FYI. You can follow today's game against Canterbury United here.
"Thank goodness for that breeze." Sounds like they're about to serve up tea & cupcakes on a Cambridge lawn.
"At the end of the drive the lawmen arrive...
I'll take my chance because luck is on my side or something...
Her name is Rio, she don't need to understand...
Oh Rio, Rio, hear them shout across the land..."
Good result. If we hadn't of had the 3 points deducted we'd be third now.
Hi Chris,
One of the great days of national league football at Cambridge... and that's not a phrase that has been over-used to date.
For all the highlights - home team wins 4-3 thriller - the on-pitch peak had to be Clapham's goal.
Off-pitch highlight was being able to buy a Good George IPA at the beer tent - first time at a national league match I've been able to enjoy a craft pale ale on tap, and there was even the comedy value of sharing a pint with James McOnie and swapping lies from the old days.
Which meant we almost got caught out by the winning goal. Five minutes earlier we'd tried to urge MP David Bennett to join an impromptu pitch invasion if Waibop could pot a late winner. He and James Bannatyne made an initial lunge at the fence. But they bottled it. (Typical Tory, huh? - that's just to rile Stantiall)
That would have been a great one for the officials to handle... a crowd invasion by an MP
Simon Mead... think he is still working for Waibop federation, should be able to get his email off their website.
Apparently I'm apathetic, but I couldn't care less.
"Being a Partick Thistle fan sets you apart. It means youre a free thinker. It also means your team has no money." Tim Luckhurst, The Independent, 4th December 2003
Result for us. It seems that this may well prove to be our best season in a long time (first season to be precise).
WaiBop v ACFC date switch: now at John Kerkhof Cambridge, 6pm Wednesday Feb 18th (not Feb 11th, owing to conflict with Halberg Award presentation).
"At the end of the drive the lawmen arrive...
I'll take my chance because luck is on my side or something...
Her name is Rio, she don't need to understand...
Oh Rio, Rio, hear them shout across the land..."
Nice atmosphere crap surface, defenders nightmare uneven and bumpy.
Nice atmosphere crap surface, defenders nightmare uneven and bumpy.
Long as they serve up a nice breeze plus jam & cream scones.
"At the end of the drive the lawmen arrive...
I'll take my chance because luck is on my side or something...
Her name is Rio, she don't need to understand...
Oh Rio, Rio, hear them shout across the land..."
Heyref- I'm sure the mighty Blues will be gutted they're not playing on a billiard table and kitting up in a palacial changing room, but hey if it pisses them off then job done!
Hello there. We should not take TOO much joy from the discomfort of visiting teams, Mr Sandwich.
Back in the day it was de rigeur to piss visiting teams off with the lack of facilities at national league venues.... (think of the dire visitor changing rooms at Muir Park, for example).
The eventual result of that was the introduction of far more exacting criteria for league entry.
Indeed, when the current iteration of the national league was introduced in 2004, they then went too far overboard with criteria - I did my own home-spun assessment 10 years ago and concluded that even the Stade de France would not have qualified for hosting a national league match (failed on the toilet pan count).
But for a number of years now a blind eye has been turned to a lot of this original NZFC criteria - and that has certainly assisted Waibop in being able to make a go of things at Vogel St (and do a pretty good job with a lot of the set-up there too - fantastic to be able to buy a quality pale ale on tap in the garden bar ).
However if us fans start publicly crowing and gloating about successfully pissing teams off with sub-standard facilities in other respects - it may come back to bite us and be counterproductive in the long term.
As always, you can follow WaiBOP United online (dodgy North Harbour connections allowing...) Wanderers SC v WaiBOP United.
2-1 win, another result!
If you can't make it out to Cambridge this evening, here's how you can follow the game against ACFC.
Gorgeous evening down at John Kerkhof, thanks to WaiBOP for the welcome and the beer truck.
Fair play to the Bop fans with the drums and the songs, although the kids on the half way line next to us gave it a good solid go!
Express Football Special Calling At
Fratton Park - Champion Hill - Kiwitea St
And all away grounds inbetween.
Cooling breeze?
"At the end of the drive the lawmen arrive...
I'll take my chance because luck is on my side or something...
Her name is Rio, she don't need to understand...
Oh Rio, Rio, hear them shout across the land..."
what's happening on the Waibop front this year. Rumours that there is a player exodus from last year. Scott, Wyllie and Coomes to Waitakere and Drake to Auckland
Haven't seen Peter Smith around any northern league games
Heard Mark Jones is trying to get in at Canty.
No one wants to play for Peter Smith which I think is harsh.
Grumpy old bastard alert
Mark has been approached by Willie but has turned them down due to work commitments in hamilton.
No one wants to play for Peter - correct.
The team just want to be playing national league and play for their teamates & themselves.
Unfortunately he doesnt have the vision to sign a Waikato based side. To many out of towners/aucklanders involved that get sick of crap trainings, travel and end up throwing the towel in.
When i asked over the weekend has he been to any of the games this season, few players told me he has only been to two games and also doesnt have a assistant coach.
Piss poor really
Players don't respect Smith.
They should have appointed Willie instead of Smith- the players like the way his teams are playing & his training.
