Eddie Hitler

On the upside we are absolutely playing Swansea off the park when it comes to the number of fouls committed 

40 minutes ago, Loosey Boy said:

Neil Lennon going there apparently…

And Neil Warnock coming here.

As one door closes, another door opens.*

For decades he has been saying that there are two teams he would like to manage but hasn't: us and Sheffield Wednesday.

Well here's his chance to halve that wishlist.

* As Alexei Sayle said: "As one door closes another door opens, I had a Vauxhall Astra like that once."

Just bumping this generous offer back to the top.

1 hour ago, exAtyeoMax said:

Wrote "The Machine Stops" excellent short story

Yes, unbelievably prescient.

Makes H G Wells look like Mystic Meg.

Could "are so small" become the new "only connect"?

And could Kieran McKenna be the latter day E M Forster?

Whilst he lost confidence towards the end of his time here and was shunted off to Blackpool, Junior Bent on his day could absolutely terrify opposition defenders. I seem to remember that he had some phenomenal sprint time.

Maybe I just saw him in his best games, or people mainly remember his loss of form towards the end, but he rarely merits a mention here.

Coaching up at Preston's academy these days.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junior_Bent

6 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Whats fairly clear is that the anger isn’t abating. 
 

Normally what happens after a bad performance is that there’s a reaction, people call for the manager to go etc. In the days after that, cooler heads tend to prevail.

Not here. Not now. And it’s the same across the clubs socials as well.

The issue is that people have sussed that Mannings Southampton game was the exception, not the rule, and they’ve not unreasonably concluded he won’t be able to do the job here based both on what we’ve seen so far and in his prior career.

I can’t see a way it’s pulled round.

So now we go get in an experienced manager who will demand his own team and his own way of doing things.

Obviously not Nigel, that would be too embarrassing for the owners, but someone of similar experience.

Or we get in another "yes man" who will involve us in an annual relegation battle during their tenure before departing for Sunderland.

Maybe it is time to ditch the wishful thinking and trying to copy the clubs who have passed by us on their way to the Premiership and start doing what actually works.

If you have to have an inexperienced coach in then they need an experienced DoF to guide them, or you just get in a very experienced manager.

Every managerial appointment this century has been a hopeful gamble with IMO two exceptions: Gary Johnson and Nigel Pearson.

And of the hopeful gambles only Cotts was actually successful.

1 hour ago, Fordy62 said:

In my 35 years of supporting City never have I seen a manager set up to fail quite so badly by the top brass. I said it at the time of his appointment that he’d been dealt a poisoned chalice and it’s playing out exactly as I hoped it wouldn’t. 

So let’s try to remember that none of this is Manning’s fault. He took a lucrative job that none of would have turned down and none of us can blame him for taking. I’m sure he and his team are trying their very best.

Fortunately I lost my mojo for Bristol City when Nige was sacked. I saw it before with Cotterill and history has repeated itself. I say fortunately because I find myself really not caring too much about our games, how we’re performing etc. I find it sad I feel like this, but it helps eliminate the problem of the City result ruining your weekend - which I suspect is how many of you feel right now. 

But I suppose my main point is try not to get on Manning’s back. It’s not his fault. 

I’m grateful for the investment the Lansdowns have made, our new stadium is brilliant and we’re in a really good place off the pitch. But I think we’ve definitely run our course now, and with my very best wishes it’s time they sold up and left. And if they wouldn’t mind taking their mate Bri with them at the same time, that’d be ideal. They’re getting the comeuppance they deserve in spades. Completely out of their depth. 

I suppose you could sum up my feelings on them the same way they dealt with Nige. You feel the need to gamble on something new, yeh, it could well be worse, but it’s probably worth the gamble. 

Yes, that is also my view.  Saved my typing it out.

I am hugely grateful for what the Lansdown family has done for the club, and this view is strongly coloured by the knowledge that if I had their resources and owned the club then I would very much have done the same, mistakes and all.  From betting the house on Gary Johnson, to sticking with Lee Johnson despite the critics.

Maybe not appointing Mark Ashton, or if having done so then quickly sacking him, but apart from that I have broadly agreed with the way that they run the club.

Oh, and of course Bristol Sport is a daft concept which should have been quietly put of its misery years ago. But we all know that.

This is why, if I win £100m+ on the Eurmillions, I will not be buying City as my reign would be very smillar to their reign.

And also why I think it should be somebody else's turn, and the Lansdowns will leave with my thanks for what they have achieved.

