Jerseybean

Millwall injury news….https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/millwall-injury-news-ahead-of-bristol-city-match-at-the-den/

Sorry for any confusion pillred, I’ve been posting the match thread the day before the game (as requested by OTIBers) throughout this season.

With thanks to Jack Phillips journalism, information on tickets, parking, trains, pubs and food for our fixture at Millwall. Tickets: Adults: £27 Senior 63+, Armed Forces and 18-21 year olds: £18 Under 18's: £15 Under 16's: £13 Under 12's: £8 Under 6's £5 For official supporter coaches, prices start at £16 for season ticket holders, and £21 for non-season ticket holders. Coaches will leave Ashton Gate at 2:30pm. Parking: It is recommended that your park further from the Millwall area and get public transport in, however there are some locations available closer to the ground. There aren't many larger match day car parks near The Den, but there is street parking at SEQ6 3NL and SE16 3JY, but would suggest this is at your own risk. There is also Surrey Quays Car Park, SE16 7LL, which is a 20 minute walk from The Den, and provides free parking for up to four hours. Train/tube: The closest tube station to Millwall is South Bermondsey, which is around a five minute walk to The Den, and is served regularly by trains from London Bridge station. Bus: You can also get the 21,53, or 172 buses that serve Old Kent Road, which would then leave you a 20ish minute walk to The Den. Pubs: Much like the parking situation, there aren't many away fan friendly pubs near The Den either. There are a few pubs in the London Bridge area that allow away supporters, but require club colours to be covered: The Shipwrights Arms (88 Tooley Street, Southwark, SE1 2TF) The Pomellers’ Rest (196-198 Tower Bridge Road, Southwark, SE1 2UN) The George Inn (75-77 Borough High Street, Southwark, SE1 1NH) The Barrow Boy and Banker (6-8 Borough High Street, Southwark, SE1 9QQ) The Old Kings Head (King’s Head Yard, Southwark, SE1 1NA) Bunch of Grapes (2 St Thomas Street, Southwark, SE1 9RS) The Market Porter (9 Stoney Street, Southwark, SE1 9AA) Redwood Sports Bar(Bridge Station, Southwark, SE1 9SP)

