Football things you got wrong.

[The turtle]

What opinions did you have on football have you had which turned out to be beyond wrong?

Mine was being adamant torres wouldn't get 15 goals for Liverpool in his first season in england. He blew me out the water.

 

[stephenkibby.]

1 minute ago, The turtle said:

What opinions did you have on football have you had which turned out to be beyond wrong?

Mine was being adamant torres wouldn't get 15 goals for Liverpool in his first season in england. He blew me out the water.

 

As a Turtle that must have been quite stressful.

[Guest]

that we would smash Hull at wembers, and that i would live to see every side of our ground redeveloped in my life time....for the best apparently

[cidercity1987]

4 minutes ago, The turtle said:

What opinions did you have on football have you had which turned out to be beyond wrong?

Mine was being adamant torres wouldn't get 15 goals for Liverpool in his first season in england. He blew me out the water.

 

I thought Woolford was great and Bolasie was shit

Only one of those was wrong though and I've been right on most things since then 

[Guest]

also that I would see us play in the top and bottom of all 4 divisions and end up just where I found them in the 2nd/championship div......round and round we go.

[Davefevs]

Mansfield at Wembley, we’d take advantage of the big pitch and play them off the park.

[Northern Red]

Thought Steve Cottrell was a poor appointment and wouldn't get us anywhere.

Never been happier to be so wrong. 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Northern Red

[luke_bristol]

I thought Lois Diony was a footballer 

[Robin101]

Really thought we’d have had another crack at the championships play offs in the last 15 years… 

[steveybadger]

WhenFranny Jeffers joined Arsenal I had a bet with a mate he’d finish Prem top scorer. 
 

Not sure if he was top scorer inArsenal’s reserves.

[exAtyeoMax]

Thought that we would kick on after our league one title winning season and make it to the prem the next…

Thought MA looked like a nice chap in the first photo I saw of him on the OS…

then I heard him speak  

[redsquirrel]

12 minutes ago, luke_bristol said:

I thought Lois Diony was a footballer 

i remember watching him come on as a sub thinking 'here we go then.  only to see him trip on the ball and fall flat on his arse

[Lack of Action Man]

Zak Vyner! Need I say more?

 

[petehinton]

Was convinced Luke Dobie would go on to be a star for us. Similarly thought Max would have a half decent career in L2 at a push…

 

[Kodjias Wrist]

I didn't think Rovers would fall out of the league.

I didn't think against Hartlepool 3 minutes from time we would go on to win! Wild wild celebrations

I thought we were gonna get Eddie Nketiah on loan and he would be the difference for us to get promoted!

[stephenkibby.]

That Manu would keep winning the league forever was my worst nightmare.

After all these years without them winning it frankly i don't give a **** who wins the league.

 

 

As long as it's not them *******.

[Red-Robbo]

1 hour ago, The turtle said:

What opinions did you have on football have you had which turned out to be beyond wrong?

Mine was being adamant torres wouldn't get 15 goals for Liverpool in his first season in england. He blew me out the water.

 

 

One word - Semenyo.

Underestimated him, based on some fairly undistinguished early outings. 

Lesson learned. 

[Oh Louie louie]

Thinking that Stewart and bridges would terrorise teams, 

[Eddie Hitler]

I used to.not know whether putting the ball in your own net was a "home goal" or an "own goal".

n

Also, cribbing @Kodjias Wrist above, I thought there was absolutely no way all those results would go against Rovers on the last day and pitch them into non league.

No wonder that their fans rioted as they would have gone to the game fully expecting to be celebrating league survival that evening.

 

I can still get a bit lost with positions when I have my Dad talking about centre halfs and my nephews coming out with strings of initials they've learnt from computer games.

[Major Isewater]

1 hour ago, Oh Louie louie said:

Thinking that Stewart and bridges would terrorise teams, 

They did , City. 

[Major Isewater]

That Danny Wilson would get us out of the third division .

That Joe Jordan would in no way leave us for a Scottish team , Hearts. 

[sticks 1969]

Going to Euro 92 and thinking we would do ok 

home a week later after 2 draws and a loss 

[Oh Louie louie]

And 1988 was even worse at the euros, van basten what a player 

[MarcusX]

I thought we’d ride the wave of momentum after winning league 1 and get back to back promotions like several teams before us had managed.

I thought SOD would come good.

I thought Pearson would have had a more instant impact on results. I wanted him back when we appointed Holden, and I thought he’d come in and instantly improve what we had before going on to add his own players and move people on. I didn’t think it would take this long.

[Super]

I can't think of any.....

