Middle-Earth Football World Cup 2007 - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Sleepy Ranger · 07-11-2007, 04:27 PM

The group tables are in the attached document. I'll keep updating it and reposting it everyday.

Tomorrow's Fixtures

Group A
Moria vs. Valinor

Group B
Tuna vs. Brethil

Group D
Tol Eressea vs. Dor Lomin

Group G
Barrow-Downs vs. Gondor

The Barrow-Downs will be playing tomorrow. Hopefully they'll get off to a winning start. However that may prove to be a tough task against a resilient Gondorian team.

**The Saucepan Man** · 07-11-2007, 07:36 PM

The Numenor v Buckland result doesn't surprise me. Numenor have one of the best defences in the tournament. And Buckland are hardly the team to breach it, as they have built their team around a lone striker, without giving him the support that he needs. However good Merry is (and he is), he's not going to score many with such an average midfield behind him.

Tol in Gaurhoth against the Misty Mountains was only surprising in the extent that Tol in Gaurhoth managed to put up a reasonable fight for the first half. The end result, however, was no surprise. Misty Mountains aren't an excellent team, but they are capable. Gwaihir is a class act and the Stone Giant is a powerful force up front. Tol in Gaurhoth, on the other hand, look distinctly average to me. The Cursed Villager's sending off was no doubt a result of frustration borne of the poor team spirit which I highlighted earlier.

The win over Mirkwood was an excellent result for Bree as, with the excellent Gondolin in their Group (and leaving aside the no-hopers of Wooton Major), it is likely to be between these two for the second qualifying position. The quality of Bree's defence is clear from the fact that they managed to keep out talented players like the Necromancer and the ace sharp-shooter, Legolas.

Finally, we were treated to a peach of a match in Rivendell v Ham. Bracing stuff! Rivendell aren't the team that they once were but, even though they lost, they still look to have something of the old magic about them. And Ham were a revelation. I knew that Farmer Giles and Tailbiter would combine well, but I was quite surprised by the quality of the support that they received from the Miller. I had thought him rather an average player, but I may have misjudged him. Ham could well give Rivendell a run for their money as Group runners up, although I remain confident that Doriath will top Group H.

PS Sleepy, any chance of posting the Group table in rich text format or pdf, as I can't open Word documents on my home computer?

the phantom · 07-11-2007, 10:25 PM

Numenor 1 - 0 Buckland

As expected, Numenor's athleticism showed forth as they dominated the shots 11-2. Buckland is fortunate that Numenor's aim was a bit off, otherwise the score would've been nasty.

Tol In Gauroth 0 - 2 Misty Mountains

And yet another expected result. Misty Mts is now in good position to advance out of group play, but Tol In Gauroth is by no means out of it. Group E isn't particularly strong, with likely cannon fodder Old Grey Hill and the very troubled Fangorn team rounding out the quartet. Of course, if Fangorn could ever unify they'd be pretty good. Tol In Gauroth will have to hope against that, pick up their play a bit, and avoid any more red cards.

Bree 1 - 0 Mirkwood

Ah- here we have our first hobbit-biased refereeing of the tournament. If you'll look at replays of that Necromancer shot, the ball clearly crossed the line, but surprise surprise- the ref sided with the hobbitish Bree. It's ridiculous. Now, I have no problem with the fact that Bree scored a goal. It's pretty difficult to completely shut down old Tom Bombadil. But Mirkwood should have been able to put up a couple goals of their own. Their shooting was far below what they are capable of, and the one time they did it right their goal was taken away. Ask yourselves- how could sharpshooters Necromancer, Beorn, and Legolas not put in a single goal in ten tries, considering that the goalie is a sluggish willow tree? I'd check their Gatorade cooler for athletically inhibiting drugs. Hobbits have been known to spike drinks in tournaments.

Rivendell 2 - 3 Ham

This game was very fun to watch! Of course, it is likely to end up meaningless, seeing as Arnor and Doriath are in that group. But I suppose now if Ham can catch one of those two clubs on a very poor and unlucky day, they might manage a tie at least, and then they would have a chance at advancing.

the phantom · 07-11-2007, 11:11 PM

All right, all right… so you say you weren’t being paid last year to favor The Shire. Well that’s even worse! You should at least make some money if you’re going to turn the other way and allow a team to be crooked. But I guess you just do it for free. Wow. I could’ve at least respected an enterprising cheater, but it turns out you just have a soft spot for hobbits and allow it to show forth in your reffing. I have no respect for that.

And as far as this investigation business, why is the committee waiting for some kind of “formal complaint”? You know good and well there’s something fishy going on with those hobbits. It’s a simple matter of physics. Given the strength of their muscles and length of their appendages, hobbits should not be able to produce the necessary amount of kinetic energy to kick the ball with anywhere near the velocity of their opponents. And yet somehow they are able to pass effectively and score goals? Also, it is proven that they cannot run as quickly as dwarves, and yet they can somehow play defense against Elves? They aren’t tall enough to challenge any sort of head-shot, and their goalie isn’t tall enough to cover the upper half of the goal, so how are they not outscored 10-0 in every game? It makes no logical sense!

Either their opponents are drugged, or all the hobbits are on extreme performance enhancing meds (or both). It’s as simple as that. If you aren’t conducting an investigation, it’s because you don’t want to. There’s plenty enough reason to initiate one.

*sigh*

But I guess if you require an official complaint from a team, I'll see if I can get one to do it for me. If Mirkwood makes an early exit, perhaps I will be able to convince Necromancer and his cronies to lodge a complaint. I know he's not happy with that goal-line call in that last game versus Bree, and he has no love for hobbits.

Of course the complaint process (formal complaint, investigation, statements, appeals, etc) will likely not be over till after the tournament, which means that I have no choice but to put up with those little hooligan hobbits for a while yet.

