Some self-indulgent reflections following York City's return to the Football League after a play-off win over Luton last weekend.
Some ten years ago, York were almost out of business. It's not a coincidence that so many clubs that have found themselves in financial trouble have had the ownership of the ground transferred away from them. This was true of York. The board decided that it was better for the club not to own the stadium any more and placed it in a holding company. The plan to sell the ground for housing effectively left the club without a home. Then along came John 'I fuck companies' Batchelor, the Walter Mitty of our time. Fancy promises were his modus operandum, just fancy enough to make you think 'hmm, that sounds ludicrous, but it could work' for long enough that you'd be distracted while he helped himself to the takings. Having failed to deliver anything other than a swanky new house for himself, Batchelor steered the club into administration. It was steered out by a determined effort from supporters. Times were hard.
They were on the pitch as well as off it. Manager Terry Dolan was sacked in March 2003 with the board citing financial reasons. In his place, Chris Brass was put in charge at the age of 27. Under his leadership, the club managed find a way of not winning any of their final 20 games of the 2003/4 season and were relegated to the Conference.
Seven seasons and five managers later, York are back. Billy McEwan got the club to the play-offs once and Martin Foyle to the final. While both of those played their part in rebuilding the football side of the club, it was when Gary Mills arrived at the club in October 2010 that things started to happen. As a teenager, Mills won a European Cup with Nottingham Forest under Brian Clough and, like so many others that learned under Clough, he's clearly picked up a bit. He's very forthright and has a particular style that he will not detract from. I've written about formations and philosophies before, theorising that there's no 'right' way to do it, so long as there's 'a' way. Any theory or method is equally as good as any other, providing that your recruitment and training is geared towards that. Chelsea want to play deep and hit on the counter - fine. Barcelona want to play tiki-take - equally fine. Mills likes a 4-3-3, possession oriented game with a high tempo. He got players comfortable in that style on board and hasn't deviated from that.
And that was the team that took the field at Wembley - Gary Mills's team. With 8000 supporters from York and Luton with around four times that amount, Luton went in front inside 80 seconds. But York came roaring back and led 45 minutes later. They closed it out brilliantly, Luton reduced to shooting from range.
Inside the ground, it was impossible to enjoy. The previous weekend was the FA Trophy final, a nice day out for all. During the intervening week, I'd had broadcast commitments at the second leg of Huddersfield Town's play-off against Milton Keynes and a big Super League game between Huddersfield and Wigan to distract me. From 10pm on Friday though, there was nothing else to worry about. By the time kick-off arrived, I was in bits. This never happens. I'm the last of the pragmatists. I'm cold, laid back and rational, not a quivering mess of nerves. I believed that if we played anything like, then we'd win. After all, in four games against Luton this season, we'd won three and drawn one. We'd beaten them in the FA Trophy semi-final, we'd seen off the physical threats of Mansfield and Newport and are generally better against sides like Luton who come out and play. But logic and reason had taken a leave of absence.
While the game itself - and the stadium hot dog, which tasted of fish - was anything but enjoyable, the win eliciting feelings of relief rather than happiness or even satisfaction, I had the chance to watch it back. It turns out that my friends watching at home were right - it was a really good game. And Matty Blair was at least a yard offside for what proved to be the winner. Luton must be fed up of the sight of us - they've won one of eleven games against us in non-league football - and they, along with Wrexham, must be favourites to go up next season.
So it's farewell to the Conference. Farewell to a league where the fixtures are drawn by hand. No trips to Forest Green - now on their own as the longest serving club in the division - or Braintree, Barrow and Tamworth. Over the non-league years, I've been to Salisbury, Weymouth, Grays, Ebbsfleet, Rushden, Kettering, Kiddersminster, Woking and many others. While it's a relief to be promoted, I've had some good times at these places. There's no more qualifying rounds for the FA Cup and no more FA Trophy at all. What we do have is the FA Trophy on our list of honours, a permanent reminder of where we were and where we should determine we don't return. Instead, we can look forward to Bradford, Rotherham, Rochdale and Chesterfield, Plymouth, Torquay and Exeter. The Johnstones Paint Trophy and the League Cup. It also means central funding for the youth system, something which charitable donations have paid for over the last five years as funding ceases after three years outside the Football League.
The ten years since our ground was effectively taken from us feel nicely bookended by a week in which we've won something, got permission to advance plans for a new community stadium and got promoted back to the Football League. It's good to be back.
