Steve Watts

The OP sees acknowledging reality as celebrating failure, but that is a massive over simplification as it strips out all relativity. We have never been a "successful" team by those metrics, but there is no problem with celebrating successes that are in line with where we are. That doesn't stop us from aspiring to better ourselves. The two are not mutually exclusive. And as always, it's the hope that kills you! As for moaning about wishing former players a happy birthday - where is the harm? It's a nice little gesture from the media team and would largely improve the image of the club as opposed to damaging it, which can be beneficial when selling the club to prospective players, managers or supporters. The little things mount up and this is just one of those things. It's a strange thing to get frustrated over.

I've numbered above for ease... 1) Stock is what's been lacking, no doubt about it. That bit I was being a little sarcastic about. In the past, we've had a shop prior to the Cabot rebuild (I think), as well as one in Quaker Friars and a pop up in John Lewis at Cribbs. None of them were a rip roaring success. 2) There isn't enough footfall in Broadmead I don't believe. That's why there have been major stores leaving, such as M&S and also why the Galleries is being demolished and replaced with mainly apartments. Shopping in Bristol City Centre has been in huge decline for many years now. Public transport, traffic/road systems and parking have been a major contributing factor for this.

A couple of things here really. City's lack of a pop up shop could very well be based on experience. We've had a few over the years and if they don't get the footfall then they're not going to be financially viable. Secondly, what's the point in a pop up shop if we don't have the merchandise to fill the bloody thing?!? The only thing we seem to have a decent line on in terms of merch is the golf stuff....which is probably in good stock because no bugger wants the stuff!

I don't think Cornick gets to the ball if he stays up. The keeper picks that ball up but is essentially trotting by the time he gets there - Cornick staying on his feet I believe would change his out pace and he gets it easily. At the time I thought he was clipped, but seeing the replays I think it's a case of his touch is heavy, he feels a slight arm in the back and so sends himself down in the hope of conning the ref into giving us a chance he'd lost. . The idea behind the rule is to see if there's an advantage to play and if not to bring it out. I don't know if there is a determinate amount of time this should be allowed to play out or if this is at the referees discretion however. The term "playing the advantage" is more of a blanket term tbh. One thing that bugged me during the match was the complete lack of involvement of the 4th official. Dodds pretty much spent the entire match out of his technical area and this wasn't policed at all. There was one incident in the Atyeo half of the pitch in front of the Lansdown where it looked as though the ball might have gone out of play, but the Linesman was unable to make a decision as there's no way he could've seen the incident because Dodds was almost on the pitch! If you're gonna have a 4th official rather than a bloke who holds a board up then surely they should be officiating?!?

Oh, 100%. I too was in a similar position with my own daughter. Her twin brother took to it, but she didn't. My point being is that I doubt it's the source of the problem as opposed to a mere contributing factor. I would actually say that my fave for the main proportion of the blame more likely lies with people who buy a ticket to the cheapest part of the ground and then working their way to a better seat or to S82. Those that therefore have no preference for which seat they select as a a result.

You're contradicting yourself in the first two points emboldened above. So is he better than the player he replaced or not? As for the second bit if your wages assumption is partially based on "with goals to his name" then that's where you're going wrong. He "boasts" a 1 in 7 record. That does not command a £10k salary and there's no way he was on that at Luton where he was unwanted. As Fevs says it's highly unlikely he'll ever be on that money, so you're gonna need a better stick than that to beat him with. Don't get me wrong, I don't think he's been a successful signing at all, but I also don't think we play the right system for him as he most certainly isn't a loan striker.

There is little logic to this statement at all. If your kid is bothered enough to want a £40 shirt, why wouldn't they be bothered about going? Or similarly if you're bothered enough to want your kid to have a free £40 shirt why wouldn't you be bothered about taking them? If you don't want to take them, you wouldn't spend £55 on a £40 shirt! There will no doubt be cases where they're not able to go to every match, but again that would likely be more than "now & again". To lump all the problems on under 12 season tickets is utterly dumbfounding! As well as saying that the club should stop selling affordable kids tickets in the most affordable part of the ground! As well as making that statement with the economy on its knees! Fast forward 20 years and see how the resultant lost generation of fans makes a difference to the attendance.

