The Humble Realist

During the lockdown (which was obviously some of the worst times personally but also footballing wise) it was North Korea esq. 

When Louis Briton scored in the final game when we were losing 4 0 they went crazy like we had won the play offs and ended the season 'on a high'.

Was quite tinpot albeit I'm sure other clubs would be just as guilty .

Appreciate no one has said this but one obvious difference with Naismith is he has made 5 at least...complete howlers leading to goals.

Sure trent hasn't been great but he certainly hasn't cost liverpool multiple goals. That's the difference. 

Hopefully no mistakes today !

Sounds to me like at LEAST 6 counties wont vote for it so it wont go through in it's current guise.

Perhaps cuts to blast and championship games were proposed with the intention of negotiating it down to only one or other. 

Of course its very hard to see the extent of public opinion as its clear sky and bbc wont publish anything more damning than 'the hundred has split opinion' when it comes to discussing the issues due to their tv deals.

Normally someone like jonathan agnew on the bbc would have some balanced (but forthright views) on all of this and do a column but the absence of such speaks volumes.

I think the storm clouds really are gathering unfortunately.

It is a strange world where the ECB are adopting a policy of alienating so many core cricket fans.

Definitely dark dark days ahead for the longer format of the game. 

11 hours ago, ralphindevon said:

From what I understand it'll either be the top 6 teams in div 1 next year or his preferred option apparently, the big 6 teams from Test grounds. 

Though with one up one down it wont remain the big 6 for long. 

As far as I'm aware there is no point in div 2 next season bar pride in placings. 

But as usual with all these things nobody really knows but supporters are still encouraged to renew memberships. 

Currently essex, northants and somerset all in the top 6 places...surely Strauss isnt proposing yorkshire jump above them into a 'new division 1' should the table finish like that?

Under Strauss new plan (if approved ) and it's a big IF who knows how the top division of 6 would be decided next season.

Would there be 3 to 4 teams relegated with the wimmers of div 2 making it into the 6 team 1st division  or perhaps no promotion from division 2(if so what's the point of division 2 next year!)

I'm not too familiar with the various scoring scenarios.

Is there any realistic scenario where glos could stay up?

This is a ticking time bomb. 

Surely the money the counties get paid for the hundred (1.3mil) at some point wont be palatable.

They are signing their own death warrant (at least the non test ground ones).

I think the some serious storm clouds are hovering over the game 

I think it was a big mistake by all parties not to recognise shortly after the tragedy that paying 50% (by Nantes only asking for 50%) of the transfer each would be a sensible thing to do.

Appreciate we are talking millions of pounds here but the circumstances were exceptional and completely unprecedented. 

It is the family I feel for having the story continually circulate every few months. 

P.s. I think how Cardiff have behaved is disgraceful so I am in no way trying to stick up for them, just highlighting how so much pain, unrest and money spent on lawyers could have been avoided.

5 hours ago, RedM said:

It does make me wonder when the team fly's somewhere, say Hull, and then an empty coach is driven up from Bristol to take them to the hotel from the airport! Perhaps a local coach company could be used?

I understand the team have to get from the hotel to the ground the following day, and seem to have to arrive in style all branded up. But an empty coach driven a couple of hundred miles? Just about acceptable if the players use it to travel back, but sometimes they again fly home. 

Is this true ? If so this is exactly what I mean. 

Its madness to say you care about climate change and then get the coach to drive to hull without the players on it just to travel round up in hull

Genuinely good stuff in the clubs announcement but in reality if we keep flying to Hull(we being football clubs ) it's just PR from a climate change point of view. 

I do genuinely applaud some of the initiatives, its great Matt Parsons delivers food parcels at every away game for example. 

However , until there are changes in travel as an absolute minimum its jsur skirting round the edges. This is all clubs  not just us 

Obviously supportive of any environmental initiatives etc but clubs do need to look in the mirror seriously if they actually are serious. 

Did we fly to Hull? 

Did we need to fly to Austria for pre season?

This is all clubs not just us. If clubs are really serious they need to cut these sorts of things out rather than just signing up to initiatives etc

The lansdown upper adult and kid combo explains a lot of it to be fair so thanks @Davefevs

I wasnt talking about the sunderland end, more empty seats in the upper lansdown in particular (there were LOADS)

My wider point is we 'sold out' according to the club but definitely didnt sell every possible ticket which is just  every odd thing.

Maybe the club genuinely didnt want/werent able to logistically sell every possible ticket hence it was 'sold out'.

Or maybe the club wanted to say it was a sell out to avoid selling tickets on the day (perhaps for logistical reasons)

It really doesnt matter but my wider point is why cant we actually fill the ground?

It seems the club only sold 25500 tickets but could have sold 1800 more?

Are there health and safety restrictions for mac capacity for football?

