Blogs

In Response To Oliver Holt

2013-03-30T17:19:46Z

If you read my trip report from San Marino you will know that I was quite forthright in my criticism of elements of the England support. I was shocked however to read this article by Oliver Holt making accusations of racism. HERE

The article makes some very serious accusations about the English supporters in the Stadio Olympico and some of the songs that were being sung.

The key song that the article refers to is the 'Bonfire' song. I was at the game and have spoken to dozens of other people that were there. Not one of us heard this song. Of course, that does not mean that it was not sung. There were England fans all around the ground and it may have originated in an area away from where everyone I have spoken to were sat. I have no reason to think that Mr Holt would have invented this song and so can only take his word for the fact that it was sung.

What I can say, however, is that if there were people in the ground singing this, there could not have been very many of them. A group of say 30 fans singing a song would have been clearly audable in that small stadium. My assumption, therefore is that if it was sung there may have been perhaps 5-10 people involved.

It is the nature of the article that upsets me. The inference is that England supporters are racist and this inference is damaging. A lot of work has gone on from the FA in 'cleaning up' the England support over the last decade or so. In many cases, I think they have gone over the top in this but without doubt they have made fantasic inroads when it comes to racism. To suggest that the England support is still racist, therefore is truely unfair.

Do not get me wrong, I am not for one moment claiming that there are not people with racist view who still follow the England national team. Of course there are. There will always be people in all walks of life who hold these views, but to say England have some racist fans is completely different to saying that England's support is racist. Every club and every nation has some racist fans be it football, rugby, cricket or syncronised swimming.

If there were a small number of fans who were singing racist songs, they need to be dealt with by the FA and by the police. We do not need these people following England. Mr Holt is right here. One person shouting racist abuse is one person too many. If it just a handful though, they should be being dealt with in an appropriate manner, ie. identified and banned. This should not have been sensationalised headline news.

Having been in Rimini and San Marino on the day of the game, I can confirm that there was a lot of anger about Rio Ferdinand's decision to comentate on the game in the Middle East rather than play for his national side. You have to remember that many fans had paid a significant amount of money and booked a week off work to follow the team to San Marino and Montenegro. Is it surprising that they were frustrated with someone who was seen to 'not be bothered to play'? At no point during the day, however, did I hear one racist comment about him.

There is, of course a secondary issue. Assuming we take the song as read, is it actually racist? On the face of it, no. There is nothing at all in that song which uses any kind of racist language and as has been well documented the somg is used at grounds around the country with no racial conotations. The only way, however, to know whether a song like this is being sung with racist undertones is to know the individuals singing it. The same song could easily be sung by two different people for different reasons. As we are yet to identify any individuals as having sung it, I do not understand how a conclusion can have been reached that it was racist.

If you wonder why this matters so much, it is not because of the threat of England playing a game behind closed doors. FIFA are perfectly entitled to investigate and I fully expect the outcome to be that England have no case to answer. The problem comes from the perception of England fans to the general population. I have already heard friends tell me "That's why I don't follow the national team". Some members of the press seem to thrive off criticising the England supporters who care passionately and will follow the team all over the world. Surely we want to be encouraging fans to support England, not turning them away. Furthermore we want to attract fans from different backgrounds. There is a small but increasing number of black and Asian fans following England. That's a good thing but inaccurate reporting like this will put others off.

I care passionately about England and I care passionately about the image of England fans. I have many friends who follow England home and away much more frequently than I do. These are good people who are helping to promote the good name of England fans. It's a real kick in the teeth when someone comes along and tries to undermine this for the sake of a headline.

One Moment In Time

2013-02-20T17:36:59Z

It’s Saturday 16^th Febrruary 2013 and the time is about 19.50. Latics are 2-1 down to Everton in the FA Cup 5^th round.

We’ve played well enough, certainly haven’t disgraced ourselves in front of the TV cameras but we’re out of the cup. Despite the good performance, we’ve not created much in the way of clear cut chances in the second half and when that illusive chance finally fell to Robbie Simpson he fluffed it. Howard did well from the original shot but he should have buried the rebound. You always suspect that a chance will come but you simply have to take it at this level.

I shouldn’t be as upset as I am. We never had any right to expect to get anything out of this game. We are playing the 6^th best team in the country based on their current league position. I am upset though. Not devastated, that would be overstating it but upset all the same. I dared to believe. We were 2 games away from Wembley and I let myself get carried away. Instead of looking forward to tomorrow afternoon’s quarter final draw, all I can look forward to is trying to scrape together enough points to stay in this league. I hate being in this league anyway. Perhaps we’d be better going down. New grounds to go to, new pubs to find… No, don’t be stupid. We’ve picked up a bit of unforeseen revenue from this cup run but relegation could prove terminal.

They’ve done well though, if we play like this we will stay up. They don’t play like this though do they? That’s the reason we’re in this situation.

Come on lads, last chance here. Swing it in and someone get their nut on it. Deano, what are you doing, don’t gift them a free kick by handling… Ohhhh my Goddddddd, Yessssssssssss. Shit, check the lino, his flag’s up, I know he’s put his flag up. No he hasn’t. We’ve done it, Ohhhhhh my Goddddddd. Who scored it? Was it Smithy again? Who cares? Get Innnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

By this point I’m two rows further forward than I was ten seconds ago. I don’t know how I got here but the cuts and bruises on my legs suggest I’ve been dragged over the sharp backs of the seats. I only realise that later in the night as I certainly can’t feel any pain now.

I’m screaming with delight but the overwhelming sense, ridiculously, is relief. All those feelings I had moments earlier have dissolved and been filled with pure euphoric relief.

Then it starts, I’m crying. Tears rolling down my cheek. Get a grip man, what are you doing? I don’t know why, but there’s nothing I can do. The whistles gone and I should be looking forward to Goodison but instead I’m blubbering like a baby. It’s not the first time. I was close after Liverpool and a right state both when we were relegated at Norwich and when we lost the Play-off at Loftus Road. It doesn’t make it any less pathetic though. The non-stop chanting I’ve witnessed from the small section of the Roachdale Road End is getting even louder and that’s just making me worse.

