The NCAP Soccerball Thread

[AndyRM]

This is something I thought I'd never say, but 'Mon the Hibees.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68549775

Actually taking a stand against the Sectarian pish we've endured from Rangers or Celtic is a bold move. Their behaviour when they come to town has been an absolute disgrace, totally over-looked by the powers that be for as long as I can remember. It gets brushed under the carpet with "It's just a few bad apples" but it really isn't, not when you've got swathes of fans joining in, spurred on in the knowledge that the police do f*ck all because they outnumber them massively.

In recent memory as a Killie fan, Celtic fans destroyed a whole section of seating in the away stand, and Rangers fans literally ran over the enclosure for our disabled supporters for a pitch invasion in a largely irrelevant match like they'd won the league.

We restricted their ticket allocation a while ago, which wasn't really made a big deal off because Killie are only a wee provincial club, but with one of the big city boys taking a stand something might actually be done.

 

[spen666]

This is something I thought I'd never say, but 'Mon the Hibees.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68549775

Actually taking a stand against the Sectarian pish we've endured from Rangers or Celtic is a bold move. Their behaviour when they come to town has been an absolute disgrace, totally over-looked by the powers that be for as long as I can remember. It gets brushed under the carpet with "It's just a few bad apples" but it really isn't, not when you've got swathes of fans joining in, spurred on in the knowledge that the police do f*ck all because they outnumber them massively.

In recent memory as a Killie fan, Celtic fans destroyed a whole section of seating in the away stand, and Rangers fans literally ran over the enclosure for our disabled supporters for a pitch invasion in a largely irrelevant match like they'd won the league.

We restricted their ticket allocation a while ago, which wasn't really made a big deal off because Killie are only a wee provincial club, but with one of the big city boys taking a stand something might actually be done.

I too applaud the stance taken by Hibs.

Sadly though, its probably not going to achieve much because football fans of any club will defend their own fans no matter how abhorrent they behave.

in the last week, Darlington fan threw a flare onto pitch at home game against Scunthorpe ( attendance at home 1802) and 4 days later away at Spennymoor. Crowd 2400+ of which 820 were Darlington fans in separate segregated section.

In neither incident has the perpetrator(s) been identified by their fellow fans. Some idea no doubt that identifying them is grassing. The consequences for Darlington could be ground closure or a heavy fine. Given they are a fan owned and financed club, the fans are going to be left to pick up the tab for this.

Still no one has come forward to identify the perpetrators

I should be fair and say that on social media there has been condemnation of the behaviour from many Darlington fans, but those who know who did it are staying quiet

 

[The Crofted Crest]

After a player got hit on the head with a lighter, the Duch FA introduced a rule that if anything was thrown on the pitch the game would be suspended for 15 minutes. A seond object on the pitch would lead to a fine and the abandonment of the game (the remaining minutes being played later behind closed doors). A couple games have been suspended and far fewer plastic beer glasses get thrown about.

 

[AndyRM]

After a player got hit on the head with a lighter, the Duch FA introduced a rule that if anything was thrown on the pitch the game would be suspended for 15 minutes. A seond object on the pitch would lead to a fine and the abandonment of the game (the remaining minutes being played later behind closed doors). A couple games have been suspended and far fewer plastic beer glasses get thrown about.

I didn't know that. Great idea!

 

[The Crofted Crest]

I didn't know that. Great idea!

One result was that Feyenoord, where the lighter/head interaction took place, immediately placed netting all round the stadium. Utrecht have been taken off the pitch twice to my knowledge.

 

[Mr Celine]

Their behaviour when they come to town has been an absolute disgrace, totally over-looked by the powers that be for as long as I can remember.

They're no better at home. I haven't been to Ibrox for over thirty years and have no intention of ever going again.

I've been to Parkhead several times but only once seen Celtic there, the best other visits being the 2014 cup final and Prince in 1992.

 

[AndyRM]

They're no better at home. I haven't been to Ibrox for over thirty years and have no intention of ever going again.

I've been to Parkhead several times but only once seen Celtic there, the best other visits being the 2014 cup final and Prince in 1992.

They're worse at home.

The truly pathetic thing is that it's got to the point where most of them probably don't have a clue what they're singing or talking about.

Still, it's always funny when they get humped in Europe and then start bleating about the disparity in budgets and whatnot. Welcome to how the rest of us feel fellas!

