Waiting For The Sky Editor

Hopefully this makes the grade but if not here it is..

Keep The Faith.

 

First Jon Bon Jovi made the record then Joe Royle put it on the back of the Oldham shirt now Gary Johnson appears to be looking for the same divine intervention. “Keep The Faith” is his latest football one liner in the aftermath of the Cardiff debacle post match press conference after Sunday’s awful display in the principality.

 

Tactically Flawed

 

In his defence he hasn’t hid behind the number of injuries and the late setbacks of illness to two key defenders but I think he totally misjudged how he set the team up on the day which turned out to be a key factor in our performance and the resulting defeat. In light of such setbacks to key players I’m sure many managers would have set the team up by packing the midfield and protecting a weekend defence. However Johnson for reasons best known to him was ultra brave in selecting a 4-3-3 formation. Baring in mind we were away from home at the free scoring potential league table toppers this raised my eyebrows before a ball had even been kicked. Johnson’s record is second to none but he does have this knack of a reoccurring tactical naivety which again was cruelly exposed by Dave Jones’ well organised side. I think all three goals came from marauding midfielders who were either left by our players failure to track back or just simply outnumbered our exposed midfield due to playing with an extra forward.

 

Outbattled, outclassed

 

I think you have to hold your hands up and say Cardiff played very well but I just think the players know that regardless of formation they made it too easy for them. When your goalkeeper is playing most the game as sweeper you know the fighting spirit of a local derby game is missing. Michael Chopra made big Jamie McCombe look like bambi on ice, panicked him into the opening own goal and went on to terrorise the lanky defender several times with his movement and ball control. Thankfully not to many teams can boast a £5 million pound forward at this level. Again questions have to be asked of the midfield three who simply went missing and didn’t give Maynard and Haynes anything. This was a big dissapointment after the two speedsters had looked so impressive against QPR in the week.

 

Soul

 

Reports back from the stadium is that the new Cardiff venue is another dull soulless bowl, which is worrying as we are planning to build one for the World Cup! The bubble status of the game probably didnt help with the atmosphere where only 850 away fans could travel by a police convoy in cattle transporters. Sadly thats the way these games are handled these days due to numerous past crowd disturbances. I remember back in 2001 at Ninian Park after a Scott Murray led 3-1 triumph where some friendly Welshmen decided to redecorate our coach home with stones.

 

Bouncbackability

 

Johnson is also keen to stress how well we come back from a dissapointment, I’m desperately hoping we haven’t run out of bouncbackabilty against the Boro on Saturday. Our bubble is burst but if your a City fan you take the rough with smooth, it makes you appreciate the good times so much more. The Boro even have Leroy Lita a former Prince of Aston Gate upfront, I’m sure he will get a warm reception afer he left us for the big money under the advice of playboy agent Skylet Andrew (Im sure he will crop up in future posts)

 

….Keep The Faith….In Johnson We Trust.

Now You Can Even Catch Me On Sky Sports!!

 

http://www.skysports.com/fanzone/blogs/story/0,24015,16726_5502898,00.html

 

Or just read here as this didn’t make the editors deadline….

City Flying Squad Have Hoops In A Spin

 

Tuesday night and I finally get to witness my first home game of the season, Jim Magilton’s QPR are the visitors to AG he’s so softly spoken he always reminds me of an Irish leprechaun. The line up form the R’s is very cosmopolitan with players names that your probably more likely to find in Serie A or La Liga although judging by results so far this season they are more like to end up in the MLS!!

 

Referee Phil Gibbs has the sticky task of refereeing the team labelled as “cheats” at the weekend, I’m not expecting any close decisions to go our way after last weekend’s refereeing debacle.