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Showing posts with label Conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conference. Show all posts
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
TW3 #13
Big prizes dished out this week, a parade or two rained on in the process.
First, to Munich where the unthinkable happened - Bastian Schweinsteiger missed a penalty. Even odder was that Arjen Robben, rather than the normally ultra-reliable Schweinsteiger, took a spot-kick in extra-time. Playing up to Dutch stereotypes, Robben missed which allowed Chelsea the opportunity to take the game to a penalty shoot-out. That Petr Cech guessed correctly at all five can't have been coincidence, but after Juan Mata had missed Chelsea's first effort, it looked like being Bayern's day, but Cech pushed Ivica Olic's tame effort away and Schweinsteiger hit the post after seeming to change his mind midway through his run-up. Didier Drogba, who had taken the game to extra-time with a thumping header two minutes from the end, beat Manuel Neuer with the decisive penalty to give Chelsea a first European Cup.
It had an air of inevitability about it. The game itself, for all the personal trauma for Robben, Olic and Schweinsteiger, resembled Steaua Bucharest against Barcelona in the 1986 final with Chelsea content to sit deep and play on the counter. Bayern, like Barcelona in the semi-finals, just couldn't find a way through and attempting to sit on 1-0 - Daniel van Buyten replacing Thomas Muller - backfired badly.
Ricardo Vaz Te ensured West Ham's stay outside the English Premier League was a short one, bagging a winner two minutes from time at Wembley against Blackpool. York City's Matty Blair proved the winner in the Conference play-off final at the same venue 24 hours later to make his team the 92nd entrant into the professional leagues. We'll have more on that soon.
Second-half goals from Edison Cavani and Marek Hamsik denied Juventus a league and cup double in Italy, rather spoiling Alessandro del Piero's last game in the black and white. It also spoiled Juve's unbeaten season. They'd only once ended 90 minutes behind, in the semi-final second leg against Milan, but that only served to send the game to extra-time where Mirko Vucinic sent them through on aggregate. This was the first time the final whistle blew with them trailing. Sporting CP were beaten by a fifth-minute Marinho goal for Académica in the Portuguese Cup final and Hearts took the honours in Scotland after a thumping 5-1 win over city rivals Hibernian, Rudi Skacel with two.
PSG did what they had to do to try to wrest the Ligue 1 title away from Montpellier's clutches by winning 2-1 away at Lorient. Trailing to Kevin Monnet-Pacquet's opener, Javier Pastore and Thiago Motta ensured the points went back to Paris. It proved futile though as a John Utaka double for MHSC sealed a comeback win after Olivier Kapo had given Auxerre the lead. A side built for €2m had beaten the side that spunked almost 20 times that amount on Pastore alone. Dijon were thumped 5-0 by Rennes and go down, their cause not helped by red cards for Younousse Sankharé and Chaher Zarour. Caen, 3-1 losers to Valenciennes, are the other side to be relegated.
Vitesse will play Europa League football next season after beating RKC in the play-off. VVV Venlo retained their place in the Eredivisie, a 2-2 draw on Sunday enough to complete a 4-3 aggregate win over Helmond Sport and Willem II are back, promoted after a 2-1 win over Den Bosch following a goalless first leg.
The last round of games in the Chilean Apertura saw Universidad de Chile finish top, a 4-0 win over Huachipato enough to seal the position after a bit of a wobble. They'll play eighth-placed Cobreloa in the first round of the play-offs. O'Higgins and Deportes Iquique finish second and third, five points adrift. Deportes Tolima will finish top of the Colombian Apertura as they are five clear of the field after the penultimate round of fixtures. Robin Ramirez snatched a late draw with Deportes Pasto this weekend. Behind Tolima, there's a real log-jam for the rest of the top eight places with five points covering second to tenth and 11th-place Atlético Nacional still have a chance to crack the eight.
It was quite a week, all told. Next week sees the focus shift to matters promotion as several second divisions reach a conclusion.
First, to Munich where the unthinkable happened - Bastian Schweinsteiger missed a penalty. Even odder was that Arjen Robben, rather than the normally ultra-reliable Schweinsteiger, took a spot-kick in extra-time. Playing up to Dutch stereotypes, Robben missed which allowed Chelsea the opportunity to take the game to a penalty shoot-out. That Petr Cech guessed correctly at all five can't have been coincidence, but after Juan Mata had missed Chelsea's first effort, it looked like being Bayern's day, but Cech pushed Ivica Olic's tame effort away and Schweinsteiger hit the post after seeming to change his mind midway through his run-up. Didier Drogba, who had taken the game to extra-time with a thumping header two minutes from the end, beat Manuel Neuer with the decisive penalty to give Chelsea a first European Cup.
