pongo88

Exactly. A really good manager could keep a club mid table with a small budget - eg Mick McCarthy. He kept Ipswich in the Championship with a very limited budget. Some of the supporters didn’t like the style of football and wanted him to go. He went and they are now in League 1

Actually that’s not difficult at the Mem.

Somebody on Gaschat is getting worried about conceding 9 joebananas67 First Team 9 minutes ago Quote I am old enough to have been present at White Hart Lane. Apart from 4-0 first half display against Shrewsbury a couple of seasons ago, this is most worried about us conceding such a number in 90 mins This lot of so called footballers are as soft

It’s life Jim, but not as we know it. Very appropriate for the Rovers’ fans

City list 9-0 to Coventry in 1934. I remember it well as we were unlucky and should have won

It seems as though we have a bunch of ageing rockers on the forum judging by all the talk of wonderful motorbikes. Just for a bit of balance, I had a Vespa Sportique. A crazy design really as the engine wasn’t fitted on the centre line of the bike

I used to go to the Mandrake and once a friend of mine had his wedding reception there. (I know this sounds crazy). I got rather inebriated and forgot it was a Saturday afternoon. When I left I thought it was 2.00 am and expected it to be dark. Instead I emerged into brilliant sunshine and just couldn’t understand what had happened.

This is actually a good result - for those who enjoy a laugh. It will produce wildly optimistic comments by the Rovers fans, with a predictions of Championship football in a year or two. It will be followed by realism when Rovers have to play in League 1 against much bigger teams such as Arrington Stanley

He’s playing (I’m watching as my mother in law is a Rovers supporter). Joking aside I hope he does well as he’s had a few mental and physical problems over the years

I’ve watched, on Quest, some awful goals conceded by Rovers but this must the worst. He was standing unmarked next to the far post and didn’t need to jump or move. He just stood there and let the ball land on his head.

This is the Malcolm Alllison image I remember. It could never happen at Rovers. He’d be drinking fake Fanta and smoking a roll up

I haven’t looked at the Forrest forum but I expect it can’t compare with OTIB. This forum is more than just basic football chat. At one end of the scale we have detailed analysis - eg @Davefevs and at the other end it’s fish puns, Clarks Pies, fish lots and Adge Cutler. What more could anyone want? Although it may be deemed to be cruel it’s nice to have a good laugh at someone else’s expense, especially when “they are coming for us”

With all the names being banded about on the Rovers forum, they seem to ignore basic facts. First, is the person likely to want the job? With some “out of work” managers they’re not working as a manager because they’ve moved onto other things after a career of nice payoffs when they’ve been sacked. Why give up your nice comfortable life to work at a desperate team? Second some out of work managers, who want a job, have a good track record and they don’t want to ruin it by going to a team like Rovers where success is unlikely. Third, good managers are expensive and Rovers do things on the cheap. So, what’s left? Experienced managers who are crap but desperate for a job or inexperienced lower league managers or coaches. They struck lucky and got some, by Rovers standards, success with Darrell Clarke and Coughlan but can they do it again

At least one person on their forum is realistic: "Playing for Red cards and penalties now, a bit embarrassing but no other way we are getting back into this."

That may be correct mate, but it doesn’t address the problems with the current ground configuration. It’s impossible to move the away fans from the Atyeo without redesigning the concourses to allow separate access and segregation and it’s impossible to create more standing without moving hundreds of season ticket holders who don’t want to move. In other words, it’s not going to happen any time in the near future. If there is ever a replacement for the Atyeo or Dolman then it’s easy but that, if it happens, is way into the future

The main problem with away fans in the top tier of the Lansdown is access. The only way to get there is through the main concourse at the lower level - ie home and away fans mixing = potential chaos. As for “making the matchday experience enjoyable once again” I think it’s fantastic as it is. The new concourse the runs under three stands is great and I haven’t got any urge to stand up. Some people do, some don’t, it’s personal choice but I don’t think any major changes are likely unless / until the Dolman is rebuilt

Trust the Post to go OTT with Rovers news. This is described as a “Global Partnership” with Cadbury. Does this mean that fans from Outer Mongolia can travel to Horfield for a free bar of chocky?

This is a good point. The stand basically consists of a steel girder frame with pre-formed concrete sections for terraces to support the seats. “Concrete cancer” can affect concrete structures but this is usually caused by water ingress causing the steel reinforcements to rust. As the stand has a roof, water ingress is unlikely and there is no visible sign of deterioration at present. As you say, there must be older stands. (The original Wembley Stadium lasted 80 years before it was demolished) Is there a structural engineer who can give a definitive answer?

The flats behind the Dolman probably have a life expectancy similar to the Dolman. If so, Steve Lansdown could do a deal with Bristol City Council to gain more land to enable a Dolman expansion in return for support for replacement housing. Extra land is the only way an extra tier is possible. If the Dolman was redeveloped on the existing footprint the modern legroom for seating would result in reduced capacity. Whatever, I’m sure he has a long term plan that we know little / nothing about Edit @TomF beat me to it with the same view

Steve Lansdown said, at a Senior Reds bash a couple of years ago, that he considered this at an early stage of the ground redevelopment. He decided against it due to the cost / difficulty of buying the houses behind the Atyeo. If City ever get into the Premier League it won’t be the extra capacity that generates income. It will be TV money and corporate events

If the information had been about Rovers new Santa’s Grotto it would have been front page news in the Bristol Post

Interesting Bert but I’m sure you only posted this because they describe you as: “flamboyant young manager BJ Tann” You may not be young anymore but you’re definitely flamboyant

The media and Rovers excitement over the club’s form is ignoring a basic fault. Rovers have played 5 league games and only scored 6 goals. Three of them have been penalties, so it’s only 3 goals from open play in 5 matches. Unless Garner can keep the penalties flowing that’s going to be relegation form. I’d vote for him as manager of the month on that basis

He’s aged 22 and has made a total of 4 league appearances. Obviously a late developer

Tell him to stop insulting Keynsham (spelt K-E-Y-N-S-H-A-M for Horace Batchelor fans)