spudski

I grew up in Yate as a child. 

Played for all the Yate Utd boys age groups on the Germans fields. 

My two best friends and neighbours were both Gas.

One of their Dads was manager of Yate Utd boys ( anyone remember Tony the Veg man sponsoring?)

The others Grandfather was manager of the Gas in the 70s. Such a nice man.

I was the only City fan in the street. Dad and Grandad both from St Johns lane. 

It definitely felt like more Gas during the 70s/80s. 

Yate gets a bad undeserved rap. But I had the best childhood there. Played footy all the time. Kingsgate Park and the Woods were my playground. Lots of green space. Plenty of schools, shops, amenities. 

Sodbury really close with all its pubs. 

Plenty of work available. 

M4 and M5 easy to get to. 

Rail network good. 

Lots going for it tbh. Far worse places to live. 

Would rather live there than many parts of built up Bristol. 

Moved away now, but visit every week. 

29 minutes ago, CodeRed said:

Their breakfasts are tiny- and who puts cherry tomatoes on the vine on a fry up plate?

 

I live in Charfield and I don't see many van men, the car park is full of large SUV's.

My next door neighbour runs a small company who do work on mostly local construction sites and he takes the crew out every Friday for a fry up and the builders ( always the good judge of a decent breakfast) choice of venue in this area is Tortworth Farm Shop - his guys don't rate the VBC or the Hideout at Leyhill !

Ahh..I was talking about the original one in Yate. 

Plus I'd rather have toms on a vine than beans

15 minutes ago, CodeRed said:

It's a girly place - I wouldn't bother unless you like this stuff.....

 

Meanwhile...proper grub   you choose! 

 

 

They do a bloody lovely 'Fry Up' at the Birdcage...that's why there is always a bunch of white van men parked up either ordering takeaway or sit in. They used to have breakfast buffet trays lined up outside specifically for that. 

1 hour ago, Harry said:

I do frequent Boswell’s sometimes for lunch. But I only do takeaway. I don’t like to sit inside with the other mutants.

I have taken KITR to the Vintage Birdcage in Charfield, which he enjoyed. But he did seem very twitchy and out of his comfort zone. You see, as he’s a resident of Long Ashton, he seemed like he was half expecting someone in the cafe to be shouting obscenities, drinking cider so cloudy you couldn’t see the brewers foreskin in there, and for a disturbance to occur between a group of teen moms. So the next time he visited he preferred to stay in my house for a cuppa instead. 

Surprised you didn't go to the Plough in Charfield mate. Love that pub real quirky.

And then into the Falcon Steak house in Wotton. Cracking steaks in there. 

The Vintage Birdcage in Kingsgate park is such a success, no wonder they opened another in Charfield. 

53 minutes ago, cidercity1987 said:

I'm not down with KITR's abuse of Yate and it's residents but Ladden Garden Village is a proper tip, right?

Bin laden village is sadly frequented by a lot of undesirables. Drugs, anti social behaviour is prevalent. 

Massive problem with drugs in Yate and Sodbury now. 

Yate gets a bad rap, however, it's far better than many areas of Bristol. 

It's definitely more red than blue now. 

Sodbury in general is a nice place to live. 

I left the area last year, but still visit every week to meet with friends. 

As for the bus park and ride...it doesn't have a designated bus for riding. It's basically a car park, and you wait for the normal buses that travel between Bristol and Yate. 

1 minute ago, The Bard said:

But, but, but. He's not a top 6 championship keeper or whatever bullshit category people wish to invent.  

 

 

Players can evolve and get better. Especially Keepers. At 27 he's getting to his considered peak as a GK. 

37 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

Because of the way points are handed out as in 3, 1, 0 it's much more important to win than to not lose. This is obviously the design of this - encouraging teams, particularly those playing away, to attack and go for the win rather than block out for a draw.

But what it means is that the difference between a win and a draw, 2 points, is double the difference between a draw and a loss. Generally draws really don't help a team climb the table.

Therefore converting draws into wins has greater impact than converting a loss into a draw. The same goals can have more impact on table position.

None of what I say here is exemplary critical thought or revelation.

Seeing as no-one ever actually said the phrase "top 6" they'd probably be confused by the question. "Top 6" was implied by phrases like "top end of the division" and "promotion challenge" etc. But quite sensibly they never actually used that little phrase.

I go back to what Tinnion said on SoTC. He said at that time we needed to be "about ten points further on". IIRC given the points total at the the time he effectively declared that 1.54ppg was the target. That does make sense as that, over 46 games, achieves a 71 point total - which will normally see you finish something between 5th and 8th. A perfectly reasonable and realistic target for a club with our resources in my opinion.

So what I think they are looking for, at any single point in the season, is either 1.54ppg or an indication that we're not far off that.

I think when they said they expected promotion it set alarm bells for many fans. We aren't top 2...and the play offs are a lottery, so how do you expect promotion?

It's bullshit imo. 

That's the problem with this Club... constantly expecting. Either media saying we are in waiting or our own hierarchy. Apart from infrastructure, nothing in our playing side should make us expect. 

