Why do I bother reading this forum?

[Loderingo]

Yes - a quality post. Don't agree with much of it though!

I don't love to offer constructive criticism - much prefer praise but I appreciate who your comments are aimed at. This is a great club, with a good squad (not perfect), good manager (not perfect), very good Chairman IMO (not perfect) - whatever happens mate I'll be there with the attitude that every player with a red shirt is a hero

I think this is a key point. Too many people think in terms of black and white Johnson is perfect, Johnson is useless etc but life isn't like that. Even the top people in the game like Fergie and Zidane make mistakes. I think the key in life is whether you learn from your mistakes.

[thankgodfortinnion]

That says it all for me. Maybe we should have an experiment. Just for one game, how about if everyone got behind the team from the start, and continued supporting them in a positive manner, irrespective of how they might be playing. I'm convinced that the players would respond much better to positive support from the stands rather than a cascade of boos and criticism. I may be wrong, but surely it's worth a try.

Great shout Dave but a bit of an alien concept for some down the gate aat the moment.

Seem to remember that the atmosphere at the Huddersfield game last year was far more supportive and we had just lost 9 games on the trot.

This year we had lost 2 on the trot and I felt most attendees (I cant call them supporters)would have been better off spending their money on a call to the samaritans than a match ticket.

[Ian M]

Agreed Greebo but if you don't agree with the original poster then you have no right so to do it seems.

As I have posted, whatever my faults ( which are many ) in forty plus years I have never booed ( other than the ref ) have never got on the teams back, have never had a go at individual players, have never shouted criticism at anyone at AG, have never other than clapped the good and ignored the bad.

On this forum I can say what I wish as you agree and I don't think the players or GJ read it for a moment so that is OK.

But you will still get the odd idiot ( one not so far above this post ) who will drip attempted sarcasm cause you dare to say things are not super, duper.

Nuff said really.

I can assure you that they do having admitted it to me and others. Gary Johnson even produced a print out of one of the posts on this forum at a Press Conference last season!

[Xiled]

To expect everybody in the crowd to have a positive outlook and refrain from criticism and moaning at times when we are playing well below the standard we have set ourselves is not only naive, it's nigh on an impossibility.

ALL football crowds are like that. There are always going to be moaners and whingers, but by far the majority support the team at matches.

I've sat in amongst a lot of of other football crowds - Southampton, QPR, Preston, Northampton, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Cheltenham in recent years. I can safely say that we have a far higher proportion of moaners and whingers than any of these!!

If I could get Bristol City out of my blood, I know I would have an easier time supporting just about any other club. The problem is, you don't choose a team, it chooses you. I accept that I will have to put up with the moaners and whingers until we are consistently placed above Chelsea and Man U in the top flight. Even then, there would be something wrong........

I'll echo the idea of supporting the team for a full 90 minutes. It certainly wouldn't hurt.

Xiled.

[Xiled]

Secretly I think we should be top and unbeaten! I expect Swansea and Forest fans probably think the same but we have made significant progress since that day at Swansea. I wonder if this will negativity will ultimately work in our favour? I'll have a bet that at the next home game (hopefully WBA) that there is a very loud "one Lee Johnson there's only one...." Hope so!

Amazingly Kenny Jackett has stated "we're probably looking at the play-off places now" after they lost 1-0 to Oldham.

BBC Story

Can you imagine GJ saying something similar if we had just six fewer points at this stage in the season?

He knows that the Ashton Gate faithful would not accept this and would certainly not expect to hear it. But the problem is, because he can't say anything apart from "we're aiming for one of the top two places" then a couple of defeats are the end of the world for some.

In reality it isn't the end of the world. But, if the negative vibes increase then it could be the turning point of the season. Unfortunately, I don't think the negativity will generate a backlash that will work in our favour. It could drag us down.

If I was on the pitch, I would play better if I was cheered for 90 minutes.

Xiled.

[RedTop]

Then you think the average gate at City this season and many of the previous seasons is not good enough to 'support the club'? Exactly how big a crowd do you think this club 'deserves'?

It's nothing to do with numbers. It's to do with the quality of support from those who do attend.

