Back online...

Having lovingly attended to this wonderful blog for the best part of six months I suddenly ran out of enthusiasm for writing about humiliating defeat after humiliating defeat for Oxford and simply re-hashing whatever Sky Sports had written about Bordeaux. I had hoped to start writing some more original entertaining articles but unfortunately my job became quite busy for the first time in my life(!!) and the whole blog project just go shelved.
So why start writing again now? It's not like it was a particularly brilliant blog in the first place but I just enjoy writing. I know nobody reads this and I don't imagine that what I say is of any particular importance, but it gives me something to do and keeps my brain ticking so it can't be a bad thing.
Since I stopped updating this Blog quite a lot has gone on. With regards to Oxford and Bordeaux, the two teams I wrote about most, things have been particularly eventful. Oxford lost the last game of the season and were relegated to the Conference. For the first time in 44 years we are a non-league team and although we sit two points clear at the top of the Conference it's been a pretty sobering experience (Northfleet!!) nonetheless.
Bordeaux made it into the Champions League and were grouped with Liverpool, PSV and Galatasery. They lost three out of the first four games and failed to score a goal however by beating Galatasery 3-1 at Parc Lescure and PSV by the same scoreline at the Philips Stadion in the last two matches they secured a UEFA cup spot. Being as this was about the best they could have hoped for anyway I am quite satisfied. In September I went over for the annual visit to Lescure and I finally saw a win!! A 3-2 victory over Nice in baking temperatures of 34 degrees was possibly the last time for a few years that I'll be able to watch Les Girondins so it was especially satisfying.

If you want to see the rest of the photo's from the game click on this link: http://public.fotki.com/girondinant/fcgb/bdx-nice/

Anyway, hopefully I'll make this a little more interesting than last time by being a bit more selective with what I write about but basically I just want something to do in my spare time so if it doesn't work or I get bored then I'll stop. On Boxing day Oxford are at home to Woking and there is a record crowd expected so there will definately be photo's uploaded within the next few days.

Champions League?? NOT having a laugh!!

Girondins Bordeaux 2-2 Le Mans UC 72

It's not official yet but barring a absolute capitulation from Bordeaux and a minor miracle from Rennes, the only team who can catch Les Girondins, I can safely announce the return of Champions League football to Parc Lescure next season!!
As it stands this afternoon, Rennes lie 9 points behind with a game in hand. If the they manage to beat PSG an close the gap to 6 points they will have to hope Bordeaux fail to pick up any points from their last two games and they win both there's well. Even if that scenario happens Les Girondin's goal difference is far superior and Ricardo's men can effectively lose both game and be safe in second.

1 Lyon Pld36 Pts81
2 Bordeaux Pld36 Pts 65
3 Lille Pld 36 Pts 58
4 Lens Pld 36 Pts56
5 Rennes Pld 35 Pts56
6 Marseille Pld35 Pts 55

Clinching second place is so important because it garuntee's a place in the group stages of the Champion's League. To finish third and have to qualify is a risky path as Monaco found out last year when the beaten finallists were knocked out before it had really started.

Le Mans, a surprise success this season, tried their hardest to ruin the Lescure party first taking the lead on20 minutes, then refusing to play along and get beaten. 2-2 was eventually a fair result and although Le Mans equaliser was quite late (82) it did not spoil wild celbrations on the field and in the terraces. Goal scorers for Bordeaux were Chamakh on 40 minutes and Darcheville on 53.

Oxfordshire Senior Cup Final

Carterton Town 0-3 Banbury United

A good game spoiled only by the fact that Torquay won and i missed the last two goals becouse of pissing around with my camera. Basically Carterton played with a lot of pride but Banbury's Southern League Premier quality won the day, there's not much point me saying more about the game as The Oxford mail and Chris' article on our official site probably say enough. One thing I did learn though, never go to Carfax fish and chips if your in a rush. It genuinely took 20 minutes to buy a small pie and there was only one customer in front of me!!

For all my Picture click here: http://public.fotki.com/girondinant/oscfinal/

Only two games left to save 44 years of league football.

It could not be tighter at the bottom of league 2 with only three points seperating Torquay in 23rd from Bury in 17th. Although it is Torquay who actually sit in the final relegation place they are one of the form teams in the division and last night thrashed Stockport 4-0 to bring themselves level with the U's on 48 points and put the frighteners back on Stockport, Barnet and Macclesfield who all have 50 points.
Of all the teams involved in the fight to avoid this most horrible of all relegations it does seem to be Oxford who look most likely to drop. The other sides either have a precious point advantage or like Torquay, are managing to put a half decent string of results together whilst Oxford remain in freefall.


