Dickie picks up a yellow card from our throwing because there were no options for the thrower. AM hasn’t been in the game at all and on the couple of occasions he’s had the ball he’s given it away. CP is either injured or not fit. He made a halfhearted attempt to pull his player back on 38 minutes, usually he’d be busting a gut to chase him. I think he will be replaced at half time. When we have had the ball we have made poor decisions, been indecisive, or had no decent options. The only bright moment was a great goal from Jason Knight. All in all I feel sorry for the 1100 or so fans who have made that journey to watch that 45 minutes. SW look fitter, more inventive and have a much greater desire than us. Unless things change radically, this is going to end badly as we very much don’t look like scoring. Whereas every time they come forward they look a threat, partly thanks to our lack of communication and the amount of time and space we are giving them. This last point, I think was well illustrated by their second goal. It looked from the camera angle like we could let the ball go rather than head it away. I think it would’ve rolled out for a goal kick, but there was presumably no communication which led to a weak defensive header that went straight to one of their players and two seconds later we are 2-1 down.

Not encouraging. We haven’t won away at Wednesday since the end of 2012 when we came from behind to win 3-2. We have won just two of our last nine trips to Sheffield Wednesday. However, I’m in Rotterdam at the moment where they have put up this little symbol of hope.

He might have scored the winner but allegedly is in deep s*it…. https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-wednesday/sheffield-wednesday-ilias-chair-jailed-4531296

Their match review: https://www.swfc.co.uk/news/2024/february/match-pack-wednesday-v-bristol-city/

A bit earlier than usual as I’m away. When last asked about timing of the thread the majority of respondents on here requested a day or two before the game. As always can’t please everyone.

