Middle-Earth Football World Cup 2007

[Sleepy Ranger]

Here is the next set of fixtures. Moria vs. Angband should be a decent match if Moria can work together. Tuna vs. Shire will perhaps put an end to this Hobbit debate that's been going on, but as is more likely it will only add fuel to the fire. Mordor will be very much looking to avenge their loss to Roverandom by whipping whoever they have to face next, I sincerely pity Tol Eressea. The Barrow-Downs will square off against The Inklings in what should be an exciting match up. Both of them won their opening games 2-0. Let's see how they face off.

Group A
Moria vs. Angband

Group B
Tuna vs. Shire

Group D
Mordor vs. Tol Eressea

Group G
Barrow-Downs vs. The Inklings

[The Saucepan Man]

Actually, Thena, I thought that the phantom’s pre-tournament analysis was pretty much spot on, save that he over-rates Arnor and has a bee in his bonnet about The Shire (who, it should be noted, have not exactly acquitted themselves as well as might be expected thus far). It is a shame, though, that he is letting his blinkered view of Hobbits detract from his usually well-observed insight.

So, to the most recent batch of matches.

Nargothrond v Niggle’s Parish was completely predictable. Niggle and his players never stood a chance against a great attacking team like Nargothrond and Mormegil fully lived up to expectations. It doesn’t even surprise me that they let a goal in, even to a weak team like the Parish, as they are so focussed on attacking that they can leave themselves exposed at the back. This may cause a problem for them against stronger teams, but they will simply look to score more than they let in.

The Fangorn v Old Grey Hill match was a pretty dull affair. Fangorn really should have done better, but the fact that they let in a goal against a weak team like Old Grey Hill and managed to score only one against them underlines the tactical shortcomings of their chosen line-up.

I am disappointed that Gondolin let in a goal to a weak team like Wooton Major. Their defence should be much better than that. Corners can be a bit of a lottery, but they left the Faerie Queen totally unmarked. That said, credit must, I suppose, go to Ned for the quality of the corner. Gondolin will be happy to get a win under their belts, but they need to work on their set-play defence if they are to prevail against stronger teams.

Finally, the Doriath v Arnor game. As I have said, I consider Arnor to be over-rated and I think that they had rather let all the acclaim go to their heads. When things weren’t working out as they expected on the pitch, they got frustrated. Hence all the cards they picked up. I am disappointed that Doriath reacted in the way that they did, though, since they are a better team than that, but Huan can be a bit of an animal at times and Saeros definitely has an attitude problem.

Yellow Boot Trophy competition update:

After the first round of Group matches, the current holder, Mormegil, has reclaimed top spot. All is right with the world.

Mormegil - 3
JRR Tolkien (Inklings) - 2
Farmer Giles (Ham) - 2
Thuringwethil (Angband) - 1
Roverandum (Roverandum) - 1
Tar-Ancalime (Numenore) - 1
Stone Giant (Misty Mountains) - 1
Dwalin (Misty Mountains) - 1
Tom Bombadil (Bree) - 1
William (Rivendell) - 1
Gilraen (Rivendell) - 1
Tailbiter (Ham) - 1
Frodo (Tol Eressea) - 1
Rune Son of Bjarne (Barrow-Downs) - 1
The phantom (Barrow-Downs) - 1
Atkins - 1
Felagund - 1
Skin bark - 1
Guest - 1
Turgon - 1
Hurin - 1
Fairy Queen - 1
Mablung - 1

[the phantom]

Niggle's Parish 1 - 4 Nargothrond

This game was lopsided, as it should have been. Nargothrond is very good, and Mormegil is fantastic. Niggle's Parish is not. There's not much else to say past that. I only wish Nargothrond had not lapsed and allowed that one silly goal at the start. It cost me four fantasy points.

Fangorn 1 - 1 Old Grey Hill

What a yawner. But Fangorn did show some promise in the sense that they weren't fighting with one another. Maybe they've got things put together.

Gondolin 2 - 1 Wooton Major

Similar to the Nargothrond game, the team that was clearly better won. And also, just like the Nargothrond game, the one dumb goal Gondolin allowed cost me four fantasy points.

Doriath 1 - 0 Arnor

Someone needs to do a bit of investigative reporting to find out what is wrong with Arnor. They have very good players, but they were just a train-wreck on the field. They didn't look like they wanted to be there, and when they did look purposeful it was while dealing a cheap-shot or dirty tackle. They should be ashamed of themselves.

