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| The Wurst of Times; A German Interlude | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Friday, 7. December 2012, 14:19 (9,713 Views) | |
| Jim Carr Fan Club | Friday, 22. January 2016, 23:57 Post #51 |
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Feeling the need to justify this thread's position at the top table, JCFC booked a weekend in Stuttgart to welcome football back to Germany, with a view to watching three Liga 3 matches. When the appointments were published, Herr Ansetzungenmann immediately joined Mr McAppointments mon (who keeps putting Craig Charleston in the way) in the doghouse. Not only did he appoint Top Division referees, he managed to send to Stuttgart two of the four Bundesliga referees JCFC least hoped to see. Tobias Welz at Würzburg on Saturday would have been fine, but that match has been called off because of snow. One other game was within reach as a replacement and a check showed that a third of the foursome was in charge. It remains to be seen whether JCFC is still tempted. Snow is lying at Stuttgart and spectators were shivering but the pitch was fine, if a trifle slippy at times, for Friday 22nd January 2016 Dritte Bundesliga Stuttgarter Kickers 1 v 1 Erzgebirge Aue Bastian Dankert (Rostock); Marcel Göpferich, Julius Martenstein. Herr Dankert's mugshots have given the impression of a rather grim individual, but a different side emerged in the way he looked after the toddler who was his escort onto the field. All three wore long-sleeved yellow shirts, the assistants adding black gloves. The junior assistant was a proficient hand changer, Herr Göpferich, who was one of those to lose his place on the 3rd Division referees list last season, did not make the slightest attempt. He really should do better. Aue lie third in the table, while Kickers are bottom, but after a shaky opening they came back into the game and took the lead from a 25th minute corner.They came close again before the break, when an attacker was clear but the keeper got a fingertip to the shot to turn it onto the post. As the second half progressed the visitors gained control.With a quarter of an hour to go the home keeper made a vital block and the rebound was fired wide. Aue had another great chance a minute later, but scuffed the shot badly.A trip in 82 minutes brought Aue a penalty - and Herr Dankert strong protests - but the Kickers keeper saved well. The equaliser finally came in the 92nd minute when defenders lost the attacker, who finished with a deft touch. Herr Dankert had an easy first half and applied advantage with great judgement. Things were a little more demanding towards the end, but he had no major problems. As is so often the case in Germany, he did not seem to smile much, nor to be particularly vocal, but had occasional unobtrusive words with players. No cards were issued, though one or two maybe should have been when attackers were hauled back near halfway to break attacks. And now to continue the thawing out process! Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Saturday, 23. January 2016, 00:03.
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| bmb | Saturday, 23. January 2016, 00:43 Post #52 |
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Marks in the minus figures for them then!! |
| Officially a Southern Softie! | |
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Sunday, 24. January 2016, 11:15 Post #53 |
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Well, the journey was indeed made and on alighting from the train, JCFC was surprised to be confronted by a Concordski, poised as if just after take-off, while around the corner was an Air France Concorde, apparently in level flight. And so to Saturday 23rd January 2016 1. Bundesliga TSG Hoffenheim 99 1 v 1 Bayer Leverkusen Marco Fritz (Korb); Dominik Schaal, Marcel Pelgrim. 4thers:Peter Sipped The rise of Hoffenheim from amateur village club to the Bundesliga has been well documented, but this year it looks as if the fairy tale may be coming to an end. As the previous evening, it was a case of bottom side at home to one of the top teams and the game followed a similar pattern. Leverkusen started the better but Hoffenheim soon settled and play was fairly even. On 16 minutes the home left back was cautioned for what looked to be a routine foul, but it was in the far corner and there may have been more to it than was evident from a distance. It did mean, though, than when two worse-looking fouls by visitors drew only free-kicks, Herr Fritz was not popular with home fans. Midway through the half, the home keeper kept his side level with an acrobatic save and when Leverkusen failed to clear a 40th minute corner the home side took the lead. This was the cue for the big screens to display a revised league table, with Hoffenheim out of the relegation places. It nearly didn't last for more than a few seconds, but once again the keeper saved the day. Hoffenheim created a glorious chance three minutes after the restart, but the shot flew off at a similar angle to Concordski. As Hoffenheim launched an attack just before the hour, the visiting number 10 missed with an attempt to foul the winger, so it was number 16 who had to chase and chop him down. Twice Herr Fritz gestured for him to come and receive a yellow card, but without response, so it was shown from 20 metres away. Hoffenheim were unlucky when a shot bounced off the post straight to the visiting keeper. Play was becoming stretched allowing plenty of scope for attacks at either end, but Hoffenheim too often gave the ball away needlessly. As a result the visitors began to exert pressure. On 74 minutes a Leverkusen corner saw a shot touched onto the post and when the ball was only half scrambled away, the keeper's parry of a further shot merely looped the ball up for Leverkusen to head an equaliser. The point for the draw was enough to lift Hoffenheim to next-to-bottom, as Hannover lost at home to Darmstadt. Herr Fritz showed two further yellows late on - Hoffenheim number 11 deservedly for a tactical foul, and the Leverkusen sub, somewhat harshly, for what seemed a mundane foul. He demonstrated a good level of fitness, made no major errors and kept good control of what was for the most part a sporting encounter. In a large stadium it is hard to judge the referee's personal qualities, but players seemed to respond well to him. Despite this, it was not immediately obvious which qualities had led to his rapid rise from Regionalliga to FIFA status. The two assistants were both adept at flag-handling, as one would hope in the top division. Herr Pelgrim, beneath JCFC, was earnest in a crouching sort of way, but when sprinting had a tendency to drift left onto the pitch. Overall it was an interesting experience, the highlights being when the crowd rose for the (unofficial) anthem of Baden and the wishes for a good recovery (courtesy of a private health care company) that flashed up on the screen whenever a player went down injured. We don't get that at Brighouse Town. In the end, though, it served to confirm JCFC's preference for the more intimate atmosphere of lower league matches. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Tuesday, 26. January 2016, 10:25.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Sunday, 24. January 2016, 21:37 Post #54 |
