If you would like to send The Incider a letter, please email us at letters@theincider.com

Dear Incider,

Piewatch is a great idea - well done to all concerned. But I have one comment to make about it. As far as I can tell, all your research was carried out at half time. In my family, we have always bought our drinks and pasties before the match, thus avoiding the half time queues.

It has been a long-standing "joke" that at 1.30pm when the gates open at Ashton Gate, you get a cold coffee and pastie because the caterers do not switch on the water heaters until then. Now, as McDonalds will tell you, a customer that comes in as the
doors open deserves the same quality of food and has the same legal rights as
someone served at peak periods during the day.

I suggest that you send your "spies" into the ground as the gates open to test that illegal food is not being fed to those who like to arrive at the Gate well in advance of kickoff.

Thank you,

Owen Lloyd

[Ed writes: We passed your complaint on to the club – and they have promised to sort the problem. See the Piewatch story in this issue for their response.]

Dear Incider,

I read with great interest your Piewatch feature in Issue Two. Well done for highlighting the problem.

One point that was touched upon was the vegetarian food available at Ashton Gate. As a vegetarian I no longer even bother trying to get food at Ashton Gate. In the past I've asked for vegetarian pies and never once got one. It's my belief that the kiosks simply don't stock them, if they do they run out very quickly. Is it too much to ask for a cheese and onion pasty? Almost every other ground that I've been to in Division Two offers at least that, and as pointed out by your report, Brentford served a gorgeous Vegetarian Balti Pie. Even Scott Murray commented upon the smell of a balti pie when he got a sniff as he got off the team coach at Brentford, saying "Mmmm smells lovely."

But before I start raving on about Brentford, they did show that it's not only City that are incapable of good service in the food kiosks. At Griffin Park I left my spot on the terrace as soon as the half time whistle went to buy a drink. Twenty minutes later, and five minutes into the second half, I finally got to the front to buy a bottle of water. I was then told that they didn't have any. "Okay…umm…Coke then please". The same reply came again: "Sorry we've run out of that too." Slightly annoyed I requested a Diet Coke. You guessed it - sold out of that as well. I ended up drinking Diet Lemon Coke. Okay, I had the drink that I badly needed, but I hate Diet Coke, hate lemon in my Coke and had spent 20 minutes to get it!

It may not be just City that are rubbish at serving food, but that's no excuse. The standard of food service still has to improve and please, City, remember that vegetarians do exist!!!

Pete Smith (Percy Parrot)

Dear Incider,

Six games into the season and it’s been a bit of a mixed start with three wins at home whilst not conceding and three defeats away without troubling the opposing keepers.

Those that know me will not be surprised at all to learn I’ve decided to take heart from these results. It is a fair assumption that the inflictors of our away defeats (Wigan, Brentford and Plymouth) should all finish in the top half of the table come May. Assuming that we are to challenge for at least a play off spot, that means we only have to travel to eight more “top half” teams while still having till to visit all the prospective teams from the bottom half of the table. Surely this means that a decent away points haul is still possible.

Similarly, the teams we’ve beaten at home (Tranmere, Blackpool and Wycombe) should all feature in or around the top half of the table come May, which leaves us in an identical position of having a lot of inferior sides yet to visit Ashton Gate. Therefore a decent home points tally is all but assured. Also, whilst this impressive run continues at Ashton Gate, teams will look at our record here and be on the back foot mentally before even stepping foot on the turf, which can only be to our advantage.

Overall then, despite our inauspicious start, I still believe that we are capable of mounting a serious promotion challenge. From what I’ve seen there is no-one in this division for us to fear. We could even challenge for one of the automatic places!

Ian Marriner (Madger)

Dear Incider,

I would just like to jump to the defence of Christian Roberts in this rather uncreative time down at the Gate. I have heard so many fans say, "Oh will he ever score". Well just think. Strikers need time to gel with a team more than any other players in any other position. The strikers main job is to get in the right place and the right time and be able to read and work with the CREATIVE SERVICE from midfield.

I've also heard so many moan about him not working when he's not got the ball at his feet. Then they also moan when he goes to retrieve the ball in midfield. What's the bloke supposed to do? If he stays up front then he doesn't get the ball.

Also, many people are criticizing his finishing. What do they expect? The kid is nervous enough as it is and is too desperate to get that first goal. But the fans doubting him is not gonna help. If anything it will make him more desperate and anxious to get off the mark.

From first impressions, I personally think the bloke is a real talent and someone to be reckoned with at this division and higher in future years. People are forgetting, he's only just twenty plus, he's had to make the jump to a new division with a new club who play a whole different type of game to his previous club.

I have sat at Ashton Gate for years now watching the likes of Allison, Goater and Thorpe. Yeah, they scored a good number of goals in their time here, but if the midfield were going through a tough spell and were not creating, they were usless because they were too reliant on the service of others. Roberts is not like that. He has a creative spark and as much as the Roberts haters/ Thorpe lovers deny it they know it's true. He doesn't need to have amazing crosses from Murray or Tins to score like Lee Peacock. We have no one else like him.

If the fans get behind him instead of doubting him we are potentially sitting on a gem. But I fear that unless he starts scoring like Thorpe did then he will always be doubted by the Thorpe followers.

Russ Macey (Knowle Red)

Dear Incider,

What a good site you have. Most amusing even though it is a BCFC site!!

Can't comment too much on the Plymouth vs City game in a witty manner due to the trouble that was experienced at the ground. While it is quite easy to point fingers at your fans, ours are just as bad. I had family down from Sheffield for the Bank holiday and their Sunday was ruined by the trouble. I hope that the more disgust that is shown then the more these idiots will be driven away. Sadly, I nearly found myself getting involved out of pure annoyance and disgust. Fortunately I walked away.

Having said that, I thought the penalty was the right decision. It is always going to be dubious when a player is allegedly given a little shove in the back. Most of the time is looks very innocuous, but as an-ex player, I have to say it can really make the difference.
Keep up the good work!

Pee

P.S I recently met your chief executive and chairman, both wonderful people who took a lot of time out of their day to show me around the ground and all the workings therein. You have a good setup and I wish you all the best for the future.

Dear Incider,

I felt sorry for your ordinary fans on Monday that they were shamed by the bunch of idiots that turned up five minutes late for the game and attempted to get to our own idiots. Up until then the atmosphere had been alright with plenty of singing going on but in a general light-hearted manner but after that the atmoshere took a dive and I'm sure I could feel the embarrassment of your real fans.

The referee was a joke for both sides and the penalty was a bit harsh on your team although it was a definite push. But you can't have no complaints about the second.

Good luck for the rest of the season (except for Boxing Day, obviously).

Budeauxboy

Dear Incider,

I've just come back from watching my team stuffed 3-0 at your place. We played awful, we insisted on playing hoofball, the less said about it the better.

Great site by the way. The Cardiff City phrasebook was particularly amusing.

Cheers,

Russ

Dear Incider,

Love the site guys - you've done yourself proud. Do you think we could have this in the form of a magazine to be bought at Ashton Gate matchdays? Keep up the good work.

Anne Macey (Female Knowle Red)

[Ed writes: Thanks for the suggestion. At the moment we plan to continue online, which helps keep the website more responsive and therefore more current. However, that may change in the future if there is enough call for it and we felt we could provide a product of the same quality on paper to be sold at games. In the meantime, give the fanzine One Team In Bristol your support. Anyone who takes the time to print a City fanzine deserves credit and encouragement.]