Bridgeman
Alfie Biggs
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,549
|
Post by Bridgeman on Nov 29, 2014 1:32:05 GMT
Like the article, but it is probably the last time I'm going to bother clicking through to the Post website, because I'm now sick to the back teeth of the massive spam attack of adverts that comes with the site. I know they need to make money, but they've lost a customer here. It would be useful if someone with more tolerance of this intrusion could cut and paste on to this site in future and save the rest of us the bother. sadly I have to agree with you. out here in the relative sticks (slow broadband), it almost crashes my ancient little netbook. I will paste in below in a few mins... Great I prefer your pasted version.....the adverts and video's and jumping around the site was sending me mad....so keep on pasting
|
|
Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2014 8:52:59 GMT
Loads of you need adblocker by the sounds of it
|
|
|
Post by mehewmagic on Dec 5, 2014 23:10:33 GMT
|
|
|
Post by mehewmagic on Dec 5, 2014 23:13:17 GMT
BRISTOL ROVERS BLOG: G is for Gas - Together everyone achieves more Posted: December 05, 2014 By Martin Bull Last Saturday a familiar face was spotted walking along the front of the ‘Blackthorn’ Terrace on his way to do the half-time raffle draw as a guest of honour with the Fans Forum Sponsors Club (only £10 to join and amazing benefits to be had). He looked fit and dapper, as befits his post-Rovers career as a fire-fighter, and certainly not a man just into his 50s, so after the tepid first half we had just endured I couldn’t resist asking him to nip down the tunnel and get his boots on. Thankfully Darrell Clarke had been watching the same game as me and with a bench bristling full of creativity and attacking intent, and the dullest first XI seen for ages, made two vital changes at half-time that meant Christian McClean wasn’t needed after all. Christian was hardly a Rovers legend in comparison to Big Dev, Boris, Reecy, Ollie, Joner, 20man, Jocky, Scooter et al (everyone had nicknames in those days!), but he was the epitome of a squad player and a professional who would do a job for you. He came to Rovers for a trial in spring 1988 as a 25 year old dominant centre-back from Clacton Town in the ninth-tier of football who had never played in the Football League, but utilised all his stature and physicality to make life uncomfortable for strikers. Gerry Francis decided to make him a gamekeeper turned poacher by converting him into a striker. King Gerry of course had an eye for spotting the most advantageous position on a pitch for each player in his squad, having already successfully transformed Ian ‘Jocky’ Alexander from a winger to a full back. In the three years that followed, Christian was limited to 36 league and cup starts and 32 sub appearances, including the Leyland DAF Cup-Final at Wembley in 1990. In the days of only two subs it was actually a very important slot to fill, and although I don’t recall him being brought on to sure up the defence I imagine that Gerry had that flexibility in the back of his mind when trusting Christian with the honour of being a loyal replacement. Christian’s finest hour, a goal in three consecutive matches in the spring of 1990, kept the pressure on league leaders Bristol City, who then faltered at the last hurdle. Those three games were part of the famous run of six 2-1 wins in a row, the last five of which saw Rovers battle back from a goal down each time. Rovers never gave up, and whether it was Big Dev or Big Chris leading the line, it really didn’t matter. We, as fans, knew that our heroes on the pitch would fight to the death for us. And they really did, especially the two goals against Cardiff City in 11 minutes of injury time (yes, that’s not a typo, 11 minutes!) at Twerton Park in March 1990 to turn a loss into a win. Six weeks later, Cardiff were relegated to the bottom division by one solitary point; such are the fine margins of football, and precisely why the lack of fight last season was such a disgrace. To this day Christian can still recall the lyrics to ‘Goodnight Irene’, and as Lee Mansell collected his Man-of-the-Match award, Christian gave him a rousing pep talk about how Rovers fans will give you everything they have, and more, and how that bond is irreplaceable. Football truly is a squad game and as we embark into the F.A. Trophy campaign, and begin to suffer injuries that we have so far avoided, it was the perfect time for one of our most forgotten squad players to revisit the Gas and help remind us of that fact. We can take many positives from the last 10 days. To beat Barnet in the last minute was exactly the physical and psychological win we needed to keep us within a fighting distance of the Bees, who have led the division since late August. A game of two halves versus Welling showed how a young manager can sometimes get away with a bit of experimentation, even if it fails, and it also handily resulted in both their central midfielders (including their player-manager) being suspended for the oddly-timed return visit this Saturday; a rare case of the right team benefiting from the ill discipline of the opposition. Whether or not the