It’s like going to work

[Ziderarmy]

Been thinking a lot today and going to city in recent times (last 6 or so years) has felt like going to work.

Its something I feel I have to do but not something I really enjoy.

Sad really but since the ground changes and covid etc it’s got very sterile. Selling doughnuts and popcorn isn’t what I grew up with. The atmosphere and buzz has completly gone. I don’t think it’s just us. It’s football in general

I’m a season ticket holder with my lad and to be honest if he doesn’t fancy it I’m not that bothered and quite happy to not go. Never used to feel like that at all. 

[Eddie Hitler]

Covid killed it for me.

When league games are stripped of the crowd-generated atmosphere they look like school kids having a kickabout in the park.

It was an "emperor's new clothes" moment; I retain an interest in City but have lost all interest in the England national team.

[Lrrr]

2 minutes ago, Eddie Hitler said:

Covid killed it for me.

When league games are stripped of the crowd-generated atmosphere they look like school kids having a kickabout in the park.

It was an "emperor's new clothes" moment; I retain an interest in City but have lost all interest in the England national team.

I can understand it about football during the covid era, how did it kill it for you once fans were allowed to return?

[spudski]

6 minutes ago, Eddie Hitler said:

Covid killed it for me.

When league games are stripped of the crowd-generated atmosphere they look like school kids having a kickabout in the park.

It was an "emperor's new clothes" moment; I retain an interest in City but have lost all interest in the England national team.

The 'Covid' period changed many people's perspectives of what they did normally without thinking. 

Lots reavulated their lives...and what's important. 

I know many people that took that time and built ' pubs' in their gardens. 

Many people now want to work remotely from home. 

The same with football. It's now a format that is no more  of an experience than going to Tesco's shopping.

People go to work and look forward to meeting up with mates, chilling, having a few pints, lots of banter, going home and chilling with the missus and kids...or similar. 

Going to watch City...or any others...are the majority champing at the bit in excitement? Very few imo. 

Football now is 24/7....who'd be an analyst? I'd rather stick pins in my eyes. 

I question the mentality of anyone who says they think about football 24/7. 

It's not normal or healthy...and imo detached from reality. 

[Lrrr]

15 minutes ago, spudski said:

The 'Covid' period changed many people's perspectives of what they did normally without thinking. 

Lots reavulated their lives...and what's important. 

I know many people that took that time and built ' pubs' in their gardens. 

Many people now want to work remotely from home. 

The same with football. It's now a format that is no more  of an experience than going to Tesco's shopping.

People go to work and look forward to meeting up with mates, chilling, having a few pints, lots of banter, going home and chilling with the missus and kids...or similar. 

Going to watch City...or any others...are the majority champing at the bit in excitement? Very few imo. 

Football now is 24/7....who'd be an analyst? I'd rather stick pins in my eyes. 

I question the mentality of anyone who says they think about football 24/7. 

It's not normal or healthy...and imo detached from reality. 

Playing sport was one for me, I used to be pretty competitive in a more niche sport, after covid I struggled to have the same motivation for competing at a high level and the training required (being a sport where the more time you put in to training the more you got out of it) and now prefer to play sport for the social side and ended up changing the main sport I played. 

[Davefevs]

11 minutes ago, Lrrr said:

Playing sport was one for me, I used to be pretty competitive in a more niche sport, after covid I struggled to have the same motivation for competing at a high level and the training required (being a sport where the more time you put in to training the more you got out of it) and now prefer to play sport for the social side and ended up changing the main sport I played. 

I see you niche sport isn’t on this list, but please tell me you took up no4.

https://list25.com/25-dumbest-sports-ever-created/

[Ziderarmy]

14 minutes ago, Lrrr said:

Playing sport was one for me, I used to be pretty competitive in a more niche sport, after covid I struggled to have the same motivation for competing at a high level and the training required (being a sport where the more time you put in to training the more you got out of it) and now prefer to play sport for the social side and ended up changing the main sport I played. 

@LrrrWhat did you / do you play out of interest? 

[Curr Avon]

7 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I see you niche sport isn’t on this list, but please tell me you took up no4.

https://list25.com/25-dumbest-sports-ever-created/

Manning would love Extreme Ironing, with its high press.

Mind you, I can see Bog Snorkling as a hit ITV1 lunchtime show, Loo Swimmin.

Edited December 5, 2023 by Curr Avon

[Lrrr]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

I see you niche sport isn’t on this list, but please tell me you took up no4.

https://list25.com/25-dumbest-sports-ever-created/

Think I could have a career in belly flopping 

 

1 hour ago, Ziderarmy said:

@LrrrWhat did you / do you play out of interest? 

archery, ended up being ranked around the top 60 in Britain but it involved a lot of driving due to events being spread around and some hotels for big competitions, whereas now I’d probably rather play cricket and have a good time playing sport with the same group of people week in week out and have a drink at the end. 

