downendcity

JB: " do you expect me to talk?"

Goldfinger: " no, I expect you to die......................but to return reincarnated in your next film!"

7 hours ago, Robbored said:

Bugger! My cover is blown CR but luckily no one will believe you.

They will if it's posted on the OS!

On 19/03/2024 at 16:19, Midred said:

Apparently Aaron Taylor - Johnson to be the new James Bond. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't the character die a horrible death at the end of "No time to die"? Then they drank a toast to him after. That's going to be a bit awkward for them in the next film. I know quite a few actors have played the character over the years but it will be the first time after death!

On 19/03/2024 at 17:01, TonyTonyTony said:

Its fiction - they can do what they want.

It'll be like Bobby Ewing's death in Dallas.

The next film will open with Moneypenny waking up  with Bond in the shower and the events of No Time to Die will turn out to be just a dream.

9 minutes ago, exAtyeoMax said:

wasn't Ipswich the most boring club at one point?

That was before Mark Ashton went there! 

1 hour ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

The two examples for Man City if found guilty to the fullest extent would be:

*-100 Points, that would likely be forcible relegation and yes to our level.

*Expulsion or forcible relegation. That would be something else and may end up down the divisions.

.................. and Bailey Wright never playing again!

One of the main problems with the Man city case ( stand to be corrected if my understanding is wrong) is that the basis for many/most/all of the charges is the information that was leaked on the internet as a result of Man City being hacked.

IIRC wasn't a similar case  brought by UEFA, but   didn't Man City get a lot thrown out because they argued that the evidence was illegally obtained and ended up with just a fine?

As others have already said Everton and Forests cases are relatively cut and dried because it was the evidence of the clubs' own accounts that convicted them, and it was only Everton's  pleas of "it's not fair that saw their points deductions reduced. 

By comparison, it will be much tougher to make a case against Man City. Even if they can produce telling evidence of wrongdoing, you can bet that Man C will have a team of the best i.e most expensive lawyers arguing tooth and nail in their defence  to kick the can as far down the road and for as long as possible so that even if they can't escape punishment, by the time a verdict can be reached it will have been watered down to such a degree as to be negligible as far as Man C are concerned.

While we have to concede that at this stage Man City are innocent until proven guilty, I think most football fans ( and I suspect that many/most football experts and journalists) think that there is no smoke without fire and that Man C have seriously bent the rules - in terms of gaining an advantage, well beyond that which Everton and Forest have. Despite which,  you just know that Man City are more than likely to end up with far less of a punishment than the other 2 clubs.

If it was Forest or Everton facing 105 charges similar to those against Man C, would the outcome likely be the same?

We can but hope.

However, as is too often the case when supporting Bristol City, I fear that hope will ultimately be replaced by disappointment. 

1 hour ago, oldstandrobin said:

Fantastic Downend

 

As good as.

 

The painters work was all in vain

 

The sh1thouse poet strikes again

 

 

and

 

There I sat broken hearted

 

Paid a Penny and only farted

 

DeadPoets Society

I am a mystery fellow
I’m Fred Fernakapan
I wear one sock that’s yellow
The other dipped in jam

I walk about the countryside
I walk about the town
Sometimes with my trousers up
And sometimes with them down

And when they were up they were up
And when they were down they were down
And when they were only half way up
I was arrested

Spike Milligan ( of course!)

8 minutes ago, oldstandrobin said:

Class downend, wasted as a supporter, poet laureate at least 

I wandered lonely as a cloud

that floats on high o'er vale and hills

when all at once I saw a crowd,

a host of golden daffodils

beside the lake beneath the trees

when an angry man came running towards me

shouting " oi you, get out of my bloody garden!"

If we'd never beaten Southampton then I might not have been a City supporter for 57 years!

First game was FA cup 4th round in Feb 67 when we beat Southampton 1-0 and that got me hooked. Had we lost, who knows what would have happened.....

...I might have avoided 50+years of disappointment!!!

12 minutes ago, cheese said:

Whatever happened to Newcastle?

..or Doncaster, or Scunthorpe?

Suddenly mid table doesn't look quite so bad! 

