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Post by Squiffy on Jan 3, 2018 7:58:42 GMT
Doubt we'll be signing another forward unless one goes, if Bodin does go then we need to Wingers at least. I think more than one or two of our players have been winging it a bit recently. 😂 |
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Post by Squiffy on Jan 3, 2018 6:04:30 GMT
Thanks for posting that. Having just looked at FWP’s website it’s interesting to see that they have been involved with the phased redevelopment of Deepdale for circa 20 years and achieved planning permission for the master plan of Boundary Park in 2007 with the first phase opening in 2015. That should give people a more realistic view of how long these types of projects take!
I was also surprised that the proposal for Scunthorpe’s new ground was only for a 12k capacity. I would have thought that any team with the possibility of Championship football would want 15k to 18k as a minimum.
But back to the main topic, if PNE’s training ground is going ahead then I wouldn’t be surprised if B.B. decided to move for the better facilities on offer. It just reinforces what Swissgas said on the other thread.
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Post by Squiffy on Jan 2, 2018 18:04:08 GMT
Surely after yesterday’s result we will now be guaranteed a play off place and BB won’t want to leave once we reach the Championship......🏆😂
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Post by Squiffy on Jan 1, 2018 11:31:20 GMT
I’m with you GGMI. Looks like there’s a few sore heads on here this morning! Pull yourself together lads we’ve got a unique team in blue and white quarters who need us to roar them on to a win today (weather permitting 🌨). Look, even you're at it now! Its on, I can see blue sky. The fact I nearly went arse over tit just now slipping on my neighbours waterlogged lawn when trying to feed their f**king rabbits means nothing, they used builders sand to help it drain I believe Note to self: Must remember to add “lol” or 😂 to posts when attempting humour. 😂 |
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Post by Squiffy on Jan 1, 2018 11:04:16 GMT
f**k SAKE GAS, What's wrong with you lot! You're all a bunch of wet drips!!! We WILL win. Now get your sorry asses down there and help cheer us on to three points! Let's be f**kin avin ya!!!! I’m with you GGMI. Looks like there’s a few sore heads on here this morning! Pull yourself together lads we’ve got a unique team in blue and white quarters who need us to roar them on to a win today (weather permitting 🌨). |
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Post by Squiffy on Jan 1, 2018 10:24:59 GMT
The truth is that both the stadium and the training ground are equally important and have a symbiotic relationship where each feeds off the success of the other. However, personally I think we should focus on getting the training ground up and running, as Swissgas suggests, as it’s the lowest capital outlay of the two and can have an immediate impact on the wellbeing of the staff. It’s payback period isn’t tangible but improved working conditions has to be a marketable asset for attracting new players and developing saleable talent, and is a viewpoint that the AQs are probably more in tune with.
The stadium issue is far more complex in terms of scale and stakeholders so if I were them I would get the easier project underway and start to rebuild a more positive media profile.
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Post by Squiffy on Jan 1, 2018 9:57:59 GMT
I know that all games are important in their own way but I think this is going to be one of the most illuminating matches of the season, and will set the tone for what is to come. It’s a new year and psychologically it is easier to draw a line under the games already played and to look forward to 2018 as a mini season. Lose or draw and I think confidence will remain fragile and we will continue to be inconsistent, but a win at home against an inform bogey team will provide reassurance to the players and the fans that the Mem can be a fortress once again.
There are a lot of teams above us still to play at home and proof that we can still compete will send out a positive message. We shouldn’t fear them, as what’s the point of being in L1 if we don’t think we’re good enough; it’s still just 11 v 11. I’m going for a 1-0 Gas win today and the start of a revival.
I’m looking at it as if the bus has just had a winter service, a fresh set of tyres and a good wash down to get rid of the salt. The road ahead might have patches of black ice which mean we don’t quite get to our destination in time but we’re still going to give it one hell of a try.
UTG and here’s to a Happy New Year.
