Super League, basically. It separated the top level of the game from the grassroots and meant it lost some of the local connections. Lots of good clubs ended up going bust which had a knock on effect with the local amateur set up.
No other European nation has a more special relationship with the potato than Ireland…The potato was seen as a safeguard against the tandem social plagues of unemployment, poverty, overpopulation and land hunger.
That reminds me of the opening of that episode of Little House on the Prairie when Michael Landon takes some wheat he’d just grown, looks up at the sky and says “thank you God”. You just know what happens next.
There’s a really old cartoon of someone belting out that song and getting repeatedly trampled by said animals. Tried very hard to find it on Youtube a few years ago, but no joy.
There are 3 European football competition finals this year (first time since 1998-99) and all 6 teams are from different countries. The last time that happened was 1982-83 when there was the Cup Winners Cup as the third trophy (it’s now the ‘Conference League’ trophy).
Oddly enough, a Scottish team was involved back then too…
It was 1987 for Dundee United. Beaten by Gothenburg in the final. Their fans got a ‘Sportsmanship’ award for applauding the winners around the stadium. Which I’m sure pleased Jim McLean…
The thinking was that the teams in the Cup Winners Cup had won something to get there while those in the UEFA Cup hadn’t. The Not Champions Cup Losers Cup or whatever it was,
A friend of mine was at the Dundee Utd-Celtic final in 1988 and said it was the most fevered atmosphere at a match he’s ever been to. His family are Arabs – though he’s a Stirling Albion fan. Margaret Thatcher being the guest of honour was his explanation for the boisterousness of the fans.
Lots of fireworks going off around here. It’s either Celtic fans celebrating, or Rangers fans deciding that they’re going to set off the fireworks anyway, no matter the result.
Having a chat with a friend of the Stirling Albion fan and mine on another platform as we’re off to the Czech Republic for a couple of weeks at the end of June so wanted to see each other. Our paths won’t cross as he’s packed in his job as CEO of Czech cricket to go and run cricket in Estonia.
The Cup Winners Cup was “better” than the UEFA Cup from what I remember
UEFA (and predecessor the Fairs) Cup usually had clubs that had ended up 2, 3, 4 in their respectively league s- so overall quality was higher.
ECWC had a range of clubs of all standards… while England (and Scotland) took FA Cup seriously, not sure that was true all across Europe – hence Chelsea putting 21 past Jeunesse Hautcharage of Luxembourg over 2 legs
Not that mismatches didn’t occur in the old EC – recall Liverpool putting 10 past Finn Harps and Stromgodset, and Feyenoord 12 past a Maltese club (Hibernians??) – but overall standard is way higher anyway now…
In a “Hold the front page” moment an East Lothian online news platform shared a story about two guys I grew up with bumping into each other in Seville last night. They hadn’t seen each other for fifteen years.
What a scoop!
It’s a bit like when I received a letter from an ex and she wrote, “Not much happening here, but there is a new part time assistant in MacEwan’s newsagents”
Right, so I’m off on hollibubs tomorrow, so the chances of a new post are slim. Unless, of course, someone has a brilliant travelogue to share. We will, of course, be timing things to get there in time for t’rugby.
A big thing in Gqeberha (old Port Elizabeth) last weekend. Grey High named its 1st XV field after Siya Kolisi. He was there and gave a cracking speech (it starts at 6 hours 13 minutes). And then did some other great stuff after.
trisk, I played a cricket game for the 1st team at my local cricket club when I was 16 or so. I was pretty intimidated by the changing room as there was a then current Hampshire player, an guy who’d played for Somerset a couple of years before (a really nice bloke), a Cambridge Blue ( I think he held the record for most consecutive first-class innings without scoring a run for a time) and 2 or 3 Dorset minor counties players. The Hampshire player was really very good and looked in fine nick until he got caught on the boundary by a one-armed fielder.
I did nothing in the game apart from take a catch off a skier. It wasn’t too difficult but I was shaking as soon as I knew it was coming to me and so pleased to keep it in my grasp and even more pleased to get some slaps on the back.
Remember this guy? He’s still got the old silver tongue.
Former President George W. Bush: “The decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq. I mean of Ukraine.” pic.twitter.com/UMwNMwMnmX
The old “one arm” category has loads of interesting stories – Paul Wittgenstein (brother of philosopher Karl) lost an arm in WW1 – which is especially unlucky if you are a concert pianist. However, he commissioned works for the left hand only…..