laboured looking Alex Wall was deliberately used for only the first half to wear the Welling defenders down, to build his own fitness up, or to give Nathan Blissett a rest, is of course a moot point, but what matters now is that Darrell Clarke did get away with it, and Rovers totally dominated the second half, albeit aided by a sending off. A point at Wrexham was disappointing in some respects, but having a central defender in goal for 50 minutes and him keeping a clean sheet should never be sniffed at. And at least if we play them again next season (or even in the forthcoming FA Trophy competition) we won’t need to produce the apocalyptic stats that preceded this meeting; nine defeats on the trot at the Racecourse Ground, the last draw back in 1995, and no win since 1979, although due to the quirks of the fixture list we actually won twice there that year. Even though it was questionable management not to have a goalie on a five man bench, I felt it was at least effective and decisive management to immediately put McChrystal in goal and fill his slot with the most dominant centre back seen at Rovers for many years, Neal Trotman. It was a marriage made in Wales and the shielding defence offered Macca a degree of protection rivaling Offa’s Dyke. To witness the visionary Angelo Balanta, now fit and featuring regularly, is like rediscovering a player that had been accidentally locked in a broom cupboard for the last two months. Watching Lyle Della-Verde tie defenders in knots has also brought a smile to Gashead faces. We hope of course that his injury at Wrexham won’t be serious. Finally, Bradley Goldberg should provide us with added attacking options, especially with Della-Verde sidelined, Jake Gosling flitting in and out of the side, and Dave Martin out of favour. It is very early days for Alex Wall, but his loan signing has meant that Ryan Brunt has been allowed to look elsewhere again, presumably with a view to a move in the near future. Just like Christian McClean became an almost steadfast understudy for Devon White, ‘The Wall’ may well prove to be an able deputy for Blissett although early sightings of the two clearly suggest Blissett has a real range of talents, and could well become a season changing signing for us. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Martin Bull became a Gashead in 1989 and immediately fell in love with Twerton Park, standing near G pillar. In 2006 he wrote, photographed and published the first independent book about the artist Banksy. Having been exiled for much of his past, away games have always been special for him; so much so that he has just produced a new book about them, in collaboration with Rovers fans far and wide, young and old - www.awaythegas.org.uk
|
|
|
Post by mehewmagic on Dec 12, 2014 22:15:49 GMT
|
|
|
Post by mehewmagic on Dec 12, 2014 22:21:19 GMT
BRISTOL ROVERS BLOG: G is for Gas - To make one, there has to be twoPosted: December 12, 2014 By Martin Bull Now that we are just over halfway through the league season it feels an opportune time to take a look forward to the end of the season in May. It is also a good time to look back at some of expectations we had in the summer and the decisions we had to make ahead of a season where we have so far managed to collect 43 points from 25 games. Extrapolated across 46 games that would give us 79 points, a total which would have got us into the play-offs only half of the seasons since 2006/7, the year the league first comprised of 24 teams. Of course extrapolating such figures is not completely fair as due to the vagaries of the Conference fixture system we have already completed our fixtures against AFC Telford United, Forest Green Rovers, Wrexham, Barnet and Welling United. We have yet to even have a sniff of Gateshead, Torquay United, or Macclesfield Town, whom are three clubs near the top of the league. This calculation does however give an indicator of what we could expect to achieve based on the results so far. We therefore may need to gain a few extra points to achieve what seems to now be the minimum expectation (the play-offs), but the strangely better news is that although half of the last eight automatically promoted teams have achieved more than the magical 100 points, on average only 89 points were actually needed. Although Darrell Clarke has complained about the amount of fixtures we have already played - and I fully accept that as a manager he would have preferred less - I think that overall it could be a blessing in disguise for us as a team, and especially for us fans. Having so many Tuesday evening games (eight so far, including five before the clocks changed) has been lovely for me as a fan. I've been able to stand on the terraces with just a T-shirt on to watch football on pitches that haven't been held hostage to by the weather. More importantly it means there are no evening games scheduled for the rest of the season, and as the first two rounds of the FA Trophy are also on set-aside Saturdays, if we should enjoy a long run in the competition (a cup that I personally think we could win) and/or hit bad weather and postponed games, there will be room in the fixture list without too much of a log jam. Last season Cambridge United played a