"Never been so disenchanted with Bristol City"

[Davefevs]

15 minutes ago, Selred said:

That’s never going to catch on @Fordy62, don’t try and make it a thing

Everyone knows it’s Weblas @Fordy62! 

[Abraham Romanovich]

I have been a long time ST holder but this season for the first time ever I have stopped enjoying football.

The last match I attended was Millwall and I have not been since,my reason for not attending was a combination of  boring football,sterile atmosphere and associated parking problems.

Pleased to note that the team have noted my absence and have upped their game .

I shall be returning for the QPR match so if we don't win you know who to blame

 

[Negan]

I felt that way I won't lie, I will always renew though as my Saturdays belong to Bristol city, regardless of what league or how we're playing. I would say though it wasn't just the start of the season that made me feel like that, the whole of 2018 was terrible, the football was shocking, results weren't going our way and we'd lost 3 big players in the summer. The unbeaten run we're on now has helped greatly with the mood around the place and long may it continue. Every fan wants to be happy and enjoy the football we pay to watch, their just as entitled to express their frustrations when things aren't going right. 

[Selred]

44 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Everyone knows it’s Weblas @Fordy62! 

In my opinion the real partnership is Kalas and Hunt........

[RedM]

17 minutes ago, Negan said:

I felt that way I won't lie, I will always renew though as my Saturdays belong to Bristol city, regardless of what league or how we're playing. I would say though it wasn't just the start of the season that made me feel like that, the whole of 2018 was terrible, the football was shocking, results weren't going our way and we'd lost 3 big players in the summer. The unbeaten run we're on now has helped greatly with the mood around the place and long may it continue. Every fan wants to be happy and enjoy the football we pay to watch, their just as entitled to express their frustrations when things aren't going right. 

I have concluded that we needed to change and build again. Some teams have to do this by getting relegated, clearing out and rebuilding. I think we did the brave thing and moved players out, certainly took a gamble, (and even got financially rewarded for doing so for some we moved on). But we look a much better squad for it.

There isn’t any one outstanding player. Goals are sometimes a worry ( yes it was an area we couldn’t strengthen in the window) but we are getting goals from all over the pitch. Defensively we have been so much better that it kind of compensates. We don’t have to win games by four as we have let in three very often now. 

Because we have put together a run, some of it always not too pretty at times we now look more confident and have found ourselves again which is producing our good football again. Yes we will lose again sooner or later ( please not tomorrow as I’m going!) but we got to accept this mentally and build again, not collapse like we have the past two seasons at least. 

I don’t know what will happen the rest of the season, who can tell. But we can play good football with this squad having lost three key players, shipped out more and lost a few to injury too.

[ZiderEyed]

9 hours ago, Welcome To The Jungle said:

So for what it's worth I haven't attended a Bristol City game since the Ipswich game last season. I want to make it very clear that this had nothing to do with the football, and the fact that we're 6th, unbeaten in months and I'm still not attending, proves that. My issues lie at the feet of trends within English football, the Lansdowns and sadly our fanbase.

English football has arguably the strongest football league in the world. Now there are many debates about whether the Premier League is the best top tier in the world, however if you take the pyramid as a whole, there probably isn't another country that can boast a non-regional, professional 5th tier. However despite this strength and history that is so prevalent in English football, there are so many flaws. Ticket prices are quite frankly extortionate. I was chatting to a Catalonian guy in a Barcelona hostel last year about football, and when I mentioned that our cheapest ST prices were £350, I had to scrape his jaw off the floor. He could not believe that it was so expensive to watch 2nd tier football. Quite frankly, neither can I. Yet despite, or maybe as a result of this, English football also boasts arguably the worst atmospheres in the world. I'm not talking about derby matches or big cup games against Man U, as anyone could make a racket then. I'm talking about average League matches where sadly you can hear the players pretty much every game. And we're good at wheeling out the same excuses. "We're given no freedom as fans" "The terraces are gone" etc etc. Well if you want limited freedom, try Turkey, yet they manage it, in the same way most countries create great atmospheres in all seaters.