[Oh Louie louie]

Watching England or city, winning a penalty shootout hasn't been a hard call over the last 35 years, the first final ever settled on pens was Bristol city Mansfield that set the tone

[glynriley]

7 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

 

One word - Semenyo.

Underestimated him, based on some fairly undistinguished early outings. 

Lesson learned. 

Mmmm. I’d say lesson not learned considering your posts regarding Harry Cornick. 

[Oh Louie louie]

One of the best debuts i saw from a player, Gary Marshall against derby county, I thought he might have gone on to better things

[Barrs Court Red]

John Akinde would play for England. 

Cardiff, Swansea, Reading and Hull would sink back down to their natural level of the 4th division in-front of 3k crowds.

England would host the 2022 World Cup.

Bristol City would be in the Premier League by now.

Footballs bubble would burst around 2010. 

[Rocking Red Cyril]

8 hours ago, Kodjias Wrist said:

I didn't think Rovers would fall out of the league.

I didn't think against Hartlepool 3 minutes from time we would go on to win! Wild wild celebrations

I thought we were gonna get Eddie Nketiah on loan and he would be the difference for us to get promoted!

Would of been a Great loan signing and could of been  

[SecretSam]

That I would stop giving a rat's as I got older

[Dollymarie]

Kasey Palmer would be as good after we signed him as he was on loan. 
 

Come to think of it, I thought Tony Dinning would be alright as well  (showing my age now!)

[1960maaan]

After finishing about 13th in Division One, we had a real chance of pushing for Europe the following year.
You know the year, the one we got relegated. 

[Out of his pie crust]

Believing it’s possible to watch the whole first half and enjoy pint, pasty, pi** at ht before making it back for start of second half

[Port Said Red]

In recent (ish) times I thought that JET would get his career back on track and play at a top club.

I thought Tinnion was going to be the Manager to take us to the promised land.

A non City one. I saw Gary Speed play on TV, and highlights, and could never understand why people rated him so highly to pay so much money for him across his career, then I saw him play live and was stunned by how good he was. He seemed to be a good Manager too, what a shame he was so troubled.

[The Coach]

That Zlatan Ibrahimovic wouldn’t even get 10 goals for Man U

Marcus Stewart would end up as top goal scorer of league one and fire us to win the league.

Steve Coppell being the man who takes us to the PL.

[42nite]

 

I didn't think the ball was over the line.

Guess I was wrong!  

 

[Steve Watts]

10 hours ago, Northern Red said:

Thought Steve Cottrell was a poor appointment and wouldn't get us anywhere.

Never been happier to be so wrong. 

Definitely wouldn't have been alone with that original reaction.  It was an appointment that polarised opinion just as much as the one that followed.  I thought it was a dreadful appointment

9 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

One word - Semenyo.

Underestimated him, based on some fairly undistinguished early outings. 

Lesson learned. 

I'm still not convinced he'll make it in the Prem.  He had one good half season for us. Until Christmas 2021 there was nothing really on show there.  Similarly didn't add a huge amount when returning from injury this season too unless it was coming off the bench.

59 minutes ago, Dollymarie said:

Kasey Palmer would be as good after we signed him as he was on loan. 
 

Come to think of it, I thought Tony Dinning would be alright as well  (showing my age now!)

This was going to be mine as well. I don't necessarily think KP was Dinning level shit after we signed him - he just almost seemed to lose a bit of love for the game and was rarely utilised in a way he'd affect the game. By the end he'd gotten lazy with it (hence the impression to me that he'd lost the love).

Now Tomlin, however......now he most certainly was a Dinning of a signing.

I'll add another to the list.  I believed that Carl Hutchings was a phenomenal bargain at 60k or whatever it was.  Head and shoulders above everyone on the pitch when we played Brentford.  In the end it seems he bizarrely raised his game when playing against us!

[GrahamC]

A couple have already been mentioned, I definitely got swept up in the hype that Marcus Stewart would be a big success, likewise saw Caulker as a future England player & Rose as someone who would drop through the leagues pretty quickly.

Bit more obscure, but saw Andrew Jordan play for the reserves or whatever the equivalent was back then & thought he’d have a great career, clearly he had his issues but I definitely thought he’d make it.

Matty Hill on the other hand I thought was too limited technically to make it, just showed what guts & total commitment can do, he had an excellent career, you don’t play for the likes of Wolves & Sheff U if you’re a mug.

[Steve Watts]

11 hours ago, The turtle said:

What opinions did you have on football have you had which turned out to be beyond wrong?

Mine was being adamant torres wouldn't get 15 goals for Liverpool in his first season in england. He blew me out the water.

 

Great thread, by the way.  Some good discussion followed. 

