Jakarta Casual
Friday, June 30, 2006
The final standings...
Ok so I was away for the fun and games of the final round of fixtures but I’ll do my best to fill you in here.
Jakarta won their final game 1-0 at home to Tangerang City meaning they finished off the season with consistency if not panache. Semarang got trounced 6-0 up at Deli Serdang, hence David has been somewhat quiet I imagine. The biggest surprise though was Medan flopping at the final hurdle, going down 1-0 at home to Jepara and ensuring they would miss out on the big 8.
So the final standings are something like this:
Western Division
Are Malang 39-17 47
Jakarta 26-26 47
Semarang 33-27 44
Pasuruan Town 35-27 42
Eastern Division
Minhasa 37-26 50
Kediri 53-24 47
Makassar 44-32 42
Balikpapin 35-28 41
Who needs the News Of The World Football Annual when you have Jakarta Casual’s very own season’s facts n figures?
Top Scorer: 25 goals Christian Gonzales (Kediri)
Best Scorers: 53 goals Kediri
Lowest Scorers: 18 goals Slemen
Best Defence: 16 goals Jakarta
Worst Defence: 49 goals Gianyar
Most Wins: 16 Minhasa
Most Defeats: 15 Slemen & Gianyar
Least Wins: 5 Gianyar
Least Defeats: 5 Are Malang & Jakarta
So the Big 8 shapes up like this. Two mini leagues of 4 teams each, one group centred on Solo, the other on Gresik in East Java which could be fun and games for the local coppers!
Group A (Solo and Batang)
Are Malang
Semarang
Kediri
Balikpapin
Group B ( Gresik and Surabaya)
Minhasa
Makassar
Jakarta
Pasuruan Town
Fixtures start 18th July so no doubt we’ll be featuring these fixtures closer to the date. In the meantime the oh so confusing Indonesian Cup plods along and I haven’t got a Scooby who’s playing who where or when.
Oh, nearly forgot! The World Cup is still on and my proudest achievement in two weeks in Thailand and Laos is I never saw a single game! England against Sweden I slept through peacefully while my in box slowly filled up with text messages. The game against Ecuador also passed me by, sleeping by the river in Kanchanaburi, lulled into a sense of security by the waters lapping against the river banks yards from my bungalow. Apparently there are some other teams left in the cup who are playing well and scoring goals but I really don’t care about Ronaldo, Klose or Messi and why should I? We have Peter Crouch! Tomorrow sees us play Scolari again, let’s hope the bags are packed and we check out early on the Sunday or we might have to pay extra on the hotel rooms. Normally for an Arsenal game, any Arsenal game, I get quite excited, wonder which pub to watch the game in and where else to get the ales in but for this one? Decisions, decisions…
Jakarta won their final game 1-0 at home to Tangerang City meaning they finished off the season with consistency if not panache. Semarang got trounced 6-0 up at Deli Serdang, hence David has been somewhat quiet I imagine. The biggest surprise though was Medan flopping at the final hurdle, going down 1-0 at home to Jepara and ensuring they would miss out on the big 8.
So the final standings are something like this:
Western Division
Are Malang 39-17 47
Jakarta 26-26 47
Semarang 33-27 44
Pasuruan Town 35-27 42
Eastern Division
Minhasa 37-26 50
Kediri 53-24 47
Makassar 44-32 42
Balikpapin 35-28 41
Who needs the News Of The World Football Annual when you have Jakarta Casual’s very own season’s facts n figures?
Top Scorer: 25 goals Christian Gonzales (Kediri)
Best Scorers: 53 goals Kediri
Lowest Scorers: 18 goals Slemen
Best Defence: 16 goals Jakarta
Worst Defence: 49 goals Gianyar
Most Wins: 16 Minhasa
Most Defeats: 15 Slemen & Gianyar
Least Wins: 5 Gianyar
Least Defeats: 5 Are Malang & Jakarta
So the Big 8 shapes up like this. Two mini leagues of 4 teams each, one group centred on Solo, the other on Gresik in East Java which could be fun and games for the local coppers!
Group A (Solo and Batang)
Are Malang
Semarang
Kediri
Balikpapin
Group B ( Gresik and Surabaya)
Minhasa
Makassar
Jakarta
Pasuruan Town
Fixtures start 18th July so no doubt we’ll be featuring these fixtures closer to the date. In the meantime the oh so confusing Indonesian Cup plods along and I haven’t got a Scooby who’s playing who where or when.
Oh, nearly forgot! The World Cup is still on and my proudest achievement in two weeks in Thailand and Laos is I never saw a single game! England against Sweden I slept through peacefully while my in box slowly filled up with text messages. The game against Ecuador also passed me by, sleeping by the river in Kanchanaburi, lulled into a sense of security by the waters lapping against the river banks yards from my bungalow. Apparently there are some other teams left in the cup who are playing well and scoring goals but I really don’t care about Ronaldo, Klose or Messi and why should I? We have Peter Crouch! Tomorrow sees us play Scolari again, let’s hope the bags are packed and we check out early on the Sunday or we might have to pay extra on the hotel rooms. Normally for an Arsenal game, any Arsenal game, I get quite excited, wonder which pub to watch the game in and where else to get the ales in but for this one? Decisions, decisions…
Friday, June 16, 2006
Results Update
Tangerang City v Are Malang 2-1
Padang v Bandung 0-1
Jakarta v Pasuruan Town 2-0
Tangerang v Deli Serdang 2-1
Jakarta North v Medan 2-1
Malang picked up zero points from their last 2 games on the road as did Medan but then we expected that didn't we. Jakarta carried on their fine winning streak by scoring twice in the same game which we didn't expect did we?
1 Semarang 24 33-19 44
2 Jakarta 25 25-16 44
3 Are Malang 23 34-16 40
4 Medan 24 29-26 36
5 Tangerang City 25 34-36 34
6 Pasuruan Town 23 28-25 33
Following on from the earthquake in Yogyakarta there will be no relegation this season. Ypgyakarta and Sleman, 2 teams most closely affected, haven't played fsince and with football's funding provided by local governments obviously they have other things on the radar these days. Instead 4 teams will come up so each division will have 16 teams and not 14 like now.
