cidered abroad

16 minutes ago, Spike said:

I'm missing him with good reason, much improved but still makes mistakes both in positioning and his passing choices. If he's a starter over Dickie, Atkinson or McCrorie (if Pearson plays him at the back) then we've wasted money on these transfers. People say they want to push on for promotion but then value players with holes in their game just because they're a nice guy who tries hard. Football isn't about trying, it's about results and you don't get those when you play players with mistakes in them. 

Are there any human footballers who never make a mistake during a match?

Even the great John Atyeo admitted to supporters of an occasional off day!

Perhaps with better players around him, Zak will make fewer.

Brian Tinnions time at City.

Honesty, Creativity, Skill, Talented and decent human being.

The last bit is one word if said quickly.

It will probably be a poor match. Why?

Because it's probably the first time this season that either side has played a match kicking off at 3 o'clock in the afternoon!!!

I remember it was also played on the first Saturday in May which marked the official end of the English football season.

And listening to it on the radio was so magical for a four or five year old yet to see a live game other than in the local playing field.

Today, I'll take my dog for a walk on the beach.

27 minutes ago, southvillekiddy said:

Kennilworth Road could become a fortress for Luton and therefore their sole(?) source of points and even contribute to survival for a short time?

I'll tell you why. Tuesday 27th august 1996/7 season .......... AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! ......A date seared in my memory

Went with my little boy who found it totally captivating that we had to go through some old dears back garden to get to the away end. Then all down the left side of the pitch ARE BEACH CHALETS!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!.

If that juxtaposition doesn't seriously send the away hard nuts away reeling and speechless, chattering amongst themselves and missing the game then what?

Next to say their fans are vile would be a kindness. Horrible animals.

They beat us 5 nil, yes that's right. Their goalie (cheeky ****er) even came up near the half way line to take a potshot!!

Cole Skuse was new to the team and made it obvious how p*** por he thought the others were playing

One of theirs was a penalty by that cretin Kevin Nicholls (next in line for the head of the Orcs) and didn't that ****er make the most of winding us up when it went in.

BUT 5 NIL WASN'T ENOUGH FOR THEM!!!!!!!!  That's why they are vile and to be feared??

On the way back to the station they were giving 2 fingers and other lovely salutations to a 6 year old boy and his dad

Very well described. Even the allotments on the way into Watford away end were much more interesting than the beach huts.

1 hour ago, Rudolf Hucker said:

Bloody predictive txt! 

Well said @Rudolf Hucker

I always got at least 99 out of 100 in school spelling tests. And as a Bristolian born about one mile away in "The Mead"  hospital, I typed it as Durdham Down.

3 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

I wonder if part of the reason Scotty stood out is because the Ashton Gate pitch has been so poor? Some of the players looked like they didn't trust it, looking to get a good foothold and taking extra touches, before even attempting a pass.

Alex Scott stood out because of his footballing quality and not because the pitches were no better than those on Durham Down in February!

And the Ashton Gate pitch has been, IMO, at about 95% of normal and to compare it with  the ploughed fields in Argentina is grossly unfair.

21 hours ago, And Its Smith said:

https://ntt20.substack.com/p/championship-1-24-season-review-202223
 

Thought I’d share as a decent read from the best in the business 

Thanks very much. Well written and the considered opinions were so interesting.

This league is so good to watch because from top to bottom there are very good teams and real quality individuals.

It shows from the minds and pens of twenty four fans how hard it is to be successful all season and how struggling in the nether regions doesn't necessarily mean that a team is not worth it's place.

I still dream that we can get back to top tier before I head for the knackers yard because I want to see us competing with many of the world's greatest players. However as a second best, The Championship is one hell of a league to watch.

5 hours ago, Psychopomp said:

A Desso pitch is a full artificial pitch used for indoor training or outdoor high usage, it is a brand there are others who perform similar (SIS for example). Most top pitches are a hybrid system and indeed ordinarily would give over 10 years of service. Most prem clubs use this. The technology options have changed a little since we installed ours but these pitches are a mix say 5% artificial fibre with 95% grass. When AG was installed, if you could imagine a hair transplant sewing device, a machine inserted each fibre, slowly moving across the pitch area at slow speed, threading in the fibre to a mesh. This is very slow and makes it hard to repair any worn areas, though durability is seen as a prime attibute. AG looked worn out last season. 

Maybe we will move to the alternative technology where you can grow the grass off-site, and then bring it in and roll it out. This is particularly useful for dual use where goalmouths get worn and certain rugby areas from scrummage. This is used more and more by many top clubs. It would reduce the lifespan, but be more flexible (you can repair rapidly) and reduces install time. It is pretty sure the media team will update when work begins.

