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Post by sandbachhatter on Mar 31, 2017 11:35:03 GMT
P - CLUB DE FUTBOL PACHUCA (MEXICO)
Club de Fútbol Pachuca is a Mexican professional football team based in Pachuca, Hidalgo, that competes in Liga MX.
Founded by Cornish miners in 1901, it is one of the oldest football clubs in the Americas. After decades of mediocre or poor performances between the 1st and 2nd division, Pachuca was promoted once again to the Primera División in 1998. Since then it has been one of the most successful clubs in Mexico, winning six national championships, four CONCACAF Champions' Cups, the 2007 SuperLiga, defeating Major League Soccer's LA Galaxy and one Copa Sudamericana in 2006 Pachuca became the first CONCACAF team to win a CONMEBOL tournament.
Pachuca was one of the founding members of the Mexican Primera División.
Cornish emigrant miners working for the Compañía Real del Monte y Pachuca founded the "Pachuca Athletic Club" in 1901. Originally they practiced football as only a hobby during the free time they had while working at the mines owned by William Blamey. Alfred C. Crowle was the man who first introduced the sport to the mine workers, bringing the first footballs and the rules. Lovely story. I wonder what the half time pies/pasties are like?
BRINGBACKLENWHITE
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Post by sandbachhatter on Apr 22, 2017 12:20:27 GMT
Q - QORMI F.C. (MALTA)
Qormi F.C. was born in 1961 after the amalgamation of Qormi Youngsters and Qormi United. The Club plays in the 2nd tier of Maltese football after suffering relegation last season. Perhaps the most well-known of their former players is Michael Mifsud who played for Coventry and Barnsley, scoring twice for the former in a League Cup win over Man Utd. One of their top scorers for this season is 23-year-old Noah "JJ Okocha" Ojuola, a Nigerian centre half who has played in the Danish top flight. I should say the "JJ Okocha" bit is not my doing and, thankfully, none of their other players have a nickname of an ex-pro who played a completely different position.
Qormi’s home ground is the Thomaso Grounds/Qormi F.C. Football Complex, however they will play all their home and away games this season at either The Centenary Stadium or the Victor Tedesco Stadium. Like having 12 fingers in Burnley, using neutral grounds for football matches is the norm in Malta.
Qormi's Facebook page lists their only milestone as the creation of the Club's Facebook page. So, without CHASM, no-one would know that they've actually reached the final of the Malta Trophy a few times. Losing a final is a milestone in my book and they've done this on each occasion they've played one. So, congrats... I guess?!
Although I can't confirm whether or not Qormi have a high protein pre-match meal and warm-up with Mo Farah in the middle of their El Rondo, they certainly do have a rather excellent team bus.
HERMANNSAYS
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Post by sandbachhatter on Apr 22, 2017 12:23:46 GMT
R - RENOFA YAMAGUCHI FC (JAPAN)
They were founded in 1949 as the 'Yamaguchi Teachers', but morphed into 'Renofa Yamaguchi FC' in 2006. Apparently the word 'Renofa' refers to the words 'renovation, fight and fine'.
The old crest was used from 2006 until 2013, and replaced with the re-branded one above thereafter
They are a semi professional team and play at the Yamaguchi Ishin Park Stadium, which was built in 1963, has a running track and a capacity of around 20,000.
The home kit is orange and black and the away is a mix of grey white and orange.
Between 2006 and 2013 they played in the Chugoku League and had to wait until the 2008 season to record their first league win. They improved so much that season and finished 4th in the Japanese Regional Football League Competition, narrowly missing promotion to the Japan Football League.
They had to wait until 2013 to gain promotion to the JFL 3rd Division.
In 2015 they gained promotion to the JFL second division where they currently play.
They are managed by Nobuhiro Ueno (probably known as Nobby...will this lead their fans to adopt our famous song)?
Amazingly they have just 1 foreign player on the books who is defender Chan-Yong Park from South Korea. The club finished 12th in 2016. They are now involved in a relegation battle in 19th place.
They have a massive online shop at www.renofa.com/ with loads of tat.... including their reknowned mascot Renomaru.
