CLIMATE :

 As discussed above, generation of heat is a function  of  gravity, which in turn depends on mass. As long as the mass of the earth is constant, the quantity of geothermal energy produced is also constant. Initially, heat is transferred to the  seas and, thence, to the atmospheric H2O, and  ultimately to the outer  space, when the latent heat is   released on formation of water droplets which form clouds. Simultaneously, heat is being radiated continuosly from the surface of the earth ,both land and sea, as the outer space is considerably cooler  than the earth.

The heat generated by the earth is converted into kinetic energy in a big way, when ocean currents are working round the clock. The volume of water involved in this process  is thousands of times  more than that of  all the rivers of the world.

Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes  etc. also eat up considerable quantity of geothermal energy. Diffusion of water in the seas takes place continuously because of hot bottom and cool Polar regions. Part of the energy is also used up by cyclones, tornados etc. (the circumstances in which these are caused by hot steam emanating from the seas will be discussed in BUT-Volume III).

If the total quantity of geothermal energy is T, the energy converted into kinetic form is K and heat lost by radiation R,

T – K – R = the net increase or decrease in the warmth of the globe

From the table given below, it is clear that during the last 200 years there has not been any appreciable change in the warmth of the globe.

For a proper study of this subject, a distinction has to be made between the temperature of the earth and the temperature of the atmosphere. The latitude-mean temperature graph fairly represents the temperature of the earth, as the sea surface is not much affected by weather conditions. On the other hand, land stations will be subjected to violent fluctuations in the weather like extreme summers and winters, especially if the stations are much above the sea level.

The land mass contains lakes, surface soil water, water chambers, sub-terrainian water channels etc. which retain considerable quantity of water. Because of the peculiar structure of the H20 molecule, heat is retained in water for a longer period than other materials. This is the reason why summer extends much beyond the date 21^st June in the northern hemisphere. In the absence of water on the earth the peak temperature will end on that day and we may experience pleasant weather by August. Similarly, but for snow and the water layers lying just below the surface of the earth, the winter will start waning right from 21^st December.

In spite of these differences, data in respect of land stations, too, prove my contention that the globe is not warming!

When we look back

“It is an inquiry of some interest, whether the general temperature of the globe is stable, or is gradually undergoing change through diminution or addition. We have no means of deciding this point, because our thermometrical determinations are confined to a comparatively modern date. The instrument was not brought to perfection until the year 1724, by Fahrenheit, and therefore beyond that period we are dependent upon the recorded experience and sensations of observers, and upon the details of agricultural failure or success, for our knowledge of temperature in former times. We are not warranted to infer from these casual notices any changes of physical climate generally within the era of authentic history, though in particular localities, there is strong reason to suppose that an alteration has taken place; but this has been the very reverse of an impressions that once prevailed respecting it. The existence of a colony on the east coast of Greenland cut off from communication with the external world, and destroyed by the gradual accumulation of the ice upon its shores –the fact of immense forests anciently clothing the highest parts of Britain, and other northern countries, where a tree now can scarcely be made to grow –of the period of the vintage formerly commencing several weeks earlier in France than at present-of vineyards having been planted in the south of England during the time that the Romans held possession of the island, where hops can only be raised with difficulty- and of the sides of the Scottish hills bearing evident traces of the plough, which have long been surrendered to the heaths as incapable of cultivation;-these circumstances have been appealed to, as evidence of a milder and more genial climate having once characterized the northern regions of Europe. Sir John Leslie has remarked upon these details, “that a patch of wood will not thrive in cold situations, merely for want of the shelter which is afforded by extensive plantations. In Sweden and Norway, which are mostly covered with natural forests, it has become an object of police to prevent their indiscriminate destruction. The timber in those sylvan countries is cut at stated periods of its growth, and in detached portions; the vacant spaces being left as nurseries, embosomed amidst an expanse of tall trees.  Some places in Sweden, where the forests have been accidentally destroyed by fire, present the image of sterility, and of wide desolation. It is probable, the vines grown in ancient times were coarser and hardier plants than those which are now cultivated. A similar observation extends to all the productions of gardening. A succession of diligent culture softens the character of the vegetable tribes, and renders them more delicate, while it heightens the flavor of their fruits. The Roman soldiers stationed in Britain would naturally prefer wine, their accustomed beverage, however harsh and poor, to the cervisia, or unpalatable ale brewed by the rude arts of the natives. The marks of tillage left on our northern hills evince only the wretched state of agriculture at a remote period. For want of a proper system of rotation, and the due application of manure, the starving tenantry were then tempted to tear up with the plough every virgin spot they could find, and after extracting from it  a pitiful crop or two of oats, to abandon it to a lasting sterility”. With reference to the colony supposed to have been planted on the east coast of Greenland, now an uninhabitable region of glaciers, there is reason to believe that its name, Oestre Bydg, the eastern settlement, simply refers to its position in relation to another settlement, both of which were on the western coast, now occupied by the Danish factories. From the name of Snowland, afterwards supplanted by that of Iceland, given by the roving pirates of the Baltic to that island upon its discovery in the ninth century, it may certainly be concluded that the climate of the north was then analogous to what it is at present.

A different opinion, that the climate of the midland part of the temperate zone, especially in Europe, is less rigorous now than it was sixteen or seventeen centuries ago, appears to be supported by sufficient evidence. After making allowances for inaccuracy and exaggeration in the statements of the classical writers, they will still be found descriptive of a cold in various districts, as a feature of the ordinary temperature, which is not realized at present. The epistles written by Ovid from Pontus, whither he was banished by order of Augustus, describe the rigour of the climate there, in terms which suit the winder of Hudson’s Bay. He mentions, among other instances of the extreme cold, The Euxine Sea being frozen over, so as to bear men and cattle upon it. Tertullian, one of the Christian fathers in the second century, writing in the style of the fierce zealot and florid rhetorician, against the herectic Marcion, thus refers to the same region:- “That tract, which is called the Pontus Euxinus, the hospitable sea, has been refused all favours, and is mocked by its very name. The day is never open, the sun never shines willingly, there is but one atmosphere- fog; the whole year is wintry; every wind that blows comes from the north; liquors are only such before the fire; the rivers are blocked up with ice, the mountains are heaped higher with snow; all things are benumbed, all things are stiff with cold, nothing but cruelty has there the warmth of life; that kind of cruelty, I mean, which has supplied the stage with fables concerning the sacrifices of the Tauri, and the loves of Colchis, and the tortures of Caucasus. But there is nothing so barbarous and miserable in Pontus, as that it has given birth to Maricion; he is more savage than a Scythian, more unstable than the wild inhabitants of a wagon, more inhuman than the Massageta, more audacious than the Amazon, darker than the mist, colder than the winter, more brittle than the ice, more treacherous than the Danube, more precipitous than Caucasus”. Virgil refers to the winter on the banks of the Ister of the Greeks, the modern Danube, in the third Georgic, in a manner which at present is inapplicable to any part of its course:-

“ The sun from far peeps with a sickly face,Too weak, the clouds and mighty fogs to chase,

When up the skies he shoots his rosy head,

Or in the ruddy ocean seeks his bed.

Swift rivers are with sudden ice constrain’d

And studded wheels are on its back sustain’d;

A hostry now for wagons, which before

Tall ships of burden on its bosom bore,

The brazen cauldrons with the frost are flaw’d.

The garment, stiff with ice, at hearths is thaw’d.

With axes first they cleave the wine; and thence

By weight, the solid portions they dispense.

From locks uncomb’d, and from the frozen beard,

Long icicles depend, and crackling sounds are heard.

Meantime perpetual sleet, and driving snow,

Obscure the skies, and hang on heards below.

The starving cattle perish in their stalls;

Huge oxen stand enclos’d in wintry walls

Of snow congeal’d; Whole heards are buried there

Of mighty stags, and scarce their horns appear.

The dexterous huntsman wounds not these afar

With shafts or darts, or makes a distant war

With dogs, or pitches toils to stop their flight,

But close engages in unequal fight;

And, while they strive in vain to make their way

Through hills of snow, and pitifully bray,

Assaults with dint of sword, or pointed spears,

And homeward on his back the joyful burden bears.

The men to subterranean caves retire,

Secure from cold, and crowd the cheerful fire:

With trunks of elms and oaks the hearth they load,

Nor tempt th’ inclemency of heaven abroad.”

The allusions to the climate of Itay in the Georgics, referring to the Augustan age, are in several respects irreconcilable with its present character. The writer speaks of the freezing of the rivers in the southern part of the peninsula as an ordinary occurrence, and gives frequent directions for the protection of sheep and goats from snow and frost, as if addressing a shepherd of the plains of Holstein or the highlands of Scotland. It is a well-attested fact, that the savage inhabitants of Gaul and Germany usually selected the winter-season for their warlike incursions into the Roman provinces, on account of the facility afforded by the ice for the transport of their armies, horses and baggage, across the grate rivers, which have never been frozen in modern times as to admit of such an occurrence. In the time of Ceasar, also, the rein-deer, now confined to the colder regions north of the Baltic, was found, along with the elk and the wild bull, in the Hercynian forest, which then over-shadowed a grate part of Germany and Poland. A volume published at Vienna in 1788, contains some remarkable passages concerning the state of the weather for more than a thousand years back, gathered from the old chronicles, which detail the state of the harvest, the quality of the vintage, or the endurance of frost and snow in the winter. From this work, Sir John Leslie, in an article furnished to one of the public journals, quoted the following record of excessive winters and summers, to which some additions have been made.”

