Blethering about football, from Scotland and across the world
With Scotland preparing for a crunch tie qualification with Albania in the Nations League - a phrase that coveys senses of both hope in that Scotland can still achieve something, but also dismay that this achievement would be in the third rung of European football – the squad has been decimated by a large number... Continue Reading →
Saturday 10th November and we embarked on a trip to the seaside town of Arbroath on Scotland's North Sea coast for a match up between the home side, unbeaten this season, and their local rivals Montrose in a tasty Angus derby. Arbroath is located north of Dundee travelling up the east coast, it is well... Continue Reading →
Saturday 20 October 2017 saw Malmo FF host Hammarby at the Swedbank Stadion in Malmo, located in the south west of Sweden. A match up of 2 of the top 4 teams in the Allsvenskan, with Hammarby sitting just above Malmo in the table at kick off. We had travelled across to Malmo from Copenhagen,... Continue Reading →
Scotland whimpered to a 2-1 defeat away to Israel. A disappointing performance on a number of levels. There's the disappointment in losing of course, within the Nations League set up and after a positive win over Albania, progress in the competition suddenly looks more challenging while the threat of relegation also now appears an option... Continue Reading →
There's something really warm and comforting about sitting in on a rainy Sunday afternoon, watching some top quality Calcio play out at the San Siro. Much publicised is the fondness many have for the good old days of the 1990's where Channel 4 provided us mere mortals, without the sufficient luxury of satellite or cable,... Continue Reading →
A number 9. If nothing else, that otherwise simple number is personified by generations of goalscorers, strikers, poachers. There have been quite a few articles, recent discussions and opinions offered concerning the modern day absence of this type of player within top level football. There are examples around, Lewandowski of Bayern and Poland for example or... Continue Reading →
Located approximately 40 miles north east of the city of Aberdeen, just off the A96 road linking Aberdeen to Inverness is the town of Huntly. Tucked into a picture postcard landscape characterised by rolling uplands and hills with farmsteads and wind farms pepper potted around the surroundings. Christie Park is home to Huntly FC, who were at home... Continue Reading →
A return to Berlin for a long weekend to participate in one of the marathon majors presented an excellent opportunity to take in some 2. Bundasliga action between Union Berlin and MSV Duisburg. In the last couple of years I have enjoyed attending junior and lower league games in Scotland so I was keen to... Continue Reading →
On August 30th 2018 the Champions League group stage draw took place. This followed a seemingly lengthy playoff and qualification period which began way back in July. This year, the qualification stages involved even more teams than usual who had actually qualified as champions of their own domestic leagues - albeit domestic leagues without a... Continue Reading →
Scotland 0-4 Belgium. A bit of a doing for our boys in blue. There will be much written about Scotland's heaviest home defeat since the 1970's. Some will label and describe an "embarrassing" or "shambolic" performance where an incoherent Scotland side gave away possession and goals needlessly and were rightly punished by a top ranked... Continue Reading →
As is traditional, Serie B kicks off this weekend amidst a cloud of controversy and uncertainty this weekend. Avellino, Bari and Cesena have been forced to re-start from Serie D following a series of financial troubles and irregularities and the league management has chosen not to fill the void left by their departure. The uncertainty... Continue Reading →
There have been a number of articles and publications over the past few years outlining the success and progression of British football coaches working in far flung corners of the globe, out of the spotlight of the UK Media but still managing to make some progression in the coaching world. Higher profile cases include Graham... Continue Reading →
When one thinks of the Scottish Highland League, images of big, robust footballers come to mind. Rough and ready, "agricultural" style football. I travelled to watch Cove Rangers play Buckie Thistle in Cove's new Balmoral Stadium on the edge of Aberdeen to find out how accurate the above stereotypes are. The Scottish Highland League is... Continue Reading →
As John McGinn completed his move from Hibs to Aston Villa towards the end of the summer 2018 transfer window, fans and media alike were full of praise for a player who had quickly become a favourite and one of the top Scottish Premiership performers and indeed an emerging important presence in the National Team.... Continue Reading →
With the dust from the football fest that was the 2018 World Cup just settling, after France were crowned champions for the second time, we are moving full steam ahead into the new season - the fun doesn't stop. Now, admittedly a lot of the big boy leagues are not yet due to start -... Continue Reading →
New podcast, covering week 1 at the World Cup 2018. Talking results, VAR, culture and expectations. Enjoy!!! Listen to the newest podcast, Thefootballblether: World Cup Week 1 pod https://anchor.fm/thefootballblether/episodes/World-Cup-Week-1-pod-e1me8a
