cidered abroad

We won promotion from Fourth Division.

I was there and here is my story. I worked at Colodense in West St, Bemmy. A near neighbour of mine also worked there and he was also a City fan. His job was technical service to our customers and so he organised a visit to a customer inw Lincoln on the morning of the replay. So at 6am, we set off to Lincoln. My wife and Dad, him and his wife. Went to customer and did the business bit, leaving Lincoln at 10.30. At 1.20 pm we got to Elland Road and bought 5 tickets in yhe stand opposite to stand where players came on to pitch. My wife had never been to a live game and when Gillies scored, she asked me what had happened? The next 20 minutes were the longest in my life. We found out later that when we bought five seats together, all turnstiles to terraces had been closed as full, fifteen minutes before we bought them. One eighteen hour day by the time we got home, delighted but knackered.

But our problem is that we don't win too many consecutively. If we could go W W D W D D W for example we'd have 15 points out of 7 games which would push us into top six. So if we could cure our inconsistent points gathering and even won at home all the time, we would see a big difference.

Another one of our "Family" leaves his family forever. As it happens to all of us, for their sake, I hope it's gone but never forgotten. RIP City fan.

Don't be silly! LM last night set us up in the same way as NP was developing without all the sideways at the back when we got the ball. LM may get the glory but hasn't he realised that he must use the players in a way that they are used to. Defend sensibly and hit the other defence early before they have chance to get their defence en masse to keep us out.

Is the young Yeboah a very similar player who is about three years behind that aforementioned?

The amount of possession really is the most useless data in any team sport. It's like leading on a grand Prix for 99% of the time and being overtaken with half a lap to go. Southampton were a typical lower Premier league side, full of good technical players, keeping possession without making any real inroads into the opponents defence. We've seen this so many times this season that it's completely boring to watch. Have City reverted to the game plan that was being built by NP and which LM has possibly realised is the way to win games? Stop going sideways and backwards all the time to keep possession and hitting to other side with real pace - not only on both touchlines but also through the middle. Attacking the opponents straight through what has been forbidden territory for too long. I walked out of Ashton Gate last evening buzzing with excitement just like I did when I was a six year old after my first City match. I wanted to go in Ashton Park and kick a tennis ball like I did then! This old man hasn't grown up. COYREDS!!!!

Super captain and leader.

What was final u21 score?

Under 21 final score ?

Wearing loose underpants instead of y fronts can work wonders on swing improvement.

I know one or two enjoyed a drink or three. But didn't realise that there were those players who had a bit more class. Was it red, white or sparkling wining?

Yes because Hargreaves is/was the investor as opposed to the accountant Lansdown.

That was our first win at Boro in about 80 years, not that we played them very often with us on the second and third division with them in First Division most of the time. Only listened to radio commentary and we were very good in first half. But from commentary and Owers comments we appear to have defended too deeply in second half. That can be sorted for the future but to get all three points was very important for us to stay in midfield table and not sink where Birmingham and Blackburn have. A win is a win and very grateful even if not a pleasant second half.

When I started in 1950 we were a Division Three side who finished lower than the Gas for the next eleven seasons. And that even with the great John Atyeo and his six games for England. And it would not surprise me if we ended up back in the Third Division and below them up in Horfield. Pessimist? Maybe or it could be called "Being Realistic".

RIP Martin, one of us for ever. My condolences to all his family and friends.

Seb worked really hard for Newport in the recent Man U cup tie without much visible reward. However, the one thing that stood out was his speed in closing down, getting into position to receive passes from their midfield. And decent first touch when he did get the ball. And never seemed to show negative attitude. I'm hopeful that he will continue developing with City benefitting.

Abraham R is a big Spurs fan though he isn't biased? So just for him, here's a tale from 1961. In 1960-61 Spurs did the League and Cup double with a fabulous team. In end September I went by train to Paddington en route to Southend United where City were playing on a Monday evening. I met Fred Ford on the train and we talked football all the way to London. He suggested that, as I could stay with relatives in London, that I go to Spurs to get a ticket for the second leg of the first round European Cup against Gornik of Poland who won the first leg 3-1. When I got to the garden shed (ticket office) at White Hart Lane they said it was already a sell out. I had my City scarf on and I was asked which club? I told them about my journey with Ford and said he told me to get a ticket. The guy went to the back of the shed and brought me a complimentary ticket for the terracing called The Shelf. He said the ticket was for Mr Ford but if I didn't get it to him at Southend, I could use it instead. Wednesday evening in a crowd of approx 65,000 I saw a fantastic display by Spurs who won 8-1 in the night. Players like Blanchflower, Medwin, Smith and brilliant Scotsman midfielder John White. That was 63 years ago and I remember it as if it was yesterday. One of many great match memories. PS. I detested Spurs when the knocked us out of FA and League Cup matches because I want City to win every time.

You must enjoy sadism if you want to watch us dumped out of the F A Cup!

Well said. For me it is absolutely clear from home league matches, the away side are careful in the first half not to concede. City have a reasonable share of the ball but very few opportunities for goalscoring. Then in second half, opponents change the way they play, often it seems, getting a goal ahead and continuing to have major share of the ball. City are left to very few visits to the away sides goal and when we try to get late equaliser or even winner, the sucker punch winner is always at the end we're defending. Manning is a coach and nothing else. Managers are coaches who can read a game and make the necessary changes to counter the other side. Continue this much longer and we'll be scrapping with Blackburn Rovers for the third relegation place.

One solution to the "children ticket" problem is not to send them all to the Upper Lansdown as children like to be near the game, not fifty yards away from the pitch in the Upper L. My solution would be to issue tickets for ,let's say under twelves, in the six front rows of all the stands, Dolman, South and Lansdown. Same price for all adults in all three stands.

Continue for another two months with league results (Forest won't let us win the replay) the same as January and he'll be gone. If the SL family bottle that decision, we'll be enjoying Third Division local derbies again.

Dreadful performance! Leeds are a decent team but we don't stand a chance with the continuing passing the ball back and sideways, throw ins toward our own goal. It's not the players fault but how they are told to play. We need about 12 points for safety and unlikely as it is, with a spell of 3 points from the last 18, we're going back to the LJ losing spells like 11 PTS from 66 available.

The game of football at the highest levels has changed so much since many of us older ones began our lifetime. Instead of the attitude then of knocking the ball into opponents penalty box as often as possible and banging on their door, which raised the emotions of the industrial working class and made them noisy and willing their side to win. Now, and especially since Man City started playing keep ball for very long periods there are so few moments like the old days. All teams in the top levels will now do things that were never seen which dampen the excitement. Throw in alongside the opponents penalty area and with one to three touches is with our goalkeeper, does deflated us. We only had football or rugby to go to in the winter and I'm an old man who has watched the game through eight decades and still gets a buzz on match day. But would I have stuck with the lack of goalmouth excitement when I was a young boy and with so many other activities now available? I don't think so.

And Boro, Hull and Leicester and Stoke aren't a million miles away. They just whine for the sake of it and wonder why supporters of other clubs have no liking for them!