 

[AndyRM]

Well they didn't get humped, but literally the second sentence out of Clement's mouth was "Hard playing against teams with a much bigger budget" post match.

 

[The Crofted Crest]

I had a similar conversation with Juffrouw Croftie this morning when she complained that Aston Villa had a far bigger budget than Ajax. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha and ha!

 

[AndyRM]

I had a similar conversation with Juffrouw Croftie this morning when she complained that Aston Villa had a far bigger budget than Ajax. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha and ha!

A few years ago I'd have been surprised by that, but the budgets for the "bigger" EPL sides these days are astronomical. Villa were helped of course by getting £100m for Grealish and the huge investment they made a couple of seasons ago is starting to pay off.

Of course, a bigger budget (my team Killie got knocked out by a part time side on our first European adventure in 20 years a couple seasons ago) isn't always a guarantee of success, but it certainly helps.

In a way I can understand how frustrating it must be as a fan of a big club in a small pond, but that goes both ways. I'm not jealous that Rangers and Celtic (individually) dwarf every other club in Scotland's combined budget, I've long accepted that. But they can hardly complain about the league not being competitive enough when both of them hoover up everyone else's best players and leave them to sit on the bench. Or buy fancy foreign imports who sometimes work but are often expensive mistakes.

 

[The Crofted Crest]

Season budgets for the Eredivisie, 2023-2024​

1. Ajax: 140.000.000
2. Feyenoord: 110.000.000
3. PSV: 100.000.000
4. FC Twente: 35.000.000
5. AZ: 34.000.000
6. FC Utrecht: 28.000.000
7. Vitesse: 26.000.000
8. sc Heerenveen: 19.000.000
9. Sparta: 15.000.000
10. NEC: 14.500.000
11. PEC Zwolle: 14.500.000
12. Heracles: 14.000.000
13. Go Ahead Eagles: 12.000.000
14. Almere City FC: 11.000.000
15. Fortuna Sittard: 11.000.000
16. FC Volendam: 10.500.000
17. RKC: 9.000.000
18. Excelsior: 8.500.000

Of course, a bigger budget (my team Killie got knocked out by a part time side on our first European adventure in 20 years a couple seasons ago) isn't always a guarantee of success, but it certainly helps.

Utrecht last got knocked out of Europe by a bunch of postmen and students from Luxembourg, of all places. And got knocked out of the Dutch cup last season by a Sunday afternoon parks football team.

 

[AndyRM]

Season budgets for the Eredivisie, 2023-2024​

1. Ajax: 140.000.000
2. Feyenoord: 110.000.000
3. PSV: 100.000.000
4. FC Twente: 35.000.000
5. AZ: 34.000.000
6. FC Utrecht: 28.000.000
7. Vitesse: 26.000.000
8. sc Heerenveen: 19.000.000
9. Sparta: 15.000.000
10. NEC: 14.500.000
11. PEC Zwolle: 14.500.000
12. Heracles: 14.000.000
13. Go Ahead Eagles: 12.000.000
14. Almere City FC: 11.000.000
15. Fortuna Sittard: 11.000.000
16. FC Volendam: 10.500.000
17. RKC: 9.000.000
18. Excelsior: 8.500.000


Utrecht last got knocked out of Europe by a bunch of postmen and students from Luxembourg, of all places. And got knocked out of the Dutch cup last season by a Sunday afternoon parks football team.

Yeah, that about mirrors the SPFL in terms of disparity.

Although, forgive my ignorance of the difference in punctuation, but doesn't that mean Ajax's budget is 140m Euro? Because Celtic's is 'only' £22m.

 

[The Crofted Crest]

Yeah, that about mirrors the SPFL in terms of disparity.

Although, forgive my ignorance of the difference in punctuation, but doesn't that mean Ajax's budget is 140m Euro? Because Celtic's is 'only' £22m.

Yes, 140 million euros.
Points between thousands and decimal commas. (They're European, we have to make allowances.)

 

[AndyRM]

Yes, 140 million euros.
Points between thousands and decimal commas. (They're European, we have to make allowances.)

I did think that, sorry, I was muddling up the leagues and still had Celtic/Rangers in my head...

Villa's playing budget is something like £117m so they're pretty close. But they also have some of the highest losses in Europe so if Everton were in trouble this season, I'd be a bit worried if I was a Villa fan.

 

[The Crofted Crest]

I shall never tire of remembering this match.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_buHZFEP7w