Here we go people! For those of you who haven't seen the DVD that Mikey Tamba produced, then here it is. It's about 18 minutes long (!!!!!) so enjoy it over lunch. It may take a bit long to load depending on your connection. If you are on dial-up, I'd just not bother!
Now for the warnings. We're shite. There are no two ways about it. I was shocked when I first saw it. I felt that our games were getting better and were played at a fast pace, well they say the camera never lies (and adds ten pounds) so we're all slow, unskilled, fatties.
Enjoy!
Quick tip - if the film seems jerky, then just hit pause and leave it to load of a while. Go make a cup of tea or something. When you come back, more of the movie should have loaded and it won't catch up on itself and go jerky again. You can click at the beginning of the timeline to start if from the beginning again.
No hat this week as there wasn't one in the office, so we resolted to the Plastic Bag of Dooooooom (still scarey eh?). Only one name to come out as Martie will be living the high life in Basingstoke on Wednesday, and that name was Jon!
Teams to follow at some point before Wednesday 5pm :)
Last week we had 34 goals. This week, only 15 - and each one was hard fought for! There was nothing between both sides for the first 45 minutes - both Gordo and Foxy pulling off Lovenkrands-esque top corner belters and some strong defending from both sides.
With only 15 minutes to go it was 4-4 after my "controversial" goal (pah!) and then the Foxy v Creeky corner battle which was won by the Fox and led to Alan slotting the equalizer. After that, the Mincers dug in deep and pulled a few goals ahead but the final score doesn't reflect how close the game really was.
MOTM is up as are the stats and the FFF table. Next week we seem to have a full compliment again so the HoD will be back - those effected will be notified on Monday. If anyone can't play please let me know ASAP.
Two of the squad are very lucky boys indeed and get to go to the Villarreal game tonight! So with Martie and Stuart watching the mighty Gers start their bit to reach the last eight, we shall start our bid to make this week's game a bit closer then last time round.
The teams were originally picked between Gordo and Foxy but I stepped in and changed them at the last minute to try and balance things out. Hope this meets to everyone's approval.
That boy Tamba, or "The Scribe" as Si dubbed him yesterday, has released another one of his Iain-bashing match reports - and a cracker it is too - even though it fails to mention anything from the match! Part one of two!
7-0 down before we even looked like scoring, but when we did, they cam thick and fast until the score was 8-7 (or similar). Then it went to 9-7 and I began to think we'd hit the bogey seven goals for the losing side, but on the game went. Another Christian goal line controversy which went his way this week, followed up by a penalty for the Mincers which Stuart calmly slotted past the Si-man - last night had everything. Except a win for me - bah! It finished 19-15 which is the biggest goal haul we've had for a while.
MOTM is up and again, there is no link to the results. However, once you've votes, just bookmark the address if you want to check back and see how it's coming. Also, please remember to leave a comment. Stats will be up in a little bit. As for the video, as soon as there is anything to show, I'll let you know.
Next week, as far as I know, we are back to twelve so the Hat will be in full effect. Just to keep you up to date, there are still 6 names in the Hat - Me, Craigo, Si, Jon, Neil and Karl.
OK, here's the deal. Alan and I were pulled out of the Hat of Dooooom. Then Karl got a sore throat and decided it was best not to play. So, being the generous chap I am, let Alan take his place seeing as he was on holiday the last few days and was expecting to play anyway.
I went to see Alan first thing to let him know in case he'd already checked the site (which wasn't updated with this information as I was very busy). Alan, however, had checked the site when he got back to the house from his holiday (what a trooper!) and so didn't bring his kit! Oops! My bad!
However, the dedicated Fitbawer that I am, I brought my kit just in case (I was going to the gym after work anyway so I only had in include my boots as well). So, Alan is now officially out of the Hat, but I am back in (boo), but I get to play (yeah!).
So, with all this swapping around, the teams that I had to go will have to be re-thunked. Check back later today for team news (nearer lunchtime).
UPDATE - Teams are up. They were particularly tricky to pick this week so I hope it'll be an even game. Also, I hope you've all polished your boots and has a shave, as tonight's game will be televised! Mikey Tamba will be bringing down his video camera to record the game tonight!
