spudski

1 hour ago, Robbored said:

You’ll have to explain…………

First ever world cup gold medal by a Brit in ski racing.

Did it in slalom racing at Kitzbuhel of all places.

Considering the Brits invented slalom racing over 100 years ago, and never won at world cup level, this is a massive achievement.

Dave is basically a one man band, 35 years old. Dedicated his life to the sport. Has a very small team behind him with very small budget.

Compared to the budgets given to Alpine nations for racing, this is a massive result.

An absolute epic performance.

Just wow...what a result. Equivalent of FGRs winning the FA Cup

5 hours ago, LondonBristolian said:

Wow! My grandparents used to live at the top of Sunnyside Lane backing into the playing field. There was always football going on a Saturday but I had no idea until now that Yate Town used to play there!

Yate Town played on the pitch nearest the Cricket pavilion and Tennis courts for a while before they moved to Lodge road. Made my debut for Yate Town on that pitch, and scored :laugh: When they moved to Lodge road, the pitch was awful to start with... especially in the summer...never seen a ball bobble about so much. It's so much better now. A lot of clay soil in Yate. Not ideal for footy.  The other pitches beyond were played on by youth teams like Yate Utd boys. Known as the German fields as this was where there was a German POW camp during WW2.

3 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

On this point if none other, I heartily agree. As for implosion - I hoped this would happen to the banks in 2007/2008- it didnt and after government bail outs they were just as bad within a few short years.

I despair that for the price of a squad player at, say Man City, you could keep half the clubs in L2 afloat- maybe all of them etc. When 90% of the money seems to go to less than 10% of all our English clubs then it is indeed a broken system.

Totally agree with you.

There are so many broken systems that we live with every day...and add to by continually supporting them. To keep supporting a system that's broken, it will continue and rarely change. 

The only way to change things is by not supporting the system with finance.

We all love our club...but imo, I could continue supporting the club in a system I don't agree with, and it will never change in my lifetime.

I'd love professional football to implode...to somehow start again. Hopefully under a level playing field. I'd be more than happy to support City under a new system. As it is...it's futile and no longer enjoyable as it should be.

We shouldn't as fans be feeling like it's a chore rather than a pleasure.

I don't care about results...just want a level playing field.

We need change.

In the same way the apolitical system needs change.

We vote, knowing politicians will constantly be looking to find deals that will financially benefit them.

Pay them a salary that is equal to the job. Ban any outside financial dealings.

Get a salary...do your job to serve the country.

We keep voting...the system will never change. 

Imagine a year where no one voted, and everyone stopped going to watch professional football and gave up their Sky subscription.

It'll never happen...but if it did...we would get change.

In the cold light of day...it's pretty simple. But we will always find excuses not to. Hence the hierarchy always taking control.

2 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

West Ham's isn't much better, the whole thing sounds like an orgy. Switchover who's in...harder Cuthbert, harder, harder...

34 minutes ago, redysteadygo said:

Sunnyside Lane in my playing days.

Me too...then onto lodge road. Changing in the old wooden cricket pavilion was fun...not :laugh:

6 minutes ago, Steve Watts said:

The park and ride will only be a 10 minute walk from the stadium, however, which would help. And most residents will live within 3 miles, so the younger/fitter among the fan base are in walking distance.

Would be even funnier if it were to happen in a Southern Premier League South match!

In theory...but when it's freezing cold and raining heavily, or extremely windy, the chances are, most won't walk any distance. This is the problem...That's British weather in a nutshell. No one these days wants to stand soaking wet and shivering whilst watching a game.

The plans for new stand, gym, pitch, sports bar etc etc sound great. I understand one stand will be similar in principle to the Carol Embry suite at FGRs, where it will be two tier, top section behind glass. Certainly what's planned looks great for the local community. Open 7 days a week, sports pitch and gym, electric car power points, sports bar, even allotments etc...all will bring extra revenue to the Club.

They are miles off ever being League...however, they are punching big time this season. With games in hand, and a bit of luck they could even make top 2. 

