Old News - April 2007
27th Apr 07. Portadown game now a must win - Larne have just been relegated from the Irish Premier League after being found guilty of playing Padraig Gollogley. The club have had 19 points deducted and also been fined £8,000, £500 for each game the defender played in. Assuming Cliftonville will now be awarded a 1-0 win in place of the 0-0 draw with Larne at Solitude last month, that brings them level on points with ourselves, and should the Reds as expected despatch Limavady United at Solitude tomorrow, nothing less than a win at Portadown will see the Glens qualify for the UEFA Cup. Larne do have the right of appeal, and say they will do on Monday morning, but rarely if ever do you see the IFA rescind a decision ... unless FIFA tell them to of course ;-) Ballymac's bus leaves Wilgar Street for the last time this season at 1.30pm, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the visitors who have supported our buses throughout the season, and look forward to welcoming you all back on board for one final time tomorrow.
Match Betting: Portadown 7/4, Glentoran 5/4, and a draw 12/5. All odds supplied by TOALS bookmakers.
26th Apr 07. Latest I hear is the Irish Premier League held an emergency meeting tonight in an effort to sort out Larne's Gollogley registration debacle, before the end of the season descends into chaos! No idea yet how it went.
** It's ok, relax, the IFA/IFL are well on top of it, a decision is expected Friday night ... pending a ******* appeal !!!
Wee Glens close in on Double - The Glentoran U16 side are just 3 wins and 6 days away from a Lisburn League & Cup Double. With 2 games left in the Title race they lie 2 points behind Linfield with a game less played. First up this Saturday morning (9.30am) is Larne at Suffolk, knowing a win there would set them up for an all or nothing tie with Windsor Youth on Monday night (6.30pm) at Fullerton Park Dunmurry for the Title. And as if that wasn't pressure enough, four days later on Friday 4th May they face Shankill Juniors at Ballymacash Rangers ground Rushmore (7.00pm) in the Lisburn Cup Final! If you can make any of the three games the wee Glens would be delighted to have your support, and you could use the opportunity to run your eye over the Glentoran stars of the future!
25th Apr 07. Ok, just so there's no misunderstanding ... YA CAN PAY IN AT PORTADOWN ON SATURDAY!!!!
23rd Apr 07. Be afraid ... be very afraid! Northern Ireland's Intertoto Cup representatives have just been drawn against Dinaburg Daugavpils of Latvia, 120 miles south of capital Riga in the ar$ehole of nowhere! Away leg on 30th June/1st July, the winners away to Belgium the following week ... the winners of that tie off to Denmark 2 weeks later!!!
... and now it's 3 points to be sure! News that the Glens could suffer repercussions as a result of a registration blunder is hardly new is it, but the fact that the blunder may have been made by some other club this time certainly is! The latest saga surrounding Larne's alleged 'illegal' signing of Padraig Gollogley in November last year remains unresolved this morning, and the irony should be lost on no-one that should Larne be found guilty, the team who could suffer most (outside of Larne) could be us!! Larne claim they have written clearance from the IFA to play Gollogley, but grey areas remain, and nobody should need reminding more than Glentoran fans that where the IFA's concerned you take absolutely nothing for granted!! Worst case scenario for the Glens is that Cliftonville are awarded all 3 points when they gained only one in a 0-0 draw at home to Larne on March 17th, a game in which Gollogley played. Those 2 extra points would bring the Reds level on points with the Glens in the table going into next weeks final games, but although the Glens remain ahead on a vastly superior goal difference, with Cliftonville's last game at home to Limavady United, it would then mean we must beat Portadown at Shamrock Park on Saturday to be sure of that UEFA Cup spot! You'd like to think the IFA would let everybody know the situation before the weekend kick-offs wouldn't you? Never friggin rains does it!
Many thanks ... to all those who supported the Ballymac's "Night at the Races" on Saturday night, the lads from Freelance, Bangor, Welders, and anyone else I might have missed, a great night was had by all. GiddyUp ;-)
21st Apr 07. Cliftonville 1 Glentoran 2 - A goal down after 3 minutes, and looking like same again :-( But a 6-yard strike from Gazza on the hour mark brought the Glens level, before Kyle Neill netted the winner from the spot just 12 minutes from time! All roads now lead to Portadown next Saturday, when even a draw now will be good enough to secure second spot in the League, but much more importantly, a place for the Glens in the 2007-08 UEFA Cup!
Cliftonville game - This one's for over 13 grand, the difference in revenue between the Interdodo and the UEFA Cup. We could know by 4.45pm. Ballymac's bus leaves Wilgar Street around 2 o'clock, I'm sure there'll be plenty of room. Match Betting: Cliftonville 8/5, Glentoran 8/5, and a draw 2/1. All odds supplied by TOALS bookmakers.
19th Apr 07. "However, there have been plus points to our season too, like winning the CIS Cup, qualifying for next season's Setanta Cup and spending most of the campaign in the top two of the Premier League." "That, when injuries to key players like Paul Leeman, Colin Nixon, Mark Glendinning and Darren Lockhart are taken into consideration, could be considered a success." Glentoran Chairman Stafford Reynolds in todays press!
