At times it was like a first team game, plenty of effort but little direction or end product.
Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Huffed and puffed but out of the cup
Tuesday 30 January 2018, Ipswich Town Under 18s 0 Blackpool Under 18s 2 - FA Youth Cup, 5th Round, Portman Road
At times it was like a first team game, plenty of effort but little direction or end product.
At times it was like a first team game, plenty of effort but little direction or end product.
Monday, 29 January 2018
Winning in the rain
Monday 29 January 2018, Ipswich Town Under 23s 5 Millwall under 23s 0 - Professional Development League, Playford Road
Heavy rain, windy, but we scored five goals and even Freddie got one!
Heavy rain, windy, but we scored five goals and even Freddie got one!
Saturday, 27 January 2018
Just seen the champions?
Saturday 27 January 2018, Ipswich Town 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 - Championship, Portman Road
Think we may have just seen the champions - and it was not us!
Think we may have just seen the champions - and it was not us!
Friday, 26 January 2018
Reserves at Wembley (sized pitch)
Thursday 25 January 2018, WBA U23 2 Ipswich Town U23 1 - U23 Premier League Cup, St George's Park, Pitch 6, Sir Bobby Charlton pitch.
What a complex! Even in the darkness it looked impressive, from the hotel to the gym, to the numerous outdoor pitches to the full size indoor pitch.
Ipswich were privileged to play on the main England training pitch, but it did not seem to inspire them in the first half but the second half was much better and in the end WBA were hanging on to secure the cup win.
What a complex! Even in the darkness it looked impressive, from the hotel to the gym, to the numerous outdoor pitches to the full size indoor pitch.
Ipswich were privileged to play on the main England training pitch, but it did not seem to inspire them in the first half but the second half was much better and in the end WBA were hanging on to secure the cup win.
Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Video killed the radio star, now football?
Sunday 21 January 2018, Bologna 3 Benevento 0 - Serie A, Stadio Renato Dall'Ara
In the last few weeks there has been much debate on the use of video help for match officials, with the Chelsea - Norwich game being one match where the new system did not work.
My first experience of video ref was in the game in Bologna, the second goal was at first ruled out for offside but after a short pause, the ref sprinted off the pitch, to check a TV scree. He then returned to award a goal. So the system some would say had worked, but what I did not like was the pause in the game, this is not cricket or Rugby we do not get those natural breaks in the game. So before video kills football let us scrap it for all but major finals like the World Cup.
Coming back to this game, great atmosphere, the Bologna fans never stopped singing and the Benevento fans had also turned up in great numbers, there was also no bad feeling between both sets of fans.
Plus many of us may see Italian football as defensive and this game certainly was not that it could have easily finished 5-3. So I am hooked on Serie 'A' plus after learning about the history of Bologna and their pre-war coach who was murdered by the Nazis - Arpad Weisz - I want to come back again and see Bologna play - may be an away match.
The stadium was also class, 3 open sides but with one tower on one side, giving it an Olympic feel - Berlin or Rome Olympic stadiums - and then the outside, blended in to to look part of the 30 plus KM of portico in the city.
Want to experience Italian football? Bologna would be a great place to start.
In the last few weeks there has been much debate on the use of video help for match officials, with the Chelsea - Norwich game being one match where the new system did not work.
My first experience of video ref was in the game in Bologna, the second goal was at first ruled out for offside but after a short pause, the ref sprinted off the pitch, to check a TV scree. He then returned to award a goal. So the system some would say had worked, but what I did not like was the pause in the game, this is not cricket or Rugby we do not get those natural breaks in the game. So before video kills football let us scrap it for all but major finals like the World Cup.
Coming back to this game, great atmosphere, the Bologna fans never stopped singing and the Benevento fans had also turned up in great numbers, there was also no bad feeling between both sets of fans.
Plus many of us may see Italian football as defensive and this game certainly was not that it could have easily finished 5-3. So I am hooked on Serie 'A' plus after learning about the history of Bologna and their pre-war coach who was murdered by the Nazis - Arpad Weisz - I want to come back again and see Bologna play - may be an away match.
The stadium was also class, 3 open sides but with one tower on one side, giving it an Olympic feel - Berlin or Rome Olympic stadiums - and then the outside, blended in to to look part of the 30 plus KM of portico in the city.
Want to experience Italian football? Bologna would be a great place to start.
Tuesday, 23 January 2018
Arpad Weisz - The success and the tragedy
Three years ago I wrote a review of a great book i had just finished about the Jewish football coach, Ernest Erbstein, who survived the Second World War only to die in the Superga air crash that killed the great Torino team in 1949.
This week I was in Bologna to see the home team play Benevento and by chance discovered that on the day of the game in one of the museums in the city, an exhibition would open about another Jewish football manager, one who did not survive the war.
The book about Erbstein had the words 'triumph and tragedy' in the title, the exhibition about Arpad Weisz is titled 'the success and tragedy'.
Arpad had been a successful coach before the war for Bologna but this was at the time of the rise of Mussolini and fascism in Italy, even the stadium at Bologna was seen as a tribute to Mussolini. Because of the racial laws introduced in Italy, Arpad fled to Holland with his family, here he continued to coach football.
But then the war started and unlike Erbstein, Arpad could not escape the Germans and would end up in Auschwitz, where he would be murdered.
Arpad Weisz was not forgotten in Bologna, and the stand where the away fans are now housed is named after him. But now there is an opportunity for more people to learn about his life. A local man,Matteo Matteucci has produced a book, in the graphic novel style to tell his story and the pictures from that book are featured in the exhibition.
So if you find yourself in Bologna , either for football, the culture, the food or all of them, take a stroll into the area of the Jewish ghetto and visit the Jewish Museum to learn about this great football man.
