Fairweather Sports Tourist Thread (1 Viewer)

[seanc]

L - W00T! - on

 

[Deadmanposting]

L - W00T! - on

Jesus, if that's not the narrowest of margins

Fair fecks to them

 

[seanc]

I can honestly say I know next to nothing about Luton, except that the mechanical safety measures on the perimeter are supremé. You're welcome.

Yet somehow I'm feeling chuffed.

WHUFC won the u-18's FA cup, and have their little European comp. A cup final is a cup final. Also, not relegated.
The O's have been partying for weeks now.

Been a good season. I genuinely don't understand why this matters to me, but it does. Iron's v Fiorentina next.

 

[seanc]

I can honestly say I know next to nothing about Luton, except that the mechanical safety measures on the perimeter are supremé. You're welcome.

Yet somehow I'm feeling chuffed.

WHUFC won the u-18's FA cup, and have their little European comp. A cup final is a cup final. Also, not relegated.
The O's have been partying for weeks now.

Been a good season. I genuinely don't understand why this matters to me, but it does. Iron's v Fiorentina next.

Ah, I forgot Brighton, which I haven't worked at yet, but next season.

 

[nuke terrorist]

Are you sure it's this way? Welcome to Kenilworth Road

If Luton win the Championship play-off final this weekend, Premier League fans should brace themselves for the Kenilworth Road experience

theathletic.com

It's a tough website to get through ads and notifications. But the article is worth reading.

I've worked at this stadium, but I've never seen a game. It is frankly, gas af. Walking through peoples back garden. You can't help but smile at the idea of the Eric Morecombe Suite.

If today's game works well then almost all of my teams will have done something this season (everyone except Spurs men and Spurs women, who've been, well, spursy) So more work for me next season.

to go down to non league for five years and get back up to the Premier League is an incredible achievement.
Similiar to Bournemouth and Brighton at the turn of the century but even worse off.


can't read The Athletic article but even my young nephews are well familiar with the strange lay out of Kenilworth Road. Luton have a new out of town stadium planned and have being trying to get a new stadium since the 1940s.

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since once side of the pitch was turned into boxes over 30 years ago nothing remotely major has been done with ground - apart from ripping up the hated plastic pitch.

Luton were desperately unpopular in their 80s success era
between their Tory MP chairman David Evans, the plastic pitch and a membership ID card scheme which banned away fans (a much hated idea of Thatcherite sports minister Colin Moynihan. Colchester were only other club to adopt this).
it must be mentioned Millwall fans going nuts in a 1985 FA Cup match at Luton was a factor (I got interested in soccer the end of the 84-85 season).

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Luton had a good team though - Mick Harford and Brian Stein up front plus young strikers bro Mark Stein and Mike Newell, Steve 'Fozzy' Foster in central defence, Ricky Hill, Larne man Mal Donaghy and keeper Les Sealy (1957 - 2001) and... Ashley Grimes! several of those lads won a few England caps.

Luton beat Liverpool twice in 1986-87: 3-0 in the FA Cup and 4-1 in the League, Scouser Newell got a hat trick. they were the only team to beat LFC by 3 goals twice in the 1980s.

then there was their big moment. a great 1988 League 'Rumbelow's' Cup final win over the Arse.
Luton were winning for most of the match but after about 70 mins Arsenal scored two quick goals.
Alan Smith went through on goal at 2-1, Arsenal missed more chances and Winterburn had a penalty saved.
Then the match somehow swung back Luton's way.

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[Cormcolash]

I know someone who was one of those Millwall rioters hahaha

 

[seanc]

I know someone who was one of those Millwall rioters hahaha

I know a few. they all work as security now.

 

[nuke terrorist]

the Millwall and West Ham hooligan firms were noteworthy in how many black lads were involved - despite hooligans generally having a racist reputation.
Chas Pennant from the Inter City Firm legendarily sued the police after being cleared in court and got a large sum in compensation. He has often publicly boasted since about how he got away with it. Pennant started had his own publishing imprint specialising in hooligan books.