 

Cheat Storm

 

On a side note at least Simon Jordan who day by day is turning into Wurzel Gummidge (with a permatan) has finally stumped up the cash he owes us for Nick Carle. Carle a player who we sold to Palace over a year ago amazing what the threat legal action can do when he declares his club as trustworthy, honest and not at all like those alleged “cheats” from “Bristol”. I know every man and his dog has droned on about Saturday’s “no goal” but all I will add is that fair play applies to both the way you play the game and how run your club. Warnock and Jordan don’t play by either rules regarding Crystal Palace. The media report Palace’s transfer embargo but don’t report that it’s their own making due to not honoring contracts – just ask Iain Dowie. This has not only inadvertently affected our club’s finances and ability to fund our own financial liabilities to suppliers but also denies Palace fans from benefiting from not having such an embargo in place.

 

The Match.

 

We line up with the now familiar 3-5-2 formation, I’ve got to be honest I’m a 4-4-2 man and just don’t like this wing back business I just don’t think it suits a team playing at home. I think the pre-season 4-0 drubbing by Ajax has stuck in manager Johnson’s mind and so he’s gone all continental on us – that and the fact he fell out with and subsequently sold our only left winger 10 clubs McIndoe to Coventry. I’m still trying to pick out all our new signings as there are five new faces for the campaign in the starting line up although we have gone with British based signings rather than any journeymen Johnny Foreigners.

 

My initial formation fears are unfounded despite new signing Velicka only making the bench, Danny Haynes is back from a one match ban a man and I am told loves to play against QPR. In deed this appears to be the case as he’s flying in the first half, assisted by Maynard one QPR forum describes them as the equivalent of an Olympic sprint team as they give the two burly centre backs a torrid time! Unfortunately Haynes’s speed isn’t matched by his finishing and he’s clean through twice but fails to hit the target. If we can improve this lads finishing he could be a fine signing. The most exciting moment of the first half is a Nyatanga header off the line from Buzsaky a brilliant clearance diving away like a salmon to keep it out perhaps he should change positions.

 

The second half is a lot quieter for the home team as the leprechaun has his men passing well and obviously fired up after a non-existent first half from his men. I’m still wondering why he dropped Saturday’s goal scorer Helguson from the team but I’m not complaining too much. The strangest chance is when Routledge dances past some woeful reds defending leaving Terrorbent with a tap in, instead he smashes the ball against the post and it pings back out like a shot on the ZX Spectrum! An unbelievable let off.

 

Sadly it’s a bad night for Velicka as he comes off the bench shows a few flashes of class and then goes down heavier than Katie Price. Our worst fears are founded as he is carried off five minutes into his debut terrible luck and our illusive hunt for the big striker continues. This forces manager Johnson to bring on his son – he is roundly booed by my section of the ground – quite harsh but what I have come to expect from certain fans in the modern era. He has the last laugh though as a neat trough ball ends up with Maynard hitting a thunder bolt into the net – thankfully this one doesn’t bounce out and we hang on for 3 great points with Maynard looking a real prospect. I will always take a 1-0 home win against anyone, just ask Burnley. Good to see a debt free team beating the Manx who are £700m in debt, will a few more defeats mean they go bust?

 

Onto Wales

 

Onto Cardiff on Sunday who our hated neighbours from across the bridge (should have built a wall), previous disturbances have made this a bubble game I was there in 2001 no windows left on the coach on the way home thanks to some keen Welsh glazers. Let’s hope we can burst their bubble as they sit top of the table, nice new bowl stadium with cheat Chopra on fire, he is one of my most hated players he is a chirpy little.. …. One interesting note is that we were granted 1800 tickets but the bubble coaches can only take 800 fans – how do the rest get there hoverboard?

 

Thankfully Sky Sports can see our potential as Champions in waiting and give us the chance to see the game Live on Sunday afternoon. Come on you reds….

Cheer Up Neil Warnock……

Well I’m going to attempt to write this as fast as that Bolt fella runs (he’s quick isn’t he!!)… so here goes.

Lets start in the Carling Cup Round 1. Before you ask BBC’s covrage is no better for Cup games than its League coverage but does feature man of the week Neil “The saint” Warnock” at least there are no adverts!!

Well on the night we shade it 1-0 against a plucky Bees side who I am reliably informed by my London contact whose at the game deserved something. Griffin Park is a good little venue and its becoming a lucky ground for the reds it now reminds me of my wedding day (Johnson’s first game in charge) we triumphed 3-1 with scores being relayed across a dining arena to me at the head table!! A truely great day all round and Johnson’s marriage with the reds has been as healthy as my own.

