Monday 29 February 2016

Chaos in Armenia

The Armenian Premier division earlier this month broke new ground as it became the smallest league in Europe with the withdrawal of Ulisses FC. The club were one of Armenia's Europa league representatives in the qualifying rounds last July and are now out of professional football. Ulisses withdrew after the club's owner Valery Oganesyan cited cash shortage as the reason why. The league already had a very small look about it at the start of the season with just the eight clubs taking part with no relegation as the first division is comprised of the top division's B teams.

History of withdrawals
Ulisses' withdrawal is the latest in the chaotic nature that is Armenian football. In 2012 the league switched their calendar from the spring-to-autumn schedule to the autumn-to-spring season seen throughout most of Europe. The transitional campaign only featured eight clubs like the start of this season. However at the end of that transitional campaign in 2012-13 (league ran from March 2012 to May 2013) Impulse FC withdrew from the league and disbanded. Alashkert were drafted in as their replacement. 
The season prior to the transitional campaign was the 2011 season. That too saw a club disband from the league. Kilikia FC disbanded and were replaced by first division side Ararat Yerevan. The top division remained an eight-team league going back to 2007 when it was a nine-team league, however that was reduced to eight when Lernayin Artsakh withdrew during the season, only to reemerge later in the Nagorno-Karabakh league. The first division that season was supposed to have Dinamo Yerevan promoted but they were dissolved at the end of the season so no club was promoted and the premier division began the 2008 season with eight teams and its been like that right up until now. 
The 2006 season was originally planned to be a ten team league but the same old story came true when Lernagorts Kapan withdrew during the season and Yerevan United, newly promoted withdrew before a ball was kicked.

2005 if you weren't confused already, saw Lernayin Artsakh withdraw. Yes they were the same team that withdrew in 2007. They pulled out after eleven rounds of games and the remaining fixtures were awarded 3-0 to their opponents. 
The 2003 season was probably the most badly hit in terms of withdrawals. Originally penciled in as a twelve team league, Spartak Yerevan merged with Banants which took the number of teams down to ten with Araks Ararat promoted in place of Spartak. However Ararat Yerevan were excluded from the league after they refused to let five players go to national team training camps before a game against Israel. With this exclusion came the withdrawal of Lernayin Artsakh after their sponsors were not happy with the exclusion of Ararat. That left the league with the familiar format of eight teams taking part.

2002 was the last season in which the full complement of teams started and finished the league season. A total of twelve teams took part and ended with perennial title holders Pyunik Yerevan winning the league.
2001 saw Kilikia withdraw after just one game it resulted in the then thirteen team league going down to twelve teams.
In 2000 the league went ahead with eight teams after FK Yerevan and Erebuni withdrew before the season started.

Next season?
The withdrawal of Ulisses will now have to be filled next season. However the problem is that there is no club in the first division eligible for promotion. The first division is made up entirely of B teams from the clubs in the Premier league and so the spot will have to filled by drafting in a club from outside the league system. Previously the withdrawals were filled by the best performing non B team club in the first division.
In fact the first division hasn't had a first team club in the league since 2013-14 when Shengavit finished 6th and withdrew at the end of that season.
The third largest city in Armenia is Vanadzor and they could be the site of any new club. Of the many withdrawals in past one club based in Vanadzor is still technically alive and that is FC Lori. However they last played in 2006 when they were a first division side but have in the past participated in the Premier league. Could they be the team to fill the void?.
Whatever happens its still a chaotic landscape given the history and amount of withdrawals the league has experienced.  

Sunday 28 February 2016

The greatest shock in the European cup

As a follow on from my previous blog post about what I thought was the biggest shock in the Champions league era I will have a look and see what I think was the biggest shock in the European cup.

Trevor Francis heads in the winner
source: getty images
Many people's vote
The obvious stand out shock in the European cup is Nottingham Forest's triumphs in the 1970s which capped off a wonderful spell under the management of Brian Clough. Forest were a second division side in 1976-77, they were promoted that season and went straight to the pinnacle of English football by winning the first division in their first season up. That allowed them the opportunity to take their place in the European cup in 1978-79 for the first time. They began by defeating Liverpool, who were in the competition as defending champions, this was the era where it was champions only that took part but defending champions were allowed to defend their title. A 2-0 aggregate victory over Liverpool saw Forest through to the last 16.
Victories over AEK Athens, Grasshopper club and Köln had set up a final against Malmö from Sweden. The Swedes reaching the final itself was another major surprise and the final itself was one that few would've predicted. In the end a Trevor Francis goal separated the sides and Forest became European champions.

The greatest shock
However my vote for the greatest shock of the European cup era came earlier in the decade. The 1970-71 season where Greek side Panathinaikos reached the final. Panathinaikos were under the management of one Ferenc Puskas in this campaign. However I doubt many will have predicted Panathinaikos getting anywhere near the final especially after sneaking a 2-1 victory away at Luxembourg side Juenesse D'Esch in the first leg of their First round tie. They won the second leg at home 5-0 but were still up against it.