It’s twenty years since I’ve seen Boundary Park like this. This is what it’s supposed to be like. I love football.

The End of the Dickov Era

2013-02-04T16:54:01Z

My views on sacking managers were well documented in the blog I did at the end of September. I strongly believe that a manager has to be given time to complete the job he has been asked to do. Despite this, even I had come to the conclusion that Paul Dickov could not remain as manager.

The league run of one point in nine games that preceeded Dickov’s resignation included a number of games where we could honestly claim to have been unlucky. Unfortunately that excuse eventually runs out. It is fair to say that you have to make your own luck at times.

When a manager leaves his post, it is common to hear the phrase “He lost the dressing room”. On this occasion, couldn’t seem to be further from the truth. Everything suggests that the players loved Dickov yet still they didn’t play for him. Was he too ‘matey’ with them? I don’t know. All I do know is he wasn’t getting the best out of them.

A lot has been made about the strength of the squad this season. Indeed, Dickov himself described it as the strongest during his time at the club. Personally, I don’t buy that. We had a decent first eleven but the squad was worryingly thin. That said, Corney did back him when he needed to. A number of loanees were brought in and the signing of Jose Baxter more than any showed that some money could be found when it really mattered.

By the time we lost to Notts County it was clear that Dickov had no future at Oldham. If it had been me I would have made the decision at that point. The Liverpool game was always going to muddy the waters. When we won, it made Paul unsackable in the immediate term and had we lost, the press would have had a field day with “Oldham sack manager because they lose to Liverpool”. For whatever reason, Corney chose to give him that Liverpool game and in many ways it was an inspired decision. I wouldn’t swap that victory for anything right now and you have to imagine that had Dickov gone, we probably wouldn’t have won it. For once his tactics were spot on.

In the aftermath of the game, we became a big story in the media. It was inevitable that questions would be asked regarding the manager’s position and I’m not sure I know what Simon’s response should have been. I honestly believe he was in turmoil. It is clear that he and Paul are good friends and that he didn’t want to lose him. Friendships shouldn’t cloud a business judgement but it’s hardly surprising that they do.

The way the manager was backed on deadline day shows to me that he really was being given a final opportunity to turn it round. If he could have done it, the Liverpool game could have been the biggest turning point in our history.

Sadly it was not to be. For twenty minutes against Walsall it looked like things might be on the up. Even after that there were signs that all might not be lost but the way we capitulated in the final twenty minutes meant that Dickov was a dead man walking. He’d shown that despite all that had gone on, he just couldn’t motivate them in the way required.

The players have a lot to answer for. There are a number who simply have not performed at a level that they are capable of with any consistency. They claimed to like him but when he was relying on them to save his bacon they went missing.

I didn’t like the way that his eventual dismissal was played out in the press but again, that was largely down to the furore following the famous cup victory. It struck me that the news he’d gone made the national news while Keith Curle’s dismissal from Notts County the same day didn’t warrant a mention.

What has happened has happened and I wish Paul well for the future. I believe that he can make it and at times we saw some superb football while he was here. As well as the big wins such as Liverpool and Sheff Utd there were games like Charlton away when we battered them with ten men without finding the goal to win the game. Crewe away and Preston at home this season saw some of the best football I’ve seen from an Oldham side in quite some time.

It’s important now that we bring in the right man to take the club forward. I am not going to put specific names forward but it needs to be the right choice, not an emotional choice. I would not like to see us step backwards by appointing someone who’s been here before. We need a clean break. I will support whoever gets it whether it is who I want or not. The only way we will be successful is if everyone is pushing in the same direction.

My one plea to Simon Corney would be to appoint who he believes will keep this club up and then play good football next season. Don’t pick who the fans want, pick the best man for the job. Just remember, though, that this man is not Mark Hughes.

Standing Up For Your Rights

2012-12-11T22:26:03Z

There are two football stories dominating the media today with 13 clubs backing calls for a return to safe standing, while the PFA have mooted the idea of clubs installing netting to protect players from missiles. Both issues simply highlight how football fans are treated differently from other sections of society.

The call for safe standing is a no-brainer for me. Standing should never have been outlawed in the top two divisions and bringing it back should be an option available to all clubs.

I am well aware of the sensitive nature of this argument, particularly amongst Liverpool fans affected by the Hillsborough disaster but you have to look at these things objectively. Hillsborough was not caused by people standing. We have had it confirmed recently that there were a number of failings which led to the disaster but ultimately, it was caused by fences. The fans in the Leppings Lane end were crushed due to the fact that they had nowhere to go. If there had been no fences, there is nothing to suggest that there would have been any deaths. The overcrowding in there was due to critical errors by the police and stewards.

Technology has moved on and even if you accept that standing in the form we used to have will never return, safe standing areas have proved hugely successful in Germany. Why this technology has been repeatedly ignored by the powers that be in this country has to be questioned.

It seems that as a football fan, I do not have the right to choose how I watch a game whereas if I want to attend another event, I suddenly have that right. Not only have venues for other forms of entertainment not had to convert to seating, new venues with huge standing areas can still be built. In the last couple of years both Salford Reds and St Helens Rugby League teams have built new stadia with significant terraces. Not only that, but while Wembley Stadium has to be all seated for football matches, it is fine for 15,000 people to stand on the pitch for a rock concert. Either standing is dangerous or it is not, you cannot claim that it is only dangerous if you are watching football.

I should add here that I am not someone who believes that the reintroduction of terracing will reduce the cost of attending games. There will be a cost with installing terraces and I have no doubt this will get passed on to fans. I do, however still think that large numbers will choose to stand. It is interesting to note that in recent years the price of standing at gigs has risen above the cost of sitting for big artists, clear evidence that demand is for the experience, not the price.

