cidered abroad

7 hours ago, GrahamC said:

Cardiff too only brought in one player on loan in the entire month.

It has been a really strange month, the likes of Wigan & Rotherham (added by the Barlaser sale) have brought in a lot of players, whereas others haven’t.

Huddersfield have also done a lot of deals, so will be fascinating to see who improves & who doesn’t.

We have played a game more than a few but go into the latter part of the season 7 points clear of the bottom three, with a superior goal difference to everyone down there & on a 7 game unbeaten run.

Following your post, I look at it slightly differently.

Let's remind ourselves that it is a team game with eleven out of twenty two or three starting each game. Change more than two at a time and the "team" has the effect of reducing the efficiency of the team for a period. So bringing in a lot of players at this stage of a season will not always improve the team performance and increase point gathering.

So our recruitment of only two could benefit us much more than others especially as we are already in an improved performance spell and a better points gathering than the previous two months.

Assuming that Scott goes for big money in this summer, I don't expect a large influx but a couple or three who will blend in more easily. A couple may leave as Pearson may see them not being able to keep improving.

5 hours ago, GrahamC said:

Cardiff too only brought in one player on loan in the entire month.

It has been a really strange month, the likes of Wigan & Rotherham (added by the Barlaser sale) have brought in a lot of players, whereas others haven’t.

Huddersfield have also done a lot of deals, so will be fascinating to see who improves & who doesn’t.

We have played a game more than a few but go into the latter part of the season 7 points clear of the bottom three, with a superior goal difference to everyone down there & on a 7 game unbeaten run.

Following your post, I look at it slightly differently.

Let's remind ourselves that it is a team game with eleven out of twenty two or three starting each game. Change more than two at a time and the "team" has the effect of reducing the efficiency of the team for a period. So bringing in a lot of players at this stage of a season will not always improve the team performance and increase point gathering.

So our recruitment of only two could benefit us much more than others especially as we are already in an improved performance spell and a better points gathering than the previous two months.

Assuming that Scott goes for big money in this summer, I don't expect a large influx but a couple or three who will blend in more easily. A few may leave as Pearson may see them not being able to keep improving. And to allow Academy players to progress. These who leave, may surprise and or disappoint some fans but that's the reality in any type of work.

At long last, we appear to be a club that is football managed well and with a future.

4 hours ago, GrahamC said:

Cardiff too only brought in one player on loan in the entire month.

It has been a really strange month, the likes of Wigan & Rotherham (added by the Barlaser sale) have brought in a lot of players, whereas others haven’t.

Huddersfield have also done a lot of deals, so will be fascinating to see who improves & who doesn’t.

We have played a game more than a few but go into the latter part of the season 7 points clear of the bottom three, with a superior goal difference to everyone down there & on a 7 game unbeaten run.

Following your post, I look at it slightly differently.

Let's remind ourselves that it is a team game with eleven out of twenty two or three starting each game. Change more than two at a time and the "team" has the effect of reducing the efficiency of the team for a period. So bringing in a lot of players at this stage of a season will not always improve the team performance and increase point gathering.

So our recruitment of only two could benefit us much more than others especially as we are already in an improved performance spell and a better points gathering than the previous two months.

Assuming that Scott goes for big money in this summer, I don't expect a large influx but a couple or three who will blend in more easily. A couple may leave as Pearson may see them not being able to keep improving. Thus there could be a surprise or two among the summer departures as new recruits and Academy graduates with a better level of skill take over.

Rome wasn't built in a day and City won't rebuild in one or two seasons unless we get to be extremely fortunate. So 2025 may be a very good year. Hope I last that long.

47 minutes ago, sglosbcfc said:

It doesn't get much bigger than Bristol City v Aldershot, no wonder you were hooked! 

My first City match was against Aldershot in spring 1950. Well and truly hooked.

1 hour ago, Sleepy1968 said:

I went to https://www.mancity.com/club/manchester-city-history

just to see whether they had won League One. I haven't got the 3 hours it would take to find out ...

It wasn't league One then.

5 minutes ago, CodeRed said:

Jody Morris !

 

Who could forget those 4 appearances.

I can't even remember any of his performances for BCFC.

