So like us taking throw ins? Mostly you just think "why ****ing bother, you ****s?" but occasionally, and I mean really rarely occasionally, you go "Woah, good throw, to one of our players as well, brilliant!"
Att. 17 841 Entertainment = 8/10 Atmosphere= 9/10 Bear in mind that the bridges were up last night so many thousands of Rovers fans were turned back and the bingo was on down Holderness Rd causing a conflict of loyalty for some. Despite this the atmosphere was still 9/10 on the Michael Mouse-calibrated scale used by the Mail on these occasions. Marvellous stuff, and I feel sure that our Council will recognise the global interest in this historic Derby game and ensure the it's given due prominence in all COC2017 publicity material. It's a rugby village.
Out-of-form team near top comfortably beats basement stragglers, having taken commanding early lead. Riveting stuff.
Nope...just enjoy pricking the ludicrous local RL bubble. Both a duty and a pleasure. What's not to like?
A lot of em seem to inhabit a bubble, immune to the bigger realities out there, so the jury's out on that one.
5 mins, give the ****ers a chance. When you go and watch city do you stop watching the match after 5 mins to look at your phone?
What a thrilling pastime that is! Almost continuous, non-stop action with the highlight being a hotdog with mustard and ketchup. We're off out soon to watch a proper global sport being played on a gridiron field in front of well over 30,000 fans, many of them new to The Beautiful Game. Can FC Cincinnati crush the mighty Eagles of Crippled Alice? Will report back later, so hold your breath.
*************************************************** It was an interesting game, but men against boys. The TV reporter described both goals as 'world class'. (They were quite good.) He also told us that English teams always call their coach 'Goffer'. They said the pace was too fast for FCC, though in fact CP slowed it down to cope with the heat and humidity. Fraizer Campbell and Damien Delaney had good games, and there some great saves by both sides. The atmosphere, all seated (and actually staying seated throughout), was excellent and family-oriented. No foul-mouthed obscenities or drunkenness to be seen anywhere. The game is going to be big-time in this sports-mad city. *************Local newspaper report**************** Dreams are made of the scenes that unfolded at Nippert Stadium Saturday night. Except the friendly match between Futbol Club Cincinnati and the English Premier League's Crystal Palace FC was better than a dream. It was real. And it was historic. Nippert, a storied football venue, accommodated 35,061 – the largest crowd to witness a soccer match in the history of Ohio, according to FC Cincinnati. And the hosts actually lined up against the revered "Eagles" of Crystal Palace, the South London team that plays in the most competitive soccer league in the world. Palace's stop in Cincinnati was part of its preseason North American tour, which started in Philadelphia and concludes next week in Vancouver. The crowd was dotted almost exclusively with orange and blue-colored garb, and the noise produced by those in attendance was deafening at times. So significant was the match that the 2-0 win by Crystal Palace was a secondary consideration. "Just a fantastic occasion," FC Cincinnati head coach John Harkes said after the game. "First thing I talked to our players about this week in training was that the emphasis wasn't, you know, how are we going to beat Crystal Palace. It was more about can we enjoy the moments on the field?" In a city known for its fierce civic pride, locals came to see the team match up with a top club in world soccer. The end result was still respectable. CINCINNATI.COM Crystal Palace vs. FCC: What 'friendly' means to fans Crystal Palace took the lead in the eighth minute. Midfielder Jordan Mutch gathered a loose ball about 30 yards from the Cincinnati goal, dribbled and blasted beyond goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt, like many of his FC Cincinnati counterparts, was subbed out early. FC Cincinnati went deep into its bench in preparation for the coming week of United Soccer League competition that will see Cincinnati play the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. Palace's quality was evident against a lineup of FC Cincinnati's regular starters. Even in preseason, they were quicker to balls and more dominant in possession. A wave of substitutes entered at the outset of the second half. They managed to take the game to Palace and create multiple chances. Ultimately, they, too, lacked the quality to put a score on the board against the Premier League visitors. "We were unlucky not to score," Harkes said. "It would have been nice to get a goal... We always knew from the beginning it was a great occasion for everybody – for the whole city." Eventually, Palace regained control. In doing so, they doubled their lead through Wilfred Zaha, whose shot from an awkward angle found the side-netting, beating replacement Cincinnati goalkeeper and Guam international Dallas Jaye. Substitutes continued rolling in and fans started to head for the exits, but the days-long soccer celebration appeared to have made its impact. The entire stadium rose to its feet and applauded as the final whistle sounded, indicating the lasting legacy of arguably the biggest soccer occasion in the history of the Queen City would extend far beyond the final score, and potentially far into the future. Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew said the atmosphere was phenominal. “It’s not often you have an atmosphere like that in preseason and not actually in a league game," Pardew said. "So hats off to everybody who showed up tonight.” Pardew said he hopes Palace can come back to Cincinnati at some point, whether it's next season or some other time in the future. For a team that's used USL-record breaking attendance figures to force its way into the MLS expansion conversation, Saturday's record crowd will undoubtedly further the team's case. "I'm in awe" said Cincinnati forward Omar Cummings. "To have this, again, I'm in awe of everything that's gone on in Cincinnati. It's been absolutely beautiful." FC Cincinnati (10-3-4, USL) returns to league play Wednesday with a 7 p.m. home match against New York Red Bulls II, the second-place team in the Eastern Conference. Conference-leading Louisville City FC comes to Nippert Saturday for a 4 p.m. match to close out the teams' three-game season series. "If anything, we should use this as a springboard," Harkes said. "Nothing better to come off a big experience like this against a big Premier League club like Crystal Palace and carry forward all the positive things into those games.
Yes, I'm sure you and the Likely Lads could have brought a touch of class from The City of Culture 2017, to show them just how it's done in the real world.