[Bristol Rob]

I thought signing Michael Bridges might just be the key signing we needed to really progress and push forward. He wasn't. 

What I got completely right however, and so many people got completely wrong (and yes @Harry I am looking at you). Skuse. Fine player. 

[Bristol Rob]

8 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

you don’t play for the likes of Wolves & Sheff U if you’re a mug.

Well, Morgan Gibbs-White played for both, and if you take the M from Morgan and the U from United and add in the G from Gibbs

Congratulations, you've just rejected Dusty Bin! 

 

Edited March 28, 2023 by Bristol Rob

[pongo88]

When Gary Johnson signed Evander Sno and Álvaro Saborío at the beginning of the 2009 - 10 season I thought they would be the catalyst to propel City to promotion. Unfortunately they both fizzled out 

[PHILINFRANCE]

My first and only bet on a football match was that Leeds would beat Sunderland in the FA Cup Final.

[CyderInACan]

1 hour ago, Dollymarie said:

Come to think of it, I thought Tony Dinning would be alright as well  (showing my age now!)

The archetypal World Beater to Panel Beater. See also: Lee Tomlin. 

[semblar]

1 hour ago, Dollymarie said:

Kasey Palmer would be as good after we signed him as he was on loan. 
 

Come to think of it, I thought Tony Dinning would be alright as well  (showing my age now!)

21? 

[Dollymarie]

Just now, semblar said:

21? 

Try doubling that and then adding one. . .  

[Taz]

40 minutes ago, Percy Pig said:

I think I'd have bet my life on Caulker playing for England and Danny Rose ending up in the lower leagues when they were here.

 

You weren't the only one!! 

Strange how their careers took the paths they did. Rose just looked awful for us.

[Bristol Rob]

3 minutes ago, CyderInACan said:

The archetypal World Beater to Panel Beater. See also: Lee Tomlin. 

I'll raise you a Julian Watts, 

[CyderInACan]

Just now, Bristol Rob said:

I'll raise you a Julian Watts, 

This is a potentially painful rabbithole to go down so early in the week! 

[semblar]

1 minute ago, Dollymarie said:

Try doubling that and then adding one. . .  

so "about 21" then. Me, just hit 17....for the third time

[italian dave]

1 hour ago, Dollymarie said:

Kasey Palmer would be as good after we signed him as he was on loan. 
 

Come to think of it, I thought Tony Dinning would be alright as well  (showing my age now!)

Showing you age? You don’t know you’re born! Mine would be thinking that Alan Dicks would never get us promoted from Division 2

Mind you, I was quite young at the time and probably easily swayed by the ‘Dicks Out’ chants! 

[Bristol Rob]

2 minutes ago, CyderInACan said:

This is a potentially painful rabbithole to go down so early in the week! 

It is, because we signed a former England U-21 fullback from Bolton who didn't exactly set the world alight.

(Name withheld to reduce the pile-on that always follows any reference to this particular player).

That said, Dyche (I thought) was going to be epic and wasn't. 

Also, Gus Ceaser, one time Arsenal player and evidently 'off sick' the day they did 'what is an offside trap' at training. 

Edited March 28, 2023 by Bristol Rob

[Port Said Red]

19 minutes ago, Steve Watts said:

I'll add another to the list.  I believed that Carl Hutchings was a phenomenal bargain at 60k or whatever it was.  Head and shoulders above everyone on the pitch when we played Brentford.  In the end it seems he bizarrely raised his game when playing against us!

Thank you for reminding me of this. I went to that game with a friend who was a less regular attendee and he kept saying. "How is that guy at Brentford?" Obviously this was in normal times when they were shit, but at the end of the game we both agreed he should be signed immediately. :). 

I have to say he was nowhere near our worst signing, certainly for £60k but he never once played to the level he did that day against us.

[GrahamC]

1 minute ago, Port Said Red said:

Thank you for reminding me of this. I went to that game with a friend who was a less regular attendee and he kept saying. "How is that guy at Brentford?" Obviously this was in normal times when they were shit, but at the end of the game we both agreed he should be signed immediately. :). 

I have to say he was nowhere near our worst signing, certainly for £60k but he never once played to the level he did that day against us.

My recollection was Hutchings cost £130k.

At Brentford he usually played on the right side of defence, Ward used him in centre mid, presumably for his energy & running, basically as a Carlton Palmer clone.

I’m not still altering what I always thought, a terrible player who seemed a stranger to the ball, he seemingly could never control it & so just did lots of running around.

He wasn’t the worst signing no, but he was very poor.

[Red Army 75]

Aaron Wilbraham certainly proved me wrong. 