Next up was Czechoslovakian champions Slovan Bratislava. The first leg in Athens put them in the driving seat when they ran out 3-0 winners. Slovan took the lead in the return game before an away goal by Antonis Antoniadis, who would end up the tournaments' top scorer that year with ten strikes in total, knocked the stuffing out of the Czechoslovakians. Slovan did win the second leg 2-1 but it wasn't enough was Panathinaikos advanced 4-2 on aggregate.

English champions Everton awaited in the quarter-finals. Many fancied Everton to advance but the Greeks had a shock on their minds and took a surprise lead with nine minutes to play when Antoniadis struck again. Despite Everton equalizing in stoppage time, Panathinaikos had that away goal to fall back on. And fall back on they would as it would turn out to be the difference between the sides. The second leg finished 0-0 and Panathinaikos were through to the European cup semi-finals.

The two legs on the semi-final against Crvena Zvezda would be despair followed by absolute joy. The first leg was painful for the Greek side. A hat-trick from Stevan Ostojić helped the Yugoslavian champions to a 4-1 win in Belgrade. The away goal coming from Aristidis Kamaras, surely it wouldn't be deciding.
Stunningly it turned out to be the difference as Panathinaikos recovered in the second leg in Athens. A 3-0 success meant that Kamaras' strike in the first leg took them to Wembley. Antoniadis added two more goals to his tally with Kamaras sealing the comeback with the third goal.

The final saw them up against Ajax. The overwhelming favorites with Johan Cruyff to call upon had to much for Panathinaikos in the end. An early strike from Dick Van Dijk had Panathinaikos on the back foot but they were still in the game until Ajax added a second late on when Arie Haan struck with the help of an Anthimos Kapsis deflection.
There was no fairy tale ending to what would've been an astonishing triumph when you factor in that Greek football wasn't anywhere near a force in the lead up to this run. In fact the best Greece managed before this was AEK Athens reaching the quarter-finals two seasons earlier. In the years after the Panathinaikos run, no Greek side would make it beyond the second round until 1984-85 when Panathinaikos ran to the semi-finals only to be beaten heavily by Liverpool.
Panathinaikos weren't splashing cash either, there was no £1 million spent on one player which is why for me this ranks above Nottingham Forest in the European cup shocks for me.

Other mentions: 
Other notable shocks from the European cup were amateur Eintracht Frankfurt reaching the final in 1959-60 but met the might of Real Madrid who beat them 7-3.
Steaua București had goalkeeper Helmuth Duckadam to thank for saving all of Barcelona's penalties in the final shootout in Seville. Steaua had won their first and to date only European cup. The first Eastern European side to win it and with the victory they won it six years before Barcelona would win their first of their current four titles. 
Crvena Zvezda winning it in 1990-91 deserves a mention as they are the only Serbian/Yugoslavian side to win it before or since. 

Saturday 27 February 2016

Europa League last 16 draw

The draw was made earlier today and well it has thrown up some treats. The headline draw was probably Liverpool v Manchester United although a few other of the ties do look quiet tasty with Borussia Dortmund v Tottenham looking particularly good. So here it is in full with some predictions.

Shakhtar Donetsk v Anderlecht
Not an easy one to call especially after Thursday's conclusion of the last 32. Shakhtar surprised a few by sending Schalke out while Anderlecht were probably outsiders against Olympiacos. One thing Shakhtar will have that they missed against Schalke is competitive football. The Ukrainian league is back next weekend so they should be a bit more match sharp. Anderlecht are chasing Club Brugge and Gent at home and will no doubt be looking to emulate Club Brugge last season when they reached the last 8. I'm going to go for a Shakhtar victory here.

Basel v Sevilla
The final being played in Basel is motivation enough for the Swiss giants but they have been handed a tough assignment here. However I do think the feeling is mutual, Basel will be an awkward customer for Sevilla. Sevilla have serious pedigree in this competition and do look the stronger side on paper. However it will be closer than many think. Sevilla away goals.

Villarreal v Bayer Leverkusen
If Villarreal do go on to the latter stages of this competition they will do it the hard way. They got a particularly tough draw in the last round with Napoli and having edged out the Serie A title hopefuls they have been given Bayer Leverkusen. The Germans are regulars in the champions league but having dropped down this season they are another tricky side for the yellow submarine to navigate. Chicharito has been in fine form this season while Villarreal are having a tremendous season themselves. Not an easy one to call at all so here it goes for a Villarreal narrow victory.