Exhibition till 18 March 2018 at Via Valdonica 1/5, museum website here.
This week I was in Bologna to see the home team play Benevento and by chance discovered that on the day of the game in one of the museums in the city, an exhibition would open about another Jewish football manager, one who did not survive the war.
The book about Erbstein had the words 'triumph and tragedy' in the title, the exhibition about Arpad Weisz is titled 'the success and tragedy'.
Arpad had been a successful coach before the war for Bologna but this was at the time of the rise of Mussolini and fascism in Italy, even the stadium at Bologna was seen as a tribute to Mussolini. Because of the racial laws introduced in Italy, Arpad fled to Holland with his family, here he continued to coach football.
But then the war started and unlike Erbstein, Arpad could not escape the Germans and would end up in Auschwitz, where he would be murdered.
Arpad Weisz was not forgotten in Bologna, and the stand where the away fans are now housed is named after him. But now there is an opportunity for more people to learn about his life. A local man,Matteo Matteucci has produced a book, in the graphic novel style to tell his story and the pictures from that book are featured in the exhibition.
So if you find yourself in Bologna , either for football, the culture, the food or all of them, take a stroll into the area of the Jewish ghetto and visit the Jewish Museum to learn about this great football man.
Exhibition till 18 March 2018 at Via Valdonica 1/5, museum website here.
Thursday, 18 January 2018
Light Blues, no match for the Army power
Wednesday 17 January 2018, Cambridge University Rugby Union Club 10 Army RFU 73 - Grange Rd, Cambridge.
First of this is a cracking ground, maybe not as famous in name as it's counterpart in Oxford, but still plenty of 'old school' charm to be found. Pavilion is a gem, terracing either side, seats in front and on top a small seated enclosure, high in the sky! A good bar with a café also operating for hot drinks and hot food.
Plenty of pictures and artefacts to look at before the game starts, on the opposite side is a 70 metre long stand, with old wooden bench seating, a great place to watch the game from.
The game itself was very one sided, no surprise as the 'light blues' start their long process of getting a team ready for the Varsity match in December 2018, whilst the army are just finishing off their predations for the up and coming tri-service tournament.
The army had far too much power and speed but also plenty of flair, not surprising when you have a number of Fijians in your side.
Well worth a visit and the 'Light blues' have fixtures for the next 4 Wednesday nights, including games v the Navy and the RAF.
First of this is a cracking ground, maybe not as famous in name as it's counterpart in Oxford, but still plenty of 'old school' charm to be found. Pavilion is a gem, terracing either side, seats in front and on top a small seated enclosure, high in the sky! A good bar with a café also operating for hot drinks and hot food.
Plenty of pictures and artefacts to look at before the game starts, on the opposite side is a 70 metre long stand, with old wooden bench seating, a great place to watch the game from.
The game itself was very one sided, no surprise as the 'light blues' start their long process of getting a team ready for the Varsity match in December 2018, whilst the army are just finishing off their predations for the up and coming tri-service tournament.
The army had far too much power and speed but also plenty of flair, not surprising when you have a number of Fijians in your side.
Well worth a visit and the 'Light blues' have fixtures for the next 4 Wednesday nights, including games v the Navy and the RAF.
Tuesday, 16 January 2018
Rain, wind, a 'Shots' manager and an Irish coach
Monday 15 January 2018, Ipswich Town Under 23s 3 QPR Under 23s 0 - Professional Development League, Playford Rd
It rained it was windy but not a bad game - but you wonder how much managers, coaches and scouts learn from a game like this - would Garry Waddock the 'Shots' (Aldershot) manager have learnt anymore about George Fowler - currently on loan at Aldershot from Ipswich? Then spare a thought for Northern Ireland Under 21 manager, Ian Baraclough, came all the way down from the East Midlands and the only Ulsterman in the Town side only got on for the last 10 minutes.
It rained it was windy but not a bad game - but you wonder how much managers, coaches and scouts learn from a game like this - would Garry Waddock the 'Shots' (Aldershot) manager have learnt anymore about George Fowler - currently on loan at Aldershot from Ipswich? Then spare a thought for Northern Ireland Under 21 manager, Ian Baraclough, came all the way down from the East Midlands and the only Ulsterman in the Town side only got on for the last 10 minutes.
A Cup win - but not the First team
Tuesday 16 January 2018, Ipswich Town Under 18s 2 Dagenham & Redbridge Under 18s 1 - FA Youth Cup, 4th Round, Portman Road
Exciting, crowd smiling, and to top it all a cup win - trouble is it was just the Youth team.
Exciting, crowd smiling, and to top it all a cup win - trouble is it was just the Youth team.
Saturday, 13 January 2018
A win at last
Saturday 13 January 2018, Ipswich Town 1 Leeds United 0 - Championship, Portman Road
Maybe only against ten men but think we would have beaten (dirty) 11 Leeds players.
Maybe only against ten men but think we would have beaten (dirty) 11 Leeds players.
Thursday, 11 January 2018
For the love of 'Old School' terracing
Wednesday 10 January 2018, Aylesbury Utd 0 Bedford Town 3 - Southern league, East Division, Meadow
Game was not great, it was cold but not all bad - a new ground, great burger van, the radiators in the bar were hot!
The ground is a bit run down but that was part of the charm and the highlight - the 'old school' terracing - a must to stand on , not many grounds like this left.
Game was not great, it was cold but not all bad - a new ground, great burger van, the radiators in the bar were hot!
The ground is a bit run down but that was part of the charm and the highlight - the 'old school' terracing - a must to stand on , not many grounds like this left.
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