WessexPest

All, FYI that on Easter Monday the OTIB fanzine hits a rare milestone for the paper-based fans’ forum in this digital age - the 250th edition, no less. I’m not officially associated with the publication although full disclosure I’ve been writing for them on and off over the course of the past quarter century. Can’t be many fanzines still alive and kicking, many City fanzines have come and gone (Stand Up…, The CideRed, Come in No. 7, Your Time is Up), but OTIB has endured. The Gas fanzine, Second of May is long since defunct, possibly due to the events on that date in 2001 but also due to the fact the editor now follows a different team of blue itinerants in AFC Wimbledon. OTIB merchandise has been excellent consistently too. Grab yourself a copy if you happen upon a seller on Monday.

Don’t remember a better atmosphere for a Bristol Derby.

Does anyone remember a certain game around Easter that year when their relegation was effectively sealed? Hint: Ian Alexander received his customary red card.

Can always tell a prize throbber when they finish their posts with “Next…” Massive game for them yesterday at the Pisspoorial Mound on a Bank Holiday and they couldn’t even pull in five figures. Neat attempt at deflection by the Scum.

Let’s not talk about crosses on today of all days.

That’s right. 2018/19 2-0 2019/20 2-1 2020/21 2-0 2021/22 1-0

Considering how depressing it has been lately can’t help feeling a bit more thrilled about that late win than an end-of-season dead rubber deserves. Well done to all the City fans who travelled and sang their hearts out from start to finish. Never heard a squeak out of the oatcake scoffing peasants. Hopefully that town brings us Reds further joy on Easter Monday…

Changing the manager, although possibly necessary unfortunately if we start the new season poorly, is not going to be the cure for all of our ills. The club is being badly run from the very top. Nige is responsible for the performances on the pitch but the rot had set in long before he arrived in the Westcountry.

I’ve always been cynical of any club owner who sticks his own name on a stand. Deadly Doug springs to mind. Lansdown has made so many errors in his time but everyone else ends up carrying the can for them. Time to go, Steve.

Every time I hear from Gould something dies inside me a little. He’s more wooden than FGR’s proposed eco-friendly stadium and nothing he says ever inspires confidence.

Well, I for one am not willing to accept it! They should be damned as they are ultimately responsible for our current predicament. They have presided over a complete s***show and need to be held accountable. They can keep on sacking managers until the cows come home but it’s not going to make a shred of difference. Lansdowns out and Gould out.

Strange one particularly as we have a very good record up there - three wins in last three seasons. Expect that run to come to a shuddering halt on Good Friday!

This club is an utter fiasco on and off the pitch and to be held at home by the weakest team in the division by ten men, on the back of the unmitigated s**** we’ve endured since the autumn of 2019, is simply unacceptable. In fact that makes us the weakest team in the division, and I don’t care that the league table says otherwise. Lansdown should admit he’s reached the end of the line and put the club up for sale. Bringing in Pearson after the circus that was Holden’s tenure was a ballsy move but it has demonstrably failed. Nige should quietly exit stage right at the end of the season. And there needs to be a mass cull of this first-team squad. Yes, I know there’s no money to bring anyone in but aging journeymen like Wells, Martin et al will get us relegated. We’re sick of hearing chancers like Ashton and Gould telling us to ignore the evidence of our eyes and that the club is prospering. It’s a dog’s dinner, and I fear there are some mightily grim days ahead.

Gutless display against the weakest team in the division and who were a man shirt for one third of the game. It’s getting worse instead of better - we are going to struggle big time next year. Pathetic.

3-2 flattered City. We are a poor, poor side kept afloat by a surprisingly prolific AW.

Still 540 minutes of this utter mince to endure too. Yes, we will be in a relegation fight next season guaranteed.

Christ on a dodgem can’t wait to bring the curtain down on this turd of a season.

Not a penalty in my book, but you can bet a pound to a pinch of s*** it would’ve been given if the “coming together” had been at the other end of the park.

FFS - on the rare occasion we are enjoying some possession we play an aimless ball and give it right back to them.

Frustrating, we caught them with an early sucker punch and it was backs to the wall from then on. Defended stoutly initially but this defence cannot soak up indefinite pressure, and the few times we were able to break our inevitably we wasted possession and they’d come right back at us again.

Precisely - in 2018 on paper we would have predicted meeting the Germans in the last eight as they were surely nailed on to win Group F. They finished last…

Ah, but don’t you see that it’s only us nasty, imperialist western countries that have to do that - not to tolerate intolerance in the rest of the world is doubly intolerant. ?

Germany v Spain probably the pick.

Day after, mate - Black Friday.

Senegal probably most likely last 16 opponents and France in QFs. A bit silly trying to plot it out though after the way 2018 panned out.