Football

[adrock1976]

Not sure if it's a record but Derby went 36 league games and almost a full year without a league win between beating Newcastle in the PL on 17/09/07 and beating Sheffield United in the Championship on 14/09/08.

I seem to remember that Derby County finished the season in the top flight on a not so hefty 11 points.

It was either Sunderland or Middlesbrough that finished on 15 points during one of their spells in the top flight previous to Derby finishing on 11 points.

 

[Drogba11CFC]

Middlesbrough 0...Chelsea 2

What's the score, Boris?

 

[youngiecj]

York 0 Boston 1. A great away win for the Pilgrims with a makeshift defence. A midfielder at CB and a RB/LB signed in the last few days/weeks. Best performance I’ve seen us for years ending York’s 12 game unbeaten run in the process.

York’s new ground was quite tidy if a bit soulless and £20 for this level of football is a disgrace!

No doubt watch us mess it up at Darlo on Saturday.

 

[Mike99]

Hi, As far as I can see the Aston Villa v Burnley fixture which was postponed from December has yet to be played (or indeed, according to BBC Sport given a date for the match to be played), the reverse fixture is scheduled for May 7th. I'm wondering if this is the latest in the season (heading into April) that a first Premiership meeting of a season between two sides has yet to take place.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

World Cup Qualifying Play-Off

Italy 0 ... North Macedonia 1

 

[WelshBluebird]

And of course Bale shows that he is still world class despite barely playing a game in months.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

World Cup Qualifying Play-Off

Italy 0 ... North Macedonia 1

The last time Italy played a knockout game in the World Cup was...

The final in Germany 2006 which they won. They'll have waited at least 20 years for their next.

 

[RichJF]

The last time Italy played a knockout game in the World Cup was...

The final in Germany 2006 which they won. They'll have waited at least 20 years for their next.

More bizarre that they won Euro 2020(1)! Team is stacked with world class players, but I guess they have no reliable, prolific striker.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Gibraltar - FIFA World Ranking 203 out of 210 - end a run of 7 consecutive defeats with two 0-0 draws this week - v Grenada on Wednesday and today v Faroe Islands, rankings 169 and 124 respectively.


Meanwhile Stockport County are literally flying!

Stockport County explain flight to non-league match against Eastleigh

National League table-topping Stockport County chose to take a commercial flight to their game at Eastleigh on Saturday.

www.bbc.co.uk

Significantly cheaper than by rail apparently!

 

[youngiecj]

Darlington 2 Boston 1. As predicted another away defeat in the North East. Our record up there is terrible!

 

[DarloRich]

Darlington 2 Boston 1. As predicted another away defeat in the North East. Our record up there is terrible!

We are on a good run at home but we often find Boston a tricky team so I was pleased to get the win. We should have won by more. I dont think I have ever seen us win at Boston.

 

[youngiecj]

We are on a good run at home but we often find Boston a tricky team so I was pleased to get the win. We should have won by more. I dont think I have ever seen us win at Boston.

I have only seen us win once at Darlington. Our first away win in the football league in 2002 at the old Feethams Ground. Frustrating season this year, with the squad we have we really should be challenging for the title, sadly they just don't look like a team.

 

[DarloRich]

I have only seen us win once at Darlington. Our first away win in the football league in 2002 at the old Feethams Ground. Frustrating season this year, with the squad we have we really should be challenging for the title, sadly they just don't look like a team.

strange isn't it - When we were in the league Torquay was the same for us.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

John Sheridan is now in his fourth term of managership at Oldham Athletic and in his first five matches, they have won three and drawn two and are now out of the bottom two.

How things can change. Since writing the posting above, they have lost six consecutive league matches and are back in the dreaded bottom two positions.

 

[Loppylugs]

How things can change. Since writing the posting above, they have lost six consecutive league matches and are back in the dreaded bottom two positions.

I'm not surprised. Ask any Swindon Town supporter about him and they will tell you what a foul-mouthed, insidious character he is. Hard to see how any footballer would want to play for him. Good luck Oldham!