[Sleepy Ranger]

Really sorry but I was unable to sim the matches today since I had family over later on. Due to which I'll double on the matches tomorrow, and we'll have both today's fixtures as well as tomorrow's done tomorrow to make up for it.

Group C
Nargothrond vs. Buckland

Group E
Old Grey Hill vs. Misty Mountains

Group F
Gondolin vs. Mirkwood

Group H
Doriath vs. Ham

[Sleepy Ranger]

We'll have four matches played together now. Moria vs. Angband, I reckon if Moria can get over their teamwork issues they may actually threaten Angband but in the end I can see Angband picking up the three points regardless of what happens. Tuna take on the Shire in the next fixture. The Shire made it to the semifinals last time around but have failed to impress in their first match, whereas newcomers Tuna have been on fire. Can the Shire pick themselves up? Phantom says no.

Mordor will still be hurting after their loss at the hands of Roverandom and I'm certain they'll be looking to murder whoever they face. I pity Tol Eressea, they'll be lucky to make it out alive. In the final fixture the Barrow-Downs take on the Inklings. Both teams won their first match 2-0 and I reckon this match will probably decide who tops the group.

***

Group A
Moria 1 - 3 Angband
(Durin's Bane 23) (Melkor 64, 83, Thuringwethel 72)

Moria did not seem to have any team work issues at all in a brillant first half display. They managed to outclass Angband several times and created some breath taking chances including a good freekick which resulted in a goal. Moria's first chance came around the tenth minute when Balin headed just over the goal after a fine cross from Azog. Only moments later Azog went for the fancy and bycycled the ball over the goal. Much to the relief of Moria, Durin's Bane found the back of the net with a sweet curving free kick that swerved past an outstreched Glaurung.

After the break Angband came out guns blazing, desperate to try and get the match back in their control. So far Angband had not done much wrong but Moria were just fantastic. However in the second half the Morian defence began to get a bit edgy and more or less stopped playing as a team. The midfield held solid though and prevented any real threats from developing. Around the 55th minute Melkor blazed a long effort just over the crossbar. The rather unkempt Angband supporters began to boo their team.

Finall at the 64th minute their attacks paid off and Melkor found himself clean through after a pass from Thuringwethel. He calmly slotted in to bring the scores level. Not even ten minutes later Gothmog's shot struck the post but the rebound was shuffled in by an alert Thuringwethel, who scored her second goal of the tournament. Angband were back in control of things. The match decreased in tempo a bit and the Moria team began to disintegrate, their teamwork all but lost. Melkor capped off the win with a cheeky penalty after he was brought down in the area by Oin.

Shots: 5(2) - 6(4)
Posession: 49 - 51

Group B
Tuna 2 - 1 Shire
(Finwe 10, Maedhros 15) (Pippin 87)

Tuna started off the match superbly. Right from kickoff, Finwe and Feanor began to play some nimble one-two's to blitz past the Shire defence. Feanor then played the ball front for Ingwe who had burst forth. The midfielder's shot whizzed into the goal only for the linesman to raise the flag. Goal disallowed due to offside.

Aggrivating as that is, Tuna kept their heads up and played good football. It did not take long for them to score. Maedhros' tenth minute corner provided the break through. The defence failed to clear the inswinging corner on the first bounce and it proved fatal as Finwe latched onto it and struck in beautifully. Only five minutes later, a poor clearance landed at Maedhros' feet. The midfielder struck the ball from about 30 yards out, his shot seemed to take a deflection off of Tom Cotton on the way in but the Tuna midfielder was given the goal.

Tuna relaxed after the early two goal lead. While they could have pressed on to score more they decided to sit back and keep their players rested. Smart tactic, as an injury or suspension could prove very costly. The game was played out slowly, with Tuna seeing most of the ball and dictating tempo. The Shire hardly got a look in at all, it really does make one wonder if Frodo and Merry were perhaps not the driving force behind their success all along. However right towards the end, around the 87th minute a rather soft tackle by Amrod earned him a yellow card and Shire a penalty. Pippin converted it but in all honesty you have to question the referee's judgement.

