havanatopia

Talks like their fitness levels are not high enough; that is down to the coaching staff and is a big worry if true. ?

Common sense should tell you i am basing those remarks on the french press. Based on that report and taking it on face value the pilot made approximately 3 decisional errors. I did say it was 'so sad' so dont jump on me. If the french press is wrong then obviously that changes things.

Sounds like a rank amateur pilot. Dear oh dear. Should have abandoned after the first attempt. I have flown many of these single and twin engine planes and never would they keep attempting to take off. Absolutely crazy pilot. These flights should obviously be contractually banned. So sad.

Has anybody ascended Porlock Hill, on foot? And I mean wearing a pair of running shoes and using them for their intended function. How about running down as well? That has to be a 1 in 5 would you think? As I looked up from the tarmac conveyor belt through beads of sweat accumulating around my sockets all I could focus was the blurred red and white stripes of a Stoke City shirt. And it hurt. My body hurt and my self respect hurt. How very dare I allow this shirt to be in front of me, running in the same direction, beads of sweat and all, it brought back Liam Lawrence. You remember that match? That also still hurts. That pain got me up the hill though to be fair. Stoke City 2 City 1, April 19th, 2008. Liam Lawrence ran the ball into the corner, one of our players, probably Bradley Orr ever the energised runner and trier, 'shoved' the time waster to the floor, resultant free kick, probably taken by Lawrence himself, having just made a miraculous recovery, lobbed the ball in for Ricardo Fuller to flick it on for Sidibe to head in his second. Gary Johnson said after the game that "Some people are naturally disappointed because it looks as though automatic promotion is unlikely. What we must do now is make sure we are in the play-offs and then give it our best shot if that is the case" and that only made it hurt even more. The Britannia was rockin' that day, I know because I was there, and the City faithful never once dropped their voices below an audibly magnificent level. City were second and Stoke were third but by 5pm the roles were reversed and the rest, as they say, is history. (league positions need checking but I know Stoke went 2nd) I thought those prophetic words from Gary J were defeatist and should not have been said. It was almost written in the stars that the play off final was simply one game too far; the lead up to the final saw City raise their game again to those hitherto levels that kept us fighting for automatic promotion but ultimately we can trace back that moment by Liam Lawrence that defined our entire season when we lost it. And still in front of me the red and white stripes of that damned Stoke City shirt. Of course what made that sweat worse was the fact this was no Porlock Hill @ 1 in 5 or, how do they say nowadays, 20%? This was late December and I forgot the exact year, perhaps 2009 when the Liam Lawrence debacle was still fresh and it was Caracas' Porlock Hill only much worse. This had to be 1 in 4. And it was hot. What was I thinking? Well as a guest you can hardly turn down a run with your host. Yes that shirt was my close friend and the end of year celebrations in Venezuela were truly memorable. This was long before the supermarket shelves were bare, at least in the hills above the morass of troubles brewing in the cauldron below. But I have to say this Stoke City fan, while a friend since my Cuba days, those days of never ending excitement and intrigue, was a bit of a nutter, in a good way of course. You will laugh now but back then I must have been one too because I just went along with his hair brained idea of sitting with the West Ham fans as a closet Stokie for the day. Again, the date alludes me but sometime in the last decade or more I agreed to hold the Stoke flag high as they attempted to win at the Boleyn Ground and by his excitement of the event probably for the first time in a while. We walked to the ground from the house of and with a West Ham friend of ours. it did not really cross my mind about seating arrangements and all three of us seemed excited to be together for the first time in years and going to a football match, together, also for the first time. As we entered the turnstiles it then dawned on me that this was only for the home fans. We sat down, the three of us, and what a magnificent stadium I saw before me, packed to the rafters and with the Stoke fans at the opposite end in significant numbers plus two more in the home end! The match was a complete blur to me not being either a West Ham or Stoke City fan but at some point mid way through the first half i was asked to remove my coat, it was getting a little warm to be fair, to reveal, the both of us, with two Stoke City shirts. Well I was a Stoke fan for the day remember and this was strength in numbers! Haha yeah right. In an instant the four letter words hurled at us like missiles from behind; 'remove' your sorry arses or we could end up as dead meat. Not long after a steward frog marched us to the Stoke end. I look back on it now and consider it an exercise in fan behavioural science and for the benefit of all! One sometimes has to justify the actions of madness with a jovial attempt at meaning. In fairness those Hammers were rather more vociferous than I think many other club fans would have been so it was not entirely a wasted exercise. I don't even know the result but it was an eventful experience and one in which I can say is the first and last time I have been with both sets of fans at the same match. Today's match is a rather interesting one because it is not only the first time we have played Stoke City, in a league game, since that season changing fixture but it falls on exactly the same day we played them at Ashton Gate the last time, earlier that season of course, and in which we won 1-0. That is quite remarkable when you think about it; computer algorithms, amongst other clever formulas, define the dates for all football fixtures so the fact it falls on exactly the same date and for the last time the fixture took place is remarkable. Thanks to our fellow OTIB member Phantom for advising me of that fact and, it checks out! And finally, we cannot end a match day thread without mentioning one of 'our own', well geographically speaking of course; Jack Butland started his successful career playing for Clevedon United Juniors while living in Kenn, just outside Clevedon and attending the town's comprehensive school. My brother asks, with some justification, why Clevedon United did not receive compensation, even if down the line, for the hard work the local club put in nurturing this talent? A subject that is, of course, close to many of our hearts; grass roots football receives scant little financial trickle down from the league clubs. Lets hope he has a howler today though! Enjoy the match everyone, I know I will.

