Wednesday 30 November 2022

ST ANDREW AND MARION W0THERSPOON

Yes, there is a World Cup on and yes, I have produced this blog before but what better to celebrate international football by recording (again) the first international and to cheer up the Scots who aren't featuring in Worldl Football this week. But, since it is the the 30th November and of course is St Andrew's Day, it's not all bad and I know several friends who will tonight, "don" their kilt and sporran and dance around a lot and have the haggis piped in!!! 

A sporran by the way is that pursey thing that dandles down from the waist and is made of sealskin (or leather if you can't get sealskin) and covered in fur.
By coincidence, or was it  an excuse to celebrate being Scottish? The first international match between Scotland and England took place, as details on these links reveal.
https://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.com/2017/06/threeheartycheers.html
https://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/i-want-england-to-win.html

This valuable ticket (it's a copy of course) allowed entry to the game; the World's first international football match.
Marion Wotherspoon neatly sewed on the rampant red lion on to the Scot's dark blue jerseys. Her brother was one of eleven Queen's Park players selected. England fielded three Oxford University players and one from Cambridge University. The rest were a mixture of clubs, 1st Surrey Rifles, Barnes, Sheffield, Crystal Palace, Harrow Chequers, Notts Club and Hertfordshire Rangers. Two of the England players had a half in goal each and Chappell was described as "fly kick"......the Scots didn't have one! Score 0-0.
The teams had dinner at the Royal Hotel, george Square and toasted all and sundry, including the Scotland rugby team, who had played the England rugby team for the first time in Edinburgh a year earlier on March 27th.
The Scots scored 2 tries and 1 goal and England 1 try. KNOW WHY IT'S CALLED A TRY? Because by grounding the ball behind the goal line your team could TRY a kick at the posts! FINAL SCORE 1-0.
(kicks after a try, a dropped kick or a kick from the "penalty" mark counted for points)

Tuesday 29 November 2022

BEST AND GIGGS: THE BEST AND THE WORST!

On 28th November 1975, George Best made a League debut for Stockport County, yes he really did! After his acrimonious departure from Old Trafford in 1974, he made his first brief return to League football at Edgeley Park and made his debut for Stockport in their home Fourth Division match against Swansea City on 28th November 1975. He scored a goal in County's 3-2 victory and played in their next two home matches, against Watford and Southport, before moving on and growing a longer beard! 

With his good looks, dark "Beatle" mop of hair and playboy lifestyle, Best became one of the first media celebrity footballers, earning the nickname "El Beatle"  by Portuguese press reporters after a stand-out performance for Manchester United in Lisbon in March 1966. However, his extravagant lifestyle led to various personal problems, most notably alcoholism, which he suffered from for the rest of his life. These issues affected him on and off the field, causing controversy. Although conscious of his problems, he was publicly not contrite about them; he said of his career: "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds [women] and fast cars – the rest I just squandered". 

After football, he spent some time as a football analyst, but his financial and health problems continued into his retirement. He died in 2005, aged 59, due to complications from the immunosuppresive drugs, he needed to take after a liver transplant in 2002. He lived a desperate life following this and died on November 25 2005 aged 59. A shocking waste.

A day later, on the 29th but in1990, on his 17th birthday, another United youth team star was revealed to the world, made his mark at Manchester United. Ryan Giggs was awarded a 5 year professional contract. He was regarded as the best prospect at Old Trafford since George Best. Ryan signed the contract and was immediately part of the United family. Giggs is the son of former rugby union and Wales international rugby league footballer Danny Wilson. Giggs was christened Ryan Joseph Wilson but as a teenager changed his surname to that of his mother after his parents separated.

As Wales compete at their first World Cup since 1958, Rob Page will be hoping for a memorable few weeks after permanently replacing Ryan Giggs in June.
Giggs won 64 caps as a Wales international as their leading light from 2000 onwards, although they were frustrated in their efforts to reach a major tournament. However, he is United's all-time leading appearance-maker (963) and, with 25 major honours, he is the most decorated player in British football history. His numbers for Wales place him outside of the top 10 for appearances and goals, with near misses for USA 94 and Euro 2008, the closest he came to qualification for an international tournament.

