cidered abroad

6 hours ago, Dan Robin said:

Shame to end our league campaign with a thrashing, but I'm quite satisfied with our season and the finishing place: this City side is not playoff material yet, and if you add a managerial change and the usual injury problems, I don't think we could have asked for much more..

Another positive: our penalty ratio has increased, not something many of us would have predicted!

We are not play off or promotion material and will never be with the current ownership and Mr Tinnion in charge of recruitment and team management.

We are, however, more likely to follow BCFC ( Midlands) in a downward direction if we perform like we did today at Stoke. That was utterly pathetic as our last game of this season.

Cheerio BCFC (Blue) and continue going downwards.

Although we'll probably follow you next season if this afternoon was any sort of indicator of next season

I'm amazed to see this as I have always believed that all club records, if held by the club, were destroyed in the floods of late 1960's.

So is this something that David Woods would have access to when writing his City histories?

A PS for my earlier post.

I saw Andy playing for Wales in Vienna in a World Cup Russia 2018 qualifying game.

A 2-2 draw.

A pleasure to see Andy in a red shirt. I remember seeing him play at Ashton Gate for Leicester about twelve years ago and I thought then that he would be a very useful midfielder in the Red of Bristol City.

So thanks very much Andy and best wishes to you and family. Diolch yn fawr

1 hour ago, Rossi the Robin said:

Thanks JB great threads this season 

I have a feeling we will score a few goals tomorrow ️

I second that comment. @Jerseybean does a very interesting and much appreciated pre-match day post.

I guess the hardest thing to do is the fact that as we've been in the same division for so long, what new info can be included.

My first visit to Stoke City was in 1959-60 season. I went on my own in October by train, probably half term at school, with City struggling having won only 3 out of 14 matches. I didn't see another City fan all day.

Malcolm Graham a big money for those days played his first game for City after injury for all of that season. He got 2 and Atyeo one in a 3-1 away win. I hoped that results would improve but no chance!

At end of April, after manager Doherty was sacked around end of December, the inevitable happened. We were back in Division 3.

He was a part timer similar to John Atyeo as was training to be a school teacher.

Played outside right in the side in late 1950's and moved on for a couple of seasons at Bath City when Malcolm Allison was beginning his managerial career.

Became a teacher at Ashton school just over the road from the City ground.

RIP Derek and thanks.

3 hours ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Naismith is still contracted until 2025, that isn't to say transfers  can't happen of course but Free Agent in 2025 as it stands.

He's a decent footballer but now too prone for injuries. And if played as a back line defender, always likely to make a superb pass for the attacker to score. Only one problem; the attacker/scorer will not be playing for Bristol City.

2 minutes ago, formerly known as ivan said:

Think we can all agree Ashton wasn’t ever the issue. How has it gone so right at Ipswich and so wrong for us I wonder…

Could it be due to a couple of blunderers?

51 minutes ago, ciderwithtommy said:

@Harry appreciate the insight and of course it makes sense not to throw someone under the bus to appease the forum! The one bit I am slightly unsure on, is if it was the players who suggested to LM we needed a change, and he listened, does that equate to poor leadership? Or does it lend itself to creating more accountability for the players? I.e. we have problems and if you have the answers, I’m happy to facilitate that. The other option from the player meeting would’ve been “do it my way or leave” - not sure that’s great leadership from someone so new to the group whilst they were struggling for form. 

I would hope that, in an modern era, there would be team talks where everyone can voice and opinion on tactics. Otherwise how does any business move forward?

We have a comparatively young Head Coach with not very much "managing" experience. He has never won promotion or a cup in his career, but we have in the playing staff several very experienced of winning Premier league, promotions and plenty of international caps.

Or should we stick with the "Do as I say you will do on the pitch" philosophy?

1 hour ago, Bristol Oil Services said:

Bournemouth "found a way" to get there, as did Luton. As might Wrexham. Fair means or foul football is all about getting away with what you can get away with, it always has been.

I'm thinking of a bet on Wrexham going from National league to Premier with four successive promotions and yet another minnow overtaking us.

Andy King has brought quality and a great deal of assistance for the young brigade. He's seen better days, but who hasn't when they have played in the top tier, European club matches and 50 international games.

If he is leaving, he has my sincere respect and thanks. And best wishes for a coaching and probably management future.

4 hours ago, chinapig said:

The Sky Group was sold to Comcast some years ago. The Dirty Digger is no longer involved.

Another American company taking our cash out of the country!

only one consolation is that they were founded in Tupelo Mississipp, the birthplace of Elvis Presley.

4 hours ago, DeParis said:

He is a very different player to Twine, and I think he will excel under Manning far more than Warne. Paul Warne sides are very direct, and some Derby fans have been frustrated with this and feel it negates the strengths of Bird. A completely different style of football to Manning.

Whilst Bird isn’t the same player as James they are similar, he seems like an obvious replacement and in my view an upgrade. He is more mobile a better passer and a bigger goal threat - James does have greater experience and nouse though.

i think he will be an excellent signing, and im suprised we managed to get him…. A rotating 4 of Bird Knight Williams and TGH is really good at this level. For all his faults one thing BT has improved is recruitment of players. 

The two divisions are very different for quality and tactics. You infer that Warne has been more direct to get them out of League One but he may well adjust the style in the Championship. The same way as most teams who go from Championship to Premier need to recruit better and more technically players.

8 hours ago, Never to the dark side said:

I think football is still adjusting to the effects of Covid,but its this coming season that does concern me.

With five of the Saturday 3pm Championship games being moved for live television coverage

I can see less season tickets and match day ticket sales be purchased.

I still think that the five live planned games will all be kicking off at 12:30pm on saturday

I might find out a little more when I attend the ITV AGM meeting this coming Thursday

You and plenty of others appear to think that almost everyone has able to watch games on Sky TV.

