Number 7
Which of our clubs are still in European/National Cup Competitions?
Team
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Champions League
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Europa League
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FA Cup
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League Cup
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EFL Trophy
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FA Trophy
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FA Vase
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Manchester City
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Liverpool
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Everton
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Manchester United
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Burnley
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Preston North End
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Blackburn Rovers
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Wigan Athletic
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Bolton Wanderers
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Rochdale
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Fleetwood
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Oldham Athletic
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Accrington Stanley
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Morecambe
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Blackpool
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Barrow
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Southport
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AFC Fylde
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Chorley
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Salford
City
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FC
United of Manchester
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Marine
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Atherton
Collieries
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The best Burnley XI I have had the privilege to watch.
Chosen by Mick Duffy who saw his first
game in 1953
League appearances for the club in
brackets
Adam Blacklaw (318)
John Angus (438) Brian Miller
(379) Jimmy Adamson (426) Alex Elder (271)
Ralph Coates (214) Martin Dobson
(406) Jimmy McIlroy (439) Willie Morgan (195)
Ray Pointer (223) Leighton James (331)
Captain Jimmy Adamson, Manager
Sean Dyche,
Mick said that he had difficult decisions to make at goalkeeper with Colin McDonald also in the frame and possibly Tommy Cummings at centre back. Any thoughts out there?
Jimmy McIlroy
Leather
ball, leather studs and long sleeve shirts. But Jimmy Mac could make the ball
talk.
Incidentally,
following last week’s article on the best ever Manchester City side, several
fans took me up on the full back situation. Everyone agreed with Mike Ryan that
it was a problem area. Modern players such as Micah Richards and Pablo Zabaleta
were mentioned but most support was for the Scotsman, Willie Donachie.
Performances
of the last week
Carlisle United 0 Rochdale 2 (FA Cup Round 2))
Travelling
to a club from the league below who had lost just one game all season and were
unbeaten at home is always a big ask. This was the task awaiting Rochdale in
the FA Cup as they journeyed north to take on Carlisle United but they coped
with it admirably. Second half goals from Steve Davies and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing
saw them through to a third round tie, together with the welcome boost of £27,000
from the FA Cup Prize Fund.
Everton 1 Manchester United 1 (Premier
League)
On
a dreadful weekend for our Tier 1 and 2 clubs, Everton probably gained most
satisfaction from rescuing a draw at home to Manchester United. Ibrahimovic had
given United a first half lead but Leighton Baines, just one of the 5
Englishmen out of the 22 who started, replied with a late penalty. It was a
highly disputed decision but United’s Rojo had drop kicked Gueye and remained
on the pitch, so bad decisions as usual evened themselves out.
Leighton Baines, Goodison's penalty king
Penrith 0 Atherton Collieries 3 (FA
Vase)
The
2016-17 season has been dire for the North West Counties League in the
“Buildbase FA Vase” and Atherton Collieries are its only representatives in the
last 32. They too had a northerly journey; to Penrith against Northern League
opposition. They controlled most of the game although all of the goals were scored
in the second half, the first from Matty Grimshaw followed by a double from
Jason Cover. This was the Wigan side’s fourth game in the competition and they
have yet to concede a goal. Incidentally Bootle went down at the death in
Cleethorpes, having led until the 87th minute before conceding 2
late goals.
Bristol Rovers 1 Barrow 2 (FA Cup
Round 2)
For
the second time in a week, Barrow makes this column. Bristol Rovers were 2
divisions and 40 places above them, but Byron Harrison scored in each half as “The
Bluebirds” held on to take the spoils. The 29 year old has scored goals a
plenty in a career spanning numerous non-league and league 1 and 2 clubs. He
has been on fire on the Cumbrian coast, netting 13 in his previous 10 games.
Barrow last lost on August 20th and a number of clubs will not fancy
playing at Holker Street on a cold, January Saturday in Round 3.
Games
to look forward to this week
Preston North End v Blackburn Rovers (Championship),
Saturday 5.30.
It’s
another local derby where East Lancs travels to Central Lancs. The Rovers were
virtually outclassed by Huddersfield on Saturday but Owen Coyle might just have
stumbled upon a new central defensive pairing in Mulgrew and Lenihan as they
gritted their teeth and hung on for a draw. Meanwhile PNE were guilty of
handing Wednesday the points on a plate as two of their strikers virtually carried
out an act of fratricide. They will have a point to prove under the Deepdale
lights and sadly, I fancy anyone against the Rovers at the moment. But unbeaten
in three might just be heralding a chink of light at the end of a very long
tunnel.
Burnley v Bournemouth (Premier League),
Saturday.
If
Burnley is to survive for another Premier League season, 26 points more points are
required. As it seems almost impossible for them to win or even draw away from
home, they have to win 8 out of their remaining 12 home games and hope for a
couple of draws on their travels. Their
south coast rivals are as equally inept away from The Vitality Stadium but “The
Cherries” will be buoyed by their incredible second half performance against
Liverpool. The Clarets have to give everything and more to secure the points on
Saturday.
Rainhill Town v Newton (West Cheshire League
Division 1), Saturday.
This
is a massive 6 pointer, the type that we all love. If Rainhill is serious
about winning the league, it must beat this Wirral side which is 6 points
behind but has 5 games in hand.
Rochdale v Scunthorpe (League 1),
Saturday.
The
problem with success on a shoestring is that every game becomes a cup final. Since
the Football League ceased to be regionalised in 1958, Rochdale’s highest
placing is 8th in League 1 in 2014-15. In those 58 years, they have
only reached the 3rd Round of the FA Cup on 11 occasions. Currently they
are 5th in the table and have reached the 3rd Round of
the Cup. Scunthorpe has been the surprise packet amongst all the 92 clubs this
season, 4 points clear at the head of the table, but a win for Dale would see
the Play-offs come a step closer.
