BUTOR

36 minutes ago, Redrascal2 said:

Well I have to say I am happy to leave it all to Gould and Pearson. They clearly know what the club can and can't do in this window and likewise will act in the best interests of Bristol City over Semenyo. I just want to enjoy watching him while we have him and hope he keeps getting back to his best and helps keep our run going.  

Agree. There is a calmness and competence within the workings of the club right now (Gould, Tinnion, Pearson) which gives me a sense of confidence that decisions are being made appropriately. Hopefully this continues with our new CEO as our financial restrictions ease. 

With our exaggerated abundance of talented youth it is sometimes easy to forget that players aren’t traditionally supposed to come into their ‘prime years’ until about exactly the age Zak Vyner is now. For me that’s what has happened here, a player who has grown into himself through experience. Patience is a virtue sometimes. 

14 minutes ago, SBB said:

Highlights

 

What a great goal from Bell! Talk about Sykes as the next Murray, but that’s Scotty to a tee!

Decent assist for the first goal too. 

Forgot how bad listening on the radio is for your blood pressure 

However did we cope before VPNs and firesticks? Confusion on this thread is gold 

3 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

They already do check tickets I thought? At that vomitory anyway 

It was the most stringent it had been so far this season on Saturday. There was even two policeman outside the concourse entrance. The club were clearly aware, which makes me think bar stopping selling tickets in A Block or implementing hostile stewarding methods (not advised) I’m not really sure what they can do to stop it? 

8 minutes ago, spudski said:

We'll soon find out I'm sure. The club don't want anything of hostility. They don't want a hostile atmosphere. They prefer it as it is. They are obviously happy with the ' singing section and it being far away from the opposition fans. 

They want to promote a family club. 

With a ' family atmosphere '.

That's how I see it. 

What they want and what they may get are two different things. 

1 minute ago, spudski said:

That's fine...we can agree to disagree.

Were talking about BCFC remember.

The Club, Police will step in someway or another. They'll inforce sitting down and make it impossible for those intent on standing and creating ' hostility' between fans. 

What exactly can they do? Contrary to reports the club anticipated this happening on Saturday, there was two police and a steward on the concourse entry to the section and four stewards checking tickets above the stairs. You simply can’t control a crowd that large on mass without excessive force and they are hardly going to bring in the riot gear are they?

Shut A Block down all together? Perhaps, but I doubt the long term season ticket holders will be particularly happy with that either. 

Club are planning to come down on this later today with a statement. Expected, but hopefully not too dismissive or divisive. 

1 hour ago, Mad Cyril said:

Fair play to any efforts to create a loud positive atmosphere.

But believing it will be terrifying for opposition players or especially fans is pure fantasy.

Name somewhere where you have ever been terrified by the noise a home section make??

I have seen atmospheres startle players and supporters and change games, countless times. That feeling of pure intimidation doesn’t necessarily exist anymore (there were times and places where you would have every reason to feel terrified) but atmosphere can hugely impact a result. 

6 minutes ago, Barrs Court Red said:

I had a different feel to it certainly.  Big crowd, raucous atmosphere and a team giving it their all.  

As Turtle above said… felt like the stadium had its soul back. Hopefully from this day forward no more more soft, rollover Ashton Gate, we aren’t and never have been that sort of club, just taken us a while to find our feet after the redevelopment

4 minutes ago, BCFCGav said:

That was so bloody fun. Best atmosphere in a while really helped imo.

GET IN ️️

Makes a huge difference! Let that be the proof… 

I haven’t heard all 3 sides singing together for yonks. 

2 minutes ago, BigTone said:

So the fact that the term Ultras generally refers to those with violent and racist ideals is ok with you ? Sorry to be pernickety. Obviously my mistake.

Like you give a shit mate

2 minutes ago, BigTone said:

I live in France buddy so a tad difficult. However, messages I received from friends at the game basically said much as I thought.

The players who went out of their way to clap the area FT (and who usually ignore it) may disagree. Noise levels above anything this season, two blocks going at it got the whole ground singing at times. Ridiculously negative attitude, what’s the point? 

16 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Thank you.

Moving or expanding from the South Stand or similar sounds tricky then?

Alternatively home fans and more this time of an 'end' in the Atyeo and 2k for away fans in either the Lansdown or Dolman? Seems logistically difficult at this stage.

Or simply revert to the original plan: Standing across the back of the south stand as was promised. 

23 minutes ago, Rebounder said:

I remember back then constant threads on here saying how the Atyeo is bad for acoustics and that was why we needed the east end. I agreed and loved going down the east end glad I got to experience that even if it wasn't the same as back in the day. 

Seems the away fans don't have a problem with creating an atmosphere in there though so it can't just be the type of stand. 

I sat in the bottom part of A Block for the Sunderland game and it was quite good. They bought loads and there was good backwards and forwards throughout the game. Thought it would be even better against teams like Cardiff. 

I think the club have made some good decisions recently and should be praised for their community work, but I'm inclined to agree that the club aren't really interested in their being a hot atmosphere that is hard to control.

I can kind of understand why from a business and headache point of view, but it's out of touch with a fairly large element of our fans. It's also not surprising as ultimately we are talking about billionaires and people from corporate backgrounds who make the decisions. As great as Ashton Gate is now, it is also a reflection of that clean (on the surface at least) and corporate world. It's no different from many grounds in that respect and for better, or worse that's how football is now. Look at Cardiff for another perfect example of this. 