Our last game of 2022 kicks off at 745 pm and it’s against a physical team, in form and full of confidence. On Boxing Day, while we put in a lacklustre performance and lost 0-2, they won away 0-2 at Watford (who were down to 10 men after 38 minutes.) The Lions have lost just twice in their last 12 Championship fixtures. They have the best defensive record on home soil this campaign, having conceded just eight times in 11 matches at The Den. Here’s an interesting account of a visit to the Den back in 2018: https://www.dreamteamfc.com/c/news-gossip/390791/millwall-premier-league-championship/ They have a reputation which was embodied in the chant, ‘No one likes us, we don’t care!’ No one likes us, no one likes us No one likes us, we don't care! We are Millwall, super Millwall We are Millwall from The Den! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_one_likes_us,_we_don't_care Among their well known fans are: Daniel Day-Lewis - Oscar winning actor David Haye - Former Heavyweight Boxing champ Ian Wright - Ex-footballer Scroobius Pip - English actor Danny Baker - Radio / TV presenter. We were very poor when we faced them at Ashton Gate in October, managing just one shot on target and not even getting a single corner, and deservedly lost 2-1, Max saved a penalty at the death to avoid an even bigger defeat: Their match preview: https://www.millwallfc.co.uk/news/2022/december/28/preview---millwall-v-bristol-city/ Officials are referee Dean Whitestone who is currently a police officer with the Metropolitan Police and was promoted to the Football League in January 2006. He is a very experienced official, having officiated over 300 games in the EFL Championship, League One and League Two. He will be assisted by Daniel Leach and Andrew Aylott. The fourth official is Abigail Byrne. In May Millwall unveiled plans for a new 50-acre training ground at West Kingsdown, which is home of the Brands Hatch Circuit and coincidently the village my wife grew up in in: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61644473 and https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/news/millwall-fcs-plans-for-kent-training-ground-approved-275651/ Our record over the years is won 37, lost 35 and drawn 32. Millwall Championship form: D, D, W, L, D, W = 9 points Our Championship form: L, D, D, W, L, L = 5 points My Millwall mad neighbour had this to say. ‘To be honest I’m not sure which Millwall will turn up on the day. We need to play high tempo to unsettle the opposition but if not we look like England against USA just meaningless passing along the back. Zian Flemming is still our main man, if we can get him in to the game he is class and will score from anywhere - you have been warned!’ Flemming signed a long-term contract at Millwall on 24th June 2022, putting pen-to-paper after joining from Eredivisie side Fortuna Sittard for an undisclosed fee. Flemming, who hails from Amsterdam, began his career in the Netherlands in the Ajax youth system before moving on to PEC Zwolle, where he made 29 Eredivisie appearances before sealing a move to Sittard in August 2020. The Dutchman then flourished with Fortuna, scoring 12 goals in two consecutive seasons, including strikes against giants Feyenoord, and five goals in his last four matches of the campaign. He has 10 Championship goals to his name this season, including the winner at Ashton Gate in October. The forward bagged a hat-trick at Preston North End in early November, and as a result has five goals in his last four games with consecutive strikes against both Wigan and Watford this month. Millwall will be without winger Callum Styles, who suffered a calf injury in the defeat to Sunderland earlier this month, with the ex-Barnsley man expected to be back in action in early January. A long-term absentee for Rowett's men is Ryan Leonard, who has not featured since August after a serious hamstring injury - the club are targeting his return in January. Andy King is a doubt for us after being forced off with a knock in the second half on Boxing Day, meaning a starting place for Rob Atkinson - a player NP has recently left out of match-day squads apparently due to a lack of trust. Millwall have accepted bids from two League Two clubs for striker Isaac Olaofe ahead of next month and will let the striker leave, Gillingham are being linked. The Lions are also looking to offload defender Hayden Muller. The 20-year-old has struggled for game time under Gary Rowett and will be allowed to move on for more opportunities. Well done to the traveling fans who are making the 127 mile trip from Ashton Gate. City supporters will be able to pay on the day at The Den. We have received an initial allocation of 1,582 tickets. Tickets will be available to purchase from the North Stand Ticket Office from 5pm which is situated next to the away turnstiles - collections and duplicates will also be available from here. Ticket prices increase by £3 on the matchday and payment can be made by cash and card. Millwall musings Millwall Football Club’s birthplace was at the J.T. Morton’s Canning and Preserve Factory on Westferry Road (Nos. 2-4 on the river side of the road and Nos. 17-23 on the opposite side of the road to the river). A group of Tin Smiths (the ‘Tinnies’) decided to form a football club, calling themselves the Millwall Rovers. From 1964 to January 1967, Millwall went on a record unbeaten home run of 59 matches without defeat (W43 D16). The Lions scored 112 goals and kept 35 clean sheets during that period. Millwall’s biggest ever victory was a 9-1 Division 3S win over Torquay United in September 1927. Their last game at the old Den on 8th May 1993 was against the Gas http://www.millwall-history.org.uk/the_den3b.htm Pubs There aren’t many away-friendly pubs near The Den itself, so most away fans tend to drink in the London Bridge area. These are near the ground: https://www.awaygames.co.uk/away-pubs/millwall-away/ The Pommelers Rest, 196-198 Tower Bridge Road, London, SE1 2UN, https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all-pubs/england/london/the-pommelers-rest-tower-bridge-south Simple, carpeted Wetherspoon pub in a former hotel, serving meal deals and a selection of real ales. The Shipwrights Arms, 88 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2TF, http://www.shipwrightsarms.co.uk Large pub with sport on 2 big screens, a menu of classic food and 6 different cask marque ales. The Barrowboy and Banker, 6-8 Borough High Street, London, SE1 9QQ, https://www.barrowboy-and-banker.co.uk/? utm_source=googlemybusiness&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=yext&utm_content=P008&y_source=1_MTIyMzcxMTctNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU%3D Grand, split-level pub in former bank with columns, chandeliers and sweeping staircase to mezzanine. The George, 75-77 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1NH, https://www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/george-southwark/? utm_source=g_places&utm_medium=locations&utm_campaign= Authentic 17th-century coaching inn and pub with oak beams and large courtyard seating area. The Market Porter, 9 Stoney Street, London, SE1 9AA, https://themarketporter.co.uk Traditional alehouse next to Borough Market with changing beers on tap and daytime food menu.

