Silvio Dante

The only site that’s worthwhile for news and reliable is the OS. Whenever anyone asks if there is news I tend to bore them by just completing this mantra over and over again before lapsing into a lovelorn post about Barry Bannan.

3-0 half time. Leeds doing a number on them, giving up possession and hitting with pace on the break.

On a related subject, noted what I thought was the debut of “Pecked by the Robins” last night which unfortunately sounds like “Pegged by the Robins” when chanted. Slightly different connotations there….

It’s pronounced “lemon”

The club did this (and well) a couple of years ago post Covid. I think it was a game vs Swansea which was a night game - the club produced flyers in the shop which were titled “forever red” and included photos of all those who died in the pandemic. These photos were then rotated on the big screens and displayed on the advertising hoardings both pre match and during a minutes applause. My dad was one of them. It’s a simple idea, easy to manage. There is no reason why it shouldn’t happen every season.

It’s the best (overall) performance since he took charge IMO. Listening to him on Radio Bristol I pretty much saw the first half the same way - after the first ten excellent until the goal and then we kind of sat back and let them take the game on. Second half we had a lot of ball without much penetration (21 shots is misleading - I think there was one save of note outside of the goals), but the sheer territorial press we made warranted the luck we had on both goals - we had 10 men in their half constantly and took the risk of being hit on the break. It’s a different way of playing to what we did against QPR, Boro, Norwich and screams evolution as opposed to revolution. Which is exactly the right approach and definite credit to the manager is deserved.

Got my list saved.

It’s the Red Hot Chili Peppers and “Can’t Stop” As in Jon can’t stop being incompetent.

Can I just say, spelling “Hospitality Suite” as the “Hostility Suit” may be my favourite inadvertent phrase of 2023.

1. No 2. Yes

Good to speak to you again Mr. Thatcuntpulis

Ferguson said it AFAIK but it isn’t true for a few simple reasons. - Managers times at clubs are often transient, but contracts have to be paid up in the event of a sacking (unless clauses). Take Manning - he’s on a 3.5year deal. If he screws up royally and we get relegated in May, then I’ve no doubt he’d be sacked and the club would have a liability of 3 years. - Maybe not here, but higher up the pyramid the merchandise recoup from players is massive. Nobody’s going round with Roy Hodgson on a poster but you can bet there is a lot of Michael Olise goods sold. Commercially players make more for clubs than managers on a general basis - Players have value as sell on. Managers don’t typically. Eddie Howe is unlikely to get poached but Alexander Isak would fetch north of £50m if sold. If you have an asset that much you pay him accordingly. Ferguson was an exception as he pretty much guaranteed success so his value to the club was more than any player. Most managers aren’t near that ballpark. The only ones it may be true of currently - but still unlikely - are Pep and Klopp

To be fair, I think the reporter @Tristan Cork is a city fan, so may be an editorial as to reporting piece

Ex Players who are Ghost experts you say? Im going for this guy:

Well you won’t now at the newsagents across the road from Greville Smyth Park. Those of you who like a few beers on the wall pre game, plan ahead! https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-shopkeeper-loses-alcohol-licence-8991278#google_vignette

I can answer that. Jon is a bit confused between the abbreviation for the band and the abbreviation for the training ground.

7am start from Yate, home by about half seven at night and an exceptionally numb backside from the driving! However, sneaking through open gates rules!

Incidentally on the city centre shop thing it is worth noting a few things: - I’m not sure what people know how much a retail unit in Broadmead actually costs to rent. As a guide, a 120 sq ft unit in Cabot (so pretty small - just a kiosk really) is £40k pa on current listings. If you add in staff costs, rates, insurance etc and profit margin required on each item that unit needs to shift probably about £4K a week to get close to breaking even. The market is by nature limited so it’s not getting there and it’s a valid decision - Other clubs have also taken this view - Villa closing their Broad Street store for example. Clubs like Man City (Arndale) have one for the big club tourist buck but we’re not in that league (bizarrely PSG have a shop on Oxford Street!) and then outside of stuff like Liverpool/Rangers/Celtic shops in Belfast and the fantastically named “Everton Two” in the Liverpool shopping centre, it just doesn’t happen. - A pop up was tried as has been said at QF. And we all remember Massive! There may have been an opportunity for a Christmas market unit, but as has been said that relies on stock.. TL:DR - a city centre shop wouldn’t work

On a purely unscientific sample, today I had to take my 12 year old groundhopping as he’s trying to see all 92. And it shuts him up. We visited 9 clubs - Coventry, Derby, Forest, Notts County, Rotherham, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Chesterfield and Mansfield. Of those, the range in Cov, Weds, Derby, Sheff U, Notts County and Forest was comfortably above ours. Rotherham about par, and we were better than Mansfield or Chesterfield who only really offered kit. Of which stock was plentiful. That says our retail operation is definitely league 2 level…

And I think it’s important to say that there was nothing wrong with that. In football it’s frowned upon to talk to players from other teams - ie “tapping up” - but in all other industries it’s normal. By all means don’t start formal negotiations until a proper approach is made but using third parties to gauge interest is sensible planning when it comes to looking at both players and managers

See a doctor

I think people have said pretty similar to me - that his shot stopping is not in doubt, it’s decision making and distribution where there are question marks. Definite MOM today but in the last game he was correctly getting pelters for his kicking - this isn’t an “I told you so” moment that solves that issue!

“Only ****ers in the Building”

I’d also add that I thought he defended well first half, and worked back. Makes the second half all the more bizarre as he did the “non performance” bit but as has been said, I think in the context of how he’s done so far, it’s a step overall in the right direction