Pay Tribute To The Life Of Brian

This month marks the tenth anniversary since a certain left-footed Georgie playmaker left Bradford to join Bristol City. In the decade since, he has become a legend. Now it is your chance to show your appreciation for ten years of loyalty and wonderful memories by joining in a fantastic event backed by The Incider.

Actor, writer, Bristol City fan and Incider reader David Lloys organized the fans’ tribute when he realised the away game at Huddersfield on March 23rd marked Tinman’s decade at our club. David, who has appeared in top comedy TV hits The Young Ones, Bottom, 'Allo 'Allo, The New Statesman and Maid Marian and her Merry Men and is now one of the regular writers for BBC TV dramas EastEnders and Doctors.

The evening will include a raffle for which The Incider has donated two tickets to the home match of your choice. Even better, there will be a rare, rare chance to win an exclusive Incider T-shirt specially personalized by the Tinmeister himself. Brian and the club are also donating prizes and all the money raised will go to the Academy in the hope it will fund a youngster who will one day fill Tinman’s boots (or his left one, at least).

It’s only a fiver. It’ll be an amazing night – one truly organized by the fans for the fans – and your chance to rub shoulders with our heroes from the club. And as if it could get any better, the bar will be open. So put the date in your diary and book your places when they go on sale at the club’s ticket office

Here,David explains just what the evening holds.

I wanted to do something for Brian that was very much a fans event.

Next year will be his official testimonial season, and I'm sure there'll be all sorts of things planned for then, but I wanted to give City fans the opportunity to get together and pay tribute to a great servant of the club.

I put the idea to City Chairman Steve Lansdown, and he was very keen. He mentioned it to Brian, who was very happy to get involved in the event. Ticket prices have been deliberately pegged at a very affordable £5 and they'll be on sale at the club very soon. Only 400 tickets will be available and the event will take place in the Red and White bar underneath the Dolman stand on Thursday April 3rd - just three days before the LDV final at Cardiff. It’ll be the perfect chance to get together beforehand and wish Brian the best for our big day at the Millennium Stadium. It should be a great evening. In the first half we hope to show some video clips of Tinman's Greatest Hits. Then I'll interview Brian about his career at City. He'll answers questions from the floor and take us through his top City 11, picked from players who've been at the club during his ten years at Ashton Gate. Then, all being well and space permitting, we'll play our very own version of the old Skinner and Baddiel routine “Phoenix From the Flames”. Armed only with a football, some jumpers for goalposts and with the assistance of members of the audience, Brian will recreate two of his most famous moments.

He’ll show us just how he cost Graeme Souness his job by scoring the winner at Anfield and explain what was going through his mind when he scored that outrageous free kick against Cambridge a few years back.

Even better, if you are there on the night, you could be part of this. You might be fatty Ruddock, failing to mark Brian in front of the disbelieving Kop, or Peter Beadle as he flicks the ball up for Tins to volley the ball over the Cambridge wall. Or you could be the wall. Or one of Ruddock's pies.

After the interval, a distinguished Question Time-style panel of guests will be debating hot topics and answering questions from the floor. The panel will include

• Brian Tinnion giving the players’ perspective.
• Tony Fawthrop looking at things from a management angle.
• Steve Lansdown telling us how tough it is to run a football club and touching us all for a loan, no doubt.
• Geoff Twentyman giving us the benefit of his breadth of knowledge of the local football scene.
• And representing the fans? Well it could be YOU.

The supporter who can match Brian's all-time City 11 - or get closest to it - will win a place on the panel along with these other giants of Bristol football. So if you feel confident about talking about our club in front of 400 people, now's your chance.

All this for only a fiver (including one free entry to the raffle) with all profits going to the Academy. Astonishing value I'm sure you'll agree. As well as the tickets and sought after T-shirt donated by The Incider, the club and Brian have also offered to come up with some great prizes. All other offers of prizes will be gratefully received.

* If you want the chance to sit on the panel by entering your Bristol City XI, email your entries to David at dlloyd@blueyonder.co.uk . You can also send any questions for the panel to him at the same address. And if you are in a position at a company to donate a prize for the raffle, or are feeling generous enough to offer something yourself, please also get in touch.

Together we can make it a wonderful night and show Tinman just how much we all appreciate him.