Bad Stag

Season 6 Fixtures

2010-03-27T18:02:00.002Z

Season SIX fixtures are in:

1st April - 6.30 - v Bridgepark FC
8th April - 8.30 - v Oblivion
15th April - 8.30 - v Smeg Heads
22nd April - 7.30 - v Ab-Flab
29th April - 6.30 - v VTC
6th May - 6.30 - v Windies Army
13th May - 6.30 - v Alltrades Athletic
20th May - 10.30 - v Shamrock Rovers
SAT 22nd May - 7.00 - v Bridgemary Tigers

27th May - 6.30 - v Bridgepark FC
3rd June - 8.30 - v Oblivion
10th June - 8.30 - v Smeg Heads
17th June - 7.30 - v Ab-Flab
24th June - 6.30 - v VTC
1st July - 6.30 - v Windies Army
8th July - 6.30 - v Alltrades Athletic
15th July - 10.30 - v Shamrock Rovers
22nd July - 9.00 - v Bridgemary Tigers

Lots of lovely 6.30s there!

Season 5 Final League Table

2010-03-27T17:53:00.001Z

Confirmation of fourth place finish from the Soccer City website:

	Team Name	W	D	L	Pts
1.	Grow Up	15	1	1	83
2.	Kay FC	15	0	2	72
3.	Ignition	11	0	5	57
4.	Bad Stag	8	3	6	47
5.	Ab Flab	9	1	7	46
6.	Oblivion	9	0	8	39
7.	VTC	4	1	12	33
8.	Alltrades Athletic	5	0	12	26
9.	Farcelona	0	0	0	26
10.	Ali's Angels	0	0	0	26

VTC 5 v Bad Stag 5

2010-03-25T22:09:00.002Z

Team - Chris, Andy, Markus, Ant, Jack, Tom, Alex
Goals - Andy (2), Ant (2), Jack

Last game of the season against VTC, against who we always have good matches. We still had fourth to play for in this game with Ab Flab closing the gap dramatically in the past few weeks.
The second half of our season had been a bit hit and miss and so a decent display here would be a good way of setting up for a fresh start.

As it happened we didn't play too badly and Im not really sure how VTC ended up with 5 goals and how we only ended up with 5 goals. But still neither side could really have any complaints with keepers at both ends making some fine saves.

The Soccer City site suggests that Ab Flab lost 9-6 to Kay FC which (unless my maths has failed me) means that fourth is secured, which I think we have got to be relatively happy with.

However, promotion has to be the target for next season. Although it looks like half the league is going to be made up of new teams, we know those who should be sticking around are teams we can beat (albeit in mainly very close encounters), and on our day we can perform well against very good sides.

Alltrades Athletic 7 v Bad Stag 6

2010-03-25T22:00:00.003Z

Team - Ant, Andy, Alex, Tom, Markus, Chris, Jack
Goals - Andy (3), Ant (2), Markus

With the team back together (except Dave who was taking a well earned rest), it was nice to know there would be substitutions available.
A very tight game against a team who's league position perhaps doesn't do them justice, both sides battled hard, sadly with our opponents just about coming out on top.

This result did mean that the faint hope of finishing third was ended.

Grow Up 12 v Bad Stag 5

2010-03-25T21:54:00.002Z

Team - Andy, Dave, Markus, Alex, Tom
Goals - Andy (3), Dave (2)

This game should have been against Random Six Plus Alex, who dropped out ages ago. Therefore we got to play league leaders Grow Up again (possibly 4th time this season).

I think the fact it was a friendly and the pressure was off lead to us conceeding something like 4 goals in the first couple of minutes. It was all over after that and although we got back in the game in the second half, we were run a bit ragged and Grow Up managed to reach their 12 goal target.

Ab Flab 6 v Bad Stag 6

2010-03-25T21:50:00.002Z

Team - Tom, Andy, Dave, Aiden, Matt, Phil
Goals - Dave (2), Andy (2), Aiden, Matt

Very much a patched up side for this game due to various absentees, and in that respect it was a very good result against the team with an almost rhyming name. Never heard a bunch of grown men moan so much though.

Bad Stag 2 v Stadium 5

2010-03-25T21:43:00.002Z

Team - Tom, Andy, Dave, Jack, Graham
Goals - Dave, Graham

This game should have been against Farcealona, but they didn't turn up so we had a friendly against a team called Stadium instead. Due to the snow postponement earlier in the year, it was also a points double banker.

It was a pretty tight game, but due to the need to get as many goals as possible, the defending went out of the window in the second half. Didn't help!

Forthcoming Games

2010-03-03T20:42:00.003Z

Ok, the next three games are:

Thurs 4th March @ 10.30pm v Farcelona
Sat 6th March @ 7.30pm v AbFlab
Thurs 11th March @ 8pm v Random6

With injuries and players dissapearing off on holiday (tsk) the squad is looking a little thin.
Available teams are currently:

Thurs 4^th	Sat 6^th	Thurs 11^th
Tom	Tom	Tom
Andy	Andy	Andy
Dave	Dave (injury pending)	Dave (injury pending)
Jack	Alex (injury pending)	Alex (injury pending)
Markus (unconfirmed)	Markus (unconfirmed)	Markus (unconfirmed)
Graham		Graham

So as you can see, we are looking ok for tomorrow, which is actually probably going to be a friendly anyway so not so bad. Saturday is looking particularly troublesome with only Andy and I currently definites. Hopefully Markus and Dave can make it 4, but with Alex looking very unlikely, we do have a problem. Next Thursday is also looking hit or miss (although not such a problem as its probs gonna be a friendly again).
So basically, we definetely need one player for Saturday, if not two and we could also do with at least one player for next Thursday. So if any of you know anyone, let me know. And if you def can't play, also let me know asap.

