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Bristol City: Hartley signing shows promotion intentions

Times Online — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:57:30 +0100

With the signing of Paul Hartley announced this week, Gary Johnson has signalled his intent to the rest of the Championship that Bristol City are aiming for promotion this season.

Hartley, 32, has joined the club from Celtic, having played 86 games in a central midfield since joining from Hearts. Capped 22 times by Scotland, he regularly featured for Celtic in the Champions League, matching up against the likes of AC Milan and Barcelona in recent years and will add some vital experience to the midfield.

As well as experience, Hartley will offer some much-needed creativity in the centre of midfield. Though he was primarily employed as a defensive midfielder at Celtic, Hartley is renowned for his incisive through balls and deadly set play deliveries - two attributes which City badly missed last season.

Hartley, who scored an impressive 38 times in four seasons at Hearts, will give City a genuine goal threat going forward from midfield and, to date, is Gary Johnson's most prestigious signing for the club.

Many, including myself in these pages three weeks ago, bemoaned our lack of creativity, and it seems that Gary Johnson too shared our discontent. Alongside Marvin Elliot or Cole Skuse, Hartley will be given the freedom to express himself and get forward as much as possible; a welcome change to our previously non-existent attacking threat from midfield.

With the signing of David Clarkson from Motherwell last season, it seems that Gary Johnson could be considering 4-3-3 as a genuine option next season, accommodating three central midfielders. This could mean Gavin Williams, Paul Hartley, Marvin Elliot, Cole Skuse and Lee Johnson all fighting for a starting berth.

In the exciting world of rumourville, the wonderfully-named Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink has been linked to the club on a free transfer following his release from Celtic. The Dutchman would serve to be an excellent replacement for Dele Adebola, who finally joined Nottingham Forest after months of speculation. Hesselink, who would demand high wages, is thought to be wanted by other clubs and his signature would be as surprising as it would be joyous.

It's not all good news though - despite searching and searching for news of right wingers coming to City, I have found none of any substance. This leads me to the somewhat depressing conclusion that Ivan Sproule will be starting on the right hand side of midfield on the opening day of the season. If that is the case, can someone please tell Gary Johnson that in order to be a footballer, the ability to pass, shoot and cross are helpful, qualities that Ivan Sproule doesn't possess.

Bristol City: it's time to address lack of midfield flair

Times Online — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:44:31 +0100

If Bristol City are to stand a genuine chance of promotion this season then they need to bring in at least two quality attacking midfielders.

City have consistently struggled to score goals in the past two seasons, despite breaking the club's transfer record with the £2.25m signing of striker Nicky Maynard (above) last summer. City scored just 54 league goals during the 2008-09 season, but our goal-scoring crisis is not however a failure of bad strikers, its roots are founded in the lack of creativity, flair and service from the midfield.

With two impressive Championship finishes (4th and 10th) since promotion from League One, City have shown that they are more than adequately equipped for life in the second tier of English football but have struggled to make much of an impact on the scoring charts.

Maynard, who scored 11 league goals, was partnered for most of the season by Dele Adebola, who also managed to get into double figures, scoring ten. Apart from the two first-choice strikers, the rest of the City squad scored a measly 33 league goals in 46 games, a very poor return by anyone’s standards, let alone a team who harboured valid hopes of promotion.

Although Maynard and Adebola hardly set the world alight, both were decorated in the Player of the Year awards, with Maynard winning the Young Players’ Player of the Year and Adebola the senior prize. With defenders Liam Fontaine and Louis Carey in the running for the awards, Bristol City’s midfield contingent (apart from an outside chance of Cole Skuse winning the Young Player award) were noticeably absent in the running for the individual awards, a trend which reflects City’s real weakness last season.

Credit must go to both Maynard and Adebola for creating most of their goals by themselves, and if the pair had received better service from the midfield they could have been looking at a return that would have fairly reflected how well the pair played during the season.

From midfield, Michael McIndoe, Lee Johnson, Marvin Elliot, Ivan Sproule, Gavin Williams and Cole Skuse scored a woeful 19 goals in a cumulative 223 appearances. If we are to truly stand a genuine hope of promotion next season it is imperative that the goal contribution from midfield is significantly improved.

The biggest problem area, however, is on the right-hand side of midfield. Ivan Sproule, who was brought in for a reported £500,000 in the summer of 2007, came billed as a free-scoring forward but is actually a goal-shy midfielder who suffers from the slightly debilitating lack of ability to pass, shoot or cross. We therefore desperately need a right winger with any new recruits hopefully possessing the powers to do what Sproule cannot.

