Numero Uno

3 minutes ago, eardun said:

There were press conferences this week - a bit different and audio only though as done outside at the Children's hospice. Manning’s previous comment about contracts was that they would start talking to players about contracts from this week - highly unlikely that they would be ready to talk to the press about that yet. 
Manning and Sykes preview Canaries trip - Bristol City FC

Bit difficult to be critical of the club in those circumstances. They are visiting children with life limiting conditions and we are bellyaching about the lack of a visual press conference............................that would be a bad look.

3 minutes ago, TV Tom said:

I think the old Bristol South MP, Dawn Primarolo (Red Dawn) went to the odd game at AG

Baroness Primarolo................that's a blast from the past.

21 minutes ago, TV Tom said:

Harvey Proctor was another one

I'm quite comfortable that we seem to have little interest amongst politicians. The names you are wheeling out in relation to the Few are doing nothing to convince me otherwise!!!

By October/November we'll all get our answer on Manning.........................either way.

Nothing to play for. Fans not giving a left bollock until August now...................

So now a lot, myself included, have decided to renew last minute we await the impact of the "message we sent" from the club. We can surely expect to see a contrite CEO and Director of Football realising they've really ****** a lot of people off and change the communication to something that is more inclusive of rather than antagonistic towards the fanbase. Clearly they won't continue to think of fans as "customers", "know-nothing punters" and "mugs", they won't feel "they've got away with it" and it won't be an indicator that "it's only a load of hot air on OTIB" and that they can simply go back to taking people for granted will it? We all know that Bristol Sport are better than that..........................

Whilst this is all happening we can also expect to see pigs fly, the Few serve "genuine" Fanta and Liam ditch the word "behaviours".

I wouldn't expect the ear-plug wearing executives at BS Towers to have the faintest idea but they really do need next season to improve significantly imo, certainly in terms of the "matchday experience" on offer anyway. You can only continue to bore a majority of people for so long.

8 hours ago, slartibartfast said:

What , and a piss poor non-league club with a smaller ground and fan base than the gash  would ?

With a totally self-centred, poltically-motivated cock of an owner to boot.......................real old school football experience that.

5 hours ago, 22A said:

That was my point; City do not scout in their own area.

They do now otherwise you wouldn’t have seen numerous academy lads step up in recent years. Norwich aren’t allowed by FA rules to scout in this area now.

24 minutes ago, wendyredredrobin said:

2023/24 Attendances courtesy of transfermarket.com:

City    22,784

Sags     8,152

Still, they are the bigger club with the best support (Gas logic).

When the Gas took 75 to Fleetwood and it was expressed as a percentage of their home support and then multiplied by the "nothing riding on the game" co-efficient it was actually the third highest away attendance in the history of the game....................

If Premier League clubs didn't want replays then if they are drawn against lower league clubs in Rounds 3-5 the lower clubs should get choice of venue imo.

57 minutes ago, marmite said:

How much was the booking fee and was it per booking or per ticket?

£1.25 (don't know if that is per ticket) but either way it should cover the non-productive overtime costs of their staff signing on here as bots......................

1 hour ago, pillred said:

Pray do tell :laugh:.

You've got one guess and one guess only....................

16 minutes ago, redsquirrel said:

you could buy them a whole new set of clubs in the bag and bankrupt them, or at least make it very very difficult for them to maintain league status. id love to see them in the vanarama again,that was just soooo funny, punching goalkeepers etc etc. lovely bunch deserve so much worse

Goalkeepers, horses, all fair game for the the Gas Shit Squad……..

24 minutes ago, Back of the Dolman said:

If they park the bus would we really score 6 ? 
That’s the point of the exercise to work out how we score 6. 

Well, we hammered all these teams in pre-season last year and it didn't help us break down teams at CHAMPIONSHIP level who are better coached and more tactically aware than the likes of Newport County and FGR.................