I looking for the 1985 doc about the West Ham firm at the end of 1984-85 season (same time as Millwall riot in Luton) but can't find it on you tube.
the mulleted West Ham supporters are asked why no Asians are involved. they said Asians are welcome but they keep to their own community and weren't interested.
with the doc in the can. there was a postscript:
the same day a the Bradford fire (NOTHING TO DO WITH HOOLIGANISM) a wall collapsed at St Andrew's during fans fighting and someone was killed.
then the Heysel disaster cost 39 lives the same month.
the West Ham lads were regathered for their reflections on all this and they seem shocked.

but life goes on and soon John Lyall signed some Scottish striker they never really heard of called McAvennie and West Ham nearly won the league the next season.

looking forward to Wednesday. Fiorentina lost Coppa Final last week after being one up against Inter.
they haven't won anything since 1996 Coppa. they never fully recovered from Cecchi Gori family's epic mismanagement in early 2000s.

 

[Cormcolash]

Up the Viola!!

 

[seanc]

And in all this English soccerball business, I didn't pay a bit of attention to the GAA. A draw against the jackeens, that's a win really.

 

[Cormcolash]

Some great GAA games on this weekend, the round robin format has been good for the championship I think - although probably the league has suffered, pretty much nobody gives a fuck about it now.

 

[rettucs]

Some great GAA games on this weekend, the round robin format has been good for the championship I think - although probably the league has suffered, pretty much nobody gives a fuck about it now.

deffo good for the hurlen but they need to tweak it again. the teams that didn't make it through should go into a relegation battle or sommat, or have some other windey route back in, to keep the games going on.

people are whinging that they shouldn't be finished by the end of may, but the finals are in July, not september, so people need to cop on. I would like more games too, but everyone knew the format and should have played better if they didn't want to be out.

I was at wexford - kilkenny yesterday. Fuckin bonkers game, but what a buzz. Deadly stuff

 

[rettucs]

Also, Latvia have called a national holiday today because they finished third in the world ice hockey championships yesterday. They beat USA in a third and fourth play playoff. To put that into perspective, it would be like Ireland beating USA in basketball, if Ireland had 35% less people (which the racists would love).

Canada won it outright by beating Germany in the final. Canada beat Latvia and Germany had beaten USA in the semis.

It was deadly being caught up in it (ever from here in Ireland), but the tournament is a bit of a nonsense. It takes place at the same time as the NHL playoffs in America. Apparently some prick in the 1950s got sick of Canada winning everything, so decided to have them coincide, so the Canadian players would be caught up in the playoffs, and couldn't play for Canada. Well that obviously didn't work out too well for him.

 

[nuke terrorist]

deffo good for the hurlen but they need to tweak it again. the teams that didn't make it through should go into a relegation battle or sommat, or have some other windey route back in, to keep the games going on.

people are whinging that they shouldn't be finished by the end of may, but the finals are in July, not september, so people need to cop on. I would like more games too, but everyone knew the format and should have played better if they didn't want to be out.

I was at wexford - kilkenny yesterday. Fuckin bonkers game, but what a buzz. Deadly stuff

I fell asleep before MOTD and The Sunday Game came on last night so will have to catch up today.
That's the problem:
The last few weeks have been crazy. I have spent a huge amount of time watching sport on TV especially at weekends and still couldn't keep up with it all.
I follow soccer, cycling, hurling... (would have watched Munster v Stormers rugby if I had channel).
Yesterday afternoon I was listening to Tipp put in a dire performance v Waterford on radio (Tipp folks were quitely confident about the Championship until yesterday) while watching the end of PL season (that has dragged on a few weeks) and keeping a brief eye on the Giro.

Too much stuff has clashed and there was only one day in the last few weeks there wasn't a major soccer match on - - last Tuesday when Ireland U17 won in Euros.

The GAA moving the season hasn't helped. In fact I think it was silly idea.

