This Forum, Our Fans, Expectations and Reality.

[Sturny]

1 minute ago, Sir Geoff said:

Lucky you. Personally I took no satisfaction from the 3 points we stole in midweek from a truly dreadful last hour. I would rather enjoy watching a free flowing side that can pass to one another and give it a go for 90 minutes and lose over the total dross served up yesterday. Playing nice free flowing football every week does not mean you will lose every game. Playing like we did against Huddersfield means we will lose more than we win...where is the satisfaction in that ?

Indeed, in the 17/18 season we played some very nice football but completely fell apart in the 2nd half of the season. It was frustrating but I still enjoyed the football and fluid counter attacking play we had. 

[Redrascal2]

51 minutes ago, CosmosUK said:

I don't often post but read the forums several times a day and the amount of sh*te some people spout beggars belief. I was not happy when the club appointed Holden but also gave him my support from the first game, and he still has it now. Currently he's on target to deliver a top half finish and with the amount of injuries we have had I would take that all day long.

Sorry but some  of the topics seen recently have been so litter its cringe worthy to read. Someone talking today now about the amount of coaches we have and what do they do as if this has an effect on the touchline on a match day. I'm not being funny but how many of us actually go to the training ground and watch every training session? These are professional people with coaching licences that a lot of us don't have the first clue about. It is easy to tell that someone has never been around a football club other than watching one.

Yes, we aren't creating chances at the moment, but then we put a creative player in the team (KP) who a lot of you constantly slag off and he then gets sh*t for giving the ball away etc, most flair players do that, because they take more risks. We've now signed Lansbury who if you know anything about technique is a top quality player when at his peak performance and I'm sure hell be the first to take abuse if he doesn't rifle one in from 30 yards or stick a cross onto a sixpence for Fam.

I for one am happy and realistic with Holden this season, given the injuries, and incorporating a lot of inexperienced (for city) players like Bakinson, Semenyo, Moore, Vyner plus the youngsters coming off the bench.

Top 10 in the Championship is arguably overachieving with the Squad we have, and if you don't think that then i'm sorry but you aren't very clued up.

I would say if you are happy with Holden and his  ability to improve on LJ then you aren't very clued up.

 

[BTRFTG]

Many hereabouts love to claim we are overachieving or have overachieved, all of which of course is rendered meaningless unless one references the comparator. So what is that?

If the suggestion is the squad has done better than otherwise their talents might suggest, you are probably right.

I, however, would choose to benchmark against clubs of a similar status in which case we massively underperform. Few clubs in our position have had access to so much resource. No club, I'd argue, had spent so much to achieve so little. Others may have boomed and bust. We, without SL's patronage, ARE bust yet never boomed in the first place.

Simply by the amount we've spent acquiring, developing and funding players we should be mid to upper 2nd tier. A randomly selected squad of 25 coached by a randomly selected management would have achieved what we have.

And that, perhaps, is exactly what we are? A random selection of lower tier players managed by lower tier management benefitting from the fact superior talents are unable to compete with us financially.

[tin]

1 hour ago, CosmosUK said:

I don't often post but read the forums several times a day and the amount of sh*te some people spout beggars belief. I was not happy when the club appointed Holden but also gave him my support from the first game, and he still has it now. Currently he's on target to deliver a top half finish and with the amount of injuries we have had I would take that all day long.

Sorry but some  of the topics seen recently have been so litter its cringe worthy to read. Someone talking today now about the amount of coaches we have and what do they do as if this has an effect on the touchline on a match day. I'm not being funny but how many of us actually go to the training ground and watch every training session? These are professional people with coaching licences that a lot of us don't have the first clue about. It is easy to tell that someone has never been around a football club other than watching one.

Yes, we aren't creating chances at the moment, but then we put a creative player in the team (KP) who a lot of you constantly slag off and he then gets sh*t for giving the ball away etc, most flair players do that, because they take more risks. We've now signed Lansbury who if you know anything about technique is a top quality player when at his peak performance and I'm sure hell be the first to take abuse if he doesn't rifle one in from 30 yards or stick a cross onto a sixpence for Fam.

I for one am happy and realistic with Holden this season, given the injuries, and incorporating a lot of inexperienced (for city) players like Bakinson, Semenyo, Moore, Vyner plus the youngsters coming off the bench.

Top 10 in the Championship is arguably overachieving with the Squad we have, and if you don't think that then i'm sorry but you aren't very clued up.

Expectation? The board to be honest and transparent. If the virus was behind appointing Holden, admit it. If we can’t afford to offer any new deals because of the virus, don’t go out and sign an ageing PL player. Don’t go on national radio and say you want someone to get us into the PL. 