Oblivion 3 v Bad Stag 5

2010-03-01T22:01:00.002Z

Team - Tom, Chris, Andy, Dave, Jack, Alex, Markus
Goals - Dave (3), Andy, Jack

Back to winning ways and an encouraging performance. Some lovely movement, passing and finishing with Dave, Jack and Andy combining particularly well going forward (Jack scoring a fine goal to seal the match). With Markus and Chris also looking formidable at the back and Alex getting in the way of pretty much everything, I was left to wonder round aimlessly and am not entirely sure that I even touched the ball in the second half. Definetely my favourite type of game.

One thing to note: we completely lost our shape in the middle of the second half and this was where Oblivion scored 2 of their 3 goals, getting them right back into the game. Really need to make sure that we don't do that again.

Kay FC 9 v Bad Stag 5

2010-03-01T21:56:00.002Z

Team - Tom, Chris, Andy, Dave, Jack, Alex, Markus
Goals - Andy (2), Dave, Markus, Shirt

Kay FC are a very good team this term, and we've not coped as well against them as in seasons past. I don't think we played badly as such, but gave them too many opportunities to shot (and score from distance).

Grow Up 6 v Bad Stag 6

2010-03-01T21:49:00.002Z

Team - Tom, Andy, Dave, Jack, Alex, Graham, Markus
Goals - Jack (2), Dave (2), Andy, Graham

Stags hit back with a vengence and take the top team all the way. Very unlucky not to come away with a win as we had Grow Up shaken. This game will forever be remembered as the one where Andy went angry.

Ignition 12 v Bad Stag 7

2010-03-01T21:26:00.003Z

Team - Ant, Tom, Andy, Dave, Jack, Alex
Goals - Ant (3), Dave (2), Andy, Shirt

Mr Shirt gets in on the act again and I think the Stags got a bit shirty all round (doesn't get any better the second time round does it?).
We were all quite gutted at the end of this match and probably the angriest we've been as a collective at the result. Looking back however, its a little hard to see why - Ignition are currently 3rd in the league and have just beaten Kay FC (who had a 100% record). Goes to show how our expectations have increased I guess.
Ant got his 99th, 100th and 101st goal for the Stags before departing on injury hiatus. Here is an artist's impression of his face when he hit 100:

Dude needs a new dentist.

Bad Stag 5 v VTC 2

2010-03-01T21:16:00.004Z

Team - Ant, Tom, Andy, Dave, Jack, Alex, Markus
Goals - Ant (3), Markus, Dave

Hoskacaptain scores 3 and starts to get excited about reaching his 100 mark. Tom has no recollection that this game happened, although apparently I was there:

Bad Stag 8 v Altrades Althletic 6

2010-03-01T21:13:00.002Z

Team - Ant, Tom, Andy, Jack, Alex, Graham
Goals - Andy (3), Graham (3), Jack, Tom

I literally remember nothing of this game, which is quite surprising considering it produced my solitary goal of the season. We won though, so that was nice.

Bad Stag 4 v Random Six Plus Alex 4

2010-03-01T21:07:00.002Z

Team - Ant, Tom, Chris, Andy, Dave, Jack, Alex
Goals - Ant (2), Andy (2)

This wasn't actually against Random Six Plus Alex as it looks as though Alex failed to find six randoms regularly enough and got the boot from Soccer City. Serves you right for trying to form a break away team Milky. Don't think we didn't notice that your 'broken' finger coincided with the formation of Random Six.

I think we played one of the teams that stuffed us last year, so all in all this was a pretty good result and certainly banished the poor peformance of the previous week.

Bad Stag 3 v Ab Flab 8

2010-03-01T21:00:00.003Z

Team - Ant, Tom, Chris, Andy, Dave, Jack, Alex
Goals - Jack (2), Dave

Haha, I've just looked up the actual definition of 'erstwhile'.

Anyway...

Safe to say we were pretty crap in this one.

Bad Stag 7 v Oblivion 6

2010-03-01T20:56:00.002Z

Team - Ant, Tom, Chris, Andy, Jack
Goals - Ant (5), Andy, Jack

Crickey, close one! To be honest, I think there might be something a bit dodgy about the information provided by our erstwhile captain.

Bad Stag 6 v Kay Fc 10

2010-03-01T20:47:00.003Z

Team - Ant, Tom, Andy, Dave, Jack, Albie
Goals - Shirt, Ant (3), Andy (2)

Can't really remember what happened. Apparently someone called Shirt scored a goal. Probably got a bit shirty when we lost though.

Flippin'eck whats this, an update?

2010-03-01T20:31:00.002Z

Yeah alright, so my updates got slacker than Pompey's tax payments. I have a decent excuse though - since I changed jobs, updating this blog feels a bit too much like work. I promise I will try harder, just like John Utaka.

Bad Stag 5 v Grow Up 15

2009-12-16T22:43:00.002Z

Team - Tom, Ant, Andy, Chris, Jack, Al
Goals - Ant (3), Andy, Al

Grow Up are probably one of the best teams we have faced at Soccer City, and Im not just saying that because I had to pick the ball out of the net FIFTEEN times. They worked hard, tackled hard and most importantly, could still be arsed to play at 10.30 at night.
We did alright. Got five goals and secured a valueable point.
Back to winning ways for the next game though, even if we are now down to the bare bones and then find everyone has missed the 6pm kick off because they are stuck in traffic. Excellent.

Bad Stag 8 v Ignition 4

2009-12-06T19:17:00.003Z

Team - Ant, Chris, Andy, Al, Jack, Marcus, Tom
Goals - Ant(4), Marcus(2), Jack, OG

Ignition are a team we have had a few tough encounters with in the past and were playing in division 3 last season, so we knew it wasn't going to be an easy game to open with. However, after wins in the previous 2 weeks, we were desperate to keep the run going and get off to a good start this term.
With Alex's finger broken, I was back in goal. Marcus was making his second start for us and Al his debut. It was quite a cagey affair with neither team really making much of an in-road early on. Ignition eventually took the lead but couldn't stamp any authority on the game. The Stags kept equalising and the scoreline remained roughly equal up until half time. We managed to pull ahead in the second half and eventually ran out deserved winners with Ignition unable to find a way through a resolute defense to find any way back.

