Last home game

It's our last home game on Saturday against our friends from Links Park, who off course are still in the hunt for a play off place, just mind. Don't know if you think like me but I'm glad to put this season to bed, its been a right old slog after the way we started, then going out of all the cups in round one. Since the take over I think it's fair to say the ship has been steadied with some great performances. For me, the win against Shire at Ochilview was my favourite.
Then on Saturday night we have the end of season "do" when things will be put to bed officially if you like, and we'll get to hear who the player of the year is. Who did you vote for then? My cross went against young Darren Gribbens name.

Bit of a moan

I collect programmes. I'm not apologising for that, I pay for them, and in that spirit write to a number of clubs requesting various editions. Two of these clubs recently have been Spartans and Gretna, 2008, isn't it?
Spartans first, a club I have admired for the progress they are making. Unfortunately, they don't seem to have made quite as much progress in communication. I sent a letter to their secretary and followed it up with an email, no response to either, not too impressive I'm afraid.
Gretna did reply to me by email saying they didn't sell any of their programmes except on ebay, and I should direct my attention to there.
The report card says try a bit harder lads, but good luck never the less in your respective push for honours this season. Go on send me a programme.......

City Cup......or not
Anyone who knows me is aware that I am enthusiastic of this grand old institution. As has become the case in more recent times last years final has been played, this season. Then, when scanning the East of Scotland website, I noticed that this years final is down to be played next month at Shielfield, and I thought great, we'll actually get up to date at long last. However, there appears to be some doubt, its also on the Welfare website as well by the way. The one anomaly in the situation however is the fact that the Shielfield players contract's expire before the proposed final date.
What I'm unclear on is this, and it's only a presumption, is that was this agreed by someone from Shielfield? I've not seen, nor heard any comment from our side, but there does appear to be a bit of clearing up to be done. There may well be a perfectly straight forward answer......we'll see.

Change at the top

After Saturdays round of games in our division we have a new leader with the Sons taking over in pole. Cowdens defeat at Montrose certainly made me look, and we'll have an early look at the Links Park men this Saturday. Taking a quick look at the table illustrates how close our league has been this season.Still six teams fighting for a play off place and three for the automatic place, without looking at whose still to play who.
This has been a good season to be involved, and I don't know about you, but I've felt left out of the action due to our early season collapse. Which makes looking forward to next season all the more mouth watering, and we still have a second City Cup final this season, if the EOS site is to be believed.

Good result
Good point at Galabank yesterday, in the face of a team going for a play off place that's got to be a "good un" and leaves us undefeated against them this season. Are they the only team who haven't beaten us this season? not sure without checking. Gribben got the goal again, he'll be a loss if he goes next season, I for one hope he doesn't.
The last game in our mini tour took us to "Auf Wiedersehen" country, in Dusseldorf no less. Great city, great bars, great beer and the game was ok as well. Massive stadium, although not the clubs but owned by the city and it had a totally different atmosphere to Bochum, thank god! We had front row seats, literally, in row 1, so had a great view. The visitors Union Berlin won the third division fixture which set a new divisional attendance record at 25000 plus.
After the game we watched as an orderly procession of trains took the assembled populace away from the stadiums own station, only in Germany eh!

Galabank on Saturday
3 league games to go starting with Annan on Saturday. They are very much into the final push so at least the game should have an edge to it. You gotta say well done to them as its their first season and they came in very much as second favourites. Our record against them this season is fairly good however so we may be able to dent their ambitions. I was there for the last game and like the set up they have mind.
Part 3 of our Euro trip took us to German Bundesliga side VfL Bochum 1848 to watch them play Borussia Dortmund. We parked up about a mile and walked to the ground. We had tickets booked, for 13.00 EUR each, English Premier League take note, in the only part of the ground that is terracing, and it was interesting to say the least. It felt steep as hell, with little or no barriers, and the atmosphere was electric, helped by a large number of Dortmund fans, in what was a truly local derby, there being only 34 kilometres between the towns.
The scene at kick-off was amazing as you'll see, with the local fans giving their team fantastic backing throughout, even although they watched them loose 2-0.