https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/former-crystal-palace-ceo-lands-bristol-city-role/

BBC coverage: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64108713 A very warm welcome to Bristol City Football Club Mr Alexander. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-appoint-reigning-premier-7972434

Also Nathan Jones recorded a 3-0 defeat yesterday in his first home game in charge of Soton

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64017762

agree with the OP re yesterday, however, our midfield has been one of the biggest problems for along time tbh. All too often we fail to play effectively through midfield which leads to us either going sideways or backwards in our own half or hitting a long hopeful ball. Generally opponents, as was certainly the case yesterday, play neat, quick, passes through midfield and hold onto the ball far more comfortably than we do. For ages I have thought we haven’t had enough diversity in our midfield as we have had too many players of a similar style. A bit simplistic but what I’m getting at is we haven’t really got a ball winner, a creative spark and a dynamo in the middle of the park. Although on his day Scotty can be all of these!

Player ratings: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/bristol-city-player-ratings-brom-7969624

First half thoughts…. for long periods WBA were in control, when we had the ball it mostly went square or back, we were too easily undone by one good through pass and are somewhat fortunate to only be one behind. Towards the end of the half we built a bit of momentum and their defence looked a bit suspect. Need to get Scott, Williams and Weinmann into the game more and somehow play through our midfield rather than rely on a hopeful long ball. Needless to say the next goal is critical, if they get it game over.

As per the title: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/acey-joins-guernsey-on-loan/

As per the title: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/acey-joins-guernsey-on-loan/

Actually not the case.

Lots of stunning robin videos: https://fb.watch/hEDNBpr-Vh/ https://fb.watch/hEE4sTO3AO/ https://m.facebook.com/groups/794623764465068/permalink/1212441592683281/ https://m.facebook.com/groups/794623764465068/permalink/1215737439020363/ https://fb.watch/hEEx5oHCq7/ https://fb.watch/hEEFZATgS9/

Jesus Christ was going to be called Gary, but then Mary stubbed her toe.

Seasons greetings to each and every one of the 18,052 who have joined the OTIB family. Thank you for making this a place what it is, simply brilliant.