CEEFER
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Post by sandbachhatter on Apr 28, 2017 11:13:48 GMT
S - FC SANTA COLOMA (ANDORRA)
Formed in 1986 and based in the village of the same name, FC Santa Coloma became one of the founder members of Primera Divisió in 1995. Since 2001 the club has enjoyed great success in all Andorran competitions holding the winners' records for the Premier Andorran League (10) and Andorran Cup (8). It also has two unique achievements for an Andorran team in European competitions. It is the only team from Andorra to win a match in any European competition and the only team that did not concede a goal in a match in a European competition.
For most of its history, club colours were all white but recent team photos show red shorts.
Second colours are all blue with all red as an a third strip. As befits an area torn between Catalan and Spanish influences, most of the players are from Andorra or Spain and probably the most famous recent player is Spanish international full-back Joan Capdevila who played over 350 games for Atletico Madrid, Deportivo La Coruna, Villareal and Espanyol as well as 60 games for his country.
The local Andorran El Classic is between FC Santa and Sant Julia but the Santa Coloma El Derbi is between FC Santa and UE (Unio Esportivo) Santa who are usually the top two clubs in the league. However, there is no home advantage because all Andorran league games are played at the Estadi Comunal.
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Post by sandbachhatter on May 6, 2017 8:55:55 GMT
T - TOUT PUISSANT MAZEMBE (THE CONGO)
Tout Puissant Mazembe is a Congolese football club based in Lubumbashi.
Its nickname is Les Corbeaux which means the ravens which is a little odd as their club badge shows a crocodile with a ball in its mouth!!!
They became the first Congolese club with 312,000 followers on facebook.
Tout Puissant Mazembe was founded in 1939 by Bennedictine monks of the order of sanctimonious saint.
In 1967 & 1968 it won the African Cup Of Champions and also made the finals in 1969 & 1970. They were the first club to successfully defend the African Cup Of Champions. In 2009 they finished 6th place in the FIFA Club World Cup after defeats by Pohang Steelers & Auckland City.
They are the current champions of the Linafoot which is the top division in Congo.
Tout Puissant Mazembe play their home games at the Stade TP Mazembe in the suburb of Kamalondo which has a capacity of 18,500 and they regularly get 18,000 watching their games.
COUNTY BENNO
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Post by sandbachhatter on May 13, 2017 23:16:54 GMT
U - UTHAI THANI FOREST (THAILAND)
‘U’ for ‘Underachievers’ - as we visit the lower-northern region of Thailand to call in on semi-professional outfit, Uthai Thani Forest.
Very much new kids on the block - having been founded as recently as 2010. But in terms of making their presence felt quickly on the pitch, Fylde they are definitely not. The early years of Unai Thani’s life were spent bumping perilously near the bottom of the fourth-tier Regional League... until 2016, that is, when the club actually finished in the basement position and was relegated into further oblivion.
FA and League Cup success has been similarly elusive - with nothing but First-Round exits in both competitions to show for knockout-tournament efforts to date. This Forest is not yet in the habit of pulling up any trees!
The club plies its trade at the 4,500-capacity Uthai Thani Province Stadium - although, for some reason, went walkabout in 2013 to host matches in the grounds of (deep breath...) Latyaowitthayakhan School - which must have caused meltdown for the fans’ sat-nav settings!
What the club does have going for it is a menacing-looking crest that features a wild-eyed Indian bison. ‘The Gaurs’, as Uthai Thani are nicknamed, happen to be beasts that scrape into the the top five - behind only elephants, giraffes, hippos and rhinos - when it comes to the world’s biggest land animals. If nothing else, the mascot must command respect during pre-match warm-ups...
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Post by sandbachhatter on May 19, 2017 11:11:41 GMT
V - VIKINGUR GOTA (FAROE ISLANDS)
Víkingur can be found on Eysturoy, which is one of the Faroe Islands, and are the current Faroese Premier League (Effodeildin) champions - which means the ‘Vikings’ will play in next season’s Champions League.
Their Serpugerdi Stadium only has room for 2,000, so I don’t know what they will do if they draw a really big club!
