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3 hours ago, Davefevs said:

So, Luton, Millwall and one or two others (Coventry you mentioned too) have spent multiple years, building their squads against a plan of financial prudence, excellent recruitment to a team playing style, etc, etc…and the FBC crew want “us” to achieve the same in what is really the first summer and season being back to perceived normality!

To consider it (not top 8 / playoffs) failure is bonkers.

Let’s look at the reality of your combined thoughts…

We don’t even know the shape of the squad yet.

We don’t even know the FFP rules for next season onwards yet, and it’s effect on PPs and relegated clubs.

As it stands, let’s say the top 2 plus Luton go up (they are the top 3).

That leaves Boro, Millwall, Blackburn, none of which are likely to be weaker next season, plus, Southampton, Leicester and Forest all coming down (as it stands).

Plus Coventry and Preston, probably Sunderland will continue their progress.  No idea how Watford, West Brom and Norwich will do.

But that without too much thought makes a competitive top half for us to break into.

If you’d said playoffs is over-delivering against an expected top half, with bottom half below expectations, I’d agree, but to say “failure” is crap.

 

Re recruitment, have the group forgotten Atkinson and Tanner from Lg1 and Lg2 respectively, plus there are some bloody good players in Lg1 with Championship experience, some with play-off experience too, e.g. Barnsley’s players.

Not sure Kompany brought in bargains!

Need to stop using wage bill as the way of decreeing where a team should finish.  Just refer back to your examples of Luton, Millwall and Coventry versus West Brom, Norwich, etc…it proves it’s a futile basis to base League expectations on.  Ask why they are competing, rather than coming up with a baseless “we should be doing better”.

 

Re - “it’s like we are the only club to have suffered from Covid”…I posted many times over the last 12, 18, 24 months which clubs have, or impacted by Covid / FFP…and they are all teams who’ve either been relegated, and / or points deductions and / or in bottom half….the likes of Reading, Cardiff, Birmingham, Bristol City, etc.  it’s far too easy to ignore that it hit us at the point of over-spending…that’s why it’s taking so long to recover.

Wanting success, don’t we all want it.  Sounds like a case of getting carried away or maybe set too high a target to give “you” a stick to beat Nige with.

 

Re injuries, of course we can’t have a small squad, get injuries and it not expose us.  But it’s made out to be a choice to run that way.  It’s a constraint of trying to recover from a terrible financial position.  I’m sure we could’ve kept O’Dowda, Paterson, Bentley, Palmer, etc…and we’d still be bottoming out the financial situation.  Cake and eat it springs to mind.

 

Re Loans - Ian makes the right point re cost of say the Villa loanees.  Can we stop saying Nige doesn’t like them…he’s talked at length about it, it’s clear why.  Ian the voice of reason with “if 3 go out, we probably need 6, loans or perms, British or Foreign, couldn’t care less…”

 

Re overseas signings - we tried to bring in (at least) one last summer, but he got a better offer from a rival.  That player has had a good season, would be our top scorer based on the number he’s scored.  We did bring in one - Bajic.

As has been said before, it is not our budget or our wages that have determined our failure to reach the play-offs, it is the two or three people at the very top making the most important decisions that have failed to be up to the task, and have indeed had "their pants pulled down" by yer Lutons, yer Millwalls, yer 'uddersfied, and yer bloody Prestons.

"But look at Sheffield Wednesday, Derby, Ipswich, Sunderland" cried many on here, betraying their Little-Bristolian/loser/can't-do-mentality by using failing, basket-case clubs to measure our "success" by.

We have enough wedge. We need enough nous. And a little bit of luck, such as a season where two of the three relegated clubs are in a bit of a muddle. Then we can finish above Preston again. One likes to think....

6 minutes ago, ChippenhamRed said:

If the most important thing really is that he “gives his all for the shirt” then I’ll bring my gloves next time I’m down. I can also “always attempt to come for crosses”.

What about your lad? Who will sit with him?

Joe Royle's stands out then, being the only one above third tier standard. And unlikely to be ever matched or beaten, I tentatively suggest?

25 minutes ago, pongo88 said:

I’m not sure if it was John or Justin Fashnu, but I saw one of them head butt David Rogers in front of the open end whilst waiting for a corner to be taken. Rogers walked all the way to the dressing room with blood poring from his face. 

That was Justin, I believe 

5 minutes ago, Cowshed said:

How was and is Bristol City's terrace culture political? The opposite is true. City fans have kept the politics out. 

 

"Get yer tits out for the lads," is gender politics mate.