mammoth 60 games whilst on their winding road to winning the Trophy and the play-off final, thus proving that success can breed success. Back in mid June I wrote a piece on this weekly blog entitled, “You know we’re so very humble”, after the incongruous words of Uriah Heep to David Copperfield. I could see a little of BRFC in the obsequiousness of Heep, as in recent years we seemed to have lost some of our humility. But we had a chance to redeem ourselves, and not to expect that so-called little clubs will come to the Mem and lump it up in the air, or treat us with awe. Rather like a first week in prison, charitable fans of Conference teams were quick to educate us on what not to do in our unfamiliar new surroundings. Have these opinions proved true, and how have we got on with the advice? They advised us not to recruit a team of ex-Football League players, and not to pay said has-beens lots of cash for failure. I have been consistently pleased that we have really heeded that advice and for the first time in a long while we have a pretty hungry young squad, with a smattering of wise old heads. We can once again hold our heads up high knowing that no-one on the pitch is taking the mickey out of us or coasting along. I can’t think of any players who have a questionable mindset or who massively divide opinion on the terraces or on the forums. We were told not to expect anyone to care who we are or where we’ve been for the previous 94 years, or for us to imagine teams will see us as their ‘Man U’ fixture of the season and ‘raise their game‘ against us. Their CLUB may see our large away support as that in financial terms, especially after the loss of Luton fanatics, but the eleven on the pitch certainly won’t. Well, I’m not quite so sure on this one. Of course it is hard to quantify exactly, and rather subjective, but I feel that some of the smaller teams in particular may have been rather lifted by the prospect of putting one over on a full-time team who arrive with lots of away fans, especially when some of those fans, whilst generally being supportive, can become hugely frustrated at where we are in the football pyramid. I don’t think opponents have raised themselves at our home matches though; indeed, I would suggest that teams like Nuneaton were actually slightly overawed by playing at a bigger stadium and in front of a large crowd. We ourselves sadly seem to hold firm to a historical apartheid though; one of the few things I dislike about our manager is when he remarks that our opponent is an ex-Football League team and will thus be very tough to play against. We were told that we should expect good quality, fast, and raw, attacking football. Again the jury is out on this one. We’ve certainly not seen many teams really attack at the Mem, and no away team has scored more than one goal here. As we have climbed the table away teams seem to have become more defensive towards us. Although there is some pace and skill in the league, many players have clearly shown a first touch or a finishing prowess that explains why they are playing at this level. Barn doors and banjos have often been mentioned around me on the terraces. It seems like the most eye-catching players get hoovered up very quickly by Football League teams, sometimes before we even get to see them in action against us, as already demonstrated in the case of Harry Beautyman at Welling United. And both Chey Dunkley and Nathan Blissett played their final games for Kidderminster Harriers at the Mem, before being snapped up by Oxford United and us, respectively. I’ve not yet seen a team to fear in this league. Even Barnet were a vastly different prospect at the Mem compared to when we faced them at the Hive, although it would be fair to say the difference was at least partly through our team getting much stronger and assured in the intervening three months, and it being a game that Barnet only really needed to draw. In fact I would say it was us who ‘raised our game’ against them, which shows that this isn’t a phenomenon that can to be denied at any level of football, or any team. Our defence is the second most miserly in the division. If we can just release the brakes a little, and secure some more attacking options in midfield and down the sides (from front to back) I think we could give the Bees a real run for their honey in the second half of the season. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Martin Bull became a Gashead in 1989 and immediately fell in love with Twerton Park, standing near G pillar. In 2006 he wrote, photographed and published the first independent book about the artist Banksy. Having been exiled for much of his past, away games have always been special for him; so much so that he has just produced a new book about them, in collaboration with Rovers fans far and wide, young and old - www.awaythegas.org.uk
|
|
Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2014 10:23:55 GMT
I've been able to stand on the terraces with just a T-shirt on I'm surprised that is allowed.
|
|
|
Post by mehewmagic on Dec 13, 2014 11:06:05 GMT
I've been able to stand on the terraces with just a T-shirt on I'm surprised that is allowed. doh. sorry. I forgot to mention I had a thong as well!