Oh, the grand old Duke of Guernsey,

he had 20,000 men ( and women)

he marched them up near the top of the league

and marched them down again,

and when they were up, they weren't quite up

and when they were down, they weren't quite  down

and when they were only halfway up they were neither up or down and that's were they stayed.

5 minutes ago, 2015 said:

The problem is we sacked him at the wrong time, then appointed a manager who is the total opposite to NP in every single way. This was against everything NP, Richard Gould and Curtis Fleming were striding towards whilst they were at the club.

It was the aboves basically saying we want to rip all of that up and start a brand new approach, when all they had to do was keep NP here until the end of his contract and appoint a younger, but similar successor.

It is so sad we have ripped up all the principles NP laid down over 2 and a half years for a 'modern' and 'emotionless' approach.

Not defending the club here, but I do think they were backed into a corner when NP started talking publicly about the fact that the club had not discussed offering him a new/extended contract - he was forcing their hand

I am pretty certain that NP could be prickly and that his relationship with senior management could be less than easy ( his record at previous clubs seems to indicate this) and because of this I can easily see that it became increasingly unlikely that the club would not want to offer NP a new contract, despite, from fans' perspective, NP appearing to be the right man.

As a consequence I can understand that a point was reached whereby something had to give - either NP walked or the club sacked him. Had Manning continued what we saw in the cup games against WHam and Forest and the game against Saints, then none of these threads would be happening. Sadly he didn't and they are, and will continue...........................................

1 hour ago, downendcity said:

It's sad to read that post from only 6 months ago.

I think if we are completely honest none of us expected NP to be here long term, and  at the start of this season I expected that a combination of his age and health would mean him not wanting a new contract at the end of this season. With the work he'd put in, I anticipated that come the end of the season we'd be in a good position to attract a decent quality manager to take things on - perhaps being able to do things with the team that NP couldn't because of the financial constraints under which he was forced to work.

It is increasingly looking like the club forcing Pearson's departure mid-season has been a massive own goal. Compounded only by the club now finding itself in a no win position, as if things continue to deteriorate on field then sacking Manning will only confirm the flawed decision to sack Pearson and appoint Manning. The danger of not sacking Manning is that it could well continue to unravel all the rebuilding work Pearson undertook in difficult circumstances.

Unfortunately this could well turn into the latest version of City's one step forward, two steps back approach.

Bristol City - proven exerts at clutching defeat from the jaws of victory!

Of course, I've  just realized that we already have a manager/coach who is able to do things with the team that NP couldn't! 

8 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

Fwiw I thought he would be here next season then hand the reigns over to Andy King and take a watching brief for 6 months or so.

Good point Geoff. IIRC going back there were a few posts suggesting that they could see King as a future coach/manager.

Having said that I could also see accusations of "jobs for the boys" had that happened, given our track record e.g. BT and LJ.

Given the way things are going, is it beyond the realms of possibility that we could Andy King in charge before the season is out, or would that smack too much of one of appointing Pearson's allies to TPTB and someone who would pick James, thereby triggering a contract extension?

3 hours ago, Silvio Dante said:

Thanks for reposting. There is one comment on the thread that sticks out, and if anyone was in any doubt how much of a bollocks up Lansdown, Manning and Tinnion have made just read this:

It's sad to read that post from only 6 months ago.

I think if we are completely honest none of us expected NP to be here long term, and  at the start of this season I expected that a combination of his age and health would mean him not wanting a new contract at the end of this season. With the work he'd put in, I anticipated that come the end of the season we'd be in a good position to attract a decent quality manager to take things on - perhaps being able to do things with the team that NP couldn't because of the financial constraints under which he was forced to work.

It is increasingly looking like the club forcing Pearson's departure mid-season has been a massive own goal. Compounded only by the club now finding itself in a no win position, as if things continue to deteriorate on field then sacking Manning will only confirm the flawed decision to sack Pearson and appoint Manning. The danger of not sacking Manning is that it could well continue to unravel all the rebuilding work Pearson undertook in difficult circumstances.

Unfortunately this could well turn into the latest version of City's one step forward, two steps back approach.

Bristol City - proven exerts at clutching defeat from the jaws of victory!