Season 5 Fixtures

2009-11-28T16:14:00.002Z

3rd Dec - v Ignition @ 7pm
10th Dec - v Grow Up @ 10.30pm
17th Dec - v Kay FC @ 6pm
31st Dec - v Oblivion @ 1.30pm
7th Jan - v Farcelona @ 9pm
14th Jan - v AbFlab @ 10pm
21st Jan - v Random 6 + Alex @ 8pm
28th Jan - v Alltrades Ath @ 8pm
Sat 30th Jan - V VTC @ 6pm

4th Feb - v Ignition @ 7pm
11th Feb - v Grow Up @ 10.30pm
18th Feb - Kay FC @ 6pm
25th Feb - Oblivion @ 8.30pm
4th Mar - Farcelona @ 10.30pm
Sat 6th Mar - AbFlab @ 7.30pm
11th Mar - Random 6 + Alex @ 8pm
18th Mar - Alltrades Ath @ 8pm
25th Mar - VTC @ 6pm

Be aware that we appear to have been handed three 6pm weekday kick-offs over the season and also that the game scheduled for NYE is at 1.30pm (we are going to have to see what the numbers are going to be for this as obviously you may well be working).

Farcelona 3 v Bad Stag 7

2009-11-27T00:22:00.003Z

Team - Ant, Andy, Chris, Jack, Tom, Alex, Marcus
Goals - Ant(4), Andy(3)

Quite an interesting end to the season.
Game started off reasonably well with Andy casually stroking home from the halfway line direct from the kick off. Farcelona then levelled it up and a bit of a ding dong battle took place with some nice finishes at both ends. My bollocks took one for the team before Alex attemped an ill advised save with one finger with his finger most definetely coming off worst. With me replacing Alex at half time, goals were probably going to be conceeded, so it was important we cracked on and got a few more to the increase the 1 goal lead we held at half time. However, things went better than expected and after a few more goals from the AA, we were sitting comfortably. Things got a bit lairy towards the end, with a couple of players throwing in needlessly reckless challenges and a bit of verbal to go with it but at the end of the day, were out played so we can sit smug.

Great couple of final games to round up our most consistent season yet. A couple more wins, or a couple more high scoring games, and we would be mixing it with the top three. A strong start next week and this has to be our aim.

Good stuff all round and hopefully we will see Alex back in action sooner rather than later. Its going to be quieter on the pitch whilst he is missing.

Ab Flab 3 v Bad Stag 5

2009-11-27T00:19:00.003Z

Team - Alex, Tom, Ant, Andy, Chris, Jack, Ben
Goals - Ant (3), Ant, Jack

...

Junk Project 7 v Bad Stag 1

2009-11-14T17:25:00.001Z

Team - Tom, Chris, Ant, Andy T, Andy, Jack, Alex
Goal - Andy T

Wakey Wakey!

Team I don't know the name of 3 v Bad Stag 8

2009-11-09T21:14:00.002Z

Team - Chris, Andy, Ant, Alex, Jack, Graham, Tom
Goals - Graham (3), Andy (3), Ant (2)

New team to play this week. New teams are always interesting as its very much a step into the unknown and the first 10 mins are generally spent trying to work the team out and being very cautious. As it was, the team who's name I have no idea of were quite skillful but showed that they were new to the league in their lack of movement and team play. Once we'd worked out that we were stronger in the tackle and that they weren't going to pass round of, we settled into a comfortable formation and in a relaxed manner won quite easily.
However, as we know of ourselves, improvement does come and next season this team (if they hang around) will be far more dangerous.

Tough game next week, but it would be nice to try and win the next 3 games!!!

High Gang 8 v Bad Stag 5

2009-11-02T19:58:00.001Z

Team - Ant, Chris, Alex, Andy, Dave, Jack
Goals - Andy (2), Jack (2), Dave

(Write up from Ant)
Beaten by the best team in the league. Didn't do too bad, but need to get back to winning ways next week.

Scorpions 6 v Bad Stag 2

2009-10-22T23:00:00.002+01:00

Team - Alex, Andy, Jack, Dave, Chris, Tom

Goals - Chris, Andy

Not sure what happened tonight. Not a good performance. We never really seemed to be in it and to be honest never really looked like winning. Shape, movement and passing were all lacking but I think we just have to put it down as one of those days.

We'll be back on form next week.

VTC 6 v Bad Stag 6

2009-10-22T22:58:00.001+01:00

Team - Tom, Ant, Dave, Chris, Jack, Andy

Goals - Ant (3), Dave (2), Andy

I totally forgot about this report, honest. Nothing to do with my Calamity James impression at all.

Kay FC 5 - Bad Stag 7

2009-10-11T14:27:00.002+01:00

Team - Alex, Ant, Tom, Andy, Dave, Chris, Jack
Goals - Andy (3), Dave (2), Ant, OG

Stags win again and keep the pressure on the top three. We like to beat Kay FC.

Oblivion 2 - Bad Stag 4

2009-10-04T17:08:00.003+01:00

Team - Tom, Ant, Dave, Andy, Chris, Kev, Jack
Goals - Andy (2), Dave, Ant

OK. Playing in goal I was concentrating more on whether the ball was going to come flying at me, rather than what was actually going on. I think the above is who scored, but may well have not been.
Anyway, great start to the second half of the season. We played well without ever excelling but could quite easily have got 3 or 4 more goals with a bit more fortune and a less capable keeper at the other end. Still, keep this up and we can finish top 3 without question.

Bad Stag 3 - Farcelona 3

2009-09-27T22:48:00.001+01:00

Team - Alex, Dave, Andy, Jack, Ant, Tom
Goals - Andy, Ant, Dave

I've been slacking. Opps.

