GrahamC

He certainly isn’t “diminutive”.. Also, he hit the bar with a header!

Me too, mixed bag. There are some on here who really have it in for James & as soon as we don’t win, can’t wait to criticise him. He’s been instrumental in our better form but haters gotta hate. On a tangent, one poor clearance aside (Wigan hit the bar as a result) I thought that was one of Joe Williams’ best games for us, whether he was proving a point against a former team, in a good place or trying to ensure he stays in the side when Naismith returns, I thought he was our best player last night.

Don’t think that’s unpopular at all. The standard is terrible & he gets attention because of past performances but for a while now he’s been better than plenty of refs.

We’ll need two whatever & unless we decide we are keeping the Russian chap (& nothing to base that on yet) then he’ll surely get offered a new deal. With one exception I thought Wigan’s set piece delivery was excellent & Power the no. 8 is OoC in the summer, I believe.. Whilst the delivery was good, they’re a very tall side too, we did well to avoid conceding at some many corners when Atkinson aside all our players seemed to be marking a taller opponent.

He was fine, bit lenient on the time wasting but by no means the worst ref we have had. Wigan were physical but with the exception of James McClean (who could start an argument in a phone box) they were a hard working, honest side. 10 unbeaten, another point on the board.

There are hundreds of footballers I have less time for.

Mowbray is a good manager. No idea what Blackburn were expecting from him, just outside the playoffs last season & they didn’t renew his contract. No better off without him. Undoubtedly a very tough game, take a point all day long.

Didn’t realise that after 16 games this season they were top, but they have only won once in 17 games since & are now below us. Their supporters are seriously fearing the drop & reckon they’re in free fall.

Hope not. Argyle got beat at Wednesday, lost their keeper for the season as a result (ACL) & one of their best centre backs injured, too. Their response has been to beat Pompey & win at Oxford tonight, superb effort, no sign of wobbling at all. Hope they do it.

Terrible result for Ipswich, didn’t realise they had only won once in their last 8. Plymouth (doing brilliantly) & Sheff Wed are on great runs, Bolton are scoring for fun, Derby very consistent & Wycombe making a late run. Not beyond the bounds of possibility they will miss out on the playoffs completely, which seeing Ashton’s hoarding of players would be an abysmal effort. Wonder if the penny is starting to drop In Suffolk that we weren’t jealous, just warning them he’s poison.

Unusually for them they are lying about their home attendance, it was 7200 home fans plus Ipswich.

I thought the high prices were putting people off…

Thought that was just at The Mem?

Wycombe got 20 games out of him, which after 2 major injuries in his time with us, was 20 more than I expected. He was a top player but his injury record was horrific & it was symptomatic of just how poor our recruitment was under Holden that we seriously thought him & Chris Brunt was the way forward. Also makes you realise how underrated the signing of Chris Martin (at the same time) was, as we got 26 games out of him in his first season & 45 last..

My view too. I was in a different part of the ground than usual on Saturday (corner of South Stand & Lansdown), as opposed to the Dolman & was struck by just how many kids & families there were. Saw a bloke that I work with, a Coventry fan really but he’s been down here for years, lives Horfield way but guess who his kids are watching? It’s not the few, is it? I saw some sag recently claim that more “youth” are coming back to watch them but I treat that with the same large pinch of salt that I would with anything Sam Frost wrote. They’re dying, slowly but I’m completely convinced of it.

About a quarter, say?

Hence the (hopefully), reckon it’ll be a draw.

Had a short spell there before, didn’t go well. I don’t think their support would want either, in truth.

As we play a day later then have to travel to Sunderland I’d suggest the advantage is their’s. However we have seen plenty of times in the past teams brush this sort of thing off. Will be tough on Saturday, a point to (hopefully) keep our unbeaten run going would be a good return.

Had to Google BS37, had no idea that it was Yate. Figures, their “heartland” these days is in South Glos.

Won’t be surprised if it’s a draw. Since Mahoney came in Wigan haven’t conceded a goal, 0-0 at Blackburn (an awful game) & 1-0 v Huddersfield. We have done well lately but run on small numbers & three games this week is an ask. Won’t be too shocked if Mehmeti starts, either.

No.

None of Ward, Jordan or Cotterill ever achieved anything at Championship level with us. He did, his worst season was amongst our best in the last 43 years. Pretty obvious that your mind is made up from your last sentence, though.

Happy to debate that, so who has achieved more? Arguable that TC possibly did, as we were dead & buried before he turned us around. No one else has a case though. First season, GJ took over after the Tinnion debacle, finished the season with 2 defeats in 14 (9 wins) after he sorted us out. Next season, won automatic promotion. Season after, got to the Prem playoff final, highest place finish (4th) since AD left. Next season 10th, fourth highest place finish since AD left. Who comes remotely close to that? ******* Danny Wilson & his 4 seasons of third division inertia?

Fair enough.