31st July 04, 8.00pm. Home Sweet Home - What day is it? A quarter to three this morning folks I've been travelling from, so you'll forgive me if I leave the write-up of the Allianssi game till tomorrow. Sorry about the lack of front page updates while we were away, but the computers at the Hotel turned out to be absolute crap! I tried to keep you all posted as best I could on the sites forum pages, even so far as texting updates of the match to a few regulars from my mobile, under the circumstances best I could do. And what about that result eh .... ! Anyway, it'll have to wait just a wee bit longer, I'll have something online tomorrow along with a few of my own pics, and hopefully a full photo page on Monday or Tuesday once Tommy Sewell gets his developed - I hear there could be some crackers in there too. But until then ... zzzz
26th July 04. MK Dons 0 Glentoran 1
There's a better match report by Roy France on the site's forum than I could ever write you, I can't even remember gettin on the train home! I can tell you though that but for a glaring miss from each of our new strikers the Glens would have tanked this team by a lot more than the scoreline suggests, and what a turnout of Glenmen too - fantastic weekend :-)
Just home in time to pack the bags too folks, we're off to Estonia tomorrow morning, apparently the hotel has some decent internet access so I should be able to keep you updated on what I hear over there. It's a hard life eh :-)
22nd July 04. CYA Sunday ... unless you're going to MK :-) OK folks, I'm outta here first thing tomorrow - Milton Keynes via sunny Birmingham! I'll try to get something online as regards the match, even if it's only on the messageboard.
As for all you punters heading over, Wetherspoons it is, cya's there around 1 o'clock - bring yer rape and pillage hat :-)
AC Allianssi ... are playing tonight in the Finnish league, a small matter of an away game against an old UEFA foe of ours, and second bottom placed club Rovaniemi (Rops). The team from the Arctic Circle have only won twice at home all season, while Allianssi haven't won in their last 3. KO is 4.30pm our time and is being covered at the 'LIVE' goal link above. Ahhh the memories ... I wonder do they still play in that stupid school athletics ground! Finnish Table
Update - Allianssi have just been beaten 1-0 ... boiler's bust, they must be crappin themselves over next week :-)
Bus to Milton Keynes - Anyone trying to contact Colin Davidson re the bus transfers Belfast/Airport/MK, please contact a new number at the Milton Keynes travel info link above - apologies, phone's been on the blink.
21st July 04, 11.00pm. Glentoran 0 Dundee 1 - Absolutely robbed tonight folks, by a goal about 20 minutes from time,
when yet again sloppy defending allowed the striker to race through from the half-way line and tuck the ball past Elliott Morris. It must be said though Dundee will be very relieved indeed, the Glens were the better side for long spells in this game and with better finishing would have been outta sight by half-time - Chris Morgan guilty of 'miss of the match'. A ball was swung in deep from the left wing, got a touch and found itself wide right, with Dundee defenders still adjusting to the flight of the ball Kevin Keegan clipped it back into the danger area first time and found Morgan all alone on the 6 yard line! Nobody looked more surprised than him, with all the time in the world and the big goalie flappin all over the place all it needed was a tap-in, the Dundee defence gave up the chase and just let him get on with it ... ChrisTOPHER however contrived to take 2 or 3 touches before vollying it high wide and handsome over the bar! Miss of the season more like, even Mucker would'a scored that one! But the game carried on as it had been, Glentoran breaking down everything Dundee tried to create, while creating chance after chance with some great attacking football of our own. Steven Parkhouse once again looked sharp, on one occasion turning a defender on a sixpence in the area before stretching out a toe to force yet another reaction save from the busy Dundee keeper. The Scots were restricted to the odd breakaway, and Elliott Morris really had little to do until that second half strike, just as the Glens were once again looking a wee bit tired. But fitness will come, a few of the players still look a wee bit heavy, but I see a big change in them in the few games we've had and are certainly looking more like a team. I am a wee bit concerned about lack of options though, that game was crying out for somebody like Tim McCann to come on and take players on near the end ... no Pat McGibbon either? Heard he was working!
