Points West Tonight 'a Must Watch'

[James M]

Dave Rodgers is the football coach at my school

[Guest Ronmeister]

I always knew him as "Pete", but it turns out the coach for my school - Pete - is the Peter Aitken from the Ashton Gate 8! I have a really good banter with him and he's a lovely guy

[andiw30]

They were greedy average players that took us from the top to the bottom in 4 years, did they have any other choice?

you obviously weren't there. I was, amongst approximently 1200 who went to Newport feeling that maybe they had seen the last game played by the club as a league side. I also remember waiting by the radio at lunch time to see whether I had a club to support or not.

Now heres the sheer irony that you should really think about, the team we played that day ended in a similar position, try looking for Newport County in the leagues and try find something about their recent history. Could have been us!

posted by avidwhistler who has supported City since 1967! :@ (using his wife's login as the forum still won't let him register!) :@

[Portland Bill]

The game at Newport and then the following week at home against Fulham will ALWAYS stay with me. We nearly DIED fact .

People like Hilltop red HAVENT GOT A CLUE what it was like back then so the message from me is. If you havent a clue mate keep of the topic

[hilltop red]

The game at Newport and then the following week at home against Fulham will ALWAYS stay with me. We nearly DIED fact .

People like Hilltop red HAVENT GOT A CLUE what it was like back then so the message from me is. If you havent a clue mate keep of the topic

your comments have been noted.

[andiw30]

The game at Newport and then the following week at home against Fulham will ALWAYS stay with me. We nearly DIED fact .

People like Hilltop red HAVENT GOT A CLUE what it was like back then so the message from me is. If you havent a clue mate keep of the topic

totally agree mate - hilltop red keep off this topic!! - from avidwhistler

[England]

you obviously weren't there. I was, amongst approximently 1200 who went to Newport feeling that maybe they had seen the last game played by the club as a league side. I also remember waiting by the radio at lunch time to see whether I had a club to support or not.

Now heres the sheer irony that you should really think about, the team we played that day ended in a similar position, try looking for Newport County in the leagues and try find something about their recent history. Could have been us!

posted by avidwhistler who has supported City since 1967! :@ (using his wife's login as the forum still won't let him register!) :@

Hello - I was there and still have the program somewhere - and was stood outside the players entrance in tears when the announcement was made. Don't think Geoff Merrick has ever been back since, but I may be wrong.

[andiw30]

Hello - I was there and still have the program somewhere - and was stood outside the players entrance in tears when the announcement was made. Don't think Geoff Merrick has ever been back since, but I may be wrong.

wish i had mine but at least we can still get more programmes! post by avidwhistler using his lovely wife's sign on!

[City Exile]

I did not go, but certainly remember the Newport County game, and then listening to the radio as the minutes ticked by to see if the club had survived.

I do not think it is dishonouring what they did to say it was extremmly unlikely the club could have honoured their contracts. They were very long term, and it was the contract commitments that, from memory, at the time were becoming a killer. The position they faced was - rip up your contracts and the club is saved. If you do not, the club goes bust (and your contracts are then unlikely to be honoured then anyway).That's how I remember it.

However, they should be honoured for the choice they made. They got very little compared to todays players, and were placed in a poistion that was not of their making. They may have got more if the club had gone bust - do not know. Whatever. The did what they did. We survived. End of.

[Old Dazzler]

I can't believe what i'm reading on some of these posts.

Are you seriously trying to say that the likes of Chris Garland, Geoff Merrick, Gerry Sweeney, Trevor Tainton etc were greedy, average or overpaid.

These guys put their bodies on the line for this club, Garland in particular, and they are all working for a living now.

If you think these are average players then what do you make of our current playing staff.

I can only assume you weren't there in the 70's.

All of the above players held their own in the equivalent of the premiership.

Get real.

So why were those players languishing at the bottom of Division 3 on the equivalent of premiership money?

The situation almost parallels todays current one of overpaid players bleeding the club dry but not putting in the performances on the pitch

[hilltop red]

So why were those players languishing at the bottom of Division 3 on the equivalent of premiership money?

The situation almost parallels todays current one of overpaid players bleeding the club dry but not putting in the performances on the pitch

yep thas what ive been saying. But in a different way.

[stu1976wsm]

So why were those players languishing at the bottom of Division 3 on the equivalent of premiership money?

