What a Difference in a Year.

What a difference a year has made in the fortunes of Bristol City.
By a_stockhausen

please log in to view this image

Since his arrival in January, Wade Elliott has played his part in a remarkable upturn in fortunes at Bristol City.

Twelve months ago, Bristol City fans were desperate to bid farewell to one of the worst year’s in the football club’s history.

During what turned out to be a calamitous 2013, the Robins not only suffered relegation from the Championship, but also sunk to the foot of League One.

Back-to-back relegations appeared a distinct possibility at the dawn of the New Year, while financial problems were mounting for a club that entered 2014 with debts of more than £50 million.

This time last year, few Ashton Gate regulars were prepared to entertain the prospect of a brighter future and a growing number of fans were voting with their feet and staying away from Ashton Gate.

And no wonder – a meagre return of 41 points from league games played in 2013 was hardly going to entice a sceptical public to part with hard-earned cash at the turnstiles.

Fast forward a year and the transformation in fortunes has been nothing short of startling. Appointed in the final month of 2013, manager Steve Cotterill has affected the kind of turnaround that City fans could only have dreamed about back then.

Suffice to say, the Robins have accrued a remarkable 78 points from league games played during the calendar year and, with a further two fixtures remaining in 2014, that tally could yet rise to a remarkable 84.

Such has been the improvement wrought by Cotterill and his new-look team, that the class of 2014 could yet accrue more than twice the number of points gathered in the previous year!

So where does City’s transition from also-rans to top-of-the-table promotion hopefuls place them on a national scale?

Recourse to statistics reveals Cotterill’s team is currently seventh best in the four professional leagues during 2014.

Were the year to finish now, Wolves would be crowned overall top dogs with an amazing return of 86 points since January 1 with Brentford a point behind in second.

Premier League champions Manchester City are just ahead of title rivals Chelsea, who boast the third and fourth best records respectively, while Championship promotion hopefuls Derby County and AFC Bournemouth come in just ahead of seventh-placed Bristol City.

And with two games still to play before the year is out, City could potentially improve their position by three places if other results go their way.

How many City fans would have predicted that during the dark days of December 2013? One year on and Ashton Gate regulars are justifiably dreaming of a possible return to the Championship.

One thing is for sure, if they maintain the 2014 form during the first five months of 2015, there is every chance Rovins supporters will be celebrating come May.

2014 best teams:

1 Wolves – 86 pts

2 Brentford – 85

3 Man City – 84

4 Chelsea – 81

5 Derby – 80

6 Bournemouth – 79

7 Bristol City – 78

8 Ipswich – 75

9 Preston – 74

10 Swindon – 73

11 Rochdale – 72

12 = Burton/Chesterfield – 71

14 MK Dons – 70

15 Southend - 69
Read more: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/differ...tory-25751468-detail/story.html#ixzz3Mi4u962j

Some people are expressing concerns over our recent form, here is an article comparing us now with a year ago, it tells a different story.

I am on the positive side, we are doing well and I'm sure it will continue.....Up the City..