Xiled

5 minutes ago, Maesknoll Red said:

Why risky, if he isn’t fit he shouldn’t be on the bench.

Couple of reasons; we've been crying out to get him back so there's pressure to get him playing. And when he started the season, it took him a sequence of games to get up to speed (fitness definitely an issue). I'm delighted to see him again but would like to see him come back slowly.

Worried about being Diedhiou on so soon after lay-off. More than anything I hope he plays within himself and doesn't get another injury. Risky change with other fit players available.

1 minute ago, Honiton Tony said:

Thanks for pointing that out

No problem.

2 minutes ago, Honiton Tony said:

Now I no we are not supposed to be critical in any way ...... But we are shi t !

It's 0-0 !!!!

Richard Keogh 2018.

These grown men in white fall over really easily.

19 hours ago, SirColinOfMansfield said:

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/darrell-clarke-slams-efl-clowns-979052

Since when did he become such an expert? ...

Having listened to some of his more upbeat interviews (very rare these days) he quite often left me thinking 'did I actually just hear that?'

From this EFL fixture outburst, the following gift:

Quote

“It’s clowns in charge. I’m all for Boxing Day games, I’m all for New Year’s Day games but I’ve picked up a hamstring injury,” said Clarke.

“It’s guaranteed the pitches are soft this time of year, with explosive players, the Premier League managers will be telling you this. We’re already into a lot of games this year.

Explosive players?!!  No wonder the Mem pitch is full of potholes.

Reality is beginning to dawn for some of the blue few....

Quote

So I will mention it. City vs Man U. I watched it. And I thoroughly enjoyed the game. It was a cracker. All great goals and City absolutely deserved it. Joe Bryan is an absolutely fantastic full back and his goal was world class. Congrats to them. Have to say LJ has got them playing and they have great momentum carrying them forward.

But the stadium is one of the key components in driving them forward. It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing but it offers everything needed to push that club forward, and full up like it was tonight with a big team, that will only draw more Bristolians to them. 

You cannot underestimate what a new stadium would absolutely do for us and we need one within 3 years minimum or I don’t think we will ever come out of the shadow of City. We will become the Notts County of Bristol, always looking over the other side of town at their ground and accomplishments. 

I really hope our owners were watching at the gate tonight to see what we need, why we need it so badly and why we need it quickly. We will miss out a whole generation of football fans. They talk about evolution, but sometimes you also need to look at and focus on the present. Presently, City have a real shout of the prem and if they achieve that, I don’t think we will ever have the same share of the spoils again. Presently we have a ramshackle of a ground with no prospects of even building one and stagnating in L1. 

A real reality check.

http://gaschat.co.uk/thread/11303/elephant-room

5 hours ago, redcityman said:

When wally gave a reply regard playing budgets the interviewer gives a chuckle almost sounding embarrassed as if he felt the answer was nothing but guff!

Also Wally stating that FFP was a hurdle surley has to be more guff, i dont know the in and outs but with what they've spent since he has been there they must have plenty of leeway in that regards. 

Sounds as though the guy has nothing to offer in information or financial clout.

Pointless interview, just going through the motions IMO. 

4 hours ago, 22A said:

I didn't realise FFP only applied to the gas. I thought it affected all clubs.

This is the particularly funny and ironic part of the interview.  Credit to some of the Gas fans for flagging up his mistake on the gasheads.org forum.

As PRESIDENT of Bristol Rovers, Wael Al-Qadi should know that that FFP does not apply to League 1 clubs.  Instead, they (like other L1 clubs) adhere to the Salary Cost Management Protocol (SCMP).  This is a Financial Fair Play framework but rather importantly, owners can invest as much money in their club as they choose.

Such investment is not permitted by FFP in the Championship hence the reason Steve Lansdown is trying to build the turnover of BCFC with so much non-matchday activity.

Basically, Al-Qadi is lying to the Rovers supporters when he says that FFP is at least part of the reason that the owners are not investing more in the playing squad.  They could pour millions in if they wanted to.

Played like a fiddle....

If you've missed out on the latest Rovers' ground redevelopment "news", it's all succinctly side-stepped in this crushingly awkward interview.

I've gone no real problem with Wael Al Qadi (he's taking Rovers where we want them - back down) but if there was a £10 charge for his use of the phrase "it take's time" then the blue few would have been in administration about 7 minutes into the interview.

It's a painful watch.  What you are seeing is a man with no plan, no access to family money and a fading interest in the football club that they were tricked into buying.  The current stadium redevelopments amount to relocating the shop and repainting some toilets.  The training ground plans have been scaled back to a pitch with a hut - and that won't even be ready for at least 18 months.

I'm sorry Rovers but this family are not investors.  The UWE cash cow didn't happen and they have no plan B.

Wade Elliott on Sky referring to us as Bristol City throughout his post-match punditry. Seems to still hold us in good regard. Great player in his short time at the Gate.

14 hours ago, Nick Wilde said:

Not so smug these days.

 

I'm a fully qualified, self-appointed amateur psychologist with limited ability but to me DC doesn't look or sound like a broken man in my "professional" opinion.

He does look bored and he does look devoid of ideas. Nothing in that lengthy and dreary interview gave insight into how Rovers came to lose 3-0 at home to a team that has even more non-league pedigree than they do.