The Indonesian Cup takes centre stage now for a bit but I've lost track of that bloody thing. Jakarta play Batang next Wednesday but is it a second leg or a replay of the earlier 0-0.
In that thingy in Germany England thrashed Trinidad and Tobago and actually scored their own goals this time.
OK, I'm off on my hols tomorrow with Julian, Dick, Anne, that dyke George and the oh so licky Timmy. We're going to stay with Uncle Quentin and George's aunt, Fanny, and drink lashings of fizzy pop and no doubt have an exciting adventure. I hope David can keep the Message Board up to date with the latest in Indonesian football because we do need to know, don't we?
Laters...
Padang v Bandung 0-1
Jakarta v Pasuruan Town 2-0
Tangerang v Deli Serdang 2-1
Jakarta North v Medan 2-1
Malang picked up zero points from their last 2 games on the road as did Medan but then we expected that didn't we. Jakarta carried on their fine winning streak by scoring twice in the same game which we didn't expect did we?
1 Semarang 24 33-19 44
2 Jakarta 25 25-16 44
3 Are Malang 23 34-16 40
4 Medan 24 29-26 36
5 Tangerang City 25 34-36 34
6 Pasuruan Town 23 28-25 33
Following on from the earthquake in Yogyakarta there will be no relegation this season. Ypgyakarta and Sleman, 2 teams most closely affected, haven't played fsince and with football's funding provided by local governments obviously they have other things on the radar these days. Instead 4 teams will come up so each division will have 16 teams and not 14 like now.
The Indonesian Cup takes centre stage now for a bit but I've lost track of that bloody thing. Jakarta play Batang next Wednesday but is it a second leg or a replay of the earlier 0-0.
In that thingy in Germany England thrashed Trinidad and Tobago and actually scored their own goals this time.
OK, I'm off on my hols tomorrow with Julian, Dick, Anne, that dyke George and the oh so licky Timmy. We're going to stay with Uncle Quentin and George's aunt, Fanny, and drink lashings of fizzy pop and no doubt have an exciting adventure. I hope David can keep the Message Board up to date with the latest in Indonesian football because we do need to know, don't we?
Laters...
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Developing Indonesian football
I was greeted in the corridor today by one of the football freaks, a lad who seemingly has a different football shirt for each day of the week.
Good news sir, Italy won, he said
Why is that good news I asked him
Because I cheer for Italy was his reply.
Well, I said, it’s not good news if you come from Ghana.
Oh yes he replied.
Cue his best mate, a Man Utd supporting lad who told me his father was going to buy him a new pair of 200 dollar football boots. I’ve seen him play and believe me 200 dollar boots won’t improve his performance one iota. His Petr Cech gloves haven’t helped either but hey he’s a marketing man’s dream.
We sit and discuss 3-5-2 or 4-4-2, which I don’t understand, Rooney’s foot injury and never mind the Ballack, they know everything there is to know about European football they can glean from magazines, hell they even buy Shoot! But they know jack shit about Indonesian football.
On the face of it Indonesia has all the ingredients of a successful footballing legacy. It has a crap league. So does Brazil. It has a large population. So does Brazil. Indonesia has indigenous music, gamelan, so does Brazil, samba. Indonesia cuts down trees. So does Brazil. Indonesia has people obsessed by football, so does Brazil. But whereas Brazilians tend to be in love with Brazilian football, Indonesians also love Brazilian football. And Italian. And English. And Spanish. In fact anything but their own domestic league.
The interest is there. Check out the packed terraces each week at Semarang, Jakarta, Bandung, check out the young lads who proudly where their teams colours week in week out. But these are priabumi, local Indonesians, usually working class lads or school kids who pack metro minis and angkots for their weekly dose of football. The game today is not dissimilar to England 35 years ago. A working class game played in poor stadiums lacking facilities with no marketing and no master plan.
We need these young lads to keep attending or the game becomes the home of the ‘prawn sandwich’ brigade that Roy Keane famously slagged off a few years back. They provide the passion and excitement from the terraces that can lift their team to dizzying heights. Remember the old chestnut about the Kop sucking the ball in at Anfield. But we also need fresh input to the game, new ideas to widen the fan base, to attract more money, to get Indonesia progressing.
The money has to come from somewhere but where? The game and the teams today are funded mostly by local government with all the baggage that entails. In its present state it isn’t realistic to expect sponsors to through money at the game. There’s too much crap on and off the pitches for that. But it does need something to kick start the game.
Much of the world is obsessed by celebrity. How many people today around the world follow either Manchester United or Real Madrid courtesy of one David Beckham esquire? It ain’t the traditional way of following a club, it has traditionalists like me vomiting but people today like a ready packaged product, it’s what they’re used to. Ok, given them what they want.
There must be somewhere out there, some glamourous player living the high life who can be moulded by the marketing men so successful at selling 200 dollar boots to a player who can’t kick straight. There’s got to be a club with the business savvy to develop a marketing side that exploits the player and the club. Of course to do this the clubs need to be run as businesses. Stop local government funding, attract sponsors, market the club as a brand. It’s a proven business model be it LA Lakers or Glasgow Celtic and check out the terraces here. People buy souvenirs to identify with their club, it ain’t rocket science.
As the sport widens its appeal so money can be spent on improving facilities in the stadiums, installing some seats which would provide more comfort to the more discerning supporter as well as doubling as useful weapons to hurl at referees and opposing players. With the glamour factor it would be possible to attract higher profile sponsors to the clubs and games generating yet more money.
Of course having a successful domestic league is no guarantee on success on the world stage, step forward England, but by having cash swilling round the league perhaps people can develop a master plan for the national team, a long term programme geared towards qualifying for the World Cup, something no ASEAN team has done since 1938 when the Dutch East Indies had a go.
Mind you, in the words of John Lennon…
…you may say I’m a dreamer…
Good news sir, Italy won, he said
Why is that good news I asked him
Because I cheer for Italy was his reply.
