One Down To BT Sport
A friend, who has Sky, missed his team; Sheffield United. win the FA Cup today, as the match was on BT Sport.
All of these channels must get their act together, so we can all watch our favourite sport.
It would be nice if all matches were available through the Internet on a dedicated UK Football portal. But that would probably be illegal under EU Law.
But then what does the EU know about football and technology?
England Against Italy In Manaus
Years ago, as a child, I read stories of Manaus; one of the most fascinating places on earth and have always secretly wanted to go.
Now that England are going to face Italy in their first match at the 2014 World Cup, I must say that I’m more than tempted to go, especially if the trip can be paired with a wildlife tour on the Amazon.
I’m Watching The World Cup Draw
Obviously, Sepp Blatter is a man, who likes women with well-presented accessories.
Do East Midland Trains Not Want Football Fans?
I say football fans, but it could be anybody, who wants to travel to somewhere like Ipswich, Liverpool or Nottingham from London to arrive by a certain time like 14:00, have a meeting or watch an event, which maybe of a variable duration and then return home.
I regularly book a ticket to Ipswich on a Saturday with Greater Anglia. It is a simple process, where I buy one ticket, which can be either a First or Standard Class Off Peak Return. I usually buy a First, at £32.60 on a Saturday. It’s also the same price on a weekday, if I leave after the rush hour.
Liverpool is a different one purchase process, in that I usually buy a First |Advance ticket for about forty pounds to go North. Coming home for flexibility and to avoid buying a ticket for a specific train, I buy a Standard Class Off Peak for £25.50.
But East Midland Trains are different. I have just booked my ticket to Nottingham for the 14th of December. A First Advance Ticket has cost me £17.80, which is about the same as my ticket to Ipswich. So as the journey is longer, it’s good value. Coming back the option of a flexible ticket, will cost £37.30, which is fifty percent more than Virgin’s from Liverpool.I can get a ticket for under £20, but that means I have to name a train. So what happens if I meet a mate and have a coffee? I’ll have to buy a new ticket at £37.30.
East Midland Trains are also distinctly against running late night trains back to London, after a football match, as I found at Derby earlier in the season.
Out of curiosity, I just checked out going to Bristol. It looks like FOSH (First Out and Standard Home) is about forty five pounds. And it can be booked in one go!
Doncaster in FOSH by East Coast is just under fifty pounds.
Note that all the prices quoted here are using a valid railcard.
The Man With No Fear
I read this article on the BBC web site with interest.
We are unlikely to win the World Cup in Brazil next year, as too many things are against us. But with statements like this from the article.
“My message to the players and the nation is we’re not coming here to fear anyone, we’re coming here to respect. We know whoever we play we’re capable of winning or losing the match,” he said.
We’ve played Brazil away, we’ve played Italy away, we know they are tough games but we know we can go out and do well in them just as we can lose them as well.
I think we can say, that Roy and his team might make a good fist of it.
They will need a bit of luck in the draw tomorrow. But Roy might just have the knack to turn an absolute stinker of a draw to everyone’s advantage.
A Game Of Four Odd Goals
Yesterday, I went to the football at Ipswich on a very cold evening.
As I needed to go to the dentist in Felixstowe at lunchtime, I went early. This meant that as the cost of my dentist in Felixstowe is so much lower than one in London, I effectively was able to buy a First Class ticket on the saving, thus avoiding the need to pay rush hour prices to get to the match.
The idea was then to come back to Ipswich and waste time by going to a museum, watching a film, exploring the shops and having a pizza in Pizza Express.
All I did was have the pizza and get very cold, as Ipswich shut down virtually completely around five, giving me nearly three hours to find something to do. Since, I worked in the town, all my friends there have either moved away or now live way out of the town.
The biggest disappointment was that the first showing in the cinema was 19:30, whereas in Cambridge today several films start at around four. I could have walked to the multiplex, but I wanted to go to the cinema in the Corn Exchange, where C and myself had so many happy memories.
Even Debenhams and Starbucks shut at six, whereas John Lewis in Cambridge and Norwich shut yesterday at seven.
No wonder the town centre was as dead as a doornail.
But then the crowd at the football was less than fifteen thousand, which is very low for Portman Road.
The game was a pretty good one and memorable for four rather odd goals.
Luke Hyam and Carlos Edwards seemed to stumble over the ball before they put it in the net and Jordan Rhodes, for Blackburn, got the best of the Ipswich keeper in a rush for the ball.
And then to seal the match, Frank Nouble, thundered in on the Blackburn keeper and stole the ball, before slotting it in the net. Mick McCarthy, summed it up as follows on the BBC report.
He is a handful and a frightening prospect when he is bearing down on you.
He certainly scared the goalkeeper. For a big man, Nouble’s pace is astounding.
At least the train was warm, going home, even if it wasn’t a Class 90 and Mark Three coaches.
My Easiest Championship Ground To Travel To
Yesterday, Ipswich Town played at Charlton. It is a very easy ground to get to, as I just get a bus to London Bridge and then take a train to the station at Charlton. It’s then just a short walk to The Valley.
In fact, this ease of access was one of the problems of my viewing of the match, as Ipswich fans bought every seat possible. The seats at Charlton may be in good condition, but it really is one of the most cramped away areas in the country. QPR used to be worse, but it had improved this season.
I was next to the staircase and hardly got any view of the match at all in the first half, as the two guys in front of me were six footers and never sat down. One even stood on the stairs effectively blocking any view of the goal to my right, just fifteen metres or so away. It did get better in the second half, as some didn’t return after half time and I was able to stand in front of an empty seat the other side of the stairs.
So it was not a good viewing experience! The technology exists, so that you can choose your seat and see the view. Eventually, this will be used in all grounds in the Premier League and the Championship.
But at least we won by a Tommy Smith goal. Although, with average luck, we should have scored a couple more before the game really got going.
I was home before six. Except for the three grounds near me; The Emirates, White Hart Lane and Brisbane Road, this must be the only ground, where, I can do that!
I do think next time I go to The Valley and the match is likely to be full, I’ll get a hospitality package early.
An Offer For An Ipswich Town Fan Based In London
I am attempting to see every Ipswich Town League and Cup match this season.
So far it has gone very well and I haven’t missed one, although some it could be said were eminently missable.
The problem match is the Boxing Day match at Doncaster, where there are no trains on that day.
Today though, I have bought two tickets for the match. One ticket is for myself, and the other will be for anyone who gives me a lift to and from the match.
I Meet An Ipswich Town Cockney
On the 38 bus coming back from the Angel, I was approached by another Ipswich Town fan. As usual in this sort of weather, I was wearing an appropriate woolly hat.
He told me he’d been born in the Royal Free Hospital in the Liverpool Road, which probably makes him a genuine Cockney, according to this map.
His parents had then moved to Suffolk.
I’m not, but how many Town fans are genuine Cockneys? For various reasons like the closure of Central London maternity units, very few genuine Cockneys are born these days.
We Will Not Overlook The Tragedy Which Is Currently Unfolding In Qatar
The title of this post is taken from a quote in this report on the BBC website. Here’s the first two paragraphs.
Representatives of a global players’ union will seek talks with Qatar’s football authorities over claims of the abuse of players’ rights.
French-Algerian player Zahir Belounis is in dispute with Al-Jaish over unpaid wages and cannot leave the country.
After reading reports like this, I do wonder why FIFA voted to have the World Cup in Qatar.
The Anonymous Widower 