BFC 2-0 Blackburn Rovers, Monday 26th December 2016

‘Same old s***, evey week, same old s***, every week’ 

Welcome to .....

After upsetting the odds with some recent results, just what we needed: a team from the relegation zone at home.  It had potential banana skin all over it, cos if there’s one thing we don’t like, it’s being favourites to win a game.  But how would Blackburn turn up?  Would they be the side who’d lost their last three 2-3, or would they learn from those games and shut up shop, a la Wigan t’other week? Fortunately, it was the former. They played an open game, clueless defensively, which could have resulted in us scoring half a dozen…but could have grabbed them a few as well.

Toby whips up the crowd.

It’s all us early doors.  Bradshaw skies a great opportunity from 10 yards.  Scowen fails to get on the end of an open goal at the back post.  A bad bounce prevents Bradshaw going clean through.  Say what I like about Winnall, he wouldn’t have passed up all three.  And sure enough, he bags number 10 for the season and costs me even more money (£50).  Thankfully, I have conveniently forgotten my phone, so don’t have to put up with the endless messages I’ve no doubt received from fellow Reds wellwishers (but I DID have to put up with Slacki’s gleaming face at half time).

Hourihane swings in a delicious ball from the right and Winnall runs in behind the centre halves to send a simple header past the keeper.  We have scored the most headers in the division and our centre forward is about 5’ 9”.  It’s all about the balls in and the movement.  We sit back and expect a deluge of Reds goals.

The teams come out.

Actually, if I said ‘we’ was the players, that’d be about right.  From 25 mins in, till half time, it was all Blackburn, with the occasional break by us.  Scowen clears one off the line while Davies smothers a one-on-one and tips one round the post which was top corner all the way.  We scrape in 1-0.
If Blackburn played an expansive game in the 1^st half, it’s nothing to the second.  From the off they set up like it was injury time, throwing way too many players forward and leaving one at the back.  We break 2 on 1….only Hourihane overhits the pass and ruins the move. Next, we go 4 on 1.  Only BFC can mess this up, and we do….Hourihane breaks to the right, receives the ball, then realises he has no right foot, so cuts inside.  Does he pass to one of the other 3, or blaze it over the bar? You guess.

Blackburn banners

At the other end, Davies is continuing the heroics, another one-on-one saved.  He even manages to keep some of his kicks on the pitch, though one kick comes off MacDonald and straight into the path of Rover, on the halfway line, who puts his paw through the ball and sends it over Davies and onto the post.  Another escape.  If I can compare this game to any, it’s the Bradford promotion match; we are WAY better than them, yet continue to gift them the odd chance. And like Bradford, the luck goes with us.

Kent dribbles round 3 and creates a chance.  So he’s pulled off (!).  This happened the other week an’ all: Heckingbottom waits till Kent does summat, then calls his number. But we’re doing the usual, sending Marley on ‘to strengthen midfield’ while Armstrong returns for Winnall.  Bradshaw meantime looks knackered.  Armstrong’s 1^st move is to nick a pass from them and drive past 3 or 4 players before running into traffic (though he still kept possession; a thinly disguised dig at Kent).  
Then we get the respite we’re looking for.  One of their players goes straight through Morsy and gets a red.  At least he’s picked one of our expendables: Morsy’s a Wigan player.  Howthehell does he not get into a team who’re currently 2^nd off bottom? I’ve no idea.  Once Morsy’s stopped rolling around, he’s up for a fight (think Scrappy Do – ‘Lemme at him! Lemme at him!’ but Scowen steps in to drag him away and prevent the inevitable.  On seeing the tackle again on TV, it really was a legbreaker and lucky for Morsy his leg wasn’t planted in the ground.  A shocker.

The Rovers' end. Boooo, hisssss...etc

So, no more worries, eh?  Not really, this is Barnsley.  Davies pulls off another late save, before we break 4 on 1 again. This time Bree slips in a perfectly weighted pass for Marley to casually slot home in front of the Ponty.  HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!  Later, on Channel 5’s football coverage, they talk about our plethora of attacking talent…Winnall, Armstrong, Bradshaw, Payne…and fail to spot the best one we have – probably cos he keeps being played right midfield. Marley Watkins, I love you.  Came on last week to set up the winner, this week scores the killer 2^nd.  2^nd most assists and 2^nd top scorer in how many games?  No wonder the Ponty serenaded him when he came on.