Keep up to date ... with how the great unwashed are doing tonight (if you so wish :-), against HJK Helsinki at AC Allianssi's Pohjola Stadium - just click on the 'LIVE' goals link above for the latest score Kick-off is 5.00pm UK time
Result: Errrr ... 1-0 HJK, Kottila again.
Dundee game - Scottish Premier League side Dundee line up at the Oval this evening in the latest of our pre-season friendlies, with something to prove no doubt after losing 2-1 at Shamrock Park on Saturday. The 3 or 4 day break from the Crystal Palace match will have done the Glens no harm either, I'm reliably informed there were some very sore legs after that one. Expect this one to be a little more evenly contested. With Dundee hoping to field new French and Argentinian trialists in tonight's game it could make for a fairly interesting affair. Kick-off tonight is a bit earlier, 7.30pm, and although season tickets are valid, remember we're all being asked to pay the £8 and £5 entry fee, as the Glens have promised to donate their cut of the profits to Gary Smyth. BTW folks, I won't be home until 11'ish if your looking in for a match report.
20th July 04. 'That' Parkhouse goal! - The Allianssi goalie might'a missed it ... but Tommy Sewell didn't :-) HERE
18th July 04. Johnston 'Jonty' Nelson - I'm not really sure what to say here folks. 'Jonty' Nelson, passed away last night. Forever, and I mean forever a loyal servant to Glentoran Football Club. For once I'm lost for words - what a sad day.
Glentoran 0 Crystal Palace 5 ... Not a bad judge am I ...?
17th July 04. It's Portadown! - New League fixtures are out folks, and guess what our first game is? ... Portadown at the Oval on 25th September !! I'm afraid the full list isn't available anywhere online yet, but when I get a chance after the weekend I'll try to get the lot posted on the site.
Crystal Palace game - Really looking forward to this game now, without Thursday night's pressure. I know Palace only beat Crusaders 2-0 at Seaview midweek, but playing at the Oval should be a different ball game. You'd like to think a team who will be entertaining the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Man U this coming season should be able to throw the ball about a bit in the open spaces. I shouldn't be surprised if half this Glens team aren't out on their feet by half-time!
BTW - 3 o'clock kick-off today and from what I remember it's a tenner in again isn't it? - Anyway, season ticket holders DO get in for free, and you can buy one before you go through the turnstiles at the ticket hatch outside. Cy'all in the bar :-)
16th July 04. Official Glens Website - I am sure most of you will have noticed by now that the Official Glentoran website 'Glentoran.net' has been unavailable since last night. I have spoken with webmaster and Glens Secretary Alex McWilliams today, and he has offered this explanation: "I'm afraid many other things are demanding my attention, and the website is not now high on my list of priorities, this gives opportunity for error as experienced last night, when after our UEFA Cup game at the Oval I briefly displayed the incorrect score on the club website." "It also appears that many were discontent with the recent content and preferred the views from a supporter type site rather than comment from the club, and despite the desire to keep folk up-to-date I decided the best course of action was to pull the plug." Alex goes on: "I did get great satisfaction over recent years compiling the site and being involved with online activity, however more recently I too have become disenchanted, and conscience has saw me question the dedication of time to it." "This is not condemnation of anybody, but just my personal view and choice - I regret the inconvenience the closure of the website might be to a few."
Well - I'm sure like me you are very disappointed to learn that the Official site has been taken offline, but I can assure you, having had the experience of building and maintaining BallymacGSC.com for the last 4 years I know exactly where Alex is coming from - it is a very demanding and time consuming pastime. Tremendous credit must go to Alex for the job he has done, the constraints required in the running of any 'Official' site must be very demanding, but certainly 'Glentoran.net' has always been the mantle and spur for what goes on here on these pages. I have been assured though that efforts to find an alternative webmaster for Glentoran.net are already being discussed, and hopefully it won't be long before the best website in the Irish League is fully up and running again. In the meantime though I believe contact and fixture details may still be displayed when they are approved by the League, the mailing list will remain active, and will be used for periodic bulletins for those still wanting to receive news of fixture changes etc.
