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Post by mftc on Jun 16, 2024 17:53:51 GMT
If we are in the position of drawing someone like Liverpool (after a replay - sic!) then I'm pretty sure there would be a substantial increase in half season tickets.
With money being tight for a lot of fans and the club seemingly out of touch with the a average man in the street (£39 quid to watch England on the telly on a school night and rely on Bristol's public transport if not to get done for drink driving), I suppose the onus is on the manager, coaches and players to play winning entertaining football so any Xmas bonus/spending money is spent on a half season ticket/new shirt etc.
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Post by mftc on Jun 14, 2024 12:39:59 GMT
I think the lottery prize is estimated at over £130 mill.
If one lucky Rovers fan wins that they can give half away to family and good causes and then buy the club with the rest.
We can spend over our means for a few years, develop one stand and then in ten years time we will probably be in a similar boat as we are now!
Money doesn't seem to last long these days - especially where football is concerned.
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Post by mftc on Jun 13, 2024 7:44:16 GMT
I think we will announce 3-4 in a week, once the window officially opens.
Didn't we do that in Barton's first season?
If Taylor is on holiday, I'm sure the website/ local press etc would want to have his soundbites when they are announced.
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Post by mftc on Jun 13, 2024 7:41:37 GMT
No sure of the actual numbers but Liverpool released something like 8 players that were either first or second year pros.
If you take into account all the Prem teams there must be some talent available. Maybe they are just not big or strong enough yet.
Didn't there used to be a trials match for released Prem players in the past.
Didn't we pick up Zamora like that and City got Lita (I did hear we spotted him and had talks but City just tripled what we were going to pay - deja Vu).
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Post by mftc on Jun 9, 2024 15:57:56 GMT
I think we have had our hands bitten by supposedly goalscoring players from Scotland. Duffy was ok but Riordan, Reilly and Cameron were meant to be 15-20 goals a season players who could easily adjust to English football. As mentioned on the Scott Hendy thread, Gary Warren had a decent career in Scotland, playing in the top division and Europe, but didn't get taken on after a two week trial at Rovers and would have been something like 2 levels below National League south at the time. I am not sure of the equivalent of Scottish Championship and leagues 1 and 2 with the Welsh or Irish leagues but I think good players in league one in England can make the grade at a lower Scottish Prem club, (Ayunga etc) so Scottish league 1 must be similar to National league South. Alex Bannon played as a centre half last season. Surely you judge a player on their individual merits/ability and not what an entirely different player did years ago? Very true, but I don't think the standard is that great. Many players have looked outstanding playing at a level that is too easy for them. People moan about the likes of Connolly or Gordon, but how good would they look if they played for Queens Park?
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Post by mftc on Jun 9, 2024 14:11:18 GMT
Burton Albion are closing in on a deal to sign Queen’s Park player Alex Bannon after the two sides agreed a fee for his services, according to a report via Daily Record Sport. The 20-year-old recently signed a new contract with the Scottish side but after impressing new Brewers boss Mark Robinson, Bannon is set to complete a six-figure switch to the League One side. I think we have had our hands bitten by supposedly goalscoring players from Scotland. Duffy was ok but Riordan, Reilly and Cameron were meant to be 15-20 goals a season players who could easily adjust to English football. As mentioned on the Scott Hendy thread, Gary Warren had a decent career in Scotland, playing in the top division and Europe, but didn't get taken on after a two week trial at Rovers and would have been something like 2 levels below National League south at the time. I am not sure of the equivalent of Scottish Championship and leagues 1 and 2 with the Welsh or Irish leagues but I think good players in league one in England can make the grade at a lower Scottish Prem club, (Ayunga etc) so Scottish league 1 must be similar to National league South.
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Post by mftc on Jun 8, 2024 15:32:56 GMT
Could not believe it but just found big Scott was killed recently on a night out.
Hendy was part of the great Mighty Mangoes team of the 90s featuring the like of ex City and Rovers players like Seal, Claridge, Pendry, Bater, Zabeck and his centre back partner (whose name escapes me, but played around 200 games in the Scottish Prem and Championship) when they were Bristol's 3rd highest ranked team.
Pretty sure he must have had trials at Rovers at some stage.
Was a true club captain who certainly got stuck in. A sort of enforcer with the management team of Andy Black and Shaun Penny being sort of winners in the Rotherham Evans type mould.
Must have been absolutely horrible to play against, but the the first to shake hands and put an arm around the opposition at the final whistle.
Taken away at such a young age. Commiserations to Scott's family and friends.
RIP
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Post by mftc on Jun 7, 2024 12:28:05 GMT
Well we have moaned about the stadium not being used but the Euro deal at over £30 quid with plenty of clauses.
Not sure there will be a big take up on this.
It means that they are already "losing" the support of fans from even a few miles away unless they bring a designated driver.
The £5 pint and pie (before ko) maybe was a loss leader, but it got people in.
The breakfast bap game with Argentina during Japan WC was a great success with the bars absolutely rammed and they must have made loads.
No so sure about this one. 6 or 7 pints in a midweek sessh!
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Post by mftc on Jun 7, 2024 8:13:38 GMT
I am sure there are a few older luddites like me but I would expect the club's Here to Help people will be around to provide assistance if needed.
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Post by mftc on Jun 4, 2024 19:06:08 GMT
Sam Nombe has been told that he is not required at Rotherham. Maybe a signing in the pipeline? Maybe more of a pipe dream?