|
|
|
Post by mehewmagic on Dec 17, 2014 11:32:55 GMT
|
|
|
Post by mehewmagic on Dec 17, 2014 11:36:12 GMT
BRISTOL ROVERS BLOG: G is for Gas - A matter of perspectiveDecember 17, 2014 By Martin Bull Saturday’s game against Bath City was beautifully described as a fragment of a ‘special relationship’ between our two clubs, rather then the usual ‘special rivalry’ chestnut. At the risk of sounding shamelessly self promoting, I feel that one of the more succinct contributions to the book I have recently released (256 pages of pure gas for only a tenner; available from www.awaythegas.org.uk, the club shop at the Mem and the Supporters Club shop on Two Mile Hill - end of advert) actually sums up my own feelings so admirably that it is worth reproducing verbatim. “When Home is Away by FabGas” “One of my best away day memories was actually when we played Bath City in the FA Cup First Round at Twerton Park in November 1994. As we were officially the away team some Gas supporters went into the away end, but with almost 7,000 there Gasheads were spread out everywhere. Some, like myself, stood in the same place as usual, often finding a Bath City fan or two in ‘their’ space.” “We crushed our hosts 5-0, with Paul Miller bagging four, and Vaughan Jones on the ‘wrong’ side, but that was almost not as important as the whole experience, which was possibly unique and will probably never happen again. It was all good natured and proved that it is possible to have a match where all fans can behave without the need for segregation (like those rugger fans manage to do every match).” Lovers of ‘Bovver’ will perhaps roll their eyes at such sentimental claptrap, but whilst I do like a bit of a bite to a match, and a smattering of caustic banter between fans, I feel that modern life is already hostile enough without adding football violence and blood-boiling hatred into the mix. I don’t know if it crossed our clubs mind to consider advertising the match as un-segregated but I wish they had. It would have been a lovely touch, and for once would have got our fans some positive press coverage. Many Gasheads hold a special place in their heart for Bath City, with great memories of their offer to host us at Twerton Park for what turned out to be ten long years of exile, and I can’t imagine any trouble would have occurred. I know I am not alone among Rovers fans by trying to see the Romans play once or twice each season, if only just to stand on the same terrace that we used to bounce up and down on, and to unearth a cup of tea for only 60p. A lot of non-league games are un-segregated, and apparently we are a non-league team now. Judging from the boos and negative chants at the end of the match it seems like some Gasheads may need reminding of that fact. Losing to Bath City really isn’t the end of the world, and although some may accuse me of having low standards, I would answer that a more prosaic response to Saturday’s defeat is not about lowering expectations, it's about keeping your powder dry for a game that really matters. If we are still fighting for promotion in April and we lose our last two home games to Southport and Alfreton, then I will be more tempted to get myself worked up. Bath City are only one level down from us at the moment, and merely provided us with a dose of our own medicine. How many times have we been to a cup tie, provided most of the atmosphere, got ourselves and our team 'up for a shock', and then provided it? Then we invariably rubbed the home fans noses in it and they ran off to the local media calling for the head of their manager. In return we considered them to be conceited and disrespectful of our efforts, whilst we ourselves took our eye off the ball and would lose our next league game. On Saturday the reverse happened. And it will continue happening in cup matches until the world gulps its final breath. Yes, it was an awful performance. Yes, we lost. Yes, it was the first time an away team had scored twice at the Mem this season. But I'm not going to start singing 'what a load of rubbish', especially to a team that was significantly weaker than our best starting XI. I just fail to see how that helps. It is blindingly obvious to everyone that it was a very poor performance from us, and a decent, committed performance from the Romans. As Arnold Beisser wrote: “The tragic or the humorous is a matter of perspective.” There are only two good times to depart this competition; at Wembley, or in the first round. This isn't the FA Cup or the League Cup. There is zero chance of a 'big game' until five punishing rounds later, in North London, and even then it would most probably be a smaller payday than drawing an away tie at a top Premier League team. The important lesson to learn whenever tempted to play a weakened team again is that it wasn’t just the personnel changes themselves that made a real difference, but also the fact that Trotman, Leadbitter, Clarke, Wall, Gosling and Martin have played very few games in the last two months and looked rusty, and perhaps even more importantly have not been playing regularly TOGETHER, unlike our best team has. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Martin Bull became a Gashead in 1989 and immediately fell in love with Twerton Park, standing near G pillar. In 2006 he wrote, photographed and published the first independent book about the artist Banksy. Having been exiled for much of his past, away games have always been special for him; so much so that he has just produced a new book about them, in collaboration with Rovers fans far and wide, young and old - www.awaythegas.org.uk
