BALL DE JOUR

A step too far?

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:47:00 +0000

Yesterday morning, like every morning, I start the day with a look at my email. Such is the modern world, and the joys of working within the Internet Services Market for a global company that the motto "if you snooze, you lose" has become one of our core values. As usual after discovering my online bank has been accessed and I need to "log in" to restore my access, that my penis can actually grow by 6 inches in just 28 days and of course the happiest news that I have won the Spanish lottery AGAIN, I get to the GroupOn emails. The whole social discounting model is a great thing for consumers. Crap for retailer, but good for consumers.

People who buy these deals (and can jump through the respective hoops to actually use the voucher) do so because they are being offered something at a bargain price. They are rarely for things that you would normally pay full price for - hence why the retailers turn to GroupOn to fill capacity. Deals such as hotel breaks for 50% off (or more) become good deals, but few, if any, people would think that the deal/hotel was that good that they would return and pay full price. That is the fundamental issue with the whole concept. GroupOn (and other sites such as LivingSocial.com) are great for a one-off, but building loyalty is another issue.

I am used to seeing Fulham and Crystal Palace appearing on my GroupOn offers timeline. £10 tickets for Palace on a Friday night ("limit: 100 per person") have made me smirk in the past. Few, if any people would take up the offer and return for future games paying full price (otherwise why wouldn't they have bought for this game?). I would have thought that there are other ways to market tickets to niche sectors without having to resource to such drastic price cutting measures.

But today I was very surprised. West Ham were the "deal of the day" and before anyone says it, yes it was a slow new offer day. Tickets for West Ham v Watford (7th March 2012) were £40 for two (and £60 for 3, £80 for 4). As if that wasn't enough to entice you in, the highlights included the fact it was "Close to Upton Park tube". I am aware of the offers the club has been involved with so far in 2012 - discounted tickets for buying pizza in Dartford and leaflet drops in Charlton Athletic and Millwall supporter areas to name just two. But is this the right move for the club? And what are the issues of going down this route? To me it is three-fold.

1. The impact on the fans - Tickets for this fixture went on sale to Members back in December starting from £32. As with the game against Nottingham Forest where significant last-minute marketing was carried out to "boost" attendance, it wasn't directed at the membership database. So one of the perks of membership is the ability to purchase tickets in advance of the general sale. It used to be the case that members also got a discount, but that privilege was removed last season. For this game (as it was for the game v Forest), members will have been penalised for buying early - a somewhat lopsided business model in terms of yield management. The impact on members in future is that they may delay buying their tickets because there could be offers like this. The impact of this for the club is that cashflow is delayed, meaning potential short-term pain.

2. The impact on the future - West Ham, under Sullivan/Gold/Brady, have become a club with grand ambitions. There is nothing wrong with that. You do not want your team to be content with just being also-ran all of the time. The whole Olympic Stadium debate was always (and still is) about them and their image, not the fans. In fact the fans have never been properly asked if they want to move. There has always been an assumption it was a given. Perhaps the original motives were simply to stop Spurs getting it, but I have never been able to understand the logic that says a club with a core support base of 35,000 need to move to a 60,000 stadium, let alone one where every seat offers a worse position than Upton Park. This is underlined by the fact the club is needing to resort to using GroupOn to sell tickets to fill the stadium. If you look at attendances this season you will see some near capacity crowd - such as Barnsley and Burnley or the game on Saturday against Crystal Palace, where as games where full price ticketing has been held up such as Leeds United, Ipswich Town or Portsmouth have averages down by 7,000 on capacity. Is it any coincidence that the games were attendances have been high have also had special promotions in terms of ticket prices? Kids for £1, kids go free, family tickets for four for less than £50.

This season the average attendance at Upton Park is 29,446, the biggest in the division. Last season it was 4,000 higher in the Premier League. Sure, there is the argument that away support is smaller, demand for the Championship product is less than the Premier League, and the police have played a part in limiting away attendees for the games versus Cardiff City and Millwall, but actually do clubs like Burnley, Coventry City or Bristol City bring less fans than Wigan Athletic, Bolton Wanderers and Fulham? This means one of two things - either the average price is too expensive for the product on offer, or the core fan base is dropping.

The second point is an interesting one. Discounts for kids are a great idea. West Ham should be applauded for the continued use of this tactic which they were one of the first clubs to introduce over a decade ago. But the issue is they tend to be the exception rather than the norm. Other games (such as the one versus Coventry City) have seen kids tickets rise to £19, the consequence being crowds dropping to around the 25,000 mark. Charlton Athletic frequently give tickets away to local schools - in an age where football clubs are trying to become the centre of the community what better way for the club to boost its image than encouraging locals to come to games. West Ham are one of the biggest employers in Tower Hamlets, which is one of the poorest regions in England. The vast percentage of West Ham's supporter base is from outside of their local area - what better way to engage with them. Interestingly enough these "new fans" would be more likely to return to the club simply based on the proximity of the club.

Finally, it is worth noting that as a member (and also having a lapsed membership on my email address) the club hasn't marketed to me about the deal - surely a starting point from their database is fans who have bought tickets this season but haven't for this particular game? Isn't that marketing 101?

3. The impact on the club - When you use GroupOn, only 50% of the revenue is pocketed by the "retailer" (the rest is kept by GroupOn). So a £20 ticket will see only £10 reach West Ham. Yet the club has an "active" Social Media strategy right? Nearly 40,000 followers on Twitter and a Facebook page with thousands of "likes" is surely a good place to start with these offers if they are going to do it. That way the club will at least keep the full wallet. Why is this important? Because I want the club to get whatever money I pay for my ticket, which I hope they will re-invest in the infrastructure or the team. I do not want to see that cash go to an US company. As I mentioned above, I would rather the club invested into the local community, local schools, local groups where there is an opportunity to build a strategy for encouraging new fans.

So on one hand I should applaud the club for trying something new and embracing a social media channel to market. But it cannot be denied that their continued use of shotgun style marketing offers is antagonising the existing fan base. Perhaps the plan is to build up this new base in preparation for the move to Stratford. However, in a recent interview with political blogger and avid West Ham fan, Ian Dale, David Sullivan has started to question whether a move to the stadium and sharing it with other codes is actually a good more for the club (read the whole interview here). So for now I hope that those GroupOn purchasers enjoy their night out at Upton Park and I hope they come back, but somehow, like the vast majority of all GroupOn deals, it will be just for the night.

Who wants to win the cup anyway?

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:45:00 +0000

Saturday’s horrific home defeat to Cheltenham was a mortal blow for Dagenham & Redbridge as well as their fans. However, like falling off a bike it is best to get straight back on it, and so our very own Brian Parish focused on the distraction of an Essex Senior Cup game against a team three levels below the Daggers. Surely nothing could go wrong? Could it?

Whilst Saturday will take some time to get over, thankfully, we have another game to play almost straight away. That though is not to lessen the challenge we face tonight. While Canvey Island may be a few divisions below us, we know precisely how difficult it can be to get a result here, having visited on more than one occasion in the conference, and prior to that, in the Isthmian League.

Although it is just the Essex Senior Cup, this is a chance for some who have experienced the non-league days, to re-visit those memorable days gone by. A chance to go to places that we have yet to visit, or even just the chance to “change ends” at half time is generally a good enough reason to turn up for these games. Plus in a season that is going from bad to worse, we’ll take anything that is going our way. And as it’s been ten years since we actually won the county cup, if we can get to the final, we’ll certainly take it.

For the first few years of the twenty-first century, Canvey Island and Grays Athletic were leading the way from Essex, and both looked set fair for a long stay in the top flight of non-league football. Grays even went as far as to reach the conference play offs, but ultimately, both clubs fell from the conference. Grays were relegated a couple of years ago, sold off their ground, and are currently ground sharing with East Thurrock United.

For Canvey, the drop came about not because of performances on the pitch (they were mid-table in their last season in the conference, in 2005-06), but because the club were reliant on one person paying the bills. When they decided to withdraw the funding (and Canvey were getting only 300 for home games at times), the club felt that they had no option, but to resign their position in the conference. They re-emerged in the Isthmian League, where they have remained, but at least unlike Grays, they have retained their own stadium.

Park Lane can be a decent place to visit on a summer’s day. Indeed our last league visit, in August 2005 was a baking hot day, made even worse by the stupid decision to wear jeans. We won though, which helped, and the convoy off the island back to the mainland of daggers fans is a happy memory.

A couple of months later, we were back and this time, for tie in this very competition. A much changed Daggers team were beaten 4-1, although we did see Paul Benson score his second goal (of three that season) in a daggers shirt. Canvey always seem to have taken this competition very seriously, even when they were doing well in the conference, which is something that we haven’t done, as this has in the past, been the preserve of youngsters and reserves. However, after Saturday’s drubbing, perhaps we might see a few more first team players on view.

Tuesday 21st February - Canvey Island v Dagenham & Redbridge - Park LaneIf you stand on the home terrace, you can see the ships passing the ground in the Thames Estuary. At times, this can seem better than the game, and in that last visit, we probably paid more attention to what was going on in the waterway, than what was happening on the pitch.

Tonight’s game has to produce a result, as there are no replays in the Essex Senior Cup. A few of us reckon that there should be no extra time either, but I can’t see that happening. Canvey are the highest ranked opposition that we have faced in the competition this season, but down the road, Concord Rangers are also through to the semi finals, so it could be an island derby to win the trophy.

A quick look at the daggers team warming up reveals how seriously we are taking this. Of our starting eleven, almost all have played in the first team at some point this season. The exceptions are Luke Wilkinson and Connor Okus, so it is a line up that, while much changed from what we would expect to start in a league game, has more than enough experience.

It’s a fresh night down on the island, and as we approach the ground, we spot a chip shop. Not sure what the food inside the ground will be like, we make a mental note of the route from there to the ground. However, when we arrive, we all decide that it’s too far to walk back, and although we would probably have enough time for a walk there and back, we all elect to go straight in. As it turns out, we have probably made the right decision.

For the first half, we are probably the better side, with Jake Reed and Rob Edmans both having good chances in the half to give us the lead. However, they are either pulled wide, over or the Canvey goalkeeper James Russell is in the right place at the right time to make a save. At the other end, Dave Hogan is captaining the Daggers (as he has done throughout this competition), and he hasn’t been troubled too often. Canvey lose Steve Ward (a.k.a. the Ginger Sex God) during the half, and this results in a shuffle around of the back four, but despite the good chances that we have created, it is still 0-0 at the break.

At half time, we wonder down to the other end of the ground, and sit down in the seats closest to the Estuary. There is a brief chat with some of the backroom staff about our upcoming games at Plymouth and Morecambe, but it’s interrupted by the re-emergence of the players, and once the tunnel area is cleared, we move on to our new location.

The second half continues in much the same vein as the first, with the home team launching the occasion attack, but the Daggers looking the better side. There are more near misses for the visitors, but the best chance comes as we go into stoppage time. Adam Cunnington had replaced Jake Reed twenty minutes into the second half, and for a while, we probably had to the tallest front line that I can recall in Daggers shirts. Having managed to work himself into a decent position to shoot, Cunnington draws back his foot, takes the shot, and lifts it just over the bar. It would have been great to have nicked it then, but then again, it may well have only been an equalizer, had Canvey taken a chance a few minutes earlier. Hogan had rushed from his goal and not cleared the ball properly; having crossed it into the middle, a shot from someone in yellow (we were at the other end of the pitch and couldn’t read the numbers properly), was blocked after it looked as though it was on target. With no further chances in the last three minutes, we went straight to penalties.

This was our third shoot-out this season, having won at Leyton Orient and Walsall, and also the third different goalkeeper we had used in them. Having taken a 1-0 advantage after the first round, we eventually ended up at 4-4 after the regulation five each. The next two were scored, before Wilkinson’s penalty was well saved by Russell. The winning kick was greeted by some big celebrations in the home support, while we were allowed to slope away, having come up short yet again in this competition.

It’s hard to stay positive. I know all the arguments about this cup; it doesn’t matter, it’s only the reserves that normally play, it means more to the teams lower down than it does to us. But that misses the point. Any glimmer of hope would be most welcome at the moment. After Saturday’s debacle, a win here would have at least cheered me up a bit. But having witnessed another defeat (albeit on penalties), I feel even worse about losing this one that I did on Saturday. We can now (brace for a cliché) concentrate on the league, but at least making the final would have given us something to look forward to, however insignificant it may seem to some. We have sixteen games left (and with another cliché coming up), they are all going to be like cup finals. The problem is, is sixteen games enough to save our season?

Dreaming of snow, plastic pitches and the England managers role

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 21:58:00 +0000

After a three week break, the daggers were back on home turf and of course Brian Parish was in his usual spot hoping for some crumbs of comfort. A couple of postponements in the league meant that Tuesday nights visit to Oxford was our first game in League Two since beating Rotherham on January 28th.

Of course, the recent bad weather has not just affected the Daggers, but it did meant that only three games survived last weekend, and one the weekend before that. It is perhaps then great timing by the Football League, as this week they announced a consultation period regarding artificial surfaces.

Most football fans in the UK over the age of twenty-five will remember the plastic pitches that were used at four clubs in England; Queens Park Rangers, Luton Town, Oldham Athletic and Preston North End. The pitches, although no doubt profitable at the time in that clubs were able to rent out their facilities with no damage to the pitch, were not quite as popular with the fans or players. The thirty-two page document produced by the football league for this consultation period does contain however, a piece of research that states that the amount of injuries sustained on these surfaces was not too different to those on natural grass surfaces.

After these were banned by the FA, the last “plastic” pitch was ripped up in 1994. Since then, there have been a few advances in the technology available, to the extent that now, certain types of artificial playing surfaces are authorized by FIFA. There are plenty of clubs now playing in the top divisions of Europe that have these types of pitches, including two in Serie A.

However, the advantages of an artificial surface are there. For example, there shouldn’t be any problems with frozen pitches in future, which is why our games at Morecambe and at home to Northampton were called off. Both Dagenham Dan and I have been to several lower division games in Spain, and all of the clubs that we have been to in the Spanish third and fourth division have artificial pitches. We’ve arrived at stadiums early, to find that the home club’s youth teams are already playing a game in the stadium. The markings for smaller sided games are also visible, but in a different colour to the normal white, and training goals are tethered to the stands alongside the pitch. Then there is the ability of clubs to use their own stadium as a training ground, thereby cutting this cost from a clubs budget. If the Daggers had owned an artificial pitch, perhaps we wouldn’t have had the injuries that blighted pre-season.

UEFA and FIFA both sanction their use, and while they have to be at a certain standard, World Cup qualifiers have been played on artificial pitches, and even the under 20 World Cup Final in 2007 was played on an artificial surface, in Toronto. But, as the document points out, it is for individual competitions to permit the use of such surfaces. The Premier League and Football League both have regulations which state that no game can take place on an artifical pitch, while the Conference seems to allow them, although they must be approved by the board. Neither can anything but a natural grass surface be used in the FA Cup, League Cup or JPT. If there is to be a change, then a lot of competitions are going to have to amend their rules.

There is though, the other side of the coin. Set up costs and such mean that, by the Football Leagues own reckoning, that the initial cost wouldn’t be recovered for six years. Given our league position at the moment, we might not be in the league another six months. There is also a fair amount of prejudice about artificial pitches (probably born of the original experiment in the eighties), but given some of the ploughed fields that resemble football pitches come January or February, wouldn’t it be better to have a surface that could stage a proper game of football, rather the hoof-fest that many of the games become?

Unsurprisingly, the most support seems to have come from clubs in League One and Two, but this is only in a consultation phase at the moment. It may be some time before any clubs start to play on an artificial pitch.

Saturday 18th February, Dagenham & Redbridge v Cheltenham Town, Victoria Road

Those people who work out the fixtures clearly aren’t romantics at heart, given that there was a full programme of fixtures on Valentines Day. A 2-1 defeat at the Kassam meant that this was going to be a game that pits second from bottom against second from top.

With a visit from the “Take it like a Fan” programme on Sky, there was speculation as to who had been selected to take part. Prior to leaving, we discovered who it had been, and although he had got to £90, had gambled and lost when not being able to identify the Dunfermline crest.

As we made our way to our regular place on the terraces, we notice that it’s not actually that busy. We had thought that it had been that way in the bar prior to the game, but looking around as kick off approached showed that as the teams results start to falter, then so do the crowds.

Trying to work out how to best describe a terrible 0-5 home defeat is not easy. Cheltenham already seemed to have an upper hand in the game when they took the lead after 20 minutes. A corner from the right was not cleared properly, and fell to Luke Summerfield on the edge of the area, who promptly lashed the ball home from just outside the box. It was a quality strike which gave Lewington no chance. The second came two minutes later, and finished the game as a contest. Another corner, but this time we didn’t even get the ball out of the area, as a defensive header from Mark Arber just went about six yards across the box to a waiting Steve Elliott, who slotted the ball past the outstretched legs of Lewington.

Most of the Daggers efforts at goal seemed to be headers, and the closest was on the half hour, from Brian Woodall. With little attacking threat in the first half, we were hoping to get to the break only 2 down.

Instead, the players trooped off to a chorus of booing, a deficit of three goals and one player. With five minutes to go, a ball played over the top meant that Scott Doe was trying to shepherd the ball back to Lewington, while being challenged by Mohamed. Either there was no shout, or one (or both) misjudged the flight of the ball, but Doe attempted to header the ball back, only for Lewington to be fractionally outside his area. Lewington did instinctively what all keepers do, and saved it, but being outside the box, meant a straight red card, his second of the season. Our back up keeper, Dave Hogan then had to get ready in a hurry to face the free kick, which he saved, but the rebound fell to Mohammed, who scored. The first half is so bad, that at the interval, the announcer apologises for the scoreboard not working (perhaps even that has given up?), but one fan shouts back at the speaker placed nearby, going nuts in the process. This does at least bring a smile to a few faces, from a half that has done nothing to lower the blood pressure.

Half time discussions bring back memories of Hereford and the 0-9 home defeat, and many fear the worst. The only bright spot was that the joint managers of our supporters team have applied for the England managers job, and have got the letter from the FA to prove it. If it happens, we’ve all asked for free tickets. The campaign to get Tim Weymouth and Steve Wilson into the post starts now. Tim has even worked out the pose for the statue that will inevitably follow if he gets the position.

With the attendance of just over 1500 announced just after the resumption of the second half, the rain gets heavier, and just after the hour, Cheltenham get a fourth goal which prompts the first group of people to depart the stadium. Ilesanmi misjudges the spin of the ball and just deposits the ball at the feet of James Spencer, who blasts the ball high past Hogan.

Ten minutes later, and Cheltenham get a fifth. Mohamed attacks Spillane down their left hand side, and his cross takes a huge deflection off of our right back. To sum up the day nicely, the deflection is big enough that it loops high over Hogan at his near post, hits the far post and goes in.

Frankly, we have by now all seen more than enough. There is still time for Spillane to pick up arguably the stupidest caution of the season, by booting the ball away after he had over run the ball. The rain continues to fall, and gets very heavy as the game wears on, bringing the optimistic request to call it off, but it goes unheeded, and it’s probably a good thing as I don’t think anyone would want to watch this again. Thankfully for us, Cheltenham elect to declare on 5, while we are lucky to get zero.

