cidered abroad

I am wondering about the changes to our tactics and their implementation. With LJ and I also think Manning will be the same, the players have to follow the plan(s) set by the manager. The big difference with Pearson was that while there were plans, the players were also encouraged to think for themselves. So perhaps in the latter stages v Norwich, instead of all out attack the players might have stayed tighter at the back, by doing so, encouraging Norwich to come at us and hit them on the break for the winner. There are many ways to win a football match but is throwing all ten outfield players up to their penalty area is possibly not one of them. Having said that we've been done at home in the last minute at least twice. Norwich and Stoke while NP was here. We are perhaps, just unable to see games out especially at home.

He has almost everything going for him and his last twenty years must have gleaned and learnt a mass of data and tactics. So his knowledge is not in doubt. But how good a manager of professional footballers is he? That remains to be seen and we all know that hardened pros can be a real handful if they choose to not join in. And unlike many other industries, they will be able to dig in, enjoy the pay and do sod all to comply. How he deals with that, if it happens, will determine his success on the field.

The only thing I buy there is a cup of tea £2.25. The rest is a collection of poor food and expensive drinks. With Sainsbury's and other food retailers just outside, and local pubs at both ends of the ground, I fail to see how anyone would go inside the ground for food or drink.

When did owners and very senior people in business and politics ever worry about lying to employees, customers and the general public?

As one who bought £90 of shares, my total savings then, I just wanted to save the club. A year or two later when Cooper got us back in third tier, I did wonder how long it would take to get back to the First Division. When Jordan got us back to Second, I honestly thought that we'd give it a good go to go back. But he left and it's drifted along for the last thirty years. Now at 80 years, it probably won't happen for me as it is so obvious that the Lansdown reign is more interested in building money making property developments than getting top league football to Bristol.

For every team that goes from the bottom six to the top six during the course of a season, there's one that goes the other way! So we should not be complacent. It happened to us in 1979-80.

Today was a replica of several previous home games this season. Take a lead first half, while the opponents are still having a good look at us and working out how to play the more important second half. They equalise within minutes of the second half starting. About ten minutes from time, City go on all out attack and lose with a sloppy defensive play in the last couple of added time minutes. The comedian on another thread who said the bottom three were already down a couple of weeks ago will still be laughing at the end of April/early May?

Just like LJ?

Nobody is relegated or promoted as early as first of December. Ask Swindle fans!

You miserable person. The sharing of OUR STADIUM means that we benefit from costs that are shared with the Bears can reduce the losses we make and help to keep us out of trouble with FFP. The Bears rarely ask us to change match day. This one is for a televised local derby with Gloucester and with the fan numbers coming from just up the road will add some more to Bears and City income. I'll be there for both games and hope to see two wins for Bristol.

Yes and Jimmy Dickinson captain of Portsmouth. Don't know who the one to right of Atyeo is.

In fact Mourhino hardly played at all. His father was a goalkeeper at Setubal. Mourhino got into football management via a job as a translator with Bobby Robson when he went to Sporting Lisboa. From there to management over a few years when he won Champions League with O Porto.

Don't kid yourself. Just remember that City were 8th in the First Division in October 1979 and still got relegated at end of April. Once a team starts sliding down it's more difficult to escape than an Olympic ice run.

I haven't read any of the previous pages, only this one. We looked ok in the first half and created some decent chances. But we rely on one player to score and if he's out of sorts, we end the game on NIL. I thought Southampton looked like a typical bottom end of Premier League table. Play keep ball very well but didn't create the chances as we did. They may go back up but I think not unless Ipswich implode. I notice that all of our matches against the three Prem sides, have been away. Big advantage for them? All three lost by a single goal and in none of them were we totally outplayed. I wonder what the scores would have been if we had all three at home instead of away? Am I cynical that we had three away games and none at home yet. Relegated Prem sides are always at their most vulnerable in the early season. PS. What about the handball by a Soton defender? Did Stroud chicken out of the right decision?

it died with a coiple of minutes to play. Typical!!!