15 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

So the Club can sell tickets based on number of away games attended. Interesting.

13 minutes ago, italian dave said:

They've done it before...several times.

I went to 5 away games in 85/6, and every away game in 88/9, and Newport in '82, so I should be ok. That bloke that's done a thousand consecutive on Cats, he should be ok too.

13 minutes ago, Stockwood gate said:

They have changed the criteria it’s now 5 away games

Not many City go away 5 times, mate. Maybe 50?

1 hour ago, beaverface said:

Hard or dirty?

This is a very good point. I think Norman Hunter was more dirty than hard. Dirty and a bit sly. Check out his ding-doing with Franny Lee, Norm would've been (literally) on the ropes in that one, had their been ropes.

3 hours ago, Curr Avon said:

 

 

Were you there too?

 

Nah. We was going to go, we ummed and ahhed a bit (200 miles, bloody hell), then we couldn't be arsed.  Up the City!

Mick Harford, any one said Mick Harford yet? Mick Harford, for me. 

2 hours ago, Percy Pig said:

I mean this is objectively utter tripe isn't it? 

He didn't go down, can you imagine if this had been Bruno? He'd still be in intensive care.

He didn't go down when Pickford shoved him, he laughed. 

He's a shithouse, for sure. One of the best/worst depending on your viewpoint. But "biggest crybaby in football"? Not even close. 

He is an "entitled" top level footballer - he believed he was able to harangue a linesman without any comeback (other than a card), and could scarce believe it when there was comeback ("he hit me! On the chin!")

3 minutes ago, Dollymarie said:

It’s “My Sofa’s on fire” isn’t it?

Crikey. Too much info

What was Geoff better at - football or radio (bearing in mind Radio Bristol is the "Bristol Rovers" of media outlets)?

3 hours ago, Bazooka Joe said:

Always thought Twentyman the journo tried to be professional and remain impartial, fair and balanced.

Wish him well.

 

What were your thoughts about Twentyman the hoofing centre back? No need to be impartial, fair or balanced.

The field of psychology puts forward a number of suggestions as to why people moan like ****, one is that where we are powerless to do anything about a situation important to us grumbling about it is a way of coping with how we feel about this helplessness. It's a way of managing or coping with unpleasant feelings (tension/fear/anxiety/disappointment/etc).

Some people aim this at Liam Fontaine/ Marlon Pack/Harry Cornick, while others prefer Lester Shapter/Clive Thomas/Keith Stroud. Or drive home and start "Today's ref" threads.

And some people like to make vulgar gestures toward the away end with their hands.

Does he wear boots while broadcasting?

11 minutes ago, Super said:

Would much rather Huddersfield and Rotherham go down. Get rid of 2 rubbish away trips.

Yeah, we have to wait so blinkin long on here for @Olé to file his report from away trips up north, and the photos from @Never to the dark side are so bleedin bleak and grim from rubbish northern away games, whereas Reading and QPR, much preferable away days for us all on here on our sofas on the Match Day thread ....

If we hadn't been 2 up, we'd've lost 0:2 today.

Why Frank bloody Lampard again? Why not give John Sparrow a go? Or Micky Droy? Or Ken Monkou? 

14 hours ago, HappyClapper said:

As per title. Too much apathy for me. No two footed tackles or even a cross word or two.

Come on OTIB. The match day thread is barely 10 pages. Cornick is being quietly defended and the state of the pitch being mused over. 
That’s not what I log on Saturday nights for. 

You've got a long wait now, mate, til August. And about ten minutes into the first game, when we go 0:1 down to Sheffield Wednesday, or Ipswich. Then things will liven up a little again

57 minutes ago, Super said:

Same as Roy at Palace they will do a job for a few games. Expect both to keep their teams up.

Yes. And they will both (just about) keep their trousers up: Roy his stylish, tailored trousers with a classy Gucci belt, Colin his polyester Sports Direct joggers with an elasticated waist (and belly to fill)

2 hours ago, Never to the dark side said:

Lets hope he keeps it going

Stop fretting. 

You are right, of course. Other teams have injuries too.

39 minutes ago, Robbored said:

Plymouth is lovely  My daughter was at uni there and I used to visit her regularly. I knew Plymouth pretty well before she went there and it’s a great place..

We almost moved there with work about 30 years ago but circumstances at that time dictated that we ended up not going

The drunks, boozers and alkies of Plymouth were the winners in all that, then?

8 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

 

CONFORMS TO BRITISH STANDARDS they always had printed on them.

"So did the Titanic" was always scratched underneath. 

Is that a remix?