Right up there with those other classics ... "Half a loaf", "I didn't say that at the last AGM", and "There is no 'get out clause' in the contract"!! I am absolutely lost for words!!
Yer holidays booked yet? ... Well if we get chinned on Saturday (again) here's a few dates to ponder ...
June 23/24, 1st round Intertoto Cup, 1st leg
June 29, Draw for 1st qualifying round of the UEFA Cup
June 30/July 1, 1st round Intertoto Cup, 2nd leg
July 7/8, 2nd round Intertoto Cup, 1st leg
July 14/15, 2nd round Intertoto Cup, 2nd leg
July 19, 1st qualifying round UEFA Cup, 1st leg
July 21/22, 3rd round Intertoto Cup, 1st leg
July 28/29, 3rd round Intertoto Cup, 2nd leg
August 2, 1st qualifying round UEFA Cup, 2nd leg
If it's to be the Intertoto take your pick from this lot (if it's to be regionalized of course remove the obvious) ...
3rd placed teams from: Denmark, Hungary, Croatia, Sweden, Slovakia, Cyprus, Slovenia, Bosnia, Finland, Latvia, Moldova, Georgia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Iceland, Belarus, Ireland, Albania, Armenia, Estonia, Malta, Wales, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Faroe Islands, Andorra, San Marino, Montenegro, & the Champions of Liechtenstein!
Londonderry Glens - The dedication and commitment of Glentoran supporters everywhere never ceases to amaze me. Despite the perilious position our beloved club finds itself in both ON and OFF the pitch at present, we still have fans seeking to set up yet another new Glentoran Supporters Club! Interested fans from the Londonderry/North West area are asked to contact Wes at wes_ws2004@hotmail.com
18th Apr 07. Halfers Winners ... v Linfield (Sentanta) were John and Ian Parkinson, and they got £170 to go home with!
Wee Norn Iron up to 33rd in the World!! Yip, Our Wee Country have now equalled our highest ever World Ranking position, up another 14 places in the latest FIFA World Rankings released today to 33rd spot, level on points with Israel, a position last reached in May 1994! The Green and White army are now ahead of Austria, Hungary, Belgium, Norway, Australia, Japan, Bulgaria & Paraguay, and unbelievably a climb of just 7 more places would reel in the likes of USA, Nigeria & Colombia! What a refreshing distraction! ...
... You'll forgive me if I don't comment on last night's events at the Oval, fingers crossed however that feedback from tonight's gathering at the same venue should hopefully yield a little more hope.... D-Day.
17th Apr 07. Not at the Races? Well the team mightn't be lately, but the Ballymac are! Next Saturday night, "A Night At The Races" in the Ballymac clubrooms and you're all welcome :-) £2.50 a head covers admission, with the racing followed by a disco and late bar ... plenty of time to drown your sorrows before the Intertoto starts ;-)
Setanta Cup Result - Glentoran 1 Linfield 2. Lost all 3 home games and finished bottom of the group yet again.
16th Apr 07. Halfers draw v Linfield ... was won by Emmett McIntyre, and he took home £620 with the ticket 2194, drawn by Michael Ward. Emmett also pointed out (as have many others) that the Tannoy announcements cannot be heard properly on the hill, Tommy would be grateful to hear from anyone out there who could help resolve the problem.
15th Apr 07. Glentoran 1 Linfield 2 - Don't you dare think for one minute that Glentoran were unlucky yesterday ...
THIS FOOTBALL CLUB IS IN TOTAL AND UTTER MELTDOWN!
For God's sake will the rest of you take the blinkers off! We're over a MILLION pounds in debt, close to 2! Our ground is falling down, we were conned into agreeing peanuts for it when it was worth 12 million! We can't even afford to pay a physio. Our players have to take a taxi to away games. Our junior sides have to train on a quarter, YES A QUARTER of a pitch on week nights because we cant afford the price of HALF a pitch. The manager, for all his shortcomings, has this season been forced to play the CHEAPEST team available some weeks, what price those 3 points at Donegal Celtic eh? Wake up and smell the coffee. Glentoran Football Club, once the proudest club in Ireland, has now become the laughing stock of Europe. Make no mistake, the football (and I use that term very loosely indeed) being served up is a direct consequence of the leadership and directorship from the very top. I'll tell you all something you will not believe, do you know that when I actually read the "Sale of the Oval" contract and queried some of it's contents to this current Board of Directors, none of them had even read the f****** thing! A hundred and twenty five years? Ask your Da, and your Da's Da, and your Da's Da's Da, and they'll all tell you ... sure it's always been like that down there. 125 years? Are we wise in the head? Still no accountability, and nothing's gonna change unless WE change it.
Join the Glentoran Community Trust - help save our club before it's too late!
13th Apr 07. By the way ... Match Betting: Glentoran 7/4, Linfield 6/4, and a draw 2/1. All odds supplied by TOALS bookmakers.
TICKET REMINDER ... Remember, you will ONLY be able to buy a ticket for tomorrows game from the usual outlets BEFORE 7.00pm tonight. As a result of a further security meeting at the Oval yesterday it was decided that ALL remaining unsold tickets as of 7.00pm Friday will be collected from the ticket outlets.