Sadly this reality is reflected at BCFC. Now don't get me wrong, SL has done some good at City. The stadium obviously, as well as emerging young players are big pluses. The kits are on average better, despite a few duds and despite ups and downs, we are arguably closer to top tier football than any time in the last decade. However we've also seen the club throwing huge sums of money at players that could perhaps be better spent. Tomlin is a glaring example, but the number of multi-million pound signings this club has made, not mentioning salaries and agent fees, does not justify the cost of slowly pricing out loyal supporters. Make no bones about it, if SL thought that by getting rid of you he could replace you with two new fans, he'd bin you off without a second thought. This was confirmed when he changed Bristol Rugby to the bears. He understood people would dissent but he didn't care. Under SL, you are expendable. Using the rugby club as the case study, he is also clearly happy to ignore history and destroy a club kits, crests and identity, if he can get away with it, which I fear he has. But the sucker punch came last year with the ST fiasco. What SL and co tried to do to disabled supporters and children was nothing short of shameful. Although they backtracked slightly, they still showed their money grabbing hand for what it is. 

Now I mentioned the atmosphere nationally and sadly AG is little different. Despite the efforts of a noble few, songs die off before they begin, people stand or sit with their arms folded for 90 minutes and a few years ago people moaned because flags were flying during the game. Seriously? For me there is little point going to a game if you're not going to engage with it beyond watching it. You might as well watch it on the telly. Of course we're not all able to jump or even stand all game, but you don't need to look far on youtube to see just how different, quiet and passionless AG is on a common matchday. Although the silence doesn't anger me, it saddens me to be in a quiet football stadium. However when the ST fiasco happened last year, I thought the touch paper had been lit. City fans were furious and demanded change, and demanded action. I was excited. Protest here we come. Harry made a great point that we mocked all those Cardiff fans who kept going when they went red. They were plastic fans who were happy to be manipulated by the high trousered one. However as soon as action was proposed in the form of walk outs or boycotts, many City fans decided that the team was more important than standing up for fellow reds. In the end a few banners were raised at the Ipswich game, and I left before kick off. We were no better than those Cardiff fans and I thought we were.

Football is a beautiful game, but it should be an opportunity for everyone of all ages, races and financial situations to be proud of their local team. A team that has history and identity. And those supporters can express their pride no matter what league their in or how the team is doing. Sadly BCFC is failing miserably on that front, and I fear I won't be back till they re-prioritise 

WTTJ

 

 

Absolutely superb post and is almost bang on with every concern I've got too.

Good work fella.

[Chappers]

40 years of watching, lot of change, some good, some bad. No fan of all seater stadia, like the better facilities, fan zone and decent food. A lot safer, even last week was just pathetic children. Prices are generally too high, but then again, fans demand big signings, and they don’t come cheap. Atmosphere has changed, very much a generic songbook now, way too much effort wasted on some irrelevant nearby team, and far too little positive support. Enjoy the good times, and the many bad times just make you appreciate them more. SL has done so much for this club, and compares very favourably with owners at most clubs, and trying to be sustainable is way better than spend, fail, relegation.

[Mtimmy11]

11 hours ago, Selred said:

You left immediately after we scored 2 goals to take the lead?

In a game where we had 20 shots, 70% possession?

Now that really proves there is no pleasing some people! 

That’s right mate, like I said bored shitless.first time since 1986 that at least 3 of us have not had season tickets.couple of pubs before the game ,orchard and coopers all looked promising for a good day out then went into the ground and it was just to sterile.i think when and if safe standing comes in it can only help the atmosphere.Anouther point I would like to make is living in Downend and Bradley Stoke it can take 2 hours getting there which I find unbelievable when you can get right across London in 45 minutes.

[Tinmans Love Child]

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/fda46eab-8c79-4d98-8ce3-919ceffe4366/gif#BkreWJj09NN.copy

[Tinmans Love Child]

29 minutes ago, Mtimmy11 said:

That’s right mate, like I said bored shitless.first time since 1986 that at least 3 of us have not had season tickets.couple of pubs before the game ,orchard and coopers all looked promising for a good day out then went into the ground and it was just to sterile.i think when and if safe standing comes in it can only help the atmosphere.Anouther point I would like to make is living in Downend and Bradley Stoke it can take 2 hours getting there which I find unbelievable when you can get right across London in 45 minutes.