It had an air of inevitability about it. The game itself, for all the personal trauma for Robben, Olic and Schweinsteiger, resembled Steaua Bucharest against Barcelona in the 1986 final with Chelsea content to sit deep and play on the counter. Bayern, like Barcelona in the semi-finals, just couldn't find a way through and attempting to sit on 1-0 - Daniel van Buyten replacing Thomas Muller - backfired badly.
Ricardo Vaz Te ensured West Ham's stay outside the English Premier League was a short one, bagging a winner two minutes from time at Wembley against Blackpool. York City's Matty Blair proved the winner in the Conference play-off final at the same venue 24 hours later to make his team the 92nd entrant into the professional leagues. We'll have more on that soon.
Second-half goals from Edison Cavani and Marek Hamsik denied Juventus a league and cup double in Italy, rather spoiling Alessandro del Piero's last game in the black and white. It also spoiled Juve's unbeaten season. They'd only once ended 90 minutes behind, in the semi-final second leg against Milan, but that only served to send the game to extra-time where Mirko Vucinic sent them through on aggregate. This was the first time the final whistle blew with them trailing. Sporting CP were beaten by a fifth-minute Marinho goal for Académica in the Portuguese Cup final and Hearts took the honours in Scotland after a thumping 5-1 win over city rivals Hibernian, Rudi Skacel with two.
PSG did what they had to do to try to wrest the Ligue 1 title away from Montpellier's clutches by winning 2-1 away at Lorient. Trailing to Kevin Monnet-Pacquet's opener, Javier Pastore and Thiago Motta ensured the points went back to Paris. It proved futile though as a John Utaka double for MHSC sealed a comeback win after Olivier Kapo had given Auxerre the lead. A side built for €2m had beaten the side that spunked almost 20 times that amount on Pastore alone. Dijon were thumped 5-0 by Rennes and go down, their cause not helped by red cards for Younousse Sankharé and Chaher Zarour. Caen, 3-1 losers to Valenciennes, are the other side to be relegated.
Vitesse will play Europa League football next season after beating RKC in the play-off. VVV Venlo retained their place in the Eredivisie, a 2-2 draw on Sunday enough to complete a 4-3 aggregate win over Helmond Sport and Willem II are back, promoted after a 2-1 win over Den Bosch following a goalless first leg.
The last round of games in the Chilean Apertura saw Universidad de Chile finish top, a 4-0 win over Huachipato enough to seal the position after a bit of a wobble. They'll play eighth-placed Cobreloa in the first round of the play-offs. O'Higgins and Deportes Iquique finish second and third, five points adrift. Deportes Tolima will finish top of the Colombian Apertura as they are five clear of the field after the penultimate round of fixtures. Robin Ramirez snatched a late draw with Deportes Pasto this weekend. Behind Tolima, there's a real log-jam for the rest of the top eight places with five points covering second to tenth and 11th-place Atlético Nacional still have a chance to crack the eight.
It was quite a week, all told. Next week sees the focus shift to matters promotion as several second divisions reach a conclusion.
Friday, 18 May 2012
Marking your card #9
As one door closes, another opens so the old saying goes. That's as true this week in football as it is in life.
The final round of Ligue 1 dominates Sunday and the cheeky upstarts of Montpellier need a point from a trip to Auxerre - already relegated - to seal a first ever championship. They may not even need that should PSG lose to Lorient, and with Lorient desperate for points to avoid relegation that can't be ruled out. Anyone from 12th-placed Valenciennes down are in a spot of bother. Ahead of Auxerre, Dijon are on 36 points, with Brest, Caen and Ajaccio two ahead of them and Sochaux, Lorient and Nice a point further clear. Valenciennes are on 40 and should be OK as it would take an extraordinary set of results to relegate them. The fixtures in this eight-way relegation battle are:
Evian v Brest
Lorient v PSG
Lyon v Nice
Sochaux v Marseille
Toulouse v Ajaccio
Valenciennes v Caen
Of the clubs in trouble, only VA and Caen face off directly. Their futures are in their own hands. Everyone else will have a radio pressed to the ear in the time-honoured fashion.