|
|
|
Post by mehewmagic on Dec 24, 2014 11:41:42 GMT
My last article before Christmas is now up on the Bristol Post website. Albert Einstein said that "The measure of intelligence is the ability to change". We may not have the best players in the league, and seemingly not the best coaches, but we have the best adaptable tactician at the helm. The slight concern though is why we didn’t counter Gateshead right from when we announced our line-up, as presumably we had done our due diligence on their style of play? www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTOL-ROVERS-BLOG-G-Gas-measure-intelligence/story-25755848-detail/story.html
|
|
|
Post by mehewmagic on Dec 24, 2014 11:46:13 GMT
BRISTOL ROVERS BLOG: G is for Gas - The measure of intelligence is the ability to change Posted: December 24, 2014 By Martin Bull If Barnet manager Martin Allen considered Rovers fans ‘rambunctious’ whilst playing our best football this season and narrowing beating his table topping team last month, I doubt he would be able to find a superior superlative in the dictionary for Friday’s 3-2 win against Gateshead when we were mediocre at times but showed astonishing fight to come back from behind twice. At half-time the natives were restless, not just because we were one down, but because Gateshead had a clear and effective game plan, whilst we misplaced passes and showed skill levels and confidence on the ball that were far below those from the Heed. Their opening goal just about summed it up. A 60 metre cross field ball from a right back was taken down on a sixpence and opened up our right hand side who were already struggling due to the worst performance so far from Angelo Balanta (hauled off after 29 minutes, possibly injured) and still having a centre back playing at right back. Not that long afterwards the ball was in the net. ‘Ultra long ball and grab’ may be a new phrase I have just invented, but it worked well and was not just kick and rush. I have been a basketball fan since becoming friends with Tony Brown, a retired semi-pro, 15 years ago. Basketball has a Ronseal entitled tactic called a ‘full court press’ where instead of the usual policy of defending in your own half and allowing the opposition to get to the half way line before getting in their faces, you press them in both halves. As basketball is a game for only five players this leads to five one-on-one battles which can be exhilarating, but creates huge spaces on the court, and is often only used towards the end of a game, and by a team losing and desperate to force the issue, to fatigue the opposition and to save some clock time. Rovers were faced with the same dilemma, but in this situation the decision was needed right from the start of the game. As Gateshead confidently passed it around the back five waiting for spaces and opportunities to appear Rovers had to either press them high up the pitch, or accept that we would rarely acquire any possession, and as they say, you can‘t score without the ball. The crowd of course wanted the former, and to be blunt it was dull to watch for a considerable while. Bringing on Ollie Clarke for Balanta and switching The Beard to a more advanced role was a master stroke and gave more bite to our midfield, in a game patrolled by a ref who never whistles (more on him later). Full credit should be given to Darrell Clarke, who has not been afraid to make several early changes this season, something that Albert Einstein would have been proud of. We may not have the best players in the league, and seemingly not the best coaches, but we have the best adaptable tactician at the helm. The concern though is why we didn’t counter Gateshead right from when we announced our line-up, as presumably we had done our due diligence on their style of play? The following is hardly a spectacular revelation, but Conference Premier football, nay football of most levels, seems to be as much about who makes the least mistakes as to who is positively excelling. Individual errors made a huge contribution to their goals, the first brace for a league team at the Mem this season. The first saw Mark McChrystal play everyone onside and then fail to clear a ball that deflected across the box, leaving Matty Pattison to slide in behind him (not helped by Tom Lockyer being the wrong side of his man, the scorer). Their second saw Ollie Clarke dispossessed in midfield, and Lockyer allowing himself to unnecessarily get sucked into the centre, whilst Alex Rodman galloped up to the left hand side of the penalty area, exactly where a right back should be. Having said this, all of the five goals also showed some considerable individual skill. Lee Mansell is a genuinely top class free kick taker and Ollie Clarke has been a long range shooting sensation this season. The weakest part of Stuart Sinclair’s game is his goal scoring, and it still will be next game as he has failed to put away several chances this season, but his left footed blaster when two defenders were covering their errant goalie was a fabulous net buster to top yet another heroic man-of-the-match performance. On the other side veteran John Oster will be disappointed to pick up two goal assists from his threatening cross balls yet still come home empty handed, and their attackers in