Tag: Ross County

Week 4 Recap: A Long Still Silence

Week 4 Recap: A Long Still Silence

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores and Recaps

Ross County 0 v Hearts 0

The Staggies season seemed auspicious when they fought for a draw in Edinburgh early in the season, but the calamitous collapse of Hearts has made it seem like less of a quality result each week.

Desperate for a win Hearts came to Dingwall looking to stanch the bleeding in their potentially lost season. Ross County had the better opportunities all night long including multiple Billy McKay chances that just came to nought. It says something about both teams that newly promoted, tiny Ross County was clearly better and ought to be disappointed not to take 3 points against one of the glamour teams in Scottish soccer history.

Then again, maybe Hearts just got a lousy pep talk.

Insert Succession Reference here.

Universidad de Guadalajara 1 v Alebrijes de Oaxaca 0

The return of Liga MX Acenso could have been a celebration for first half champions Alebrijes away from home. Instead it was a frenetic affair with many chances for the home side, and even more frenzy when things exploded in the 66th minute.

Omar Bravo clocked Mario Orozco, and Giovanni Leon responded with a shove of his own that escalated to a mini-melee. I’m the end Bravo and Leon were dismissed, and the match restarted with a different shape.

The change in tactics gave the Black Lions an advantage they did not waste. Without a center back, and with their left back Orozco hurting, the defense fell apart even more. In the 81st minute Jose Hernandez struck to give the hosts a victory and start Alebrijes’ second half of the season on the wrong foot.

Legon Cities FC 1 v Bechem United 0

After three matches without a goal and two underwhelming performances in their new home, the Royals didn’t take long to change their fortunes in Accra. In what can best described as an attempted trick play, two Legon Cities players feigned an argument over who would take a 5th minute free kick, only for Abdul Karim Jabila to strike it clean and true past the Bechem keeper.

Striking quickly to start the game gave some the feeling that the Royals were about to blast off. Instead, they were again unlucky not to score another despite numerous strong chances.

Still a win is a win, and the Royals fans don’t mind if it was five minutes of fun and 85 more of fear.

Grenoble Foot 38 0 v Chambly 0 (Men)

The most engaging thing in this game was
learning about all the sponsors for Chambly

Grenoble Foot continued their goalless 2020 with a torpid affair at home against Chambly. The result was their league leading 12th tie of the campaign and kept their goals for/against at a delightfully relevant 20-20

Freiburg 0 v Paderborn 2

After a rip-roaring return to action last week, the Breisgauer might be accused of taking bottom of the table Paderborn too lightly, and they paid for it at home Saturday.

The same strategy of long crosses to hopeful heads was far less successful against the bigger Paderborn defense. Some opportune goal scoring was all the last-place side needed as even going down a man wasn’t enough to help Freiburg over the line

Celtic 3 v Ross County 0

Given that the previous installment had ended 6-0 to the Green-Hooped Gods of Glasgow, this result might feel like a big step up for the Staggies.

It was a close run affair until a late first half penalty allowed Callum McGregor to put the Hoops ahead. But the second half belonged to diminutive Odsonne Édouard who netted his 15th and 16th goals of the campaign just in time to inspire some last minute transfer bids. Glad we could help.

Grenoble Foot 38 1 – Lille 2 (Women’s League)

Credit: Julien Diaferia

The Grenobloise managed as many goals as the men’s teams combined this weekend, but it wasn’t enough to see off Lille.. the result brought much delight to your uncle Simon, who likes Lille much as I like Grenoble. Only, I–of course–am right.

News & Notes

Minerva Punjab FC Owner Urges Youth Investment

Ranjit Bajaj cuts an outsized figure promoting soccer in a cricket mad subcontinent. Unapologetic and provocative, he believes whole heartedly in youth training. (His Minerva Punjab training camp reluctantly rebranded the first team this session to expand beyond their own tight knit community to the whole state.)