NOTES:

1. All quotations are from the phenomenon known as Rev. Thomas Milner, M.A’s Physical Geography, re-published in Delhi in 1975. I could not find any other details about his life.

      In the next instalment – TEMPERATURE  DATA

I was so confident we would turn over Forest Green Rovers last night that I had already bookmarked my Good Beer Guide on the Bath section.

Looking down the list, it brought back memories of a great night out around some cracking pubs when we were down there to face Team Bath last time and I had already started to look forward to a pint of Bellringer!

But this wonderful game of ours has a habit of kicking you into the teeth and, boy, is my jaw aching this morning!

Forest Green had played some decent stuff in both games with Stags so far and recent reports on them stated they had not been getting what they deserved and were better than their league position suggested.

Sadly they chose last night to produce the victory their form had threatened against a Mansfield side that seemed frankly complacent in the first 45 minutes.

On a miserable damp, cold night, it seemed both fans and players thought they only needed to turn up to book that date at Bath.

There was a lack of atmosphere on the terraces and a lack of spark on the pitch.

To be fair Stags didn’t start off that badly and had Jake Speight scored that first minute chance it might have been a very different night.

But that early promise soon faded fast as Rovers began to give us a footballing lesson with crisp first touch passing as they walked through our midfield as if it didn’t exist.

They could have been two or three up at half time and had the game secured.

Thankfully Louis Briscoe’s introduction ignited us and he played like we all know he can and how he will have to continue playing to keep Craig Dobson on the sidelines.

I must admit I wasn’t looking forward to extra-time and penalties but it would have been better than the agony of how we went out in stoppage time.

What a scrappy goal to lose by! Whether it was Conal Platt or Paul Heckingbottom who got the final touch is immaterial. If I was Hecks I would be very happy to let Platt claim it, to be honest.

David Holdsworth always looks to take positives out of every game and I think he can now use this one as an example to hold up to his players every time we play a ‘lesser light’ and point out what can happen.

I certainly think it will be enough to gee us up to two excellent displays against Eastbourne and Luton and, with measure of luck every side needs, I think we can win both.

The only other positive from last night is that we won’t have to drive all the way down to Ebbsfleet on a Tuesday night if it had been postponed due to extended FA Cup involvement.

But they don’t sell Bellringer in Ebbsfleet!

As the majority of you, my loyal readers will know, I go through certain patterns before an away game. One of these involves adding new music to my MP3 player for the journey ahead. A few weeks ago I was adding yet more music when I came across an artist called Jamie Cullum (he appeared on the Jonathon Ross show – another one of my pre-match rituals!). One of his tracks is called “These are the days” and whilst struggling to write this week’s blog, I heard this song and suddenly an idea popped into my head.

I was struggling to write because was once again I was involved with the commentary on Mansfield 103.2, and was asked to travel to the game with the station’s MD and my co-commentator TonyDelahunty - meaning I was not involved with all the banter between what is a tight bunch of friends. The Stags fan inside of me was sucked out, mile by mile. This causes havoc for me on a Sunday morning when writing the ‘Stags Fan Blog’ – how can I possibly do that when not feeling like a Stags fan!

The Crawley staff check the pitch following a huge downpour before kick-off.

I debated not writing an entry at all – but I don’t like letting people down, which why I was so relieved when I heard the above mentioned song – it was these lyrics in particular which gave me the idea. ‘These are the days that I’ve been missing, Give me the taste, and give me the joy of summer wine. Sometimes when the nights are closing early, I remember you and I start to smile. These are the days of endless dreaming.’

Even being away from them all for a short trip like Altrincham hurt me. I’m sure you’ll remember me telling you what it felt like. I had some relief with that trip as I travelled with my dad, but this trip to Crawley was a new kettle of fish- I was alone, with no family or friends with me – nobody who shared the same memories as me. I don’t mind admitting – how ever daft it sounds - that I felt afraid,-empty and lonely.

So many little but funny things happen on that coach – it hurt me to think I’d miss out on another classic moment. I remember a few seasons back when me and a friend created the ‘Boogie Bus’ even though the Stags had lost, the radio was blaring some classic tunes and to ‘up the spirits’ me and a friend who shall remain nameless randomly got up and started to dance – albeit badly, randomly and probably stupidly. I remember the time we were travelling back from another Stags defeat – singing along to Take That songs – renaming the group ‘Take TAT’ because of a wrong quiz answer someone had given on the way down! Signing classic hits as people got off the bus when dropped off near home. Winning away on Boxing Day – singing Jingle Bells and various other Christmas hits – Santa was a Stags fan! Going on a weekend away to Bristol, mid November and lying to the group making out the hotel owner was some sort of horrible witch! Celebrating a Stags win – laughing, joking, singing, dancing! Doing impressions of past managers, imitating the coach driver’s hatred of hot food on the coach!

I could get lost in these stories- there are so many I could get a book out of them. Maybe I will – watch this space! Back in Tony’s car, I was longing for a taste of this once more – the longer trips generally are the best for such classic moments. I’d often fall asleep on a Saturday night with a huge smile on my face because of this moments: it’s these days when you’re away from the gang that you have these endless days of dreaming.

Matt Somner's joy turned to dismay - sent off on his return to the side (Photo: Dan Westwell)

Enough! I hear you cry! Tell me about the Crawley game!

A game Stags headed into on the back of a great run, earning David Holdsworth manager of the month. Although Stags stumbled with a late equalizer in the last two games, results were still positive. David Holdsworth, clearly not pleased with performances, made changes to his side. Rob Duffy and captain Gary Mills missed out; Matt Somner and Blair Sturrock came into the fray- one of those choices caused some stir not just amongst the fans, but in the dressing room too.

Stags started brightly and showed the flair that has been missing over the past two weeks. Their dominance paid off – taking the lead on 11 minutes thanks to a Jake Speight ‘net buster’ from a yard. He told me afterwards that he just wanted to make sure it crossed the line! The lads kept Crawley at bay and even though the commentator in me is forcing my fingers to type that, Crawley did have their chances to equalize. In the second half Matt Somner was wrongly sent off for a second booking - neither of the two yellows he received were yellows, perhaps the ref needed to take a look at the conditions! So shortly after returning from suspension, Somner misses out again.

Crawley upped their game but Stags were not going to be ploughed into the mud, they kept going and earned themselves a free kick on the edge of the area following a quick break away – the most unlikely of sources popped up to score: Paul Heckingbottom curled the ball brilliantly round the wall to put the game safe.

Game over. Normally I’d be heading back to the coach singing and celebrating with my people. But once again I’d miss out and have to stay behind to do the post-match interviews with Tony. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy these, I just miss my mates! Three points makes the trip home easier and before I knew it I’d arrived home shattered. I sent a few ‘well done’ messages to players I have become friends with and headed to bed.

I received a text this morning asking if I enjoyed the game – as a fan, no I didn’t. As a commentator yes I did – but right here right now I am a fan – bring on Tuesday night’s FA Cup Replay: even if I’m in the commentary box, at least I’ll be surrounded by Stags fans!

Thanks for reading as always and I apologise if this blog seems to lack the thoughts of a fan! I must also thank one very special person for keeping me sane via text during the trip- I appreciate it greatly.

Craig

“Mansfield Town; these are the days of Mansfield Town!”

 P.S. To anyone who’s not heard the song- I suggest you get it via iTunes, it’s brilliant!

Rockets, Rescue, Replay & Relief!

After Horrible Histon presented us with the frightening prospect of defeat on Hallowe’en weekend, Ryan Williams banished the evil with a thunderous rocket – a goal that won’t be forgotten for quite a while!

Free Fireworks BOOMED The Stags Into Life (Captured By Dan Westwell)

As a Stags fan, I don’t enjoying watching my side desperately chasing an equalizer, staring defeat in the face. OK I accept it has to happen once in a while . . . but  as long as it doesn’t happen again for a while I shall be relieved and grateful!

The magical FA Cup would provide the bonfire weekend entertainment. A trip to Forest Green Rovers may not have been the most mouth-watering of ties, but it was still winnable and in my eyes the perfect opportunity to show that last week’s minor scare against Histon was just a blip. At least that’s what I thought!

I was back on the SSA bus for this trip, still involved with Mansfield 103.2 , which I will come to later. The normal topics of conversation emerged, along with a few laughs about my Hallowe’en puns in last week’s blog “Remember Remember”. I Promised not to do the same this week with bonfire night, so like a sparkler being extinguished in the water bucket, my puns are well and truly finished!

As I said above, I was still to be involved with Mansfield 103.2 – but in a different capacity. Because of contractual reasons the station was not broadcasting the show from Forest Green; instead they were doing something totally different. The station would be taking calls throughout the show from people wishing Stags or whichever local team well – and for each call taken live the station gave £5 to Macmillan Cancer Support. My role would (apparently) be key to the show – providing live reports on how the game was going and keeping the station updated, a prospect I was looking forward to. For those wondering, yes – the station DID donate £5 for each one of my calls, which must of clocked up at least £50. I had lots of airtime!