Athletic v Valencia last season
source: getty
Athletic Bilbao v Valencia
Another all-La Liga affair in the last 16. Last season it was Villarreal v Sevilla, now its Athletic v Valencia. Athletic overcame Marseille in what was a tight tie that took a moment of quality to seperate. Artiz Aduriz's fantastic dipping volley in the first leg gave Athletic the away goal cushion ahead of their home leg. Valencia were home and hosed by half time in the first leg against Rapid Wien eventually running out 10-0 aggregate winners. For Valencia this is the only route to the champions league as they have fallen way off the pace in the league. Athletic are in the hunt for Europe but again this is probably the best way into the champions league for them. Athletic Bilbao over two legs.

Liverpool v Manchester United
Amazing how this pairing has got England "interested" in the Europa league. In any case both sides overcame first leg scares to progress. Liverpool just about got over the line against Augsburg and United came back from a first leg set-back in Midtjylland. Just like the La Liga head-to-head this is the best route to the champions league for both sides it seems. Both are off champions league qualification via the league and that adds a bit of spice to this head-to-head in Europe. Tough one to call but going out on a limb I'll say Liverpool.

Marek Kincl scores as Sparta beat Lazio in 2003
source: getty
Sparta Praha v Lazio
Lazio are flying the Serie A flag in the competition after the elimination of Napoli and Fiorentina while Sparta are flying the Czech flag since the group stages. Sparta did surprise me with the ease they overcame Krasnodar for a finish in the last round, after watching the first leg I didn't see an away Sparta 3-0 win coming. Lazio came through Galatasaray after a first leg draw. Hard to predict this one and with Lazio not looking like getting any European qualification via the league this is all they have left to aim for. For that reason alone I'm leaning towards Lazio.

Borussia Dortmund v Tottenham
A fascinating tie pitting the second best German team against the second best English team. Both sides are in fine form and overcame quiet tricky ties in the last round. Dortmund against Porto was probably the tie of the last round and Tottenham v Fiorentina was a hard one to call. This tie is another hard to call one but it should be a terrific tie. Borussia Dortmund just.

Fenerbahçe v Sporting Braga
Both these sides have been semi-finalists in the past five years. For Fenerbahçe it was 2013 and Braga it was 2011. Fenerbahçe are involved in a tussle with Beşiktaş for the Turkish Lig title while Braga are currently best of the rest in Portugal behind Os tres grandes. Fener came through an awkward tie against Lokomotiv Moskva while Braga overcame Swiss side FC Sion. From what I saw of Fener in the first leg against Lokomotiv they will be a tough team to play against. However Braga will not be pushed lightly. Fener in extra-time.

Monday 22 February 2016

The greatest shock in the Champions league

These days the Champions league has become, well a bit dull. The same teams are the only ones in contention but every now and then it gives us a remarkable story. In recent years we have seen both Borussia Dortmund and Atlético Madrid reach the final against the odds, in 2012 Chelsea came back from the brink against Napoli to go on and win the tournament and of course not forgetting the triumphs of Inter Milan, Liverpool and Porto. Unfancied Bayer Leverkusen reaching the final in 2002 as well. My question in this post though is what is the greatest shock in the champions league. I'll also do up another post about the greatest shock in the European cup era later this week.
So the criteria is pretty much champions league era, how far did the club go and how also a bit of perspective as well for good measure. Now for some people they'll look at the aforementioned Chelsea 2012 triumph as a shock considering the circumstances in which they came back against Napoli and went on overcoming Barcelona and Bayern but personally I wouldn't rank that at the greatest.

The Leeds team v Valencia
source: www.ozwhitelufc.net.au
Living the dream
Leeds United's run in 2000-01 is something like what we are talking about. Personally for me it's not the greatest shock to have occurred in the champions league but deserves a mention. They fell at the semi-final stage to a very good Valencia team that would go on to lose the final for the second year in succession. On route to that semi-final, Leeds had emerged through a first stage group of Barcelona, AC Milan and Beşiktaş. An equally tough second group followed which pitted them up against Real Madrid, Lazio and Anderlecht, they finished 2nd to progress to the last 8. Waiting in the last 8 was Deportivo and a 3-2 aggregate victory set up that semi-final. This was the last time Leeds have graced the competition as they finished 4th domestically which at the time didn't yield champions league qualification. What happened afterwards is well documented. 


The near miss of Panathinaikos
source: www.panathinaikos-press.com
Millimeters away from the semi-finals
Another run worth mentioning occurred the following season. Greek side Panathinaikos took the competition by storm topping their first stage group ahead of Arsenal, Schalke and Real Mallorca. Home form was the key as they won all three home games which set up a second stage group with Real Madrid, Porto and Sparta Praha. The Greek side didn't lose any of their home games and finished 2nd in the group which was enough to progress to the last 8 which had Barcelona waiting. That quarter-final remains as Greece's best run in the competition since it was expanded to thirty-two teams. The first leg saw Panathinaikos win courtesy of an Angelos Basinas penalty. That second leg started exactly the way most Panathinaikos fans would've wanted, an early away goal. Cypriot striker Michalis Konstantinou, we in Ireland will have known all about him a few years after this, put Panathinaikos 1-0 up in the Camp Nou with a fantastic low shot and 2-0 ahead on aggregate. However the dream turned into a nightmare as two Luis Enrique goals and a Javier Saviola strike put Barcelona 3-2 ahead with half an hour remaining. One goal was all it took for Panathinaikos to go through to the semi-finals. It would've arrived had Sotirios Kyrgiakos' volley in stoppage time not gone millimeters wide of the post. 

