European Leagues Thread 2012/2013

[Wax Jacket]

wow

some discrepancy there, 260k on 'our' Wiki

[Alan Partridge]

And I think I sincerely hate FCA now (I am sincerely drunk). Play-Off for the first league (for the first time in goD knows only how long for Augsburg), a Bank Holiday and they sold 2000 of their 5000 allocation. And Augsburg is 60 minutes drive from here. A city with twice the population of Reading and I have no longer a decent word for them - I stood among them (the only ticket I could get) and they 'grumbled'.

prostak - this was from a year ago.

Their attendances have been much better this season and a third (at least - Fürth are still in with a chance) Bavarian team in the first league is good for extra games I might want to see - so, I am not complaining.

IIRC Alan Partiridge's Mrs is doing a year abroad in Augsburg

oh and wikipedia reports Augsburg's population is 30,000 more than the Ding

Correct Sir.

She reported jubilant scnes in town on Sunday following their promotion just annoyed i didn't get to their new stadium when i was there and catch a game.

[RG30]

IIRC Alan Partiridge's Mrs is doing a year abroad in Augsburg

oh and wikipedia reports Augsburg's population is 30,000 more than the Ding

Correct Sir.

She reported jubilant scnes in town on Sunday following their promotion just annoyed i didn't get to their new stadium when i was there and catch a game.

We'll make an appearance next season AP

[PEARCEY]

Borussia Monchengladbach win again. The great escape is on.

Unbelievable turnaround - I would so love it if Eintracht Frankfurt went down - their fans deserve it so much.

Frankfurt now down Starfish and presumably M'Gladbach now go into a play-off against the third placed team from the second tier. Is that so and is over two legs?

[RoyalChicagoFC]

Is, PxExAxRxCxExY, with the opener @ 'Gladbach on Thursday and the return leg on Monday week the 23rd @ either of

--Bochum (now on 62 points with mid-table Duisburg at home in their regular finale); or
--Greuther Fürth (60 pts and at home to mid-table Fortuna Düsseldorf to close out the camapaign)

The latter side have a substantial goal-difference edge that would hold up if the two were to finish level on 63 points

Hertha bounce right back up to the top flight for 2011-12, and runners-up Augsburg will join them there in what will be the latter's maiden campaign up top; Arminia Bielefeld are long since relegated to the third level

Final outcome there plus the Dutch and Scots titles all to be decided Sunday afternoon

[PEARCEY]

Thanks Chi.

[prostak]

Rooting for Bochum here. Who wouldn't want kits like this back in the top flight?

[Starfish]

I am, on the other hand, seriously for Fürth. Fürth is about 6 miles from Nuremberg and, as I don't participate in local rivalries, it's the team I have watched most (apart from Nuremberg) in my time in Germany. Remarkably, they have finished 5th in the second league 7 times in the last 10 seasons. It's time. I don't believe though but it would be fun (even if their fans are totally crap).

Eintracht in 2.Bl = well, I am pleased.

[prostak]

How many Bavarian teams will it be if Furth do make it? Something like 6?

[handbags_harris]

Eredivisie: FC Twente top, Ajax second a point behind, last match of the season:

Ajax v FC Twente.

Game on!!

[Starfish]

How many Bavarian teams will it be if Furth do make it? Something like 6?

4. Bayern, Nuremberg, Augsburg, & Fürth. There are another 2 in the second league though - Ingolstadt, & 1860. If Gladbach manage to stay up (or if they're replaced by Bochum), there'll be 5 teams from NRW.

[RoyalChicagoFC]

2.Bundesliga:
Bochum take third with a 3-1 win over Duisburg; for their own part, Fürth were drawn 1-1

So it's 'Gladbach v. Bochum over two legs on Thursday and again on Monday week for a place in the top division

Eredivisie: FC Twente top, Ajax second a point behind, last match of the season:

Ajax v FC Twente.

Game on!!

Ding dong indeedio --and still 40 minutes left

PSV being held @ Groningen --they're into the Champions League qualifying with and only with a win

And at the risk of starting a war, 'grats to Ragners

[RoyalChicagoFC]

Ajax it is, and deservedly so as Siem ("Céline") De Jong makes it a brace on 78' to seal the 3-1 win

Twente take second as PSV sub their 'keeper off early and play the final quarter-hour with ten men and finish third after a nil draw at Groningen

I'm off for a run, by the end of which Sampdoria well may have been relegated to Serie B

[handbags_harris]

Yep, following on from the previous post, Ajax won their 30th Dutch League title and their first since 2004 with the 3-1 win over FC Twente, thus ensuring that they qualify automatically for the Champions League Group Stage.

FC Twente will have to console themselves with the 3-2 win last weekend in the KNVB Cup Final* against Ajax, with Ajax stacking a 2-0 lead, and also their runners up spot qualifies them for the Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round.

PSV, as stated, finish 3rd and so qualify for the Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round. AZ, FC Groningen, Roda JC and ADO Den Haag finish 4th thru' 7th and enter the playoffs for the Europa League 2nd Qualifying Round.