07-11-2007, 07:36 PM	#2
The Saucepan Man Corpus Cacophonous Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: A green and pleasant land Posts: 8,390	Post-match Saucepanalysis The Numenor v Buckland result doesn't surprise me. Numenor have one of the best defences in the tournament. And Buckland are hardly the team to breach it, as they have built their team around a lone striker, without giving him the support that he needs. However good Merry is (and he is), he's not going to score many with such an average midfield behind him. Tol in Gaurhoth against the Misty Mountains was only surprising in the extent that Tol in Gaurhoth managed to put up a reasonable fight for the first half. The end result, however, was no surprise. Misty Mountains aren't an excellent team, but they are capable. Gwaihir is a class act and the Stone Giant is a powerful force up front. Tol in Gaurhoth, on the other hand, look distinctly average to me. The Cursed Villager's sending off was no doubt a result of frustration borne of the poor team spirit which I highlighted earlier. The win over Mirkwood was an excellent result for Bree as, with the excellent Gondolin in their Group (and leaving aside the no-hopers of Wooton Major), it is likely to be between these two for the second qualifying position. The quality of Bree's defence is clear from the fact that they managed to keep out talented players like the Necromancer and the ace sharp-shooter, Legolas. Finally, we were treated to a peach of a match in Rivendell v Ham. Bracing stuff! Rivendell aren't the team that they once were but, even though they lost, they still look to have something of the old magic about them. And Ham were a revelation. I knew that Farmer Giles and Tailbiter would combine well, but I was quite surprised by the quality of the support that they received from the Miller. I had thought him rather an average player, but I may have misjudged him. Ham could well give Rivendell a run for their money as Group runners up, although I remain confident that Doriath will top Group H. PS Sleepy, any chance of posting the Group table in rich text format or pdf, as I can't open Word documents on my home computer? __________________ Do you mind? I'm busy doing the fishstick. It's a very delicate state of mind!

07-11-2007, 10:25 PM	#3
the phantom Beloved Shadow Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: The Stadium Posts: 5,971	the phantom's take... Numenor 1 - 0 Buckland As expected, Numenor's athleticism showed forth as they dominated the shots 11-2. Buckland is fortunate that Numenor's aim was a bit off, otherwise the score would've been nasty. Tol In Gauroth 0 - 2 Misty Mountains And yet another expected result. Misty Mts is now in good position to advance out of group play, but Tol In Gauroth is by no means out of it. Group E isn't particularly strong, with likely cannon fodder Old Grey Hill and the very troubled Fangorn team rounding out the quartet. Of course, if Fangorn could ever unify they'd be pretty good. Tol In Gauroth will have to hope against that, pick up their play a bit, and avoid any more red cards. Bree 1 - 0 Mirkwood Ah- here we have our first hobbit-biased refereeing of the tournament. If you'll look at replays of that Necromancer shot, the ball clearly crossed the line, but surprise surprise- the ref sided with the hobbitish Bree. It's ridiculous. Now, I have no problem with the fact that Bree scored a goal. It's pretty difficult to completely shut down old Tom Bombadil. But Mirkwood should have been able to put up a couple goals of their own. Their shooting was far below what they are capable of, and the one time they did it right their goal was taken away. Ask yourselves- how could sharpshooters Necromancer, Beorn, and Legolas not put in a single goal in ten tries, considering that the goalie is a sluggish willow tree? I'd check their Gatorade cooler for athletically inhibiting drugs. Hobbits have been known to spike drinks in tournaments. Rivendell 2 - 3 Ham This game was very fun to watch! Of course, it is likely to end up meaningless, seeing as Arnor and Doriath are in that group. But I suppose now if Ham can catch one of those two clubs on a very poor and unlucky day, they might manage a tie at least, and then they would have a chance at advancing. __________________ the phantom has posted. This thread is now important.

07-11-2007, 11:11 PM	#4
the phantom Beloved Shadow Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: The Stadium Posts: 5,971	my reponse to Boro88... All right, all right… so you say you weren’t being paid last year to favor The Shire. Well that’s even worse! You should at least make some money if you’re going to turn the other way and allow a team to be crooked. But I guess you just do it for free. Wow. I could’ve at least respected an enterprising cheater, but it turns out you just have a soft spot for hobbits and allow it to show forth in your reffing. I have no respect for that. And as far as this investigation business, why is the committee waiting for some kind of “formal complaint”? You know good and well there’s something fishy going on with those hobbits. It’s a simple matter of physics. Given the strength of their muscles and length of their appendages, hobbits should not be able to produce the necessary amount of kinetic energy to kick the ball with anywhere near the velocity of their opponents. And yet somehow they are able to pass effectively and score goals? Also, it is proven that they cannot run as quickly as dwarves, and yet they can somehow play defense against Elves? They aren’t tall enough to challenge any sort of head-shot, and their goalie isn’t tall enough to cover the upper half of the goal, so how are they not outscored 10-0 in every game? It makes no logical sense! Either their opponents are drugged, or all the hobbits are on extreme performance enhancing meds (or both). It’s as simple as that. If you aren’t conducting an investigation, it’s because you don’t want to. There’s plenty enough reason to initiate one. sigh But I guess if you require an official complaint from a team, I'll see if I can get one to do it for me. If Mirkwood makes an early exit, perhaps I will be able to convince Necromancer and his cronies to lodge a complaint. I know he's not happy with that goal-line call in that last game versus Bree, and he has no love for hobbits. Of course the complaint process (formal complaint, investigation, statements, appeals, etc) will likely not be over till after the tournament, which means that I have no choice but to put up with those little hooligan hobbits for a while yet. __________________ the phantom has posted. This thread is now important.