*** Scowen.  Up and down, side to side, tackle after tackle, sprint after sprint.  What a player. My favourite Scowen moment was when he gave them the ball before proceeding to win it back, beat 2 of them, then get dragged down as he ran into acres of space down the left.  Was also one of the many options Hourihane had when he decided to cut inside onto his left and clear the bar from 10 yards.  Twitter MOTM.** Davies.  Some great saves, mingled with the usual inability to catch a ball under pressure and 2 or 3 punches, some which worked better than others.  But his saves were top drawer: 1^st half top corner, as well as smothered a 1 on 1.  2^nd half, saved another 1 on 1, though got lucky with the miskick.* Bree.  I’m liking Bree more and more.  Continues to improve as a defender, but pops up in attack and creates chances (and goals!).  This week it’s Marley’s opportunity to benefit. 

Londontykes' MOTM
*** Davies
** Yiadom
* Scowen

The Ponty v Blackburn

Despatches:More omens broken. Apparently we hadn’t won in 6 Boxing Day games, nor beaten Blackburn in half a dozen.  Keep it up Barnsley.  Today was an exciting game, which should have been about 8-3 had we taken our chances to break. Perhaps we needed Rovers to score to become more clinical ourselves (a la Cardiff last week).  Driving up north, I also got to listen to a fair portion of ‘Praise or grumble’ on Radio S***field.  At one point there were 3 callers in a row talking about BFC and someone even texted in to moan that the show lacked variation.  Ha!  Made a change from listening to Washday fans who weren’t at the game telling us how badly they’d played and which continental superstar they should sign.  I also still had a signal north of Leeds, which surprised me.

The players?  They were great. What can I say?  Perhaps Bradshaw tired as the game went on and should have been subbed earlier.  Perhaps we didn’t take our chances.  But we can’t complain.  Everything positive I’ve said previously about our players individually goes for this game as well.  But one thing I did notice…and possibly a reason we score and concede so many….was that Roberts was in their box at least twice during OPEN PLAY.  I love our style of play though. Long may it continue (till we lose a couple and everyone moans about our defensive naivety) 

SSW points at the bloke betting against him getting 10 this season (me).

Will Winnall get 10?  F***ing f*** f***.  What a player.  Always said so.  His movement has been magnificient this season, his all round play has improved (though is far from perfect) and he has so many creative players to feed off.  Not bad for our 3^rd or 4^th best centre forward.  Getting into double figures before the end of the year is a great achievement (‘the first Barnsley player in 3 years’ said George wotshisface on Channel 5), which either proves the national media know nowt, or last season’s 24 goals really were a bad dream from which I’m owed my money back from certain bets.  I’m a bit surprised by George, actually, cos he allegedly supports a team from just down the road (Dirty L**ds) who’ve previously been linked with the goalscoring machine.  Actually, having read that sentence again, perhaps I’m not surprised at all.

Onwards and upwards!

Drink du jour: Diet coke.  Christ.  Never go in Redfearns.*  10 minutes of waiting in the cold only to be followed by Loko’s interpretation of a mannequin behind the bar. As I’m driving today, I can’t take up the offer of a pint.  ‘Can I have a coke?’  No.  Diet coke only.  They’ve ran out of the drinkable stuff.  I wouldn’t mind, but coke keeps for MONTHS.  Still, extra marks to Hicksy, who came out for a breather while I was in the queue and we exchanged the merchandise** for cold hard cash.

* only (half) kidding, before I get lynched by the Redfearns’ crew.  A convivial atmosphere and quickly served, if not by one of the Holy Trinity (Hicksy, Loko, Gally).
** Forest away tickets

Away: 1440.  They didn’t sound happy from what I could hear. They hate their manager, they hate their owners, they hate their team.  Not sure in what order though.  Good to see they’ve lifted the anti-climb netting from near the tunnel, so we could go back to the good old days of seeing irate away fans trying to get a piece of their defeated team at full time.

The Damage:
3 prog
1 diet coke

Always a positive sign: a queue at Oakwell.

Redfearns, pre-match.

BFC permits the disabled ???  Good to know.

There's no going back now.

It's a beautiful day!

Players' pre-match kickabout (yes, I was in early).

Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Augsburg, Tuesday 20th December 2016

Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Augsburg (att. 81,360 – ‘ausverkauft’)

There but for the grace..etc.  I may not be religious, but it’s worth taking a moment to think why I’m in Germany at this time: the Christmas markets.  I was in Dusseldorf and Dortmund, but it could so easily have been Berlin, where, yesterday, some maniac murdered a lorry driver and drove his vehicle into a crowd of shoppers at one of Berlin’s Christmas markets.  What a world we live in.