9 minutes ago, ashton_fan said:

There were a lot of season ticket holders on holiday, season tickets count toward the official attendance whether people are there or not

Yeah but there were heaps of empty seats. Way to many to be 'just season ticket holders on holiday '

9 minutes ago, ashton_fan said:

I think our biggest crowd was against Man Utd 26,088. Todays game was maybe a sell-out in the home area but not in the Atyeo.

There were quite a few empty seats in upper lansdown and the south stand . I sit in the doorman so couldnt see but a few dotted around near me. No way it was a 'full house ' in the home end 

What is our actual max capacity ? The club said today was a sell out with 24,500 announced as the attendance but there were way too many empty seats for it to be just 'season ticket holders on holiday '

Anyone know the reasons for us not being able to literally fill the ground or was it just marketing PR by the club to promote a sell out without actually selling all the tickets?

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jul/26/premier-league-wants-championship-to-house-loan-players-in-new-finance-deal

Cant say I'm a fan of this. 

Not sure the premier league should be meddling with the rules of the championship.

I'm already concerned the 5 subs rule in the prem will actually lead to talent being hovered up to the top league (to fill squads) leading to an overall drop in quality over the next few years. 

It's good to raise awareness etc but when the club fly to middlesborough for an away game (I am sure we are not the worst offenders ) then it makes a bit of a mockery of it all. 

A whole mindset/cultural/technological shift is needed to save the planet , not a few fans cycling to the Gate on matchday.  

The sky sports app cricket section has the blast table 7th (seventh) which makes it further  along than  the internation t20 world cup , hundred mens and hundred womens 2022 tables both ahead of it despite the tables being just 0 everywhere because the tournament hasn't stayed yet. 

10 hours ago, CheddarReds said:

I think it's great to see Foster work with other You Tubers to create content, as well as the more specific insight into elite level football you mentioned. He's bonkers but seems really likeable.

Re the bottom question, I think people criticising Foster for any vlogging after a defeat need to remember footballers are human. If you or I had a tough day at work making time for a hobby in the evening could make the prospect of the next day's work a lot brighter. I'm sure footballer's are no different and Foster filming behind the scenes stuff and his own hobbies (regardless of result) in itself helps reiterate footballers are as human as the rest of us.

Edit - I've seen some of Foster's You Tube videos but not listened to his podcast. Any good?

Yeah I think it is. There are quite a few with youtubers which arent really for me but some good ones with footballers and with foster himself about different elements of his career. 

I dont really have a problem with it althoguh I guess when your team gets relegated so woefully it doesnt come across great .

Ultimately (as foster says) a football club is a place of work so why shouldn't he have some interests outside .

Things have taken off for him  a bit since this was posted. 

Also got the 'Fozcast' now.

I notice a lot of watford fans really werent happy about him doing all this as they fought relegation but on the other hand is it so bad he has this interest outside of football? It's better than being out on the town every night or playing xbox til 3am.

Some pretty interesting insights into what goes on behind the scenes ,a LOT of money gets spent by football clubs doesnt it.  Hotels , great coaches,  planes the night before etc etc 

We wont be signing him but if we did would we all be ok with him posting and vlogging win, lose or draw?

Fingers crossed they are another alex Scott.

Think fans are more interested in the retained list then two young uns who probably wont feature for a couple of years at least 

On 02/05/2022 at 15:25, shahanshahan said:

Thanks for the question.

Nope, just a genuine fan, and I don't work for the club. Been a fan of the City men's team since the 2000s (hence my profile pic being with Scott Murray from 2008), and discovered the women's team that way. Was also interesting for me anyway to see a City team play in a top division (the WSL), as I wasn't even born when City men were in the old First Division (I'm 33).

I joined the Supporters Club & Trust board in January 2020 with my main duty to represent the interests of City Women fans, but as a fan of the men's team too I also discuss with the board on matters affecting all sets of supporters. I also help out with the social media hence why the SC&T has had more of an online presence. If you look at my username, it has "ST Board Member" underneath it 

I initially joined OTIB in February 2021 to promote the Vixencast, a fan podcast that I joined that season, however also realised that this particular thread didn't have regular updates. I do comment on posts regarding the men's team & games too, but mostly if someone else hasn't already said what I was going to say already (which is rare). It's great to see other users on here post on this thread, so am glad the conversation is continuing.

I started writing for the OTIB Fanzine this season about the women's team, to help spread the word - especially as the team are playing back in Bristol after a season away in Bath. Again, I could also comment about the men's team, but there is nothing new I could write which none of the other writers have already done so.

I also appear occasionally on Sound of the City with Geoff Twentyman to talk about the women's team. I could also talk about the men's team but as of yet I've yet to be asked!

Whether it's the men, women, or academy, I support the club & the badge. I am glad that there's been more of an integration between both teams, and a "one club" mentality from the club, but I feel that fans can also get involved in that way.

Thanks for the reply , inspiring to read .

Hopefully the future is bright 

@shahanshahan you're obviously free to post what you want but how come this thread is mainly you posting over and over again?

Do you have a role within the club with the womens team e.g press officer or just a keen fan?

Genuine question