Chiotis after saving Michel Bastos' penalty
source: Reuters
The biggest shock
However for me the biggest shock in the champions league era came in 2011-12. It was the same season in which Chelsea rallied to win the tournament but an even bigger shock occurred. They reached the group stage for only the second time in their history after wins over Skënderbeu Korçë and Slovan Bratislava in the qualifying rounds to set up a group that featured Zenit, Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto. Of course the team in question is Cypriot side APOEL Nicosia.
In the previous few years Cyprus had made the breakthrough into the lucrative group stage when Anorthosis Famagusta qualified in 2008 and APOEL followed suit the following year. This was the third occassion that Cyprus was represented in the group stage.
The group itself offered the opportunity to break further new ground. A home victory over Zenit followed by decent draws away at Shakhtar and Porto saw them on the front foot in the group. Their grip was tightened when they beat Porto in Nicosia. The victory arrived when Porto thought they had rescued a draw with a late penalty from Hulk but former Benfica man Gustavo Manduca won the game in stoppage time and the victory was secure. All that was needed was a draw away to Zenit in matchday five and APOEL would be through.
APOEL somehow got the draw that was needed. Zenit dominated the game as they too were looking to qualify but an impenetrable defense by the Cypriots was the reason behind APOEL getting the draw they needed. The final game with Shakhtar was lost at home but Zenit could only draw with Porto which meant not only did APOEL progress, they topped the group on the better head-to-head they had with Zenit. The significance of topping the group was to be shown in the draw.

Gustavo Manduca levels the tie against Lyon
source: Reuters
The draw for the first knockout round saw APOEL avoid all the big hitters thanks to topping the group. They were given the task of getting past Lyon and avoided some of the more difficult runners-up in Napoli, AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen.
However a first leg defeat in France had them hanging on the hope that their good home form would come in handy once more. An early goal from Gustavo Manduca leveled the tie and the game after that swung both ways with Lyon having the better of the first half and APOEL the second. Extra-time beckoned and again nip and tuck as both sides faced the lottery of penalties. Goalkeeper Dionisios Chiotis earned cult hero status as he saved penalties from Alexandre Lacazette and Michel Bastos while APOEL converted all of theirs to secure passage to the last 8 of the champions league!


Esteban Solari converts the penalty at the Bernabéu
source: AP
Real Madrid were their opponents in the quarter-finals. A massive ask but APOEL were at home first. Although the first leg was lost 3-0 it does not tell the story of how frustrated Real Madrid were in that game. The APOEL defense dealt with everything Madrid threw at them for much of the game. Chiotis was on hand to save from Mesut Özil and Ronaldo before Benzema missed a sitter. The goals came in the final fifteen minutes with a Benzema header, Kaká side foot finish and Benzema tap in. The damage was done and tie was pretty much over ahead of the second leg. That second leg ended 5-2 with APOEL's goals coming from Manduca and a penalty from Esteban Solari. 

Despite going out 8-2 on aggregate APOEL had created history. No other Cypriot side had gone as far as they did and its unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. What makes their run the biggest shock in the champions league for me, was the fact that they come from a league that at the beginning of that season was ranked 20th, lower than the leagues of Israel, Scotland and Belgium. We aren't talking about a team from the big four leagues or even the top 10 in Europe. 20th. To put that in today's terms it would be the equivalent of BATE Borisov reaching the quarter-finals, unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future but then again nobody saw APOEL reaching the last 8 that season. 

Sunday 14 February 2016

My Irish Euros squad

Who makes up the 23 man suqad
source: bbc
Qualification was achieved back in November after an easier than expected play-off victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Now for Martin O'Neill the selection of the 23-man squad will be the next big step in the campaign. Friendlies in March against Switzerland and Slovakia have been lined up which are great opportunities to perhaps give some potential squad players the opportunity to showcase what they can bring to the party. There is a further friendly in May against Holland on the horizon but by then the squad will more or less be decided.

Now for the most part the majority of the squad is pretty much nailed on. The likes of Séamus Coleman, John O'Shea, Darren Randolph, James McCarthy, Robbie Keane, Shane Long will be going barring injury. There are a few areas which aren't clear cut. The first of which is the second and third choice goalkeeper.