Debuatant Michael Brough In Action (Picture by; Dan Westwell)

This situation meant I was back in the stand, without the suit which has been lucky for Stags in recent weeks (so I’m told!) Back in a Stags shirt and amongst my people I quickly soaked up the atmosphere and was ready to watch the Stags win. If only Rob Duffy’s third minute shot had trickled in and not wide! If only new signing Michael Brough’s shot would have sailed into the top corner and not the keeper’s hands. With Stags unable to break down the Forest Green barrier, it was only a matter of time before things got worse for the travelling side. At 28 minutes it did. Forest Green went in front catching Stags on the counter attack following a free kick.

With the rain pouring, darkness descending and wind blowing, Stags were still unable to break down the barrier and almost conceded a second, having Luke Jones to thank after he cleared one off the line whilst I was on air! Alan Marriott also kept the score at 1-0 with a string of fine saves – routine for him really!

Before the game the players and management expressed their desire to progress in the FA Cup. With this in mind, David Holdsworth changed tactics from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 bringing on wingers Craig Dobson and Ryan Williams. They had some impact but Duffy and Perry couldn’t hit the target. With the clock ticking down Stags threw on Blair Sturrock to try and rescue us. He couldn’t really break through, so the ball went to Williams and Dobson, who managed to win several set-pieces for the Stags.

Like a rocket- Scott Garner Celebrates his late goal (Picture By; Dan Westwell)

Somebody near the ground thought they heard the final whistle and let off some premature celebration fireworks as Stags won a corner. Centre halfs Luke Jones and Scott Garner set off a rocket-like run to be in the box for the corner, Garner exploded and headed the ball home – spreading some pretty colours amongst the Stags fans! In a flash the final whistle went, meaning a replay will be needed at Field Mill- relief for not only me and the commentary team in the studio, but relief for the players and travelling fans that had to endure a rare taste of deja vu.

I headed back to the bus, desperately trying to reach the studio to update them as I’d lost my signal. I eventually did get through and gave a post match analysis on the bus, ended with a relieved chorus of ‘Yellows’.

The way home was nicely wrapped up with talks about the game and our new signing Michael Brough, who I personally thought did well in midfield – though others will and did disagree with me. Everyone has their right to an opinion! I’m looking forward to seeing what else Brough can bring to the side in the coming weeks. The FA Cup draw hasn’t been drawn at the time of writing – I’d like a home tie, but of course we have to beat Forest Green yet!

I was told that with my help, the station had raised over £1,500 (and rising) – so a huge thanks to those who listened and called in.

Thanks for reading. With a sigh of relief I know we must not focus on the Cup draw – it’s Crawley next week so let’s focus on that and get back to winning ways!

Craig

 “Mansfield Town FC; did not get burnt on bonfire weekend!”

“White Rabbits!” or whatever the phrase is to welcome in a new month! Now into November, I’m starting to realise how quickly time flies as a Stags fan! Only 10 months ago I was sat upstairs writing my first ever blog entry, nervously debating what to write – hoping that everyone would enjoy it. So far so good I hope, and now we move into November - a month full of fun events to write about – employing various puns along the way.

And where better to start than Halloween! Ok some will argue that Halloween takes place on the 31^st October, but seeing as Stags played host to Histon on that date, I’m kindly allowing myself to use Halloween related puns and gags.

On Friday evening I was told I would once again be working with Mansfield 103.2 – now extending my run to four games! I was informed by Tim Morriss of the Chad that when it came to Halloween there was a tradition amongst the press that you had to dress-up! I debated heading down to ASDA to pick up a costume, however I chose the faithful suit which some would say is scary enough!

Upon arrival at Field Mill, I found out that the club was running a Halloween-styled fancy dress contest for the kids – a great idea to get a few more families into the club, and they also held a Halloween theme party for them afterwards which again is great! I had help setting  up the broadcasting kit and was enjoying watching the warm-up when I was informed I would be doing my first live lone broadcast – I was to go down to pitch side and report on the aforementioned contest. I hope I did it justice!

If that wasn’t scary enough, Lord Barker of Mansfield arrived about 2.45, apparently he wanted revenge for me bullying him during last week’s encounter! He walked towards me looking tired like he’d been awake all week devising a master plan of evil genius! Luckily for me, he didn’t do a gruff voice saying ‘I’m going to kill you *Evil Laugh*’ - he just smiled and said hello and asked me how I was keeping. For those wondering why he looked so tired, he’d come straight from the Scunthorpe training ground after a busy week in his new job – overseeing the development of the Scunthorpe Under 9s to Under16s.

Back to more important matters. Histon were the visitors at Field Mill and hoped to spoil our recent good form by adding some ‘horror of Histon’ evil to the Field Mill cauldron! And their attempts to throw a rotten apple onto our field of blossom and happiness were working. Last week Stags played a pacer game against Altrincham with Alan Marriott getting the ball on short to either Gary Silk or Paul Heckingbottom. Horrible Histon prevented him from doing so, and reduced our distribution to direct and long – meaning Rob Duffy and Kyle Perry didn’t get the excellent service which last week brought Mansfield goals.

Don’t get me wrong, Stags managed to get control of the Histon broomsticks and re-capture the ball, playing some good football through Ollie Hotchkiss, who made his second debut for the Stags since returning on loan from Leeds, in the side for suspended Matt Somner. Evil Histon gave us a fright late in the second half when they broke past our defence system of lucky charms – they were awarded a penalty – which was harsh on Keeper Marriott, who in my opinion got the ball. The evil witches of Histon stabbed the knife right through their voodoo doll of Stags fans, slamming home the penalty with about five minutes left to play.

It’s at time like this that you need to balance out the ‘tricks’ with a ‘treat’. Step up club captain Ryan Williams – scoring what can only be described as a ‘blood-thirsty’ goal. Stags fans will remember that goal for months, rescuing the side in a time of need and making sure the lads didn’t fall victim to the biggest fright of all – llosing a game following all that hard work and effort. Cheers Ryan, thanks to that net buster, you’ve turned into ghost buster – banish the nightmare of defeat away from the Mill for another week or so!

Whilst the later stages of the game were perhaps a little dull, fans were treated to not one but two alternative forms of entertainment. A fireworks display which was a bit naff and badly timed (it was still light) and a hot air balloon flying dangerously close to rooftops before eventually landing (we hope) on a nearby field!

Next up, Stags head to Forest Green Rovers – it’s FA Cup time once more. Can the side go one stage further than last year – or will they fall victim to a bonfire night prank, being the naff sparklers to FGR’s Rockets!

I’ll catch you all next week, with less Halloween puns & maybe a few Bonfire Night ones instead! Until that time, thank-you for reading. Please be careful on bonfire night and I’ll see you all at Forest Green next Saturday, where the stags hope not to get their fingers burnt!

Craig

“Mansfield Town FC; Ryan Williams is not afraid of the blood-sucking Histon boys!”

The 2010 Baseball schedule was released this morning. Here is the link to the schedule. http://www.quinnipiacbobcats.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17500&KEY=&SPID=10468&SPSID=87983

Highlights:

The Bobcats once again start the season in North Carolina. This time they start on Friday March 5 in the 1st of a 3 game set against the NC State Wolfpack in Raleigh. Gametime for the 1st game is 7:00 pm with games 2 and 3 at 1:00 on Saturday and Sunday respectivly.

Monday is an off day for the Bobcats who get back in action with a 2 game series against Duke on the other side of the Research Triangle, in Durham. Gametime on Tuesday and Wednesday is set for 3:00. From there, it’s a short drive to Colonial Williamsburg (VA) for 2 games agains William and Mary. Gametime on Friday March 14 is 4:00pm with game 2 on Saturday at 2 pm.

Skip Gooley’s squad continues on the road facing Fairfield on March 18 and Holy Cross on March 20 before begining their home slate on the back end of the home-and-h0me against the Crusaders on Sunday March 21 at noon. From there, the Bobcats will take their traditional trip to Army on March 23 before opening their conference slate with 4 home games against The Mount beginning March 26. Mount St. Mary’s finished in 5th place last year with a 15-11 record in conference.

Other important games include a 4 game tilt at Sacred Heart April 1-3 (Thursday-Saturday with the traditional Easter Holiday off), A Home-And-Home with Fairfield April 10 and 11 (Saturday home-Sunday road), a trip to Hartford Tuesday April 20, 4 at rival CCSU April 23-25, their home wrap up against UConn on Tuesday May 18, and the closing conference weekend May 21-23 at Wagner. The conference tournament will take place the following weekend with the top 4 teams in the conference advancing. Of course, with the tricky weather in the Northeast, these schedules will most likely change and stay with us at The Bobcat Blog for any schedule changes.

The mighty and powerful Southland Stags brought the Ranfurly Shield home to Invercargill, where it belongs. Here’s how we saw the ticker tape parade that welcomed them back. You gotta hover your cursor over the photo for captions.

We’ve got the shield

Southland 9 Canterbury 3

Another week passes by and Mansfield Town have yet another three points. To add to the delight of winning, we managed to do it away from home – which is a bonus considering just a month ago, Stags were lucky to get a point away from home, suffering the traditional ‘Bad Spell’.