Well, I said, it’s not good news if you come from Ghana.
Oh yes he replied.
Cue his best mate, a Man Utd supporting lad who told me his father was going to buy him a new pair of 200 dollar football boots. I’ve seen him play and believe me 200 dollar boots won’t improve his performance one iota. His Petr Cech gloves haven’t helped either but hey he’s a marketing man’s dream.
We sit and discuss 3-5-2 or 4-4-2, which I don’t understand, Rooney’s foot injury and never mind the Ballack, they know everything there is to know about European football they can glean from magazines, hell they even buy Shoot! But they know jack shit about Indonesian football.
On the face of it Indonesia has all the ingredients of a successful footballing legacy. It has a crap league. So does Brazil. It has a large population. So does Brazil. Indonesia has indigenous music, gamelan, so does Brazil, samba. Indonesia cuts down trees. So does Brazil. Indonesia has people obsessed by football, so does Brazil. But whereas Brazilians tend to be in love with Brazilian football, Indonesians also love Brazilian football. And Italian. And English. And Spanish. In fact anything but their own domestic league.
The interest is there. Check out the packed terraces each week at Semarang, Jakarta, Bandung, check out the young lads who proudly where their teams colours week in week out. But these are priabumi, local Indonesians, usually working class lads or school kids who pack metro minis and angkots for their weekly dose of football. The game today is not dissimilar to England 35 years ago. A working class game played in poor stadiums lacking facilities with no marketing and no master plan.
We need these young lads to keep attending or the game becomes the home of the ‘prawn sandwich’ brigade that Roy Keane famously slagged off a few years back. They provide the passion and excitement from the terraces that can lift their team to dizzying heights. Remember the old chestnut about the Kop sucking the ball in at Anfield. But we also need fresh input to the game, new ideas to widen the fan base, to attract more money, to get Indonesia progressing.
The money has to come from somewhere but where? The game and the teams today are funded mostly by local government with all the baggage that entails. In its present state it isn’t realistic to expect sponsors to through money at the game. There’s too much crap on and off the pitches for that. But it does need something to kick start the game.
Much of the world is obsessed by celebrity. How many people today around the world follow either Manchester United or Real Madrid courtesy of one David Beckham esquire? It ain’t the traditional way of following a club, it has traditionalists like me vomiting but people today like a ready packaged product, it’s what they’re used to. Ok, given them what they want.
There must be somewhere out there, some glamourous player living the high life who can be moulded by the marketing men so successful at selling 200 dollar boots to a player who can’t kick straight. There’s got to be a club with the business savvy to develop a marketing side that exploits the player and the club. Of course to do this the clubs need to be run as businesses. Stop local government funding, attract sponsors, market the club as a brand. It’s a proven business model be it LA Lakers or Glasgow Celtic and check out the terraces here. People buy souvenirs to identify with their club, it ain’t rocket science.
As the sport widens its appeal so money can be spent on improving facilities in the stadiums, installing some seats which would provide more comfort to the more discerning supporter as well as doubling as useful weapons to hurl at referees and opposing players. With the glamour factor it would be possible to attract higher profile sponsors to the clubs and games generating yet more money.
Of course having a successful domestic league is no guarantee on success on the world stage, step forward England, but by having cash swilling round the league perhaps people can develop a master plan for the national team, a long term programme geared towards qualifying for the World Cup, something no ASEAN team has done since 1938 when the Dutch East Indies had a go.
Mind you, in the words of John Lennon…
…you may say I’m a dreamer…
Monday, June 12, 2006
1-0 to Jakarta ... again and again and again
Before we get on to the important things Jakartass looks at the politics behind the actions of SCTV, the sole provider of World Cup football here in Indonesia. There is also an article in todays Jakarta Post which follows up on that one, hopefully he will add that to his site.
OK, the real stuff. As expected on Saturday Medan lost away from home, 1-0 at Tangerang while Jakarta North beat Deli Serdang 3-0 at Cilegon. In yesterdays fixtures Jakarta beat Are Malang 1-0, what else, at Lebuk Bulus while Semarang beat Jepara 2-0. Bandung drew 0-0 at Sriwijaya which will probably piss of their fanatical Viking support.
What that little lot means to the table is here:
Semarang 24 44
Jakarta 24 41
Malang 22 40
Medan 23 36
Pasuruan Town 21 33
It remains to be seen whether Pasuruan can overtake Medan but they way the North Sumatrans ship points on the road anything is possible.
Saturday night saw us encamp to BuGils where Bart, the cloggy manager has erected a covered stand so suppers can enjoy the games in a relaxed spacious environment while the eye candy, sorry waitresses, bring your freshly poured beer to you. None of that inconvenient waiting at the bar thank you very much. Many England out in force, sat behind me was some Martin Tyler wannabee, complete with boring stats.
Good night as ever there, shame about the football, but like I said before, club over country every single time. Just a couple of questions from that night. First, who was the 'gentleman', possibly Scottish, who had gone to all the trouble of buying a Paraguay football shirt? And second, to the people who ordered Spaggy Bol and BBQ Chicken, I hope you enjoyed eating as much as I enjoyed paying for it!!! I guess I should check the bill next time eh???
Laters...
OK, the real stuff. As expected on Saturday Medan lost away from home, 1-0 at Tangerang while Jakarta North beat Deli Serdang 3-0 at Cilegon. In yesterdays fixtures Jakarta beat Are Malang 1-0, what else, at Lebuk Bulus while Semarang beat Jepara 2-0. Bandung drew 0-0 at Sriwijaya which will probably piss of their fanatical Viking support.
What that little lot means to the table is here:
Semarang 24 44
Jakarta 24 41
Malang 22 40
Medan 23 36
Pasuruan Town 21 33
It remains to be seen whether Pasuruan can overtake Medan but they way the North Sumatrans ship points on the road anything is possible.
