The Exiled Robin

Ahead of Saturday’s clash with Rochdale at Ashton Gate, Stu Radnedge picks up the pen once more and gives his views on the run-in and our chances of ending the season with silverware. “Reflection. Not that provided by a mirror but a time for “serious thought or consideration” according to the old Oxford English Dictionary. Reflecting on Monday, I secured my seats for Wembley and then wrote the blog – which, on reflection, wasn’t my greatest idea for the simple reason of it being a bit wishy-washy. So enamoured  with the potential for silverware I wrote something that said not a lot. And what was there to say? Honestly? Not a lot – you see those days, when a loss meant the wheels had fallen off the zider bus to the Championship, have long gone. As I predicted in last week’s post, the players would regroup, and mount a charge again to right Saturday’s wrong. The delight at booking my seats for Wembley will only be surpassed by us winning the league – IF that hap...

Surely the worst moments of our season? Was it the first time we've been truly poor, truly outplayed by anyone?  Defeats previously have been narrow (we still haven't lost by more than a single goal), not without reason (see Wade Elliott's early red card at Swindon) or a tad unlucky. Saturday's first half was a horrible flashback to the dark days of last season (and the season before that) with a slightly flapping goalkeeper behind a static, tentative defence who were giving far too much time to their opposition. Ahead of this week's midweek tie against Doncaster, Stu Radnedge put himself the other side of the metaphorical microphone and takes a view on where the defeat leaves City's promotion hopes. "A victim of our own success? Maybe – or at least that was my opinion after Saturday’s result against Colchester. I, like many other fans, was somewhat surprised at the level of our demise in less than 30 minutes against the U’s. As we have experi...

A sometimes tired-looking defeat, followed by a determined, highly professional bounce back three days later. Whether this last week’s activities are to be replicated over the coming weeks remain to be seen, but the warning issued in last week’s blog about the number of games making it the most likely time our winning spell might end proved fateful against a well-organised and good quality Sheffield United side. By all accounts (I was unfortunately unable to make the game), Marlon Pack came in and did what you’d hope by a hungry young player on the fringes, and those who watch home and away are starting to come to the conclusion that we perhaps look a better all-round side with Pack, rather than skipper Wade Elliott, in the side. The base he provides alongside Korey Smith being potentially stronger allows the wing backs and Freeman to play with a touch more freedom than even they usually manage, and Tuesday night’s high quality team performance comes following the reverse ...

“Roses are red, Violets are blue, We are going up*, And might just win at Wembley too!” * - hopefully! Three months to go. Three months in which to seal the glory the first six months of the season would deserve. Of course, it won’t be that easy, but at the moment City are winning games comfortably despite not being at their absolute best, and are in one of those lovely grooves that come along all too rarely when you go to matches not just hoping, but actively expecting to win. Of course, usually with City it’s when you get this comfortable that things start going wrong, and if it’s going to, slap bang in the middle of a six week run of Tuesday – Saturday fixtures is both the possible time, and the worst possible time for it to happen. The squad will be put through a truly tough test, and whilst there are already signs of some rotation – Tavernier/Little now seem interchangeable whilst Greg Cunningham has given Joe Bryan occasional breaks – I was a touch surprise...

So here it is. All our efforts, strains and tribulations in the cup competitions over the past two months boils down to two big televised matches in the next five days. Amazingly five of our last 11 games have been non-league encounters (that will be seven in 13 after Thursday) and our reward is a never-better chance to reach Wembley on Thursday which follows a very rare national TV showing on the BBC as they sniff an F.A.Cup upset. Ultimately, given the start we made in going unbeaten until November and in the top two for the whole season to date, promotion, perhaps only the title in fact will measure the success of this season, and is rightly the main focus. But if we can add some cream on top of that by winning a trophy and knocking Big Sam’s Happy Hammers out of the cup in front of eight million viewers on Sunday afternoon, then that will do very nicely indeed! Bearing in mind this is a club whose stock in the last few years has fallen so dramatically that we all get e...

Betterer and betterer! We’re starting to run out of superlatives to measure the success (thus far) of Bristol City’s season, so I’ll make up some words instead. In this season of highs, it’s arguable that a dark night in Gillingham, in front of around 250 hardy supporters, represented the peak thus far as four goals – at least two of them stunning efforts – from on-loan striker Matt Smith all but secured City’s place at Wembley in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. The only thing that will stop us achieving that now, is complacency. Now, that might sound like counting chickens, but we’ve got to accept we’re at the top of the league and generally winning games, so we shouldn’t be expecting to lose at home to Gillingham by two goals. Can it happen?? Of course it can, but the odds are stacked right against, even for our beloved Bristol City who seemingly make a habit out of cocking things up! Sandwiched in between the multitude of cup ties against Doncaster and Gillingham is an all-im...

Precisely one year after Bristol City went into Christmas bottom of the league, we enter the 2014 festive season the maximum  number of places higher; top of the pile. However, a once relatively substantial lead has been largely eliminated and for the nuetrals, if there are many that watch league one, an enthralling second half to the season lies ahead with the top four separated by just a single point. In the absence of any real competition from the blue lot north of the river, and setting aside a more traditional ‘M4 derby’, the Yeovil fixture was one many City fans would have sought out when the fixtures were released in the summer, and for once the computer didn’t disappoint. The only disappointment is that if it were not for the reduced capacity, this local derby, with City flying high, would have almost certainly attracted a capacity bank holiday crowd, meaning a lesser atmosphere and circa £200,000 lost revenue. Throw in the fact that it’s the return of Gary Joh...