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It was 40 years ago today…


glynriley

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I started going in 86 when i was 10. He was already a well established name in the team, a popular player and i was told as much. Gone too soon for a young me to get attached or understand what he was about but i remember the Wembley final well.

Just took a look on Wiki to see his apps/goal stats and it includes the following...

"Riley's effervescent playing style made him a popular figure amongst fans. His cult status was cemented in 1986 when Bristol City played at Wembley for the first time in their history. Riley scored two goals as Bristol City beat Bolton Wanderers 3–0 in the Football League Trophy final."

Effervescent is a great adjective for a footballer, particularly an attacker.

Would older posters ( or those with a better memory) agree it fits him? What type of player was he?

 

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5 minutes ago, Gazred said:

I started going in 86 when i was 10. He was already a well established name in the team, a popular player and i was told as much. Gone too soon for a young me to get attached or understand what he was about but i remember the Wembley final well.

Just took a look on Wiki to see his apps/goal stats and it includes the following...

"Riley's effervescent playing style made him a popular figure amongst fans. His cult status was cemented in 1986 when Bristol City played at Wembley for the first time in their history. Riley scored two goals as Bristol City beat Bolton Wanderers 3–0 in the Football League Trophy final."

Effervescent is a great adjective for a footballer, particularly an attacker.

Would older posters ( or those with a better memory) agree it fits him? What type of player was he?

 

Effervescent Is indeed a good way of describing him Gaz

Firstly Id say he was Andi Weimann ish (Without Andis pace)

Got stuck in and competed great for his size

Ran his legs off , I can still picture him putting everything he had left with his socks rolled down late in games

Always gave %100 and gave us a ‘head’ , a real team player

Notched a pretty decent goal return 

Very Inspirational to fan base , which was important then , in his commitment and interaction and his joy when we won or he scored , notably jumping onto the fence at the East End after scoring 

 

For where we were and what we desperately neede , he  was gold dust and bloody good

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13 minutes ago, Sheltons Army said:

Effervescent Is indeed a good way of describing him Gaz

Firstly Id say he was Andi Weimann ish (Without Andis pace)

Got stuck in and competed great for his size

Ran his legs off , I can still picture him putting everything he had left with his socks rolled down late in games

Always gave %100 and gave us a ‘head’ , a real team player

Notched a pretty decent goal return 

Very Inspirational to fan base , which was important then , in his commitment and interaction and his joy when we won or he scored , notably jumping onto the fence at the East End after scoring 

 

For where we were and what we desperately neede , he  was gold dust and bloody good

Like it.

Great description, thank you. No wonder he's a ledge!

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4 minutes ago, Gazred said:

Like it.

Great description, thank you. No wonder he's a ledge!

I’ve only really had five City heroes in my lifetime that have remained so

Chris Garland

Sir Gerry 

Tom Ritchie

Bob Taylor 

Glyn Riley

 

Thats the respect I hold him in Gaz

 

 

* I’d probably now add Andi Weimann to that small list

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3 minutes ago, Sheltons Army said:

I’ve only really had five City heroes in my lifetime that have remained so

Chris Garland

Sir Gerry 

Tom Ritchie

Bob Taylor 

Glyn Riley

 

Thats the respect I hold him in Gaz

 

 

* I’d probably now add Andi Weimann to that small list

I don't even have 5 yet!

Taylor

Shelton

Tinnion

All 3 mean a lot to me for different reasons. Sometimes i might add Scotty Murray if I've had a few.

Absolutely agree on Weimann, he's certainly in contention.

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Just now, ralphindevon said:

Did you mean to put Sir Gerry or did you mean Geoff?

No Gerry , Ralph

There are dozens I’ve loved to bits , including Merrick but those I mentioned hold a special place personally

 

I guess three , now four with Andi besides being very good players at different levels , literally left everything on the pitch

Chris Garland was our goals man when I first started going 

And Bob ..... no real need to explain ! 

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Just now, Sheltons Army said:

No Gerry , Ralph

There are dozens I’ve loved to bits , including Merrick but those I mentioned hold a special place personally

 

I guess three , now four with Andi besides being very good players at different levels , literally left everything on the pitch

Chris Garland was our goals man when I first started going 

And Bob ..... no real need to explain ! 

Sorry mate I realised that as soon as I posted, for some reason I saw Gerry and thought Sweeney, now he was a brilliant servant but not often picked out as a legend.

Then my slow brain caught up and I realised who you meant, ?

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Glyn Riley was an extrovert personality, he "connected" with supporters and blurred that line between us and them (the players), I would imagine he was "good for the dressing room."

Neat and tidy technically, he was instrumental in us getting the ball down on the deck and passing it to a red shirt, the way Terry Cooper wanted us to play, to try and get the red half/three fifths of Bristol to get enthusiastic about their club again.

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2 minutes ago, ralphindevon said:

Sorry mate I realised that as soon as I posted, for some reason I saw Gerry and thought Sweeney, now he was a brilliant servant but not often picked out as a legend.

Then my slow brain caught up and I realised who you meant, ?

