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Showing posts from April, 2015

The Inside Line: Bradford City v Bristol City (14/04/2015)

April 14 th , 2015. Could this be the day? The moment of crowning glory this team has worked so hard for all season? The maths are now simple. A win at Bradford on Tuesday night will mean Bristol City become the first team in the country to gain promotion this season. That in itself is a mark of the success we’ve had, and I’m pretty certain this success-ravenous manager City somewhat stumbled across will be drilling this into his players in the dressing-room before the match. This is another chance to make headlines as ‘winners’, a chance to get our club’s names and their own names up in lights at the same time. The accolades will follow as and when promotion is achieved, but I think it’s fair representation of our season, and of our approach, that most fans are travelling up to Yorkshire in expectation rather than hope. Cotterill seems to have created a team of winners across the club and even the fans are now turning up with a a more positive mindset than at any previous...

The Inside Line: Preston North End v Bristol City (11/04/2015)

It’s tantalisingly close now. Tuesday’s captivating and hard-fought victory over local rivals and promotion rivals Swindon Town has left us within a game or so of securing our passage back to the second tier of English football. Despite a run of tough games still to come, it does seem a case of ‘when’, and not ‘if’ now for even those most pessimistic of City fans. But will promotion be enough? Without wanting to be greedy, we’ve been top of the table for most of the season, by a considerable margin for much of it, and we haven’t won a league title in sixty years. Of all the games left, Saturday’s at Deepdale against Preston North End is clearly the most important for that particular issue and will ensure that Cotterill will leave his players in no doubt they cannot ease off the gas right now. Tuesday’s performance proved that is unlikely anyhow, although that was tinged with revenge for an animosity filled defeat in November. Our other defeat that month, the following week...

The Inside Line: Bristol City v Swindon Town (07/04/2015)

Tomorrow night sees the long-awaited rematch of The Robins'. November's clash at The County Ground saw controversy and, in some people's eyes, over-the-top celebrations from Swindon, who ended City's long unbeaten start to the season. Here's a preview from Swindon fan, Dan Johnson Apologies for any formatting issues, uploading this via phone en route to my pre-arranged London break following the Easter Monday fixture.... Before we  take a look back at  the reverse fixture and tom orrows encounter, let’s take a  neutral outlook  at both clubs. Bristol City are top of League One for a reason, they have been the most consistence side the division, no-one can argue that they don’t deserve promotion. City will be playing Championship football next season, most  likely as League One champions. Swindon have also enjoyed  a superb season, whilst the Robins from Ashton Gate were expected to be chall enging at the top of the table, the  majorit...

The Inside Line: Oldham Athletic v Bristol City (Good Friday, 2015)

Easter is so often a critical time in the shake-up for key issues, with two games in three or four days, but with so much of 2015 being that way for City, and the lead at the top remaining in double-digits for now, it’s probably more a case of not having a disaster than needing two wins. Saying that, wouldn't it be fantastic to grab a pair of victories, and all but seal promotion back to the Championship in the first week of April?! But at this stage of the season anyone still remotely involved in the shake-up for any positions fits the bill as tough opposition, and Oldham won’t be wanting to roll over. They’re five points off the top six, and defeat in this game would probably destroy their hopes of making the end-of-season jamboree once and for all. Josh Bowker gave Stu Radnedge a Latics view of what’s been an eventful time at Boundary Park since we last met... “It’s been a crazy few months since our last fixture, way back at the start of November. Latics went into ...

Exclusive: QPR to woo Cotterill with £10m war-chest

This morning's London-based Hammersmith Gazette newspaper has reported the following story: QPR MOVE FOR COTTERILL TO BOUNCE STRAIGHT BACK "Queens Park Rangers are ready to hand Steve Cotterill, the current Bristol City manager, a £10m incentive to leave the Westcountry and return to Loftus Road, IF current caretaker boss Chris Ramsey fails to keep the R's in the Premier League. A club insider has told us that owner Tony Fernandes was impressed with Cotterill when he had an eleven-month spell as a coach under then boss Harry Redknapp, and the Cheltenham-born manager's stock has risen ever since with a hugely successful spell at Ashton Gate. Cotterill came in with the Robins bottom of League One in December 2013, but led them to safety comfortably, and has followed that up in spectacular style this season. Cotterill's side, who won the Johnstone's Paint Trophy in front of over 72,000 fans at Wembley last month, are currently ten points clear at the top...