There were lots of cup finals in midweek - Basel completing a double in Switzerland and Fenerbahce thumping Bursaspor with a superb display in Turkey the picks - and more finals follow this weekend. The last two places in next season's Eredivisie are up for grabs as Willem II and Den Bosch - 0-0 in the first leg - and Helmond Sport and VVV - VVV lead 2-1 after the first - complete their ties. Vitesse, 3-1 up from the first leg, play RKC for the final Europa League place. Sporting CP and Académica contest the final of the Taca de Portugal, there's the Coppa Italia final between Juventus and Napoli - that should be a cracker - and Endinburgh rivals Hibernian and Hearts take part in the Scottish Cup final in Glasgow. There's also the small matter of the Champions League final. Bayern are at home to Chelsea, the game being played at the impressive Allianz Arena in Munich although without the usual number of Bayern fans, but both sides are missing key players through suspension. Bayern are the bookies favourites and by a fair chunk which is probably representative.
While all these competitions come to an end, the Brazilian national championship kicks off this weekend. After months of increasingly tedious and pointless state championships, Serie A gets underway. Two of the promoted clubs kick us off, Portuguesa away to Palmeiras and Sport Recife at home to Flamengo. Champions Corinthians start on Sunday at home to Fluminense, last year's runners-up Vasco da Gama are at home to Grêmio and favourites Santos are away to Bahia.
Elsewhere in South America, Newell's continue to lead in Argentina and take on third-placed Tigre this week. Boca, in third, are away to traditional rivals Racing Club. Universidad de Chile have lost the last two in the Primera División de Chile. They need to get back to winning ways and take on Huachipato, in seventh, this week. O'Higgins are poised to take advantage of any slip as they take on rock-bottom Cobresal.
England sees two particularly massive games at Wembley over the weekend. First up is the clash between West Ham and Blackpool for the chance to play in next season's Premier League. This will be hyped beyond all recognition as a consequence of so much money suddenly being made available to the winners, but no less important is the Conference play-off final for the right to play in the Football League. Former league sides York City and Luton Town are going for this one and while the numbers may be smaller, it's no less important for the two clubs. You lose funding for your youth teams after dropping out of the league and both have been down there a while - eight years in York's case - and getting back up is a big deal. They've played each other four times this season already, York winning three with one draw, but none of that will matter come 3pm on Sunday. That's where we're going. Come on York (impartiality be damned).
We will also have spies in Radom in Poland where Radomiak travel to take on neighbours Bron needing a win to secure promotion from the regional leagues to the national II Liga - the third tier of Polish football.
The final round of Ligue 1 dominates Sunday and the cheeky upstarts of Montpellier need a point from a trip to Auxerre - already relegated - to seal a first ever championship. They may not even need that should PSG lose to Lorient, and with Lorient desperate for points to avoid relegation that can't be ruled out. Anyone from 12th-placed Valenciennes down are in a spot of bother. Ahead of Auxerre, Dijon are on 36 points, with Brest, Caen and Ajaccio two ahead of them and Sochaux, Lorient and Nice a point further clear. Valenciennes are on 40 and should be OK as it would take an extraordinary set of results to relegate them. The fixtures in this eight-way relegation battle are:
Evian v Brest
Lorient v PSG
Lyon v Nice
Sochaux v Marseille
Toulouse v Ajaccio
Valenciennes v Caen
Of the clubs in trouble, only VA and Caen face off directly. Their futures are in their own hands. Everyone else will have a radio pressed to the ear in the time-honoured fashion.
There were lots of cup finals in midweek - Basel completing a double in Switzerland and Fenerbahce thumping Bursaspor with a superb display in Turkey the picks - and more finals follow this weekend. The last two places in next season's Eredivisie are up for grabs as Willem II and Den Bosch - 0-0 in the first leg - and Helmond Sport and VVV - VVV lead 2-1 after the first - complete their ties. Vitesse, 3-1 up from the first leg, play RKC for the final Europa League place. Sporting CP and Académica contest the final of the Taca de Portugal, there's the Coppa Italia final between Juventus and Napoli - that should be a cracker - and Endinburgh rivals Hibernian and Hearts take part in the Scottish Cup final in Glasgow. There's also the small matter of the Champions League final. Bayern are at home to Chelsea, the game being played at the impressive Allianz Arena in Munich although without the usual number of Bayern fans, but both sides are missing key players through suspension. Bayern are the bookies favourites and by a fair chunk which is probably representative.