general can be proud of their considerable skills. However, for all of Gateshead’s swagger and admirable football, all three teams in recent history who tried to play it about the back five at the Mem left with plaudits but no points (Barnet losing 2-1 in February 2013 and Nuneaton failing 3-1 in September this season). The lesson seems to be that penetration is more important than pure possession. Referee Brett Huxtable must live in Southmead and only ask for a couple of pasties as payment as we were also allocated him for FC Halifax Town in August and Kidderminster Harriers in November. His performances are certainly remarkably consistent. Consistently terrible, with a comedic routine more akin to Cliff Huxtable from ‘The Cosby Show’, and the fitness of an asthmatic snail. I suspect he may have been a warder at Guantanamo Bay in a previous life as you’d need to have your leg severed into two burnt portions by a bolt of lightning for him blow his whistle. Whilst I appreciate a ref who allows the game to flow, I don’t appreciate a ref who won’t even allow a physio onto a pitch when Mark McChrystal stayed down after a head-on collision with his own keeper, and was very clearly seriously hurt, all whilst the ball had naturally gone out of play minutes before. Thirty years ago the prompt actions of Rovers’ physio Roy Dolling helped save the lives of both Aiden McCaffrey (at Southend United in April 1984) and Ian Alexander (Fisher Athletic in November 1988) when they ‘swallowed’ their tongues. It seems like the Conference have learnt little in the intervening decades. We all know the quality of the officials at this level is appalling, but then again we are in the fifth tier, so we are getting officials that are even worse than anything we’ve ever experienced before. Mr Huxtable never gives anything so you might as well get used to it, and you might as well tell your players to get stuck in when he is in the middle. We did that in the second half and even the normally level headed Lee Mansell almost lost his rag before turning a would-be Glasgow kiss into a Bristol bromance. Although our home form is great we must still work on our away performances, as amongst our 10 remaining away games we are playing the entire current top eight teams, except Barnet. We haven’t lost at Plainmoor since 2003 (a five game streak), and what price another piece of Mansell magic, back at a club where he is sixth on their all-time appearance list? ------------------------------- Martin Bull became a Gashead in 1989 and immediately fell in love with Twerton Park, standing near G pillar. In 2006 he wrote, photographed and published the first independent book about the artist Banksy. Having been exiled for much of his past, away games have always been special for him; so much so that he has just produced a new book about them, in collaboration with Rovers fans far and wide, young and old - www.awaythegas.org.ukRead more: www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTOL-ROVERS-BLOG-G-Gas-measure-intelligence/story-25755848-detail/story.html#ixzz3MoZseBKy
|
|
|
Post by mehewmagic on Dec 31, 2014 10:29:23 GMT
|
|
|
Post by mehewmagic on Dec 31, 2014 10:31:44 GMT
BRISTOL ROVERS BLOG: G is for Gas - If you want to get ahead, follow the Hatters Posted: December 31, 2014 By Martin Bull It comes as a minor relief to Gasheads to be going into a New Year placed second in a football table -even if it is at the lowest level of we have played at since joining the Football League in 1920. We may have many minor gripes about the season so far, but the table tells a decent story, and it is the first time since 2009 that we are even in the top half of the table at the end of a calendar year. In nine dreadful seasons in League Two we were time and again no-where near the top half of the table on New Year's Eve; our average position in fact being a dismal 17th. I could never see how we could be promoted if we didn't get into the top half of the division. Being in or near the top twelve by New Year at least gives you some chance of pushing up and into the play-offs (like in 2006/7), or in the case of League Two, the only division where four go up, maybe even into one of the three automatic promotion places. The fact that in those nine seasons we only had one play-off slot, and even that came courteous of an unexpected and late win against Hartlepool United on the final day of the campaign, was a lasting disgrace to our club and our loyal supporters. We only finished in the top half of the table on two other occasions - finishing 12th both times. Thankfully we can finally enjoy a Christmas period as we continue to cement a play-off place and keep within a reasonable distance of runaway leaders Barnet in the hope they may slip up, or that we can at least chip away at a lead that has now been slightly reduced to seven points. Another 1,000+ following of ever dependable Gasheads made the Boxing Day trip to the English Riviera, and were rewarded with a win that was apparently comfortable in the main, but in typical Rovers style left fans heavy breathing until the final bell. On Sunday we dismantled a really pitiable Macclesfield Town team and registered our first three goal (or more) win of the league season. I appreciate that every team has an off day now and again - and having a paltry three subs on the bench tells its own tale of the injuries they must have - but on that performance it seems quite shocking