Saturday night saw us encamp to BuGils where Bart, the cloggy manager has erected a covered stand so suppers can enjoy the games in a relaxed spacious environment while the eye candy, sorry waitresses, bring your freshly poured beer to you. None of that inconvenient waiting at the bar thank you very much. Many England out in force, sat behind me was some Martin Tyler wannabee, complete with boring stats.
Good night as ever there, shame about the football, but like I said before, club over country every single time. Just a couple of questions from that night. First, who was the 'gentleman', possibly Scottish, who had gone to all the trouble of buying a Paraguay football shirt? And second, to the people who ordered Spaggy Bol and BBQ Chicken, I hope you enjoyed eating as much as I enjoyed paying for it!!! I guess I should check the bill next time eh???
Laters...
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Going down, going down
A`look at the bottom of the Western Division as today sees 2 crucial games. first, the bottom 4
Tangerang 22 19-27 23
Deli Serdang 22 22-35 23
Bandung 22 20-29 22
Jakarta North 22 20-33 22
As you can see it's tighter than a nun's chuffer with the bottom 2 falling out of the league and nothing decided. Today sees Tangerang host notoriously bad road warriors Medan who of course need points for very different reasons. The other match today has Jakarta North entertaining Deli Serdang out at Cilegon. Too close to predict so I won't bother. I had hoped to get to the Tangerang game today but needs must when the devil farts in your face.
Last night was the grand opening of Mad Dogs Brahaus in Serpong. It's somewhat off the main supping circuit but there are many expats out that way gagging for ale so let's hope it proves successful. It was a good night last night, loads of beer, live music and the look on the German's faces when Costa Rica scored was a treat!
BuGils tonight in their temporary stand for the England game. Mad Dogs Cilandak has Happy Hour for the match and is tempting but BuGils it is...so many pubs, so little time!
Laters...
Tangerang 22 19-27 23
Deli Serdang 22 22-35 23
Bandung 22 20-29 22
Jakarta North 22 20-33 22
As you can see it's tighter than a nun's chuffer with the bottom 2 falling out of the league and nothing decided. Today sees Tangerang host notoriously bad road warriors Medan who of course need points for very different reasons. The other match today has Jakarta North entertaining Deli Serdang out at Cilegon. Too close to predict so I won't bother. I had hoped to get to the Tangerang game today but needs must when the devil farts in your face.
Last night was the grand opening of Mad Dogs Brahaus in Serpong. It's somewhat off the main supping circuit but there are many expats out that way gagging for ale so let's hope it proves successful. It was a good night last night, loads of beer, live music and the look on the German's faces when Costa Rica scored was a treat!
BuGils tonight in their temporary stand for the England game. Mad Dogs Cilandak has Happy Hour for the match and is tempting but BuGils it is...so many pubs, so little time!
Laters...
Friday, June 09, 2006
Not Another World Cup Post
Club or Country?
In those distant days when I still lived in England, Thatcher was PM and George Graham was shaking things up at Arsenal where the North Bank was still a terrace, supporting my country came a long way behind the Arse. Indeed it came a long way behind whoever my adopted second team was at the time and even my ultimately futile attempt to join the 92 Club. It wasn’t that I didn’t like England, I remember as a 10 year old buying the first Admiral kit under Revie, but even back then I realized I couldn’t loyally serve 2 mistresses. It was the Arsenal, they were week in week out. England came and went in a flurry of back page headlines but we still had Wilf Rostron.
I remember that sleepless night as a 13 year old before my first visit to Wembley on a school trip. Up the M3, battling the North Circular to see us battle Luxemburg, and tonk them 5-0, we were all dead excited. Most of us had never been to a match before but I was already a terrace veteran. Not only did I buy Shoot every week but I had a growing programme collection, had been to 2 first division grounds, Highbury and White Hart Lane, and went to Aldershot pretty often. Yeap, I was the old hand on the bus in terms of grounds and games and of course Wembley just couldn’t compete with Highbury. How could it? There was a bloody dog track round the pitch!
But I was lacking in enthusiasm for the national team. Maybe it was the lack of Arsenal players in the squad. We were crap in those days, John Matthews and Pat Howard didn’t get many call ups for some reason. As I grew, as I went to more games, as I rationed out the money England slipped down the list of priorities. Brazil, Argentina, Germany? Forget it lah, gimme a League Cup at Goodison on a Tuesday night every time.
Maybe it was Wembley itself I didn’t like. The large car parks, over priced souvenirs, RUOK4ADDB4KO adverts, not for me thanks. I didn’t like the national anthem, I didn’t like changing at Baker Street, I didn’t like Phil Neal. All this discouraged me, stopped me picking up the phone and say hey lads, are we up for this? We had Colin Hill but he was Arsenal. He was crap, a git but he was an Arsenal git. Phil Neal, he was someone else’s git and I was buggered if I was going to waste all that money cheering on other teams gits.
Sometimes I’d watch the games on TV but only sometimes. I just couldn’t be arsed. If we won, nice one lads, if we lost, well I really didn’t give a rubber duck. My emotion was spent seeing us lose at home to Coventry.
After I moved abroad I went to a couple of away games. Australia in ’91 was in truth more of a home game for me than any feast at Wembley. I could walk to the stadium, I worked there sometimes. The next, and last time was Katowice in a World Cup qualifier a couple of years later. That was a laugh, the football incidental to the trip. I had planned on getting to Oslo as well but drank so much in Prague and Poland I was skint and returned home minus my flag which some cocky young Pole half inched while I was pissing the first half away.
Euro ’96 was spent in Nana Plaza where an off duty Thai copper waved a gun in my face after I told him to sit shown and shut the fuck up. France ’98 I slept through though we did try to find the Argie Embassy after they beat us. I have no idea what we would have done had we found the place. Perhaps written them a stern letter.
People following football had changed. Face painters, brass bands and other crap was muscling the traditional fan to the sidelines and that was further reason to keep away. Some plastic chairs were thrown in 2000 but I have no idea who we played or what the scores were. Or who won the tournament. I really wasn’t interested.
