Never to the dark side

https://www.facebook.com/talbotknowleutd/?ref=page_internal

NOT SURE IF THIS HAS BEEN POSTED BEFORE ITS BEHIND A PAY WALL,IF YOUR SIGNED UP COULD YOU POST THE ARTICLE IN FULL https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union/2022/01/12/bristol-city-facing-points-deduction-transfer-market-collapse/

THE TIMES WANT YOU TO SIGN UP, SO HERE IT IS IN FULL In an act of selfless sacrifice 40 years ago, eight Bristol City players ripped up their contracts to save the club from financial ruin. City celebrate the Ashton Gate Eight at Saturday’s Championship game with Middlesbrough and it will be a poignant occasion for Steve Lansdown, the club’s owner who is battling to steer them through troubled financial waters whipped up by the pandemic. Working with his son, Jon, now chairman, and the chief executive, Richard Gould, Lansdown draws on his 26 years’ involvement at City to tackle the present predicament which could see a well-run club deducted points next season unless the EFL shows some leniency in the age of Covid. City’s situation is echoed across the country and Lansdown argues that the Championship needs a salary cap, to become “a Premier League 2” and the game needs the appointment of an independent regulator. Webster was sold by Bristol City to Brighton for £22.5 million in the continuing battle to balance the books His club are trying to do the right thing, including moving from a shirt sponsorship deal with betting company MansionBet to an ecommerce fulfilment company, Huboo, which will also sponsor the other teams in Lansdown’s Bristol Sport group, the Bears rugby team and the Flyers basketball team. City have always had a model of balancing books through developing and selling players, a plan ruined by the pandemic. They have already announced a £38.4 million pre-tax loss for 2020-21. Over the past six years, City have sold Lloyd Kelly to Bournemouth for £13 million, Adam Webster to Brighton & Hove Albion for £22.5 million, Josh Brownhill to Burnley for £9 million, Bobby Decordova-Reid to Cardiff City for £10 million, Joe Bryan to Fulham for £6 million, Aden Flint to Middlesbrough for £7 million and Jonathan Kodjia to Aston Villa for £15 million. Kelly, Decordova-Reid and Bryan were all home-grown. City are at risk of failing the EFL’s profit & sustainability rules for next season, a situation they believe may afflict five other Championship clubs. The fans’ concern is that they will have to sell such talents as the 20-year-old midfield player Han-Noah Massengo, 22-year-old striker Antoine Semenyo or midfield player Alex Scott, 18. “We have issues following on from Covid,” Lansdown says. “Having had no income for a while and the transfer market being completely scuppered, so balancing our books is difficult. I am having to fork out more and more money to keep the club afloat. “If you don’t balance the books you don’t have a club. We’ve seen instances of that already [such as Bury]. One thing that is close to my heart and I’m very proud of is Bristol City Football Club has always paid its bills, always paid its staff, and it has always looked after its community as best it can. Football generally is still spending money on contracts and agents which it shouldn’t do. A cap scenario needs to come in because we need some control in that area. He agrees that the game deserves its “Wild West” image to a degree. “I think it’s fair in certain places. I’ve been in football for 26 years and somebody’s always prepared to pay more, somebody’s always prepared to push the boundaries, somebody’s always prepared to perhaps do an underhanded deal somewhere. Football is its own worst enemy in a way.” Lansdown, who built up a successful financial services company, looks at the way Derby County overstretched themselves under Mel Morris attempting to get into the Premier League. “Derby was a prime example of where the numbers run have away from the club,” he says. “You’re always going to get a Derby because there will always be somebody [not playing by the sustainability rules], like you had with Saracens in rugby who were successful because they overstepped the mark. “We have to have some form of salary cap. I’ve always been a free marketeer but having been in rugby a lot, I’ve seen how the cap works there. It’s not perfect but it gives you control over those salaries and it makes your managers and other people work within a budget. It makes coaches better. I remember having a conversation with [manager] Lee Johnson a few years ago saying in this [belt-tightened] scenario it doesn’t mean going out and looking for this better player, it means you coach what you’ve got better. “Our plan is developing the younger players so we’ve invested into our Academy, we have great training facilities now with the Robins High Performance Centre and our recruitment is looking to have younger players that have development value. “Fans always like to see a name coming in but we can’t really afford that. If you’ve been in the Championship for a long time like we have, without ever having featured in the promised land, the problem is you don’t have those parachute payments. The Championship has effectively got to become Premier League 2 and a better distribution of the monies down through the pyramid would improve things. “The parachute payments don’t really help. Stoke is a good example, a very well-run club. They’ve had the parachute payments, they spent it and haven’t made it [back up], so they’re having to readjust quite a lot. You’ve had the Boltons in the past that have got it wrong and gone all the way down. It’s more controlling expenditure when you come down. Parachute payments create an unfair playing field.” Lansdown can see the former sports minister Tracey Crouch’s proposal for an independent regulator happening. “I think it’s inevitable,” Lansdown says. “Personally, I don’t really feel we should have one for any sport, you should be responsible enough to stand on your own two feet.” But because of the financial woes in English football, a regulator would control excess. “The one thing any report that comes out doesn’t say is the problem being faced by anyone running a club which is fan expectation and the desire to succeed. It is difficult sometimes to balance those books.” So it was a significant step when City moved on from a lucrative betting sponsorship, although they may prove ahead of the curve given pending government legislation banning it. “Supporters are making their voices heard that they would rather not see it,” Lansdown says. “From a business perspective clubs are in a difficult position because they have to maximise their income but we have to listen to public opinion. We have a responsibility to our communities and our supporters.” City did so much for the community during the pandemic. “Ashton Gate was used as a vaccination centre for the NHS, the first one in a stadium,” Lansdown says. “Hundreds of thousands of people were vaccinated there. It showed what the stadium could be used for and everybody appreciated that.” City also worked with FareShare, which helped feed hungry schoolchildren and adults during the pandemic. “We provided them a warehousing facility to store their food and help distribute it,” he says. “Our chefs and everyone at the stadium produced food packages to go out to the community. “It does shock me [the food poverty] but I suppose nothing surprises you in this day and age. It’s sad. The counter [side] to that is the willingness of people to put themselves at risk themselves to help others. I’m very, very proud of that. “The club is the hub of the community. Since the pandemic, I’ve had more people saying ‘thank you’ and being appreciative, which is nice. I’ve also had a few people saying I should be spending a lot more! So nothing changes there. “Bristol is a great city but it probably doesn’t know it. I’ve always felt that Bristol is successful in spite of itself. It puts itself down too much. It doesn’t push itself forward enough. But there is a buzz here, lots of great industries like Huboo, a local business in a growing industry, e-commerce fulfilment, and a partner we are glad to be associated with. “Bristol still runs in the same old way with the same council problems and sometimes I feel exasperated. But Bristol’s a great place to live. Students love it, there’s a great night life. What we’re doing with Ashton Gate is creating a destination for people to come and enjoy sports and other events.” And salute the Ashton Gate Eight on Saturday, the closest home fixture to the 40th anniversary of February 3, 1982. The eight players who ripped up their contracts that day — Peter Aitken, Chris Garland, Jimmy Mann, Julian Marshall, Geoff Merrick, David Rodgers, Gerry Sweeney and Trevor Tainton — and their families have been invited to the game. There will be a pre-match parade and applause in the eighth minute. “The club nearly went bust and we had to ask players to rip up their contracts and we are very grateful they did,” Lansdown says. “It says a lot about the heart of the club and the heart of the community.”