Goalkeepers:
IN = Darren Randolph

Does Shay make it?
source: getty
I would be confident enough to say that  Randolph will make the squad. Despite Randolph's lack of playing time with West Ham, his performance against Germany and Bosnia will be still fresh in the mind.
Who joins him though?
David Forde has been a reliable back-up and is playing regularly for Millwall in the 2nd tier in England.
Shay Given has been a loyal servant to the Irish side for years and has come back into the fold after a brief retirement. Personally I would take him for the experience but he does face competition for that final spot from Newcastle's Rob Elliot who is now number one for them after injuries to Tim Krul and Karl Darlow.
Kieran Westwood is another who will be in the reckoning for that final spot. The Sheffield Wednesday number one will feel he has as good a chance as any. Then you have Stephen Henderson at Charlton. The London club are having a nightmare season but Henderson is playing regularly which could go for him.

Defenders:
IN = John O'Shea, Séamus Coleman, Richard Keogh, Marc Wilson, Cyrus Christie, Ciaran Clark

Stephen Ward I would still have my doubts over. Shane Duffy at Blackburn could be an outside bet to get into the squad as would Greg Cunningham with Preston. Cunningham, a left back has regular playing time in his favor over Stephen Ward.
Robbie Brady has also played left-back for Ireland before so he could be the left back of choice for O'Neill which makes it difficult for the likes of Cunningham to make the squad.

Midfielders:
IN = Glenn Whelan, James McCarthy, James McClean, Wes Hoolahan, Robbie Brady, Jeff Hendrick, Aiden McGeady

Who joins these seven in the squad. Well some on the fringes include Darron Gibson but his lack of playing time could count against him. Bournemouth's Harry Arter has only emerged in the past year for the team and could be included in the squad.
David Meyler is a defensive minded midfielder at Hull City and his good season could put him in the frame for the squad.
Cardiff's Anthony Pilkington is another who has been involved in the squad previously but isn't a fore gone conclusion for a place in the squad currently Again playing time is on his side which could get him in ahead of Gibson.
Others names that could be drafting in are Stephen Quinn, Eunan O'Kane and for a bit of width I think Jonny Hayes at Aberdeen deserves a shot in the March friendlies at least.
Another potential wildcard would be Jack Byrne who is currently playing with SC Cambuur in the Eredivisie. A regular in the side he is playing at a good level to warrant discussion.

Forwards:
IN = Robbie Keane, Shane Long, Jonathan Walters

Those three will be in the squad. Big question would be if O'Neill goes with four strikers or five. If it's four as I suspect it probably will be then the choice is tough.
Anthony Stokes moved to Hibernian and has said he wants to make the squad. However I'm not entirely convinced he will.
Ipswich's Daryl Murphy is having a decent season in the championship and I think is ahead of Stokes in the pecking order.
Kevin Doyle is an outside bet
source: Corbin Elliott

Kevin Doyle hasn't been a regular in O'Neill's plans until now and I'm not sure he'll make the squad. If he can hit the ground running with a good start to the new MLS campaign with Colorado Rapids in March then he could get himself into the squad.

Adam Rooney has made a few of the squads but hasn't played yet under O'Neill. Again I would give him a chance along with the other fringe players in the friendlies in March.



My Squad: 
Goalkeepers: David Forde, Darren Randolph, Shay Given

Defenders: John O'Shea, Séamus Coleman, Richard Keogh, Marc Wilson, Cyrus Christie, Ciaran Clark, Robbie Brady

Midfielders: Glenn Whelan, James McCarthy, James McClean, Wes Hoolahan, Jeff Hendrick, Aiden McGeady, David Meyler, Johnny Hayes, Harry Arter,

Forwards: Robbie Keane, Shane Long, Jonathan Walters, Kevin Doyle

Tuesday 9 February 2016

When I turned up in Bratislava

I have noticed in the past few days that I have had a few blog views from Slovakia. So this got me thinking of the time when I was in Bratislava on holidays in 2014. In June that year I was desperate for a trip abroad as I hadn't been abroad in three years. So I had a look at some flights and eventually settled on Prague for the end of that coming August, Prague beating off the appeal of being burnt in Morocco. A week and half is what I booked and then the brainwave hit me, why not spend a day or two in Bratislava. Two countries in the one trip. I booked the train which came in at a handy €30 return between the two capital cities.
The train ride was four hours and I had booked it for Sunday August 31st. The scenery as the train passed through the Czech countryside was lovely. Some nice valleys in between hills and then flat land as we got into Bratislava. Destination Bratislava was reached just shy of four o'clock and it was off to the hostel to drop the bags.
I had planned the trip to Bratislava around a game of football of course. The football was that night and it was going to be quiet an experience. The game in question was Slovan Bratislava v FK Dukla Banská Bystrica.
I walked from the hostel to the ground which was about 30 minutes. The ground itself, the stadion Pasienky is in an area where most of the sports venues in the city are located. You have the Ice hockey arena nearby and the sports halls. Also around the corner is the old Tehelné Pole stadium which is where the Slovak national side formally played (Ireland got a 2-2 draw there in 2007) and it's where Artmedia Bratislava played their champions league games in 2005-06. Sadly it was in the demolition stage and there wasn't much left of it when I was there.
As for the Stadion Pasienky well it was a bowl shaped ground with a running track which isn't great but hey it's all part of the charm. Weather wise it was cloudy but dry (that was to change the follow day).