It's a fact that City, generally, bite the hand that feeds them by producing sub-standard performances at a time when the bigger gates turn up because it's an important game. a local derby, a cup match or simply a run of good results.

Like the Boro or Coventry games? It's true that they do miss the opportunity to turn it on in front of big crowds on occasions, but hey - that's part of supporting City!

To expect everybody in the crowd to have a positive outlook and refrain from criticism and moaning at times when we are playing well below the standard we have set ourselves is not only naive, it's nigh on an impossibility.

ALL football crowds are like that. There are always going to be moaners and whingers, but by far the majority support the team at matches.

I'm not expecting everyone to be 'happy clappy'. Just get things into some sense of proportion. We are five points off the top of the table and in two cups yet some people are insisting this is proof that Johnson is not good enough. You go to games and hear people slating players at precisely the time they need support. Do you really think some of the comments on this forum and in the stands are proportionate to what is going on? Most importantly, do you think that they will help and inspire or hinder the players?

So to paraphrase the Happy Clappers who advise moaners and whingers to 'go away' and support a Premiership side, I would suggest the same applies to those who don't like moaning and whingeing.

It just baffles me what some people think is justified criticism. And it baffles me why they bother to support a team like City if they so obviously derive such little pleasure from times when we are competing for automatic promotion, FA Cup glory and a place at the Millennium Stadium all at the same time. Actually, I think that rather disturbingly some of them do derive pleasure - from shouting vile abuse at their own players and singling them out for contempt in the stands and on the forum. If that is what they think support is, then I'm afraid I despair. It's bad enough wading through it on the forum. I just thank God that I'm not actually one of them and that I can winkle a tiniest sliver of pleasure out of actually watching the team play and enjoying seeing the likes of Skuse blossom in the first team. I enjoy seeing Enoch rampaging at defenders who don't know what to do when a big bloke is actually comfortable with the ball at his feet. I feel a warm glow when I see Scotty recovering his form. I prefer to remember the LeeJ flicks and sublime long passes that come off, rather than the ones that don't. I gain enjoyment from seeing a player I didn't really rate in Bradley Orr make the most of his talent and turn into a decent right-back. I like seeing the way McAllister uses his experience and calms those around him. Rather than bungee jumping, I prefer to get my heart racing by holding my breath when Basso is called upon to gather up a long-distance shot, and marvel at his acrobatics. I love seeing Carey find his feet and his heart again, and enjoy seeing McCombe send the ball back up the pitch with interest with a regularity unmatched since the days of Shaun Taylor. While every manager will be hard to fathom in some ways, I find Gary Johnson's substitutions generally more understandable than Danny Wilson's ever were, and that reassures me. Most of all, in between the hard-fought 1-0 and 2-1 wins, the moments when it all seems to slot together like Coventry away and Oldham away are all the more inspiring for their rarity. I despair at people who moan that we only win most of our games by a goal. So bloody what? It damned well beats losing them by a goal like we've done too often in the past. I really can't see why people who don't glean enjoyment from such things and expect champagne football every week bother to follow City. They must know they aren't going to get it!

The trouble is that negativity transfers itself from the stands onto the pitch. Will Skuse or Myrie-Williams play better if people are jeering him? Will Murray's or Jevons' confidence blossom if they hear people barracking them by name from the crowd, or shouting at them to "get off" if their first touch lets them down? Will LeeJ feel a loyalty to the club if people have a pop at him and cheer when he's taken off? Backing the players come what may, provided they put in the effort, is the difference between a spectator and a supporter. I know which I am. Which are you?

[the 'Ster]

Whilst certainly not new to supporting the club I am new to this forum and am surprised sometimes at the amount of negative trash that is posted and am surprised these people call themselves supporters, the comments are hardly ever constructive and discussion seems to be out of the question alot of the time.

Q. Why do I bother reading this forum? A. I take heart from all the DEDICATED City supporters on here and know that that is the majority of supporters of BCFC that think like me.

I'm not fluffy and will discuss poor performances with the fellas in the pub after games but it should always be constructive, YES be dissappointed by poor performances but think before you start throwing around nonsense on the net!