In these days of shit and corruption I heard a recording on the radio today of Georg Weill singing these words (with a slurry German accent):
One way to be very wealthy
Is to be very, very, very rich
One can pile up mink and ermine
Like a hermit accumulates vermin
If one owns the proper financial niche
One way to be very happy
Is to be very, very, very rich
There are kinds of human pleasurе
That are not to be purchased with trеasure
But I can’t remember exactly which
I’ve heard my gilded friends complain
There are troubles money cannot cure
But a trouble is a trouble is a trouble
And it’s twice the trouble
When a person is poor
In the carefree kingdom of the wealthy
You will never see an eyebrow twitch
It’s a minor peccadillo
To patronize the wrong pillow
When you’re very, very, very rich
Ooh that’s tasty. Hornchurch are the local rivals as well. They too have a chairman who is minted and that seems to help things. Hornchurch are in the division above unfortunately so we won’t see the pros battle this season.
Ovally Balls 
Let me try again. To my great regret I didn’t pay attention to the final conversion so I’ve tried to cover all bases to avoid being TomP’d. Oh.
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I can do this, I just choose not to
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love a bit of NRL.
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RIP Maurice Lindsay, the man who destroyed Rugby League to save it
https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/maurice-lindsay-the-man-who-made-wigan-great-and-revolutionised-rugby-league
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I’m interested to learn more…….
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He had a much higher-pitched voice than I expected. That Wigan team they put together was so good, too good, really.
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@trisk
Super League, basically. It separated the top level of the game from the grassroots and meant it lost some of the local connections. Lots of good clubs ended up going bust which had a knock on effect with the local amateur set up.
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Big event just down the road in a couple of weeks:
https://wpc2022ireland.com/
The theme of the conference makes it a must, an absolute must.
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That reminds me of the opening of that episode of Little House on the Prairie when Michael Landon takes some wheat he’d just grown, looks up at the sky and says “thank you God”. You just know what happens next.
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He (and his disturbingly luxuriant hair) get run over by a herd of buffalo?
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Followed by deer and antelope.
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There’s a really old cartoon of someone belting out that song and getting repeatedly trampled by said animals. Tried very hard to find it on Youtube a few years ago, but no joy.
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@deebee
Nearly, but not quite. Replace “he” with “his crop” and “herd of buffalo” with “hailstones” and you get the idea.
It is the only episode of it I’ve ever seen as an adult and I pissed myself laughing watching as it was so bloody obvious.
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As long as his hair was OK.
(Says DB/BB).
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Always hated LHOTP. Do like the herd of buffalo theory.
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“Certainly, a loss to Italy was something that wasn’t in my thought process, to be honest, without sounding arrogant.”
Hmmm.
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In tonight’s piece of useless trivia….
There are 3 European football competition finals this year (first time since 1998-99) and all 6 teams are from different countries. The last time that happened was 1982-83 when there was the Cup Winners Cup as the third trophy (it’s now the ‘Conference League’ trophy).
Oddly enough, a Scottish team was involved back then too…
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Aberdeen or Dundee United?
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Aberdeen. It was their Cup Winners Cup win over Real Madrid.
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What did Dundee Utd get to? UEFA Cup or Cup Winners’ a couple of years later?
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UEFA. Beat Barcelona on the way. They’ve played Barca 4 times and won all 4 games.
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The Cup Winners Cup was “better” than the UEFA Cup from what I remember as the winners played in the European Super Cup the next year.
I hope Rangers don’t win. And go bankrupt again. A club I really dislike.
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It was 1987 for Dundee United. Beaten by Gothenburg in the final. Their fans got a ‘Sportsmanship’ award for applauding the winners around the stadium. Which I’m sure pleased Jim McLean…
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The thinking was that the teams in the Cup Winners Cup had won something to get there while those in the UEFA Cup hadn’t. The Not Champions Cup Losers Cup or whatever it was,
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Eintracht’s goalie is a German Kevin.
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“what a cruel way for Rangers’ dream to come to an end” as The Guardian puts it…
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A friend of mine was at the Dundee Utd-Celtic final in 1988 and said it was the most fevered atmosphere at a match he’s ever been to. His family are Arabs – though he’s a Stirling Albion fan. Margaret Thatcher being the guest of honour was his explanation for the boisterousness of the fans.
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Lots of fireworks going off around here. It’s either Celtic fans celebrating, or Rangers fans deciding that they’re going to set off the fireworks anyway, no matter the result.
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Having a chat with a friend of the Stirling Albion fan and mine on another platform as we’re off to the Czech Republic for a couple of weeks at the end of June so wanted to see each other. Our paths won’t cross as he’s packed in his job as CEO of Czech cricket to go and run cricket in Estonia.
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UEFA (and predecessor the Fairs) Cup usually had clubs that had ended up 2, 3, 4 in their respectively league s- so overall quality was higher.
