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Harried and Untied: Weekend Matchgoing Plans

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    #26
    Eintracht 3 Freiburg 1. The only home win out of seven Bundesliga games so far this weekend - the other six have all been away victories. Strange game - could have ended 3-3, could have ended 8-1. Nothing happened for 35 minutes, then Eintracht scored three goals from three attempts, including a wonderful strike from Rebic after leaving two Freiburg players on their arses. In the second half Freiburg deservedly pulled one back through Petersen (dubiously left on the bench until half-time), but Eintracht missed six absolutely golden chances on the break, including three in injury time alone. Also had one goal disallowed when Rebic was adjudged by the VAR to have elbowed his opponent while assisting. Correct call, but annoying as hell to celebrate a goal, psychologically adjust to the 4-1 scoreline, and then have it called back a minute later as the players are lining up for the re-start.

    I am totally for video evidence, except when it personally pisses me off.

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      #27
      Ice-hockey again today, Zilina vs Detva.

      The local wisdom is that Zilina will not seek a licence to play in the Slovak top league next season and will take their place in the lower tier, probably with a mix of youth team graduates and semi-pros. This would be no surprise, given that the club is owned by the city, and must lose significant sums of money every month. They are currently bottom of the league anyway, which would leave them facing the top second tier side in a play-off to retain their place if they did still want to hold onto it. Ironically, they've won the last two games and are closing in on sides like today's opponents, who are third from bottom.

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        #28
        Meanwhile...

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          #29
          How did whatever-Reading-you-picked get on?

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            #30
            A load of Football Foundation money has been spent over the last year to create four "football hubs" across Liverpool. One of these is at the Jeffrey Humble ground in Fazakerley and consists of a gym, cafe and three 3G pitches. On arrival there was probably a couple of hundred spectators present, watching nine games involving perhaps ten year old girls. I popped into the cafe to have a cup of tea and then went out again as the girls game started finished, leading to a mass departure by pretty much everyone else.

            I was the crowd for Valley Old Boys v Collegiate Old Boys in the top division of the Liverpool Old Boys League. A very entertaining game which swinged in favour of both sides at different times. In the end it finished 5-5, which is perhaps not as surprising a score as it might appear considering that Valley's previous two matches had been a 5-4 win and 6-5 defeat.

            For my second game of the afternoon I went to what appears to be the main pitch at the complex, although the only difference is that it has covered subs benches. This was a Liverpool Premier League match between East Villa and Old Xaverians, and attracted a few more spectators. If the first game had been an even contest, this was anything but. East Villa led 3-0 at half time and eventually stopped at seven.

            Another big win today as Southport's under 18s beat Billinge 6-0 to reach the Lancashire Cup final. Some excellent goals but I'd be surprised if any of this lot ever turn out for the first team.

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              #31
              I have to ask whether Billy Casper and Ray met up at the Wimbledon - Barnsley game .

              Bath City 3 Torquay 2.

              One of those game where there is loads of pre-game buzz (and also the distractions, being on the committee of the major shareholder I.e. the supporters, of debating the redevelopment of the main stand with Ken Loach) and you suddenly realise that a game has broken out that may spoil all the fun. I assumed Torquay were going to add.to their winning run and the best we could dream of was a draw. The crowd was just under 3500 and the ground was impressively packed and, on sun occasions, it has been customary for us to lose in a pitiful display. However, we have won in front of big crowds this season, most impressively so beating Chippenham 5-0 in front of 1500 on New Year's Day. We started well with a lad, 19-year old right-back Leon Davies on one month’s loan from Cambridge United, being very impressive but all the team were playing well. We then actually scored which set off a load of teenage fuckwits from Torquay to try to bolster their plastic hooligan credentials by trying to punch the City supporters through the segregation fence. Torquay got what was really an inevitable equaliser just before half-time from a completely unmarked header at a corner and we were happy to go in with at 1-1. Torquay dickheads celebrated scoring against our small club like they had won the fA Cup with flares on the pitch etc. After half-time, Torquay were all over us and they got the even more inevitable second goal from, again, a corner that went right through everyone to one of their players at the back post who had a simple chance to take. Then, Torquay got a penalty and I was quite pissed off as 3-1 really didn't do us the credit we deserved. We were playing the much better football but were being undone by the bigger, fitter professionals from Torquay and our own mistakes at marking. Anyway, the penalty was skied over the bar and it probably still ascending. I have to admit that we celebrated that as if we had won the FA Cup. People always say that such moments are game-changers but, invariably, they aren't in reality, and I expected a third or, at least, for them to hold onto their lead. Well, bugger me but we only went up and got ourselves a - admittedly very soft - penalty of our own. We have been terrible at penalty taking forbears but we have finally found a good penalty taker in our captain, Straker, and, where we would have previously been assuming a miss or a save, we were fairly confident and he scored it. 2-2 was a brilliant result against Torquay but we then managed to get a third off a brilliant cross from Straker and, in honesty, a shinner from Ryan Brunt. Scenes.

              I have to say that all the Torquay supporters we saw outside of them game in the pub were excellent yesterday - boisterous perhaps but fine. However, I have heard since of firework being thrown around the centre and pub staff being beaten up after the game. At the match, the antics were appalling - not helped by our inexperienced stewards and tardy police. I am sure that it was only the few bad apples who turn up games that are easy to get to but this is now the second time that they have acted the cunts at TP and good riddance to them. It will do them good to be back to being small fry again. Perhaps the majority of their supporters will win through and they will go back to being what was quite a benign fanbase.

