cidered abroad

Because NP is such a good manager, he subbed Towler to protect him rather than as a punishment as some previous City managers would have!

You have hit the nail well and truly in a sweet spot. I've seen seven relegations with City and in almost every case, the major cause has been a dearth of goals. This year's problems have been at the other end of the pitch. Just five or six fewer goals conceded at crucial moments would have turned us into a top ten side and given a totally different view on this season. Recently, with a stable back three, has shown an improvement plus some terrible misses by opponents have created hope for a better next season.

About 25 years ago I heard a French man on Radio 2 saying that in France if the government wants to do things like build a high speed rail track from Paris to Marseilles, the government announces what it wants to do, give the people a few months to comment negatively. Then they just go ahead and do it. The programme was one of first about HS2. The Frogs finished their line about 20 years ago. Have we actually started HS2 yet?

Well done Bears. Some good performances but Harry Thacker was MOM by a country mile. I should have gone but felt too tired for a drive home in the dark.

Would you please clarify or expand on what you mean. @Mr Popodopolous

@City oz Born in 1943, saw my first league match, taken by my father, much to my eternal shame, at Eastville in Feb 1950. Bristol Rugby in March and City v Aldershot on Good Friday 1950. Cardiff City Easter Monday following. In the summer both Glos and Somerset County cricket. Dad came from Rhondda Valley but his father born in Claverham next to Yatton. When Dad was young he would viisit an uncle who lived on Coronation Road and if City were home, all the males went. Around 1910 to 1914. We'd go to Cardiff about five times a year en route to visit Nana and they were in the First Division. Saw Blackpool with Stan Matthews, Pompey had twice won the league a year or so before. John Atyeo was an amateur at Pompey while the won them before he joined City. Wolves were an awesome team then with England captain Billy Wright. So I got in the habit of watching as much live football, rugby and cricket at a very young age. My memory of those days is clear, it's what I did five minutes ago that are the problem now. Early sixties after I left school and I grabbed the chance to see live football whenever I could. Even at Eastville as a last resort. Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea v Liverpool,West Ham in 1963, Fulham later on with George Best and Bobby Moore Internationals at Wembley and lots of City away games. Also didn't miss a City home game for nearly 25 years from 1960.

The age old scenario when those who admire good football from teams other than their "own" club are derided by others. I've supported City all my life and have only followed a couple of other sides because I lived in those towns for a while; Shrewsbury and Livingston. But I've also been fortunate to see live games of some of the best teams in the world at the time. Portsmouth, First Division champions twice in late 1940's. Wolves in the early 50's. Spurs, league and FA Cup winners in 1961, Brazil at Wembley in 1963 but without Pele. The Busby Babes at Eastville before Munich. Real Madrid's Di Stefano and Puskas, Portugal's Eusebio at Wembley in international games Liverpool, Forest in 1970's at Ashton Gate.I hated losing to them but had a real thrill to see such quality football. Now we are flooded on TV with top class football every week, yet while I still admire the class football from them, I still get a bigger buzz going to City. They are my club, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health, til death do us part!

I cannot see that his GAIT is awkward. For a tall lad who appears to have "filled out" his upper body since he arrived, he is very mobile and nimble. £1.5 million is a bargain.

I like your "pen" name. I remember seeing David Coleman's response when the two halves of a Midlands game were shown on TV in the wrong order. Vague recollection it was a Villa match and I think it was a predecessor to Match of the Day. As the screen went black as they then transferred back to BBC London for the next match, we heard Coleman's voice saying "Well you made a right fxxk up of that!" I couldn't stop laughing all through the next match. @Colemanballs

If we had two sturdy and tall full backs to be alongside similar centre halves, I would go for a back 4 with 3-3 and it's variations, 4-2 and 5-1, in front of them. But if we have only full backs of similar build to Tanner and Dasilva, then it must be a back three. With this it would be essantial to have top quality wing backs. Finding two is difficult enough and finding four, ready to come on as subs because of the very energetic role, is almost certainly not going to be available to us. A big problem for Nigel Pearson to solve before next season and one which could determine where we are in the table; lower middle and looking over our shoulders all the time or eyeing a play-off spot?