11th Apr 07. Halfers winner ... versus Crusaders was Caroline Gibson who won £320 with the ticket 1106.
10th Apr 07. Glentoran 1 Crusaders 0 ... Leeper with 2 minutes to go!
9th Apr 07. Crusaders game - The Crues interest in this season all but ended with their 1-1 draw at home to Glenavon on Saturday, there's not enough points left for them to catch us, and Cliftonville only need another point to be likewise out of reach. Let's hope by around 9.30pm tomorrow night we still have something to play for come the weekend. 7.45pm ko.
Match Betting: Glentoran 1/2, Crusaders 11/2, and a draw 5/2. All odds supplied by TOALS bookmakers.
8th Apr 07. Limavady Utd 1 Glentoran 2 - Went into the social club just before half-time and Robbie Williams was singing "That's Entertainment" on MTV. Believe me the irony was lost on nobody! I swear to God, you'd have thought that Glentoran team had only met in the car park an hour before that match! Tell ya what, if winning the League means we have to watch that sh*te for another season I'll settle for friggin 9th! Roll on end of April til I get a weekend at the gardening!
A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y A-W-F-U-L !
6th Apr 07. Limavady game - We're the only team in the top 5 away from home tomorrow, a convincing win is an absolute must! Ballymac's bus departs Wilgar Street at 1.00pm, you are all once again very welcome to come along.
Match Betting: Limavady Utd 11/2, Glentoran 8/15, and a draw 12/5. All odds supplied by TOALS bookmakers.
5th Apr 07. GCT support Westbourne Presbyterian Community Church Flower Festival ... HERE
We haven't gone away ya'know ... What's another year? "Rest in East" website now updated ... HERE
3rd Apr 07. Derry City 1 Glentoran II's 2 - No Halliday, no Hamilton, but a goal each in the second half from BJ McMenamin and Willo McDonagh enough to secure the Glens first win in this years competition! One-nil down at half time, and with our makeshift side not really at the races things weren't looking too good, but the home team started to look very shakey indeed when BJ levelled matters just 10 minutes after the re-start, and Willo McDonagh's 20-yard screamer just 3 minutes from normal time had the 180 or so Glentoran faithful doing the bouncy for the 5 minutes of added time! Have to say, despite the sweeping changes throughout the side I thought each and every one of them ran themselves into the ground last night, and despite a fairly frantic first half, in the end fully deserved the 3 points. Well done indeed.
2nd Apr 07. Derry City here we come ... all 160 of us (as of 11am this morning)! I'm actually quite surprised, that's a hundred more than usual for a seconds game! Usual suspects I guess ;-) What, me, cynical? You better f****** believe it!
By the way, we're 15/2 in Toals tonight (that's nearly 8/1 for all you numpties). FFS Liechtenstein were only 3/1 !!
Wonder could I smuggle in a carry-out ... Ballymac bus leaves at 5.30pm, you're both very welcome to come along ...
1st Apr 07. £177,000 or £0 ? ... the real cost of our season !!! ... (and this is NO April fool)!
Yesterday's result at the Oval could prove to be the most significant there all season for Glentoran Football Club ... and we weren't even playing!! For the record, Dungannon Swifts defeated Cliftonville 5-4 on penalties to reach the final of this years Irish Cup, but more importantly to us, Cliftonville are out ! Had the 'Double-chasing' Reds gone on to the final it would have mean't even 3rd place in the League could have been good enough to secure a 2007-08 UEFA Cup spot for the Glens. Now with Cliftonville out of the Irish Cup we MUST finish in at least 2nd place to be sure, or take our chances in the Intertoto qualification lottery! With 5 games left to play we could STILL finish as far back as 6th or 7th in the table, and even though we have applied for Intertoto selection, if some of the others have too we could be out of Europe altogether!
And here's the REAL cost of failure ...
European Prize money for 2007-08 competions has yet to be announced, but the 2006-07 paid as follows.
Linfield, 2006 League Champions - lost 5-3 (agg) to Gorica in last years UEFA Champions League 1st Qualifying Round.
Prize Money: £68,000 per round PLUS £109,000 bonus for failing to reach the group stage. Total = £177,000
(Glentoran received £34,500 + £65,000 bonus (£99,500) when as 2005 Champions we lost to Shelbourne).
Glentoran, 2006 Runners-Up - lost 2-0 (agg) to FC Brann in last years UEFA Cup 1st Qualifying Round.
Prize Money: £47,500 per round - no bonus money in UEFA Cup. Total = £47,500
Dungannon Swifts, 2006 4th place - lost 4-1 (agg) to Keflavik in last years Intertoto Cup 1st Round.
Prize Money: £34,000 per round - no bonus money in Intertoto Cup. Total = £34,000
Remember, these are last years figures, UEFA prize money could well increase this year again, and as you can see from Glentoran's 2005 payout could do so substantially. That's the sort of money we stand to lose out on yet again, while in reality, given the perilous financial position the club is in ... our very existence is at stake!
Are all the recent policies and penny-pinching at the club really paying off? I hope to God they are. We'll know in 4 weeks.