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                #32
                Bootle 2-1 Congleton Town

                A chilly grey afternoon in north Merseyside, but a really decent game to make you forget the fact that your fingers were freezing to your phone whilst you were checking the latest scores from the 4th division.

                Surprised to find former Montserrat international Anthony Griffith anchoring the midfield for the visiting Bears - he was trundling around kicking people for Carlisle in 2015, that's quite a precipitous fall for someone who's still only 32. He didn't even look like their best midfielder.

                Congleton bossed the possession in the first half, but didn't do much with it - Bootle took the lead through a penalty and held it for 3/4 of an hour until Congleton got one of their own to level things. The last half hour was excellent, both teams going for it and Bootle eventually unpicking the Bears' defence to win it through a close range effort from Ste Jones. Much-travelled (and ex-Bootle) winger Mini Adegbenro had a number of chances for the visitors but put them into a variety of allotments, car parks, BMX practice tracks and possibly even Aintree racecourse.

                Bootle leapfrog Congleton into 2nd place in the NW Counties Prem, but to get any higher it will need a serious collapse from league leaders (and tenants at Bootle) City of Liverpool who are 14 points clear.

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                  #33
                  I have to ask whether Billy Casper and Ray met up at the Wimbledon - Barnsley game .
                  Afraid not. I did wonder if he was there though. As it was I didn’t even meet up with former OTFer Purves Grundy as planned as my boy hasn’t been well all week so I didn’t want him out for too long.

                  I hope Billy doesn’t think I’m being churlish focussing on Wimbledon’s shambolic formation and substitutions rather than Barnsley’s qualities. They’re undoubtedly a good side (Thiam was excellent, completely unplayable) and deserved to win but I can’t help thinking The Dons hobbled themselves from the start.
                  Last edited by Ray de Galles; 20-01-2019, 22:17.

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                    #34
                    Great to see John McDonnell was watching Hayes and Yeading


                    https://twitter.com/johnmcdonnellMP/status/1086665666529320960

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                      #35
                      I've no problem with you not focusing on Barnsley Ray - you went to the match to watch your team, not mine.

                      For what it's worth, I didn't think Wimbledon were that bad. You certainly caused us more problems than some teams this season (Bradford, Peterborough, Rochdale, etc). We are just on top form and playing with confidence at the moment. You could just sense your right full back's heart sink every time Thiam got the ball.

                      A Donathon next time perhaps?

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                        #36
                        Billy, is this team as good as the side that won the play-offs in 2016?

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                          #37
                          Slovak ice-hockey : Zilina 4 Detva 3

                          This was wonderful, of a quality I wouldn't have believed two sides in the league's bottom 3 could produce. Zilina were 2-0 and 3-1 up, only for the visitors to battle back to 3-3 early in the 3rd period. It was then end to end until Zilina scrambled in a winner 3 minutes from time. Crucially, Detva had had a player sin-binned a minute before, which forced them to concentrate just on defending

                          It was thrilling stuff throughout, but the skill levels were also high. Zilina's 3rd goal, in particular, was beautiful, and there were lots of quick, sweeping moves up the ice from both sides.

                          I suspect the defending wasn't great, and neither 'keeper seemed to inspire confidence. At one point, the Zilina guy strayed from his line and had the puck lobbed over his head - he was lucky it landed on top of the net rather than in it.

                          But part of the fun of watching such a contest in a sport you don't fully understand is that you just enjoy the good parts. I'll save moaning about defenders not being close enough, or being caught out of position, for the football.

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                            #38
                            Is this Barnsley team as good as the 2016 one?

                            It's hard to say. The 2015/16 version started slowly and were bottom of the division in December. Suddenly it clicked though, and by the end of the season we were clearly better than everyone else (a 4-1 away win at champions Wigan to clinch our play off spot surprised no one here). The following season in the Championship had us just outside the play off spots entering January... We then cashed in on players, despite John Stones sell on clause money coming our way, and that was that.

                            This season we've looked good from the beginning. Yes we've had some flat games (Wycombe and Sunderland away spring to mind) but we've also demolished some teams (Oxford, Peterborough twice, Rochdale, Bradford). Apart from Portsmouth away and Sunderland at home, we don't face anyone else in the top six this season, so our league position is achieved on merit.
                            Although we've just sold Brad Potts to Preston we've apparently turned down a 2m euro bid for Mamadou Thiam which bodes well for our future ambitions.

                            I would probably go with the 2016 team as being beating this one. It seemed to have a tougher mentality (mostly down to Conor Hourihane) and Adam Hammill was in the form of his life. It would be close though, and if Thiam got the ball in a good position just outside the area...

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                              #39
                              2nd attempt at ticking off Welwyn Garden City after the team walked out before last weeks game. The only player I recognised from their 0-0 draw at Aylesbury a couple of weeks back was the left full back, quite a lot of young players in on loan by the look of it. They drew 0-0 again, this time against Aylesbury United.

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                                #40
                                I forgot to say, the Netball was absolutely brilliant. New Zealand beat South Africa 62-60 in extra time in a game that swung back and forth wildly (SA went 8-0 down early on and led by 5 at another point) while England beat Australia more comfortably than the 52-49 scoreline suggested but failed to register the 5 point win that would have given them a series win.

                                The Copper Box was rammed and had a great atmosphere, our vantage point was better than the previous time so we could appreciate even more the action and skills involved in the game at the elite level. As I said recently in the Sport forum, I find Netball a far more watchable game than Basketball.

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