Last saturday saw the 20th anniversary of the greatest moment in the clubs history, the winning of the Milk Cup. The currant state of the club made the occasion at best bittersweet but despite the fans best efforts and a 'sea of yellow' tifo display the U's crumbled to 3-1 defeat to strong determined Northampton team. What more do they want?? They can no longer call on more support from the stands, there is no other country in Europe with a 4th division that can provide the crowds and atmosphere of a big league 2 match. As one of the bigger clubs in the division, Oxford fans can out sing most competition yet the players played like the didn't give a shiny shite and thats what hurts. 2500 Cobblers (Northampton fans, not actual cobblers - thatwould just be wierd) made the trip and they got behind their team from the off. It's hard to hold a grudge against them as it highlights the stark contrast between the two teams so close geographically yet so different. One rewards the loyalty of it's great fans whilst the other continues to insult them.

At this rate we derserve to play in the conference.

For photo's of a day that was painfully hard to swallow follow this link: http://public.fotki.com/girondinant/oxfordnorthampton/

Girondins Update

Defeat at Lille but three points at Sochaux puts Champions League within grasp.

Two Saturday's ago Les Girondins travelled to Lille for a second verses third showdown, and having drawn and lost the last two games it was important that Bordeaux got at least a draw to maintain distance between themselves and the rapidly closing pack. They didn't. Basically Lille had the greater fire power and capitalised on Bordeaux's weakness in scoring goals. Lille ran out deserved 3-2 winners and left Les Girondins with only a three point gap between themselves and third place with a game in hand away at Sochaux, a place where Bordeaux have traditionally struggled.
Yesterday evening was a chance for Ricardo's men to show the rest of the league that they really do have the qualities of a good side. A high pressure away tie at Stade Bonal the scene of many maulings dealt out by the Lions of Sochaux to their Aquitanian visitors was effectively make or break for les Marine et Blancs, this time a win would put them six points clear of Lille in third and eight clear of Rennes in fourth with only three games to go. All season I have been highly critical of Bordeaux's reliance on defence but on sunday they put in their performance of the season winning 3-0 finally convincing me that this side is the real deal and has the building blocks for future success. A win next saturday at home to mid table Le-mans will garantee at least third place and entry into the Champions League qualifiers and more importantly the knowledge that just one point from their last two games against old rivals Nantes and Marseille will seal the all-importand second spot.



Allez Bordeaux!! Nous venons gagner!!!

Girondins Update

Girondins Bordeaux 0-0 AS St Etienne

To be honest not a bad point but St Etienne are firmly mid-table with nothing to play for so I expected more. Les Stephanois battled hard and earned a point by encouraging Bordeaux as the home side to come out and attack them. Knowing Bordeaux have the attacking prowess of wet celery St Etienne were able to soak up most of the pressure from the home side reducing them to long range shots, the vast majority of which either blazed over the bar or went wide. Lille could only draw so they gained no ground on Les Girondins second place, Rennes however have been quietly steaming up the league and won their 8th straight game lifting them into second with a 5 point deficit to Bordeaux.
Whilst the game itself was little to write home about the Ultramarines put on a spectactuar display to celebrate the unique amitié between St Etienne's Magic Fans 91 and themselves. It was possibly one of the best tifo's at Parc Lescure this season just a shame it wasn't dark then it would have looked amazing.

Imagine the East Stand at Oxford looking like this...

Oxford

Wouldn't it be nice if there was some pictures of Oxford on here?? What do you think?? Yeah me too, here you go then...

High Street

Some College or other

Oooh hills...

The Radcliffe Camera (Designed by James Gibbs - Not Kodak...)

Ummm... more Colleges I think.

Oxford - Famously nicer than Banbury.

Girondins Update

Paris St Germain 3-1 Girondins Bordeaux

After carefull deliberation I have decided not to bother witing this game up. It was a massive game for the fans who travelled in great numbers all the way across the country (or like me sat up until half three at night and was knackered for a whole week) to watch a most pathetic excuse for a performance.
Fair enough Bordeaux had six first team players out but having equalised quickly instead of pushing on and taking the game to PSG they sat back, conceded two more and then offered no fight in the second half. It doesn't really affect the league campaign but they owed this to their fans. Not good enough.
One apect of the game I cannot fault though is the performance of Pauleta. His first half hat trick was absolutely devastating but the dignity with which the ex-Bordeaux striker showed whilst single handily destroying his old club was exemplary. After each of his goals he simply walked away to receive the congratulations of his team mates rather than go crazy and taunt the Bordeaux fans. His workrate was second to none and it is such a shame that he left Les Girondins for the capital but at the time it was the right move for him and there is no bitterness towards him.

