Archive for January, 2018

Middlesbrough v Bolton Wanderers, Tuesday 26th December 2017, 3pm

January 30, 2018

After the morning outing to the Northern League game at Willington it on to the Boro for the Boxing Day game with Bolton. As I approached the Riverside I noticed some new official graffiti on the side of the underpass. It commemorated the late Ali Brownlee by quoting his radio commentary from the final whistle of the UEFA semi final against Steaua Bucharest. I’d missed his excitement at the time as I was at the match and to be honest my mind at that point had already moved on to logistical matters around how to get tickets, flights and time off work for the final.

That comeback from three goals down, our second in a row in the competition, fully deserved all manner of celebrations. Nobody enthused about all things Boro as much as Ali did and it was nice to be reminded, a couple of years on from his passing, of those European adventures a decade earlier when we really were punching well above our weight.

This was my first Boro game of the season and it was the third different manager for me in as many games. Craig Liddle was in charge for this one, following on from Steve Agnew in our final game of last season and Aitor Karanka for the cup game with Oxford back in February. In between I’d missed the entire managerial reign of Garry Monk.  It’s as if Steve Gibson had been replaced by Jesus Gil.

I wouldn’t revel in anyone losing their job. It’s happened to me enough times for me to know that, whilst it’s an inevitable part of going to work, it’s a miserable experience. However, there wasn’t really any sense of direction under Monk. He bought forty million quids worth of players to suit a system that he promptly abandoned and then he persisted trying to shoe-horn the newcomers into the team when it clearly wasn’t working. When we won, it often seemed as if it was despite Monk’s involvement and instead due to the overall quality of the squad being sufficient to overcome the failure of that week’s seemingly randomly generated selection and formation.

I don’t think the fans ever warmed to him and I suspect most had him down as a bit of a chancer, a Tim Sherwood type. Still, thanks and all the best, Garry.

The match wasn’t a home sellout, unusual for Boxing Day and the overall attendance was further reduced by Bolton only bringing a couple of hundred fans with them. David Wheater was making a return to the club he formerly captained and, given that he sometimes turns up in the Boro support at away games, I was a little surprised by the lack of acknowledgement for him.  Another of the Youth Cup winning team from 2004 was also playing for the visitors but I didn’t realise until I spotted that familiar Taylor strut.

In a further nod to the past, there was a tribute to Leo Percovich, much more recently ‘One of Our Own’. He had just lost his two daughters in a car crash, prompting some light shining in the second half. I’ve no idea how to make my phone do that, but I sang his name and hope he took some comfort from the show of support.

The Boro never really got out of second gear. Similar I suppose to much of Monk’s reign. Downing looked a class above everyone else on the pitch and the overall quality in the side was good enough to secure a comfortable three points against a struggling Bolton side. New boss Tony Pulis was sat next to Gibbo in the director’s box and if he can manage to dodge the bullet until I’m back again at Easter he’ll become my fourth manager in as many games.

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Willington v Tow Law Town, Tuesday 26th December 2017, 11am

January 25, 2018

Bank Holiday games in the Northern League generally kick-off at 11am and so that meant I had time to fit one in before the Boro’s Boxing Day fixture against Bolton. I picked Willington as it was handy enough to get to from Sedgefield.

On the way there I passed a couple of signs for a Roman fort. It’s a shame that I don’t plan ahead a bit more as I’d have quite liked to have had a look around and it might have made the blog post mildly interesting for a change. Oh well.

It was five quid to get into Hall Lane for the Division Two game with Tow Law Town. It’s a ground that has been home to Willington for almost all of their hundred-plus years and I think the stand opposite the dugouts dates back to the 1930’s.  As ever, most of the crowd stood around the perimeter fence. It was a decent turnout, as you’d expect on a Boxing Day and I overheard one fella say that at almost two hundred, it was three times the usual attendance.

