Old Games Revisited - A Special One

I thought it an idea to include in this blog, from time to time, some details of European matches that I had previously been to. Here is the first.
José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix, better known as José Mourinho, has previously described himself as 'the special one' due to his outstanding record as a manager for numerous world renowned football clubs but, at the time of writing, one can see that there is nothing 'special' about being sacked as manager of a team that is lying 16th in the English top flight.
Although José is more famous as a manager he did play the game professionally and one of the clubs he played for was Lisbon's Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses. Myself and my father paid a visit to Lisbon in late 2013 to watch two Portuguese Primeira Liga matches.
The story started on the Friday before the Sunday matches. Myself and my father dropped our bags at the hotel and made our way to Sporting Lisbon's ground to obtain tickets for our second game and then we headed to Belem via the Metro and local train on a reconnaissance mission for our first game. We took photos of both stadiums knowing we would have to leave our large cameras behind on match day.
Belenenses' ground, the Estádio do Restelo, afforded spectacular views over the Tagus River, 25th April Bridge, The National Sanctuary of Christ the King and Jerónimos Monastery. An elderly club official spotted us taking snaps and guided us inside the ground itself to take further photographs. 
On the match day itself we retraced our steps and had a look at the local flea market before heading up the hill to the ground. Getting there very early we were informed, at the ticket office we thought we could get our tickets from, that we could only get tickets there if we were members. We were told to get our tickets from the office at the top of the hill marked 'for away fans'. Thankfully we weren't placed with the away fans. I picked out a nice scarf from the table outside the ground and paid the old scarf seller's wife the 5 euro note required. Match and scarf together came to 18 Euros.  Belenenses matched Gil Vicente, the visitors, throughout, even after they were down to 10 men following Fredy's red carded for dangerous play (he left an opponent rolling on the floor holding his face). Matt Jones, the home team's 'keeper from Stoke on Trent, had a good game and made a world class save at one point.
A final result of 0:0 seemed a fair result between these teams of a tier 3 English standard.
After the match we strolled down the hill with the other 3,244 fans, got the train and then the Metro and headed toward the Estadio Jose Alvalade for our second game of the day, Sporting Lisbon vs. Pacos de Ferreira.

  

Manc' Rant

"Wouldn't it be great if Salford City beat Hartlepool and we get to play them in the FA Cup?" a fellow Ram asked me in rhetorical fashion. My response was not full of expletives but I am sure that you would have forgiven me if it were. My reaction was quite negative and I'll try to explain why. We'll start at the beginning.
Manchester is a fantastic city of culture and importance. My favourite musical acts hail from that great city, those being namely The Smiths, Joy Division and New Order. As such you will understand that I am not anti-Manchester. Neither am I anti-Manchester United per-se. It is great that football fans from Manchester and the immediate area have a fantastic club to support.
"As you are from Bristol and you are a football fan, are you Rovers or City?" I asked a colleague. "Neither, Manchester United" he replied. And here is the crux of the issue.
Some football 'fans' are supporting teams (usually by buying merchandise, rather than actually going to games) that contribute nothing to their place of abode or birth. Local clubs, whether they be small or large, are active in the local community, developing the football skills of youngsters and undertaking charitable works etc. So why would one give money to a club that does nothing for the place you call home?
I understand that one likes to watch good football, but to call oneself a 'fan' of a particular team that you have no connection with, just because they are successful, is beyond me. I am not a psychologist but people do seem to like being associated with success. This is playground mentality, "my dad is bigger than your dad" kids say in school. Some outgrow this, some never say this and some continue to have this mentality by being 'fans' of successful teams that they have no connection with.
Every year dozens, if not hundreds, of small local community based football clubs disappear because of lack of funds. The 'glory-hunter fans' don't care. As long as they have the new £80 shirt of 'their team' that's all that matters, as they can stroll around demonstrating to others that they are associated 'personally' with success. I would prefer to spend the £80 going to several non-league games, buying a pie and a programme, knowing that that money is going to a club that is working in the local community with kids and youth teams and the like. In any case, in many ways non-league matches are more enjoyable an experience than big Premier League games. Many people have written about this and so I will leave that there.
In this way football 'brands' have developed while the grassroots suffer. It is the issue of the Manchester United 'brand' which is troublesome in this case.
When the Glazer's took over Manchester United some of the team's followers protested and went to the extreme length of setting up a new football club, FC United of Manchester. In this way they were showing loyalty to the Manchester United 'brand' but not it's roots. It's roots lie in a team called Newton Heath. Newton Heath was one of two clubs founded at the locomotive-building works of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, the other team being Horwich Railway Mechanics Institute FC. Horwich RMI became Leigh RMI. Newton Heath became Manchester United. One can clearly see that Leigh RMI is (was) the true sister club of Manchester United.
Leigh RMI was struggling financially at the time of the Glazer's takeover of Manchester United but instead of the Manchester United 'fans' supporting their sister club they allowed it to struggle on and decline into the obscurity of the South Lancashire Counties Football League Premier Division as Leigh Genesis. Well, at least as they have two clubs with Manchester and United in their names to cheer for.
Another Manchester United 'brand' spin-off is the celebrity football club known as Salford City. A Singaporean businessman and investor and five former Manchester United players own the Northern Premier League club with the ambition of making it a Tier 2 team. Pumping in money and attracting the home grown players from other local teams is a way to do this.
One sees that they don't want to make it a Premier League team as that would mean they would actually have to compete in the league against the real Manchester United.
Because of the celebrity status of the owners of the club the BBC thought it fitting to do a TV documentary about it.
So, it won't be great if Salford City beat Hartlepool and we get to play them in the FA Cup.
1) I don't want my home town team associated with a Manchester United 'brand' spin-off;
2) I would hope that we get to play a good old fashioned real team; and
3) Derby County and Hartlepool(s) United share a common bond, the genius management duo of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor.