With the opening game of the World Cup in Russia, which features the hosts take on Saudi Arabia, less than a few hours away, it will also mark an unwanted anniversary for Scotland fans; it will have been twenty years since Scotland last qualified for a major tournament. It seems like a long time ago... Continue Reading →
With World Cup fever firmly gripping all football fans, alongside the plethora of football stats, predictions, squad updates, opinions and the like being on hand 24/7, I felt it appropriate to offer some light relief in the form of some good old Footballblether.com nostalgia. France 1998 The first World Cup which I really remember was... Continue Reading →
While Scotland may not be heading to the World Cup in Russia this summer, they are playing their part in the preparations of both Peru and Mexico with a post season jaunt over to play in a couple of warm up games for both these successful qualifiers. In the early hours (GMT) of Wednesday morning... Continue Reading →
Friday, 18 May 2018 was the date when Parma Calcio 1913 sealed their return to the top level of Italian Football, Serie A. After some turbulent and troubled times, Parma have built back up from the ashes and secured 3 promotions in 3 years as they climb back up from the abyss, from a time... Continue Reading →
Brand new podcast, looking at the title race and fight to avoid the drop from the Czech First League. Enjoy Listen to this episode of my podcast, Thefootballblether, Czech Football Podcast 17 May 2018 https://anchor.fm/thefootballblether/episodes/Czech-Football-Podcast-17-May-2018-e1g3np
As regular readers will appreciate, trips away to watch football are a real passion. In no particular order, I've watched club and international football in Scotland, England, Wales, France, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Italy, Iceland and Norway. Games in these countries have been viewed in a whole spectrum of venues from... Continue Reading →
Back with another podcast. Czech roundup, Scottish roundup and an added bonus of a match summary. Thefootballblether Podcast Episode 2: https://anchor.fm/thefootballblether/episodes/Thefootballblether-Podcast-Episode-2-e1de03
One man podcast this time, so no in depth debate. But review and analysis of Scottish, Czech and European football over the last week and looking forward. "Thefootballblether pod - Episode 1; 24.4.18" from Thefootballblether on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/thefootballblether/episodes/Thefootballblether-pod---Episode-1-24-4-18-e1ce3j
As the Scottish 2017/18 season draws to a crescendo, with Celtic looking for a second consecutive treble winning season, most fans with no allegiance to the Champions are beginning to focus on the race for second, European spots or to avoid relegation. Both "alternative" aspects are tightly contested, with at least 2, if not 3... Continue Reading →
Football trips and expeditions are immensely enjoyable - new cultures, different football styles, different atmospheres and a chance to appreciate football from a broader context, what's not to love? I've written before on expeditions to Prague, Berlin and Warsaw and the experiences enjoyed, the different elements of the football world experienced - be that great... Continue Reading →
Check out our intro podcast, Thefootballblether, on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/thefootballblether
Over the past year, I have travelled and paid to watch football at a variety of different levels. These include Scottish Championship, Scottish Premiership, Scotland International (and England International), English Premiership, Czech First league and the Second Tier of Czech Football. I have previously written about my Dilemma in terms of swapping regular attendance at... Continue Reading →
Amid yet more horrible weather conditions for this time of year, I travelled to Huddersfield for another football weekend involving catching up with friends but also taking in a game involving the local side. Huddersfield itself is a large scale town, home to approximately 160,000 inhabitants. Located roughly equidistant from the larger centres of Manchester... Continue Reading →
Escaping the "Beast from the East" weather front which had hit the UK hard at the beginning of March was touch and go for most of the week. Strong winds and high volumes of snow had bombarded the country for a few days, leading to substantial travel disruption. It was a great relief therefore to... Continue Reading →
Sparta Prague are one of the most successful sides in the Czech Republic. With 33 domestic league titles to their name, 14 Czech Cups, 2 Czech Supercups and a Mitropia (Central Europe) Cup from the 1960's. A success record only rivalled by their city neighbours Slavia Prague. Based to the north of the River Vltava,... Continue Reading →
Thursday 8 March marks the first round of ties in the last 16 of the Europa League. One tie which stood out immediately for thefootballblether was Viktoria Plzen (who we have written about before: The Tribute of the Plzen Juggernaut ; Bohemian Armchair Football ; Czech First League – Mid Season Review ) being drawn... Continue Reading →
Sunday morning in Prague, walking through the trendy Vršovice neighbourhood with it's nice coffee shops, filled with fashionable well dressed couples and families who are all enjoying a bit of brunch on this sunny but cold morning. While a nice warm coffee accompanied by a tasty wee croissant is extremely tempting, we have a different... Continue Reading →
Bohemians hosted Dukla Prague in what many would label as a lesser known capital city derby on a freezing cold Friday at the beginning of March. I had landed in Prague that morning, having (just) escaped "The Beast From The East" late winter adverse weather which had hit the UK hard. Visiting fellow thefootballblether.com author,... Continue Reading →
