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Known throughout Football as "the Club that always bottles it"


southvillekiddy

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1 hour ago, City Cat said:

Yup, indeed.....and I can remember in the early 70's, City fans in the East End chanting "Dicks Out!!" (No weird perverse pun intended) Bit like those calling for LJ's blood at present.:yawn:

I've often wondered what it would have been like had an internet forum existed in the early years of Dicks' time as manager.

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5 minutes ago, Bar BS3 said:

Football fans all over the UK see us as bottlers..?! Really..?!

Under achievers, almost certainly, but I’ve never heard anyone refer to us as bottlers. 

 

For much of my 50 years supporting the club we've failed to get into a position to "bottle" anything! :)
 

 

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3 minutes ago, downendcity said:

For much of my 50 years supporting the club we've failed to get into a position to "bottle" anything! :)
 

 

I actually disagree. It’s been very rare during my 30 years supporting, to have a complete dud of a season with nothing riding on the last 5 games, be it pushing for promotion/play offs, or battling relegation. Mid table obscurity (thankfully) isn’t something we see much of. 

Weve not won all those battles, but I’d say that only our last relegation from the championship was a level of not caring. We aren’t always good enough, but I don’t recall too much “bottling” 

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I’ve worked around the world with all nationalities and can honestly say that nobody knows anything about us unless their team had/has a player who joined from us, or went to us. Then they know about the player, but not the club. The only exception was an Oldham ex-pat in Thailand a couple of years ago. He kept a close eye on us due to the Lee Johnson/Korey Smith connection. His first words were: “Its good to meet someone who supports a shit football team too”. 

Outside of football, mentioning Bristol overseas always seems to get me one of these responses: “My friend/brother/sister went to university there”... “There’s a good bridge in Bristol, isn’t there?”... “Do you like Massive Attack / Drum and Bass?”.

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3 minutes ago, SydneyCity said:

I’ve worked around the world with all nationalities and can honestly say that nobody knows anything about us unless their team had/has a player who joined from us, or went to us. Then they know about the player, but not the club. The only exception was an Oldham ex-pat in Thailand a couple of years ago. He kept a close eye on us due to the Lee Johnson/Korey Smith connection. His first words were: “Its good to meet someone who supports a shit football team too”. 

Outside of football, mentioning Bristol overseas always seems to get me one of these responses: “My friend/brother/sister went to university there”... “There’s a good bridge in Bristol, isn’t there?”... “Do you like Massive Attack / Drum and Bass?”.

Strange that... Anywhere I go, throughout the uk, or abroad, I tend to receive a hug, get invited to join strangers for dinner in their homes, never have to pay for a drink and am usually offered the company of any man’s wife or daughter for the night. The second I mention being a football fan from Bristol. 

Of course, that all goes to pot, once they realise there are 2 teams from the area and that I’m a “gurt sheed” and not one of the universally loved and respected, greatest fans in the world. 

Once they know that I’m usually out on my ear..! 

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9 hours ago, LondonBristolian said:

Speaking from the viewpoint of a Bristol City fan living outside of Bristol, I can promise you the original post is not true at all. Tottenham are known as the club that always bottles it. Maybe fans with a bit more of an in-depth knowledge of British football might suggest Derby or Leeds. But I can pretty much guarantee you that, if you asked 100 random football fans who "the club that always bottles it are", nobody would say Bristol City. And anyone who thinks otherwise is massively overstating how famous and high-profile we are to other football fans. We are absolutely definitely not known throughout football as the team that always bottle it.

Generally we are a club nobody thinks about at all. Where we are, we're thought of the team who "maybe play in red or is it the blue and white quarters?", for a brief period earlier in the season we were thought of  as the team who knocked Man Utd out of the cup. But, whilst people find it strange Bristol has never had a top flight football team, very few people think of us as being "bottlers" because very few people think we are a team that should be in the Premier League. Had we got to the play-offs, people would have felt we were overachieving and we'd probably be pleased just to be taking part. 

And, much as I hate that, it's hard to blame people. We've spent most of the last two decades in League One and barely troubled the top half of the Championship in that time. It's preposterous to think that people think we always throw away promotion to the Premier League because it's only twice decades that we have got close enough. Granted, there was a point in the early 2000s where we may well have been known as the team that always screwed up promotion from League One (or Division Two or whatever it was then). Maybe some fans think Bristol City should be in the Premier League. Certainly I think Bristol should have a top-flight football team. But, earlier this season and 2007/2008 aside, we have done nothing to suggest we deserve that to be us. Where we should be is pretty much where we are, and where we'll stay until we prove we deserve otherwise. 