Today’s referee was Dean Mohareb, who according to the notes in the programme, is an emerging talent. While most of the decisions were correct, (and therefore, by default enraging many home fans), there was one that puzzled a few of us. A free kick has been awarded to Cheltenham outside the Daggers penalty area. Ok so far, as he has even measured out the ten yards for the wall to go back. But while he is talking to the players in the wall (and with his back to the ball), an attacking player moves the ball forward a yard. Cue those players to point this out to the referee, who promptly produces a card and asks the wall to move back another yard. While not exactly in the Stuart “lets give a goal despite the ball not actually going anywhere near the net” Atwell class, it highlights that referees do need a bit more help from their assistants, who clearly wasn’t watching at that particular moment. It also begs the question, that if he had positioned the wall in the first place at their correct mark, what was he thinking when he then had to move them further back after the ball had been moved?

In the end though, this one moment doesn’t matter a jot. This was abject. Poor. Awful. Describe it whatever way you like, it was just absolute rubbish. The audacity in trying to name a Daggers man of the match was staggering; after a “performance” like that, no-one emerged with any credit. In the bar prior to the game, March was being described as a “do or die” month. For a club that has an undertaker as the main shirt sponsors, the boxes must be being measured up already.

Arsenal's defeat no laughing matter

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:16:00 +0000

As Arsenal stumbled at stuttered to their worst ever Champions League defeat last night, the medium of choice for the clinically insane, Twitter, light up like a flare launched from the bowels of the San Siro. Spurs fan Peter South analyses the effect.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic completed Arsenal’s humiliation by claiming the fourth goal of the night, a penalty after Johan Djourou had invited the former Barcelona forward to tumble to the ground, but by then the Gunners had already been embarrassed on the grandest possible stage. Even casinos mobile pundits were watching.

"It was a shocking result and a shocking performance. It was of those nights you never forget," said Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger as he examined the ashes of another failed Champions League campaign.

"There was not one moment in the 90 minutes we were really in the game, and it was always the same problem, balls over the top and we were well beaten."

The Frenchman added of his side’s chances of progressing to the quarter finals: "We don't play in dream world. There is maybe a 2% or 5% (chance) statistically.”

What struck most however was not the obvious pain of a man who is desperately trying to prop up the house he has spent 16 years building, but the enjoyment some took in his humiliation.

Is there any point in wasting energy at another club’s expense so vigorously that some supporters seem to enjoy it more than a victory for their own team? Is there much enjoyment to be taken from seeing an English side fail so dramatically on the European stage, in front of millions of watching spectators?

Wojciech Szczesny was open to the most amount of criticism having claimed before the match, in reference to rivals Tottenham’s victory over Milan at the same stage of the competition last year, that if they could do it, so could Arsenal. Cue much mirth from the white half of north London at the Polish shot-stoppers expense.

As ever, Szczesny fronted up after the game, coming out to do a post-match interview as he so often seems to do, and was, as ever, honest and fair in his assessment of the game. For that alone, after a game such as last night’s, surely some credit is due.

There was nothing satisfying about watching a once great side humiliated. There was also nothing to fawn over as one of the greatest men to ever pull on an Arsenal shirt, Thierry Henry, was forced to bawl and scream at his lost team-mates on quite probably his last ever game for the club while Milan run riot, seemingly able to score at will.

Social networks were set ablaze with the cruel tone of mocking and satisfaction in their failings, but I see no reason to celebrate and laugh at their shortcomings, if only such energy was put to positive use. I’m a Tottenham fan, and took no joy whatsoever in Arsenal’s public capitulation.

Saturday Night, Sunday Mong Kok - A football adventure in Hong Kong

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:27:00 +0000

Doncaster Rovers fan Glen Wilson went to Hong Kong. Silly question whether we wanted him to watch a game or three really isn't it?

Sunday 22 January 2012

Tweet from Steve: “Are you watching any football over there? Chance to see Kezman.”

Thursday 26 January 2012

I get my chance to see Mateja Kezman. He’s live on Hong Kong’s NOW TV. His South China side have just lost their Asian Challenge Cup 3rd place play-off 3-1 on penalties to China’s Guangzhou. Kezman, having humped the deciding penalty high into the night sky and off down Caroline Hill Road, now stands on the halfway line. Wearing an ‘I Heart Hong Kong’ t-shirt, pausing to allow for Cantonese translation by a television presenter in a garish lime green jacket, and with a consoling red furry arm around him from the tournament mascot the former European Golden Boot winner duly announces his retirement from football, age 32. I’m sure he always envisaged it would end this way.

Saturday 28 January 2012
“Can I go through here to get to the football match?” I ask.

“Football match? ...Football? ...Hong Kong FC versus Tai Chung?”

“Yes”

“Ah yes, through reception, down corridor and turn right at the end for stadium. And can I ask you please turn your phone off before going in sir. Club rules.”

That exchange alone should illustrate how HKFC stand apart from the rest of Hong Kong football. But if further proof were needed I was talking to the doorman. By some distance the oldest club in Hong Kong, HKFC played their first Rugby match in February 1886, their first football match a month later. A Private Members Club with predominantly ‘Western’ membership HKFC has a last bastion of the Empire feel about it; as a comment on one of their YouTube videos succinctly puts it “Hong Kong FC?! Where are the Chinese players?!”

Beyond the doorman and an elaborate entrance of glass and granite HKFC’s sports complex sprawls out beside, beneath and within Happy Valley racecourse. The corridor I’m directed down goes beneath the track itself and is decked with trophy cabinets and team photos. Groups of Post-War white faces in hockey, rugby and football kits line the walls, judging me as I pass. For each sport and each sex a veneer honours board details club captains from the past sixty years in gold calligraphy. This isn’t football as I know it. We’re not in Kansas anymore. I’m not even sure I’m in Hong Kong.

Eventually I emerge into HKFC’s modest stadium. The two all-seater stands which run the length of the touchlines hold just over 2,500, but the ground’s real appeal is its location at the heart of the city. Backed by the hills of Tai Tam on one side and the skyscrapers of Wan Chai on the other, the shadows of the high rise apartments of Leighton Hill loom over the ground in the morning while the silhouettes of the Racecourse’s own grand stadia take the evening shift. For a night game such as this the lights of apartments and offices dominate the sky high above the floodlights, glowing squares stretching up beyond comprehension.

I count the crowd; 45. A minute later the girls’ hockey team who had been sat near half-way up and leave whilst three other men rise from their seats, shuffle the foam pitchside hoardings about then disappear into a maintenance cupboard causing my original figure to be revised to 25. However, throw in the Club members getting set to watch Manchester United versus Liverpool in the open-air bar at West end of the ground and the attendance is a healthier 200. Add on all those in the surrounding neighbourhood who can currently see the teams warming up and you’re looking at 140,000. Not bad for the second tier.

These teams ended last season adrift in the 1st Division relegation places; coming in to this game the league table suggests HKFC are most likely of the two to make a return. Currently third, the only side to beat them in their last eight matches is local rivals Wanchai who play their home games on the pitch behind the Main Stand; a distance of about twenty feet away. Local rivals don’t really come any more local than that. The main advantage HKFC boast over other sides at this level is this ground; few other sides in the second tier have a regular home of their own and so are allocated pitches on a game by game basis. So far Tai Chung have had five ‘home’ grounds this season, and they’ve two more to integrate themselves with before the season is out. A touch of familiarity born of three consecutive games at Ma On Shan in the New Territories appears to have benefitted them though and they arrive here off the back of an encouraging 3-2 win over Double Flower.

Both sides were already out warming up on the artificial turf as I arrived. HKFC, wearing all white, are notably bigger than their opponents and look destined to dominate corners and set-pieces... and goal-kicks... and probably the toss too. Tai Chung in comparison look alarmingly young, their number 8 seemingly barely into his teens. An electronic board on the Main Stand says its 18°C, in front of me one of the Tai Chung players is wearing under armour and gloves.

Of those in the stadium 92% are here to cheer on HKFC. Two people are here to cheer on Tai Chung; one is the girlfriend of a central midfielder. The other is me. Neutrality had been firmly in mind when I stepped off the MTR, but then Tai Chung donned a set of red and white hooped shirts and my head was duly turned like a Jane Austen character who’s just glimpsed her first epaulette and sideburn combo. What’s a Doncaster Rovers fan to do?

The referee and his assistants emerge in smart Adidas attire and a collective range of haircuts which suggests they’ve stopped off to raid the bargain bin at Tony & Guy en route. The teams don’t bother going back inside post warm-up. The substitutes clamber into the seats of the stand on either side of the field and we’re ready to go. Almost. Kick-off is delayed. Possibly owing to a slight kit clash. I have no idea. A large Hong Kong FA branded puffer jacket is summoned from the stands and floats onto the field, somewhere beneath it is an FA representative clutching a clipboard. After much shrugging and pointing and tapping of said clipboard the whistle goes for kick-off and the HKFA puffer jacket blends back into the night like a super-villain.

The home side, keeping up the feeling of Empirical nostalgia, appear to be playing 4-2-4; Tai Chung a 4-5-1 with the tall long-limbed Ling Fung Li proving an effective isolated target man. Li has already come close scoring before Tai Chung take a surprise 7th minute lead. The fantastically named Robson Augusto Ka Hei Leung stepping up to curl an excellent free kick into the corner of the net from twenty-five yards. I give a cheer. The Tai Chung substitutes seated in front of me pause from their own elation to turn as one and give me a perplexed stare.

Within three minutes HKFC are level, a lofted ball into the right channel taken on and swept home by Jason Tack. The game is, as two goals in the opening ten minutes suggests, very open. HKFC’s keenness to press from the front combined with Tai Chung’s determination to play the ball out from the back no matter what is in front of them makes for entertaining viewing for me, but not so much for the visitors’ coach who is currently having a breakdown on the touchline in front of me, his assistant translating his anguished yells and mimicking his every move with unintentional hilarity.

Up the other end, whenever the ball is within thirty yards of goal the HKFC ‘keeper emits a blood-curdling yell causing several dozen gin-slings to stain chinos in the Club Bar and noodles to be sent flying cross the dining tables of around 70,000 Happy Valley apartments. Thankfully for all concerned his first half involvement is minimal. Tai Chung’s suicidal back-line - featuring two meandering full-backs and a centre-half playing so deep he’s inadvertently created ‘the false 5’ position – continues to give HKFC opportunities and midway through the half they take advantage with two quick goals. Firstly Tack slaloms his way through the hoops before slotting home, then two minutes later a Allan Freser spots the keeper off his line to lob in the home side’s third.

Things aren’t going Tai Chung’s way. In midfield one of their players offers a hand of acknowledgement to HKFC’s Yiu Hung Lo as the two lie entangled on the turf after an innocuous challenge and promptly receives a set of studs firmly in his calf for his trouble. The Tai Chung coaching duo in front of me see the incident as clearly as I do, the assistant referee stood next to them claims, dubiously, to have seen nothing. Lo pleads innocence, avoids so much as a yellow card, and within a minute HKFC have scored again; Freser rounding the ‘keeper for his second of the game. But even at 4-1 the game is still anyone’s and just before half-time the visitors are awarded a penalty for handball. Set piece specialist Ka Hei Leung duly despatches the spot-kick for his second of the game in front of the disinterested club members on the terrace, their gaze remaining fixed on the screens as the penalty hits the net ten yards over their shoulder.

Tellingly, despite six first-half goals the largest cheer of the night comes during half-time as Manchester United equalise. The ground has been eerily quiet throughout. In close proximity to tens of thousands of people, yet beyond the low hum of traffic on the Aberdeen Expressway and Guy Mowbray’s commentary drifting out from the bar it’s just the players’ yells and the thump of boot on ball echoing into the cityscape.

For the second half I switch to the Main Stand which had hitherto served as a 1,500 seat dugout to the HKFC team. Every so often the HKFC manager spots something he dislikes. He rises from his perch four rows back, charges down the steps, and then bellows something innocuous from the sideline “Allen! More left!” After which he’ll traipse back up to his seat and explain the complexities of the tactical nous he’s just delivered to a man in a hat.

I had expected to like HKFC, their ground and resolutely amateur status appealed to me, but they possess a cynicism, characterised by Lo’s earlier unpunished stamp, which has extinguished that initial flame of intrigue. Midfielder John Casey yells “Get up!” at a player who’s clearly been caught in a challenge, only to go down screaming himself from a faint brush of hips two minutes later. Full-back Gergely Gheczy hurls himself to the turf whenever a player closes down his clearance. Goalkeeper Issey Maholo wastes time banging his boots on the post before a goal-kick. It’s an artificial pitch.

And so with all that in mind, I couldn’t help but yell “Get in!” as Tai Chung pull it back to 4-3. The pre-pubescent number 8 Cheuk Hong Chow capitalising on a defensive error and slotting the ball beyond Maholo. The goal had been coming. Tai Chung had started the second half confidently, successfully exposing the space behind home full-back Ka Ming Poon they were having joy down the left. Unfortunately they were set to experience anguish on the right; HKFC’s Egyptian winger Amro Abbas breaking down that flank before delivering a low cross which Freser sweeps in for his hat-trick.

Tai Chung are not out of it though, not whilst Li remains up front as a focal point of their attack. Twenty minutes from time Li is pole-axed by a crunching challenge from the anti-Weeble Gheczy and has to be helped from the field. Tai Chung are now out of it. They still move the ball about but with no fulcrum to work their attacks from their threat is significantly nullified, and their body language suggests they know it.

With ten minutes to go HKFC add a sixth and final goal; a cross into the box won by Frederick Schipper is poked over the line by Abbas right in front of the HKFC members who celebrate by continuing their conversations. At full-time the scoreboard is turned off before the referee has reached the third blast on his whistle, and I leave just as promptly. I bid goodnight to the Doorman and step back out into the noise and neon of Saturday night in the city

Sunday 29 January 2012

On the gates of Yuen Po Street Bird Market there’s a sign that says “No Hawking”. I don’t know the ins-and-outs of bird selling, but to me it seems unfairly discriminatory. Perhaps they’ve watched Kes and sensed the prospect of disharmony falconry brings. The Bird Market sits beneath the floodlights of the renovated Mong Kok Stadium, the newly erected scoreboard all that stands between an ill-timed clearance and a terrible songbird slaughter.

Standing beneath Yuen Po’s various ornamental cages looking along Flower Market Road the street is neatly divided in two. On the left hand side crowds of couples and women pick their way through the long stretch of flower shops and stalls, winding between crocuses and discarded carts. On the right men file in through the gates of the beautifully refurbished Mong Kok Stadium. All white render and bright seats, able to hold just under 7,000 it is a genuinely fantastic ground. Had it not retained it’s ‘stadium’ moniker I could have quite easily fallen in love, I mean which football fan wouldn’t go weak at the knees at the prospect of watching their matches from the Bird Market End at Flower Market Road from here until eternity.

The stream of men entering the stadium is steady. This is the weekend’s big game in Hong Kong. The home side Sunray Cave JC Sun Hei sit fourth in the 1st Division, three points behind their opponents, second place Kitchee the reigning Hong Kong champions. Outside the gates a girl stands distributing the nearest thing I’ve seen to a programme. I take one. It turns out to be a fan’s publication produced by supporters of Kitchee. It is a glossy four page production written solely in Cantonese. It looks much better than most of the fanzines I have produced, and arguably easier to read too.

A disinterested security steward half glances inside my bag, and I’m directed to a ticket booth. $60HK for adults is the flat fee for all top flight matches in Hong Kong. It’s just over a fiver. The stadium is all-seater; two covered stands down each touchline, with larger uncovered stands behind each goal. Its newness glows on this dull afternoon. Kitchee’s travelling ‘ultras’ have draped the end two sections of the far stand in various sky-blue hued banners. One of their number is already beating a huge Chinese drum. Their Sun Hei counterparts occupy the next blocks along, although I don’t realise this until I take a seat on the back row. Two bags of bright orange shirts are produced and scattered amongst the rows in front of me, whilst flags featuring Sun Hei’s crest (more than a slight copyright infringement on the logo for France ’98) are tied to the railings and a huge drum is hoisted onto the steps at the front. I’m a sucker for the underdog, and so I join in their beaten chant of “Sun Hei” as the teams come out.

Kitchee look the stronger side early on, their Spanish duo of Jorge and Yago combining well with Kwan Yee Lo in attack. The Kitchee ‘ultras’ appear to have used up all their imagination in their banner making; the opening ten minutes of play backed by the stubbornly monotonous drumming of their sole chant. The visitors’ determination to play out from the back looks as danger-laden as it did for Tai Chung the previous night, but fortunately for the Kitchee back-line, which includes debutant Zesh Rehman, Sun Hei forward Mamadou Barry is as ineffective as he is tall.

Talented Sun Hei midfielder Siu Wai Cheng looks good on the ball and he and the nippy Michael Chi Ho Luk help bring the hosts into the game. Playing in the hole Luk is an effective foil for Barry, or at least he would be if Barry were any good. Having clumsily missed a couple of through balls Barry moves out to the left in an effort to have more influence on the game, and he duly succeeds, by being offside twice in quick succession. With Sun Hei’s attacks floundering in the gravitational pull of Barry’s woefulness Kitchee press themselves and only a perfectly timed challenge by Cristiano Cordeiro prevents Ka Wai Lam from getting in one-on-one.

Midway through the half the opening goal arrives, and inevitably, given the nature of my last paragraph, it is scored by Barry. The Guinean brings down a high ball, holds off his man on the edge of the box, turns and fires an unstoppable half-volley into the bottom corner. The reaction from myself and the three young lads next to me is chiefly made up of laughter, suggesting I’m not the only one to deem this out of character. Barry trots alone over to the Sun Hei supporters, arm raised in acknowledgement of the waving flags and beating drum, as if the previous twenty minutes were all part of a grand plan to make Kitchee decide he wasn’t worth marking. After three seasons spent watching Leo Fortune-West the whole scenario is satisfyingly familiar.

Presumably out of embarrassment as much as disappointment at going behind Kitchee look for an immediate reply as Zicheng Liang gets onto Lo’s excellent slide-rule pass, but the flag is raised for offside before he can round the keeper. Within minutes though Kitchee are level; breaking forward quickly Jorge feeds Lam on the right and bursts onto the return ball to somehow beat the keeper at his near post with a superb angled finish. As the ball hits the net I realise that Kitchee’s fan-base far exceeds the bright blue dressed hordes to my right, as around half the 2,026 in attendance leap up and applaud.

In the following ten minutes both sides lose players through innocuous fifty-fifty challenges. Sun Hei have to go without the impressive Luk who is stretchered off, whilst Kitchee lose captain Siu Kei Chu. Whilst the latter being treated all around me goes oddly music hall. A Kitchee fan yells something. The crowd laugh. A Sun Hei fan yells something in return. The crowd laugh more. It’s like the resolute closing scene in an Ealing Comedy. The bloke in front of me is quite the comedian. Apparently. He gets light applause for his follow-up comment and duly stands and takes a bow. Sadly, by this time Chu has hobbled off and the match is back underway so I couldn’t thumb through my Cantonese phrase-book quick enough to be able to regale you with the wit of the man in Row K.