A considerable expense in any case. Though nothng beats the Spurs pitch cost and design. 

Sorry to have another thing to mention. Someore info on our pitch as installed.

The Desso brand pitch that was installed in Ashton Gate is not in any respect an artificial pitch.

An all grass pitch has one big weak spot in that any time the grass is kicked, it's possible that the grass roots are lifted out. Thus the bare patches that were there for decades since I started watching.

The Desso at Ashton Gate is grass into which, there are 20cm lengths of polypropylene strands, in other words a synthetic piece of string, that are inserted vertically into the grass, 2cms apart in both directions. The purpose is for the grass roots to entwine into. This minimises the "kicking up" of grass w roots which as previously stated, kills the grass. With this Desso type, the roots will grow more grass to replace the damaged tuft. Hence why we had and will have again, what a Bath rugby fan called a billiard table.

I also understand that the undersoil heating is solely to keep the ground temperature high enough in very cold weather, that the grass will continue to grow. Maybe the extreme cold weather in November/December with night temperatures much lower than we've had for a very long time, was a significant factor in the deterioration of the pitch this season.

From the very little that I've seen of him, I will take a guess that Elijah Morrison will make it to first team quality.

Whether that is before anyone else or after, I don't have the faintest.

2 hours ago, Psychopomp said:

A Desso pitch is a full artificial pitch used for indoor training or outdoor high usage, it is a brand there are others who perform similar (SIS for example). Most top pitches are a hybrid system and indeed ordinarily would give over 10 years of service. Most prem clubs use this. The technology options have changed a little since we installed ours but these pitches are a mix say 5% artificial fibre with 95% grass. When AG was installed, if you could imagine a hair transplant sewing device, a machine inserted each fibre, slowly moving across the pitch area at slow speed, threading in the fibre to a mesh. This is very slow and makes it hard to repair any worn areas, though durability is seen as a prime attibute. AG looked worn out last season. 

Maybe we will move to the alternative technology where you can grow the grass off-site, and then bring it in and roll it out. This is particularly useful for dual use where goalmouths get worn and certain rugby areas from scrummage. This is used more and more by many top clubs. It would reduce the lifespan, but be more flexible (you can repair rapidly) and reduces install time. It is pretty sure the media team will update when work begins.

A considerable expense in any case. Though nothng beats the Spurs pitch cost and design. 

I'm not arguing about the fact of time span. But when we installed it, I had a good look at the Desso site, so that I could fully understand what it is, how it works, etc.

I believe that I read that the pitch had a life span of around seven to eight years. That would tally with what is now happening.

I'm not sure about this. I could have been reading about a different type of pitch within Desso's range. If I'm correct, so be it and if my very aged brain is playing tricks, then I'll accept it. 

10 hours ago, grifty said:

Really? I don't think many premier league teams are going to fancy going to Kennilworth Road next year on what is a pretty crap pitch, close stands and I expect the fans will whip up a ferocious atmosphere.

I can see them getting. spanked a few times away from home, but I fancy them to turn over a few teams at home. At least enough to get more than 11 points.

The majority of Premier clubs have pitches at 7140 sq metres (105m x 68m). City is the same.

Fulham is Prem smallest at 6500 sq m

Luton is 6619 sq m (100.6m x 65.8m)

Note. These dimensions come from one web site which may or may not be totally accurate.

1 hour ago, Elruliri said:

Hi, I was chatting to his son this afternoon and never came across his name before. Only played a handful of games. Ex Wales International who played just before Big John. Was wondering if anyone knew more about him.

I saw him playing in first team in the first year or two after my first match in April 1950.He broke a leg a year or two after which possibly may have finished his career.

He played  48 games at City from 1949 to 1952, scoring 21 goals. 

He was born in the same village, Tonypandy, in the Rhondda valley, as my father, who knew him as a youngster before his football career.

4 hours ago, RedorDead BCFC said:

Arctic Monkeys front man. They are playing at AG tonight. 

What position does he play?

Excuse my ignorance but who is it they've signed?

4 hours ago, ZiderMeUp said:

I’ve heard Alex turner is going to bring him out on stage tonight to announce his return. 

Who is Alex Turner?

I'm pleased that Carlisle have won. They've been in the doldrums for too long.

Well done Paul Simpson 

A tip of a ground, the last fifteen years or so, nowhere of any consequence due to financial irregularities, a dump of a town.