To me, there is no comparison between sitting and standing at a game. The atmosphere that can be made by a few hundred stood together can easily outstrip tens of thousands sat down. At the same time, I have witnessed my parents have games ruined for them by fans standing in front of them in all seater grounds. Offer the opportunity to stand and you should remove this problem.

The idea of putting up netting is equally discriminatory. Why do some people insist on tarring all football fans with the same brush? It was disgraceful that someone threw a coin at Rio Ferdinand on Sunday but what has that got to do with me just because I like to watch football?

If I go into town on a Friday night and assault someone, I will be arrested and if the press take note, they will refer to me as a thug. If I was to commit the assault inside a football ground on a Saturday afternoon, I would still be arrested but the press would probably refer to football hooligans. Exactly the same act sees me blamed in one instance but football fans generalised in the other. Likewise, I ask the question whether should someone throw a coin at an actor in a West End play, would there be calls for audiences to be searched or barriers to be put up to protect actors in all theatres across London?

The same kind of discrimination exists in other areas too. It is illegal to drink alcohol within sight of a football pitch at a game in England. It is not illegal to drink in the stand at rugby or cricket. It is illegal to sell on a ticket to a friend for a professional at less than face value. If you sell a ticket for any other event at twice the face value to a total stranger, you have committed no offence.

I’m not claiming that these laws have all been brought in without reason. In the 1970s and 80s there were so many problems with hooliganism that some emergency legislation was required but football is not in the same place now that it was then. Maybe it is time to stop treating us all like animals and instead show us the respect that just we deserve.

Please note that these are my own views and do not represent the views of www.ernieflag.co.uk

Please feel free to follow me on Twitter… @oldham_mark

Should He Stay or Should He Go?

2012-10-01T18:19:44Z

That time has come where the lone voices questioning the manager’s position has turned into more of a heated debate. It always comes eventually and it is rare that a manager can win them all back once the questions start to be aired.

There is no doubt that Latics are underperforming this season. We’ve got a decent starting eleven, better I would say than we had last year. The squad itself is very thin but with the team that we are currently able to put out we should certainly not have found ourselves sucked into the bottom four.

It is no surprise, therefore, that Paul Dickov finds himself under pressure. We look at the likes of Montano and Croft on the wing and can see so much opportunity for chances to be created. We look at Derbyshire in the middle with Baxter just behind him and see players who have the ability to capitalise on those chances. The defenders are making far too many individual errors but for the most part look solid enough and in the middle of the park we’ve got two players who proved last season that they are above average for League One. Despite this it is difficult to see where our next goal, and certainly our next win is going to come from. The only logical explanation is that it’s the manager’s fault.

I am not going to put forward an argument that I do not blame Dickov, I believe that the responsibility lies squarely on his shoulders but I do not believe that the automatic solution is to sack him. Chairmen are very quick these days to pull the trigger when things start going wrong but what good does it actually do? We’ve had eight managers in the last ten years (excluding caretakers who only got the odd game) and we have gained nothing. It’s easy to change managers, it takes guts to stick by them and give them time.

A manager is given a job to do at the start of each season and should be given the opportunity to do it. If a manager is told that he must be top ten after fifteen games, then fine, replace him if he fails but if a manager is told to keep a team up over the duration of the season, he should be given the chance to do so, even if the campaign starts badly. There were some who thought Dickov was lucky to make it through the summer but he did and having started this season, he needs to be backed.

I have heard many comments that we are doomed this season, but that is far from the truth. As I’ve already stated we’ve got some good players and they are players that Paul Dickov has managed to bring to the club. There’s a lot a new players though and they are taking longer than we’d like to gel. It may be that they never gel, but I still think Dickov deserves the chance to try.

My views on how managers should be treated have changed over the years. I was very vocal in calling for a number of manager’s heads; Sharp, Talbot and Moore spring to mind. I look back now, however and think I was probably misguided. We need some continuity at the club and the Boundary Park revolving door has played some part in why we are where we are.

I am pleased to see that despite the negative feeling towards Dickov by some, this has not resulted in chants for him to go at matches. That really does do nothing to help the team and I think it shows that underneath, most fans want him to do well.

I hope that Latics fans can be won round and that we can put together the run of results that will allow this to happen.

2012-13 Season Preview

2012-08-17T21:41:31Z

Every year I embarrass myself with my predictions on how the league will turn out come May (although I think it is actually the end of April for some reason this year.

Here goes:

1st MK Dons

Signings of Smith and Lowe could be the difference this time round. Can see them winning the league (much as I hate to say it).

2nd Sheff Utd

Ched Evans cost them promotion last time and they haven't replaced him but I think they will be too strong for most teams in this division.

3rd Swindon

Di Cannio is being backed by the board and Swindon will be a handful this campaign. Promotion candidates.

4th Coventry

Lots of ins and outs but they've kept hold of McSheffrey and made some astute signings. Could potentially challenge for top 2.

5th Notts County

Players they've brought in look better than those they have released. Can see them challenging towards the top.

6th Colchester

Sears and Morrison could be inspired. Looks a good side last year. Can see a good season for them.

7th Doncaster

Anything could happen based upon their loan signing policy of last season. Can see them just missing out on play-offs.

8th Brentford

Didn't live up to expectations last season. Touch and go for the play-offs.

9th Carlisle

Will miss Zoko. Cadamarteri signing could go either way but they will challenge for a play-off place.

10th Preston

Almost a complete new squad from last season. A bad start and the fans will get restless. Westley out by Christmas, Preston mid-table.

11th Bournemouth

A decent side. Nothing too exciting has happened in the transfer market but should finish mid-table.

12th Scunthorpe

A couple of decent signings but can't see them troubling either end of the table.

13th Shrewsbury

They've got Rob Purdie so they are bound to do well! Should be able to survive but won't challenge for promotion.

14th Stevenage

Excellent performances from them last season but think they'll find it tougher this time round. Won't struggle to survive though.

15th Hartlepool

Won't be feeling good after departure of James Brown but would expect a mid-table finish. Howard's a great signing.

16th Tranmere

Hoof! They will be alright. Ian Thomas-Moore hasn't signed yet. Only a matter of time.