Now we are on the eve of a new World Cup in beloved Germany. I met some Germans in Katowice that trip who were following England. They liked the aggression, the party atmosphere with us but whether they would be so keen on the painted crowd is debatable. I have no idea who we played in the qualifiers but I know we have Peter Crouch and I’m sorry I just can’t take him seriously. Git but he’s not my git so I don’t care. If Crouchie plays for England so can I.
I’ll be watching the England games, maybe one or two others but that’s it. Ask a Sunderland fan which he would prefer, staying up or England winning the World Cup and you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to guess the answer. Roll on August but in the meantime Come On England
In those distant days when I still lived in England, Thatcher was PM and George Graham was shaking things up at Arsenal where the North Bank was still a terrace, supporting my country came a long way behind the Arse. Indeed it came a long way behind whoever my adopted second team was at the time and even my ultimately futile attempt to join the 92 Club. It wasn’t that I didn’t like England, I remember as a 10 year old buying the first Admiral kit under Revie, but even back then I realized I couldn’t loyally serve 2 mistresses. It was the Arsenal, they were week in week out. England came and went in a flurry of back page headlines but we still had Wilf Rostron.
I remember that sleepless night as a 13 year old before my first visit to Wembley on a school trip. Up the M3, battling the North Circular to see us battle Luxemburg, and tonk them 5-0, we were all dead excited. Most of us had never been to a match before but I was already a terrace veteran. Not only did I buy Shoot every week but I had a growing programme collection, had been to 2 first division grounds, Highbury and White Hart Lane, and went to Aldershot pretty often. Yeap, I was the old hand on the bus in terms of grounds and games and of course Wembley just couldn’t compete with Highbury. How could it? There was a bloody dog track round the pitch!
But I was lacking in enthusiasm for the national team. Maybe it was the lack of Arsenal players in the squad. We were crap in those days, John Matthews and Pat Howard didn’t get many call ups for some reason. As I grew, as I went to more games, as I rationed out the money England slipped down the list of priorities. Brazil, Argentina, Germany? Forget it lah, gimme a League Cup at Goodison on a Tuesday night every time.
Maybe it was Wembley itself I didn’t like. The large car parks, over priced souvenirs, RUOK4ADDB4KO adverts, not for me thanks. I didn’t like the national anthem, I didn’t like changing at Baker Street, I didn’t like Phil Neal. All this discouraged me, stopped me picking up the phone and say hey lads, are we up for this? We had Colin Hill but he was Arsenal. He was crap, a git but he was an Arsenal git. Phil Neal, he was someone else’s git and I was buggered if I was going to waste all that money cheering on other teams gits.
Sometimes I’d watch the games on TV but only sometimes. I just couldn’t be arsed. If we won, nice one lads, if we lost, well I really didn’t give a rubber duck. My emotion was spent seeing us lose at home to Coventry.
After I moved abroad I went to a couple of away games. Australia in ’91 was in truth more of a home game for me than any feast at Wembley. I could walk to the stadium, I worked there sometimes. The next, and last time was Katowice in a World Cup qualifier a couple of years later. That was a laugh, the football incidental to the trip. I had planned on getting to Oslo as well but drank so much in Prague and Poland I was skint and returned home minus my flag which some cocky young Pole half inched while I was pissing the first half away.
Euro ’96 was spent in Nana Plaza where an off duty Thai copper waved a gun in my face after I told him to sit shown and shut the fuck up. France ’98 I slept through though we did try to find the Argie Embassy after they beat us. I have no idea what we would have done had we found the place. Perhaps written them a stern letter.
People following football had changed. Face painters, brass bands and other crap was muscling the traditional fan to the sidelines and that was further reason to keep away. Some plastic chairs were thrown in 2000 but I have no idea who we played or what the scores were. Or who won the tournament. I really wasn’t interested.
Now we are on the eve of a new World Cup in beloved Germany. I met some Germans in Katowice that trip who were following England. They liked the aggression, the party atmosphere with us but whether they would be so keen on the painted crowd is debatable. I have no idea who we played in the qualifiers but I know we have Peter Crouch and I’m sorry I just can’t take him seriously. Git but he’s not my git so I don’t care. If Crouchie plays for England so can I.
I’ll be watching the England games, maybe one or two others but that’s it. Ask a Sunderland fan which he would prefer, staying up or England winning the World Cup and you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to guess the answer. Roll on August but in the meantime Come On England
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Exciting times for football fans
We are approaching the business end of the season and the race is on for the Big 8 or Play Offs that will decide who will be Indonesian Champions.
The Western Division, which is on TV most, looks like this.
Semarang 23 31-19 41
Jakarta 23 22-16 38
Are Malang 20 31-12 37
Medan 22 28-23 36
Pasuruan Town 20 26-19 33
At the moment 5th are hosting 3rd live on TV with Pasuruan 1-0 up, please check here for how that game ends up.
Outstanding Games
Semarang
(H) v Jepara, (A) v Medan, (A) Deli Serdang
Jakarta
(H) v Are Malang, (H) v Pasuruan Town, (H) v Tangerang City
Are Malang
(A) v Pasuruan Town, (A) v Jakarta, (A) v Tangerang City, (H) v Sriwijaya, (H) v Padang
Medan
(A) v Tangerang, (A) v Jakarta North, (H) v Semarang, (H) v Jepara
Pasuruan Town
(H) v Are Malang, (A) v Tangerang City, (A) v Jakarta, (H) v Padang, (H) v Sriwijaya
Semarang will have 2 tough away games while Jakarta have 3 games at home, two of which they should be quietly confident about Medan have 2 games on the road which they won't be happy about, they have picked up 10 points on their travels out of a maximum 33 but at least they get plenty of air miles. Malang will go into their final 3 games confident of collecting 9 points while they would probably be content with a point at Jakarta.
What about Pasuruan Town? Put it this way, if I were a Medan fan I'd be nervous...
We'll look at the Eastern Division next update.
...finally this from Jakartass
It has been suggested that it's time for another Indonesian BlogFest. The last one was just before Xmas and it does seem that this year there has been an increase in the vitality of the Indonesian blogosphere with an awareness of the power of 'the people' to network and effect action, if not change. So, let's celebrate.
