Futbology, the app formerly known as Groundhopper

[Capybara]

Coincidentally, I was due to reach 249 this weekend with three games in Germany. No real plans for number 250 but possibly something over the Easter weekend.

[Uros Predic]

I'm intrigued as to how and why you were going to visit The Liberty "tactfully"?

I meant tactically. Think I'm getting screen blindness due to working from home

[Third rate Leszno]

Noticed on the app that there are more retrospective badges available - I just filled my boots with Champions League, Europa League and World Cup games. Just need them to go back and add Uefa Cup and Cup-Winners Cup games to the options and I'll be a very happy man.

[cantagalo]

You can now create milestone badges for matches in one ground that you have reached in the past i.e. before Groundhopper existed.

[Patrick Thistle]

How do you do you do that then? I've already entered my historical matches.

[Third rate Leszno]

Go onto badges, click the little + sign on the top bar and then Create Badges - on the next screen you'll see that the highlighted ones you can create for historical games/visits are expanding all the time. I just got 8 Grounds badges, based on the most recent landmark at each of my most visited grounds (not the intermediate ones).

[Patrick Thistle]

Thanks TRL. Just done that.

[Merlin the happy pig]

Also updated my badges, quite nice to get ones for Euro's and World Cups. Still won't give me the badge for the Women's World Cup Final mind.

[Merlin the happy pig]

Added Confederations Cup, UEFA Cup, UEFA Cup Final and Cup Winners Cup Final badges. Alleviated the boredom for 5 minutes.

[Third rate Leszno]

Get in! That's my UEFA Cup Final one finally able to be updated, I'm content now.

[Sporting]

As good a thread as any to link this short Guardian quiz:

https://www.theguardian.com/football...re-match-venue

[Southport Zeb]

I downloaded this in January and have been using the hiatus to backdate my records. I've added all the games I've seen on the grounds that were already on there, and so I'm now having to request new grounds to be added. About two thirds of the ones I've requested have been approved. I can't quite work out what the criteria is for approval - most of the grounds I've been requesting are pretty basic and I don't particularly see what the difference is between some of the approved grounds and some of those not approved. I think in some cases it may come down to whether the pictures on Google Earth were taken in winter or summer, and consequently whether they show pitches or not.

[cantagalo]

You may not have been checking Groundhopper recently but a fun new 'On this day' feature has been added.

[Patrick Thistle]

I've seen people tweeting about that. It's a good addition to the app, I think.

[cantagalo]

Yes, it'll come into its own by August/September. I wonder if it will highlight multiple games on the same day.

I'd be quite interested to see which was my most common football-watching day. Maybe Dec 26th?

[Patrick Thistle]

cantagalo According to my 'Book of Days' project, 26 December is by far and away the day I've seen the most games.

[Southport Zeb]

It looks like it just picks one game a day - for example today it's reminding me of a game I went to in Largs ten years ago, but remaining silent about a game at Blantyre that I went to a few years later.

[Capybara]

cantagalo According to my 'Book of Days' project, 26 December is by far and away the day I've seen the most games.

That made me check my record and I also got 26 December which surprised me at first given that there's no public transport. But it's reasonable when you think about it, as it's the only date that is guaranteed a full programme of games every year, regardless of which day of the week it falls on.

[Patrick Thistle]

That's precisely why. Most dates repeat as a Saturday every 5 to 6 years. The 26th is always Boxing Day Football!!

[Third rate Leszno]

Thanks for flagging this up - my memory yesterday was a recent but happy one.

[cantagalo]

That's pretty impressive. Beats my Freight Rover Trophy Final.

I'm hoping I can get through June with a 100% record. So far, so good. It's June 3rd and I'm 3 for 3.

[Ray de Galles]

Today is the 2017 Champions League Final at the Millennium Stadium between Juventus and Real Madrid for me. Yesterday was the 2019 Scottish Junior Cup Final at Hamilton's New Douglas Park between Auchinleck Talbot and Largs Thistle.

It's a good addition but right now isn't helping my existential crisis.

[cantagalo]

Today is the 2017 Champions League Final at the Millennium Stadium between Juventus and Real Madrid for me. Yesterday was the 2019 Scottish Junior Cup Final at Hamilton's New Douglas Park between Auchinleck Talbot and Largs Thistle.

It's a good addition but right now isn't helping my existential crisis.

Nice contrast of fixtures there. I like the diversity that this feature throws up.

My three so far have been:

Brentford v Wigan 1985 Freight Rover Trophy

Botafogo v Vasco da Gama 2019 Serie A

England v Serbia and Montenegro 2003 Friendly

I'm resisting the temptation to check if I'm getting one tomorrow.

[Ray de Galles]

My problem is that I only have accurate records for the last few seasons on the app. When I first inputted my grounds I used a lot of random games that I hadn't necessarily been to as place-holders because a) I don't have any record of games I attended pre-2012 and b) I went to a lot of grounds with Cardiff but didn't want to record them as the app then automatically allotted me their badge on my profile.

I've retrospectively altered a certain amount since to register significant games but by no means all.

[Ray de Galles]

Today is 2014's post-season friendly between Egypt & Jamaica at Orient's Brisbane Road. I recall what fun it was to see Mo Sarah, then on the fringes at Chelsea, standing out though it ended a 2-2 draw.