A minute before half-time Kitchee go in front, and like their first goal it comes through neat interplay on the deck. Jorge this times turn provider as he’s played into the right-channel, squaring for his compatriot Yago to turn the ball home from close range. The visitors celebrate in front of their support, now a Sky-Blue blur of waved flags and fists. Half-time, and having watched a man two rows in front shovel an odd black gelatinous substance into his face for much of the previous forty-five minutes I pass on the refreshment queue and instead take advantage of the warming temperature, moving away from the drums for a seat behind the goal Sun Hei will be attacking.

It appears a shrewd switch early in the second half as the home side look the more threatening; a low drive from Roberto Affonso Junior forcing Kitchee’s Zhenpeng Wang to save at the base of his post. Minutes later they have an even better opportunity as Barry somehow creeps unnoticed into the box despite possessing all the subtlety of Lady Gaga’s wardrobe. However, rather than shoot he tries to cushion the high cross back across goal toward Jia Pan and Kitchee hoof the ball clear.

Though I’ve warmed greatly to Barry, my favourite man out on the field is by far the portly referee; jogging about with a smile on his face, but loath to take any crap. In the first half Kitchee’s Yang Huang had made a meal of a soft foul. The referee gave the free-kick, but not before he had greatly admonished Huang for exaggerating the contact. He irons out some hostility on the sideline by bringing the two managers together and making them shake hands, giving a ‘see was that so difficult?’ shrug to the pair before restarting the game. Most entertaining though is the sub-plot developing between the official and Daniel Cancela. The Kitchee full-back has continuously hurled himself to the turf throughout the game; the referee has continuously not bought it. On one occasion he makes a point of waiting for Cancela to look his way before shaking his head with a smile and jogging cheerfully onwards.

Though Sun Hei are boasting more possession they miss the creative Luk; his replacement Ayala is skilful, but sluggish with it, and several attacks break down between his fifth and sixth step-overs allowing Kitchee to break. On the hour mark substitute Quankun Lu comes close to securing victory for the visitors in memorable style; the winger making it from his own area to the opposite end of the field, hurdling three challenges and sidestepping two attempts on his life en route before ending his eighty-yard run with a ball across goal that sadly eludes both a team-mate and the bottom corner

One facet of the Hong Kong crowd which fascinates me is the tendency to take greater delight in failure than in skill. The most telling example of this comes as Liang breaks forward for Kitchee. He picks up the ball (murmur of excitement), he shrugs off a challenge with a clever side-step (small cheer), and then shanks his shot off toward the Bird Market (huge roar). It’s not the only odd nuance of spectator behaviour either. Late in the game the ball is hoofed out of play and drops squarely onto the head of middle-aged man making his way along the front of the stand. Not only does no-one in the ground laugh, but the old man himself doesn’t even flinch. He just walks resolutely onward, not even breaking stride.

Anyway, back on the field Sun Hei are stepping up their pursuit of an equaliser; Ayala nobly forgoing his usual step-over or four to rattle the post with a first-time strike from an acute angle. A set-piece is hoisted into the area and met by Barry, but his downward header is again well-saved by Wang. It’ll take more than late pressure and frantic chances to deter the referee and Cancela from their mini-drama though, this time the official not only insists Cancela get up off the turf, but also hands him the ball as he does so and makes him go and take the throw-in he’s just awarded.

With time running out Sun Hei force one last corner, goalkeeper Yu Hou trots up to add his lanky frame to the mix. It’s a good ball in. It skims the head of Hou at the near post, is met by Barry at the back post, but the forward’s header is straight at Wang. The Kitchee ‘keeper holds on. Barry turns and tears off his own shirt in frustration as the referee brings the game to a close. The Kitchee players make their way over to acknowledge their drum-banging, flag-waving, horn-toting support, the 2-1 victory has taken them back to the summit of Hong Kong’s top flight. I edge my way out the stadium. A group of elderly men study a poster pinned to the gates detailing upcoming matches. Beyond them the Flower Market continues, bird song from Yuen Po drifting down the street.

Wednesday 1 February 2012 (and onwards)

“Did you watch any football out there? What was it like?”

It was like watching football is the short answer. On the pitch sides tried to play on the floor a bit more, there was less reliance on the long ball, but as HKFC showed all leagues have their problems with diving “foreigners”. Yes the play was inevitably of a lower standard than the comparative levels in England, but refreshingly cheap as a result. Beneath the top division football is poorly supported, and clubs dropping down from the top flight are finding it increasingly hard to make their way back up, whilst all teams struggle to win the battle against the lure of watching the Premier League on TV. In the stands fans were fans; old men bemoaned and berated, younger fans tried to whip up an atmosphere that was delightfully tension free; celebration rather than derision. When new sides are formed almost annually it is presumably hard to maintain the sort of irrational grudges that form between rivals in Europe. It was football, without the self-importance. It was a relief.

Twenty one days of pain and frustration

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:36:00 +0000

Twenty one days ago the sun was shining. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as Lewes kicked off against Canvey Island. Twenty four hours later I landed in Los Angeles to temperatures that would have had The Sun trumpeting as "Phew, what a scorcher" and "It's hotter than Greece". During the next week I worked with the sun shining all day, with my walk to the office along the empty beach in Santa Monica. Bliss, you may say and I would agree. Yet you mortals back in England were suffering freezing temperatures and tonnes of the white stuff. And of course that mean a serious lack of football.

Being purely selfish I was glad when the whole country called off their games the following weekend. Lewes's game at Wingate & Finchley was postponed whilst I travelled east from California to New York. I cheered. Wingate is one of only two grounds I haven't been to in the league so a re-arranged midweek fixture suited me perfectly. Seven days later and I was back in the UK but the after effects of the coldest February on record in many places in England again decimated the fixture let (and our plans for a game). What did this mean? Well, on the positive side, Lewes had gone unbeaten during February. On the pessimistic side, it would mean their last league win was 7 weeks ago when they beat Hastings United.

The enforced break had given manager Simon Wormull to assess his squad. Out had gone striker Michael Malcolm, and returning to the club was centre-back and ex-captain Chris Breach. Three good centre-backs may be needed for the visit to AFC Hornchurch.

The Urchins were enjoying a good season. They had devastated Lewes earlier in the season, ending The Rooks 100% home record with a four goal second half display. Since then they had topped the league, and despite losing a few games, had hung onto Billericay's coat tails thanks to their strong, well organised approach play, and a proven non league centre-forward in Martin Tuohy, Golden Boot winner three seasons ago with 50 goals.

AFC Hornchurch actually play in Upminster, which is really the starting point of Essex. The drive down the country lanes from the M25 revealed some impressive houses, and the area can boast such residents as Jessie J, Frank Bruno and that girl from S Club 7 (Not Rachel Stevens, or the one that looked like a boy). It also has two windmills. One which is one of the last remaining grade II windmills left in England; the other is a pub outside the tube station. Guess which one we saw today?

As we supped our fine Essex Ales (Peroni, Strongbow and Tetley's), the team news came through. AFC Hornchurch were fielding their two new players - Ex-Norwich City, Crystal Palace and Peterborough United striker Leon McKenzie and Fola Orilonishe from Sutton United. Lewes included signed that morning from the youth team Kelvin Brown as one of the three subs.

Hornchurch's ground is a real mixed bag for spectators. Firstly, it is an athletics ground - but not a proper one as it only has six lanes. Unlike Melbourne Park, home of Chelmsford City, there are no big stands where you can watch the game from a bit of a height, nor is there any temporary stands behind either goal. This means the views from the small stands around the pitch are poor. However, they have an excellent bar area behind one goal that is set high above the pitch, meaning you can watch the whole game from inside the bar, or on a nice sunny day from the terrace outside.

As with all away games this season, Lewes arrive bearing gifts. A pretty impressive gift if you ask me as well. Seventy two pints of FREE BEER in the form of a polypin from Harvey's, known globally as the world's greatest beer. Within minutes of the beer arriving the away fans (and officials) will be queuing at the bar to get their pint of local luxury. The clubs can charge what they want for the beer (although few seem to grasp the whole point of the exercise and faced with an opportunity to earn 100% profit, still overcharge). We arrived in the bar at The Stadium and became one of many to ask for a Harveys. "We haven't put it on yet"...after the twentieth person came and asked they eventually obliged, although the barman who took the first pint screwed his face up and threw most of his drink away - a fine endorsement indeed.

Hornchurch also have a satellite feed from overseas. Based on the adverts I deduced it was Albanian. Whilst people crowded round to watch the Chelsea v Birmingham City game (which was on UK TV anyway) they were showing Everton v Blackpool at 3pm, which was watched by no-one. And here lies one of the points why it is a bit of a non-issue.

As the teams emerged from the dressing rooms and down the steps onto the pitch, the rain started falling. Hornchurch's pitch had not endured the past few weeks well, and up until Friday were still not 100% confident this game would go ahead.

AFC Hornchurch 1 Lewes 0 - The Stadium - Saturday 18th February 2012Big Deaksy chastised me after my post-match comments when I said we battled well but ultimately fell short. He suggested this was the corporate line. He is of course right to an extent. It was a crap game, played in crap conditions, on a pitch that helped neither team which eventually had a big hand in deciding the result.

Illness had robbed Lewes of Chris Breach, and Wormull attempted to fit square pegs in round holes, with Nanetti playing just behind Paul Booth. But there was little they could do about the strong wind blowing down the pitch that saw the ball by-pass the midfield in the opening exchanges. The home side made the best of the early running, and Lewes keeper Pawel Szelemj was the busier of the two but was rarely troubled although Hornchurch did have a good shout for a penalty when Tuohy was sent crashing in the area. Perhaps the referee, aware of the two soft penalties given for the Urchins in the reverse fixture earlier in the season was trying to even it all up!

On the half hour mark came the deciding moment of the game. Hustwick underhit a back pass to Pawel and the heavy ground slowed the ball up further, allowing the predatory Tuohy to anticipate the roll of the ball and he nipped in, rounded Pawel and slotted home into an empty net from an acute angle.

During half time the heavy rain upgraded itself to a monsoon. Consequently around a third of the 298 fans in the ground stayed in the bar, watching the game from our own large Executive Box. The tail wind was now blowing towards the Hornchurch goal and Lewes started to create some chances. Harry Harding, fresh from his two weeks at Fulham, started to dominate proceedings and Booth had a couple of half chances. But the Hornchurch keeper was rarely called into action - in fact it was still Pawel who had to make the saves from the likes of Tuohy and Thompson.

Lewes's fight boiled over during the second half on one occasion when Jack Walder's tackle on McKenzie started a mini-difference of opinion and the Lewes youngster could count himself a bit lucky to stay on the pitch.

The final whistle was greeted with some relief by the home fans - a 1-0 win is never comfortable whilst Lewes can take some heart by the performances of the back four, especially Charlie Leach who showed maturity well beyond his young years.

The next few weeks will prove a massive test for the team. Two games against the most in-form team in the league start the run of games. East Thurrock United have strengthened their squad thanks to the money they earnt in their FA Cup run to the televised first round game versus Macclesfield Town, and Lewes visit them first on Tuesday in the Ryman League Cup semi-final, before they come down to Sussex on Saturday. After that the Rooks have games against four of the top six in March. New players are on the horizon and the play-offs are still only a few points away, but it will need something extra to spark the team back into life. The watching world (in BN7) turns to Simon Wormull to see what that will be.

Gamesmanship, tactical genius or just economics?

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:53:00 +0000

We often assume that football managers think strategically, know exactly what is going on and play to a set plan. However, watching a number of teams both in the Premier League or nPower Championship where the only strategy is one of hit and hope I doubted this was the case. I do not take the same view of games as experts such as Michael Cox or Jonathan Wilson, but I do have a casual glance once in a while along the line, or the formation at corners. I have also been in the "inner sanctum" of the Lewes FC coaches room (aka the old boardroom/office/kitchen/kit room) and seen the tactical maps drawn up by the management there. So there seems to be some intent there, if not the delivery.

However, last Sunday whilst watching the Super Bowl I was made aware of exactly how tactical the game can be. Picture the scene. This is the biggest game in American Football, second biggest game in the world behind the World Cup final. The TV audience in the US alone is over 100 million people. There is 59 seconds left on the clock. The New York Giants are at the Patriots six yard line. The Giants are down by two points. Now in every other sport there would be an urgency to get on with the game and score. A touchdown would give them 6 points (plus an almost guaranteed one extra point from the kick); a Field Goal from this distance would give them an almost certain three points. Either way they take the lead. BUT by doing so they give the ball to the Patriots who would have a chance to go down the other end of the pitch and score themselves.

Ian Ayres, from the fantastic blog, Freakonomics has picked up on this story. "One of the amazing things about the Super Bowl game this past weekend was that both coaches understood that the Patriots would be better off if the Giants scored a touchdown late in the game and reportedly instructed their teams accordingly. To my mind, this represents a high point in the prevalence of strategic thinking." The likes of Ayres and Levitt are on a different plain to us mortals yet this was a question I asked at the time.

: Do I score or not?

So what happened next was that the Patriots let the Giants score. But the Giants player Bradshaw who was given the ball to run with was unsure whether to score or not. In replays you can see him run unopposed through the Patriots defence, then pausing on the goal line, turning away to face his team and almost beg for instructions before falling gracefully backwards to score.

Ayres tried to summise the situation in Economic terms:-

"Here’s a strategic way to approach the question. If you were the Giants, which would you prefer:

A six-point lead — and kicking to the Patriots with 60 seconds remaining, orA four-point lead — and kicking to the Patriots with 60 – N seconds remaining

What would be the “N” that would make you indifferent between these two outcomes? What would be the “N” that would make you indifferent, taking into account that two-point conversions are only successful about half the time?

There has to be some “N” at which the four-point lead is preferable."

: A tactical genius? But which one?

Heavy stuff I am sure you will agree, but it had me thinking. What other sports would strategy play such a major part. Cricket, for certain, is a game of real life chess. Field placements are made by the captain and the bowler, based on certain inside knowledge - i.e what the batsmen was likely to do against a certain type of ball. But Football? Really? Do we have such deep thinkers that they would have run through every scenario in their brains and know what to do and when. Sometimes a substitute is brought on and he scores. "An inspired substitution" the commentator will often say - but is it inspired or just a manager doing the job he is paid to do - recognising when a change in strategy is required and intervening.

Certain types of spot betting are illegal in the US. Nevertheless, the amount of money that went onto some markets in that last 57 seconds of the Super Bowl would probably top the GDP of some small African nations. It reminded me of the ad I saw a few months ago - Are you currently looking for some of the best Betting Tips and betting odds all in one place? Make sure you come to betfair to check out theirs, you won't be sorry! Just how many people would be sorry after Sunday thanks to Bradshaw's touchdown? In hindsight he can claim to have scored the winning points in a Super Bowl - something only a few players can ever say they have done. But did he do it at the detriment of his career for breaking team orders? Only time will tell.

No brotherly love for Zambia

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:15:00 +0000

Last Saturday I hopped on a train from New York Penn Station along my very good friends @lugepravda and @Luciejallen. Seventy minutes later and fifty dollars lighter we alighted at Philadelphia 30th street Amtrack station. We were here on a whistle-stop tour of the sights, starting with the famous Rocky steps at the Museum of Art. From this vantage point you can see downtown Philly at the far end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. This tree-lined boulevard runs for around a mile in a straight line to JFK Plaza. On either side are the flags of the various nations of the world. As we approached the end of the boulevard we found United Kingdom, which irked us as there had been no English flag yet the Scottish flag flew proudly and not far in the distance we could see the Welsh dragon looking down on us.

Now correct me if I am wrong here but there seemed to be some inaccuracies in the list. We all know that many Americans have yet to travel further than their own state yet alone across its borders, but after the United Kingdom came Uruguay, then Vietnam, Yemen and finally bizarrely Israel. Hang on what happened to Zambia? Zimbabwe to an extent I could understand. I'm not getting all political here but many countries foreign policy of "if we pretend they don't exist, nothing bad will happen" means they ignore the Mugabe regime, and it seemed that is exactly what Philadelphia had done.

But Zambia? What had they done to offend the home town of Will Smith, Grace Kelly and Teller (of the Penn variety ironically)? Why were they denied a flag? I was outraged at the injustice so I tweeted the mayor Michael Nutter (@Michael_nutter). He didn't reply, so every day this week I have tweeted him and asked him why the flag has not been given it's right of place. Zambia, a country now thanks to its exploits in the African cup of nations on everybody's lips.

At the start if the tournament you would have got at least 40-1 on the Chipolopolo winning the tournament, but that is just what they did, beating Ivory Coast on penalties. Currently ranked 71 in the world the team had overcome one of the greatest ever football disasters in 1993 when a plane carrying the team to Senegal crashed and the whole squad was killed. To come from utter destruction to being the continent's top nation in just nine years is nothing short of staggering. And that is why I feel that the city of brotherly love is bang out-of-order for ignoring the Zambian flag.

The intricate details of the tournament have been covered by greater men than me, but I do have one little further snippet of information up my sleeve. Let me take you back to March 2004. At the time I was in a job that basically allowed me to spent my employees money on sponsoring football at the lower reaches of the Football League. I liked working with certain clubs, and in return they got my "favours". One such club was Cambridge United. Voted Best Football Food club in 2003 thanks to their fantastic bacon rolls, they had a brilliant commercial team headed up by a young lady called Lucie Benn. Off the field they were doing so much to try to get things working. On the field it was a different story. As of the end of February the club had only picked up nine wins and were flirting far too close with the drop zone to Non League football.

In what can only be described as a coup-and-a-half, The U's managed to tempt internationally renown manager Claude Le Roy to the club. The Frenchman had coached domestically and been an advisor at AC Milan before leading Cameroon in the 1998 World Cup. He also had managed Senegal and Malaysia. He arrived, as he said at the time, as a favour to his long-term mentor, Hervé Renard, who was to become first team coach. Renard had worked with Le Roy in France as well as in China with Shanghai COSCO.

On his arrival at the Abbey Stadium, all of the talk was of how handsome he was (well, on the phone calls I had with Lucie anyway) and how he would break some hearts in the city centre. Sod the fact he had come with a job to do to save the club from relegation! Initial form showed something had changed though in the club as the U's picked up points from their first home game against Cheltenham Town.

Two weeks later, on a very chilly Good Friday night I arrived (along with CMF and Football Jo - obviously more interested in the new coach than the football) for the game against York City. We were sponsoring the game and prior to kick off we got to meet and have a cup of tea with Claude Le Roy. A charming man, studious in his looks with his scarf, floppy hair and John Lennon-style glasses, he spoke at length about fitness in the English game and the culture of not taking care of diet. He explained that his role here was as an advisor to Renard, that he thought the team were good enough and finally asked where I bought my tie from as he really liked it.

The game saw a fired up Cambridge team easily outplay the visitors York City, winning two nil. After the game as is the privilege of being a sponsor we had a picture with the ball, Le Roy and a shy Renard. I unfortunately did not get an opportunity to speak to him, but cougar-in-the-waiting Football Jo did and assured me he was a "proper man", whatever that means from a 30 second conversation.

Le Roy left at the end of the season, having saved Cambridge from the drop, going on to take the helm in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Renard stayed in the hot seat until December before he was dismissed, teaming up again with Le Roy in Ghana in 2007. Just a year later Le Roy advised him to apply for the vacant position in Zambia where he led them to the quarter finals of the 2010 African Cup of Nations. Despite a brief spell in club football and as head coach of Angola he was back in the Zambian hot seat in early 2011 and the rest, as they say, is history.