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For the final (you will be pleased to hear) match of this stay, it was a return to the Gazi Stadion for Sunday 24th January 2016 3. Bundesliga VfB Stuttgart ll 0 v 3 SG Sonnenhof Großaspach Sascha Stegemann (Niederkassel); Mitja Stegemann, Philipp Hüwe Großaspach is another club from a small town (pop 8000) which has risen from local league through Regionalliga to the 3rd Division and is currently challenging for further promotion. Stuttgart ll meanwhile lay in a Relegation spot. Herr Stegemann's rise has been even more dramatic as he came from nowhere to Bundesliga in no time flat. There has not been a vacancy in the FIFA list, but his rise has suggested it was only a matter of time. Whether that will still be the dass with the departure of Herbert Fandel remains to be seen. The officials wore the brillant blue shirt, which looked good. It appeared as they lined up for the ritual handslap that SRA2 was lowering the tone by wearing short sleeves, but he had merely pushed them up and they were in position by the kick-off. He was competent, though not totally so, in hand switching. SRA1, the referee's younger brother seemed unaware of the practice. From the start the visitors looked the sharper side, the alignment of the home defenders allowing them repeated chances to beat the offside line. On one such occasion the home number 2 chased back to try to get the ball out for a corner, but succeeded in bringing the man down in the process. The penalty and red card for the unlucky defender produced no complaint and the visitors took the lead from the spot. The offside line was breached again a minute later, but the keeper made a splendid save, while the visitors hit the post soon afterwards. The Großaspach number 17 was penalised for a clumsy challenge and when he made a dismissive gesture of disagreement, he received a telling-off. An imaginative piece of passing led to the second goal on 32 minutes and within seconds of the restart neat interplay saw the striker through again. This time, however, he was tackled ... by the ball. The second half began in tame fashion, but the visitors added their third just after the hour. Stuttgart introduced an aristocratic note by bringing on as substitute one Prince Osei Owusu. Herr Stegemann must have Republican sympathies as within a couple of minutes he had shown him a yellow card - admittedly for a very clumsy challenge from behind. As the match meandered to its conclusion, the visiting number 17 was spared a possible yellow when Stuttgart opted to take a very quick free-kick, the keeper dashing out well to block. There was a curious finish as Herr Stegemann dashed over to the visiting dugout and lectured someone on the bench, only to blow the final whistle three seconds later. For a full quota of substitutions and a couple of visits by the trainers, the time added on was 0 seconds. In addition to the long sleeves, Herr Stegemann earned Brownie points for using a handkerchief, for one very good advantage called and others where he allowed play to continue, though without a signal and for summoning up the occasional smile. He did not seem to do much talking, other than when shrugging away questions about his decisions. As has been noted elsewhere, there is a tendency for German referees to whistle very strongly, with no variation and Herr Stegemann was a prime example, staying only just short of excess. He did not feel obliged to get particularly close to play often walking or even standing awaiting developments before breaking into a bouncy lollop. He did put his foot on the accelerator a couple of times, but the results were not impressive even then. It must be seen as testimony to the accuracy of his decision making -admittedly the most important thing - that someone so average at best in the incidentals should have caught the eye sufficiently to advance so rapidly. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Sunday, 24. January 2016, 21:40.
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| BORIS10 | Monday, 25. January 2016, 12:43 Post #55 |
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Wonderful stuff ,JCFC.Peter Sippel? |
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Monday, 25. January 2016, 20:22 Post #56 |
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Thanks for spotting that Boris! I was backwards and forwards between English and German keyboards and predictive text was driving me to distraction. Some of the suggestions were bizarre - this one I simply missed. |
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Friday, 8. April 2016, 21:46 Post #57 |
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During a visit this morning to Regensburg Cathedral, I discovered that my study of Episcopal epitaphs has been sadly inadequate. The year of birth for each Bishop was given - natus - but old Bishops do not die, they are merely "deborn" - denatus. As far as I know, there is no Regensburg hymn tune - but in former times it was also known as Ratisbon, which is one of the settings for words that have featured already on here this season. Friday 8th April 2016 Regionalliga Bayern SSV Jahn Regensburg 1 v 0 TSV Rain am Lech Markus Pflaum (Hallstadt); Marcel Geuß, Andreas Voll. The home side were top of the table, looking for a quick return to the 3rd Division, the visitors bottom, hoping to avoid an instant return to the Bayernliga, so this was hardly a plum appointment. Almost a dozen years must have passed since I saw a young Herr Pflaum wrestling not always successfully with two recalcitrant teams in a Regionalliga match - at that time the third tier - at Siegen, which produced ten, I think, yellow cards. He spent a year on the Drittliga list when that was introduced, but lost his place thereafter. Unlike many of his colleagues who dropped off the radar at this stage, or the few who carve out a career as Assistants, Herr Pflaum has kept going. Now approaching 40, he has the bearing of a man who is comfortable in his work. The first half offered a few nice touches, but little real excitement. Indeed the JCFC mind was largely occupied trying to work out why two commentators nearby had in front of them a laptop showing them in mirror image. Probably screamingly obvious to anyone with the slightest understanding of IT! The best chance came when a slip in the centre circle by a home defender on 36 minutes left the visiting striker to run free, but his weak shot presented the keeper with an easy task. For striker read stroker. A similar scenario at the other end saw the home attacker pass the ball to a colleague who did no better. There was a further bad miss by Regensburg just before the break. The barracking from the home fans had been all too evident, and reached a peak as their team left the field. The third quarter didn't even reach the heights of the first half - lots of mistakes, without the nice touches - and Herr Pflaum managed to find a yellow card for a gentle barge by the Rain number 10. As three-quarter time neared, a home forward went down in the area, but in such an exaggerated manner that he neither deserved nor received any sympathy. Within a couple of minutes, though, a neat backheel set up a shooting chance and for once Regensburg made no mistake. The Rain striker was again given a clear run at goal. This time he opted for power, relatively speaking, but it was at the expense of accuracy. The match was a doddle for Herr Pflaum, being played in an excellent spirit, with only one outburst of dissent at SRA1 over a goal-kick decision. Fortunately, despite the combination of Regen and Rain, the wet stuff held off and the walk back to the hotel was pleasant. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Saturday, 9. April 2016, 07:00.