Back With My Friends- The Stags Fans! (Photo; Dan Westwell)

Admittedly I’m struggling once again to write this Blog from a fan’s perspective as the business with Mansfield 103.2 is still ongoing and getting progressively stronger. I mentioned last week that should the radio business become a permanent fixture I would stop writing this blog, I would like to say thank you for all the messages asking me to carry on, it’s nice to know I’m making a difference.

I will be carrying on for now, until the radio business kicks off, but I will be stopping for the simple reason that I no longer fell like a supporter. Be assured that I am 100% a Mansfield Town fan, whenever I bleed, I bleed amber & blue. I just don’t feel like a Stags fan when writing these and doing the radio, because during the game I am not mixed in with you guys. I can’t get a feel of the atmosphere and write with the passion I have done in the past, it all seems a bit ‘journalistic’ and that is not the purpose of the Blog. 

Kyle Perry Shows His Delight After Scoring (Photo; Dan Westwell)

For now I shall continue and what a better place to start than Saturday’s game at Eastbourne. The result, a 2-1 win, and three vital points in keeping up the chase on Oxford and that glorious top spot! Stags started well, scoring after five minutes through Kyle Perry, a nicely worked set piece floated in by skipper Gary Mills and flicked on by the returning vice-skipper, Luke Jones before Perry slammed home from close range. What better place to do so than in-front of the travelling faithful – putting a huge smile on every face; even me who I could see from the press box, jumping around and celebrating with various people! I need to see a doctor about the things I see in my head! Stags had their second on 11 minutes thanks to Rob Duffy. The Stags were now looking comfortable on the attack and it looked like the fans would enjoy a relaxed afternoon unlike last week at Alty! Had Jake Speight’s header his the back of the net instead of the crossbar about five minutes later, I think Stags might have won with ease. They didn’t and Eastbourne took some inspiration from their let-off and constantly piled on the pressure. They scored in the second half with a freak goal, and could have equalised in the later stages, keeper Alan Marriott playing the ‘Superhero’ role, making a string of saves. The final whistle went and Stags had the points in the bag. 

Luke Jones Gets Fixed Once Again! (Photo; Dan Westwell)

Yet another comfortable start from Stags, meant the game was safe (eventually) but a flurry of injury scares kept the Stags’ bench busy! Paul Heckingbottom and Kyle Perry fell victim to the hard pitch, whilst returning defender Luke Jones again had eye trouble, taking a knock which eventually lead to bleeding. When ‘Jonah’ gets through a game without having eye trouble, perhaps we should present him with a trophy! Perhaps the blog could sponsor it or something! “And it gives me great pleasure to present the ‘Eye not bleeding for 90 minutes’ Trophy to Luke Jones”! Sorry folks comic mode as I get lost in the moment. 

 Talking of trophies and cups, next Saturday sees us compete in the FA Cup 4^th qualifier, taking on Alty once again. After last week’s fiery encounter, there is much hype in both camps about the game, will we see another fireworks display so close to bonfire night!? I’m not bothered if we scrape through by the odd goal, as long as we find ourselves definitely in the 1^st Round proper.

Should we fail with our promotion aims, we will need a good cup run to help us financially next season. Hopefully we will avoid a replay, and secure a tie with one of our old League2 ‘Friends’! Only time will tell.

That’s just about it this week, again I’d like to thank you for all your comments and messages of support. I’m really grateful, should the radio thing kick-off I hope many of you keep in contact with me and wish whoever gets the opportunity to take over the production of this blog, the best of luck. I did toy with the idea of carrying on but as a great friend of mine said to me on Saturday evening, “if something doesn’t feel right, then it’s time to try something different.” I had to agree and also chuckle at the fact our leader David Holdsworth must have came across that expression, clearly feeling something was not right away from home, therefore trying something different which has so far paid off - long may it continue.

Thanks for reading, I shall see you next week, bringing you an update of what’s happening with regards to the blog and, of course, my supporters view on everything Mansfield Town.

Craig

“Mansfield Town FC; Forever & always – your team”

Last weeks Birmingham Half marathon seems to have been a success from an outsider’s perspective. I would have liked to have seen or rather heard the commentary continue after the World Championships had ended. And there was a distinct lack of journalistic cover for the Birchfield winner, Jean. No mention at all in the 8 page “Special” of the Results in the local paper!

A well informed commentator on the Finish line would have kept the spectators more happy and vibrant, which would have added to the atmosphere. Nevertheless an enjoyable day was had by all.

The rest of the week went by quickly. My car passed its MOT but they managed to spot a nail embedded in the rear nearside tyre. Fortunately it was only a very short nail and hadn’t penetrated, phew… thank goodness. I’d only recently purchased two new tyres for the front and as there are miles of wear left on the rear tyres I thought “Oh no, more expense!”

Then I had to replace our landline ‘phones. The second lot of BT ‘phones we had again packed in working properly after a few months. I have now changed to Panasonic and find them much better both in spec and quality. I have also negotiated a better telephone package with our provider that should produce cheaper bills, so cheers all round!!

I am still having trouble with my broadband connection keep dropping out (apparently), which is a cause for frustration. When I am on the internet or trying to send an email, I get the message…”cannot find the server” or “connection lost”. I’ve checked with my provider and all is OK from their end. Could it be my wireless router? Or could it be something wrong with my PC? Who knows??

Throughout the week I have been working on various aspects for the Home International XC event in November. Surprising how the little things mount up.

Today, I have organised A3 laminated copies of the cross country course for the international and while I was on purchased a new office chair. A d-i-y assembly, but I managed! My old chair was from the “Test House Office” where I worked until the closure in 2001. Not bad for a fiver!! All the girls who sat on it used to get pregnant; it was called the “pregnancy” chair… I never had the problem, must have been something in the water??

I have been busy the last week or so thus no blog entry. My thoughts are mainly with the Masters International Cross Country races and the associated Open Race for which I am taking entries. These are coming in very slowly and I am a little concerned but everyone say there will be a rush around the closing date.

Last Saturday morning was spent walking the course with our “Course Controller” making notes where all the marking stakes/tape will have to go and also checking the distance. Despite previously measuring with a surveyor’s wheel for a 2k distance, the Garmin GPS said it was 250 metres short! This extra can easily be added without changing the Start or Finish positions. Phew!!! I was worried there… All else seemed fine and the “Course Controller” was happy.

I thought I would be short of marshals but last minute recruitment has brought in all the required number for the course. I actually have more marshals than entries for the Open Race!! Perhaps they could run as well!! Silly me….

Saturday also saw the selection meeting for the England Team and I met up later with England Athletics Masters Association Chairman and the British Masters Athletic Federation Cross Country Secretary to discuss tactics, any last minute things to do. This was an enjoyable and useful meeting.

Early (for me) Sunday morning saw me catching the bus into Brum for the World Half Marathon Championships and to catch up with mates in the

Jean Ndayisenga - Birchfield Harriers, winner

Birmingham Half Marathon run immediately afterwards. I have to say Birmingham did us proud, even the weather proved ideal for running. The buzz around the City centre was one of enjoyment and pleasure. And what a wonderful sight the world’s top athletes are?

Check out http://www.birminghamhalfmarathon.com/

Martin Wilkinson

Today I’ve been musing over why clothes hangers always seem to get entangled with each other or catch other bits of clothes and generally how difficult they are to keep together in a pile for ease of use!!! I’m working on it!

“]

Stags Attack Grays' Goal Once More [Photo By Me!

Before you loyal readers pick up your phones and dial the local mental home, thinking I’ve got potty with my title, I must explain the weird choice.

It’s now Sunday evening. I’ve been sat here virtually all day (besides a trip to Asda) trying to make sense of the scribblings I made on the way home from Grays. But I couldn’t, as I just seemed to drift off into stupid subjects. So then I decided to create something from scratch – and I managed to write about a paragraph before I was kidnapped and escorted to Asda. When I returned home even that paragraph didn’t make any sense! That was 11am this morning.

I was just about to throw in the towel for the day when I looked up and saw one of the many sayings / inspirational stories plastered across my wall. It read: “This is a blank piece of paper, you have the pen, you have the mind, you create the story. If you’re stuck just walk away, close you eyes and return and then read below.” Below are five lines, on the centre line are the words ‘Now write the story’. With this an idea popped into my head, as did the above title. And here we are now!

Whilst trying to come up with an idea for the blog, I stumbled across Facebook comments, messageboard posts etc, but none of them seemed clear enough. It’s a mixed balance between satisfied and frustrated, some fans are pleased with the point from Grays, others are frustrated. I sit on the fence, undecided – hence the blank page reference. No one can seem to decide which side they are on, so they leave it blank.

 The game at Grays was very much a blank page. Someone had attempted to create a story: Jake Speight put Stags a goal ahead before some weak defending gave Grays a way back into the game. At half time, while painfully eating a melting Mars Bar (will explain later!) I said to my mate that the game needed some flair. It eventually got this in the second half, when Ryan Williams and new signing Blair Sturrock came on. Stags had plenty of chances to grab a winner, but their debutant keeper made a string of fine saves to earn Grays a share of the points.