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Post by Squiffy on Dec 28, 2017 9:16:17 GMT
Politician's logic, Topper. If it isn't 'A' then it must be 'B'. Life isn't that black and white and variations are possible. Take the stadium for example, it is perfectly possible to fund and build a new stand then move on in time, just like the phased approach to the Colony. It would be much more self contained and for a more realistic initial outlay, something in the region of £10m I reckon for a 6,000 seat stand with retail outlets for servicing the capital expenditure. Then move on when we can. The question I have for you and others is rather than dismiss options, what is your suggestion? My suggestion is posters on here need to stop living in some kind of make believe word where the ALQ's are going to spend further £m's at Rovers, when all the signs are that post UWE they've stopped all major investments. I don’t believe it has stopped, just that a whole new business plan is being put together based on the Mem, and stress testing the different financial models doesn’t happen overnight. Multi million pound projects aren’t something you rush into with the hope that it will turn out alright, and the AQs would be fools if they did. If external investment is required, as we suspect it is, then a compelling case has to be put together to convince others of the security of their capital and potential return, and that doesn’t usually relate to the punters interests like the quality of the pasties or if you can understand the bing-bong man. Frustrating as it is for us fans, it really is a case of giving the management sufficient time to get a viable project together. High level optioneering can happen quite quickly but it’s not unreasonable for a scheme the size and complexity of a stadium to have something like an 18 month gestation period. There is a lot to cover and phasing adds a whole new layer of issues with regards to maintaining a safe working stadium and building site. If we hear something before the end of the season I will be pleasantly surprised. |
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Post by Squiffy on Dec 28, 2017 8:33:28 GMT
No but other than that miss he did f**k all hence it being his best moment. What he did last season is irrelavent. He can clearly do better than he has been. My problem with him is he is way too lightweight and casual for a player out of form. It not totally irrelevant as unlike James he's proved he can at least score at this level. Although you do wonder what DC saw in him as he's hardly a typical DC signing. With him and Bodin only going though the motions yesterday it must be like playing with 9 mem, no wonder we improved when Sincs and Gaffers came on. I seem to remember DC saying that he doesn’t go for the obvious 20 goals a season strikers that everyone else are pursuing (probably because they are out of our price range) but looks for someone who isn’t quite realising their full potential with the prospect of achieving that through coaching on the training pitch. I wouldn’t mind betting that the recommendation to look at TN came from MS because of their time together at the Grecians, To that end TN ticked all the boxes but as with every single player it is a gamble of sorts as no one can predict the future. However, as long as he is wearing the quarters I will be rooting for him. |
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Post by Squiffy on Dec 12, 2017 4:44:05 GMT
Or a Gaschat Spelling Bee....😂
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Post by Squiffy on Dec 5, 2017 9:24:26 GMT
Trying to get 2 billion to build an underground metro must be the biggest pipe dream ever! Will just end up with a few extra bus lanes! On the plus side, seeing as I am currently working on the biggest Metro system currently under construction, would be a nice project to move back home for! Hope you don’t have to work on the red line! 😉 |
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Post by Squiffy on Nov 25, 2017 8:37:24 GMT
Sincs for Ollie Clarke other than that the same as you Axegas. Ollie needs to watch from the bench and find his mojo. He certainly does need to regain his mojo, a shadow of the player that he was last year. I only went for him instead of Sinclair due to Saturdays performance where Sincs looked devoid of any quality whatsoever. Ollie Clarke does have it as shown last year but there are games where you barely notice that he is on the pitch. The first place I would strengthen in January imo. BB had a slow start the season before last because he was carrying an injury which we didn’t know about. Any chance the same is true of OC, and given his history maybe, sub consciously, he can’t go all out like we know he can. |
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Post by Squiffy on Nov 25, 2017 8:04:53 GMT
The next 3 games are all winnable, that puts us in a promotion push ! Call that ambition? The next 28 games are winnable because we haven’t played them yet. We will have 11 players, the same as the opposition, but our lads have DC to inspire them and the awesome support of us Gasheads to carry them onwards and upwards to the Championship! (I think I’m getting the hang of this bus thing now,...no disrespect intended in the other thread Rich, as this is a perfect example of how to use social media for good. Your bravery for starting up this thread when you have been unfairly ridiculed in the past is commendable. Fingers crossed the docs give you the thumbs up, then put your foot down on that Gas pedal because I sure as hell want to enjoy the thrill of this ride no matter where it takes us. UTG!) |
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Post by Squiffy on Nov 24, 2017 21:51:34 GMT
As a knee jerk reaction I initially voted No because I didn’t think that anyone would take a lot of the stuff posted on here seriously, but on reflection the evidence suggests otherwise and to my surprise I felt compelled to changed my answer to Yes. The nocturnal communication confirming the collapse of the UWE deal was not prompted by chants from the terraces and the persistent references to “negative vibes” around the place hasn’t spawned from the insightful musings of a local hack. The only logical conclusion is that the power of the keyboard and the vehicle of social media is genuinely mightier than the sword. However influence, albeit trivial, and in the eyes of the club undoubtedly a major irritant at the moment, comes with responsibility. The current round of postulating and supposition is clearly damaging the relationship between the supporters and the club, particularly as certain stories seem to take on a life of their own which are not entirely warranted. It would be amazing if the passion expressed on these pages could somehow be channeled in a more positive fashion (though ideally not via the happy bus 🚎 👏😊), and rather than divide seek to galvanise and restore faith in the future of the club. After all, we haven’t lost our potential and no matter what our connection to the club, or our individual motivation, we all collectively want the Gas to prosper.
