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#Post#: 52313--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: Tweed
Date: September 4, 2022, 8:41 am
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Motherwell and Dundee Utd played out a very watchable 0-0 draw
yesterday afternoon but referee, Craig Napier was far from
super. He started off by booking United's McGrath in just the
second minute for a foul that could have just been given without
further sanction. His foul detection was a bit inconsistent
throughout the first half and he seemed to be easily influenced
by Steven Fletcher throughout. Motherwell were awarded a fairly
standard penalty for handball and whilst it was a penalty, one
of these ones that I don't think should be, I was pleased that
Napier didn't rush to his pocket too.
The second half was a backwards step. He gave Utd a very
dangerous free kick after the longest advantage known to man
which didn't go down to well and his foul detection became
increasingly random and he looked increasingly flustered. His
bookings for Slattery and McGinn were fine. There was also a 2
or 3 minute stoppage at the highly contested free kick and
several subs yet we only played 2 minutes injury time, and even
that felt short.
Nothing that changed the game but he was incredibly frustrating
and probably the poorest we've had so far.
#Post#: 54263--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: Tweed
Date: October 25, 2022, 4:00 pm
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Had my first in stadium experience of VAR on Saturday as my team
went down 2-1 to Aberdeen.
Only took about 3 minutes to get involved as Aberdeen stuck the
ball over Liam Kelly and in to the unguarded net and rather
inexplicably the assistant nearest me stuck his flag up as the
ball nestled. It looked miles onside to TAR (Tweed Assistant
Referee) and after a pause of about a minute VAR told Euan
Anderson to give the goal.
Shortly afterwards an offside was again given and this time TAR
agreed with the AR and we all waited interminably as VAR gave us
both the nod.
From then there were a couple of pauses as Motherwell equalised
and Aberdeen netted the winner but at the death there were a
couple of Motherwell penalty claims, neither of which were given
and one should have been - seems that VAR did not notice the
claim of the one he should have given and full time was given.
In a ground like Fir Park with no screen and no real idea what's
going on it sucked the game of passion and enjoyment. We were
on the wrong end of a decision but to be honest it was the
ridiculous amount of time it took to confirm what I could see
with the naked eye was the issue.
No issues with Euan Anderson at all in his duties, there was no
way he could have seen the claim we had turned away and it was
bud with the remote that erred and Mr Anderson refereed well
throughout.
#Post#: 64748--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: JCFC
Date: May 28, 2023, 10:58 am
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Phew! Killie stay up - just!
#Post#: 64802--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: Tweed
Date: May 29, 2023, 11:01 am
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I think they will be very satisfied as I think they had the
weakest squad. Dundee Utd aren't bad middle to front but cannot
keep hens out a close. Ross County are a bit shot shy but are
OK, but I have a feeling Thistle are flying and might take them
which would be a shame to lose the Highland presence in the
Premiership, though I'm sure the Inverness derbies would capture
the interest.
#Post#: 64816--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: Microscopist
Date: May 29, 2023, 2:14 pm
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--- Quote from: JCFC link ---
>
> Phew! Killie stay up - just!
>
--- End Quote ---
The Honest Men not joining them - to parody Andy Capp explaining
a defeat - "We were well on top until they got six or seven
lucky goals"
#Post#: 64867--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: Tweed
Date: May 30, 2023, 5:34 pm
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Think it's been an interesting season up here with a slight
re-ordering of the guard with Madden leaving and Collum dipping
then being injured.
Walsh and Beaton - I think these two have established themselves
as 1 and 2 though in which order is debatable, Motherwell
haven't caught a break with Walsh but he's been fairly
dependable.
Collum - Still a steady pair of hands but had a couple of really
controversial moments in games involving Rangers which hit the
headlines, it felt like the cup semi with Rangers and Celtic
would make or break him but he pulled up in the warm up and has
warmed the VAR seat ever since.
