THE TINNION INTERVIEW

City legend, Brian Tinnion, played his 400th league game for the club against Oldham last Saturday. We caught up with the left-footed maestro on the eve of this landmark event and spoke to him about City's indifferent start, his hopes for the future and much more.

Q. What’s the general feeling in the camp about the start they’ve made to the season?

A. It’s disappointment. It’s been a disappointing start. To be honest, when I looked at the first five games of the season I thought we were going to have fifteen points, that was certainly the feeling in the dressing room. It was definitely the feeling I had, I could see Danny getting manager of the month and us being top of the league. That was certainly my thoughts at the beginning of the season.

Q. So what do you think are the reasons for our indifferent start to the season?

A. Funnily enough, I don’t think it helped that we won 5-0 on the opening day. I think that result may have led us to believe we were better than we are. Obviously it’s nice to win 5-0 but you don’t want players getting complacent and thinking they just have to turn up. I think the expectation levels were there already and rose after that but it also alerted other clubs to our result and they come to play us thinking we’re a good team and they work harder against us and sit deep as a result.

Q. Do you think we’re missing Scott more than we’d hoped we would?

A. I always knew Scot would be a massive, massive miss for us, there was never any doubt in my mind. He won so many games for us in the last two or three minutes almost on his own. He’d either score a wonder goal or create a goal and losing that from the team was always going to be a huge loss. I would have done everything possible to keep Scott Murray because he is almost impossible to replace.

Q. On a personal level, are you disappointed not to have started more games this season or did you come into preseason knowing your role would slightly different?

A. I came into preseason to get as fit as I possibly could for the start of the season and to be fighting for my place. Obviously the manager’s got his own ideas and you’ve just got to live with that as a player. I’ve had a chat with Danny and he’s said I’ve got a big part to play in the season and everytime I’ve come on I think I’ve done well and that’s all you can possibly do. There’s no point in sulking and moping, if there’s a game to be won or whatever then I will come on and try to make an impact. That’s all I can do.

Q. Has your role changed very much on a day to day basis now that you’re player/coach or are you still predominantly involved in the playing side of things?

A. The main thing is for me to keep myself fit and ready to play. I’m doing bits after training with Matty Hill, Joe and Aaron Brown working on their passing, crossing and general ball work. But I think the main thing the manager wants me to be is fit and ready to play whenever he needs me.

Q. A lot of supporters have said they’d like to see Roberts playing on the wing, which would mean Wilkshire coming into the middle. Do you think you and Wilkshire is a pairing that could work or would it be a case of one or other of you alongside Tommy or Joe?

A. One of the games this season we played together and I think we worked well. To be honest think you can be too defensive, when I’d rather we concentrated on keeping the ball from the opposition. If you’ve got players who are comfortable on the ball and can make the opposition chase then that can be as effective as having defensively-minded players in the middle. We’ve got a solid back four who haven’t conceded a league goal from open play yet, so they’re doing well. Personally, I’m happy that Luke and I could pair up in front of them and do a good job for the team. I think I can do the defensive side of things but it’s just as much about not giving the ball away in the first place.

Q. You’ve said that you’ll finish your playing career with City. Realistically, how long do you think you can go on playing and maintaining the fitness levels you need?

A. I’ve got a lot of friends in football and they’ve all told me to play for as long as I can. I was walking along the touchline at Chesterfiled and Roy McFarland came up to me, put his arm around my shoulders and said “You make sure you play as long as you possibly can because you will miss it.”
I’m lucky to have a lot of people at the club and in football who I can trust and I know that they will tell me honestly when they think it’s time to pack it in. When they tell me I’m not doing myself justice then that will be that. Obviously, I’ll know myself deep down but I do have good friends who will let me know when the time comes. The last thing I want is for the fans to be sitting watching me and thinking I’d lost it, I just wouldn’t let that happen. When I signed my contract over the summer, I said to Steve (Lansdown) at the time that even though it was for two years, if I felt I couldn’t contribute anything to the team before that time was up then I’d be honest and pack in the playing side before that rather than carry on.

Q. In terms of your career, where do you see yourself heading? Are you happy just to be a coach at Bristol City or would you rather be looking for a role as manager eventually?

A. Well it’s in my contract that once I pack up the playing side of it I’ll become a full-time coach at the club. Obviously managing is something I’d love to get into but a lot of ex-players want to go down that road and a lot of it is out of your hands as it’s down to circumstances and timing. I’ve been working towards it for the last six or seven years, working with the Academy and getting all the qualifications but where it takes me is hard to say as jobs in football are often about timing.

Q. Loyalty in football is quite a rare thing these days. Do you consider yourself loyal to Bristol City or is it just that the offers have always been right for you, so you’ve stayed for financial reasons?

A. I am proud to be a part of Bristol City. I could have made more money at other clubs where I’ve been made offers but money isn’t my motivation for playing. Also, I’ve been in football a long time and I’ve seen players leave this club who’ve regretted it. Jim Brennan was one who went because he was offered big wages by Forest but he didn’t settle and he started getting booed. He used to ring me regularly and say how he wished he’d stayed at City, but he’s on good money and that was his decision. I decided not to, I love being here, I love playing in front of these supporters and I’ve never felt the need to leave.

Q. Obviously, you’re due a testimonial. Have you got anything planned for the coming year?

A. We’re hoping to organise a dinner in February and then get a game together for the end of next preseason, probably the last game before the start of next season.

Q. What would your answer be to people who say that footballers earn good money from the club while they play and don’t deserve to be paid again through a testimonial?

I think a lot of that comes from people thinking of Premiership players when they say that. What you have to remember is that if you play in the Premiership these days then you’re a millionaire but that isn’t the case for footballers who play in the divisions below that. So much attention is given to the Premiership these days that I think people assume that if you’re a footballer then you’re rich and that just isn’t the case. I’ve never been paid anywhere near those sort of sums, I’ve always been on decent money but certainly not enough to make me secure for life financially. I’ve seen the likes of Tony Thorpe come and go from this club and earn far more than me plus, of course, players like that have had signing on fees everytime they’ve moved club. I’ve never done that and I think that a testimonial is a ‘thank you’ because I have stayed loyal and haven’t earned the money other players have by moving around from club to club.