very odd matches

[scotfree]

Thought this was a good one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bramall_Lane

The Battle of Bramall Lane is the informal name given to an English First Division football match between Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion at United's Bramall Lane ground on 16 March 2002. The match was unusual in that it was abandoned because Sheffield United had only six players left on the pitch.

Nine minutes in, United's keeper, Simon Tracey, was sent off for handling the ball outside the penalty area and denying Albion a clear goalscoring opportunity. Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock sent on a new keeper, Wilko de Vogt, taking off Peter Ndlovu. The visiting WBA scored a first-half goal through Scott Dobie against the 10-man United, and added a second goal in the 62nd minute through Derek McInnes.

The match turned truly ugly in the 65th minute, when Georges Santos, whom United had just brought on seconds earlier, was sent off for a high and poorly timed two-footed lunging tackle on Andy Johnson. When Johnson was playing for Nottingham Forest the previous season, he had fractured Santos' cheekbone and seriously damaged his eye socket with a swinging elbow.^[2] The two teams then scuffled on the pitch; in the melee, another United substitute, Patrick Suffo, was sent off for head-butting Derek McInnes. This reduced United to eight men, with no more substitutions left. Soon after, United captain Keith Curle was fortunate to avoid a sending off after appearing to throw punches at McInnes.

In the 77th minute, WBA added a third goal, Scott Dobie tapping in from short range. Two minutes later, Michael Brown limped off for United, and Robert Ullathorne went off injured in the 82nd minute, reducing them to six men. The referee, Eddie Wolstenholme, then abandoned the game with West Brom leading 3–0. The referee would have been aware of the IFA board guideline to law 3 which states "the minimum number of players in a team is left to the discretion of member associations. The Board is of the opinion, however, that a match should not continue if there are fewer than seven players in either team".

[Karpaty]

"The Death Match"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_Match#Matches_in_June_and_July_1942

[Sergeant Wilson]

Cheadle of NWCL are playing Steau Bucharest on Monday the 30th of this month.

[Kilbowie's Finest]

Clydebank legend Jim Fallon's testimonial back in October 1983 was an odd one as for a one off experiment the SFA agreed to the game being played without the offside rule

Fallon's Bankies select lost the game 5-3 to a Celtic side including Tommy Burns and Murdo MacLeod amongst others. Despite a total lack of Bankies connection ex England and Manchester City winger Peter Barnes also played for the "home" team that night.

The teams lined up as follows that night:

Bankies Team

..............................

Gallacher

McGlaughlin (Airdrie)

F.Gray (Leeds Utd)

Fallon

McCormack (St.Mirren)

Houston (Alloa Ath)

Barnes (Leeds Utd)

Lumsden (Leeds Utd)

Larnach (Stenhousemuir)

McDougall (St.Mirren)

McCabe

Subs.

Dickson

Given

Hughes

Ronald

Gervaise

Coyne

Celtic Team

..............................

Latchford

J.McInally

Whittaker

W.McStay

McAdam

Sinclair

Crainie

McLeod

Melrose

Burns

Halpin

Subs.

Coyle

McGugan

[nelsjfc]

The QPR friendly against China's U20 side that descended into mass brawl. Odd fixture, hilarious outcome.

[ICTChris]

Thought this was a good one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bramall_Lane

The Battle of Bramall Lane is the informal name given to an English First Division football match between Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion at United's Bramall Lane ground on 16 March 2002. The match was unusual in that it was abandoned because Sheffield United had only six players left on the pitch.

Nine minutes in, United's keeper, Simon Tracey, was sent off for handling the ball outside the penalty area and denying Albion a clear goalscoring opportunity. Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock sent on a new keeper, Wilko de Vogt, taking off Peter Ndlovu. The visiting WBA scored a first-half goal through Scott Dobie against the 10-man United, and added a second goal in the 62nd minute through Derek McInnes.

The match turned truly ugly in the 65th minute, when Georges Santos, whom United had just brought on seconds earlier, was sent off for a high and poorly timed two-footed lunging tackle on Andy Johnson. When Johnson was playing for Nottingham Forest the previous season, he had fractured Santos' cheekbone and seriously damaged his eye socket with a swinging elbow.^[2] The two teams then scuffled on the pitch; in the melee, another United substitute, Patrick Suffo, was sent off for head-butting Derek McInnes. This reduced United to eight men, with no more substitutions left. Soon after, United captain Keith Curle was fortunate to avoid a sending off after appearing to throw punches at McInnes.

In the 77th minute, WBA added a third goal, Scott Dobie tapping in from short range. Two minutes later, Michael Brown limped off for United, and Robert Ullathorne went off injured in the 82nd minute, reducing them to six men. The referee, Eddie Wolstenholme, then abandoned the game with West Brom leading 3–0. The referee would have been aware of the IFA board guideline to law 3 which states "the minimum number of players in a team is left to the discretion of member associations. The Board is of the opinion, however, that a match should not continue if there are fewer than seven players in either team".