While all these competitions come to an end, the Brazilian national championship kicks off this weekend. After months of increasingly tedious and pointless state championships, Serie A gets underway. Two of the promoted clubs kick us off, Portuguesa away to Palmeiras and Sport Recife at home to Flamengo. Champions Corinthians start on Sunday at home to Fluminense, last year's runners-up Vasco da Gama are at home to Grêmio and favourites Santos are away to Bahia.
Elsewhere in South America, Newell's continue to lead in Argentina and take on third-placed Tigre this week. Boca, in third, are away to traditional rivals Racing Club. Universidad de Chile have lost the last two in the Primera División de Chile. They need to get back to winning ways and take on Huachipato, in seventh, this week. O'Higgins are poised to take advantage of any slip as they take on rock-bottom Cobresal.
England sees two particularly massive games at Wembley over the weekend. First up is the clash between West Ham and Blackpool for the chance to play in next season's Premier League. This will be hyped beyond all recognition as a consequence of so much money suddenly being made available to the winners, but no less important is the Conference play-off final for the right to play in the Football League. Former league sides York City and Luton Town are going for this one and while the numbers may be smaller, it's no less important for the two clubs. You lose funding for your youth teams after dropping out of the league and both have been down there a while - eight years in York's case - and getting back up is a big deal. They've played each other four times this season already, York winning three with one draw, but none of that will matter come 3pm on Sunday. That's where we're going. Come on York (impartiality be damned).
We will also have spies in Radom in Poland where Radomiak travel to take on neighbours Bron needing a win to secure promotion from the regional leagues to the national II Liga - the third tier of Polish football.
Friday, 27 April 2012
Marking your card #7
Herewith our picks of the more interesting games around Europe this weekend.
After the fun and games of title deciders last weekend, there could be a few more this week too. There are also some cup final shenanigans.
First to Russia, where long-time leaders Zenit just need a point at home to second-placed Dinamo Moscow to seal the title. They're 12 points clear with four games to go including this one, so Dinamo need to win everything while hoping Zenit lose everything. If not this week for Zenit, it will surely come soon. They've been the best all season by some distance. The chase for second place and a Champions League spot is perhaps more interesting. Dinamo are a point ahead of Spartak with CSKA two further back. Spartak are away to CSKA this week.
Ajax need a win to seal a second successive championship in the Netherlands. When all around have faltered, they've kept on keeping on. Frank de Boer has already been spoken about in terms of the Barcelona job should Pep Guardiola step down (not confirmed at time of writing) and two Eredivisie soup dishes isn't a bad way to start your managerial career, especially given the state Ajax were in when he took the reins. They are in Enschede this week to play FC Twente who are in a similar hunt for points to make it to that second Champions League spot. It's third v second at De Kuip where Feyenoord host AZ and PSV aren't out of the hunt for second either. They're in Kerkrade to play Roda JC. Heerenveen are still in with a shout of European qualification and are away to Heracles this week.
It's the French Cup final on Saturday with minnows US Quevilly playing the giants of Lyon. Quevilly getting this far has been one of those feel-good stories that cup football throws up occasionally and it's sure to be quite a party in the tiny Norman village whatever the outcome. It's all on Lyon, a no-win situation in many respects.
Ligue 1 continues as well and PSG's trip to nearby Lille is the big clash of the round. Lille need the points to maintain a Champions League spot and any hope of overhauling their near neighbours. PSG need points for their title push. Montpellier have a tough Friday night assignment in Toulouse, though TFC have dropped off the pace a little of late.
Olympiakos sealed the Greek championship a while back and get the opportunity to make it a double this weekend in the Cup final against Atromitos. Olympiakos have only lost one of their last twelve against domestic opposition while Atromitos - fourth place in the Super League table - haven't won for a month. It should be a formality. Should be...
Basel are technically champions of Switzerland at the moment, but for an appeal by second-placed Luzern over points docked in relation to FC Sion's ineligible player row, specifically points they think they should have been awarded for a game against Sion. Basel, diplomatically and sensibly, aren't claiming anything, but a win over eighth-place Lausanne will be enough no matter what happens to Luzern either at CAS or away to Grasshopper this weekend.
The Spanish title is all but decided after last week's clasico and it would take a choke of spectacular proportions to deny El Real now. The big race is on for third place and Valencia go to Málaga this weekend. Málaga trail Los Che by three, but Valencia beat them 2-0 in the Mestalla. Málaga therefore need to win this by three to go ahead on the head-to-head. Should Valencia win, there's a real push for fourth with Levante, Athletic, Atlético and Osasuna all in the frame.