So Mr Nutter, elected mayor of Philadelphia, give some respect to a small African country who defied odds of 40-1 to win a tournament with a young French coach at the helm. You can tweet Mayor Nutter here.

Romeo has nothing on me

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:42:00 +0000

Like most married men, Valentines Day's arrival every year in a pain in the arse. Surely we do enough to show our love to our wives/girlfriends (and husbands/boyfriends - let's not forget many women are fans of TBIR too) without having to go overboard on one particular day. So I am about to shatter a myth which will have you re-assessing your thoughts on the 14th February. It transpires that when the Shaftesbury Memorial Monument was built in 1893 to commemorate the work of politician, philanthropist and all round good egg Lord Shaftesbury in Piccadilly Circus it is not that of Eros sitting a-top the structure firing his arrow of love but of his identical twin Anteros. You see Eros was the sad lonely lovelorn character, whilst his brother was the God of Requited Love. He is the one with the bow, firing his love arrows at people in need of some TLC or happy endings, whilst Eros was banished to Lillywhites.

If Greek mythology is your bag then you will know that Anteros, with Eros, was one of a host of winged love gods called the Erotes, the ever-youthful winged gods of love, usually depicted as winged boys in the company of Aphrodite or her attendant goddesses. Good work if you could get it, flying around as an ancient porn baron if you please. If it is not, let's talk about Leek Town.

Leek and Valentine's Day - two odd bedfellows. Or are they? Some eighteen years ago, The Current Mrs Fuller and I headed off on our first ever holiday, destination Leek. When I say holiday, of course I mean a weekend away. These were the days before I knew what a ground hopper was, let alone whether anywhere I went had a team and CMF was still a young and innocent schoolgirl. What attracted me to her you may wonder? Apart from the fact I never had to ask her to dress up as a schoolgirl, it was her A-reg Ford Fiesta. Did we have some adventures in that car I can tell you. But on this trip we stayed in a farm house just outside Leek, with the snow fluttering down outside. I had set a high romantic bar for years to come. The weekend ended with my bravado of trying to drive her car through a ford despite warnings that it wasn't suitable. Of course it wasn't and a two hour delay whilst I found a farmer with a tractor didn't exactly fill our room with love that evening.

So this year, after being on a different continent for most of the past two weeks, I decided to get all nostalgic and take her back to the wonderful Derbyshire/Staffordshire borders for the weekend. I had planned it to perfection. A trip to a spa on Saturday afternoon, followed by overnight in The Retreat, which is described as:-

"The cosy, 2 bedroom cottage has been refurbished to a high specification. The main double bedroom has an en-suite bathroom, which comprises a Jacuzzi bath and shower, and the second bedroom, also with its own en-suite, is suitable for single occupancy. The kitchen is well appointed with oak units and granite work surfaces, wi-fi throughout and the lounge has a 42” plasma screen tv with Sky fitted for your enjoyment."

What they failed to mention though was it was 220 yards, or 2 minutes 33 seconds walk from Harrison Park, home of Evostik Division One South Leek Town. And would you believe it, they were playing at home on the very day I had booked CMF into the Spa for two hours on Saturday afternoon. Unbeliveable Jeff. Romantic, yet selfish one one breath. As CMF loves to say, "You really are a catch aren't you" (Note: she normally says this when I have done something wrong and tried to cover up a major indescretion with a cup of tea/biscuit/petrol station flowers).

I did tell her the lucky co-incidence on the way up. She seemed so interested in my run down of Leek's history that she plugged in a microphone to her iPhone to record my musing - that or she was actually listening to some music, but that couldn't be true? Leek had once played at Wembley (1990 FA Trophy Final) - "Nearly as much as West Ham then" was the cutting remark to that one. They once reached 19th place in the now Blue Square Bet Premier - "Oooh, you mean they once became the 101st best team in England". You can't fault her maths can you. They average about 240 at home - "So my non attendance isn't going to break the bank then is it?". So she had confirmed she didn't want to come then. And finally, when I told her they used to be called the hilarious Leek Lowe Hamil she simply shook her head and looked out of the window as the passing lorry drivers on the M1.

What could go wrong? Well how about the coldest start to February since records began? Fixtures were falling left, right and centre. It would have been too easy just to not go and resort to those petrol station flowers to celebrate Valentines Day but I am not a quitter. I am Spartacus! Well, sort of. We carried on across the snowy tundra of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and finally into Staffordshire. It is not all about football, right? (ED - So why are you writing about this on a football blog).

Leek Town P Stamford P - Harrison Park - Saturday 11th February 2012As we headed west I kept an eye on what games were falling by the wayside. Things weren't looking good for the Leek area. Port Vale and Macclesfield Town, the two closest league teams to Leek had given up any hope of playing 24 hours before. Early on Saturday Matlock Town and Mickleover Sports conceded defeat to the wintry conditions. However, Leek Town was still holding out. As a good boy scout I also had a reserve option lined up - Chesterfield v Charlton Athletic.

Technically I am no longer a member of the infamous 92 Club. Whilst the club has become a bit more liberal these days, and even now has a website would you believe, some of their rules are nonsensical. I actually stopped being a member some years ago when I vowed that I would not be visiting Carlisle United any time soon after they were repromoted to the Football League some years ago. No disrespect to my Cumbrian cousins but it is a long way from the South East of England and I still have the mental scars of visiting them during the Mervyn Day era. So having visited Saltergate on numerous occasions I wasn't falling over myself in planning a trip to the new B2Net stadium which they moved to last season. It was so similar to a host of other grounds around the country (ditto my only other omission from my list, Morecambe's Globe Arena) that it wasn't compelling enough to make me want a special trip. However, it was perfect as a back up should the weather take it's toll.

Saturday 11.15am. Despite temperatures falling to a very chilly minus 15 in the East Midlands both Leek and Chesterfield hadn't called their games off. But then I got the familiar vibrate on my phone to signify a new Tweet. I am fond of saying in my Social Media presentations that you no longer have to go looking for the news, it finds you thanks to the likes of Twitter. And here was the perfect example. Both Leek Town and Chestefield had been forced to cancel their games.

I kept a stiff upper lip and said to CMF that today was all about us and there was no football distractions. She of course completely believed me. "It's been cancelled hasn't it?" I forget sometimes that she is a genius and has known me for nearly 20 years. "Technically yes, but it was only a diversion for our weekend away" was the only response I could give as we made our way across the snowy tundra of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

We stopped off at Rainsworth Miners Welfare FC and Mickleover Sports just to make sure they really were telling the truth about being off. The lush white carpet of snow at both seemed to back up the truth. At Mickleover the chairman even came out to greet us, assuming we had come from Buxton and didn't know the game was off. "After all" he said " why else would anyone come here on a non-match day". Exactly....I got back in the car quickly.

Eventually we reached Leek and it would have been rude not to double check the pitch there. Alas the thick blanket of snow there with just two sets of footprints on the pitch suggested a pitch inspection had been swift and conclusive. And then I had an idea. I had a ball in the back of the car. Why not pretend the game was played with a kick around on the pitch between CMF and me? I'm not exactly sure what my wife actually said but it I definitely made out the words "going to the pub" in their amongst some expletives.

So we retreated to The Retreat no more than a goal kick away. A fantastic little cottage with a huge TV and a Wii....hold on - there was a copy of FIFA 11 there too. Second great idea of the day arrived - let's play the game on FIFA!

It took me a good 3 minutes to catch her up walking swiftly up the hill into the town centre. Apparently it was a silly idea and it was never going to happen. Still she started to warm to the idea over a couple of Crabbies in the Black Swan whilst we watched the football world implode over a single handshake, or lack of one.

Football took a back seat for the rest of the day as we shopped, ate and drunk. The drinking was very enjoyable as we stumbled upon Den Engel, a pub with 53 different Belgian beers. The bar was run by a couple, according to Tripadvisor, were the Northern equivalent of Basil and Sybil Fawlty. They didn't disappoint, frowning when someone asked if they could sit at their table in the bar to have their drinks. It was Saturday night at 10pm and they were sitting their in cardigans and matching slippers reading the weekend supplements. How inconsiderate. We toyed up the prospect of a trip to a nightclub, but Google didn't fill us with confidence with the following review on the Knowhere Guide for Leek.

"Only go to these places (night clubs) if you want to take the piss out of the inbred locals; Don't let them anger you - just laugh at how they think their nightlife is fantastic" Harsh.

There was also the Winking Man, that apparently had the highest function room in England at 1,500 foot above sea level but it closed at 12 so it wasn't worth the trip out of town.

So we stayed in Den Engel and after a few De Koninks, some Tournay Noires, a smattering of Blanche de Bruxelles and topped off by a Franck Boon Kriek and Framboise we gingerly headed home, down a very steep hill which had a nice coating of ice. But we made it home and CMF was so chuffed with a "lovely day" so far that she said we could do whatever I wanted. She was eyeing the big jacuzzi in the bathroom. I was eyeing the FIFA11.

I set the weather conditions to snowy. I was Leek Town, although obviously EA Sports had neglected to include the Evostik League One South teams (an oversight surely that will be rectified in this year's version?), CMF Stamford. The all blue kit of Everton doubled up as the home side, whilst the all red of Swindon Town represented Stamford.

The game wasn't a classic. In fact after just 4 minutes I heard the familiar sound of a bath running upstairs as CMF had thrown her controller to the floor in disgust at my over physical tactics (on the game of course) which she deemed were "unnecessary" and going unpunished by the virtual referee. By this stage Ben Nixon (aka Tim Cahill) and James McCarthy (Louis Saha) had both scored for the home side. I played on until half time passing the ball around the back four, trying to tempt the Stamford players into coming forward. I heard the taps stop, the low hum of the jacuzzi starting and the music start. Let's face it, Stamford weren't going to come back from the two goal deficit so the game was abandoned with the Northern League immediately decreeing that the result would stand despite only 45 minutes having been played.

You see it isn't always about football. Sometimes life needs to take priority over the beautiful game, well anyway for that two week period we seem to get every year when the weather decimates our national game. Normal service will be resumes next week I am sure, by which time I will have reminded CMF what a great husband I am for taking her away for a romantic weekend in the Peak District. Time is a great healer.

So that is why they are one of the richest club in the world!

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:05:00 +0000

The Deloitte Sports Business Group presents the Football Money League 2012

What is the most you have ever paid for a ticket for football? An official one, mind, not one from a tout. £50? Certainly not if you follow your team away from home and have been to the Emirates, Stamford Bridge, White Hart Lane or even in the nPower Championship at Upton Park recently where £50 will get you entry and not even a sniff of a bottle of Emirates water or pie and mash in East London. What about for a cup final? The FA think fans will bend over backwards to be shafted for these tickets but rarely do they go into three figures.

: Brescia

So would you pay €150 to watch a middle of the table Serie A game? What about if I told you it was in an old, crumbling open air stadium? Form an orderly queue please. Well that is my maximum I have paid and that was for the delights of Brescia versus Udinese nine years ago. What was so special about the ticket? Well it said Tribuna Preferencia on which I thought sounded quite posh, and according to the man in the ticket office it was the only section left on sale. Now my Italian is passable but even he must have guessed my origins and decided to royally rip me off.

The Tribuna Preferencia was a covered seat, granted, but covered in bird crap. It was one of those half seats bolted onto a concrete terrace. One that offers no support for your back and allows the person behind to really put the boot in. I can tell I am really selling this to you. So when the game started I had a lovely view of the Alps in the distance as there were few other fans in the ground to block my view. Obviously the ticket office had decided to try and make up for the lack of fans in the €20 section by selling ones in the €150 section - simple logic really as long as fools like me came along with a wallet full of Euros.

: The fire pit

It wasn't my only experience at being ripped off in Italy though. The crowning moment was in September 2000 when Juventus were at home to Deportivo La Coruna in the Champions League in the much loved Stadio della Alpi. Not wanting to be caught out on the night of the game without a ticket I headed up to the stadium at lunchtime, only to find the ticket office closed. A genial man approached, wearing a smart Juventus stadium jacket. "Sold out" he told me in English "All tickets gone".

Bugger I thought - I had come all the way, and if it wasn't for blagging my way into see the Turin Shroud (tagging behind a good looking Nun to the hottest ticket of the Millennium I should add) it would have been a wasted trip. Not to worry though as my new friend made a call, and another official looking chap appeared with one remaining ticket. "A return" he said, which could be mine for just €120.

: Another sell out at the San Siro

A tad more than I expected to pay as tickets on the website appeared to range from just €10 up to €130 so I assumed it was a decent seat. Of course it wasn't, and when I opened the envelope I saw it was a €20 ticket, located as I found out later at the match in the "hot zone". That is the section of the stadium in the lower tier where the Tifosi throw their flares when they get too hot. So not only was it a crap view obscured by a large fence, moat and advertising hoardings but I had to dodge fireworks thrown from above and the consequent blast of water from the firemen to put out the flames. At least I wasn't alone. Two other English chaps were in that section that must have been renamed the "Gullible foreign tourist" section. And was it full? Er no - only 8,000 watched the game, which was at least 7,700 more than Juve had got the previous week for an Italian Cup game. The good old Stadio delle Alpi - gone and certainly now forgotten.

Now the reason why I raise this very topic is to tell you all about those wonderful chaps over at Real Madrid. The the world's richest club as announced last week and you can see why. Before Christmas they played the "Classico" - the twice yearly game against deadly rivals Barcelona. This game meant so much more than just bragging rights. Both teams were almost neck and neck and if they should have finished level on points at the end of the season then the title went to the team with the best record on the head to head games.

After their world record spending sprees to try and regain some pride after Barcelona's record breaking last few seasons the La Liga title was the only objective this season. Well, that is what they will tell you when they get booted out of the Champions League at the first knock out stage again (only the xth season in a row)So why are they so rich? Is it their global marketing machine, putting the face and body of Ronaldo, Kaka and Julian Faubert (well two seasons ago any way) in the living and bedrooms of millions of people in Asia? Well perhaps, but perhaps also because they can justify charging €250 for a ticket for this game!

Yes, that is right. At today's pathetic Pound to Euro exchange rate that would cost you just £221. Ouch - just to see a football match. But that is if you could actually get a ticket. A visit to their website basically said unless you were a season ticket holder then forget it. A couple of years I became a member of Real Madrid. It was the time when Beckham and Owen were doing the business and I invested my £40 to be a "socias" which entitled me to buy tickets for any game, except of course this one. To get your hands on Barcelona tickets you had to pay an additional fee to be a premium member. And then you could apply to buy a ticket. No guarentee of course, but you could apply. You see as with many clubs in Spain and Italy, season tickets are very cheap. For instance, AC Milan were selling half season tickets at Christmas in the middle tier near half way line at the San Siro for just €95 - or just over €10 per game whilst just over €220 got you a seat in the Camp Nou. Figures in the Deloitte report show that Real Madrid made nearly 90million more Euros than AC Milan last season in Matchday revenues.

: A bumper home crowd for Real

What this tends to mean is that most of the time season ticket holders don't bother turning up, so you often see vast sections of empty seats. And in these countries tax laws prevent the clubs from counting a sold season ticket as an attendee. People buy these in the main part for access to the big games. And that is why, in a nutshell, the atmosphere is so crap at football in Spain, and in the most part Italy.

A small core of fans - "Tifosi" or "Ultras" often get subsidised tickets through the club with a promise to try and generate some noise but try and get some passion from your middle aged man who is willing to pay €45 to watch Getafe play Villarreal as Danny Last from EFW found out (I am not saying you are middle aged or passionless by the way Danny!) It simply wont happen, and that is what happens at the Classico in Madrid. The people who could and would create the passion that would in turn spur the team on to perform in their biggest game of the season will be sitting in the bars around the Santiago Bernabau shouting at a TV screen, whilst in the stadium the latest C and D list celebrities will be watching the game just to be "seen" there (on my last visit to the Bernabau Tom Cruise, Enrique Inglesias and John Cleese were there to watch Real play).

The rich list shows that Barcelona are in second place, leapfrogging Manchester United thanks to their wallet busting shirt sponsorship deal with the Qatar Foundation. However, ticket prices can be as crazy as Real's in certain situations. Whilst the Glazers regime at United has seen ticket prices rise significantly, they are not in the same league as the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea who sit in 5th and 6th on the list respectively. The two German teams on the list, Bayern Munich and Schalke both play in front of sold out crowds every week but those seats are almost all taken by season ticket holders.

Real Madrid do not need yours or my money. They know that the economics are in their hands - they can set the price and people will pay it. Ticket agencies have "agreements" in place that enables them to hoover up the spare tickets and then resell them at inflated prices, all under the banner of helping out the fans. In a world where celebrities live out their life in the magazines, the Bernabau is the latest fashionable place to be seen at, and as long as this continues expect to re-mortgage your house if you want to actually see a game in Madrid. And in the process they simply get richer and richer.

You can read a full copy of the Deloitte report here.

The summer of love

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:57:00 +0000

In last month's excellent When Saturday Comes, Phil Town writes about the legacy of Euro2004 in Portugal. In the article he explores in brief what has happened to the stadiums used for the competition and how today 40% are basically white elephants or millstones around the respective club's necks.

In our eyes 2004 was the finest tournament we have ever attended. We had fond memories of South Korea in 2002, and Germany in 2006 was everything you expected from the Germans, but 2004 beat all of them hands down for various reasons. During the course of the tournament we managed to squeeze in twelve games in nine of the venues, met Anders Frisk (the Swedish referee), played a 100 v 3 football match with Portuguese fans, shared a sun bed with Sepp Blatter's number two (a person not something left in a toilet), gatecrashed the biggest meat-fest known to man, and hit a ball harder than Roberto Carlos. There wasn't one day where something extraordinary didn't happen.

But it was very clear back in 2004 at the tournament that some of the stadiums, whilst looking absolutely out of this world, would sit almost empty after the tournament. Prior to the final group game in Leiria I climbed to the top of the Castle Hill overlooking the ground to get a view of the town. In the middle of my eyeline was the stadium, the Stadium Dr Magalhães Pessoa. We saw Croatia v France in the stadium, thanks to a free complimentary corporate ticket given to us by a suntanned young lady at our 5 star hotel. "I really cannot be bothered with all this football" She told us as she sipped another cocktail. The ticket bore the name of her "boyfriend's" company on (no names but it was "Priceless"), and you got the distinct impression she was looking forward to the attention of one of the waiters for the afternoon whilst her beau was at the game. With the money we saved on not buying it from an official source we went straight onto Bwin and put our cash on a Croatia. The 30,000 all seater stadium cost the town over €50m and is one of the best looking you will see in Europe. But with only 50,000 people living in the town, and a club who averaged just 2,500 surely this was just a folly?

"Time can never mend, the careless whispers of an old friend" as George Michael once famously said. UD Leiria saw little point in playing in front of Miguel, Manos and their dog Pedro so up sticks and moved Marinha Grande, down the road where their modest 6,000 seater stadium is a little less "roomy". The Pessoa sits empty, awaiting a new owner to love and cherish it.

Leiria's story is not the only one Simon Bates would be cranking out the "Our Tune" music to. Fifty kilometres up the road is the coastal town of Aveiro, famed for its tripe, canals but certainly not its football. Sport Clube Beira-Mar are the local side here and unlike UD Leiria they are still playing in the barren wastelands of the Estádio Municipal on the edge of town.