After bring down the curtain on his career at Old Trafford, which included a record 13 Premier League titles, Giggs ended his time at the club as interim manager. Following David Moyes' dreadful spell in charge, Giggs was appointed as his temporary replacement for the final weeks of 2013-14, before Louis van Gaal's arrival.
Van Gaal retained Giggs as his assistant manager, but Jose Mourinho's move to the club in 2016 signalled the end of Giggs' time on the United bench. He took up the challenge of replacing Chris Coleman as Wales boss in 2018, before a legal case again forced him to step away in 2020, and he formally resigned this summer.  Giggs was initially arrested on suspicion of assault in November 2020, in relation to an allegation made against him by his ex-partner, and he was immediately placed on leave by the FAW. He was later charged with assault causing actual bodily harm, common assault, and coercive and controlling behaviour.
He denied all charges during a trial in Manchester in August 2022. The jury was later dismissed by the judge after failing to reach a verdict on any of the counts named.
Giggs faces a retrial in July 2023.  Giggs and the FAW opted for a policy of caution during the police investigation, and subsequent court case, as Rob Page stepped in as caretaker. Page led Wales at Euro 2020, with Giggs still on leave, and the FAW indicated the former would manage the team at the 2022 World Cup, if they qualified. Giggs resigned and Page secured a play-off spot in Qatar, with the FAW swiftly confirming a contract extension for him.




Sunday 27 November 2022

FLEET OF FOOTBALL

The FA Cup draw always brings together teams of differing origins, but sometimes of similar placenames and today Fleetwood Town (badges below) from Lancashire visited Ebbsfleet, Kent in a Second Round tie. The visitors won 0-1 with a goal by Gamer in the 64th minute.. Fleetwood's next match is on December 2nd (ko 19.45) against Ipswich Town in Football League One.

Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club; it was originally formed in 1908. Their home ground is Highbury Stadium in Fleetwood and the supporters of the club are affectionately known as the Cod Army, which is also used as a nickname for the club alongside The Fishermen, the club's traditional nickname. They contest a rivalry with nearby Blackpool FC known as the Fylde Coast Derby.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/63769729





The placename "part", Fleet describes channels or courses of water, a frequent suffix in setlement place-names, particularly popular along the River Ouse, Yorkshire catchment, with Yokefleet in the East Riding and Adlingfleet, Ousefleet and Swinefleet in the West Riding, Yorkshire. But with a connection to France, there are "fleets" in the south also. The name Fleet was probably derived from the Norman French word La Flete meaning a stream or shallow water - a reference to the Fleet Pond from which fish had been taken for the Medieval monks in Winchester, Hampshire. The closeness to France means the placename is popular in the south-east of England and Fleet in Hampshire has a population of around 43,000, 

Fleet, Hampshire, hosts four Non-League football teams. The highest ranked one is Fleet Town FC, who play at Calthorpe Park. The club was established in 1890 and is  semi-professional playing at Calthorpe Park in the Combined Counties Football League, Premier Division South.   


Fleet Spurs FCplay in the Wessex League Div 1, at Kennels Lane.








Saturday 26 November 2022

HORSHAM FC. NOTTS COUNTY, TOMMY LAWTON, BOBBY SMITH

Saturday November 26th 1966! I remember playing football at Collyer's School in Horsham on the Saturday morning and then the excitement of going to Horsham Town's ground, Queen Street to watch this First Round FA Cup tie.

“We shall do our best to come out of it with honour. We are leaving nothing to chance in our determination to show that we are fully capable of organising a function like this.” These were the words of Horsham chairman Leslie Hale ahead of his side’s FA Cup first round tie with Third Division Swindon Town and, although the Football League side emerged fairly comfortable 3-0 winners, he could be happy that Horsham Football Club had put on a good show.

Earlier in the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round match Horsham FC played against Sussex rivals, Hastings United, complete with ex-Spurs and England centre forward Bobby Smith, in their forward line. Smith's team had been beaten by  Horsham 2-1. Smth was not in good shape.

In Round One, on November 26th, Swindon Town FC, The Robins, made the journey from Wiltshire to take on Horsham manager, Pat Tobin’s Athenian League part-timers. Cup fever had the sleepy Sussex, market town well and truly in its grip. More than three thousand fans had filed through the Queen Street turnstiles to watch, as this second-ever appearance in the first round generated much excitement. 