Pauleta Celebrates another goal during his time at the mighty Girondins!!

Mansfield away - what a bloody mess!!

The palaver that is Oxford United's season took another turn for the worst on saturday as we deservedly lost at field mill. The goal that beat us was dodgy to say the least - after seeing it several times it doesn't look like the ball crossed the line but the Stags had a pefectly good goal ruled out earlier in the game and were by far the better side for much of the afternoon and deserved the win.
701 Oxford fans made the trip made the trip to Mansfield and for 84 minutes were a credit to the club then suddenly it all went wrong. After Mansfields dis-allowed goal about ten minutes earlier, the atmosphere in the ground changed to something a little more tense and aggressive than it had been although nothing that would have given anyone cause for concern. with just under ten minutes to go in the game a glass bottle came over the side of the stand into the away end hitting a women and child, whilst they were not injured they were of course shaken up and fans around them believing it was thrown by are own fans (who were
more drunk and rowdy than I've seen all year) began agrily remonstrating. Stewards sensing a problem moved into the stand realising what had really happened and calmed everyone down and offering to take those hit by the bottle to the other end of the stand.
As this confusion was going on Mansfield scored which only added to the tension and a group of fans began to follow stewards along the path in front of the stand towards the home end. Without warning two prats suddenly bolted across the pitch towards the Mansfield fans almost making it but taken down by stewards just in time. As the stewards were dealing with the two idiots, around 50 'fans' charged the Mansfield stand getting almost close enough to exchange handfulls of coins, were it not for the quick heavy handed approach of the Mansfield stewards there would have been serious fighting and we could have been docked several points. It took about five minutes to force the fans back from the home concourse and although the game was able to re-start order was not really restored until 15 minutes after the final wistle.

For the rest of the pictures of the day click on this link:

http://public.fotki.com/girondinant/manfieldvoxford/

Girondins Update

Three valuable points against Nice - Now for revenge at PSG!!

It took only 11 seconds for Denilson to score the winning goal on saturday as Bordeaux scraped passed a feisty Nice outfit who probably didn't deserve to lose. I quite like Nice as a club because they always go out to try and win games and although their Stade du Ray is a bit ramshackle their fans absolutely go ballistic during games. The atmosphere and passion of supporters at Nice home games is amazing considering the relatively small set up of the club and the close proximity of French giants Marseille and AS Monaco. This was a massively important win for Bordeaux and means they have not lost a league game since the 10th December and more importantly, thanks to other results, have stretched the gap between them and 3rd placed Lille to 7 points with a game in hand.
Next Saturday is one of the biggest games in the calender and also one that I managed to attend last season PSG vs Bordeaux. For the fans of both these clubs this fixture is the second biggest grudge match (after Marseille of course...) and is always fiercely contested on (and usually off) the pitch. Last November PSG ran out 2-0 winners, their first win at Parc Lescure since 1988. That game that left les Girondins looking worryingly inept with PSG completly outplaying them in every aspect. The night was also marred by serious crowd trouble both before and after the match leading to several arrests and one fan being given a two month prison sentance for assaulting a police officer. All in all the worst night of Bordeaux's campaign this season. Things have moved on since October and Bordeaux are well clear in second whilst PSG have never really got going and sit in 8th in a season which has been another one of turmoil on the pitch and in the tribunes. Bordeaux have big score to settle whereas PSG are desperate for a decent result making the score impossible to predict, I however am going to put my neck on the line and say that Bordeaux will nick a 1-0 victory. This should be a fascinating encounter between two old foes experiancing very different seasons and is being shown at 0140am on channel 4 so stay up and watch it!!!

Stockport and Notts County Photo's

Only a few weeks ago things really did look like Oxford were going to drop into the conference. We went to Edgely Park in Stockport for a showdown with a team just below us to see if the U's had any pride left in them. As it turns out they didn't and went down 2-1 to a late penalty thanks to John Ashton's stupid challenge. The train ride back was one of the worst moments of being an Oxford fan and all we could think about was the very real prospect of relegation and how our club was being left to die at the hands of inept ownership and management.

Surely there was no turning the corner now? Were the once mighty U's really facing non-league obscurity???

Oxford pretend to attack the Stockport goal...

