Welcome to Bristol Rovers and Oxford United

[Indian Dan]

Count them if you like!
,
https://mobile.twitter.com/footyawayday/status/757999409393233920/photo/1

 

[Ciderup]

Count them if you like!
,
https://mobile.twitter.com/footyawayday/status/757999409393233920/photo/1

NAH!! Looking at that pic, I'm not sure about 1,000 but admirable numbers.
All I know is our reserves beat a Spanish side from the same division last week!

What's their new song? 'Bristol City, we're coming for you'!

 

[Indian Dan]

They got relegated from the Spanish 2nd division last season - a European powerhouse.

See how we get on against Swansea tomorrow.

 

[07.05.16]

Sabadell (never heard of them) beat the gash 4 nil this evening in Spain but I gather the away support was, admittedly from gashead reports, getting towards 1,000. Fair play if that's true!

Don't be ridiculous! I heard there was 10,000 there, with a further 50,000 locked out!
(it was 3-0)

 

[Ciderup]

Don't be ridiculous! I heard there was 10,000 there, with a further 50,000 locked out!
(it was 3-0)

Fair play newbie, you've got a sense of humour, you'll fit in well around here.
Still a gas bastard though!

 

[Robie]

We have bought some goals now. 24 year old Kane Hemmings from Dundee.
28 goals in 44 games last season 21 of which were in the SPL.

Good on paper and on you tube. Barnsley fans?

 

[Gassy]

They got relegated from the Spanish 2nd division last season - a European powerhouse.

See how we get on against Swansea tomorrow.

So how did it go, superstar?

Swindon to win the league, after only losing by 1 less goal than us.

 

[Agombar stool]

So how did it go, superstar?

Swindon to win the league, after only losing by 1 less goal than us.

As usual defensive frailties were punished by Swansea's clinical players but we had our own chances, hit the post and the Swans' keeper made a great double stop. Given our small squad we played what I guess will be our first 11 for most of the match and Swansea made 9 changes at half time which seemed to galvanise them (Ayew basically scored with his first touch).

Branco went off injured which is very poor timing given our numbers at the back but decent performances by Nathan Thompson, Yaser Kasim, young Tom Smith and Goddard provide glimmers of light.

We are woefully short of numbers and I'm praying we see at least 3 (preferably 6) signings before the start of the season.

 

[Indian Dan]

So how did it go, superstar?

Swindon to win the league, after only losing by 1 less goal than us.

No. But then, we haven't got one of the wealthiest owners in the world like yourselves.

How's the new stadium coming along?

 

[07.05.16]

No. But then, we haven't got one of the wealthiest owners in the world like yourselves.

How's the new stadium coming along?

 

[Indian Dan]

Is that the Swansea lot from last week?

 

[Marked Ox]

We've signed striker/winger Tyler Roberts, 17, on loan from West Brom until January. Made his debut for WBA last season. WBA rate him highly, pacey and with an eye for goal so hopefully we've temporarily got a good one. Scored some good goals on his YouTube video but that obviously doesn't show his misses so will wait to see before making a judgement.☺

 

[ThisTinpotLeague]

World's gone mad. If you can't judge a teenage footballer off the back of a 2 minute YouTube video anymore then what's the bloody point of the website.

 

[Agombar stool]

World's gone mad. If you can't judge a teenage footballer off the back of a 2 minute YouTube video anymore then what's the bloody point of the website.

Agreed. When you sign a youngster, or a player from foreign shores, you rely on cobbled together footage on youtube that make your new signing look amazing.

Its like an unwritten football fans law!

 

[Big Bird]

Doesn't really help the mindset of Town fans when your biggest rivals sign two strikers in two days without issue, while we continue on with our wafer thin squad with not even a hint of anyone joining in the near future.

I'm already pissed off with this season. Extremely amateurish.

 

[Robie]

On paper you are right our XI and squad are weaker than last season.