The club had been there before, in Round 1, of course, in 1947 when they took on a Tommy Lawton-inspired Notts County, away. County won that one 9-1. “My father, Joe, was on the HFC committee at the time and I can remember going down to the ground most evenings that week to help with preparations in main stand” ~ Paul Dixon

In the five weeks leading up to the tie, he had barely a moment’s peace. Many hours were spent answering queries and leading his committee and helpers in making the complicated arrangements for dealing with this unique event. In addition to the fact that he had to return in the evenings to catch up with his job as managing director of his local engineering firm, he had several sleepless nights as his mind continued to churn over his day’s problems. For the committee, the priority was to ensure that as many of the local townsfolk as possible could watch the match and temporary stands were brought in to raise the ground capacity to eight thousand. Seats were installed along the perimeter of the pitch and behind the goal at the old car park end of the ground, where 2,500 would be seated in ten-tier stands. Seated tickets were priced at 6 shillings, with those wishing to watch from in front of the main stand paying 5s and 4s for general ground admission, with a thousand half-price tickets made available to pensioners and under 16s (me for example). A total of fifteen hundred were allocated to Swindon Town and a further five hundred to Horsham’s committee members, supporters association members, and those most closely connected to the club.

“I was one of a couple of program sellers for Horsham and sold them on that day. l was only thirteen and remember it being a great day and seeing those temporary stands up was quite something” ~ Andrew Lawson

To alleviate matchday congestion, the railway goods' yard, commuters’ car park, the YMCA and Horsham UDC were turned over for supporters’ cars and coaches and, as a result, the town centre was kept relatively clear, to the obvious delight of Saturday afternoon shoppers.

There was some surprise, and frustration, when Swindon officials demanded that Queen Street’s newly-installed floodlights be strengthened in order to facilitate a 3pm kick-off. The lights had been introduced just over twelve months earlier, at a cost of £5,000, and were initially claimed to have been of ‘Football League standard’ but, at the behest of the visitors, eight additional lights were added to the four corner pylons and the bulbs upgraded. But, still unhappy with the work that had been done, Swindon refused to accept the mid-afternoon start and the match was brought forward to 2.15 pm!

After this match, in Round Two, Swindon beat non-league, Ashford Town at home 5-0, Swindon then drew with West Ham away 3-3 and beat them 3-1 in the replay. In Round 4, The Robins beat Bury 2-1, then in Rd 5, lost to Nottingham Forest 5-0, after a 0-0 draw at Forest, a 1-1 draw on a neutral ground. Forest lost to Spurs in the Semi-final 2-1 and as we all know Spurs beat Chelsea 2-1 in the Final.

Friday 25 November 2022

ENGLAND WORLD CUP SO FAR

TONIGHT TONIGHT


All England appearances in the World Cups:

World CupNational TeamStanding
Stage

1930England-did not participate
1934England-did not participate
1938England-did not participate
1950England-1st Rd Groups lost USA 0-1 and Spain 0-1, beat Chile 2-0 DNQ,
1954EnglandRd 8Quarter Finals lost to Uruguay 4-2
1958England-1st Round Groups lost Play off USSR 0-1
1962EnglandRd 8Quarter Finals lost to Brazil 1-3
1966EnglandWorld Cup Throphy 1stFinal Game won!!
1970EnglandRd 8Quarter Finals  Lost Q-Finals West Germany 3-2
1974England-did not participate
1978England-did not participate
1982England-2nd Round Groups lost at Quarter-final stage: drew 0-0 with West Germany and Spain
1986EnglandRd 8Quarter Finals-lost Argentina 1-2
1990England4th3rd Place Game lost to Italy 2-1
1994England-did not participate
1998England9thRound of 16 lost to Argentina 2-2 and pens 3-4
2002EnglandRd 8Quarter Finals lost to Brazil 1-2
2006EnglandRd 8Quarter-Finals lost Portugal pens.
2010England13Round of 16 Lost Germany 1-4
2014England261st Round Groups only
2018England4th3rd Place Game lost Belgium 0-2
2022England?QUALIFIED for Finals Stage.


Thursday 24 November 2022

SCORING RECORDS AT THE WORLD CUP

 On 24th November 2017, times have changed since the days when the best career an ex-pro footballer could hope for was to run a pub. 

Michael Owen earned a bob or two playing for some of the top sides in Europe and on retirement turned his attention to the racetrack as a owner and breeder of race-horses. And on Friday November 24th 2017 in the 12.15 at Ascot the 37-year-old former England international made his debut as a jockey. He lost over a stone in a month to make the weight and rode Calder Prince to second place in the Prince's Countryside Fund race.  Afterwards, he said he was 'chuffed' and likened it to playing in the World Cup quarter-finals against Brazil - I guess because England finished second in that one as well! 