We may not be known as bottlers, but it's bloody true that we are serial underachievers. Unambitious, cosy and soft.

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10 hours ago, southvillekiddy said:

IMHO, we're known as the Club that bottles it. Fans from other Clubs have said this to me. If it's true why does it happen?

Right now I’m betting 1000s of City fans in the UK and all over the World are thinking what I’m thinking.

‘Typical City, we’ve bottled it yet again” “How have I got stuck for life supporting a football Club that always seems to bottle it when we come to the crunch”.

I suspect that people throughout football have this opinion of us. If so how can the people in charge of Bristol City, those that have the power and resources to make our plans a reality, live with that? It twists my guts up. Does it twist your guts up? For all the talk of wanting Premiership football they just don’t seem to take that idea seriously enough judging by their actions.

This season start was amazing. Like many I imagined something substantially different was happening this season - high tempo, skilful attacking football that took us to 2nd and in and around the top 6 for the first half of the season. I had my doubts about Johnson but the coaching blend with Holden and MaCalistair was a revelation.

Promotion to the Premiership seemed possible if we kept going in the same fashion.

Then the bottling starts – we’re playing exciting pressing football good enough to beat 4 Premiership teams but no-one in charge seems to have allowed for the toll this will take on the players. The transfer window arrives, we have serious long term injuries but we do not take the opportunity to buy or loan in the players with the quality to have a rotation of players necessary for our playing system and good enough to achieve promotion

(Interesting to note that Johnson Snr did not make the necessary signings in the January window during his best season, believing we could make it to the Premiership with what we had)

Some would say that the promotion from the Championship is the toughest in football, it’s seems impossible to ensure it will happen, even if your pockets are bottomless.When there is a reasonable chance of it surely you have to go for it – the chance may not arise again for decades. Look at the famous Clubs in the Championship who have not been in the Premiership for a very long time. With a golden chance this season, what do City do? We announce that we are not necessarily interested in promotion this year – as though this were something that could be controlled. How would you describe this remark, naïve, arrogant, stupid?

At the very least it’s a mistake to say this publicly even if you are thinking it.

What effect would this remark have on you as a player? I would say we have seen a loss of belief, ethos, energy from the players in the last 25 games.

My theory is that the powers that be, especially the owner, want to keep it safe, keep things under control and avoid employing people at all levels who might threaten this control. This in my view. Unless this changes I can't see us achieving Premiership status. An Alan Dicks turns up at BCFC once every 100 years maybe this is what SL is waiting for?

 

 

You are wrong . We are rarely talked  about and are equally rarely in a position to bottle anything of consequence.

Finally , I am all for experience but a hundred year old coach isn't exactly a long term prospect .

Colin would probably still be getting club's promoted to the Prem at that age though .

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I agree with everyone else who says we’re arent bottlers as we’ve rarely beenin a position to ‘bottle’. Surely we can only be called that if we regularly fail in playoff finals or semi’s, or constantly and consistently miss off on playoff spots by one place. We are no where near that level. 

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11 hours ago, southvillekiddy said:

IMHO, we're known as the Club that bottles it. Fans from other Clubs have said this to me. If it's true why does it happen?

Right now I’m betting 1000s of City fans in the UK and all over the World are thinking what I’m thinking.

‘Typical City, we’ve bottled it yet again” “How have I got stuck for life supporting a football Club that always seems to bottle it when we come to the crunch”.

I suspect that people throughout football have this opinion of us. If so how can the people in charge of Bristol City, those that have the power and resources to make our plans a reality, live with that? It twists my guts up. Does it twist your guts up? For all the talk of wanting Premiership football they just don’t seem to take that idea seriously enough judging by their actions.

This season start was amazing. Like many I imagined something substantially different was happening this season - high tempo, skilful attacking football that took us to 2nd and in and around the top 6 for the first half of the season. I had my doubts about Johnson but the coaching blend with Holden and MaCalistair was a revelation.

Promotion to the Premiership seemed possible if we kept going in the same fashion.

Then the bottling starts – we’re playing exciting pressing football good enough to beat 4 Premiership teams but no-one in charge seems to have allowed for the toll this will take on the players. The transfer window arrives, we have serious long term injuries but we do not take the opportunity to buy or loan in the players with the quality to have a rotation of players necessary for our playing system and good enough to achieve promotion

(Interesting to note that Johnson Snr did not make the necessary signings in the January window during his best season, believing we could make it to the Premiership with what we had)

Some would say that the promotion from the Championship is the toughest in football, it’s seems impossible to ensure it will happen, even if your pockets are bottomless.When there is a reasonable chance of it surely you have to go for it – the chance may not arise again for decades. Look at the famous Clubs in the Championship who have not been in the Premiership for a very long time. With a golden chance this season, what do City do? We announce that we are not necessarily interested in promotion this year – as though this were something that could be controlled. How would you describe this remark, naïve, arrogant, stupid?

