Playoffs

[Keepers Ball]

I cannot congratulate Luton. Or Coventry if they had won. I find it embarrassing and if I'm honest a little bitter.

It wasnt that long ago Luton were in the Conference. 5 bloody years!

Then you had Coventry. Slowly going down the leagues, ending up in League 2 and often homeless.

Both make our outfit look like amateurs

[The Gasbuster]

11 minutes ago, Keepers Ball said:

I cannot congratulate Luton. Or Coventry if they had won. I find it embarrassing and if I'm honest a little bitter.

It wasnt that long ago Luton were in the Conference. 5 bloody years!

Then you had Coventry. Slowly going down the leagues, ending up in League 2 and often homeless.

Both make our outfit look like amateurs

Bolton & Portsmouth will be next.

From bankruptcy to the Prem while we remain in tier 2.

[oldstandrobin]

Yes, as a BCFC supporter of over 60 years now, I really believe that it will take an absolute miracle for us to have the MINDSET in our DNA to get to the Premiership. If I could really pinpoint why we never look like candidates, I would be in demand by every Lg1 and 2 clubs! I can remember not so long ago, going to watch Bournemouth play at Plainmoor v Torquay and really thinking ' they wont be going anywhere soon' How wrong I was. Sadly, I have resigned myself at 73 next birthday to never seeing our beloved club being in the top flight, being constantly talked about on TV and being on the lips of the locals in the pub where I drink, instead of the usual culprits. I leave it to my much younger cousins @CyderInACan and @SuperDziek to follow our family hopes when I depart this mortal coil ( hopefully in about 25 years !!!!!) and pass the misery to them. Anyway, must go as working on a time machine, my only bl**dy hope 

 

[City oz]

44 minutes ago, BigTone said:

Clarification

Your time will come season 2124/25

 

Haha season 2024 - 2025. Next season the play offs but the season after automatic promotion. Well, that's what I dreamed about last night any way. 

[City oz]

2 minutes ago, oldstandrobin said:

Yes, as a BCFC supporter of over 60 years now, I really believe that it will take an absolute miracle for us to have the MINDSET in our DNA to get to the Premiership. If I could really pinpoint why we never look like candidates, I would be in demand by every Lg1 and 2 clubs! I can remember not so long ago, going to watch Bournemouth play at Plainmoor v Torquay and really thinking ' they wont be going anywhere soon' How wrong I was. Sadly, I have resigned myself at 73 next birthday to never seeing our beloved club being in the top flight, being constantly talked about on TV and being on the lips of the locals in the pub where I drink, instead of the usual culprits. I leave it to my much younger cousins @CyderInACan and @SuperDziek to follow our family hopes when I depart this mortal coil ( hopefully in about 25 years !!!!!) and pass the misery to them. Anyway, must go as working on a time machine, my only bl**dy hope 

 

I wish you well as I see you watching out great club in the Prem in the not-too-distant future. Keep your chin up mate and be happy.

[Jose]

37 minutes ago, Keepers Ball said:

I cannot congratulate Luton. Or Coventry if they had won. I find it embarrassing and if I'm honest a little bitter.

It wasnt that long ago Luton were in the Conference. 5 bloody years!

Then you had Coventry. Slowly going down the leagues, ending up in League 2 and often homeless.

Both make our outfit look like amateurs

Unfortunately we have an amateur owning our football club. With him in charge we will never get promoted.

 

I didn’t mean to come across so bloody miserable The suns  shining, its bank holiday weekend and the drinks are flowing. Life is good. Enjoy all!

Edited May 28, 2023 by Jose

[luke_bristol]

We will need a flash-in-the-pan season like we nearly had in 07/08 to get promoted, I don’t think we can build a sustained push for promotion over multiple seasons as our best talent will get poached.