Maynard settles the game with a stooping bouncy header after we go down to ten men as Haynes gets a little excited. I’ve left the radio commentary (must move that radio back in the kitchen) and hear Tony Cottee on Sky Sports News shouting goal. I think it has to be Brentford with numerical advantage but no its gone the right way. We hang on with even a last gasp Brentford effort against the bar twice.

Well onto the first home game of the season – well it is but I’m instead in Wales, as it turns out somewhere where not even phones work!! A selfish Englishman is getting married and to make the most of it I’m up the top of Pen Y Fan the truely wettest place in the UK on the day in question. First text reads Ivan Sproule starts… upfornt… oh dear I share the lack of optimism. He recently got a 10 rating for the Brentford game from my match reporter- I’m sure purely for his ability to run as fast as he can like a headless chicken and not much in a football sense.

As I scale the peek still no texts but at least at the summit Mr Vodafone has provided me with a reception, sadly at base camp nothing… searching… thanks. So I’m sat there in nothing but my wet pants listening to Five Live. Any score updates in between them rambling on about Man City and god knows who else in the Premiership.. Not a sausage.

After some time I think well maybe we aren’t that far out of Bristol in the Breacons and pretty high up, Radio Bris could be around – FM – nothing. MW you never know it travels further apparently – yes crackly transmission live from AG. Jubilation then the score still 0-0 oh well at least a clean sheet so far with big Gerken!!

I don’t quite understand the major incident of a disallowed goal for the visitors Crystal Palace, but apparently we’ve had a goal chalked off and a couple of decent penalty shouts so not a drab affair. Then the incident is mentioned again Palace have scored but the goal has not been seen by the officials as its bounced straight back out like a screamer into a subbuteo net I assume? First I think how can that happen then I think oh well its still 0-0.

Still nothing so I leave the car 5 minutes to go bound to end 0-0 and Mrs J wants a hot chocolate in Brecon and boy do we need one. I let my man at the ground know the incident with the goal sounds disgraceful but the final text is 1-0 Maynard. YESS!! Who cares we’ve snatched a win against Warnock ha ha he’s going to love this…

After talking to a fellow red season ticket holder at the wedding and seeing the rerun of BBC’s highights show on the red button in the small hours with a twitchy Steve Claridge and what is wrong with that lads hair he’s got the worst side parting ever!! The true controversy unfolds – we even have our own headline. Although we have a new name “Bristol”!!

Warnock even rings in live to protest, and then again on Sky Sports News on Sunday – we are cheats in his eyes he’s not even prepared to shake hands with any player or manager Johnson after the game he is so fuming with us and he’s a big fan after numerous previous incidents with the reds… is this a kind of kalma…

It looks like he is creating a media frenzy to get the match replayed now… surely this can’t happen…

Well at least a big Lithuanian striker is on his way from Rangers and we are in the playoff’s by cheating. If only that Lithuanian lad hadn’t left my work – surley he’d know who this new target man is??  Andrius Velicka come on down….

North “End Game”

Well family commitments prevented a Sunday blog so as I type its Brentford away. Radio Bristol’s reception sounds a bit better than Saturday where the constant signal failings was like listening to Gareth Gates before Jordan cured his stuter!!

Well despite featuring about 7th on the BBC’s new highlight show that ony drug addicts are up late enough to watch we were arguably game of the day with daylight robbery taking place in Preston with a 2-2 draw. By the way why are they in a church hall studio, who is the stupid blonde woman sat on a desk with a headset on asking me to email her at midnight? I thought you normally had to pay for that sort of thng.. Lets hope it gets better as the season goes on at least Hollowhead is on to add a touch of reality to it all… My Skyplus also decided to cut the league two goals with scenes of women in a toilet? I’d be interested to know if this was a Beeb fault but very strange all the same..