At the very least it’s a mistake to say this publicly even if you are thinking it.

What effect would this remark have on you as a player? I would say we have seen a loss of belief, ethos, energy from the players in the last 25 games.

My theory is that the powers that be, especially the owner, want to keep it safe, keep things under control and avoid employing people at all levels who might threaten this control. This in my view. Unless this changes I can't see us achieving Premiership status. An Alan Dicks turns up at BCFC once every 100 years maybe this is what SL is waiting for?

 

 

Can't believe you get 12 × "rubbish" for this........12 x "bottlers".....

Some people get what they deserve...........one word-  'Mentality'...

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10 hours ago, LondonBristolian said:

 

Generally we are a club nobody thinks about at all. Where we are, we're thought of the team who "maybe play in red or is it the blue and white quarters?", 

 

10 hours ago, City Rocker said:

Well, nobody thinks about us that much, 

I suspect that the truth is contained in the two thoughts above, or somewhere between the two. It's what I've always thought to be the case. We are a bit "meh," beige, non-descript, non-distinct. 

It might be why Rovers have that comedy clown-kit: they would be even more (if possible)invisible, unnoticed, not-thought-about without it. 

 

One thing people from elsewhere often say, or ask about us though, when we do gain some national coverage, I've noticed, is:

10 hours ago, southvillekiddy said:

 Can you explain why the 6th biggest City in England does not have Premiership football?

 

And my first thought or response is to point out that we are England's 8th largest city by population. 

 

Other than this, sadly, as @LondonBristolian and @City Rocker say: nobody really thinks about us much, if at all. This is what SL has to change.

 

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8 hours ago, SydneyCity said:

I’ve worked around the world with all nationalities and can honestly say that nobody knows anything about us unless their team had/has a player who joined from us, or went to us. Then they know about the player, but not the club. The only exception was an Oldham ex-pat in Thailand a couple of years ago. He kept a close eye on us due to the Lee Johnson/Korey Smith connection. His first words were: “Its good to meet someone who supports a shit football team too”. 

Outside of football, mentioning Bristol overseas always seems to get me one of these responses: “My friend/brother/sister went to university there”... “There’s a good bridge in Bristol, isn’t there?”... “Do you like Massive Attack / Drum and Bass?”.

On Saturday Mrs Isewater explained to a couple that we know that I had to leave as I had a match .

They asked which club and my reply left the usual blank ' who ? ' face . 

Just as funny was the same look in reply to the question ' Who are they playing ? ' 

That's how important City and Hull are in the general scheme of things .

Luckily we love them , warts n all , because no bugger else gives a toss .

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1 hour ago, nick jones of hereford said:

We won both the Anglo Scottish Cup and the Welsh Cup. There’s a (somewhat theoretical) argument that we are the only club that could claim to be Champions of Britain 

 

Not forgetting regularly winning the Gloucestershire Senior Cup in my younger days.

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14 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

On Saturday Mrs Isewater explained to a couple that we know that I had to leave as I had a match .

They asked which club and my reply left the usual blank ' who ? ' face . 

Just as funny was the same look in reply to the question ' Who are they playing ? ' 

That's how important City and Hull are in the general scheme of things .

Luckily we love them , warts n all , because no bugger else gives a toss .

So, as you were heading off to watch “your team”, who were these people heading off to watch..?

if there is one thing I despise more than a Man Utd, Rovers, Cardiff fan, it’s someone who doesn’t even bother to actually support anyone! 

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11 hours ago, southvillekiddy said:

People have said this to me. In my opinion based on watching City for 50 years it's justified. Maybe it's a new idea to you. Can you explain why the 6th biggest City in England does not have Premiership football?

My essential point is that BCFC do not have the resolve to play in the Premiership, when we were close to achieving it this season we were weak and failed. You don't have to use the term "bottlers" if you don't want to

Agree with you entirely. Always said the club simply don't want Premier football. Club happy in the Championship with everything 'safe' with the accounts ticking over, occasional bouts of excitement and big ticket games, but otherwise just another generic championship side.

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11 hours ago, JBFC II said:

There's only one universally known bottlers and that's Derby, we haven't quite hit their levels yet... 

This.

Im confused by the OP?