I live in Downend, it’s never taken me anywhere near two hours to get to a game, which way do you go?

[reddoh]

1 hour ago, Selred said:

In my opinion the real partnership is Kalas and Hunt........

yep I think Hunk will catch on

[Davefevs]

34 minutes ago, Tinmans Love Child said:

I live in Downend, it’s never taken me anywhere near two hours to get to a game, which way do you go?

Me too.  35 minutes average....that’s Saturday’s and Tuesday evenings.  

[Redbo]

46 minutes ago, Tinmans Love Child said:

I live in Downend, it’s never taken me anywhere near two hours to get to a game, which way do you go?

Maybe he’s walking?

[Fjmcity]

14 hours ago, Spoons said:

@Shtanley a poor post all round. Click bait comes to mind. 

I'm not sure you've got the reaction you expected? A poor lazy post and another reason not to listen to your podcast. 

@Shtanley et el do an incredible job on the podcast, alongside holding down jobs/education, To keep churning out (in my view) a quality podcast for BCFC fans each week alongside other commitments is beyond most of us and I often fear this is the reason it will one day stop, I sincerely hope not

Your post seems needlessly antagonistic and completely unfair. The podcast is nothing to do with this post - not that there’s anything wrong with the post either as I kind of get what the OP is saying, We all know football is fickle but I must say I have thought about how uneasy it makes me feel how you can go from everything being wrong with the club - not just results to everything rosey in a few short weeks.

 

[Numero Uno]

We’re beginning to sound like the gas....we’ve lost as many season ticket holders as they get car park lock outs!!

[Spoons]

10 minutes ago, Fjmcity said:

@Shtanley et el do an incredible job on the podcast, alongside holding down jobs/education, To keep churning out (in my view) a quality podcast for BCFC fans each week alongside other commitments is beyond most of us and I often fear this is the reason it will one day stop, I sincerely hope not

Your post seems needlessly antagonistic and completely unfair. The podcast is nothing to do with this post - not that there’s anything wrong with the post either as I kind of get what the OP is saying, We all know football is fickle but I must say I have thought about how uneasy it makes me feel how you can go from everything being wrong with the club - not just results to everything rosey in a few short weeks.

 

Appreciate your opinion but I have a different one. 

I thought it was a lazy post which was basically aimed at trying to say ' told you so' and really had the potential to go somewhere again ( LJ debate) that has been done to death.

I'm not sure @Shtanley is in a position to do that?

[Ska Junkie]

I'll hold my hands up here, I was one of the ones who criticised due to boring football a few months ago and yes, I was bored, extremely bored with the displays at the time but it was never, as stated by many, about results.

I've no problem admitting that this has improved dramatically with the switch to 4-1-4-1 and I am now a very contented old cidered. It doesn't change the point that may of us were genuinely bored senseless earlier this season though. Let's be honest here, it's as if the powers that be read this forum at the time.  

[Nathandao]

I think the way LJ manages the club sees him grow along with his players. The CO’D type ‘one for the future’ signing means we see players develop their potential over afew seasons, and as a manager I have always seen Johnson the same. He works with relatively small budgets and builds a team up until the transfer fees he can get for the players he has grown and developed are enough to build a very strong team. This is where I think we are now. A perfect mix of ‘ones for the future’ that are starting to show their colours and experienced players who control the game, such as Pack and Kalas.

I guess I’m trying to say that, I knew LJ wouldn’t be an instant success but always had a feeling he would be the one to guide us to success, be it this season or the near future, and I truly believe he will be here for a long time to come.

[Numero Uno]

8 minutes ago, Ska Junkie said:

I'll hold my hands up here, I was one of the ones who criticised due to boring football a few months ago and yes, I was bored, extremely bored with the displays at the time but it was never, as stated by many, about results.

I've no problem admitting that this has improved dramatically with the switch to 4-1-4-1 and I am now a very contented old cidered. It doesn't change the point that may of us were genuinely bored senseless earlier this season though. Let's be honest here, it's as if the powers that be read this forum at the time.  

If Johnson’s thinking during that “boring” period was that he had to get it right at the back and then work his way to the front of the team then he deserves credit for that. It certainly feels like that given the recent improvements in overall performance but the real test will be when we lose a game.