New club website

It's up and running in all it's glory, and how good does it look? Paul Smith has done a great job, what an improved window the club now has for the world to look at. It can never be under estimated the importance of a good, professional looking site for any organisation wishing to attract individuals or sponsors, or conversely a bad one, in terms of potential damage, but we know about that, all in the past though and what we now have is, as they say, fit for purpose, well done Paul. And, off course, the Trust have been very happy to be able to finance it all in further helping the club to move forward.
Onto part 2 of our euro trip, where we went from Amsterdam to Rotterdam to catch a Friday evening game at the Stadion Woudestein between Excelsior and RKC Waalwijk in the Dutch Second Division. Something of a quaint setting, in a small ground with a capacity less than Shielfield.
Nevertheless we got a beer, and a visit to the club shop before watching the visitors demolish their hosts 5-0. Something that was a bit unusual, for this writer anyway, was the fact that beer was served, and readily consumed whilst watching the game, and infact all the games, no complaints though!
Unfortunately my camera wasn't talking to me then so I've no pictures from this game so here's some more from our visit to Ajax. Here's the training ground from inside the stadium,



and some of the first team squad training while we watched.

This one is what they call the "fans hut" situated next to the
stadium where apparently the clubs "hard core" fans go.

I'm back!

First apologies for my unannounced absence. A group of us left last Thursday for a short break to Holland and Germany where we had a schedule of games to attend. The whole visit was footie orientated and we started in earnest as soon as we arrived on the Friday morning in Amsterdam when we headed straight for the Amsterdam Arena the home off course of Ajax. We booked ourselves a ground tour and as we waited looked around their museum, club shop and football cafe.
The stadium itself was very impressive and we had the added bonus, after a wait to let them finish, of seeing the first team squad train on the pitch itself. They had their training ground right next door and a raised road running into the stadium as well.
Unfortunately whilst away Berwick lost to Stennie in a game which apparently described by one present as "crap" as our season just really rolls to an end, thank god says this writer!

No News

No news from Shielfield to cogitate over I'm afraid. Four games to game then we can put this season to bed and look forward with, I think justifiable optimism, to next season. We can start with a clean slate, everyone on board and get of to a flier. What has been achieved since the takeover should be a pointer to all what next season could be like.

Our friends over at Cumbernauld are the latest club in bother. It's kinda hard to suss out exactly what is going on, we may hear in the fullness of time but as is the case with these things I for one ain't putting any of my hard earned on it.

Champion's League......again

Its another Champions League night, there seems to be so many of them these days, and the teams so rarely change, anybody else starting to get CL fatigue? What's the high heid yins answer for a bit of variety, make the other remaining European competition into something the same. What's it going to be called The UEFA League.... or.... something.

At the other end of the scale Luton Town went through the trap door yesterday. Wonder if any of the guys who bollocksed up are still there trying to sort it out, maybe I don't know but I've got an idea, what's yours. Its a bit like these players that at the end of a crappy season and THEIR team goes down but they say they want away. How about staying and clearing up your mess you, no stop, almost a rant there......

Getting shirty

Watched the excitement again today in the ups and downs in the various leagues, hopefully we can get involved with some of that next season. These last few game are pretty dreary, although we all know why, but difficult to get any excitement about. Roll on next season, I believe the early season cup dates are out already.

