New year, half the season gone and in a state of peril .. again I think more than half of those fifty two years, CITY wise have been an expectation of negativy, ..........going down or just managing to grasp the last branch before the waterfall into the abyss, very few have been "we could go up" and a few, probably mostly "well we should survive" 2016 in a state of peril .......again, I sit here as some of do, thumbing the pages via our trusty computers to see what others think, what might happen, likely what might not happen for us and general football/ sports news. City had a plan a good one the boat was afloat with a good head of steam and suddenly as the first leg of the race finished out popped a few rivets and the water stated flowing in.... Quick said SC go below and stuff these old programmes into the holes, but the water still flowed in and nothing would stop it, more and more programmes were consumed, but the boat began list more rapidly, until sometime in the future, not to distant ONE HOPES, a bright spark said how about we put a patch on the outside, and the water stopped coming in, the excesses were removed the boat righted and once again all looked shipshape and Bristol fashion.... until.... our patch is 12 important points ....VERY important points .... 4 must win games, we are now in an isolated group of 5 teams in the past 5 years 4 teams in 22nd had 41 , 44 , 40 , 42 in 2013 Peterbro had 54 but Hull in 2nd only had 79!!!!! 6th were on 68 ! our 12 points must come from this mix of fixtures BOLT v M KD ..... jan MKD. v CITY. ..... feb CHAR v MKD. ..... mar MKD. v ROTH ..... apr ROTH v CHAR ..... jan BOLT v ROTH ...... feb CITY. v ROTH ..... apr CHAR v CITY. ..... feb CITY. v BOLT ..... mar BOLT v CHAR ..... apr I HOPE THIS TIME NEXT YEAR I AM NOT HAVING EXPECTATIONS OF PROMOTION TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP!
You might very well jgf2 and it's a sad but true encapsulation of the last 50 years that we have rarely, if ever, been a can-do organisation. Are we scared of our own shadow or are we just scared at the thought of success letting us down, or is it that the opinion of those who don't matter tell us we shouldn't be thinking of joining the rest of the group? Is the West Country area not good enough when it comes to acceptability leading us to come up with lame excuses as to why we always struggle when it comes to getting it right? It's almost as if we are prepared to keel over and die rather than kick the rest in the arse and say we will never apologise for who we are and where we come from. After 50+ years of supporting Bristol City I'm cold, getting tired and bored of hearing the same old rhetoric year after year and never getting close enough to touch the flame. I used to think I was reading between the lines with some of my comments but over the last few weeks my eyes have been opened wide by some of the leadership statements, and they cause me concern because it appears that my dreams cannot be fulfilled due to the inability under the FFP of my club to function financially to stay in the game, yet alone in the division. How sad is that when you consider that we have been fed a diet strong in hope and aspirations only to have them dashed the minute we arrive at the next destination along the promised path to success. Pathetic, and I am surprised, well maybe not if I am brutal, that Steve Lansdowne just appears to sit back and grin and say that everything will be O.K. and expect us to doff our caps in capitulation and respect. This could be my last season following this lot and I could be booking my exit ticket by the end of January when I get final confirmation that we might decide not to fight a good fight and accept what might soon become an irreversible situation. For goodness sake Steve isn't it time we started hearing that not only do you want your love child to compete but thrive, and I honestly don't see or hear any of that positivity coming from the boardroom other than the same stuff we have been hearing for years without the proper resolution and implementation. Isn't it time to change the record and be truly counted?
Mike you talk about hearing the same thing over and over. Now you are saying it's been the same for 50 years. SL wasn't here 50 years ago. So I suspect and when you think about it what great football players has either Bristol club produced? Sure you get one or two but considering the size of the catchment area the percentage of local based football players is very slim. And that's with Southampton, Villa and other clubs nicking any propects. I would say the issue is and always has been down to support. I watched Sunderland v Villa on MoD last night 41k fans watched that and to be honest what has Sunderland done recently? Sure they are a strong yo yo club championship to prem team but when do you actually believe a Bristol club will average 25k I would think it would take a one off cup game to fill the stadium when it's complete. The problem is the support, some of my own family started going back last season because of the season we had bought season tickets this season. Will they do the same next season? I don't know but loads will walk away again never to return till the sun shines again for us. And that is in my opinion the problem with City and Rovers and that's Bristol is only interested in good times not the doldrums. Given the choice again from a young age to go through more negatives than positives with City or follow another team (remember I'm not actually from Bristol so I had choice) hell no it will be city all the way and to be honest I've loved every bit even the relegations because that's what makes fans like the 41k to watch Sunderland v Villa it's about totally loving your team not just enjoying the good times.