Bad Stag 10 v Ab Flab 0

2009-09-24T21:56:00.002+01:00

Team: Alex, Ant, Dave, Chris, Jack, Kev, Tom
Goals: Ant (5), Dave (3), Jack, Tom

I kinda wish Id scored an own goal or something. It might have been funny to see Alex spontaneously combust through rage. However, a clean sheet is a rare and wonderful thing that should be regarded as one of the biggest achievements in five a side football, and so to have ruined that for personal amusement would have been a bit, well, silly.
And so tonight, two massive successes were had. Ten at one end and none at the other. THE RIGHT WAY ROUND. Brilliant.
Ant kicked off proceedings with a goal straight from the off, catching Ab Flab half asleep. He then got another, and within 5 minutes had wrapped up his hat trick. To be honest, after that it was pretty much a case of 'job done', but it was vital that we kept our heads and kept working hard and knocking the ball about. In the main we did this, but Alex had to be on his game making some excellent saves.
The scoreline kept ticking over with Dave notching up a hat trick, Ant hitting a couple more to match Andy's feat a couple of weeks ago, and Jack and myself also getting in on the act. Maximum points would have been secured with a bit more composure in front of goal but we shouldn't complain!

An excellent performance from all!

Bad Stag 1 v Junk Project 4

2009-09-19T10:55:00.003+01:00

Team: Steve, Tom, Dave, Kev, Andy, Jack, Chris
Goals: Andy

New team. Good team. Stags played well. Junk Project better. Fitter than us. Made more space. Shouldn't be disheartened. Andy goal machine. Bring on AbFlab.

Bad Stag 6 - FC Not So Good 2

2009-09-13T21:00:00.002+01:00

Team: Steve, Ant, Andy, Chris, Kev, Alex, Tom
Goals: Andy (5), Ant

After a couple of losses on the bounce, it was important to get back on track with a win. Another loss and the good progress made early on would be in danger of unravelling. Fortunately we were up against FC Not So Good, a side we generally do well against and know how to beat.

With no game on before us, we were able to take advantage of the free pitch and have a decent warm up. This however had absolutely no effect on sharpening us up (probably knackered half of us out to be honest) and on kick off we suffered the worst start in the Stags' history. FCNSG kicked off with a shot on goal, from which the ball bounced free and whilst we stood around taking our time, one of them ran onto the ball and finished neatly, giving Steve no chance.
Things got worse moments later. We were still sluggish, but our opponents were not and they were allowed the oppotunity to have a hit and hope against the wall from which they went two up. Perversely, this slightly fortunate goal worked in our advantage as FCNSG arrogantly celebrated and became far too cocky and relaxed in possession, it gave time for Andy to get his Rick James on and the rest of us time to wake up a bit.
Before anyone knew it, Andy had got us back into the game with 2 goals, sending our opposite numbers into meltdown.
We were now well on top and pretty comfortable and with Andy getting his hat trick and another brace on top, alongside Ant's effort, only the ref and scoreboard could put victory in jeapody. FCNSG did attempt other means of disrupting our march to victory, but this only made the final result all the more enjoyable.

Cheers Andy!

Bad Stag 3 v High Gang 4

2009-09-04T12:49:00.003+01:00

Team – Steve, Andy, Jack, Alex, Dave, Chris, Tom
Goals – Andy (2), Dave

Come the final whistle and there were mixed emotions about the result. It was a slightly disappointing end to what was a good display.

In the past few seasons, playing top of the table normally meant a hammering, but this season things are different and playing top of the league meant a top two clash where we had every right to feel confident of a win. We needed to put last week’s performance behind us as a momentary blip and get back into our early form which had led us to our lofty league position.

The game started incredibly tightly, a sure sign of things to come. High Gang were perhaps the better side with superior movement and passing and a higher work rate, but we defended well and with Steve in fine form, kept them at bay. In matches gone by we would undoubtedly have buckled under the pressure eventually, but confidence in our ability to sit back a bit and hit on the counter attack means these days the panic button is not hit when we find ourselves with a minor share of the possession. This came to fruition with Dave coming on at the four minute mark, taking only a few minutes to find his range and fire us into the lead. This goal appeared to anger the Gang beast though and moments later they were level. Some idiot (ahem) then let the guy his was marking turn him and get away, leading to a second goal for the opposition.

Into the second half and we kept our heads and knew that we could get back into it and with a ball off the far wall, Tulla managed to stab home and level the game. And so it was that the score remained 2-2 for most of the second half with superb displays from both keepers preventing any change in the score line.
With about 5 minutes left, it became apparent that the Stags were starting to suffer from the high work rate involved with keeping up with High Gang (Im also pretty sure it was about 645 degrees centigrade on the pitch). Passes were going astray and men were getting free and you could see that we were hanging in for the draw rather than going for the win. Unfortunately with just over 4 minutes left, our opponents found their opportunity and stuck one away into the corner. Heads started to drop but we still had a few minutes left to come back again. A new formation of everyone up front was invoked – a risky strategy that had to be taken in a low scoring match. On this occasion though, there was no pay off and with little over a minute left, High Gang effectively killed the game off with their 4th goal.
We had some fight left in us and applied late pressure which obviously concerned the Gang enough for them to try a bit of time wasting but through our attempts we managed to gain an in-direct free kick right on their area. The ball was played back to Tulla who did well to fire the ball home. One last chance for an equaliser then came with about 10 seconds left when I was through on goal, only to be subtly pushed in the back, shooting way wards. No free kick was given and it was game over.

As I say at the top, in seasons passed, we would have been hammered by the top team and so from this performance alone, it is clear that progress has been made. We played well and worked exceptionally hard and were unlucky to get nothing from the game. This was summed up by one of the opposition who apparently commented that it was “nice to have a decent game for once”. Decent games are good.

Bad Stag 6 v Scorpions 9

2009-08-28T19:41:00.002+01:00

Team - Alex, Chris, Kev, Jack, Andy, Dave, Tom
Goals - Tom (3), Dave, Andy, Kev

I suppose the run had to end somewhen, just a shame it was a bit of a meek performance that did it, especially against a team we know we can beat.