 A win for Oxford kept them in top spot, with us still second but 3 points behind- a bigger gap to close down. This is perhaps what people have the niggling doubts about, and the fact we need to be killing the game off, instead of letting it slip. Someday I know it’ll turn out for us, but remember when I was talking about the different types of winners last week – we’re at the hard work stage, so relax, be happy with the point, get behind us and enjoy the thrill of the chase!

“]

Stags Warm Up V Grays [Photo By Me

Coming up this month we have trips to Kidderminster, Rushden & Barrow, as well as home ties to Stevenage, Oxford & Hayes & Reading. All games are winnable, so if we just take each one as it comes and close down the gap then hopefully we can be top by the end of it all. The hard work takes place this month, so now the hype of the opening few games has passed us, we need to stay a strong fan base- giving the lads the 12th man buzz they are looking for. It’s going to be a hard month, but as someone once said to me, “Forget the hard work – think of the rewards, that way it’s not about hard work, it’s about achievement”

This will all start with the trip to Kidderminster on Tuesday. A trip which will give “Super-Nige” more chances to call me “Mr Bump” after I injured myself on Monday, hence why it was hard to eat the Mars Bar! He kept trying so hard to make me laugh, only because it would cause me discomfort. He’s no longer Mr Hero, he can be Mr Mean! I observed so many of the classic Mr Men creations on Saturday, none of them would make sense or have clean enough explanations to put them in here!

So from out of nowhere, just like I said at the top of the piece, I have created a story of some sort! Something to keep you talking and hopefully keep your heads on the “satisfied” train rather than the “Disappointed” mini-bus! Thanks for reading as ever.

I would like to extend a thank-you to Team captain, Gary Mills, who took time last week to read and comment on my work – all about the “Confessions of a Stagaholic” it made my day and made the whole outlook on MTFC look like a much closer unit, so thanks Gary and welcome back to match action.

See you all at Kidderminster (Tuesday), then back at Field Mill on Saturday for the visit of Stevenage!

 Keep reading and remember; “you create the story”

 Craig.

Left to right: Alex, Martin & Peter

Traveled down to Margate last Saturday for the British Masters Marathon Championships being held within the Thanet Coastal Marathon. Three fellow Birchfield Harriers (Stags) were running, Martin; Alex and Peter and I was one of three supporters. After carbo loading on Saturday night, I didn’t need it but heh you have to join in, we partook of the local brew and had an early night.

Sunday dawned bright and sunny and a slight sea breeze. After the usual preparation our sturdy three started their ordeal at 9.30 am trotting off in the direction of Ramsgate. Bernie and I strolled down into Margate (about a mile) and waited for the runners to pass us at approximately the 14 mile point. Here I captured a few images, trying to avoid the wandering pedestrians. Our intrepid three came through all looking good and going well. I understand the first half was relatively easy with only a few undulations but the second half was tougher with the breeze following meaning overheating was a possibility!

After a pleasant coffee in a local café we sauntered back to the start/finish up a rather steep hill that the runners would hit at 25 miles… naughty! I settled in at a suitable spot for photos and waited for our guys to finish. There was 300 yards to go at this point so I thought I would capture them at their best!!

Martin achieved what he set out to do and in the BMAF Champs finished in 3rd place in the M50 category (10th overall) in 3:27:35. Peter was next and the aforementioned overheating caused a salt loss with resultant cramp, so my image caught him walking. Peter finished 26th M50 overall in 4:01:04. Alex was close behind finishing in 4:03:26 for 3rd M65 in the BMAF Champs and 7th M60 overall. So two Bronze Medals were won. Well done lads.

After a suitable rest we celebrated later with a lovely meal at Ty-8 and a few beers in The Northern Belle.

Monday morning after breakfast we  had a stroll on the beach before our journey back to the Midlands.

Nesta edição do Atlas do Rugby traremos o time da Medicina USP, a primeira equipe universitária do país, e a única que foi campeã brasileira (já comentaram nesse blog que a FEI obteve o mesmo título, mas não encontrei fonte que confirmasse isso) e as 4 equipes da Nova Zelândia: os Highlanders, do Super 14, Otago e Southland, da Air New Zealand Cup e o North Otago, do Heartland Championship.

Nome: Medicina USP

Cidade/Estado: São Paulo/SP

Estádio: Caveirão (R. Artur de Azevedo, 1)

Títulos: Campeonato Brasileiro (1973, 1981); Mac Med (1966, 1967 1970 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1990, 1991, 1995) ; campeão paulista (1979)

Site: http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Arena/9364/principal.htm

A história do rugby na faculdade teve seu nascimento em 1934 quando o Dr Esher, cirurgião plástico, doou ao Centro Acadêmico uma bola de rugby
Ainda no ano de 1934, pela iniciativa dos Srs. Feliciano Penido Burnier e Mauro Cândido de Sousa Dias, ambos alunos da 20ª turma, orientados pelo prof. Max Barros Heraldt, montou-se um time de rugby que faria sua estréia em 13 de outubro de 1934.

Depois desse primeiro ensaio, o rugby não mais existiu na instituição durante mais de 3 décadas. Em 1966, após 31 anos, um grupo de alunos reintroduziu o esporte na FMUSP e, por esse motivo, consideramos essa data como uma nova fundação do rugby na Medicina.

Nessa nova fundação, vale destacar a participação de dois alunos da época que foram de fundamental importância para o renascimento do rugby na Medicina: José Luiz da Costa Porto (52ª Turma) e Leon William Rheims (54ª Turma).

Ainda no ano de 1966, o rugby passou a integrar a MAC-MED, na 32ª edição da competição. Esse jogo de rugby da MAC-MED entre a Escola de Engenharia Mackenzie e a Faculdade de Medicina da USP foi o primeiro jogo de rugby entre duas instituições de ensino superior do Brasil. Foi vencido pelo time da Medicina pelo placar de 06 a 03. Ao longo da história da competição, a Medicina venceu muitas outras vezes.

Em 1983, a Medicina fez seu primeiro tour internacional de rugby ao Chile (Arauco, Viña del Mar e Santiago), jogando contra os campeões de Arauco, a Seleção do Sul do Chile, a Seleção de Juniores do Chile (U23), a Universidad Católica (então campeã da 1a divisão) e a Universidad do Chile.

Em 1984, disputou, no campo do SPAC, uma histórica partida amistosa internacional contra o Penguin RFC, combinado do Reino Unido composto por jogadores titulares das seleções da Inglaterra, Escócia, Irlanda e País de Gales, perdendo por 56 a 00, nesse mesmo ano foi campeã da Taça São Paulo de Rugby e da MAC-MED.

Entre 1992 e 1994, passou por período de crise e quase acabou após a saída simultânea de muitos jogadores. Contudo, ao final do ano de 1994, atendendo a convite do então acadêmico Fábio Gazel Quintavalle, juntou-se ao grupo como técnico o Sr. Luiz Francisco Ferreira, ex-jogador da seleção brasileira de rugby e professor de educação física graduado na Universidade de São Paulo.

Esse fato é de fundamental importância porque foi um ano em que discutiu-se o final do time, mas graças à dedicação do Sr. Ferreira, formou-se praticamente do nada um novo time que em menos de 1 ano de treinamento, voltou a vencer a MAC-MED em 1995. O rugby foi o último jogo da competição que estava empatada em 10 a 10 e, com a vitória, a Medicina foi campeã na competição geral.

Em 1998, juntou-se ao grupo como preparador físico o Sr. Ibsen Wilde Palla Déa Jr, também professor de educação física pela Universidade de São Paulo.

Em 2000, o time foi vice-campeão da INTERUSP. Infelizmente, no ano de 2001, o Sr. Luiz Francisco Ferreira deixou o grupo após 7 anos de ensinamentos no comando da equipe, em busca de novos projetos pessoais.

Nos últimos anos, o time da medicina se manteve na primeira divisão, com altos e baixos, conseguindo formar um elenco sólido para as disputas desse ano.

Nome: Highlanders

Cidade/País: Dunedin, Nova Zelândia

Estádio: Carisbrook Ground (capacidade: 29,000)

Títulos de Super Rugby: Nenhum

Equipes da Air New Zealand Cup: Otago (Dunedin) e Southland (Invercargill)

Equipes do Heartland Championship: North Otago (Oamaru)

Títulos de Air New Zealand Cup/NPC: 2 de Otago

Vitórias em Ranfurly Shield: 35 de Otago e 20 de Southland

Sites:

Highlander – www.highlandersrugby.co.nz;

Otago – www.orfu.co.nz;

Southland – www.rugbysouthland.co.nz ;

North Otago: www.northotago.co.nz

Com o advento do rugby profissional do Super 12, em 1996, o rugby neozelandês foi dividido em 5 franquias, agrupando as equipes provinciais do National Provincial Championship, a atual Air New Zealand Cup.

Cada uma dessas franquias tinha como primeiro nome a equipe provincial tradicionalmente mais forte. Dessa maneira, surgiu o Otago Highlanders, hoje chamados apenas de Highlanders. A equipe representa a região mais ao sul da Nova Zelândia, as províncias de Otago e de Southland, na Ilha do Sul – reunindo as equipes do Otago RFU e do Rugby Southland, da Air New Zealand Cup, e do North Otago, do Heartland Championship (segunda divisão neozelandesa).