Robertson - Stepped into that cup semi final and had a couple of
Edinburgh derbies. Missed a blatant Rangers red at Ibrox in
August and his red card to Shankland in the cup was incredibly
harsh but on the whole has done well.
Clancy - A disallowed goal in his Old Firm game apart, he's had
a spectacularly unspectacular season.
Dickinson - Having only seen a handful of games before this
season has had eight appointments with one or other of the Old
Firm and has not had many difficult moments, a poor red card
against Haring a couple of weeks ago the only moment of
contention.
McLean - his experience has seen him leaned on more than in
recent years and he's performed well enough and deserved his
second Old Firm a few weeks ago. I won't mention the penalty he
gave against us on Sunday as that's on Collum...
Muir - experienced and steady, never lets you down now which is
the opposite of the haphazard stuff we got a few years ago.
Napier - if he's good enough to have refereed 32 Premier League
games now, you have to wonder why he's never seen Rangers or
Celtic. The issue is he isn't good enough I suspect.
Anderson - Been OK when I've seen him but he's a bit quick on
the whistle and frustrates players quite a bit, not as good as
the others.
Munro - He's a bit in and out, not very consistent even in the
same game but he's entrusted with reasonably big games including
the first leg of the play off. The Madden and Collum events
have seen him propelled a bit and he's a name that's OK but not
always dependable.
MacDermid - Seems to have kicked on, he and Motherwell have not
met this season so not seen much of him but that he was
entrusted with Rangers at the weekend shows he's doing well.
Graham - Had a couple of moments in games, I saw him at Aberdeen
in August and thought he was very good but seems a bit erratic.
Irvine - I've only seen him once and was very impressed but I
know some friends who saw him at Hibs earlier in the season and
thought he was dreadful.
Steven - Again, not seen in the flesh but seen a couple of red
card decisions that seemed rushed and impetuous.
Grainger - Saw him once at Easter Road in April and thought he
looked excellent and not that easy a game, think he's worth
watching.
#Post#: 70060--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: JCFC
Date: October 29, 2023, 3:00 am
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For the first time in far too long, I answered Caledonia's call,
but so too had Babet and like a mother duck she had a seemingly
endless succession of offspring trailing behind her. The journey
North was difficult, with no direct trains running from
Edinburgh to Aberdeen, a tight connection at Dundee and no seats
available till Montrose. With rail services disrupted until
Sunday (at least) the planned visit to Huntly v Forfar was
changed to the somewhat safer option of
Saturday 28th October 2023
Scottish Cup Round 2
Peterhead 3 v 1 Clachnacuddin
Andy Gamble (somewhere in Fife); Kevin Murray, Brian Fowlie.
In the days when I was a young layabout - as opposed to the old
layabout that I now am - we used to play a board game called
Wembley. Friends played as Newport, BPA, Brighton etc, while my
choice for some reason was Clachnacuddin. They had a proud
history but have fallen on hard times and are now next to bottom
of the Highland League, while Peterhead are top of the Scottish
Division 2. A cricket score was therefore a possibility.
The wind was bitter and blew the rain into the main stand on a
regular basis. As the officials warmed up AR2 was seen to
possess an impressive grey coiffure. AR1 unbelievably chose to
do so in short sleeves. His rather blank expression may have
been the result.
The early stages were fairly uneventful, with Mr Gamble showing
a greater acceptance of physical contact, even with collateral
damage, than most English referees - no bad thing if well
judged, and Mr Gamble did indeed appear to judge it well. He
was, however, quite precise in wanting throws and kicks taken
from the right spot - and found the players particularly obtuse.
