Clutton Caveman

15 minutes ago, spudski said:

It's sad isn't it...that so many people have to rely on drugs to be happy, feel good about themselves or take them purely to exist. 

Surely it's the system that's broke. The system that makes people need drugs to be happy, have a good time, exist etc etc. That's what needs sorting. Gangs and supply are just sticking a plaster over a deep wound.

Re Cocaine...when you first take it, you experience euphoria. And your brain ' rewires' itself. After that initial rewiring...you never ever feel that same euphoric state again, regardless of how much you take. It's highly addictive, and people are chasing a feeling they will never experience again. Then you have the coming down and severe depression to deal with.

It's a fecked up situation.

I've never seen so many ' normal' people, from all walks of life, dependent on it to have a good time. To openly talk about it, like it's normal. It really has taken a hold. 

I wonder how much of the Albanian drug money is going back into their own country?

I noticed recently that Albanian has now become the next best holiday destination. With, beach clubs, bars and gorgeous blue seas and bays to enjoy. Very much like parts of Greece.

Whilst their economy and country is starting to thrive...ours is going to the dogs. 

 

I think you have not been to Albania. If you had, you would not make your comment. Massive corruption, virtually no welfare or health system, woman treated worse than dogs. I think people are not happy because they have unrealistic expectations of life. They feel down so they spend, this leads to debt so they feel more down and turn to other things. I think as a society we need to be realistic about our lives. If there is a problem and you can fix it do so. If not accept and learn to take pleasure from the simple things around you.

On 05/11/2022 at 09:08, Rocking Red Cyril said:

All a bit pointless and missing the point I feel. Those wishing to cause trouble will do it anyway. And the major problem drug is Alcohol. Which is legal and heavily taxed so encouraged . Just more hypocrisy and lack of common sense in our laws from what I can see.

What would be common sense for this matter out of interest?

17 hours ago, Gazred said:

He's a good lad isn't he? Comes across well.

He's done well this last couple of games. By the rules of Nige, he should keep his place even with Atkinson fit.

With Tanner out I guess it's Vyner to RCB, Klose/Atkinson central and Cam to stay on the left?

Would like to see him in place of Dasilva

When will be bring back he's one of our own for some of our kids from the under 21's always gets some volume

20 hours ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

Not me personally. 

It seems from your post that your swearing has been considered a bit excessive, especially when children are in ear shot. 

I love to have a good shout at the football, however if children are near by then I feel like I have a responsibility to tone it right down. 

Surely that's why they have a family section. If you don't sit there it's probably because of a lack of atmosphere. to have atmosphere you need noise and yes sometimes there is a bit of swaering. I guess nothing worse than the avearge kid hears in the playground each day.

12 hours ago, nickolas said:

There is no conundrum. Hes finished and we are now wasting a wage on him!

I think if NP knew how good the other forwards would be this year, he would not have got another year. Hindsight is a wonderful think. On the positive side, for his wage we should be able to attract a decent out of contract player next year.

11 hours ago, Jacki said:

The ref lost control, like so many do in this league. Both challenges were reds bit of course we get the rough end of all the decisions yet again. The standard of officiating in this league is disgraceful. 

Why are we surprised by the standard of refereeing? Go to any junior game and the ref gets abuse from the parents all game. Move up to youth and players feel free to treat the referee in a way that if it occurred in the work place they would be fired on the spot. Move to adult football and the ref gets verbal abuse and often the threat of physical abuse. Why would anybody take up refereeing? Far less do nowadays and so we have a smaller pool. No surprise that the quality is low. I think we need a major change from the top to the bottom. Only captains can talk to the ref. Any abuse from players is not tolerated, any abuse from the parents of spectators at amateur level and the game is abandoned and if the abuse is repeated the club is suspended for a year. Nobody in any walk of life should have to put up with the treatment referees get. They are human. They turn out at the weekend to get some exercise and enjoy being part of the game they love and get paid almost nothing. If we want better referees we need more, to get more we have to treat them in a better way. End of rant.

11 hours ago, Better Red said:

I thought we played well tonight and we were actually the better team so this is not about the game tonight.