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| microscopist | Saturday, 9. April 2016, 08:57 Post #58 |
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One wonders how you (or I) managed to get by for so long without knowing that. However, you are to be congratulated on following the lectionary - did you also try catching fish in the Danube for your breakfast? |
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| BORIS10 | Saturday, 9. April 2016, 21:06 Post #59 |
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Could be the Regnitz. |
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Saturday, 9. April 2016, 21:22 Post #60 |
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It's good to learn a new word from time to time - though I cannot envisage using "lectionary" very often, or even ever. Breakfast was fish-free, though it was available, and quite early before setting off for Saturday 9th April 2016 Regionalliga Bayern 1. FC Schweinfurt 1905 0 v 0 TSV Buchbach Roman Potemkin (Kronach); Stefan Klerner, Fabian Gratzke The omens looked good, Herr Potemkin being a 25 year old in his second season at Regionalliga level. The officials warmed up in matching white shirts and very professional they looked. Alas that was to be as good as it got for the officials, as it soon became apparent that flags were once again to be kept firmly in the same hand, except for the occasional overhead switch. (I tell a lie - Herr Klerner did once move his flag to his left hand, but only to use his right hand to stroke back his hair.) To start at the very beginning, which, as Julie Andrews will tell you, is a very good place to start, at the handshakes the trio took a pace backwards and left the players to get on with it. It took just 45 seconds for things to go askew. A home attacker was clear well inside the penalty area when he was unceremoniously pushed over from behind. To be fair to Herr Potemkin, the rapidity of that attack left him with a view from which he could probably not convict with certainty. Herr Klerner, however, had a sideways view, but did not come to the referee's assistance, so play was waved on and the offender remained on the field. A header from a Schweinfurt corner was cleared off the line after 10 minutes. Three minutes later the Buchbach number 6 committed a foul, retreated from the scene, but was called forward by the referee. Forward he came, to apologise to his victim, but virtually ignored Herr Potemkin, who flashed a yellow card but did not speak to him. On 19 minutes the visiting number 19 was also cautioned for interfering with the taking of a free-kick. Herr Potemkin was showing a good reverse gear and picking up shirt pulling well. The home side had a couple of good chances, one a diving header, the other a shot, but each one flew over the bar. Meanwhile the Buchbach number 10 joined the crime sheet, deciding that it was easier to trip an opponent than to give chase. On 40 minutes came a flashpoint: a foul by Buchbach, and a reaction by the home player. He did raise a hand and shoved the opponent around the neck area. No further invitation was needed as the Buchbach player threw himself to the ground and clutched his head in agony. Others came to join in, jostling rather than violently, with Herr Potemkin now caught in the middle. Germany is a foreign country: they do things differently there, so Herr Klerner waded into the melee rather than observe, as the other assistant did, from an appropriate distance. Players continued to squabble for some time but Herr Potemkin was able to deliver judgement: another yellow for Buchbach and a red for the disbelieving home player. The latter decision was technically correct, perhaps, but frankly misguided.This was the cue for further incidents, with players having to be pulled away by team-mates. The Schweinfurt number 25 eventually left the pitch, whereupon Herr Potemkin summoned security officers for a word, which led to a PA announcement, unfortunately in an impenetrable Franconian accent. Herr Potemkin went on to have an extended word with the home boss before restarting play, while two home players headed all the way to the far touchline to harangue Herr Gratzke. In time added, the home number 15 went into the book for a tug on a player as he broke past him. Play resumed and a spot of tussling left a man down injured, so the keeper put the ball into touch. Treatment was administered, the keeper went to exchange opinions with Herr Gratzke, while the referee gave his view of matters to a couple of defenders. The player down recovered and as he rose Herr Potemkin blew for half-time. One voice was heard to mutter quietly "What an absolute shambles!" and as it was in English the source can be deduced. On this occasion the boos were clearly for the referee and were not wholly undeserved. The second half was dreadful. Herr Potemkin's colleagues decided he needed help and began to flag for fouls. Players of both sides regularly threw themselves to the ground dramatically. Herr Potemkin did occasionally use a get up gesture, but it was far too little and too late. A further seven yellows were shown, the worst offence being a stretching challenge by a Buchbach player, which saw several home players rushing to demonstrate with him. Herr Klerner again ducked out of a decision when two players tangled on the floor, with one of them clearly kicking out at an opponent. So, one straight red and 12 yellows. JCFC has no objection to cards being shown and it could be argued that each one, bar the red, was perhaps justified. What did jar badly, however, was Herr Potemkin's failure to try to get to grips with the game. Flashing cards is no substitute for communication and Herr Potemkin did not appear to speak to players, even if only to take heat out of the moment. A thoroughly disappointing display by both players and officials. The Cypriot official seen in Belfast had been a hot favourite for worst display of the season, but was comfortably surpassed today. The match programme informed us that there was a curtain lowerer after this match finished, in the form of their second team in the Landesliga, but JCFC decided he had suffered enough. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Saturday, 9. April 2016, 21:28.
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| nemesis | Saturday, 9. April 2016, 21:42 Post #61 |
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..... a Potemkin mutiny perhaps ? |
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Sunday, 10. April 2016, 21:02 Post #62 |
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The Sunday fixture list took me down a level and North to sunny Thuringia, to a town of which I had barely heard, let alone contemplated visiting. An early arrival allowed for a visit to the Heidecksburg castle, though sadly not enough to wait and take in the guided tour of the living- and state-rooms. Another time, with luck. If you are in the area, a visit is recommended. You may even bump into JCFC on his return visit - but don't let that deter you. It was not until 20 minutes before the start that the ground was reached and it was surprising not to find officials warming up. When the teams emerged, it was clear that the man in charge was considerably older than the low 30s referee advertised. Post match it was discovered that the appointed referee had done himself a mischief as he warmed up, so the actual line-up was Sunday 10th April 2016 Oberliga NOFV Süd FC Einheit Rudolstadt 3 v 0 SV Schott Jena Carsten Oestrich (Sommeritz); Thomas Schlicht, Torsten Schröter This time the officials did partipate fully in the ritual hand-slapping. All gained Brownie points for proper long sleeves. The tall SRA2 was about to be docked his for having carelessly mislaid his hair, but was excused when it became apparent that SRA1 had in fact requisitioned it to adorn his chin. The visitors launched the first attack, but the home side quickly forced a couple of corners, taking the lead from the second. Another corner on 7 minutes gave Rudolstadt their second, and for much of the half it remained one way traffic. It soon became apparent that this match too had its share of hotheads, the home number 8 grabbing an opponent by the back of the neck for having the temerity to claim a throw-in. Mistakes too were evident, the visitors' keeper playing a ball out towards the touchline where his defender chased desperately, stopped the ball on the line but then could not stop himself, leaving an attacker to collect the ball and head towards goal, though ultimately without success. A foul by the Schott number 18 saw his opponent bouncing up to retaliate. Herr Oestrich dealt with it sensibly enough, with a firm warning to both of them. Schott wanted a penalty on 18 minutes, but the referee must have decided that it was shoulder to shoulder.