We never really got out of the blocks in the first half and found ourselves out worked and out muscled. This lead to Scorpions building up a healthy lead before we'd even managed to get our collective foot on the ball.

The second half was better, but by then the game was long over.

Must do better next week against top of the table.

Bad Stag 8 - VTC 2

2009-08-23T21:42:00.003+01:00

Team - Steve, Ant, Dave, Andy, Chris, Jack, Tom
Goals - Dave (5), Ant (2), Andy

Hmm, hard to remember what happened when you leave it so long. Safe to say, it was a good performance and thats now 3 out of 3.

Bad Stag 8 - Kay FC 3

2009-08-14T21:55:00.002+01:00

Team - Steve, Ant, Alex, Chris, Kev, Dave, Andy
Goals - Ant (3), Shirts (2), Dave (2), Andy

Report from Ant:

On the back of our historical two successive wins, could the Stags make it three in a row? Of course we could. Kay FC decided to wear the stylish green bibs before the ref had even entered the pitch. How nice of them we thought, but was there an alterior motive?

It started off very even and tight and after a lot of dancing from Kay FC they took the lead. Some blinding long range efforts from Dave, including one from level with our own goal, and a nice post bumming shot from Chris couldn't beat the Kay FC keeps. But Andy smashed in an equaliser not long after entering the match and this was followed by a penalty by the Hoskacaptain after the keeper handled outside the box. After a quiet word in the ref's ear he noticed that the stylish green bibs were actually covering the fact that they had odd shirts. They had even gone to the trouble of rolling their sleaves up so that the ref wouldn't notice. The cheek. Two odd shirts made the score 4-1 at half time.

Dave scored a trademark left foot smash into the far corner, which was his 50th Bad Stag goal. But a bit of magic and silk gave Kay FC a lifeline. Dave smashed in a similar goal to his first not long after to banish his earlier disappointment at not getting to take the penalty. There were countless saves from Steve in the second half including a beautiful one where he dived back and clawed it away before it crossed the line. It was a genius move and I think I heard an onlooker shout 'who's that big muthafucker in goal - he's as agile as the black Diane. But white!' It wasn't enough to save the third from going in though. The Stags were tired but so were Kay FC. Ant managed to smash in his second to put the game to bed, and an extra point was earned after Kev's shot was collected on the rebound and buried for Ant's hattrick. 8-3 making it three wins in a row and four out of the last five. In the last three we haven't even dropped a point. Excellent defending from Chris, Kev and Alex,
some voodoo inspired goalkeeping from Steve and pace and power from Dave and Andy were the difference.

Good work.

Bad Stag 6 - Oblivion 2

2009-08-06T21:33:00.002+01:00

Team - Steve, Ant, Andy, Kev, Jack, Dave, Chris
Goals - Shirt, Andy (2), Chris, Ant, Dave

New season, new pitch, new Oblivion. On freshly laid astro, this was going to be an interesting encounter.
The advantage was with the Stags from the off as Oblivion conceeded a goal due to having one odd shirt. However, the match started at a very low tempo with little action or energy on show and it was Oblivion who were making the early in roads and chances. Ant was the first to test the opposition keeper with a dribble in from wide and a shot forcing a decent save. Steve was not to be outdone, moments later making a fine low save from a chance that should have been converted. The match continued in this sort of vein with neither team really getting much passing or movement going, however Kev managed to find a decent through ball to Dave who forced the keeper to block well. This though then led to an Oblivion attack and with the defence pushed up they were able to slot home with the equaliser.
The Stags were now in danger of letting things slide dramatically with Oblivion carving open a few more chances. But with a fine counter from Jack doing well to pick out Andy hovering out wide, Andy was able to apply his trademark finish beating the keeper down low to the corner. Shortly after Kev attempted a shot from distance which hit an opposition player on the arm, shouts of handball went up but Chris was playing to whistle and barged through to bang the rebounded ball home, making it 3-1 and a bit more comfortable. This could have changed shortly before half time had an Oblivion forward been a little more lucky than to see a decent effort come back out from the inside of the post. Dave was to have the last chance of the half, breaking through only to see their keeper frustrate him once again!

The game still wasn't flowing particularly well into the second half, but the Stags were making a better fist of passing the ball around, however Oblivion had two chances to scare us shooting wide on both occassions. Chris then did really well to keep his head and cover then block a counter attack. After this the game decended into a bit of 'nothing' before Ant decided to liven things up by stealing a ball in our half, walzing down the wing and sticking the ball into the back of the net. 4-1 and the game was pretty much over with Oblivion starting to look short of ideas and energy. With 8 minutes left, we were in control. This was summed up with Dave taking the ball the whole length of the pitch feining a dummy which does the last defender and keeper, only for the keeper to some how shift his weight and get in the way once again.

Obilivion then managed to up the nerves slightly by pulling one back but the game never really felt in danger. And indeed, Andy then Dave (finally) grabbed quick goals late on, to finish off the game.

On a very hot pitch that was probably quite hard work to run on, this was a decent performance and a bloody brilliant start to the season. It also sets up our first winning streak which we really should hope to continue for a while yet.

Good stuff.

Bad Stag Fantasy League

2009-07-27T22:16:00.002+01:00

Would be good to get everyone involved in the Bad Stag fantasy league as it will obviously prove who's opinion counts most when it comes to strategy. For those of you who haven't yet, get involved at www.premierleague.com - code to join the league is 249807-63000.