Signal Iduna Park from the Rote Erde.

My partner and I work hard.  So with a fortnight off at Christmas, we planned a short foreign trip to get us in the mood.  ‘Let’s visit a German Christmas market.’  I was sold.  After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, (basically, looking up cheap flights) we plumped on Dusseldorf. Even better, there were midweek Bundesliga fixtures.  Where is near Dusseldorf?  That’s right, the Big Fish - Borussia Dortmund.  If I could just get hold of some tickets, there’s one Xmas present sorted there and then.

Colour co-ordinated portaloos

Borussia sell out every game, so what to do?  Well, opponents Augsburg are based over 300 miles to the south, in Bavaria.  And if they’re entitled to 10% of tickets, surely they’ll not sell out 8,000?  I went on their website.  After sale to the members, they’d go on general sale. I sent them a cheeky e-mail about my chances and they replied; wait till general sale.  I was back on the website on the day of general sale.  Turned out I had to live within a certain postal address to get tickets and SE5 wasn’t among them.  I sent another e-mail to the ticket office.  I think the earlier e-mail had softened them up; tickets were sorted, an invoice sent and I had to sort out an international bank transfer.  OK, so not cheap (seating tickets were €49.10) but you don’t visit the Westfalenstadion every week.

An Augsburgian pre-match.

FYI, the Dortmund Xmas market is much better than Dusseldorf, which is far too spread out and is more a case of lots of markets in lots of places.  And in Dortmund’s case, there’s a metro station right in the middle of it which will take you direct to the stadium (‘stadion’).  I’d already had one transport victory: having match tickets entitled us to free travel from Dusseldorf, as it’s in the same region.  Super, smashing!

Happy Xmas!

We got to the stadium early, to savour the atmosphere and enjoy sausage and gluhwein in the Rote Erde beer garden.  Including the Xmas market, I drank over a pint of the stuff. But it is nice.  And it is cold.  So much so, we head to the club shop, and even that is one of the finest of its kind, incorporating a pretend stand and an indoor court for the kiddies to kick a ball about.  We escape relatively unscathed (a programme and a bell for my bicycle).

Plenty of angles in scoreboard corner.

Next, I have to drop off my man-bag in a portacabin, as it’s not allowed in.  Woman-bags are.  I shouldn’t grumble.  I’m not grumbling.  Means more space inside.  What I can grumble at is the cashless prepaid card-only payment system.  How do I know how much I’ll buy at the counter?  Actually, I know exactly how much: nothing.  I refuse to be part of this gimmick.  So no beer for me, though as I said, it’s freezing in here.  Not sure I wanted one.  Bah humbug.

The pre-match flag waving.

Our seats turn out to be up in the gods – 2^nd off back row, top tier.  So we can’t see the entire ‘Gelbe Wand’ because the front of the roof is lower than we are.  But we are on the halfway line, so not a bad view.  We’re in amongst about 30 Augsburg fans (the rest are in the corner, to our right).  Their other tickets appear to have been devoured by Dortmund fans, judging by the yellow.

Looking towards the Yellow Wall.

I am unsure who to pull for, I like both these teams.  However, Augsburg start the brighter and score a canny opener, Ji being put through for an easy tap-in.  So easy, he misses, but the rebound falls to him and he bundles home.  Then Augsburg miss a crucial chance before half time.  The centre forward goes to control it (and fails) when all he had to do was lift it over a stranded keeper with his head.  He may regret that.

The Gelbe Wand.

Halftime comes.  We go for a wander.  The toilet break takes longer than it should and we get back in time to hear an almighty cheer; we have missed one minute of action and all of Dortmund’s goals (they don’t get another).  An old woman goes nuts at us for getting in the way of her seeing everyone else celebrate.  At least she saw the goal!

The expected onslaught never really appears.  Aubameyang is off colour, Götze anonymous and sub Schürrle haphazard.  Dortmund never really look like getting another and one breakaway nearly results in an Augsburg winner.  Still, at full time, there’s no doubt who’s happiest, as the Augsburg fans are delirious.  Imagine if they’d won.  Then it’s time to head to the main railway station and a couple of Paulaners for the journey ‘home’ to Dusseldorf.  I am cold.  I am tired.  But I am alive.