59 minutes ago, phantom said:

After last Saturday where I reckon I was sorting things until gone 11pm I am getting there

Maybe you should take up John's offer of help as that's presumably not how you want to be spending your Saturday evenings.

@Never to the dark side

9 minutes ago, Mr Hankey said:

Think that is a bit harsh - his first 3 seasons at United he was their best player, but was always made the scapegoat, despite just how awful of a team he had to play with. Always thought he was outstanding for France & if he would of joined Man City over United i'm sure he would of been one of the best in the Prem, instead he wasted his career trying to carry a terrible United team. The amount of stick he got from fans probably made him fall out of love with the game in the end.

Added in to that his family shenanigans, i don't think he has ever had the best people around him to advise him, especially when his hanger on brothers appear to have tried blackmailing him.

I could be being harsh but I thought him similar to Nicholas Anelka, "le sulk", who could be the tsar player all season when it suited him but usually it didn't.

In contrast I noted that Carlos Tevez gave his best in every game I saw him play.  He wasn't a loyal player and was motivated by money but he always put in a shift and earned his money, which Pogba and Anelka very much didn't.

On 26/02/2024 at 18:34, BS3City said:

My Nan always bought Izal when we were kids, I used to dread needing a turn out whenever we visited. Could never understand how anyone would ever buy it - it never wiped anything away, just smeared it around a lot.

Unless that was due to my poor technique...

What your nan didn't tell you is that the correct procedure is to scrunch up each sheet and then flatten it before using it.

That way it works similarly to soft toilet paper.

Here to help, several decades after the event.

My college also had it in the bogs, I don't know whether it was the general ethos of traditionalism or whether because they saved money as people tended to use their departments' toilets instead.

1 minute ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

As far as costs go it is all there in the Bristol City Women's Accounts. Not that material in the context of football.

I am struggling to think of a top 2 division side who have scrapped the Women's Team. Even post takeover.

I've zero interest but in the grand scheme of things they probably cost in total, wages, all expenses and training staff, about as much as one or two senior men's players.

It would be churlish to close them down IMHO, a lot of people enjoy watching them.

2 minutes ago, Roger Red Hat said:

Yes but I see rugby, basketball, and particularly women's football in Bristol (which is never going to have the investment that the top teams have) as a drain on my investment into the elements I do wish to purchase.

Have you won the Euromillions then Rog?

I don't know if I've mentioned quite how much I appreciate your posts but would like to take the opportunity to do so now.

16 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

HPC is under BCFC, so under Holdings too.

You do know your stuff Dave!

3 minutes ago, Roger Red Hat said:

So if I want to buy the football club, stadium and HPC, that's doable.

I've got no interest in rugby, women's football, or basketball.

Certainly the football club and stadium sit under BCFC Holdings so that's a simple transaction.

Don't know about the HPC.

It's anyway going to be doable whatever the corporate structure if the money is right, though what value the remainder has is dubious.

You could maybe carve out and sell the rugby club but what would be left, Bristol Sport, basketball and women's football team, would have no value and then would presumably be wound up.

8 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

 

All I'll say is that 'have the NME ever done a one-page special on the Taunton music scene?'  No - I rest my case. 

These days, Taunton is a soulless dump and Yeovil is a depressing dump. In my opinion. Yeovil's still got a better music/art/nightlife scene though. As long as you avoid its remaining pubs. 

 

Edit: Jenny Agutter and both my daughters were born in Taunton though, so that earns it some plus points.

And of course Arthur Dent / Bridey actor Simon Jones who went to King's, though Wikipedia doesn't seem to be aware of that.

14 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

Better bands than Taunton, that's for sure. 

I'm not about to take up verbal arms in a Taunton vs Yeovil rivalry given that it is decades since I lived there! I haven't been back for years and wouldn't have a clue about bands.

9 minutes ago, 22A said:

Yeovil?

It's nearly thirty miles driving or 2hrs 16min by train accordng to The Trainline, I lived in Taunton for maybe six years and went to many places but never Yeovil.

I have nothing against Yeovil but it's one of those places where it is hard to discern a reason for visiting them, like Ilminster or Chard.

Can we not please learn to love and embrace mediocrity in all its forms instead of continually striving to be decent?

What is actually wrong with finishing in 16th position every year? It saves you the rollercoaster of emotions that each new season would otherwise call forth.

14 hours ago, Bat Fastard said:

The obvious answer is to bring back Benny. Just the chap to help a young manager who appears to be out of his depth.