Suggested Date: Friday June 16th.
Suggested Time: 6pm 'til whenever.
Suggested Place: Ya Udah. Jalan Jaksa.
Suggested Agenda: Eat, Drink and say 'Hi'.
The time is early enough to wander off for your usual Friday night perambulations.
I'm off for my Wednesday night ones after the game...
...Laters
The Western Division, which is on TV most, looks like this.
Semarang 23 31-19 41
Jakarta 23 22-16 38
Are Malang 20 31-12 37
Medan 22 28-23 36
Pasuruan Town 20 26-19 33
At the moment 5th are hosting 3rd live on TV with Pasuruan 1-0 up, please check here for how that game ends up.
Outstanding Games
Semarang
(H) v Jepara, (A) v Medan, (A) Deli Serdang
Jakarta
(H) v Are Malang, (H) v Pasuruan Town, (H) v Tangerang City
Are Malang
(A) v Pasuruan Town, (A) v Jakarta, (A) v Tangerang City, (H) v Sriwijaya, (H) v Padang
Medan
(A) v Tangerang, (A) v Jakarta North, (H) v Semarang, (H) v Jepara
Pasuruan Town
(H) v Are Malang, (A) v Tangerang City, (A) v Jakarta, (H) v Padang, (H) v Sriwijaya
Semarang will have 2 tough away games while Jakarta have 3 games at home, two of which they should be quietly confident about Medan have 2 games on the road which they won't be happy about, they have picked up 10 points on their travels out of a maximum 33 but at least they get plenty of air miles. Malang will go into their final 3 games confident of collecting 9 points while they would probably be content with a point at Jakarta.
What about Pasuruan Town? Put it this way, if I were a Medan fan I'd be nervous...
We'll look at the Eastern Division next update.
...finally this from Jakartass
It has been suggested that it's time for another Indonesian BlogFest. The last one was just before Xmas and it does seem that this year there has been an increase in the vitality of the Indonesian blogosphere with an awareness of the power of 'the people' to network and effect action, if not change. So, let's celebrate.
Suggested Date: Friday June 16th.
Suggested Time: 6pm 'til whenever.
Suggested Place: Ya Udah. Jalan Jaksa.
Suggested Agenda: Eat, Drink and say 'Hi'.
The time is early enough to wander off for your usual Friday night perambulations.
I'm off for my Wednesday night ones after the game...
...Laters
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Beer and Bonek
Not.
More about that later. Not much happening still, Surabaya visited Mojokerto in the Cup and trashed the joint. No change there, I can imagine the Indonesia League rubbing their hands in glee at the thought of the Surabaya bonek travelling the country causing mayhem!
I'm off to the pub tonight, I'm in need f beer and nosebag. Friday Mad Dogs Serpong is having it's grand opening with free beer, snacks, dancers and live music. Check out www.maddogsjakarta.com, they may have more.
Bugils willing be opening their own covered stand where people can relive all the fun of the stadium without fear of Surabaya's finest trashing the joint. Cold beer from Widi et all.
Likewise Mad Dogs on Saturday has the England game live with happy hour from 7 pm I think.
Thirsty work this, laters...
More about that later. Not much happening still, Surabaya visited Mojokerto in the Cup and trashed the joint. No change there, I can imagine the Indonesia League rubbing their hands in glee at the thought of the Surabaya bonek travelling the country causing mayhem!
I'm off to the pub tonight, I'm in need f beer and nosebag. Friday Mad Dogs Serpong is having it's grand opening with free beer, snacks, dancers and live music. Check out www.maddogsjakarta.com, they may have more.
Bugils willing be opening their own covered stand where people can relive all the fun of the stadium without fear of Surabaya's finest trashing the joint. Cold beer from Widi et all.
Likewise Mad Dogs on Saturday has the England game live with happy hour from 7 pm I think.
Thirsty work this, laters...
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Jakarta held
Jakarta were held 0-0 at Batang in the Indonesian Cup. I have no other results at this time.
Meanwhile Robo Crouch netted a hat trick and England missed a second successive penalty as they beat Jamaica 6-0. 9 goals in 2 games mean England leave for Germany feeling confident but Sweden ain't no Reggae Boyz.
Laters
Meanwhile Robo Crouch netted a hat trick and England missed a second successive penalty as they beat Jamaica 6-0. 9 goals in 2 games mean England leave for Germany feeling confident but Sweden ain't no Reggae Boyz.
Laters
Friday, June 02, 2006
Weekend Preview
Little action domestically with just Pasuruan Town hosting Bandung in a crucial game for the visitors as they seek to put daylight between themselves and the bottom 2 teams.
Indonesian Cup action hogs the headlines though with these games scheduled for the weekend.
Padang S v Tangerang
Batang v Jakarta
Gianyar v Badung
Jayapura v Pare Pare
Balikpapin v Ternate
Wamena v Sorong
Sriwijaya v Medan
Meanwhile the teams battling for promotion to the Indonesian League are matching up and from what I can make out these are the fixtures!
PSSB v Bandar Lampang
PSPS v Bandar Lampang Langsa
Serang v PSB
Persikad v Persikabo (Bogor Town?)
Kudus v Pelita Jaya
Solo v Jember
Gresik United v Surabaya
Gorontalo v Persisam
Manado v Maros
Indonesian Cup action hogs the headlines though with these games scheduled for the weekend.
Padang S v Tangerang
Batang v Jakarta
Gianyar v Badung
Jayapura v Pare Pare
Balikpapin v Ternate
Wamena v Sorong
Sriwijaya v Medan
Meanwhile the teams battling for promotion to the Indonesian League are matching up and from what I can make out these are the fixtures!
PSSB v Bandar Lampang
PSPS v Bandar Lampang Langsa
Serang v PSB
Persikad v Persikabo (Bogor Town?)
