By Ian Todd
July 4 2006

Fevered speculation over new signings, a new playing strip revealed, replacing the old one of just one season, new backroom staff and a move , for two games, to Ashton Gate. All part of the summer fun as we build to a new season still in the Premiership.

Well, the identity of the “international standard” lock is now known... Personally I think that my suggestion of Peter Crouch was a perfectly good one…

The site poll suggests that the position of fly-half is the area for us to concentrate on, and from what I’ve seen of him Dave Hill would be an excellent addition to our ranks. I would tip him to make the sort of impact Henry Honnibal did in both attack and defence. Now I’ve said this, of course, he won’t be joining.

The big news is that we’ll be at Ashton Gate for two games. I can see that it makes commercial sense for a local derby over the Christmas period and, to a lesser extent, for a side with a large travelling support like Leicester . Although I do still worry that it forfeits home advantage. However, I am rather concerned when I hear our new chief executive talking about the great importance of covered seating. I don’t want to sit to watch sport, and I know of many who feel the same way. My worry is that we will look to a move to an all-seater stadium, be it AG or elsewhere. The danger with AG is that we would end up rattling round a largely empty arena, rather like Saracens at Vicarage Road , not the more intimate surroundings of the Memorial Ground. All this rather depends on what the Memorial Stadium Company and the City Council come up with. Logically, of course, a jointly owned (Bristol/B**h) purpose-built rugby stadium located somewhere between Bristol and B**h would seem the ideal solution. Just so long as it wasn’t occupied by a team called the Wessex Warriors.

The summer is usually like this though, fevered speculation over new signings, bewailing the release of favourite players, changes to the playing strip and leaving the Mem. It is sobering to reflect that we were, not so long ago, on the verge of ceasing to exist, ‘merging’ with another side or become the Bristol Oxford Dons. Current concerns are nice in comparison. Long may we continue to have them.