(German anatomy may be slightly different!) A visiting player immediately committed a foul and earned a yellow, the referee wisely taking his time over the process. The home corners continued to come regularly, but it was not until stoppage time that the visiting keeper had to make a real save. A measure of indiscipline had begun to creep in during the first half and there was soon a further case when a visitor went down behind the play and his nearest opponent at the time returned to recriminate with him, indicating a forearm in a way that suggested that the fall had not been an accident. Einheit had another great chance but just clipped the top of the bar with the shot. It was not the most subtle of games and challenges were made from impossible positions, leading to a lot of free-kicks.The visiting number 18 saw yellow for one such chop, Herr Oestrich holding up three fingers, though it was absolutely worthy of a card on its own. The offender had the gall to protest and was ushered away by his captain. A home player quickly followed him into the book, though by now the carding technique was becoming rather more slack. Schott's resulting free-kick was tipped away for a corner. Rudolstadt scored their third on 65 minutes and with some histrionics creeping in, the home number 10 was cautioned for the middle one of three attempted chops by a line of defenders. In the latter stages the home number 20 missed a golden chance from short range. Things petered out and time was called some 30 seconds early, with none added. Herr Oestrich is apparently 44, but his slightly tentative movement suggested a rather older man or a case of nappy rash. He called most things right, however, and in the circumstances did quite well, though a firmer line on dissent might have been called for. Herr Schlicht appeared amateurish in the extreme, with the replacement official looking better, though neither practised hand-changing. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Tuesday, 12. April 2016, 07:19.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Monday, 11. April 2016, 22:07 Post #63 |
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There was one match remaining, in the form of Monday 11th April 2016 Regionalliga Bayern 1. FC Nürnberg ll 1 v 0 Bayern München ll Lothar Ostheimer (Sulzberg); Jan-Eric Wild, Florian Heilgemeier This referee's name had lodged in the memory, largely because he used to be based in the quaintly named Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, but he appears now to have moved South to the Allgäu. In 2012, at the age of 29 , he was promoted to the killing field that is the third Division. His Season consisted of nine matches, after which like so many others he was deemed not to have made the grade and was demoted. It does seem a brutal system. Most German clubs seem to have an agreeable club song and this was the case here, accompanied on the big screen by film of past glory - in black and white, of course. After the toss Herr Ostheimer crossed himself, an action which seemed less inflammatory here than it might have proved in, say, Larkhall. These ll teams are generally well-disciplined, the one exception having been Bayern at Aschaffenburg, explained perhaps by the bad attitude of their coaches. As might be expected of young professionals, play tended to be more constructive than in the other matches. Not that fouls were completely absent - they weren't, but there were fewer of them and Herr Ostheimer was very sharp and kept a tight grip. A Bayern player did dissent when penalised and it was good to see Herr Ostheimer immediately summon him for a lecture and even better that he delayed this until he had removed two colleagues who came to put their fillings in. The home side went ahead on 32 minutes, their number 19 receiving the ball deep in his own half, running 60 yards, beating players along the way, before slipping the ball sideways for a colleague to score. Herr Ostheimer overruled Herr Wild on a throw-in, rightly it seemed, just before the break, but still had time to produce a yellow for the home number 21. We were to enjoy two further club anthems during half-time, the second being the grand march from Aida, which lends itself to much repetition of FCN. The card count was quickly rectified after the break, with Bayern's number 34 the recipient. Bayern enjoyed territorial domination, but did not create a decent chance until the 73rd minute - and then failed to take it.They forced the home keeper into a good save two minutes later, but that was to be all. In the final ten minutes things became a little tense and three more yellows were shown, one to Bayern and two to Nürnberg. Whether Herr Ostheimer missed or decidcd to turn a blind eye to a little off the ball silliness between two of those cautioned, we do not know, but he was very much on top of everything else. In the closing seconds Bayern claimed a penalty, but it was waved away, correctly it seemed from the stand, though the Bayern number 9 seemed disposed to argue the point at the final whistle. Over the piece it was a highly competent display from Herr Ostheimer. There has been the odd rare case of a referee being dropped and coming back - Patrick Ittrich springs to mind - but not after three seasons. It seems a shame , as Herr Ostheimer was at least as impressive as some of his more senior colleagues. Herr Wild was adequate, in a non-hand-changing way, but a big Hallelujah for Herr Heilgemeier, who switched hands like a good 'un - the only one of eight assistants on this trip to do so - and looked to get the decisions right as well. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Saturday, 7. May 2016, 20:47.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Saturday, 7. May 2016, 06:39 Post #64 |
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Friday 6th May 2016 Regionalliga Nord-Ost Berliner Fussball Club Dynamo 2 v 0 Rasen Ballsport Leipzig ll Patrick Kluge (Zeitz); Stefan Prager, Christof Wedemeyer This was a match which JCFC wanted both sides to lose. Dynamo was formerly a police side, with alleged links to the Stasi. Despite that, they have a loyal fan base, though their programme had one page implying that they were not loved elsewhere. As for their visitors, the licence of a small club just outside Leipzig was purchased a few years ago by Red Bull, and as no sponsor's name was allowed in the club title, the Rasen Ballsport element was invented to be shortened to RB, which all would know refers to Red Bull. No prizes for guessing what form their first team mascot at the Zentralstadion takes. The visitors did all the early attacking, with some near things, including one shot kicked away. Dynamo (the stress is on the second syllable) did not mount an attack until the 12th minute, but from it they took the lead. From the stand it looked as if the scorer had nudged ahead of both ball and defenders, but Herr Prager kept his flag down, and as he was correct in several other decisions later, he was probably right on this occasions too. The match continued to follow the same pattern, the visitors doing more of the attacking, but the home side looking more incisive. The home number 7 picked up a yellow card, for making a nuisance of himself at a free-kick. Dynamo twice looked dangerous just before the break: a shot was blocked by the keeper's legs, with a player offside as the ball rebounded, then a chase when the RB keeper had to leave his area to clear, ending with a collision and confrontation with the home striker. Leipzig ended the half with a corner, which was headed goalwards, but kicked away at the far post. The second half followed a similar pattern and Dynamo went further ahead on 64 minutes, a free-kick finding a forward's run perfectly. Each side received a yellow for a foul. One strong shot flew past the goal, with Leipzig claiming a corner for a touch by the keeper. The officials waited, and after a couple of seconds Herr Prager dutifully indicated a goal-kick, only for Herr Kluge belatedly to whistle strongly and award a corner. Leipzig pressed in the closing stages winning a number of free-kicks with a slightly grating time-lag on the whistle. On one such JCFC looked up from making a brief note to find a home player on the ground and Herr Kluge showing a red card to a visiting player. Two seasons have passed since Herr Kluge was seen lining at this level, when he proved one of the better assistants, though JCFC described him as "older-looking" - he is now 31! In this match he performed well enough, though in a stadium with the pitch over 40 metres away - running track and three jumping run-ups - it was not possible to discern what particular qualities be brought to the party. Herr Prager contributed a number of flags for fouls, being unlucky that one denied Dynamo an advantage. Alas, his manipulation of his flag was totally random. Herr Wedemeyer, though, looked slick throughout. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Saturday, 7. May 2016, 20:47.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Saturday, 7. May 2016, 21:44 Post #65 |