You might be able to find a local side to play you in an unofficial training game where the specifics are that they park the bus whilst you try and break them down. That only works if the manager of the opposition is actively trying to coach his side on how to park the bus otherwise nobody would be interested. Perhaps you have scenario games in training that are 11 v 14 where the 14 have seven strung across the back? We could do that if we had a squad of 30 players!! I haven't got a clue tbh in terms of how you would coach it at pro level but we certainly haven't found an answer yet.

Just now, noize said:

If it was possible,. Rangers or Celtic are a good shout.

Yeah, that's the nearest you'll get to playing against good sides that play a Championship style I reckon. Neither would park the bus against Bristol City but it would be realistic to a Championship game in style at least.

Just now, noize said:

This is a really good point, something i had not considered, you are right. The teams we have struggled with this season are the "park the bus" type teams, really difficult to break down and find some creativity, Maybe that should be some of the focus.

Who do people suggest though? Unless you can find a high end League 1 side that play that way you are reduced to playing teams like Forest Green that park the bus and you beat them 6-0 anyway. Nothing learned whatsoever, just a nice run-out for everyone. No Premier League side will come down and park their bus.

1 minute ago, Davefevs said:

Think of all that tax he’s saved too!

It's an uncomfortable truth that what he will have ended up losing annually, once he sells the club, as a percentage of his overall wealth will very likely be similar in many cases to the percentage of their wealth that most fans put into the club in the form of season tickets, merchandising and the like every season. Some of our fans on minimum wage will be putting in (not investing) a far greater percentage of their "wealth".

I don't know about tax breaks but I do know that owning a football club as a billionaire will lead you to meet people and open doors to pursue other interests in your life that are not necessarily quantifiable in simple money terms. I also know that Steve's money will be working very well for him so if he pumps £15m of his own dosh into the club this year he will almost certainly be spending money that is effectively "Investment gain".

It's not about being ungrateful, it's just recognising that a local billionaire has CHOSEN to do something with his money that HE WANTED TO DO, WASN'T FORCED TO DO and ultimately will cost him around the same, in proportion terms, as any hobby that people on this board pursue. The main difference is that in the pursuit of my hobby I'm not able to turn round and say "it's mine"................

As I've said before, if I had Steve's investment nous and was a billionaire, I would 100% be happy to buy the thing off him and waste a couple of hundred million doing something I would love doing.......I don't though. I'm sure quite a few on here would do the same.

4 minutes ago, OneTeamInBristol said:

Really?

I'd class Rutter and Dewsbury Hall as very good championship players, for me Joe Williams is an average one who wouldn't get in any top 6 midfield.

He has progressed this season but only because of his shocking injury record previously.

I'd like to see Dewsbury Hall in a far better side than Leicester City. I think he's a player.

12 hours ago, pillred said:

I wasn't comparing, just pointing out to the poster expecting us to beat Huddersfield that Leeds had lost at home to Blackburn, so read my post properly before having a go, yes a few of the performances have been a bit underwhelming but it's a results business and he is certainly currently getting them, if you think Manning is going anywhere fast you will be sorely disappointed. I think you will soon be another poster having to eat humble pie, just as a few on this forum have already started to backtrack. 

I think Liam was as close as two defeats away from the sack and had the Leicester and Plymouth games been defeats he couldn't have complained about it either (albeit the real problem at the club would remain imo). Since then he hasn't lost a game so it wouldn't make sense for fans to keep calling him out albeit performances are still very mixed from week to week.

I think the majority of (not all) posters on here will change their minds if someone or something gives them reason too. You can call it backtracking as if its some form of weakness (real weakness is refusing to change your opinion/admit you got it wrong in the face of compelling evidence to the contrary) or you can call it being plain reasonable as new/different facts present themselves? Happens all the time at work, you start down one route and end up choosing another as facts change, nothing to be ashamed of.

However, before anyone has to start eating humble pie and other bollocks, he's got pre-season and the first three months of next season to successfully negotiate, no two ways about that. Come through that period unscathed, playing some nice football/looking upwards and people can start talking about pies and how they knew better all along................