Glentoran 2 AC Allianssi 2
On the night I'd have to say the Glens will feel really hard done by, for lengthy spells we ran the show in this one, and but for two unstoppable efforts from outside the box would be taking a lead to Finland in a fortnight. We'll have three more games behind us by then, Crystal Palace, Dundee and Milton Keynes Dons ... we'll be a fitter and sharper side come the 29th July you can be sure of that - but I don't think AC Allianssi can be any better than they were here at the Oval.
Time will tell, but I really believe we can beat this team. Match Report has now been moved HERE
15th July 04. OK folks, here we go ... a tenner in and kick-off's not till 8 o'clock, up early and time for a coupla half'uns to settle the aul Bangors :-)
BTW - Andy Smith came on at half time last night in Preston's 2-0 win over S.D. Portmany ... he didn't score.
14th July 04, 10.50pm. Eircom League side does it again, Shelbourne this time - 2-0 down away to Reykjavik of Iceland with 6 minutes left and they come back to draw 2-2. It's happening far too often now for League of Ireland sides to be luck!
9.35pm. The scum have just lost 0-1 at home to HJK - the giant centre-forward Kottila that elbowed big Chris last year.
Andy Smith ... made his debut for Preston last night in a 3-2 mini tournament defeat to Sheffield Weds .... in IBIZA!
He didn't score, and was subbed with 22 minutes left to play. Manager Craig Brown summed it up "I thought Andy [Smith] did very well and he's suffering from a slight leg strain as well. He's a striker who will work hard and was most unfortunate with a couple of chances." Andy will get another chance to impress tonight in the tournament's 3rd/4th place play-off match against local hosts and semi-pro outfit S.D. Portmany, who got duffed 4-1 by Watford.
Allianssi game - Where has the summer gone! Hard to believe the Glens will be playing in the UEFA Cup tomorrow night, it's gettin to the stage now where we may as well be playing summer football! Not so the Finns though, Allianssi have already been at it in one competition or another since January 30th - without a break, and while their league form has seen them drop to third in the table just lately, they still managed to thump 2nd Division (North) leaders VIFK 7-2 away in the Finnish Cup a couple of weeks back, a team who themselves had knocked in 12 goals in their previous two games! Ally that to the fact the Glens have 2 kickabouts up the country to their name, have 4 players virtual strangers to the rest of the squad, have YET to kick a ball at the Oval this season, have Scotty Young and big Chris out injured, and Mark Glendinning and Michael Halliday away on holidays (the 'Doc' gets home in the morning), and it's little wonder every bookie I've checked online bar one or two have the Glens 2/1 outsiders or better! Maybe it's time some football people here sat down and got their heads together in the interests of our local game - oh forgot, they already have ... haven't they?
13th July 04. Tim McCann ... has been in touch with me and asked that I say a few words on his behalf here on the site. "I want no-one to be in any doubt over my position" he explains. "Six years ago when I came to the Oval it was a very big step, it's no secret that leaving Cliftonville to join the Glens was going to mean bridging the community gap, it was a gamble on my part, and no doubt it wasn't going to please everyone, but I can honestly say that the Glens supporters have been absolutely fantastic from day one". "I really felt welcome from the start, and have been treated like a king in East Belfast." "I think I've been invited to every supporters club going, and can honestly say I've never had a cross word with a single Glentoran supporter in all those years." "I really do want to thank the fans for all that they've done, and hopefully I'll get the opportunity to say it in person and share a pint with some of them before long." On the manner of his leaving Tim had this to say - "I really am devastated, I still can't seem to take it in, the manager simply said I didn't figure in his plans anymore, I could see my contract out until December but it wouldn't be in the first team." "Frankly that didn't seem like much of an option and reluctantly agreed I would be better to move on now rather than sit in the stands every week." "Please tell the supporters I never wanted to go, I really love the place and them, those 6 years have been the best of my life." "I have made many many good friends." So there you have it folks, I reckon there's nothing there we didn't already know, but at least it comes from the horses mouth. BTW - Tim could well be a Ballymena United player this time tomorrow, he's off for talks with Kenny Shiels tonight ... Tim McCann in a blue shirt !!!