On the pitch, I simply want to be entertained, to compete. That’s not too much to ask, IMO — on both counts. 

[Davefevs]

Bravo @tin

[Banjo Red]

3 minutes ago, tin said:

Expectation? The board to be honest and transparent. If the virus was behind appointing Holden, admit it. If we can’t afford to offer any new deals because of the virus, don’t go out and sign an ageing PL player. Don’t go on national radio and say you want someone to get us into the PL. 

On the pitch, I simply want to be entertained, to compete. That’s not too much to ask, IMO — on both counts. 

Spot on

[Sheltons Army]

17 minutes ago, Redrascal2 said:

I would say if you are happy with Holden and his  ability to improve on LJ then you aren't very clued up.

 

Be gentle - CoVid has hit a lot of businesses, travel agents & Holiday Companies particularly 

[BTRFTG]

20 minutes ago, tin said:

Expectation? The board to be honest and transparent. If the virus was behind appointing Holden, admit it. If we can’t afford to offer any new deals because of the virus, don’t go out and sign an ageing PL player. Don’t go on national radio and say you want someone to get us into the PL. 

On the pitch, I simply want to be entertained, to compete. That’s not too much to ask, IMO — on both counts. 

They're not mutually exclusive.

One can say 'I'd like somebody to lead us to the Premier' without explicitly stating,' but they must be comparatively cheap and they must do as I say,' which as we all know are prerequisite.

Similarly, whilst everybody professes to wanting to be 'entertained' they only ever say so when bored ****less by a poorly performing team. When we nearly scraped up with Johnson Senior nobody came away from games saying, 'that was another drab affair'. Rather, they excitedly exited grounds screaming, ' how the hell did with nick another (late) close victory?'

Fans demand results above all else. If we win 1-0 each week playing dross the management and players will be lauded to the rafters.

 

[Robbored]

1 hour ago, 189thoughts said:

A couple of questions for you, these aren't meant to be patronising either.

Do you watch most City games? If so, do you enjoy it? Are you genuinely happy with how we play?

I'm not talking about results here but how we perform.

That takes me back 20 odd years..........

[Fuber]

People moaning position etc.

The issue I have with our situation, is that if you were to sit a panel of people and show the highlights of every city match from the last 18 months and ask them, "which of the two teams highlighted dictated play, entertained, and created more chances?"

How many time would they point to us? Really? Twice? Three times?

I don't care about league position, becuase if we did go up playing the way we are, we'd get comprehensively slaughtered.

My biggest concern is rising wages. Bringing in the like of Lansbury, Martin, Wells, Brunt, at the wrong end of their careers.

I'd rather be taking the Barnsley model (signing lower league, focussing upon own style, well drilled) - like we have previously, where we could take advantage of current lower player prices, rather than signing overpaid players providing the odd moment of brilliance before then clinging on for dear life for 60+ minutes, or going out with a whimper.

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, Fuber said:

People moaning position etc.

The issue I have with our situation, is that if you were to sit a panel of people and show the highlights of every city match from the last 18 months and ask them, "which of the two teams highlighted dictated play, entertained, and created more chances?"

How many time would they point to us? Really? Twice? Three times?

I don't care about league position, becuase if we did go up playing the way we are, we'd get comprehensively slaughtered.

My biggest concern is rising wages. Bringing in the like of Lansbury, Martin, Wells, Brunt, at the wrong end of their careers.

I'd rather be taking the Barnsley model (signing lower league, focussing upon own style, well drilled) - like we have previously, where we could take advantage of current lower player prices, rather than signing overpaid players providing the odd moment of brilliance before then clinging on for dear life for 60+ minutes, or going out with a whimper.

Me too, but I think we have an ownership and senior management as well as a group of fans that that a bit entitled.  In some respects we want to go quickly to the next level without the plan behind it.  Not prepared to develop our “identity” (aaargh) abd then stick to it.  We are whimsical, after the latest fad.

Lets just be Bristol City, but a new Bristol City, that we can all get behind, understand where we are aiming for and how we get there.

[Alessandro]

OP mentioned young players.

I’m sorry it bollocks to use inexperience as an major issue this year.

We’ve had a starting 11 average age that is one of the highest in the league this season, around 28. We have on occasion fielded the oldest team in the championship that weekend. Never the youngest, which BTW Brentford and Swansea often do.

The only players I’d give slack to on that front are Bakinson and Semenyo who despite loans are only now getting longer championship spells. Moore and Vyner have almost 100 apps between them for us.

Holden has only given a few short minutes to U23’s.

The rest of the squad, Bentley, Kalas, Mawson, Hunt, Rowe, Nagy, Wells, Martin, Fam et al...bags of experience.