As soon as I scrolled down and saw Wael @ £400 million and inside that top 20 rich list on BP 'Live' rag site I closed it; And I previously found no notation as to how they calculated the wealth sum for each FL league club; no doubt just made up. Is it really just the BP 'Live' site we have for news now? Its largely fake or old news. Otib is the news now with an honourable mention to the new bcfc.co.uk.

I think Confucious was talking from the stand point of those who have an average or better standard of education.

Is it that Blankety Blank bloke? Or are they all dead now?

Super win for City. Best of the season? Probably in terms of how they largely controlled the game.

I hope, again, we do not rue those other chances. Swansea need to cone firing out the blocks 2nd half and City have to counter it.

HT 0-1 ... Good half from City; thought we played well.

Absolutely. Who went off for O'Dowda?

Nervous, slow or both.... Needs one.

Yep echo the Kelly remarks. Got that winger in his pocket so far. The new CB looks decent as well. Weimann all over the place and Taylor putting himself about.

Not a bad start then... Fastest goal of the 3pm's ?.

Mods, wakey wakey - reverse the fixture in title please.

Game 6; remember Argyle? That counts.

i have not but its a fair shout... Mods... Please amend the match day title to correctly place swansea before city... What was I thinking? HAHAHAHA..... OBVIOULSY does not apply to football sequences anymore just havin' a larf'.

Having no lifeboat when the ship is going down must be one of the most lingering 'end of my life' feelings. Slowly watching the vessel submerge itself with only a life jacket, not a shoreline in sight and in cold seas. I am thinking of those who have experienced such a moment right now as I ramble on and say to all you fellow brilliant Bristol City fans, following our club through a little bit of treacle but mostly very runny vinegar, to take it away, take the match day and make it yours today. Mine is not the sinking ship but a washed up metaphor of it for another time. Up the table.

Not a bad shout. Maybe he's in for Assistant. I thought City would turn the screw on McLaren tonight. Well done City, now build on it by not losing to Swansea.

Will they unveil a surprise loan player today to shore up the defence?

An image from the 70's that ironically probably best sums up the QPR of the 90's and beyond. In the context of the ever effervescent Stanley Bowles' words below. Stan Bowles once uttered one of football's most famous quotes: “I blew the lot on vodka and tonic, gambling and fags. Looking back, I think I overdid it on the tonic.” Sadly now struggling with Alzeimer's Disease. QPR are one of these teams that somehow have a knack for getting themselves of out trouble and they have been in trouble a lot in their more recent volatile times, splashing the cash big time only to either go bust, go into administration, get relegated, get slapped with transfer embargoes and fines. Terry Venables was the man that most fans, alive today, would likely connect with the most for a promotion and a cup final appearance. QPR 1-0 Leeds United (April 23, 1983) QPR sealed promotion back to the top flight thanks to a 1-0 home win over Leeds. Rangers were flying under Terry Venables and clinched promotion with six games remaining. They eventually finished 10 points clear at the top of the old Division Two. QPR 1-1 Tottenham FA Cup final (May 22, 1982) In what remains the club's only FA Cup final appearance, Terry Venables' side drew 1-1 with Spurs. With the scores tied 0-0 the game went into extra time. Glen Hoddle put Tottenham 1-0 up before Terry Fenwick equalised for the Hoops. However, in the replay Hoddle scored the only goal of the game - a penalty - to win his side the cup. This one sticks in the throat a bit:- Sheffield Wednesday 1-3 QPR (May 8, 2004) Then managed by Ian Holloway, QPR secured promotion to Division One (now the Championship) on the last day of the season at Hillsborough. An own goal and strikes from Kevin Gallen and Paul Furlong helped the Hoops edge out Bristol City. Bar stewards. Or should we blame Wilson for what turned out to be his last few games before departing the club and as reminded to us by @headhunter in his thread 'Lansdown - Wilson Departure in 2004'. And in 2011.. The only way is up: Neil Warnock (centre) celebrates promotion at Vicarage Road with Alejandro Faurlin (left) and Adel Taarabt (right). You simply cannot talk about promotions to the top flight and fail to see Warnock involved somewhere; he crops up with such regularity. And of course not forgetting the 2014 play off final win over Derby when Gary O'Neill was given a straight red and QPR hung on with 10 men to the delight of Harry Redknapp and an ultimately financially crippling legacy; again. We owe QPR a bit of a good hiding frankly. Pummelled on Saturday they might just stick 5 across the back and defend in depth just to steady the ship with a draw; that will do little to suppress the clamour to criticise our coaches, head of recruitment and owner though and frankly; the paying public deserve answers. QPR could be heading down to the third tier again, early days of course, but that win at Hillsborough in May 2004, drawing to an end to their last stay, still lives in my memory. These are the sort of events that, were I coach, I would be playing in the changing room before tonights game. Partly settling a score and easing the pain for us fans is a duty any era of City players are beholden to carry out. Be delighted for Lee Johnson to quote such types of matches post event to 'talk directly' to us fans. It is what creates the bond and with this gaffer that has always been lacking. His father was much better at it. Come on Lee bring us back into the fold of support, stop making excuses and motivate your players. Wallop them again and send Mr. McLaren into retirement.

Any player who ducks out of the way of a shot should be immediately dropped; alas we do not have the luxury of squad depth. Seriously though, see this time and again in the Prem and see how much they are paid.

I thought my remark about QPR would solicit a few responses.... Narhhh... We are far too good for them.. 1-1

QPR clear at the bottom with -8 gd. Mclaren..... What a hapless task he has there.

Might be wishful thinking on your part.