Tbh...the fans aren't stupid. They know we aren't promotion contenders. So why do they keep trying to fool everyone? Marketing strategy of course. 

12 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

Everyone likes to ridicule the likes of JL for them saying top 6 was the target. I think they do that because they know their man has not delivered. 

Before the season started I did believe that with a fair wind and maybe one or two more signings then we could have had a crack at the top 6. 

You don't need to be a top 6 squad to get top 6. Coventry last season were not one of the best 6 sides in the league. They played terribly at times. However they had the ability to grind out results and get points from games that they shouldn't have. 

Ironically I believed that camaraderie was our best chance of getting into the top 6. This season it felt like our squad had taken a huge step forward in that regards. 

I think we went from wanting to emulate Coventry to then wanting to emulate Ipswich. 

People can ridicule the clubs statements all they like but the reality is we do have enough to have got more from games against QPR x2, Huddersfield, Sheff Wed, Cardiff, Preston, Millwall, Birmingham etc. 

 

 

Perhaps when interviewed next, they should ask JL and Tinnion what they mean by ' Top 6'.

As top 6 includes the top 2 and often teams fighting for those top 2 places. 

Or do they mean 6th...which is often only a few points above mid table sides. A big difference imo.

5 minutes ago, Cowshed said:

I may have some understanding without understanding!

Multitasking does not aid cognitive performance, it can induce stress and mental fog, and causes the brain to use energy (glucose) faster creating poorer cognitive performance.

 

 

 

 

If you are a woman it isn't

14 hours ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

When NP left we were 5 off, when the change itself was made ie post the Fleming game it was 4.

We are currently 11 so people can draw their own conclusions really.

Based on the trajectory of November we are a win light.

It's crossed my mind that we are 4 wins off of a play off spot in 6th place. 

You could arguably say in this league that margins are so fine, that a great deal of luck is involved and that 4 games could easily have been converted to wins. 

Is this why the likes of BT consider top 6 feesable?

Arguably the games we've won by fine margins could have been losses.

Look at Huddersfield. Lost less games than us and sit bottom 3

It's the experience and knowledge James and King bring that worries me the most about losing. 

Saying we have the likes of Vyner as a senior at this level to give ' experience ' is a massive mistake imo

1 hour ago, zombie said:

What do they tell or try to sell to the fan base?

The carrot is the Prem, even though I reckon less than 5% of the promoted teams in the last 10 years have stayed up.

We need to be more ambitious than survival, not knocking Plymouth, but for them staying in the Championship would be success.

They need to tell us we’re going for top 6, top 2 unrealistic, bottom or middle third is not a going to sell tickets or enthuse the fans. I want more, I think promotion is unlikely but not impossible each season, that’s the dream. I don’t think the club should come out and say we’re happy with a sustainable 10th - 14th even if they are happy with that, that may be the objective and maybe hope for better while the hope some comes in and pays close to SL asking price, which isn’t looking likely.

I want the club to have a strategy, ambition and plan, but also don’t want the, to put the club at risk. The current ownership need to go, I’d love a new ownership and vision, but what’s the point in overspending and bringing in players like Fabio Carvhahlo and being 2 places above us like Hull are now?

Yeah... basically we are told bullshit to sell tickets. 

The reality is we aren't a top 6 side...but they tell you we are to sell tickets. 

But when it goes on for years and then your Tech Director says it as well...you either call bullshit or delusional and question their judgement. 

33 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

I watched the new Man City documentary on Netflix last night. 

I was blown away by how good Peps team talks are. He is the master. 

I've not got an issue with him talking to a player on the pitch. That's the optimal time to say something. The moment has gone when back in the dressing room. Take away the crowds and the cameras and no one would have a problem with it so I don't see what the problem is. 

I always found it bizarre that people on here tried to compare Manning with wanting to be Pep by them saying Man City are emotionless when the reality is you'd struggle to find a more emotional manager than Pep. 

It's a good series. Shows how he communicates. Typical Latino. 

1 minute ago, glastored said:

It won’t be too long before we will be wondering what next year’s kit will look like. Personally, I don’t like this season’s shirt, not being a fan of stripes. I really liked the kit worn by City when we celebrated our win over Leeds back in 1974. I liked the simplicity of it, and especially liked the deep red colour of the shirt, with no frills.

 Hope City go back to the simple designs of yesteryear, or maybe I’m too nostalgic for the old days! What say you?

Would love a 76/77 vibe, both home and away.

4 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Let's be honest top 2 under the current system, Ipswich are playing well well our of their skin but it won't be replicated and is perhaps a 1 in 20 type season.

We could aim for top 2 albeit unrealistic and hope to have a go at the top 6, stars v moon etc but actually bona fide having a top 2 ambition just doesn't seem feasible to me.

I think you have to have top 2 ambition to make top 6. 

Top 6 ambition or 6th isn't far off mid table. 

If we made 6th and knocked out...what have we accomplished?

Play off defeats are more detrimental imo than not making them. As it gives a false sense of achievement. 