Our trip here was for the Latvia v Czech Republic game. The ground is located on the edge of the main road out of town, and with tickets already in pocket for the Germany v Holland game in Porto later in the evening, we figured we could try and sneak in to watch most of this game. Again, ticket touts trying to offload Corporate seats were plentiful outside the ground a few minutes after kick off and we were soon "Lovin' it" on the budget of another global brand in the futuristic stadium. The 30,000 seater stadium officially had 21,000 in attendance on that day but if there was half of that I would be surprised. The Latvian's took a surprise first half lead in the swealtering mid-afternoon heat only for the Czech's to score twice in the second half.

Today the stadium is costing the local council €650,000 to maintain, according to Phil Town and €2.5m in bank repayments. Even if Beira-Mar charged £50 a ticket for the whole of the season they would not be able to afford the running costs.

In between the towns of Leiria and Aveiro is the university town of Coimbra, which much to the mirth of the English, is pronounced Quim-bra, which hosted just two games in the tournament, hardly justifying the €53m paid out to redevelop the stadium. Coimbra was our base for most of the tournament, as it was almost halfway between Porto and Lisbon. It was here that we sat with "Sepp's" men one afternoon, and discussed the impending financial crisis about to hit AS Parma thanks to collapse of main sponsor Parmalat whilst we sipped Superbock.

On that mega-hot afternoon in June a full house saw England beat the Swiss with ease. Prior to the game I had met up with a couple of other England fans and was enjoying the atmosphere outside. Two lovely ladies came up to us and offered us free St George's Cross bowler hats, sponsored by Loaded magazine. Just as we reached out for one, two plain clothed policemen jumped out and grabbed the girls, accusing them of unlicenced trading. With the official sponsors have sole rights to the area around the stadium, the girls Loaded blazoned t-shirts were deemed as "illegal". The solution? Well, 5 seconds of the chant "Get your tits out" the girls obliged, whipping off their tops and handing them over to the policemen and carrying out their way completely topless.

Since the tournament the ground has seen average attendances of less than 5,000. Whilst Associação Académia de Coimbra have kept themselves in the top division, the club can never grow because of the huge millstone around their necks.

The tournament was based in a corridor of around 200 miles from Braga in the north to Lisbon in the south with one exception. Way down south on the Algarve is the 30,305 capacity Estadio Algarve sitting on the edge of Faro. Quite why the decision was made to build a brand new stadium at the cost of over €30m in a place that has never supported a top level team is bizarre to say the least.

England fans may remember Ledley King scoring here in one of the first games held at the stadium prior to Euro2004. Even then, with thousands of fans waiting for nearly an hour after the game to get public transport back to civilisation it could be seen that this was probably the biggest white elephant of the tournament. Since the championship the stadium has been shared by Sporting Clube Faroese and Louletano Desportes Clube, both who play way down the Portuguese footballing pyramid in front of hundreds rather than thousands of fans. It is unclear exactly how much the stadium is costing the local municipality on a monthly basis.

Back in the north two stadiums were used in Porto, Portugal's second city. The impressive Estádio do Drägo had opened to a great fanfare for Porto next door to their old Antas stadium. The 50,000 capacity stadium was full to the brim for a number of games in the tournament including the grudge match between Holland and Germany. With Porto having just captured the Champions League title there was some logic in building such a big stadium.

However, on the other side of town, logic was certainly not on the agenda. Boavista had been moderately successful in the years prior to the tournament. In 2001 they won the Portuguese league, and nearly repeated the feat 12 months later. They also made the second group stages of the Champions League in 2001/02 and the following season made it to the semi-final of the UEFA Cup, narrowly losing to Celtic and denying us an all Porto final in Seville.

However, the rebuilding of their "Bessa" stadium started to impact on the field performance. The cost of redevelopment spiralled to over €45 million and the club have suffered. Now playing in the third tier of Portuguese football, the 28,000 capacity stadium is a sparse place these days, with fewer than a couple of thousand in the stands, painfully reminding everyone the dangers of over committing.

It is not all doom and gloom though. The two new stadiums in Lisbon are not only still magnificent structures some eight years after their completion but have also seen an increase in attendances for Benfica and Sporting respectively. Ten years ago Sporting Lisbon were playing in the crumbling Alvalade in front of crowds of less than 20,000 (19,001 in season 2000/01). But the award of Euro2004 meant a new stadium and the new 50,000 Alvalade opened in 2003 at a cost of €104m. The ground opened with a friendly against Manchester United in August 2003, a game remembered for the performance of a certain 18 year old Cristiano Ronaldo which sealed his €15 deal to the Reds a few weeks later.

The stadium hosted five games in the tournament, and we were lucky enough to see two games. First up was the thrashing of Bulgaria by Sweden in one of the first games of the tournament which was best remembered for the awful performance of referee Mike Riley (later that evening whilst sitting in the bar of our hotel Swedish referee Anders Fisk came in and wasn't very complimentary of the performance of his "brother-in-arms"). We then came back a few weeks later for the quarter final between Greece and France.

Imagine the scene. You walk into the ground and take your seat. Next to you is a young English couple. Him, red faced from too long in the sun. Her, uninterested in the build up to the game, reading a book. France's keeper Fabien Barthez came out to warm up. As he reached our end the girl stood up and pointed at the Frenchman. "Barthez you complete and utter c#nt". And then sat back down. Her boyfriend didn't even bat an eyelid.

The other amazing thing we saw at this game (apart from a surprise Greek win) was the presence of a man in black standing on top of the floodlight tower (see right). If you zoom in far enough you can actually make out a gun on his back. So now we know why Thierry Henry kept falling over so easily in the latter stages of the game.

The stadium has been well used by Sporting and has co-incided with an upturn in the club's form. In 2005, perhaps inspired by the final being on home turf, Sporting reached the final of the UEFA Cup final. Almost all of the 47,000 in the stadium on that night were shocked to see CSKA Moscow run out 3-1 winners.

On the opening weekend of the tournament, The Current Mrs Fuller and I had tickets for England versus France, the opening game to be played at Benfica's Estádio de Luz. The stadium was possibly the most impressive build for the tournament and at over €120m, the most expensive. It replaced the original stadium which held 120,000 at its peak and opened to a capacity crowd for a friendly with Nacional Montivideo in October 2003. Prior to the game we had been invited to a private event hosted by Carlsberg down in the FansZone in the Expo site. For two hours we were served more meat that I have ever seen in my life. Every few minutes another skewer of a different meat would arrive. If Carlsberg did BBQ's...oh.

We made our way to the stadium with Frank Lampard senior (as you do) and exited the metro opposite the stadium and were met with chaos. The Portuguese authorities simply could not handle the number of fans arriving at the ground and so made us walk along the edge of the highway (of course they didn't close the road) before double-backing on ourselves to reach the stadium. Utter farce.

Two weeks later we were back again for the quarter-final when England played Portugal. Beckham slips, the ball balloons over the bar and the rest is history. However, our evening was only just starting. We headed back to our hotel, located on the Marquês Pombal, the huge roundabout at the top of the Avenue da Liberdade. This was the focal point of the Portuguese's celebrations. Hundreds of them, all celebrating a great win. And we needed to walk through the middle of them.

At first the crowd didn't move. And then they started to part. And then a slow clap. A faster rhythm and then back slapping. A beer is thrust in my hand, a ball appears at out feet and all of a sudden it is England v Portugal all over again. 3 of us versus 100 of them. But who cares - it was an awesome hour. Who cares that we lost, we were part of the best night of celebrations we had ever seen.

Memories last forever. Unfortunately cold hard economic realities take over. Portugal was a wonderful host of the best tournament I have ever been to. But what now? The cold hard facts of the tournament can be felt in the towns of Faro, Aveiro, Leiria and Coimbra. The future is not bright for these towns and football clubs. Sports betting, or apostas desportivas as it is called here is the major activity now on a Saturday at 3pm. There is no happy ending but we will always have that summer.

The Baggies throstled by the Swans

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:13:00 +0000

After the disappointment of a draw at home to Chelsea, Abi Davies got back on the coach as the Swans headed to the Midlands for the game against fellow midtablers West Bromwich Albion.

Despite conceding an injury time equaliser at home to Chelsea in midweek, Swansea City should have approached Saturday's game at The Hawthornes with optimum confidence having shown class and quality to earn a point off Villas-Boas Champions League chasers.

Brendan Rodgers unsurprisingly opted for the same eleven that started Tuesday's game against Chelsea, having delivered a sumptuous display against the Londoners.

Despite falling behind to a Fortune strike at The Hawthornes, Swansea City came from behind in order to record their second away victory of the campaign.

Brendan Rodgers' side were looking to complete their first double of the season on Saturday having already beaten the Midlands club at The Liberty earlier in the season.

The Welsh side settled into the game the quicker and for the first time this season away from home, truly demonstrated the style and rhythmic passing movements that they so often show at The Liberty. Having uncharacteristically lost possession on a number of occasions on Tuesday night, Joe Allen was back to his best against The Baggies. Winning a lot of battles in the middle of the park, commanding the play as well as testing Ben Foster in the West Bromwich goal.

Swansea were pushing forward with far more penetration, seemingly playing with the perfect balance of fluid passing movements and the right amount of conviction.

Unlike so often seen this season, Swansea were not only dominating possession but they were seeing a lot of the ball in Albion's half, looking to capitalise on their authority and ascendancy.

For all of their possession in advanced areas of the pitch, Swansea failed to substantially work Albion's keeper, riding their luck on a number of occasions in the first half with Sigurdsson forced into making a goal line clearance before a heroic save from Vorm to deny Olsson kept the scoreline level at the interval.

Both sides may have felt aggrieved to not have been awarded spot kicks in the opening 45 minutes with the home side's appeal falling on deaf ears, following a Williams hand ball inside the area. whilst Scott Sinclair's claims were dismissed after the winger was seemingly hacked down in the box on the stroke of half time.

Nine minutes after the restart and against the run of play, Fortune provided the break through, with a great first touch at the far post before driving a volley across the face of goal and into the far corner.

But before Swansea fans could even contemplate whether they would be made to rue their first half failures to capitalise on opportunities and dominant spells in possession, Gylfi Sigurdsson found himself latching onto a great ball from Neil Taylor, opening his body to guide the ball past Ben Foster and level proceedings.

Swansea found themselves overturning the deficit just 5 minutes after falling behind.

Having scored the equaliser, Siggurdson was involved again in Swansea's second, supplying a superb delivery into the box which was met by Danny Graham, the striker directed the ball past Albion's keeper in order to score his 11^th goal of the season.

After the goal, a few sloppy errors from the visitors allowed Albion to play their way back into the game. The Baggies came close to rescuing a point when Odemwigie found himself in acres of space however, with only Vorm to beat, the striker failed to retain his composure as he fired his shot high over the cross bar.

Nathan Dyer almost extended Swansea's advantage when Graham played him through, but the winger couldn't get an influential touch as the ball trickled past the post.

Arguably the signing of the January window, loan signing Gylfi Sigurdsson continued in the same form that has seen him become an instant fans favourite in South Wales with a tireless work ethic, the Icelandic midfielder proved a constant nuisance, pressurising West Brom's defence he consistently fought to regain possession, intercepting to help spark an attack as well as combining well with Danny Graham.

Saturday's win sees Swansea move into the top half of the table with 24 games played. A great feat for Brendan Rodgers side who have received mass accolades again this week for sticking with their philosophical stylish football.

The greatest show on earth

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:55:00 +0000

Every year I am blessed to have the opportunity to travel across the Ocean to the US of A. For some unknown reason I am considered a bit of an expert in the field of online intellectual property protection (or domain names) and so annually I head off to the sunnier climates of the west coast of America to DOMAINFEST - the biggest meeting of minds in the domain name world. Let me give you a moment to pick yourself off the floor with this news. I am sure you all think a trip around DFS sounds more fun, but let me just say two words to you from last year - Playboy Mansion.

I cannot believe that people do not know I went there last year. After all I do not like to talk about it. This year there was no visit to the best adult theme park in the world but it was still going to be an enjoyable trip, albeit very very busy. First up was a trip up the Pacific Highway to San Francisco, then a few days and nights in Santa Monica before a flight back eastwards to New York City. There, I would divert across to New Jersey, down to Philadelphia before finally returning to TBIR Towers and the welcome bosom of CMF.

Sounds like hard work doesn't it? But mixed in there was a bit of fun as well. First up would a trip to see the legendary LA Lakers play, followed by a second NBA game in New Jersey and finally we would be experiencing a real Super Bowl party, in New York, amongst the New York Giants fans who would be competing in a replay of the 2008 final against the New England Patriots in Indianapolis.

LA Lakers 106 Charlotte Bobcats 73 - The Staples Center - Tuesday 31st January 2012 7.30pmIt isn't long ago since the Lakers were the biggest brand in US sports. having won 16 NBA Championships and worth a staggering $643m according to Forbes magazine. They are also one of the oldest franchises in the NBA having "moved" to LA in 1960 after starting life as the Minneapolis Lakers (Minneapolis is the "land of a 10,000 lakes" - hence the name). They have been able to field some of the most famous names in basketball during their history, including Shaq O'Neil, Magic Johnson and more recently Kobe Bryant who still captains the team today. Also in the roster is Ronald William Artest Junior, or as he is better known as today, Metta World Peace.

"Changing my name was meant to inspire and bring youth together all around the world," World Peace said in a statement released after the name change court hearing...right.

How times have changed in LA. A few years ago you would be laughed at if you said you were a Clippers fan. The "other" NBA team in the city hadn't really done anything since their inception. Yet today it is all about the money and the Clippers have lots, the Lakers not so much. In the cab on the way over to Downtown LA with its gridlocked traffic, the driver kept his cool until I mentioned the C word and then he went off on one, talking about how he wants to be president just so he can "fuck 'em over". Passions run deep in franchise sport.

I had a quick look at the odds for this one and quite fancied the Lakers to win with a -20 handicap so I placed £10 on it (I am sure my conscience aka Patrick will now tell me that it is illegal as I hold a directorship with a Non League English football club). Ticket collected it was time for food (one foot long hot dog if you please) and a pint of decent (ish) beer - a Heineken if you will although it was a bargain at $11.25.

You can't fault the Americans for getting the pre-match hype so well executed. With no away fans (at most sports) it was all about the home team. The Bobcats could have been introduced by a small child for the volume the announcer made, yet when it came to the turn of the Lakers, it was a different story, as the 18,997 people in attendance were whipped up into a state of frenzy as you will see below.

You don't really want to know about the game though do you? Charlotte scored first, but then LA raced into a 30-18 lead by the end of the first quarter with Kobe Bryant scoring 18 of them. The second period was more of the same apparently - I nodded off and only woke up when a small child starting throwing popcorn at me. Half-time and it was 60-36 - exactly the same performance in Q2 as it was in Q1. Impressive stuff. Despite their awful run coming into the game (3 wins, 19 defeats), Charlotte gave it a go in Q3 and brought the difference back to just 15 but in the end the Lakers just powered on, winning very handsomely by 106 to 73. And I had won a handsome £60, which I invested straight away in a taxi back to Santa Monica, which is as much in Los Angeles is as Dartford is to being in London.

Two days after the game I was lucky enough to be invited to a private party at the Peterson Automotive Museum. Sounds fun right? Well, not really. But then I saw the invite was a "Plus 1"...so when in LA it is only good and proper that you find a celebrity to go with. So I called up my good friend Natalia Velez, one of the US's top models and star of the forthcoming Go Daddy Super Bowl ad. She was free, and would love to come with me, as the picture to the right shows. CMF didn't mind - after all as the chaps on the Hangover say, you cannot be unfaithful if you are in different time zones (not that I was you understand but just in case you thought I was).

Why would anyone swap 28 degrees and cloudless skies for 8 degrees and rain? Another game of course. On any given Saturday (good name for a film?) I would try and get in a couple of games so why would I be different in the US? So I hopped on a flight to New York. My limited knowledge of US distances meant that as opposed to the flight being a short hop of an hour and a half, as most places in Europe are, it was a five hour trip. Add to that the three hour time zone and it was 3am by the time I hit the pillow in New York City.

New Jersey Nets 105 Minnesota Timberwolves 108 - Prudential Center - Friday 3rd February 2012 - 7.30pmSo after a day of work in NYC it was time for some play. And what better place than New Jersey. Yes, I was leaving one of the greatest cities on earth for a night in the homelands of such cultural greats as Jon Bon Jovi, Gloria Gaynor and Frank Sinatra. Even better is the fact we were heading for Newark, NJ. Newark has a place in my heart as CMF was born there. Not Newark NJ but Newark Notts. Would it be similar, I wondered? Would there be a Ritzy's Nightclub? Would Poundland be the height of retail sophistication? Would every bar be full of thirteen year olds? Who knows, but we were going to find out.

We? Indeed we. Not only had Mr Luge Pravda stuck his hand up for this one, but Super Bowl tourists Lucie J Allen and Ross the Scot flown over especially to watch West Ham v Millwall in the Football Factory at 7.30am on Saturday and were thus at a loose end for the evening. And who wouldn't want to go to New Jersey given half the chance. It would be like a real episode of Jersey Shores - basically the Only Way is Essex but with more trailer parks (we can them Caravan sites in England), random gun crime and less fake tan and no vajazzles. Shame really as that was the reason why Ross had agreed to come.

We were on the other side of the Hudson to see the mighty New Jersey Nets. This was to be a historic season for the Nets as at the end of the season they would be swapping New Jersey for Brooklyn as their new home. In fact they would be neighbours with Luge Pravda in the TBIR US office (well as close as you can be as neighbours in the US which means at least a 10 minute cab ride away). The new Barclays Center is nearing completion in Brooklyn and will welcome the team with open arms, with a new logo, a new colour scheme and of course, in true American franchise style, a new set of "hardcore" fans to support the new team name - The Brooklyn Nets. Sod the people who support them in New Jersey some 20 miles and about 3 hours away by public transport. The Nets are dead, long live the Nets.

It is not as if this is something new for the Nets. They started off life as the New York Americans, based in New Jersey. A few years later the hopped back over the Hudson to Long Island and became the New York Nets. But that didn't last long as legal wrangles with the New York Knicks forced them back on the train to New Jersey in 1977 where they have remained ever since.

Success took a while to arrive, but when it did under the guidance of Bryan Scott and Lawrence Frank the franchise dominated NBA for a short period. Divisional Champions in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006 were mixed with a shot at the ultimate prize in 2002 and 2003 when they faced (and lost) the LA Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs respectively.

We pitched up just in time for kick off after having one too many in the Ye Olde Rose and Crowne ("Complete with authentic English ashtrays" - but you can't use them of course) and headed straight away for the Beers from Newark stand. Well, why wouldn't you? I never knew that Bud, Bud Lite and Coors Lite came from Newark. In fact when I asked the serving lady (after she had asked for my ID and told me it was against the law to buy more than 2 beers at a time) she had no idea where Budweiser was brewed, or that any beer was actually made in New Jersey, let alone Newark.