11th July 04. CHRISTOPHER Morgan 3 & Glens 5 Knockbreda Parish 0 ... thank God for ex-bluedogs eh .. :-)
BTW - wee anagram for yez ... YANR ELOMCLIMY :-)
10th July 04. Pay at the gate :-) Must say I'm delighted to hear there will be no tickets required for the home visit of AC Allianssi in the UEFA Cup next Thursday night - not that there would even have been time to print and sell them anyway!
A tenner and 6 quid in I suppose is par for the course these days, although a dear night out if you've got a couple of kids. Another thing - Does anyone else think that 'all seater' rule of UEFA's is a friggin joke over here, christ if we can get 12 - 14,000 rival supporters into the place on Boxing Day, who the hell's gonna get crushed against a handful of seal-clubbers!
9th July 04. Tomorrow's friendly - 3 quid and 2 quid into Knockbreda tomorrow, more like the thing - a fiver into a field at Killyleagh was an absolute rip-off. If they'd charged us that into the Oval for that game we'd be gurnin the place down!
8th July 04. Allianssi slipping? - Glentoran's UEFA Cup opponents AC Allianssi have slipped back to 3rd place in the Finnish League. After a great start to the season they have now taken only 1 point from their last two matches, and tonight are at home to new League leaders FC Haka in their last game before travelling to East Belfast next week. The top 4 teams are all in action over in Finland tonight, after which we could see Allianssi climb back up the TABLE, or drop even further behind. The game kicks off at 4.00pm UK time, and you can keep up to date with events at the 'LIVE' goals link above
Update: Allianssi have drawn 0-0
7th July 04, 9.20pm. Killyleagh 0 Glentoran 6 - Sorry folks, had to leave 20 minutes before the end, but by then it was 4-0 and looked like it was gonna be shooty-in. Have to say though, before CHRIStopher Morgan got the Glens opener just before the break, I must'a seen more of the ball on the grass bank than the Killyleagh goalie did down on the pitch! No matter, match fitness was what this was all about, and when Morgan got his second before I left, it was only after our other new striker Steven Parkhouse had notched up a double for himself! Who was 'man of the match'? Well everything tonight came through our number 11, wee right winger, absolutely outstanding all night the guy was - the name? ... Kevin Keegan! Ps: I'm reliably informed Subs Gavin Melaugh and Damien McLaughlin got goals 5 and 6.
6th July 04. All the new signings will make their debut's tomorrow night at Killyleagh. Remember too, BallymacGSC have a bus leaving our Wilgar Street Clubrooms at 6.00pm (ko 7.00), all visitors are very welcome.
Milton Keynes - wanna lift? - Are any of you flying out of the International Airport to Luton on the morning of the Milton Keynes Dons game (24th July)? Colin Davidon has a party of 10 leaving on the Easyjet 0730 flight, back that same evening around 2005, and is looking for Glenmen to share a coach to the airport - there or back, or from Luton Airport to Milton Keynes. Anybody interested can contact Colin directly on 07866298502. Makes sense to me.