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Saturday 7th May 2016 Regionalliga Nord-Ost FC Victoria 1889 1 v 3 Berliner Athletic Klub 07 Jens Klemm (Groeditz); Christopher Musick, Matthias Alm Outside the stadium was a large poster proclaiming DERBY, showing two players with antlers locked and the caption Victoria vs Moabit. The first thought was that this was a disparaging reference to the visitors, as in Psalm 60 "Moab is my washpot," but it appears that Moabit is the suburb of Berlin in which BAK is based. An old-established club, they had had a brief and almost terminal link with Turkey during which the A of BAK stood for Ankaraspor. The visitors lay second in the league, 6 points behind Zwickau (birthplace of Robert Schumann and home of the Trabant) but with two games in hand. Victoria had only just secured their place in the league for next year. An early arrival allowed an inspection of the officials at close quarters. Herr Klemm, another 31 year old, is tall, thin, quite sharp-featured and very blond. Herr Musick had a slightly floppy posture and very floppy hair, together with a shadow where his chin should have been. Herr Alm was shorter, but smartly groomed. Once again it was AR1 whose flag-handling was poor, his junior colleague looking much better, though even he was caught out in an overhead switch or two. For the first half hour Victoria created the better chances, without converting any. On 28 minutes, Herr Musick was seen to be writing in his notebook. Had JCFC failed to spot a caution? Apparently not, according to the official account. It was indeed proving tricky to follow the game as there had been two full teams of young mascots, whose tendency to come and go was exacerbated by a cake stall near the entrance. The visitors had a great chance on 33 minutes, but fired well over. There definitely was a yellow for a home player soon afterwards and BAK hit the crossbar with another great chance. The visitors took the lead from a corner on 57 minutes and followed up with a succession it's further corners. Victoria had a second player cautioned, but equalised on 71 minutes. Their pleasure was short-lived, BAK regaining the lead within 90 seconds. The final straw for the home side came when their keeper raced out of his area to clear the ball, only for it to bounce right over him, allowing the attacker to run past him and stroke the ball into the net. BAK are now 3 points and 2 goals behind Zwickau in the quest for the title, with its attendant place in the promotion play-offs. Herr Klemm had a comfortable afternoon in the sun. He had a lollopy running style, though could put his foot on the pedal when required. He did during one attack manage to move into a position that would have blocked a potential shot, but it was not significant. He appeared - again across track and run-ups - to relate well to players and generally gained a good response. As a final comment, JCFC is not in favour of capital punishment, but might make an exception for those who bring drums to football matches. For a small, reasonably quiet drum as on previous evening, life imprisonment would suffice, but for the individual who thumped merry hell out of a big base drum, the only answer is "Something lingering, with boiling oil." PS A footnote in the programme reveals that one of Victoria's staff is the infamous Robert Hoyzer, whose ban from all football was lifted a few years ago - though he is not allowed to referee. It was a shock to think that more than a decade has passed since the scandal. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Sunday, 8. May 2016, 19:18.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Sunday, 8. May 2016, 20:31 Post #66 |
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A ten minute walk from the station through a wood led to the aptly named Vogelsang stadium for Sunday 8th May 2016 Regionalliga Nord-Ost FSV Optik Rathenow 2 v 0 FSV Wacker Nordhausen Felix-Benjamin Schwermer (Magdeburg); Steffen Hösel, Dirk Meiβner This game had nothing at stake, the home side already relegated and the visitors third in the table, with no chance of going any higher. It seemed unnecessary therefore to appoint a 3rd Division referee, particularly when he had as AR1 an official who has been refereeing at Regionalliga level for some time. Perhaps they are an item, in refereeing matters at least. Earlier this season Herr Schwermer had been seen on TV struggling to handle a feisty Regionalliga match. On this occasion there were no such problems. As the officials led the teams out, the first thought was that the two assistants were rather small, but as the players followed it became clear that this was not the case - it was Herr Schwermer who was enormously tall, towering over everyone else on the field. He walked through the game, occasionally breaking into a gentle jog, but seemed to have good distance vision and his decisions provoked little controversy. Herr Meiβner was a proficient flag-handler and from afar looked to perform impeccably. Which brings us to Herr Hösel. His name was familiar, from (fallible) memory as referee of a match at Havelse, when his work seemed reasonable enough. He clearly was aware that he should be switching hands, but contrived to get it absolutely the wrong way round, so that the flag was constantly away from the pitch. He was sideways on to the pitch for the bulk of the time, with no side-skipping at all. This gentleman, by the way is the Referee Instructor for Magdeburg! Worst of all though was his body language, which gave the impression that this was all rather beneath him. He often had his head down as he wandered along the touchline, on occasions when the ball was in play, and did not push either to be in line or to follow in, leaving him well short of where he needed to be for a couple of potentially crucial decisions. Every official makes mistakes - none more so than the present writer - but surely all should be able to look interested. It is a long time since JCFC was so angry with an official. As to the match, it looked for the first 20 minutes as if Nordhausen would win by a large margin, but from that point Optik began to create good chances and eventually went ahead just before the half hour. Each keeper made brilliant saves and each made a bad slip. First the Wacker keeper miskicked a clearance straight to an attacker, who failed to keep his shot down. Then the Rathenow keeper made minimal contact when a colleague took a throw-in back to him, thus giving away a corner.Herr Schwermer rightly brought out his yellow card once in the first half, for a pull back by the Wacker number 7 and warned the home number 12 who had been given a free-kick, but wanted further action. The second half brought a yellow for the Wacker number 5, again for a tug on an attacker. After a bright start to the half, the visitors again faded and Rathenow had a number of clear chances before adding their second on 88 minutes. Despite 6 substitutions - admittedly two of them doubles - not a second of additional time was played. Herr Schwermer has just completed his second season in the 3rd Division - the point at which most referees are shunted out in one direction or the other. He showed good judgement in a game that did not test him and his variation of whistle tone was pleasing - something of a rarity in Germany. Even so, if he moves so poorly normally (he too looked to be going through the motions) then any movement is likely to be down and out. Herr Meiβner, as noted above, was fine, but if JCFC never sees Herr Hösel again, it will be too soon. At least he had a handkerchief! It could have been an enjoyable game, with plenty of incident, had a different couple of officials been involved. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Tuesday, 10. May 2016, 05:53.
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| jad | Tuesday, 10. May 2016, 16:17 Post #67 |
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According to German Wikipedia Erich Mielke, the long-serving Minister of State Security in the GDR, was Honorary President of BFC Dynamo. That would seem to be something of a give-away. In general teams from Central and Eastern Europe with the name Dynamo/Dinamo were run by the Minister of the Interior and/or the ministry/department responsible for state security. |
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Friday, 19. August 2016, 15:26 Post #68 |
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Promotions from the Third Division have been mentioned elsewhere (though not the departure from the Second Division of the long-serving Thorsten Schriever, who had been at that level since 2003.) Demotions from the Third Division were fewer in number than usual, just Franz Bokop and Johannes Huber being moved sideways to become assistants in the same division. Herr Schwermer therefore survives into a third season. Whether this is deserved is questionable. Of the eight newcomers to the Third Division, three (from widely differing parts of the country) have the surname Müller. The oldest of those promoted is 27, the youngest 24. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Friday, 19. August 2016, 15:27.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Saturday, 29. October 2016, 06:32 Post #69 |