Will we bounce back or revert to type and lose three or four more games on the spin? This will tell us whether we have made real improvements or are still a streaky team benefitting from current confidence levels being high.

[BobBobSuperBob]

Think the problem starts right away in the (exaggeration) in your title @Shtanley

 

Could you point me to the post

‘Never Been so disenchanted with Bristol City’

or anyone who has used this term 

Thanks

[Ska Junkie]

36 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

If Johnson’s thinking during that “boring” period was that he had to get it right at the back and then work his way to the front of the team then he deserves credit for that. It certainly feels like that given the recent improvements in overall performance but the real test will be when we lose a game.

Will we bounce back or revert to type and lose three or four more games on the spin? This will tell us whether we have made real improvements or are still a streaky team benefitting from current confidence levels being high.

Good point NU, hadn't thought about that TBH. 

[BCFC11]

2 hours ago, Tinmans Love Child said:

I live in Downend, it’s never taken me anywhere near two hours to get to a game, which way do you go?

Via London.

[Redbo]

This has turned into an ‘@Olé tweeting Gary O’Neil’ type disaster. 

[Pistol_Pete]

Its a fair post, it might be antagonistic- but people dont like being called out when they are wrong. Its interesting to hear when people turned back to 'pro-johnson'- its been an incredible season and the way people swing one way or another are symptomatic of the consumerist society we live in where we demand instant gratification or rebel. 

[Redbo]

35 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Think the problem starts right away in the (exaggeration) in your title @Shtanley

 

Could you point me to the post

‘Never Been so disenchanted with Bristol City’

or anyone who has used this term 

Thanks

You’re one of my favourite posters Bob, always good for a laugh. And some great arguments with other posters (@Agard Days Night I’m looking at you). But I’m curious, how do you always manage to do such crazy layouts with your posts?! Loads of spaces between lines etc. I only really notice it on your posts. 

[BobBobSuperBob]

1 minute ago, Redbo said:

You’re one of my favourite posters Bob, always good for a laugh. And some great arguments with other posters (@Agard Days Night I’m looking at you). But I’m curious, how do you always manage to do such crazy layouts with your posts?! Loads of spaces between lines etc. I only really notice it on your posts. 

 

 

glad I make you laugh Redbo - what a lot of it’s about 

My favourite posts on here are the ones make me laugh , some , a lot !

[054123]

It’s been pretty shit at times and I think I understand the sentiment when some say ‘disenchanted’ but I think ive bought season tickets and attended games through far worse, so I don’t think it’s conceivable that we would stop going.

[Agard Days Night]

41 minutes ago, Redbo said:

You’re one of my favourite posters Bob, always good for a laugh. And some great arguments with other posters (@Agard Days Night I’m looking at you). But I’m curious, how do you always manage to do such crazy layouts with your posts?! Loads of spaces between lines etc. I only really notice it on your posts. 

Leave me out of your love in please mate. I’d rather not have the attention from Bob, already feel like I need a restraining order. He’s obsessed. 

COYR

[Redbo]

15 minutes ago, Agard Days Night said:

Leave me out of your love in please mate. I’d rather not have the attention from Bob, already feel like I need a restraining order. He’s obsessed. 

COYR

Remembered the right login for this account then mate? Didn’t get it confused with one of your other profiles?

[Portland Bill]

19 hours ago, Shtanley said:

I recall a few months back there appeared to be a growing trend amongst City supporters of people being seemingly bored and completely done with football in it's (then) current state at Bristol City. 

Many threatening to not renew ST and to stop going out of pure boredom.

At the time I was a little bewildered and taken aback. I'm wondering whether that sentiment is still there or whether it was just because of our pretty poor form back then.

Just curious if anyone felt the same at the time or if they still do feel the same now. 

 

I stopped going last season after four decades of watching City.

I found the football under LJ dull and negative, and the whole match day experience sanitised from what I used to enjoy.

Personally i get my kicks out of watching non league football now, not having to get tickets, the hastle of travelling and parking, plus I find the non league scene far more enjoyable an experience. I also have sons involved in non league football.

City will always be my club, though I also realised I had no real desire to see us play football in the money league, as I hate the Prem with a passion, that league iis everything I don’t like in the game.