The Exiled Robin

For the second of our Christmas fixtures, Stu Radnedge tasks to Stevenage fan Steve Watkins about their remarkable rise through the divisions and their chances this season. Thanks to both for their efforts. Stevenage have enjoyed a somewhat stellar rise into the football league. How has life been for a 'Boro fan since the clubs inception in 1976, considering there have been some notable memories in such a short space of time?! (FA Trophy victories at Wembley, Play-off semi finals last year, for instance) In a word – Amazing. Since those very modest days of the mid-seventies, I guess it would be fair to say that any long-time Stevenage fan would have enjoyed what has come their way. From roped off pitches, a return to Broadhall Way (now The Lamex), and a steady climb through the pyramid. Then came the FA Cup wins, and again, steady progression with some epic and memorable scalps collected along the way. The disappointment of not getting promotion after winning the confere...

Merry Christmas Everyone! Boxing Day sees an all-too-rare hosting of a football match at Ashton Gate. Yes, really!  It's an occurrence some fans have probably never seen, in fact, bearing in mind last year’s breaking of a run of away fixtures coincided with flash flooding and the postponement whilst many of us were in our seats waiting for kick-off. As is usually the way with these games, it’s a nearish-but-not-quite-local derby as Walsall make the relatively short trip down the M5 in reasonable form and with Sean O’Drisoll’s former number two Richard O’Kelly helping Dean Smith to keep Walsall in the running for promotion, probably against the odds. Lewis Hancock caught up with ‘Bescot Banter’  whose website features all the latest news and views on goings on in the Black Country  http://www.bescotbanter.net/ ,  to find out how they believe the Saddlers’ season has transpired thus far:   We’re almost half way through the League One campaig...

Perhaps it’s disillusionment. Maybe I was hoping more information would be forthcoming. More than likely there was a niggling doubt in my mind that I wanted to pen these views, bearing in mind for the first time I can remember they were so vehemently opposed to that of the people running my football club – your football club. Those of you that regularly read my posts and tweets will know this, but before I start I’d like to clarify I’m no whinger, have no agenda and don’t usually take opportunities to criticise the club or the people that run it. I’m not one of those half the squad and media team have blocked on Twitter for a continual barrage of boring criticism.   If anything I’m probably more of a ‘Happy Clapper’, with a desire to give people time to do their jobs properly and see the positives in statements and decisions that many see as almost obsessive. I have spent two to three years defending the club on countless occasions and that, I believe, is partly why I fee...

I usually start these ‘Inside Line’ profiles with a bit of an introduction to the match and a view on City’s current form but this is such a comprehensive view of our opponents on Saturday, Notts County, that I’m just going to leave you to enjoy! Many thanks to Stu Radnedge for catching up with his namesake from Black & White Zine who writes The Notts Blog. The story of Notts County in 2013 has been one City fans will sadly recognise, with a managerial merry-go-round providing little by way of stability.  Of particular interest to the Ashton Gate faithful will be the shortlived tenure of a City Wembley-winner in Keith Curle.  What went wrong for Keith at Meadow Lane?  “It’s a strange one if I’m going to be honest. I mean first and foremost, the football was awful, yet we continued to grind out results away from home at least which kept us in touch marginally with the play-off places. On the surface however it appeared the players had stopped playing for...

The last time Bristol City hosted Rotherham United, more than 19,000 Robins fans packed into Ashton Gate on a gloriously warm, sunny early-May afternoon.  Needing a win to secure promotion to the Championship, Gary Johnson’s men swept aside the Millers with help from a David Noble double, before Alex Russell scored the goal which made sure City had accomplished their mission. The rest, as is so often mooted, is very much history,  http://exiledrobin.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/down-and-out-bristol-city-season-review.html   Who would have thought on that sunny day that 6½ years on that we’d be approaching this game with our fifth different manager (or head coach) about to take charge of his first league match. Who could have predicted we’d be not only back in League One (OK, most of us might have forecast that!) but £50m worse off and facing a fight to stave off relegation to the basement?  Who would have thought we’d still be awaiting a decision on where we’ll b...