[Red-Robbo]

22 minutes ago, oldstandrobin said:

Yes, as a BCFC supporter of over 60 years now, I really believe that it will take an absolute miracle for us to have the MINDSET in our DNA to get to the Premiership. If I could really pinpoint why we never look like candidates, I would be in demand by every Lg1 and 2 clubs! I can remember not so long ago, going to watch Bournemouth play at Plainmoor v Torquay and really thinking ' they wont be going anywhere soon' How wrong I was. Sadly, I have resigned myself at 73 next birthday to never seeing our beloved club being in the top flight, being constantly talked about on TV and being on the lips of the locals in the pub where I drink, instead of the usual culprits. I leave it to my much younger cousins @CyderInACan and @SuperDziek to follow our family hopes when I depart this mortal coil ( hopefully in about 25 years !!!!!) and pass the misery to them. Anyway, must go as working on a time machine, my only bl**dy hope 

 

 

Don't sweat it, OSR. Despite the lower finishes, I reckon we're a better equipped club to make a push for this than during the LJ years and are building a better "base" for future success than we did under his dad. 

It needs the pieces to fall into place, a bit of luck, and careful management - given the profligate money management of the previous regime.

As for mindset, Pearson achieved one play-off final and then a promotion to the PL for Leicester. His mindset is on winning as many games as possible, and I think TBH that is the mindset of the players that are here. Varying degrees of talent of course, but no shirkers, none playing like they'd rather be somewhere else. We've had plenty of that in the past.

We're in our most protracted spell in the second tier in our history and have significantly improved our infrastructure and youth programme. 

If I were to make a prediction, your shuffling off will come long after we've made that breakthrough. Just hope your faculties are still with you to enjoy the games at that level!  

[2015]

I genuinely don't know why any City fan would wish Luton well. It was bad enough with Blackpool in 2010, then Bournemouth, then Brentford but Luton going to the Prem before us really is a bitter pill to swallow. 

In the global sphere of Football today, where new generations of football fans are being born by the minute everything that happened pre 1992 is becoming more irrelevant, sadly. Unfortunately the clubs who are a Premier League club and clubs who are 'Former Premier League' clubs are the ones who are seen as relevant in the mainstream media and global football community. Everything else is irrelevant.

We will always be seen as small time by the casual fan until we one day make the Premier League. It's sad but true

[RedM]

If I'm honest I'm not sure that I would really want the Premiership and all the bull**** that goes with it, imagine the scramble for tickets week after week. BUT that said I would like to experience it, just once (or twice) to say we have done it, not being on the list of teams who never have.

I think in the past we have accepted that our ground needed to be developed, our training facillities needed to be improved, we needed investment, a bigger fan base etc. Luton (fair play) have blown all that out of the water.

OK we are still clearing up after Ashton, but how much longer can he linger over us? Surely most of his damage has been rectified, if not why not? We have had to deal with Covid issues too, as did all other clubs. We have had a manager in place who is largely stable and is experienced. We had one of the most talented players, who will command a large fee and be in demand, at our disposal, as well as other talented players.

OK we had injuries, sorry to go on about Luton, but they lost a key player yesterday too. I don't know but I would think other teams also struggled with injuries and have had more upheaval to deal with than us. At one stage Coventry were so far behind playing games and almost had a points deduction due to their pitch.

I really don't think people will be as patient from now on. We have sold a lot of ST so the support and expectation is there. But what haven't we got in place to sustain a realistic push? And yes I realise there are all the other teams trying to do the same, but it is now proven you don't need big gates, facillities, and star players to succeed.

[Merrick's Marvels]

A penny for Harry Cornick's thoughts this morning. 

[Loosey Boy]

Just now, Merrick's Marvels said:

A penny for Harry Cornick's thoughts this morning. 

I’m sure he’s fine……likely to be earning more with us than he would with Luton (even in the Prem) - wasn’t a starter for Luton before he joined us and so would not have been a starter for them in the Prem….

Edited May 28, 2023 by Loosey Boy

[Merrick's Marvels]

6 hours ago, Son of Fred said:

Was interviewed - and shown the door

Tells you everything you need to know about why we are where we are and why we are who we are. It's been this way forever - consistently poor decision-making by the suits since, I dunno, about 1909 actually. 

As alluded to in this thread already by @oldstandrobin - there's just something about our DNA... 

[Merrick's Marvels]

7 minutes ago, Loosey Boy said:

I’m sure he’s fine……

I hope you're right. 

At least he can console himself with the fact he doesn't play for a pub team anymore. 