O nome é derivado de duas características importantes da região: a geografia da região, fria, com colinas nas partes a sul e leste e com altas montanhas geladas no centro-oeste, paisagem semelhante à encontrada na Escócia; e da imigração escocesa. Otago e Southland, diferentemente do restante da Nova Zelândia – de imigração inglesa e forte presença maori – foi colonizada por escoceses presbiterianos, que desde o início diferenciam-se dos demais neozelandeses. A principal cidade de Otago, Dunedin, é conhecida como a “Edimburgo do Sul” (em alusão à capital escocesa), e o próprio nome da cidade significa Edimburgo, em gaélico escocês (língua celta). O símbolo e as cores da equipe ostentam tal herança e orgulho escocês.

Os melhores momentos da equipe foram entre os anos de 1998 e 2000, quando a equipe chegou por três vezes à segunda fase. Após a lanterna no ano de 1997, os Highlanders contratarm o técnico Tony Gilbert e montaram uma equipe consistente, chegando logo às semifinais em 1998. Foram a primeira equipe a derrotar as quatro equipes sul-africanas do Super 12 em um mesmo ano. No entanto, não foram capazes de passar pelo Auckland Blues e terminaram com o quarto posto.

O ano seguinte foi ainda melhor, liderados pelo ex-abertura All Black Tony Brown, os Highlanders chegaram à única final de Super 12 de sua história, perdendo para o Canterbury Crusaders, no clássico da Ilha do Sul. Mesmo jogando em Dunedin, o título de 1999 escapou das mãos dos “escoceses”. A temporada de 2000 foi boa novamente para os Highlanders, que pareciam se afirmar entre as forças da Nova Zelândia no Super Rugby. Chegaram às semifinais e garantiram o terceiro posto, mas desde então a equipe entrou em uma decadência da qual não se recuperou.

A temporada de 2009 foi uma amostra disso, terminando em 11º lugar, tendo no elenco apenas um jogador convocado para o Tri Nations (o capitão Jimmy Cowan, half de Southland).

Otago

Tendo como casa o temível estádio de Carisbrook, “The House of the Pain”, em Dunedin, o Otago Rugby Football Union é uma das mais antigas uniões de rugby do país, tendo sido fundada 1881. Ostentando o azul e o cardo escoceses, a rosa inglesa, a silver fern e os carneiros nacionais, Otago já deu à Nova Zelândia dezenas de All Blacks.

Dentre os maiores nomes recentes, Nick Evans, Byron Kelleher e Carl Hayman Tony Brown, Taine Randell, Josh Kronfeld, Carl Hayman, e o grande Jeff Wilson, um dos poucos atletas a ser um “Double All Black”, isto é, jogar pelas seleções nacionais de rugby e de críquete.

Dentre as lendas do passado, estão o capitão do time All Black campeão da Copa do Mundo de 1987, David Kirk, Laurie Mains, fullback All Black da década de 1970.

Os anos mais gloriosos da equipe foram nas décadas de 1930 e 1940, quando detiveram por 32 vezes a Ranfurly Shield, em três sequências de vitórias, feito que nunca mais alcançaram. Apesar das conquistas da NPC (atual Air New Zealand Cup) em 1991 e em 1998 (equipe base dos Highlanders vice-campeões do Super 12 de 1999), a era de glórias de Otago, quando faziam frente às potências de Auckland, Canterbury e Wellington, rendendo-lhes o posto de uma das cinco grandes equipes do país, há muito deixa saudades nos azuis da Ilha do Sul.

Southland
Fundado em 1891, como dissidência de Otago, a Southland Rugby Football Union representa a mais austral das regiões da Nova Zelândia, Southland – sendo a equipe profissional de rugby mais a sul do mundo. Com capital em Invercargill, trate-se da região menos populosa do país (tendo pouco mais de 90 mil habitantes). Mesmo assim, a região de origens escocesas e inconfundíveis camisetas vinho sempre produziu excelentes jogadores e possuiu equipes consistentes. À semelhanças de seus grandes rivais de Otago, os Stags (em português, veados, como é conhecida a equipe de Southland, sem qualquer duplo sentido) viveram seu grande momento nas já distantes décadas de 1940 e 1950, quando venceram a Ranfurly Shield por 20 vezes. Os clássicos entre Otago e Southland estavam entre os melhores e mais acirradas disputas no país naquelas décadas. O grande nome atual da equipe é Jummy Cowan, half-scrum dos All Blacks.

North Otago
Fundado em 1904, North Otago está centrado na segunda maior cidade da região de Otago, Oamaru. Equipe da terra de Richie McCaw, o North Otago é uma das mais fortes equipes do Heartland Championship, campeonato amador correspondente à segunda divisão da Nova Zelândia, tendo levantado a taça em 2007. Entretanto, North Otago jamais chegou ao nível de seus parceiros de Highlanders.

according to an article in the Daily telegraph last week:
Wild red deer slip quickly into old age, according to research by the University of Edinburgh.
The survey of more than 1,000 deer on the Isle of Rum over 40 years found that male red deer showed the first signs of ageing at 10 years old, such as losing condition, and then rapidly deteriorated.
Even if the stags maintained their antlers they had little success during the autumn rut and fathered fewer calves.
Female deer aged slightly earlier but also lost condition quickly and produced smaller calves that were less likely to survive.
Dr Dan Nussey, who led the study, said: “Recent research suggests that wild animals show signs of deterioration in old age, just like animals in captivity and humans, ut this is the first study to look in detail at the impact of ageing on breeding in wild mammals. “Not only are there differences between males and females, but the signs of ageing emerge at different times. More work is required to understand the differences.”

Five games into our second BSP Season and I’m sure everyone agrees – it’s going well. We have enjoyed good wins against Crawley, Barrow and Ebbsfleet - not forgetting the hard fought 1-0 win over Salisbury!

The Players Go In For A Friendly Hug With Sammy The Stag! (Photo By Dan Westwell)

We have seen plenty of celebrations after goals, including the players wanting a friendly hug with Sammy the Stag! We have even heard the fantastic banter from the training camp: Louis Briscoe’s Take That tribute had me in tears of laughter!

Besides the blip at Luton, Holdsworth’s boys have won every game – putting the Luton game into the category “Irrelevant”. Having played three home games and only two away, it’s time to even it out, a trip to troubled Chester City is next up – this was the first game I looked for when the fixtures came out, as I’m sure a few of you did.

Let me take you back to the 2007/08 season - yes that’s the one; relegation. After a freak goal gifted Rotherham a 1-0 win at Field Mill, our relegation fate lay in the hands of Stockport county. If they could win midweek at Chester City, we would have one last chance. Relegation fate would be down the wire on the last day of the season.

I tuned into a special radio programme on Mansfield 103.2 whilst simultanaeously keeeping the BBC’s score updates on my computer screen. Stockport, chasing a promotion place, threw everything at Chester, but somehow failed to score. With five minutes left our fate was almost sealed. Stockport, if memory serves me right, hit the woodwork with minutes left. If I had been hooked up to a heart-rate monitor it would have exploded. Into extra time the radio went silent for a minute while linking up for the last few minutes of commentary. I could hear the rain crash against my window, then I heard the referee’s whistle and the commentator say something along the lines of,“That’s it, the game is over - Chester somehow draw and stay up, while Mansfield town are relegated.”

I stood up, lost in the moment and eventually ended up outside, where I found my dad, who had also been listening to the game. What happened next was pure madness, I was outside at 10PM, wearing my Stags shirt, crying in the rain.

Tuesday 29th April, 2008, 10pm, crying in the rain – over football!

Tuesday 29th April 2008, Chester City 0-0 Stockport County, 77 Years of Football League history put to an end.

But now we get the chance to take revenge on Chester in the best way possible: by winning!

Had Chester lost and Mansfield survived on the last day, things could now be a lot different - but in a bad way. A certain Mr. Haslam could still be owner of our club. We could have a rubbish team, made up of drop-out last minute signings, we could be scraping the barrel in League Two – taking beating after beating, week in week out. We may never have got David Holdsworth. For the last point alone, I would like to thank Chester City. We may have been down, which hurt at the time, the memory of which still does (I bet you got a cold shiver reading my previous paragraph).

We now have a super squad that excels in every area. We have a gifted manager who one day is destined for bigger things and this season we should be enjoying success. Hopefully we can take our home form, unstoppable goals and fantastic defending and tactical play, and unleash it on Chester! 

Rob Duffy Celebrates Opening The Scoring Vs Ebbsfleet (Photo By Dan Westwell)

Rob Duffy has scored 2 goals in 2 games. Lets hope he keeps it up. Jake Speight has done the same coming from the bench! Daryl Clare is on the goal trail to! And last but not least Kyle Perry, who hasn’t scored since Salisbury (our last away outing) but possess such power upfront- Holdsworth has one huge headache!

Haunted by the memories of April 29th, I cant wait to get Chester out of the way and return home with three points. If we can do this, it will help us to keep up the pace in the league and maybe regain top spot, should the leaders slip up.