I can only think of less than a handful of posters, at most, that simply won't have Manning under any circumstances.

32 minutes ago, TammyAB said:

Steve Evans is back in charge there, which changes the dynamic of the game for their players slightly

It changes the dynamics of the game for Max and our two centre halves..................

3 hours ago, Robbored said:

I heard that a certain Mr Dyson is interested in either buying or heavily investing in Bristol City.

Probably just wild speculation and rumour tho……..

 

Does that mean Manning has to give the lads the Hand Drier treatment at half-time?

3 hours ago, cidered abroad said:

Couldn't agree more. The quality has varied from the dream results coming true in the First Division to a team of mid teenage boys at the bottom of Division Four. In 1982, I did something that Lansdown never has or never will do. I spent the £90 of cash in my savings bank account on shares to keep City in business. And so did around 2,000 others.

I have little respect now for SL as over 25 years he has spent peanuts on City, City Women and Bristol Rugby. When he completely clears his bank account as I did, I'll grant him some respect. He is taking the piss out of us supporters. Not funding the playing staff to give us a better chance of top quality football.

And employing a head coach who is trying to do the impossible; to play the same style and quality as the Man City's, Real Madrid's with Second and Third Division quality playing staff. They're doing their very best but the style of play that Manning is trying to produce is way beyond our players ability. So send Manning back to Man City where he can coach their thirteen year olds!

Very interesting points you make. What people are missing is that the bloke who has lobbed £200m into the club (we are all very grateful before someone loses it) is ALSO one of the best investors in the country. So no doubt the £200m he's put in (or £10m per year on average) will have been recouped just from his investment knowledge not to mention he will recoup probably half of the capital investment when he sells up. Like I said before, owning Bristol Sport is no more than an expensive hobby for him. £100-£150m net at worst over the best part of 25 years for a billionaire. He won't be destitute at the end of it all.

1 minute ago, FNQ said:

Perhaps we should play against the cream of the south west to get numbers in and fan engagement… Cheltenham, FGR, Plymouth, Exeter, Manor Farm etc. Can’t think of anyone else that I may have missed.. 

Weston Super Mare is an obvious miss, Clifton St Vincents, De Veys and Totterdown United..............I think that covers it in terms of decently supported opposition in this region.

6 minutes ago, mozo said:

Thinking about it, I think Mehmeti is the biggest success story.

I think the majority of fans had written his off as not being anywhere near this level. I think the 'competition winner' line was used about him a few times.

A few months on, he's not only scored a couple of fantastic goals, but I think people are coming round to the idea that he's one of our more effective attacking options.

No doubt some of us still find him frustrating, but if he can continue to improve then who knows what he's capable of next season and beyond.

Not sure about Mehmeti THIS SEASON. However there is a good chance next season might be his breakout season if he carries on recent improvements. He's at least showing us what he's about at times now..........took a while.

7 minutes ago, mozo said:

The big winners I would say are Tanner, Roberts, O'Leary, Mehmeti and Dickie, whose status has all got stronger as the season wore on.

A difficult season for Conway, Wells, Bell and Cornick, with injuries, bench time, poor service and inconsistent form.

I expected more Pring and Sykes if I'm honest. They've just looked a bit average when I expect exceptional. 

Everyone else has pretty much done their job.

I know he's nowhere near the finished article but we've missed Bell imo. One thing I will say about him is his movement is very good and if we can get a decent passer of the ball signed I predict he will have a decent season next time round. Biggest issue for me with him is "upstairs".......he allowed a poor run of form to go on a bit too long for my liking then was just starting to show something when he got injured.

Your Big Winners list is right imo. However, I always felt Max was better than some on were claiming (Goalkeepers make mistakes that lead to goals conceded now and again shocker) so the biggest winner for me is Tanner who has come on a long way (and has still got plenty of room for improvement).