[spudski]

17 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Me too, but I think we have an ownership and senior management as well as a group of fans that that a bit entitled.  In some respects we want to go quickly to the next level without the plan behind it.  Not prepared to develop our “identity” (aaargh) abd then stick to it.  We are whimsical, after the latest fad.

Lets just be Bristol City, but a new Bristol City, that we can all get behind, understand where we are aiming for and how we get there.

Think you've hit the nail on the head there Dave.

I feel the same way.

An owner with good intentions, that is building a great footballing infrastructure.

Which imo, isn't matched by the personal in charge.

And our fan base feels like we should be doing better...because of the constant call by the owners that they expect top 6 and promotion?

Based on what? A great stadium and training facilities?

We've achieved nothing, we employ people that haven't achieved anything like what they want...so how do they expect to achieve the main goal?

Expectations built on words rather than actions.

[Ivorguy]

2 minutes ago, RalphMilnesLeftFoot said:

Sigh, round and round we go. Ever ready to twist the knife in. 

I remember the days of supporting a team and not the days of" they dont match exactly what I want from a team, so I'm going to rag on them, relentlessly, about everything that I dislike, irrespective and keep going way, wayyy past the point of tedium, before someone else pops up saying, actually we're doing okay before starting the long, actually depressing, 'negative spiralling' runs on everything all over again." 

We lost 1-0 and had a duffgame, it's football, we have them

It doesn't mean we need a moratorium after every. single. match. ever. 

Sigh

You have a very odd memory of the past.

I have been a supporter for 70 years and as a child remember City supporters groaning about the team then.  It is what following a team is about.

I remember in the old ‘New Stand’ season ticket holders turning round mid game and asking Harry Dolman, none too politely, what he was going to about the shambles we were watching.  That’s football.  That’s City.

In 70 years of supporting City the downs have far exceeded the ups.  But, and an important but, Harry took us into the top league.  For all the management speak and endless excuses SL has failed to match this, and doesn’t look like achieving it in my lifetime, perhaps even his!

 

[Davefevs]

2 minutes ago, spudski said:

Think you've hit the nail on the head there Dave.

I feel the same way.

An owner with good intentions, that is building a great footballing infrastructure.

Which imo, isn't matched by the personal in charge.

And our fan base feels like we should be doing better...because of the constant call by the owners that they expect top 6 and promotion?

Based on what? A great stadium and training facilities?

We've achieved nothing, we employ people that haven't achieved anything like what they want...so how do they expect to achieve the main goal?

Expectations built on words rather than actions.

That’s more eloquent than what I wrote.

Someone said a while back we’d never be where we are without SL’s investment in infrastructure.  That’s pure guesswork.  I’m not saying I want to stand in piss, etc, but I do think there’s more than one way to get to the Prem....you don’t have to do it SL’s way.  You’re right, that actions don’t always align.

It’s all a bit cosy.

Please let Joe Williams be a bastard, please let him be the catalyst to grabbing a few players by the balls and raising their standards.  It’s kinda what Dean said he saw as a gap when signing him.

[Guest]

It’s always *this* forum. It’s never Twitter, Facebook or any other medium. Just OTIB’s fault.

So tired of this singular blame game. 

[Cowshed]

10 minutes ago, RalphMilnesLeftFoot said:

Sigh, round and round we go. Ever ready to twist the knife in. 

I remember the days of supporting a team and not the days of" they dont match exactly what I want from a team, so I'm going to rag on them, relentlessly, about everything that I dislike, irrespective and keep going way, wayyy past the point of tedium, before someone else pops up saying, actually we're doing okay before starting the long, actually depressing, 'negative spiralling' runs on everything all over again." 

We lost 1-0 and had a duffgame, it's football, we have them

It doesn't mean we need a moratorium after every. single. match. ever. 

Sigh

Would that be the days when the crowds at Ashton Gate dropped to 4000 or the away game when half of the 350 fans v Pompey left at half time when it was 0-0? Both are cases of the football not matching what people want. 

 

 

[Robin101]

2 hours ago, TomF said:

It’s always *this* forum. It’s never Twitter, Facebook or any other medium. Just OTIB’s fault.

So tired of this singular blame game. 

Tis the best forum on the internet Tom! 

[Gimme Shelton]

The way people talk about Joe  Williams you'd think he was a cross between Hoddle and Souness instead of someone we got from a relegated Wigan. Let's wait until we see him play before going totally overboard. 

[reddoh]

6 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

We aren't the only club in the Championship with a big injury list. Seen Huddersfield, Watford and Coventry's?

I suggest only the loss of Weimann and Dasilva has been a real blow for us.

Other players give us other options, but I ultimately think only those two give us something we are missing.