The English championship could be decided in all but name on Monday where the two Manchester clubs meet at City's ground. A draw will pretty much do for United, allowing them a mulligan in the final two games. City have to win and, at home, the onus is very much on them. It promises to be quite a game.
Us? Well it's the final round of games in the Blue Square Premier. We're off to York's home game with Forest Green Rovers. York are sealed in the play-off places, but who they play is open to question. It could be Mansfield - safe in third - or it could be Wrexham - ina lonely second. Who the fourth team in those play-offs is yet to be decided as well. Luton are fifth at the moment and are away to runaway champions Fleetwood. Kidderminster are two points behind them and play Mansfield at home. Intrigue right the way through. Who Fleetwood plus one replace in the football league is two of Macclesfield, Hereford and Barnet. That picture won't become a lot clearer until five o'clock tomorrow.
After the fun and games of title deciders last weekend, there could be a few more this week too. There are also some cup final shenanigans.
First to Russia, where long-time leaders Zenit just need a point at home to second-placed Dinamo Moscow to seal the title. They're 12 points clear with four games to go including this one, so Dinamo need to win everything while hoping Zenit lose everything. If not this week for Zenit, it will surely come soon. They've been the best all season by some distance. The chase for second place and a Champions League spot is perhaps more interesting. Dinamo are a point ahead of Spartak with CSKA two further back. Spartak are away to CSKA this week.
Ajax need a win to seal a second successive championship in the Netherlands. When all around have faltered, they've kept on keeping on. Frank de Boer has already been spoken about in terms of the Barcelona job should Pep Guardiola step down (not confirmed at time of writing) and two Eredivisie soup dishes isn't a bad way to start your managerial career, especially given the state Ajax were in when he took the reins. They are in Enschede this week to play FC Twente who are in a similar hunt for points to make it to that second Champions League spot. It's third v second at De Kuip where Feyenoord host AZ and PSV aren't out of the hunt for second either. They're in Kerkrade to play Roda JC. Heerenveen are still in with a shout of European qualification and are away to Heracles this week.
It's the French Cup final on Saturday with minnows US Quevilly playing the giants of Lyon. Quevilly getting this far has been one of those feel-good stories that cup football throws up occasionally and it's sure to be quite a party in the tiny Norman village whatever the outcome. It's all on Lyon, a no-win situation in many respects.
Ligue 1 continues as well and PSG's trip to nearby Lille is the big clash of the round. Lille need the points to maintain a Champions League spot and any hope of overhauling their near neighbours. PSG need points for their title push. Montpellier have a tough Friday night assignment in Toulouse, though TFC have dropped off the pace a little of late.
Olympiakos sealed the Greek championship a while back and get the opportunity to make it a double this weekend in the Cup final against Atromitos. Olympiakos have only lost one of their last twelve against domestic opposition while Atromitos - fourth place in the Super League table - haven't won for a month. It should be a formality. Should be...
Basel are technically champions of Switzerland at the moment, but for an appeal by second-placed Luzern over points docked in relation to FC Sion's ineligible player row, specifically points they think they should have been awarded for a game against Sion. Basel, diplomatically and sensibly, aren't claiming anything, but a win over eighth-place Lausanne will be enough no matter what happens to Luzern either at CAS or away to Grasshopper this weekend.
The Spanish title is all but decided after last week's clasico and it would take a choke of spectacular proportions to deny El Real now. The big race is on for third place and Valencia go to Málaga this weekend. Málaga trail Los Che by three, but Valencia beat them 2-0 in the Mestalla. Málaga therefore need to win this by three to go ahead on the head-to-head. Should Valencia win, there's a real push for fourth with Levante, Athletic, Atlético and Osasuna all in the frame.
The English championship could be decided in all but name on Monday where the two Manchester clubs meet at City's ground. A draw will pretty much do for United, allowing them a mulligan in the final two games. City have to win and, at home, the onus is very much on them. It promises to be quite a game.
Us? Well it's the final round of games in the Blue Square Premier. We're off to York's home game with Forest Green Rovers. York are sealed in the play-off places, but who they play is open to question. It could be Mansfield - safe in third - or it could be Wrexham - ina lonely second. Who the fourth team in those play-offs is yet to be decided as well. Luton are fifth at the moment and are away to runaway champions Fleetwood. Kidderminster are two points behind them and play Mansfield at home. Intrigue right the way through. Who Fleetwood plus one replace in the football league is two of Macclesfield, Hereford and Barnet. That picture won't become a lot clearer until five o'clock tomorrow.