So it had to happen finally and today it did. David "Sticky Fingers" Gibson plucked my name from the hat! His accomplice who will remain anonymous, pulled Alan's name. It's a bit hard on Alan, as he's away on holiday at the moment and only gets back into the office on Wednesday, but at least it'll give his ankle another week to toughen up!
Well that bugger isn't allowed to play three games in a row again. I don't know if it was because he'd spent Monday and Tuesday's games getting his eye in, or maybe it was because he was so tired that he didn't have the energy to balloon it over the bar, but almost every ball he hit was a rifling shot into the top corner from the half way line!
Dick.
Anyway, that would be the main difference between the two teams. That and the fact that we were having real difficulty finding a way through the Mincers' defense and when we finally did, Stuart seemed to ping the bar, or I'd run too far past what was a useful shot. A few folk have said that the score line is a bit flattering to the Mince team so I'll go along with that but it would be fair to say that we were well and truly beaten. Still a good game to play but fooking hard work - David was in goals most of the night as he had a cold so no rest for us Tatties!
The stats and FFF have all been updated and the MOTM poll is up too. You may notice that there is no "Current Results" link anymore. I think that is a good idea so votes cannot be influenced. You'll see the results when you vote and when all the voting is done, I'll add the link back in so everyone can see what the chat was.
So, onto next week. Could I please have a roll call for those who weren't playing to let me know if they'll be fit or not. At the moment, Foxy, Neil, Jon and Martie should be back in, but I need to know about the injuries - Alan and Creeky. Will the Hat of Dooooom come back into effect? Find out soon!
Alan - went over on his ankle on Monday night's game
Creeky - pulled a muscle in the top of his leg
IN!
Donny - numero uno reservo makes his first appearance of the season
Tamba - the original Hardcore comes in for game number two
Big Dave - Gordo's mate with the golden touch fills the penultimate spot
SEPA David - Uber keeper makes a last minute dash off the bench to fill the final slot! Thanks to David for filling in and Si for rounding him up.
Frickin' nightmare this week people! Two drop outs yesterday!! If we can't get anyone else to step in, then Creeky says he should be OK to play in goals all night - thanks big man! Si is on the hunt for another player so check back later for an update.
I reckon the DC guys looked a lot fitter than last time but, unfortunately, I think we were a bit faster too. At least this time it wasn't raining! I was obviously picked out as the danger man in my team by the IDOX Taliban, as they started off by hacking me to the ground and trying to give me a dead leg. I'll just take that as a compliment! But with Gordo, Craig and Karl running all over the shop, Alan mopping up in defense and Big Creeky pinching every ball in the midfield (not to mention his great crossing!), we just managed to sneak those few extra goals to win! ;)
For the IDOX TB, Big Ryan "Alan" Shearer was working his magic up the wing while Jan has a shot on him like a mule! The new slimline Ian worked the midfield and Captain Paul was his usual self - running all the way through to goal and finishing with a blistering shot. New boy Garath is a great find for a keeper - he must have saved a bundle not to mention the three in a row save. Didn't one of them come off his knackers and he still saved the next one?
If you want to vote for your Man of the Match, then use the wee poll below. There's a chance Creeky may write a small match report if he gets time. Thanks for the game all and I look forward to the next encounter!
Seven again for the losing side last night - the run continues! Another really good, close game last night with both side fighting really hard til the end. There was a small lull 3/4 of the way through but apart from that, it was end to end stuff.
It's sat at 6-4 to the Mincers for almost 15 minutes until we had another wee run of goals towards the end after the "goal line" incident. On that matter, how I see it was that Creeky thought he'd saved it and Craig and Gordo saw it as a goal. When that happens, I have to assume that everyone is being honest and so if two people saw it and thought it was a goal then the goal stands. It's no reflection on the Big Man as I'm sure he thought he saved it but majority rules. So the goals stands which left the Mincers three up at the end.
Someone has pointed out since I started this that the final score might have been 11-8 but that ruins the whole theme of this post so I deduct a goal from both teams for stroppy shouting! ;) Read all about it in Creeky's match report which should follow later today. MOTM is up as well for your voting pleasure.
Next week, as well as Foxy and Neil being unavailable, Jon is going to the Strokes gig and canny play. That means that not only is there no hat, we are on the lookout for a reserve. The chances are that our good friend Donny will be making his first appearance of the season. Teams will be up next week when numbers have been confirmed.