Kudus v Pelita Jaya
Solo v Jember
Gresik United v Surabaya
Gorontalo v Persisam
Manado v Maros
Thursday, June 01, 2006
26th May, 1989
A little late but...
I didn’t miss many away games that season. Trips to Southampton and QPR, that was it. I went every where else. Oh, I missed Newcastle away to. I was at Goodison when we were truly awesome, even the Everton fans applauded us off the pitch. I was at Old Trafford when Adams scored both ends and the donkey thing started. Boro away when Martin Hayes scored right at the death to give us three points.
West Ham away was another great show, we scored 4, as indeed we did at Forest. I’ll never forget walking away from the City Ground as the mist hung round the stadium, the floodlights giving out an eerie, creamy light. The lads on the terraces had been kept behind after the game for a few minutes and as we walked to the car we could the chant of Boring Boring Arsenal. Moments like that make following your team worthwhile. It brought a lump to the throat much like the rock thrown at my friend brought a lump to his head.
Villa away, we had thousands there but then we always did. Villa Park is one of the great stadiums in English football and we would often take 80000 +++ there. There was the usual 3 points at White Hart Lane where the ever optimistic Totts, buoyed by the signings of Gazza and Paul Stewart (who?) were convinced then, as they are now, that greatness was just round the corner. Gazza scored minus a boot but it didn’t matter, we scored 3 and collected 3 points.
The season had started at Plough Lane, Wimbledon where Smudger got a hat trick as we beat the Wombles 5-1. We filled the ground that day and we were filled with optimism that season.
Liverpool away was put back to the end of the season. Our last 2 home games we collected just one point, it was nerve-racking but everything rested on the final game at Anfield. I had a precious ticket, it had stood proudly on my window sill for weeks. The game was rearranged for Friday 26th May 1989. I told the boss I wanted the day off but he said no go, he was short staffed. I bit my tongue. I considered knocking it on the head there and then but decided to bide my time. I didn’t have another job lined up; I didn’t have enough cash in the bank. I had to wait but he would pay for that. It was our biggest game in 18 years, I’d been through the crap of the last few years, now we needed a 2-0 victory at the home of the best team in Europe and we, The Arsenal, would be champions. And I couldn’t be there…
After work I went to the pub, bought a vindaloo and a carry out then sat in front of the TV. Half time it was still 0-0. Early in the second half Alan Smith got the faintest of touches to a free kick and we were 1 up. The clock was ticking down. We were seconds from heartbreak, seconds from seeing Liverpool crowned as champions after coming so close. But wait. A long ball was played through. Michael Thomas danced through the Liverpool defence. ‘It’s up for grabs now.’ Immortal words in the annals of football commentary, Thomas scores, he somersaults in front of the Gooners, we won the league, we won the league on Merseyside, we won the league on the Mersey, we won the league on Merseyside!!! You had to be there. I wasn’t and it hurt.
Liverpool were one minute from being hailed English Champions but we’re The Arsenal and we hung on, we believed and we did it. The only way we know how. We did it The Arsenal Way
I didn’t miss many away games that season. Trips to Southampton and QPR, that was it. I went every where else. Oh, I missed Newcastle away to. I was at Goodison when we were truly awesome, even the Everton fans applauded us off the pitch. I was at Old Trafford when Adams scored both ends and the donkey thing started. Boro away when Martin Hayes scored right at the death to give us three points.
West Ham away was another great show, we scored 4, as indeed we did at Forest. I’ll never forget walking away from the City Ground as the mist hung round the stadium, the floodlights giving out an eerie, creamy light. The lads on the terraces had been kept behind after the game for a few minutes and as we walked to the car we could the chant of Boring Boring Arsenal. Moments like that make following your team worthwhile. It brought a lump to the throat much like the rock thrown at my friend brought a lump to his head.
Villa away, we had thousands there but then we always did. Villa Park is one of the great stadiums in English football and we would often take 80000 +++ there. There was the usual 3 points at White Hart Lane where the ever optimistic Totts, buoyed by the signings of Gazza and Paul Stewart (who?) were convinced then, as they are now, that greatness was just round the corner. Gazza scored minus a boot but it didn’t matter, we scored 3 and collected 3 points.
The season had started at Plough Lane, Wimbledon where Smudger got a hat trick as we beat the Wombles 5-1. We filled the ground that day and we were filled with optimism that season.
Liverpool away was put back to the end of the season. Our last 2 home games we collected just one point, it was nerve-racking but everything rested on the final game at Anfield. I had a precious ticket, it had stood proudly on my window sill for weeks. The game was rearranged for Friday 26th May 1989. I told the boss I wanted the day off but he said no go, he was short staffed. I bit my tongue. I considered knocking it on the head there and then but decided to bide my time. I didn’t have another job lined up; I didn’t have enough cash in the bank. I had to wait but he would pay for that. It was our biggest game in 18 years, I’d been through the crap of the last few years, now we needed a 2-0 victory at the home of the best team in Europe and we, The Arsenal, would be champions. And I couldn’t be there…
After work I went to the pub, bought a vindaloo and a carry out then sat in front of the TV. Half time it was still 0-0. Early in the second half Alan Smith got the faintest of touches to a free kick and we were 1 up. The clock was ticking down. We were seconds from heartbreak, seconds from seeing Liverpool crowned as champions after coming so close. But wait. A long ball was played through. Michael Thomas danced through the Liverpool defence. ‘It’s up for grabs now.’ Immortal words in the annals of football commentary, Thomas scores, he somersaults in front of the Gooners, we won the league, we won the league on Merseyside, we won the league on the Mersey, we won the league on Merseyside!!! You had to be there. I wasn’t and it hurt.
Liverpool were one minute from being hailed English Champions but we’re The Arsenal and we hung on, we believed and we did it. The only way we know how. We did it The Arsenal Way
The Jakarta Meat Pie Challenge
I can’t be arsed saying too much about Sidoarjo against Gianyar except to ask why the 2 teams at the bottom of the Eastern Division were deemed worthy of live TV exposure. They were, Sidoarjo won 2 – 0 but we have bigger fish to fry…or pies to eat
The Jakarta Meat Pie Challenge
Totally unofficial of course and to be honest I can’t think of anything else half decent to scribe about. The real season is over, things are quiet in the Indonesian League and this World Cup thingy is still a couple of weeks away so why not talk about pubs? I like pubs, pubs are good, some pubs are great.