Gerry Sweeney very close to my group Ralph - Loved him as a player and like many of us , got to know him really well after his playing days - Fantastic bloke

Legend is always a difficult thing to quantify but besides those I mentioned (Just a personal collection ) the Merricks , Sweeneys , Cheesleys , Tinnions , Walsh’s , And many more I see as all deserving of a Platinum Service and status award

 

Riley and those days , got me thinking that I’d love to see the talented lad who did the brilliant AG8 painting in the concourse ,  do one of Terry Coopers era and the start of the climb back somewhere else in the concourse

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4 minutes ago, Bristol Oil Services said:

Glyn Riley was an extrovert personality, he "connected" with supporters and blurred that line between us and them (the players), I would imagine he was "good for the dressing room."

Neat and tidy technically, he was instrumental in us getting the ball down on the deck and passing it to a red shirt, the way Terry Cooper wanted us to play, to try and get the red half/three fifths of Bristol to get enthusiastic about their club again.

Terry Cooper would make it into my list of heroes as well as others mentioned.

I appreciate its not just for his playing appearances like the others but all round Mr Bristol City at a difficult time

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Absolutely personified the togetherness we had back then - I don`t honestly think we`ve been as connected since, even during Cotts`s time.

There were a lot of grown men on the terraces at Wembley that day trying to get something out of their eye. Magical times in many ways - we`d been so far down, stuck with it, and were back and punching again.

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4 minutes ago, Sheltons Army said:

Gerry Sweeney very close to my group Ralph - Loved him as a player and like many of us , got to know him really well after his playing days - Fantastic bloke

Legend is always a difficult thing to quantify but besides those I mentioned (Just a personal collection ) the Merricks , Sweeneys , Cheesleys , Tinnions , Walsh’s , And many more I see as all deserving of a Platinum Service and status award

 

Riley and those days , got me thinking that I’d love to see the talented lad who did the brilliant AG8 painting in the concourse ,  do one of Terry Coopers era and the start of the climb back somewhere else in the concourse

Great idea, I’d love to see that.

Id volunteer myself but my artistic skills are that of a 9 year old.

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29 minutes ago, Sheltons Army said:

I’ve only really had five City heroes in my lifetime that have remained so

Chris Garland

Sir Gerry 

Tom Ritchie

Bob Taylor 

Glyn Riley

 

Thats the respect I hold him in Gaz

 

 

* I’d probably now add Andi Weimann to that small list

Harford

Riley

Walsh

Taylor

were my youngster heroes…Walsh top of my list.

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10 minutes ago, ralphindevon said:

Terry Cooper would make it into my list of heroes as well as others mentioned.

I appreciate its not just for his playing appearances like the others but all round Mr Bristol City at a difficult time

With the club appearing to be doing zilch with the suggestions / requests for some sort of permanent tribute I wonder whether ‘we’ could raise enough through a donation / crowdfunding page to have a suitable statue commissioned ?

Im certain we could , especially if the Supporters Club administers it  

The job he did , and his role in us having a club to own , play for or support can’t really be overstated

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1 hour ago, Gazred said:

I started going in 86 when i was 10. He was already a well established name in the team, a popular player and i was told as much. Gone too soon for a young me to get attached or understand what he was about but i remember the Wembley final well.

Just took a look on Wiki to see his apps/goal stats and it includes the following...

"Riley's effervescent playing style made him a popular figure amongst fans. His cult status was cemented in 1986 when Bristol City played at Wembley for the first time in their history. Riley scored two goals as Bristol City beat Bolton Wanderers 3–0 in the Football League Trophy final."

Effervescent is a great adjective for a footballer, particularly an attacker.

Would older posters ( or those with a better memory) agree it fits him? What type of player was he?

 

He had a nice, slick, on the deck, two small men up front partnership with Steve Neville

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4 minutes ago, Sheltons Army said:

I didn’t know you held Ray in such high esteem Dave 

 

?

Haha.

Although I first started watching at end of 78, I didn’t really create any heroes from the First Div days, but in hindsight Ritchie would be in there, as would Gow and Hunter.

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26 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Played on Sundays, so no, I also missed Chester away in December.

Saw 44/46 that season, all 46 in the promotion season.

To have watched such a high proportion of the matches we played in the bottom tier is surely worth a round of applause!

:clap:

Fair play - as they say.

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You have to remember the situation at the time. We’d been promoted to the top division, spent four years there then were relegated in successive seasons to the bottom division. Between 1960-80 we’d had just two managers (Ford and Dicks) followed by the short term appointments of Houghton and Hodgson. By 1982 we were on the verge of bankruptcy and at our lowest ever ebb. A local tinpot football club even tried to steal our football ground ffs (for which they’ll never be forgiven by this red). 
 

The AG8 left, we filled our team with kids like Rob Newman and gave the job of manager/coach/groundsman/bus driver/kitman+++ to the legend Terry Cooper who set about building a team from the smouldering ashes of our football club. He signed Glyn Riley who became a key part of our recovery - a player whose love for the game, our club and supporters put smiles back on our faces. He was every City supporter’s favourite of that time. 
 

The term ‘legend’ is overused but Glyn was one, though forever overshadowed by the one and only, the great TC (when will the club erect a memorial to this man?)

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