Well, I've never, not ever will, contribute to the thing called Sky TV owned but the very obnoxious Aussie.

6 hours ago, Southend Blue said:

Back in the summer of 1992 (we had just won the old second division incidentally to become founder members of the new Premier League) Leeds United were Champions of England but for the next nine months couldn't win a single league game away from Elland Road, which in retrospect, makes tonight's capitulation over in London something small fry.       Back in 1970 for good measure they looked well on course to win the League (old first division), F.A. Cup and European Cup, but finished with nothing.     They're no strangers to missing out or letting their own fans down, strange sequence of results etc.

Like said before all things can happen at a business end of a season where stakes are at the highest and teams have the most to gain, and at the same time, the most to lose.     That score from London a few hours ago was great for us of course but We're not promoted yet by any measure.

I think after 22 years away from the highest level I would have wanted the team to accomplish the promotion objective by their own continued merits and performance rather than be dependant on other teams scores but fans our end are so eager to make it back and after years and years of abject failure and hideous non-progress many if not all would simply take what they can get to aid the team over the finish line.

There is absolutely no guarantee the team will still finish top two, Hull City need points almost as much as ourselves while Coventry have endured such a horrid last week they'll want to give the fans there something back with games remaining.      Huddersfield at home on the final weekend sounds like a party atmosphere and a win for the taking but what with all's at stake for us, it'll be nothing short of nerves and we're going to have to earn it if three points on the day means a way back to the Premier League.      

Leicester now promoted is all very well and good for them at least, but a week or two back thought they'd blown it and could well have ended up in the play-off games.      We can still finish 1st and them 2nd but we were runners-up in League One last season when really deserved to be champions so it's a similar scenario but in a higher league.     First or Second gets a promotion, many fans here won't care too much with runners-up position, they've been (we have) away from the top league for so long we just a return back and the automatic places will provide it.

Back last August if you had offered the position we're in with games remaining, just about everyone at Portman Road would have chomped off an arm to accept it.     But as again there's still work to do and right now, nothing has been decided and it's going to take further hard work, belief and commitment to complete the job or see this dream or objective really set in stone.  

First time I saw City play Rotherham was in 1952/3 in an FA Cup match.

Both sides had to change colours due to red clash. City lost the toss for white and ended up wearing the Gas blue and white quarters.

We lost, 1-3 Rotherham being a Second Division team while we were Third (South).

We got our revenge in 1957 when we beat them 4-1 in the Third Round.

1 minute ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Have the club released anything formally yet?

But you are one of the City fans with a quirk for anything numerical!

24 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

To be fair, and I know you’re not saying it wasn’t publicised, it was on Twitter and the OS.

 

That is ok if one has or uses X which I don't. Was it on club website in another method?

20 minutes ago, Simon bristol said:

Sounds sensible to me, in the old days we would spend millions on players then never play them, bringing him in for not a lot to have a look at him seems like a good idea compared to what happened with engvall, szomdics et al.

What do you mean by "the old days"? If you mean LJ time here then yes.

Apart from that shambles, I don't remember any time from 1950 onwards that we spent lot's of money on transfer fees and didn't play them.

Some like Hugh McImoyle who were not very good here but we sold him on and got John Galley as his replacement. He did quite well here!

7 hours ago, DaveInSA said:

There was an interesting LinkedIn post I came across the other day, which I will summarise as : DATA is making the world more boring.

They cited several examples, but a couple stood out. In the NBA, nearly ALL of the teams play the same way, points are scored from very specific areas of the court and it’s become dull and predictable as a result. The second was the music industry, within a given genre (pop, country etc) the diversity of music has decreased, there is less innovation and music is working to a “formula”.

What does this mean for football. Well, probably something similar isn’t it? Football is becoming dull. I’m sure that there is a multitude of reasons why, but definitely a cause will be the statistics around “most likely methods to score from” - I think that is called xG for or something.

What I’ve seen with my eyes is something completely alien to me at times. It’s structured. Ponderous. Boring. My enjoyment of football comes from chaos, a lack of structure and being able to thrive in the midst of all of this. I like passion. I like both teams going at it.

I like rugby more than football now as a spectacle. 

Agree with you and I confirm that modern football at the top levels, has become rather boring.

So you consider that rugby is more of a spectacle.

Well I have an ST for Bears and they generally try to play a running, passing game. Others like Quins are similar but the two most successful sides of the last decade, Saracens and Exeter have achieved titles and cups with a dull kicking and scrummaging version of rugby.

Bayer Leverkusen, the Leicester City or Blackburn Rovers of Germany Bundesliga. A small club getting a League title against all the giants and possibly unlikely to ever get so close again?

13 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

It's ridiculous to expect a player to know for certain whether they are in an offside position, or not, period.

For clarity, where would you draw the line? 

Firstly, I believe that if there is any doubt about the decision, by linesman or VAR, the decision should favour the attacking side. It is, after all, a game that is played to score more goals than the opponents.

Secondly, I would only make a decision, draw the line, with only one part of the body is taken into consideration. The feet! 

VAR seems to me a very negative thing for attacking football and an encouragement for sides to be more negative in approach.

Another suggestion would be that offside, which was introduced in the very early days of football, should be dispensed with now. Defenders would then not be able to move forward to deliberately play an opponent offside. And the entertainment value of a match may be increased with more goals.

Unable to watch or listen to radio but very pleased with a point at Carrow Road which is not one of our best hunting grounds.

2 hours ago, TV Tom said:

Was a wonderful night, we lost the last game of the season at home to Notts County at AG a few days later

The defeat by Notts County was 100% because the team hadn't been sober all week after the Pompey match!