3 hours ago, zombie said:

We’re always hearing about on the field metrics; XG, pass completion %, aerial, duels, distance covered etc….

They are useful indicators when assessing the game or players.

However, when trying to objectively assess the club how should we do it? We all want the same thing, a realistic playoff or title challenge, but realistically nowadays with parachute payments is that fair?

Some expect top 10 or higher, but what areas of the club are top 10? Do we have a top 10 transfer budget? Top 10 wages? Top 10 attendances? Is the HPC a top 10 training facility?

We’ve never been in the Prem (I know there was football before that), but realistically we’re not a Leeds. There’s nothing wrong with ambitions and aspirations, I’d love more success on the pitch, I wouldn’t mind a few more lows as long as I get the highs too, we are mediocre, chatting to Leicester fans last Friday reminded me how boring being a City fan has been in recent years.

I’m no supporter of the current ownership and leadership, but am grateful for the stability and platform they’ve given us, but are they being too harshly treated and do we, like all fans, have unrealistic expectations?

The top 6 is predictably predominately recent Prem clubs, the only surprise being Ipswich, even teams which have arguably gone for it like Hull signing Fabio Carvahlo to their fairly star studded squad only sit a couple of places above, it makes you wonder if it’s worth having a real go, I do appreciate the likes of what Luton, Brentford etc… have done, but if you don’t have the very best leadership, huge ambition and some good fortune is it worth sinking millions in when there’s unlikely to be return on investment, in fact does being more sustainable make us more attractive to a prospective buyer, is SL holding back financially (compared to his history) potentially doing us a favour in the long run?

We all want Prem or even Championship top 6, but why should we expect it if we don’t have a top 6 squad, back room team, board, transfer/wage budget, attendances etc… Is it unfair to expect more when everything about us screams mid table?

I would like to know why some may feel we should be considerably higher, we all want more, but would that reflect what is happening off the pitch relative to our rivals? Are some fans being a little entitled? Hopefully if anyone replies they have something to say regarding some off the field areas where we may excel (like the minutes players from the HPC play) or where we are mid table or lower and this doesn’t just turn this into another NP v LM or BT/JL are clueless thread.

I don't know anyone that expects top 6.

We are constantly being told by the media and our owners, and board that we are expecting top 6 and and promotion. 

But this is pure folly. 

Putting your hopes and expectations into top 6 and the lottery of the players offs is a joke. 

No one runs a business like that. 

We have the infrastructure, and grateful for it. However we have an owner and board that imo, are miles off making the correct decisions in progressing to the top 6 or Prem aspirations. 

Being told every season that we expect top 6 or promotion has now become a joke. 

Fans see through it. 

It makes them look like idiots imo

Had an interesting conversation with someone who's part of running Yate Town. 

Financially it's better for the Club to stay in this league, as there are more ' local' sides to play against, and they bring a bigger following. 

They also introduced City and Rovers season ticket holder deals which has increased numbers. 

I suggested doing more of that. 

Shame non league football at certain levels is so spread out around the country. 

It really doesn't help clubs. 

36 minutes ago, Markthehorn said:

I do notice the other leagues now complain the Premier league is too powerful and has all the money .

Italy's big teams have been notorious over the years. It was hard to keep up with them and a few other big Continental teams. 

Without condoning it, it's probably the only way to compete against teams in Europe in the Champions league that throughout history are less than squeaky clean.

It's like trying to win the Tour de France without doping. 

Cornicks playing like he's pissed. All over the place. 

How nice it is to watch a game without electronic advertising boards. 

HT 3-0 up at Crewe

28 minutes ago, Lew-T said:

It all comes down to, again, that you like what you like.

If it isn’t for you, then there are plenty other things to enjoy. I’m not into drum and bass, but I don’t see any harm in this.

As long as they didn’t litter after themselves then crack on.

19 minutes ago, nebristolred said:

100% this. DnB isn’t my bag at all but it’s absolutely everywhere in this city, don’t see any issue with it whatsoever. Bristol being at the forefront of anything good is a positive in my book.

I don't see any issues with it either, apart from holding up traffic needlessly. 

Perhaps someone can educate me. Do you need permission to do this from the authorities? 

Or can anyone now organise a ' march' at walking pace on the roads? And basically do whatever you want?

I'd be right pissed off if I was late for an appointment, hospital or flight etc. 

Or do we now have an attitude of do whatever you want?

At this part of the season where teams are fighting against relegation, then these are the tough games. 

Again...playing against teams going for promotion.

The easiest games should in theory be against teams like ourselves that have nothing to play for apart from pride. 

31 minutes ago, CityReds said:

I don’t get people waking up in the morning and running marathons for fun, but I don’t need to “get it” if they’re enjoying themselves I say crack on.

There are people who don’t “get” following a football team round the country travelling thousands of miles and costing thousands of pounds but they don’t need to.

I get why people do those things you quote. 

If people are ' enjoying' themselves walking around following a bloke playing drum and bass...then I would like to know...what enjoyment they gained from it. What garners that enjoyment? 

As I said... Maybe the belonging and hanging with like minded people?