remind me what have Hungary done wrong?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60419602

Saturday, 4 June (17:00 BST) Hungary away Tuesday, 7 June (19:45 BST). Germany away Saturday, 11 June 19:45 BST. Italy home at Wolverhampton BEHIND CLOSED DOORS Tuesday, 14 June. Tuesday, 14 June. Hungary home at Wolverhampton

https://www.hotukdeals.com/vouchers/33-off-railcards-with-code-at-the-trainline-3887331?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=position_4_image&utm_campaign=2022-02-17

https://footballpink.net/the-ashton-gate-eight-when-players-gave-up-their-contracts-to-save-a-club/

Leigh Doughty from Freckleton in Lancashire Reffed our 2-1 win away against QPR Issued FOUR reds in 19 games

punching the ball into the back of the net? I recall a Bristol City Forward "punching" the ball into oppositions net Thats fine by me

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60385913

for their match against Barnsley on Saturday 26 February Full allocation for Boro fans for the Bristol City v Boro game on Saturday is 2,300 I don't think they will sell all their tickets for the game,although we live in hope By the way we took 400 to Boro on the first away Saturday game way back in August

Roma and England star Tammy Abraham bought dinner for some Giallorossi supporters, having bumped into them after his side’s 2-0 loss to Inter Milan. The former Chelsea ace scored a 45 th minute penalty in Roma's recent 2-2 draw against Sassulo in Serie A. While the 24-year-old was already a fan favourite having already contributed a sensational 18 goals and four assists in 33 appearances, he further entrenched himself in the hearts of Roma supporters. After Jose Mourinho’s side were soundly beaten 2-0 by Inter Milan in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia, Abraham paid the tabs of some supporters he had bumped into at a restaurant. The Englishman is also believed to have signed plenty of autographs, and engaged with the fans, who were happy to see him, but disappointed about the result. Tammy Abraham has been winning fans' hearts with his actions both on and off the pitch This heart-warming story is cited by Italian outlet Calciomercato, via Football Italia, shortly after the Italian giant’s loss to Inter.

Not enough pictures of dog? sorry can explain.

Radio Bristol has a video of Scott on their web site

before 06:30am on monday morning

unashamed "BUMP"

Talksport 2 has Ian danter and Chris Iwelumo(who scored a winning goal away against Crystal Palace) while on loan to us

if your heading to Swansea You might bump into a City follower without a ticket/s

Travel show on at saturday morning 10:30am on the BBC news channel

I thought they used Groats?

As well as Talksport TWO BBC radio Wales(swansea area frequencey) and BBC radio cymru 2

As I am travelling over to Swansea by train on Sunday,and can't recall attending these beam backs at Ashton Gate. What are City fans views of the beam backs at Ashton Gate? If your attending the beam could you post what your thoughts are of being there.