His apathy screams of 'sack me ffs' and it's pretty telling that only his wife supports him during his post-match misery. Presumably the owners have lost interest in the first team in their quest to build a fence around a boggy playing field in Almondsbury and fail to steal yet another stadium - this time in South Gloucestershire.

I did learn something useful. Next time my boss hauls me to one side and says 'is the problem me?' I'm going to remember to say no. Clearly DC is a master of the dark arts as can trick the Rovers players into admitting their discontent and then, by his own admission, ship them out in January.

Genius. I salute his high level management skills.

I'm a believer that Bristol and its catchment area is big enough to support two successful football clubs.  And some of our most exciting seasons have been playing in the same division and competing with Rovers at the top of the table.  For that reason, I have no desire to see them disappear as a club.

Last season, at various points, we were separated by just half a dozen league places.  In reality, there are light years between the two clubs.

Unfortunately, that gap is purely down to off-the-field circumstances.  It's not because we have performed brilliantly on the pitch over a period of years/decades.  When I first started watching City in the early 80s, there was very little to choose between the two clubs.  Eastville and Ashton Gate were in similar states of disrepair and both clubs were struggling to make their mark in their respective leagues.

The difference since the dark days of 1982 is that Bristol City have been more fortunate with their custodianship.  We have had a series of directors who have been prepared to back the club with their own money - each to a greater or lesser extent.  It has culminated in Stephen Lansdown pumping in tens of millions of pounds from his own personal wealth.  Rovers, by contrast, have been asset stripped from the sale of Eastville onwards.

Do I have any sympathy for them as a club?  None whatsoever.  I hold no issue with Rovers' fans and I would rather they had a club to support into the future.  But the underhand process that led to Rovers (or their holding company) acquiring sole ownership of the Memorial Ground was almost a crime.  By progressively weakening the finances of Bristol Rugby and making it untenable for them to compete in the professional game, the Rovers directors of the time should be ashamed.  Whatever the specific details of the story, Bristol Rugby Club were effectively destroyed by Bristol Rovers in their attempts to profit from the site to finance a stadium in south Gloucestershire.

The Al-Qadi owners were not responsible for that particular scam but they clearly bought Rovers for potential profit.  If they cannot bring about the UWE stadium project then that's their problem and I would not like to see Steve Lansdown offer any sort of olive branch.

Bizarrely, he does sound more upbeat when they lose. Makes no sense but it's been like that for at least the last half dozen games. Weird club.

3 minutes ago, pnefcok said:

I'm absolutely delighted about how our season has gone. If we hadn't lost 6 out of the first 8 games we'd probably be serious top 6 contenders. We just left some of our key business in summer a bit too late (Baptiste/McGeady on loan on deadline day) and it took SG slightly too long to find his best side. He's done a tremendous job though and I fear the vultures will be circling soon as we no longer appear to be going under the radar. Curbishley on channel 5 tonight said Norwich should go for him.

It seems like Grayson took a while to find his feet with you but huge credit to him and your team for showing us what can be achieved in this division.

Norwich always seem to go for managers with a previous link to the club. And when they make a permanent appointment they'll be looking for quick progress rather than the slow build. They're already a decent squad.

I wish we could have a season like this one for PNE.....or Norwich!

1 hour ago, Andy082005 said:

Like all the ones who were quick to call me out at the end of the season when we stayed up?

Nah mate. I just know I'll be proved right. I'm just gutted that once again this club never gets it right 

You will be proved right.  The club will sack Lee Johnson, I'm absolutely certain as well.

But only because that's how 99% of coach/manager appointments work out.

What I'm more interested in is how many good years we can get out of every successive manager before we sack them.  For Steve Cotterill I felt the decision was made at the correct time.  For Gary Johnson, I felt that decision should have been made sooner.

Where you and I disagree is that I do not think now is the right time for Lee Johnson to be sacked.

All opinions should be invited on a football forum but I'm afraid anyone who constantly posts "I told you so" won't win me over.

And as for "this club never gets it right" I suggest you spend a few weekends watching other football teams and talking to non-city fans to really understand what it's like to support some of the basket case clubs up and down the country.  Yeah, we don't get it all right but until I can throw hundreds of millions of pounds of my own money at the club I am extremely happy with the way Bristol City is making progress.  I checked back on some of my life choices and they haven't all been great.

I've heard it said by others but having one song "briiiissssttttooool' doesn't exactly set the atmosphere to red hot. I got the impression that most supporters were resigned to defeat from the first minute.

I know little about the game tactically but the kicking was pretty awful. Always predictably straight to the Sale back. No variety and nothing for the Bristol forwards to chase.

The whole rugby union game is suffering from broken play. Teams like Bristol can't keep possession long enough to maintain momentum. Even when the clock is ticking down there is so much dead time. Another atmosphere killer.

I can't see how the club can hold onto Hurrell, he was the only stand out player for me.

And as for kicking the first 6 points from two penalties that were 10 yards from touch, that said that Bristol knew they weren't good enough to break the Sale line.

I enjoyed the afternoon but it wouldn't encourage me to go back.

15 minutes ago, Gazred said:

Asda for kit sponsors next year anyone?

A bit too upmarket.

Just checked their website and there is nothing about them winning, only the match preview.  So their media manager must still be celebrating!

Difficult to celebrate after a year of shame.  They'll probably just attempt to gloss over the entire sorry episode