Football / Fan's View
‘Mem vandals: admit you have been idiots’
Somewhere in Bristol there is an idiot who came upon the idea of desecrating the Memorial Gates at the Memorial Stadium.
“I know what I can do to upset those pesky Gasheads at Christmas,” thought someone who was so stupid, he (or even she) could only dream of being a halfwit. “I’ll deface the Memorial Gates. I’ll daub BCFC over them and won’t it be fun?”
To see the Memorial gates mutilated yet again is hugely dispiriting, but let us put this into context. Your average Bristol City fan will be very embarrassed and angry if it transpires that the idiot(s) who were irresponsible for an act of abject stupidity was indeed a City fan.
If you are the average City fan and you know who has carried out this pathetic deed, then tell the police who it was. If you are the less than average buffoon who carried out the action, then be a real man and hand yourself in. Fess up, own up, do the right thing. You have been an idiot, admit it.
Bristol City have already made it clear that if the person/people for desecrating the Memorial Gates is revealed to be one of their supporters, they will need to get used to be banned from Ashton Gate for life.
They might need to be banned for being stupid, too. The gates, lest we forget, represent a tribute to Bristol rugby players who lost their lives in war. And where do Bristol rugby play their games these days? Why, in BS3, at Ashton Gate.
We do not blame City fans for this utterly pathetic act. Your genuine City fans, some 99.999 per cent of the actual number, will be every bit as appalled as your average Gashead. They will be mortified.
It is disappointing that the actions of a few idiots overshadows what has been a dramatic resurgence in the fortunes of Bristol Rovers.
On the pitch, the recovery under Darrell Clarke has been as dramatic as it has been welcome. Almost on his own, Clarke has taken the club back, not quite to where it belongs, which is League One, but nor far off.
With virtually no infrastructure in terms of managerial support and no scouting network at all, Clarke has performed to near miracle standards. If he carries on like this, expect clubs from further up the food chain to come knocking.
As the well known philosopher Heather Small once memorably put it, the only way is up. I don’t bet, but if I did, my money would be on a return to League One in 2016. Either way, Clarke has restored some pride in BRFC. Gasheads, chomping on their Turkey sandwiches on Boxing Day, will certainly say Amen to that.
Photo courtesy of www.bristolrovers.co.uk
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