17th Oldham

I think we'll struggle. The 1st team looks decent but the squad is weak. Need to make good use of loan signings. Should stay up though.

18th Crawley

Haven't spent the money that many expected. Could be a season of consolidation after back to back promotions.

19th Leyton Orient

Struggled last year and nothing to suggest anything different. Think they'll stay up… just.

20th Portsmouth

Everyone expects them to go down but I can see money being found and spent in January. Big call but I think they'll stay up.

21st Crewe

Loss of Powell will be a huge blow. Some decent young players but will struggle at this level.

22nd Yeovil

Keanu Marsh-Brown and Reuban Reid will improve their squad but I think they will be back in League 2 next year.

23rd Bury

Over performed last term. No manager at the moment. Could really struggle.

24th Walsall

Managed to survive last season but can't see them repeating that trick. Fabian Brandy needs to find the form to match his potential.

Terry's Olympic Thoughts

2012-08-13T08:02:12Z

I haven’t been to any Olympic events, but I’ve spent many hours glued to BBC TV, from ‘Breakfast’ to ‘Olympics Tonight’, watching sports that I’d never even heard of, and quickly becoming an ‘expert’ and a critic. If medals were to be appointed for mastering the ‘red button’ and the ever-changing ‘blue menu’, with crucial moments being continued on other channels, I’d like to think I’d be up there on the podium.

I’ve loved the entertainment and spectacle of sports played hard and fair with passion and desire in front of packed, patriotic and well-behaved crowds. The abilities, human spirit, dignity and humility shown by so many competitors have been so inspiring. I experienced stress and adrenolin rushes as I screamed and shouted at the TV, and I’ve shed tears of joy and despair. Even my correctly-predicted penalty shoot-out exit and relay baton cock-up failed to dampen my spirit.

The organisation of such a massive event has been a tremendous success. Among the top performers have been the army of 70,000 volunteers, who have endured long days in their uniforms without pay, and whose work has been praised by competitors in interviews.

National pride has eclipsed my usual cynicism and the scaremongering media claims have been exposed, as the public transport hasn’t collapsed, terrorists haven’t blown up anything and a good time has been had by all.

The cost of London 2012 has been colossal and the knee-jerk reaction to such spending without a direct return – ‘this could be better used elsewhere’ – misses the point. Of course there are many areas which need more funding, but if we follow the flawed logic of cutting everything that’s optional, who would want to live in a country without things such as art, literature, film, competitive sport and exploratory science?

People have been more cheerful than usual, with complete strangers in the street stopping to chat about the previous day’s sporting events. I know that the feel-good factor will dissipate quickly and the flag-waving glee is unlikely to last until Christmas.

Claims of a major economic boost have been shown to be exaggerated, with increased sales and footfall in Stratford having been cancelled out by losses in the West End. However, in the long-term, I would expect many more foreign visitors than usual to be drawn to London by the iconic images shown throughout the Olympics.

London’s Olympic legacy remains to be seen, but I hope that the UK’s successful performance as hosts and participants will inject a ‘can do’ attitude into tackling other national issues, as well as inspiring us all to be more active.

Roll on the Paralympics!

Hooping With "The Parrot" In The Baltics

2012-08-02T17:00:11Z

So the question was how to fill the void between Euro 2012 finishing and the Olympics starting?

There had been a trip to the National Memorial Arboretum to see the Olympic Torch on Armed Forces Day and listen to our grandchildren’s school choir singing “Who do you think you’re kidding Mr. Hitler?” – it doesn’t get much more patriotic than that! There was a day out in Nottingham to support Lancashire against Notts in the T20 (ruined by the Duck Egg/Looney Method), and an enjoyable first visit to the World Renowned Trent Bridge Inn since it had been taken over by J.D. Wetherspoon. There was also an occasional glance at the Wimbledon tennis, but none of it was like being able to stretch the vocal chords, with a good shout and sing-song at a football match.

With Latics at a training camp in Portugal, financed from the playing budget, we had to wait until July 21^st for our first pre-season friendly, which was a welcome day out in York to play one of the League’s newcomers.

This was a gentle warm-up for the main action – a trip to watch Shamrock Rovers play FK Ekranas of Lithuania in the second leg of the 2^nd qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. Anyone watching the Irish supporters enjoying themselves in Euro 2012, in spite of their team’s performances, should be able to picture the atmosphere created on these occasions and the attraction to craic enthusiasts.

Rovers’ historic exploits in Europe last season, including becoming the first Irish club to win a tie in two different UEFA competitions, had gained 2,300 coefficient points.

This meant that the club had climbed 62 places in the UEFA rankings to 240th, but was still nine places behind FK Ekranas. If Chelsea had not won the penalty shootout with Bayern Munich in the Champions League Final in May, Rovers would have made the list of 17 seeded teams and met supposedly easier opposition.

Rovers’ form in the League had been atrocious. Since we went to see them beat Drogheda in May, they had only won one of six League games and supporters had lost any confidence they may have had in the manager and his signings. However, hope springs eternal, and with FK Ekranas’ players having not been paid for months and the best three players having left the club before the first leg in Dublin, there was a slight sense of hopeful optimism. In that match Rovers had played really well, but it resulted goalless with the Hoops left to rue three missed chances during a rousing final 10 minutes. At least they had the consolation of not conceding at home, and therefore they didn’t need to win the second leg, as a score draw would suffice.

The draw for the Third Qualifying Round of the Champions League had already been made and the winners of this tie would face Anderlecht in Brussels, Belgium in a week’s time and what a trip that promised to be. Fate was not being tempted, but, with the tight timescale, there were many plans being formulated…..just in case.

Margaret and I were up and on the road by 3:00am to Liverpool Airport for the 6:35am flight to Riga in Latvia. At this start of another European campaign, it didn’t seem like almost twelve months since we had been off to Tallinn in Estonia, and in the words of John Lennon, after whom the Airport is named:

Why don't we take off

Take a trip somewhere far, far away

It's time to spread our wings and fly

Don't let another day go by my love

It'll be just like starting over.