The situation almost parallels todays current one of overpaid players bleeding the club dry but not putting in the performances on the pitch

I've no answer as to why we were struggling in Div 3 at the time. Maybe the loss of Hunter, Cormack, Mabbutt, Royle, Whitehead, Ritchie, Gow from the first division days and the injuries to Garland didn't help. The club were also broke, and changed managers twice. The players that were left were definitely past their peak, most were into their 30's. I'm sure you remember all that just as well as i do, if not better.

My post was in reply to the accusation made that these were greedy, average players who had taken City down, when the likes of Merrick, Tainton, Sweeney, Rogers and Mann had taken the club to the best days i've ever seen at AG and Garland's goals kept us up in 76/77. Check the stats/appearance records etc to confirm their loyalty to BCFC. These were not average players & if the club thought they were worth good contracts then good luck to them. How can they be greedy, they tore up the contracts.

I can't see how there's to much comparison to today's squad, where even the least talented of the current players have been given salaries that most of us can only dream of, when they've done mostly nothing other than play 3rd div football badly. Of course Stewart & Bridges are probably an exception to that.

Have been tidying up some old vidoes recently, and last night came across a Match of thre Day from about 1999. Would you believe in the Goal of the Month section there were 2 goals from a young Michael Bridges. Whatever happened to him??

Keep the faith!!

[Guest Ronmeister]

The situation almost parallels todays current one of overpaid players bleeding the club dry but not putting in the performances on the pitch

Although these players wouldn't give up their contracts

[van der Gas]

Could any of you tell me if Peter Aitken is in the new book 'Bristol City Greats'? If not why not?

[Guest revkev]

yes their sacrifice was big, and ment a huge risk on their career, and ment that bcfc could continue which we are all gratful for.

But They were on binding contracts that they sigend, were on high money for the time, and took us from top division to the bottom one in record time.

With respect to the opinion of the above post, it was the likes of Geoff Merrick, David Rogers and Trevor Tainton who came through the ranks from youth and reserve team football at Ashton Gate and who were the mainstays of the team which won promotion in 1976. Chris Garland had left the club 3 seasons earlier to join Chelsea but returned later, scoring essential goals to help keep City in the top flight in 1976-7.

Yes they were past their best as players by 1982, but surely the fault lay with management who

(a) did not move them on, as the team which was promoted in 1976 bore a huge resemblance to the one relegated in 1980, and

(b) kept them at the club by offering them contracts which were insane by today's standards.

Don't blame the Ashton Gate Eight for their own downfall, they were players earning a living and who risked a great deal by doing the right thing for Bristol City in 1982 and we as a club owe them a HUGE debt of gratitude.

[cinker]

yep thas what ive been saying. But in a different way.

Why make a stated opinion and then say you weren't around at the time. Bit silly isn't it.

We don't have much to be proud of at the minute but we should celebrate our positives and the men, yes men, who fought for the club. Anything else would be totally disrespectful.. :@

[cider head]

geoff merrick at work, now he looks like a guy who is not frightened of hard work

at his job is now (a respectable job at that) he looks far from you greedy

superstar.

[Guest revkev]

With respect to the opinion of the above post, it was the likes of Geoff Merrick, David Rogers and Trevor Tainton who came through the ranks from youth and reserve team football at Ashton Gate and who were the mainstays of the team which won promotion in 1976. Chris Garland had left the club 3 seasons earlier to join Chelsea but returned later, scoring essential goals to help keep City in the top flight in 1976-7.

Yes they were past their best as players by 1982, but surely the fault lay with management who

(a) did not move them on, as the team which was promoted in 1976 bore a huge resemblance to the one relegated in 1980, and

(b) kept them at the club by offering them contracts which were insane by today's standards.

Don't blame the Ashton Gate Eight for their own downfall, they were players earning a living and who risked a great deal by doing the right thing for Bristol City in 1982 and we as a club owe them a HUGE debt of gratitude.

[22A]

Where did they go after leaving the Gate? Here's what I know for three of them;

Chris Garland went to Hong Kong, Jimmy Mann moved to S****horpe, Ray Cashley crossed town to join Rovers and teamed up with Don Gillies who had moved there the previous season.

Also worth mentionning during the free fall time was that Clive Whitehead had been playing in the reserves because the club could not afford the win bonus if he was in the first team. West Brom snapped him up for £100,000, a fraction of his true worth.

When the board realised the financial state the club were in they offered a 10 year season ticket for £500 if you paid in one lump sum. (Anyone on here take up that offer?). Presumably these days a 10 year seat would cost £5,000 and after 2 years you'ld have to move to make way for an Exec Box that's empty most times!

What I couldn't understand is why those players who had won at Highbury and Old Trafford were now struggling at places like Walsall and Newport.