Nogbad the Bad

Everything I've seen about this I see as being based on speculation. Joe being the type of person he is must have enjoyed playing in France (even though he didn't actually play much) and therefore would want to expand his horizons further by continuing to play abroad. Even though his time in France cannot be deemed a success football wise and there is no real indication any such opportunities to play abroad are actually open to him. If Joe indicated he wished to explore the possibility of going abroad before committing to City the worry could be that perhaps the main attraction to Joe of playing abroad at this stage of his career is lifestyle, and less a determination to achieve on the pitch. If City got a whiff of this in talks then whether these opportunities exist for him to explore or not the interest may have cooled on our side rather than his. I'm only speculating as well of course but I wouldn't bet on him ending up abroad based on anything I've read.

Agreed, but many have taken that article as evidence JB wanted to go abroad. They say (put forward the idea) that he has enjoyed his time abroad despite lack of game time and wants to continue playing overseas. The BP followed this up by saying they understood there was 'a prospect of offers from abroad' and throwing in 'with a degree of interest emerging in America' - vague to the extent it could be non - existent. JB may or may not want to play abroad, but I didn't finish the article thinking there was much in it bar supposition, or that there was definite interest from abroad. Sounds to me that City simply moved on when JB prevaricated for whatever reason and this interest from abroad the BP is surmising about is so vague there is a good chance it may not materialise at all.

Well the BP 'understood' that to be the case and made an article out of it. No facts, no quotes from JB (not surprisingly) or anyone else and nothing in there to confirm it was the case. Just filler afaic, with nothing concrete to back it up.

Maybe, but 2 ways of looking at that. The other scenario is that Fontaine pleaded to remain Captain and play himself back in to form and Del came to the conclusion removing the captaincy from him would have completely shattered a player who on form was one of his best. It didn't work out but it's a very rare a fairly experienced and formerly reliable player loses confidence to the extent he doesn't recover his form and it would be a tricky situation for any manager to handle. It may be there was simply no other candidate for the Captaincy or even a team meeting where the players assured Fontaine he had their support. Del must have weighed things up and came to the conclusion a more positive outcome was likely rather than an almost complete collapse. A failed move to Southampton was deemed to be the catalyst for his loss of confidence/form irrc. though I remember thinking at the time their bid came as something of a surprise because he was already not at his best.

That's just horrible and incredibly cowardly as you say. Much rougher fans than I'd expected, I was 17 and far from comfortable on my own hoping my City hav-a-sac - upside down by my feet - wouldn't draw any attention.

That's a mystery then Phil. When we played at Charlton in '76 it was our first visit to the Valley since October '71, when we lost 2-0. After '76 we didn't go there again until March '91 when we lost 2-1.

Gow got the other one I think.

As I said I was in that huge side terrace Phil. I went up on my own on the train wearing my school hav-a- sac with Bristol City F.C. plastered all over it! The intention was to stay overnight with my older brother who'd moved to London, but, not surprisingly, we hadn't managed to find each other on that massive terrace. The City fans were behind the goal to my left. I did see some charging about at one stage with City fans chasing Charlton fans back in to the side stand opposite me. Always assumed they were just Charlton yobs anyway - they seemed a surprisingly rough lot- but could have been Millwall I suppose. I'm talking about an evening match in the promotion season.

Well, got to say that's a bit concerning, can't help think of Liam Fontaine. Assume Nige and the coaches are well aware of any frailties and are confident they can keep his confidence up and get the best out of him. At AG he'll have the best manager, and probably best behind the scenes support, he's ever had, Hopefully that'll be enough for him to thrive.

Thanks for the video, very interesting. Although probably just about on the way I wasn't yet born at the time of this video so wasn't there I'm afraid. I did watch City there in 75-76 (2-2 draw) from that vast side terrace, easily the biggest terrace I've ever been on, and I've watched City from the old Kop.

Cheese would have made all the appearances Mariner made for England, and more imo.

A bit like when you adoringly called Mark Ashton 'Mr. C h a r i s m a' then?