It wasn't actually full in the arena. Let me give you a little secret (Ticketmaster look away now). We had $60 almost court side tickets....but we paid $9 each for them (Thanks StubHub.com), as too did the row in front of us. It seems people aren't too keen with supporting a team today who tomorrow will fuck off over the Hudson river.

The game itself? A close run thing with both teams swapping the lead. New Jersey have the smallest mascot in the world - debate was whether this was a child or a "small person"; we saw a women eat her won body weight in fried food and then need physical lifting out of her seat and apparently Kim Karadashian's ex-husband was playing - because that means a lot to me. The Timberwolves won by three points in the end with a last second shot if you were interested.

Within thirty minutes of the end of the game we were back in Ye Olde Kings Head, planning for a massive day ahead in the morning - West Ham v Millwall followed by a trip to the Rocky Steps in Philadelphia.

New England Patriots 17 New York Giants 21 - Lucas Field - Sunday 5th February 2012The greatest show on earth? Not sure about that but perhaps it was the greatest party on earth. At 6:29pm EST (not that sports are dictated by TV schedules at all in the US) I was bedecked in a Giants shirt, with face paint and a cup of Bud Lite. I was as American as Dolly Parton. I yelped, cheered, jeered, ate way too much food and drank way to much pop during the next FOUR HOURS as this game sat on a knife edge. After the in comparison quiet game we had watched in the Football Factory at 11am as Chelsea threw away any title ambitions against Manchester United, we had lunched (Cuban if you must know), Drunk (a cheeky Blue Moon with a wedge of orange in it) and then travelled north into New York State suburbia to the town of White Plains.

We arrived at the "Frat House"...It might as well have been called Delta Pie Gamma or the like. Huge (and I mean 72 inch huge) TV, everyone decked out in Giants clothes, food coming out of every crevice. The house even had its own bar downstairs, and one bedroom was accessed via a secret bookcase. This was the ultimate man's house. Every gizmo and gadget could be found, and even the pets (a dog and a one-eyed hairless cat) had dressed up for the Super Bowl.

And so to the game itself. The first period was a cagey affair. DEfenses ruled (emphasis there on the defence) and it took awhile before the first score was on the board, which happened to be a strange one. Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady was caught in possession ("sacked") and as he was hit he threw the ball low to the ground. Because no-one was nearby it was deemed he deliberately threw the ball away and a "safety" was awarded, meaning the Giants gained 2 points. Six minutes later the Giants got their first touchdown as Manning threw to Cruz and he danced into the end zone - the joy from the watching room was plain to see below.

By now we were getting right into it. Being one of three Brits in the room, the girls gravitated towards us. Yes, we knew Hugh Grant. Yes, we lived in thatched cottages. Yes, we often entertain the Beckhams. Why wouldn't you if you were in the same position. We also took part in drinking games - a strange one where if the cap from the beer keg was put in your drink you had to chug it. Silly game that one so I called time on it by hiding the beer keg cap.

Half time and the Patriots were back in it, scoring with the last play. I got a bit excited at this point as I had an end of quarter score of 9-9 in the sweepstake and stood to make a dollar or two. But I had forgotten about the ridiculous "Extra Point" - the kick they take from in front of the posts that has a success rate of 99.99999999999% Why bother? Or at least make it like our Rugby Union conversion with it being taken in line with where the touchdown was scored.

Warpaint now on for the second half it was time to get serious. Out came the "Mac and cheese" and the pulled pork. For a brief moment the room's attention was distracted. But their attention was soon returned as the Patriots scored another touchdown to make it 17-9. At this rate there was going to be some sore heads in the office in the morning.

But this story had a happy ending. New York rallied, scoring two field goals in the third quarter to make it 17-15. Fifteen minutes would decide a season's work. Fifteen minutes became one minute. Sixty four seconds remained to be precise when Bradshaw went through the middle of the pack to score to give the Giants the lead. Instead of the single point they went for two - which would have meant the Patriots needed a touchdown to win. They missed the rush and everyone sat hands over their eyes as the leagues best Quarterback launched one last hail mary into the Giants end zone with two seconds left. Three players jumped for it. A Patriot hand seemed to reach the ball, but it was Hernandez which blocked it and the ball was dead. The Giants had won - the emotion is clear to see below.

Relief turned to joy. The Giants were Super Bowl champions again. We had been blessed to have been here and shared the emotions with the fans. Champagne corks opened and all through out the city (and beyond) parties cranked up a gear. For us we ended the evening with a game of Beer Pong (don't ask) before being whisked back to the city. It had been 8 days since our last game of proper football but this more than made up for it. Whilst London froze, New York sizzled. Until next year...

Heartbreak hotel at the Liberty

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:27:00 +0000

There are few more disappointing things in life than conceding an injury time equaliser - well perhaps an injury time winner. As a Lewes fan I have been used to seeing both this season, but Abi Davies hasn't had the privilage...until the 93rd minute yesterday.

Heading into the game on the back of consecutive away defeats, Swansea City were hoping to return to winning ways when they welcomed Chelsea to The Liberty on Tuesday night. Condemned to just a solitary defeat at home so far this season, Swansea should have had optimum confidence going into the fixture against Villas-Boas side.

Having made 10 changes for the weekends FA Cup tie at Bolton, Brendan Rodgers restored the side that started Swansea's last league game at The Stadium of Light.

The visitors, without John Terry due to a knee injury, lined up with a centre back partnership of Luiz and Ivanovic. A highly perplexing decision given Chelsea's recent signing of Gary Cahill, who had to settle for a place on the bench despite Villas-Boas stating that the Londoners would be a far greater force to be reckoned with, due to the recruitment of the English defender.

Despite conceding an injury time equaliser, Swansea City demonstrated their maturity on Tuesday as well as how much they have settled into the top flight since the sides last met in the reverse fixture four months ago.

The visitors got the game under way but as so often seen this season it was the Swans who settled the quicker, closing Chelsea down, dictating the pace and tempo of the game early on, they almost found themselves ahead within the opening 10 minutes. When Sigurdsson's perfectly weighted free kick into the area fell for Danny Graham, however Ivanovic intercepted before Swansea's leading goalscorer could get a touch.

Having seen very little of the ball in the opening exchanges, Chelsea came close to taking the lead when Sturridge found himself with time on the ball inside the area, his eventual shot fired marginally wide of the target.

With 15 minutes played, Swansea had a distinguished opportunity to take the lead. As Danny Graham fought to get on the end of a long ball forward, Petr Cech came out of his area committing himself to clearing, however his interception fell to Sigurdsson, who skipped past Cech only to see his effort blocked by Ivanovic. The ball then fell for Graham who's shot was denied by David Luiz' goal line clearance, Joe Allen met the clearance however Petr Cech recovered to finally clear the danger.

Sturridge and Bosingwa were proving a handful for Neil Taylor out wide and with the Welsh defender getting sucked infield on a number of occasions, the two Chelsea players found a lot of success down the right wing.

Swansea had commanded the majority of play in the first half and finally capitalised on their dominance 5 minutes from the interval when Scott Sinclair met Sigurdsson's delivery into the box. The former Chelsea winger connected beautifully to guide his effort past Cech into the top corner.

With the Swans in total control at the interval, the only change made at half time was that of Nathan Dyer's boots!

Chelsea came out of the blocks a completely different outfit after the interval, enforcing themselves on the game, pinning Swansea into their own half as Brendan Rodgers side began to sit deep and tried to absorb the relentless pressure being applied.

As was the case at The Stadium of Light, Angel Rangel failed to complete his defensive duties adequately on Tuesday night, allowing Chelsea to command play down the left flank, whilst Nathan Dyer was forced to sacrifice his threat pushing forward in order to provide cover for the Swansea right-back.

Villas-Boas soon opted for change, introducing one of the Premier League's greatest players prior to the injury he sustained during pre-season - Michael Essien. The introduction of the Ghanaian international almost paid dividends instantly as the midfielder demonstrated his class with his first touch with a rifling effort that fired marginally over the cross bar.

The Swans were inviting Chelsea pressure, sitting back and not pushing out of their own half. They uncharacteristically conceded possession far too easily in the middle of the park, whilst they failed to substantially test Cech in the Chelsea goal.

Despite Danny Graham not receiving ample supply in the box, the striker's phenomenally tireless work rate was once more, simply astounding. Constantly looking hungry and eager to pounce on Chelsea defenders to regain possession.

With the Blues staring at defeat, further misery and frustration was compiled on their evening when they were reduced to 10 men following a cynical challenge from Ashley Cole on Nathan Dyer, leaving referee Marriner no option other than to produce a second yellow for the English full back.

Chelsea had controlled play in the second period and snatched a point in the most disastrous of circumstances for the home side when Bosingwa's effort took a decisive deflection off Neil Taylor to deceive Vorm and rescue a point for Villas-Boas side.

Based on their second half display, I feel Chelsea were worthy of a point, having applied an onslaught of pressure, allowing the Swans very little time in possession. However Swansea will feel aggrieved due to the timing and manner in which they conceded, with it taking a deflected strike to deny the Welsh side of their 6th home victory of the campaign.

Both of Swansea's full backs got caught of position on numerous occasions on Tuesday, however, skipper Ashley Williams remained as colossal as ever to limit Chelsea's threat. The Swansea captain made numerous vital interceptions, he read the game superbly and made many critical, perfectly timed challenges in order to keep Chelsea's attack force at bay.

The performance of the match officials at The Liberty on Tuesday further reiterated the current standard and demonstrated as to why there has been so much intense speculation regarding their displays over recent months with their inconsistency prevalent once more.

The ill disciplined Chelsea side should have considered themselves fortunate to finish the game with 10 men on the pitch, as reckless challenges from Florent Malouda and David Luiz went unpunished.

Welsh Cup woe for Afan Lido

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:53:00 +0000

Mark Pitman reports from Afan Lido as Airbus UK Broughton progress into the quarter-finals of the Welsh Cup in a dramatic cup tie.

New Airbus UK Broughton manager Andy Preece maintained his perfect record since taking charge of the Wingmakers with this Welsh Cup victory at Afan Lido in the only all-Welsh Premier League tie of the fourth round. Airbus UK defeated an experimental Wrexham side under the guidance of former boss Craig Harrison to reach this stage of the competition and arrived at the Marston's Stadium high in confidence following a convincing win over Bala Town in the League Cup. Afan Lido were equally as confident however, having defeated local rivals Port Talbot Town in the previous round, but with £5,000 prize money at stake for the winners there was some concern amongst the home fans when the teams were announced 45 minutes before kick-off.

Goalkeeper Chris Curtis has been in fine form for Afan Lido this season. A talented keeper at Welsh League level, Curtis made the step-up in the summer following Lido's promotion, and the league has been subjected to his mouth ever since. Curtis would be named on the bench for the visit of Airbus UK however as manager Andy Dyer brought in retired veteran Tony Pennock. The former Farnborough and Yeovil Town keeper is currently Head of Youth Development at Swansea City and a few years ago briefly managed Port Talbot Town in the Welsh Premier League. The brother of Lido assistant manager Ray, the experienced keeper went into the match well-short of match practice, but he and his team would have a long afternoon ahead.

Afan Lido 2-2 Airbus UK Broughton (Airbus UK win 5-4 on penalties) – Welsh Cup 4th round – Saturday 28th January 2012In front of a typically small crowd Afan Lido took an early lead after 12 minutes when referee Kevin Morgan awarded the home side a penalty. Attacking the end away from the clubhouse, striker Mark Jones had previously despatched a spot-kick at that end of the ground over the fence, gardens and houses in the street adjacent to the ground in the victory over Newtown a few weeks before. Andy Hill had scored from the penalty spot against Bala Town in the clubs last league fixture and again made no mistake as he put his side ahead. The goal opened the game up as Airbus UK went in search of an equaliser and began to enjoy the better of the possession as Afan Lido struggled to supply their creative players with any suitable service.

With Leon Jeanne, Mark Jones and Carl Payne struggling to make an impression on the match against their physically stronger opponents, Tony Pennock became the busier of the two goalkeepers as the visitors responded to the continued barks of their new management team. On 25 minutes the scores were level as Mark Cadwallader headed home a fine corner with Pennock left to question the marking responsibilities of his defence while justifying his own decision to stay on his line despite the ball flashing across his six-yard box. Minutes later Pennock was again questioned as he rushed out of his area but failed to claim the ball and defender Kristian James was forced to make a crucial goal-line clearance to prevent his side slipping behind.

The animated bench of the visitors was then treated to a front row seat for a controversial moment that resulted in a mass brawl. Lido's Daniel Thomas reacted to a stray boot from Airbus UK captain Glenn Rule and chaos ensued as referee Kevin Morgan whistled constantly but failed to prevent the resulting handbags that were traded. Morgan's lecture to both was continually interrupted by Thomas and both players were eventually shown a yellow card for their part in the disruption. The incident added to the eventful match and there would be another twist as the half-time break approached.

On 41 minutes Airbus UK took the lead through Gavin Cadwallader as Pennock could only palm his save into the corner of the net from another set-piece. Questions have been asked over Lido's ability to defend crosses on many occasions already this season and their impending Welsh Cup exit was now looking likely to be based on two more errors in judgement at the back. The goal would be last notable incident of an entertaining half as the frozen crowd made their way into the clubhouse in time to see Rhyl take the lead over Llanelli in the weekend's live game that would also be eventually decided by a penalty shoot-out.

Afan Lido made changes during the second half and while Airbus UK goalkeeper Niki Lee-Bulmer became more involved in the game as the home side pushed for an equaliser. Airbus UK looked comfortable however but failed to test Pennock as much as they would have liked and also struggled to test the Lido defence from set-pieces and take advantage of their weakness. Influential defender Carl Evans was pushed upfront as the home side continued to search for an equaliser but it would not arrive until injury-time when substitute Liam Thomas scored the crucial goal that would take the game into extra-time.

As with most cup fixtures, extra-time came and went with little incident, although both sides could have prevented the match being decided by the lottery of penalties. The equaliser had lifted Afan Lido as much as it had deflated Airbus UK and as the additional thirty minutes neared completion the already small crowd appeared even smaller after two hours of football. Referee Morgan eventually brought the game to a close and the players mixed with the officials and management in the middle of the field to confirm who would have the responsibility of deciding the tie and booking their team a place in the quarter-final.

The inclusion of Tony Pennock had been the main talking point of the pre-match build-up and the veteran keeper would also be the topic of post-match discussion. Pennock saved the first spot-kick that he faced, but with the scores level after both sides had scored four from their first five penalties, Pennock stepped-up to start the knock-out process. His effort was saved, but he failed to match the heroics of his opposite number as he returned between the posts, as Airbus UK scored with their sixth spot-kick to book their place in the last eight of the Welsh Cup. Afan Lido, finalists five years before, were out.

Mark Pitman
Visit www.markpitman1.com for links to all blogs, news stories, features, reports and opinion as the big Welsh football news stories break. You can also follow Mark Pitman at www.facebook.com/1markpitman and www.twitter.com/markpitman1

Millers put to the grind stone

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:33:00 +0000

After a weekend in Spain, Brian Parish returned to his favourite spot at Victoria Road for the clash with Rotherham United.

Just when we thought that we may be turning a corner and hoped that we would start to get ourselves out of the mess that we found ourselves in just before Christmas, the last few games have shown that that it is going to be a long, fraught and testing time until the end of the season. Since the draw at Southend United on January 2nd, we’ve lost league games to Hereford, Crewe, and then on Tuesday night, down at Torquay. Although the overall display at Torquay had not been too bad, even that didn’t bring much comfort to those of us who had made the long trip to the south west, and it was even less helpful when we got back to Victoria Road at 3 in the morning.

There has been some debate in the last few weeks as to whether our troubles started on the very day that we beat today’s opponents in the League Two play off final, which although it now seems like a lifetime ago, was in fact only May 2010. Although we had a year in the heady heights of League One, it alerted other clubs to the ability of our players. We could see that people like Danny Green, Romain Vincelot and Paul Benson could play at a higher level, so while it was great that they hung around at the club so long, it was that day at Wembley that probably meant that the vultures would come circling, which is what they duly did. No one begrudges the opportunity for these players to move on, as it is a scenario that we readily accept when supporting a club like this. However, there are two possibilities; firstly, a win means that players are more noticeable if we are playing in a higher division, and that means that, as a smaller fish in a bigger pond, that we could find ourselves losing key personnel. The second option is that, if we had failed to win that day, perhaps they would still have gone, and then we would have been having the type of season that we are presently having, twelve months ago.

What it all boils down to is a simple question. Would we swap that glorious day out at Wembley and a year in League One, for the stability and playing in League Two, plodding along in mid-table for five years? I reckon most would opt for the day at Wembley, and to hell with what happens next. You can talk about that day out for years; a midweek game at wherever is unlikely to still be recalled twenty years down the line, whereas when Nursey scored the winner at Wembley, everyone who was there will knowingly smile and go all misty eyed at the memory.

Our record against Rotherham is, to be brutally honest, terrible. In seven previous league meetings, we’ve managed two draws, and five defeats. We have played against Rotherham at four different venues in the league and play offs, and that win at Wembley is our only victory. Our visitors arrive in a mid-table position, but they are just five points off of a play off place, which would give them a chance to return to Wembley. On the flip side, we need the points for our attempt to stay in the division. While we have suffered three straight league defeats, Rotherham have lost three out of their last four, so this could be a close run thing between two sides that have not got great recent form.

Saturday 28th January 2012, Dagenham & Redbridge v Rotherham United, Victoria RoadWith the game between Liverpool and Manchester United on every screen you could find in the clubhouse, only those who had an affiliation to either of those clubs stayed inside as we filed into the ground around 2pm. The chance to be first in the queue for food is a big pulling point to get inside relatively early, and besides, with everyone staring intently into their phones, we would find out who won soon enough.

The cold snap that had been predicted hadn’t quite made it as far as Dagenham, although by half time, the atmosphere was decidedly chilly enough without it. There had been one change from the team that had started at Torquay on Tuesday, with Brian Woodall returning in place of Adam Cunnington, who went back to bench warming duties. Dropping out completely were Eion Wearen and Jake Reed, which also meant a return for Josh Scott. However, the first half had been poor. Very poor in fact, with a couple of Billy Bingham efforts going wide of the visiting goalkeepers left post being our nearest attempts at goal. At the other end though, it had not gone so well for us.

Within ten minutes of the start, Mark Arber had been caught out, and appeared to try and haul down Lewis Grabban as he went through on goal. Luckily for us, he escaped his clutches and got his shot away, which was saved by Lewington at the expense of a corner.

By the time the half hour had come around, we are already 1 down. The Daggers defence has failed to deal convincingly with a ball into the area, and it falls to Danny Harrison, who returns it with a dipping volley over Lewington. It is an excellent strike, but there is already a resigned air about the home support, which manifests itself in a rush to start forming a queue at the tea bar, hoping to beat the half time stampede. As the half time whistle goes, I make one more note on my piece of paper, but am asked how many I have made for the game so far, and it’s not many.

If the first half had been poor, then the second made you wonder if they had replaced all twenty two players, as the game turned totally on its head.

The first Daggers change is made at the resumption of the game, as Josh Scott (soon to be achieving prodigal son status) is bought on in place of loanee Ahmed Abdulla. Opinion is split over Abdulla, with many seeing him as lightweight in the centre of midfield, while others just don’t rate him at all. Personally, there are glimpses of why he is at West Ham, but it is arguable that this isn’t quite the style of team for him to be playing in. The introduction of Scott means an alteration in formation as well, with now three players up front in a 4-3-3 formation. Clearly, despite the evidence of the first half, our management feel that they can get something from the game.