 

[SteveM70]

I'm not surprised. Ask any Swindon Town supporter about him and they will tell you what a foul-mouthed, insidious character he is. Hard to see how any footballer would want to play for him. Good luck Oldham!

Does he still like a pint or ten a few days a week?

 

[brad465]

England are in Group B and our first game will be against Iran, in a group that also has the USA and one of Wales/Scotland/Ukraine. What's interesting about this is if one of the other home nations is in this group, they won't be England's fiercest rival.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

What's interesting about this is if one of the other home nations is in this group, they won't be England's fiercest rival.

Erm, who would be then?

 

[brad465]

Erm, who would be then?

If recent events were to be fresh in the mind, I'd say Iran; in a similar way to England having a rivalry with Argentina that's partly fuelled by geopolitical events.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Some very odd groups have come out of that very ponderous draw.
The big winners appear to be the Dutch, helped by the bizarre decision to have the hosts Qatar seeded.

If recent events were to be fresh in the mind, I'd say Iran; in a similar way to England having a rivalry with Argentina that's partly fuelled by geopolitical events.

Iran v. USA will be the "grudge match" in group B. Think the last time they met at a World Cup (France 98 iirc), Iran managed the win.

 

[gnolife]

Some very odd groups have come out of that very ponderous draw.
The big winners appear to be the Dutch, helped by the bizarre decision to have the hosts Qatar seeded.

There's nothing bizarre about having the hosts seeded - it happens every time, and I believe that since 2006, they've always been assigned group A as well.

 

[DarloRich]

The big winners appear to be the Dutch, helped by the bizarre decision to have the hosts Qatar seeded.

the hosts are always seeded these days. Usually the hosts are a country with some football pedigree.......................

England are in Group B and our first game will be against Iran, in a group that also has the USA

they will be dancing ( on burning flags?) in the streets of Tehran tonight: The great Satan and Little Satan in the same group!

 

[SteveM70]

The hosts shouldn’t be seeded; they should go into whatever pot their ranking merits. Seeding Qatar in pot one has essentially forced a top tier side into pot two, one from two to three, one from three to four, and given Qatar an easier draw than they have any right to expect. And they still have no real chance of qualifying from group A.

In my parallel world, England will make Nazanin Zahari-Ratcliffe their mascot for the Iran game

 

[DarloRich]

The hosts shouldn’t be seeded;

it is to give them a chance to get through and keep local interest going. Like everything with FIFA it is bent as a £9 note.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There's nothing bizarre about having the hosts seeded - it happens every time, and I believe that since 2006, they've always been assigned group A as well.

I guess what makes it bizarre is that it's Qatar: a nation with almost no footballing pedigree other than being the whipping boys of the very first FIFA video game. Hope the Dutch rack up a cricket score against them just to wipe the smile off Infantino's corrupt face.

 

[DarloRich]

a nation with almost no footballing pedigree

but with a desire to "sports wash" themselves and the coin to make it happen.

 

[SteveM70]

it is to give them a chance to get through and keep local interest going. Like everything with FIFA it is bent as a £9 note.

I suspect the average Qatari knows more about footballers from other countries than the proud heroes about to represent Qatar on the world stage

 

[61653 HTAFC]

they will be dancing ( on burning flags?) in the streets of Tehran tonight: The great Satan and Little Satan in the same group!

Hold on, Scotland aren't certain to qualify yet...

 

[gnolife]

I guess what makes it bizarre is that it's Qatar: a nation with almost no footballing pedigree other than being the whipping boys of the very first FIFA video game. Hope the Dutch rack up a cricket score against them just to wipe the smile off Infantino's corrupt face.

South Africa, Japan, and South Korea are scarcely footballing powerhouses (to list examples from the past 20 years)

 

[SteveM70]

South Africa, Japan, and South Korea are scarcely footballing powerhouses (to list examples from the past 20 years)

South Korea came fourth in 2002 iirc