[RoystonFoote'snephew]

In the past I have disliked Luton, particularly during the times that the thatcherite MP David Evans was chairman, the ban on away fans following the punch up with Millwall, and that awful plastic pitch. No one can really enjoy going to Kenilworth Road, the most uncomfortable ground in the EFL, actually worse than the glamp site in Horfield. I cannot however show any ill will to their promotion. Despite changes to their back line following the sales of Naismith to us and James Bree to Southampton they remained solid defensively and gained promotion on merit. Outside of the top 2 they were simply the best of the rest. 

[Bristol Oil Services]

41 minutes ago, Loosey Boy said:

I’m sure he’s fine……likely to be earning more with us than he would with Luton (even in the Prem) - wasn’t a starter for Luton before he joined us and so would not have been a starter for them in the Prem….

He wasn’t a starter and one has to say, he is not yet a finisher, neither

[Bristol Oil Services]

1 hour ago, RedM said:

If I'm honest I'm not sure that I would really want the Premiership and all the bull**** that goes with it, imagine the scramble for tickets week after week. 

Probably some old codgers saying the same in May/June '76 (not saying you're an old Kodjia mind, RedM) but those four years, there's old codgers on here now often getting misty eyed about that time. We need and are due another momentous (for us)/ epic era/season, to give today's young 'uns/tomorrow's old codgers something memorable to get misty-eyed about in 43 years time (Nige's epic FFP heroics and wage stripping not quite the stuff of football glory).

Anyhow, once they'd had a little look in 76 and 77, the great Bristolian/West Country public decided that was quite enough and they settled back in their armchairs and followed events via the wireless and the teleprinter on Grandstand. And the Green Un.

And another thing, it'll only be one season this time not four, in the unlikely event of us scaling such heights. 

[Top Robin]

2 hours ago, Keepers Ball said:

I cannot congratulate Luton. Or Coventry if they had won. I find it embarrassing and if I'm honest a little bitter.

It wasnt that long ago Luton were in the Conference. 5 bloody years!

Then you had Coventry. Slowly going down the leagues, ending up in League 2 and often homeless.

Both make our outfit look like amateurs

What he said. 

It's a disgrace and shameful that the likes of them have sailed past us.

[WarksRobin]

3 hours ago, Keepers Ball said:

I cannot congratulate Luton. Or Coventry if they had won. I find it embarrassing and if I'm honest a little bitter.

It wasnt that long ago Luton were in the Conference. 5 bloody years!

Then you had Coventry. Slowly going down the leagues, ending up in League 2 and often homeless.

Both make our outfit look like amateurs

Alternatively, they have faced adversity and responded whereas our club has been too comfortable 

[Bristol Oil Services]

3 hours ago, Keepers Ball said:

I cannot congratulate Luton. Or Coventry if they had won. I find it embarrassing and if I'm honest a little bitter.

It wasnt that long ago Luton were in the Conference. 5 bloody years!

Then you had Coventry. Slowly going down the leagues, ending up in League 2 and often homeless.

Both make our outfit look like amateurs

You wonder what hardships they would've had to endure or how many points they would have had to have had deducted, or how low in the pyramid they would have had to sunk, or how frickin awful their ground would've had to have been, for Steve Lansdown to have steered this club into the PL before Luton bleedin Town.

Given the head-start he had on them.

[Spike]

3 hours ago, Keepers Ball said:

I cannot congratulate Luton. Or Coventry if they had won. I find it embarrassing and if I'm honest a little bitter.

It wasnt that long ago Luton were in the Conference. 5 bloody years!

Then you had Coventry. Slowly going down the leagues, ending up in League 2 and often homeless.

Both make our outfit look like amateurs

You can be bitter but that's football. They've recruited better, they've found a style that works and honed in on it, they've earned the points and the promotion. I know a lot of people here dislike Luton but I look at them as a great example of how getting everything right at the right time can help a club overachieve. 

We need to overachieve in order to get to the Prem, we may have a good ground, good training etc but ultimately we're not a big fish in this pond and if a shock result happens later we'll have Everton in this league too. 