Season 4 Fixtures

2009-07-27T21:48:00.002+01:00

Fixtures for Season 4 - our third full season (names in brackets players due to drop out):

6th Aug 7PM - V Oblivion (Tom and Alex)
13th Aug 9PM - V Kay FC (Tom and Jack)
20th Aug 6.30PM - V VTC (Alex and Ant)
27th Aug 9PM - V Scorpions (Steve and Chris)
3rd Sept 10.30PM - V High Gang (Kev and Tom)
10th Sept 8.30PM - V FC Not So Good (Jack and Dave)
17th Sept 9PM - V Junk Project (Andy and Alex)
24th Sept 8.30PM - V Ab Flab (Ant and Steve)
SAT 26th Sept 7.30PM - V Farcelona (Chris and Kev)

1st Oct 7PM - V Oblivion
8th Oct 9PM - V Kay FC
15th Oct 6.30PM - V VTC
22nd Oct 9PM - V Scorpions
29th Oct 10.30PM - V High Gang
5th Nov 8.30PM - V FC Not So Good
12th Nov 9PM - V Junk Project
19th Nov 8.30PM - V Ab Flab
26th Nov Sept 10.30PM - V Farcelona

Some much better times this season I think and also 3 teams we've never played before. Without wanting to curse us or sound over confident, we've beaten 5 of the first 6 teams we play, which bodes well I feel.

*I haven't listed the sit outs for the second half of the season as it works out that everyone would miss the same games in the second half of the season as the first and as Im sure the list will change, not really worth worrying about this far in advance.

Final Stags Finish

2009-07-27T21:45:00.002+01:00

Update from Tulla regarding the final league position for Bad Stag Season 3:

"I am the bearer of good news, for those of you who haven't heard on the grapevine, we finished a respectable 8th last season, finishing level on points with VTC. Two points off 7th. Which was scorpions i believe. So well done all on what was a strong finish to the end of the season, and if we can keep up the good work rate and improved passing it should be an exciting season next season."

Bad Stag 10 (Ten) v Scorpions 3

2009-07-24T12:52:00.003+01:00

Team - Steve, Ant, Tom, Andy, Dave, Jack, Chris
Goals - Ant (4), Dave (3), Tom, Andy, Jack

What a way to close out the season, our biggest victory margin since December and our second biggest win ever. A very satisfying result which should prevent us from finishing bottom of the league. If we'd managed to put in a few more of this type of performance in the first half of the season, a top half finish in a strong league would not have been out of the question.

Once again playing on Old Trafford, not so much the Theatre of Dreams, more the Village Hall of cheese induced Nightmares (I don't even need to eat the stuff for it to give me nightmares), we started out in the bibs from our now favoured 'open' end. Half the lights were off making it feel like we were kicking off half way through the night...no wait...making it feel like the half past ten kick off it was.

The game started quite evenly with neither team making much of an inroad, however with Dave on a mission to batter every opponent into submission he was soon able to create a shooting opportunity which he duely took well, putting the Stags into the lead. This wasn't to last long and after piling on the pressure with a few free kicks, we managed to conceed possession slightly softly allowing Scorpions to break and beat me at last man, finishing cooly past Steve.

This was a slight set back and at this point details go a little murky I must admit. However, the following things happened at various points leading us to a 5-2 lead at half time:

- Dave blasted in 2 more goals for a first half hat trick.
- I got stuck with the ball and decided to turn into trouble allowing Scorpions to steal for their second.
- I then managed to redeem myself a bit, scuffing a shot (that went in at its intended angle at least) after Dave squared the ball to me.
- Ant got his first of the evening, slotting in after beating a player or two.

You could see the confidence was oozing at half time and Scorpions were understandably looking a little deflated in a match which was beginning to resemble a complete reversal of the corresponding fixture earlier in the season.

The second half continued to go our way with Jack slotting home a shot that rebounded off their keeper. Ant then got his second with a cheeky dribble and the game was all but over. However, we were reminded of the need to keep our concentration up with Scorpions managing to get one back making it 7-3. The opposition were actually getting into the game a little by this point with us happy to defend and attack on the break. Nothing though was going their way and I think desparation and confusion was starting to set in with one of the opposition attackers confusing the ball for a space hopper at various points. After one break which started off with us pressing and winning the ball at the back, several passes were made which led to Chris finding Andy who fed Ant for his hat trick and in his words "MY 50TH FOR BAD STAG". Honestly, who keeps track of how many goals they've scored? (Ive now got 6 with a strike rate of 0.16 per game, which is roughly 2.88 per season).

We weren't done there however and could sense that we were on for a big score. Passing it around with conviction, Ant danced down the left before squaring across the area to Andy to calmly stick in the back of the net. The last Stag moment of the season was a powerful shot from Jack which he unlucky to see rebound of the crossbar, but with the match going the way it was, the ball inevitably fell to Ant who controlled his shot well and put it away for HIS 51st GOAL FOR BAD STAG. The ref blew his whistle and called time on our second full season. Hand shakes all round and some friendly remarks from Scorpions.

Bad Stag 5 - Oblivion 7

2009-07-16T20:51:00.003+01:00

Team - Steve, Ant, Kev, Andy, Dave, Chris, Alex
Goals - Ant, Andy (3), Dave

The Bad Stag curse strikes again! Will we ever manage to extend a winning streak beyond one?!
The game started off pretty decently, we were doing most of the running and created a few half chances, however it was Oblivion that took the lead with a nice counter attack. Things took a turn for the worst after that with a few lapses in concentration allowing them space up front and with more efficient finishing, Oblivion soon had a commanding lead.
However, the Stag's spirit was not dampened and a nice move resulted in Ant slotting home. Unfortunately, we were 4-1 down come half time. Despite the deficit, I don't think anyone doubted that we couldn't get back into the game and go on to win and so it was that with better passing and a tighter, more focused defence we were able to get our game going and with some hard work managed to get it back to 4-4, with Andy turning the screw with some top class finishing.
However, Oblivion had other ideas and it was clear that they really wanted this match. They battled hard rather than letting their heads drop and were soon back in the lead. The Stags had lost formation and were starting to drift back into our old ways. The noise and effort was upped a bit in the last few minutes and the ball began to get shifted around again with some penatrating moves, but with the opposition keeper in top form and it not quite happening in front of goal, it was too little too late. Dave managed to get one back late on with a swivel and a shot in off the post, but it just wasn't going to happen.

What we can take from the game is that a) we scored 4 goals and therefore earnt a point and, b) we prevented Oblivion getting 8. This leaves us joint rather than outright bottom, but we still must, must, must get something (anything!) out of the last game of the season against Scorpions.