And next season after their promotion, we played them away quite early in the season. First time that I saw any behavioural of anger during and after from quite a few of them as we beat them, If I remember correctly it was their first home defeat for three or four seasons as we won 4-3. Bobby Shadow, Etheridge and Gordon Low scored. Typical City, we lost at home the next week to the Welsh giants, Newport County.

For several years I believe that we have tried to introduce young Academians at an earlier stage than many other clubs. If that is true, it can get the youngsters more experience playing with and against those who could be several years older, thus getting them to progress quicker both in footballing talent and their mental growth. On the other hand, it can mean we get walloped by more experienced sides.

His job is to clean the kit and also lots of other things that are invaluable to the club. One of his most important functions and it's not written down anywhere, is to help to keep all the playing staff in a positive frame of mind. Any job for any type of company is a miserable place to work when there isn't a constant level of humour involving everyone. That makes him priceless as confidence and positive outlooks are so necessary in a football club. Lose the humour and you lose team spirit. So I say that Murray is the latest in a long line of very good kit people at City.

The first time I saw Terry Venables play was at Ashton Gate for Chelsea under 18's in an FA Youth cup semi-final. The City had a forward line of Lou Peters, Brian Clark, Terry Bush, Adrian Williams and Jantzen Derrick. Chelsea had Bonetti in goal, Alan Harris, Terry Venables, Murray and Bobby Tambling all of whom had long and successful careers. In the early 1990's I went to a sports lunch somewhere near Stoke and Venables was the guest speaker. I always remember this part of the chat. When TB was manager, or head coach, at Barcelona. Lineker and Mark Hughes were in their squad. Terry said that he used the "F" word frequently while coaching - like about every other word. Spain played an international friendly against England at the Camp Nou and Lineker scored all four in a superb win 4-0. After the match Venables is talking to someone in the area outside the dressing rooms. The Spanish and Barca goalkeeper Zubizarreta, came out and walked by Terry who said to him "Alright Zubi?" The response was "Fxxxxxg hell !", smiled Zubi and went home.

WE DO NOT RENT ASHTON GATE FOOTBALL GROUND! The only employees of Bristol City Football Club are players and coaches. Probably not the Tea Lady/Man. Possibly the medical staff? Thus we have to pay our share of the stadium use for all those formerly paid by City and now employed by and paid by Bristol Sport, and most of that is an exemption (I guess) of spending and not counted for FFP. @mason

Good post @Southport Red The game has changed so much in my 74 watching years. The change from all the time spent by both sides in each others penalty areas to back fours playing keep all is really annoying. However all the developments in tactics are based on coaches trying to minimise goals against and increase goals for. Boring going from a throw in near opponents corner flag to our keeper is the way it is. We either get used to it or sit at home watching crap TV. I may not like it but I'll keep on going until they screw the lid down. COYREDS

Let's give Liam Manning a chance to bed himself in at City. Some 56 years ago Harry Dolman employed a real novice, Alan Dicks, as club manager. Ask any City supporter of any age, who was the most successful City manager since 1945. Answer from well over 95%, would be AD. Then ask those of us who are still breathing, their opinion of him at the start of season 1970-71. Probably a large percentage would have said "Sack him"! I know that life was a bit slower back then and now everything must happen at the speed of sound. I didn't want Pearson to leave but that's yesterday. LM deserves at least a couple of months before we start showing our dissatisfaction.

Manning is the new head coach on the block. So why would anyone expect him to be anything but cautious about any questions or comments. I liked his predecessor but he hardly rushed into any answers until the last few weeks of his time here. Manning will be cautious until he's been here some time. Even though the Lansdown's employed him, he will not want to upset them. And even above them his prime objective at present is to win the trust and confidence of the players. Honest opinions may be exchanged in the in the privacy of the training centre but to make damaging comments in public are not on.

A very sad indictment of how referees are treated by so many players and supporters. It's a wonder that there are any willing to referee matches at any level.

Well I never! My mother always went to the Co-op on Castle Street which looked very lonely as only four buildings left after Uncle Adolf's bombers had visited. Where I had my first football boots and every scrap of clothing. I still use her Co-op membership number as one of my codes for use in a world where we all need endless pin numbers etc.