We met, for the first time, a Hoop who had travelled from Glasgow by train and sat together on the plane. The flight-time soon passed as I recalled many of our adventures while Hooping over the past fifteen years, since we first met members of the Hooperati in the Isle of Man. That pre-season International Football Tournament had featured the Isle of Man, Latics, Preston North End, Rovers, Wigan and Wrexham. After overcoming the initial doubts created on the first day by the English fans singing “no surrender”, the fans had got on together famously, and friendships had been created that were still strong to this day. Lookalike fans had been nicknamed ‘Uncle Fester’ (OAFC), ‘Harry Hill’ (PNE), ‘John Parrott’ (SRFC) and ‘Damon Hill’ (WAFC), and there was a ‘Beer Monster’ from Wrexham, who appeared to have been separated at birth from Rovers’ legendary ‘Big Dec’. It became clear that ‘John Parrott’ featured largely in my stories and it came as no surprise when he was to feature prominently in new stories created over the next few days. To avoid any possible confusion, and to protect the innocent, from here onwards I’ll refer to him as ‘The Parrot’ [sic].

With FK Ekranas playing in Panev?žys, located over two hours by coach from both Riga, the Latvian capital, and Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, and slightly less time from the airport at Kaunas, the Hoops’ invasion of Eastern Europe saw them arriving from Dublin in all directions via: Beauvais, Brussels, East Midlands, Gatwick, Liverpool, Oslo, Stansted and Stockholm.

The determination of which city to use as a base being carefully worked out on factors, of which top of the list was the local price of alcohol, with Lithuania coming out tops. However we stayed in Riga, a World Heritage Site I have wanted to see for many years.

The Club had arranged a charter flight for the players, officials and any supporters for whom a quick return to work the day after the match was necessary. Other supporters stayed on for one or two extra nights sampling the local attractions.

Our coach from Riga along the Via Baltica Highway en route to Prague, was half an hour late departing and, due to roadworks, arrived an hour late at Panev?žys. At the Lithuanian border I had the dubious distinction of having my hand licked by the Police Officer’s drugs-detecting dog. After checking-in at our hotel for our one-night stay, over lunch we met up with some Hoops who were staying there, before joining the Hooperati for the pre-match drinking session at a bar in the town square.

It was a hot day and we were thankful for fine weather, as most of the 4,000 capacity all-seated Aukštaitija Stadium was uncovered. With its single stand and running track, it was very reminiscent of the National Sports Centre Stadium in Douglas, Isle of Man, even to the extent of tickets being sold from a table by the entrance. As with many Latics matches, a great day out was to become spoiled once the game started.

Two official Organizers were happy to pose for a picture.

The FK Ekranus official photographer captured a Hoop showing his support for the Club.

It hadn’t happened before the pre-season friendly at York, but surely the Champions League would be the opportunity for us to witness UEFA’s well-considered effort to improve the game….no, not goal-line technology, I mean the countdown from ten to zero before the match can start! Alas no!

It soon became obvious that FK Ekranas were very poor and were playing much worse than they had done in the first leg in Tallaght. However, Rovers were even worse and the match soon looked to have 0-0 written all over it. Then, out of the blue, almost on the stroke of half-time, Serbian midfielder Marko Andelkovic was left unmarked in the box and got his head to a cross with the easiest of tasks to nod it past Oscar Jansson.

Surely Rovers would score in the second half and all that was needed was a score draw to get through to that trip to Brussels. Rovers came out with the right attitude, getting at Ekranas from the off. McCabe’s superb cross deserved better three minutes in, but Dennehy completely missed it when he looked certain to score. What followed from Rovers was unconvincing and it was no surprise when Ekranas doubled their lead on 63 minutes. The goal again stemmed from some awful defending as Zilvanias Kymantas waltzed past four Rovers players and struck a left-foot shot past Jansson.

Hopes of sampling all those different beers in Brussels and the jackpot of at least €240,000 for Rovers, faded fast, and the dissatisfaction of many of the 200-strong Rovers’ contingent, with manager Stephen Kenny and his signings, surfaced prominently. A stoppage-time penalty from Gary McCabe gave Rovers the slenderest of belated hope, but when Craig Sives had a last-gasp chance to give Rovers an undeserved passage two minutes later, he could not get enough purchase on his header from McCabe’s free-kick and the ball flew wide.

The fact that Rovers’ keeper Oscar Jannson was the Man of the Match, with at least four top saves, spoke volumes. To be beaten by a good team is acceptable, but Ekranas were only the better of two bad teams.

Many Hoops chanted for their manager’s removal as they flew into a rage, and the flight back to Dublin, with supporters accompanying the Club’s management and players, was not going to be very enjoyable for all concerned. ‘The Parrot’ got inside the main stand and ‘flew’ around the stadium corridors, hoping to let the Rovers’ manager know his feelings about this latest unsatisfactory performance in a season of decline. Perhaps he was fortunate to be unsuccessful in his search. He ended up by mistake in the home team dressing room, and had no choice but to shake hands with the Ekranas players, before meeting up with them later in a local bar.

Unfortunately he missed the mini-bus back to Riga and ended up imposing himself on some Hoops, who had a hotel room. He didn’t arrive back in Riga until about 7:00pm on Wednesday, after travelling back with the other Hoops on the scheduled coach calling in Panev?žys on its route from Prague.

Back at the hotel on Tuesday evening, the post-mortems continued until eventually the subject was changed to Latics. Our shared disinterest in the Greedy League, and preference for the camaraderie of following lower league football, had them promising to make the trip from Dublin to Boundary Park. Similar discussions with other Hoops on this trip produced more such promises. If only my powers of persuasion worked as well when talking to lapsed Latics supporters in Oldham.

The arrangement with our hotel management was that the bar would only remain open after midnight, if the wages of the female bar staff were paid by the drinkers. I don’t know what the Lithuanian minimum wage is, but I would imagine the money collected for the girls was similar to a week’s wages.