At the bottom Willem II's season rounded off with a late 1-0 defeat, and the Nacompetitie (playoff competition for promotion and relegation to and from the Eerste Divisie) will be contested with VVV-Venlo and Excelsior from the Eredivisie, and FC Zwolle, Helmond Sport, Veendam, Cambuur, Volendam, Go Ahead Eagles, Den Bosch and MVV from the Eerste Divisie.

For those that may be interested, Telstar, who included Reading youngsters Jacob Walcott and Jack Mills, finished 14th from 18. Telstar are managed by former Saints manager Jan Poortvliet. Another old Reading link is that they were once managed by Jack Mansell.

Eredivisie Results Round 34:

Ajax 3-1 FC Twente (De Jong 23 & 78, Landzaat OG 47; Janssen 48)
Feyenoord 1-1 NEC (Castaignos 43; Schöne 12)
Heracles Almelo 3-0 ADO Den Haag (Overtoom Pen 72 & 85, Armenteros 88)
De Graafschap 1-0 VVV-Venlo (Poepon 6)
Vitesse 1-4 Excelsior (Riverola 62; Fernandez 33, Arend Roorda Pen 77 & 84, Vincken 93)
Roda JC 0-0 Heerenveen
FC Groningen 0-0 PSV (Hutchinson sent off for PSV on 80)
Willem II 0-1 NAC Breda (Jenner 89)
FC Utrecht 5-1 AZ (Mertens 10, 12 & 85, Van Wolfswinkel 83 & 87; Martens 65)

Final Table (P, W, D, L, Pts, F - A)

1 Ajax 34 22 7 5 73 72 - 30
2 FC Twente 34 21 8 5 71 65 - 34
3 PSV 34 20 9 5 69 79 - 34
4 AZ 34 17 8 9 59 55 - 44
5 FC Groningen 34 17 6 11 57 65 - 52
6 Roda JC Kerkrade 34 14 13 7 55 65 - 50
7 ADO Den Haag 34 16 6 12 54 63 - 55
8 Heracles Almelo 34 14 7 13 49 65 - 56
9 FC Utrecht 34 13 8 13 47 55 - 51
10 Feyenoord 34 12 8 14 44 53 - 54
11 NEC 34 10 13 11 43 57 - 56
12 sc Heerenveen 34 10 11 13 41 60 - 54
13 NAC Breda 34 12 5 17 40 44 - 60
14 De Graafschap 34 9 11 14 38 31 - 56
15 Vitesse 34 9 8 17 35 42 - 61
16 Excelsior 34 10 5 19 35 45 - 66
17 VVV-Venlo 34 6 3 25 21 34 - 76
18 Willem II 34 3 6 25 15 37 - 98

Top Scorers:

1) Björn Vleminckx (NEC) 23
2) Dmitri Bulykin (ADO Den Haag) 21
3) Mads Junker (Roda JC) 20
4) Tim Matavz (FC Groningen) 16
5) Balázs Dzsudzsák (PSV) 16

* For the record, with both FC Twente and Ajax qualifying for the Champions League, previous precedent set in 1998 meant that a one-off match was staged between the losing semi finalists Heerenveen and FC Twente to decide which team the European Cup Winners' Cup place went to. If this method is followed again, then a one-off match will be staged between FC Utrecht and RKC Waalwijk for the Europa League Playoff Round space.

[prostak]

Lille OSC take the French Cup, 1-0 over PSG. A lovely free kick from Obraniak in the closing minutes sealed it. Not a great game; often very slow and with few chances, but it's French football so not sure why I expected otherwise. This Lille team are normally quite good to watch, though, and it's a pity they'll likely lose at least Gervinho and possibly Hazard too in the summer.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

LOL @ the Ajax 'keeper:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13418295.stm

[prostak]

Has this become a meme now? I like the way it rolls, just as a bin lid would.

[prostak]

Bit late on this, but Wisła Kraków took their 13th Polish title at the weekend by beating city rivals Cracovia 1-0 at home. There are still three rounds left in the Polish season, but Wisła's closest rivals Śląsk Wrocław and Jagiellonia are now 10 and 11 points behind. This is the 6th time Biała Gwiazda have won the title in the past 10 years, meaning they retain their status as the premier club team in Poland in the face of the recent success of Lech Poznań.
Kolejorz's own season has been extremely disappointing - despite a commendable performance in the Europa League, last year's champions have let themselves down throughout the domestic season. They don't seem to have adequately replaced Robert Lewandowski, and while they're not yet out of the European running, much better form will be needed to catch up with 3rd place (lowest Europa qualification spot) from 3 points adrift in 6th.

Otherwise, it's more of the same. Violence, awful youth development and the odour of corruption hang over the game, with little likely to change before next year's big event.

[bobbybottler]

Rooting for Bochum here. Who wouldn't want kits like this back in the top flight?

I watched 'gladbach / Bochum on ESPN this evening and Bochum had a different and much duller kit than either of these two fine efforts.

[prostak]

I think they follow the central European rule - mundane home kit, save all the crazy for away shirts.