CCC Team of the Week - Kelly's Bristol City :-)

In fairness to Kelly who is stuck at the bottom of the heap paying the most for her curry, I thought I would make her Team of the Week in the hope that maybe it will improve her fortunes. (I’m not playing against her so that is ok).  If Kelly had looked into their history, it may not have been a team that she would have chosen, not that there were many options by the time she joined and she maybe heading for first pick next season! It is over a century since their highest position – 2^nd in the top flight in 1907 and after relegation in 1911, they have only been in the top division from 1976 to 1980.

Bristol City, which has always brought a schoolboy giggle for its cockney rhyming slang, is one of two teams based in Bristol, the other being arch rivals Bristol Rovers.  They have been in the Championship since gaining promotion to it at the end of 2006-07 season (a season which included an 11-match unbeaten run), but a year later they failed in their bid for consecutive promotions after Amy’s Hull City beat them in the Championship play-off final. 

Founded in 1897 they joined the Football League in 1901 they were the only non-London League side south of Birmingham for 19 years. They beat Lyn’s Blackpool in their first game on 7 September 1901 winning 2-0.

In fact in 1982, Bristol City became the first English club to suffer three consecutive relegations. Another of our teams to suffer financial problems – they were declared bankrupt in 1982 and BCFC (1982) Ltd acquired the players contracts.  The ‘Ashton Gate Eight’ (the 8 highest paid players, none of which I had heard of) each accepted termination of their contract for half the amount due.

1990 saw new manager Joe Jordan (he of Pompey assistant manager fame) manage the team to promotion as old Third Division runners-up to climb to the old Second Division.  The division then had a name change to Endsleigh League Division One and so they were able to be relegated to the Second Division again in 1995 after finishing second from bottom!  Between 1999 and 2006 most of their seasons were spent challenging for promotion in the upper half of Division Two and in the play-offs they lost 1-0 to Keith’s Cardiff in the semis in 2003 and to Dan’s Brighton in the final in 2004.
 
There have been a succession of managers including Tony Pulis (pre-Pompey) and Steve Wigely (ex-Pompey player). In April 2010 it was announced that Steve Coppell, former Reading Manager would be the new City manager at the end of the season, taking over from the then caretaker manager Keith Millen. Coppell's first game in charge was a 1–1 friendly draw with Swedish side IFK Gothenburg and his first win was 11–1 against Swedish fourth division side Vallens IF on the same pre-season tour. However, after a 0-3 home defeat by Millwall and 2-3 loss at Southend in the League Cup, it was announced Steve had resigned with immediate effect citing a lack of passion for the job. 

On 29 November 2011, the club announced a loss of £11.45 million. City had struggled in the 2011-12 Championship season including a 5–0 defeat by Lyn’s Blackpool.  Between December 2011 and March 2012 the club managed only three wins, lost eleven games (inc Cup) and scored just nine goals leaving them to fall into the relegation zone. (We both know who did get relegated though, don’t we Anna!)  During that time there was a David James (er he’s ex-Pompey!) own-goal from a botched punch during a home loss to Scott’s Watford, an action that meant he only featured once the rest of the season coming on as sub.

The FA Cup is unlikely to be a significant distraction as they lost in their only appearance in 1909 against Manchester United.  Perhaps they have their sights much higher! Randomly Bristol City did win the Welsh Cup in 1934 even though they are English! In another ‘international competition’ City were regular participants in the Anglo-Scottish Cup 1975 and 1981, winning the trophy in 1977–78, winning 3–2 in the final against St Mirren (managed at the time by a relatively new manager, Alex Ferguson). Two seasons later St Mirren had their revenge with an 5–1 victory over City to become the only Scottish team to win the trophy.

Known as the Bristol Babies until the 1930s, the club's nickname is "The Robins", and a robin featured on the club's badge from 1976 to 1994. Official club merchandise, including replica kits, still has a label showing a robin.

Bristol City play at Ashton Gate stadium, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 21,497 and it is the only ground in the English football league not to accommodate executive boxes so no fancy day out for us!  Bristol had been chosen as a host city for the 2018 World Cup – the now failed bid. If the bid had gone ahead the club was going to move to a new ground with a capacity of 30,000 which could be extended to 42,000 for the Cup.

Scrumpy has been Bristol City FC’s mascot since 2005. 

The club's official anthem is One For The Bristol City by The Wurzels. First released in 1976, it is the tune the team run out to at home matches. A newly-recorded version of the song reached number 66 in the UK charts in September 2007. Did you buy it Kelly?

About half way through the 2007-08 season the then Bristol City manager Gary Johnson said in an interview that he hoped the team could get the whole ground bouncing. City supporters took this rallying cry on board and began to sing "Johnson says bounce around the ground" to the tune of Yellow Submarine, whilst continually bouncing up and down. As well as singing it home and away when Bristol City fans travelled to London to play Jane’s Charlton Athletic on 4 March 2008, the visiting fans, using the rail network to return home, adapted the song to "Bounce Around the Train". I look forward to seeing a demo Kelly.

Random facts about the club:Harry Dolman became chairman in 1949 (which he was for over 30 years) and he designed the first set of floodlights installed at Ashton Gate in the early 1950s.

Player of the season award in 1975-76 was awarded to – The Whole Team!