What a difference a week makes!! After another horrible defeat, Brian Talbot publicly slated Ashton for losing us the game. He has a point, but every saw Ashton's challenge, we already know it was stupid and it's simply glossing over the fact that he's a rubbish manager and can't motivate any of his players to play football. Blaming Ashton in the press was something you wouldn't even expect from a sunday league boss and that stupid outburst coupled with the fact we're shit meant that the first thing Kassam's new (but ultimately short-lived) directors did was to show him the door and replace him with the excellent Darren Patterson.

Following a 'Kassam out' protest (which can only be described as organised carnage) before wednesday's game with Bristol Rovers the U's under new management went on to record only their second win of the year and all f a sudden things were looking up. On the back of that it was finally decided at about 9pm friday night that we would make the long(ish) trip to Nottingham. We were well rewarded with a decent if boring 0-0 draw and it felt strange to once again feel optimistic about Oxford.

Oxford really do attack the Notts County goal

Little did we know as we left Meadow lane that by wednesday we would have even more cause to be optimistic... the return of Jim Smith and the takeover of businessman Nick Merry!!

Sadly I haven't got any photo's of Smith's return to the Manor and the wonderful 1-0 win over Peterborough due to... well... a long story that involves me being stuck at a wedding in Cambridge, but I do have some more photo's of our away days at Stockport and Notts County. Click on this link to see them: http://public.fotki.com/girondinant/stockportandnotts/

Jim Smith's Yellow Army!!!

Kassam gone, Merry and Smith in. Oh to be an Oxford fan!!!

As part of the catch-up process this is now a bit out of date as it was last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday that the sale and takeover took place. I will attempt to sum up what the new set is.
Last Wednesday morning after a decent point away at Bury the previous night I logged on to www.oufc.co.uk only to be greeted with a farewell note from Mr Kassam!! He had sold the club and there was to be a press conference at 5pm anouncing the new ownership. Surely not, surely the prayersof us downtrodden oxford fans were not going to be answered? No, we'd had to much disappointment for that.
Unbelievably at the press conference it was unveiled that business man (and ex U's youth team player) Nick Merry had aquired Firoka's 89% stake in Oxford United and had installed the legend that is Jim Smith as both Manager and a director. Whether you were there during the glory days of the 80's or whether like me Jim smith and the side he built are mere stories, nay, legends that you have heared from a far off time when Oxford United were the pride of the Thames Valley, you cannot have helped feeling an overwhelming sense of pride and basically uncontained joy at the news. A Chairman that cares deeply about the club and it's fans and Jim Smith back home where he belongs as Manager of the football club that never forgot what he did for them all those years ago. Welcome to the Manor Nick and Jim, you are MORE than welcome.

Girondins Update

Ok so it's been a while since I wrote anything about Bordeaux, but after coming back from Poland I was swamped with a load of Open University work which I had got two weeks behind with. Obviously I had to do that before I returned to arsing about on blogger. There is a lot of other football stuff that I will tackle (pun intended) in a different post but for now I will concentrate on Bordeaux. To make this easy I will simply list all their results since the last game I wrote about as to be honest there's quite a lot and I don't really have much info on them anyway. So Voila ici est les résultats des Girondins dupuis le 14th février...

Sat 18/02/06 AC Ajaccio 0-2 Girondins Bordeaux
Sat 25/02/06 Girondins Bordeaux 3-3 Metz
Sat 11/03/06 Girondins Bordeaux 2-0 Toulouse
Sat 18/03/06 Troyes 1-1 Girondins Bordeaux
Wed 22/03/06 Montpellier 1-0 Girondins Bordeaux (Coupe de France 8eme)

Wednesday's cup exit at mid table League 2 Montpellier has apparently angered Coach Ricardo, and rightly so. He told reporters that Bordeaux have "not had the same efficiency and pace for two weeks now"... Two weeks?!? Bordeaux haven't had any "pace" since Feindouno went to St Etienne last year!! All credit to Ricardo and Bordeaux for a fantastic season but if they rely too heavily on being defensive and trying to kill off games they will get found out next year and besides, losing to League 2 sides doesn't exactly fill you with confidence for the run in. All said and done though, Les Bordelais are still flying high and are on course for that Champions League spot. On saturday they face a home game against Nice who put them out of the Coupe de la League earlier this year, a good win is an absolute necessity. Bonne Chance les Marine et Blanc!!