I was saying that for years - Benny as DoF.

However as he is now aged 81 and has been out of the game for fourteen years I would say that the window has closed.

Neil Warnock as DoF on the other hand would be great, he may be 75 but he is still an active manager.

On a related point to this thread QPR had Les Ferdinand as DoF for years before he was given the push about six months ago, his recruitment was poor and his contribution to team tactics hard to discern.  But he was "Sir Les" so gained and kept the job when anyone who hadn't been a star player for QPR would never have been given it in the first place and would have been sacked after a couple of years.

13 hours ago, fgrsimon said:

Yeah should have said outside of Torbay really I know NA is not really part of Torbay but it's where the railway diverges and is very close to Torquay.

Lets hope that they get a new owner soon but if they get a -10 deduction they could be dragged into the relegation fight with Truro and Taunton.

It has always baffled me that Taunton Town FC has never risen to a better level.

Taunton is a big place with no local rivals and keen on sport as the support for Somerset Cricket Club shows.

I used to live there as a kid and still faintly know a small number of people there. Whilst the cricket was a big deal I never had one conversation about TTFC and the only connection was one of my parents' friends had a season ticket as his birthday present each year.

Now there is a sleeping giant, albeit a non-league one.

3 minutes ago, Lewisdabaron said:

Theyre planning a protest about ST prices today apparently. But cant decide between them how or when or if they should proceed. 

Quite right from what I have read, the children's ST prices have shot up. That's a really bad decision as you are killing off your future support by stopping families from going.

10 hours ago, italian dave said:

I think there’s a huge difference between not loving the game and not having the level of commitment to put in the hours and the pain to become the best you possibly can at it.

He may not have been overly bothered with the pattern but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he doesn’t love the game and want to carry on playing it. 

Yes, the ruthless discipline of diet and fitness as Ronaldo displays is not for everyone.

If you were good enough to play pro football at a decent level whilst dossing about all week and going to the pub several times a week then that would be a very enjoyable ride.

Whilst pro footballer is most people's dream job it is still a job. Few of us dedicate ourselves wholly to our careers.

My most memorable JET moment was when the ball came to him on the edge of a crowded penalty area and he appeared to slowly walk past two defenders before whacking the ball into the net.

I'm sure there was all manner of technically excellent close control going on to make it appear like that.

Similarly for Tomlin as mentioned above, whilst I didn't see this one live I remember his doing something to the ball as he was approaching goal, put backspin on it or something, so that it came up off the turf and sat up for him in a perfect position from which he scored, like someone had gently thrown it to him at knee height.

City - yes undoubtedly better.  Anyone who disagrees tends to either come down on "we should have been better" or "we don't own the ground", but we do.  BCFC Holdings owns the club and the ground in separate subsidiary companies and anyone who still has shares has them in BCFC holdings, so owns part of the ground.

Torquay - wasn't this the mob who left Swindon is such a state and then moved on to Torquay in the hope of persuading the council to sell them the leased ground, which they would then have presumably sold for development and then put the club up for sale.  The council wasn't so daft after all.

I grew up with the three Devon clubs almost always in Division 4 and Yeovil in the Conference but with regular cup runs.  It's a shame how far Torquay and Yeovil have fallen.

26 minutes ago, spudski said:

In all honesty Noggers...how many sports these days do you watch and come away thinking I've been thoroughly entertained?

You get the occasional ones...but on average, most sports are dull as dishwater these days. 

Everything is too perfect. 

Technology, science, coaching etc, has pretty much nullified any ' entertainment'. 

Because its the imperfections that create excitement in sport. 

The more precise and ' perfect' it becomes...the less entertaining.

If LM set up as you'd like...there would be lots of goal mouth action...in our own box. 

It's just how it's become.

Television hasn't helped either. Full saturation. 

Yes, I stopped watching the Premiership for just this reason and my dad, previously an avid MOTD viewer, mentioned that he doesn't watch it much these days.

All the emphasis on technical excellence, diet and fitness certainly means that you win more games, but it also strips the excitement from the game and the fans drift away.

When I bump into my old school mates these days and go down the pub for a chat, football rarely merits a mention when it used to be the main topic of conversation.

You could say it's becoming older but it's more than the regular excitement has gone. Two teams with technically good coaches and technically good players makes for a very dull spectacle. Tap tap tap.

Give me Hereford vs Newcastle on a muddy pitch every time.