Thanks as ever, for reading, and thank you for all the comments- please keep the coming!

See you at Chester, for a game that for me at least is worth a lot more than three points!

Craig

Luton - the weirdest place I will ever visit (Photo by Craig Priest's Trusty New Phone!)

The Stags are now one week into the 2009/10 Blue Square season. This time last week we were sitting top of the table after brushing aside Crawley Town 4-0 at Fortress Field Mill.

Three days later it was the start of the away campaign, a trip to BSP new boys - and one of last season’s relegated teams, Luton Town. I won’t dwell on the Luton result - a 4-1 defeat where everybody lost their heads – not what we were expecting! Fair play to Luton, they are a strong outfit and their season last year could have been all too different had it not been for that points deduction.

I have one thing to say to Luton – sort your ground out! It just doesn’t seem right having to walk through what once was somebody’s back garden to get to the stand - that was a new experience! A few seasons ago I thought Bradford City’s ground was weird, but at least it made sense once you got inside. Luton’s never will, no matter how many times I think about it (or look at the fantastic photos that appeared on Facebook).

In those few days after the defeat to Luton all the positive energy seemed to have disappeared. Why!? Yes we lost, but the score is deceptive – it makes us look poor, but the game was a different story. A few people were calling me mad on the way home and via the Facebook page for this blog- “Defeat will do us no harm” is what I typed in the status update, just gone midnight! To my credit I did explain.

There are two definitions of “Winner” to me. The first is “Unbeatable - better than everyone else, too good for anyone to come close.” This to me is arrogant, and I feel if we had beaten Luton then continued on a winning run, it might be what we believed. But as many people will tell you, arrogance will get you nowhere in life. Yes you will be a “Winner”, but you’ll be a lonely one. The second definition of “Winner” is this: “A true winner can accept defeat, a true winner understands the hurt and slight shame of defeat, a true winner can bounce back stronger once they have tasted the upset they inflict on others.” This is a loved winner, this is a brave winner, and deserves the title- this is the “Winner” I think we will become.

 The next step towards this would be bouncing back at Salisbury, the team who gave us our first ever away BSP Victory last year under Billy McEwan. With a ground in practically the middle of nowhere, you want to visit on a nice day, which thankfully it was. Salisbury’s pitch is not one for fast football –  the grass is longer than my local field (which hasn’t been cut in years!), it’s hard to play a pacey passing game. Salisbury seemed to play ‘ariel football’ - getting the ball out quickly and then trying to get crosses in the box, or take a long-range effort if there was no possibly of wing play.

Goal Scorer Kyle Perry Takes A First Half Shot At Salisbury (Photo By Craig Priest)

Before sounding too much like a scout, my point is that Mansfield were not fully able to play the fast-paced football such as that in the victory over Crawley at Field Mill. We had to battle to show our true quality - and in the end we did. A solitary goal from Kyle Perry in front of the Stags faithful ensured three points were heading back home with us. Kyle tried to set the ‘high-five’ record with his celebration, ‘high-fiving’ every supporter who was at the front. Top stuff.

 It has been said before – ‘A week is a long time in football’. This past week us Stags fans have experienced the downright weird (Luton’s ground) and the wonderful (an early away win in the sun), and in true fashion a mixture of both, as the supporters’ bus slowly rolled out of Salisbury’s car park, the players were doing their warm down and clapped / waved to the travelling fans - weird because I have never seen that before and wonderful why? Because that sums up Mansfield Town Football Club at times, just wonderful.

Next up for the Stags it’s Barrow and Ebbsfleet both at ‘Fortress’ Field Mill. The team have two jobs to do: 1) Keep our record going and 2) Chase the top spot again. Which of course leaves one final job for us supporters to do: get down to the Mill and create that wonderful atmosphere again.

 See you there, and ofcourse thank you for reading.

 Craig

 “Mansfield Town FC; True Winners?”

At Last! The football season returns, all over the country fans got out of bed Saturday and breathed a big sigh of relief. Or was it just me?

 The start of the season has arrived, time to spend Saturday afternoons in stadiums up and down the country, Tuesday evenings on occasion too! Time for the dreaded long trips to follow your team, even they don’t season to matter, as you get out of bed on the first morning and open the curtains to a beautiful day.  I got the feeling there and then, that this year’s going to be good.

Stags Working Hard In Pre-season (Photo By Craig Priest)

We’ve battled hard in pre-season against Rotherham (behind closed doors), Newport, Leicester, Alfreton, Walsall and Hartlepool –  everyone, fans and players alike, is ready for the serious stuff to begin.

 Friday was a surge of different stories from various websites, each one giving a clear message of “We Are Ready” and my personal favourite from the messiah (David Holdsworth) himself: “Bring It On!” The “Link” button on my facebook page went into overdrive! Everyone had that football feeling!

 Steve Evans brought his Crawley side to Field Mill, the first team to visit under manager Holdsworth’s reign. We started our fantastic unbeaten league run against them, would they be able to put it to an end? Could we get out of the starting blocks first and grab a decent league position? Could we create a buzzing atmosphere inside Field Mill? Lots of questions, lots of possibilities on the opening day, beautifully answered with a beautiful game of football –  the best I have seen at Field Mill for a long long time.

 Mansfield Town 4-0 Crawley Town! A result which put us top of the league! Cracking! Steve Evans caused a stir (as normal) after the game, stating the ref was biased and claiming one of our goals to be “at least five yards offside”.  Steve’s comments, of course, laughed away. The truth was Mansfield were outstanding against a tough Crawley side, who forced us to defend even at 4-0.

The atmosphere was brilliant, too, the loudest I have hesrd Field Mill since the visit of Middlesbrough in the FA Cup. A sea of amber and blue shirts sprawled round the stadium, with just a dash (something like 52) of Crawley red. The minute’s applause for the late Sir Bobby Robson couldn’t have been more fitting either, everyone players, staff, supporters were on there feet. The sun shone all game over and the heat could have easily got to the players, but they stayed composed and delivered what we Stags fans wanted; our first victory of the new season, lots of goals and entertainment and the vital three points.

 We are now ahead in our race, heading up the pack, by a solitary goal. The key to winning any race, is to get ahead early, keep up the pace and focus on what is in front of you, not what is behind – no doubt we will be doing just that at Luton on Tuesday evening, and again at Salisbury on Saturday – a game I am personally looking forward too, as last time I was very ill and cant remember little of the game, the power of soothers and vapour rub had taken effect by 3pm!

Let’s hope we can keep hold of our fantastic home record, start a decent away one and most importantly, keep hold of top spot, or at least a tight hold on second too.

 As I mentioned it’s next stop Luton, although it’s our first Tuesday trip, I hope to see many happy smiley Stags fans down there decked out in the sea of amber!

Until that time, enjoy looking at the league table and have a good week.

 Craig.

 “Mansfield Town FC; This Is Our Season”

The "This Is Our Season" Speach, Created on a day over positive overdrive! Word by Craig Priest

Just a note to all my favorite Seattleites.  Check this out if you’re not familiar with the  iconic Portland image.  I grew up in Portland and I have a healthy dose of hometown pride.  It’s Seattle’s cooler sister, and it’s got us beat on many things (amazing bookstores, foodcarts downtown, activism and bike lanes just to name a few).  Some of my oldest friends live there and it’s vegan food mecca.  I just don’t want any of you to move there unless I do too.

Mansfield Town Football Club: Into The Unknown The first taste of supporting a non-league club. Written By Craig Priest.

The idea.

I am Craig priest, a young Mansfield town supporter aged 18. I have always had a keen interest in writing and over the past 5/6 years in football. I have always said support your local club – you get more of a buzz out of watching your local team then spending ridiculous amounts of money following a so called “bigger club” and only getting to see 5 games a season. When my beloved club was relegated from the Football League, I chose to write a diary week by week about my experiences following a non-league team. I kept to that promise until mid-November time when unfortunately my hard work and effort was wiped out by a computer virus. Two moths later I began writing this blog/ diary for the www.chad.co.uk, and this has given me the inspiration to complete my story and share it with you. After moving house I came across the file I thought I’d lost on disk and now with help from websites and others I will tell my story to you. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

 77 Years, Too Many Tears.

Tuesday 29th April 2008, a date which will always be remembered for the wrong reasons – Mansfield Town Football Club relegated out of the football league after a proud 77 year stay, all without even kicking a football. The venue was the Deva stadium, home to Chester City who were staring relegation in the face. Their opponents that night and the team we needed to win was Stockport county, a team riding high in the play-off spots. If Stockport won, Mansfield would have to win on the last day of the season away at Dagenham & Redbridge and Chester would have to lose. If Chester grabbed a draw against Stockport then Mansfield would be down with no way of escape. Stockport threw everything at Chester that evening but were unable to score. The game ended 0-0 and we got relegated. Most Mansfield fans were tuned into the local radio station (Mansfield 103.2) who had a reporter at the ground, they went live for the last ten minutes and when the referee blew his whistle to end the game, I froze. I got up and paced around my bedroom, looked out of my window and watched the rain get faster and faster over Mansfield. I ventured outside and stood in the rain, perhaps to cover the tears and even though I had turned the radio off I could still hear the Chester celebrations. I could picture their fans invading the pitch, smiling and crying with relief, running around with the players as if they’d just won the cup. Back in the Mansfield rain, I sent a “round robin” text message to every Stags fan I know. “Are you crying?” Every single reply was “yes.” The end. Mansfield Town were down and out, and the fantastic supporters who were there every step of the way, through the last 3 or 4 years of misery, were speechless, breathless and fed-up. The end.