that the Silkmen are third in this league. You could certainly see why they have scored the least goals amongst the top 12 teams. It has been encouraging that many fringe or previously injured players were reported to have had a good game at Plainmoor, and I saw some proficient performances myself against Macclesfield Town. Before this week some fans seemed to have given up on Daniel Leadbitter, as his defensive abilities are weak, but I have always seen an exciting footballer in there; we just need to work out where and when to use him effectively. It’s great to hear that Neal Trotman is back to his dominant best, whilst Tom Parkes has quietly been winning plaudits for several months now. To have three centre backs of the quality of Macca, Parkesy and Trotters is reassuring as we go into our final 18 games with the best ranked defence in the League. Jake Gosling has struggled to make much impact until now, but he was some people’s Man of the Match on Friday, finding the space of an away game and the heavy conditions to his liking. He was excellent on Sunday as well. Nathan Blisset sorely needed a goal after a few close-range misses, so being positioned where all good poachers operate (namely the six yard line) to slot home Andy Monkhouse’s cut back could be a really important moment for our new signing, who after all is still a young lad tentatively finding his way. Tom Lockyer has coped well at left back, and although Monkhouse is certainly not your conventional winger, he adds height and a goal scoring threat to our team. Indeed our team for the last few games must have been the tallest team we’ve had for a long time, with Leadbitter and Monkhouse adding a threat few teams can boast in those positions. Although our current form is good we will still have to work on our away performances as amongst our nine remaining away games we are playing six of the teams currently occupying the top eight positions. We shouldn’t be totally disheartened by this tough task though, as overall most teams have hard games to come. Barnet have 10 games left against top 12 teams, whereas we have nine. Macclesfield have nine as well (but seven of them are away), Grimsby Town have nine (six of which are against the top five teams), and Eastleigh have 13 such games left and so far have only registered one win against a top 12 side in nine attempts. The following may sound slightly ambitious but I feel we need to target a win at EVERY home game until the end of the season to stand a chance of automatic promotion. We only have three of the current top 12 left to play at home (Eastleigh, Torquay United and Lincoln City), with six of the bottom 12 still to come. Whilst I’m not suggesting we are anywhere near as good as Luton Town last season, they certainly showed how to flat track bully the lower teams, dropping only a brace of points at home against the bottom 12 clubs, and rattling in 37 goals to only a handful conceded. It’s easy to forget but we did actually dispatch the lower teams at home last season quite well, picking up 22 points at home to the bottom half teams, out of a possible 33 on offer. Having already opened Pandora’s box by mentioning last seasons’ eventual runaway Champions Luton Town, I may as well go the whole hog and recall that they didn’t actually hit the top of the table until their biggest home win of the season to that point in time, on, yes, you guessed it, the 28th of December, which had followed a 2-1 away win on Boxing Day! Both teams also had poor starts to the season and neither hit the Top 10 until exactly their 10th game. Co-incidence or fate? You decide. I’m off to stick pins in my John Akinde doll. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Martin Bull became a Gashead in 1989 and immediately fell in love with Twerton Park, standing near G pillar. In 2006 he wrote, photographed and published the first independent book about the artist Banksy. Having been exiled for much of his past, away games have always been special for him; so much so that he has just produced a new book about them, in collaboration with Rovers fans far and wide, young and old - www.awaythegas.org.ukRead more: www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTOL-ROVERS-BLOG-G-Gas-want-ahead-follow/story-25783224-detail/story.html#ixzz3NTDGHEc6
|
|
Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2014 11:13:45 GMT
Enjoyed that Martin Thoroughly enjoyed the book as well! More of this sort of thing!
|
|
|
Post by mehewmagic on Jan 7, 2015 11:40:43 GMT
My first article of the New Year is now up on the Bristol Post website. Turkey of the Year award could well go to Angus MacDonald. Thanks for that point mush; it might come in handy one day soon. With a fortnight for rest and rumination, I know which set of players I would prefer to be within right now. The atmosphere in our camp must be electric, whereas for Barnet it has always been their Championship to lose. www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTOL-ROVERS-BLOG-G-Gas-Turkey-Year-Award/story-25812570-detail/story.html
|
|
Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 11:54:22 GMT
Good Read Martin computer punch
|
|
Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 12:12:55 GMT
It's always nice to see herring gulls given their proper name.
But reading anything on that bloody website is a pain in the arse.
|
|
|
Post by Antonio Fargas on Jan 7, 2015 12:18:57 GMT
Yep, good stuff again.