In most sports you roughly know what is will be on in any given weekend of the year and they stick to those slots.
The weather can be shit in April and it clashed with a key part of the soccer season and the best month for cycling (Classics).
Changing the Championship start from late May was an if it ain't broke break it moment.
Usually even if a big soccer tournament is on the end of May and beginning of June is quieter and was a great time to get going.

And Tipp were crap yesterday.

 

[nuke terrorist]

Also, Latvia have called a national holiday today because they finished third in the world ice hockey championships yesterday. They beat USA in a third and fourth play playoff. To put that into perspective, it would be like Ireland beating USA in basketball, if Ireland had 35% less people (which the racists would love).

Canada won it outright by beating Germany in the final. Canada beat Latvia and Germany had beaten USA in the semis.

It was deadly being caught up in it (ever from here in Ireland), but the tournament is a bit of a nonsense. It takes place at the same time as the NHL playoffs in America. Apparently some prick in the 1950s got sick of Canada winning everything, so decided to have them coincide, so the Canadian players would be caught up in the playoffs, and couldn't play for Canada. Well that obviously didn't work out too well for him.

Didn't know Germany were big guns at Ice hockey. G'wan Latvia.

 

[rettucs]

I fell asleep before MOTD and The Sunday Game came on last night so will have to catch up today.
That's the problem:
The last few weeks have been crazy. I have spent a huge amount of time watching sport on TV especially at weekend and still couldn't keep up with it all.
I follow soccer, cycling, hurling... (would have watched Munster v Stormers rugby if I had channel).
Yesterday afternoon I was listening to Tipp put in a dire performance v Waterford on radio (Tipp folks were quitely confident about the Championship until yesterday) while watching the end of PL season (that has dragged on a few weeks) and keeping a brief eye on the Giro.

Too much stuff has clashed and there was only one day in the last few weeks there wasn't a major soccer match on - - last Tuesday when Ireland U17 won in Euros.

The GAA moving the season hasn't helped. In fact I think it was silly idea.

In most sports you roughly know what is will be on in any given weekend of the year and they stick to those slots.
The weather can be shit in April and it clashed with a key part of the soccer season and the best month for cycling (Classics).
Changing the Championship start from late May was an if it ain't broke break it moment.
Usually even if a big soccer tournament is on the end of May and beginning of June is quieter and was a great time to get going.

And Tipp we're crap yesterday.

I understand why they moved it. When it ran til september I was over the senior hurlen team in our club. It was absolutely poxy waiting for the club season to get going again. Lads were losing interest, we'd have a handful turning up for training. It was soul-destroying. Then Dublin would go out of the championship and we'd be given about 2 weeks notice of championship.

The club games are not high profile, but without them there'd be no county. Having no county in August is strange. I dunno, maybe a compromise to wrap up the county by mid-August rather than the end-of-July might be better.

It does feel very crammed. The week before last I think I watched about 8 games live on the telly or being at them, between minor, U20 and senior. Seems a shame to load some weeks like that, and have nothing the rest of the year. And now, not even in June, the minor and U20 are almost finished.

I get the point about if it ain't broken, don't fix it. The 80s and 90s were great. There'd be double-headers that were great days out. Munster and Leinster, as well as all-Ireland semi finals. County lads would still be playing with the club no bother. But that all changed in the latter part of the 90s, and deffo in the early-2000s. At some point they'll be looking to take lads away from club completely, but if that ever happens, the sport is on a fast-track to being dead.

Yeah, Tipp were shite. The Munster c'ship has been great, but it still remains to be seen if its a load of deadly teams, or if its just a load of average teams who are tearing lumps out of each other. Clare and Limerick have both looked shite at times, great at other times. Same with Tipp. And I never thought Cork were much use, so I think its the right outcome in Munster. Same in Leinster, but Wexford need to cop themselves on a bit. If I was a hurling person from there I'd be livid about how shit a season they had. Egan needs the P45.

 

[rettucs]

Didn't know Germany were big guns at Ice hockey. G'wan Latvia.

nah, they're not. It was a big shock that they got that far.