Shots: 5(4) - 2(1)
Posession: 59 - 41
Bookings: Amrod

Group D
Mordor 4 - 0 Tol Eressea
(Dark Lord 3, 56, Witch-King 60, Shagrat 81)

The first half was oddly quiet apart from a third minute goal scored by Dark Lord. It was the Witch King who did most of the work here, dribbling past the Tol Eressea defence and faking out their goalkeeper, instead of taking a shot though he pulled the ball back for Dark Lord to tap the ball into an open goal. One goal, one shot. The Mordor fans are ecstatic after having to go through the painful experience of fourteen shots with no goals. Tol Eressea did not commit to attack even after going down while Mordor found it hard to find rhytym.

Everything changed in the second half though as Mordor began to unleash hell on their opponents. About ten minutes after the restart a fantastic cross in from Gothmog was headed in by an enthusiastic Dark Lord to double the lead. Only minutes after this goal, at the hour mark, Gothmog sent in a swinging cross upfield which was volleyed in by Witch King to solidify Mordor's lead. Only moments later Dark Lord came within touching distance of a hat trick but his shot fizzled wide of the left post. Mordor mellowed out a bit but still had room for one more goal.

Near the 80th minute they won a corner. Snaga lofted the ball and Shagrat knocked it in with full force to wrap up an easy day's work. Mordor completely bull dozed Tol Eressea, sending out a clear message that they can crush just about anyone they want quite easily.

Shots: 15(10) - 2(0)
Posession: 64 - 36

Group G
Barrow-Downs 4 - 1 The Inklings
(Sleepy Ranger 44, 47, Saucepan Man 51, Phantom 60) (Christopher Tolkien 88)

The first half started out quite slowly with both teams sizing each other up. The Inklings had the first chance when Formendacil was judged to have pulled C.S Lewis' shirt, earning him a yellow card and the Inklings a penalty. Everything went wrong though and J.R.R Tolkien's spot kick was punched out by the Barrow-Wight who then held onto the ball firmly when Charles Williams headed the rebound goalwards.

The 'Downs managed to begin a brilliant move towards the end of the half which involved Phantom, Feanor and Sleepy moving the ball among themselves. Finally, Phantom sent the ball towards Saucepan Man who lobbed it into the box for a diving Sleepy Ranger to head into the goal. The crowd was ecstatic as the 'Downs went in ahead.

Only minutes after the restart Sleepy Ranger doubled the advantage, when together with Saucepan Man he moved goalwards. The young striker played the ball front to Saucepan Man who had made a run into the box. Instead of shooting he selflessly snaped the ball back for Sleepy Ranger who lashed his foot forward knocking the ball in for his brace. Only minutes after that goal, Sleepy Ranger turned creator and curved in a ball for Saucepan Man to volley in. The Barrow-Downs seemed to have run away with it at 3-0 but there was still a lot of football to played.

However at the hour mark it looked buried and done with as Glirdan broke forward to play in Saucepan Man who held up the ball for Phantom. The midfielder did what he does best and drilled in a low shot which nearly knocked over Adam Fox. The Inklings did have something to sing about at the end of the game though as Christopher Tolkien picked up a loose ball after the 'Downs defence failed to clear a corner, and tapped it past a rather disappointed Barrow-Wight. None the less, that's three points for the 'Downs.

Shots: 8(6) - 5(3)
Posession: 59 - 41
Bookings: Formendacil

***

We've had a rather exciting day of football here with a bunch of penalties as well. There were no real upsets on the day except perhaps the upset fans after a Shire loss. However, I reckon that will leave a smiling Phantom. Angband did very well to stay calm after going down and made a fantastic comeback. Tuna should have pressed on for more but I can understand why they would have wanted to play it easy. Mordor demolished Tol Eressea much as I had expected. The 'Downs won by quite a margin and to be honest, it is not something I had expected at all.

[Sleepy Ranger]

First we have Nargothrond face off against Buckland in what should be a pretty one sided game. Misty Mountains will then be taking on Old Grey Hill. Though Old Grey Hill did manage a draw against Fangorn I suspect that Misty Mountains will be too much for them. I predict an easy win for Misty Mountains.

***

Group C
Nargothrond 2 - 0 Buckland
(Mormegil 2, 88)

It was a fairly straightforward game. Buckland made their intentions clear right from the start, they just parked their horses in front of goal. Then again even Nargothrond made their intentions clear right off the bat, with a goal coming just two minutes into the game. Mormegil slugged his way past defenders after being played in by Gundor. Unfortunately after this goal Nargothrond calmed their approach and their attacking flair from the last match seemed to have been lost.