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Post by Squiffy on Nov 23, 2017 22:36:58 GMT
I’ve kept quiet on the communication issue (see what I did there 😉) but I think SH still isn’t quite getting it. He didn’t say anything that wasn’t technically correct in terms of what has been previously said and who said it, however I’m afraid it’s not quite good enough. It is common knowledge that football is not like any normal business, it’s more like a marriage. We are not just paying customers but have made an emotional commitment, most of us until death do us part. Typically a marriage starts off with a sense of euphoria which will diminish over time and to sustain it requires effort, compromise, communication but above all honesty. Lack of communication leads to mistrust and a loss of respect and, in the worst case scenario, animosity and divorce. Where I’m going with this is that they have completely underestimated the psychological impact of the collapse of the UWE deal after so many failed schemes, coupled with the manner in which it was made public and the conflicting explanations as to how if fell apart. It was a big deal to us and they needed to be more overtly reassuring and compassionate even if they were legally tied from revealing the facts. I don’t necessarily want SH to hug me as I go through the turnstiles, as that would be disturbing and inappropriate, however they should have recognised that they need to take us along with them in the alternative future. Consulting with the fan base would have been a good start to see what people’s opinions were and it’s not too late to have that sort of engagement. I’ve worked on new school projects where we hold workshop sessions with the staff and the children to explain what we are thinking of doing and to get their feedback. It’s not just a tick box exercise as it can highlight very local and specific issues which help make a design unique and fit for purpose. If the users are listened to and their opinions respected then they buy in to what you are doing and it is more likely to be a success. So SH and WAQ, I believe your intentions are good, that you haven’t done anything wrong per se, and even that you are victims of DC’s stellar success on the pitch which has far outpaced the evolutionary plan off it, however lack of customer care is foolhardy and has contributed to the current state of unease and which, if left unaddressed, will fester and turn into dissent. Nobody wants that, so please, just a little more effort to keep us on board and let us know that we are valued would go a long way.
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Post by Squiffy on Nov 23, 2017 19:50:49 GMT
Given we've not even applied for pp for the scaled down version who's to say 2019 won't become 2020, 2021 etc as there seem no obvious reason why we can't have it up and running for this summer. How are we going to gain PP and get it built in time for the summer? Portacabins.....which isn’t actually a joke as modular and off-site fabrication is the way the construction industry is heading. If you go past the BCFC 🤮 Women’s department’s Stoke Gifford stadium at Filton College on the train from Filton Abbey Wood to Bristol Parkway you will see a large two storey assembly which I reckon is similar in size to Fleetwood’s facilities and it went up in a matter of months. It’s not glamorous but presumably fit for purpose. |
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Post by Squiffy on Nov 23, 2017 9:26:39 GMT
Who doesn’t love a good poll. Anyone brave enough to start one? Obviously I would but I’m running late for work (cough), but how about:
A - Are you a well balanced individual who realises that football is just a game and although you get disappointed when we lose you do not have to strangle small animals or resort to powerful medication to get through the week?
or
B - Are you fully committed to the blue and white cause to the detriment of personal relationships, common sense and have to go to the toilet so often to check Gaschat on your phone that your colleagues think you have bladder control issues.
Having read that back I think I must be a B.
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Post by Squiffy on Nov 22, 2017 18:56:15 GMT
It doesn't get much easier after the Blackburn game. Rotherham have players to hurt us like 13-goal 6'5" Kieffer Moore, Joe Newell, Ryan Williams and Richie Towell - they even had the likes of David Ball and Lee Frecklington on the bench in their last game. Southend have the likes of Michael Kightly, Josh Wright, Simon Cox, Stephen McLaughlin and Marc Antoine-Fortune. With the way we have been defending they could all cause us problems. That’s nothing, we’ve got super Byron Moore! ...and a full Welsh cap international standard defender! |
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Post by Squiffy on Nov 13, 2017 20:01:59 GMT
All that BRFC needs is a little pick-me-up to alleviate the current doom and gloom which the return of Billy Bob will provide. It will give the players a lift, the manager a lift, the fans a lift and the forum members doing a stint in the Priory a lift. Here’s wishing him a speedy recovery for all our sakes! 🙏
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Post by Squiffy on Nov 4, 2017 11:59:51 GMT
In his post match interview DC did say he was ruthless, and he proved that last season by telling several senior players that they were no longer in his plans. He is also fair in that he gave the squad that won promotion a chance to prove themselves in the first part of the season before ringing the changes in January. I have no doubt that he is doing exactly the same this year, assessing the squad over a period of games to see who is capable of performing at this level. However something about his demeanour last night looked to me like he his patience has run out with a few players and he is about to make some serious decisions for the good of the club but also for his own reputation. I wager that there will be some surprises in the line up for next league game.
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