Home time!

The Damage: 
€49.10 match ticket (x2) 
€5 delivery fee
€10 international payment fee 
€2 programme 
€6 bicycle bell 
€3 mulled wine (x2) 
€2.50 sausage (x2)
= €132.20 (for 2)

The last remnants.

Rhubarb beer.  As bad as it sounds.

Cardiff City 3-4 BFC, Saturday 17th December 2016

Get the f*** in.  Everyone who was there witnessed a special, special match.  This team is incredible!!!!!!

‘Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, you gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I’ll give it to Heckingbottom’

The view from the away corner.

Unbelieveable (Jeff).  We go behind early doors, run them ragged, go in 3-1 up by the break (‘Should I cash out now or go for 6-1?’), throw it all away in a late collapse, then pinch it with an even later break as their lot get their little Welsh hopes up of the Great Comeback.  GET IN YOU F***ING BEAUTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!  As Molly said, we might have won 4-3 before (when?) but never in such circumstances as these.

It didn’t all start so brightly.  Yours truly made the age old mistake of chatting to Kempy on a street corner somewhere near the ground (but not near enough) and I got in just in time to see Cardiff swing in a corner on the screen in the concourse.  The roar from inside the stadium told me what happened next.  Yes, their bloke takes a step back and somehow has a simple header into an empty net.  Don’t we do marking?  Still, it means we’ll HAVE to score, so it rules out the cagey game.

I said to this Cardiff fan...'Oi!'

I find Andy, Molly, the Captain and Pompey and stand up near the back.  It’s a good atmosphere despite the early setback.  There is only one team in it – the Super Reds.  The game is mainly played up there, in the other half of the field but the equaliser, deserved as it was, comes out of the blue: Hourihane humps one in from wide right, Winnall drops off and somehow clears the keeper with a looping header.  Talk about slow-mo.  The keeper is wrong footed and the ball drops in the only place he could possibly score.  SSW does it again!!!!!!!!!!  My £50 looks shakier by the minute.

Cardiff make the mistake of trying to attack us and we rip them to bits on the break.  Scowen charges forward and we’re 3 on 1.  If he bothers to look to his right, he’ll send Bradshaw clear. He doesn’t. He plays it left to Kent, who gives it to Morsy to pull it across goal for SSW, in acres of space and aeons of time.  He coolly slots.  Cardiff look terrible, their only threat coming from corners.  Yet every time they get a corner, we look like we’ll pick them off on the counter.

'They're here, they're there, they're every f***ing where, empty seats, empty seats'

And it’s a counter which brings us our 3^rd.  We break down the left, Kent cuts inside and the touch (it later transpires it’s come off the defender) takes it past the onrushing keeper, who’s now in no-man’s land, as the ball rolls across the box for Scowen to stroke into an empty net.  Definitely the funniest goal of the day.  Reds fans jump around and hug each other. This game is surreal.

We calm down in the 2^nd half.  Like last week v Norwich, we try and concede an equaliser in the first minute, but they hit the post from close range.  Otherwise, it’s comfortable, without us going for the jugular. We start passing it around (as we do), taking the p*** out of them.  This never ends well.  And with 11 mins left they deliver another high ball in from the right.  Again we deal with it….then we don’t. Scowen (I think) scuffs a clearance straight to the one player in Cardiff’s side capable of banging it 1^st time with his left foot; Peter Whittingham.  Brilliant.  11 minutes to hang on.  

Stadium panorama

We retreat, deeper and deeper.  By now, Rickie Lambert is on for Warnock’s long ball wonders while Hecky has brought on Watkins to shore up midfield.  It’s not working.  Cardiff (and their fans) have woken up and smell blood.  We’re 86 mins in and the writing is on the wall, as they line up another free kick. I try to remain calm, telling Reedy that even if they score, we can still go on to grab a winner.  It’s that kind of day.  And it’s exactly what happened.

It’s now the 89^th minute and yet another corner comes in.  There must have been 20 players in that box and it’s too crowded for Davies to come out (not that he would anyway).  We lose another header and their player nicks it in front of Yiadom to equalise.  F***ing f*** f***.  We have thrown this game away.  I cannot understand how we have done this, so dominant were we.  And there’s still time for a Cardiff winner.  Depressed, demoralised….determined to make his half five train, The Captain leaves.

The home end.