After breakfast the following morning, we headed to the Bus Station for the coach back to Riga for two nights’ stay at our original hotel. Our sightseeing afternoon included a visit to the Museum of Latvian Occupation. The graphic images of the suffering during Soviet (twice) and Nazi occupation between 1940 and 1991 gave us an insight into the soul of the Latvian nation.

The statistics of the victims and the stories, documents and artefacts of those who survived the occupation periods, illustrated the full force of the horrors experienced. The first-hand accounts of the 'parashas' (prisoners' toilets) made particularly grim reading, and made the stories told by ‘The Parrot’ about a shortage of underpants and their rotation pale into insignificance.

After an evening meal, we called in at Moloney’s Irish Bar, where ‘The Parrot’ was relating his overnight Panev?žys experiences. It’s a rare event for us to be able to buy Hoops a drink, because they insist on including us in their round of drinks to acknowledge our support. A group of Hoops was due to head out to the airport for the midnight flight home, and I expressed doubt that a couple of the most inebriated ones would be allowed to travel. As this would be farewell to ‘The Parrot’, I managed to buy him one for the road. He was in great form, introducing me to some Hajduk Split fans, praising Latics and then leading them in an anti-English chant, all in the spirit of many a true word being spoken in jest by a likeable rogue.

About ninety minutes later when I was getting on like a house on fire with my new Croat friend, who do you think turned up like the proverbial bad penny…..you’ve guessed…’The Parrot’. He had only got himself breath-tested and been denied his seat on the plane. Had that last pint I bought him made all the difference? Or was it a case of drawing attention to himself, like parrots do (“Pretty Polly”, “Pieces of eight!” etc). His theory was that Ryanair had overbooked the flight and were looking for a solution to their problem. He said his selection had arisen from having the finger of suspicion pointed at him from one of those Hoops who I had thought at the pub looked most likely to be denied the flight. He would be raising the matter next time the two of them met!

How ironic that, on the same day, an 11 year old boy had managed to fly from Manchester to Rome without a ticket, passport or boarding card! If only Jet2 flew from Riga to Dublin.

Problems seem to be attracted to ‘The Parrot’ like iron filings to a magnet. Stranded without a charged mobile phone and having spent up, he was very lucky that a fellow-Hoop was prepared to make the huge humanitarian (or, some might say, extremely foolish) gesture of lending ‘The Parrot’ his debit card! Other Hoops allowed him to share their hotel room, while vowing never to do so again.

On Thursday we resumed the sightseeing with an open-top bus tour and a boat trip along the Riga Canal and River Daugava, before calling in at Moloney’s, where ‘the Parrot’ and the last two remaining Hoops were having a quiet drink . I say quiet, but ‘The Parrot’ had concluded that the entire Latvian female population had small breasts, and therefore any girls walking past the bar, who were more favourably blest, must be tourists . He felt it necessary to shout this to them as they walked past, prompting one local girl to acknowledge that her breasts were not as big as those of ‘The Parrot’ - touché.

A quick change at the hotel and we called in at Moloney’s, where ‘The Parrot’ was acting as cheerleader for the Hajduk Split fans, before they went to support their team against Skonto FC in the Europa Cup.

I bought ‘The Parrot’ and the other two Hoops a drink before they went off to the airport. After all, last night’s ‘lightning strike’ couldn’t be repeated could it, especially as ‘the Parrot’ was not wearing his football shirt and therefore less conspicuous.

We left for a meal at a restaurant round the corner in the square. We were sat comfortably, awaiting the food, when sirens were heard and police vans headed towards Moloney’s. Then the Hajduk Split fans appeared en masse, walking up the street from Moloney’s and across the square, and who was walking in the middle of them? Yes, there was ‘The Parrot’ caught up in a march to Skonto FC’s stadium, escorted by four Police vans.

Not long afterwards he reappeared on his own, walking back towards Moloney’s. I had a quick word with him – he had managed to extract himself from the Croats, and said he was catching up with the other two Hoops setting off for the airport. He had decided that the following night’s planned trip to Derry to watch Rovers would be given a miss, particularly as he had a lot of explaining to do at home – ‘the Parrot’ was to be grounded. Little did I know when I took the picture of the other two Hoops earlier in front of the Croats’ flag, its translated message read “I Hate Cops”.

After the meal we went to a Pete Anderson and the Swamp Shakers’ gig in the square. After all those years of occupied oppression, rockabilly had reached Latvia at last and we had a rockin’ night with the country’s #1 exponents. We even caught a glimpse on a nearby bar’s TV screen of the final whistle with Hajduk Split winning their tie 2-1 on aggregate to set up a Europa League tie against Inter Milan.

The word Hajduk is meant to symbolize the best qualities of its people: bravery, humanity, friendship, love of freedom, defiance to powers, and protection of the weak – I like to think those qualities are shared with supporters of Rovers and Latics.

Friday morning saw us leave Riga on the flight back to John Lennon Airport, Liverpool, with its slogan ‘Above us only sky’. I couldn’t help but think of Rovers’ supporters more likely to be singing:

Imagine there's no Kenny

It’s easy if you try

Bring in Jim Magilton

Above us only Sligo.

A Year To Look Forward To

2011-12-28T13:24:09Z

It’s been some time since there has been so much anticipation of a new year from Latics fans. A trip to Anfield beckons and we are just 180 minutes from Wembley. The Boxing Day performance has put a bit of a dampener on it but it’s all about the cups at the moment.

2011 has been a strange old year. Looking at it overall, it’s difficult to justify a claim that it has been anything other than disappointing in the league. The pre-Christmas postponements in 2010 meant that we have ended up playing 50 league games in this calendar year (before we take on Notts County on NYE) yet we have only tasted victory on 13 occasions. If I had to pick out a highlight it would probably be the win at Scunthorpe in August. I never thought I would see the day we managed to bring back three points from Glanford Park. Unfortunately I missed the game at Meadow Lane when our long run without a win finally came to an end. From everything I’ve heard, that was right up there too.