Friday, 13 April 2012
Marking your card #5
Herewith the highlights of the coming weekend around Europe.
Biggest game of the weekend is the Ruhr derby as Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund make the short trip to Gelsenkirchen to take on rivals Schalke. Dortmund built up a six-point buffer by beating FC Bayern midweek and the Bavarians are at home to Mainz awaiting a slip-up by the Schwarzgelb. And if it's derby action you want, try Galatasaray travelling to face Besiktas in the Turkish league. Slightly more tame than that is the game on Sunday in Vienna between Rapid and Austria.
Saturday is League Cup final day in France and Portugal as Lyon take on Marseille - the Olympique derby - at the Stade de France and Benfica meet Gil Vicente in Coimbra. Marseille go into it in stinkingly rotten form and Lyon are huge favourites to take the first silverware of the year. Benfica are even stronger favourites in their final.
Inter travel to Udine in a big clash in terms of the minor European placings. Udinese have just gone off the boil a little lately while Andrea Stramaccioni has had a solid start to his Inter career, already taking more points in four games than Claudio Ranieri did in his last ten.
The Eredivisie became a lot more clear-cut after the midweek matches. PSV are at home to AZ in the one clash between the top six. Twente are at home to NAC, Heerenveen go to Nijmegen and Feyenoord face their feeder club Excelsior at De Kuip. Anyone hoping for a slip-up from leaders Ajax will be disappointed - they're at home to De Graafschap.
The top two in Spain are both in action on Saturday ahead of Champions League assignments midweek with Real Madrid at home to Sporting Gíjon and Barcelona with the marginally tougher assignment of playing away at Levante.
And in English non-league football, Fleetwood Town can confirm their promotion to the football league with a win over Lincoln City at Highbury tonight. They will win that. Lincoln are rubbish.
Enjoy the game wherever you end up.
Biggest game of the weekend is the Ruhr derby as Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund make the short trip to Gelsenkirchen to take on rivals Schalke. Dortmund built up a six-point buffer by beating FC Bayern midweek and the Bavarians are at home to Mainz awaiting a slip-up by the Schwarzgelb. And if it's derby action you want, try Galatasaray travelling to face Besiktas in the Turkish league. Slightly more tame than that is the game on Sunday in Vienna between Rapid and Austria.
Saturday is League Cup final day in France and Portugal as Lyon take on Marseille - the Olympique derby - at the Stade de France and Benfica meet Gil Vicente in Coimbra. Marseille go into it in stinkingly rotten form and Lyon are huge favourites to take the first silverware of the year. Benfica are even stronger favourites in their final.
Inter travel to Udine in a big clash in terms of the minor European placings. Udinese have just gone off the boil a little lately while Andrea Stramaccioni has had a solid start to his Inter career, already taking more points in four games than Claudio Ranieri did in his last ten.
The Eredivisie became a lot more clear-cut after the midweek matches. PSV are at home to AZ in the one clash between the top six. Twente are at home to NAC, Heerenveen go to Nijmegen and Feyenoord face their feeder club Excelsior at De Kuip. Anyone hoping for a slip-up from leaders Ajax will be disappointed - they're at home to De Graafschap.
The top two in Spain are both in action on Saturday ahead of Champions League assignments midweek with Real Madrid at home to Sporting Gíjon and Barcelona with the marginally tougher assignment of playing away at Levante.
And in English non-league football, Fleetwood Town can confirm their promotion to the football league with a win over Lincoln City at Highbury tonight. They will win that. Lincoln are rubbish.
Enjoy the game wherever you end up.
Friday, 30 March 2012
Marking your card #3
Things to look out for this weekend.
Real Madrid got back to winning ways last week, but have a tough trip to Pamplona to play Osasuna on Saturday. Barcelona have already slipped up there and they take on Athletic this week. The Bilbao side back up from Thursday's 4-2 Europa League win over Schalke 04, the Liga authorities refusing to put the game back. It makes little difference: Athletic have struggled to back up from European exploits all season long and Barcelona should win this relatively comfortably. The 2-2 draw between the two at San Mamés was one of the games of the season. It's difficult to make a case for a repeat.
It's a big week in Portugal. Porto face the obdurate Olhanense at home, but new leaders Braga go to Lisbon to face the side they usurped at the top, Benfica. Should Braga win, they will fancy going on to take the title. Anything else and it's all still up for grabs.