Hecky takes a knackered Bradshaw off. He’s given everything.  On comes Ryan Williams.  Great. Just what we need.  Cardiff attack down the left and the ball is pulled back for the winner….but their lad lets it go across him cos he doesn’t have a left foot and the shot flashes wide of the right hand post.  I’ll tell you who WOULD have scored that: SSW!

Then a long ball out of defence finally finds one of ours (we couldn’t put a pass together in that last 20).  Winnall flicks it on with the outside of his boot and Marley is away down the wing. He drives between 2 defenders and shrugs them off with his strength.  He’s now in the box…surely not…surely he can’t….it’s an angle, but there’s a chance to score….but he pulls it across goal and Williams comes steaming in to sidefoot home.  PANDEMONIUM!!!!!!!!  We have nicked it.  Their lot are gobsmacked, we are jumping around like loons and we destroy what’s left of our voices screaming our heads off. Seriously, I came out of there with a headache, such was my own celebration.  F***ing brilliant.  Absolutely f***ing brilliant.  Even Molly was smiling.  The ref gives it another minute before we can do it all over again. Full time, 3-4, ‘Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells’ etc  Folk are laughing at what they have just witnessed.  ANOTHER great, great day for the Super Reds.  Another great, great day under Heckingbottom.  This man can do no wrong.

*** Christ, I don’t know.  Winnall.  Scored 2, played a part in the winner.  Moaned himself into the book.  Shook Geordie Al’s hand at Bristol station later.  Is there anything he cannot do!? 
** Davies.   Yeah, yeah, conceded 3, but you didn’t see the saves he DID make.  One, low to his left from a corner (obvs!) was world class.  Though the cameras problies enjoyed his dive for Whittingham’s longshot late on.
* Williams.  I cannot split the rest of them, so I’m going to give it to Sicknote himself, managing to run 10 yards for the first time in his Reds career without getting injured.  And making it a MERRY F***ING CHRISTMAS for Reds fans everywhere.  Do I love you? Indeed I do!!!!!!!!!!!

Party Time indeed.

Londontykes' Top 3:

1. Winnall

2. Davies

3. Kent

Despatches:
EVERYONE was magnificent in parts, everyone made mistakes.  That about sums it up.  But they dug deep and got the win in one of the best games I’ve ever seen.  A few chants at Warnock, though he never did return our plea for a wave.  3-1 up and 'Warnock, Warnock give us a wave' echoing around their shell of a ground.  Loved it.

Drink du jour: vodka and orange.  Decided not to bother SSW and Yiadom in 1^st class (after we shook hands on the platform, with the train coming in).  I’d have loved to tell Super Sammy to keep it up and prove me wrong (while telling Yiadom he’s destined for stardom even if Winnall isn’t).  Earlier, Andy found us a most excellent boozer, The Tiny Rebel (next to the Millenium Stadium) while afterwards he didn’t; one of at least 3 Wetherspoons I saw on my Cardiff travels.  It looked like another night of carnage in Cardiff city centre and I think we were all pleased to get out.

The Super Reds on the attack.

Away: Maybe the best part of 800.  We were certainly snug in our corner, while here, there and every f***ing where were empty seats (empty seats).  I hate this stadium. I hated it the 1^st time I came and since then they’ve added ANOTHER 6,000 empty seats.  Cardiff City – what’s the point?  Special mention to Barnsley FC, who provided the away end with Hecky masks, a letter commending our support at this expensive time of the year and a token for a free drink of our choice at the refreshment stand.  Nice touch.  (Though being late in, I missed all of it.)

Onwards and upwards!

The Damage:
23 travel
22 ent
3.70 steak pie

I’d tell you how much programmes were, but there weren’t any.  Mickey Mouse club.

Sean O'Driscoll's put some weight on...

BFC 2-1 Norwich City, Saturday 10th December 2016

‘That’s retribution fo’ 2002’

The view from the away end.

The omens were against us. 11 games without victory v the Canaries (9 defeats) and without a win at home in 7 (3 draws). The Geordie Al ready-reckoner worked out we therefore had zero chance of winning, 5 chances of a draw (2+3) and 13 of defeat (9+4). Hopefully, my wearing of the 3rd kit would cancel this out. After all, it’s the only kit we win in these days. ‘Dad, will you settle for a draw?’ ‘Yes’ he said, unequivocally.

