31st Aug 04. Glentoran 4 Omagh Town 0 - Four goin on twenty four, I swear the Glens missed enough sitters tonight to win half a dozen matches! Match report now moved HERE
Omagh Town game - Back to the real world eh :-( Omagh Town - played two, lost two. Goals for two, goals against seven. Points, not a lot. If the Glens beat them at the Oval tonight it's already impossible for them to catch us in this group! So basically for Omagh Town, it's sh*t or bust. That should be good enough reason for the Glens not to be complacent, although it's bound to be difficult given events of the past week. Welcome back for this one Paul Leeman and Stephen Parkhouse, suspensions duly served. Worth noting too that if we do happen to be victorious tonight we'll be the only team in the country with maximum points after three games, even more reason I say, why the Championship should be kicking off the new season - too many clubs are simply going through the motions.
Awe well, don't even have the 'Gub' to shout at tonight either :-) No matter, 7.45pm kick-off too folks, don't be a prat and be seen standing in the rain from 7.30! A few nasty rumours doin the rounds too, wonder will the gaffer play Mr Morgan?
Match Betting: Glentoran 1/3, Omagh Town 8/1, and a draw 100/30. All odds supplied by TOALS bookmakers
30th Aug 04. Would you Adam and Eve it! - Elfsborg got beaten 1-0 at home tonight :-(
Oh aye, and by the way, Allianssi beat HJK Helsinki 1-0 away last week, or to put it another way - the team we knocked out of Europe duffed the team that knocked out the scum ... on their own friggin patch! - thought you'd like to know :-)
RUOnTheBall? - Sorry to keep pluggin this one folks, but thought you'd like to know our sponsors have just put another one over on the bookie. That's twice in the first 4 weeks of the new season - 2 weeks on the trot! HERE
Back to Porridge! - Never the highlight of my season anyway, but I'm afraid Omagh Town's visit to the Oval for our CIS Cup clash tomorrow night, isn't exactly setting my pulse racing ... a bit like finishing off your champagne & caviar in a fancy restaurant, only for the waiter to then set you down a gravy chip! That's no disrespect to Omagh Town, after all, these games are our bread and butter, and without them we wouldn't have even heard of Allianssi and Elfsborg, but having just sampled a wee taste of what it's really all about ... I .. want .. more! When does the League Title race begin?
... or am I still just a wee bit hyper :-)
29th Aug 04. A Trick Question? - I see the Glens are running a prize quiz over on the official site, asking the question -
Who scored in Sweden? Try not to dive in folks ... believe me, it'd be much easier if they'd asked you ... WHO DIDN'T !!
Home, (although we didn't want to ;-) - Has to go down as one of my best ever trips, and oh me oh my, how close did we come to the big one! What a rollercoaster 5 weeks we have had, and I've been fortunate and priviledged enough to have seen it all :-) From the 1-0 win at 'spooky' Milton Keynes, to the nerve-wrecking 2-2 draw at home to the Finns. Then that unbelievable 2-1 away win at Allianssi. A heart-breaking 1-0 defeat to Elfsborg followed just a couple of weeks ago, before last Thursday's pulsating encounter in Sweden bringing the dream to an end. But what a way to go out. The look on the faces of those locals said it all, as a sea of green swept through the tight little streets of Boras. Echoes of 'We are Glentoran, super Glentoran' ringing out from an army of Glens fans winding towards the stadium. Outsung the home fans, outplayed the home team, even took a well-deserved lead in the game ... that coveted spot in the next round looming ohhhhhh soooooo close ... then to see it all run away like grains of sand through your fingers right at the final hurtle ...
an emotional rollercoaster. Anyone who says they didn't have a lump in their throat at some stage during that day ... well, they're a better man than me. Before the game, the Pride, the Passion, the Emotion of it all, so many Glenmen/Women so far away from home. The Halliday goal, the sheer Joy, the Elation, and even the Tears, grasping at anyone within an arms length just to share the moment! And finally the Sadness when it all had to end, the Despair, the reality of defeat, choking back yet more tears, before the enormity of what our wee team had 'almost' achieved sinks in ... and the Pride and the Passion return! Forty-five minutes NON STOP the Glens fans sang after that final whistle, nobody going anywhere till they saluted those heroes who'd helped us live the dream. On this occasion it wasn't to be ... but some day soon it will, and I am proud to say I can look back in years to come and say ... "2004 - I was there when Glentoran FC began to BELIEVE again"! Self-respect suitably restored - Glentoran till I die. If only EVERYONE realised just what we have here.