44 minutes ago, Tomo said:

It will be a massive shock if we get all these rumoured deals over the line today. I was expecting it all to happen in the summer, not now. The semenyo money has clearly opened up some doors. With Scott probably going in the summer for 20 million + (or maybe a last minute deal today), the club are in a much better place financially. Bents, Palmer and maybe Dasilva going today gets rid of the top earners. Kalas will prob go in summer unless he agrees to a much lower salary like Nahki has already done

With regards to Nige. Patience was always required in view of our financial situation. Most players that have played for him comment on his brilliant man management skills and portray him as a bit of father like figure. What you see in front of the camera in his interviews is not the same bloke the players see. Yes, he will fall out with some players who do not work to his plan. Good. Bust ups, ill feeling happens at every club.... Nige is getting people on his bus and if you dont like it, he will put you under it. Good... 

And he has probably already outlawed any mention of Man City and concentrate on getting a good result at Deepdale.

8 hours ago, Wanderingred said:

We really impressed them with some of the football we played against them in the League Cup semi final. I remember them saying we looked better than a few of the bottom half Premier League teams they’d played. We aren’t as good as we were then but I hope we can still give a good account of ourselves. 

At least we will not go out there to just clog and constantly foul. We'll try to play football on the pitch and not in the sky.

 Because Manchester City have never won an away league match against Bristol City.

Another current Premier League club has the same record. Which club it it?

Just now, TonyTonyTony said:

He is 19 - probably on about what, 2 grand a week? Something like that. That will become 40 /50 grand a week when he moves to the PL. Its naïve to think he won't take that money, and i doubt the club would stand in his way.

I have no idea as to his salary but I would guess it is substantially more then £2,000 pw.

10 hours ago, PHILINFRANCE said:

Even the oft maligned Kevin Mabbutt was hardly a man mountain.

One of my great away days at Old Trafford when he got a hat trick!

Au revoir? Non, goodbye

54 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

Being old , mental health didn't exist for much of my football following career, at least we didn't consider it .
But years of meeting mates, beers with old friends and new ,shouting at Refs , must have helped my mindset. I usually enjoy the day in spite of the football, but it is a great release.
 

Following a team has two benefits that help to retain one's sanity.

Meeting other people who don't know you, yet are friendly every time you see them.

And after every game one reflects on it and also the next one to look forward to.

A home game against any club.

5 hours ago, Cityboy1954 said:

I took my six year old grandson for the first time yesterday with his dad who was not a football follower but both loved it and want to come again i said its not always this good

I was six when I first went to City. My first game was a 2-0 win against Aldershot. Still enjoying it most of the time 73 years later.

Another win for a Bristol City team. If we played shove ha'penny I'd want us to win.

13 minutes ago, elhombrecito said:

Don't remember Bell being 'battered from all quarters' at all. It was more aimed at management for chucking such a young lad into a game in an unfamiliar position and basically setting him up to fail! 

I bet Sam took the positive of playing in the first team and not letting anything interfere with his career.

On 28/01/2023 at 16:35, Hup said:

When the club are clearly identifying using academy products as part of the strategy fans need to remember to be patient. Young kids take time to find their feet and that means patience from fans. So often are they either lauded too highly or castigated for one or two opportunities or small amounts of minutes on the pitch to aid their development which don’t go to plan. Sam Bell is the perfect example of that. Battered from all quarters because of his performances at wing back or coming on as sub for 5 minutes here and there. Gets his chance (in terms of decent game time) in his favoured position and he’s smashing it. Doing exactly what he does in the 21s. Then you have the likes Joe Low who has had to go out on loan because of the disgusting treatment he received. Fans need to be more aware of the impact they have on a young players confidence and their ability to try and step up. 

You are correct in what you say. Yet it highlights that a very positive attitude from the young ones is what is needed to get through the early period of their career. Sam Bell will probably have been reminded countless times by his father and coaching staff that one mistake or bad game is not a signal to end of his career. He just has to work harder to minimise the errors.

Doesn't it also show how much character within Zak Vyner to keep going, learning all the time and not allowing his mistakes to overshadow his good points.

It proves that it's not the best players who always make it but those with a positive mentality and a will to improve. I've seen so many brilliant youngsters at City over the last 70 years who failed not because they were bad footballers but unable to take the rough with the smooth.

10 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

This is a lovely post, I’m pleased that is the case.

Bit of a side issue but my usual seat was occupied by someone else yesterday so I had to move down a few rows.

Sat a few seats down from me were 3 British Asian lads, I just thought it was great they were there & enjoying themselves, it would be good to see a more diverse support at AG but incrementally things like this are slowly getting better.

Thanks for your post and ultimately I hope that we all just think of them as young, developing Bristol City supporters.