I do actually agree with this although filling the stadium probably wouldn't be so much of a problem, IF we were consistently successful. What is however being destroyed this season is all the goodwill and momentum generated last year in the newest and latest generation of our support. They should go whatever you say however sadly, today's youth has way too many distractions and it doesn't take a lot to lose their interest and you may not ever get it back again
the problem with modern day life and all of its baggage ..PC and all that entails .. Health and safety ... and social services/ health care's favourite phrase to pass the buck "duty of care" try saying that to them.. "you have a duty of care to" ... and suddenly it's 2not our problem,/department/etc"
I was saying that I've been a supporter for over 50 years not that we've been hearing the same thing over that time. Any true supporter would love us to be playing in front of the sort of crowds seen at Middlesbrough, and some others, but the reality of life is we have neither the stadium or the team to attract the masses like them. Bristol City do get some things right but my experience has told me that they rarely get the right things right at the right time and as for offering the total package deal well we are currently falling way short of the mark. Until Bristol City have the stadium and team travelling on the same train we will struggle to reach our promised destination and that in a nutshell is my gripe with the running of the organisation. The most frustrating thing for me is we have come so close and yet we are not there yet but have another 3-5 year plan in the works which is where I was led to believe we were 5 years ago. Spinning wheels comes to mind.
It must be more frustrating for you Mike because apart from TV (doesn't really show you the true thing as that follows the ball etc) and one or two games you don't get the true picture. In fairness barring a few games we are not too bad to watch and a majority of opposition fans commented on our play. Like Prem said on another thread if you can find someone to write of 30 million of debt and not require it back then SL is the answer. If you don't like what's being said don't read it. As to a five year plan I suspect most clubs have five year plans and aim above where they've are likely to get to. If you don't have a plan you flounder and sink. We are still paying for having an under developed stadium I think in our first year in league one two seasons ago we was the only club without corporate boxes, even the gashead stadium has these! I still think we came up one or two seasons too early and it should of been in line with the stadium completed. My issue is with SC is his loyalty to the team and won't use the substitutions in the correct way and the loanees was baffling. Now if the board is as useless as you portray then why sanction a loan deal (not cheap no more) for Cox but then see the manager not playing him. Would you back the manager with money to buy players but not use them. Do I want SC to leave? No I don't I want him to take off his rose tinted glasses and become the manager who dragged us out of the mess that SoD left us in two seasons ago.
Spot on ROD and I know that some of my threads and comments may sound too harsh but they are well intended despite my lack of playing time as you say. I have been watching, with a bit of a green eye envy, quite a few Championship matches and when I see Middlesbrough playing in front of over 30,000 it makes me ask why that couldn't be us? The newly renovated stadium giving us a new capacity of 24,000? will generate more revenue of course but don't we need to get the team more competitive to become more sustainable? All the pieces need to come together in a timely and professional manner and right now I have doubt as to whether we can attain that goal in time for next season. It's going to be an interesting time for us all, especially the people who have to make the right decisions to take us forward.
Our capacity will be around 27,000 (maybe 27.5k) and it has been MANY a year since Boro had that many in and in fairness, it was the battle of the 2 most likely to go up this year....
A nice revenue boost then Prem, so let's hope we have a good standard of football to grace the place. It would be like moving towards a better future and growing the youngsters, both on and off the field, to commit to Bristol City.
Mr Lansdown is not always writing off debts. There is still twenty million plus of debt existing within the FC x holdings x Bristol Sport framework as restructured debt. Your point regarding who else is valid. City fans have been happy to go along with Mr Lansdown status quo. He pays the piper and the end result is something that is quite unlike anything that has existed in Bristol City's history. The FC has no assets, is totally in control of one man and his leadership x his project Bristol Sport but will be tenants at a modern stadium costing its owner tens of millions. I would have disagree regarding totally about Mr O Driscoll he followed the five pillars, he left with a team with two wins, two draws, one defeat in its last five which was a platform to go forward. There is still a obvious platform to go forward here but progress is a perception. For some progress is just wins, nothing else, while for others the model of Brist Sport FC fielding g an XI of Eskimos just to get those wins and paying fifty quid to watch it would have me watching Briz instead. Massive change here at the moment, interesting it will be.
Politically incorrect there Cliftonville and as you know first hand the world has changed in to a place where all the old words and phrases have been turned on us and now we can't say anything that we used to in fear of bringing down the planet with incorrect talk. For Eskimo use Inuit. Replace 5 pillars with carved ice and we may stand a chance. Forget the pies and replace them with "Bludgeoned Seal Burgers" and we could be on to a winner that would finance our rebuild. Just a thought.