When Peterhead took the lead with a powerful shot from outside
the area on 15 minutes, it looked as if Clach might be on a
hiding, but it was not to be. The home number 4 received a
yellow card midway through the half for a ludicrous push. Mr
Gamble had a pleasing way of talking to players on the hoof, but
on 36 minutes the Clach number 6 was called for a more formal
lecture. The subsequent free-kick led to some nifty passes and
an attacker went down in the area. My initial impression was
that he had gone for a gap that wasn't there, but Mr Gamble
pointed to the spot. A number of defenders preferred my view of
things, but their representations were not unduly vehement, so
Mr Gamble was almost certainly right. Peterhead duly went two
up, but no sooner had the PA announcer informed us that this was
Rory McAllister's 200th goal for the club, than he was
identifying the scorer of Clach's immediate response, with the
score remaining 2-1 until the break.
A cynical trip soon earned the home number 2 a yellow after the
restart. The Clach number 2 followed on 70 minutes. Peterhead
were on top, but Clach stuck at it and there was always a fear
that a break might produce a surprise equaliser, with the
unwelcome, given the weather and the bus schedule, of extra time
and penalties. It was a relief, therefore, when Peterhead added
a third on 74 minutes - a goal disputed by the visitors,
claiming offside perhaps? Four minutes later there was a yellow
for the Clach boss, with numbers 6 and 25 yellow carded in the
following minutes. Added time brought a mystery: the Clach
number 8 rugby tackled an opponent, there seemed to be a loud
blast of the whistle, but either play continued or the kick was
taken very quickly, the yellow card finally brig shown when play
was next stopped. Only Mr Gamble knows what happened there, but
generally he had done a decent job in tricky conditions.
The rain relented for the walk back into town; the icy blast did
not. Fortunately Stagecoach's Peterhead Interchange has a
well-equipped waiting room; unfortunately it was locked, so the
40 minute wait was not pleasant. The bus was late into Aberdeen,
but just in time for the Rugby World Cup Final.
Ongoing rain today has caused the abandonment of any thoughts of
heading off to a youth match. And so to breakfast.
#Post#: 70234--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: JCFC
Date: October 31, 2023, 5:14 pm
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The decision to remain in Aberdeen on Sunday allowed a timely -
from Monday it was closed for repairs and restoration until the
Spring - visit to the Aberdeen Maritime Museum, which proved
enjoyable. So much so that on Monday I sampled Provost Skene's
house, with its celebration of famous Aberdonians, of which
there are many, it seems. It was interesting to think that at
one time Aberdeen had as many Universities as the whole of
England. The feature on Denis Law concentrated on his connection
with a couple of clubs in Manchester, completely bypassing his
Huddersfield Town career. On a more serious note, it seemed a
sad omission that there was no mention of the celebrated Peter
Craigmyle. After which there was time to catch the train to
Monday 30th October 2023
Aberdeenshire League (Under 21)
Inverurie Loco Works 2 v 1 Stonehaven
"Miss Terry"; AR1, AR2.
Harlaw Park is perhaps not the most aesthetic of grounds, but is
quite trim, with a decent grandstand. It also possesses the twin
advantages of being an easy walk from the station and having a
clubhouse outside, for a pint of Best and a packet of crisps
pre-match.
The young referee was slim with a dark pony tail; AR2 had a
weird hairstyle - if any mention of style is appropriate -
perhaps an attempt to match the referee with a failed attempt at
a pony tail, or perhaps just a man bun quietly disintegrating.
He was youngish, tall, slim and bearded, while AR1 was less
young, less tall, less slim and clean shaven, with a sensible
haircut to boot.
The pacy home forwards posed problems for the visitors and the
Stonehaven keeper was forced into a block to keep his side
level. However, his defenders failed to deal with a 13th minute
corner, leaving Inverurie a simple finish to take the lead.
There was a yellow card for the home number 9 on 32 minutes for
netting after an offside decision, a correct card, no doubt, but
not one that seemed wholly appropriate to the match. An
Inverurie header landed on the top of the net minutes later,
while good work and a cross gave them another good chance, but
unfortunately they fired over the bar.
