Thank god for that this season is finally at an end. For the last few seasons we have been through some highs - Steve Copple being named manager everyone thought he would be City's answer to Bill Shankley even fans of other clubs were saying what a good choice we had made, trouble was the bubble burst very early and the club never recovered we seemed to stagger from one problem to another until this season when we got the chop. Now we have to face up to new challenges in L1 and an almost unknown team to follow next season as the rebuilding takes place I would like to think we could bounce straight back but I think it will greatly depend on how soon players leave what we don't need is players under contract staying until the last week of a transfer window then submitting a transfer request, after their agents have been busy talking to other clubs to find them alternatives. The playing side is going to need to be almost completely rebuilt with a mixture of our younger players and imports and that is going to take time for the players to gel obviously the quicker the players are in post the faster we can see some cohesion in play on the field I expect that Sean and Richard are going to be very busy between now and August first sorting out which current players they wish to offer contracts too then looking to see who we can attract as new blood. Sean usually develops teams over a few years but here he might just have the chance to build from scratch in a single season but we shouldn't be too impatient as long as the team is playing better and improving we must allow for the odd hiccup along the way, I doubt if even the most fervent of our fans really expects us to win every game next year there will be bad runs no doubt as well as good runs but over time I expect the two O's to develop the side so that in the not too distant future we will once again be able to watch our team with pride, not half expecting us to lose every match. We have some good looking youngsters Bryan, Reid, Ajala, Carey and Burns and others not quite so advanced as yet but could be blooded next season, plus what seems to be a good bunch of lads currently in the younger ranks of the academy. So to sum up yes we have been relegated this season but the way the scouting and academy have been overhauled by both DM and S O'D gives me hope that the tunnel might not be so dark or so long before we are once again out of the gloom and looking at a much better team on the field playing the type of joined up football we prefer to watch.
And so I come to the end of another season as an avid supporter of Bristol City. It’s the end of the 63rd season for me. And with it comes relegation for the seventh time. But it’s the first time that it has not been unexpected. Even the three consecutive relegations from 1980 were not foreseen in the way that this one has. In October 1979, City sat 8th in the First Division and not many at that time would have said we would be bottom of the 92 by December 1982. Each season we dropped down a league but I can’t remember that we expected such. Then in 1999 the year after promotion we set off with new strikers who we thought would outscore others to give us a good finishing position; but it all soon went pear shaped. And going a long way back, in 1959-60, I don’t think that before the season started under Peter Doherty, anyone thought we were relegation candidates. Yet for the last three seasons, we have looked likely to suffer the drop, only to escape dramatically twice, under Millen and then Mcinnes. Now it’s finally happened but no-one from the Board has apparently done much to pull us away from the inevitable drop to League One. Since 2004, a catalogue of errors has been inflicted on our club by a succession of bad managerial appointments, throwing money at travelling mercenaries who never gave a **** about Bristol City, the appearance of a squad, which changed each season but which had one constant factor; “We’ll only perform when we want to” was and still is their attitude. The final indignity for me was the employment of David James at an astronomical salary for a bottom end of the Championship Club. The lack of interest in the Academy meant we did not produce anyone for the first team. Those running the Academy really were in a cushy job, weren’t they! What I find amazing is that since promotion in 1997, we have never had a positive goal difference in the Championship, even though we only missed promotion to the Premiership by 0-1 at Wembley. Not one of the last five managers have been able to recruit anything resembling a decent ball winning centre half, yet every City fan throughout the world, has known this has been our biggest problem for the last five years. How inept is that? But when McInnes tried to sign one or two last summer, he obviously met with a resounding lack of support from the Board. Our Cup performances have been a complete joke, highlighting again that a good proportion of the squad only try when it suits them. Our club is a joke to football fans around the country because of our complete lack of success. They regard Bristol and the West Country as a complete backwater for top class football. Now the highest placed club from the area west of Southampton & Reading and south of Birmingham is a club with a three sided ground because they can’t afford to put a stand behind one goal! And they could be joined via the League One play-offs by that well known village, Yeovil. And the biggest joke of all is that after eight years living in this Portuguese paradise, it’s very likely that we’ll be back in the Bristol area for good sometime in the Autumn – back in time to see such mouth-watering delights as Crawley Town, Stevenage and Gillingham. So that’s the end of my end of season RANT. I’ll try my best to look forward to a more settled year in League One. I’ll continue to pray that SO’D gets rid of the “play when we want” dross. We all know who they are. And I’ll look forward to seeing more of the new Gerry Gow, Bobbie Reid and his compadres from the Under 21’s, Bryan, Burns, Ajala and also hope Santa gets us an early Christmas present by early July; a new “Brick ****house” of a centre-half. Or even two. Thank you all on Not606 for your companionship. It’s very much appreciated.