And so are pies. The ultimate pie eating experience I have come across in Asia so far has been Father Flanagan’s in Singapore where you can buy a piping hot pie and eat it by hand at the bar and not worry about those poncey napkins and cutlery. My next trip to Bangkok will see me try Big John’s pies out Thonglor way while Bobby’s Arms used to serve a mean Chicken and Mushroom but the torch for Bangkok pies rests now with Chequers though I feel a trip to Joolz is also in order.
But we’re talking Jakarta so let’s see how they line up.
Aphrodite
I like Aphro. It’s large but keeps the feel of a local, it has good food and of course cold beer. Many people visit it purely for the pool table but hey…not me lah. I went there a couple of weeks back after some business took me Menteng way and popped in for a nosebag. They have a special on meat pies at the moment; well they did then, so I had one. It came served in splendid isolation on a large plate with a tidy display of rabbit food tucked to one side and with free gravy (!). I ordered mushy peas as a side order along with McDonald’s style French fries. Even with the gravy though the pie was a bit dry and at times heavy. The peas were great farting ammo though and it was a long drive home with the windows open.
Pie Rating 6/10
Stanford Arms
Another nice bar, ok, define a bad bar, the English type bar in Blok M plods along in it’s own sweet little way. This does feel and look like a local bar, the kind of place where you can guarantee seeing the same faces propped on the same stools. The area round the bar is classic English pub in a box while the conservatory area seems…odd. But the pie. To be honest I’ve never had much joy with the food here, even a waitress once advised against eating here, but needs must when the devil farts in your face. The pie was covered in thick, we’re talking doorstep thick, pastry that could be used as breeze blocks. The filling was even drier than the Aphro offering and no amount of tommy s could save it.
Pie rating 3/10
Mad Dogs Brauhaus
A welcome addition to the Serpong supping scene Mad Dogs have taken the ingredients of their successful Cilandak bar and brought them out to the sticks. Dodgy pool table (I admit they’re all dodgy to me) and large screen sports are de rigueur in Jakarta but what about the pies? They advertise there offering as being an Aussie Meat Pie and it comes with mushy peas and chips. Not French fries please note but bloody CHIPS! Ahh quality. The pastry was used to hold the pie together, not as construction material, and the filling was moist and juicy. This was, I can state quite confidently, nearly the perfect pie eating experience.The only drawback was the mushy peas but the pie was sooo good, I swear you could quite happily do away with those damned knives and forks and eat it by hand, replete with crumbling pastry and meat dribbling down your chin, just as nature intended a pie to be consumed.
Pie Rating 8.5/10
That was fun! There can be no greater joy than visiting a pub, having a beer or several and munching on a pie unless of course it is to write about said deeds and, dare one hope, and get paid for it!
The Jakarta Meat Pie Challenge
Totally unofficial of course and to be honest I can’t think of anything else half decent to scribe about. The real season is over, things are quiet in the Indonesian League and this World Cup thingy is still a couple of weeks away so why not talk about pubs? I like pubs, pubs are good, some pubs are great.
And so are pies. The ultimate pie eating experience I have come across in Asia so far has been Father Flanagan’s in Singapore where you can buy a piping hot pie and eat it by hand at the bar and not worry about those poncey napkins and cutlery. My next trip to Bangkok will see me try Big John’s pies out Thonglor way while Bobby’s Arms used to serve a mean Chicken and Mushroom but the torch for Bangkok pies rests now with Chequers though I feel a trip to Joolz is also in order.
But we’re talking Jakarta so let’s see how they line up.
Aphrodite
I like Aphro. It’s large but keeps the feel of a local, it has good food and of course cold beer. Many people visit it purely for the pool table but hey…not me lah. I went there a couple of weeks back after some business took me Menteng way and popped in for a nosebag. They have a special on meat pies at the moment; well they did then, so I had one. It came served in splendid isolation on a large plate with a tidy display of rabbit food tucked to one side and with free gravy (!). I ordered mushy peas as a side order along with McDonald’s style French fries. Even with the gravy though the pie was a bit dry and at times heavy. The peas were great farting ammo though and it was a long drive home with the windows open.
Pie Rating 6/10
Stanford Arms
Another nice bar, ok, define a bad bar, the English type bar in Blok M plods along in it’s own sweet little way. This does feel and look like a local bar, the kind of place where you can guarantee seeing the same faces propped on the same stools. The area round the bar is classic English pub in a box while the conservatory area seems…odd. But the pie. To be honest I’ve never had much joy with the food here, even a waitress once advised against eating here, but needs must when the devil farts in your face. The pie was covered in thick, we’re talking doorstep thick, pastry that could be used as breeze blocks. The filling was even drier than the Aphro offering and no amount of tommy s could save it.
Pie rating 3/10
Mad Dogs Brauhaus
A welcome addition to the Serpong supping scene Mad Dogs have taken the ingredients of their successful Cilandak bar and brought them out to the sticks. Dodgy pool table (I admit they’re all dodgy to me) and large screen sports are de rigueur in Jakarta but what about the pies? They advertise there offering as being an Aussie Meat Pie and it comes with mushy peas and chips. Not French fries please note but bloody CHIPS! Ahh quality. The pastry was used to hold the pie together, not as construction material, and the filling was moist and juicy. This was, I can state quite confidently, nearly the perfect pie eating experience.The only drawback was the mushy peas but the pie was sooo good, I swear you could quite happily do away with those damned knives and forks and eat it by hand, replete with crumbling pastry and meat dribbling down your chin, just as nature intended a pie to be consumed.
Pie Rating 8.5/10
That was fun! There can be no greater joy than visiting a pub, having a beer or several and munching on a pie unless of course it is to write about said deeds and, dare one hope, and get paid for it!
