This happened to me and mine at the gate today and it's my little story of how City staff made our day, thank you to them, my E-mail to David Lloyd explains all and please excuse my humble photo's of me, part of my son and 2 of my grandsons, the next generation of City fans from my family are on their way. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Great Reception‏ derrick 11:55 To: [email protected] What an experience me and my family had today, we spent some time making purchases in the Megastore, good service and enjoyed our time there, then I said to my wife, son, daughter and 2 grandsons letâs go and look through the gates at the pitch, my grandsons are on their first visit. We are looking through the gates in wonderment and a young fella called Phil from your stadium development team came over, invited us in and spent some time with us giving us a brief inside look at the ground, stands, dug-outs and pitch, he told some stories about the Watford manager, our own players and the general buzz at the gate, he obviously had things to do but he made 3 generations of my family feel very welcome and part of the Ashton Gate scene. It was a great experience had by all of us and a special thanks to Phil he made us all confirmed City fans. Many thanks, Derrick( wizered, moderator, not606) @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ If I get a reply I'll put it up for you all to see, cheers and Up the City.....wiz.
Took my wife on a stadium tour a couple of years ago- David Lloyd couldn't do enough for us. Super chap. Enjoyed it immensely. Glad you did too
Happy days Wiz, I'm sure your Grandsons will always remember this day and their next time on the pitch is when we get promotion!
I have had an E-Mail back from David Lloyd - Bristol City, please read copy below.... ' Great Reception‏ david lloyd ([email protected]) To: 'derrick..........' Hi Derrick Thanks for the email, and I’m glad that you were made to feel welcome. As fans ourselves, staff know what a thrill it can be to get taken behind the scenes. I remember a similar experience with my young son about 20 years ago, long before I was working at the club, and it’s stayed with us both. I’ll pass on your thanks. Regards David Lloyd Supporter Liaison Bristol City Football Club Direct line: 0117 963 0683 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @dave_backwell
Now we know what you look like Wiz! What a great story. The last time my family was on the pitch at AG was for a sad occasion - my father, a 50 year regular at City, had passed away and I could think of no more fitting place for his ashes to be buried than in front of the Atyeo stand as Big John was my dad's hero. After calling the club to talk about this and being told that only ex-players and staff could be afforded such a request, someone from the club called me back. They said that they had looked at season ticket records and my dad was one of the longest continual season ticket holders and they would like to respect our wishes. They didn't have to do this but they obviously took the time to research. It would have been much easier to say "no" and comply with policy. The ground staff were fantastic when we arrived. They dug up the turf to the side of the goal and allowed us to scatter the ashes. What was even more touching was the fact that Alan Walsh was running around the pitch at the time, doing some afternoon work on his own and he stopped what he was doing, took off his wool hat (it was February) and bowed his head to show respect. That gesture was so touching to our family and we could not thank the club enough for what they did. I liked Walshy as a player but as a man he was a class person. It's stories like this that bind us to the club. The lack of success goes out the window when a simple gesture from the club shows the fans that they do care. I hope your grandsons carry on the City family legacy even though I'm sure their mates all wear Chelsea shirts.
Did one just before xmas and DL was again superb, a very knowledgeable, helpful and a damn nice bloke. Was really shocked though when he said, this season, we're on target for a 45% wage bill, down from 143% - staggering! Hopefully that won't increase much this month but if we can stay up with this squad, next season could be really interesting when other clubs are forced to make big cut backs and we're already there!
When my son was a mascot for City, for an away game at Watford a year or two back, the Manager (DMc) and some of the players were absolutely brilliant to him. Some of them clearly understood that to an 8 year old, meeting these stars they see on the pitch is like meeting a King. Asking him questions and the like - it was all so brilliant and I must admit to having a bit of a lumpy throat seeing him running out with Nicky Maynard. Liam Fontaine was especially nice, hence why I do tend to defend him on this forum, for irrational reasons. Unfortunately, it did seem that the higher players wages (or their own self esteem), the less they regarded the small boy with his programme and pen asking for an autograph. David James just stood there butt-naked, which was rather off-putting, and Brett Pitman was just an arse full stop.
