And Yorkshire, the county of my birth, would have finished in a very repectable position in the overall medals table too. Hampshire ought have scraped a sailing medal or two though I don't remember any...
Thought I might as well find out... Alexandra Danson Women's hockey Bronze Southampton Hampshire Dani King Track cycling, women's team pursuit Gold Southampton Hampshire Iain Percy Sailing, men's star Silver Southampton Hampshire James Foad Rowing, men's eight Bronze Southampton Hampshire Jon Schofield Men's kayak double 200m Bronze Petersfield Hampshire 5 then....better than a few more populous spots!
Technically there is a bloke called Ben Ainslie as well. He's basically in the same boat as Laura Trott: born in one place, considers another place home. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-19264946
Pat Nevin, Perry Groves and Colin Murray are ripping the new U21 league to shreds pretty effectively. They point out that if you're playing in the U21 league, you're not playing first team football (i.e. on loan). More significantly, they point out that the league is starting as a result of the English Premiership's P********e Plan, yet 99% of elite international footballers are good enough to play regular football in the Premier League, Championship or League One at some point between the ages of 17 and 19.
A pre-seasn friendly between the Wellington Phoenix and Newcastle Jets, both of the A League, finished with 4 players getting sent off. The Jets' coach said that his players were competitive because they want places in the team when the season starts.
Is SwedenHornet still in these parts? I was wondering if the cup game between Langholmen FC and IFK Gothenburg is considered as amazing as this report suggests? http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/aug/18/pub-side-british-ifk-gothenburg-swedish-cup I would be interested in hearing the result, in any case.
I see Adam Johnson has signed a 4 year deal with Sunderland from Man City - if only he had not been taken back from his loan things would have been very different at Watford
I see that Rangers played away against Berwick this afternoon getting a lucky 1-1 draw. Over 4,100 people turned up which surely has to be one of the largest crowds for a league match there in recent years. Although a smallish crowd by most standards, the gate receipts must be welcome.
I wonder if there is income from tv too - very unusual to have televised highlights of Third Division matches, not to mention them being broadcast live on radio.
Fiorentina 2-1 Udinese Granada 1-1 Sevilla Real Madrid have only 1 point from their first two games. Maybe there will be a job vacancy for SD soon.
I was looking on the internet and found this. http://www.mbl.is/sport/enski/2012/08/27/loks_lek_rangers_deildaleik_i_englandi/ Loks lék Rangers deildaleik à Englandi Hjá Rangers, sigursælasta knattspyrnufélagi Skotlands, hefur það lengi verið draumur að spila reglulega à Englandi. Forráðamenn félagsins hafa litið hýru auga til ensku úrvalsdeildarinnar en ekki haft erindi sem erfiði à málaleitunum um að fá inngöngu þar. En um helgina fór Rangers loksins til Englands og spilaði þar. Kringumstæðurnar voru þó allt aðrar en þær sem félagsmenn dreymdi um. Fyrr á þessu ári var Rangers lýst gjaldþrota vegna hárra skattaskulda og nýju félagi með sama nafni var neitað um keppnisrétt à skosku úrvalsdeildinni á nýhöfnu tÃmabili. Ãar af leiðandi þurfti Rangers að byrja upp á nýtt à 3. deildinni, fjórðu efstu deildinni à skosku knattspyrnunni. Um helgina lágu leiðir Rangers og Berwick Rangers saman á ný, à skosku 3. deildinni. Rangers kom à heimsókn á Shielfield Park, leikvang sem rúmar 1.300 manns à sæti og var áður notaður fyrir akstursÃþróttir til jafns við knattspyrnu.Og à þeirri deild leikur lið frá Englandi. Berwick Rangers, sem er frá Berwick-upon-Tweed, nyrsta bæ Englands. Ãar búa 12 þúsund manns og þar sem styttra er að fara til næstu bæja og borga à Skotlandi en til samsvarandi staða à Englandi, hefur Berwick leikið à skosku deildakeppninni à hálfa öld. Ãar státar félagið af tveimur titlum en liðið vann 2. deildina 1979 og 3. deildina 2007. Frægasti sigurinn à sögu Berwick Rangers er einmitt gegn Rangers árið 1967, à bikarleik gegn stórveldinu, en Berwick vann 1:0 og það eru einhver óvæntustu úrslitin à sögu skoska fótboltans. Ãá var sett vallarmet à bænum sem enn stendur þvà 13.365 áhorfendur sáu leikinn, fleiri en Ãbúar staðarins. Og eins og fyrir 45 árum fóru Rangersmenn án sigurs heim til Glasgow. Reyndar með eitt stig à farteskinu þvà leikurinn endaði 1:1. Fraser McLaren, dyggur stuðningsmaður Rangers, skoraði jöfnunarmark fyrir Berwick og var nærri þvà að tryggja liðinu annan eftirminnilegan sigur. Andy Little skoraði mark Rangers à uppbótartÃma fyrri hálfleiks. Að þessu