Hope you had a great Christmas (if you haven’t and don’t have the energy to wade through the following, perhaps just fast forward to the last paragraph.) Here’s to a cracking Boxing Day fixture at Ashton Gate. In case not take a look here: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/six-of-the-best-boxing-day-down-the-years/ It will be available to stream on Robins TV both domestically and internationally and it’s on the red button. The Baggies will bring a full allocation of 2,503 supporters and a 23,000 + attendance is expected, which, given our last home performance, is something of a Christmas miracle! Their expected line up: https://www.westbromnews.co.uk/2022/12/23/west-brom-predicted-xi-v-bristol-city-semi-ajayi-to-start-carlos-corberan-to-make-four-changes/ City are partnering with The Teddy Trust this game to bring joy to children around the world who have experienced war, abuse or poverty. The Teddy Trust collects teddies from children and families across the UK and sends them to countries including Iraq, Kurdistan, Nepal, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ukraine and many more. The simple gift of a teddy will often be a child's first gift. The work of the Trust brings comfort and joy to children who need it most. ? City fans can donate new or pre loved bears on Boxing Day's match up with the Albion. There will be a collection point under the clock in the South Stand concourse were you can drop off teddy bears. Teddy Bears must be in good, clean condition and without an internal mechanism. The trust will only accept Teddy Bears and no other soft toys. We are now halfway through the season and City sit three points above the drop zone in 18th. At this stage last season, 23 games into the campaign, we were on the exact same number of points and were sitting five adrift above the drop-zone. In comparison, we’d won seven games at this stage last season, the same as this time around, scored five goals more this season but have also conceded three more. The inconsistencies have remained and that's a big concern. NPs (IMO) excellent pressers: Nahki Wells presser: Programme: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/joe-ho-ho-the-robins-online-programme/ On Wednesday WBA faced Coventry which ended with a 1-0 victory for the Sky Blues, thanks to Viktor Gyokeres' stoppage-time penalty which ended West Bromwich Albion's five-game winning run. Our Championship form: D L D D W L Our form (all competitions): L D L D W L West Bromwich Albion Championship form: W W W W W L We beat them 2-0 at their place in October thanks to a solid, determined team performance and first half goals from Williams and Wells, so this is our first opportunity this season to do the double: Match officials - ref Stephen Martin. After starting refereeing in 2003, Steve Martin ran his first line in an EFL match in 2007 after quickly progressing through the ranks. His rapid rise saw his appointed to the EFL assistant referee list in 2008 and to the National League referee list in the same year. After four years he became an EFL referee. He will be assisted by Robert Merchant and Mark Pottage. The fourth official is Mark Scholes. They allegedly have a huge list of famous fans! https://www.baggies.com/celebrities/ Over the years we have won 16, drawn 16 and lost 23 against them. My friend Nick lives in Guernsey, so has watched Alex Scott through the early years and Nick is also a bonkers Baggies fan, as it’s Christmastime we’ve struck a deal - we’d both settle on a draw, with the caveat that Scotty scores. The game will be affected by a national closure of the railway network and no public bus service on the local First Bus network (except A1 and A3 Airport Flyers). As a result the AG3 match-day bus will not operate for this fixture but additional capacity will be added to the AG1 and AG2 services which will operate at an increased frequency: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/ℹ-important-travel-information-west-bromwich-albion/ Ten WBA facts 1 – West Bromwich Albion have been champions of England once, in 1919/20. Albion finished nine points clear of second-placed Burnley and 11 points clear of Chelsea, who ended the campaign in third. 2 – West Brom are one of the most successful clubs in the FA Cup. The Baggies have won the competition on five occasions, with their last success coming in 1968. 3 – Although known in their early days as “the Throstles”, the club’s more popular nickname among supporters came to be the Baggies. 4 – At an altitude of 551 feet above sea level, the Hawthorns is the highest of all 92 Premier League and Football League grounds. 5 – Albion’s current ground, the Hawthorns, was named after the hawthorn bushes that covered the area and were cleared to make way for the stadium. 6 – West Brom adopted an all-red away strip towards the end of the 1950s, but after defeat to Queens Park Rangers in the 1967 League Cup Final, it changed to an all-white kit. 7 – The club was founded as West Bromwich Strollers in 1878 but they were renamed in 1880, becoming the first team to adopt “Albion” in their name. 8 – After turning professional, West Brom reached the FA Cup final in 1886, 1887 and 1888, losing the first two before beating Preston North End to win it for the first time. 9 – The 2004/05 season saw West Brom become the first team in the Premier League to avoid relegation having been bottom of the table at Christmas. 