Red-Robbo

I stayed in the Gothic Quarter... Seriously, while there visit the Boquaria market off the Rambla. I ate at the famous restaurant El Quim there - because I have a juvenile sense of humour. While there have a paella. The people of Valencia claim they invented paella, but the Catalans dispute this. At any rates, it's tops in Barcelona. From the shoreline, take a 30 minute walk and you can climb Montjuc, a hill that overlooks the city and holds a castle (with a nice military museum in it, if that floats your boat) plus the various installations of the 1992 Olympic games and a motor racing track. Oh and it's got a funicular railway up to it, which sometimes even works. For beaches, I'd say forget Barca's minute, although very walkable, shoreline and take the light railway (it's cheap and easy to work out) out to one of the Costa Blanca beaches just north of the city; we went to Tossa Del Mar. Because I have a juvenile sense of humour. Sitges, to the south, is said to be nice but is also reputedly the gay capital of Spain. Not that that should put anyone off! Oh and visit La Sagria Familia and Nou Camp (if the latter has reopened to tourists), because, although it's sooo touristy, you'll kick yourself if you don't.

I've had the same pair of Monitor Audio speakers since the 80s. They've moved house with me 14 times, survived being dropped down a stone flight of stairs, lived through a party that blew up the amp powering them and worked after Mrs Robbo #1 threw a jug of water in one of the bass cones. I can't recommend them enough. https://www.monitoraudio.com/

Perhaps he just peaked early. Might be nothing to do with attitude, but while the typical "career arc" of a player sees them at their very best in their mid-to-late 20s, some just fade earlier than others. Might be a mental thing, not getting as much enjoyment out if the game?

I think Nahki's experience gives him much more awareness of players around him and per minute played I'd imagine he gets more assists than Tom. That'll come in time perhaps for TC. No one can accuse him being half-hearted in our games - at our worst, when heads have dropped, it's often Conway encouraging the team to pick up and attack. Can we do better than Tom? Of course. The question is will we?

My favourite, and one that shows Sid's Classics background, is: "At the age of 32 Alexander the Great sat down at the banks of the Hyphases and cried salty tears for there was no more of the civillised world to conquer. Jocky Wilson's 31!!!"

Double first in Classics from Cambridge. A very clever man. All his memorable phrases - "there's only one word for that - classic darts!" etc - were uttered deliberately and tongue in cheek to amuse his audience.

Have you been spying? :laugh:

Helena Bonham-Carter, Julianne Moore, Michelle Pfieffer would all be more than welcome! But truth told I'm more than happy with Mrs Robbo. Just in case you're reading Otib for the first time in your life, you're fab!

Well, that is a bit like football. No matter how talented the player is though, goals only ever come from defensive mistakes (not necessarily mistakes made by defenders). A high-tempo game in both sports is more likely to produce those mistakes and be more attractive to the spectators.

She's an American actress and I have to be honest I googled "attractive actresses" to find her. The ones I used to fancy are now too old or too odd for the average board member.

I'm targeting a night of passion with Jessica Alba. It's not going to happen, but it's as likely as the Gas "coming for us".

What was the keeper thinking! Took his eye right off the ball.

I do oppose the pedestrianisation of the city centre though. People need access to Tandy's.

Pub options near Kennilworth Road are woeful. And to be honest it isn't much better at Stamford Bridge! Griffin Park - now you're talking! And even the new ground has an easy walk to some lovely old pubs in Kew Village. My favourite away ground - although I won't be travelling there this visit - is Carrow Road. Near the city centre and not too far from the station, nice waterside pubs nearby and some cracking bars and restaurants. Far away enough to be a real jaunt. I usually stay over as I'm a big fan of the city and Norfolk on general.

Resist the Southville attempt to invade its neighbour. Whatever Red Trousers and various estate agents try to tell non-Bristolians North Street is Bedminster. All of it.

Southville my arse! That's a red card offence!

You've misspelt pillocks.

No it won't. F- the Skates.

Was just going to say this. Drink Up is just so massively better and specific to us. Imagine singing a 1930s dirge about a cuckold about to kill himself. AND having borrowed it from another club.

Because, as I've noted elsewhere, sides that've been cack all season are suddenly revitalised by the need not to have a relegation on their CV, with attendant potential loss of income and career prospects. It really focuses the minds of lots of players. Results at Home Park, St Andrews and the New Den show Huddersfield's players aren't the only relegation-threatened team to play with a new urgency at this stage of the season.

You're right although according to the 2023 PL guidelines it's still a handball if "The player falls and the hand/arm is extended laterally or vertically away from the body". IFAB still distinguish between a supporting hand/arm and the other arm. Most of the rule changes seem to cover deflections. The rules that come into force next season (and already are applied in European competitions) seem to suggest that if it hits the upper part of the arm and the position is accidental and "justifiable" by a player's action, that would no longer be considered handball. As ever, it's very much at the ref's discretion if they think the movement of an arm is natural and thereby justifiable or exaggerated and therefore unnatural. Having read what's coming in, I don't think it clarifies the law at all.

Totally agree, but it's a bit like my local boozer: the landlord is a bit of a twonk and he's had the pub on the market for a while - but I still go there because it's my local and there are things I like about it, that are nothing to do with him. City are my club, so I'll hopefully last out the Lansdown years.

. A player is not deemed to have committed an offence if he/she handles the ball while falling “and the hand/arm is between the body and the ground to support the body, but not extended laterally or vertically away from the body”. So, if it had struck his other arm, no handball. Waving arm for balance, even though not deliberate, handball.

I just think "I've seen a hell of a lot worse in the past"! Not thrilled with Manning, but his reign has so far given us a few highpoints, so it's not all been tedium. There are glimpses that a joined-up successful Bristol City could be created although far too much is slow-paced cobblers like Saturday. I'll press on as a fan and hope that consistency might come. We've not had a really exciting season for some time. Even under NP it was all "a period of transition". Although Huddy fans are big soppy Yorkshire puddings - they must all have eagle eyes in order to have instantly seen from the other side of the ground that there was "no penalty" (and as for the extra time added, they clearly don't know the rules) - however their side gave a good account of itself, as will most teams playing out of their skin at this stage of the season to try to avoid the drop. I think that intensity made us look poor, especially in the first half.

There is also the fact that it was a dead rubber game. The end result wasn't really that important. It was boring and a bit cold so people left. If we'd been desperate for a point to stay out the drop zone or make the play-offs, then you'd find people staying until the final whistle regardless of those two factors.