City must also address the frustrating lack of creativity in the centre of midfield. Lee Johnson has started 82 Championship games and scored only four goals in the last two seasons. His position in the side seems worryingly safe for a player who makes very little impact on most of the matches he plays in. Gary Johnson, the manager, would improve the team significantly if an attacking central midfielder were brought into the starting line-up alongside the excellent Marvin Elliot, and thus displacing the mediocre Lee Johnson in the starting XI.

Another position to address is up front as Adebola's contract has not been renewed and replacing him will not be easy. His commitment, teamwork and work-rate regularly produced good performances. One player City could target is Birmingham’s Marcus Bent. He only started 16 games for the Blues last season and is unlikely to feature on a regular basis in the Premier League due to his age and lack of recent success in the top flight. Bent possesses similar attributes to Adebola and could prove to be an effective replacement at Championship level.

City are, in truth, not far from a team that could challenge for promotion. By adding two or three attack-minded quality players City would stand a genuine chance of going up. Gary Johnson could do a lot worse than looking to Nicky Bailey, of Charlton Athletic. Bailey, who scored 13 goals last season, revelled in central midfield and could be available for a cut-price figure due to the financial turmoil that Charlton currently face. Another possible target could be Adam Lallana, the Southampton midfielder, who are also in serious financial trouble, but the England Under-21 international would expect to cost in the region of £3m.

Richard Brown
www.fansonline.net/bristolcity

Bristol City: What a difference 2 days makes

Ron Walker — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:30:40 +0000

In this knee-jerk, results based business of football, no one would have been overly surprised for Gary Johnson to leave Bristol City after a fairly dismal run of form. 1 win in 12, and none from the last 8 had seen City fall from 4th at the end of August to 18th mid-December, with relegation looking more likely than any play-off push. With last season's steadfast Michael McIndoe not performing, flair players Lee Trundle & David Noble kept out of the squad, 2 wins from 12 attempts at Ashton Gate, and a lack of depth being exposed in the squad, all was not well in BS3.

Until Boxing Day, that is. I wasn't expecting much of my first away day since September, as work commitments had kept me from Ashton Gate for a number of matches but hearing the gist of our lifeless performances, I would have been more than happy with a draw. It was coincidentally poignant that, reading the programme before the match (the supporters' coach having arrived over 2 hours prior to kick-off), I glanced over the "quickest goal scored this season", Jordi Gomez of Swansea having struck after only 26 seconds. It reminded me of the last time I remembered City scoring an early goal - Scott Murray scored after 17 seconds against Milwall at Ashton Gate, over 2 years ago. 23 seconds into our game, and Nicky Maynard rippled the back of the net with a placed shot after a superb McIndoe lob.

Given how things had gone, this didn't completely satisfy me, as in that Milwall game we sat back and were very lucky to keep our lead until full-time. We pressed on against Watford though, the usually ineffective Ivan Sproule proving a livewire on our right side, and we were well worth our eventual 4-2 victory.

2 days later, and we hosted Crystal Palace back at Ashton Gate. With our dreadful home record hanging over our heads, and a significant recent history with Neil Warnock's side, it was a massive game for us to hold it together. Memories of those two games in May still linger long in the memory for most city fans, myself included, and in many ways, this game was just as important. Nicky Maynard slacked off to score after only 90 seconds this time around, and, again, we pressed for more against a determined Palace defence. As time went on and a second goal eluded us, Palace pushed on for an equaliser, but as 5 o'clock arrived, we had risen 6 places and points in the space of 2 days.

I'm a bit of a cynic, and will say I've heard it all before and that it proves little. But things are encouraging; Maynard has 4 goals in 3 games, we're looking sound defensively and we've won at Ashton Gate for the first time since mid-October. It's too early to tell, but this might be the turning point, and, following Hull's escapades last season and the play-offs being all but 7 points away, who knows.

Different team, same rubbish

Ron Walker — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:05:48 +0100

Harsh experience has taught me, as a Bristol City supporter, to keep my feet on the ground. Since Gary Johnson became manager just over 3 years ago, we have been treated to a light sprinkling of total football, overshadowed by week after week of grinding, ugly, workmanlike performances. As recently as our 4-1 win over Doncaster last month, I heard people saying, "perhaps this is the changing point - a settled team, plenty of momentum, we can play like this a lot". As good as that sounds, it's the same old well intended naivity.

After the famous 5-1 victory in München in 2001, the road to the World Cup looked good for England, matching Germany on points, with only Albania & Greece to follow, and a far superior goal difference. Having to rely on Finland to see us through was not envisaged. The likes of Belarus and Kazhakstan shouldn't provide as stern a test as even a Greek side thumped 5-1 by Finland before playing us, but there is little guarantee the superb performance put in against Croatia last month will be repeated.