The Stonehaven keeper came to make another crucial block early
in the second period, but the home side doubled their lead
before the hour, the visitors' defence again being at sixes and
sevens. There was a yellow card for the Inverurie number 7 soon
afterwards and as the substitutions began to take effect,
Stonehaven posed more of a threat. They created a fine chance on
72 minutes, but hit the shot straight at the keeper. A
substitution of two players from each side, with some leaving
the field at the far side (as per regulations) caused AR1 a
degree of difficulty, but the referee was also noting the
changes and she was able to bail him out. On 82 minutes there
was a further double sustitution by Stonehaven, the referee
signalled to AR1 to see to it, but he remained rooted to the
spot, so the referee did it herself by remote control - only
then did the assistant make a tentative late move towards
halfway. Stonehaven were through a minute later, the shot going
just wide. On 87 minutes, however, they took a quick free-kick
for offside (not necessarily from the right spot) and broke
quickly in numbers, pulling a goal back. The final minutes were
competitive, the home number 5 being rightly cautioned for an
attack-stopper, and there was some dispute over foul throws, but
Inverurie held on for the win.
It was not, for the most part, a match which needed a lot of
refereeing and though the referee perhaps was more strict than
was needed, that is understandable and definitely the correct
side to err. Overall she was always in control and put in a
decent shift.
It wouldn't be a JCFC outing without difficulties with trains -
fortunately minor ones. It had been a 19.30 kick-off, so there
was a wait of some 50 minutes watching the time pass on the
display screen on platform 2, from where the 22.18 was due to
depart. A train arrived on platform 1 from Aberdeen, disgorged
its passengers and set off empty in the same direction. At this
stage the board on platform 1 showed "22.18 Aberdeen arrived."
Shortly afterwards the 22.18 disappeared from the screen on 2 to
be replaced by 23.19. Minutes passed, so JCFC used the helpline
phone to be told that the 22.18 was running a few minutes late
and would be on platform 1. So off I toddled over the footbridge
to be greeted with a display screen that now read "The 22.18 for
Aberdeen will depart from" - and nothing more. The wisest
solution was going to be to stand in the middle of the
footbridge to see where it would be, but this was preempted by
the rapid arrival of said train on platform 2, forcing JCFC into
a little more exercise than ideal. The train was safely boarded,
however, and though a few minutes late, there were no further
problems.
Today LNER fortunately were operating from Aberdeen, and though
there were delays, and a missed connection at York, the long
homeward journey was eventually completed.
If by a highly unlikely coincidence anyone can identify the
officials of the game, or the club secretary can help, such
information would be greatly appreciated.
#Post#: 70476--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: JCFC
Date: November 5, 2023, 3:12 pm
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With no reply forthcoming from the Locos' e-mail, the identity
of the young lady and her henchmen must indeed remain a mystery.
#Post#: 80155--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: JCFC
Date: May 30, 2024, 11:21 pm
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Once again, the journey North did not go smoothly. Halifax to
Preston was fine, but on arriving there, I discovered that a
derailed freight train meant that all trains to Scotland were
cancelled. A young lady at the information point informed me
that there were replacement coaches to Carlisle, with the less
than encouraging rider that there were no guarantees that there
would be provision there for onward travel.
As things turned out, the coach arrived in Carlisle just in time
to catch the 14.08 train to Glasgow, via the familiar old G&SW
route,which though slow brought back memories. At every stop for
almost two hours I could remember alighting to go to a match:
Gretna: Annan; Dumfries for Queen of the South, Crichton,
Dumfries YMCA and as the start of bus rides to Dalbeattie Star,
Threave Rovers and Fleet Star; Sanquhar for Nithsdale Wanderers;
Kirkconnel for Kello Rovers; and Auchinleck, As we drew into
Kilmarnock station, it was poignant not to see my grandad
waiting for us on the platform. Arrival in Glasgow was two hours
later than planned, but in the circumstances things had turned
out well.
Hopefully some football will follow!
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