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Post by mftc on Jun 4, 2024 8:10:42 GMT
Location is an absolute myth in my eyes, if you are getting 2k+ a week you can afford to relocate or commute, Bristol is a very attractive city to live in at the moment. big if on the budget but if it has been cut then we can still go quality over quantity - there should be enough decent players out there to form a competitive squad. Didn't Matty Lund turn down something like £500 quid a week more from us than Rochdale offered when we tried to get him to sign permanently from Stoke? Cheaper houses, cheaper cost of living, no need to uproot and girlfriend doesn't need to move away from friends,family, work etc, no hassle of getting a flat, or a house move, older players they have to think about kids moving schools. A lot of hassle for two years before moving elsewhere again. It's bad enough moving a few miles in Bristol and finding a nearer NHS dentist! Nick Tanners book said why a lot of players stay up north because of the catchment area. Prior to 20 odd years ago there was not a lot of clubs around. Maybe with FGR, Cheltenham and Yeovil there are clubs to go to wind down your career if you want to stay local (Ollie Clarke maybe). There is a lot for the players to think about. I believe a lot of Bartons signings had flats in the Clifton area, while their families lived up north. That's most of the guessed £2k a week gone already. (I would suspect quite a few were on much more than that).
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Post by mftc on Jun 4, 2024 7:48:34 GMT
We have probably sounded out 3-5 players already.
Just need to fine tune the deals when they come back from holidays.
That said, they could always do a Clive Platt and Jaydon Stockley on us! Verbal agreements mean next to nothing.
Didn't Wardy do similar on his second time here? Heard he was on the way to Exeter, Geoff D gave him a bell and he stopped off in Bristol and then signed for us.
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Post by mftc on Jun 2, 2024 9:06:59 GMT
Good on the ball and great at retaining possession but not a old fashioned tough tackling full back and too short to win headers so was singled out by other teams CFs who drifted wide.
With a out and out winger in front of him and a target man and a pacy striker up front, I bet he gets involved in more goals.
I often maintained it was difficult for him to look up and see a man marked Martin, who couldn't run into space, and very little else in front of him, so Gordon had to go sideways or back as that's where our midfield were often positioned.
Will develop physically and will get experience so will be better adept at actual defending in the forthcoming years.
Despite the negative comments I think he will safety play 200+ games at National League and above, (injuries apart) so can't be too shabby.
Reading between the lines, I think if Taylor had the budget, he might well have been kept on as a squad player with an eye on being the main full back choice in 2-3 years.
Good luck Flash.
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Post by mftc on Jun 2, 2024 8:54:28 GMT
Does anyone at the club check out local talent below NLS?
There must be quite a few who have slipped through the net.
Locks was deemed too small at 16 by Cardiff. There must be 100s of kids in that situation each year.
A few years in the real world working a mundane jobs and learning the ropes in lower league football may mean that they are more determined to make it second time around.
Gerry's team was full of them Bruno, Reecey and you could say Jocky and Saunders would have not had careers in their positions at the time (Jock at best an average winger and Saunders a reserve left back?).
Taylor and The Beard are the most recent successful signings from non league I can think off. (Probably a few more but my memory is not what it was).
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Post by mftc on Jun 2, 2024 8:45:54 GMT
I don't think we have had a Reecey type player for years. Someone like The Beard who was a very good non league player and who could have made better money at the time of joining Rovers by working in another profession, but wanted to try and "live the dream"
Started on peanuts but gave their all.
With a bit of luck both could have played at Wembley.
Hopefully the club can unearth a similar type of hard working player, like a Joe Davis, Bater who didn't get the limelight like some of their teammates.
As for current player, I always hope local players do well. I think Ward was second choice keeper in the youth team and was given a heart to heart talk that he might miss out. It seems to have taken that on board and grafted and learnt so deserves everything he gets.
What's the saying? hard work will always beat talent, if talent doesn't work hard.
Some of the above may not have been the best, but worked their socks off. We have had an awful lot of more talented players who just never reached the heights (and pay days) they could have done because they never put on a shift every game.
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Post by mftc on May 28, 2024 7:40:27 GMT
The Rollover Prize is over £1,250.
Good reason to join up.
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Wishlist
May 27, 2024 17:08:55 GMT
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Post by mftc on May 27, 2024 17:08:55 GMT
The whole of that season was a "might have been".
Being a Gashead, my feet are firmly on the ground but I must admit that after the win at Oldham and seeing the Latvian for the first time, I genuinely thought we were going to walk it.
How Burnley could afford Ian Wright, God only knows. They must have been going for broke. Gambles like that very rarely pay off.
And before anyone says it, we couldn't afford Walters or Vita so we definitely pushed the boat out and spent years paying the penalty.
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Post by mftc on May 27, 2024 17:02:44 GMT
Well done Dave.
Our moaning about a one nil home defeat, burnt pasties or smelly toilets, is definitely put in perspective when you think about some of the kids in hospital.
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Wishlist
May 27, 2024 12:13:39 GMT
via mobile
Post by mftc on May 27, 2024 12:13:39 GMT
I seem to remember Trolls saying that Big John Anderson was given a minor part time scouting role when he retired from the pro game. ( did be play / coach lower Scottish leagues) and was asked to recommend any decent talent.
With the former players association having regular meetings and the players caps thing keeping players in touch, maybe this is another way to look for players.
I think Jamie Cureton and Barry Hayles are managers/ coaches in non league and Jason Roberts had a soccer school on Guyana? Personal recommendations could be a good initial step.
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Fixtures
May 27, 2024 8:46:32 GMT
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Post by mftc on May 27, 2024 8:46:32 GMT
Anyone know when they will be announced?
Need to know when to plan weekends away with Mrs when Rovers not at home!
Also any new on friendlies (other than overseas)?
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