I don’t know a great deal about Willington other than they were managed for a while by Malcolm Allison. This was after he had left the Boro and long after his hey-day. If Willington had a team bath back in those days then it would be nice to think that the likes of Fiona Richmond would still be joining Big Mal in it for a bottle or two of champagne.

In addition to a former Boro manager, I seem to remember that they had one of our captains for a while. Tony McAndrew had a spell with them in the late-eighties as his playing career drew to a close. I’m pretty sure Trappa captained Chelsea during his spell there too. It’s hard to imagine any modern-day footballer continuing at this level after a successful pro-career, never mind Chelsea captains who probably earn enough in a week to fund Willington for a few years.

The game was lively from the off with a kung-fu style assault going unpunished in the first minute. The ref lost control from then on in and having set an early precedent allowed another couple of potential reds to go unpunished as the tackles flew in.

Willington were kicking down the slope and opened the scoring in the first half when someone tucked away the rebound from a shot that the Tow Law keeper couldn’t palm far enough away from danger. It stayed that way until half-time. I queued for a chippy butty and updated the tea lady on the violent disorder out on the pitch.

Tow Law could have gone top with a win but that looked increasingly unlikely as Willington went two up a few minutes after the break. The visitors had their chances, hitting the post and then having a penalty saved but despite the pressure Willington added another at the death for a slightly flattering three-nil win.

 

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Shildon v Billingham Synthonia, Saturday 23rd December 2017, 3pm

January 22, 2018

Jen and I were in the UK for Christmas and with the Boro away at Sheff Wed I thought I’d take in a Northern League game. We were staying at Sedgefield and so it was only a twenty-five minute drive to Shildon for their Division One clash with Billingham Synthonia.

As I often do, I assumed that I’d be visiting a one-horse town and that it would be impossible to miss the football ground. I was wrong again and somehow managed to drive the full length of Shildon twice before admitting defeat and checking the location on my phone.

It was six pounds to get in and then another couple of quid for a programme. A bucket collection on the other side of the turnstile hoovered up the remaining change from my tenner.

I’m told that the Dean Court Ground dates back to 1903 and that the big five hundred seater stand was built in 1923. The stand might not see its centenary though as on my visit all you could do was loiter in front of it. The seated area had been taped off, presumably as some sort of safety measure.

On the opposite side of the ground was a much newer stand that had only been open for a few weeks. It holds two hundred and has replaced a longer covered terracing section. I’m not sure that’s progress at all. The crowd of 190 could have all fitted in the new stand, but most chose to stand at various points around the perimeter.

I positioned myself behind the home dugout for a while and listened to the softly spoken Shildon manager advising his players on his requirements for flatness and narrowness. I wasn’t really paying enough attention to remember whether they were too flat and too narrow or not flat and narrow enough. Possibly it varied according to the state of play. Regardless, I liked the calm way he got his point across to his players one at a time.

I had hoped that one of the players would be former Boro Youth Cup winner Anthony Peacock. Remember him, the little midfielder? After spells at Darlo and Spennymoor, he turns out for Shildon these days. Unfortunately he had been out injured for a while.

Despite Shildon being up at the top end of the table and Synthonia rock bottom, current form for the two teams was very similar. Whilst the home side had the better chances throughout and pressed hard towards the end, the result went true to current form and the game finished goalless.

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Horse Racing at Bangkok, Saturday 16th December 2017

January 18, 2018

We’ve been to Bangkok for the weekend a few times but as the horse racing usually takes place on a Sunday afternoon we’ve not had the opportunity to attend. I’d noticed a rare Saturday fixture at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club though and so we thought we’d pop along.

Our hotel was right next to the track. It was also handy for Lumphini Park and we spent the morning wandering around watching water monitors fight each other over a carp that one of them must have caught in the lake. We also saw one monitor digging up and scoffing some eggs, probably buried by a turtle.

The highlight of the wandering about though came outside of the park when we stumbled upon a cock fight at the end of a quiet alley. I got the impression that we weren’t particularly welcome and so we didn’t hang about but Jen managed to snap a couple of photos before we left them to it.