Yet again we sit here and watch a poxy little town, a financial fiddling club etc and etc, get to the promised land before us.

I don't think we should get there just because we're a big city but to see the minnows from Bournemouth, Burnley, Brighton, Luton, and plenty more getting to the top tier really does hurt. 80 next birthday and I've seen us there for four years. Followed by three successive relegations and bankruptcy. Jealous? No just so pissed off it hurts!

2 minutes ago, Loosey Boy said:

More importantly, he’s a Bristol boy and will probably prefer to finish his career with his boy hood club

Also from what has been said a few times by those who know him personally, he is a person who is very good at playing football yet who is not a football fan. Thus it's a possibility that he wants to live in his home city, play for City, yet will be able to prepare here for his future life after football.

Guesswork by me? Maybe.

1 hour ago, Port Said Red said:

I thought we did? 

Officially we have had over 43000 at Ashton Gate in the cup against Bolton just after the war. My dad always claimed that the following game had even more fans as many pushed the gates open and got in for free, people were sat on the roofs of the stands.

You have the right county but it was Blackpool and not Bolton. 42,594 in FA Cup Round 4. 1958.

Blackpool were First Division with a host of internationals including the world famous Stanley Matthews. It was his only match at Ashton Gate in a career that lasted until just after his 50th birthday.

7 minutes ago, Leveller said:

It always surprises me that our players seem to live in Nailsea rather than Clifton village!

Because it's close to Failand and the training ground.

And a damn sight cheaper.

31 minutes ago, You Do The Dziekanowski said:

Financial strain is the biggest killer of step 4-5 clubs. They are at the bottom of the FA Cup prize list unless they have a miraculous run. FA Vase pays a pittance until round 4 and some clubs pay ridiculous amounts to players. 
 

Hellenic League, some clubs had a wage bill of £2,000 a week…. (In total, not per player) 

This leaves some of the smaller clubs having to maybe pay players a little more to keep their assets that far down the pyramid.

 

However, I reckon the main cause of this argument against being reprieved stems down to players not fancying it. It’s astonishing how a string of bad results means players all of sudden aren’t available. Maybe the club thought, what’s the point in staying up, losing each week and losing players interest. Go down, compete and have a chance to bring through younger talent whilst everyone’s enjoying it? 
 

I’ve had this argument with a few other Bristol and District/Combination managers over the years. (I don’t mean any disrespect here) some clubs finish a season with 3 points from 20+ games and a -80 goal difference. Then some teams win the league by December. I appreciate people will be upset by it, but a complete restructure to even out the teams that struggle and the teams that fly should make for 7 competitive divisions and hopefully we won’t have as many teams folding each year. There’s no enjoyment either side of a 10-0 win/loss. Where it could take 2/3 years to play at your level. 

As a teenager, I played for Cardiff City juniors in Church of England under 16. God knows why that was the team name as a guy living in Stapleton ran it.

Big wins and defeats were there a plenty. We lost one game 31-2 and I scored the two.

Neither side enjoyed it!

1 hour ago, Silvio Dante said:

https://www.englandfootball.com/articles/2023/May/23/alex-scott-grassroots-story-20230523
 

Good article that.

Good article but it also shows what a sensible young man Alex is. Lots of youngsters have the ball skills necessary to play at high levels but don't have the skills of life outside of football. Alex is proving that he has that extra bit to succeed and I consider that the City supporters have been very privileged to see the last two seasons with Alex in the first team.

If he moves in the summer, so be it but if he stays another year, it could just be a very successful copy of 1975-6 that is the result.

If Joe puts salary as his most important factor, he'll go elsewhere.

If he wants to help his home City club to achieve promotion from the second tier for the first time in 47 years, he will come here.

I'm not a betting person but I believe he will come home.

9 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Didn’t we almost sign Trevor Francis….that would’ve made the Trevor Francis Tracksuit line fit nicely?

I remember someone saying when he was murdering us every time we lost to the Brum scum, that Trevor Francis was at City as a schoolboy. But got nicked by BCFC, Midlands version. 

@Davefevs

11 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Do you think Antonee Robinson is being picked by Marco Silva because Fulham’s owner is American?

Or do you think it’s because he’s better than Joe Bryan?

I guess, without much knowledge of either's abilities, that Robinson is better than Joe from the little I've seen of them over the past three years.

However my comments about the American owner is based on my experience of American companies and their American personnel, that they believe that they are so much better than any other country and it's people. Coca Cola and Gillette were ones I had dealings with at very high levels of management and they were particularly arrogant and demeaning.