Quiz
of the Week (Answers at the foot of the
Blog)
All of the answers have Red Rose
County connections
1
Who
did Manchester City buy from Preston North End for a then club record fee of
£5million in 2002?
2
Who,
between 2011 and 2013, scored 41 league goals in 82 appearances for Burnley?
3
Which
current Everton player has been capped 42 times for the Republic of Ireland?
4
From
which local professional club did Manchester United sign Denis Irwin in 1990?
Denis Irwin, a snip at £625,000
5
Which
current Watford player scored Wigan Athletic’s winning goal v Manchester City
in the 2013 FA Cup Final?
6
England
International Martin Dobson, Burnley legend Stan Ternent and current Cardiff
City boss Neil Warnock have all managed which Red Rose County club?
7
Which
current Football League club won the Lancashire Combination 4 times in the 60s?
8
In
2013-14, Liverpool gloriously failed to win the Premier League. Luis Suarez
scored 31 league goals but who was second leading scorer with 21?
Luis Suarez after one of his 6 Premier
League hat-tricks
9
Until
2006, Arsenal played at Highbury Stadium but which Red Rose County club started
playing at another Highbury Stadium in 1934 and still does?
10
Ben Woodburn’s goal for Liverpool at the age
of 17 captured all the mid-week
headlines but which prolific ex-Manchester United striker scored a Premier
League goal for West Ham United at the age of 40 in 2006?
Post Weekend
Musings
Will
Saturday’s thriller at The Etihad become something of a prediction changer for
end of season honours in the Premier League? There is still a long way to go,
but this was some statement from West London and does it ask questions about
City’s temperament?
Following
the semi-final draw for the EFL Cup, the odds must be heavily in favour of an
all Red Rose County final. The reds of both Liverpool (v Southampton) and
Manchester (v Hull) can make it the seventh time that this has happened since
the competition was first rolled out in 1961, the second occasion in successive
years. The Merseysiders have so far been involved on five of the six previous
occasions, winning four, and revenge will be on their mind after their narrow
defeat to the sky blue half of Manchester last season.
Of
importance to football at Tiers 8 and 9, the North West Counties League has
announced the 7 clubs applying for promotion to the Northern Premier League
North. They include Bootle, Atherton Collieries, AFC Liverpool and Padiham from
the Red Rose County. Only one club will be promoted, the team finishing first
providing it meets the ground grading criteria. At the moment only Atherton and
Bootle appear to have a chance of becoming champions.
Few
situations in football are as embarrassing as two players from your own side
scrapping on the field. On Saturday at Hillsborough, Beckford and Doyle of
Preston North End had a real showdown in the last few minutes of the game. Wednesday,
down to 10 men were reeling and rocking on the ropes, desperately trying to cling
on to a 2-1 lead. The two combatants were immediately despatched to the changing
room by the referee, North End returning home empty handed. Not unnaturally,
manager Simon Grayson was furious. Dressing room harmony? Who needs opponents
when you have team mates like these two?
Eoin Doyle; it was certainly unlucky 13 for
him on Saturday
I received some stick for not
selecting Simon Garner in my best ever Rovers XI. The basic objection centred
on me omitting a club legend who, with 168 league goals, is the club’s record
scorer, way ahead of Alan Shearer et al. My argument was that he never played in
the Premier League whereas Chris Sutton was without doubt a top level player.
It’s a difficult one but I appreciate the criticism because it always stimulates
discussion.
You
do not have to possess a degree in psychology to know why the vast majority likes
Jürgen Klopp and struggles with Jose Mourinho. Forget football allegiances for
a moment; concentrate on them as human beings. Some may prefer the brooding,
enigmatic Heathcliff figure that the Portuguese projects but in terms of
engagement, decency and sincerity, there can only be one winner. Klopp must
have hurt so much inside when his team capitulated at Bournemouth but did he
hide and then blame the referee and the media? He hugged and congratulated as
many opposition players that he could find. It was warm, it was heartfelt, it
was genuine; words that appropriately describe the ex-Dortmund boss.
Change
of leader in the Manchester Premier League as Rochdale Sacred Heart lost 2-0 at
Royton Town, enabling Wythenshawe Amateurs to leapfrog over them into the top
spot.
Tier 11 Club of the Week
Denton Town, where progress is slow
but steady
Denton, not
the imaginary haunt of villains where Inspector Jack Frost solved murders by
the score, is a small town 5 miles to the east of Manchester. Once in
Lancashire, it is now part of the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside and its
football club plays in the Cheshire Premier League. The club has slowly risen
through the leagues and is now in its 6th year at Tier 11. Its
highest finish was 4th in 2011-12 and the home venue is at the
town’s Whittles Park where a brand new club house has recently been opened. The
club colours are red and black striped shirts
and black shorts (can you picture AC Milan or AFC Bournemouth?) and the best
performance this season was a 3-0 win at 2nd placed Wythenshawe
Town. So it’s just a middle of the road club in a middle of the table league position,
but much hard work takes place on and off the pitch to both sustain a football
club and to fuel the ambition to one day bring semi-professional football to
the town.
Quiz Answers
1
Jon Macken 2 Charlie
Austin 3 Seamus
Coleman 4 Oldham
Athletic 5 Ben
Watson
6 Bury FC 7 Morecambe
FC 8 Daniel
Sturridge 9 Fleetwood
FC 10 Teddy
Sheringham
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