|
|
|
Post by Blue Mist on Jan 7, 2015 13:19:05 GMT
If Rovers get into the play-offs by a point, or even win the league by that little digit, we might wish to send a Methuselah of champagne to Torquay United’s foolish centre back Angus MacDonald. Read more: www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTOL-ROVERS-BLOG-G-Gas-Turkey-Year-Award/story-25812570-detail/story.html#ixzz3O8nGU0DfFollow us: @bristolpost on Twitter | bristolpost on Facebook I have admittedly missed three home games, but the Gulls (or should that be the Turkeys?) were the best team I’ve seen at the Mem this season, until they allowed us to grab a barely deserved point courtesy of a few moments of madness. Torquay are of course a bit of a bogey team for us at the Mem, and were the perfect banana skin after a heavy night out. We may not have lost at Plainmoor since 2003 (a run of six matches) but most Gasheads will painfully recall the 2-1 loss last season in a crucial April game, with the Gulls 11 points below us in the table, on a run of four straight losses, and having returned pointless from 14 of their 20 away games. It was only our fifth home loss of the season but that was the match that really got fans worrying. Shaquile Coulthirst's opener was their club's first goal in 420 minutes of football, and a certain Lee Mansell bagged the crucial second. And how can we forget Paul Buckle’s first home game in charge, in August 2011, a quirk of timing that proved we had somehow upset the fixture Gods. Buckle had left the Gulls with indecent haste a mere two days after his side lost in the play-off final, so a packed away end displaying a huge homemade banner reading ‘Judas‘ came as no complete surprise, amidst mutterings that his sizeable head had already been turned before that final. Buckle had also returned to raid his former employers of Scott Bevan and top scorer Chris Zebroski, although he probably should have actually brought Euan O’Kane and Lee Mansell with him instead. The ranks of Gasheads in the bumper 8,427 crowd had patently forgot what happened after our previous relegation to League Two in 2001, and we were two down within 15 sun-baked minutes. After this unsurprising demise Buckle made the first of several interview gaffes when telling Radio Bristol: "We didn't see that coming.” Returning to the present day, the seasiders possessed a rare combination of height, power AND pace up front, in Ryan Bowman and Duane Ofori-Acheampong, plus a decent understanding of each other to boot. Winger Jordan Chapell also impressed, and overall they were a team that both physically and mentally belied the dominant away defeat we had inflicted on them barely six days previously. Yet in the 71st minute MacDonald managed to acquire himself only the second booking of the contest from a referee who, like most others in the Conference, usually has cobwebs in his top pocket. Only 11 minutes later the referee’s assistant seemed to spot some relatively minor obstruction in the penalty area by MacDonald on Ellis Harrison and after a brief talk to the referee a penalty was awarded, to much hilarity from the Blackthorn Terrace. The Gulls obviously swooped on the officials like a chip-stealing flock of Larus argentatus and the way that Ofori-Acheampong got up-close and personal with them gave the ref little option but to book the big fella. Maybe it was a deliberate smokescreen to take the heat off of MacDonald? If so, MacDonald wasn’t cool enough to grasp the lifeline he was offered, inexplicably remaining in the danger zone until the ref pulled out a second yellow to give him his fourth red card of his fledgling career, to finally silence his loose tongue. Interestingly it still doesn’t seem clear what the penalty and booking were actually given for though, as the referee’s assistant patently made a little nodded head gesture, which suggested he also informed the ref of a modest tête-à-tête that MacDonald and Harrison shared after the foul in question. As MacDonald trudged off he even gave Harrison another bite and a terrifying lingering pointy finger, as if he still didn’t comprehend that he had given us a point on a plate, plus a decent chance of pressing a 10 man team for a winner. Maybe their lack of discipline should come as no surprise given the example they are offered by their boss Chris Hargreaves, a serial whinger who labelled the decision ‘disgraceful’, and earlier in the season claimed that in another year none of Ofori-Acheampong’s five yellow cards collected before the end of September would have been awarded. He is currently on nine yellows, the same as MacDonald and 21-year-old captain Luke Young. I One assumes that for the rest of the season Hargreaves will be wearing a ‘Why always us?’ T-shirt, hand scrawled in crayon as if made by a Broadmoor patient. As Jimmy Greaves used to say on ‘Saint and Greavsie‘, “football is a funny old game”. It seems hard to explain how we can give the third-placed team (Macclesfield Town) a total thrashing and get rather excited at reducing the gap on Barnet to seven points, and then four days later see nothing go right, with misplaced passes, scuffed shots and possession rapidly turned over as if the ball was in fact a large baked potato. We made it look like we were playing the Eagles, the Canaries or the Throstles, rather than the humble dive-bombing, faecal-fixated Gulls. That well-taken penalty kept Barnet’s lead down to a mere nine points, which sounds so much better than a psychologically damaging double digit figure, and our doggedness was rewarded on Sunday when a perfect set of results cut it to an appetising six points. With a fortnight for rest and rumination, I know which set of players I would prefer to be within right now. The atmosphere in our camp must be electric, whereas for Barnet it has always been their Championship to lose. Although they are clearly a very good team, they have never gone more than six games without a defeat, whereas we have had a run of nine undefeated, and are currently in a run of 13. Both of us have tough away games next, but we are very fortunate to be facing a previously excellent Woking side now in freefall, having gained just two points from their last six games. Martin Bull became a Gashead in 1989 and immediately fell in love with Twerton Park, standing near G pillar. In 2006 he wrote, photographed and published the first independent book about the artist Banksy. Having been exiled for much of his past, away games have always been special for him; so much so that he has just produced a new book about them, in collaboration with Rovers fans far and wide, young and old - www.awaythegas.org.uk
|
|