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Football returns to the village of Hoffenheim when the U23 and below are playing. On Google Maps the Dietmar Hopp Stadion looked an easy stroll from the station. What the map did not reveal was that it is on top of a hill, leaving JCFC to climb a long flight of steps and still have a sharp uphill drag to reach Friday 28th October 2016 Regionalliga Süd-West TAG Hoffenheim ll 3 v 2 SV Eintracht Trier Abdelkader Boulghalegh (Rüsselsheim); Patrick Haustein, Dennis Meinhardt. Alas, rather than the rousing Badnerlied played at first team matches, the offering was a rather dull Hoffenheim song, followed by the Eye of the Tiger - which is endured often enough at BPA. The story goes that former Bundesliga referee Lutz Wagner was stumbling over Herr Boulghalegh's name and eventually settled for Balu. Rather than find that unbearable :coat: Herr Boulghalegh was happy as he felt it matched his personality. It might also be said to match his stature, which, being tall and strongly built, might well be considered ursine. JCFC's theory that German assistants were beginning to switch hands was disproved, Herr Meinhardt doing so a few times in the first quarter before giving up, and Herr Haustein not doing so at all, though he did redeem himself somewhat with long yellow sleeves. On 6 minutes Hoffenheim took a rather dubious-looking throw, and a couple of passes later took the lead. A couple of defenders protested, presumably wanting a foul throw, but without success. The home side was well on top and their second was not long delayed as the Trier keeper dropped the ball under pressure.Neither referee nor AR1 saw anything amiss, and nor did JCFC, admittedly from level with the opposite penalty area. Trier players, though, were of a different mind and Herr Boulghalegh was mobbed. The yellow card was quickly in his hand, but it was some time before he was able to show it - apparently to the number 7. At this point he wandered over to the assistant for a chat, before heading off towards his position. The game looked about to restart when a yellow card was waved at a second Trier player. This did have the effect of stirring up the visitors, not only into some fairly crude tackles, but into some dangerous attacks. The home keeper had to make a double save, the second part with his leg, and save again from the resulting corner. On the half hour a Trier defender correctly received a yellow card for a reckless tackle. The rest of the half produced another save with the home keeper's legs, a brilliant Trier attempt from out wide that curled onto the crossbar, a yellow for the home number 7 for hauling down an opponent as he broke and a further good save by the Hoffenheim keeper. Trier had an early shot deflected for a corner off a defender's back. The ball was played in and the home keeper did not hold onto the ball on the ground, allowing Trier to get a goal back. This time it was Hoffenheim who protested strongly. Trier's fourth yellow came for a foul. As the game entered its final quarter, it was the Trier keeper who repeatedly came to the rescue, with feet and head as well as hands. On 81 minutes a slip by a Trier defender left an attacker to race clear and all the keeper's arm-waving did not prevent him finishing emphatically. Herr Haustein was so pleased with his flag for a corner that the referee had difficulty in getting him to oversee a substitution. Trier appealed for a penalty for handball, but the decision was just a corner. A minute into stoppage time, though, they scored a second and quickly placed the ball on the centre spot. They were soon on the attack again, but a home player went down injured and after a period of treatment, Herr Boulghalegh chose to blow for full time. Marx from Trier will not be too good! (I've already got my coat, thanks.) Herr Boulghalegh seems to be in his late twenties or perhaps a little older, so may not progress further. He does not look a natural athlete, but worked hard to keep up with play. His whistling was either a short peep or a protracted blast, with no apparent relation to the severity of the offence and though players might disagree his decisions for the most part seemed correct. There have been better performances at this level, but equally there have been worse. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Monday, 31. October 2016, 05:57.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Saturday, 29. October 2016, 20:01 Post #70 |
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Saturday 29th October 2016 Regionalliga Süd-West SV Waldhof Mannheim 3 v 0 FC Nöttingen Timo Wlodarczak (Weiterode); Simon Heß, Tobias Panzer. History does not record whether Lutz Wagner ever had to wrestle with the name of this referee. JCFC would have guessed that he was in his upper thirties - not for once based on hair loss - but in fact Herr Wlodarczak is just 28. Herr Heß, meanwhile, who looked a cheerful youngster of about 20, is in fact 27. (A touch of the Lee Hibles there!) Sadly, his flag-handling was poor, though Herr Panzer did switch hands consistently. Both appeared accurate in their decisions, however, and contributed appropriate flags for fouls. During their warm-up the officials were liked up, involving occasional fiddling with earpieces, but not during the match. It has long been a matter of surprise that a regional hub as important as Mannheim has not in the past couple of decades been able to maintain a team in the top leagues. Though they are currently near the top of the table, others, notably Elversberg and Saarbrücken, will have to slip up if they are to make the play-offs for promotion to the 3rd Division. The visitors, meanwhile, are more worried about a swift return to the Oberliga. Waldhof went ahead after just 4 minutes, the visiting number 9 leading his side's protests, though there were no obvious grounds. A second goal followed on 17 minutes, this time with no protest at all.The Waldhof number 3 was spoken to after a careless challenge. Midway through the half the sky clouded over, the game went to sleep and JCFC was hard pressed not to follow suit. During the break the sun reappeared, the Autumn colours glowed once more and Waldhof made a lively return. On 49 minutes they came close, the ball bouncing down off the crossbar before being hooked away for a corner, which in turn led to another header off the bar. The visitors worked their way back into the game and were ahead on corners, one of them being stopped by a surprised-looking defender on the line. The tricky home number 11 wriggled between defenders to get a cross in, but nobody could make contact. Two yellow cards were shown. If the first, for the home number 5 appeared dubious - he seemed to go to ground and clear the ball before an opponent arrived and fell over him - there was no doubt about the second, the visiting number 15 arriving late and keeping going with a nasty prod.Waldhof attacked in the 83rd minute, the ball came to an attacker who had a clear header. The keeper reacted acrobatically, but could not recover to stop the ball from being poked home. The keeper in his frustration hoofed the ball into the stand, while the captain flounced and waved his arms at Herr Wlodarczak, who remained unmoved. Herr Wlodarczak's default movement style is a bouncy lope, though he could up the pace when needed and used reverse gear well. He looked for advantage as a first option, but was quick to kill it and bring the ball back, which was usually the necessary outcome, though in the second half genuine advantages did occur. He engaged in plenty of individual dialogue, often with a sympathetic smile. Over the piece it was one of the better Regionalliga displays: by no means a Kempter, but good nonetheless. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Sunday, 30. October 2016, 04:23.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Sunday, 30. October 2016, 21:23 Post #71 |
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The Regionalliga match planned for Sunday had been switched to Saturday, but it was a glorious "God's in his heaven, all's right with the world" sort of Autumn morning (particularly after a splendid hotel breakfast) and a trip to the outskirts of Heidelberg would allow a double ration. The apéritif was Sunday 30th October 2016 Kreisliga A Heidelberg FC Dossenheim ll 3 v 1 TSV Gauangelloch Gerhard Hoecker. This was the fourth tier down from the Regionalliga and there were only club linesmen, limited to in or out flags. The referee was a middle-aged professional gentleman, who perforce was often some distance from the play. It appeared early on that there was an element of cooperation from players, as the visitors surrendered a corner that the referee could not have seen cross the line. Play continued in this vein and Dossenheim took the lead midway through the half. Dr Hoecker was guilty of JCFC's pet hate, when, long after the time added had elapsed the ball went out for a goal-kick and he waited and waited while the keeper faffed around, blowing his whistle the moment the ball was finally kicked. Helping the referee with decisions did not last forever, the visiting number 5 pushing the ball into touch and immediately taking the throw himself. There were a number of offside or not decisions, with the referee remarkably calling all but one correctly, and Dossenheim added their second and third in quick succession. On 84 minutes Gauangelloch had a superb chance, but lifted the ball over from three yards. Two minutes later an excellent volley did get them a consolation goal. A little feeling crept into the final minutes and Dr Hoecker was obliged to intervene a couple of times. Three yellows were shown in all, but it was not always clear to whom or for what. It can be said with certainty that the one in the first half went to a Gauangelloch player, the one at the end to a Dossenheim man and the one in the middle to a player either from Dossenheim or Gauangelloch. That said, the game as a whole passed off well. The point of course is that Dr Hoecker could have been at home enjoying Sunday lunch with a glass or two of wine, but was instead prepared to give his time, like thousands of others, to enable the game to take place. It was good to see that the players afforded him a level of respect not always given to English officials by hungover Sunday morning "sportsmen." Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Monday, 31. October 2016, 06:32.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Sunday, 30. October 2016, 22:31 Post #72 |