When picking out a low point from the year it’s difficult to look too far past the 6-0 and 5-0 home defeats by Southampton and Peterborough. Southampton were awesome on the day we met them which was a slight comfort but against Posh we completely surrendered. I’d probably include the 3-2 defeat to Wednesday too, simply because we showed such spirit to fight back after going two down only to fail to turn up for the second half once they’d got Boundary Park believing again.

When looking back at 2011, I think it is only fair to give a special mention to Alan Hardy who has finally been forced to call time on his 31 years working for the club. Alan has not always been Mr Popular but has always acted in the best interests of Oldham Athletic and will be sorely missed. I just hope he has been able to pass on much of the knowledge of running a football that he has built up over the last three decades. I’m sure I speak for most in wishing him all the best for the future and that he is able to return to good health as speedily as possible. I’m also convinced that while he might not be working, we’ll still see plenty of him at Boundary Park.

The cup has given us the light relief we’ve needed this campaign, with some good league performances also mixed in with the poorer ones.

January is going to be a massive month. The Liverpool game is a wonderful opportunity for a day out but it’ll take something special for us to get a result. Recent draws at Anfield for Wigan and Blackburn have to give us some hope that if we can put in a performance, anything is possible. In many respects, the Chesterfield cup game is even more important. If Anfield’s a good day out, Wembley would be even more special and the revenue generated for the club would be a real lifeline. The cup games are only half the story though, two league games are at new grounds for Latics, Chesterfield and Stevenage, which should lead to a great away following. If that’s not enough, the other trip is to our Yorkshire friends in Huddersfield. It’s not going to be a cheap start to the year.

Looking a bit further into the future, we need to ensure that we don’t let our league form dip as we put our all into the cups. The players that we have got at the moment are good enough to mount a serious push for the play-offs on their day. At the moment, however, inconsistency is our biggest problem. If we can keep afloat in January, February and March give us a wonderful opportunity to press on. Personally I can’t see us getting the 6^th spot but it is far from impossible, especially if Paul can use the transfer window to our advantage.

Hooping On The Spur Of The Moment

2011-12-17T18:06:46Z

We were up at 3:30am for the now familiar early morning flight from East Midlands to Dublin, with Jenny flying in from Manchester, and meeting up in the airport for breakfast before catching the Flybus to Tallaght.

We were here for the last game of this incredible season, in which Rovers had created history by becoming the first Irish club to qualify for the group stages of a European competition. To have reached that milestone while successfully retaining the League of Ireland title, winning the All-Ireland Setanta Cup and clocking up ten more League points than last year in the process, has been a tremendous achievement. These part-time players reported for pre-season training on 15th January and here we are, eleven months later, in game No. 60, even though the League season finished in October.

Rovers’ supporters have become accustomed to the Club, which they own, being largely ignored within Ireland, where ‘soccer’ is the poor relation to, not only traditional Irish sports, but also the insatiable appetite Irish people have for the English Premier League, the latter albatross being all too familiar to the diminishing number of Latics supporters. The historic journey of Rovers through the Champions League qualifiers and the Group stage of the Europa League, with the associated TV coverage of 27 games, had made the club difficult to ignore at home, and brought it to the attention of an audience of millions, as far away as Australia, China, India and Canada. I only have to recollect the singing of "Shamrock Rovers, Champions" and “Shamrock Rovers will never die” reverberating around White Hart Lane (and dominating the TV sound-track) on that incredible night in September, to get the hairs standing up on the back of my neck. It was like being with buskers from outside the London Palladium earning the right to take part in the Royal Command Performance.

The real, and sometimes perceived, odds stacked against the supporters travelling thousands of miles through Europe, have meant that more than a strong stomach has been needed for this season’s roller-coaster ride. When playing Partizan Belgrade, the unwillingness of the Serbian authorities to allow any behaviour of the locals to jeopardise the country’s application for entry into the European Union, had shown itself in extreme security protection of the Rovers’ supporters. They were assigned minders when drinking in bars and, inside the stadium, after confiscating their cigarette-lighters, they were assigned stewards not only to light their cigarettes, but also to accompany anyone them to the toilet.

The trip to Greece to play PAOK had coincided with a 48 hour general strike against the Government’s austerity measures, with no public transport available and the smell of uncollected rubbish tarnishing the streets. The change of heart by the Greek air traffic controllers at short-notice to reduce the length of their strike to 12 hours had resulted in withdrawn air flights being reinstated, but only after some of the confused Hooperati had made alternative travel arrangements at considerable additional expense. Striking passport controllers at the border resulted in some of the travelling supporters failing to get to Thessaloniki in time for the match. Not even a wooden horse would have succeeded, and although instinct may have made them wary of Greeks bearing gifts, extensive assistance provided by a PAOK supporter, through the SRFC Ultras’ Internet message board, had proved to be indispensable. It was testament to his efforts that the trip had been so enjoyable for the couple of hundred travellers, and their gratitude had been posted in a format which is today’s equivalent of a letter to the Thessalonians. There was a certain irony for the PAOK supporters travelling to London recently for their match against Spurs, only to find the city in the grip of striking public service workers.

To be a supporter of Rovers in Europe is akin to taking on an ambassadorial role, while carrying out voluntary missionary work, in the extremes of intense heat in Belgrade and sub-zero temperature in the Republic of Tatarstan. Fans of other clubs eager to find out more about SRFC, are amazed to learn that the squad was assembled for only €600,000 and the fan-owned Club’s budget is in the region of €2.5 million, when most clubs at this level would be paying similar amounts to a single player. By comparison the annual budget of Spurs is €150m, Rubin Kazan’s is €75m and even that of the Greek champions PAOK is €17m (the amount paid by Rubin Kazan for one player). One of the Hooperati said what Rovers have achieved in Europe this season is like a bloke on a motorbike getting to race in F1.

Although the team had not had success on the pitch in this European Group, the club’s supporters had gained many friends, not least among the bar-owning fraternity.