 

[nuke terrorist]

I understand why they moved it. When it ran til september I was over the senior hurlen team in our club. It was absolutely poxy waiting for the club season to get going again. Lads were losing interest, we'd have a handful turning up for training. It was soul-destroying. Then Dublin would go out of the championship and we'd be given about 2 weeks notice of championship.

The club games are not high profile, but without them there'd be no county. Having no county in August is strange. I dunno, maybe a compromise to wrap up the county by mid-August rather than the end-of-July might be better.

It does feel very crammed. The week before last I think I watched about 8 games live on the telly or being at them, between minor, U20 and senior. Seems a shame to load some weeks like that, and have nothing the rest of the year. And now, not even in June, the minor and U20 are almost finished.

I get the point about if it ain't broken, don't fix it. The 80s and 90s were great. There'd be double-headers that were great days out. Munster and Leinster, as well as all-Ireland semi finals. County lads would still be playing with the club no bother. But that all changed in the latter part of the 90s, and deffo in the early-2000s. At some point they'll be looking to take lads away from club completely, but if that ever happens, the sport is on a fast-track to being dead.

Yeah, Tipp were shite. The Munster c'ship has been great, but it still remains to be seen if its a load of deadly teams, or if its just a load of average teams who are tearing lumps out of each other. Clare and Limerick have both looked shite at times, great at other times. Same with Tipp. And I never thought Cork were much use, so I think its the right outcome in Munster. Same in Leinster, but Wexford need to cop themselves on a bit. If I was a hurling person from there I'd be livid about how shit a season they had. Egan needs the P45.

Great post!
Just sayin' the schedule doesn't help a casual fan like me. They did it for the players and more hardcore people than me.
Darragh Egan is a legend in North Tipp club hurling but until yesterday Wexford were dire so it is back to Kiladangan club (Puckaun village on Lough Derg) with him.
Remember Clare facing an All Ireland Final replay and they released players in the interim to play in an U20(?) Final?
That was a hell of a risk but it paid off when they won both.
I think the underage stuff is taken way too seriously across sport especially GAA. Schools rugby is nonsense.

 

[rettucs]

Great post!
Just sayin' the schedule doesn't help a casual fan like me. They did it for the players and more hardcore people than me.
Darragh Egan is a legend in North Tipp club hurling but until yesterday Wexford were dire so it is back to Kiladangan club (Puckaun village on Lough Derg) with him.
Remember Clare facing an All Ireland Final replay and they released players in the interim to play in an U20(?) Final?
That was a hell of a risk but it paid off when they won both.
I think the underage stuff is taken way too seriously across sport especially GAA. Schools rugby is nonsense.

I crossed path with Egan's older brother, Colm, back in my earlier adult hurling days. He trained our club back in, I think 1991. He's out in Chicago now and is over the north American hurling board. I have a friend from Cork living in Boulder, who hurls for the Denver Gaels. He was at the north American championships a few years ago and met the older Egan, and they made the connection that they both knew me. Being talked about at the north American championships, good times! I remember Colm telling me back then about his younger brother, how he was playing in the goals and how he was going to be a good one!

Incidentally, the other Tipp lad out on the management circuit, Darren Gleeson, has impressed me a lot. I like that he took his second chance with both hands. He seems like a genuinely good guy who landed himself in problems against his better judgement. But I have skin in that game as I played hurling for years with an uncle of his, who is also a good friend. He also has an aunt in Laois, right next to my mother's next of the woods across the border in Kilkenny.

 

[rettucs]

Jubilant Latvians given national holiday after shock ice hockey win over USA

The Latvian parliament met at midnight to give the country a day off after their ice hockey team won a shock bronze medal at the world championship

www.theguardian.com

the whole country was given a national holiday but most people were gone to bed by the time it was announced. Its a bit of a shitshow. People woke up to go to work only to find out about the announcement and not knowing whether to take it seriously or not.

they are having a homecoming for the team in Riga and about 10 times the numbers of people expected, turned up and the place is in chaos.