ECWC had a range of clubs of all standards… while England (and Scotland) took FA Cup seriously, not sure that was true all across Europe – hence Chelsea putting 21 past Jeunesse Hautcharage of Luxembourg over 2 legs
Not that mismatches didn’t occur in the old EC – recall Liverpool putting 10 past Finn Harps and Stromgodset, and Feyenoord 12 past a Maltese club (Hibernians??) – but overall standard is way higher anyway now…
LikeLike
In a “Hold the front page” moment an East Lothian online news platform shared a story about two guys I grew up with bumping into each other in Seville last night. They hadn’t seen each other for fifteen years.
What a scoop!
It’s a bit like when I received a letter from an ex and she wrote, “Not much happening here, but there is a new part time assistant in MacEwan’s newsagents”
LikeLiked by 6 people
Was Jeunesse Hautcharage the side that had a one-armed striker?
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Vangelis deid at 79 yrs old.
Here he is (with ciggie) doing Chariots of Fire.
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Right, so I’m off on hollibubs tomorrow, so the chances of a new post are slim. Unless, of course, someone has a brilliant travelogue to share. We will, of course, be timing things to get there in time for t’rugby.
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@Thaum
Have a great holiday! We’ll try to keep things ticking over here.
@TomP
Don’t recall – but Dundalk had a one-armed striker in the 60s – Jimmy Hasty. Sad ending – he was shot in Belfast during the Troubles https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jun/13/the-forgotten-story-of-jimmy-hasty-irish-football-one-armed-wonder
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I’ve got “Heaven and Hell” somewhere…. might have had Albedo 0.39 or did I just tape a friends copy?
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A big thing in Gqeberha (old Port Elizabeth) last weekend. Grey High named its 1st XV field after Siya Kolisi. He was there and gave a cracking speech (it starts at 6 hours 13 minutes). And then did some other great stuff after.
LikeLike
trisk, I played a cricket game for the 1st team at my local cricket club when I was 16 or so. I was pretty intimidated by the changing room as there was a then current Hampshire player, an guy who’d played for Somerset a couple of years before (a really nice bloke), a Cambridge Blue ( I think he held the record for most consecutive first-class innings without scoring a run for a time) and 2 or 3 Dorset minor counties players. The Hampshire player was really very good and looked in fine nick until he got caught on the boundary by a one-armed fielder.
I did nothing in the game apart from take a catch off a skier. It wasn’t too difficult but I was shaking as soon as I knew it was coming to me and so pleased to keep it in my grasp and even more pleased to get some slaps on the back.
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Remember this guy? He’s still got the old silver tongue.
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@TomP
The old “one arm” category has loads of interesting stories – Paul Wittgenstein (brother of philosopher Karl) lost an arm in WW1 – which is especially unlucky if you are a concert pianist. However, he commissioned works for the left hand only…..
LikeLike
In these days of shit and corruption I heard a recording on the radio today of Georg Weill singing these words (with a slurry German accent):
One way to be very wealthy
Is to be very, very, very rich
One can pile up mink and ermine
Like a hermit accumulates vermin
If one owns the proper financial niche
One way to be very happy
Is to be very, very, very rich
There are kinds of human pleasurе
That are not to be purchased with trеasure
But I can’t remember exactly which
I’ve heard my gilded friends complain
There are troubles money cannot cure
But a trouble is a trouble is a trouble
And it’s twice the trouble
When a person is poor
In the carefree kingdom of the wealthy
You will never see an eyebrow twitch
It’s a minor peccadillo
To patronize the wrong pillow
When you’re very, very, very rich
Apt, I think.
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Rugby!
Exeter vs. Bristol tonight in a 5 point ‘must win’ for Exeter…………………….
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Despite their best efforts it looks like Upminster CC will still fall behind in the Essex League arms race:
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@cmw
Ooh that’s tasty. Hornchurch are the local rivals as well. They too have a chairman who is minted and that seems to help things. Hornchurch are in the division above unfortunately so we won’t see the pros battle this season.
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An Upminster CC first XI batsman has solved the problem of why Amir would sign for Hornchurch
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And BT have put on the Wasps match. Boo.
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Just seen the Benetton/Cardiff score. 62-21 to the Italians. Didn’t expect that.
I think one half of the Thaum household may be a tad pissed off…
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In fact it finished 69-21. Italian teams like playing Welsh ones at the moment.
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Ulster vs Sharks here on TG4 – 3-0 to Ulster after 20min
Played at high speed, loads of errors….
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Try for Ulster after 28… Lowry converted by Cooney. 10-0 to Ulster
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