The Good Old Evening Post!

[MAGILLA]

From the thisisbristol.co.uk website:-

Jamie Smith today issued a rallying call to Bristol City's shell-shocked troops. Still reeling from Friday night's 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Walsall, City's recently-appointed captain refused to make excuses for this latest Ashton Gate setback.

And he spoke on behalf of the entire first-team squad when he declared: "We have to stick together during these difficult times."

City's wretched home form is making a mockery of play-off talk and player-manager Brian Tinnion is coming under increasing pressure from irate supporters.

But Smith, who led the side out for the first time at Ashton Gate, insisted the team as a whole should shoulder the blame and spoke of his determination to put things right on the field.

"Of course the lads were very down in the dressing room after the game. It was a disappointing performance and we all know it wasn't good enough.

"Walsall showed us respect by putting 10 men behind the ball and we lacked the quality to break them down.

"We can make excuses about the poor weather or the state of the pitch, but at the end of the day, it was down to us."

City may be five points adrift of seventh-placed Brentford, who have two games in hand, yet Smith refuses to write off the Bristol club's promotion prospects.

He said: "We have the quality here to close the gap, but we have to respond to this setback.

"It's crucial that we stand up to be counted and that we all show a bit more bottle. We didn't play well from start to finish against Walsall and we have to pick ourselves up and bounce back."

Player-boss Tinnion, Smith and midfielder Tony Dinning were all cautioned during the Walsall game and will serve a one-match ban for picking up five yellow cards.

Bradley Orr will also miss Saturday's trip to Colchester through suspension and Tinnion will be forced to make sweeping changes.

Opportunity could now come knocking for out-of-favour Northern Ireland midfielder Tommy Doherty. Omitted from the first team squad for the games against Hull and Walsall, the Bristolian was recently stripped of the captaincy and linked with a possible moves to Plymouth and QPR.

But Tinnion insisted the opportunity was there for Doherty to force his way back. He said: "People talk about the Tommy Doherty situation but there is no situation.

"If he wants to stay and fight to regain his place in the team, that's fine with me. If he feels he wants to get away from the club for a while, then that's okay as well. But it's down to him."

Top marks all round for those at the EP with yet another instalment of tepid pap and inane dung for us to read after yet another shocking perofrmance at AG. Here, the EP has a real opportunity to get stuck in to those who run City yet choose to publish the same old tired, dreary dogs' plop that they've been publishing all season wrong. Will we ever get the local media we deserve, let alone the club we deserve!

Looks like Smith drew the short straw for this week's 'Backs-to-the-wall-we're-in-this-together-state-the-bleedin'-obvious' statement. Looks like it's 'batten down the hatches lads' and 'if we shut our eyes really tight then all those nasty peole will go away'.

Unbelievable.

[Tunley Legend]

The Tinnion quote is not even original. He said all that about a week ago!

[Guest Big Si]

The fact that every week someone comes out with the same old B.S about us going for promotion is what really gets me. Saying that we have to pull together is one thing (a slight understatement maybe), but coming out with this promotion talk is nothing more than taking the pi$$ out of all the people who pay his wages, and I don't know who they are trying to kid, and why they keep doing it.

Si.

[Jimmy]

He said: "We have the quality here to close the gap, but we have to respond to this setback."

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Any chance you could be more specific Mr Smith?

[maxjak]

When will somebody in the local media have the guts and insight to write an in depth and illuminating analysis of our current situation. The same tired old cliches and insipid dross gets written by local hacks clearly in the pockets and at the beck and call of the their drinking buddies at Ashton Gate. Unfortunately they are so paranoid of telling the truth, knowing that their cushy little arrangement as lackies of the board will come to an end. Tonights piece in the Post was more pandering drivel, just so much tired obvious, unoriginal ramblings. Will it ever change? Probably not! Andy Stockhausen, I know you have a mortgage to pay, and a family to support,and I'm sure your editor keeps you in check, but after pondering and considering the events since Friday nights impotent surrender, is that what you call cutting edge journalism?? I just had to get that off my chest, I'll get my coat.