On the “Rupeeball Podcast” Bajaj took time to reaffirm his love for youth training. His ardent belief in cutting out fees to make coaching easier for others is a basic plan for improvement. The big dream though, World Cup 2036,requires a bit more: national agreement to offer top notch coaching to five year olds in academies. That may seem staggering but frankly, I’m for anything that gives more young people a harsh reed educatin

What’s Next

Wednesday, January 29

2:30 AM–Punjab FC V Neroca FC

1:45 PM–Rangers V Ross County

Thursday, January 30

8:30PM–Alebrijes de Oaxaca V Cimarrones

Friday, January 31

1:00 PM Troyes V Grenoble Foot 38 (M)

Saturday, February 1

7:00 AM (Friendly) Rosenberg BK v Stjørdals Blink

9:00 AM Kilmarnock V Ross County

Sunday February 2

8:30 AM Koln v SC Freiburg

TBD: Grenoble (F) v. Arras (Cup Quarter Finals)

Monday February 3

1:45 Grenoble (M) V Le Havre

Week 3 Recap: Points for Style

Week 3 Recap: Points for Style

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Scores and Recaps

Punjab FC 1 – Mohun Bagan 1

Welcoming the league leaders to Ludhiana, Punjab had a great opportunity to inject some drama into the title race. An early goal from Asier Dipanda offered exactly that possibility. Stout defense for 88 minutes made it much more of a probability. But, Subha Ghosh’s late equalizer left everyone with a point and the guys in gray 3 points behind despite an extra game.

Legon Cities FC 0 – Ashanti Gold 0

It was Ladie’s Night, and the feeling was right. It was Ladie’s Night. Oh, what a night….for another goalless outing by the Royals.

On the plus side there was another great concert.

Mainz 05 1 – SC Freiburg 2

The official return to league action saw Freiburg take the field in a purple kit that might best be described as: dueling highlighters.

The team provided their own highlights with a pair of pretty side volleys in the first half to leave the home side chasing the match and earn a convincing win to start the year.

Ayr United 1 – Ross County 0

The Staggies started their year by falling out of another cup competition. Debutants Jordan Tillson and Coll Donaldson offered strength in the back, but the Honest Men of Ayr were honestly better and took the victory.

Aduana Stars 2 – Legon Cities FC 0

Even the normally indefatigable LCFC media team struggled to find silver linings here. A pair of free kicks saw the Stars to victory, including an admitted howler from Legon’s keeper Prosper Gbeku.

Punjab FC 3 – Gokulam FC 1

The guys in gray with gratitude

At the same time Baby Owen broke his poop less diaper streak, the Punjabi Warriors broke their winless streak.

As I rocked Owen, bottle in hand and soothing shh-es on blast, Sergio Barboza scored and danced. And when Owen dozed off, Asier Dipanda braved himself for a second half brace to seal the victory.

It may be coincidence, but just in case I’m going to need Punjab FC to win a match every night. Please and thank you.

News & Notes

Any Man in Possession of a Love of Soccer Must be in Want of a Women’s Team to Root For

While I always make a point of bringing up the University of Montana Lady Griz, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge and recognize that many of the clubs I’ve included here also feature a women’s team in competition. I’ll do my best to track down data and results for them too. So when SC Freiburg and Emelec Feminina return they’ll be included above, and while there are few photos and fewer highlights I’ll shout out Les Femmes de Grenoble Foot who won 4-2 at the start of the year against Olympique de Valence.

In the meantime, please appreciate the Lady Griz keeping warm in a Montanan winter with squash games

Minnesota United Corners Kiwi Market

As for our local XI, the thinking seems to be to expand the club vision from Minnesota, to the Upper Midwest, and then just outside of Wellington.

In addition to international center back Michael Boxall, the Loons drafted fullback Noah Billingsly, then signed Central Midfielder James Musa. This means that the rest of the team will need to binge Flight of the Conchords as soon as possible to keep up on references.

Transfer Roundup

Minnesota did the most adding this week with the two Kiwis plus Los Angeles goalkeeper Tyler Miller and homegrown goalkeeper Fred Emmings.