23rd Aug 04. Planes, trains and Automobiles! - OK folks - here we go again! Packing almost done, then off to sunny Glasgow for the early flight to Gothenburg tomorrow morning :-) Both Wednesday and Thursday mornings this week are gonna see little ole Prestwick airport with more than a hint of green about it, both day's flights to Sweden are full, and it's all Glenmen on board! With 200-plus Glentoran fans destined for Boras, it's going to be the biggest supported 'away' fixture for an Irish League club (once again) in Europe, since we took over 2,000 to Dundee United way back in 1989! Myself? I won't be back till late Saturday night, I will try to find some decent internet access this time, and during the game I'll be texting a few match updates from my mobile, and hopefully get someone to post them on the messageboard.
So, Elfsborg here we come ... altogether now ... "We're only here to drink your beer and ... " Roll on the final in Lisbon!
'Members of the Board have indicated that they were unaware of such transfer conditions ...'
Glentoran Chairman Stafford Reynolds releases a statement on the Andy Smith deal. I suppose it's the best we're gonna get ... officially! We're nearly there ... but not quite! Judge for yourself HERE
22nd Aug 04. Buses in Sweden are now full folks, we've got ourselves a convoy :-)
21st Aug 04. Glentoran 3 Newry City 2 - Watched all but the last 5 minutes of the first half before heading for the club, 0-0 it was then ... yeah I know, good idea eh! Match Report has now been moved HERE
20th Aug 04. Bus to Sweden? - Well not quite :-) There are a few seats still left on one of the buses booked to transfer Glenmen from Gothenburg to Boras and back for Thursday night's game. Departure is from the Gothenburg Central Station area at 4.30pm, with return journey not leaving Boras till around 11.30pm, to allow time for a few celebratory pear ciders afterwards. Eight quid secures your return seat, so give me a shout asap if you're interested and I'll pass it on :-)
Newry game ... Newry City? Nah, preferred the old name. That's not the only thing that's changed down there recently though, with the biggest 'gub' in local football now taken over at the reins. McCreadie's been busy on the transfer front too, Coleraine's Michael McHugh, Omagh's Barry Patton & Ruairi Boyle, and Portadown's Davy Wells, just some of the new faces at the Marshes. The new look side hammed McCreadie's old club Omagh 4-2 last week in their opening fixture, let's hope tomorrow will be a different kettle of fish. The Glens must once again do without Leeper and big Parky, both serving the last of their 2 game bans, but Jason Hill may get a place on the bench again after serving his one match. Hard for me to believe this is the first domestic match of the season at the Oval, with all the running about in pre-season friendlies and Europe, it seems like we've been playing for months! Anyway, last game before the second leg of our latest European adventure, a good win would be a nice wee send off, let's hope the team won't have one eye on Thursday. The bookies don't seem to think so ... Match Betting: Glentoran 4/9, Newry 6/1, and a draw 11/4. All odds supplied by TOALS.
Did ya know ... Allianssi haven't won a game at home since we duffed them last month? Not even scored a goal! A 0-0 draw and a 3-0 defeat ... but this weekend they go to HJK. My God, if they can't beat them .... :-)
BTW - Re the story below - anyone else been sh1t on by the IFA this week? There's a bit of runnin left in this one yet!
19th Aug 04. Q. When is a ticket not a ticket? A. When you buy it off the IFA! You haven't seen it in the news yet, but you will do. Remember the 'block' ticket offer from the IFA, for admission to the 5 home matches in the forthcoming World Cup campaign? A hundred and fifty odd quid they were? Well I know of at least 3 people who applied AND PAID up front,
AND had their cheques cashed MONTHS AGO, who've received letters this week telling them there's been a bit of a ballix, and the block seats they purchased are now no longer valid! Hard lines! But we'll give you your money back!
HARD FRIGGIN LINES!! The same people who supported Northern Ireland through the 'dark' days of over a thousand minutes without a goal, tossed to the side just like that! Is this the same IFA that told the Glens to get their administration in order last year? If any of you have PAID for YOUR tickets, I would strongly advise you get on the dog and bone ASAP!