5th July 04. Ex Blueman Morgan signs on - Had to happen didn't it! Ex bluedog Chris Morgan has just signed a 2 year deal at the Oval. Can't say I'm surprised really, we needed another striker (or two) and there's absolutely nobody else available unless you're prepared to bring across from the mainland. Should be very interesting. Hope he turns out to be another Jemmy :-)
Hats off to Cork - You've gotta hand it to Eircom League side Cork City. While Ballymena were getting trounced 7-0 at home to Odense last weekend in their InterDodo Cup tie, Cork were beating Swedish side Malmo for the second time in 7 days! Having duffed the Swedes 3-1 at home, they then went out there and beat them 1-0. Now they've just came back from Holland after holding Dutch side NEC Nijmegen to a 0-0 draw in the second round! Incidentally, Odense were hammered 3-0 at home by Villarreal. Sort'a puts our wee League's footballing prowess into perspective doesn't it :-(
Just been told ... there's a Wetherspoons Pub in Milton Keynes folks, just a short walk from the Stadium - beer and grub, sounds good to me. I'll stick a reminder on here nearer the time and we'll deck the place out - thanks Alan, cya there :-)
4th July 04. AC Allianssi ... have dropped to second in the Finnish League after the latest matches, albeit with a game in hand. BTW, who all's goin to Milton Keynes - a wee squad of us booked up yesterday ... mainland Glenmen, where do we meet?
3rd July 04. McCann gone - OFFICIALLY - Another one bites the dust. Tim McCann has finally left the Glens, putting the final summer rumour to bed. Yet again we register a personal vote of 'thanks for the memories' to a player, and I'm sure wherever you end up Tim, you'll always have that wee soft spot for the Glens! Any enemy of Fester's a friend of mine :-)
MSG 4 THE SCUM - If yer keeper does a runner like I hear he might be gonna do - tough. But just between you and me, one more whimper you've been tapping our Elliott Morris, and I'm gonna have to put it on the site! Take a hike!
2nd July 04, 6.15pm. A HUNDRED AND FIFTY GRAND! - That's how much the Glens got for Andy Smith folks, and I hear there's a sell-on clause written into the deal as well! Not bad at all considering we got him for damn all. "I signed straight away," Andy says to pne.com, "You don't even have to have a thought about it to be fair, it is just a great club." "Every player wants to play at the highest level that he can. For me this club is a massive club, you only have to look at the stadium and the facilities and the ambition of the people here." Preston Manager Craig Brown then joked that the fee PNE have paid will pale into insignificance when European Football's biggest scouts check out the performances, "£150,000 is a good fee to an Irish club with the way the transfer market is at the minute. When he goes from here to Barcelona they will benefit from that, sell-on clauses are quite common in football these days." So there ya have it - Only a matter of sending somebody over to Deepdale with a big red ruck-sack now :-) How much does that mean we owe the bank now?
11.20am. Andy's Away - Andy Smith has just completed his move to Preston North End.
Good Luck Andy, and thanks for those wonderful memories some seem to have forgotten. Try not to score against QPR :-)
1st July 04, 5.30pm. All's well that END'S well! - What a turn-up for the books, Andy Smith has just agreed to sign for Preston North End! As I told you yesterday, things were all set for him to sign for Milton Keynes Dons today when the 2nd Division side were released from administration, but it seems right out of the blue 1st Division Preston came in, matched the offer, and Andy promptly agreed to go to Deepdale! He will now link up with fellow Northern Ireland striker David Healy, subject to him passing a medical and completing the paperwork tomorrow. The Glens have already agreed terms, but have yet to release the details of the deal - (Pssst ... take it from me, the contract he's been offered is for 3 years :-)
Early Kick-Off - The game in Finland will be a 7.00pm ko local time, (5.00pm here) for anyone wanting to make plans.
More to come? - So Darren Armour looks to be all but gone, so too Tim McCann & Andy Smith, that's 3 forwards offloaded in my view ... and we've signed just the one! Once the Andy Smith deal is confirmed I'd like to think we could expect a few announcements on the playing front wouldn't you?
Update, 12.35pm - Armour's away, just been confirmed he's signed a 4 year deal with the Whites - keep knockin them in against the scum Darren, but take it easy on yer aul mate Elliott :-)