[Ziderarmy]

4 hours ago, Lrrr said:

Think I could have a career in belly flopping 

 

archery, ended up being ranked around the top 60 in Britain but it involved a lot of driving due to events being spread around and some hotels for big competitions, whereas now I’d probably rather play cricket and have a good time playing sport with the same group of people week in week out and have a drink at the end. 

Fair play. So you’ve gone from Robin Hood to Robin Smith. Interesting dynamic to go from a completely individual sport to a team game. 

[W-S-M Seagull]

5 hours ago, Davefevs said:

I see you niche sport isn’t on this list, but please tell me you took up no4. 

 

https://list25.com/25-dumbest-sports-ever-created/

 

 

We could set up our very own Bristol City cardboard tube fighting club! 

Jon L can be in charge of colouring in the cardboard!

Edited December 5, 2023 by W-S-M Seagull

[archie andrews]

6 hours ago, Lrrr said:

Think I could have a career in belly flopping 

 

archery, ended up being ranked around the top 60 in Britain but it involved a lot of driving due to events being spread around and some hotels for big competitions, whereas now I’d probably rather play cricket and have a good time playing sport with the same group of people week in week out and have a drink at the end. 

So thats why you gave it the elbow... 

[Lrrr]

3 hours ago, Ziderarmy said:

Fair play. So you’ve gone from Robin Hood to Robin Smith. Interesting dynamic to go from a completely individual sport to a team game. 

Played cricket since I was 8 and only got into archery at uni funnily enough because I got a broken toe not getting the bat on a Yorker. 

[Gimme Shelton]

4 hours ago, Ziderarmy said:

Fair play. So you’ve gone from Robin Hood to Robin Smith. Interesting dynamic to go from a completely individual sport to a team game. 

It might be a team game but I guarantee virtually every player knows his own batting and/or bowling average!

[Open End Numb Legs]

I get the bit about team sports, winning a match and enjoying the after match drink is something that is hard to explain to someone who hasn't done it. Cricket was my sport and even when you lost, a bit of a laugh at your dropped catch with your mates a couple of hours later is very healing.

In my opinion, much better than an individual sport, say competitive golf, where your only chance to commiserate is with your opponents.

[Clutton Caveman]

11 hours ago, spudski said:

The 'Covid' period changed many people's perspectives of what they did normally without thinking. 

Lots reavulated their lives...and what's important. 

I know many people that took that time and built ' pubs' in their gardens. 

Many people now want to work remotely from home. 

The same with football. It's now a format that is no more  of an experience than going to Tesco's shopping.

People go to work and look forward to meeting up with mates, chilling, having a few pints, lots of banter, going home and chilling with the missus and kids...or similar. 

Going to watch City...or any others...are the majority champing at the bit in excitement? Very few imo. 

Football now is 24/7....who'd be an analyst? I'd rather stick pins in my eyes. 

I question the mentality of anyone who says they think about football 24/7. 

It's not normal or healthy...and imo detached from reality. 

I think the problem for the AG experience comes in 4 parts

We haven't recently been involved in play off contention or a relegation scrap so few games have been super critical

Atmosphere generated during these high stakes games remains for some time, conversely when you don't have high stakes games for a long time, the norm becomes dull. 

We haven't exactly had a team to get you off of your seat for a few seasons. With the exception and Scott and sometimes Antoine we haven't had a player that makes runs and beats people or even a crunching ball winning midfielder. At the moment if you bought a shirt for your kid there is no stand out name to put on the back.

Finally the fans sense that the owners are going through the motions and so they tend to do the same.

No a nice picture but imo a true one

 

[LondonBristolian]

8 minutes ago, Clutton Caveman said:

I think the problem for the AG experience comes in 4 parts

We haven't recently been involved in play off contention or a relegation scrap so few games have been super critical

Atmosphere generated during these high stakes games remains for some time, conversely when you don't have high stakes games for a long time, the norm becomes dull. 

We haven't exactly had a team to get you off of your seat for a few seasons. With the exception and Scott and sometimes Antoine we haven't had a player that makes runs and beats people or even a crunching ball winning midfielder. At the moment if you bought a shirt for your kid there is no stand out name to put on the back.

Finally the fans sense that the owners are going through the motions and so they tend to do the same.

No a nice picture but imo a true one

 

I think this a really accurate post, especially the bit in bold.

What I find interesting is the way fans constantly try to add drama. Every time we lose someone speculates that we're heading for a relegation battle, every time we win someone starts to look at the play-offs. But in reality neither is going to be happen. We've team of hard-working, industrious un-flashy players who are easily good enough to win enough games to stay out of trouble but not good enough to win enough games to consistently push for the top six. Bar the occasional moment from Sykes or Knight, the only interesting thing that we really do is the moments we give the ball away.