There were however some positive omens from the previous week’s Chron, courtesy of Salisbury: Best player in the league (Hourihane – inc 3rd most tackles per match!), most saves in the division (Davies), as well as lesser known stats such as blocks and clearances (which our centre halves dominate) while Yiadom was 3rd in blocked crosses. Just shows what we already know: our defence are playing really well DESPITE the number of goals we concede. Oh, and we also had the most dribbles of any team, but quite how many of Kent’s efforts have ended up in goals…I can probably estimate at one. If that.

The view from the away (ladies) toilet.

Of course, I wanted to win this one. When your better half and father-in-law are Norwich fans, it would be nice to have bragging rights for a change. So I really enjoyed watching Scowen and Bree skin them down our right and a low cross being sweetly turned in 1st time by Bradshaw from 12 yards. Bradshaw! A proper centre forward! Actually, the move was reminiscent of the last home game, when Bree dropped one on Winnall’s head.

We continue to pile forward (though Norwich look dangerous on the break) and as we hang on to a one goal half time lead, Hourihane puts his foot through a 20 yarder and the slight deflection takes it into the top corner. F***ING YES! Hopefully we’ll score a hatful second half. I should have known better.

Norwich come out and nearly score within a minute. Alex Neil’s double substitution looks like paying dividends as they swarm all over us for the 1st few minutes. Then, just as we’ve weathered the storm, their guy hits a 25 yarder which goes THROUGH Davies. I feel sorry for our keeper. He had the perfect 1st half, and all anyone can remember is the shot he should have saved.

Davies on the alert

Thereafter, it was all hands to the pump, not helped by our side’s complete inability to pass the ball when we had it. I don’t think we put together more than 3 passes until the 80th minute. The team were panicking from front to back and no-one in midfield was prepared to put their foot on the ball. Yet in the last 20 mins or so, we had so many chances to break…3 on 3…but we wasted everything. The best chance we had of putting the game to bed, Kent broke 2 on 1, which became 3 on 2 as he slowed up, looking for the right option. Do I cross for Bradshaw? Do I pull it back for the onrushing midfielder? Do I go for goal myself and slice the ball so badly that Bradshaw ends up heading it back across goal for ? (Winnall?) to tap home. Of course it’s the latter, and the goal is chalked off for offside against Bradshaw. I’m not even convinced he was offside, but certainly that was entirely Kent’s fault for delaying too long and being s***. His time is up for me; either get Hamill or Janko into the team or drag Isgrove back from Soton. He’s not doing owt, is he?

Thankfully, Norwich miss all their (half) chances and Roberts makes the tackle of the match to prevent them being clean through. And if that was my favourite tackle, 2nd must go to Scowen, who nearly broke a player twice his size, who proceeded to limp, wince and moan till he realised he wasn’t getting anything…then trotted 30 yards to take the throw-in. As Wadd says, their ‘gamesmanship’ was amongst the best (worst?) we’d seen all season. ‘Premiership’ class. How many times did Reds fans have to tell the ref they were pinching god knows how many yards at EVERY throw-in, before the ref did owt? (Then he continued letting them do it. What’s the point?) Mind, he did everything to avoid booking anybody, including ignoring Hamill chucking the ball behind him to waste time.

Canaries!  Canaries!

*** Scowen. Josh only has 2 games for the Reds this season. Brilliant or dogs***. Today he was outstanding, running himself into the ground and making tackle after tackle. Twitter MOTM..
** Yiadom. What can you say? Fast, skilful, great tackler…and amongst the highest dribblers in the league (according to them there stats again). Basically, not only is he an outstanding defender, he’s also a better winger than we currently have.
* Roberts. Awesome in the second half, but can I be the only one to point out that the best chances Norwich had in the 1st half seemed to come from half clearances from our centre halves!

Londontykes' Top 3:
1= Scowen
1= Yiadom
3. Roberts

Mind, our resident Norwich contingent were convinced Bassong was our MOTM. Tis true, their centre halves and keeper were trying to play football that was beyond them. Reminded me of the good old days of...every BFC centre half and keeper partnership we've had till this one. (McNulty plus any 2, for a start; or 'Dangerous Bri' and friends)

The view towards the away end (or how useless my cameraphone is).