Also to be clear I like NP and I am not asking for a change in manager but..

5 Simple mistakes that I am not sure why he keeps making.

I also think he is now costing us points.

1. Nakhi Wells needs to stay on the pitch when we are chasing a goal. Effort is brilliant, team contribution is brilliant and a goal scorer at this level. Bringing on Sam Bell Saturday for him was a crazy decision and taking him off tonight was equally as bad.

2. Chris Martin should never be brought on when we are chasing a goal.
Slows game down. We go long and lose our pattern and shape up front literally kills any chance of a goal.

I would happily let him go on a free in Jan and pay some of his wages just to get someone else in.

3 Sykes is not a wing back - I think Tanner would be better

4 JD is not a wing back - Pring would be better.

Seen enough in the last 2 games re 4 and 5 to think both would do a better job. Delivery has been poor from both most games and Skye’s could be better used as a sub in a more forward position. Both Tanner and Pring are also better defenders than both.

We also played Scott there which was ridiculous to waste him in that position when clearly needs to play in the central role in Midfield.

Wilson never got a chance and he is a natural wingback again madness.

Wiemann played there tonight - that is also ridiculous.

Nige has to sort out wingbacks it’s a problem he has had all season.

And finally

5. Playing Max in goal.
I know controversial but Bentley makes game saving saves. Max has not done to bad in fairness but I also don’t think he has had a lot to do at the same time.

Bentley will win you points Max has not done that for me when he has played.

We need to get points at the moment and Bentley will win you  more than Max. Maybe this is about his contract but I think it’s costing us points.

Again not about tonight as thought we were good value for at least a point if not all three.

 

 

I think Max is far superior dealing with crosses, distributes the ball far better and the back line seems more calm in front of him. Considering the difference in wage,for me Max is the future and Bentley should be off in Jan or the end of the season as his wage could be better spent elsewhere in the team.

12 hours ago, MarcusX said:

Agreed, similar to the Norwich game. Can’t fault the effort or work rate.

Someone actually suggested a few weeks ago that the players had downed tools, not a chance.

Another night we score a hatful 

I think as long as we stay up we are building. This team reminds me of the team in the 70's that got us into Division 1. The talent is raw at the moment and we need some more experience but the team spirit is great. NP has changed the culture and if we are patient I think good things will come.

Priority for me it making crosses more productive both by the quality of delivery and the positioning of players in the box.

20 hours ago, Winterstoke toad said:

Fair play to them nothing wrong with booing someone who was employed by your club then left because they got a better opportunity, we do it here at city every other game . 

From the team he picked and the way they played perhaps mentally he is still with Brighton

16 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Might not have won the first ball on that corner and others with one less in the zone.

Newton’s Third Law and all that!

Don’t get me wrong, despite mine and @spudski’s differing views, I don’t think our current set up is optimal either.  Every set up is a compromise in some shape or form.

In a utopian world, we have players who have been briefed about opposition corners, can identify their triggers and set-ups, and are smart enough to adjust to each one in-game / real-time.  That’s not gonna happen in this current squad.  You still might concede to the perfect delivery, or concede to a fluke though.

When we leave a fast player up the pitch most times the opposition mark him with 2 players. I would like to see us leave 2 up the field standing on half way on each touch line.  I think the opposition would bring at least 3 back and each time Max catches the ball a break is on.

On 27/10/2022 at 09:59, Rocking Red Cyril said:

So do we need to stop playing with wing backs ?

Or sign better wing backs ?

Teach them how to beat their man when 1 on 1 and actually cross to someone.

It drives me crazy when DaSilva finds himself 1 on 1 and still passes inside. If he can't beat a man and cross why is he in the side? 