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The main course, at 15.30, was Landesliga Baden Rhein-Neckar FC Dossenheim 2 v 3 1.FC Dilsberg Florian Kaltwasser (Helmstadt); Ronald Höck, Batuham Ertürk. The Landesliga is two steps up from the above, therefore two tiers below the Regionalliga, with both teams facing a battle against relegation. Herr Kaltwasser's surname might be taken to denote a masochistic preference for bracing showers, but could equally be his order at the bar, given that he is still only 17. Neither assistant took part in the warm-up, nor did either go in for hand-switching. SRA1 was a bespectacled gentleman a little way past his prime, SRA2 much younger. From the start it became apparent that Herr Kaltwasser was not going to be impressed by theatricals as play was waved on more than once. On 12 minutes, though, the home number 5 was spoken to for a foul some way short of the corner of the box and the free-kick was fired powerfully into the net. Dossenheim soon spurned a great chance, with a poor contact in front of goal, but worked an equaliser midway through the half. On 40 minutes the home number 4 was shown a yellow for a trip on the edge of the box. Nothing came of the free-kick, but two minutes later Dilsberg broke clear on the left, the winger put in a perfect cross, the striker missed it (he might claim he dummied it) and a man came from wider to shoot home. The visitors were not to enjoy a half-time lead, however, Dossenheim equalizing within a minute. The third quarter was uneventful, but on 67 minutes another tackle from a home man resulted in another yellow, and as the offender was again number 4, off he promptly went. Over the next quarter of an hour there was a yellow to each side for misjudged tackles. On 84 minutes Dilsberg attacked, a shot from the right was palmed away beyond the post by the keeper, but only to another attacker; a block on the line saw the danger cleared as far as the edge of the box, where a Dilsberg man shot strongly, only for a defender to make a diving block. Herr Kaltwasser immediately awarded a penalty, adamant that an arm had been used, home players being equally adamant that it had not. Dilsberg were not worried, scoring from the spot-kick to secure the win. It was a shame that the game had such a controversial ending, as Herr Kaltwasser had done well. Whether the penalty decision was correct or not, he certainly cannot be accused of being a homer. He uses an S-shaped diagonal, adapting it sensibly to events. He is tall and gangling, but moves well in a coltish sort of way. He uses reverse gear effectively in a rolling manner, his legs going out to the side. The one downside to English ears was his habit of whistling hard and long for the most routine of offsides, for example, but that seems to be encouraged in Germany. What was particularly impressive, though, was the way he related to players, with countless friendly words in both directions and a measure of laughter. At 17 he can not be expected to be perfect, but there were many promising signs there, certainly by English criteria. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Monday, 31. October 2016, 04:30.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Tuesday, 1. November 2016, 21:24 Post #73 |
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All SaintsDay was a holiday and offered a selection of fixtures, the choice being Tuesday 1st November 2016 Regionalliga Süd-West 1.FC Saarbrücken 2 v 1 TSV Steinbach Timo Gerach (Landau); Ingo Hess, Fabian Vollmar. Rebuilding is in progress at Saarbrücken's ground and since last December home matches have been played in the nearby smaller town of Völklingen. Steinbach, in their second season at this level have been on a great run and had just leapfrogged Saarbrücken into second place in the table. Herr Gerach has this season progressed to the 2nd Division list. If anyone expected that this would be a straightforward match for him, they were to be proved wrong. Steinbach started superbly, a great cross soon being headed behind by a defender. On 7 minutes a clatter by the home number 6 drew a strong blast on the whistle and a warning. A missed chance to impose himself or good management? You pay your money and you take your choice - only in the longer term does a partial answer emerge. On 11 minutes the home side managed their first real attack and a cross was turned into the net by a defender, it seemed, though the announcer credited the striker. Steinbach netted just three minutes later, but from a clearly offside position. The game was being played at great speed, with Steinbach in particular looking to restart quickly at every opportunity, leading to some end-to-end switches. Saarbrücken defenders were often guilty of giving the ball away with sloppy passing and the team as a whole committed a number of rugged fouls, though the visitors were to prove no shrinking violets in that respect, a comprehensive trip earning their number 11 a talking-to. As the half hour approached, a Steinbach player was down, some way behind play. His colleagues protested vigorously to Herr Gerach, and even more so to Herr Vollmar, but neither knew quite what had happened. The injured man recovered and set off in pursuit of his assumed assailant (JCFC had missed it too) and eventually both were called for a calming word, though a paragraph might have been more advisable. The Saarbrücken keeper made one of many diving saves on the half hour and Herr Gerach finally decided the time had come for a yellow card when the Steinbach number 2 had a shin-high thwack at the winger, a decision nobody could dispute. When Herr Gerach, then, had to lecture the Steinbach manager before play resumed, comments must have referred to the previous incident. The home keeper's heroics continued to keep his side ahead until the 45th minute, when Steinbach were awarded their umpteenth corner, though home players were not in agreement. The corner was lifted over and after a brief spot of head tennis, it was finally struck home. There was no time for a restart and home players continued to make their point as they left the field. Despite a tendency for players to fall, yelp and clutch various parts of their anatomy, it had been an excellent first half to watch. As Herr Gerach made his way onto the field after the break, he was in fairly animated discussion with the visiting manager. This half it was Saarbrücken who made much the better start, and it was the turn of the Steinbach keeper to shine with two dives, one high, one low, to turn the ball round the post. From the second of these corners a dangerously high foot caught a defender, leading to a set-to in the area and an ultimate yellow for the Saarbrücken number 6. In the following minutes Herr Gerach must have born in mind Kipling's "If you can keep your head when all about you,Are losing theirs and blaming it on you," as he kept calm and did not over-react to theatricals, but his calmness began to assume a resigned air as niggly fouls became all too frequent and the good play of the first half disappeared. On 67 minutes the Steinbach number 2 wiped out an opponent with a challenge in the air and was lucky not to receive his second yellow. The punishment, though, was greater as the free-kick looped off an attacker and gently over the keeper into the net. The home number 44 received a yellow for a jump over the back of an opponent who clutched his (untouched) face. On 87 minutes it was good to see Herr Gerach racing to take close order as the ball went into the corner. Saarbrücken were penalised, their number 4 was in danger of losing his rag, so his number 9 worked to calm him, but he was meanwhile being substituted and Herr Gerach had to send him on his way, taking over the calming process by taking him by the biceps on each arm. The final minute brought a yellow for the Steinbach number 4 - not a moment too soon. It had been a surprisingly testing afternoon for Herr Gerach. Could the unpleasantness of the second half have been prevented by firmer action earlier? Or would that merely have led to reduced numbers as the match went on? We shall never know, but Herr Gerach was well enough received at the end. A far from commanding performance, but much of the blame lies elsewhere. It will be interesting to see how he develops. And wonder of wonders, both assistants switched hands, not perfectly, but it was a good effort. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Tuesday, 1. November 2016, 21:27.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Saturday, 25. February 2017, 23:43 Post #74 |