Or was it? Mansfield still had one League game to finish, the above mentioned Dagenham, a former non-league team with a non-league ground, a taste of things to come. The game itself had nothing to offer, a drab team losing 2-0 and putting our dreadful season to an end. No fight, no energy, no nothing. Making our way back to the coach for our long trip back, “Daggers” fans offered messages of support and wished us well – that was nice. I still had a little tear, it was all so final. From the highs of Middlesbrough in the FA Cup in front of TV millions to the dizzy heights of Barrow & Histon in front of barley hundreds, all within the space of 6 months. What had we become?

The Bit in-between;

At the end of the 2007-08 Season, Mansfield Town was owned by businessman Keith Haslam, who 14 years previously had bought the club for £1. Blaming a lack of ambition for the club, as well as major financial disputes, fans began to fall out with Haslam and the last 2 years were the worst, with protest marches, failed takeover bids, hate campaigns and boardroom break-ins just some of the goings on, and the atmosphere around the club was negative to say the least. Perhaps it rubbed off on the players, because they certainly performed like it. A few people had said that if the club was relegated haslam would sell-up, and he did during the summer. On 3rd July 2008 three local businessmen dubbed “The Three Musketeers” finally got “Haslam Out!” and a new era began. The Three Musketeers - Andrew Perry, Andrew Saunders and Steve Middleton quickly set about getting the club ready for the 2008-09 campaign, and their first job was to relieve legendary club servant Paul Holland of his duties. Holland was replaced by former Stags player and respected and experienced coach Billy McEwan (who shall be referred to from this point on as “BM”). BM had a big job on his hand, to get a set of players ready for the new season, seeing as there were only four senior players still at the club. Would BM succeed, or would the Stags slip further away from the promised land? Only time would tell.

The Pre-season Shop Window;

As previously stated BM was left with only four players from last year. We needed a new squad and fast, but BM was insistent he would not ‘panic buy’ players - he wanted them to be right for Mansfield Town. Needless to say this got a mixed reaction. It was shop window time for players to earn a contract at Mansfield Town. The successful were:

Goal Keepers: Paddy Gamble (Loan), Luke Herriott.

Defenders: Gary Silk, Aide Moses, Alan O’Hare, Alex Jeanninn.

Midfielders: Matthew Somner, Tom Shaw, Gavin Hurren, Michael Blackwood. Strikers:

Mark Stallard, Aaron O’Connor, Anthony Robinson, Jason Lee.

They joined Jon D’Laryea, Nathan Arnold, Jason White and Chris Wood, plus youth teamers.

Stags had mixed fortunes of results with hardly a settled squad playing together for more than 45mins a game. The fixtures had been released and Stags were due to kick off their campaign away from home at FA Trophy winners Ebbsfleet United. Personally I wanted to get started and watch the Stags win. How long would I have to wait.

Although the Stags had little time to really plan their pre-season, they managed to secure a pretty decent away game, which only two seasons previously was a well contested football league fixture. Now Boston are playing their football in the UniBond Premier League after suffering automatic relegation from the Blue Square Premier & Blue Square North for financial reasons. At the time of visiting Boston we ourselves were having financial difficulties in the aftermath of the Haslam era, struggling to get a squad ready in time for the big kick-off. Could we be “the next Boston”? I hoped not. The state of the ground was rapidly worsening, with less supporters filing through the turnstyles, less money coming in. It just goes to show how a year or two away from the Football League can either make you or break you. Unfortunately for the followers of Boston United, the relegation has just about broken them - hopefully it wont do the same to us.

As for the game itself Boston deserved their victory, as we fielded a side who perhaps had no idea who the other players were. I felt sorry for the goalkeeper, Jamie Annerson, who was only playing for us as a favour, after our loaniee keeper from Nottingham Forest Paddy Gamble had taken ill and was unfit to play the game, and with no keeper we perhaps had no hope. Jamie actually played very well, saving a penalty in the second half, but was unable to keep out the rebound. I hoped we would see more of Annerson and got the feeling we might one day. Oh well a poor performance and a defeat, we were all to used to this by now! The game and the day really did make me think of how bad things could get in the Blue Square Premier if you didn’t handle them. Was I worried about Mansfield’s future? Just a little, but as they say, nothing ventured nothing gained.

Kick Off Time;

Saturday 9th August it all began, the Blue Square Premier Campaign was underway. As the supporters coach pulled up in Ebbsfleet. I was shocked to see the condition of Ebbsfleet’s stadium, it looked tired and run-down, not what you want to see on the opening day of the season! How I longed to be back in the Football League. Welcome to the Blue Square, I suppose! I was surprised to hear that only one member of staff was behind the bar in the local pub, apperently they weren’t expecting Mansfield to bring too many supporters. Are you kidding? We have just come from the football league! There was only one way to fix the problem, get some Stags fans behind the bar! It worked a treat and perhaps doubled the pub’s takings! Stags’ community spirit rising to the top again, quality. As for the game it was a 2-2 draw, bad defending and a lack of fire power proved our undoing in the first half, 2-0 down. The second half we fought back, grabbing a points thanks to Michael Blackwood and Mark Stallard (or was it Jason Lee, we will never know!) At least we had picked up a point in our first ever game out of the Football League. I remember thinking the following day whilst reading the non-league paper, would we sort out the mistakes? We would see.

 The end of part 1!So from that dreadful night, way back in April, to the start of the season in August, it seems a long time, especially with so much heartbreak in between - the worst feeling I have ever felt was not on the night of the relegation but on the day of the Dagenham game, the whole atmosphere I felt just summed it up! Especially when they scored the penalty – that did really knock the stuffing out of us! Ever time I think about it, I get that long, cold, dull shiver down my spine, instead of the warm feeling of celebration I long for with promotion.

Thank-you for reading Part 1 of into the unknown. I am glad Ive been given the chance to share it with you.

Craig. (Rainworthstag14)

“Mansfield Town FC; The Journey had only just begun”

Matt Somner Challenges Vs Northwich (photo by craig priest)

It feels like a life time since I last wrote a blog entry, in truth it’s only a week, but as they say “one week is a long time in football”. Mansfield Town have played three fixtures in the space of a week, playing two home games and one away. The footballing trio got off to a fantastic start - a 2-0 home victory against Ebbsfleet. The game was played under the sun set on a cool April evening, the side put in a good performance and in truth could have won 6-0, unfortunately the front three of Daryl Clare, Louis Briscoe and Rob Duffy failed to make the majority of chances count, but three points is three points.

With this in mind, things were looking good for Saturday’s home game against Barrow, expecting the result to be set in stone, how wrong we were. The end result was a 2-2 draw, fair enough a point, but having been in the lead twice, the referee awarded a very dubious penalty for hand ball and then with Stags 2-1 in front and just minutes to play, awarded a very dodgy free kick on the edge of the box, thus resulting in a goal mouth scramble, a goal being awarded and our goal keeper, Alan Marriott, heading for an early bath. DVD replays have shown the referee was right to send Marriott off for retaliation / violent conduct but failed to punish the instigator with even a yellow card.

With only a day’s rest before a Bank Holiday Monday trip to relegation-threatened Northwich Victoria, Stags could hardly get Saturday’s disaster out of their systems. Although professional footballers should be able to move on, the performance they put in on Monday at Northwhich suggested otherwise. It was like going back a year and watching the Stags fighting for their own lives and Football League status, whilst the other team ran us into the ground. Northwich pressed forward and were rewarded with a 2-0 victory, well deserved. Mansfield gave nothing to inspire fans to buy a cheap season ticket for next year. Jason White made his first appearance since last season, made a few good saves but in my opinion didn’t look confident commanding his players. I always enjoy a trip to new grounds and it has to be said that those who travelled on the SSA bus were left smiling after passing a very nice pub where some of us were possessed by our “inner child” – unable to resist the tempation to have a go on the tyre zip wire! There were a few close shaves going very close to the floor but everyone managed to hit the other tyre and bounce back unhurt- good times! Just a shame about the result!!

The season will be over soon and the dreams of a top 10 finish might have to be adapted to a top 15 finish, and with 9 points left to play for, the top 10 seems unlikely. The shop window has been cleaned and more players are on offer, one player who impressed me was young Conor Higginson who came on at Northwhich. He did his best and did his chances of a place in the starting 11 no harm.

Thanks for reading again and I hope to see you at our last away game on Saturday Vs Woking, hopefully there will be no tears this time as Mansfield will not be facing the prospect of playing in a lower league, unlike last year!

Craig (Rainworthstag14)

“Mansfield Town FC; The sun maybe shining in the sky, but the football is not bright.”

Enjoying the Stags fan blog and on Facebook? Search for the Facebook fan page on Facebook (type in “stagsfan.wordpress.com) This is a great way to keep up to date during the summer months. Also search for the “Mansfield Chad” Page to keep up to date with local news.