14 hours ago, Simon79 said:

Think there is a number of factors, firstly I don’t think we were really ever creating a lot, but we were clinical. Naismith took a lot of stick for some of his bloopers, but maybe people are starting to see how important he was to our overall performance & the way he seemed to get others to up their games. He also broke the lines/press constantly, this then creates more overloads/options moving forward. I also think we’ve lost some energy in the midfield, Williams too many games? James coming back in slows us down? Massengo’s energy being a loss? Then up front I think to me it looks like we’ve tried to get Semenyo in the starting eleven too quickly, this has then interrupted partnerships & we seem to of lost our balance a bit. So all in all, for the reasons above, I think we are creating less & we weren’t creating a lot before, but we were clinical. COYR 

I think there are 2 main factors

a) Teams have worked us out and don't leave any space in behind. They know when we have a lot of possession with no spaces to run into, we become frustrated and negative.  At this point we are easy to take on the break or we lose the ball in our half.

b) Conway has lost his zip, either because is tired or he thinks he has arrived and so runs less.

On 23/10/2022 at 10:48, 2015 said:

We gave away far too many cheap corners yesterday it was asking Reading to just go and score from one. 

We need to go man for man at marking from corners and scrap zonal, but my issue is that our players are just not aggressive enough - see Reading when defending our set plays. 

I think we went to zonal marking because NP said we had too many unreliable markers

12 hours ago, Cardy said:

After many years of sitting in the Dolman as my kids grew up myself & my lad have moved into S24 this season. I was an Eastender back in the 80s & 90s & have always enjoyed getting behind the team with proper vocal support. Dooby dooby doo & all that! 

After a few home games in our new seats I would like to offer my thoughts on what I have now seen more close up than in recent years (other than away games which have a different vibe anyway).

I think the first thing I would like to point out is that the Section 82 support is generally very good & without it Ashton Gate really would be a library. The support at the first couple home games (including Luton) was first class & shows the potential.  I am therefore not meaning to be critical but hopefully be seen as a fresh pair of eyes & ears.

The main thing I would like to say is I feel that the power of individual player songs is massively undervalued in terms of the impact they can have on a players confidence & motivation on the pitch - I don’t think it’s unrealistic to say that a good crowd can raise performance levels by over 10%.

Now to the crux of what I want to say. I think our individual player songs need some work on. It really struck me last night when our two goal match winning hero didn’t get to hear his name being sung out. He’s been in the press today saying how much he loves the sound of the crowd - can you imagine the impact if we were all actually singing his name aswell?
‘Oh Robert Atkinson, City loves you more than you will know, ohhhhhhh!’

Ofcourse some of the players already have some great songs - Bentley, Dasilva, Semenyo, Wells, Conway, Martin & possibly King.

Weimann’s is an interesting one - it’s a bit drab. We sing it a bit when he scores but not really at any other time. His confidence must be a bit down right now - I’m sure he would get such a boost from hearing his song being sung.

I do think we sing the Dasilva song too often & for no real reason other than it’s a great tune & everyone knows the words. We’ve even sung it just after another player has done something really great - who must be left thinking ‘what do I need to do to get a song out of this lot?’. Not exactly motivating I suspect.

I have also found the timing of the singing of the Chris Martin song whilst he has been sat on the bench the last couple games a bit odd. What does that achieve? Other than possibly leaving the strikers on the pitch wondering why we are singing it? Great song though once everyone knows the words.

I guess what I’m saying is the likes of O’Leary, Atkinson, Klose, Naismith, Vyner, Sykes, Wilson, Tanner, James & Williams would all potentially benefit hugely from having their own songs. Can you imagine the team performance level if another 4 or 5 players suddenly found another 10%? They don’t even have to be original top of the world tunes like Scott’s, Dasilva & Martin’s but surely something has to be better than nothing?

Off the top of my head & I admit these are all pretty lame…….!

Kai Naismith to the Rhythm Is A Dancer tune that I have seen on here before… 

Max O’Leary du du du du Max O’Leary…

Sykesy, there’s only one Sykesy, there’s only one Sykesy, there’s only one Sykesy….

Oh Joey, Joey, Joey, Joey, Joey Joey Williams Oh Joey Joey…

To be honest as long as the songs are catchy and everyone knows the words then I don’t think it really matters. What does matter is the impact it would potentially have on performance levels.

If nothing else please let’s try & get an Atkinson chant going on Saturday. He has improved massively, is delivering the goods with MOM performances & could become a cult hero.