[Bristol Rob]

1 minute ago, Percy Pig said:

Adam El Abd was one I thought could be what we needed, turns out he was not hard and a leader but a complete liability. I remember in the early part of Cotts' reign thinking if this is the type of player he's signing we are properly screwed. 

Turns out Cotterill and Burt were the last recruitment team to have even a semblance of a clue what a good player was. 

 

Yeah, because NP and Tins have done a dreadful job with no money! 

[Midred]

Thinking at halftime against Derby and Sunderland that we had won those matches!

[Sturny]

Weimann

I think I was just so bitter over Bobby Reid signing for Cardiff I wasn't willing to give him a chance. He's been a fantastic player for us over the years. The way I saw it, we replaced a near 20 season goal striker with an unexciting winger from Derby with fans content to see him go. Was quickly proved wrong as he had a great start to his first season with us. 

Also another one which I think most of us are guilty for, Lee Tomlin. I was definitely shouting for us to sign him after that loan spell. 

Edited March 28, 2023 by Sturny

[bcfcredandwhite]

Same as others on here I was underwhelmed by Cotts's appointment.
I thought Semenyo was godawful when I first saw him play - got himself sent off vs Leeds (or it might have been Derby) I seem to remember
I thought Caulker would go on and become the next 'Tony Adams' and play at the very highest level
I thought Danny Rose was one of the worst, most useless players who ever donned the shirt - spent most of his time sat on his @rse wailing for a free kick. 
I thought Nick Carle was going to be brilliant and I was gutted when he went to Palarse
I thought Matt Smith would be a 'donkey' signing
I thought Aaron Wibraham was past it when we signed him

There are undoubtedly many other footballing mistakes I've made. Basically it seems I know very little about the game......... 
 

[BigTone]

27 minutes ago, Sturny said:

Weimann

I think I was just so bitter over Bobby Reid signing for Cardiff I wasn't willing to give him a chance. He's been a fantastic player for us over the years. The way I saw it, we replaced a near 20 season goal striker with an unexciting winger from Derby with fans content to see him go. Was quickly proved wrong as he had a great start to his first season with us. 

Also another one which I think most of us are guilty for, Lee Tomlin. I was definitely shouting for us to sign him after that loan spell. 

Great player was Tomlin. Just a shame he only displayed his potential on 29th February.

[Davefevs]

13 minutes ago, bcfcredandwhite said:

Same as others on here I was underwhelmed by Cotts's appointment.

I was quite excited…because I’d learned from GJ’s appointment that you don’t need a big name, ex-player to get results.  I’d also seen his Cheltenham side a few times, and they weren’t the long ball team everyone said Cotts’ teams were.

[Kodjias Wrist]

Surprised no one mentioned Sheffield United didn't catch us or Swindon didn't win the league 

[2015]

England would do well at 2014 World Cup...

 

We were dreadful.

[Oh Louie louie]

Wonder what zac cloughs dad is up to now, not working as a career's officer I imagine 

[downendcity]

2 hours ago, Dollymarie said:

Try doubling that and then adding one. . .  

 

Dianne says she's on it!

.....and here's her working out.

 

 

[The Bard]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

I was quite excited…because I’d learned from GJ’s appointment that you don’t need a big name, ex-player to get results.  I’d also seen his Cheltenham side a few times, and they weren’t the long ball team everyone said Cotts’ teams were.

Was similar to you Dave.

 

Know someone who played for him at Cheltenham who said he was an amazing manager. Gave you the info & confidence to be able to get the better of your opponent. 

Good manager.  That's all we ever need tbh. Our problem has been we're not great at appointing them and when we do, they were undermined one way or another...

[ChippenhamRed]

I thought I'd see my club play in the top flight before I was 40. They've got 7 weeks left.

[Peter O Hanraha-hanrahan]

Genuinely thought when Coppell arrived followed by David James that we were geared up for a serious promotion push and we only had to turn up to beat Millwall on the opening day.

I was convinced Man City would beat us 6 or 7 nil all 3 times we’ve played them in recent years.

Aside from that many already mentioned but the two that really stand out for me are the Stewart and Bridges combo that never took off as expected and I NEVER thought the slags would get relegated to Non League going into that last day. I didn’t even glance at the scores until 16:45 walking back to my car at Morrisons and even then it was just an afterthought to look at L2 after seeing we were drawing with Crawley 

 

[lenred]

First season back in the Championship this time around, I thought us challenging for promotion to the Prem was a given, with play offs being the minimum we’d achieve with that squad.  Still baffles and slightly upsets to this day how it went so so wrong tbh. What could’ve been with that team.