Derbyshire FA Senior Challenge Cup - Round 3 (08/12/2015 19:45)

Tonight was my 'road to the cup final' game. In round 1 I saw Belper Utd. beat Gamesley and in round 2 I saw Heanor win away at Belper. This evening I witnessed Tier 9 Heanor Town entertain Tier 8 New Mills at the Town Ground. I did have a second 'road to the cup final' team that I was following, Whaley Bridge, but unfortunately their game has been arranged for 12th December and I will be watching Derby County play Brighton on that day.
Heanor and New Mills are very much having contrasting seasons. Heanor would be top of the Midland Football League Premier Division if it wasn't for the presence in their league of the phoenix club of Hereford United whereas New Mills are already pretty much consigned to relegation from the Northern Premier League Division One North with their league record of played 18, lost 18.
At the ground I met up with a fellow Ram and we enjoyed a Guinness in the club bar before kick-off; a pleasant facility showing Sky Sports and containing a number of folk playing cards and darts, some of which weren’t bothered with watching the Derbyshire Cup game at all.
As kick-off approached I mentioned to my companion that I had to introduce myself to a New Mills official as he had brought down a club scarf for me. In 2014 I toured Derbyshire watching all the teams that play in the top eight tiers of English football. As part of this little challenge I bought a club scarf as a momento, the only team’s scarf missing at that time being New Mills’ as they had sold out when I had visited them.
The New Mills staff were a friendly group and they told us of how the club had struggled with finances, team managers and losing players to teams who would pay more. It was sad to hear this as New Mills is such a lovely little club, but this explained their current league position.
Heanor, The Lions, seem to be taking this competition seriously. They put out a strong team whereas the Millers gave some new players a chance to impress. The result was as expected. The skill and physicality of The Lions, which had previously impressed me the two times I had seen them, also impressed my companion, a novice non-league football fan.
The Lions roared and were three goals to the good by half-time. The goals came from Cooper, who rounded the keeper and blasted the ball into the top corner, Bettney, whose deflected free kick from 19 yards left the keeper stranded and from Debrouwer, with a close range effort provided by a deep ball from the right and a calm header back across goal from Cooper.
New Mills introduced some more established players in the second-half and made a better fist of it. Midway through the second-half however the newly introduced keeper fumbled his control and attempted clearance and presented an easy chance to Cooper who tapped the ball into the empty net in showboat style.
Myself and my companion willed The Millers to get a consolation but the closest they came was from a mazy run and a good shot which struck the post.
So, with Heanor’s 4:0 win, I am following The Lions into the quarter-finals.

Derbyshire FA Senior Challenge Cup - Round 3 (07/12/2015 19:45)

Tonight saw the first game played in the third round of the Derbyshire FA Senior Challenge Cup with Ilkeston FC of the Northern Premier League Premier Division (Tier 7) entertaining Long Eaton United of the Midland Football League Premier Division (Tier 9).  

Cup games provide a chance for smaller teams to punch above their weight and upset teams in higher divisions and myself and my father pondered this as we drove to Ilkeston listening, on the radio, to the draw for the third round of the FA Cup. We were disappointed to learn that our beloved Rams would have to travel either Salford City or Hartlepool United, with the chance of us being subject to a giant-killing. Our disappointment was short-lived however as we were hearted to see a reasonable crowd in attendance at the New Manor Ground.  

As the players took to the field the first thing that caught our eye was the awful kits that the two teams were wearing. Ilkeston are known as the Robins and I was disappointed that their traditional red top had now become one incorporating blue stripes. And as the presence of blue stripes clashed with Long Eaton's home kit the visitors were forced to wear their kit of salmon pink and black.

Long Eaton had the breeze on their backs in the first half and made an excellent start to the game. Within 10 minutes they were a goal ahead through a penalty, struck low to the keepers left, after the keeper had brought down an onrushing striker.  Long Eaton could have doubled their lead 10  minutes later but Ilkeston were saved by the crossbar following a header from a corner. 

Ilkeston looked more dangerous as the first half progressed. The Robins could have gone into the break all square had they capitalised on a free close range header or if their left back could have calmly finished after a mazy run with the ball from the left wing. A half-time lead for Long Eaton was a fair reflection on the first 45 minutes however.

The youthful looking Robins, with the breeze on their backs, threatened early in the second-half. Within the first 15 minutes they had two good chances with close range headers and the ball was cleared off the line from a thundering goal-bound free-kick.

As Ilkeston pushed forward in search of an equaliser a ball up-field from the Long Eaton defence to a striker was calmly controlled in the left channel and from 20 yards out a rasping shot to the keeper's right found first the inside of the post and then the back of the net. 2.0.

With 10 minutes to go Ilkeston were awarded a penalty following the bringing down of a striker. As the keeper went left the ball was put to his right and a tense last few minutes awaited the visitors. It was a case of too little too late for Ilkeston however as they couldn't create any more significant late chances.

A 2.1 away win for the smaller team was a fair score-line and the reasonable number of fans who had made the short trip from Long Eaton left happily with a giant-killing evening under their belts.