Across the pond there were mostly departures, as Rosenborg waved farewell to stalwart Midfielder Mike Jensen who spent 7 years in Trondheim before heading to Cyprus. (Olaus Skarsem and Djordje Denic also left Lerkendal).

Ross County’s young midfield star Mark Gallagher looks on the cusp of a move to Aberdeen (the pereptual bridesmaid to Celtic and Rangers) and Freiburg sent Jerome Gondorf on loan to second division Karlrhuser

What’s Next

Wednesday, January 22

1:45 PM–Ross County v Hearts

Thursday, January 23

8:30 PM–Universidad de Guadalajara v Alebrijes de Oaxaca

Friday, January 24

12:00 PM–Legon Cities FC v Bechem United

1:00 PM–Grenoble v Chambly

Saturday, January 25

8:30 AM–Freiburg v Paderborn

9:00 AM– Celtic v Ross County

Week 2 Recap: And the Band Played On

Week 2 Recap: And the Band Played On

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment
Snowy practice field feels appropriate

Scores and recaps

Punjab FC 1 – Real Kashmir 1

The first game of a busy back-to-back weekend for the Warriors saw them pay a visit to one of the hottest regions in India on rather cold day.

Makan Winkle Chothe capitalized on an early attack that swirled around the Snow Leopards’ box. The young striker hammered a low cross home to give the Warriors the lead, but the team then sat back trying to keep Kashmir at bay. The persistence of Kashmir’s foriegn imports, particularly Englishman Kallum Higginbotham and Ivorian Ghnore Krizo eventually overcame Nepali keeper Kiran Kumar Limbu (who had an otherwise sterling performance)

North Indian Derby

SC Freiburg 1 – Borussia Munchengladbach 2 (in both friendlies)

Freiburg seeks to solve a problem like the defense

In gearing up for the second half of the Bundesliga season, Freiburg ran out two different squads to take on the 2nd place team in the table. The result was a pleasingly palindromic pair of matches, with Munchengladbach scoring the first two, Freiburg the next two, and Muchengladbach the last two of the day.

Sitting just 2 points off of the European league spots, Freiburg will be looking to steel their defense from a league worst 8.1 tackles per match, but Munchengladbach’s attack didn’t help them find any answers.

AC Ajaccio 3 – Grenoble Foot 38 1

As Ligue 2 returned to action, Grenoble was in dire need of an offensive jolt. There were a pair of lightning strikes, but they came from AC Ajaccio’s Gaetan Courtet who left fans reeling with a brace of beautifully struck goals.

Bright spots were few and far between for Grenoble though Jessy Benet’s first half corner was perfectly placed for a player making a run. (That it was AC Ajaccio’s Cyrille Bayala who made the run and scored the own goal is a minor note). Most frustrating was a trio of close range shots from Benet, Arsene Elogo, and Florian Raspentino that were deflected by Benjamin Leroy to stymie another attack.

Ajaccio Goals

Legon Cities FC 0 – Dreams FC 0

Another week, another wait for fans of the Royals. While there was strong support from fans in the stands, the team on the pitch couldn’t quite connect. Despite a strong showing from Sadick Sulley and a penalty cry from defend Ahmed Rahaman.

On the plus side this video is now my son Alex’s favorite song.

News and Notes

Grizzlies Don’t Brag, They Gasconade

The Lady Griz are back in training, including using squash courts to practice volleying (which is pretty clever use of resources given most Montanan winters). They’re also back in the classroom where, well, let’s just show the domination shall we?

Ps Gasconade means to boast from the French gasconner

Reunited and it Feels So Good

While a few teams are still in regular action, most others came back from their winter breaks this week with a little bonding and a lot of practice.

Aleksa Jankovic joins the Dragons

I know what you’re thinking: “I thought Aleksa Jankovic died in the 19th century after serving as prime minister before the start of the Kardordevic Dynasty, how is the reanimated corpse of that Serbian leader going to help the defense?!”

(You weren’t thinking that? Well…you should have been.)