Michael Owen, England was 18 years and 190 days old when, England were trailing 1-0 against Romania in the 1998 World Cup. England forward Michael Owen, scored in the 83rd, last minute to equalise for England. and although England lost the match with Romania,  Michael Owen, at the age of 18 years and 190 days, became England’s youngest player to score in the FIFA World Cup and third in the all-time list. With goals in the UEFA Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup and also Euro 2004, Michael Owen is the only player to have scored in four consecutive major tournaments for England.

The youngest footballer to score in a FIFA Women’s World Cup was Elena Danilova, who played for Russia in the 2003 Women’s World Cup and scored in Russia’s 7-1 defeat against eventual champions Germany in the quarter-finals. She was 16 years and 107 days old on that day. Elena went on to play 52 matches for Russia in a career marred by injuries. She played her final match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2018.

The oldest player to have scored a goal in a World Cup is Roger Milla of Cameroon who did it against Russia at the age of 42 years during the 1994 edition in the US. Topically, Ronaldo, who is due to retire!! already holds the record for being the all-time top scorer in men's football with 118 goals. 

Cristiano Ronaldo, of Portugal, celebrates after scoring their team’s first goal via a penalty during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group H match, between Portugal and Ghana at Stadium 974 on November 24, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. At 37 years old he becomes the first player to score in five FIFA World Cup editions.  He scored in the 65th minute, taking his tally in 5 tournaments to 8 goals.

Pele is the youngest footballer to score a goal at the men's FIFA World Cup. The Brazilian striker was 17 years and 239 days old when he scored his first World Cup goal during the quarter-final match against Wales in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.

This World Cup, the intrepid England pair of Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka carved out their own slices of FIFA World Cup history in a comprehensive victory for Gareth Southgate’s team over IR Iran on Monday. Midfielder Bellingham headed home England’s opening goal on 35 minutes to enter the record books as his national side’s second youngest World Cup scorer, at the age of 19 years and 145 days. Saka, the forward from Arsenal, needed only eight minutes to join Bellingham among England's three youngest World Cup marksmen. The player, aged 21y 77d, struck a bouncing ball into the roof of the net from 14 yards to displace Dele Alli from the metaphorical podium. What ever happened to him? 
On 25 August 2022, Alli joined Turkish team, Besiktas, on loan for the remainder of the 2022–23 season with an option to buy for the Turkish club.

Wednesday 23 November 2022

UNDER DOGS IN WORLD CUP: WEST GERMANY!!! NORTH KOREA, CAMEROON, SOUTH KOREA, COSTA RICA

https://blog.mansion.com/sports/football/fifa-world-cup/top-five-world-cup-giantkillers/

When West Germany were "Giantkillers"? Yes, back in 1954, in Switzerland, when they arrived at the finals having hardly played an international, due to the war and late 1940s early 1950's rebuilding. The German side were beaten 8-3 by Hungary, the team known as the Mighty Magyars at the time. This was a group stage match, which included Norway (probably still "smarting" from 1939-45) and the nation of Saar (you may have to look this one up?). The West Germans met Ferenc Puskas’,  Hungarians, in the final and few gave them a chance, even less so when they went 2-0 down inside eight minutes. But the Germans fought back, finishing 3-2 winners, in the Final known as "The Miracle of Bern".https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KQc2W8DNog worth watching for the event in which THE REF Is involved......

Not much was known about North Korea, the country nor the football team, when they arrived in England in 1966. No one bothered doing much research either after they lost their opener, 3-0, to the Soviet Union. The Asian debutants had other ideas, drawing 1-1 against Chile before producing the result that sent Italy into mourning, after stunning the Italians, 1-0 at Ayresome Park, on July 19th. It was the first time a nation from outside Europe or the Americas had reached the knockout stage and they were dreaming of going further still when on July 23rd, they went 3-0 up against Portugal in the quarter-finals, at Anfield. Eusebio, one of the stars of the tournament, produced a four-goal masterclass (including 2 penalties), rescuing Portugal's reputation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frx-u3T5eT4

At Italia ’90 one of the great World Cup opening games unfolded in Milan’s famous San Siro stadium . Diego Maradona’s world champions came up against an unheralded Cameroon, who finished this extraordinary Group B match with nine men on the pitch but a 1-0 win to celebrate. That was just the start. "The Indomitable Lions" beat Romania to qualify as top of the group, before overcoming Colombia to become the first African side to reach the last Quarter-finals. Cameroon were 2-1 up against England with seven minutes left before the fairytale ended. England had scruffed their way through their group winning once, against Egypt in the last game, having drawn with the Republic of Ireland and Holland.