Capello's background shows his preference of ball retention and work ethic, a similar philosophy to Johnson's. Upon his arrival at Real Madrid, Capello announced "the days of beautiful attacking football are over." Despite delivering a La Liga trophy where 5 others had failed, he was sacked for the pragmatic style of play his side delivered. His AC Milan side became the most free and lean scoring team to ever win Serie A under his tenure. Fabio is not worried about pretty football, all that matters to this man is to win. After the free-flowing performance in Zagreb, this may not sit well with a lot of people. But then, this is England.

The luxuries of Championship Football

Ron Walker — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:43:33 +0100

Amidst a day of talk concerning hundred-million-pound takeovers and player signings, and Arab businessmen deciding which of four clubs to pursue an 'interest' in, it gave one miniscule football fan, in the grand scheme of things, the chance to take stock and look at the wider view of the English game; the general direction of its development, and my club's participation in it.

I can't imagine supporting a club without any financial boundaries. It's one of the challenges that makes Football such a vibrant, interesting game. Just as the implementation of video replays and 'fifth officials', for instance, would remove something from football, leaving the game more robotic and far less debate-provoking. And that's precisely why I love the way my club is run. We've got enough money to get by, as we broke our record transfer by £750k in July, and have spent when required for as long as I can remember. But there are constraints to both our stature and financial clout. But that's such an integral part of the game, that we sift through the shortlists until we find the required players to add to Sir Johnson's "golf bag" for the right price. Providing they possess the Johnson attitude, of course.

I wouldn't much like to support a club with serious difficulty with cashflow, either. The Colchester route, winning promotion on the back of countless free-signings and minuscule crowds, is a very creditable achievement, but, no intentional disrespect, the amount of dross that passed through their squad until they found the winning formula is something that would really grate me. But, of course, clubs like this are great for football, and while there is nothing less satisfying than being overtaken again by a club who've spent a pittance, it adds further to the debate on both sides. And after all, the Free Agent market is one of the great things about lower league Football, picking up a discarded rough diamond and seeing him prosper and flourish.

Enough gushing about The Championship, there is a real danger that this era we seem to be entering could backfire horrendously in the future. A major talking point everywhere in football is how it's becoming less accessible to the working class in this country. And with Abramovic, the Premiership's first real big-buyer, charging over £50 for the privilege of watching a Champions League match at Stamford Bridge, what is to become of Football should all 20 clubs receive this kind of investment? It's not only people who don't know what they're talking about who say that there's too much money in Football. Mr Al-Fahim, for all his good intention, I'm sure, arrived at Manchester City on Monday and had broken the British transfer record within hours, without even a care for Robinho to pass a medical first. That, for me, spells immense danger. £32.5 Million is barely small change to the investors who are casting their beady eyes ever increasingly on the Premier League. And it's not as though those clubs with less stature are out of reach; one of Al-Fahim's first words as to why he chose Manchester City was that he wanted a 'challenge'.

And with increased spending, the ever-increasing void between Premiership and Championship could double overnight. The world's elite could soon be flocking to the Premiership, turning it into even more of an elite league, and widening the gulf with The Football League so much further than the dangerous levels it has already reached.

Things are not looking good for Football, in my eyes. The Premier League and The FA could surely find it within their jurisdiction to do something about this, if there are signs of this attitude getting out of control. Football clubs are not meant to be the plaything of a multi-billionaire, they're immensely complicated structures that need due care and attention, as highlighted by the Keegan saga this week, and somewhere there needs to be concsious thought as to the good of football. Not that the PL or FA would ever look beyond money as the means of success.

What's worse - Stupid crowd or stupid referee?

Ron Walker — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 01:39:51 +0100

As both a qualified referee and a "passionate" football fan, at times my frustration at another questionable decision can boil over. And, as a referee, if I make a poor decision (which from experience I do, just a bit) I could understand this behaviour. The one thing which, as both a fan and official, I cannot begin to comprehend, is how people who sit through at least the first 70 minutes of a football game, week in-week out, can have such a poor understanding as to its rules.

Probably the most disturbing example of this practice since the start of this season was during our first home game, 2 weeks ago, against Derby. A number of times a player of ours was fouled, the usual jeers went up, and play continued, with us still in possession. By the laws of football, this is the correct way for the referee to act; a clear hand signal to display the advantage rule being applied, and the team originally in possession retains advantage of the ball. However, this was, without fail, greeted by cat-calls for the referee of "Didn't you see the foul ref!", to put it very mildly. There are times when the advantage rule isn't appropriate depending on the mood of the game, something Andy Gray fails to see on a routine basis, but that's for another time.

Another game brought another show of dimwitted-ness from the crowd. Deep into injury time in the first half, the QPR left back tripped Brian Wilson, and a free kick was duly awarded. Within seconds, the referee had abandoned the marking of the '10 yards' for the wall to address a scuffle into the penalty area, keen to diffuse the situation before it grew out of control, and in no hurry for the kick to be taken with injury time almost up. This was met with "You don't know what you're doing" from sections of the home support - perhaps a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Keeping the peace is a responsibility of the referee, and Darren Deadman did so very well in the situation.