If a miracle ever did happen...the new proposals with housing would make the club land locked so to speak. With really no further room to expand. Very limited. I guess the new park and ride could be utilised for visiting supporters in future if attendances increased.

As with everything these days, parking is the issue. Double yellows on the nearby trading estate. The council doing everything they can to stop street parking. The same happening in near Sodbury. Proposal for is it 750 new homes...yet they want to make Sodbury high st, a car free zone, with no parking. It's full to busting already with local residents cars, and car park generally full each day. 

It's not practical or feasible.

5 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

@KegCity @spudski

The pub analogy works when it's a pub in a village- the only pub. I guarantee you that "customers" feel like it's their pub . It's not like any other business because it's at the heart of the community.

As for statement that BCFC is broken- what utter nonsense. It's not broken but it is seriously wounded like dozens of other clubs in the EFL ( probably most)and mainly due to the pandemic combined with all the money going to the PL and then PP and each and every club's need to either merely survive or its non stop quest for promotion.

Those who don't want to go to games yet pontificate on a forum about why they don't/won't support the club - well that's their choice but perhaps shouldn't be taken too seriously when they think of themselves as a fan or supporter.

Meanwhile over 20,000 of us think otherwise and cant wait for saturday albeit that we've usually been regretting it by 5.10 p.m..

You've misunderstood... professional football in this country is broken...not the club perse.

We all want the club to do well...but why keep supporting a system ( not club as such) that isn't working?

The only way it will change is if people stop buying into it. 

Your comment about real supporters is ludicrous. Supporting a system that wants changing, that people want changing, makes no sense.

Why keep paying into a system that many don't approve of?

And as for the pub analogy...you can always get owners who will make the pub what the community want, if action is taken. Whether they leave, change etc. 

As a nation...we moan about everything, but do very little to change things. It's in our nature. We moan and just put up with things. We are so apathetic. 

I'd love to see football implode in this country in my lifetime. Start again under better guidelines. With local government that see it as beneficial to the community and provide better and cheaper transport and infrastructure. 

If other countries can do it, why can't we. 

3 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

So , out of interest- do you feel the same way about your local pub? It may be owned by someone but it belongs to the drinkers? Trouble with this view is about the money- it's always about the money. Colchester , in common with many a business which have a place in a local community, are not exactly flowing with cash or the level of support which makes the business sustainable. Many people want the facility to be there but aren't always willing to support it other than as and when it suits them.

I support BCFC but not from my sofa but with hard cash. I dont go looking for basically illegal free streams which deprive our club of desperately needed money and then go bleating on about no money for transfers.

When City announce losses of over £30 million in a season ( year) I thank the lord that I don't own the club and I have zero liability for the losses. Fans are great when money is being spent on transfers/trying to get a promotion but turn very quickly if it doesn't work out and the club is in serious debt. Just ask any Derby fan.

And whilst I'm on a rant- how difficult is it to pay £5 to OTIB and become a supporter? It's OUR forum after all..... isn't it???

That's an interesting comparison.

I was a regular at a watering hole for many years. As were all my local friends. One by one, people started to leave and frequent another watering hole. Most odd...what was going on. It was our 'home'...where we felt comfortable...and loyal to it.

Then the owners took their eyes off the pub, and started up another one. Standards dropped, prices went up, beer was kept badly, people started to complain, staff underpaid and under valued, locals who had supported for many years taken for granted. Instead of people chilling and relaxing in the pub, all you'd get was locals and staff complaining about everything, every day. Not a nice experience anymore.

Before you knew it, pretty much everyone that made it ' home', had moved to another pub and made it ' home'.

You really can't do that with a football club you support. But you can make change. Just stop going. 

If people stopped going instead of just complaining and still going, then Clubs would have to change.

Money talks. Why pay into something that we don't agree with. Why put up with mediocre? Why be overcharged for crap food and beverages? Why buy ridiculously overpriced advertising made of polyester and wear it? The more we pay and keep going...the more owners will just take fans for granted.

It's no surprise non league football attendances are going up.

The sooner fans start complaining with their feet, the better. Let's get this system to implode...it's totally broken.