10 – West Brom are the only club to have survived relegation when heading into the final game of the season bottom of the Premier League table, again in the 2004/05 season. Early history Albion were among the inaugural 12 members of the Football League in 1888, winning their first game, 2-0 at Stoke's Victoria Ground. The club that became West Bromwich Albion was formed in 1878 by a group of young workers at the George Salter Springs factory, appropriate for a club whose terrace celebration would more than a century later become "boing-boing". Legend has it that the paucity of sporting retailers in their home town forced these early pioneers to walk to neighbouring Wednesbury to buy a ball, thereby becoming West Bromwich Strollers before taking on the Albion mantle. Just eight years after forming, in 1886 they became the first team from the Midlands to reach an FA Cup final, losing in a replay to Blackburn Rovers. The following year, they lost the final to Aston Villa, but it was third time lucky in 1888 when they defeated Preston North End 2-1 to claim the trophy. Recent history The first decade of the century saw Albion yo-yoing between the top two divisions. In the summer of 2016, the Club's ownership switched to foreign hands for the first time when the Chinese entrepreneur Guochuan Lai became the controlling shareholder in an agreement which saw owner and chairman Jeremy Peace step down. Lai Guochuan is a Chinese businessman and investor. He is the controlling shareholder and director of private investment firm Yunyi Guokai Sports Development Limited. Lai is largely a private person; however, according to a report by the Birmingham Post, a loose estimate of his total wealth is £2.8 billion. Peace agreed to stay on as a consultant for a further year but the chairmanship was taken up by John Williams, who had successfully occupied the role with Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League. Albion's first season under this new regime saw the Club finish 10th in the Premier League. The Baggies were relegated a year later with Alan Pardew taking the reigns after Tony Pulis departed midway through the season. Darren Moore took caretaker charge for the final six games of the campaign, winning three, drawing two and losing just once to so very nearly keep Albion up. Albion finished fourth in their first Championship campaign for nine years, missing out in the play offs to Aston Villa on penalties after a 2-2 aggregate draw. The Baggies appointed Slaven Bilić as Head Coach in June 2019, with the Croatian leading the Throstles back to the top flight at the first time of asking. After Bilić's departure in the following winter, Sam Allardyce became Albion's next boss on December 16, 2020 - but he couldn't prevent the club from relegation back down to the second tier and left at the end of that season. Valérien Ismaël was named Head Coach in the summer of 2021 and he guided the Baggies to their longest ever unbeaten start to a league campaign (10 matches). A tough spell and subsequent slide down the table resulted in his departure, though, and Steve Bruce took charge in February 2022. When he departed, in early October, the Baggies appointed Carlos Corberan as their new manager at the end of October. Corberan’s previous position was in charge of Olympiacos, the most successful club in Greece. He only lasted two months in that role, though, as the Red-Whites won just two of their opening 11 league matches and were defeated in both of their Europa League outings. This season West Brom were one of the pre-season promotion favourites in the Championship, and although they currently sit in 16th place their recent form has been much improved. As mentioned the recent defeat against fellow form side Coventry City was the result of a 92nd minute penalty which brought a five-game winning streak to a halt during which they only conceded once in those games. It’s fair to say that this resurgence has largely been down to the appointment of former Huddersfield boss Carlos Corberan. The task facing the Spaniard when he arrived at The Hawthorns was an unenviable one. After a sorry start to the season, the Baggies were seemingly set for a long fight against relegation, sitting 23rd in the table - their lowest ebb in 21 years. Despite losing his first game in charge to Sheffield United, Corberan has since guided his side to wins over Blackpool, Queens Park Rangers, Stoke, Sunderland and Rotherham. Albion's form has taken them from being three points adrift of safety to five points clear of the bottom three and only five points away from the play-off places. Players at The Baggies claim he has made a "huge" impact on and off the field since becoming West Brom head coach with record signing Grady Diangana claiming, "On the training pitch he goes into finer detail to help us understand - and that's everyone, every single player on the pitch.” He has also been helped by players returning from injury such as the giant USA Striker Daryl Dike who missed out on the World Cup following an injury in January which up until his recent inclusion in the side had limited his involvement over the last nine months to just minutes. A return to form of John Swift and Jed Wallace who were summer additions from Reading and Millwall alongside the classy Tom Rogic from Celtic has also supported the climb up the table. Understandably the Baggies fans will be boinging their way to Ashton Gate full of optimism having found the knack of keeping clean sheets through the excellent form of former number 2 keeper Alex Palmer and also scoring more freely with goals coming from a range of players within the side. With the club now only five points adrift of the play-off places, West Brom seem keen to capitalise on this upturn in form