That doesnt' mention the main contorversy regarding that match, which was that Neil Warnock was accused of instructing his players to deliberately get sent off so the game would be abandoned.

There was a Rangers-Hearts game in the mid 1990s at Ibrox where Hearts had four players sent off and Chris Robinson went to the away dugout to ask for the game to be abandoned. However the referee played on and the match finished.

[FlyerTon]

Games used to get played 'on the snow' like the one below from Jan 1985:

[Karpaty]

There was a game in Northern Ireland Ireland (Glentoran vs Linfield?) where the pitch was completely covered in snow apart from the lines and they started with an orange ball. At half time, it burst and the only other alternative was to play with a white ball.

[Buddie Holly]

falkirk 1 st mirren 1 (replay).falkirk had been outed as cheats for playing john clark when he wasn't registered.the game was ordered to be replayed but the points should have gone to the buds.

[eindhovendee]

Cheadle of NWCL are playing Steau Bucharest on Monday the 30th of this month.

Cheers Sarge, didn't know that and the ground is only a 5 minute walk away.

Should be able to squeeze that inbetween France/Nigeria and Germany/Algeria.

[Ya Bezzer!]

I remember years ago at Fir Park a game was played in high winds.

A gust took the linesmans flag right out his hand and it blew off between the corners and was lost.

The game stopped for a fair wee while and eventually the officials came back out with the linesman holding a sort of bamboo stick with a hankie tied to it with which he used for the rest of the game.

[Ross.]

That doesnt' mention the main contorversy regarding that match, which was that Neil Warnock was accused of instructing his players to deliberately get sent off so the game would be abandoned.

There was a Rangers-Hearts game in the mid 1990s at Ibrox where Hearts had four players sent off and Chris Robinson went to the away dugout to ask for the game to be abandoned. However the referee played on and the match finished.

Pasquale Bruno was one of the Hearts players sent off I'm sure. I remember listening to Super Scoreboard that day and couldn't believe what was happening. I thought they only had 3 men sent off though.

[~~~]

Games used to get played 'on the snow' like the one below from Jan 1985:

"Jim Duffy who has won Scottish Health Group, Mr super fit award"

[HibeeJibee]

I remember years ago at Fir Park a game was played in high winds.

A gust took the linesmans flag right out his hand and it blew off between the corners and was lost.

The game stopped for a fair wee while and eventually the officials came back out with the linesman holding a sort of bamboo stick with a hankie tied to it with which he used for the rest of the game.

I was at an EOS League game between Edinburgh City and I think Edinburgh University, maybe 8 years ago or so. At that time shortages with officials were such that it was the so-called "club linesman", even at EOS Premier level, as it still remains today in the lower levels of the EOS, Juniors and across most of the Amateurs. For anyone who has never seen a game at this level the idea is that these "club linesman" only call throw-ins. In theory, they can hare up and down the touchline like a normal assistant referee - and we at Berwick used to have a young lad at the Reserve games who did just that - but usually they shuffle about at the halfway line in a state of semi-boredom, casually flagging throws...

Anyway on this particular day the City "club linesman" turned-out to be a grey-haired fellow, of considerable age and even more considerable girth. He wasn't going to be making much progress up and down his touchline. Worse still, kick-off got delayed as only 1 flag could be found. I think the ref's supposed to bring them but forgot. Delay? Cancellation? Hold no such fear. A natty red-n-white teatowel did admirable service.

[Sergeant Wilson]

Cheers Sarge, didn't know that and the ground is only a 5 minute walk away.

Should be able to squeeze that inbetween France/Nigeria and Germany/Algeria.

Website says it's Dinamo Bucharest now.

[eindhovendee]

Website says it's Dinamo Bucharest now.

No problem.

As long as it's a group of East Europeans coming over here and playing our friendlies I'll be there.

[scotfree]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Germany_v_Austria_(1982)

After 10 minutes of furious attack, West Germany succeeded in scoring through a goal by Horst Hrubesch. After the goal was scored, the team in possession of the ball often passed between themselves in their own half until an opposition player came into the vicinity of the ball. The ball was then passed back to the goalkeeper. Isolated long balls were played into the opposition's half, with little consequence. For the next 80 minutes there were few serious attempts on goal, e.g. by Wolfgang Dremmler of West Germany. The only Austrian player who seemed to make any effort at livening the game up was Walter Schachner, though he had little success.

This performance was widely deplored by all observers. German ARD commentator Eberhard Stanjek at one point refused to comment on the game any longer. Austrian commentator Robert Seeger bemoaned the spectacle and actually requested that the viewers should switch off their television sets.

Likewise, many spectators were not impressed and voiced their disgust with the players. Chants of "Fuera, fuera" ("Out, out") and "Que se besen, que se besen" ("Let them kiss, let them kiss") were screamed by the appalled Spanish crowd, while angry Algerian supporters waved banknotes at the players. The match was criticized even by the German and Austrian fans who had hoped for a hot rematch of the 1978 World Cup match, in which Austria had beaten West Germany; one German fan burned the national flag in protest.^[4][5]