It's third v fourth in France on Sunday when Lille host Toulouse in the battle for the final Champions League place. PSG can steal a march on Montpellier by winning their game against mid-table Nancy as the southerners don't play until Wednesday as the league allowed Marseille to reschedule in order to better prepare for Champions League football. Fat lot of good that did...
In Poland, two of the traditional powerhouses meet on Friday night when Wisła Kraków host Legia. Wisła are down in seventh, eleven points behind leaders Legia who are having a bit of a wobble having drawn the last two. Both have parsimonius defences, so this looks like being a cagey affair - well as cagey as it ever can be.
Having been denied by Rangers last week, Celtic can seal the Scottish title this week, though they'll need a helping hand from Motherwell who play their Glasgow rivals. Even if it doesn't happen this week, there's always the week after.
In the US, Sébastien Le Toux returns to Philadelphia - the club he didn't want to leave - with the Vancouver Whitecaps and a win for the Canadians would heap pressure on Piotr Novak. Chile's version of Rangers travel to play Universidad de Chile who are still quite incredible to watch. The big one in Russia sees leaders Zenit take on fourth-place Spartak Moscow. And if English non-league football is your bag, York City's trip to Luton on Friday night is a massive game. These sides met in the FA Trophy semi-finals, York sneaking through over two legs, securing a dramatic draw at Kenilworth Road to edge it 2-1 on aggregate. Further down the ladder, Chester FC celebrate two years since their rise from the ashes of Chester City with a home game against Whitby Town. 11 points clear with seven games to go, a win for Chester puts on foot in next season's Conference North. Our new best friends at 1.FC Magdeburg have a tough trip to Halmstad to take on Germania.
Finally, in Belgium Westerlo and Sint-Truiden begin their five-game series to determine which of them gets relegated. They will be utterly fed up of the sight of each other by the end of April.
You should find something to suit your tastes from that little lot. Wherever you end up, have fun.
Real Madrid got back to winning ways last week, but have a tough trip to Pamplona to play Osasuna on Saturday. Barcelona have already slipped up there and they take on Athletic this week. The Bilbao side back up from Thursday's 4-2 Europa League win over Schalke 04, the Liga authorities refusing to put the game back. It makes little difference: Athletic have struggled to back up from European exploits all season long and Barcelona should win this relatively comfortably. The 2-2 draw between the two at San Mamés was one of the games of the season. It's difficult to make a case for a repeat.
It's a big week in Portugal. Porto face the obdurate Olhanense at home, but new leaders Braga go to Lisbon to face the side they usurped at the top, Benfica. Should Braga win, they will fancy going on to take the title. Anything else and it's all still up for grabs.
It's third v fourth in France on Sunday when Lille host Toulouse in the battle for the final Champions League place. PSG can steal a march on Montpellier by winning their game against mid-table Nancy as the southerners don't play until Wednesday as the league allowed Marseille to reschedule in order to better prepare for Champions League football. Fat lot of good that did...
In Poland, two of the traditional powerhouses meet on Friday night when Wisła Kraków host Legia. Wisła are down in seventh, eleven points behind leaders Legia who are having a bit of a wobble having drawn the last two. Both have parsimonius defences, so this looks like being a cagey affair - well as cagey as it ever can be.
Having been denied by Rangers last week, Celtic can seal the Scottish title this week, though they'll need a helping hand from Motherwell who play their Glasgow rivals. Even if it doesn't happen this week, there's always the week after.
In the US, Sébastien Le Toux returns to Philadelphia - the club he didn't want to leave - with the Vancouver Whitecaps and a win for the Canadians would heap pressure on Piotr Novak. Chile's version of Rangers travel to play Universidad de Chile who are still quite incredible to watch. The big one in Russia sees leaders Zenit take on fourth-place Spartak Moscow. And if English non-league football is your bag, York City's trip to Luton on Friday night is a massive game. These sides met in the FA Trophy semi-finals, York sneaking through over two legs, securing a dramatic draw at Kenilworth Road to edge it 2-1 on aggregate. Further down the ladder, Chester FC celebrate two years since their rise from the ashes of Chester City with a home game against Whitby Town. 11 points clear with seven games to go, a win for Chester puts on foot in next season's Conference North. Our new best friends at 1.FC Magdeburg have a tough trip to Halmstad to take on Germania.
Finally, in Belgium Westerlo and Sint-Truiden begin their five-game series to determine which of them gets relegated. They will be utterly fed up of the sight of each other by the end of April.
You should find something to suit your tastes from that little lot. Wherever you end up, have fun.
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