This was to be Rovers’ twelfth game in European competition this season. Instead of singing “Oh when the Blues…”, when supporting Latics, today we were expecting to hear “Oh when the Spurs go marching in”. Some of the 400 Spurs’ fans, each with at least 877 loyalty points, marched in on our plane and on Jenny’s, while others marched in by boat via Holyhead.

This was to be the first competitive match against an English club in Ireland for 27 years. In the weeks building up to this match, the Spurs fans had been busy researching about Rovers. In these days of ‘fake sheiks’ and football money pouring in from Abu Dhabi,

could the Tallaght Pyramid have confused Chas and Dave about the ownership of Rovers?

Having heard of Hollywood legend Maureen O’Hara being a Rovers fan, whose father was once part-owner of Shamrock Rovers,

Spurs fans had come up with a star of their own. Perhaps not what one would think of as a model Spurs fan, with two divorces by the age of 26, a teenage mother for a sister, a soccer mum for a parent and ancestors from Tottenham, she was none other than Britney Spears.

During the morning, we paid a visit to the Stadium Trophy Room and Megastore, which had a steady stream of customers and telephone calls seeking tickets for this sold-out match. We got a friendly wave from the Chairman, who was busy in the hands-on preparations needed to meet UEFA’s many requirements.

After lunch in the Maldron Hotel, amongst people wearing UEFA accreditation IDs, we spent the afternoon in the Hotel’s bar with friends old and new, all of whom were pleased that Latics were giving us something to shout about at last. There was much interest in the possibility of some coming over to England to watch our lads later in the season, with the Paddy’s Day match against Rochdale high on the agenda.

The Hotel management were so keen to provide enough elbow room in the bar for the drinkers, that the Christmas trees were wheeled away temporarily.

Other friends were met inside the stadium as we took up our places in the East Stand for the 6:00pm kick-off determined by television. Probably to the cost of the League of Ireland, Spurs also have official supporters clubs located in Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Dundalk, Sligo and Waterford. Their fans without enough loyalty points for a ticket in the away section, found themselves seated amongst the Hooperati in the temporary South Stand, which caught the icy blast off the mountains.

The task facing Spurs tonight was to hope that Rubin Kazan would lose to PAOK Salonika, and at the same time overturn the five-goal deficit in goal difference between them. This was not the line-up that would play in the Premier League, but it contained seven internationals, four of whom played in the last World Cup. They were to face Rovers’ out-of-season part-time players, who were no longer match-fit.

The stadium’s new moving electronic advertising along the length of the pitch was another indication that Rovers are now competing with Europe’s elite.

In the first twenty minutes, there was nothing much between the teams, but Tottenham proved to be razor-sharp in the final third. However, they did enjoy some luck at the other end of the pitch, as both Livermore and Cudicini escaped red cards for bringing down players when they were through on goal, even with six match officials looking on.

The Rovers 0 Spurs 4 score-line, with goals from Pienaar (deflected off a Hoop) and Townsend, together with last minute goals by Defoe in the first half and Kane in the second half, exaggerated the obvious miss-match in playing ability. Rovers had some very good phases of play, attacking with neat moves, as they tried to give departing manager Michael O’Neill a good send-off. If only the match officials’ decisions had resulted in Spurs being reduced to nine players, who knows what the result would have been?

The result proved to be academic for Spurs, because the draw in Greece between the other two clubs in the Group, meant that their fate was out of their own hands.

Although there were no points to show for all Rovers’ efforts put into the Europa League Group Stage, the banking of more than over €1m was the icing on the cake.

Who would have thought that, when playing F.C. Flora Tallinn in Tallaght back in June, the European adventure would be continuing six months later? The growing experience gained by the players has shown itself in very competent performances, in which they have looked to be at home playing at that level. The lesson etched firmly on the memory, just as it was when Latics were in the Premier League, is that when you make a mistake at this level, you get punished.

The early kick-off meant that we were back in the Maldron Hotel by 8:00pm, with a long session ahead. The disco was underway and a good time was had by all, including John Sheridan’s cousin, who led the dancing.

With the disco finished, we made our own entertainment with a singsong led by Big Dec. Eventually the bar would serve us no more and we got to bed at 1:30am, after another 22 hour day.

A fine dusting of snow greeted us when we awoke but, thankfully, it did not disrupt our journey home, and the forecasted weather was not expected to stop us getting to Charlton the next day.

So, as we reach the pantomime season, Rovers, in the guise of ‘Prince Charming’, have made a dignified exit from the Europa stage, through the ‘Ireland’s Got Talent’ door.

At the same time Spurs, in the guise of ‘Goals Aloud’, have exited through the revolving door marked ‘Failed to live up to expectation and budget yet again’,

and are to be replaced by Manchester’s ‘Ugly Sisters’.

One Hoop came up with a brilliant description of Rovers’ competitiveness in the elite football community, in the following terms: “We're now dancing with the prettiest girls in Europe, while our local rivals still haven't got past the bouncers”.

This has been a unique journey, and the Hooperati have been determined to absorb every second. As co-opted members, this season’s amazing experiences, on and off the field, have left us with huge grins on our faces, and glowing with great pride and satisfaction. We can’t wait to be on the guest list for dancing with more of the prettiest European girls next season, as we keep on Hooping.

On the way to the airport we passed the depot of Woodies DIY, Rovers’ long-time sponsors, who have stuck with the club through its darkest hours. Later on the journey, the Flybus was ‘escorted’ by a Seat car sporting Rovers’ colours as the new big-time sponsor, another pointer to the progress the club has made.

Meanwhile, as Rovers’ memorable season ends, Latics’ season is just starting to look as though it could be memorable. We’ve got a trip to Anfield to look forward to, and I wonder if King Kenny is still blushing from his Ryanair flight, on which the Hooperati were chanting to him “Champions League, you’re havin’ a laugh”.

Touching wood, and keeping fingers and toes crossed, there may also be at least one possible trip to Wembley to look forward to in 2012, before Europe beckons with Rovers once more.

Isn’t following small club football great?