A mix of Wanderers and Bays plus a few U20 players (who would have followed Willie) would have been a strong team and a real contender.
Waibop should be made up out of the players in the area playing for Melville, Wanderers, Tauranga. with the inclusion of maybe 2 - 3 players in curtial positions.
Waikato has potentially the best back line in the comp if he only saw it.
Scott, Luque, Konnings, Rogers
I have to say that the best way forward for WaiBOP, and not necessarily in the short term, is to develop from within. There is talent there and when you consider the fortunes of 2 teams in the Premier division, Tauranga are in the promotion hunt, are you better off giving your talent in the region a shot (and also hope that they will be picked on performance) or getting in retread mercenaries from Auckland. Some of those Aucklanders can be useful but I would suggest you find a 1st team and maybe grab 2 out of towners to plug the most glaring holes in that team.
Would Cossey go around again? They seemed to play alright when he had them. Steve Williams? I know that there is always issues with club loyalties but there are enough sound minds to put that aside now surely.
Grumpy old bastard alert
Waibop should be made up out of the players in the area playing for Melville, Wanderers, Tauranga. with the inclusion of maybe 2 - 3 players in curtial positions.
Waikato has potentially the best back line in the comp if he only saw it.
Scott, Luque, Konnings, Rogers
It's not quite as easy as paper coaching - some don't want to and some won't want to work under a certain coach - Willy has done a Waikato side before and he himself was criticized for using out of towners.
It seemed to me that Peter Smith had a pretty good amount of locals and even the guys he signed from out of the area (coombes for example) had a connection to the area - not all of them i know but he looked like he was trying.
Thats kinda why I think its harsh that players wont play for him. He gave the locals a shot and he had no club allegiances. Coombes was one of the better Aucklanders they have had and as you say, at least from there.
Grumpy old bastard alert
He is not even a proven coach. He has never coached at premier level. His gig before waibop was bay of plenty ladies... and they got the wooden spoon.. before that he was unsucsessful with tauranga city. & you want to question why hes not respected?
Aaron took most of the trainings last year alongside Chad.
Perhaps I am getting a bit cynical in my old age, but I can see no benefits for the WaiBop team playing at Waikato Stadium. I have been there in the past when Waikato was playing and although the surface was superb, there is very little atmosphere when you have a couple of hundred people rattling around in a 30,000 seat (??) stadium. The echoes are deafening. The costs used to be pretty tough.
In my opinion, the team would be better off spreading itself around the area - Porrit, Gower, Links Ave, Cambridge, Ngarra, Taupo, Rotorua - there you are - seven home games.. Might get some local support involved at those venues.
Perhaps I am getting a bit cynical in my old age, but I can see no benefits for the WaiBop team playing at Waikato Stadium. I have been there in the past when Waikato was playing and although the surface was superb, there is very little atmosphere when you have a couple of hundred people rattling around in a 30,000 seat (??) stadium. The echoes are deafening. The costs used to be pretty tough.
In my opinion, the team would be better off spreading itself around the area - Porrit, Gower, Links Ave, Cambridge, Ngarra, Taupo, Rotorua - there you are - seven home games.. Might get some local support involved at those venues.
Genius - take it around the traps! Is there any better Fed to do that with than WaiBoP? You've got Tauranga, Tokoroa and Whakatane as well. Ah the good old days of playing in the Northern League - so many great road trips.
He is not even a proven coach. He has never coached at premier level. His gig before waibop was bay of plenty ladies... and they got the wooden spoon.. before that he was unsucsessful with tauranga city. & you want to question why hes not respected?
Aaron took most of the trainings last year alongside Chad.
you can make a compelling argument by only using stats that suit your summary - dosn't make you right though.
Perhaps I am getting a bit cynical in my old age, but I can see no benefits for the WaiBop team playing at Waikato Stadium. I have been there in the past when Waikato was playing and although the surface was superb, there is very little atmosphere when you have a couple of hundred people rattling around in a 30,000 seat (??) stadium. The echoes are deafening. The costs used to be pretty tough.
In my opinion, the team would be better off spreading itself around the area - Porrit, Gower, Links Ave, Cambridge, Ngarra, Taupo, Rotorua - there you are - seven home games.. Might get some local support involved at those venues.
Disagree. If playing at the Stadium, promote it. Better to aim high than low for a change.
"At the end of the drive the lawmen arrive...
I'll take my chance because luck is on my side or something...
Her name is Rio, she don't need to understand...
Oh Rio, Rio, hear them shout across the land..."
Perhaps I am getting a bit cynical in my old age, but I can see no benefits for the WaiBop team playing at Waikato Stadium. I have been there in the past when Waikato was playing and although the surface was superb, there is very little atmosphere when you have a couple of hundred people rattling around in a 30,000 seat (??) stadium. The echoes are deafening. The costs used to be pretty tough.
In my opinion, the team would be better off spreading itself around the area - Porrit, Gower, Links Ave, Cambridge, Ngarra, Taupo, Rotorua - there you are - seven home games.. Might get some local support involved at those venues.
Disagree. If playing at the Stadium, promote it. Better to aim high than low for a change.
Guess this confirms the TV stuff we have been hearing about then.
Grumpy old bastard alert