The game kicked off at seven so I was around the ground in plenty of time so got my ticket which was a cool €7 and the programme was another €2 so not bad. Spent a bit of time just wandering around the ground taking it all in and it was quiet to be honest.
The attendance would be around 1300 which comparing to Ireland is about the same. However the ground can hold just under 14000 so there was very much an empty feeling around the place.

The game started with the Slovan ultras located diagonally across from the section I was in. I did try to get a ticket over that end but the ticketman's lack of English prevented it. What was striking was that there was no away fans. Dukla Banská Bystrica took the lead early on and there was no one in the stands cheering. The only cheers were from the bench obviously enough. That lead was short lived however as Slovan levelled up barely three minutes later when Seydou Soumah scored. The game was mostly Slovan attacking and that persistence paid off on the half hour when they took the lead through Samuel Štefánik. Dukla didn't really threaten that much afterwards. Then came half-time so time for some food. Hot-dog was grand and it was time for the second half. Nothing of particular note happened except that Slovan extended their lead later on in the half through Juraj Halenár. Dukla were defeated and Slovan got the expected win.

When leaving the ground I asked one of the stewards who did speak English was there any Dukla fans. Nope, which was a shame as I'm sure they would've went mad in the away section early on. Speaking of away sections it couldn't be more noticeable really. The seats in the stadium are colored sky blue but the away section is colored red and yellow so just in case any away fans do go there it's not too difficult to find it.

I made my way back to the hostel, where I was to meet fellow travelling people from all over. I got talking to two lads from Switzerland who had just arrived from a train journey going the length of Switzerland and Austria. We also got talking to an Australian guy who was working his way through Europe which was an interesting thought. Overall the beers were needed as a four hour train ride and a game took me to ten o'clock.

The following day it rained and it poured. I figured since it was my only full day in the city I had to brave it and got out early enough just after nine. I walked everywhere and saw pretty much everything from the nice city center to the UFO bridge to the castle on the hill overlooking the city. It was quiet a nice city and one that I would visit again but hopefully without the soaking.

I did manag to stumble across the site of Artmedia Bratislava's old ground, the Štadión Petržalka. It was demolished two years before my visit but still it was another old ground gone. Artmedia didn't play any of their big European games at this site but it was from the photos I have seen a nice little ground. 
Before my trip down to Bratislava I did a bit of looking into football in the city and was shocked that only one side from the capital was in the top division. The other two sides Artmedia and Inter were in the lower leagues and weren't playing in the city the weekend I was there. 

Bratislava was quiet a nice city and the people were friendly and helpful. It is a city I would recommend as it isn't a very large city so most things are in walking distance. So one day I shall return.  

Monday 8 February 2016

Be'er Sheva the real winners last night

 So last night I decided I wanted to watch something a bit different. Usually on Sunday evenings I'd watch whatever football match would be on the box so usually the late La Liga game, Serie A game or the occasional Ligue 1 or Liga NOS game. However last night I decided something different was needed. Flicking through the fixtures on various websites I came across a game that I said I'll give it a watch. That game was Maccabi Tel-Aviv v Hapoel Tel-Aviv, I had stumbled across a massive derby game in the Israeli football calendar.
Prior to finally watching the game I gave the table a seeing to and noticed it was a massive game for Maccabi's title hopes. Maccabi were six points behind Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the title race so a win in the derby was very much needed. Hapoel Tel-Aviv meanwhile were 12th and unlikely to make the top half split.

Aaron Schoenfeld put Hapoel in front
The game began pretty much Maccabi asserting dominance possession wise until that is Hapoel got the ball eventually and with a punt up front American striker Aaron Schoenfeld managed to poke the bouncing ball past Maccabi's highly rated Serbian keeper Pedrag Rajković. 1-0 to the visitors and I can imagine there was a massive cheer over in Be'er Sheva too. However that was only a blip for Maccabi as after that goal they continued to have the better of the ball and were camping in the Hapoel half. 
I had read a bit about Maccabi's star player Eran Zahavi and well his record speaks for itself this season. Twenty four goals in twenty one games. In fact in the past three seasons he has been hitting just shy of thirty league goals. Not bad for an attacking midfielder. Needless to say Zahavi was the man to watch for the Hapoel defense. 
The equalizing goal for Maccabi came twenty five minutes in when a cross from Dor Micha went straight in evading the Hapoel defense and the target Zahavi. Just before that goal there was a header from winger Tal Ben Haim II which narrowly missed the top corner. 