The joy of co-hosting a World Cup means you get to play in it without needlessly wandering through Qualifying Rounds. In 2002, South Korea weren’t there just to make up the numbers. Coached by the experienced Guus Hiddink, they topped their group featuring Portugal and Poland, beat Italy in the last 16 by a last minute goal from Ahn Jung-Hwan and then shocked Spain with a penalties victory in the quarter-finals. They rode their luck to become the only Asian team to ever reach the World Cup semis, coming 4th! Brazil, Germany and Turkey ranked higher.

Group D at the 2014 finals was the only Group featuring three top-10 ranked sides, Italy, Uruguay and England – but it was the fourth, Costa Rica, who pipped the lot of them. The Central American upstarts were an almighty 50-1 bet, to win the group but they did just that by beating Uruguay 3-1, Italy 1-0 and then drawing 0-0 with Roy Hodgson’s awful England. Jorge Luis Pinto’s men then beat another higher-ranked country, Greece, in the last 16, before suffering a heart-breaking defeat on penalties against Holland in the quarter-finals.

As I write, I am listening to Costa Rica's progress in the present World Cup! THE UNDERDOGS ARE LOSING 

Tuesday 22 November 2022

SOCCEROOS (Centenary) AND THE FROGS

Today the Australian World Cup team plays France in the first of their 2022 FIFA Group matches. The first Australia national team in history, was constituted in 1922 for a tour of New Zealand, which included two defeats and a draw. For the next 36 years, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa  became regular opponents in tour, exhibition matches. Australian team (wearing light blue shirts) 1922 below.

Australia plays their World Cup Group match this evening at the Al Janoub Stadium, against France at 19.00. The has qualified for the World Cup finals on six occasions: in 1974, 2006,  2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022. They have also attempted to qualify through to the FIFA World Cup 15 times, with their first attempt being in 1966 when they lost to North Korea in the regional qualifications and you may know what affect North Korea had on the English hosted World Cup....!!!!....????

In Australia's first appearance, representing OFC, a team made up entirely of amateurs secured a scoreless draw against Chile, though eventually departed from the 1974 tournament without a goal to show from their inaugural appearance. 

Australia made up for lost time at Germany 2006 and qualified for the Round of 16 before narrowly falling to eventual champions Italy. 

The German theme continued at South Africa 2010 although this time Australia, now representing the AFC, suffered a 4–0 loss against the European giants in a scoreline which ultimately scuppered their progress. A ten-man 1–1 draw against Ghana and a 2–1 win against Serbia saw Australia eliminated on goal difference, three goals off the Africans. 

Australia were to lose all three games in a tough group at Brazil 2014.

France's manager, Didier Deschamps, says there is no anxiety within his side's camp at the World Cup, despite the withdrawal of several of key players. France won the tournament in 2018 and start the defence of the title against Australia on Tuesday (22nd).

  • France won the only previous World Cup match between the two nations in the group stage in 2018.
  • Australia's only victory in five attempts in this fixture came in the group stage of the 2001 Confederations Cup. France, however, recovered to go on and win the trophy.
  • France's 6-0 win in a friendly at Parc de Princes in 2013 is their biggest against the Australians. Olivier Giroud scored twice.
  • France are taking part in a seventh successive World Cup - their longest-ever run. They failed to score a goal in their only World Cup as holders in 2002. Les Bleus can win their opening game in three successive World Cup appearances for the first time. In their previous two openers they defeated Honduras 3-0 in 2014 and Australia 2-1 in 2018. However, the reigning world champions have won their first match in just three of the past 12 World Cups (D4, L5) - the exceptions were Germany in 1994 and Brazil in both 1998 and 2006. France have won only one of their past six matches (D2, L3), including two defeats to Denmark.
  • Australia: None of the current squad has scored a World Cup goal. This is Australia's first game against European opposition since a 1-1 draw versus Denmark at the 2018 World Cup. Australia has won just two of their 16 World Cup matches (D4, L10), both in the group stage - 3-1 against Japan in 2006 and 2-1 versus Serbia in 2010. A goalless draw with Chile in 1974 remains their only clean sheet in 16 World Cup games. The Socceroos have lost their opening fixture on four of their five World Cup appearances.Australia reached the last 16 in 2006 but that is the only time they have progressed to the knockout stage. They were subsequently eliminated 1-0 by Italy following a 95th-minute penalty scored by Francesco Totti.