Sorry if I have bored you all but I feel better for getting that off my chest. I would be happy to get myself into Section 82 & push this on if I could get a ticket for there. For now S24 seems the next best alternative though.

Hopefully we will see a good performance on Saturday & another 3 points which will see our league position to be a lot healthier than a week ago!

If you want more people to sing it make the song simpler. I don't really want to buy a lyrics sheet to be able to join in

20 hours ago, real_bristol said:

A little surprised he hasn’t got his own thread after Tuesday’s game, so thought I’d start one.

Thought he was excellent, whether it was a tactical decision or not he was pressing well for most if not all of the game. Was a real handful against the best defence in the league. The cunning Cunningham could not deal with him which was enjoyable to watch. If I had to pick faults it would be that he spends a little too much time on the ball and takes a player on rather than pass, but I wouldn’t want to discourage him from taking them on. At times yesterday Preston looked shit scared of him, and again, every time he picked up the ball I thought something was going to happen. He’s a joy to watch this lad and dare I say it, ol’ Tony is almost back to his best. 

Clearly he is a total hand full with a great shot in both feet. I hope our coaches can help him to close down without getting so many fouls awarded against him and improve his first touch when the ball is played to him with his back to goal. Sounds picky but with a bit of polishing he could be prem quality easily.

21 hours ago, maxjak said:

Congratulations in stating the "Bleedin Obvious"....you are only the 535th person to have noticed Bentleys shortcomings....No offence intended

No offence taken

Just now, BCFCGav said:

Out of curiosity Logical, what do you make of Dan Bentley and his form over recent years? Apologies if mentioned elsewhere, can't find anything. 

I think Bentley has 2 weak points.

a) coming off of his line to claim or punch crosses

b) distribution. Clearly he far more comfortable to hit it long that play a shorter ball.

I thought as per last season the defence looks more confident in front of Max.

Having said that Bentley is a great shot stopper and great with one on ones.

I think his dropping sent the right message to the team and Max should stay in until his form drops

On 26/09/2022 at 21:09, nickolas said:

So, just trying to buy a ticket for my boy to sit in front of me on Saturday and our quality website wont let me purchase as im being told to ‘please alter selection due to leaving individual seat in current row’. 
Do the club not want my money?! Ridiculous. Need him to sit near to me in Dolman and only ticket near is a couple in front ( which is fine ), but it wont let me buy it!!!

What a ridiculous system!

I had the same. I called and got the seat I wanted no problems

On 14/07/2022 at 17:46, Rich said:

I'm speaking from memory here regarding the Atyeo stand but, we had advisors within the club who seemed scared of upsetting the relationship that the club had with the planning department, I'd had meetings with them re boxes in the Dolman. As a result of that fear, the Atyeo stand was not built to it's possible height, or depth in proximity to the houses while still meeting planning guidance. So in current planning laws it could be rebuilt mirroring the South Stand.

As far as the Dolman is concerned, it also could be built higher and closer to the existing flats. There is a space of nearly 4mts to the rear which could be built with an overhanging rake. This would allow emergency vehicles access along the rear of the stand, something required by law, as there's no access to parts of the ground from all sides.

The lower Dolman is a hotchpotch of gangways, so a completely new stand would improve that and have a capacity increased to about 10k.

So between those two increases we'd possibly add another 5k seats. Not needed currently but, I'm of the belief and more positive in my thoughts that, we could be a more successful club, with a much larger support base and we must aim higher. There's absolutely no reason why we couldn't compete with the majority of premiership clubs. Why think otherwise?

Frankly I am not too interested in spending a bunch of money to improve the experience of away supporters at that end. I would rather see us hang onto our young stars and make a meaningful promotion challenge

On 15/09/2022 at 08:36, old_eastender said:

There is no doubting that Naismith's ability to, in general, bring down through balls, come forward out of defence and play neat passes has been an important part of us playing good possession football. He also has a sweet left foot from free kicks which have profited us. However, he had already been directly responsible for 3 goals given away before last night (and it could have been more, but for some less clinical finishing and good Bentley saves). The 2 given to Norwich last night makes that 5 goals gifted in just 9 games. Something has to change, as he will become targeted by opposing teams.