League 1
1. Lyon P 30 Pts 68
2. Bordeaux P 30 Pts 57
3. Lille P 31 Pts 52
4. Auxerre P 31 Pts 50
5. Marseille P 31 Pts 48
6. Rennes P 31 Pts 47

Long time no blog...

No posts for half a month!! Has my life really been that boring? Well yes, but I've also been away in Poland for a week and on returning had lots of other crap to catch up with so have been unable (couldn't be arsed) to put anything on here.
There has been pretty much nothing of interest going on football wise, Oxford continued their nose dive into the conference with a home draw against Cheltenham (yes them again) and a quite pathetic 2-1 defeat away at Wycombe. Ok so Wycombe are much better than Oxford but thats the problem!! Since when have Oxford gone to Wycombe as massive underdogs? Not good enough, they didn't even raise their game they just rolled over and died as usual. Bordeaux on the other hand have continued to do well but I shall round that up later.
Anyway... Krakow was the destination last week and it is a fantastic city. It is a little run down but in a good way - loads of character and inhabited by honest, hard working, no bullshit people. They don't complain about extreme weather and dodgy trams they just bloody well get on with it, something a lot of people here would do well to take note of. Lots of good things to say about the place like £1 a pint in underground cellers, a medievil cloth hall and two football clubs who play right opposite each other and seem to really hate each other with an almost frightening passion!!

This is the Castle Wawel, the seat of the Polish kings for hundreds of years.

The main square in the city centre with St Mary's church in the background.

Cracovia's ground. (The Pope's favourite team!!)

Auchwitz or Oświęcim. One site that needs no explanitory caption.

To see the full Album of Krakow, the salt mines (150 meters underground in a village just outside the city) and of course the Auchwitz and Birkenau concentration camps click on this link http://public.fotki.com/girondinant/krakow_feb_2006/

Girondins Update

Girondins Bordeaux 2-0 Stade Rennais

Ok I was seriously wrong about this one. Instead of huffing and puffing to an unconvincing win Bordeaux totally outplayed Rennes right from the start. After (almost deliberatly) having no shots on target last week they managed 4 this weeks with another 5 going off target so at least they are shooting more, the defence did it's job once again limiting Rennes to only 3 shots, two of which were on target. Every team from 3rd to 7th could only manage a draw so the gap between Bordeaux and 3rd placed Auxerre is now 6 points and they managed to take 2 points off Lyon who also only managed a draw. Whilst Lyon are still well out of sight there is now significant daylight between Bordeaux in the automatic Champions league spot and Auxerre in 3rd place who would have to play a qualifying round before making the group stages.

Having whinged about Bordeaux's negative play for the last... well the whole season actually but I have not given credit to the fact that yes they are boring but they get results week in and week out and now barring a major collapse really are going to play in the Champions league next season. Ricardo has turned a side that was frankly horrible to watch last year into a slick efficient well drilled football team. Well done to them, if they make the Champions league then they can be as boring as they like!!

Girondins Update

I've missed a bit of news recently due to actually being busy at work (honestly) and also the whole translation thing sometimes gets in the way as well. Last week I 'read' on www.girondins.com that Kojo Afanou had signed another contract with the club "Good" I thought "he's a pretty solid defender they need men like him in the team." I later read on Sky Sports that I had totally mis-read the report and what had actually happened was that Afanou had been having problems at the club and had then flown out to Morocco to visit his wife without telling anyone. The powers that be at Bordeaux decided that he'd pushed his luck too far and sacked him. Prehaps I should work a little harder at mon français...
One bit of news however which I can be sure of is that Olivier Kapo will not be joining Bordeaux. Although he still wants to be loaned away from Monaco (and they still want rid of him) they do not want him going to another league 1 club, particularly one that is already much better than them (even with Meriem).

This Saturday sees 14th placed Rennes become the next team to be bored into a coma at Parc Lescure. Although Stade Rennais were one of last seasons surprise packages, finishing 4th and grabbing the UEFA Cup spot, this season has been a return to mediocrity. Earlier this year the two sides drew 2-2 in Brittany with Bordeaux twice throwing away the lead and whilst this was one of 10 draws for les Girondins, Rennes have only drawn twice. Their record stands at P25 W10 D2 L13 so I can't see them getting sucked into Bordeaux's negative game play and I believe Rennes will fancy themselves on Saturday so I'm going to predict a surprise away win. Bordeaux should reallyhave the metal to see them through this one but I've just got a nagging feeling that if Rennes really go for it and grab an early goal then Bordeaux who have long forgotten how to attack a game, will have no reply. Hope I'm wrong.

Mr Kassam, if your going to go, go now.