It's possible with one or two additions, and a bit time for Manning's playing style to bed in, we might start to produce a little bit more but we don't have mercurial wildly inconsistent players who produce moments of magic but functional players who either play alright but lapse and concede so we lose or play alright and have a moment of luck and get a goal so we win. Or do neither and we draw 0-0. But we're currently neither good nor bad enough to be that exciting.

[Sweeneys Penalties]

I dont watch anywhere near as much Football as I used to - the enjoyment factor disappeared over the horizon with it's ass on fire a fair while ago. 

I used to blame my arthritic knee (still do to some extent), but even when England are playing on TV, I often dont bother to watch. I'm just not interested. I only bother to watch the EFL highlights on a Saturday evening if there is nothing better on

I'd rather pop down to the local cricket club for a watch, or see Somerset Cricket and I've also started to get into bowling and occasionally watch the Rugby. 

Guess I'm just getting older and grumpy

[Roger Red Hat]

4 hours ago, archie andrews said:

So thats why you gave it the elbow... 

Ah yes, the well known Spanish archer...

[ray savino]

4 minutes ago, LondonBristolian said:

But we're currently neither good nor bad enough to be that exciting.

We are, and it pains me to say it, historically a mediocre club with a record of never winning a major trophy (despite us occasionally singing over the years along with 91 other league clubs, “We’re the greatest football team the world has ever seen”).

My dad got me hooked and now I’ve got my son hooked (he has never forgiven me!) so I can’t change my allegiance now. I’ve lived and worked around the country. We are no less committed or passionate as fans at the various clubs around the country. However I do believe that lack of success has somewhat developed a sort of resigned acceptance of that mediocrity. Almost a sense of realism and acceptance of our position. Yes, we all dream about winning the cup and prem football, and that’s the beauty of football, there’s always a dream. Making it a reality is another thing.

This acceptance thing, slight lethargy if you like is one of the things that I really warmed to Pearson’s attitude at the club. He was prepared to tell us we were a strange sort of club, passive in lots of ways. He told us and mainly the owners a few honest, uncomfortable truths. It wasn’t meant to be an insult, but a call to change our mentality and culture. Okay we can argue on here that his football was crap or it was good, but I can say this as a proud Bristolian that has supported City since 1966, that his observations are not far from the truth. It’s what people I have met from all over the country including one or two of ex players I’ve known. Lovely part of the world, nice people but just a bit accepting or ... nice, or parochial, bit of a football backwater. Also geographically not much competition down here compared with the North, Midlands and London. Then again look at Norwich, Ipswich - they haven’t done badly over the years despite being outposts.

We haven’t had much to cheer about over the years and we’ve got used to that. A tier 3 promotion every ten years, and a giant killing cup run every 20 years or so... with a Sherpa van Papa Johnstones Cup thrown in now and again. That’s not to belittle these achievements, they’ve been great times out for me, but it’s hardly surprising that we’re all a bit passive for a decent size supported big city club.

I liked Pearson because for me he started to address the passivity about our club’s culture. I sincerely hope that LM can keep this going. He does seem a nice man. He also seems an ambitious one as well, so let’s hope he can add a bit of ruthless ambition to our nice club. Whatever happens I’m sure I’ll still be joining in with the “We’re the greatest football team the world has ever seen”. It’s the hope that kills etc etc. 

[Bristol Oil Services]

1 hour ago, LondonBristolian said:

I think this a really accurate post, especially the bit in bold.

What I find interesting is the way fans constantly try to add drama. Every time we lose someone speculates that we're heading for a relegation battle, every time we win someone starts to look at the play-offs. But in reality neither is going to be happen. We've team of hard-working, industrious un-flashy players who are easily good enough to win enough games to stay out of trouble but not good enough to win enough games to consistently push for the top six. Bar the occasional moment from Sykes or Knight, the only interesting thing that we really do is the moments we give the ball away.

It's possible with one or two additions, and a bit time for Manning's playing style to bed in, we might start to produce a little bit more but we don't have mercurial wildly inconsistent players who produce moments of magic but functional players who either play alright but lapse and concede so we lose or play alright and have a moment of luck and get a goal so we win. Or do neither and we draw 0-0. But we're currently neither good nor bad enough to be that exciting.

Not everyone dwells in reality, nor even wants to. Not everyone goes to football to stare reality in the face. What was it Wade Elliott said about not being able to bear too much reality?

 

[Mattredrobin]

Completley understand what you mean, I hadn't thought of it like that, I am finding it harder to go to games and to be honest if it wasn't for my sons love of it now I am not sure I'd bother so much.

The cost of things, the negativity that surrounds football atm especially with VAR ( granted not in our league but I don't take much interest in prem football anymore) it all get's a bit to much for me sometimes.