After the match, Bad Stag played a friendly against Positive George, with Jack coming in for Kev. The final score was Bad Stag 2 - Positive George 13 (goals from Ant and Andy).

Drop out list

2009-07-13T20:49:00.003+01:00

Just been rejigging the drop out list due to holidays, other committments etc. I've tried to make it as fair as possible and hopefully get it back to some sort of 'rota', but if any one has any problems or I've ballsed it up, let me know. If you can't make a date, please also let me know asap (post comment, email me, text etc), so I can resort the list again. Cheers.

Oblivion - 16th July - Tom and Jack
Scorpions - 23rd July - Chris and Kev

6th Aug - Alex and Tom
13th Aug - Tom and Jack
20th Aug - Alex and Ant
27th Aug - Steve and Chris
3rd Sept - Kev and Tom
10th Sept - Jack and Dave
17th Sept - Andy and Alex
24th Sept - Ant and Steve
1st Oct - Chris and Kev

List:
Dave
Andy
Alex
Ant
Steve
Chris
Kev
Tom
Jack

Bad Stag 5 - FC Not So Good 3

2009-07-13T20:12:00.008+01:00

Team - Steve, Alex, Chris, Tom, Ant, Jack, Kev
Goals - Chris (2), Jack, Alex, Tom

This was a game we knew we could win, if we kept it tight and carried on the passing game we had been developing lately.
The game started off incredibly tight and stayed at 0-0 for most of the first half. Chances were minimal for both teams, but Kev was unlucky to see a shot come back off the post after battling his way through about 3 players. However, we were slightly shading it and Jack conspired to give us the lead. We couldn't make this stick though and FCNSG quickly got back into the game and went 2-1 up by half time.
Despite going in behind, we managed to up the passing rate and keep our heads and Chris quickly managed to squeeze in a shot from the corner to once again level the game.
By this point, we were by far the better team and were out passing them. Steve was being his usual collosal self in goal and they were starting to get rattled and lose their composure. This didn't stop them taking the lead again however, but we quickly levelled with Chris grabbing a brace with an almost identical finish to his first after a nice lay off from Ant.
This time our opposition really did lose their way. Whilst they were busy fighting amoungst themselves, we realised our opportunity for a forth win of the season with Alex smashing his first ever goal (after only a handful of appearances out of goal) into the top corner.
By then, FCNSG had given up the game, but just to make sure, I managed to smuggle one in through the keepers legs that definetely crossed the line at approximately 0.00001 mph (thats millimetres per hour).
The game was ours with a couple of minutes to go, but just in case, one of the Not So Goods decided to give us a helping hand by smashing Ant into a wall and then throwing the ball at him. This got him a booking, but he decided to punish his team more by throwing a strop and walking off. After this episode, there was only a few seconds left and the Stags were celebrating.

Bad Stag 2 - Fatletico Madrid 6

2009-07-05T22:04:00.002+01:00

Team - Tom, Steve, Jack, Kev, Andy, Dave, Chris
Goals - Andy, Kev

The trouble with writing match reports is that if you leave it too long, you totally forget what happened. Think we took the lead and went into the second half 2-2, but got done by one especially skillfull player who managed to shamefully walk through us a couple of times. We played well though and carried on our progression in passing football.

Bad Stag 7 - Jager Yo 9

2009-06-25T22:11:00.002+01:00

Team - Ant, Tom, Alex, Chris, Kev, Jack, Andy
Goals - Andy (3), Ant (2), Kev, OG

A game of very mixed emotions. Jager started off like a steam train and with some excellent finishing were cruising, aided by a bit of typical Soccer City inconsistent reffing. With a shot that went sailing over the cross bar (and would normally automatically be called back for over head height), the Stags were guilty in not playing to the whistle and allowing the oppo to easily slot home from the rebound off the netting. The ref was slightly more at fault for a further goal when after a kick off he first called it back to be retaken before changing his mind just as the Stags had stopped, allowing Jager Yo to pick up the ball and score.

At half time it wasn't looking good, with us 6-1 down. However, during the first half we had gradually been getting into the game and were getting our passing game going with some nice moves that didn't quite come off. However, the second half was a different story. The whole team was working incredibly hard, getting up and down and starting to create more space than usual. This greatly helped our attempts to pass the ball around and make the oppostion work hard. Applying alot of pressure and making many chances, we managed to pull the game round to a position of 7-7 with a couple of minutes to go. Unfortunately however, we couldn't quite hold on and Jager put two away in quick succession to rap things up.

Despite the loss, there were many positives to take from this 100% improved performance. Jager Yo are a team third in the league who possess a couple of top notch finishers and are incredibly physical. We pushed them all the way and perhaps should have beaten them in the end. The performance showed that if we work hard and knock it around like we know we can, we can be a match for any team in this league. If we focus on our passing and work on making space for each other, theres no reason that next season we can't be fighting at the other end of the table.

COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!

Stags V Devon

2009-06-24T22:17:00.001+01:00

Devon provides us with a watering hole, only to later sell us.

Bad Stag 2 - VTC 4

2009-06-24T22:12:00.001+01:00

Team - Ant, Tom, Steve, Alex, Dave, Andy, Jack

Goals - Jack, Dave

Out passed and out played by a team we know we can be beat. Very dissapointing. Have to pick up the performance and see if we can rectify this result against Jager-Yo.

Bad Stag 1 v AFC Barleycorn 8

2009-06-17T12:20:00.002+01:00

Team - Ant, Dave, Andy, Steve, Alex, Kev, Chris
Goals - Dave

Beaten by a better side!

Bad Stag 5 – Positive George 7

2009-06-05T12:19:00.001+01:00

Team – Steve, Alex, Ant, Tom, Kev, Jack, Dave

Goals – Ant (3), Jack, Tom

This game marked Alex’s debut appearance on pitch for the Stags, with Steve in goal.
After victory over Kay FC last week, could we make it two in a row against teams who had soundly beaten us in the first half of the season?
Chris dropped out pre-match with a dodgy ankle, which may or may not be due to the onset of ‘getting on a bit’, so I was called up to deputise.