An evening of fun and games was had at the Kassam stadium for a hastily arranged 'fans forum' where our chairman was basically told by the fans to sell up and sod off. Not a bad thing in itself but some of the personal attacks were a little 'uncomfortable', however he needs to go. Credit to Mr Kassam he had the balls to sit there and take a lot of difficult questions and he provided answers to most. He nearly lost his temper once but to be fair to him he let a lot of things go that would drive most of us to the point of violence! I am not an FK fan and never have been and I hope he sells quickly but I couldn't help feeling sorry for him on Tuesday. Whatever anyone says he had taken the club on with all good intentions, saved it from the brink of liquidation and spent 50+ million pounds on it only to see it fail miserably and become one of the most disliked men in the county!! But he is a hard business man and surely knew the price of failure, he does not hesitate to get rid of anyone who he believes is failing him and seems to understands that it is now up to him to hang up his hotels and leave.
Mr Kassam has assured us that the club will not be let go 'on the cheap' and that it will only be sold with the stadium to a person or consortium who proves to him that they have the financial backing to take the club forward. He was given a round of applause for that and rightly so. He has shown the fans by saying this that he is no Kieth Cox or Maxwell and will not leave the club in deeper shit that when he took over.

Girondins Update

Olympique Lyonnais 0-0 Girondins Bordeaux

I am flumoxed. I stayed up to watch this game last night (conveniantly following the Super Bowl) on channel 4 and I can't believe not only that Bordeaux are second, but that they arn't bottom of the league. They are the most negative, one dimensional, boring team I have ever had the pleasure of watching. How they managed this incredible result is beyond me as Lyon absolutely wiped the floor with Bordeaux who blatently came looking for a draw, so blatent was it that they did not even register one shot on target. Bordeaux's main strength seems to lie in the fact that they are so damn negative that they can kill any game dead. Lyon were simply unable to play the fast flowing attacking football that has made them so deadly whilst bordeaux just sort of... well... bored the arse off of whoever had the ball so they just kicked it out of play or fell over or something. Honestly, I have seen them 6 times now; 3 times in the flesh and 3 times on tv (2 tv games away at Lyon...) and I have seen 4 draws and 2 defeats. I used put it down to the idea that European football has always been played at a slower pace and that I was just not used to the differences in the game however I am now convinced that it is an atribute exclusive to Bordeaux. They never looked like scoring last night, in fact they never looked like they wanted to score, they went simply to ruin Lyons game plan and to take a point. Job done then, but little in evidence to show they won't be destroyed in next years Champions League.

Don't get me wrong, it was a stunning hard fought result and Bordeaux did remember to play a little bit of football in the last five minutes. The Lyon result really does show how far Les Bordelais have come since they were humiliated 5-1 at Gerland last season and whilst you struggle to see where they will get their goals from they never look like conceding either. With regards to the race for European qualification it was almost as good as a victory last night, but for a football purist (like myself) there is something slightly upseting about Bordeaux's approach to football. That said they are second in the league after nearly getting relegated last year so it seem very unfair to complain after such a fantastic result.

Contrasting cup results...

Two very different cup ties took place last night. In South West France, Bordeaux recovered from an early slip up to beat National Ligue side Entente Sannois-Saint-Gratien 2-1 in the 16eme round of the Coupe de France. Two second half goals from Portuguese debutant Beto spared any blushes as Bordeaux were made to fight hard to see off their 3rd division opponets leaving Les Girondins one game away from another quarter final. All in all a good solid work for a few of the fringe players in what was a competitive line up. Job done, now for Oxford...

An insultingly under-strength Oxford 'team' were humiliated at Court Place Farm last night, going down 0-1 to Thame United. Yes that's Thame United as in bottom of a league four divisions below us Thame United. The homeless Southern League western division side who had previously only managed 3 wins will take their place in the Oxfordshire senior cup semi finals mainly due to Oxford treating this historic competition as a joke. Say what you like about the competition and the side that Oxford put out, but in my view we are the county's professional team and losing in the Oxon senior cup to anyone no matter what starting eleven is humiliating. Frankly it was an an insult to the competition, the fans (200 or so mugs who payed £5 for that), the Oxfordshire FA and mainly the other clubs participating in the competition.

Sort it out Oxford.