The 2nd half began pretty much the same as the 1st half ended, with Maccabi dominating proceedings. The ever impressive Haris Medunjanin in the center of midfield for Maccabi was spraying passes out to the wingers and getting them every time. Medunjanin is a player I have seen plenty of times before for Deportivo and he was the go to man for Maccabi in creating chances. The Bosnian was also starting to get some shots off but all his efforts were straight at the keeper.
Hapoel did have a small period of five or so minutes in the 2nd half were they were attacking and they forced a few corners but that was the sum total of their attacking forays. Maccabi controlled the game thereafter as they searched for the winner.
The chance would come, and it was the final action of the game. Right at the end of four added minutes Maccabi had a free-kick that was floated into the Hapoel box by Medunjanin and was met unmarked by midfielder Dor Peretz. Peretz' header went narrowly wide and that was the game and the two extra points. The stalemate leaves Maccabi five points behind Hapoel Be'er Sheva while for Hapoel Tel-Aviv it's a point that drags them out of the bottom two.

The league will split into two after 26 rounds of games. There the top 6 will play each other home and away while the bottom 8 teams play each other once. The bottom two teams at the end are relegated. 

Hapoel Be'er Sheva:
The leaders are very much trying to go one better. In the past three seasons Be'er Sheva have been a regular in the top three. While Maccabi Tel-Aviv have won the past three titles, Be'er Sheva have been the side closest to them. Last season they pushed Maccabi in the regular season before falling away after the split and eventually allowed Ironi Kiryat Schmona to nip ahead in 2nd place.
Ahead of the derby on Sunday, Be'er Sheva had beaten bottom side Maccabi Netanya to move six points ahead.

Historically Be'er Sheva are not one of the powers of Israeli football. They have only won two league titles in their history, the last of which was 1975-76. The club have only ever won the State cup once in 1997 and were a second division side as recently as 2008-09 when they were one of six sides promoted when the top division was expanded from twelve to sixteen sides.

Of the current squad their top scorer is veteran striker Elianiv Barda who has eleven goals which puts him second in the charts behind the prolific Eran Zahavi who has twenty-four goals. Nigerian striker Anthony Nwakaeme is the club's second top scorer with seven and fellow Nigerian John Ogu who scored in Saturday's win over Maccabi Netanya has two goals from midfield.
Defensively Be'er Sheva are very strong. They have only conceded thirteen goals and keeper Dudu Goresh has kept twelve clean sheets so far this season.

Tuesday 2 February 2016

The unbeaten teams 2015-16

Out of the forty-two leagues in Europe currently in action there are only six sides left that can boast to being unbeaten so far this season. Of the six sides left unbeaten only one is not top of it's respective league.

HNK Rijeka: Croatia
Eleven wins and ten draws leaves Rijeka in second place behind Dinamo Zagreb. The coastal side are chasing a first ever Croatian league title. Last season they pushed Dinamo till the final month of the season and will be hoping to go one better and end Dinamo's current streak of titles which stands at ten. The league returns from its winter hiatus on February 12th with Rijeka hosting Dinamo a week later.

Paris Saint-Germain: France
PSG are unbeaten and are now a crazy twenty-four points clear of Monaco. In fact PSG's unbeaten run goes back to last season when they lost 3-2 away at Bordeaux. The Parisians have dropped only six points out of sixty-nine on offer so far this season which shows just how consistent and dominant they have been this season.

Lincoln Red Imps
source: Ian Matrinez - snaprimages.com

Lincoln Red Imps: Gibraltar
Even before Gibraltar's acceptance into UEFA, Lincoln were the dominant force in Gibraltarian football. Since UEFA acceptance in 2013, Lincoln have won the two league titles on offer. This season they have been unstoppable. In seventeen games they have dropped just two points, scored eighty goals and conceded just four goals. Such is their dominance that two weeks ago, Lincoln dished bottom side Angels a 13-0 drubbing.

Olympiacos: Greece
They have only dropped two points all season and haven't actually lost a domestic league game since last May when they went down 3-1 away at PAS Giannina. In the current campaign they have been so dominant that they find themselves sixteen points clear of nearest challengers AEK Athens. As with a previous blog post I have done it's in Europe where Olympiacos haven't been able to step up.

F91 Dudelange: Luxembourg
The league took it's winter break at the end of November after thirteen rounds and F91 Dudelange haven't tasted defeat yet this season. Despite being unbeaten they are only two points ahead of Fola Esch, who are the defending champions. The league resumes on February 20th and F91 go to lowly Victoria Rosport in a bid to extend their unbeaten run.

