When Jon Stead sealed his move to Bristol City in August 2010, he mistakenly went on the OTIB messageboard to gauge the reaction from supporters.
The striker was 27 years old at the time of signing his three-year deal and was entering his seventh different club following three years at Ipswich and a loan spell with Coventry.
What he read immediately provided him with an uphill battle to change perceptions, particularly with City heading into the new campaign with little optimism after Steve Coppell's resignation following just four months and one league game in charge.
"I could remember actually reading the messageboards which I know you're not supposed to do," Stead told Bristol Live. "I just remember reading them when I signed and seeing all the comments and thinking 'oh god.'
"All of them were the same, you know, 'another journeyman man, another one too old and past his best, he is just going come here and do this and do that.'
"I've got some family that live in Bristol as well and they are Bristol City fans as well so they're going to kill me as well if I don't turn up," he said with a chuckle.
His move to City was very close to falling through following Coppell's shock departure with assistant Keith Millen replacing him in the dugout. The uncertainty over the managerial position almost allowed Cardiff to capture his signature right under the noses of their Severnside rivals.
"It was all bit crazy because they agreed a fee with Ipswich and it was all done and dusted and then he (Coppell) left and I thought 'well, that's off then.'
"I was very close to signing for Cardiff and then Bristol City came back in and obviously Keith then took over the job. He continued that interest and assured me that, you know, they still really wanted me at the club.
"For me, it was kind of a footballing decision. I felt I was going to get more opportunities at Bristol City and get more games so I decided to go there.
"I'd already done my medical on a Thursday and then I went back to Ipswich and (manager) Roy Keane had no idea that I'd gone over to do my medical. So he was like, a bit like, 'Where's Steady?' They told him I was in Bristol doing a medical so when I came back on a Friday, I think we had a few injuries and he needed me to play for Ipswich on Saturday.
"So I actually played that game even though I'd done the medical. It was probably a bit stupid because if I got injured, I'd have been knackered."
Cardiff's loss was City's gain as Stead hit 10 goals and a further nine assists in his first season with the Robins finishing 15th. His consistency, alongside his relentless work rate and a goal against the Bluebirds, had turned the tide in the supporter's opinion of him.
"I think we had a decent squad. I mean, I think that we were on our day we were a really good side and I think we moved the ball really well and I'd get plenty of chances as a striker. So I enjoyed working with Millen but he didn't end up lasting that long and I ended up with quite a few managers while I was there."
Despite winning six of their last seven matches of the season, the club struggled to replicate that form at the beginning of the 2011/12 campaign. A 5-0 defeat at Blackpool saw the club part company with Millen in October with Derek McInnes coming in.
Fast forward five months and City were one place above the drop zone following a 2-0 loss to Watford where keeper David James was culpable of punching the ball into his own net. Many credit their survival in that season to Stead's form with six goals and three assists in his last 13 matches.
One of those came from the spot in the final home game against Barnsley where City ensured their Championship survival. It sparked a pitch invasion in which fans hoisted him up in the air - one of his standout goals from his time at the club.
"The one against Barnsley when we stayed had the most significance. I scored a penalty to ensure we stayed up and there was a massive pitch invasion and how it felt. I have to be honest, I was sh***** myself trying to take that penalty. When I scored it I was buzzing."
The summer saw McInnes take the opportunity to stamp his authority on the side and 14 new arrivals came through the door including the likes of Sam Baldock, Steve Davies and George Elokobi on loan. The squad failed to gel with the influx of new players and City took the decision to look for their third manager in three seasons when a 4-0 defeat to Leicester in January left them rooted to the table.
Stead, now assistant manager at Tampa Bay Rowdies, said: "I really liked Derek as well. I thought he was a really good manager. I think, obviously with him coming down from Scotland, we got a quite different squad and it didn't really click.
"But I can't say I didn't enjoy working for him. I think he was a really good character and he has obviously gone on and proved he's a very good manager as well. Although it ended up being a tough season."
Sean O'Driscoll was given the task of keeping City up but failed to fix a leaky defence that had the unwanted record of being the worst in the top four divisions. In April, following defeat against Birmingham, 11,000 supporters saw City relegated to the third tier.
Stead added: "O'Driscoll was very, very different to the other two managers. He was focused on the key details and the mental side of it as well. The way he would present information to us, I think a big chunk of the lads there would just switch off as soon as the meetings started.
"I think he was up against it in terms of people buying into exactly how he worked because he was quite different to the normal manager. He looked at things a lot deeper.
"So for instance, one of the things he always used to say was - and this was a small snippet of it - we'd have videos on the ball and we would be looking at passes and the way we'd be playing and he'd be asking the difference of whether we were playing for position or playing for possession.
"Where are we putting the ball? Are we putting it in areas where we've got a high possibility of winning the second ball? What are the lines of percentages if we put it in this area of the pitch?
"It was really quite more in-depth than you'd imagine a normal footballer to think. Apart from the ones who were really thinking about coaching at an early part of their career, I think with some players it went over their heads.
"At the end of the meetings, you were questioning who's actually taken in what we've been asked to do and if it's not everybody, then things can go missing. I don't think it was a case of 'what is this guy talking about?' It was more they were struggling to process all the information and put it into practice.
"But I can honestly say that I never felt there was an issue with anybody's commitment. They were all good lads in the dressing room and that was a constant throughout that period."
It would prove the end of the road for Stead at City having made the decision to rejoin Huddersfield to be closer to his growing family with his partner expecting their second child. Despite relegation, it didn't tarnish his memories at the club including scoring that screamer against QPR and endearing himself to the supporters.
He said: "I absolutely loved the city and loved living there. I was living in Portishead and the club itself was fantastic. We had some really good times there and then obviously finished with disappointment with relegation but I think the fans were fantastic.
"I've got a lot of time for the Bristolian fans and how they treated me. I think they recognised that I'd give everything when I'm on the field and I got heavily involved with the community trust there which was great.
"The fans used to sign 'Stead will tear you apart again' probably the only club that's actually sang that," he joked.
There was time for one final question, this time the roles were reversed with Stead asking: "Is Scotty (Murray) still there?"
"Of course, he's still there" I responded. Stead laughed and said: "He's the best character. He's the glue that holds that football club together. He's the sort of person that you can never, ever get rid of.
"You couldn't if you tried anyway but people like him are like gold dust and you should put that in because he's the type of person that really knits people together and the type of character that makes these clubs special."
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