The Georges started incredibly strongly, with fast attacks and crisp passing. We struggled to cope and quickly found ourselves a few goals down. The tide began to change with the introduction of Ant and Jack on four minutes and we soon found ourselves back in the game with a few fine goals from Ant. However, because of the early goals PG were able to sustain their lead over us.

The second half was a tighter affair all round and the Stags can take pride in the fact that our heads didn’t drop and we continued to battle on. PG started to get more and more rattled as we got more and more into them and stepped it up in the physical battles, pushing back and winning many free kicks. Something strange happened and I managed to stab home our third after a nice lay off from Dave, and then Jack stuck one right in the corner to secure the four goal bonus point. Unfortunately, we could never quite claw it back and found ourselves perpetually a couple of goals behind. The oppo managed to make it 7 – 4 late on before Ant got his hat trick with 30 seconds left to go.

Although it’s another loss, it was a decent performance with some nice play and some hard work from everyone.

Bad Stag 4 - Kay FC 3

2009-05-29T12:58:00.001+01:00

Team - Steve, Chris, Tom, Jack, Andy, Kev, Dave
Goals - Kev (2) Dave (2)

Great performance!!!

Scorpions 10 - Bad Stag 4

2009-05-23T21:20:00.002+01:00

Despite a 2 goal headstart (due to Scorpions having odd shirts) we were terrible and threw away the chance to make it two on the bounce and get clear of bottom of the league. Shame.
Lets hope we can turn it round for the second half of the season and reverse a few of the defeats.

Team - Ant, Tom, Alex, Steve, Jack, Dave, Kev
Goals - Dave, Jack

Oblivion 6 - Bad Stag 7

2009-05-21T22:15:00.002+01:00

Oh yeah.

Team - Ant, Tom, Jack, Dave, Andy, Chris, Alex
Goals - Dave (3), Andy (2), Jack (1), Chris (1)

A hard fought game, but deserved victory against a team with whom we always have a good match. I was making my first start in four long hard weeks after having the cast removed last week.

With a shirt going missing and Dave having to wear a plain white tee, the match didn't get off to a good start, with Oblivion being awarded a goal as a penalty. We were also handed the bibs, which is not normally a good sign. However, we got off to a fearsome start and soon found ourselves 3-1 up, not something we've been used to this season. Im not sure whether it was nerves, or tiredness or what, but Oblivion managed to pull themselves round and before long it was 4-4. Despite a few dodgy moments including a bout of indecisiveness from myself, with only the post and Alex's face saving me from embarrassment, collectively the Stags dug deep and had other ideas about letting this one slip away. With two minutes left we found ourselves at 6-6. A bit of passing and a fine finish from Andy, left Oblivion with 90 seconds to find yet another equaliser. This time however, they couldn't find a reply and the Stags were victorius.

Saturday brings Scorpions and as long as we don't all get too pissed at the dogs on Friday, the game will provide an excellent opportunity to make it two wins on the bounce for the first time in a while and get us out of the bottom two.

FC Not So Good 7 - Bad Stag 5

2009-05-15T19:48:00.002+01:00

Sadly, was unable to make the match this week so no report, or bunch of short statements parading as one anyway.

Team - Alex, Chris, Steve, Ant, Andy, Kev

Goals - Ant (2), Chris, Andy, Kev

Training Session

2009-05-12T21:20:00.002+01:00

Call me efficient, call me what you want.
The next training session has been booked by Steve (nice one) for 11am Sat 30th May.
It would be unfair for me to suggest we all go back to the Hoskabot's to watch the Cup Final afterwards.

Fatletico Madrid 13 - 3 Bad Stag

2009-05-08T09:16:00.002+01:00

Oh dear.

Team – Alex, Ant, Chris, Steve, Dave, Andy, Jack

Goals – Andy, Ant, Jack

With Dave returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a busted toe, there was a hope that his return would provide the attacking impetus needed to get Bad Stag back in the winning groove. There were no doubts pre-match that Fatletico were going to prove tough to beat, having been promoted to the league above (and then subsequently relegated) in the previous two seasons. However, the Stags should have been buoyed by previous decent displays against them.
Unfortunately, within a minute we were one down. The Fats were weighing down heavily and were far more clinical in their finishing, increasing their lead faster than the toys fly from Ronaldo’s pram. Alas, the game was soon out of reach for the Stags and the game became more about trying to get the four goals required to secure a point than attempting to keep the score line down. Some dancing magic from Ant and neat finishes from Andy and Jack brought the target close, but like Peter Andre from marriage, time ran out.

Jager Yo 6 or 7 - Bad Stag 2

2009-04-30T22:00:00.003+01:00

Was it 6, was it 7? Well it was 6, but the 'ref' didn't see it that way. Guess it is a problem when you can't count, or press a button. Not that it really matters, we lost anyway.

Goal scorers:
Chris 1
Graham 1

FIXTURES!!!

2009-04-30T13:39:00.000+01:00

Season 3 Fixtures

V Kay FC – 2nd April – 9.30

V Positive George – 9th April – 9.30

V AFC Barleycorn – 16th April - 10.00

V VTC – 23rd April – 6.30

V Jager-Yo – 30th April – 8.00

V Fatletico Madrid – 7th May – 10.00

V FC Not So Good – 14th May – 8.30

V Oblivion – 21st May – 6.30

V Scorpions – SATURDAY 23rd May – 6.30

V Kay FC – 28th May – 9.30

V Positive George – 4th June – 9.30

V AFC Barleycorn – 11th June - 10.00

V VTC – 18th June – 6.30

V Jager-Yo – 25th June – 8.00

V Fatletico Madrid – 2nd July – 10.00

V FC Not So Good – 9th July – 8.30

V Oblivion – 16th July – 6.30

V Scorpions – 23rd July – 10.30