51 minutes ago, handsofclay said:

In boxing parlance fighting off the back foot is being a counter puncher. Fighting off the front foot is being the aggressor, taking the fight to the opponent.

I take it that when JL was telling us we would have front foot football it was a reaction to NP's counter attacking style and telling us we would have a manager who took the game to the opponents and controlled the game rather than NP's style of absorbing opponent's play and exploiting holes created to hit quickly on the counter.

Straight away we saw that Manning was trying to turn us into a possession based side who would control matches and (in theory but not practice) create more chances and goals from that dominance  Front foot football grabbing the game by the nuts and turning that authority into goals.

I apologise if these stats have been used before but I have looked through the stats of every single league game played under Manning, 23 to date.

On 8 occasions Bristol City have had more possession than their opponents. The return from those games is 2 draws and 6 defeats. 3 goals scored and 10 against.

All 7 wins have come with City having less possession. Thus not playing possession football, playing the tactics employed by Nigel Pearson. 

It is as plain and stark as that. The fact LM is still in his post isn't due to the implementation of his tactics, one of the reasons given for ditching NP, but because of falling back (whether by accident or design) on the tactics NP favoured. 

I know plenty on here have stated that, and I apologise if these same stats have been used elsewhere. I just thought it was worthwhile spelling out the obvious and backing them up with the plain and simple facts.

Back foot, front foot?

Erin summed it up perfectly!

22 hours ago, ohhhshauntaylor said:

Peak City would be this-

Tinnion takes over “until the end of the season”

We go on a decent run, 5 wins, 2 draws, 1 defeat. 
 

we appoint Tinnion to a 3 year deal, Jon says “judge me on tinnion” 

 

We sign Grant Smith and Matt Heywood in the summer, and then by October Gary Johnson is appointed manager. 

It's a  guarantee that Robbored will not believe that until it's on the OS! 

Cup Final.

Play off final.

Just what has this got to do with Bristol City? 

2 hours ago, spudski said:

...bless him

 

Bristol City academy graduate Ivor Taylor says " this is the only chance I get to take to the Ashton Gate pitch" , as he bemoans the lack of opportunity given to academy players to break into City's first team during Liam Manning's 30 year stint as head coach!

Or, returning to the Ashton Gate pitch for the first time in a while, Bristol City centre back Rob Atkinson reassures fans that he will be fit to play at the start of next season, although the fitness regime since his injury has taken it's toll on his body!

Given that clubs almost bankrupt themselves in the quest to secure promotion to the premier league,  almost bankrupt themselves in attempting to be competitive when they get there i and almost bankrupt themselves in attempting to stay in the premier league, just why is the premier league regarded as the "promised land?

1 hour ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

-4 strikes me as light subject to the 2nd -3 and +2 back.

Given the size of the EFL deductions..hmm.

That's because the Premier League is the best most lenient league in the world! 

1 hour ago, sglosbcfc said:

Three men on a cross - J Lansdown(1) , B Tinnion(2) and L Manning(3).

Jon Lansdown ' forgive me father, I didn't know what I was doing'

29 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

Piss Off ?   

3 hours ago, 1960maaan said:

Thing is, what IS wrong ?

We have had these problems for years, unlucky ? Probably , to a point .
But continued problems suggest something else.
Pearson came in and changed the medical and coaching staff , we still had problems . Manning comes in after the old coaching and conditioning staff left ( not sure about the medical side) and we still have problems . 
To me that says , unless they were all doing the same things across 3 set ups, that it's something else. 
Some concerns over the pitches , but while that may be a factor other teams have the same ones and not suffer as much for so long . I don't doubt these hybrid pitches put more strain on soft tissue , I think there is a rise of problems across the sport , but it seems never ending here . 
Plus we changed the pitch last summer , new base and different design I believe . 
Both HPC & the Gate are the same pitches BTW.

Not sure what that leaves to be able to point the finger at .  Not a straight forward fix , obviously.

We seem to have had more than our fair share .

 

Remember when Barry Fry was manager at Birmingham and they suffered lots of bad luck, which was put down to a gypsy curse. To exorcise the curse  Fry peed in all four corners of the pitch!

Come on Manning. You know what you need to do!