GK - Buchel, Slocombe replaced by Eastwood
CB - Dunkley, Wright replaced by Nelson and Martin
LB - Skarz remains
RB - Loanees (Baldock, Kenny) replaced by Ribeiro
CM - Lunny and Sercs with the additions of Crowley, Rothwell
Wing - Roofe, Maguire, Macdonald, Odowda were probably used in that order across 2 positions.. Rob Hall comes in
FW - Hylton, Taylor, Loanees (Bowery, Waring)... Thomas comes in.

We need to replace the goals scored. I don't think we are stronger in the Wings or FW at present.
I still think we need another striker or pacey wide winger to make the impact off the bench that Callum did. When Rob Hall is fit he will have that impact but would rather not be waiting.

However on paper at the start of last season Roofe and O'Dowda would not have been expected to get the goals they did so I trust that Appleton has made the correct signings so far. We are expecting two more signings in attacking positions in the near future.

So a couple of signings and we look significantly stronger.. in my opinion.
GK - Buchel, Slocombe replaced by Eastwood
CB - Dunkley, Wright replaced by Nelson and Martin
LB - Skarz remains
RB - Loanees (Baldock, Kenny) replaced by Ribeiro
CM - Lunny and Sercs with the additions of Crowley, Rothwell
Wing - Roofe, Maguire, Macdonald, Odowda were probably used in that order across 2 positions.. Rob Hall and Kyle Roberts (loan) come in
FW - Hylton, Taylor, Loanees (Bowery, Waring)... Thomas and Hemmings come in.

 

[Gassy]

No. But then, we haven't got one of the wealthiest owners in the world like yourselves.

How's the new stadium coming along?

Yerrr but noooo but - you lot were in the prem tho init, so yous lot should be considered equal me babber

 

[Ciderup]

For some reason, I no longer get updated if someone posts on this thread but it appears my work here is done as you're bitching like fook!!
It would be safe to say I think our 'friends' from Swindon have some new people to bitch at so we can now concentrate on staying in Prem 2 so I shall take my leave (will I fook!).
I trust Dan and Aber to sort things out, good blokes even though they're seriously misguided.
Enjoy the banter fellas!
When you buggers are anywhere near BS3, pop over and have a look at the new Gate, I would, genuinely, be interested what you think.
Long may the banter continue and I shall pop in now and again to put some Championship sway on things!

 

[Indian Dan]

Thanks, Dad!

 

[Indian Dan]

Yerrr but noooo but - you lot were in the prem tho init, so yous lot should be considered equal me babber

I'm getting a terrible feeling we are on the way to being completely butt-fucked. There really is no reason I can think of why Power hasn't recruited. We've signed last season's loan keeper on a perm, a non league midfielder and yet another midfielder who was without a club.

We have no defensive or striking back up whatsoever, highlighted when Branco went off with a bad injury against Swansea and we replaced him with a midget wing back. There are less loans to plunder due to the new PL U-21 comp and therefore more competition for those few that are available.

He seems unwilling to spend any money at all replacing the 3 strikers we've sold. In the last couple of years we have never generated so much money from player sales - got to be £5-6m at least - and yet he still hunts the bargain bucket and loan market.

There are those who have supported his miserly approach to running the club who are quickly re-evaluating that support.

Blackpool, anyone?

 

[Agombar stool]

Yerrr but noooo but - you lot were in the prem tho init, so yous lot should be considered equal me babber

completely off topic (plus I have no idea whether your post was in English or not, only recognised a handful of words) but noticed you live in Bratislava. To this day (and I have been to plenty of places in the world) I haven't been to a place where there is such a high percentage of attractive women. Outstanding.