Looking ahead to the Europa League round of 32 fixtures kicking off this week, with the majority of ties being played on Thursday 15 February (Red Star Belgrade face CSKA Moscow at home on earlier in the week, due to their arch rivals Partizan also playing in Belgrade in the first leg of the competition... Continue Reading →
Scottish Football is in a state of despair flux at present. At the time of writing there is no Manager, no Chief Executive, No summer tournament (again) and no real idea or agreement from those remaining in charge as to the correct way forward. It is by no means a lost cause, nor should Scotland... Continue Reading →
On the face of things and despite mass unrest, there appears to be no smoking gun, no hangman's noose. Stewart Regan, now former SFA Chief Executive is out of a job after walking, apparently, of his own volition. Whatever way you look at it, he has departed and many would say that the writing has... Continue Reading →
A story foretold. Of a young Scottish footballer who signs for a reputable European club only to make a handful of appearances from the bench before disappearing from the public eye and then, many months later, surfacing at some English lower division team or middling Scottish Premiership side some time later. Allan Johnston at Rennes,... Continue Reading →
Since roughly 2001, as a fresh/acne faced teenager I have been making the trip to Hampden Park for Scotland home games. Initially with a large group of friends, taking the train through, blagging our way into Vicky Wine for a few cheeky pre-match cans and revelling in being part of the "Tartan Army" with all... Continue Reading →
Downstairs in the impressive, vast, modern transport hub that is Berlin Hauptbahnhof (Hbf), the 09.17 Euro City train rolls onto the platform on its way through to Budapest. The train is, uncharacteristically for European transport, a few minutes late but that doesn't seem to bother any of the passengers waiting to board, ahead of trips... Continue Reading →
A popular theory as to why the Scotland national team has been in decline for the last twenty years plus or so is that Scotland are no longer producing top quality players. As a Hibs fan, I disagree with that as in the early 2000s there was a conveyor belt of good young Scottish players... Continue Reading →
April 23rd 2017 will forever be remembered as a tragic day for Czech and indeed Turkish Football. The events of this day shook the Turkish city of Gaziantep and reverberated back to the Czech cities of Plzen and Příbram. The Turkish Football Club, Gaziantepspor, were training when players noticed that their Czech international teammate František... Continue Reading →
As with much of Europe, the Czech First League is in the middle of it's winter break and on recess until February. The top level of Czech Football, consisting of 16 teams competing in a 30 game season, is a highly competitive and entertaining league made up of a mix of larger and smaller scale... Continue Reading →
At the time of writing, it is almost 3 months since Gordon Strachan left his post as Scotland Manager after another failed attempt to qualify for a Major Tournament in October 2017. Since that point a small number of names and candidates have been mentioned with regard to potentially filling the vacant post, without very... Continue Reading →
The Scottish Football Association have recently announced their plans to review their current lease on Hampden Park, due to expire in 2020. The review has come amidst outcry from owners Queens Park FC, fan opinion and of course the background of a “business” decision with regard to what is best, financially, for the organisation. At... Continue Reading →
The Scottish Premiership is not a league without its detractors. Whether this be due to the one sided (two sided before Rangers' implosion) nature leading to an overly predictable end result; or the number of meaningless games for clubs safe from relegation at an early stage but without the staying power and/or stamina to challenge... Continue Reading →
As is well documented within this blog and as is common knowledge, Scotland have a recently woeful record of qualifying for Major Tournaments such as the World Cup or European Championships. Reasons behind this including bad managers, bad players, bad luck, lack of investment, lack of youth development and even the break up of the Soviet... Continue Reading →
On Monday 11 December 2017, the draw for the last 16 of this season's Champions League took place. Amid the fanfare and over-hyped ceremony, the draw threw up some intriguing and exciting ties, but also an insight into the future and potential problems or issues that we may be faced with in the coming years.... Continue Reading →
The amount of free to air football on television has decreased significantly over the last few years, accelerated by the well documented riches provided through multi million pound/Euro TV deals spanning most major European Leagues , European club, International and worldwide competitions. Many arguments could be made both for and against the power of television... Continue Reading →
For a number of years now, encompassing World Cup and European Championship qualifying campaigns where Scotland have failed to qualify, much focus or source of worry for fans has been the lack of any top quality, reliable centre backs within the Scotland team and even the Scotland squad. In the most recent qualifying campaign, Scotland's... Continue Reading →