sinni voru „aðeins“ 4.140 manns á vellinum en fleiri komast ekki að á leikvanginum samkvæmt reglum nútÃmans. Sigling Rangers à gegnum skosku 3. deildina ætlar ekki að reynast eins einföld og flestir bjuggust við. Liðið hefur gert jafntefli à báðum útileikjum sÃnum, náði naumlega jafntefli, 2:2, à Peterhead à fyrstu umferðinni, en vann eina heimaleikinn á Ibrox til þessa, 5:1 gegn East Stirling. Rangers er þvà à fjórða sæti af 10 liðum à deildinni með 5 stig en á undan eru Elgin City með 7 stig, Peterhead með 7 og Clyde með 5 stig. Berwick er à 9. og næstneðsta sæti með 2 stig. Ãnnur lið sem Rangers þarf að mæta à vetur, à fjórfaldri umferð à deildinni, eru Queens Park, Annan Athletic, Stirling Albion og Montrose. Engir stórleikir við Celtic þennan veturinn, nema erkifjendurnir dragist saman à annarri hvorri bikarkeppninni. Reyndar eru þrjú ár à það að Rangers og Celtic geti mæst à stórleikjum à úrvalsdeildinni á ný, þ.e. ef Rangers tekst að komast upp um þrjár deildir næstu þrjú árin. Rangers finally play league games in England For Rangers, Scotland's most successful football club, it has long been a dream to play regularly for England. Club managers have amorously eyed the Premier League but had queries trying to get admission there rebuffed. But this weekend Rangers finally went to England and played there. However, the circumstances were completely different from those the club dreamed about. Earlier this year, the Rangers declared bankruptcy because of high tax debt and a new company with the same name, were denied the right to contest the Scottish Premier League season newly commenced. Consequently Rangers had to start all over again in the third league, the fourth in the Scottish league football. And in that division play a team from England. Berwick Rangers, who is from Berwick-upon-Tweed, the northernmost town in England. Where 12 thousand people live and where the local towns and cities in Scotland are nearer than those in a corresponding position in England, Berwick has played in Scottish league for half a century. Since then the club boasts of two titles, but the team won the second division in 1979 and third in 2007. The most famous victory in the history of Berwick Rangers is precisely against the Rangers in 1967, in a cup match against the superpower, but Berwick won 1:0 and that is one of the shock results in the history of Scottish football. Then of course the record was set in the city that still stands as 13,365 spectators saw the game, more than the local population. Over the weekend low leads Rangers Berwick Rangers together again, in the Scottish third League. Rangers came to visit Shielfield Park stadium that seats 1,300 people in the seats and was previously used for a motorsport equivalent to football. And as for the Rangers the men went back to Glasgow without a win for 45 years. Indeed, with one point taken the game ended 1:1. Fraser McLaren, loyal supporter of Rangers, scored the equalizer for Berwick and came close to guaranteeing another memorable victory. Andy Little Rangers scored a goal in first half injury time. There were "only" 4,140 people in the stadium, but more can be allowed into the stadium under the current rules. Rangers sailing through the Scottish third division will not prove as easy as most people expected. The team has drawn in both their away games, could barely tie, 2:2, in Peterhead in the first round, but won only one home game at Ibrox so far, 5:1 against East Stirling. Rangers is in fourth place out of 10 teams in the league with 5 points, with the exception of Elgin City with 7 points, with 7 Peterhead and Clyde with 5 points. Berwick is in ninth and next to last place with 2 points. Another point that needs to meet the Rangers this season, in round four times in the league, the Queens Park, Annan Athletic, Stirling Albion and Montrose. No big games with Celtic this winter unless erkifjendurnir decline in either Cup. Indeed, three years in the Rangers and Celtic can be reconciled in a big game in the Premier League again, ie if the Rangers manage to get away for three departments over the next three years.
That result at Berwick was a big shock for them, more for the way that they were totally outplayed than for the result. They now also have a tricky SFA Cup match to negotiate, having been drawn away to the the Highland League champions Forres Mechanics, who are far and away better than most Third Division teams - so another possible shock in store for them. Forres have just announced that the match will be all ticket, with all 1500 tickets being sold to locals only - another embarrassment for Rangers, no fans at a match.
Maybe he is wondering if he should have been a bit more loyal to Swansea. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19458601
