|
Post by wiaww on Mar 12, 2016 21:49:02 GMT
Providing things stay on the upward trend, our spell in the conference only serves to make any progress we make that much sweeter. Hopefully it will keep some of us honest and humble to have tasted hell but to have returned. When we eventually play and beat city in the league the elation will be unparalleled. It will be something most sheeds simply could not imagine as it will be a victory of true resurgence from the ocean wreck of our nightmare past. Something god willing they will one day taste themselves. Amen...
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 12, 2016 21:37:52 GMT
I riddle myself this at least once a day. For me the season in the Conference will forever be a red mark in our history books but it was bloody good fun. Selfishly, I think my personal enjoyment of last year just shades the immortal shame of BRFC having been a "non-League" side for 12 months. There's no way we'll ever know what would have/could have happened had we stayed up that year but I think that on the whole I'm glad our season in the Bananarama Enterprise Rental Car National Front Tinpot Bristol Rovers League happened.
Print that, B*stard.
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 12, 2016 20:48:55 GMT
boom boom boom let me here you say Wael, Wael
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 11, 2016 16:28:43 GMT
Fair play to you BS14gas for putting that link up so quickly. We should have used you in our legal fight with Sainsburys. I guess the answer is how specific the terms of the precontract are. Rumour is it is a three year deal at £3k per week. Is that true? I don't know. But if it is anywhere near accurate, then it's bye bye. If Taylor's goals fire us to back to back promotions then at 26 he's definitely worth £468,000 of our money to match that deal.
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 10, 2016 16:44:42 GMT
If I'm driving a bus at 50mph and (bail out) leaving it 20 yards from a concrete pillar for the assistant bus driver to save us, who crashed the bus....? Yes, but in this situation there would have been dual controls. And the driver had previously told the Bus company owner that he didn't feel that he should be behind the wheel.
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 10, 2016 15:36:28 GMT
I don't think you can lump John Ward in with McGhee and Buckle. JW served the club well in his 1990s spell. His first season in the second spell was excellent. 2013-14 was admittedly terrible, but I have never changed my opinion that we would have stayed up with him in charge, instead of dumping it all on an unready DC. Ward wanted to retire but Higgs made him stay on beyond his sell-by date. Ward was a failure at the end, but across his whole time at the club was a decent manager who cared about BRFC. Buckle was a disaster from the start and McGhee lumbered us with expensive dinosaurs. Both were clueless and understood nothing about the culture of the club. John Ward was responsible for the first Bristol Rovers side to be relegated out of the football league, that compounded with him serving up the worst football I have ever seen from Rovers. Judging John Ward Mk.II solely on the cold hard facts, he was without doubt the worst manager in BRFC's long history.
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 10, 2016 14:58:53 GMT
Mental, innit.
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 10, 2016 12:01:37 GMT
Excellent. But, adopting 'The Gas' was only half of it. Giving back a name that would definitely not be adopted by the opposition was a coup de gras (when did you last hear a City supporter refer to himself as a xxxxhead?). I rather like the 'bosteros' reference in the article, though. Bristol Bosteros ...... hmm, suits 'em. That's the beauty of it though. Eventually "the Gas" was wholeheartedly welcomed by our fanbase, it's a badge of honour and a nod to our tradition and history. What have they got? The Sh*t and the 82ers? The Sh*t always makes me laugh as it's almost satirical in its simplicity, though I suspect that was not the case when it was first dreamed up! And could they ever really "reappropriate" the 82ers tag? Not without finally admitting that Bristol City FC died in 1982 and what was reborn is nothing short of a predecessor to the likes of MK Dons. They've got nothing and they know it and that hurts them far more than any borrowed South American insult ever could.