To look at it another way, you could follow some in referring to the crowd's actions as 'passion', rather than mindless, blind idiocy. But then you could say the same about football hooliganism. The former, in my experience, is merely a euphamism for the latter.

It's bad enough when people are shouting their mouth off about a penalty decision or "missed handball" just because it went against their team - but when they're getting 'passionate' about something genuinely believing it to be the rules, when they really should know better, does confuse and irritate me quite a bit.

My battle with 'SSS'

Ron Walker — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:43:11 +0100

I must apologise for a lack of posts in recent weeks, predominantly for two reasons. The first being idiocy on my part, not having a back-up of a post at the ready in case I hit the 'Submit' button and nothing happened... As it did.

The second, and much more strenuous, being my suspected battle with 'SSS', or 'Second Season Syndrome'. In mid-June, as the first odds for the new season were published, and the early forum & newspaper predictions similarly, the doom and gloom surrounding City's chances for the new season hit me hard. It was clear that Bristol City's fifteen minutes of fame had come and gone, and, in the eyes of quite a few, would be heading back to League One at such speeds to rival the likes of Luton Town or Colchester United. An epidemic had spread in the south-Bristol area, it seemed.

Originally, this opinion was met with utter disdain from City fans, claiming lazy journalism and a stereotypical outlook on proceedings, and that they would provide the 'surprise' package in consecutive seasons. Not that anyone was listening.

As the season drew nearer, City's 'In:' column grew no broader, and the campaign was continually deemed a write-off, the good vibes of late May turned to grumbles even inside the walls of Ashton Gate. It appeared the opposition view had tainted even Gary Johnson's very own disciples' beliefs as to his ability to lead them to another successful year. With our top remaining scorer of 07/08 a left winger, the loss of our most creative midfielder, and the lack of signings, things were looking awfully bleak for a lot of the 13,500 faithful paid up for the new season. What common sense hadn't provided most of the world with was a sense of realism; we had reached a play-off final with Darren Byfield our top scorer, a hefty return of 8 goals for his troubles. And that was the point - this team had beaten the likes of Ipswich, Preston, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace... Clubs tipped for much bigger things than us, in the previous season. We had defied the odds and the critics for 12 months, and with a tight-knit squad of undoubted ability, could pose a threat to manage similar feats in the next attempt. And it's not as though in our last promotion season we'd paraded a born goalscorer, with Enoch Showunmi and Phil Jevons leading the line and collecting the hardly vast sum of 21 goals between them.

Gary Johnson has a superb club record, taking Yeovil to 2 promotions in 3 years, and while going one better than last time out may be a bit far for us, we can certainly push the boundaries of common belief and realistically look at another top six finish. The first three games would certainly indicate so. I won't mention "Second Season Syndrome" again, given how it seems to send the entire footballing world mad.

Ron
Thanks to BT for being a fab thesaurus.

Same old, same old City

Ron Walker — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:09:51 +0100

A somewhat unpredictable game at Bloomfield Road last weekend ended with a much more regular scoreline, with a 1-0 victory to the men in red and white (although on this occasion, predominantly white). Over the past two seasons, City have ground out 18 wins by that very same result, and the connotation of a scrappy, often 'smash-and-grab' type battle is often acutely accurate. When the team come out of their shell, they are capable of playing some very impressive, slick passing football. Often, the reality is a backs-to-the-wall job with a sharp finish or set piece providing the difference.

The opposite, and equally familiar, side to the coin was broadcast on SKY on Saturday evening. City should have been out of sight by half time, but with the help of poor finishing, bad luck and good goalkeeping, we led by a solitary goal at the break. Derby came out rejuvenated after a bashing from Paul Jewell and dictated the game from the off, forcing an equaliser only 8 minutes in. In the end, a point may have been a fair result, but with that elusive second goal under our belts it may not have mattered. A draw isn't a bad result against the illustrious squad Derby have to offer, but the manner by which it was delivered is difficult to swallow. Last season we looked to have eradicated this mannerism completely, winning 18 of the 20 games in which we scored first. But with Jamie McCombe, our talismanic 6'7" centre-half, injured early on in the game on Saturday, we looked back to the fragile state of the early Johnson days.

One of the most publicised Scots over the past 18 months may be one of the driving forces behind ensuring that the first scenario is the one seen by City fans; Andy Webster, of Rangers, was confirmed to have joined the club on loan earlier today. I must admit to being unfamiliar with the transfer saga and injury crisis which has dogged the player in recent times, although perhaps with the latter ignorance would be bliss. A quick glance at an independent Rangers forum brings back mixed opinion, some believe him to be good enough for a first team spot, although the overriding wish is that he closes the door on his way out.

