Happy New Year?

RIP Darlo...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16493533.stm

The Penney Drops

He's a rubbish manager - always has been, always will be:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/bristol_rovers/9417489.stm

Football vs. Football

I saw Darlo for the first time in ages last weekend, playing at Mossley in the 4th qualifying round of the FA Cup. The game itself was spoiled by the unnecessary 'double-punishment' rule (their goalkeeper was adjudged to have brought down our player in the penalty area, resulting in both a red card for the keeper and a penalty kick), but a 6-2 win is a 6-2 win. Also a reminder of the good old days, when I could watch Darlo for £7 - the £20+ I've paid to see them against the likes of Accrington Stanley and Bury in League Two is just ridiculous.

Now for this weekend, something completely different: San Francisco 49ers vs Denver Broncos at Wembley Stadium...

The greatest?

Robbie Blake began his professional football career at Darlington, signing on from the club's youth academy. Fifteen years later he scores the winning goal in a Premiership game against the reigning champions Manchester United (and what a goal it was too - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P29dA9wgi4w) . Does this single act make him Darlo's most accomplished player - ever? I think it just might.

The rat deserts the sinking ship...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/o/oldham_athletic/8025908.stm

How predictable. Well good ridance I say - now bring back Hodgson on a lifetime contract.

The Penney Drops

When I started this blog, I decided that I wouldn’t write about Darlo – a bit too close to the bone. However, our third play-off disappointment in the past twelve years deserves a mention, if only to give me some closure. To be honest, I’d rather lose in a semi-final than a final, and I’m not confident that we are good enough to beat Stockport. Although, obviously, the best team doesn’t always win at Wembley – as witnessed in 2000, when we played Peterborough off the pitch (we were also the better team in the 1996 final). Ironically, the semi-final was a mirror of our whole season - getting in a great position and then blowing (bottling?) it. When Penney took Keltie off at the end of normal time, I had a feeling that would come back to bite us – penalties seemed on the cards, so why substitue a player who had converted one so convincingly during the game? That decision certainly didn’t do anything to alter my opinion of Penney - I still remain unconvinced by him. Hopefully, I’m wrong, and we’ll storm the division next season – but please, no more play-offs.

Change the Rules (No. 2) – The Play-offs

Despite the fact that Darlo may actually benefit this season, I still don’t like the way the play-offs are structured. It’s not that I have a problem with the notion of play-offs per se – on the contrary, I believe that increasing the number of teams who still have ‘something to play for’ towards the end of the regular season is a great idea. I just think it’s wrong that, at the end of a 46 game schedule, league position effectively counts for nothing. Surely teams that just miss out on automatic promotion (and, as we’ve seen in the past, sometimes finish nine or more points ahead of those other teams who make the play-offs) should get some kind of reward for their season-long performance? So, let’s do away with the level playing ground afforded by two-legged semi-finals, and instead have a one-off game, with the team that finished highest having the home advantage. Clubs that finished below them would still have the opportunity to get that final promotion spot - but they would be required to win ‘on the road’ in order to do so. And as for staging the finals at Wembley – complete nonsense. That privilege should go to the finalist who finished highest in the league table. Play-offs are a good idea – but they should not be allowed to over-ride the fact that consistency over a gruelling season is what matters most.