This Alksa Jankovic is actually a 19 year old winger fresh from Belgrade rivals Partizan’s training grounds. He mostly figured in cup ties and is eager for some first team action.

Staggies Welcome 2 More

Seeking to shore up the defense, Ross County have brought in two more players including English Defensive Midfielder Jordan Tillson, and Scottish Center Back Coll Donaldson.

Tillson moves north after a series of loans out of League 2 Exeter Town, while Donaldson will switch sides in the Highland Derby, leaving Inverness CT for the boys in Dingwall.

What’s Next?

Tuesday, January 14th

2:30 AM Punjab FC v Mohun Bagan

Wednesday, January 15th

1:00 PM Legon Cities FC v Ashanti Gold

Saturday, January 18th

8:30 AM Mainz v Freiburg

9:00 AM Ayr United v Ross County (Scottish FA Cup)

Sunday, January 19th

10:00 AM Aduana Stars v Legon Cities FC

1. Dear Boys,

1. Dear Boys,

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I’ve always liked sports, but with wonky eye sight and minimal muscle mass the stories and themes made a greater impact than the scores and the stats.

In the last two years I’ve become a father to you two amazing pumpkins and as you grow and play and live in a wider world that fixates on results, I want to give you another perspective.

So, I made a place to share reflections, ideas, beliefs, and thoughts about the past, present, and future inspired by the global and personal passion that is soccer.

Starting this site seemed like the thing to do for a few reasons. I’m a talkative, bombastic, chatty person and slowing down my words has significant benefits. Publishing what I write isn’t terribly comfortable for me, but if I am going to help you face your fears of darkness and potties and cans of seltzer water that open with a loud *Kccch*, I should face my fears too.

Most of all, trite as it is, talking during and about sports can really help. The games give you a habit and an arena to talk and talk freely. When I was a kid, I gained so much from morning runs with my dad, backyard battles with my brothers, and mid-tournament talks with my mom. Heck, your mother and I announced our love for each other in the middle of a nine-part baseball documentary.

Right now you’re still learning to jump and roll over, so we’re not really ready for big conversations yet. But we have our habit in the mornings and the evenings, at the bottom of the stairs. We pull boots on and tug them off. So, welcome to the boot room.

Here, with the help of eleven teams from around the world, we can talk about what brought our family here, what shapes our world and what will inspire our values. Watching these teams shows us how to savor the moments of each match while also planning for the future; how to navigate the world at the moment and study the structures that got us here.

Our Starting XI

  1. University of Montana Lady Griz (Big Sky)
  2. Rosenborg BK (Norwegian-Elitserien)
  3. SC Freiburg (German-Bundesliga)
  4. FK Vozdovac (Serbian-Super Liga)
  5. Ross County FC (Scotland Premiership)
  6. Grenoble Foot (France Ligue 2)
  7. Legon Cities FC (Ghanaian Premeirship)
  8. Emelec (Ecuadorian Serie A)
  9. Alebrijes of Oaxaca (Mexican Ascenco MX)
  10. Minnesota United (MLS)
  11. Minerva Punjab (India I-League)
Your First XI as a Fan

For some, this might seem silly. A collection of life advice through the prism of football clubs may be the height of irrelevance. If nothing else, it will present the power of tribalism, separation, and segmentation that is the exactly what hurts us now. Why leave an account of this nonsense, or this ugliness for two young kids?

Because, put simply, you should know about ugliness and nonsense just as much as you know about beauty and truth. You should know about fracturing, fiercely independent, cultures because those are the cultures who will shape our shared world. You are unique and powerful individuals, because you live a life shaped by 11 unique and powerful communities.

Out of many you are one. You should do what you think is best, and you can use the opinions of those who’ve gone before to help guide you to that decision. You should know your history, and the histories of those who share your space. By all means, play your own way, but never forget that you’re playing with a team.

This site is built with love to show you where we’ve been, where we are, and where we could go. It’s built for you, whenever you find it.

Love, Papa