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It was only a Winter's tale, Just another Winter's tale ... Or as things turned out ...not. Planning a long weekend in Germany, JCFC had intended to start with Friday's 3.Liga match between Duisburg and Magdeburg and made bookings accordingly. It was surprising to find that the match did not feature on the online booking system, with no explanation on the Duisburg website. That is until two days before the match, when it explained that not only had online ticketing been cancelled by order of the police, but also no tickets were allowed to be sold on the day of the match, to prevent undesirable people from gaining access to the stadium. The mystery is, how did the Duisburg police know of JCFC's plans? All was not lost, however, as a 30 Euro train ticket would make the match at Osnabrück an alternative, with the youngest 3. Liga referee, Nicolas Winter, in charge. Then Doris intervened, with a cancelled flight meaning that it was not till 22.30 that JCFC reached his hotel, so the prepaid meal had to be switched to the following day. A dilemma - lose the meal, pay for the train and have another late night ... or pass on the match. No contest: Herr Winter was spared the distorting lens this time. All of which irrelevance leads to Saturday 25th February 2017 Regionalliga West Rot Weiss Ahlen 1 v 4 Wuppertaler SV Florian Exner (Bielefeld); Dustin Sikorski, Vanessa Arlt Ahlen's website declared that this would not be a match for football aesthetes, and so it proved. Within seconds Frau Arlt and Herr Exner had to be quick off the mark to intervene in a minor confrontation. The yellow card made its first appearance on 5 minutes, Wuppertal's number 21 pulling back an opponent. There were a number of challenges that could euphemistically be described as robust or uncompromising, with players arriving late or tending to jump at each other, rather than for the ball. The Ahlen players in particular had not been brought up to be Mummy's brave little soldier, further complicating the referee's task. He tried to let the play go whenever possible, mercifully, as there were quite enough unavoidable stoppages. The visiting number 26 was spoken to after a foul on 8 minutes and offended twice more in the next three minutes without receiving a card. Wuppertal were much the stronger side, forcing a number of corners and took the lead with a scrappy effort midway through the half that owed more to defensive inadequacy than to attacking flair. When a banger was let off by visiting fans, Herr Exner gestured to his ear and made a note on his card. There was a delay for a worrying injury to the home keeper, with physios from both sides rushing to the spot, but fortunately he was able to continue. On 44 minutes an Ahlen attacker was brought down just outside the box and the yellow card was brandished, either to the defender or to the keeper who hurdled the man on the ground in his eagerness to shout at the referee. In stoppage time Wuppertal were annoyed to be called back and given a free-kick when in what appeared a promising position, but Herr Exner pointed to his arm to indicate that he had received a buzz for offside. The fussball.de report shows a further yellow in the closing stages of the half, missed by JCFC. The start of the second period was delayed through lack of a ball. One or two squabbles were developing and two players received a brief word. Yellows began to arrive in earnest, the visiting number 25 leading the way on 57 minutes for a dangerously high foot, followed almost immediately by the home number 43 for blocking a clearance by the keeper. On the hour, a good cross was headed home for Wuppertal's second. Three minutes later Ahlen were awarded a penalty - to JCFC it looked like a dive - and the visiting number 27 was cautioned before the kick was successfully taken. Thoughts of an Ahlen comeback were short-lived, some nifty footwork and an excellent shot giving the visitors their third goal on 66 minutes. Wuppertal wisely withdrew their number 27; Ahlen's number 21 escaped what should have been a yellow card by staying down injured, but finally saw yellow for a further offence moments later; two further yellows, one per side, followed within a minute before things calmed down. On 86 minutes a Wuppertal attacker was put through with only the keeper to beat, and beat him he duly did to complete the scoring. Initial impressions of Herr Exner were favourable, but changed as the game wore on. It was not an easy match to referee: it was not violent, which would have possibly been easier to deal with, but there was a constant stream of unfair challenges of a more minor nature. On the positive side, he covered the ground reasonably well, though on three occasions he got caught up with players. He was communicative and used smiles and facial expressions well. He did well not to fall for much of the needless going to ground and yelping. His demeanour and body language, though, looked rather floppy. In particular his way of whistling for an offence, walking to the spot and then pointing lacked conviction. Towards the end, he had an air of weary resignation, while frequent unnecessary smoothing of his hair suggested a possible lack of confidence. In the end, despite a full set of substitutions, he had clearly had enough - as had JCFC - and blew for full time exactly on 90 minutes. A tricky match, ultimately not particularly convincingly negotiated. On the plus side, hand-switching has reached the Regionalliga and Frau Arlt, in JCFC's half, looked accurate in all her decisions. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Saturday, 25. February 2017, 23:55.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Sunday, 26. February 2017, 22:32 Post #75 |
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Some 15 months ago, I fled a wet Sunday in Hannover to watch a Regionalliga match at Borussia Hildesheim, only to find on reaching the ground that the match was off. This time I chose to stay in Hildesheim, and after a couple of fine days it came as a surprise on Sunday morning to find that Borussia's match was again postponed. Other matches at this level were either off or inaccessible, so it was down a step to Oberliga level for Sunday 26th February 2017 Bremenliga TuS Schwachhausen 2 v 3 Werder Bremen lll Michel Riedel (Findorff); Tobias Wehaus, Timo Hebecker. The ground, on the outskirts of Bremen, was in fact a caged plastic pitch. Both assistants were surprisingly adept at hand-switching, though AR1 struggled with throw-ins. AR2, an unlikely looking youth with black leggings and gloves and thick spectacles proved very good. Schwachhausen started brightly, but Werder came back, hitting the bar on 17 minutes. Herr Riedel, a tall, balding figure, then had an exchange of views with someone near the home bench. He overruled AR2 on an offside decision, rightly as the current interpretation is, though maybe not as it ought to be. Werner went ahead midway through the half, and their number 4 soon received a yellow for a trip. Schwachhausen's equaliser on 39 minutes produced an angry demand for offside - utterly incorrect - and though Herr Riedel was quick to intervene, it was a shame that there was no eye-contact and reassuring gesture to his assistant as would doubtless be the case at such a level in England.The home keeper made a couple of decent stops late in the half. Werder went ahead once more two minutes into the second half. Not for the first time Herr Riedel was slow to spot the assistant's offside flag and had actually awarded Werder a penalty on one occasion before it was brought to his attention. Rather out of the blue, the home side drew level on the hour, with a fine long shot. A delayed free-kick award to Werder a few metres outside the area led to tantrums from a couple of home defenders, Werder's third goal and a further warning for the man on the touchline. Schwachhausen came close soon afterwards, but the Werder keeper blocked the effort. The home keeper had to make two further acrobatic saves, one from his own defender. The final touch of the match was a free header at the far post by Schwachhausen, which flew well over the bar. Herr Riedel has found his level and coped comfortably with what was a fairly good-natured game. He could have been a little more dynamic in his approach, but did the job that was needed. Perhaps one day I shall get to see a match in Hildesheim! Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Sunday, 26. February 2017, 22:34.
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8:03 AM Jul 13