Girondins Update

Girondins Bordeaux 1-0 Racing Club Lens

Four wins in a row and yet another coming against a side in direct competition for a European spot. The headline on the clubs official website today is 'Un Bordeaux à l'italienne!' and to be honest this pretty much sums up their season, ie get a 1 goal lead then batten down the hatches and ride it out like the Italian sides do. Prehaps I'm too used to English football where for a side to be 3 points clear in second they would have to be knocking goals in left right and centre and playing attacking fast-flowing football every week, but I can't really get my head around how Bordeaux are doing so well. The game itself was apparently one of the worst games in the history of footbal with both sides only managing one shot on target each, Lens didn't actually register theirs until the 92nd minute whilst Bordeaux's single on target effort was a penalty!! Nevertheless I am not criticising was was another solid performance and a fantastic win. Laslandes 28th minute penalty was his 120th career goal and one on this years most vital, Lens are one of the league strongest sides so to take 4 points from the 2 games against them is pretty impressive.

Bordeaux are hoping to bring Juventus striker Olivier Kapo on loan for the rest of the season. He has spent the first half of the season at Monaco but is having personal problems with the management and is eager to work with Girondins coach Ricardo. He is a quality striker and would be an excellent aquisition for the team.

Beto for Bordeaux

Bordeaux have confirmed the signing of Portuguese defender Beto from Sporting. They had been chasing Beto for some time and are delighted to finally have his signature to bolster the squad and hopefully add stength to Les Girondins challenge for the automatic Champions League spot. Chairman Jean-Louis Triaud has described Beto as "More than a winter signing, reinforcement for the future." Obviously great things are expected of the young Portuguese who has never played for any other club than Sporting and if he can bring anything extra to the challenge as Dauphin to Lyon then he will be made more than welcome at Parc Lescure.

Photo taken from www.jornaldamadeira.pt

Girondins Update

Bordeaux 2-1 Strasbourg

A 92nd minute winner from Julien Faubert made it three league wins in a row for Bordeaux but once again they had to do it the hard way. In the 10 minute Strasbourg were awarded a penalty after a reckless foul by Bordeaux keeper Ulrich Rame, although Rame escaped with a booking Le Pen was not as charitable as the referee and fired home from the spot to give the Alsaciens an unlikely lead. Despite trailing Bordeaux were completely dominating this game and the equaliser duely came from Fernando in the 37th minute (I managed to listen to the first half live on Wit FM and actually managed to understand the commentary!! Usually after a goal I start celebrating then find out 5 minutes later it was only a corner or worse that the opposition had scored...). Strasbourg's game plan completely fell apart just before half time when Moslim was given a straight red card, surely now Les Girondins would go on to rack up a big tally? Well err no, Strasbourg defended like men possesed and although Bordeaux had racked up 9 shots on target to their 3, in truth the Alsacians deserved a draw - if only for being bloody determined!! Luckily for the Bordeaux public there was to be one more shot on target, the one that would claim the three points and save some serious blushes. Julien Faubert controlled a long ball into the box and shot from an impossibly tight angle, the ball hit Strasbourg keeper Cassard's hand and was diverted into the net. Another slightly fortunate win for Bordeaux but another three points in the bag and another step closer to that prized Champions League spot.

Control Arms

Lack of controls on the arms trade is fuelling conflict, poverty and human rights abuses worldwide. Every government is responsible. The Control Arms campaign is asking governments to toughen up controls on the arms trade.
(Quote from the Control Arms homepage)

The Control Arms Campaign is NOT a charity, it is not asking for any money - just your face. They are aiming to present the governments around the world with a petition of a million faces asking for a treaty to scrictly regulate the sale of arms. By going on the campaign website and emailing them a picture of your face you can play a part in making it harder for firearms to fall into the wrong hands.

Like most global issues, this is a problem that really can be solved by the 'big' nations. To put the arms trade into context, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the USA, UK, France, Russia, and China are together responsible for eighty eight per cent of reported conventional arms exports. It is clear to see that if just those five countries tightened their arms sales the whole industry could be policed more effectively.
British and American Troops are risking their lives against terrorist and insurgent attacks on a daily basis in Iraq. Putting the issues of whether the war was justified or not aside a frightening statistic is that North Afrifca and the Middle East account for 39% of the USA's arms exports and an unbelievable 72% of the UK's. We are sending our forces to protect people against terrorists that WE effectively armed. Something there does not quite add up.

