phantom

ANDY Robinson is on the verge of leaving Bristol Rugby after almost four years, having been suspended by the club. The director of rugby, whose team have lost all nine matches they have played this season, has two and a half seasons remaining on the three-year contract he signed during the summer. Bristol, though, have decided to act with the team seven points adrift at the bottom of the table after seven Aviva Premiership matches. Robinson had been at the club as usual this week, taking a lengthy video analysis session of Sunday's 31-13 home defeat against Sale on Tuesday morning. But he has been told to stay away from the club pending "an immediate review of the coaching needs and requirements". In the meantime, Bristol have appointed Mark Tainton as acting head coach. The club's former fly-half and all-time leading points scorer, Tainton has a variety of experience in coaching from his spells with Ireland, Wasps and London Irish. In a statement, the club said: "Bristol Rugby have decided, following the extremely disappointing start to the season, to appoint Mark Tainton as acting head coach with immediate effect. "The club have also taken the decision to suspend the current director of rugby, Andy Robinson, from his role. The club will carry out an immediate review of their coaching needs and requirements. "That review will be completed as quickly as possible." Club chairman Chris Booy, who opted against publicly backing Robinson when he spoke to the Post earlier this week, said: "This is clearly a very difficult time for the club, but we remain confident we can retain our position in the Premiership. "The support for the club this season has been outstanding and that continued backing is very important going forward. Thank you." Robinson joined Bristol toward the end of the 2012-13 season – and, after losing in the GKIPA Championship finals in both 2013-14 and 2014-15, finally guided them to the top flight at the end of last season. But their return to the Premiership after seven years has been nothing short of a nightmare so far. They pushed Harlequins close in the opening game of the season, leading 14-3 before losing 21-19, but have taken only one point since – in a 19-14 loss at Newcastle. Their home form has been alarmingly poor, losing all five Premiership and European Challenge Cup matches without taking so much as a single bonus point. If – or, more likely, when – Robinson departs the club, Bristol will look for a big-name replacement, with Heyneke Meyer and Gary Gold among those who are both availableand have experience of the Premiership. Read more at http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/andy-robinson-on-the-brink-at-bristol-rugby-after-being-suspended-by-club/story-29865405-detail/story.html#kQvzCV8CH4jLRYb7.99

Absolutely not ! They crow on about how superior they are now - even though on and off the pitch they are still miles behind Imagine the noise if they were actually competing in the same league as us !

Problem with that sentance is the first three words !

amongst others !

Not completely true, as well as the season before deals are done with certain players a long way before the end of the season and only come to fruition on promotion etc. As for yesterday Stringer is still a class act and it was his speed and reading of the game that kept Bristol on the back foot for long parts of the game. One sad thing about Bristol they have approximately 54 players in their squad, I'm not sure if any of them would get in any other premiership side! One thing that may save Bristol is London Irish are financially screwed at the moment and are not interested in going up

Shoulder / collar bone, we were sat next to dug out even the physio who treated him didn't know what was wrong with him. Same symptoms as Daniel sturridge

Lol that was for a player, like skuuuuuse Message to bristol sport, please no more free tickets, that was complete rubbish today

You need to tag them in @Doozerchris - am sure they would love to reply ? @Weezord @Smaller than a flea

Toast by The Streetband

So this was the league table the last time that they were above us, we had beaten Peterborough 2-1 at home on Tuesday 24th October 2000 (Lee Peacock and a last minute Tony Thorpe winner) - (Rovers lost 2-1 at Colchester), the following game on Saturday 28th October 2000 two goals from Tony Thorpe saw us beat Wycombe 2-1 away - (Rovers lost 2-0 at home to Oldham), and they have been "Coming to get us" ever since. . . . Be sure to tell all those Rovers friends and family you know

It doesn't just happen to Rovers, hundreds of Union Berlin fans locked out at Borussia Dortmund tonight

Sure this was discussed before, but after most matches a 'just back from.... " thread or comments on an incident in the game thread tend to take over. Seemy my post directly above, the thread is NOT LOCKED for some reason the ability to post is removed when moved. Like @RedM says only recently noticed there was somewsomewhere alall these threads went. Maybe the answer is to leave them permanently in main football section? Anyone know why they get moved?

Out of interest when they are moved, why is the ability to reply still not there?

@Tomarse is this a "glitch" - can it be changed?

@havanatopia I'm not sure which thread you are referring to, but ALL your matchday threads are moved into this specific section http://www.otib.co.uk/index.php?/forum/54-match-day-archive/ following the game - which they always are the following day of the game. Which is the thread which is locked?

I believe I can fly - R Kelly

Visiting captains will again be given the option of bowling first without a toss in both divisions of the Specsavers County Championship in 2017, after the ECB Board this week ratified a recommendation from the Cricket Committee to retain the playing condition for a second year. The regulation generated headlines, and some controversy, when it was announced last autumn, with the stated aim of encouraging home counties to produce better four-day pitches –within which was a goal of restoring the balance of matches to include spin, but a more general aim of reinforcing the Championship’s role in preparing players for the challenges of international cricket. The Cricket Committee – which included Yorkshire’s director of cricket Martyn Moxon, Leicestershire’s chief executive Wasim Khan and David Leatherdale, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association – decided that it had succeeded in those objectives after studying a range of data comparing the 2016 season with what had gone before. Key statistics included: 85% of matches went into a fourth day, compared to 74% in 2015 – the 2016 figure was the highest percentage since 2009; The average score for the first innings of a match was 332, slightly up from 325 in 2015 and the highest in the last five years; The average score for the second innings of a match was 343, well up from 290 in 2015, and again the highest in the last five years; A total of 10,094 overs of spin, compared to 8,643 in 2015 – the highest since 2011; A total of 843 wickets taken by spin in 2016, up from 752 in 2015; Of these, 545 were in Division One, meaning spinners took almost 26% of all wickets; Warwickshire’s Jeetan Patel and Somerset’s Jack Leach were the leading wicket-takers in Division One, with 69 and 65 respectively – the first time since 2009 that spinners have occupied the top two positions; 50 out of 72 matches in Division One had a toss – meaning the visiting captain declined the option of bowling first without a toss; The figure for Division Two was 38 out of 70 (two matches were abandoned without a ball being bowled), producing a total of 88 out of 142 – 62%; 71 of the 142 matches in both divisions were drawn, discounting the two abandoned matches, meaning there was a positive result in the other 71 – whereas in 2015, there were 93 results and only 51 draws.

Err Say what you mean

So what are you doing on the Rovers match thread @Kodijas Wrist ? And they are obsessed, kind of ironic post?

@SalisburyRed The Lansdown Stand does have them on, you quoted an artists impression of the ground www.evoenergy.co.uk/case-studies/ashton-gate-stadium/

Good shout - obviously not for your friend, surprised nothing on our website yet Earlier in the week "no tickets" was when they took them off of sale - which I think was 12:30 today?

Decent numbers turning up in the home sections to see the Cardiff dreams shattered

Our website? @Sergio Georgini

Yeah - that is what I would call obsessed It drives me nuts on the way out of a game on a Saturday when our fans seem more interested in how Rovers got on, compared to any of our rivals