Well onto the game I have to admit I didn’t take in all the commentary but despite a few near misses we sound well worth a 2 goal lead due to the Scottish connection of Hartley and Clarkson, Hartley sounds like he may even force manager Johnson to drop his son?? & he can take a penalty something that was a liability last year.. A friend from work describes the climax to the game as robbery and the commentators of Radio Bris seem to agree.

Fat Jon Parkin pulled a goal back and as per last season we seemed to think defending the line was the best way to see it out. Then the referee thought he’d get involved. First adding on 4 minutes of injury time, blocking a time sapping clearnece and then giving a pen after said four minutes was over. Thanks a lot perhaps he had the game down as a draw on his pools coupon? No surprise the penatly is duelly converted despite most of the home fans already to have appeared to have left. Our luck is still out it appears

Question is a fat gashead really worth £1m, doesn’t look like he can even afford a shaver posing in his Southampton shirt with the Freddie Flintoff  look? If anyone could even understand his babblings on points west please let me know, answers on a post card…

Dear Sky you must have lost my blog application what the fcuk is wrong with you!! RUUBBISSHH

Thanks to BBC for the fact of the day we have scored in every League Cup game we have played in since 2003, I bet we draw a blank tonight on that evidence??

Its the final countdown…… to Preston?

Only days now until the big kick off at the mighty Preston..

Well I’d like to say the team seems raring to go and fully prepared but having just sold our only left winger Michael “ten clubs” McIndoe to Coventry (although even our offical site’s transfer tracker wants to deny the deal has happened). You just have to look at his record to see he never stays anywhere for long, perhaps he was an avid fan of the Littlest Hobo as a child like me, every club keeps on calling me, wage increase thats where I’ll always be…  

Still first choice goalkeeper Basso appearing to have dug himself a big black hole of a written transfer request should have improved morale? Perhaps he was forgetting he was 34 and nobody outside the club rates him to even offer him a contract? Manager Johnson rarely forgives and forgets but Basso is like a second son so perahps a U turn is in the offering? I think he should be loaned out to the Gas as punishment with his great pal flapper Phillips but Newcastle have already beaten us to that…

Even the Scottish FA have it in for us selecting 3 of the squad for an International fixture on a non International weekend (work that one out) – I can’t see Alex Ferguson bowing to the Scottish FA so I hope Johnson sticks to his guns.. Wales are now getting in on the act with a friendly so that could be 3 further squad players being selected. Perhaps we should stick to non-international signings in future.

As yet no target man or loan keeper so you have to think Basso still has a way back. The target man is a big issue as we do look short of options if the passing game of a 3-5-2 leads to a heavy defeat at Preston. Manager Johnson with only one wide player in the squad now seems to have abandoned any type of Plan B and has all his eggs in one basket well at least he isn’t chicken I suppose.

Sunday will see my first attempt at a match report anything other than a win could produce interesting grammar…

KOY REDS!!!

Judas

Well its been a while for this blog to materialise (I have to try and build up suspense!!) I’ve been off subcontracting myself to Sky Sports to try and land a blogging spot on their Fans Forum lets hope no one else enters and I might stand a chance. I also took in Chicago at the weekend without leaving Bristol which kept me away from blog world?

Well they say a weeks a long time in football, well I can confirm two weeks is even longer..

It appears as though our once healrded Religious shot stopper Basso is in fact not a Saint but a sinner or as I like to call him and his sort a money grabbing Judas, he will surely be doing overtime in the confession box after submitting a transfer reuest which seems purely money motivated. He has now burnt all bridges with manager Johnson leaving us without any sort of recognised keeper at this level, a Czech trialist has been drafted in but until I see him I can’t say the usual good shot stopper but shite on crosses, aren’t they all at this level? (I’m currently serving a ban from friendlies as they are no longer free for season ticket holders)

In other news it seem’s dear old Macca McIndoe couldn’t get his Bentley upto Sheffield in time as manager Johnson pulls the plug on the deal and McIndoe is relieved? Could be a long season for the Scot in the reserves if we sign a left sided player who isn’t injured.