For me, either we:

a) switch him to left Centre Back (where he played so well for Luton), and move Atkinson to the middle - on the basis that when he loses the ball to the opposition trying to play out it's less likely to lead to a direct chance on goal. 

b) leave him in the middle but with clear instruction to take a more safety first approach and be prepared to drop him (for Klose when fit) if he doesn't.

c) leave him in the middle but instruct Vyner or Atkinson to cover him from behind when he brings the ball out like he did before giving it away for Norwich's 2nd.

Personally I'd go with option a) although that would probably make him less effective for building our forward play. No matter that he is generally a really good footballer, you can not just cannot carry on like it is with him gifting a goal away every other game. 

 

When Kalas is back why not play him as defensive midfielder

On 18/08/2022 at 17:53, Show Me The Money! said:

Apologies if this has been discussed already and another apology as this isn’t City related but I’m baffled as to how Forest seem to be not only buying lots of players (16 now) but also spending quite large amounts of money for a newly promoted club that have a ground not really that much bigger than Ashton Gate. How are they able to do this?

I’ve never liked Forest for some reason as they always seem to be one of these clubs that the media seem to kiss the ass off because of Brian Clough and have fans that think they belong in the prem because they won the European cup a couple of times 40 years ago. I’m basically wanting them to get thrashed every week and will be peeved if they stay up because they are basically over spending beyond there means.

Rant over

What a mess if they go down!!

1 hour ago, RoystonFoote'snephew said:

This hits the right tone for me. As I've said earlier the Queen was a remarkable women who, whatever life through at her, never shirked from a sense of duty and loyalty and service to the nation, the British people and the Commonwealth. Right up to the end she was working, never stopping. I find it somewhat ironic therefore that in her memory the nation comes to a halt. I would rather honour her by following her example and carrying on. 

I think the Queen was a "carry on with life" type person. For me I am very sad that this great person has left us but better to celebrate her life than mourn her loss. I would think it would be great if each game could start 10 mins later and use those 10 mins via the big screen or P.A system to remember her life ending with the national anthem and 1 minutes perfectly respected silence.

I would hope than even the most indifferent fans would respect the occasion and take part or just keep quiet.

On 13/08/2022 at 17:19, bcfc01 said:

How much longer will NP put up with Bentleys absolutely crap distribution ?

He is one of the major reasons we always end up defending so deep imo.

Hoofing it anywhere upfield to get the ball as far away from his goal as he can, only to see it come right back.

They really need to drum it into him - use the ball, contribute to starting an attack, or at least a bit of possession. 

That was awful from him today.

 

We improved massively in this area when Max was included last year

21 minutes ago, BLRed said:

Anyone think we should just sell the assets we have simply so we can be on a far better financial footing but also with cash for a rebuild?

15-20 mill for semenyo plus sell on 

25-30 mill for Scott plus sell on

1-2 mill for kalas (more likely to leave for free at end of contract)

1 mill for massengo (More likely to leave for free at end of contract)

1-2 mill for Bentley (May leave for free at end of contract)

 

Money in from Scott and semenyo sale would do 4 things.

put us on a far better standing with ffp

provide a decent transfer kitty to replace players moved on as part of a rebuild.

part of the cash used to pay off the likes of Wells immediately to allow our wage bill to drop significantly.

With improved finances, it would allow us the chance to possibly renew certain players on better terms so the likes of Bentley could be retained for longer.

 

For the longer term, it may be the best strategy. Only question for me that hangs over the club is can the powers that be within the club be trusted recruit well moving forward to replace those moved on.

on recruitment, have we missed the boat however on players that could replace the outgoings that still allow us to be competitive in the championship? 
would the above point be the only reason we don’t sell semenyo and Scott?

 

 

Firstly if we don't sell Scott and Semenyo now we will be forced to sell them for a discount when they get closer to the end of their contract.

So let's say we do sell, how would we attract some quality players within our wage structure considering we are a struggling team close to the bottom of the table. My fear is that we would make a snap decision and end up with yet another journeyman looking for a retirement plan.