I've supported city since I was 11 years old. I'm not from Bristol but my dad is, and he made me support this bloody team. I've followed them with a passion in a town that is full of premiership knobs that dont even know who Bristol city are. Actually saw us beat Arsenal at Highbury for our first game back in the big league, all those years ago. At the moment we aren't good enough to be in the premiership, and any one that thinks we are is wrong
I am the same as you, I have to admit I am of an age now that watched Big John at the end of his career, saw John Galley and all of sixites, worshiped and watched the boys under AD at Highbury and beyond, experienced the shame of '82 and the heroics of the 8 that saved us, I was one of the fools or honourable 4000 that used to attend games after our downfall, loved the periods of Terry Cooper and big Joe Jordan, suffered the indignity of Pulis and his oppo Lindsey Parsons, followed all the ups and down of the next restless years up until the success of Cotts. I think I can judge a decent Bristol City side after all of these years, I agree with you we are not good enough to play at the higher level but we are still 7th in the league and there is always hope, I can only hope and wait.
welcome to my island .. until recently was looking at 2020/21 to be having a go .. now think 21 /22! but will be even more financially secure …. BROWNHILL managed a couple of minutes today!
what we do not know is how physically weak the team are after a bug! mine started WEDS EVENING and although way past my 3 score and 10 regard myself as pretty fit although a 3 month set back from hospital visit means I have had to build up since November … but to be honest I feel really really f****** and panned out!
I don't know what bug has been doing the rounds at the training ground,but surely they must have a flu jab in sept/october
The frustrating thing for me is individually I believe the players we have at present are the best we’ve had for some time. We seem devoid of confidence and play like a load of strangers. Had we been at our best yesterday I honestly believe we could have won. We have them all three of their goals. We still are in the running , if we can rediscover our belief and confidence we’ve every chance , but if we carry on being devoid of confidence and making individual errors like yesterday we’ll drop into the pack.
I blame the Ashton Gate Chinese chef from Wohan...... returned from visiting his relatives a few days before the Leeds game - with some local delicacies for the players to try........
I too was at Highbury for that first game in the old First Division. I was a teenager who got hooked in that promotion season and have been ever since. I agree this isn't a promotion squad. I think Gary Johnson's team was better. If we did make the play offs our record against the top teams shows we'd have little chance of promotion. I like LJ but don't think he is capable of building a promotion team. We will have to wait for SL to run out of patience though, which could mean another season or two of disappointment. Whether he'll pick the right manager next time though is what worries me. His track record is pretty woeful.
In fairness it’s difficult when every year your best players are taken from you and you pretty much have a new group to mould , he’s done pretty well really, whether he’d be able to anyway is another question, just saying he’s in quite a difficult position and has done pretty well considering.
I take some consolation from the fact that we did the double (I believe) over Hull back in 2008 but they won the fixture that mattered. If we meet Leeds in the playoff final and beat them then I wouldn’t care about them beating us twice.
The only way we're going to get promotion is to buy Premiership quality players throughout the team and that will break the bank and FFP rules. Therefore I can't see it happening with the current set up we have or the personnel. Serious but hypothetical question here - In all the years I've watched football there are quite a few teams that regularly yo-yo between the top division and the Championship. I'm talking about the likes of Norwich, WBA, Leicester, Middlesbrough, Sheffield United, Aston Villa, Sunderland and the like. So every few years the supporters of these teams are celebrating another promotion and a year or so later are lamenting their relegation back to the Championship where they build again for their next tilt at promotion. But if we're not going to make the big time, would you be happy being a 'Norwich' but have us yo-yoing between L1 and the Championship so that at least we win silverware every few years ?
But the yo-yo I was asking about would be between League 1 and the Championship, not between the Premiership and the Championship
I love the Championship. It’s so exciting and everyone can beat everyone else, but we MUST aspire to get to the Premiership surely? Being content to sit here is like an athlete not wanting a gold medal and being happy with a silver. I’ve never been able to identify with the mindset of the people who harp back to our promotion year under Cotts - yes it was fun, but we shouldn’t have even been in that league to start with - it was league 1 ffs!! We MUST push for the prem imho - but NOT by overspending and incurring the anger of FFP - even if we come straight back down like Cardiff have done - but at least they’ve had a pop at it - we haven’t and as a fan I feel we are missing out.
If we're ever going to aspire to really go for promotion to the 'big time' then surely the plan has to be to ensure that we're capable of staying there once we've reached the Premiership ?
Yes of course I totally agree that has to be the PLAN, but many clubs have imploded after throwing money at trying to stay in there. I want us to go as far as we possibly can - and I really believe that although it's VERY tough, Leicester, Wolves and Sheff U have proved that you CAN be up with there with the big boys. I would rather we did a 'Cardiff' though, than gamble everything on a 5h!t or bust strategy which might set us back years. I have been accused of being too 'cautious' before in my hopes for our club by many on here and on OTIB but I stand by my opinions - which is one of the reasons that, whilst obviously not happy with the last 2 results and performances, I can't call for LJ to go right now. I'm a 'better the devil you know' man - same as my Brexit views. It's also a big part of my job to assess the risks IT changes pose to existing IT services and if the benefits don't justify the risks then I stop the changes happening until certain mitigating criteria can be met and evidenced - it's my career and my life ethos I guess