Either way, we shall see. 4 points is a great return from the opening 2 games, against tricky opponents, and the doom and gloom surrounding a lack of major transfer activity over the summer (Maynard, admittedly, is our most expensive player, but I think most expected more than two new arrivals) has already been replaced with a steadfast sense of optimism. Let's hope we do a bit better than the last time we were expected to hit the big time...

'In The Light Of Dawn', as they say

Ron Walker — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:10:56 +0100

It was two months ago (take one day) and almost to the minute that I fell back in my Wembley seat, aghast at the exquisite finish delivered by Hull's Dean Windass, which all but ended City's promotion push at the final hurdle. 60 days on, the pain has been completely erased. Some refreshing summer signings, the ability to view our season perceptively, as a whole, and a fresh sense of optimism ahead of the new campaign does wonders for the mind.

It was this morning confirmed that City have had a bid accepted for Coventry's Michael Mifsud, a striker with immense pace and finishing, best known for his brace to send Manchester United from the Carling Cup at Old Trafford last season. A season tally of 17 goals may not seem breathtaking, but 14 of these came before strike partner Dele Adebola, coincidentally now at City, departed in January. A striker of his calibre and with quick feet is something we've lacked since the times of young Leroy Lita.

Then, of course, there is the Emad Meteb saga. Rumoured to be joining for weeks, the Egyptian press got their hands on a fax from City chief-executive Colin Sextone putting in a bid for the striker, and were assured he would be joining us from early July. Only late last week did he finally make his way over to England to pose for a photograph, before heading straight back to Al-Ahly's base to "say goodbye to the fans", during their derby game with Zamalek this past Sunday. Little did we know that Meteb was to start and complete the match, a 2-1 Ahly victory. The news filtered back to Johnson HQ, and now Egyptian media are considering the deal potentially over.

Still, there is solace in the signing of Gavin Williams, a central midfielder from Ipswich, who Michael McIndoe rated as "one of the best players he has accompianed" and a Yeovil supporting friend of a friend rates as better than Macca. Wow, he can't be bad then. Even Magilton was unahppy at losing him.

So there is much to be excited about for next season. We hit the ground running last time around and had it not been for a major blip in April we would be contemplating Premiership football for the first time in our history. Not at all bad for a team who barely 2 years ago languished in the relegation zone of League One.

Onwards and upwards, again.

It appears we are still a selling club

Ron Walker — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:54:41 +0100

Yesterday morning, a cheeky-chappy friend of mine who fancies himself as somewhat of a practical joker sent me a text "informing" me that it had been reported on the local BBC Radio station that Nick Carle, City's midfield maestro towards the end of a hugely successful 2007/8 campaign (having only joined in January of this year!), was leaving for Crystal Palace. Still with egg on my face having believing Jay Boothroyd was going to join us a year ago, I was hugely sceptical of this revelation, doubly so given the undoubted talent of Carle. Alas, I was wrong. Again.

Nick Carle is a fantastic midfield player. He took his time to settle into the squad, joining from the Turkish Super League, not a league associated with being overly styled parallel to the British game. Carle lamented his time in Turkey upon his arrival, the long hours and the school-like feel of the season, and from the off it appeared the Johnson magic had been worked again, a rough diamond plucked from obscurity to fire us to the Premier League.

A shaky start silenced the optimism somewhat, with some poor performances in high-profile games, with Carle at times consigned to the right-wing spot to cover for the ineffective Murray & Sproule. Even at the best of times, namely the talismanic performance during the first leg of the Play-offs, Carle's game was restricted to being somewhat of a holding midfielder, playing in a flat 4 midfield. The glimpses we had seen of Carle on generic video-sharing websites had shown a creative midfielder bursting with desire to get forward and change the game, a game crumpled when replacing the injured Lee Johnson towards the end of this season.

Regardless of the past, it would be a shame to see Carle go. His intelligence on the football pitch and his ability with the ball at his feet was second to none in our squad, and the 'replacement' Johnson supposedly has lined up, if true, had better be damn good.

Ron

49 And Out... Sound familiar?

Ron Walker — Sat, 24 May 2008 23:57:50 +0100

Ok, so I'm not comparing Arsenal's 49 league match unbeaten run to our promotion final from our debut Championship season... Or am I? I'm as bitterly disappointed as the next man and over the next few days will be completely inconsolable. As a wise Cardiff fan preached to me last night, it doesn't get any better than going up through the play-offs. It doesn't get any worse, either.