It takes just five minutes for that feeling to be justified. A free kick from Mickey Spillane is heading towards the back post, where it seems that all have stopped to watch the ball float harmlessly out of play. All except Jon Nurse that is; the hero of Wembley arrives at the back post to head the ball into the far corner of the net. It takes a second to register that we have scored, before everyone starts to celebrate. All the gloom and doom that had been around at the half time interval has disappeared, and the singing has started again.

For the next few minutes it is the home team in the ascendancy, with Scott going close with a header, and it is just after the hour that we take the lead. As the attendance is announced as 1744, Abu Ogogo (who scored an o.g. at Crewe last week on his 100th appearance for the club) lines up a shot from outside the box. Ogogo had started the game at right back, but he has now switched to central midfield, and Spillane has gone into the defence, allowing our former Arsenal right back the chance to get forward more; the shot is deflected by Mark Bradley, and with Rhys Taylor in the Rotherham goal already starting to move to save the ball on its original trajectory, can do nothing about this sudden alteration, and is stranded as the ball nestles in the netting. Again there is a delay before the celebrations begin, but begin they do, and we are now leading a game that we looked out of just twenty minutes earlier.

At Wembley, we took the lead, only to lose it within a minute. When we went 2-1 up, it took Rotherham five minutes to level it up again. Today, it takes them about ninety seconds to score their second goal. A cross from the left wing by former Dagger Scott Griffiths is headed home by Alex Revell, unmarked in the middle as he takes his chance, the mood has unsurprisingly changed all over again, and now we are hoping that we can just hold on for a point.

But, like that day at Wembley, we get back in front again, and stay there. With thirteen minutes left on the clock, a right wing corner is played into the near post, and Scott Doe is there is score with a header.

To say the rest of the game is nervy would be an understatement of massive proportions. Firstly, there are a couple of near misses from Rotherham that have us all convinced that they were actually going in and just about to blow it all again. Then, there is a flurry of activity from the referee’s notebook. Michael Raynes has already been booked for a foul on Josh Scott, when with a couple of minutes to go, he and Spillane have an altercation in the penalty area, as we prepare to defend a free kick. Personally, I have no idea what has happened, but the ref has obviously seen something, as he cautions both players again, meaning that Raynes has to go. Several United players surround the official, but the home fans are just singing cheerio to the departing visitor. The free kick is defended and repelled, although as the fourth official holds aloft the board showing four minutes of stoppage time, there is more that a bit of surprise, as none of us can recall a physio being called into action, just four goals and the regular substitutions.

The four minutes elapse and another Rotherham foray into our area has just been successfully defended when the whistle goes. The relief is tangible, and it is to the team’s credit that, having been one down at the interval, we have been able to come back and win against a decent side. There is time for an appreciative round of applause for Scott Griffiths before the team commence their warm down lap of the pitch, with the fans singing ringing in their ears. A good day has been made better with the news that we have moved back up to 22nd in the table, just one place outside the relegation places. However, it doesn’t get any easier; next weekend, we have a long trip northwards to Morecambe, when we get to visit their new stadium for the first time. Before that though, we should enjoy this victory, as they haven’t come along that often this season.

No Dr Feelgood factor for Lewes

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:55:00 +0000

""You have to have the rain before you can have the rainbow"

In just 24 hours I would be walking along Santa Monica Pier in SoCal as us surfers know it, the sunshine on my face and the sand between my toes. You can't beat a bit of winter sunshine to recharge the batteries after Christmas. And as if I needed any more incentive to go I had the promise of a date with the not too shabby Natalia Velez to look forward to.

But first I had a date with one of Essex's finest - Canvey Island who were visiting the Dripping Pan for an early doors game against The Rooks. Early doors because of Brighton's cup game versus Newcastle United just down the road at 5.15pm. Thanks to the Ryman League seeing sense, and the Essex side happy to leave Lakeside an hour earlier than normal, Lewes stood a chance of a decent crowd. We littered the Toon websites, forums and Twitter feeds with invites and promises of pints of Dog, Jimmy Nail look-a-likes and Lewes wearing a special one-off black and white striped shirt just for the day. Not strictly true but would they really notice after tucking into a few pints of Harveys?

Our cause had been helped no end by the efforts of the Guardian's sports team who plugged the game via their Fiver email, eulogising that :-

"At this quaint little ground, you'll be allowed to stand up, smoke your gills out, watch entertaining Brazil-circa-1970 style football, eat delicious modestly priced organic burgers and lorry back refreshing pints of the local brew Harveys all at the same time"

Thanks to some opportunist sales techniques that would have shamed a time-share salesperson in the Canary Islands I had managed to convince The Guardian's Barry Glendenning as an owner a few weeks ago. Yes, he had been worse for wear; Yes, he was distracted by Sarah Hot Scores and yes I may have told him that by being an owner he was entitled to certain perks that weren't strictly true, but Pressganging is not illegal (I think) in the 21st century. One man's Richard Branson is another man's Asil Nadir. Barry was making his first visit to the Pan and we were determined to make his visit a special one. After all, since he thrust the £30 in my top pocket back in December, "our" team had won three, drawn four and lost four as well as seeing the manager depart. Investments can go up and well as down as I reminded him when he asked for a refund.

Canvey Island, the Gulls, the pride of Park Lane. Lewes had already beaten the Islanders earlier in the season and what they could do with a moral boosting win today. Performances had been good, but a lack of goals was becoming a real worry. Five goals in the last six wasn't a fair return for the effort, but add on the fact that three had come from penalties and you see the issue. Last Saturday the team lost 5-1 at Margate. Lewes shots 8, Margate shots 8. On Wednesday night the woodwork and a bobble in the six yards area stopped two certain goals. Today there was to be no excuse. It was win or bust....well not exactly that traumatic but we are hyping this up for the Guardian remember?

This was my third trip to Lewes in just four days after the Sussex Senior Cup match on Wednesday and then the Fans Forum on Thursday where we had batted away all questions fired at us from the fans. Now was the time for us to live up to our promise of Barcelona-esque football.

Lewes 1 Canvey Island 2 - The Dripping Pan - Saturday 28th January 2012"You will win nothing with kids" One of the most famous understatements uttered by a pundit. Alan Hansen may have had to eat his words back when Sir Alex Ferguson blooded the likes of Scholes, Beckham and Giggs at Villa Park in August 1995, but since then how right he has been. Lewes today were forced to field a very young team as injuries ravaged Simon Wormull's squad. The manager himself was even forced to play himself for the final thirty minutes, turning back the years with some of his visionary passing.

I can only imagine the mood in the Wormull house when the sick notes arrived this morning. Kamara - hip injury. Robinson - hamstring. Hamilton - foot. Hustwick - neck strain. These four are the Lewes back four. Any club would struggle to cope with such a situation. A major reshuffle saw Charlie Leech and Jack Phillips in the starting line up as well as new signing Jack Walder in the centre of midfield.

One good bit of news was that the Rooks had ditched the white shorts - going down the full Rosseneri look of red and black - Canvey opting for Crystal Palace away circa 1989. It was the yellows who started the stronger of the two and thankfully keeper Rikki Banks was in good form. With Lewes's recent goals coming from the boot of Paul Booth it didn't take a brave man (me) to predict he would be the first goalscorer, although Eddie Freemantle refused to take my tenner, reminding me that as a Director I was not able to place a bet on my team. Sure enough, a minute later Paul Booth rose and headed home a Nanetti cross to put the Rooks one nil up.

The second half saw Canvey well on top and it was no surprise when Jason Hallett scored in the 51st minute. We weren't used to conceding a goal before the 90th minute so the crowd were stunned into silence. Everyone was confused. What to do? Well, how about the player/manager bringing himself on...Wormull stripped off and within a minute had played a trademark cross field pass to Nanetti. Every touch was greeted with a cheer. Could he win us the game and roll back the years?

Alas no. Canvey got stronger as the game wore on and with twenty minutes to go Bradley Woods-Garness smacked a loose ball home to give the Essexmen the three points. The thirty or so Canvey fans went home happy, having enjoyed their day out in the sunshine whilst the Rooks fans had to scratch their heads wondering what the team had to do to get that break and three points.

With the rain out of the way it was time to prepare for the Rainbow. Natalia Velez was sure to ask about the result. Don't worry - I will take this one for the team. Until I return I bid you a fond farewell.

QPR spend wisely to boost survival chances

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:33:00 +0000

Mark Hughes has moved quickly to improve QPR's chances of achieving survival in this season's Premier League by securing Nedum Onuoha from former club Manchester City on a four-year deal. The versatile defender is exactly the sort of player this QPR side needed, and could well be the signing the club needed to be able to shore up their leaky defence.

The 25-year old is reunited with his former City manager Hughes, who has admitted his delighted at having secured the in-demand former England Under-21 man. Those following the Live In-play betting will be wondering what sort of impact he will have.

"Nedum is a player I know well. He is a very good addition to the squad," he said.

"He did very well for me at Man City and played a number of games, probably more than under any other manager," Hughes added.

"He is very versatile. He can play centre-back or right-back and has good pace."

Onuoha was never really given the chance under Roberto Mancini that his previous performances had perhaps deserved, eventually leading to the Nigerian-born defender joining Sunderland on loan last season. Onuoha went on to establish himself as an essential part of the Sunderland defence under Steve Bruce, and would have signed permanently at the Stadium of Light had a fee been agreed between the two clubs. Fans of the betting exchanges such as Betfair sports betting odds need to bear this in mind.

There was no shortage of interest in the defender, however, it appears Onuoha's eagerness to link back up with Hughes was the deciding factor in his decision.

Hughes will have been well aware that of how important it is for QPR to start keeping regular clean-sheets if they are to have any chance of maintaining their top-flight status. The current team may be lacking in some areas but it's a tight defence that forms the platform on which this team can build. Onuoha's presence in the side will certainly improve the club's chances of achieving that target.

The club v country row takes a new twist with Team GB

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:22:00 +0000

Thomas Rooney takes another look at the conflicting loyalties issue that bus many a player.

The age old club versus country row has taken a back seat of late. No managers have complained of the bum deal the club receive as their prize assets swan off around the world for a meaningless friendly. Instead the argument has been replaced by a new beast; governing body v countries.

This summer promises to be a bumper year for live sports betting pundits, with the European Championship in Poland and Ukraine taking place just before the Olympics in London gets underway, with football taking a more prominent role than most years thanks to the inclusion of a Team GB squad.

Although not exactly united – the governing bodies of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are still protesting at the team’s existence – Team GB has been rubberstamped and is ready to roll, although it has already started to ruffle a few feathers among club managers as well as officials from football associations from all four corners of the British Isles.

Team GB boss Stuart Pearce has reportedly contacted over 200 players about represented Britain at the Olympics, while David Beckham, who has already thrown his hat into the ring for the skipper’s job, is rumoured to have had a clause written into his new L.A Galaxy contract that allows his to leave mid M.L.S season to take part in the London games.

There was something telling about Gareth Bale’s quoted when asked about Team GB and his potential participation.

When asked about playing for Britain at the Olympics, he simply responded: “As long as all parties are happy I don’t see any reason why not”.

The pressure being placed on players by the respective football associations of the countries outside of England is clear to see. Bale has been pictured in a Team GB shirt already but makes it clear there is a caveat to his participation – that the Welsh F.A are happy with it.

Scotland have taken perhaps the most aggressive stance, alluring to the fact that any of their players who accept the call could be omitted from future Scotland squads.

In a strange reversal, clubs that had previously maintained a frosty relationship with the respective F.A’s about releasing their players for international duty have been more than happy to offer their players forward for the Olympics.

West Ham and Aston Villa are just two clubs that have so far revealed they have had players contacted about representing Team GB for the summer tournament, with Hammers boss Sam Allardyce saying he would be more than happy to release his players for the tournament, while Villa boss Alex McLeish says he has no problems with it.

Pearce says he has been ‘saddened’ by the farce so far that the governing bodies have contributed towards. The idea of unification between the home nation sides is something instantly appealing to fans – just glance at their rugby playing counterparts (the British and Irish Lions) for the type of spectacle a team from the British Isles can produce. It is unfortunate then, that player could potentially be reprimanded for taking part in what should be a spectacle. Unfortunately the row shows no sign of ending soon

Last minute .com again

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:35:00 +0000

After the cup exploits last week against AFC Sudbury, it was back to earth with a very big bang, complete with a "Kiss Me Quick Hat" on Saturday as five second half goals sunk the Rooks at Margate. The journey back from a day out at the seaside on a normal trip is depressing enough, but one in the middle of January when you have been spanked 5-1 is possibly up there with a trip to the dentist or one of those "can we have a quick word in the cubicle" conversations with customs at the airport.

However, all was not lost. The Rooks had to chance to show their "bouncebackability" with another home cup tie. And not just any old cup tie. One against Eastbourne Borough, sworn enemies, deadly rivals and pretenders to the title "Best Non League team in Sussex".

The Sussex Senior Cup is a strange competition. The bigger clubs (i.e Crawley Town and Brighton & Hove Albion) rarely take it seriously, yet every year it is the same story. The former seem to be eliminated early, the latter in for the duration despite fielding essentially a reserve team. Last season Lewes lost in the quarter finals at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, thus denying themselves the chance to reach the final, which was played at The Amex. This year, wins over Wick and East Grinstead had sent up a mouth-watering tie with Eastbourne Borough. The winners would join Crawley Down, Whitehawk and the winner of the BHA v Bognor Regis Town game in the draw for the semi-final.

Brighton & Hove Albion had reached the final of the last five competitions, winning four. In fact it was Lewes who were the last team to break this run back in 2006 when they beat Horsham.

Lewes hadn't met Eastbourne Borough since New Year's Day in 2009 when they met in the Conference Premier. Both teams had been promoted from the Blue Square South the previous season - Lewes as winners and Boro via the play offs. Those two games over the Christmas period had attracted near 5,000 fans. How both would love half of that now.

The clubs have lived almost parallel lives in the past season. Both were relegated last year - Eastbourne Borough from the Blue Square Bet Premier, and Lewes from the South division. More recently both had become manager-less as Eastbourne decided to part company with their management team who in part had been at the helm for over a decade. But whatever the circumstances both sets of fans wanted to get one over on the "old enemy".

We were expecting a decent crowd. Obviously this was a "minor" cup competition in the eyes of many fans and we would normally only expect a few hundred. However, the draw of the derby-day atmosphere was certain to bring a few more through the gate. But perhaps the real compelling event would be the lure of the Lewes burger. Last week The Guardian Food and Drink supplement no less had spoken about the Lewes Organic burger being "the best fast food he has come across so far. The club spends more on its chefs that it does on players"- The Guardian Food and Drink - 18th January 2012

Lewes 1 Eastbourne Borough 2 - The Dripping Pan - Wednesday 25th January 2012For 94 minutes this was a classic cup tie full of passion (on and off the pitch), hard tackles, goal mouth incidents and a decent atmosphere created by 637 fans. And then, the curse of the Dripping Pan struck again. Just as we had seen so many times (in fact twice already in January) we concede a late goal. Not quite a Horsham late goal, but still deep into injury time. Unlike the Horsham game this one was the knock-out box. With the game poised to enter Extra Time, Eastbourne Borough took all of the spoils and dumped Lewes on their backsides and out of the Sussex Senior Cup.

Pre-match had been a juggling act for new boss Simon Wormull. I arrived at the group at 4pm to find him busy on his phone trying to work out the formation. With our only goal keeping option, Rikki Banks, on loan from Eastbourne Borough and thus not able to play, he had managed to pull in a young Polish keeper to make his debut (Pawel would later dislocate his finger in the warm up, yet in true British Bulldog spirit simply taped it up and carried on playing). He brought in a number of the impressive youth team players and leading from the front, named himself on the bench. The spirit of the team of 2008 was not yet dead.

The opening exchanges were fast and frantic. Eastbourne had the better of the opening exchanges but then the Lewes midfield got hold of the ball, and Mel Kamara started powering forward from midfield. In a space of a few first half minutes Michael Malcolm showed that when luck is not on your side, nothing rolls for you. First he powered a header against the inside of the post, with the Eastbourne keeper stranded and then he saw his goal-bound toe poke trickle slowly towards an unguarded net only for it to be cleared by a last gasp sliding tackle. Half time - all square in love and war.

The Eastbourne fans had come in good voice, although some of them had obviously brought the "Football Fans song book from Green Street" with some of their chanting. Chaps - it's a Sussex Senior Cup game not Millwall v West Ham. A chant of "No one likes us" made me chuckle as I recalled an away game back in April 2009 when they played at Altrincham which I saw where the home fans all clapped the 13 supporters who had made the trip on a cold Tuesday night - see someone does love you!

Ten minutes into the second period Eastbourne took the lead when a misjudged throw from the Lewes keeper fell straight at the feet of Matt Crabb and he sent the ball back over his head into the net. Lewes doubled their efforts with the impressive Harding always looking dangerous and Malcolm seeing efforts blocked by last gasp defending. Finally Lewes got their reward when Nanetti was brought down by the Eastbourne keeper Masters. With no covering defender and Nanetti not going away from goal it was bizarre that the referee (interestingly sharing the same unusual surname as an Eastbourne player) did not even book the keeper. Good job Hansen et al didn't see it as we would still be discussing it now. Booth stepped up and dispatched the millionth penalty of the season for Lewes and it was game on.

We were in for a frantic final period with both teams having chances but failing to really test the keeper. Four minutes of injury time were announced, and with the clock showing 93:47 Ciardini's sliced clearance fell to Ben Watson who thumped the ball home.

Lewes can feel hard done by to lose so late on, but in these games there always has to be a winner. This was one of the best performances of the season without a doubt and with more luck the scoreline would have been more favourable. But that is football. This is a team in transition and most of the fans appreciated the spirit, effort and hard work of the players as they made their way off the pitch. The Sussex Senior Cup will just have to wait another season.

Devon knows why we can't win away

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:59:00 +0000

After his exploits in Barcelona it was back to the grind of nPower League Two last night for Brian Parish as Dagenham & Redbridge made the long trip down to Devon.

If a week is reckoned to be a long time in politics, then two and a half weeks supporting a football team can be almost a lifetime. Seventeen days ago, we gained a very creditable 0-0 draw with Millwall in the FA Cup, which stretched our unbeaten run to seven games. Hopes were high then for our home game against Hereford. However, that turned out to be a total non-event, and resulted in a 0-1 defeat.

The replay at Millwall ended in a one-sided scoreline, with us suffering a 0-5 defeat, before another “six-pointer” at Crewe on the weekend.

As Dagenham Dan and I made our way out towards Espanyol v Granada on Saturday, the text messages that came through initially bought us good news as Brian Woodall put us in front. The subsequent messages weren’t so happy making though, as first Crewe equalised, and then in the last twenty minutes, they scored three further goals to win the game by the comfortable margin of 4-1. The second was the turning point, with an Ogogo back pass taking a bobble and eluding the swinging foot of goalkeeper Chris Lewington.

Most of us have seen our teams go through a dodgy patch having seemingly turned the corner, but the last week and a half has not been the best, and it has just felt like the good work put in over the Christmas games has all been undone again.