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 10, 2016 10:32:19 GMT
Interesting little article here on footballing nicknames and the power of "reappropriation". Full article below. Credit Richard Furlong. On Bristol Rovers, Boca Juniors and the power of reappropriationAcross the colourful arc of their history, Bristol Rovers have gone by all manner of names. In its time the club has been variously known as Black Arabs F.C., Eastville Rovers and Bristol Eastville Rovers. And those are just the official titles. They also have more than one unofficial handle, with “The Pirates” vying for position with one of football’s best and most unusual nicknames: “The Gas”. The story goes that rivals Bristol City used the term as a slur on Rovers’ ground Eastville Stadium, which was perched next to a local gasworks. The Rovers old guard resisted the title for over thirty years, preferring the club-approved piratical moniker. But in that time-honoured way that it will, push came to shove. Enough was enough, so to silence the haters Rovers fans took matters into their own hands and began using the nickname themselves. In doing so, they took ownership of the tone of the words and gave them a positive slant. This is, as novelist Marina Warner puts it, ”a form of well-proven magic, uttering a curse in order to undo or claim its power, pronouncing a name in order to command its field of meaning.” It’s known as reappropriation. In good company Gasheads are in good company. In the armoury of the stigmatised, reappropriation is a powerful weapon, and it has been deployed in the fields of race, gender, religion, sexuality and politics. One such example is in the LGBT community, where the word “queer” was once exclusively derogatory. The community began using it themselves, and over time it has become an increasingly accepted term. Reappropriation highlights the power that labels have to create social identity, which is important in football given how often fans look to their club to define who they are as individuals. It also shows that stigma and slurs are malleable, and can be renegotiated. A risky move But reappropriation is also a risky move, and one that takes guts. There’s pain in being a member of any stigmatised group, and it’s unpleasant to give voice to words used against you. You risk giving the words temporary validation and potentially handing power to your oppressors. Then there is the fact that, if not adopted by all members, it can cause factions within a group. But British football has plenty of examples of how reappropriation has worked, and worked well. Tottenham fans have taken on the racist epithet “Yids”, while Ipswich and Hartlepool are happily known as “Tractor Boys” and “Monkey Hangers” respectively. You only need to hear Cardiff City fans sing “one-nil to the sheep-shaggers” – and see the reaction from opposition crowds – to understand how reappropriation can disarm a slur. Not just a British phenomenon As well as needing an ounce of chutzpah, reappropriation in football carries with it a certain wit and self-deprecation. Given how much we value these traits, it’d be tempting to imagine that it is a practice unique to UK football. But this is far from just an English-language phenomenon. The Dutch know a reappropriated term as a geuzennaam, a word which itself has its roots in a reappropriated word for beggars – geuzen – which was used to deride Dutch opponents to Spanish rule in the 16th century. Similarly to Spurs, Ajax fans have taken on the geuzennaam Joden (“Jews”) and made it their own, while PSV fans are proud to call themselves boeren (“farmers”). As with much in football, though, when it comes to doing things properly we look to South America. Pig-hooligans and manure Sportivo Luqueño in Paraguay are nicknamed Kuré Luque (Kure meaning “pig” in Guaraní). The town of Luque was famous for rearing swine, and people used to transport pigs on trains, even on match days. For a time the players used the same trains as the pigs, which, to be fair to rival fans, really couldn’t be left uncommented on. Luqueños now fully own this insult, though: they have a pig as their mascot, their ground is referred to as the Chiquero (“Pig Sty”) and their barra call themselves the Chancholigans (“The Pig-hooligans”). Over in Argentina, Boca Juniors go by the nickname bosteros, which refers to the horse manure (bosta) used in the factories where La Bombonera now stands. Despite originating as an insult, it has become a badge of honour. Not to be outdone, Flamengo in Brazil was often referred to as the club of the urubu (black vultures). This was doubly-pointed, playing on both the racial background and poverty of their fanbase. This all changed in the 1960s when, following a miserable run against rivals Botafogo, a fan caught an actual vulture and threw it onto the pitch before a game. This made the crowd suitably rambunctious, and prompted Flamengo to win the match. Following that the vulture has become the club’s official mascot, taking over from the previous incumbent: Popeye.
The future of reappropriation The future of reappropriation is an interesting one. As society moves towards multiculturalism, we could see more reappropriation as stigmatised groups become increasingly comfortable with wearing previously negative labels with pride. However, as larger teams attract increasingly worldwide support, they face a much-documented battle to retain their core identity. Nicknames – and the history, tradition and local flavour attached to them – form a big part of this identity. As clubs shift focus from the local to the global, it will be an interesting sideshow to see what role nicknames and reappropriation have to play. So if the newly-flush Bristol Rovers could parlay their wealth into global success, would international fans take to the idea of “The Gas”?
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 9, 2016 10:35:47 GMT
Anyone got any action shots from last night? Wrong forum. You need showusyourwifeinaction.co.uk When you said Mrs Nobby was into "Extreme Sports" I wasn't expecting this... ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BR47qWoCEAAjbdm.jpg)
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 9, 2016 9:04:27 GMT
Anyone got any action shots from last night?
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 6, 2016 22:51:16 GMT
Never go back.
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 6, 2016 16:42:06 GMT
Read through my posts & threads, I've been saying it for ages, Browner is our most consistent player, and number 1 on my team sheet. There can't be many better left backs in the bottom 2 leagues. I'm honestly surprised he is still here, I put him up there with Smith as the best full-backs I've seen at the Gas. I think he's average. I agree. I think he seems like a nice guy, he's clearly very professional, he also seemed to show some impressive loyalty to the club when we were relegated (although who knows what his options were) but in terms of footballing ability I think he's pretty average. Defensively I think he's actually below average and I'm always nervous whenever we play anyone with a right-sided player with a bit of pace. Not a popular opinion on this forum though.
