Norn Iron

Hi Silvio, As you've bought more than one shirt, what is your verdict on the quality and manufacturing of the shirt?

As I've said before on other threads, I was a Luton Town fan from 1972-77. My parents were from Bristol but I was raised in Harpenden (home of Eric Morecambe) and 6 Miles from Luton. We moved back to Bristol in time for the 77-78 season. It was easy for me to transfer my loyalties as my Dad was a die-hard City fan even though we would go to the Oak Rd week in, week out to support The Hatters. I can only apologise to the 6 year old kid who suffered abuse that day. It is sooooo wrong. I was a young teenager when City played at Kenilworth Rd and I too received all kinds of hand signals walking past the City coaches after the match. OK, I was wearing my scarf tied around my wrist (it was a thing in those days) and I was double his age but It doesn't make it right. I said Oak Rd. The home end in those days was the Oak Rd. The away end was Kenilworth Rd. In my day that was an open terrace. The Bobbers Stand (so named as it cost a bob to enter) was the small terrace running alongside the touchline. In my day it was a bank of seats. In the 80s, they replaced the seats with executive style boxes. Luton Town gave me a love for football. I was able to watch my childhood hero every Saturday - a certain John Aston. I can't remember the 66 World Cup final but I was in awe of the Man U v Benfica European Cup final a couple of years later in 1968. George Best? Pah. John Aston won it for them and that was who I wanted to be on the footy field....sadly not though when it came to playing the game. I also had the privilege of watching Paul Futcher make his debut. Forget Ron (his twin who fortunately decided not to sign for us), Paul was an incredible player. Even though I am City through and through now (and yesterday bought another return flight to watch BCFC in September), LTFC will always be special to me. I still have my orange, blue and white scarf. I would still have my classic Admiral shirt had my mother not thrown it out deliberately it (due to a terrible divorce that made a national newspaper). I returned a couple of times to Kenilworth Rd to watch BCFC. My loyalties were no longer with Luton. My last visit was in the 93-94 season. The Oak Rd was now the away end but I was a guest and sitting in the Main Stand. I remember checking my emotions and it was the team from BS3 that I was there for. So where is this epistle going? I don't really know except that whilst it is indeed a dump of a football ground, it is my childhood dump of a football ground. That dump can't be taken away from my memory and nor will I let it. See you at Ashton Gate in September. COYR.....and yes, we are definitely going up this season.

Robin on Ice. Cue an angry Mr Cousins of Avonmouth.

Moi aussi Rough translation.... I am australian

It was on a Friday night. I think we scored fairly early on? Then it was more of a 'making sure it stayed that way' type of match. Not a good game football wise but oh boy, the atmosphere at the final whistle....Ashton Gate went mental. BS3 had a football team and as Jim D said, it was like winning the World Cup.

The kit manufacturer was Koffer Sports. I thought they deliberately chose black shorts purely for the fact Man U did occasionally and it looked good.

Am I the only one who having read the first post had no idea what it was about and couldn't think what TdF stood for? These thoughts come in cycles!

Have you looked behind the bin?

I told you O'Neills make some great kits! Nice one Sydney. 4th one down especially would have been fab.

Did you know that all racehorses have the same birthday? January 1st. That's how the organisers of races work out if Dobbin is eligible for say a certain race like 3 yr Old Stakes.

Sorry Dave but how dare you try and bring the posts back to the original topic. Note to Mods...please warn him that if he does this again, he will have his flip charts confiscated!

Hindsight would say this was a major loss earner major.

Pretenders are on tonight at 7.45pm, Park stage. BBC iplayer has it. I had the privilege of seeing them last month in Belfast in a small venue. Until that gig, I had always underestimated Chrissie's rhythm guitar playing. One of the best gigs I've ever been to. If you want to see and hear what a modern day electric lead guitarist should sound like, then listen to James Walbourne. I was so impressed by him. He's been with them for a few years now, but boy can he play!

What if Nige and SL have said to AS that this coming season is our best chance of getting promoted, if he stays? What if a gentleman's agreement has then been agreed that he'll get regular first team football? AS can leave with their best wishes in the second transfer window if we're nowhere near play offs. AS hopefully realises he has a great support already around him. He knows he'll let Tommy down with having to pay all the rent...as joked by Nige. Why shouldn't he stay under that Gentleman's agreement, assuming there is such a one here? Even if we sell him for £15m in 2nd transfer window, when we could/maybe have sold him for £25m currently, BCFC still profits by £15m! I am genuinely excited about our prospects this season* so if SL is genuine in wanting promotion, AS has to be in the plans. *Mind you I normally am every season but this time it feels different in a positive way.

Ooh, do you know what that's worth?

I am not a fan of Belinda's music so it's a no from me.

Hi Slacker, You'll know when you turn your phone onto its side ie landscape if you have it on. My Samsung phone calls it Auto Rotate in the settings icons when you pull down from the top of the screen. You could also with that troublesome app go to the homepage and scroll to the bottom to switch to desktop mode instead of mobile?

I have had this in the past and by simply turning the phone to landscape mode, seems to correct it.

Well made points. It seems a thing these days to have the stitching clearly on view at the bottom of the v. I've never liked that as it just doesn't look right. You may have hit the nail on the head re the badge. It does indeed look too far left.

Terror in the terroir!

The shirts should be 'cheep' then

Thank you. I agree entirely with your points. It makes it all the more surprising that the new home strip is retro. I too, was disappointed with the look but as others have indicated, it could be our lack of fashion or being snobby! I still think the fault is with who suggested/wanted O'Neills to go back to the double pin-stripe. I don't like it. There, I've said it but I'm not blaming O’Neills currently for the look of the shirt.....especially if in 10 months time we're getting over the fact we've been promoted! Someone had to think up this retro look and then commission it. It has surely to be a BCFC decision as many others are pointing their crayons at!

I know, for whatever reason, you are keen to stick up for O'Neills as much as possible, but I'm afraid the quality of previous Bristol Sport clothing is not a reason to do so. So what you are saying is that my logic is flawed? I'm offended. Regarding my keenness to stick up for O'Neills. It is partly due to the shirts are made locally but all the shirts I have seen in their Megastore in Derry are of very good quality. If you have seen and touched the O'Neills shirt or even bought it and you say they are below standard then I believe you. I was at first surprised when O'Neills was announced as our new manufacturer. However, I was genuinely pleased along with another City family around the corner from us here in Northern Ireland. It is a popular brand that has weathered the Troubles and is accepted by all factions as a reliably good product. However, if a product is genuinely below that of a professional standard, people have a right to say so. I am merely trying to put across other viewpoints here. Consequently, the question is why can O'Neills make such good garments but not for us?

I've read this as O'Neills made the Bristol Sport kits a couple of seasons ago. Nothing wrong with those kits or leisure wear.