We need more goals from midfield and I'd expect Nige to target at least 1 new signing with the aim of rectifying that.

Not forgetting Mike Brolly.

All we know (from Shags) is the deal is off. Maybe it was JB trying to engineer a move back to City, something City were initially more than amenable to but have now concluded his freakish athleticism may have much diminished in the 5 years since he left?

When you put it like that it's something of a surprise we were in for him in the first place. If it wasn't ex-City favourite Joe Bryan would we be keen to sign a 29 year old with such a record over the last 3 years?

Great to hear. Inside by a roaring fire in the winter, outside watching the nesting birds going to and fro in the summer. I've got a soft spot for the Miners Rest too, an unusually down to earth pub, always busy when I go there. Friendly locals in both pubs.

Giblets?

No, just been down Long Ashton. Went past the Angel, scaffolding up, pub sign down, and apparently getting a full outside repaint. Feared the worst but fortunately on the way back I could make out customers lounging in the window seat inside enjoying their pints. So hopefully this fine old pub will be there for many years (decades) to come. I know it does b&b (Tommy said he stayed there at least once) so, to keep on thread, perhaps it's having a quick upgrade for an overnight stay for Dickie?

The Webster transfer was a one-off imo. He was very highly rated but had been regularly injured at Ipswich, playing on average just 25 games per season and there was some doubt about his long term fitness which was reflected in the fee. A rare occasion, I should think, when the potential add-ons for Ipswich were greater than the fee they received - 3.5m rising to 8m was widely reported. A number of these add ons would likely have been met, 10, 20, 30 apps etc and there would have been a big sell on if he proved his ability to last a season, which was very much in doubt. As it turned out Webster made 47 apps in all comps for us, by far the most he has made in a season in his career, before or since. In 4 seasons at Brighton, although they play less league games, his highest seasonal total is 31 apps, - not bad, but his lowest 22, and he's averaged about 27 according to wiki, so much as people are saying with Flint it appears we may have had him at his best - fitness wise at least.

Some of them are more gastropubs these days rather than somewhere you'd meet up for a pre match drink. Last time I went to The Pump House for instance I was met by a woman outside wanting to guide me to a table and take my order. This was fairly recently so well after lockdown. When you can't get to the bar to choose your beer that's not what I think of as a pub, as I told her before moving on. Not a bad list of pubs but we've lost so many, Wedlocks, Ship & Castle, The Imp, Spring Gardens, Adam & Eve, Plume of Feathers (a regular pre match pub for me for many years) and many others, including several on East Street and West Street. There's always the Nova Scotia though, still a great pub atmosphere and basically unchanged since my first visit in the mid 70's.

I've little doubt Cotts would have kept us up, he'd never overseen a relegation in 20 years as a manager. The alternative to sacking him was to back him in the January window with the money suddenly found to fund iirc 7 new signings for Johnson. I feared relegation the following season under Johnson, when we weren't safe until the penultimate game of the season, more than I ever did under Cotts. Anyway, you have put forward the alternative view, Cotts dismissal still makes me angry so I'm not going to get embroiled in this argument yet again. Afaic Cotts' sacking was a disgrace, the arrival and backing of non entity Johnson a particularly unamusing farce, and it took the arrival of NP for me to even begin getting over it.

Bryan, O'Brien and a third man. Got to this bloke surely? https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/darragh-mcbrien/profil/spieler/627777

When he was at Burnley he became the Championship's longest serving manager so I think he can hold his own at that level. I still think if he'd been properly backed at AG after promotion, as imo he'd earnt the right to be, he'd have given a double promotion 'a damn good go', as he assured me at the promotion celebrations was his intention.

Pretty sure Cotts does still live locally. l used to see him regularly surveying the docks from a balcony near Spoke and Stringer. Wade Elliot too, saw him strolling along North Street towards Ashton Park the other evening. As for Cotts leaving Shrewsbury, very much their loss, they were very fortunate to have him.