 

[ComeOnIrene]

For some reason, I no longer get updated if someone posts on this thread but it appears my work here is done as you're bitching like fook!!
It would be safe to say I think our 'friends' (coonts) from Swindon have some new people to bitch at so we can now concentrate on staying in Prem 2 so I shall take my leave (will I fook!).
I trust Dan and Aber to sort things out, good blokes even though they're seriously misguided.
Enjoy the banter fellas!
When you buggers are anywhere near BS3, pop over and have a look at the new Gate, I would, genuinely, be interested what you think.
Long may the banter continue and I shall pop in now and again to put some Championship sway on things!

I've just completed my degree at Uni and I've had the misfortune of seeing Trashton virtually every day for the last three years as I drove to Bower Ashton campus.

Obviously you can't do much to improve the area but the improvements made to the stadium are very impressive. I used to park in Ashton Court car park and seeing the stadium stand out and impose over the local surroundings was horrible to see from a Gas perspective, because that's exactly how we would want everyone else to view our new stadium (I'm keeping the faith in Wael and co.). We'd regularly go to KFC on a lunchtime which meant I saw the Sports Bar and Grill as we walked past, and that looks very smart too unfortunately.

Whilst it isn't as good as building a brand new purpose-built stadium for your football club and no-one else, it's safe to say City have got it pretty much spot on with the redevelopment (with the exception of the seating that doesn't give you a view of one of the goals!). The facilities are much improved and it will make it easier for them to attract better players and compete much more competitively in the Championship. Lansdown has gone years ploughing ridiculous sums of money into the football club for little to no return on the pitch for any sustained period of time, but they are now laying the foundations that could see them rectify that in the years ahead.

It makes it even more important for us to get the UWE Stadium sorted as quickly as possible. The waiting is incredibly frustrating and nobody really knows what's going on, but I trust in Wael and Michael Cunnah, who is leading the project, to get it sorted. Whilst I can't say I am 100% convinced it's going to happen any time soon as things never seem to go according to plan for us, I am an awful lot more confident that it will happen now than I was under the previous BoD.

 

[Indian Dan]

Most fans are treated like mushrooms - kept in the dark and fed shit. We are strung along on the promise of 'jam tomorrow' while owners rely on the loyalty of us mug punters still turning up to keep the ever-increasingly creaky show on the road.

Clubs like yourselves and Oxford pay the ultimate price of a humiliating exit from the league. Luckily for you 2 you have bounced back - probably stronger than you have been for years. Others have, and will continue to do so, follow your path.

Almost always the cause of the demise falls at the owner's door - either as a result of sinister motives or just plain stupidness.

City are very lucky at the moment but you only have to look at Blackburn and Wolves as to what happens when owners who are also fans leave the club. I'm getting a bit old in the tooth to have the time to wait for the upturn in fortune to arrive so in the meantime I have to put up with the shit that is turning up at our door at the moment.

 

[Ciderup]

Good post COI and well done on completing your degree.
The pitch has actually been moved at the Gate so the seats we questioned CAN see the goal not that I would want to pay premium rates to sit there with that view. It must hurt as a gashead watching it rise on a daily basis as you have, OUCH!
As for 'improving the area', most of us don't actually live in BS3, just watch our team there. I live in gas land so it's quite a distance for me.
On to the UWE which is turning into a right saga? Do you think there is any truth in this 'Chimp' blokes' concern that it has fallen through? It's gone very quiet and I would be a little concerned at the mo as, you rightly say, it's very important for the long term chances of your club. All I would say is if the deal isn't right for you in regards of match day / non match day revenues and ownership, walk away as that's the whole point of our redevelopment. There's no point in having a shiny new stadium, nice though it would be, if you are only using it as a football ground and sharing the additional revenues caused by your being there.
Given South Glos' positive intentions to build a stadium on their patch, I'm sure an alternative site can be found which would give you all the trappings a new stadium should without the need to share revenues. Just don't build it near Barrs Court eh!

