RedRock

2 minutes ago, Busterrimes said:

RIP fellow Red. Having just got the news my cancer could have me before Christmas I am am totally sympathetic.

Stay strong. You will win, many do. 

If Carlsberg did Saturdays… they wouldn’t be much better than this!

Add Torquay 5-0

         FGR 2-0

3 minutes ago, Selred said:

Or maybe because he's on a very healthy contract and we haven't got any other wingers in the squad to compete with him? 

I suspect his contract renewal was more to do with Ashton’s self-driven business strategy ie he did want to lose SL a few £million early on in his relationship, than any real desire to retain an appreciating asset. Personally, I could see no benefit in the renewal, apart from maybe a quick sale in the first transfer window which would have clawed back some money. 

We have to assume the managers/CEO’s of the other 91 league clubs didn’t value CoD as much as Ashton did. Nice to see though that we kept CoD but gave a far superior Taylor away to Oxford. Must have been a way of Ashton thanking Oxford for CoD being such good business. 

I think Nige must be somewhat bewildered that he has a player on his books that is a past international and, no doubt, in the top 10 highest paid players in the Club. Logic would be that he must be worthy of a place in the first team or, at the very least, around the squad.

Like Ralph, I’ve always hoped for a re-set. The thought, ‘that’ Norwich wonder goal is the real CoD and we’ve just got a stand-in for 99% of the time. It ain’t happening though. Even if it does, belatedly in his contract,  one suspects he’ll do a Fam and shaft us. No, fed up now and his presence on the pitch just serves to remind me of the very dark days of the Ashton/Johnson era. 

2 hours ago, ralphindevon said:

Let’s hope Martin finds some petrol soon and when he does it’s the high octane stuff. 

Ralph - I think he’s found the petrol, it’s just a case it has a high lead content. 

Always rated Ole’s reports but thought Bents was immense ( even coming -successfully - for crosses), and a bit harsh markings-wise on Kalas, Atkinson and Pring.

But - if the reports are true - that a Bristol City fan managed 3 cross bar hits in succession that is deserved of a 10/10 and ‘player of the season’ award. Sign him up!!! Are that any videos of that awesome performance circulating? 

14 minutes ago, Super said:

In fairness to COD he has played such little football i'm not really sure what people expected last night.

As Nige would say ‘an impact’. 
 

Sorry, I still don’t know - 5 odd years into his contract - what his actual purpose is. Of the range of footballing attributes - shooting, dribbling, crossing, tackling, heading - which are his strengths? Once that’s established I’d be clearer in what to expect from him.

CoD - a hugely good human I’ve no doubt - sums up Mark Ashton’s contribution to the Club for me. 

To avoid being in the relegation mix, a team need 8-9 ‘dependable’ players. Those who’ll consistently achieve 7/10 performances.

For a large chunk of last season we had only 2-3 who could be placed in that category. This season an improvement, I’d say we’ve 5-6 ‘dependables’. 
 

The bad news is that ain’t enough.

Unless Big Nige can develop some of our youngsters, as he has with Pring, or motivate/ up-skill some of the dross - who have been given chance after chance to prove themselves - we are in for a long old season. 

3 minutes ago, Robin-hugh-blind said:

1st win in 6 games for Millwall, worth thinking about. We are the king's at ending bad runs for other teams

Yes.

Hasn’t it always been so …. was it Palace in around 100BC, who hadn’t won a game all season until they visited The Gate in December, all served up to the nation on one of our few appearances on Match of the Day? 

Wow. A team of two halves. 
 

One half a group of fighters who gave 110%. The other trotting around doing **** all.

I suppose that’s progress from last season though. 
 

There are several players, Bents, Atkinson, Kalas, Tanner, Pring, James who really don’t deserve to be on the losing side here. Pity the rest haven’t shown such fight and determination. 

Bakinson ffs.

Martin needs to get into this game. Like playing with 10 men at the mo.

Satisfactory. 

Doing well at the back, Bents superb, Atkinson very good. Need to be sharper up front. Bakinson silky smooth but for a guy of decent height and strength needs to do a lot more work on his heading (in)abilities.
 

1 minute ago, Super said:

Safe to say this isn't a classic....

It is based on most of last season’s performances.

Struth look a bit chaotic at the start, but settled now. 

Could be a couple up. Need to be sharper though.

Bakes down…and off.  
 

In the early/mid 70’s, Henbury, Southmead, Horfield and Redland formed the broad ‘front line’ dividing predominantly City to the west and the Sags to the east. 

Being a regular visitor to ‘front line positions’ I was acutely aware of tensions and who was who. 

The Sags have never ‘owned’ North Bristol.
 

Certainly back in the day, Southmead had good representation on the East End. 

A good dose of glyphosate applied on the green shoots tonight.

Only HNM emerges with credit from that one.

I’m a believer in Nige, but that was as bad as the worst performances of last season. It looked like the team had been told just before kick-off that they were all going to be made redundant. No spark, desire, leaden-footed and totally disjointed. Poor effort that. 
 

We must do better. 

How did people get the Sky red button to work? Simply refuses to go beyond the please wait message.

Just now, Top Robin said:

Same here crap

Likewise!

5 minutes ago, chinapig said:

Largely platitudes for public consumption I think so as to avoid washing dirty linen in public.

I posted earlier in the thread that it may also be a question of SL's ego. Let's face it he was hoodwinked by Ashton and let him run amok but no way is he going to admit that. Least of all is he going to admit that the fans were right and he was wrong.

So SL is the one to put the questions to not NP but nobody is going to have the guts to ask him and he wouldn't answer them honestly anyway.

Though his comment about Gould not being one to recommend players gave us a glimpse of what he thinks of Ashton in hindsight.

Yeah but…. If someone had made me look a mug ,cost me £millons and left the Club on the precipice of relegation, I certainly wouldn’t mention him by name at a media event in a positive way.

If it was just a matter of trying to save face, I’d just erase him from the history of the Club. 

Tricky one isn’t it.

The facts are inconsistent in terms of validating a position. 
 

SL mentioning Ashton by name in opening the HPC, Nige saying some complimentary words about his then CEO -gives weight to parting on good terms vs no public departing message on the official Club site (to my knowledge), on/off the pitch leaving the Club in a perilous position- including losing £££ millions on players he signed, no slot-in replacement CEO, those issues makes you think he departed rapidly and under a cloud. 

 

Maybe someone could ask Nige at the forum what he really thought of Ashton. While his words probably wouldn’t give things away, his body language might. 

12 minutes ago, old_eastender said:

I watched from 30-60 minutes and the lack of quality was evident. Abi Harrison looked like a footballer, the rest meh! 

Good to hear they came back to win, Lewes looked equally poor.

I saw the second half. 

Thought the defence looked ok - pace and intelligence. 
 

Dodgy keeper, midfield and attack pretty poor. 

Oh dear. They really don’t know what’s going to hit them do they.

Ipswich fans moaning about their previous owners not being able to maintain the floodlights …..tell you, it would have been a blessing if the friggin floodlights went out in most of our games under Ashton’s command.

His only achievement after 4 years tenure was to have made me fall out of love with the ‘beautiful game’…. something no previous regime had achieved in 50 years - even when we were bottom of the entire league. 

No, Ipswich you’re more than welcome to Ashton and his people. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. 

Brilliant.

Our City may be coming back. 
 

Luv it.

Energy up lads. Giving them too much space.