Player Pics & Profiles ... of Shaun Holmes, Chris Morgan and Stephen Parkhouse have just been added to the 2004/05 'Squad' link above - we're gettin there :-)
18th Aug 04. Coleraine 0 Glentoran 3
A stroll in the park folks, should'a been many many more. Match report has now been moved HERE
17th Aug 04. Coleraine game - Finally, the big kick-off? ... seems like the season's been going for weeks doesn't it! It's going to be a funny one to call too this opener, in the past Coleraine has always been a hard place to get a result, but I can't help but wonder what all those departures during the close-season has done to last years Irish Cup Final opponents?
They'll miss Pat McAllister too won't they, I reckon he's still got something like about 6 months of a ban to run after NOT 'nuttin' Mac the Mouth last year! Ridiculous, they should'a gave the guy a cigar! (Leeper/2 games, Parkhouse/2, and Jason Hill/1, are all also suspended) Anyway's, back to tonight. Does anyone else think we 'owe the IFA one' in this competition after last years charade? Won the group with a maximum 18 points, scored 18 goals and conceded just the 1, hammered Institute 6-1 in the Quarter-Final, then get kicked out of the competition coz somebody didn't fill out a form correctly! To top it all off, Cliftonville, who only got through by virtue of the fact we beat everybody else in the group by more goals than we beat them, go on to the final and win the bloody thing! I'd say that gives us something to play for wouldn't you :-) Be interesting to see how we actually perform against an Irish League side too won't it! So here we go, 7.45pm kick-off remember, and Ballymac have a bus leaving for the game around 6 o'clock. Other buses can be found at the link above. Game on ... at last!
15th Aug 04. Is it just me ... or does anybody else think we need to sign another winger? Seriously, and no disrespect to Kevin Keegan here, but what happens if Kevin get's injured this season? I was puzzled to say the least when Coyler got rid of Tim McCann, but thought, with Coyler being Coyler there must be a bigger picture here. That was a month ago, the domestic season starts Tuesday night, and quite frankly I'm worried. Kevin Keegan was absolutely outstanding in Finland, but there'll be times this coming season when Kevin doesn't find life so sweet, that's not Kevin's fault, it's just the way it is. I'm sure Kevin would be the first to admit he had a hard time against Elfsborg the other night, but when we needed to bring on a Tim McCann to give the left back something else to think about we were found short. The manager has brought in big Parkhouse this season, and God knows we've been crying out for a big lad up front for years, but what happens if like Thursday night your winger struggles to get the crosses in? I read in the papers all the time about how Coyler has 'cover' for every position in the team, but quite frankly that isn't true. We need another option down the right hand side or it's gonna cost us the Irish League title this year, a blind man on a gallopin horse can see it ... let's hope Coyler can too.
13th Aug 04. Glentoran 0 Elfsborg 1
What cruel game football can be sometimes. Match Report moved to HERE
12th Aug 04. UEFA Cup Tie - Here we go again, and why the hell not? We've a fully fit squad bar big Chris and wee Scotty to choose from, two teams, 90 minutes, nobody expects us to win so surely we've nothing to lose? Let's not forget we're still a part-time outfit against pros though, and despite the high level of anticipation after the Allianssi euphoria, we should bear that in mind. A win of course would be quite simply out of this world, but a clean sheet in tonight's game must be the primary target, even if we can go into the second leg on a level par we now know we can still be in with an outside chance. 7 o'clock kick-off folks, don't be late. 'Last night as I lay down to sleep ... ' Mon the wee Glens & Bless 'em all.
11th Aug 04. Official site - I note that the Official Glentoran website now has a posting informing us that it is soon to be re-launched, with the editing to be taken over by the East Belfast Observer. Mmmmmmm I wonder .......
10th Aug 04. Errrr, not so fast! - Let's get Thursday's game into perspective folks - Last season's Swedish Champions Djurgården, who currently lie one place behind Elfsborg in the Swedish League, have just drawn 2-2 with Juventus in Turin tonight in a Champions League qualifier ... and they were winning 2-0 after 50 minutes!
Rank outsiders - It would seem the people 'supposedly' in the know weren't too impressed with our win over Allianssi in the UEFA Cup. Thursday's betting: Glentoran 11/4, Elfsborg 5/6 and a draw 12/5. Odds supplied by TOALS
In The Money? - Last year's Official UEFA press release on European 2003/04 prize money allocation: '80,000 Swiss Francs (£34,600) per round, for each club eliminated in the qualifying round or first two rounds of the UEFA Cup'.