That, and the cat they've sacrificed and hidden underneath the stocking.

I think the keyword there is "offered" not "required". If WHam decide to give us more then I'm sure the club will take this. As someone else said though all it takes is for one STH to buy their seat to make the block unavailable to us - unless they relocate them after purchase, which is highly unlikely.

A few still popping up here and there - probably being released from unchecked out baskets I imagine.

Must've been on the same coach as me for Orient. Funnily enough the coach driver got lost, so followed a coach full of red and white, only to find out it was Man Utd fans when we turned up at, yep, Upton Park!

This has probably been mentioned, but I do like how the booking fee on kids tickets is more than the cost of the ticket itself!!!!

Hoodies look decent quality as well. Of course, if the club were to stock them they'd charge about £65 for those!

We had no stock before last Christmas either, but that was down to the supplier and kit manufacturer. Thankfully we've changed that so shouldn't see such an issue this year... Oh...wait....sorry, as you were.

There are big numbers.....there is a total of 1 people who identify as a cat. Now I'm sure you'd agree that is a big number I've used there!

The kid in red? I was stood next to the idiots who started the "Who's the fatty in the red". I called the ringleader out for it. "You can't be shouting that a kid. FFS" The response was "it's just ******* banter mate lighten up". They were knobs for most of the match with one of them shoving a steward when he approached them to stop them vaping. They clearly have an issue with stewarding as he went down to the front and nothing more was done.

The kid in red?

Of course I wasn't offended, ya wally! T'was just playing with the words. However I do disagree that that specific tactic won us the game. The first 30 mins we would receive the ball and almost immediately turn to face our own goal. We won the game when we started taking it to them. Started the second half in much the same way as we started the first and we lost a 2 goal lead within 7 mins. Their equaliser was a fantastic example. Playing the ball about the defence thereby inviting pressure, Tanner received the ball, looked one way (backwards) and was dispossessed. When we took the game to Boro again we won it. Anyway, that's for another thread. I would imagine that the "taking one for the team" offences would be the type of thing that would be covered by a sin bin. Pulling a shirt to stop a breakaway when too many men have been committed forwards for example.

Too much backwards passing? I was offended by that specific tactic on Saturday....

Kids sizes are all over the place. The sizing is weird as hell. 7-8. 8-9,9-10,10-11, 12-13, 13-14.... Where's the 11-12 range? Just randomly miss it out, why don't you! And have a guess where my lad fits into that sizing range! It's possible that in store stock may be better. but as I've always got my lad with me it'd kinda ruin the surprise on Christmas Day. It just seems to be a same person, different hat situation. Last season I struggled to get stuff for Christmas, and now am looking at a repeat of the same this year. Circumstances stopped me from getting it in early this year, but I'll have to start getting stuff whenever it comes out next season to avoid more of the same. So bloody frustrating, as Christmas should be a massive influx of money for the club and every year it's the same!

If someone could raise kit suppliers that'd be grand. We left Hummel because of supply issues and now we find ourselves with a massive shortage of stock in the run up to Christmas, especially online. What is being done about that? (An explanation of the thinking behind the Splat would also be great!)

This is it, 100%. And as always certain poster/s drop in and provide their pearls of "wisdom"!

It's bizarre enough that it could've been an NTTDS thread to be honest!

Because we were talking about footballers and he doesn't qualify as such.... Bas was in the so bad he was good category

I don't think it shows how sensitive we've become at all. Enlightened, maybe, but not sensitive. We're living in an age now where people are happy to call out shit like that for what it is. Bullying and massively disrespectful. There's just no need for it. Obviously there are also still plenty of throwbacks who like to throw the word snowflake around to anyone who would want to call out people for being dicks. Many of these hark back to the seventies as the "good old days". I was born at the tail end so don't remember any of the decade and am told that the 80's were far tamer than the seventies. If that's the case I'm glad to have been born at the end of the decade! Times have indeed changed, and mostly for the better. Society is more tolerant, but that's countered by social media giving a global voice to all and as always, the negative shout louder.