Why Boo Joe & Bobby?

Bristol City old boys Joe Bryan and Bobby Reid deserve our gratitude and respect, not boos
Bristol Live fan columnist Math Withers discusses Bristol City's elimination to Fulham in the FA Cup and a less than welcoming homecoming for two former Robins

So, we go out at the third round of the FA Cup but there were lots of positives to take from the game. The difference in the end arguably came down to Fulham’s substitutions, bringing on £45+ million’s worth of talent in Aleksandar Mitrovic, Tom Cairney and Harry Wilson. With Wilson’s cross come shot in the 105th minute of extra time being the all-important winner.

From the off, this was a confident display from City; we were brave at the back, looking to bring the ball out and played with good energy and tempo. It was good to see Rob Atkinson return to form and Ayman Benarous showed just what a good player he is and surely a star of the future.

Cam Pring, fresh from signing his new contract, put in an outstanding performance, left of a back three. Cam was strong at the back making crucial blocks and challenges but also got forward well and could have opened his City account.

We created numerous chances but just couldn’t find the quality needed in the final third. Han-Noah Massengo, Nahki Wells, Chris Martin, Callum O’Dowda and Tommy Conway all had really good opportunities to score.

The substitutions when they came on contributed and this was for me our most complete performance of the season. Pearson’s side dominated possession against a very good Fulham team but rather than the sideways and backwards possession we have seen, this was with a purpose and intent.

It wasn’t one-way traffic by any means and City were in the end reliant on two worldy saves from Max O’Leary from Cairney and Neeskens Kebano to keep the score at just the one. Max is playing with confidence, and the upturn in performance has a lot to do with his calmness and distribution from the back. It was a really enjoyable game to watch.

Whilst on the pitch everything was positive, off the pitch I was really disappointed, and that’s putting it mildly, at the booing by some fans of former City favourites Bobby Reid and Joe Bryan.

Let me firstly say that I totally appreciate that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. We all pay our money and we can all have our say, but for the life of me I don’t understand why any of our fans would boo two Bristolians, ex-academy players who gave their all for the club and left to better their careers and fundamentally the lives of their families with massive increases in salary.

Their transfers also made Bristol City a considerable amount of money, which in light of recent announcements would have been invaluable.

I know that fans who booed Reid cite the fact that he signed for rivals Cardiff City and after signing was pictured doing ‘The Ayatollah’, a tradition that Cardiff City have used since the 1990s.

But does that really warrant the booing of a player that joined Bristol City at seven years old, stayed for 18 years and earned the club a reported £10million in transfer fee.

As I am writing this, coincidentally, it’s four years to the day that he gave me one of my proudest moments as a City fan, when he slotted home a penalty in the 44th minute, away at Manchester City in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.

Total scenes, with more fans travelling to the Etihad Stadium that night than attended the FA Cup game against Fulham on Saturday. It gives me goose bumps thinking about it.

When Bobby left the club, he put out a social media post to Robins fans thanking them, explaining his love of the club, the hurdles that he had to overcome and the pathway that saw him achieve what he did.

He spoke of giving everything for the club and of his memories and whilst he understood that some fans may hate him for the move, he had ambitions of playing in the Premier League and he couldn’t turn the opportunity down but would always love Bristol City.

Does playing 30 games for Cardiff City in just over one season and tapping his head to integrate with his new fanbase, really override 18 years at our club? I loved watching Match of the Day and seeing Bobby score in the Premier League, ironically against Fulham. This was a Bristol boy doing us proud.

As I say for some, they feel there is a justifiable reason to boo Reid but what of Joe Bryan? Joe, like Reid, was an academy graduate who signed his first professional contract with the club in 2011 and went on to make 230 appearances, scoring 16 goals.

I can still clearly see in my mind’s eye, Joe’s curling effort against Bristol Rovers in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, his fantastic finish for Steve Cotterill’s promotion winners at home in the league to Swindon Town and of course his unbelievable strike against Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United in the Carabao Cup quarter final.

I’ve been at a number of away grounds watching City after Joe left and have seen him in the away end supporting the club that he loves and having photos with fans young and old.

I wonder how many of those that booed Joe on Saturday, stayed and watched him applaud the fans that remained and saw him give his shirt to a fan in the Lansdown Stand?

I also know just how much Bobby and Joe did for local charities, giving their time and money to support youngsters going through the toughest of battles.

There is also the point that boing players who could potentially return to the club in the future given their upbringing may taint their view on returning. Both are still relatively young and could in the future make a contribution. Neither has slagged the club off, and have said nothing but good things about City and its fans.

Maybe it’s my age, but I appreciate what the likes of Bobby and Joe did for my club and have no problem whatsoever in them bettering their lives and the lives of their family.

Like Bobby and Joe, former favourite Albert Adomah was booed by a section of fans, despite clearly showing his love of the club every time that he has played us. Just over a week ago, Millwall’s Benik Afobe scored against us and was quite rightly not booed, a player who made only 12 appearances for the club.

I can tell you, I for one won’t be booing Aden Flint and Marlon Pack when they return to Ashton Gate in a couple of weeks’ time with Cardiff City, choosing instead to remember all the enjoyment that they gave me in their time at City; the goals they scored and the fact they were part of a side that gave me my greatest ever season as a fan.

A footballer’s career is a short one and when opportunities arise to improve your salary (five or six times over), why wouldn’t you, irrespective of who the side is? How many of us in the stands would turn that down?

Let’s celebrate what players have done for us rather than castigate them for who their employer is now. It’s important to say that the booing was very much by a minority and that this minority don’t represent the majority.

Our 3 Peaps In a Podcast Bonus show ratings this week were: Max O’Leary 7, Tomas Kalas 8, Rob Atkinson 7, Cameron Pring 9 *MotM, Alex Scott 6, Andy King 6, Han Noah Massengo 7, Callum O’Dowda 5, Ayman Benarous 7, Nahki Wells 6 and Chris Martin 5.

For Nige it was a 7. The last three games have seen a change in style of play and a greater consistency, with an attacking intent. No one is getting carried away but there are steady signs of improvement. The current team average for the season is 5.87 with an expected performance rating of 6.
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-bryan-bobby-reid-6465461

 

Joe and Bobby played and fought the cause for us right back from Cotts days, they excelled at their game and were sold on to advance their careers and at the same time topping up the coffers of Bristol City by a few million pounds, they never let the club down, always honoured the shirt and our fans.

Good luck to them both, it's a disgrace to boo them, it lacks class and makes us all look small minded, they are both a credit to the club they grew up with, I wish them all the best and thanks for the memories they gave us.