Now that City and Bristol Rugby are both playing at AG and BS are apparently helping Glos CCC with some marketing, how about an annual charity match involving the players of all three clubs. Bris v City at rugby, Glos v City at football, Combined City/Bris v Glos at cricket? Some good lighthearted fun for the fans and players of all three. Involving some celebrity supporters? And a wedge of cash for the benefit of local charities. And something that would also be of interest is a triangular football tournament with City playing the teams from Bristol's first twin cities, Hanover and Bordeaux. Both those clubs are highly rated in their countries and an aid to raising City's profile. Play the tournament on a rota basis in each city would give fans another holiday destination.
Nor would Cotts! We used to do this for a football club I played for 20 years ago, it was a laugh, but we battered them at football and then they literally battered us at rugby.
I like the idea of Bordeaux and Hanover cidered because I've always thought our pre-season friendlies don't measure up in the good opposition department. Lot's of work needed to make us Championship material and the way to test your players, both new and old, is to let them play against players of an equal or higher level. The thought, other than local rah-rah, of playing the likes of WSM, Clevedon and Forest Green doesn't fill me with footballing excitement before the start of the new season and have often wondered why we don't look higher up the pecking order for our pre-season opponents.
if we are going to arrange a friendly with a club from one of our twinned cities then i woud want fc porto
I'm all for this great idea, any of those teams coming to Bristol would be an honour, now it devours me to say this but surely fellow Bristolians Bristol Rovers FC would have as much right to participate in this competition as any one, invite them in and we will all have some fun......Good Idea..
Pre season friendlies are not about entertaining the fans or making it a desirable day out for the fans, its about increasing the players fitness and game time until they reach the optimum fitness level for our season-- so WSM followed by Forest green is a natural progression, if thats what gets us to a decent championship campaign then I'm all for it.
If any money is being exchanged then friendlies certainly are. Football clubs by their nature should be about entertainment. The FC exists solely because of its fans, the club plays football for the benefit of its members of that club, its fans. Friendlies are often about more than stretching the legs e.g. Charity events, part of sponsorship deals, part of transfer arrangements they are what FC's want them to be. I certainly would be in favour of a friendly with the Dutch club heavily associated with a section of BCFC fans.
If I was the Manager of Bristol City FC (or any other professional club) my priorities would be different to yours! I would have a job to do (and keep)
Certainly not playing at Iron mould lane because of the surface unless Mr Cotterill thinks the championship is full of pitched that have a metre slope in one corner. Good idea the charity games v local screwfix sides.
I wouldn't mind the idea of a full day fixture at Ashton Gate, where a single ticket gets you: A Bristol rugby game against a given opponent A Bristol City game against a random opponent; maybe even the U21's A BBQ thrown in, along with some activities for kids.
