Bristolatic

There may be more than meets the eye with the "Body in the Boot" suggestion further back along this thread. If you look at the team tab on the OS ..... ..... No16 Sean Gregan is missing! Is Big Gordy trimming the squad to his own requirements?

Is Denis Law still available?

From tonight's fishal report from Macc.."Athletic started the first half just as they ended the second," I wish I'd been there to see that. Or is it a prediction about how we'll start against the Mackems?

You're right, Singe. This means that the new ground will be right in the middle of the multi-million pound shopping development that opened around 18 months ago in Bristol. Now that WILL upset the local , sorry, Council.

My initial thoughts when the Hughes business started was "Go on then, greedy sod, bugger off". But then I had a think - no mean feat for a man of my advancing years. Hughesy is 33 and probably only has a couple of years left. He'll want to earn as much as possible in that time, particularly as he had 3 years earning about 2 quid a week, or whatever they get paid when doing porridge. Not much chance to save anything out of that and, if his bank balance had a fair few noughts on the end when he went in, the chances are it mostly disappeared to keep his family afloat. If he's looking to a life after football, what's he going to do? I don't see coaching or management offers dropping through his letterbox, so he needs to earn as much as he can now to give himself a chance of financial security. To do that, he won't just accept the first deal that's slapped in front of him and I guess his agent wouldn't accept it either. So, it's a bit like buying a new car - you shop around for the best deal. Sadly, in Hughesy's case, the deals ain't flooding in and he will naturally want to play at the highest level he can for as long as possible, whether it's L1, L2 or Blue Square North. So my first thoughts have changed. If he comes back to BP, he's virtually guaranteed first team football for at least a year. It's probably the best offer he'll get. He'll knock around 20 a season into the onion bag. We won't get that quality at a price we can afford anywhere else. It would make sense to let the Wolf go - he's never going to cut it at this level. Let Kieran Lee go on loan - we're well blessed in midfield and, if he can't get past Furman, Worthington etc, he'll be better off playing first team football elsewhere than proving very little other than match fitness in the stiffs. He's still young and could come back next season as just the player we need to take us on further. We could be in the Championship then and a player of KL's undoubted quality in that division would pay handsome dividends with a full season of first team under his belt. So, do we bring Hughesy back? Yes, he turned into a lazy sod back end of last season and reputedly disrupted the dressing room. Maybe that was because he wasn't stamped on, but we now have a gaffer in DP who is well known as a disciplinarian. Give Hughesy that chance to prove himself again, knowing that if he screws up once more, he'll be out of a job. His reputation would be tarnished further and would have even less chance of finding another club than he has now. Get him back in, get him match fit with a warning ringing in his lugholes: "Bugger me about and you're gone. Stay and do the job you're paid for and you may even get a season in the Championship". I think the goals will flow, 'cos I can see him and Abbott frightening defences to death.

.... I walked up the road to watch Mangotsfield United against Dagenham & Redbridge. It was an ideal opportunity to run the rule over the Daggers captain, the one and only .... .... MARK ANDREW ARBER. He wasn't completely awful and League 2 is probably about right for him, but Mangotsfield's centre back looked a better bet.

Schoolboy humour raises a snigger at Danny :censored:tu

Andy Goram? And if you think Ollerenshaw's too young, Goram was 18 when he arrived and didn't do too badly. Young gems ARE found. Casillas was 19 when he first made a name for himself. Shilton was still a kid when he broke into Leicester's first team. Clemence was in Liverpool's first team by the time he was 20 and had played a fair few at Scunthorpe for a couple of years before that. Let Flem get some experience, Olly will get more games with the ressies and more join ups with the first team. DP's no mug. Trust him.

We wore navy at Carlisle when we weren't allowed to wear the tangerine 'cos the blue shorts clashed

Michelle Marsh?

The only club to have 4 letters in both parts of its name and the only club in the English Leagues to wear black and amber stripes

And I'm totally gobsmacked that Iwelumo & Beckford can hardly get a shot away for Latics in the Championship. I don't think it's real anymore.

OK, so I got bored waiting until next week for latest transfer news , so I spent a very happy half hour looking through the PFA free transfer list. Just for fun, here's a half decent decent that will cost precisely NOWT. Buggered if I know how we'd pay the wages to some of 'em, though. GK - Marcus Hahnemann (Reading) RB - Carl Hoefkens (WBA) CB - Dietmar Hamann (Citeh) CB - Michael Duberry (Reading) LB - Michael Ball (Citeh) RM - Jonathan Douglas (Dirty Leeds) CM - Eugene Bopp (Crewe) - Well, there has to be a weak link somewhere! CM - Matt Holland (Charlton) LM - Franz Burgemier (Darlington) ST - Darius Vassell (Citeh) ST - Leroy Lita (Reading) Subs From: Lenny Pidgeley, Ian Bennett, Danny Mills, Scott Golbourne, Michael Bridges, Danny Graham, Pawel Abbott, Ian Moore (only kidding, but he is free), Scott Spencer, Michael Bridges. Find it at www.givemefootball.com

Well spotted, that man. I must have got a bit carried away. Brian Kilcline from Coventry?

Hows about (and it's going back a bit): Citeh: Super Bert Lister, Ken Branagan Hull: Jeff Wealands Bristol City: Alan Williams Stoke City: Bill Asprey or is that stretching it too far?