3-0 away win for City.

Don't leave the windows open! Otherwise Colchester will sneak a goal or two.

What burden? How many hours a week does JL devote to being Chairman of BCFC? I cannot believe it is more than one or two hours! Replace JL with Scudamore would be more sensible and productive.

One of three or four more needed in the squad.

My first visit to Bramall Lane in 1958 resulted in the following. Sitting in the cafe in John Street right outside the stadium and drinking tea with United players. Free Complimentary ticket from Alan Hodgkinson, the current England Goalkeeper. A 4-0 defeat. Bottle of beer on train home from Bert Tindill and in the same carriage as the City squad.

Can he be any more worse than several this season who have given totally different decisions for our opponents to those same incidents for City? Yes?

Where are the congratulations from our poster Waconda

I saw him play but don't remember how many times. Visits to Ashton Gate were infrequent as school games on Saturday afternoon and all midweek games in the afternoon as no floodlights used for competitive matches til 1957. As part of the transfer fee, Arsenal played a friendly with us at the Gate in March 1954. 28991 were there to see City win 3-1.Not Arsenal's strongest side. The next season, we won the Third South title with a record 70 points and wearing red shirts with white sleeves, Arsenal style.

I don't know. I saw Yashin at Wembley playing for Rest of the World v England in the FA Centenary game. He was awesome in size, quick reactions and his all black kit. But I wonder if he could post a letter as efficiently as Gibbo.

The seventies was the beginning of relaxing these rules. In the 1950 and 1960 decades, only the international goalkeepers wore Yellow. As for whether Rovers used City kit, I am not aware they did but maybe they did. Any visiting Gas know?

@HomerRed In those days, the keepers were only allowed to wear four colours. GREEN; which was the standard because only one side in the League wore green shirts - Plymouth Argyle. RED / BLUE / WHITE; White was never seen until Peter Shilton wore it for Leicester City in the early 1970's. So when any side wearing RED played against Argyle, the only one used was BLUE Also in those far off times, in FA Cup matches, both sides, in the case of a colour clash, had to change shirt colours. Many teams used white shirts as their second colour, so clubs tossed a coin to be able to use white shirts. The losers had to find another colour. In the 1950's it happened three times with City. 1954 at home to Rotherham and Accrington Stanley 1958, away and the reply at home. For those games City wore Rovers Blue/White Quarters. In 1959 against Blackpool home and replay away aginst Blackpool, a set of kit from Cardiff City Nobody got uptight about City wearing blue shirts. City's change colours were normally White but in the early 1950's they used BLUE as first change for League games. Both City and Rovers had reserve teams in the Football Combination and the Western League. Rovers Western League side wore RED and White quarters. I never saw their First or Combination teams play so don't know if they wore white as a change or the red/white quarters. Here endeth the Prehistoric history lesson!

My nearest to Gibbo is Tony Cook. Whether Cook or Gibson is number one is difficult to say. Both were so consistent over a ten year period that I won't make a choice. PS. They may, in some peoples opinions, not be the most talented keepers since early 1950's. For example Jan Muller, but I base my choices on players who had a decent portion of their career with City.

Our players are so naive. Ipswich using every time wasting tactic. Just like our first team.

Are you really thinking that MA was acting as Director of Football? IMO, he was looking after number one with total disregard to SL, and the future of the Football Club. Continually bringing in players who were not wanted, overpaid and in many cases totally inadequate at top Championship level. We've had some poor non football managerial staff in the past but this clown (MA) is top of the league for inadequacy and self indulgence.

I certainly hope that he stays. Unless a complete disaster with the remaining games sends us down, he, the players have achieved the target of staying in the Championship for 2022-23. The crux of the problem now is how successful we are in recruitment and moving our unwanted on during the summer. Selling one of the promising young ones will put us as ok with FFP. But releasing those being paid more than a £Million a year is much more important and constructive. Unfortunately, it will probably be two young guns leaving and the overpaid dross remaining because nobody will want them!