Despatches:
Davies caught and saved everything till he conceded, then he lost all confidence and never left his line. At least he made one decent save, diving low to his left. Bree recovered from a tricky start and then had the winger in his pocket. Hourihane showed his class with the goal, but I wish he’d had a greater say in the 2nd half. MacDonald defended stoutly that 2nd half, while Bradshaw and Winnall barely saw the ball. Kent was rubbish (I’m sorry, I can’t take it anymore, watching him dribble nowhere or simply fail to have the ball). You can only flatter to deceive for so long before you’re considered incapable. Morsy put himself about, and was able back up to Scowen’s scurrying.

Oh, and maybe there was another good omen for today; on the Donny to Meadowhell train some young lady in front of me kindly sat scrolling through her selfies on her phone, just for me.  She had quite the lingerie selection too. Shame some bloke got on at Rovrum and ruined my fun by sitting next to her.  She turned her phone off sharpish.

Drink du jour: This was annoying. Had to meet my dad pre-match for my season ticket, so missed out on an hour of drinking. Then, when we turned up, he said hello then had to leg it to the ground for a p***. Charming. So I decided to take the in-laws to celebrated watering hole ‘Redfearns’ only to be told to queue up! Likely. They should be grateful I’m bothering. So we didn’t. Previous journeys’ leftover vodka for the journey back. Saved a few quid.

Away: 1,287.

The Damage:
£21 on the train. Or free if the Captain has failed to make yet another journey. Add ‘the sh*ts’ to every other excuse he’s come up with so far this season.

West Stand lower.

Get well Patrick Cryne!

Athletico Madrid 0-0 Espanyol, Saturday 3rd December 2016

Athletico Madrid 0-0 Espanyol (att. 39.707)

Welcome to ....

Even by my standards I made a couple of basic schoolboy errors for this week’s match. Probably buoyed by my exuberance at finally bagging tickets to a game at the legendary Vicente Calderon, I took my eye off the prize. First up, the actual flights. I’d bought the flight TO Madrid for me and my better half, and was awaiting when she wanted to return. She told me, I didn’t act on it. Thus, with days to go to the match, when asking for the flight details, I had none. Note to self: buying flights with less than five days to go is not cost efficient. Good job I’m loaded. (Joke.) But on the serious side, we are DINKYs and don’t have a car to support.

Looking towards the ultras.

Secondly, when in Madrid, if the match is on Sat evening (it was) and El Classico is live on telly in the afternoon (it was) it might be wise not to spend the whole afternoon drinking red wine in some bar watching the game. Or was the mistake going back to the hotel inbetween? Either way, we snoozed off, with the result that we didn’t get to the Athletico match till 33 minutes in.

Dressing for the occasion.

Still, I/we made it. Tis Athletico’s last season at the Vicente Calderon before they move on to their new stadium. I do hope they have the sense to keep the blue lower tier and red and white striped upper tier which matches their kit. But I can see why they want to move on; there is no space to get past anyone in your row (folk have to stand on seats) while the whole place looks a little jaded close up. And I bet they’ll have a lot more executive boxes too.

Old and decrepit; I know the feeling.

Buying tickets was easy; log onto their website and you can order tickets with their print@home facility. Not cheap, but if you’re used to Premiership prices (or away games at Wednesday and Dirty Leeds) then no great shakes. I plumped for tickets right on the front row of the upper tier. Great view, though you had a choice: look OVER the metal rail or INBETWEEN the rail and the fence. (The latter was quite handy for shielding the camera as it poured down).

Match action

The rain, together with the 8:45pm Saturday evening kick-off, must have been the main reasons for the relatively low attendance; indeed, we witnessed fans leaving at half time as the rain started falling. With the lack of roofs (most Spanish stadia have one roof at best) it can be quite miserable sat in the rain. But I didn’t care – I was at the Vicente Calderon!

I'm not lying; it RAINED.

The match was hardly a classic, a goalless draw. But we did get to see the home keeper save 2 one-on-ones, as well as a fair bit of pressure from Athletico in the 2nd half. Indeed, Marca gave both keepers maximum marks in today’s (Sunday’s) papers, the only players to do so. Griezmann’s movement looked a class above too, though he scuffed his one chance as his goal drought continued.

The rain continued to sheet down. I savoured one last look at the Vicente Calderon before I was encouraged to leave by the stewards. Within half an hour, via the metro at Piramides, we were in the centre enjoying tapas. This is the life.

The Damage:
€50 Ent (x2)
€3.50 baguette (x2)
€3 water€8 scarf= €118 (for 2)

A message for ex-Athletico favourite Quique Flores.

Full time, but 3 ain't leaving.

Round the bend.

The main stand, courtesy of my useless camera.