Its all a joke Form, cup runs (ha ****ing ha!) ambitions, sense, action, progress, future planning etc All of those things cannot be said about City. We are like the NHS - Overfunded, confused, **** at the job and going nowhere fast while people (or as we call them supporters) dwindle Lansdown, you may be one rich ****er and good luck to you, but I could run Hargreaves Lansdown better than you run City. No really I could..........one **** owner
Don't agree at all with your comments about the NHS Also, where would we be without Steve Lansdown? It would not be higher than League 1
I totally second your comment smhbcfc; Come to Portugal, Angelic, and see the alternative to the NHS. It's like the third world here for medical care, unless you go private. IMO Steve Lansdown has been too naive and trusting of the "football" people around him who just kept asking for more money to buy players and pay their inflated salaries. And his other failing is he's not too good at Personnel recruitment (managers). I believe he has now learned his lesson so I'm getting a bit more confident that the worst is now past. But his heart is definitely in the right place and just think Angelic, where would we be without him? I dread to imagine.
Gents Without Lansdown could we be any worse off, apart from being in L2 or being out of business ? Come on, his riches have brought misery and huge underachievement, They say money can't buy you love or happiness, but Jack Walker (at Blackburn) bought a Premiership title. Yes they have fallen from grace spectactularly since but I'd still swap places with them. Disgraceful waste of money and bad bad bad decision making
Have to agree 100% ,the club is in one big mess with huge amounts of money wasted,we are back in league 1 with a massive debt hanging over us.who do you blame for it,SL either is very naive regards this football club,or he has more money than sence to throw around.
scunthorpe and wolves may hold you up next season, league 1 will be a difficult season to play in with so many class acts joining like portvale, etc. do hope your pies are as hot as i remember them in the 1960's. anyway good luck next season, i suspect you may need it! floreat salopia! i assume you are still in that poky old stand behind the old bus depot. rumour had it you were building a new stadium over barrow tanks. anything come of that.
The bus station went many years ago but the tin shed stadium remains. New stadium held up by Nimby's using Village Green legislation, so rebuild of Ashton Gate probable. I lived in Shresbury for 12 years and spent/wasted quite a few hours at the Gay Meadow. The record number of balls in the Severn at matches I went to was eight. That old geezer in the coracle was knackered. I hope it will be a convenient time for our fixture there to see your new Meadow. Good luck Shrews. PS; Scunthorpe are in League Two next season.
yes the best of luck city, i lived in bristol from 1957 to 1965 and used to alternately visit eastville and the gate, in those heady days of john atyeo, derrick, etheridge,etc manager peter doherty and the club owned by harry dolman and later robert hobbs. are you going for a new manager again? i well remember the gay meadow, the floods, and the coracle. i went up to the gay meadow to watch shrews beat the gas 7-3. but the gas gk esmond million got done for throwing the game. anyway welcome to league 1 floreat salopia!
Good Luck in League one guys! Hopefully you can bounce back next year -Posh Fan p.s: We'll see you there
Nah We're coming first. And from all the hate and stick from the Hudders and Barnsley fans looks like they predict it will be at Walsall
Walsall will lose a hell of a lot of players this summer. Will grigg being on most teams lists. I personally want Baxendale from them. Quality winger.
Can't say I know the bloke but will grigg scores a few goals.. and with Richard o Kelly having ties with wallsall we might attract a few of their players
Championship teams want will grigg, Lan. I think he's only 19-20. Baxendale from what ive seen looks like another Adomah who can actually cross. Don't think he will score as many though, but very quick and skilfull again very young only 20. SOD got him in from leeds when he was at Doncaster and he has worked under ROK at Walsall.
Thats the bright side of the equation that we are currently involved in S O'D and R O'K have many more contacts in the English game than some of our recent managers SC excluded as he wasn't here long enough to do more than screw things up.
