What do you do with the neighbours from hell?
December 2nd 2009 18:09
Here’s a hypothetical quandary for you all which could well happen in the not so distance future. It’s the last game of the 2010/11 League One season and City host Southend United at The Park. A win will see us miss out on the play-offs but could still give us our highest ever finish since 1980.
The thing is Southend sit one place above the drop zone and a win for The Shrimpers will guarantee their place in the league next season. The club a point behind Southend and occupying 21st place in League One is none other than our old friends Plymouth Argyle. The City tutored talents of Mackie and Sawyer are long gone and if Southend beat us on the last day those plucky Pilgrims head back to the basement division.
So as a City fan what do you want to happen? See our boys finish the season in a blaze of glory and etch their names in the history books? Or, field the youth team with the express intention of taking easy on our guests from Essex?
Well tomorrow sees the conclusion of the Brazilian top flight and a similar storyline is dominating the headlines in the run-up to the final round of matches.
Four teams can still win the Brasileirao going into the last Sunday of the season. Flamengo currently sit top the league with 64 points but can still be caught be Internacional, Palmeiras and Sao Paulo who are crammed together two points adrift of the Rio team.
Internacional are best placed to take advantage of any slip from Flamengo in their last game against Gremio in the Maracana. If Flamengo fail to beat Gremio and Internacional win their home match against Santo Andre then it will be they who claim the title.
The trouble for Internacional ahead of the final Sunday of the season is that to win the league they are relying on a favour from their arch rivals Gremio.
“Internacional and Gremio have one of the more bitter rivalries in Brazil.” André Baibich of Goal.com Brazil explains. “In fact, a special report made by Brazilian magazine Trivela elected the Gre-Nal (GREmio and InternacioNAL) as the biggest rivalry in the country. Now, Internacional fans will have to trust Gremio if they want to win the national title.”
The rivalry which divides the city of Porto Alegre near the southern tip of Brazil often manifests itself in violence when the two teams meet and there is little love lost between the sets of fans.
Gremio president Duda Kroeff has assured the press that his team play every game to win but his views are at odds with the majority of his club’s fans. The Internet forums frequented by the Gremio faithful are chock-a-block with calls for their team to throw the game and hand the title to Flamengo.
“If the Flamengo team gets nervous and can not find the target in the game then our players must start fouling them in the box to give them all the penalty kicks they need to win. If that does not work then it will be time for own goals.” A fan of the Tricolor said.
“If Gremio do not gift wrap the title for Flamengo on Sunday I will not be happy. It is out of the question that we should do our enemy a favour which could make them champions.” Is the view of another Gremio fan.
Up The City!
Tim
http://timsturtridge.com/
The thing is Southend sit one place above the drop zone and a win for The Shrimpers will guarantee their place in the league next season. The club a point behind Southend and occupying 21st place in League One is none other than our old friends Plymouth Argyle. The City tutored talents of Mackie and Sawyer are long gone and if Southend beat us on the last day those plucky Pilgrims head back to the basement division.
So as a City fan what do you want to happen? See our boys finish the season in a blaze of glory and etch their names in the history books? Or, field the youth team with the express intention of taking easy on our guests from Essex?
Well tomorrow sees the conclusion of the Brazilian top flight and a similar storyline is dominating the headlines in the run-up to the final round of matches.
Four teams can still win the Brasileirao going into the last Sunday of the season. Flamengo currently sit top the league with 64 points but can still be caught be Internacional, Palmeiras and Sao Paulo who are crammed together two points adrift of the Rio team.
Internacional are best placed to take advantage of any slip from Flamengo in their last game against Gremio in the Maracana. If Flamengo fail to beat Gremio and Internacional win their home match against Santo Andre then it will be they who claim the title.
The trouble for Internacional ahead of the final Sunday of the season is that to win the league they are relying on a favour from their arch rivals Gremio.
“Internacional and Gremio have one of the more bitter rivalries in Brazil.” André Baibich of Goal.com Brazil explains. “In fact, a special report made by Brazilian magazine Trivela elected the Gre-Nal (GREmio and InternacioNAL) as the biggest rivalry in the country. Now, Internacional fans will have to trust Gremio if they want to win the national title.”
The rivalry which divides the city of Porto Alegre near the southern tip of Brazil often manifests itself in violence when the two teams meet and there is little love lost between the sets of fans.
Gremio president Duda Kroeff has assured the press that his team play every game to win but his views are at odds with the majority of his club’s fans. The Internet forums frequented by the Gremio faithful are chock-a-block with calls for their team to throw the game and hand the title to Flamengo.
“If the Flamengo team gets nervous and can not find the target in the game then our players must start fouling them in the box to give them all the penalty kicks they need to win. If that does not work then it will be time for own goals.” A fan of the Tricolor said.
“If Gremio do not gift wrap the title for Flamengo on Sunday I will not be happy. It is out of the question that we should do our enemy a favour which could make them champions.” Is the view of another Gremio fan.
Up The City!
Tim
http://timsturtridge.com/
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