Perhaps it would have been better had we not had the better of the play. We controlled the possession of the game - against a like-minded footballing side - and over the course of the 90 minutes we probably forged the better chances of the two teams. Nick Carle, our talisman at the heart of midfield over the Crystal Palace semi-final legs, somehow managed to miss from all of 10 yards out, right in the centre of the goal, and on his stronger foot. It summed up our afternoon, our season, our history - so near, and yet, eventually, so far.

It's so tempting to slate the play-offs when you lose. But really, without them, it would make the Football League a lot more boring, with teams vying for 3 places rather than 6 (or 7, for those basement fans amongst us). It was our cup-final, and we screwed it up, regardless of how we played. We just couldn't win.

What really annoyed me the most about today, much more than the result, was the reaction of some Robins fans on the way out... "I would have bought Sproule on first and left Johnson on the bench." Would you, now? Just like you would have taken Bristol City from 24th in League One to 4th in The Championship in 2 years, I presume?

City's starting tactic, with Orr & McIndoe providing the width

From my perspective, the time Bradley Orr was off the field for us during the first half, a good 5 minute spell on the half hour, handed Hull the momentum. They were able to pass their way through our makeshift 4-3-2 formation and gain a foothold in the game neither side had cemented beforehand, which they kept until they scored. With Orr forced off permanently and Elliott taking his place at right back, we lost pretty much all the width we had. David Noble, great passer and finisher as he is, will never be a right winger and relies heavily on Orr's overlapping runs to offer any service from that flank, but with the more reliable but defensive Elliott in his place and left-winger McIndoe drifting inside, we were forced down the middle on too many occasions and played like putty into Hull's hands. Still, we had the chances. How Trundle's point-blank shot didn't ripple the net will bewilder me until the day I die.

Let's hope we can make such a good go of it next season.

49 games, over and out.

Ron

Judgement day awaits

Ron Walker — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:09:37 +0100

My first post in this blog, 32 days ago, was to lament the defeat of Bristol City by Stoke at The Britannia Stadium back in late April. That 2-1 scoreline effectively ended our chances of automatic promotion, and more worryingly, having sat in the top 6 since August 25th, our play-off place, which only weeks before had looked set in stone, was under severe threat.

What a difference a month makes. The £60 Million game, the (allegedly) richest in World Football, awaits us at Wembley this Saturday. The two most unfashionable teams around vying for a place in the Premier League, neither of whom have been in The Championship for longer than 3 years. The outspoken orange of Phil Brown against the diminuitive cheeky-chappy Gary Johnson.

Can Gary become the first manager to win promotions from every national league in the country? His past workings suggest so.

Michael McIndoe, probably our most outgoing player during media interviews, claimed last week that when asked by Johnson at the start of the season where they would expect to finish as a minimum requirement, each and every squad member chose the play-offs as their benchmark.

The rest of the footballing world would have found this crazy; we couldn't even win League One and had kept the majority of the same squad for 2007/8, yet we were arrogant enough to believe we were worthy of a play-off place. There would probably be a few dissenting voices in the City support, too, the odd doubter yet to be won over by one season of Johnson magic.

How he's done it, I'll never know. Our hero at Crystal Palace, David Noble, was signed on loan from League 2 Boston United amidst a crisis at Ashton Gate, with 8 consecutive defeats recorded following Johnson's appointment in September 2005, and those fans who had remained behind the team were not convinced that a little known creative midfielder would solve the club's problems.

After one more defeat, courtesy of a Louis Carey own goal, the ball ricocheting off his inner leg before dribbling over the line after hitting the far post (summing up our luck at the time perfectly), we went unbeaten into February. Johnson had defied his critics and the weekly chants of "You should have stayed at Yeovil", from opposition fans, soon subsided.

Gary is one of those special people whose choices you learn to trust, no matter how obscene they may look. In January, after linked with the likes of Leroy Lita and Derek Riordan, we ended up signing 32-year-old Dele Adebola for circa £200,000. But he's been fantastic, he's scored some great goals and, having flattered to decieve for most of his 5 year stint at Coventry, has scored half as many goals in 4 months for us as he did in his last 18 with the Sky Blues.

16 years after Johnson almost assisted the legendary John Beck's Cambridge United side to the inaugral Premiership from the Conference, Johnson has a chance to go one better this weekend. Saturday will be a massive day, and whoever wins will deliver a refreshing (if not welcome) change for Manchester United and Chelsea next season. Can Johnson and his son become the first manager/player to win promotions from the Conference right through to the Premiership? Hey, why not. This is a walk in the park compared to some of his previous challenges.

Ron Walker
Bristol City Fans

Bristol City's dream continues

Times Online — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:43:48 +0100

Memories of the scenes following Bristol City's 3-1 victory over Rotherham last May will stay with me for the rest of my life. Promotion to the Championship was the return to the 'Promised Land' that we had vacated for eight years previously. But that pales in comparison to the euphoria of reaching the play-off final last night, and not for the first time in the unlikeliest of circumstances.