Another notable signing was Nyatanga from rivals Derby he is a Welsh international even if he sounds more like he is from a Lenny Henry sketch .(katanga katnaga katanga)

As pre season games come and go against the local minnows alongside a thrashing by Ajax and a suprise win over Wolves it really is still hard to gauge whether we are going forwards or backwards but playing 3-5-2 I would argue the later on last season’s dabble with the dreaded formation at home where half time usually meant a bollocking from Johson and a switch back to 4-4-3 for the second half.

Haynes Manual!!

No I’m not talking cars but speedy right winger Danny Haynes is rumoured to be in Bristol on a medical. I still think he is a failed striker but who knows, maybe someone form Ipswich reading this can confirm?

We seem to have a good deal as BBC Sport cliam Plymouth had a £1m plus bid turned down and we are rumoured to make the signing for just £400k have they been spicing up the figures on the good old beeb?

All this after manager Johnson blew the lid on Keane’s latest signing at Ipswich much to his delight.

Its 5pm and he still hasn’t signed perhaps he hasn’t seen Bristol at its finest like the Banksy (no not Gordon Banks) collection at the Museum? Still can’t believe a criminal street painter is their biggest ever draw? Bristol’s history must be pretty ropey. Rumours are Banksey is a red after one of his so calle d criminal works of art was covered in bitter blue paint? Frankly I hope the hooligan is gas he can paint Horfield what ever colour he like it will be an improvement.

P.S. Ricky Ponting welcome to the bitter Australian club!!

Scotland’s number one (no not Andy Murray!)

As most of Brtain cheer on Murray its two of his fellow countrymen making the news way out West.

Transfer news is really getting down to business (well it had to at some stage with half of our squad released!), leading winger Michael McIndoe after a great fist season and a very poor second season is the latest likely departure with a move to Sheffield United on the cards but with no obvious replacement lined up this leaves left wingers now in the squad at zero!???? It appears you cross manager Johnson at your peril as McIndoe featured in the BEP (Bristol Evening Post) this season shouting his mouth off about the club underachieving. One of my fellow fans describes him as a disruptive influence for this and good riddance but I have my doubts..

News just in by email that former Celtic and Scotland midfielder Paul Hartley is in Bristol for a medical (Hartley’s don’t they majke jam?). At 32 he’s no spring chicken (and he’s not a left winger!!!) but his stats look good (courtesy of soccerbase) and his experience as good as much as you could expect for a club with our pulling power.

Has manager Johnson now developed a bias towards Scottish players (there aren’t currently too many world class jocks knocking around in world football) or are the Scots just cheap??

One Hearts fan (one of  Hartley’s former clubs) claims on the forum he pulls all the strings and has a great free kick, is this finally the end of the managers son?

The Beginning Of The End

Inspired by a few books I’ve decided to start a blog about my trials and tribulations following Bristol City in an effort to get a book deal. Ha ha

You may ask why start this sort of thing in the summer when football is dead? Well ask any real fan and the football season actually starts in June – 17th this year as this is the day the fixtures are released and most of the day is spent covering the internet for “the list” and then the forums for “the list” to download into Outlook (Outlook is a football fan’s filofax) - if you have a girlfriend or wife this is a vital part of life to avoid any double bookings between now and next May. The fixtures aren’t kind this year as I can already spot early wedding and birthday clashes F%uck! At least I have a friend of mine waiting for a ticket!!

July 1st – another key date when players contracts tend to be up so new players will come West – well thats the plan until….

Today we sign Gerkan (I thought this was something you threw out of a big mac for being sh&te) he’s a goalkeeper who spent part of last season in the bootom tier so hardly an inspriational signing – we live in hope.

The first text of the day from my peers is questioning whether manager Johnson is preparing for life in League 1 as such signings appear to indicate we are aiming for a bottom 3 finish after yesterday’s puzzling sigining of an 18 year old injured left back who Pompey didn’t wan to keep.

Soccerbase is next (this is the site for any football annorak) check his stats (appearences/goals/age) they don’t look great although they have him as 6ft whereas the offical site claims he’s 6 ft 4? Has he grown since May?

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!