Please note this campaign is NOT anti-government or anti-Military, nor is it calling for a total ban on the arms trade. It is simply a sincere attempt to Regulate a trade which by it's loopholes and failings has allowed rougue states and terrorist groups to arm themselves and to kill and maim millions of innocent civillians. Please visit the website and add you face to the Million Faces gallery. If you do not wish to be in the petition at least read the website and give some thought to the campaign.

www.controlarms.org

La Coupe de la Ligue est terminé pour les Bordelais

OGC Nice 2-1 Bordeaux

Cancel the Eurostar and hotels there will be no trip to Paris in April as Bordeaux crashed out of the Ligue cup quarter finals at the Stade du Ray last night. Nice had taken the lead from a David Bellion penalty on the stroke of half time but could could only hold the advantage until the 53rd minute when Vladimir Smicer scored a brilliant individual goal. Smicer's leveller seemed to give Bordeaux the incentive to take the game to Les Aiglons but the two sides as desperate not to lose as they were to win just cancelled each other out and the game went into extra time. Unfortunately a second consecutive win on the south coast was a bridge too far for les Bordelais and with 10 minutes to go Balmont scored the goal that sent Nice into the semi finals.
It was a real shame as I was certain that although it was always going to be a tough game, Bordeaux would have the metal to force their way through but on the night Nice just had that bit more about them. The supporters in the Stade Du Ray are well known for the atmosphere they create and no doubt the fans had no small part in willing their team on to victory. Fans from these Islands (GB) always insist that they are the best fans in the world based mainly on the fact that the league is old and well organised and better supported. Attendances may be higher at British games but the culture we have of sitting down and being quiet to be honest is embarrassing I would love to force the inhabitants of Oxford's East stand to spend a game in the Stade du Ray or especially Kop Sud at St Etienne. They wouldn't know what had hit them.
Anyway well done to Bordeaux for getting as far as the Quarter finals - it just wasn't to be. There is still the CDF but more importantly that Champions League spot is still far from secure and that is the prize that every supporter wants most of all.

Girondins Update

Monaco 0-1 Bordeaux

What a win!!!! I genuinely didn't expect a result here as to go to Monaco with them as one of the form sides on Vieri's debut is the sort of fixture you dread as a fan but instead it will be one of the most memorable results of an impressive season. Camel Meriem was unavailable for the game but to do the double over the club he dumped Bordeaux for was no less satisfying and more to the point it kept Les Girondins in 2nd and on course for the Champions League. It took until the 70th minute for the breakthrough in a predictably tight game but Denilson picked a perfect game to score his first Ligue 1 goal. Monaco tried to get back into the game but the meanest defence in the top flight soaked up what pressure they had to offer and the points went securly back to Aquitaine.









So after 22 games played Bordeaux sit in 2nd place only 1 point ahead of Auxerre but seven points ahead of Monaco who dropped to 9th, well out of the European places. But Monaco are a bigger club - aren't they Camel...

To Brum to watch The Villa!!

I decided to dig a bit deeper this week and instead of going to Banbury thought I'd give this Premier League lark a go. Being an Oxford fan and also with my love for the non-league game I'll admit I've always been very cynical about the Premiership but I went to Villa in the right freame of mind ie to have no pre-conceptions and to sit back and enjoy good football for a change. I got what I asked for as it was a really exciting match, the stadium was fantastic and the Birmingham public were as ever thoroughly welcoming and genuinely helpful.
Determined to see the sights of Birmingham I arrived at Moor St Station at 10.00 and headed straight into the Bullring. Birmingham has been tranformed into a fantastic city, not only does it look the business but there's a whole new positive feel to the town that makes you realise how over-rated London is. After a good look around Birmingham Art gallery and Museum (well recommended) I made my way to the ground.

Villa Park is a short train hop away from New St to Witton and the ground is clearly visible as soon as you get off. For me Villa park is what a Premiership stadium should be, it manages to combine excellent modern facilities whilst still having an old stadium feel to it. All the stands are quite photogenic but the Trinity road stand is something to behold, it is a three tiered affair not unlike the West stand at Old Trafford and it seems to go on for miles!! I chose to sit in the lower tier of the famous Holte End which had great views of the pitch and seemed to be where most of the noise came from.
Villa park has a reputation for being a bit quiet and to be honest it was, however it is no worse than 90% of British crowds and it isn't easy to create an atmosphere in such an enormous stand. In my opinion they do OK. I have to give a mention to the 3900 West Ham fans who really added to the day, they were on their feet and singing for 90 minutes and definately made the atmosphere memorable. I don't intend to write a report on the game as there will be countless better written but I will say that it was hugely entertaining and West Ham fully deserved the points.

The link below will take you to my photo's of the game which are in my opinion pretty good...
http://public.fotki.com/girondinant/aston_vila_1-2_west_ham/