Coming up from League 1 and leading the pack from the off, we were assured that we were going to fall away with every weekend that passed, and before facing Palace on Saturday, we had taken only 10 points from our last 11 games, to their impressive 22. And then, of course, there was the moment last night when it all turned back in our favour. Ben Watson's penalty, smashed against Basso's right post from 12 yards, which could, and should, have resigned us to defeat.

It's a shame that the FA feel the need to investigate what were, on the whole, good natured celebrations from City fans, but in their defence, the pitch last night was being encroached upon from all four sides well before the final whistle.

Even before the match kicked off, the whole night had a special feel to it. It's not often that you see the Atyeo, Dolman and Williams stands singing in unison during any City game. In fact it's not often you see the Williams singing at all, so this really was a special occasion. The noise throughout the game was as loud as I've ever heard from our fans, and I lost count of the strangers who hugged me as we ambled around the pitch after the game.

There does seem to be just a bit of a buzz surrounding the final. The general public around here get a lot of stick for the amount of Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal shirts seen in the city centre. I don't think I've seen so many Bristol City shirts away from Ashton Gate in my life as today, and so what if it's just for one day? We're finally getting the recognition that we've worked so hard for over the last 48 league games. We've got 36,007 tickets for Wembley, to be precise, and you can be sure they'll all be snapped up come this time next week, even if some fans will have to stump up £98 for their seat.

Our opponents in the £60 Million game will be Hull, which will make a fitting ending to the season; the two biggest cities in England never to host Premiership Football battling for the privilege to do so. Win or lose, we've far exceeded our wildest expectations in what was supposed to be a consolidation season, and it has, personally, never felt better to be a Bristol City fan.

See you at Wembley!

- Ron Walker

Richard Scudamore... Where did it all go wrong?

Ron Walker — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:20:50 +0100

To say that Richard Scudamore has become an infamous figure in domestic football would be a gross understatement. As the race for the Premier League hots up, a certain unnamed newspaper columnist put his weight firmly behind the camp of Crystal Palace in their assault on the play-offs last weekend. His reasoning? Scudamore's allegiance to Bristol City.

Only a couple of years ago, ask the average Joe at a Premier League game who Richard Scudamore was and you wouldn't get much of a response. It says a lot about his growing infamy in the interim, produced by a number of ridiculous decisions by the Premier League CEO.

He is not the most popular man in British Football presently, and with good reason. Where to start? Sheffield United's extremely contentious relegation after the Tevez saga while the preposterous "39th Game" idea which should have been dead in the water long before making it to the press. Scudamore's apparent obsession with making the Premiership into a money-making franchise is not something that you would perhaps associate with someone who supports a Football League side.

You'd think that being a Bristol City fan, watching us compete in obscurity for a large part of the past 30 years, when we finally reach the pinaccle of the Championship and jump accross the huge abyss and into the green grass of the Premier League, he would like to think we have a chance of staying there. The truth is, no matter how long we stay in this league and build a team, we will always struggle to maintain a place in the Premier League. Of those promoted to the Premiership in the past 5 years, only Sunderland, Portsmouth, Wigan, West Ham and Reading remain. Leicester, promoted in 2003, will be playing their football in League 1 next season.

Kevin Keegan recently said of the Premier League, "This league is in danger of becoming one of the most boring but great leagues in the world." There has not been much argument with this (bar from Scudamore!); the teams coming up are, more often than not, those who occupy the relegation places the following season, and the top 4 have been pretty much the same top 4 (bar 3/20 anomolies) for the past 5 years. And Scudamore cannot shy away from the blame for this; he is going out of his way to make the Premier League a richer place with the '39th game' shambles and in scrapping any plans from UEFA for a Champions League Spot (and much needed revenue) to come from an FA Cup title is keeping the domination of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool in tact.

So we've got 2 teams in the final of the Champions League? Great, for the top 4. The gap widens, for the rest of us. Even if we do stay up next season, if we win promotion, the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, will always be a million miles away from us.

I think I'm right in saying that there aren't many Bristol City fans who wish to be associated with Mr Scudamore at this moment.

5th time lucky? The key lies at the Palace.

Ron Walker — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:26:44 +0100

You can't knock Bristol City fans for disliking the thought of settling for the Championship play-offs despite coming straight up from League 1 the previous season; In the 21 year history since the system was introduced domestically, City have been involved 4 times, and despite finishing in the top position twice, have consistently failed to win promotion using the contentious method.

They say that form doesn't matter in the play-offs, and they'd better be right - a 5-0 thrashing of Burnley by Crystal Palace on Sunday will have done their confidence no end of good. But, so long as we can keep 11 men on the field for more than 7 minutes, we should be able to surpass Burnley's somewhat meagre achievement at Selhurst Park.