Sooner the better imo. No reason why our club wouldn't start up again like every other club. At least, maybe we would have an equal base to start from, rather than now.

Put it out of its misery. I'm totally up for starting again. It's broken.

27 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

You’ve got to be able to do both!

The other thing I bleat on about a lot is against big strong aerial threats, you have to jump a split second earlier than normal.  It sounds stupid, but an ex-pro taught me that.  It stops them using any contact as leverage, or in Mitrovic’s case a little “push” to stop you jumping at all or mistiming it.  He’s bloody good at it, and in fairness to Kalas he usually does get up early (sometimes loses his balance as a result), but Vyner often doesn’t get off the ground at all as a result.

Exactly...but our lot at the moment seem incapable of doing that. Vyner is like a wet weekend. Timing and strength weak imo. Look at the lead up to Fulham's second goal where CoD slipped. Before that, Vyner was defending one on one the goal keepers clearance. He might as well have not been there...literally just stood next to I think Mitrovic...no attempt to win header or put him off balance. As I've said before, our positioning is often ' symbolic'...the coach can't have a go for not being in position or marking their man...but that's it. Very little aggression, or attempt to tackle, put off balance, or stop a cross. It's weak...what's the point of doing the hard stuff, concentrating and getting in the right position, if you do very little when in that position...like I said, Symbolic. 

One thing I've noticed when defending a high ball into the box, is our defenders are constantly looking at their man and not the flight of the ball.

The attacker is watching the ball coming in, adjusting, putting himself in the best position to attack the ball with strength, aggression and a strong jump to head the ball.

Our defenders, watch the player, attempt to block him, but it's often way to weak. The end result is a weak unbalanced leap to try and head the ball from a standing position. It's useless...so weak in both aspects.

They very rarely watch the flight of the ball ( more concerned with their man ). They rarely give themselves a chance to attack the ball with height, strength and aggression, unless it's a ' free header'.

It's very poor imo.

That first shot by Palmer

5 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I don’t think it has to be a one season click.  You can build momentum.

The “brilliant” recruitment part is, but…

Yep, that’s a big difference, they run a B Team model, most teams run an Academy model.

Although Brentford are data-heavy, the common myth is that they uncover these obscure players through data.  In fact a large proportion of these are spotted by scouts, they have a vast scouting network.  They then feed them into the data-machine.  Thomas Frank is a big proponent of using the “eye-test” first and “data” to confirm the eye-test.

As for City, we moved away from from the lower league gem and academy model / strategy over time, and although you could see the arguments for looking at those young PL academy players (Dasilva and Palmer) the cost to get them onboard in the first place was cost-heavy, especially when you add in a 6 month loan to the costs.  That impacted future profit margins, made to look even worse through a covid hit financial climate.  Having had them on loan, they should’ve been “sure things”.  The fact that Palmer most definitely hasn’t been and Dasilva’s injuries are making him look a bad deal too.

So back to Spud’s post, we have to improve recruitment and academy, including recruitment into Academy (not necessarily poaching, just getting players in at a young enough age).

When you see Tomas Kalas is costing os £3.25m p.a. - that’s more than 10% of our best year’s revenues, it’s time to realise we carried away.

Back to Brentford (again), they built that momentum, gradually building up to a playoff season, then a promotion.  They might’ve had to bite the bullet had they failed last season, they’d started to get a bit cost-heavy too, but they still had saleable assets, even in a collapsed market, because their players were wanted by PL teams.

 

I agree you build momentum, but that only works if you recruit, sell and replace with like or better.

Our policy has been a scatter gun approach. Buying players seen as undervalued, with the intent to improve them, and perhaps sell at profit eventually.

You still have to buy players that fit a system in the pitch for it to work on and off the field.

If players don't suit our ' style' they lose value both on and off the pitch.

Whilst a player maybe technically good or have other qualities, if he's underperforming in a team that doesn't suit him, his value drops. Granted ..you can had individuals that shine, and still stand out...but if you start to look bang average like DaSilva, Palmer and Wells, your value decreases, especially if on good wages. All three are good players in their own right...but not right for us, if you get my drift.