Back in November at home Curtis Fleming, in his solitary game in charge, steered us to a 1-0 victory, Rob Dickie got the goal, they were down to ten men for an hour after Barry Bannan saw red, the Owls successfully appealed the decision, highlights: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/video/highlights/highlights-bristol-city-1-0-sheffield-wednesday/ LM presser: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/home-top-featured/manning-on-training-injuries-and-more/ and https://www.bcfc.co.uk/video/interviews/manning-on-owls-test/ They boast one of the most unusual names in English football, thanks to their Wednesday. Quite simply, the name goes back to when it was originally a cricket club that used to play their games on that day of the week. Manager Danny Röhl began coaching at RB Leipzig, later working at Southampton, Bayern Munich and as assistant manager of the German national team. In October 2023, he was appointed manager becoming the youngest manager in the EFL. He said he was looking forward to the challenge of his first managerial position. Dominic Lorfa maybe poised for his return he has been missing since December owing to a muscle injury. In January the Owls completed the loan signing of goalkeeper James Beadle from Brighton and Hove Albion. The 19-year-old spent the first half of the season on loan with Oxford United, where the young shot-stopper became a key member of the U’s side. They also signed Troyes striker Ike Ugbo on loan until the end of the season. The 25-year-old Canada international was recalled from his season-long loan with Cardiff in order to join the Owls. They pretty much universally dislike owner Dejphon Chansiri who appears to be something of a basket-case, https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-wednesday-dejphon-chansiri-news-b2439892.html and https://youtu.be/aUmg16npkOA Players who have played for them and us include Jack Hunt, Carl Shutt, Lee Peacock, Richard O'Donnell and Tyreeq Bakinson. Our head-to-head record, isn’t good! Won: 19 Lost: 30 Drawn: 16 They currently occupy 23rd place with 29 points. Ashley Fletcher will be missing having got a red card last weekend when they beat Millwall away 2-0 from two shots on target. Officials Referee: Thomas Kirk Assistants: Matthew Jones and Robert Hyde Fourth official: James Linington Here’s a good insight from one of their fans: Ignore our season form. The only form of relevance is from our home game against Leicester on 29th Nov. Until then we’d had:- 10 games under Xisco Munoz (2 points!!!) 1 draw under caretaker 6 games under Röhl but players were a car-crash and unfit. Since Leicester P15. W6. D2. L7. 20 points from 15 games. Hardly brilliant but certainly not a relegation team form. It’s just the huge ‘points penalty’ we incurred by having a total imposter ruining moral and fitness for 10 games. Best players by far, Bannan and Johnson. Bannan doesn’t get the plaudits he deserves from SW fans. He’s light-years better than the rest but if he dips slightly below HIS best we criticise. He’ll be the best player in the park v you; he always is. Johnson is playing LB and he’s superb. 3 goals and 3 assists from full-back in 12 starts and 2 half games since he came back from the naughty step under Munoz (seeing the common link here?). Sweetest left foot, crosses are a joy, drives forward. Oh, and he’s defending well. We’ve two lightning wide forwards, Gassama and Musaba. Pigeon catchers and skilful. Their end-product is very poor. Terrible decision making. Gassama is 19. He really has the tools to be something special. If he’s on it he could destroy you. But 1 goal and 2 assists in 1000 league minutes tells you it’s rare his end product is there. Pitch is shocking. Röhl has the support of 95% of us. We really want him to do well. Breath of fresh air. He has come under criticism for recently adopting a 2-man midfield. Leaves us porous. 19 year old loan keeper. Jury out. Personally, I think he’ll be great, but right now slightly struggling with the transition from playing L1 for Oxford in front of 8000 and Champs for Owls in front of 26000, and the pressure of a relegation fight. We try to play football. Bit heart in mouth, but generally works. Thanks to Holmowl. Sheffield stuff Sheffield has a national park: Almost one-third of the city sits inside Peak District national Park. This is a distinction not held by any other city in the UK. This area, also called the Peak District, was given national park status in 1951; in fact, this was the first such designated area in the country. Today, the national park also includes Derbyshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Yorkshire, and Staffordshire. Sheffield’s trees outnumber the resident humans: the city has more than two million trees, which means there are more trees than humans. This is more than trees per humans than any other city in Europe. Where are all these trees living? You’ll find many of them in and around the city’s 240 parks, woodlands, and gardens. Sheffield as been inhabited for ages: the area has been inhabited by humans since about 9,000 BC! Sheffield once had the longest rainbow: back in March 1994, Sheffield was home to a record-breaking rainbow that lasted for six hours. You’ll find phlegm all over: OK, you’re probably shuddering at the thought of mucus all over the city. However, we don’t mean mucus. We’re referring to one of our local artists who is called Phlegm. His works are literally found all over the city in graffiti types of art; however, his pieces are found all over the world. Back in Sheffield, Phlegm also paints murals that tell stories and more. Sheffield runs on recycled energy: the city uses a district energy system, which turns domestic waste into thermal energy, which is then used to produce electricity and hot water! It takes over 225,000 tons of garbage a year to produce 19 megawatts of electricity and 60 megawatts of thermal energy. The hot water produced by this system flows through 25 miles of underground pipes to points all around the city. Steel for the Brooklyn Bridge was created in Sheffield: who would have thought that that Sheffield and the Brooklyn Bridge, which is situated in New York City in the US, would have anything in common! But it does make sense when you consider that the city was once home to great steel mills. About half the surgical blades in the world are made in Sheffield: that’s amazing, especially when you consider the number of surgical blades in the world. However, as a steel city, it does make sense that Sheffield is home to the factories that produce these much-needed blades that work to save lives. Sheffield has a walk of fame: just outside the city’s Town Hall, you’ll find several star-shaped plaques that are engraved with the names of famous people who come from Sheffield. And they’re quite famous. The names include Jessica Ennis, Sebastian Coe, Sean Bean the actor, and more. The Crucible Theatre: the theatre, for about 40 years, has been home to the World Snooker Championship. Sheffield was the last gig for Tina Turner: for her 50th anniversary tour, the famous American singer had her last show at the FlyDSA Arena on May 5, 2009. This was her last live concert, after which she went into retirement. Sir Arthur Conana Doyle lived in Sheffield: the creator of Sherlock Holmes was once a resident of Sheffield. In fact, he was a medic when he came to the city in 1878. He worked as an assistant to Dr. Charles Sydney Richard on Spital Hill, Burngreave. Sheffield is the fourth largest city in England and the greenest city in the UK: While the city was once an industrial centre, today, the city features large numbers of trees and parks in the country. The city also features urban forests, earning the city the name “Tree City of the World.” Famous people from Sheffield: the city has also been home to some pretty famous people, including Harry Maguire, the English professional footballer. Jarvis Branson Cocker, an English musician and radio presenter, is also from Sheffield—he was also the founder and frontman for the rock band Pulp. Dominic West, an English actor, director, and musician, also comes from Sheffield. He is most famous for his role as Jimmy McNulty in the TV show The Wire. Pubs The Railway https://railwaysheff.com accepts visiting supporters. It's located on Penniston Road and it isn't just a good place to drink, you can play retro arcade games and pool there too. The Norfolk Arms https://www.norfolkarms.com The Red Lion, 95 Penistone Road, Sheffield, S35 8QH https://www.facebook.com/TheRedLion.SHF/?locale2=en_GB&paipv=0&eav=AfZECf7P5ND-1o233YirOf2oYwGwjjWzF67mq94nlZL-vkqrAGM_IkthwYO_coA9B_w&_rdr New Barrack Tavern https://www.castlerockbrewery.co.uk/pubs/new-barrack-tavern/ The Banker's Draft, 1-3 Market Place, Sheffield, S1 2GH (Spoons) https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/south-yorkshire/the-bankers-draft-sheffield The Globe, 54 Howard Street, Sheffield, S1 2LX, https://www.craftunionpubs.com/globe-sheffield?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=homepage The Howard, Howard Street, Sheffield, S1 2LW, https://www.howardsheffield.co.uk/?y_source=1_MTAxNTA3ODktNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU= it’s near the train station The Good Pub Guide suggests the following are worth a visit https://thegoodpubguide.co.uk/?s=&gpg=Sheffield&pub_category=2-worth-a-visit

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68359086

Hi phantom, no sorry haven’t seen those posts, please can you point me toward# the thread. To your second point. I would like something like a ‘monthly fans briefing’ from a few of the hierarchy in which they offer insights, updates and comments on topical BCFC issues. It need not be too long but something which made a real effort to inform and update fans on matters they are able to share info about. Prefer if it appeared on the OS.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-striking-talent-signs-9115002?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

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-josh-stokes-talent-9115266?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

When NP was sacked this was said, regarding communication, by the Club: ‘It is up to us to explain better what we are doing’ ‘Up to us to explain what we are doing and communicate better so they (the fans) understand our decisions better and can feel connected’ ‘I freely admit our communication hasn’t been as good as it should have been and that’s not just now.’ (J Lansdown.) G Marshall also acknowledged there had been reflection on communication (or perhaps more accurately the lack of it) and that this needs to improve. Genuine question, has anything changed in this important area? In my opinion nothing at all. Be interested to see what others think and to hear any thoughts on what the Club should be doing to communicate more often and effectively with the fan base.

Six of the best apparently, https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/six-bristol-restaurants-named-best-9113217?utm_source=bristol_live_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bee6b2ffb5_newsletter&utm_content=&utm_term=&ruid=eda3a0ce-34ec-4a85-96cd-ae68727a6b80

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68337554

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68341484