Crvena Zvezda: Serbia
The most dominant team this season anywhere in Europe. Crvena Zvezda are twenty-five points clear of their nearest challengers. They have dropped only four points all season and have been free scoring with sixty-five goals scored. The league returns this month from the two month long winter break and it's pretty much a procession between now and May in terms of the destination of the title.

Monday 1 February 2016

Biggest league winning margins

Last night saw Paris Saint-Germain put even more daylight between themselves and the rest of France by going 24 points clear of 2nd placed Monaco. Going into the weekend Monaco were "only" 21 points behind but a 3-0 defeat away at surprise package Angers on Saturday gave PSG the opportunity, which they duly took, to extend the gap by three more points away at Saint Étienne. Two Zlatan Ibrahimović goals sent them on their way and with the gap only looking like increasing it got me thinking of this. What is the largest league winning margin in Europe?
PSG aren't the only side enjoying such a wide margin at the top. In Serbia, Crvena Zvezda are currently twenty-five points clear of Čukarički and Borac Čačak. Crvena Zvezda are also like PSG, unbeaten.

Celtic 2013-14: (29 points)
This is probably the biggest winning margin, certainly that I found anyway. Celtic in 2013-14 were utterly dominant. Yes you could say it was helped by the absence of their arch-rivals Rangers but by the end of this season Celtic had scored 102 goals and finished a point shy of the century. Their haul of ninety-nine points was twenty-nine more than second placed Motherwell. 

Dinamo Zagreb 2007-08: (28 points)
Running Celtic's winning margin in 2013-14 very close is Dinamo Zagreb's triumph in 2007-08. The capital side ended this campaign twenty-eight points clear of second placed Slaven Koprivnica. Oddly for a dominant team like Dinamo, they scored ninety-one goals but their highest scorer was an attacking midfielder by the name of Luka Modrić, who was fourth in league scoring charts. 

FC København 2010-11: (26 points)
København stormed to the Danish Superliga in 2010-11 to secure their ninth title. They ended up with a twenty-six point lead over OB Odense. They lost just two games all season one of which was a 3-0 defeat to OB on the penultimate matchday. This was also the same season the club reached the last 16 in the champions league before succumbing to Chelsea 2-0 over two legs. 

Bayern Munich 2012-13: (25 points)
The title win that started the current run of Bayern dominance in Germany. This was Jupp Heynckes final season in charge of the club in which they would end up with a treble of league, cup and champions league. In the Bundesliga they finished twenty-five points clear of Borussia Dortmund in second place. They scored ninety-eight goals in thirty-four matches and were only beaten once all season.

HJK Helsinki 2011: (24 points)
The last Finnish side to make the champions league group stage, HJK were emphatic champions in 2011. The capital side lost four games on route to finishing with eighty-one points and a massive twenty-four points clear of nearest challengers Inter Turku.

FC Basel 2014-15: (22 points)
Serial Swiss champions Basel added yet another league triumph in 2014-15. This time they were twenty-two points ahead of BSC Young Boys. Helped by Shkëlzen Gashi's twenty-two goals that season, Basel were never challenged as they secured their sixth title in a row. 

The New Saints 2012-13: (22 points)
The English based, Welsh Premier side won the title in 2012-13 by twenty-two points. They were the only full-time professional team in the league and it showed as they ran away from nearest challengers Airbus UK. 

Inter Milan 2006-07: (22 points)
Fresh from the calciopoli scandal rocking Serie A, Inter Milan blitz their way through everyone to finish a very comfortable twenty-two points clear of Roma in 2006-07. 

Rangers 1999-00: (21 points) 
Rangers won the SPL in 1999-00 in emphatic style. They were only beaten twice and one of those defeats came on the final day at Motherwell. In any case Rangers ended the season a massive twenty-one points ahead of second placed Celtic. It is worth noting that the SPL in this campaign was a ten-team league with all the teams playing each other four times for a total of thirty-six games in the season but Rangers conquered all that season. Scorers of no fewer than ninety-six goals they were deserving champions. 

Sheriff Tiraspol 2006-07: (21 points)
In the middle of their run of ten consecutive Moldovan Divizia titles, Sheriff ended up with the 06-07 title by being twenty-one points ahead of Zimbru. Their haul of ninety-two points that season remains the highest point tally in the Moldovan Divizia. They had an incredible defensive record too which deserves a mention. In the thirty-six games played, Sheriff only conceded seven goals.


Other 21 point margins:
In Estonia, Levadia Tallinn won the title by twenty-one points from closest challengers Sillamäe Kalev and Trans Narva. They also lost just once along the way.
FBK Kaunas emerged as Lithuania A Lyga champions in 2006 by finishing twenty-one points clear of Ekranas.
Sturm Graz were Austria Bundesliga champions in 1997-98 when they were twenty-one points ahead of Rapid Wien.