Buckland could barely piece together an attack as Nargothrond played a very central game, barely leaving the midfield. It was fairly boring and not really anything worth watching. The only other highlights came when Mormegil blasted a shot from some 30 yards out only to have it hit Mim and go out of play. Near the end of the game Mim made up for his earlier goal costing mistake by providing a cross for Mormegil to head in with relative ease.

Shots: 5(3) - 1(0)
Posession: 60 - 40

Group E
Old Grey Hill 0 - 1 Misty Mountains
(Dwalin 66)

This was a fairly good match. Both teams managed to create a decent number of chances it's such a shame that they could only manage to score one goal between them. The first chance fell to Old Grey Hill when their striker, Guest played in Sun who waited for too long before he took his shot. Only minutes after that Sun had another wonderful chance when he broke free and was only stopped by a last ditch tackle by Bolg.

Right after that Misty Mountains began a fantastic counter attack which saw Stone Giant's lobbed shot blocked by a resilient Man in the Moon. Stone Gian got another chance from the resulting corner but this time Man in the Moon held onto the striker's attempt. Despite a good show from both teams we went in all square at half time.

In the second half Misty Mountains began to show their dominance and build up swift attacking plays. However they were unable to find the breakthrough till the 66th minute when Dwalin who recieved the ball after a goal kick by Bolg took a potshot from 45 yards out. His screamer of a shot whistled by a stumbling Man in the Moon to open up the scoring.

Apparently this was enough to break down Old Grey Hill who just found it impossible to build up any worthwhile attack after letting in a goal. Misty Mountains dominated the rest of the game but failed to really make much of an impact or even cause any danger in front of goal. In fact their only goal could be called a bit of a fluke. Forty five yards out? What are thd odds?

Shots: 5(3) - 7(3)
Posession: 46 - 54

***

Nargothrond won in a very one sided game. I'm surprised they did not score more but that is down to their reluctance rather than Buckland's defensive prowess. Misty Mountains secured a fairly simple one goal win over Old Grey Hill. They were pretty evenly matched in the first half but Old Grey Hill just had no character to deal with going a goal down. Job well done by Misty Mountains.

[Sleepy Ranger]

Group F
Gondolin 2 - 0 Mirkwood
(Hurin 83, 87)

Exciting game. It would keep you on the edge of your seat for at least eighty minutes after which Gondolin proceeded to run away with it. There were a fair number of chances in this game but none looked overly threatening. Despite this the quality of play was superb. Fantastic dribbling by Mirkwood and skilled attacking by Gondolin. While a loss here is harsh on Mirkwood leaving them in a must win situation for their next game. The main highlight of the first half was Legolas being shown a yellow card for recklessly challenging Turgon.

The goals ended up being a fairly simple affair. Turgon passed to Hurin who had positioned himself brilliantly just outside the area and struck in a magnificent shot. The next goal was an even simpler deal. Glorfindel headed down a lofted cross to the feet of Hurin who only had to tap into a practically open goal. Mirkwood can feel disappointed, they've had a horrible shooting record and it hasn't improved much here.

Shots: 4(4) - 7(2)
Posession: 50 - 50
Bookings: Legolas

Group H
Doriath 2 - 2 Ham
(Mablung 22, 26) (Farmer Giles 35, Tailbiter 57)

It was a fantastic game. Brilliant play by both teams, especailly Farmer Giles who managed to creat space brilliantly and always got into areas that caused some major problems for the Doriath defence. Though Doriath did play the offside trap very well catching Farmer Giles offside on several ocassions. Mablung provided the first goal after Beren crossed from outside the area, finding Mablung unmarked and ready to provide an excellent header. Only four minutes later Mablung blazed in a rising shot from thirty yards out after being played into position by Dior.

Farmer Giles pulled one back for Ham before the break. Hame showed great character and kept attacking even though they went two goals down. Tailbiter faked his way into the box and then rolled the ball up past the keeper for Farmer Giles who had made a fantastic run forward to tap the ball into an empty net. Despite some more decent attacks by both teams they went in at half time with Doriath leading by a goal.

Ham managed to equalize before the hour when Miller's inswinging corner found the head of Tailbiter and in a spiked header it rocketed into the roof of the net, nearly tearing through. Both teams played a solid game after this, neither really risking their necks for the winner. The game was dampened though when Miller took down Daeron from behind. Many people believe that he should have been sent off, even his own fans began to boo him. That was a horrible tackle.

Shots: 8(5) - 6(3)
Posession: 52 - 48
Bookings: Miller