This year a poor run of form has seen us fall out of the Play Offs, 10 years ago we lost a Play Off Final, in 2004 we lost another Play Off Final. Hardly the sort of annual ‘bottling’ that would cause fans of other clubs to label us the ‘team that always bottles it’?

Either the OP spends his time talking to idiots or people are just trying to wind him up.

I haven’t clicked the Rubbish icon for a post yet but the OP came very close.

 

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What have we bottled before this season?

2016/17 - Bottled relegation

2015/16 - Bottled keeping Cotts

2014/15 - Bottled going unbeaten

2013/14 - Bottled getting relegated again

2012/13 - Bottled signing every living Scotsman

Aside from that it just seems like a load of bollocks IMHO

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59 minutes ago, Bar BS3 said:

So, as you were heading off to watch “your team”, who were these people heading off to watch..?

if there is one thing I despise more than a Man Utd, Rovers, Cardiff fan, it’s someone who doesn’t even bother to actually support anyone! 

Rather oddly they had other things to do on a Saturday afternoon than to watch football .

:disapointed2se:

They're no friends of mine .

 

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12 hours ago, cidered abroad said:

At least Derby have won the League title and been to FA cup finals in living memory but what have City achieved in their entire history? 

Sweet FA! 

YES, Bristol City can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Again and again. 

And I and many others dared to dream in December that at long last it would be different this year. Stupid sods aren't we. 

Ah, happy days...

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1 hour ago, Major Isewater said:

Rather oddly they had other things to do on a Saturday afternoon than to watch football .

:disapointed2se:

They're no friends of mine .

 

That is odd..!

It also makes their lack of knowledge of Bristol City about as relevant as a Premier league scout at the Memorial ground. 

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Living in the West Midlands surrounded by Blues/Villa fans, I can echo what others have said about us being thought of as an average team of little significance who have been over performing. The term bottler (or similar) have never been used.

The sample size I have about Citys bottler status abroad is slightly smaller but.....when I was over in the US last month I got talking to an American watching the England/Italy match and imagine my shock it turns out he's a Man Utd fan!

"Who do you support?"

"Bristol City, we beat you in the cup a few months ago." Blank face. Nothing.

"2-1. We scored a last minute winner." I'm talking another language it would seem.

"Matty Taylor, played a great pass..." Nevermind, he has no clue who we are. 

I give him a pass not knowing who a mediocre second tier English team are. The talk goes back to the internationals and he doesn't support the US, he's a Brazil fan...Neymar's his favorite player and he started following soccer when Pele (pronounced PAY-LAY) came over. He also supports Barcelona and PSG.

We've got a long way to go before glory supporting Americans know who we actually are, let alone give us a label. Maybe if we sign Neymar things could begin to change. 

 

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13 hours ago, cider-manc said:

Ill be honest with you... No one up here knows enough about us to consider us "bottlers".

If anything we are known as a club with "massive potential" due to "huge catchment area".

The only people who consider us to have bottled it are our own fan base,  possibly rovers and maybe cardiff. 

I know everyone is disappointed with our season since the turn of the year but some of the comments and hyperbole on here are utterly ridiculous. 

Bang on the money.

And I've taken "on here" to mean the forum as a whole in the last few weeks, not just this thread.

We're all disappointed, massively disappointed, but some posters have lost their marbles. 

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like others are saying, there is some interesting narcissistic tendencies being displayed on this forum. No one cares about Bristol city.

I am also finding it hard to put my finger on another time we have 'bottled' it. Didn't really turn up for the last championship play off final and got beat in a poor game by a wonder goal. Did we 'bottle' the league one title? They haven't even 'bottled it' this year. we have played poorly the second half of the season which has meant we are no longer in a playoff position. Can see the headlines now - Football team in not winning all their games and in poor form shocker.

'bottling it' could possibly only be applied to in footballing terms a player who rejects the chance to take a penalty kick.. maybe

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3 hours ago, Jack Dawe said:

 

I suspect that the truth is contained in the two thoughts above, or somewhere between the two. It's what I've always thought to be the case. We are a bit "meh," beige, non-descript, non-distinct. 

It might be why Rovers have that comedy clown-kit: they would be even more (if possible)invisible, unnoticed, not-thought-about without it. 

 

One thing people from elsewhere often say, or ask about us though, when we do gain some national coverage, I've noticed, is:

And my first thought or response is to point out that we are England's 8th largest city by population. 

 

Other than this, sadly, as @LondonBristolian and @City Rocker say: nobody really thinks about us much, if at all. This is what SL has to change.

 

He might decide a "re-brand" is in order. What a wheeze that would be! 

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