Assuming that criteria still stands (and given current exchange rates), that means we're currently sitting on about 70 grand with a further £34,000 resting on the Elfsborg tie! Read the Official document HERE (PDF File - Adobe Acrobat reqd)
9th Aug 04. Championship Betting - Prices for this season's Irish Premier League Title have just been released ...
Linfield 15/8, Glentoran 5/2, Portadown 11/4, Coleraine 10/1, Distillery & Ballymena 20/1. All odds supplied by TOALS
Elfsborg duffed - UEFA Cup opponents Elfsborg had the worst possible build up to this Thursday's clash with the Glens, as they got thumped 4-0 away to Helsingborg yesterday. Coyler was there to watch too, and although the Swedes had a man sent off early on, I hear they still don't look any better a side than Allianssi. We shall see.
8th Aug 04. Glens won 4-1 ... two from Halliday and two from Parkhouse. Waste of time, got lost twice, missed the first 15 minutes of the match, ran outta beer on the bus, saw 304 cows and 239 sheep and was asked to join the IRA on the border. Thank **** we don't have to play Letterkenny every week! Do the bars still open on a Sunday?
7th Aug 04. Allianssi Pics ... are now online folks. Yez have done alright outta me this week, think I've made up for bein away - time for some R & R .... :-) Altogether now, "Oh it's a long way to Letterkenny .... "
6th Aug 04. Carson signs ... but not for us! - Well well well, just shows you what the 'Tele' knows doesn't it. Stephen Carson will tomorrow sign for Marty Quinn's Coleraine! He must be a cracker .... or is that crackers ;-)
5th Aug 04. Carson for the Oval? - Latest from the rumour mill is that the Glens are about to offer former Rangers and Dundee United winger Stephen Carson a deal at the Oval. Carson, a 23 year old former Norn Ireland Under 21 International from Ballymoney, has been guesting for Portadown in their last couple of friendies, but the Hillbillies have decided not to offer him a contract. After turning down Man United in favour of Ibrox some six years ago, Carson made just 4 first team apperances for the Gers, before moving on and finally finishing up last season at Hartlepool. He can play on either wing, an ideal replacement for Tim McCann, if he's any good!
SURE IT'S ONLY 65 GRAND! - Have we all become so accustomed to disaster after disaster down at the Oval that we're gonna let this one go away? I wanna tell you a story ... or two!
OPTION 1: Someone at the Oval (who shall remain nameless) agrees a 50% - YES 50 F****** PERCENT sell on contract with Sheffield United for Andy Smith. Said contract somehow goes missing at the Oval (no surprise there), two years later 'nameless' by now has forgotten all about the 50% part of the deal, and we release Andy Smith to Preston thinking we are quids in to the tune of £130,000 - We get a call from Sheffield Utd two weeks later and the brown stuff hits the fan!
or ..... OPTION 2: Quote - "We knew all about the arrangement in place with Sheffield United and while others may see it as negative, I prefer to think that half a loaf is better than none."
Dead easy - Anyone who's had any dealings with Glentoran FC lately knows Option 2 is absolutely ridiculous!
Deportivo for Shels - What tremendous achievement for little old Shelbourne from the Eircom League! Last night's 2-0 home win over Croatian side Hajduk Split in the 2nd Qualifying Round of the Champions League, enough to see them through 4-3 on aggregate, and landing a real money-spinning tie against Spanish giants Deportivo La Coruna in the next round! It just goes to show you what can be achieved in just a few years. Well done indeed.
4th Aug 04. North/South Cup a goer! - The new North/South 'Setanta' Cup will be played in April 2005. Glentoran, Portadown and Linfield will represent the Irish League, with Bohemians, Shelbourne and either Cork City or Longford Town flying the flag for the South. The tournament will consist of 2 groups of 3 teams, with every team in each group playing each other home and away. The winner of each group will qualify for the Setanta Cup Final. Irish TV company Setanta will
have cameras at all 13 games, a minimum 10 of which are to be broadcast live! I hear each club will receive in the region of £25,000 for taking part, with the eventual winners getting over a hundred grand!! As from next year, the top 2 teams in each League, plus the Cup winners, will make up the 6 clubs annually in November for the remainder of the 4 year deal.
