Northern Leagues

So this is actually happening - 13 team league?

Looks that way - Prem draw includes TKU and everyone gets 2 byes.

What a shambles. From an outsider's point of view it is clear no one actually understands what they are doing. The league bing dictated by the noisest clubs. Sounds great for the future.

oh noes - the NL forum is broken.. where will I get all the football banter....

Have you found a club? I play for FHM div 1 team, unfortunately we already have a GK who is one of our better players but you could get in touch with the club to see if other teams are after a GK. Always the case for GKs looking for teams I guess. From my one season there it seems like a good club to be apart of. The first team have a good mix of youth/experience, not sure what the reserve team is like TBH - not sure if I like the idea of playing in a reserve league personally. The first team are probably likely to spend some coin this season given their promotion - Jarod Smith and Chris Bale are names I've heard from someone outside of the club. Also heard Jamie Mason might be hanging up the boots. 

Did you play with Forrest hill div 1 team last year?

Nope to lazy, did you play with a guy called Mario? he is a mate of mine.

Hey hey - yeah I've been roped in by an old mate of mine to play for East Coast Bays. Not exactly what league or standard is, as Football setup up here is even scarier then Wellingtons. But they seem like a good bunch of lads, and is probably at about the right level for to ease back into it

I am also at ECB what team you playing with?

Yeah we play indoor together to trying to get him to come play with us. What is your name? Ill mention it to him next time. Small world 

Went to watch Glenfield vs Papakura today. Rovers won 3-2. Awful standard though. The absolute state of the crossing from both teams.

Don't thin Glenfield were at full strength tbf. If they were they're in trouble.

Birko beat Springs 5-2 today as well.

Cheers. Didn't even know they were playing today.

Tbh haven't taken much interest in how we look this season as i won't be here for pretty much all of it. I know we've signed Salts and Boss back and Jack and Lawso are leaving but apart from that wouldn't have a clue.

Team SYAB - Division 2 I think. Make any sense to you. We played a kick about at Greville Reserve yesterday

Where is Jack going?  I know Lawso is back at Coast.
Would explain why Dan Morgan was playing in Jacks deep midfield role when we played you guys a couple of weeks ago.

Jack off to Germany. I understand that his girlfriend has got herself a good job there and he is going with her

Yeah we are playing you tomorrow at Greville. Struggling for players though!

Haha classic - and I wasn't even there. I heard getting the players together was a challenge!

Yup sure was you guys only had 11 and we only had one sub, Was a good game considering it is normally not!

Watched Birko-Bays today. Birko were awful first half, absolutely dire. Second half came to life a bit more and got a deserved win in the end. Bays will go nowhere with Alec "offside trap" Solomons and Judd "can't trap a bag of cement" Baker in the team.

Went to Shore vs Shore B (Metro) afterwards. Low quality game where both Metro's goalscorers were ex-Shore players. Hint of irony there given Shore's main striker looked a good two or three rungs below the Metro strikers in terms of quality.

I took in Bay Olympic v Melville - not a great game either truth be told. Original plan was Wanderers v Eastern Suburbs but I had to turn around at Mercer when it became obvious I wasn't going to make it. Traffic was abominable...

Also RIP to AFC Fury's Dave Cook who sadly passed away today.

https://in-the-back-of-the.net/2016/03/25/plan-c/

Should have come to Parr's, 7 goals, a red card and plenty of drama.  Northern League at its best.

Yes, I was seriously considering it but it was just that little bit further. I would have missed the first 20 mins instead of ten. I really wish I'd known that Papatoetoe v Fury was going ahead. Three goal comeback for Fury...

Game of 2 halves really. The red card cost us the game, I can't really see us finishing any higher then mid table.

What do you think about Ethan Galbraith? Personally I think he is a rubbish but haven't seen a whole lot

Hit and miss. He was shocking yesterday, but we got away with it.

Liked the look of Mulholland.

Just been to ECB vs Springs. 4-0 to ECB, but the score does not tell the story. If springs could finish they should have won.

Eastern Suburbs vs Glenfield... Glenfield probably lucky with a point. East had two really good chances they should've buried but otherwise chances were few and far between the whole game. Despite that a good game.

On a negative note - as a neutral who has only been in Auckland for a year, Glenfield are consistently disgraceful. Telling a player he has "pubes on his face and is a silly c***" at full volume is rather embarrassing and not a good look for the sport. Neither is having every 2nd word that comes out of any players mouth the f word. I am by no means prudish, but they seem to be really over the top.

No suprise considering who there coach is......

Just confirms their status as a nothing full of overpaid mercenaries 

I also watched this game and was equally appalled at the constant bad language and approach by Rovers. It is one thing to use bad language as most do, but it was a feature of the game for me and that is not a good look.

I was at Birko v Central today to check out Jack Hobson-McVeigh's send off...

https://in-the-back-of-the.net/2016/04/09/auf-wiedersehen/

Just got back from Bay Olympic v Central at Crum Park finished 3-1 to Central ugly affair four red cards finished 10 v 8. 

Sure was entertaining. Lights malfunctioned 10 seconds after kick off so play was halted for 30 minutes. Game had to be shortened to 2 40 minute halves as lights were also on automatic timer and would go off at 8:57pm. As for the game itself too much drama early double red card Jacob Hall elbowed Jared Colligan in the face knocking teeth out Colligan was sent off for his reaction. (He also chased Hall back into the changing rooms picked up a broom and cracked it across his back) Chad Coombes saw red for two yellow cards and Jack Caunter was sent off for a bad tackle. All goal scoring action came in the first half Nicolas Zambrano, Kenta Nakashima and Maro Bonsu-Maro for Central and Caunter for Bay Olympic. Crum Park basically turned into Crime Park.