GrahamC

1 minute ago, Henry said:

Vague memory, but didn’t he score a cup goal at some point?

Cheltenham in the JPT?

A few of us heard he was told he had to get 12 points from the last 8 games to keep his job.

He’s managed it in 6, fair play to him.

57 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Naismith when fit also a viable option and crucially IMO can switch between deeper midfield and a back 3 in-game, another tactical dimension.

Not sure how many others we have can do it in that way for us.

Stopped reading after 3 words..

37 minutes ago, Ziderarmy said:

I wonder if next Saturday we will see him…

Would be pointless.

Much more sense for a couple of Academy players to be on the bench.

2 minutes ago, Bristol Oil Services said:

So, what are we bothering for then? 

No one has to “bother”.

Personally I love being in the Championship, the standard is decent, you play against some huge clubs yet it is still unpredictable enough for a side to beat Leicester & Southampton & to draw twice with Huddersfield.

Seeing clubs like Sheffield Wednesday struggle to even stay in it, Derby & Portsmouth happy to be returning to this level, is why I “bother”.

I know nothing but think it’s interesting that he started & James didn’t.

With Bird arriving I doubt very much both will remain, my guess is he will.

5 minutes ago, Dr Balls said:

Is he still there and actually playing football? He’s been out as much as Naismith this season every season since he left! The term “collector’s item” should be falling from a commentator’s lips…

Gets fit every April, just coincidentally as his contract runs out..

Played the last 20 minutes as they sealed promotion at Cambridge.

2-0, they’re a pub team.

Played really well, very encouraged.

Have to say their equaliser looked more offside than the one Cornick had ruled out at the end.

Having Rob Dickie back is massive.

14 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Again, penny for his thoughts today. There is an argument which has been gone through over not playing him last week but the fact remains that instead of playing someone who had been on the bench for 30 games when a vacancy arose in his position, the head coach decided to move several players around and make us far less effective. That had to make him feel like crap.

Fast forward to today and he’s not involved full stop. The only way I can rationalise it is if he’s knocked on LMs door and said he’d rather play in the U21s than warm the bench and not get on. If that’s not the case then - at face value - it looks a horrible piece of man management of a young player.

And don’t get me started on Tinnion recalling Araoye as opposed to him finishing an excellent loan spell just to play in an irrelevant U21s game!

There have now been 18 league games this season where we have failed to name a full subs bench.

We also have been bloody lucky that the only goalkeeper we have with experience has stayed fit to play every minute of football.

That isn’t some mini injury crisis but a clear indication that the squad depth is far too small.

We knew last summer that both Atkinson & Benarous were long term injured & it’s almost certain Andy King who has been on the bench for every game since New Year’s Day (& 28 times in total) isn’t going to be around to make it less pitiful than it appears.

Stokes & Palmer-Houlden will presumably be part of how we mitigate this.

1-1 Backwell.

31 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

2-0 Vardy.

Ive seen Fatawu and Mavadidi go to the bye-line more in this game than they have all season combined.

Ref has given Leicester absolutely everything.

3 minutes ago, phantom said:

I genuinely don't know the answer, but who is available? 

Knight-Lebel has been on the bench over 30 times this season, so him.

Or Araoye.

Back to 8 subs & with JKL playing for the 21s, no defender on the bench, baffling.

@BrizzleRed great post, which I won’t quote because of its length.

I would add that to broaden this debate somewhat we still get the same rubbish trotted out by a few on here re Gary Johnson, whose record (so facts, not opinion) pisses over everyone else who has managed us since AD.

There are undoubtedly some strange ones out there.

Pretty much everything about the Prem is shit.

I know that many want us to get there but having seen us play 4 seasons of top flight football in my life (a totally different, fairer world), I’m genuinely not bothered about joining that circus.

1 minute ago, DingleRed said:

Joe Royle 4 on debut wasn't it? 

Year after.

3 minutes ago, Back of the Dolman said:

Araoye is in the under 21s

Ha ha! Should have spotted that, perhaps not then…

1 hour ago, wendyredredrobin said:

We signed a few from Scotland - Gillies, Sweeney, Fitzpatrick spring to mind 

Merrick, Ritchie, Gow, Tainton, Rodgers, Whitehead all came through our youth setup.

Not sure about Gary Colliers history offhand.

Drysdale was actually a local lad who we signed from Hartlepool and Cheesley was signed for £30k from Norwich, though also a local lad.

I remember signing Gould from Wolves, Hunt from Coventry, Cormack from Liverpool and Hunter from Leeds once we were in Div 1.  We also signed Jon Shaw from Leeds.

Can't believe my memory is still good enough to remember all this.

Anyone else remember much about other players of that time.

Collier was Bristolian, Horfield lad.

Garland coming home from Leicester completed the trio AD brought in to help the promotion squad stay up, with Hunter & Cormack all were excellent signings, Chris’ late burst of goals that year saved us.

Fitzpatrick was later on (& not very good).

1 hour ago, Northern Red said:

U21s:

 

Interesting that Casa Grande isn’t involved, either..

Expect Dickie & Araoye to be in the squad.

4 minutes ago, wendyredredrobin said:

If I remember correctly, Trevor Jacobs ran it for a few years and it was Ray Cashley's local.  Am I correct?

100%.

My old man was very good mates with Ray’s brother John, played football & skittles with him.

He took me to 5 or 6 away games that season (I was 12!) & although he probably could have got complementary tickets always insisted on paying.
 

9 minutes ago, 42nite said:

Our lads were a bit like some of us have been, trying to play Sunday mornings after a Saturday night out on the raz!

 

Yep, story I have been told since was they spent the majority of the time between the Portsmouth & Notts County games in the Baccy Jar in Whitchurch..