with the controversial Chinese owner Guochuan Lai promising funds for the club to dip into the January transfer market. It would not be surprising to see West Brom achieve what Steve Cooper and Nottingham Forest did last season in reaching the playoffs after spending the start of the campaign in the bottom three, and considering how tight the Championship is, Albion could be entering the top six sooner rather than later. Why it’s called Boxing Day and football at Christmas The specific origins of Boxing Day are not universally agreed upon, but various origin stories help unpack its history and original meaning. On explanation is that Boxing Day got its name when Queen Victoria held the throne in the 1800s, and is borne out of the tradition of wealthy families boxing up gifts to give to the poor. Since servants of aristocrats were required to work on Christmas, the following day became the time when their employers filled up boxes with gifts, money, and Christmas leftovers for them, much like a holiday bonus. Servants could then go home to share the gift boxes with their families. Another theory is that the name arose from alms boxes placed in churches for the collection of donations for those in need. On December 26, clergy members would give these funds to the poor in honour of the feast of St. Stephen, a Christian martyr known for charitable acts. St. Stephen holds so much significance that in Ireland, Boxing Day is referred to as St. Stephen’s Day. Yet another clue to the holiday’s moniker can be found in the song "Good King Wenceslas." this carol tells the tale of the Duke of Bohemia in the 10th century. On St. Stephen’s Day, he observed a poor man on his land, struggling to gather wood in the middle of a snowstorm. He was so moved by this sight that he gathered food and wine and delivered it to his door, inspiring a tradition. With so many competing narratives, it’s difficult to know exactly how Boxing Day began. It’s clear, however, that what they all have in common are themes of charity, gift-giving, and celebrations, which have lived on and are present in how this holiday is observed today. While Boxing Day has nothing to do with the sport of boxing, it has now come to be associated with watching football. Prior to the days of television, Christmas Day would feature a full schedule of football matches for fans to attend after they had eaten. During the 1950’s however, attitudes towards playing sports on Christmas Day changed. Christmas Day 1957 was the last with a full league programme. The arrival of floodlights and evening games had removed the need for fixtures to be squeezed into public holidays, and many fans were preferring to stay at home with their families on Christmas Day. In the First Division on December 25, 1957, Blackpool beat Leicester 5-1, Manchester United beat Luton 3-0, and Sheffield Wednesday and Preston drew 4-4. Chelsea beat Portsmouth 7-4, with 17-year-old Jimmy Greaves scoring four for the Blues. In 1958 there were only three First Division matches played on December 25, and in 1959 just one. The last English League match played on Christmas Day was Blackpool versus Blackburn in 1965. A crowd of 21,000 turned up to see Blackpool win 4-2. A planned revival of Christmas Day matches failed in 1983. Third Division Brentford had arranged to play Wimbledon at 11am on Christmas morning. “We hope to revive the old tradition of the husband going to football on Christmas Day while the wives cook the turkey,” said Brentford official Eric White. However, the rather sexist plan backfired, and protests by both sets of fans saw the match brought forward to Christmas Eve. Wimbledon won 4-3. The most famous Christmas Day football match took place in 1914, when one of the deadliest conflicts in human history was paused for a kick-about. The First World War 'Christmas Truce' saw around 100,000 troops along the Western Front exchange gifts, sing carols, and play football. The match has attained mythical status, but letters from soldiers provide evidence that it did take place. A recently-uncovered letter written by Staff Sergeant Clement Barker of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards explains how the match started. “A German looked over the trench – no shots,” he wrote. “Our men did the same, and then a few of our men went out and brought the dead in (69) and buried them. The next thing, a football was kicked out of our trenches and Germans and English played football.” https://fb.watch/hBGODd8Rcf/ And finally. For so many reasons and for lots of people this can be a very lonely and difficult time of year. Whatever your own situation if you’ve got this far through such a monster post (or just skipped to the end) it suggests you are very much part of the worldwide and wonderful Bristol City family. If you are struggling for any reason at all please reach out to someone, either on this forum or simply wherever works for you. Two years ago almost to the day Phantom started the superb thread ‘Never feel alone, it’s good to talk’ in the opening post he said: ‘Please, if you feel alone or are struggling, try to talk to someone. Life might not always feel like living and you may feel like you are at rock bottom, but the world is a much better place with you in it. Personally this site really helps me, I have really low and negative days but keeping in touch with the Bristol City family is a massive thing. If anyone ever feels alone, please reach out.’ Sixteen pages on it is as relevant and important as ever it was.

OS: https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/introducing-red-robyn/