Letterkenny - Just to let you know the game with Letterkenny Rovers on Saturday will be at 'Diamond Park' (Ballyare), two and a half miles outside Letterkenny, and NOT the clubs usual ground. From Londonderry come off the dual carriageway just outside Letterkenny at the Holiday Inn (left). Continue past the hotel to the town centre and go right at the roundabout towards Gweedore. On reaching the 'hospital' roundabout turn right. Travel up a steep hill and leave the town. After about a mile you should arrive at Dunnes of Illistran petrol station. Turn right and after ¾ of a mile the ground is on the right with good parking space. Please note there will be no social club or food facilities available.
UEFA Cup tie ... Next Thursday's UEFA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round clash with Swedish side Elfsborg has been give an early 7pm kick-off. Admission on the night will be £10 and £6 'pay at the gate' and once again it will be an all-seater affair. BTW, mean't to tell ya - Elfsborg won 3-1 the other night.
3rd Aug 04. Dundela 0 Glentoran 2 - Nicky again midway through the first half with a tap-in, then Michael Halliday right on the final whistle with a real beauty curled past the keeper and into the far corner. Almost 20 players used tonight folks, second half seen the introduction of: Michael Halliday, Mark Glendinning, Damien McLoghlin, Sean Ward, Jason Hill, Gavin Melaugh, Andy Kilmartin ....... have I missed anyone?
Andy Smith ... IT'S TRUE! - Speculation in the press this morning regarding Sheffield United's claim to half of the £130,000 Andy Smith transfer fee are TRUE. Take my word for it, the contract is there and the Glens have no other option but to cough up. Who takes the flak for this latest bloody fiasco I'll leave you to judge for yourselves. I hear a press release is on the way today. I can say no more.
Ballymac Bus - BallymacGSC WILL be running a bus to Letterkenny this Saturday, leaving the Wilgar St clubrooms at 12.00 noon, hopefully arriving home by 8 o'clock. Demand for seats is expected to be high, so we've decided to admit by ticket only. The return fare will be £10 Adults and £7 concession, and a limited number have been set aside for me to sell online. If you're interested drop me an email here at the site and you'll go on the list - first come first served.
2nd Aug 04. Letterkenny here we come - Ok folks, confirmed, Letterkenny Rovers it is. The Irish Amateur League side, based in Donegal on the other side of Londonderry, entertain the Glens this Saturday at 3.00pm. Admission to the game will be 3 euros a head, with OAP's and children getting in for nowt! Directions and further details will be forthcoming from the Official Glentoran mailing list, soon as I know more I'll post it here.
Elfsborg ... have a league match tonight folks, at home to two places above them Sundsvall. Once again you can keep up to speed with the latest at the 'LIVE' goals link above. Kick-off is 6.00pm UK time.
Here we go again! - Wanna lift? - Anybody flying to Glasgow on the 7.00am Flybe flight on Thurs 26th August? Then connecting to Prestwick for the 10.20am Ryanair flight to Gothenberg, coming back the same way Friday 27th? If so, do you fancy a lift between the two airports? North Down GSC have booked a bus there and back, and I'm told there are limited seats still available on it if you're quick. Email rickyjnr@rrea.fslife.co.uk for more.
1st Aug 04. No suntan this time .... but Pear Ciders all round! - 'Somebody nip me, I must be dreaming' - the initial onslaught of hysteria after that final whistle had subsided, heart rate returned to something near normal, and the 20 odd souls on the Ballymac trip were now sat in the wee bar just down the road from the ground staring at our pints in near silence .... Stunned! 12 European trips in a row I'd been on before this one, seen just 2 away goals, and gained a solitary point, 0-0 away to Rovaniemi back in 1987! Trip no.13? Lucky for some they say, well maybe, but there was nothing lucky about this result ... Glentoran were simply outstanding! Match report HERE
All roads lead to .... EUROPE? - No, not Elfsborg .... DONEGAL! While you're waiting on the Allianssi report folks, you might heed a wee bit of advice - Don't book next weekend for shopping with the missus, unless you intend doing it with Euro's! Between you and me the Glens are off to Letterkenny in Donegal on Saturday for another friendly, I still don't have all the details yet, but when I do I'll post them here. You can also be sure the Ballymac will be running a bus :-) Make a nice warm-up for the new North-South Cup I hear has gotten the nod for next season eh :-)
Went to the Doctors today ... he says my enlarged liver, heart palpitations, insomnia and blood pressure problems would all go away if I'd only adopt a much more sedate form of lifestyle ... Milton Keynes, Tallinn / Estonia, Helsinki / Finland
Letterkenny this Saturday ... and now off to Elfsborg in Sweden! .... he recommends I go buy a linfield season ticket :-)