Was happy to hear that our new away shirt for next season, which won the fans vote by a mile, got the ok from the suits at Hampden. Apparently this seasons white one will be the "stand by" in case of a clash, third shirt I suppose

Couch tattie

Watched things unfold on Sky sports today. Was feeling just ever so slightly slow after enjoying several pints of Spadge's excellent ale last evening. Things become no less interesting in our league mind. Cowden dropping a couple of points and the Sons doing what I suspected to us, although I've seen no details as yet, nevertheless a defeat is a defeat. Shire drawing with Annan. Stenny getting humped again and don't count the Loons out of it yet. Will Cowden hold their nerve, I think they still have to play Dumbarton yet, that could decide it. The rest is still almost anybodies, well not ours, but almost anybody else, except Elgin as well.......
Rumour has it that our top scorer, did he play today? could be on his way to the Strathclyde Homes Stadium. Coming on the back of last week am I reading something that isn't there. Mind you his record speaks for itself. I think we are something like his 8th club, his age, 22. It was probably his time to move anyway! Still a pity, we can certainly do with his goals. But hey, I might be wrong, lets see eh......

Petulance

Hadn't heard till last night and then the local rag today that our top scorer threw his toys out the pram last Saturday. Details aren't much but it looks like petulance reigns. It's now presumably up to Darren whether he's man or boy. I think we'll all admit we can't really do without his goals, but at what price. The managers seat only has room for one backside. Come on Darren get over it and get back to scoring eh

Sons on Saturday, what price a win. Its been done recently although they do seem to be the team in form.

Euro games

Watched the two Champions League games last night, one good and one bad result. Noticed, especially when it was Arsenal , the commentator's continual referral to the "English" side. Now its obvious they are a London, whats English about that as well! based side. But after that whats English about them. Barely an English player in sight, French manager, owners, not sure on that one. I've said it before for whatever league you mention I think its basically unhealthy for that Association to have a team were none of the players are eligible to represent the associations country. And before you say I'm not having a go just making an observation.

In our own league Dumbarton picked up three points and are now breathing down the neck of the Blue Brazil, and we play them on Saturday, ohhhhhhhhhhhh.......

Dick heads live

Watched some of the telly footie yesterday which in the main was good, but then there was Cardiff. Don't get me wrong it was a rip roaring Welsh derby and a great spectacle but then we had the incident which took football back twenty years. I hear today someone has been charged. I hope the full weight of all that's available is brought to bear against this miscreant and hopefully our game can recover. Cardiff say he's banned for life, hopefully this will also apply to all other football as well.

A points a point an all that

Didn't make the game yesterday and by all accounts didn't actually miss much. I suppose it managed to stop the obvious headline and represented our first point of the season against the Rovers. We always knew the remainder of this season would be tough, given that we had inherited a situation in terminal decline, and unfortunately that's the way its panning out. Its hard to get people to part with a tenner in the current climate, but to ask them to do so for the situation that exists is even harder. I just wish this season would finish and we can look forward to starting next term afresh.

Our division continues to be interesting at the top with a number of clubs still in the running, lucky buggers......

Website and pictures

The Trusts Paul Smith has almost finished the new official club website, and dambed impressive it is to. Had a sneak preview this afternoon and it will be a real asset to the football club when it goes live in the near future. There are a number of individuals helping to keep it fresh and up to date. What with a new online shop and the real professional appearance I can say with confidence that our club has never had one like it, what a change from the last one, but make your own mind up very soon when you see it. The Trust are real happy that we are able to fund this for the club.

As part of the new site Paul is also building into it a photo gallery, and its no exaggeration to say it will have thousands of photo's from down the years. On that if you have any let Paul know. Oh, and by the way there's a game tomorrow, Albion. They've beat us four yes four times this season, about time isn't it!

Win

We got the win required last night, well done on that lads. The table looks interesting though, Norway are bottom but will still play a big part, think they are our last game at Hampden, hopefully they'll drop something from their two games in hand, don't know who they're against though. How about the latest nonsense with some of the players, will they ever learn. The Scottish Government are spending millions educating the Scottish populous on how not to abuse themselves with booze and these "idjits" are doing their best to bollocks the whole thing. Chuck them out and be done with it, they've not got the sense of a stone.

Well done to the other two home countries that won, sorry Wales!

Just noticed as well that Clyde are the latest club in bother, won't be the last either......