1 hour ago, The Journalist said:

I realise this is a fairly worthless thing to say, but Semenyo wouldn’t have finished that second goal. He has neither the touch nor composure to have scored from that position.

There’s obviously plenty that Semenyo has than Bell doesn’t - but almost all exclusively physical attributes.

Many great scorers were not big of build. Denis Law, Greavsie are two very good examples.

At City Jimmy Rogers, Shadow Williams, Tom Ritchie, Glyn Riley are super examples of smaller, thinner in Ritchie's case, who have worn our short so well.

10 hours ago, Stoke Gifford Red76 said:

Hello, City fans, I took my wife to the game today, in fact this was her 3rd game she attended, her first game was against Watford, we drew 0-0 she said to me, who is no 14  to which I replied that's Weinmann, she was very impressed with his movement on and off the ball, Marie who is my wife, got upset when Semenyo was sold to Bournemouth because she thought he was brilliant player! today beating West Brom 3-0 Marie loved it, she has never been to a football match before, she has now been to 3 games she feels welcome at Ashton Gate, she does not feel uncomfortable and loves watching the City play, thank you fellow City fans for making her welcome, it has made her mental health so much better. 

Are you inferring that your wife has or had some mental health problem(s)?

My first wife suffered from childhood due to abuse from a piece of filth called a father. As a 23 year old single mother, her second baby was forcibly taken from her by the council. So her life was hardly a pleasant thing. 

Living in Ashton, I took her to a benefit game v Hereford at the end of the 1975-6 promotion season. At the end of the match, she said it was the best couple of hours she had had for a long time. Just watching people in the crowd enjoying themselves took her mind off of her life. She continued for twenty years going to home and some away games until her death twenty years later.

She knew nowt about football. Just the noise and excitement in the crowd gave her a rest from the real world and her memories.

So @Stoke Gifford Red76best wishes to you both if that is her outlet.

PS. Were you in W16 row 26?

7 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

That's a bit harsh. You are judging the current people in charge of the club on the previous people. We no longer have Mark Ashton and Lee Johnson "stockpiling" players. The problem we have at present is not using the money wisely, it's not using it at all and having to cover FFFP losses as per your point 2 above due to the actions of the above two charlatans. What money have we wasted since they left the club (Danny Simpson but not much else I can think of)?

Assuming Nige keeps us up this season (which I fully expect him to do) we know that Scott is on his way, we can't do much about that, and we should be receiving significant wedge for him. This will be the time we can judge Pearson properly because he will have some latitude to bring players in. To tar Pearson and Gould with the same brush as the two previous clowns (don't care what any of you say, Lee Johnson was an absolute ******* clown for not using his own pea sized brain and just going along blindly with what Ashton "permitted" him to do) is utterly wrong and out of order in my view.

Totally agree with this post. Bang on the nail head.

5 hours ago, Wanderingred said:

You can’t fault what the academy is doing for us, but it’s frustrating how we’ve been unable to capitalise on the talent that we produce. For me, the role of an academy should be to produce young players who either benefit the team long term, or net us a substantial profit which we then use to strengthen the team appropriately. 
 

It’s a good business model, but the cycle seems to be something like this:

1) Young player breaks through into the first team after a few mixed loan spells.

2) Young player is snapped up by Bournemouth, Burnley or whoever after just one good season for us, stopping us from building a team around them long term.

3) The money we get from said young player is either wasted on poor recruitment or used to cover our losses.

Rinse and repeat.

At the moment it seems that the likes of Fulham and Bournemouth benefit more from our academy than we do. It’s hard to get excited about the likes of Scott, Pring and Brll when we know that as soon as they are ready,  they’ll be playing for one of the above teams and the money gained won’t be used wisely.

You're being a target negative. Max, Vyner and Pring are the mid twenties former Academy/ Youth brought in.

Followed by Scott, Conway, Bell.

However good our Academy is at rearing first team regulars, it will only be a couple every two years or so. And as we are now only two years since NP arrived and was forced and probably chose to, blood all the young ones that have played in the first team.

Some of these have already been moved on as not suitable for our first team with as yet only one sale of Semenyo. Others will take time to grow into old pros at 21/24 years.

We have an Academy to be very proud of and you are still not satisfied? 

Everyone did well today with Bell and Scott the obvious stars.

But for sheer hard work, Nahki Wells deserves a round of applause from every City fan.

Is he saying "It wasn't me Mummy". 

He is very lucky that we have that wonderful NHS to deal with such things without a penny changing hands. May he live happily for a long time.