Have any of the folk who are peed off and feel that booing, jeering etc the players has a positive impact stopped to think about what would be a more appropriate motivation to the boys on the pitch??? What would you respond to better 9000 people singing, cheering etc or a couple of thousand dissing you and criticising? Think about it next time you're down the gate and try it out, you'll probably feel much better for it, good for the soul sothey say!

CITY 'TIL I DIE!

[thankgodfortinnion]

It's nothing to do with numbers. It's to do with the quality of support from those who do attend.

Like the Boro or Coventry games? It's true that they do miss the opportunity to turn it on in front of big crowds on occasions, but hey - that's part of supporting City!

I'm not expecting everyone to be 'happy clappy'. Just get things into some sense of proportion. We are five points off the top of the table and in two cups yet some people are insisting this is proof that Johnson is not good enough. You go to games and hear people slating players at precisely the time they need support. Do you really think some of the comments on this forum and in the stands are proportionate to what is going on? Most importantly, do you think that they will help and inspire or hinder the players?

It just baffles me what some people think is justified criticism. And it baffles me why they bother to support a team like City if they so obviously derive such little pleasure from times when we are competing for automatic promotion, FA Cup glory and a place at the Millennium Stadium all at the same time. Actually, I think that rather disturbingly some of them do derive pleasure - from shouting vile abuse at their own players and singling them out for contempt in the stands and on the forum. If that is what they think support is, then I'm afraid I despair. It's bad enough wading through it on the forum. I just thank God that I'm not actually one of them and that I can winkle a tiniest sliver of pleasure out of actually watching the team play and enjoying seeing the likes of Skuse blossom in the first team. I enjoy seeing Enoch rampaging at defenders who don't know what to do when a big bloke is actually comfortable with the ball at his feet. I feel a warm glow when I see Scotty recovering his form. I prefer to remember the LeeJ flicks and sublime long passes that come off, rather than the ones that don't. I gain enjoyment from seeing a player I didn't really rate in Bradley Orr make the most of his talent and turn into a decent right-back. I like seeing the way McAllister uses his experience and calms those around him. Rather than bungee jumping, I prefer to get my heart racing by holding my breath when Basso is called upon to gather up a long-distance shot, and marvel at his acrobatics. I love seeing Carey find his feet and his heart again, and enjoy seeing McCombe send the ball back up the pitch with interest with a regularity unmatched since the days of Shaun Taylor. While every manager will be hard to fathom in some ways, I find Gary Johnson's substitutions generally more understandable than Danny Wilson's ever were, and that reassures me. Most of all, in between the hard-fought 1-0 and 2-1 wins, the moments when it all seems to slot together like Coventry away and Oldham away are all the more inspiring for their rarity. I despair at people who moan that we only win most of our games by a goal. So bloody what? It damned well beats losing them by a goal like we've done too often in the past. I really can't see why people who don't glean enjoyment from such things and expect champagne football every week bother to follow City. They must know they aren't going to get it!

The trouble is that negativity transfers itself from the stands onto the pitch. Will Skuse or Myrie-Williams play better if people are jeering him? Will Murray's or Jevons' confidence blossom if they hear people barracking them by name from the crowd, or shouting at them to "get off" if their first touch lets them down? Will LeeJ feel a loyalty to the club if people have a pop at him and cheer when he's taken off? Backing the players come what may, provided they put in the effort, is the difference between a spectator and a supporter. I know which I am. Which are you?

I would be careful Redtop this might catch on.

Its nice to see someone positive SHOUTING from the rooftops rather than the destructive element who seem to be the loudest on here and at the Gate.

I have found myself this season becoming more dissallusioned in my seat....not with what I am seeing but what I hear.

If you are not careful I will start to feel positive again about attending matches.As someone who works hard for my money each week all I expect on a Saturday is 11 players giving 100%.I feel I am getting that at the moment.Its just a pity the fans cant say the same.

We all want the same thing.........success for the club we live and breathe,but sometimes I wonder with some who attend.

I still feel their is an undercurrent of people who will not forgive GJ(even if he gets us up)for what he did to the so called Messiah.I know I will get shouted down for this but its what I feel.