The entitlement is the real issue with our fans, we have a huge City and yet there are smaller places with higher attendances, better structure etc The club needs to be better, it's going in the right direction atm but it's still got a way to go imo. 

[cidercity1987]

8 minutes ago, Spike said:

You can be bitter but that's football. They've recruited better, they've found a style that works and honed in on it, they've earned the points and the promotion. I know a lot of people here dislike Luton but I look at them as a great example of how getting everything right at the right time can help a club overachieve. 

We need to overachieve in order to get to the Prem, we may have a good ground, good training etc but ultimately we're not a big fish in this pond and if a shock result happens later we'll have Everton in this league too. 

The entitlement is the real issue with our fans, we have a huge City and yet there are smaller places with higher attendances, better structure etc The club needs to be better, it's going in the right direction atm but it's still got a way to go imo. 

I don't think you can knock our attendances at all. Top third in the division on the back of no success, ever.

[Lorenzos Only Goal]

3 hours ago, oldstandrobin said:

Yes, as a BCFC supporter of over 60 years now, I really believe that it will take an absolute miracle for us to have the MINDSET in our DNA to get to the Premiership. If I could really pinpoint why we never look like candidates, I would be in demand by every Lg1 and 2 clubs! I can remember not so long ago, going to watch Bournemouth play at Plainmoor v Torquay and really thinking ' they wont be going anywhere soon' How wrong I was. Sadly, I have resigned myself at 73 next birthday to never seeing our beloved club being in the top flight, being constantly talked about on TV and being on the lips of the locals in the pub where I drink, instead of the usual culprits. I leave it to my much younger cousins @CyderInACan and @SuperDziek to follow our family hopes when I depart this mortal coil ( hopefully in about 25 years !!!!!) and pass the misery to them. Anyway, must go as working on a time machine, my only bl**dy hope 

 

Brother you ain't dead yet, there's always hope, chin up.

[The Gasbuster]

I can think of one set of fans who probably feel even more frustrated than us today; namely Bradford City.

A similar size club to us with decent support. They have spent the last 18 years bobbing up and down between L1 & L2; and having just lost in the play offs to Carlisle, find themselves still in L2 for next season. 

They must have seen Luton go down past them, and then go past them again in the other direction, and now find themselves in the PL.

That said Bradford, unlike us, have had a (brief) stint in the PL.

 

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by The Gasbuster

[Port Said Red]

2 hours ago, Bristol Oil Services said:

You wonder what hardships they would've had to endure or how many points they would have had to have had deducted, or how low in the pyramid they would have had to sunk, or how frickin awful their ground would've had to have been, for Steve Lansdown to have steered this club into the PL before Luton bleedin Town.

Given the head-start he had on them.

You could argue that he has put the infrastructure in place first whereas Luton Town will not be in a position to fully benefit financially.

[eardun]

More extra time entertainment coming up today (Carlisle v Stockport). 

[1960maaan]

Just now, eardun said:

More extra time entertainment coming up today (Carlisle v Stockport). 

Good game after the Subs came on for Carlisle. I hope they do it now.

[IAmNick]

2 hours ago, Bristol Oil Services said:

You wonder what hardships they would've had to endure or how many points they would have had to have had deducted, or how low in the pyramid they would have had to sunk, or how frickin awful their ground would've had to have been, for Steve Lansdown to have steered this club into the PL before Luton bleedin Town.

Given the head-start he had on them.

Didn't he join the board in '96 when Luton finished 2 places above us in the division 1 playoffs, having only dropped out of the top division a few years before? In the ten years before that they'd won the league cup and got to the final and spent most of it on the top division. What head start did we have on them exactly...?

I'm not sure then dropping to the bottom division and coming back up is a feat of remarkable ownership/stewardship, you could look at it both ways.

Lansdown has wasted a fortune just for moving our home up a single division in twenty years or so but I don't think some of these are great comparisons. Personally I think luck and momentum are hugely undervalued - were we well run in 2008?

[eardun]

9 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

Good game after the Subs came on for Carlisle. I hope they do it now.

Same here. I’d like Paul Simpson to do it. 

[Port Said Red]

I didn't realise that Lemmonheigh-Evans had gone to Stockport. He could be in line to take a penalty here.