As with the recent trip to Ipoh, we got lucky with our hotel room overlooking the race track. So much so that we pulled a couple of chairs up to the window and watched the opening two races of the ten race card from there.

Good as the hotel room was, it didn’t have a tote counter and our view didn’t extend as far around the track as the starting stalls. It took us twenty minutes or so to walk to the track entrance. We were directed away from the posh bit, possibly due to membership requirements but more likely for scruffiness.

The 100 Baht section had no such qualms about letting us in and the stand overlooked the parade ring at one side and the winning post at the other. There was a 50 Baht gate a little further along which got you into a grandstand beyond the finishing line. Both areas seemed quite busy.

Our stand had a roof but wasn’t enclosed and so we didn’t benefit from air-conditioning. It was breezy though and with steady supply of chilled cans of Singha for just over a quid a pop I managed to avoid over-heating.

There were no seats in the stand either, just concrete terracing. That was ok too and we took up a position on the back row. Every now and then we’d have a tray of street-type food from one of the stalls that were lining the concourse area.

One of the odd things about the racing was that the horses would head around to the starting stalls a good twenty minutes before the scheduled start time of their race. They would then be loaded up and left to stand for at least a quarter of an hour. I couldn’t really see why they would do this as it seemed a long time to be cooped up.

For a change, we limited our betting to the live racing and that gave us plenty of time to ponder our selections. It was time that we didn’t really need as we followed our usual selection process of backing the horse with the best name. The system, once again, was spectacularly unsuccessful. There was a horse called Brian in one race and our early two quid bet briefly had him favourite on the tote. Once the more knowledgeable punters had placed their wagers he drifted to around 800/1.

I’m pleased to report that despite the lack of confidence from the market Brian managed to outperform expectations by finishing second to last. Hopefully that might delay his day out at the glue factory. After a day with no returns whatsoever we retired to the nearby St Regis where we were the only customers in a sealed off whisky and cigar bar. I was even able to turn their plinkety-plonk music off when no-one was looking. Perfect ending really.

 

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Horse Racing at Ipoh, Saturday 7th October 2017

January 10, 2018

I’d never really considered how well off we are for race courses in the UK. I can’t be bothered to check but there has to be around fifty or so. Most other places that I’ve lived are much less well served. For example, South Africa about half a dozen, Korea has three and Malaysia just the three as well. Jen and I had already been to the tracks at Selangor and Penang and so this trip to Ipoh ticked off the final Malaysian track.

We live south of Kuala Lumpur and the three-hour drive north takes you around the edges of the city and then on to Ipoh. I’d booked a hotel that overlooked the racecourse and we got lucky with the view from our room.

After finding not much in the way of facilities during our visit to Penang racecourse I had emailed ahead this time asking if there was a lounge or restaurant that we could book. I received a very nice reply from a Mr. Soo who generously offered us complimentary places in their Members Lounge.

The Members Lounge had its own entrance and once we’d taken the lift to an upper floor we had a table in an air-conditioned glass-fronted area of the stand. There were plenty of tote counters and we were able to watch racing from Australia, Macau and, I think, Seoul on the screens.

As ever, so many betting opportunities is not necessarily a good thing. Our race card covered all of the televised meetings and so we had a bet in every race. It makes for a hectic afternoon and I think it would probably have been better if I’d made some or all of the bets in advance.

If there was a downside to the lounge it was that it didn’t sell beer and so I had to keep nipping down the concourse for my cans. I can live with that though. We did get afternoon tea provided, with a bit of cake and a sandwich and I think if we had arrived earlier than we did we might have got some lunch.

I ventured outside a couple of times onto the terrace but most people stayed inside the lounge and a lot didn’t even look out of the window at the live races.

Despite betting on around twenty races altogether our tactic of making selections based upon the names of the horses failed to pay off on all but one occasion. It was a pleasant afternoon though in comfortable surroundings. Cheers, Mr. Soo.

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