Dan, we know how lucky we are to have a City supporter owning us who is wealthy enough to support us as he does. Luckily, his son is City mad as well so there appears to be a plan re future ownership. The money spent on the redevelopment (which hasn't finished once the stadium is complete by the way) should make the club more self sufficient but SL will probably put money in as and when needed. Please don't think we don't appreciate what he does, we are extremely lucky to have him.

 

[ComeOnIrene]

Good post COI and well done on completing your degree.
The pitch has actually been moved at the Gate so the seats we questioned CAN see the goal not that I would want to pay premium rates to sit there with that view. It must hurt as a gashead watching it rise on a daily basis as you have, OUCH!
As for 'improving the area', most of us don't actually live in BS3, just watch our team there. I live in gas land so it's quite a distance for me.
On to the UWE which is turning into a right saga? Do you think there is any truth in this 'Chimp' blokes' concern that it has fallen through? It's gone very quiet and I would be a little concerned at the mo as, you rightly say, it's very important for the long term chances of your club. All I would say is if the deal isn't right for you in regards of match day / non match day revenues and ownership, walk away as that's the whole point of our redevelopment. There's no point in having a shiny new stadium, nice though it would be, if you are only using it as a football ground and sharing the additional revenues caused by your being there.
Given South Glos' positive intentions to build a stadium on their patch, I'm sure an alternative site can be found which would give you all the trappings a new stadium should without the need to share revenues. Just don't build it near Barrs Court eh!

Dan, we know how lucky we are to have a City supporter owning us who is wealthy enough to support us as he does. Luckily, his son is City mad as well so there appears to be a plan re future ownership. The money spent on the redevelopment (which hasn't finished once the stadium is complete by the way) should make the club more self sufficient but SL will probably put money in as and when needed. Please don't think we don't appreciate what he does, we are extremely lucky to have him.

Thanks CU!

'Painful' just about sums it up. Considering all my friends lived in digs around the area and are big football fans I thought I'd have a job on my hands dissuading them from visiting AG, but I can happily report that none of them ever stepped foot inside the ground. In fact under my influence they became honorary Gasheads and attended a few Rovers matches, which they loved!

To be fair my comment about the location was slightly tongue in cheek. Neither North St. or Southville were as bad as I thought they would be - there are quite a few decent places to have a drink. I made sure I wore my Rovers shirt when we played football at Greville Smyth park though, just so people knew where my loyalties lay!

I do not believe a word that come out of Chimp's mouth as he has no inside knowledge whatsoever - he just speculates every possible outcome of an event and then claims he is ITK. I do, however, fear that there is more to the situation than we currently know. Wael and co. had their work cut out renegotiating the ridiculous agreements Higgs made previously that would have seen us lose out on so much additional income, and I don't think UWE liked the fact we were no longer sitting there allowing them to spank us.

The club are keeping quiet but every time Wael is pressed on it we are told we have specialists working on the project and that things are on track. I have no reason to doubt him at this point because he seems incredibly sincere and gives off the impression he genuinely wants to progress the club, so hopefully he will be proven right and any issues can be ironed out soon.

I have a nagging doubt in my head though - mainly because things are never straightforward as far as Rovers are concerned - that we will end up having to source an alternative site and build elsewhere, but I hope that isn't the case because that'll take so much more time. However, you're absolutely right CU, if we aren't able to agree favourable terms with UWE then it is in our best interests to look at alternative plans because new revenue streams are one of the most important aspects of building a new stadium.

That's funny, I heard Wael is a fan of Barrs Court actually...

 

[Ciderup]

Whoops!
https://twitter.com/FL92Transfer/status/759080348978413569?s=04

 

[Indian Dan]

£2.5m? Got to be a wind up.

 

[Ciderup]

£2.5m? Got to be a wind up.

I should think so bud.
No doubt a few of the slightly more neanderthal methane snorters are spitting their white lightening all over Lockleaze at the moment though!

 

[07.05.16]

It's on twitter, therefore it must be true!

 

[Indian Dan]

We've got some twitter rumours!