Ultimately, our negative tactics and poor coaching seem destined to fail whoever pulls on a City shirt.

If you have a gap like the Grand Canyon between your midfield and your forward line you aren't going to get many chances to score.

i think this analogy point of the post is a tad unfair as I guess you could fit all the pitches in the uk into the Grand Canyon and still have room to spare 

[CosmosUK]

3 hours ago, TomF said:

It’s always *this* forum. It’s never Twitter, Facebook or any other medium. Just OTIB’s fault.

So tired of this singular blame game. 

Take that as a compliment, most of the people on BRISTOL CITY BS3 Facebook page can’t even string a debate together but for the dribble on the keyboard 

[Aberdeen Pete's Dad]

I agree with the original poster. Of course, I would like to see entertaining football. We have had that in the past, unfortunately, nearly always in the third tier. However, I prefer us to be playing in the second tier , obviously, premier league would be better still. We can talk all we like about stats and shots on goal, but , for me, what  is most important is the number of points we have and our position in the league table.

There is one very, very impressive stat. In spite of playing boring football, being unable to shoot or pass, lacking commitment and being poorly coached we have scored first in 14 games (including cup ties) . In those 14 games there are 14 wins. That is a very, very impressive statistic. 

We could give it a real go against Brentford just like Wycombe did on Saturday, after all they did very well until half time. I will prefer it if we score the first goal .

[Bris Red]

4 hours ago, spudski said:

Think you've hit the nail on the head there Dave.

I feel the same way.

An owner with good intentions, that is building a great footballing infrastructure.

Which imo, isn't matched by the personal in charge.

And our fan base feels like we should be doing better...because of the constant call by the owners that they expect top 6 and promotion?

Based on what? A great stadium and training facilities?

We've achieved nothing, we employ people that haven't achieved anything like what they want...so how do they expect to achieve the main goal?

Expectations built on words rather than actions.

Indeed mate. I’ve said it many times before on here but how can you expect a top 6 finish and expect to get to the Premier League and then appoint a complete management with absolutely no experience of doing what you are asking for. It’s a huge gamble that yes might pay off but its a big big risk and a risk that no other serious contenders for the top 6 at this level would take.

[Super]

Said this before most can accept losing games if we give it a real go. We have 1 or 2 shots on target a game. Simply not good enough.

[Mike Hunt-Hertz]

Apologists for mediocrity. Why this club has achieved **** all in 120 years.

[reddoh]

56 minutes ago, Mike Hunt-Hertz said:

Apologists for mediocrity. Why this club has achieved **** all in 120 years.

this post is slightly harsh I won't list the un massive list of achievements and the gap isn't one of them (far to easy). 

[JamesBCFC]

8 hours ago, TomF said:

It’s always *this* forum. It’s never Twitter, Facebook or any other medium. Just OTIB’s fault.

So tired of this singular blame game. 

You cannot make the point on Twitter because of how the platform works.

The facebook groups are a mess and get ridiculed on here often.

Nor would making a point about the facebook groups, made on OTIB necessarily be seen by the people making the posts on facebook.

 

But weirdly, the people that post on OTIB *would* see posts made on OTIB, so the point could be made to those.

 

If you have a problem at Sainsburys, you aren't going to phone Tesco are you?

[Major Isewater]

4 hours ago, JamesBCFC said:

 

If you have a problem at Sainsburys, you aren't going to phone Tesco are you?

[Guest]

1. This Forum; Is here for BCFC`s fans(for however long or however many games they watch) to give their views on matchdays,players, manager, CEO and chairman. (and other stuff non related to football) This will give various views on the forementioned subjects.
2. Our fans; Are young/old/fat/thin/male/female/rich/poor/sick/healthy and all combinations of the forementioned. They have a right to post their views on subjects in the previous Forum answer even if its not what they are supposed to think.There is no timescale of being a fan to do this or an amount of matches watched or attended.
3. Expectations/Reality; This varies from fan to fan but more often than not there is a huge gap between these 2 things.

So posts telling other fans to go support other clubs or do one, buy this one or indeed set up one of your own, just because they may not share your views are pointless. Things get heated quite often and name calling is rife, again pointless its just fans posting views on the above.

Much more serious things going on in this world atm, thats it....for now

GET WELL SOON MAJOR TOM

[Bristol Oil Services]

53 minutes ago, glos old boy said:

1.  

GET WELL SOON MAJOR TOM

I think he's had it now, mate; he never did take his protein pills and put 'is helmet on, then he turnt all funk to funky and got into the old narcotics and we've not heard from him for years now.

But Captain Tom's in good hands - I reckon he always put his helmet on - and we wish him all the best.