“Nick, the answer to why the EP don't give the lime light to City alone is the simple fact that City in reality do not have any more fans, they simply hold a higher place. When they were last in the same league the average attendance at home games was only about 500 apart, Rovers always average about 5000 home attendance of loyal fans, City struggle to get 6000 when on a bad run, which is much worse as they sell 7000 season tickets so 1000 have a ticket and don't bother.

Then there's the question of sales, The EP probably sells as many papers on my side of the river as the do in bemmy and ashton, and us Gas heads don't want to buy a paper to read about the City.

There is only one producer of local papers in Bristol and would have to appear unbiased, how many papers do you think they would sell if they showed themselves to be only supporting one team.”

“Gaz,

That's the point that I am making Gaz there are no links to any season ticket sales drive as there isn't one.”

“Jeez talk about banging your head against a wall!
dave, you didn't show how our attempts to increase them are pathetic did you?
All you did was to post a figure of how many were sold.
Come on dave don't be shy, just a link to prove your theory.”

“Gaz,

Copied from the clubs website on the 1st of June. "More than 2,750 season tickets were snapped up during the Early Bird offer."”

“dont worry steve in staple hill,those red morons who are so sad that that they feel the need to comment on all the rovers articles will soon not be able to do so,thats because they are moving to a brand spanking new ground in NORTH SOMERSET so all their team news will appear in free rags like the nailsea mercury etc,so they wont have time to look at the B.E.P”

“dave with acting skills like that, you should be on eastenders.
Could you post a link showing these mystical figures of yours?

" our season ticket sales and the attempts to increase them are pathetic."
Could you also show how our attempts to increase them are pathetic please. You seem to know so much this shouldnt be a problem, should it?”

“I am sure that the new club sponsor would want the club to sell as many season tickets as possible. Spin is, a week ago we were told that 2750 had been sold a week later the club make the announcement that almost 3000 had been sold. I call that the same figure and a load of spin. Rovers are well supported compared to most because we are from a big city. Compared to our near neighbours our season ticket sales and the attempts to increase them are pathetic. Us Gasheads will accept being third rate because we always have. Ah well let's look forward to buying a season ticket for our shiny new stadium.”

“Wow its amazing how many sad muppets from the red side of town feel the need to comment on every rovers article. And Nick as for your comments isnt the main article about a failed bid from City? I think this biased coverage exists mainly in your head im afraid”

“This was a good, positive & realistic response (well apart from the usual clowns from Trashton that probably don't even go to games, but we expect that) and then someone went and ruined it by mentioning the *mythical* NEW Stadium !?! :D

Now I am a Gashead and one of those 3,000 who passed on his 3 groats for his ST and cannot wait until seasons start and being able to watch the likes of Southampton, Norwich etc. But the mythical new stadium mention has sent me screaming & running to the fridge for a cool glass of Thatchers to calm my nerves & hysteria. Anyway all that stress reminds me to carry on with my letter to that nice new man at the top inside The Mem.

"Dear Mr Higgs, Once upon a time in a distant land far off you told us we would be getting a lovely new, shiny stadium and that work would start .....2007 .... then it was ...... 2008 ...... then it was ..... 2009 .... then it all went quiet. Deathly quiet in fact and the promises stopped being issued. First it was the contractor then it was the credit crunch and now I hear that it's Geoff Dunford being far too reluctant to sell off his valuable Tie collection on eBay (Eddie Large did volunteer for the raffle at the Mem but Geoff thought that sounded cheap)
So when, when, when will we see work start? ....."

Well that's where I'm up to Mr Higgs, if you are reading in, so save me the trouble of getting a stamp and respond pretty please if you could??”

“That's all the seats at the Mem' sold so a few fans are buying a season ticket to STAND up at a game,something I wouldn't do. One of the other main reasons for buying a season ticket is to guarantee your SEAT for the following season,Can you imagine asking for a terrace space two foot in from the end of the fourth safety barrier just past the half-way line and turning up to find someone else standing six inches too close to your space and asking them to move over as I have bought a season ticket for this space duh!!! The red fans must be scraping the barrel to have a pop at Bristol's senior professional football club,come on you blues,even if we do have to put up with a dated rugby ground with 2,700 or so seats.”