Support the team or stay away

[Redland]

I agree 100% with GJ's comments in the W D Press this morning. In a short time Gary has done well, we are well placed in the league and have done well in two cups. Even if the last few performances have been disappointing we should all get behind the team and stop slagging them off. If you were a player what would it do for your confidence if your own supporters were constantly abusive & critical? As for the bloke who tried to punch Bradley words fail me. And for those who say they pay their money & they are entitled to constantly criticise I am getting sick & fed up with these so called supporters. I have never booed a Bristol City player in my life & I will never do so.

If Gary or any of the players read the posts on here I would like to assure them that these people are a vocal minority and the great majority of the supporters are behind you and the team.

And no, I'm not a happy clapper. I've supported City far to long to be that naive. I am however a season ticket holder who is becoming increasingly embarrassed and sick of the personal abuse directed at certain people in the club. If you are that unhappy then please vote with your feet & stay away.

[CiderJar]

....and for the hard of hearing A LINK.

I agree with that, it is getting embarrassing. It is all very well being critical, but keep it nice.

[Maesknoll Red]

Since Saturday I've spoken to some fans who have for many years been attending the Gate, who are becoming increasingly pissed off with the abuse levelled at players during games, to the point that several of them are seriously considering not going and not renewing season tickets next year.

I can see where they are coming from, we've just missed out on beating our unbeaten run record, we're in the area final of the JPT and in the draw for the fifth round of the FA cup - first time for years.

There certainly have been performances this season that give cause for concern, my own thoughts are that we have an unbalanced midfield, the play goes through Johnson, he has excellent vision and reads the game, but he needs a spoiler alongside him. The Defence are put under pressure because the midfield isn't good enough defensively and the forwards are dropping back to link with the midfield, rather than the midfield supporting them.

The vitriol displayed to some players, who don't pick the team, is uncalled for and can hardly be thought of as a way to inspire them. GJ needs to take a long hard look at his midfield, prefereably take a look at the 'boro video, Gary, as that midfield performance was one of the best of the season - Noble & Keogh must be gutted to have put in a performance like that and be dropped afterwards.

By all means be critical, have heated discussions in the pub, before and after the game, come on here and voice your opinion, but a display like that on Saturday of fans abusing players, baiting and threatening each other isn't going to help the aim of promotion.

I don't like to see us lose, but I do wonder if the cup runs are affecting the league performances?

[ooRya]

I agree 100% with GJ's comments in the W D Press this morning. In a short time Gary has done well, we are well placed in the league and have done well in two cups. Even if the last few performances have been disappointing we should all get behind the team and stop slagging them off. If you were a player what would it do for your confidence if your own supporters were constantly abusive & critical? As for the bloke who tried to punch Bradley words fail me. And for those who say they pay their money & they are entitled to constantly criticise I am getting sick & fed up with these so called supporters. I have never booed a Bristol City player in my life & I will never do so.

If Gary or any of the players read the posts on here I would like to assure them that these people are a vocal minority and the great majority of the supporters are behind you and the team.

And no, I'm not a happy clapper. I've supported City far to long to be that naive. I am however a season ticket holder who is becoming increasingly embarrassed and sick of the personal abuse directed at certain people in the club. If you are that unhappy then please vote with your feet & stay away.

I have been reading this and all the other posts that relate to this, and have been wanting to reply, but it's very difficult to know exactly what to say.

On the one hand, like you I have never booed or aimed abuse at a City player, nor can i see myself doing so. However, I think it's far too simplistic to say "support the team or stay away". Many are already doing so anyway. Being 5th in the leaugue and on 2 good cup runs, you would think that the gates should be up around the 15,000 mark, but it was only 11,500 on Saturday. I think that the problem is that we all recognise that the performances this season, apart from the odd one here and there, have been very average to say the least. It makes it very difficult to understand why, when we have a pretty decent squad that can actually play very good football....as shown against Middlesborough. It frustrates the hell out of me when I hear that players were "really up for that one" when in my view they should be "up" for every game.

I can fully understand why people get so frustrated that they start booing etc, after all we have seen it all before....so much promise and expectation, just to be let down again.

I'm not saying it's right or helpful to boo and criticise, or that I agree with it, I'm just saying that I understand why people feel driven to.

[Red_Alligator]

Good point. I think that most people ARE staying away, thus the low attendances. As a season ticket holder and die hard I will still be there, but anybody "dropping in" would, I suggest, be unimpressed by the football and secondly, if like me, seated in the Dolman, find it very difficult to find somewhere to have a p**s!! Be as sychophantic as you like, but frankly as a customers, we're being treated very poorly all round at the moment! Lets hope things pick up!!