Heroes & Villains – Bristol City
Heroes – ‘The Ashton Gate Eight’
Financial trouble at Bristol City meant that eight players from the squad tore up their contracts to save the club from bankruptcy.
All eight were Bristol City fans and had grown up supporting the club but this didn’t make the decision any easier.
The players were told in no uncertain terms that they would have to leave the club by the board. One of the players, Trevor Tainton, had to file for bankruptcy after leaving the club.
The players are held in the highest regard by all City fans as they saved their club from extinction.
Villain – Tony Pulis
It’s fair to say that Tony Pulis wasn’t the most popular of managers at Bristol City.
The first thing that didn’t endear him to the City faithful was the fact that he played for their despised rivals Bristol Rovers. Pulis made 85 league appearances for Rovers between 1975 and 1981, scoring 3 goals.
Pulis took charge at Ashton Gate at the start of the 1999-2000 season. He made a couple of big-money signings, one of whom was a former Bristol Rovers player. This was another nail in his coffin!
The final straw was when rumours came out that he was going to become Portsmouth manager. The fans booed him and chanted for him to leave. Pulis left for Fratton Park shortly after.
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