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 5, 2016 22:07:16 GMT
Well I'm not laughing but it's a funny thing. I remember Carayol being absolute gash for the first half of the season before hitting some good form after Christmas and putting in some electric performances that caught the eye of, amongst others, the scouts of Middlesbrough. I don't remember him being particularly consistent but he definitely had a purple patch or three.
I think I agree with the OP, I think there's something of Carayol in Montano, but whether or not it's just the same wiry build, pace and dodgy facial hair, I don't know.
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 5, 2016 21:04:15 GMT
Including caretakers...since 1996......city 14...rovers 19 Did you just make that up?
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 4, 2016 21:51:01 GMT
Damn fine away following for Grimsby for a Friday night. Only just turned on, not sure if they have said how many but I would guess at 250 ish. Unreal support that. Blimey. Would be fantastic if they could close that gap on Chelts, they're currently 14 adrift with 2 games in hand. I wonder if they have to play Dover away...
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 3, 2016 14:15:21 GMT
That's frickin Ginger!!!! Well, yes, but... ![](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/0c/74/e5/0c74e5a802b33d8cdb7f0a9e9035a94d.jpg)
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 3, 2016 14:13:55 GMT
As mentioned before on here, I was born and raised in London and came to Bristol about nine years ago. My best friend at school (left school in 1990) lived in Haywards Heath and travelled to London every day to our school in west London. Most weekends were would either watch my team Chelsea or his Brighton - we went all over the country aged 14 onwards. In 1987 we travelled to Bristol on British Rail to watch Brighton play City (3-1 City). From that day I remember being able to see over the stand and seeing a lot of green land. There was a bit of fighting after and I remember thinking City fans were a bunch of scummers. A fortnight ago my mate asked me to go watch Brighton again at Trashton (29 years after our first visit) - he'd acquired tickets through work but in the City end. At first I resisted - rather have my head boiled - but hadn't seen him in yonks and thought I take a look at the competition. My big concern was clapping politely if City scored - I wasn't going to! Fortunately Brighton won 4-0 so I didn't have to, we did laugh when Brighton scored their fourth. Anyway, back to the point; the stadium. It's going to be big when finished but they won't fill it. It's going be disjointed - one of the stands doesn't fit right and you get those corners where the wind gets in. The atmosphere was awful, nothing but moaning throughout. The view was poor too, all I could see was the cross bar so spent the whole match standing up - which was greeted with verbals. The City singers were behind the goal besides the away fans and their sang four times. Brighton fans sang "shall we sing a song for you" about ten times. I liked the concourses with large photos of ex-players and the kiosks were fast and had beer (though didn't see anyone selling programmes). The location is difficult and oddly placed - parking was a mare. This leads me to the UWE or something similar. With a bowl you block out the wind and retain the singing. It will be ideally placed to mill about outside and hopefully have decent concourses. Stoke City hold five-a-side games for kids in the concourses before games (child members at Stoke have a full day programme pre-match including lunch; legendary) / Reading have discos after games in one of their concourses (I've been to a London Irish game and after they had a band and bar that went on to 10pm.) I grew up watching Chelsea (as did our new chairman) and stood in the shed and then when Roman took over sat in the stands and saw the atmosphere change ('tis about getting singers grouped together). However, all away games were beamed back to the bridge and would sell out. The stadium tour was popular and a money maker. I worked in Fulham and had my lunch at the Chelsea burger bar. The club megastore was great and had all the trophies in it. It had become a day out - everything for a fan is catered for. BRFC could become like that and I'm sure our Chairman wants this for us. UWE would become my new local where I pop in for a beer during the week, watch the away game on a Tuesday night with thousands of Gasheads or just potter around the rovers megastore buying stuff I don't need but my children might. We are the decent club in Bristol. The future is bright, the future is blue and white quartered. UTG! TL;DR Just kidding, good post. I'll definitely miss the Mem and its "character" but I think the UWE is absolutely the way forward. No doubt in 10 years time I'll look back at our cabbage patch with rose-tinted glasses and bemoan our soulless bowl though...
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 2, 2016 12:26:36 GMT
Can you provide and more detail? Probably not.
|
|
|
Post by wiaww on Mar 1, 2016 13:04:01 GMT
I like my coffee like my ladies skinny and.... Bitter?
|
|