Recruitment has to be done with a plan...not just as individuals 

13 minutes ago, Monkeh said:

No its the same, but poorly implemented

Brentford have a system that works for them...our system is flawed imo. However...in saying that, I can't see any other way at the moment. Needs new regulations by EFL put in place. It's practically impossible to run a club profitable as it is.

8 minutes ago, Monkeh said:

It's the same strategy used by brentford

I can understand why you think that, but when you look closer to us, it's different.

Regardless of the damage done by Covid, our strategy as a club is going to be constantly under pressure.

It's reliant on finding players who are under value, or from lower league's to develop, then sell on at a profit. All whilst trying to develop youngsters in the Academy to good Championship players...again to utilise and then sell if good profit can be made.

It's very much one step forward, two steps back. 

It's dependent on great recruitment, coaching, and ultimately good business acumen in the transfer market.

I can't see how we could ever get promoted, unless everything clicked in one season, in this division.

To lose money like we do yearly, regardless of covid is not sustainable unless continually bailed out.

1 hour ago, GrahamC said:

Leaving aside the issue of how the big 4 get obvious decisions in their favour, that is ridiculous, isn’t it?

It is either used in every game in the same round of a competition or not at all, that is a ludicrous decision.

My thoughts exactly. It's not the same rules for everyone, competing in the same competition. Ridiculous.

Also read yesterday, it costs approx 10k a game to have VAR which is split 50/50 between clubs. Wtf

8 hours ago, phantom said:

I'm intrigued how two different sports at the same ground have different rules? 

Or am I missing something more obvious here.... 

 

Because every rule we have in this country and others is full on hypocrisy.

Do as you're told... don't question...just obey.

It's seriously not funny anymore.

It's a shame so much hard work is being done up to the final third, to be let down by poor movement inside the box. Static...how do they expect to receive the ball if they don't try to evade, get across their markers. So frustrating to watch.

I wonder if any scouts wearing club jacket with badge or tie have gotten the same Ill feeling?

A fan wouldn't know they were a scout or rival club employee whilst walking through concourse.

Funny ol' world.

3 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

You did actually….you said you’d expect him to score that chance 9/10.  That’s xG, you just didn’t use that “term”.

What is this...pedants reunited I mentioned 9/10...then yourself and exiled went in depth XG...and I'm getting the flack   so it's ok for yourself...but I say something and it's full on. Wtf

9 hours ago, BS4 on Tour... said:

Weimann scored - why can’t you celebrate that without bringing boring, irrelevant analysis into it - Weimann kicked the ball into the net - Wahey! Bristol City scored a goal! Please celebrate with us when it happens Spudski without delving into XG ratings etc ... cheers! 

I didn't bring XG ratings into it. Someone else did. So have a dig at them.

Not sure why I'm getting pelters for this.

The discussion just developed about which goals were technically better.

Glad he scored, glad we won. 

He's going through a purple patch...as NP alluded to post match...in as much as he's glad to have Weimann ' in this form'.

The only reason this thread exists, is because Andi is such a frustrating player. 

Enough said on the subject.

37 minutes ago, maxjak said:

It wasn't the best of the three.....but I have seen plenty of premier league players volley a chance like that into row Z, give the guy some credit?

The pundit was referring to the third goal. 

It was the easiest of the three to score. 

I'm not discrediting him...simply pointing out it was easier than some are making out... especially for a professional at this level. 

The first and third goals, I would expect to hit target. 

The second a fantastic strikers goal. 

Just now, VT05763 said:

It was a shot not a "lob".

Ok...'shot' over the keeper into an unguarded net...let's not be pedantic about certain words...you know what I mean.

The thread has certainly gone way off tbh. All over which was the hardest goal to score. You think first...I think second, and the Quest pundit thought the third. 

Either way...they were well taken goals. 

What makes me chuckle though...is the XG rating. Imagine being sat in the stadium and watching the attempt 100 times over and over again, and 93 were missed.