But there comes a point when the corporate gleam becomes counter productive to securing new fans as it is meant to do. What is it that made us all fall in love with Bristol City as young people? Less likely was it to be about gorgeous football and stunning eras of success as it was about personality. Pride in the rough edges and the culture, fascination in the little pockets of chaos, and love and belonging in the soul and sanctity of Ashton Gate. 
 

I don’t see any of that right now. Young fans are well aware of the past and that they’re missing out, I don’t blame them for wanting to change that.

I take all the points re policing, upsetting season ticket holders in A block (I am one and do enjoy my seat currently), but I guess the issue is we as a fan base have been met with brick walls and dismissiveness whenever the topic of atmosphere has been brought up in recent years. It’s a ‘there’s yer lot’ attitude regarding Section 82, I think the club may genuinely believe that they’ve gone above and beyond with that area to assist atmosphere, and I don’t really believe they’ve been sat around in candle lit rooms plotting how to rid the scallies for Barber coated Bears’ fans and make Ashton Gate a library. 

But… it has been their inability to listen to concerns around the atmosphere over the last few years that was inevitably going to lead to something like this at some point. I believe the last time it was brought up in an interview (around S82 expansion on RB) the chuckling line from Gould was ‘no, they’ll complain whatever we do’. 
 

The fanbase would not get anywhere going through official lines, their best hope is to organically arrange something, be a little persistent, yes probably upset a few, show what a difference it makes and work with the club there on after. The PR of banning hundreds of supporters or going way overboard to stop it, perhaps shutting down A Block, would be awful compared to simply listening to concerns. 

They will have an army of stewards ready to stop this Saturday so will have to be some thought put in. But if fans are finally getting organised and bringing some life back to the Gate then all for it and fully support it. It’s about time our young’uns did. Just need to get past JL’s tears. 

How many years can Neil keep giving exactly the same hour long interview for post retirement? 

26 minutes ago, frenchred said:

And a lot of them are the same people now!

Yes, I was going to say, I can’t imagine many of the folk in there now giving a shit, it’s not like trying to start a vocal section in the cushion seats of the Lansdown, although that would be a laugh…  

13 minutes ago, adamski said:

Was there? I had a ticket in B Block from the season they started building on the Open End circa 93 until 2017, I remember standing a bit, but never all the time. Certainly it was a very vocal section and the area of choice for many naughty boys, ee out of Massive attack and ee off the telly!

More so A block to be fair! Memory is naff though. Are you referring to Del Naja? Don’t remember that. Did see him eating a goat curry in The concourse recently though…

5 hours ago, pongo88 said:

It’s simple. If 600 / 795 people move to Block A and 360 / 420 move to Black B, and stand up, they will block the view of the current season ticket holders in these sections plus those in block C and D when the play is in the corner of the pitch at the Atyeo end. This subject crops up on a regular basis and the obvious facts are always ignored. 

There was regular persistent standing in both blocks A and B for years previously and this was never an issue 

5 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

We've had a couple of good atmospheres this season in addition. Watford, at times the Cardiff and Swansea and at times v Sunderland.

That's about it.

Cardiff and Swansea also had a much higher of supporters in lower block A than usual, all standing and making noise. I have had a season ticket there for years so I’m very wary of the difference it makes to the overall atmosphere when it’s busy and noisy. Particularly since away fans were given the entire Atyeo. 
 

It’s about not letting away supporters turn Ashton Gate into a home away from home fixture for them. They need to be met with some resistance. Physiologically I’m convinced it makes some kind of difference on the pitch. The players themselves say it makes a massive one, but then of course they would. 

1 hour ago, RedRock said:

Always think A and B Block Dolman is the place to be for atmosphere. Really can’t understand - possibly aside from price and proximity to the Police monitoring room - why the normally sparsely populated Lower Lansdown adjacent to the away fans isn’t used more by the more atmosphere-generating supporters. 

If you’re not allowed to be behind the goal, as per the old East End (and I left that area some 50+ years ago - gulp!), do your own thing. 

The old ‘Park End’ - the best place ever at the Ashton Gate - wasn’t a Club inspired idea, nor the Grandstand, Blocks A and B of past days. Be radical…don’t be a sheep. 

Judging by Twitter the young uns are buzzing off ‘E34’ from the weekend. Sounds like it’s well under way. Time to get some ******* life back in the stadium. 
 

We are the A block, we are the A block, we are the A block Ashton Gate… 

38 minutes ago, Harry said:

It’s within the fans gift to be able to change this. 
Whilst the club have clearly tried everything they can to stifle atmosphere, the best way for the fans to fight back is to simply not play ball. 
If I were the group of ‘singers’ in S82, I’d not renew there next season. I’d move my seat to Dolman A block, either upper or lower. There’s plenty of spare seats there. 
If 200 people organised themselves to make this move, then what can the club do about it - nothing. 
Just get organised and move ‘S82’ to A Block, without any consultation with the club whatsoever. 

So easily done these days too with the internet. Just needs one of the bigger City ‘platforms’ to pick it up and push it. Or old school, letters placed on seats before games in block A and in section 82. Wouldn’t take long for mass movement. Club wouldn’t like it but doubt they would have the desire to physically prevent it from happening. 

1 hour ago, Shuffle said:

How many times do we play Swansea & have problems in the corner of Atyeo/Dolman.  Swans today took the piss in removing netting to get closer to City fans.  Feel for stewards who aren’t paid enough to deal with that but yet again we fail to learn.  

It was because they were being told to get off the stairwell rather than to get closer to the home end