Er, no. It's this lot. Keeper Peter Brezovan, striker Barry Corr and midfielders Michael Pook and Lilian Nalis are among those released. Defender Jamie Vincent has also been allowed to leave along with Chris Allen, Tom Evans, Jake Hyde, Ben Joyce, Sam Morris, Hamdi Razak, Jack Smith and Blair Sturrock. I wonder if Lilian is the laundry lady? Any takers? Not a very inspiring list for those in the market, methinks.

Here we go. The "I don't want Joe brigade" are already sharpening their knives and he hasn't even taken the bloody job yet! Christ on a bicycle, what a wonderfully supportive bunch we have here. Of course, it may not work with Joe, but then again, horror of horrors, it just might. Right, all together now, how do you spell o-p-t-i-m-i-s-m. Oh, sod it, I'm wasting my time. Let's see what happens, eh? By the way,

I really can't believe that there is a thread suggesting that Joe is ditched before the season is even over. Yes, we've blown it promotion-wise, but that happened long before Joe arrived. In truth, it happened long before the 6-2 debacle at Franchise Dons, so it's hardly down to Joe that the dream is gone. He is already making his mark, trying different things even though a spate of injuries have hit the club. Surely, this is the first step towards deciding who will be retained and who won't. We can all wax lyrical about get rid of so-and-so or keep such-and-such, but I would back Joe's judgement with who he sees as wanted for next season. He's an experienced and successful manager who has always got the best out of his players, often to the surprise of supporters. He didn't win the Cup with Everton, win promotions with City or hit the play-offs with Ipswich by being a poor manager. Do we really think that three years out of the game has changed all that? Not bloody likely. His passion, eagerness and desire to win is still there. He still knows what he is looking for in a player; he hasn't suddenly forgotten. We're so lucky to have such a respected, successful manager like him here now. How many clubs in Leagues 1 & 2 or even some in the Championship wouldn't jump at the chance of having Big Joe at the helm? I don't think many would turn him down. The cry has gone up for a young, Keith Hill or Jim Gannon type manager. OK. Brentford, Wycombe, Bury, Shrewsbury are all doing great on limited budgets but does that mean that we want to tap up their mnagers? Where would it stop? Any managers who are in the top 6 of their respective divisions are successful, but it doesn't mean they would be at getting Latics into the Championship. We've got one of the best in the game right now with a proven track record at different levels, including the top flight. Like I said earlier in the post, Joe hasn't forgotten what it's all about so let's, just for a change, all pull in the same direction, hope to God Joe is here next season and back him to the hilt. If it all goes tits up and, Heaven forbid, he fails to do the biz, at least he'll have given it a bloody good go. Apologies if I've duplicated anyone else's post while I've been typing this and helping the present Mrs Bristolatic look for a lost knitting needle thingy.

1. Ricky Lambert (knows where the onion bag is) or Anthony MacNamee of Swindon (always runs us ragged down our right flank) 2. Deco (managing to do bugger all at Chelski, but could be pretty useful in League 1)

We have to trust Joe and TTA. They're not doing this for fun, they want Championship football and only have 7 games to do it in. If they believe that this is our best chance of doing it, I back them all the way. No one player is bigger than the club and, whilst I've been Hughesy's biggest fan (bar a few thousand others), we looked a hell of a more cohesive unit after he went off at Cheltenham. We have to remember that Joe is a seasoned and experienced manager and has no doubt seen things within the squad that had previously been missed, probably by Shez's lack of managerial experience. I think it also shows that Joe could be setting out his stall for next season, promoted or not. We now may see the best of Kabba; he's shown glimpses of what he can do and a goal will do him the world of good. I think he'll start at Orient with either Deano or Lewi, with whoever misses out coming on later in the game. My money's on Deano to start after Joe's comments about believing that he's better employed up front. That will make room for Fabulous Fabio on the right with Tayls on the left. Keep the Faith in Big JR (The emoticon didn't work!)

I'm not surprised Ronnie and Son had a pop; they've taken some grief and it had to turn the other way eventually. Yes, it's a disappointing kick in the niagaras for us, but we just have to thank the TTA for getting rid of RM when they did. I would hate to think a Latics manager would lower himself to Moore's standards (and that of his offspring). One point, though. Ronnie is quoted as saying we don't want successful managers and we've been that way for 15 years. Does that mean that he took the job with us knowing he wasn't a successful manager himself? "There's no doubt about that".

As a fellow member of BOAST, this where I upset BigFin - sorry mate. I'm not Liddell's greatest fan, but I wouldn't be surprised if he started today. Think back to Cloughy's days when he brought Alan Hinton to Derby. An interviewer criticised him, saying that Hinton couldn't tackle, couldn't defend, had no pace and wouldn't score many goals. Cloughy's reply? "Young man, I didn't buy him for that. I bought him to get the ball and put crosses on the centre forward's head." And that's what he did. Maybe Joe wants Lidds to do just that. Quite frankly, as long as we play the way we did in the 'Pinch Me' years, playing attacking football and getting the results, I don't care if Gordon Brown plays in goal and the Pope plays wide right. All we have to do as supporters is support whoever is selected.

I'd go with Supple Eardley Gregan Stam Golbourne Taylor Lee Allott Jones Hughes Kabba Subs: Fleming, Lomax, Maher, Alessandra, Smalley