My last post lamented our inability to succeed as the frontrunner. I mentioned our great habit of doing so; to win 11 in a row during the 2003/4 season but finish 3rd was quite a feat. To then lose the dullest play-off final I have ever had the misfortune to pay £35 to watch (after a somewhat less dull semi-final against Hartlepool, with 5'6" Marc Goodfellow scoring a header from a good 15 yards to equalise in the dying minutes of the second leg, and Christian Roberts subsequently beating 5 men in a dazzling run before slotting the ball into the far corner, while all of 90 seconds remained on the clock), was a shocker. We royally messed up that season, and failed to recover until 2006/7, when the marvel of Gary Johnson took us to automatic promotion in his first full season in charge.

To get 70 points from 41 games of this season was great, and especially when only West Brazil Albion could knock us from the top of the table, even if we had limped our way to the top of the table. As I said before, to pick up 3 points from the next 5 games, was disastrous. It left us on a very respectable 73 from 46, but to get into such a great position and fail to show the maturity and ability we'd shown to get there was hugely disappointing. Especially with our record in the play-offs.

Perhaps I'm being a little harsh on City. We do, after all, have the best form against bottom-half sides out of anyone else in the division, and considering we've been in the play-off positions since mid August, we would have been favourites in the vast majority of those games. We did, after all, lie 22nd in League 1 barely 2 years ago, with the fans baying for Johnson's head.

And things aren't all bad right now. We got our game back at a very much in-form Sheffield United 10 days ago, and cruised to our biggest win of the season on Sunday against Preston, with the much maligned Lee Trundle delivering his best game in a City shirt to date; and just at the right time! I can't deny being as excited as Jose Mourinho looking in a mirror about potentially winning the play-offs this season, but after the way the gutless defeat at Stoke got to me, I'm not ready to admit it to myself just yet.

Maybe I'm just worried that, should we fail to capatalise on the position we've got ourselves into this season, we will fail to replicate it next. At worst, we could topple into the abyss, as the Colchesters and Lutons of this world have managed so spectacularly. At best, we could realistically look at another play-off charge...

...6th time lucky, anyone?

Ron
Bristol City Fans Online

So near, yet so far.

Ron Walker — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:24:25 +0100

Just under 12 months ago I witnessed a travesty of a performance by Bristol City at Milwall, in a game that, had we won, would have sealed our promotion to the Championship. After that shambles, the thought of finishing in the Championship play-offs, with the Premiership prize still on offer well into May 2008, would have seemed a million miles away - had I even contemplated being there.

Even in early August, a canvassing of City fans would have shown merely a blissful contentment to consolidate in the Championship and in 2, maybe 3 seasons time, be in a position to assert a real assault on the top 6.

Not so this morning. Sitting fourth in the league, ahead of the 3 relegated Premiership clubs, the prestigious names and illustrious histories of Ipswich, Wolves, and Preston, and the team who pipped us to the League 1 title last season, the feeling of satisfaction at being almost assured of a top 6 finish with 2 games to go is overshadowed horribly by one of despair, disappointment and hurt.

It was only 270 minutes of football ago that we jumped to the top of the Championship, completing what seemed a fairytale ending to a home match against Norwich, with Steve Brooker, playing his first game at Ashton Gate for almost a year having been dogged with injury, sealing a last minute victory with a header. The guy I sit with, Matt, cut both his legs falling over the seat behind during our mad celebrations, but he didn’t care as we trooped out of the ground shouting “WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE!” 3 games later, 1 draw and 2 defeats, the automatic promotion shout is all but ended and the only route to the Promised Land is to win the play-offs, for the first time in our history.

Even if we don’t go up, it’s still been a fantastic season on the whole, but it’s very difficult and perhaps wrong to look at it that way, in retrospect. We were in the top 2 at the end of October, December, January and February and numerous games in between, and after 41 games we were ahead of everyone else in the charge for Promotion. With the third worst form in the division, we’ve been masters of our own downfall and not for the first time, we’ve bottled it. In 2003/4 we hit the top of the league in mid-January after a win on a cold, wet Tuesday night at Grimsby (1-0 in February at Scunthorpe, anyone?) but after some poor form in the last 5 games we finished third and lost out to Brighton in the play-off final. Déjà vu? Perhaps. It’s clear by the fact we’re 6 places ahead of Plymouth, 10 of QPR and 27 of Brighton, the 3 teams who went up that season, that we’re punching above our weight but having got so close from working so hard, it was ours for the taking, and we’ve potentially thrown the opportunity of a lifetime in our recent performances, culminating in a debacle of a first half at Stoke yesterday. Should we miss out, our terrible last 8 games will completely overshadow the other 38, unfortunately.

Ron
Bristol City Fans' Online