Injuries have played their part again. Kevin Maher, injured in his first training session with the club, had started to get the midfield going again, but following his injury at Southend just after New Year, we’ve gone backwards again. It’s not just down to the loss of Maher, but having to constantly change the team isn’t good, as the points had been coming when the team had been settled and barely altered.

Tonight sees the team make their third away trip in a week, this time down to the West Country to play Torquay. Two years ago, the original game had to be called off due to a frozen pitch, and those that did make the long journey for the re-arranged fixture were treated to a tepid encounter that ended 0-0. Tonight’s game was rescheduled after we reached the third round of the FA Cup, and although the coach is only about half full, those who are making the trip seem to be enjoying it.

Tuesday 24th January 2012, Torquay United v Dagenham & Redbridge, PlainmoorThe journey down to the south west necessitates a leaving time from the club of 12.45pm, and will end about six hours later. With only twenty nine of us on the coach, the hopes of a decent turn out from the Daggers faithful might not happen. It may actually reflect the hopes of getting a result from this one; we are starting the game in 23rd place, while Torquay are 6th, and coming into this game off the back of an impressive 2-1 win at Morecambe.

There is a bit of confusion on the way down to the game, as there are no seats available for those of our fans who prefer to sit at these games. However, as we approach the ground, the problem is resolved, although those that are going to be sitting down are going to be seated in the home section, will not be allowed to wear colours, and will be at the other end of the ground to those Daggers that will be occupying the away terrace.

Prior to the game, we were given a stat that we tried hard to disprove. It was that we are approaching two years without a goal-less draw in the league. Having checked back, the last one was on March 6th, 2010 up at Bury, which was a mere 78 games ago. A 0-0 would go down quite nicely tonight, but most are not expecting it.

It takes ten minutes for the first chance to arrive, but Montano pulls his shot wide. It’s been a cagey start to the match, but the pre-match pessimism has been replaced by quiet optimism. There are a few extra people that have travelled independently, boosting the attendance on the away terrace to (officially) thirty nine. Within a minute of Montano’s effort, Jon Nurse has a shot saved by the home goalkeeper, Bobby Olejnik. We have forced four corners in the first quarter of an hour, but following the pattern of the season, have done little with them. Spillane’s free kick on the half hour is on target, but is comfortably saved by Olejnik, and at this point, we are doing much better than anticipated.

It takes Torquay just over half an hour to create their first chance, but it’s a close call, as Kevin Nicholson shoots just over from about twelve yards, just to the left of the goal. It serves as a warning that although we have done quite well so far, the home side are in no way out of this game.

The home side will go even closer a couple of minutes later. Danny Stevens shoots into the side netting, which is closer than the Nicholson effort, and fools some of the home fans in the popular side into thinking that they have taken the lead.

Five minutes before half time, and the fans are not fooled this time, as the ball does actually go into the net. A foul on the left hand side of the penalty area (by Ilesanmi on O’Kane) results in a free kick to Torquay, which is quickly taken, and the Daggers defence is not alert to this possibility. The ball eventually ends up at the feet of Lee Mansell, and his shot is lashed past Lewington to give the home team the lead. It’s hard to take, as we have more than matched Torquay up until this point.

The last five minutes consist of Torquay gaining the upper hand in the game, and there is an almighty goal mouth scramble in which they almost make it 2-0, but luckily for us, the ball is hacked away. The priority is clearly to hang on until half time, and get through to it with just the one goal deficit. Any more, and this will be very difficult to come back from. Thankfully the team manage to get through to the interval with no further addition to the scoreline, and it is 1-0 to Torquay at the break.

The peace of half time is shattered by a shrill voice over the public address system, announcing the 50/50 winner, as well as the number of a lucky ticket whose owner will have a chance to win £25 in the crossbar challenge. The first effort would be more trouble to a mole who has just stuck it’s head out of the ground (and this is described as “close”) than the cross bar, although the second effort is close, but still doesn’t hit. It means that the prize rolls over to the next home game (to £50). While this is going on, the ground staff are working on the penalty area that the home team will be defending in the second half., but appear to leave well alone the other end where our keeper will be positioned.

The start of the second half is one way traffic, with the Daggers not managing to get the ball out of their half, and it is starting to look like the worst for us. But as we get to the ten minute mark in the half, we are starting to get back into the game again. The crowd is announced as 2280, with 39 away fans. The home terrace is busy, which could be attributed to the fact that Main Stand has been demolished. In its place is a large wall, behind which we can see the adjoining school. The amount of footballs lost over the wall is impressive, and tonight, we must be approaching two dozen clearing the obviously not high enough wall.

The closest we come to a goal arrives just after an hour has been played. A foul on Bingham by Mansell results in the Daggers gaining a free kick just outside the penalty area, and in perfect free kick territory. Two players emerge as favourites to take it, but the one entrusted with the effort is Spillane; his curling effort looks to be creeping just inside the post, but Olejnik flings himself across the goal to save the attempt and push the ball out for a corner. Spillane’s anguish is replicated by those on the terrace, as we all thought that it was going to creep in. It is an excellent save, and demonstrates perfectly how things can seemingly conspire against you if you are stuck at the wrong end of the table.

The game continues with its ebbs and flows, but the goal keepers aren’t really tested for the remainder of the game. Stevens shoots straight at Lewington with less than ten minutes to go, but while Torquay can’t quite put the game out of reach, we can’t actually get that goal that would get us back into thie one either. With five minutes to go, the Daggers have a free kick near to the home goal, but it is Torquay who actually get the scoring chance from the situation although Stevens is denied again. Three minutes are added on, but there aren’t any further chances, and it ends in a 1-0 home win.

There are a couple of our number who reckon that we are now doomed, and that we might as well give it up now. Although it is looking tough for us at the moment, it can still end in a positive way for us. In our first season up, it was looking grim for us at this stage of the campaign, but we had a great run where we collected enough points that would eventually see us safe. Those that attended Crewe on Saturday assured me that this was a much better display than on Saturday, but we need to start finding the goal. If we can’t do that then we are finished.

It's not all about the Camp Nou

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:51:00 +0000

Brian Parish abandons the Daggers for one weekend and heads off to the delights of Barcelona.

About twice a season, Dagenham Dan and I eschew the delights of Dagenham, and board a flight to the Iberian Peninsula to take in a game or three over the course of a weekend. Normally these involve a trip to the Camp Nou to watch Barcelona destroy whichever team happens to be that weeks whipping boys, but this time around we thought we would try something different. Neither of us has yet made it to the new Espanyol stadium, so we decided that a trip to watch them instead was in order.

Well, that’s not strictly accurate. Just before the tickets went on sale, I spotted that the fixtures had been altered because of a player’s strike that had postponed the first round of league games. So when I rang Dan with the news, the conversation went something like this;

“have you seen what they’ve done with the fixtures?”

“no”

“they’ve changed them round, because of the players strike”

“what?”

“all the games that were in week one are now being played when we go; they’ve switched them round”

“what?”

“when we are supposed to be going to Barca- Malaga, they are going to be in Malaga, and not Barcelona”

“you’re kidding”

“I’m not. It’s on the Barca fixture list on the website”

“hang on, I’m going to log in now. Oh s@*@”

At this point, the flights had already been booked, and it would have cost us the same amount again to cancel and re-book. So, a simple solution presented itself. Namely that we would still travel, but go and watch Espanyol instead, with the hope that we would still be able to fit in another couple of games along the way.

So naturally, as the weekend approached, we were back on to the fixture websites, seeing what was in around the city that we could get to. With the Espanyol game being confirmed as a Saturday evening kick off, it meant that we had the whole of Sunday to fit in as many as we could. We had managed to get to three games in a day back in May, so while Dan was confident of at least emulating that, I was a bit more cautious. There have been a few trips planned where we could get to several games, only to have them kick off almost simultaneously, and ruin that idea.

Saturday 21st January 2012, Espanyol v Granada, Estadi Cornella-El Prat
Up until the early nineties, Espanyol played in the city centre, at the Sarria Stadium. This was one of the venues for the 1982 World Cup, and hosted one of the finest games ever played, when Italy beat Brazil 3-2 (thanks to a Paolo Rossi hat-trick) in the second round. From there, the club moved out to the Olympic Stadium, and stayed until about eighteen months ago, when they finally got their own stadium. It’s one of the first “new” stadiums to be built in Spain, and the club are rightly proud of it.

Today, the club are unveiling a statue to their former player, Dani Jarque. The statue has been placed just inside the stadium, at gate 21, which was his shirt number. Jarque was the player whose name was emblazoned across the vest of Andres Iniesta, after he had scored the only goal of the 2010 World Cup Final, and the vest is on display on a memorial wall inside the stadium.

The fans obviously still have Dani Jarque at the forefront of their thoughts, because twenty one minutes into the game, the whole crowd bursts into a minute’s applause. Both Dan and I look at each other in a state of puzzlement wondering what is going on, before we both realise what is going on; this is a another sign of affection to Jarque.

The main noise from the home fans is coming from the opposite end of the stadium to where we are sitting. I have mentioned before about the comparative lack of atmosphere at the Camp Nou, but here that doesn’t seem to be the case. There are two blocks in the lower tier where seemingly every occupant is engaged in the choreographed jumping up and down, or singing. There are also certain chants that involve the whole home support in the stadium, and when everyone is joining in, it makes for a much better atmosphere than down the road in the Camp Nou. Here, there seems to be many more that will join in with the singing than at Barcelona; clearly the current European and World champions are a bigger draw to the visiting tourist, but there feels like there is a greater desire to join in here. Perhaps those that attend the Camp Nou are waiting (or expecting) to be entertained, whereas here, there is a feeling that they should get behind their team in order to inspire them to achieve more.

The team must be getting some kind of positive vibe from the fans, because by half time in this one, they are 2-0 up. Just over mid-way through the half they are in front, thanks to a header by Baena which is followed by a penalty (scored by the impressive Verdu) in stoppage time. Granada are competently showing why they are towards the bottom of the division with a fairly toothless display in which they are only creating any kind of opportunity through unforced Espanyol errors. One such mistake allows a lone Granada forward through with a one-on-one opportunity with the home keeper, but his shot is well saved, and that is their best chance of the half gone.

In fact, that’s their best chance of the whole game. Four away goals all season will probably tell you all you need to know about Granada on their travels, and with ten minutes to go, Espanyol make it 3-0; Rui Fonte scores after a free kick is not cleared by the Granada defence. For the preceding thirty five minutes they have been the better side and have deserved to increase their lead to a score that goes someway to reflecting their dominance of the game. A crowd of just over twenty six thousand is inside the ground to see this comprehensive win, and once the third is scored, some start to make their way out. As the game peters out to its conclusion, Granada have been lucky to get zero, while this result will see the home side move up to sixth in the division, and just three points from fourth place. If Espanyol continue to pick up points like this, they could be into the Champions League next season.

Once the final whistle is blown, the club song is played over the public address system, and we take our last pictures before heading back towards the metro station, which is about fifteen minutes walk away. To let some of the crowds disperse into the night, we head towards a small museum, which contains among other things, a scale model of the new stadium, as well as old players shirts, another tribute to Dani Jarque and a few other pieces of club memorabilia. It’s an interesting few minutes spent in the warm, before we head back out into a rapidly cooling evening.

Sunday 22nd January, CD Masnou v Pobla de Mafumet
Day two of our trip starts with a trip north of the city to the seaside town of Masnou. With most of the games that we could attend all kicking off at mid-day, we had a choice to make as to which one we would go to. Whereas I would be quite happy to go back to places that we had been before, Dan has this thing about trying to get to as many new grounds as possible. There were a couple of grounds that are near to metro stations that we could get to without too much difficulty, but as it was a nice day we decided to go to the game slightly further away. Having made a trek by the mainline trains to Sabadell in the rain a couple of years ago, it is best to get these games done when the weather is decent, and today, it is certainly that, with temperatures in the high teens, and a clear blue sky.

It seems to be a league rule that the pre-match music must consist of as much beat-heavy stuff as you can possibly play; given that the stadium is surrounded by apartment blocks, it must drive the residents nuts when the team pays at home. It’s audible a few minutes down the road, and as we draw near to the ground, we also notice that we will have to walk across a dry river bed to get to the ticket office to purchase our tickets. A gruff, disembodied voice asks for our €12 each, and we are issued with a thin strip of paper that looks like it was run off of someone’s home printer. Just before the teams emerge, the scoreboard operator ambles across the pitch, with his collection of huge numbers for the board tucked under his right arm. As he clambers over the wall and readies himself for action, the away team emerges to a round of applause from those in attendance. Then the home team enters the pitch to the same applause. Finally, the officiating team runs onto the pitch to supreme indifference to the fans.

The game is between teams at opposite ends of the table, and it is easy to see why. There are a few yellow cards dished out, but the play is very disjointed, and it is certainly not much to write home about. As we leave the only seated area of the ground at half time, we walk past the tables and chairs of the club bar, where four men are playing dominoes. Clearly the half has not entertained them much.

It’s not much better in the second either, with a couple of further cautions, but still nothing to make the bloke with his giant numbers get up and move. The final whistle is blessed relief, and the game ends goal-less. We then have the walk back to the station, and as we approach the crossing outside the station entrance, we can see the train approaching. Dan rushes across the road and legs it into the ticket barriers, thrusting his ticket into the machine. I try the same, but manage to get only a “out” barrier instead. Luckily I manage to get through, and just jump on board as the doors are shutting. It’s a close thing, but for thirty minutes at least, we can relax. Game three is just a few hours away.

Sunday 22nd January 2012, FC Barcelona B v Xerez, Mini Estadi
Despite checking every game in the third and fourth division, and even dipping into the two groups that make up the Catalan Premier Division, the kick off times announced meant that we could only get to three games over the course of the weekend. Our quest to get to four games over the course of a Spanish weekend has to be put on hold again, or at least until the next journey out here.

Being a bit of a Barca fan, it has been strange not going to Camp Nou on a visit out here, so this is the next best thing. On our last visit to watch the B side last May, they blew a 3-1 lead against Las Palmas to lose 3-5.

Tonight though, there are less people here than on that warm May evening; we try to work out the crowd as the game goes on, and reckon that it might be around the 800 mark. It’s a cold evening, and with a 7.45pm kick off, the hats and gloves are already on by the time that the game starts.

Barcelona are playing in more or less the same style as the first team, although as you would expect, it’s not quite as slick here. The news has already filtered through that the first team are well on the way to victory in Malaga when the home side take the lead through the impressive Tello. With six minutes to go before half time, he drifts in from the left side of the Xerez penalty area, and curls a right footed shot past the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the net. Barca have been the better side up until this point and they now have the goal to go with their superiority.

As Dan disappears at half time, I wonder if these games are being promoted enough through the membership. All current Barca members can get in for free, and bring up to three guests in for €5 each. I accept that this isn’t the first team, and that it can be difficult to get yourself excited to watch a team that actually can’t get promoted any higher than they are now. But even so, it’s still a relatively cheap night out, and you could at least bring the kids along. And this is the second division, not the Spanish equivalent of the Isthmian League. Can you imagine any club in the English second tier getting 800 for a home league game?

With an hour played, Barcelona are 2-0 up and the game is as good as done. Another good piece of play by Tello on the left wing results in his low cross eluding everyone and is tapped home at the back post by Rodri. His acrobatic goal celebration is followed by a mass migration to the bench, where everyone joins in with the celebrations. Xerez have never beaten Barcelona B in the mini estadi, and they certainly don’t look like doing it tonight.

Which they don’t. By the end of the game, it is still 2-0, and the home side have moved up to 12th following this win. There is enough time for a trip to the golden arches before boarding a train back to our hotel on the other side of the city. While we might not have had the quality of football that we have had on previous trips, it’s still been a good one, and we have at least been to two new grounds. With our next trip into Europe being in five weeks time, at least we don’t have to wait too much longer for our next fix of the beautiful game, continental style.

Winning away is overrated anyway

noreply@blogger.com (The General) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:51:00 +0000

After last week's memorable win over Arsenal, Abi Davies hopped on the Swan Express and headed north to Wearside to visit the ever improving Sunderland team.

Swansea City went into Saturday's game at The Stadium Of Light undefeated in their previous 5 games, and on the back of 3 consecutive victories were looking to retain their 100% win record in 2012.

Brendan Rodgers made just one change to the side that started against Arsenal six days ago, as loan signing Gylfi Sigurdsson was handed his full Swansea debut, following a sensational second half performance last weekend.

The Swans should have no shame in the manner in which they lost the game on Saturday, with it taking a sublime strike either side of the interval to condemn the Welsh side to their eighth defeat of the campaign.

The home side got the game under way and were the quicker to settle into their rhythm putting Swansea's defence under instant pressure making their intentions clear from the outset, Martin O'Neill's side didn't allow the Swans to dominate proceedings with their fluid passing movements early on.

Nicklas Bendtner and David Vaughn applied relentless pressure on Swansea's back line, not allowing them any time to dictate the pace of the game or pass the ball out from defence as they often do to great effect.

Despite Sunderland's early dominance, it was the visitors who should have found themselves in front, when Nathan Dyer supplied a dangerous ball across the face of goal which eventually fell for Scott Sinclair, however the winger could not keep his shot down as he failed to work the keeper with his effort.

The Swans were made to rue this missed opportunity moments later when Sessegnon fired home a superb strike following some neat interplay with James McClean inside the area.

The home side threatened again soon after, this time Welsh international David Vaughn had the shot, however blasted the ball high over the cross bar.

Having signed on loan for the Swans less than a month ago, Gylfi Sigurdsson has already made a name for himself in the Swansea City side and the Icelandic midfielder almost set up the equalising goal for the visitors, however his delivery into the box for Danny Graham didn't quite fall for the striker who couldn't direct the ball on target.

McClean was enjoying mass success down the left flank due to Angel Rangel's poor positional play at full back, which saw the Catalan caught high up the field on numerous occasions.

Swansea soon began to get a foothold on the game, dispossessing Sunderland with ease and stringing some good passages of play together as Joe Allen and Sigurdsson began to command the midfield. However, despite Swansea's dominance in possession, they were not sufficiently testing Sunderland keeper Mignolet who was not made to work until the hour mark when he did well to palm away Sigurdsson's free kick.

There appeared to be very little penetration pushing forward from the Welsh side as they were lacking a cutting edge in the final third, as they passed the ball around well however were not advancing into the 18 yard box often enough.

Neither of our wide players enjoyed much success on Saturday, being muscled off the ball frequently with defenders doubling up on Sinclair each time he was looking to advance into dangerous areas of the pitch.

With little over 60 minutes played, Sigurdsson was replaced by fellow loan signing Josh McEachran. I feel the Swans missed Sigurdsson after his departure despite McEachran doing well with the few touches of the ball that he had.

Swansea controlled the game in the majority of departments, however Sunderland punished them for not capitalising on their opportunities and sealed victory 5 minutes from time when Gardner lofted a sensational strike over Vorm ensuring Sunderland's resurgence under O'Neill continues.

With Swansea suffering their 7th defeat on the road, I feel changes may be needed away from home. Personally I would opt for a diamond formation, omitting our wide players for games away from The Liberty, as I believe we would still be able to offer width going forward due to our attack minded full backs.