They have already been in the Europa League six times, and in 2014/15 became the first-ever team from the Faroes to get through two rounds of a European club competition.
The club is very young, as it was formed in 2008 by bringing together two teams, Gøtu Ítróttarfelag and Leirvík ÍF. This has meant that the club is based in Leirvík, but the stadium is several miles away in Gøta. I wonder how many away fans turn up at the wrong place!
MACC JNR
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Post by sandbachhatter on May 26, 2017 18:39:50 GMT
W - FC WINTERTHUR (SWITZERLAND) Over in the Canton of Zurich (in the North East of Switzerland), are FC Winterthur of the ‘Swiss Challenge’ League (which frankly sounds like a delicious chocolate-eating competition).
Despite sporting the sort of logo which wouldn’t look amiss on the left nipple of a Nazi soldier, FC Winterthur are extremely friendly, and have had the good grace to allow the rest of Switzerland to take all the honours for the last hundred years. Yes, 2017 marks the centenary of the last time our pals in Winterthur won anything, although they did reach the final of the Swiss League Cup in consecutive seasons (1972 and 1973) only to lose on both occasions.
They play at the 8,550 capacity Stadion Schützenwiese, which isn’t a million miles away from most of the grounds we’ve visited this season (well, actually, it’s about 800 miles away, but I was speaking figuratively).
Unsurprisingly, Winterthur favour an all red kit, and if you thought Wisla Krakow had the kind of immigration policy the Tories might envy, spare a thought for the foreigners at FC Winterthur, as there are only three of them (well, there are also two Austrians, but that’s essentially the same as being Swiss, only with a more chequered past). Yes, there is another Croat (those boys really get about) and an Italian, but most surprising of all (not least to him, I should imagine), is Brazilian Silvio, who must wonder about getting a new agent.
SANDBACH HATTER
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Post by sandbachhatter on Jun 11, 2017 21:31:02 GMT
X - XELAJU MC (GUATEMALA)
Xelaju MC or Xela are from Guatemala and play in the Liga Nacional, the country's top division.
The club was founded in 1928 as Germania, and after 10 years of existence changed their name to Adix and then changed their name again to Xelaju Mario Composeco in honour of local footballer Mario Composeco, who was the club captain in the 1940’s and helped them win 10 consecutive titles and was still an active player when he died in a plane crash in 1951.
The club play at Estadio Mario Camposeco which has a capacity of 11,220. The Superchivos have been Guatemalan champions five times, first in 1961–62, again in 1980, a third time in 1995–96, a fourth time in the 2006–07 season, and a fifth in 2011–12. Xelajú has won the Copa Centenario once, in 1972–73. In the 2007 Clausura tournament, they eliminated five-time defending champions Municipal in semi-finals, to reach their first final since the inception of the Apertura/Clausura format. They faced Marquense, losing the first match 0–1 and winning the second match 4–1, for a global score of 4–2 which gave them their fourth championship. It was the first time since 1980 that two teams from outside of Guatemala City finished first and runner-up.
COUNTY BENNO
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Post by sandbachhatter on Jun 16, 2017 11:02:23 GMT
Y - YOKER ATHLETIC (SCOTLAND)
Formed three years after County in 1886, Yoker Athletic ply their trade in the West of Scotland Super League First Division. This is the second highest division of the West Region of the Scottish Junior* Football Association. They finished 10th out of 14 clubs in 2015/16, but the division's wiki hasn't been updated for 2016/17 yet!
*The 'Junior' denotes level of football rather than anything age related.
Despite their low level, they still manage to have their own pin badge (above).
They play in all royal blue and are based at Home Park, although theirs is a little more modest than Plymouth Argyle's. They might have their crest incorporated into their gate, but their ground is pretty basic.
Never heard of them before, but there is something quite pleasing about them rattling along in their lumpy stadium for 131 years. They even have a literary mention; a character in James Kelman's 'A Disaffection' attends a game there. It is not known by wiki if the disaffection has anything to do with Yoker Athletic.
ANOTHER RUINED SATURDAY
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Post by sandbachhatter on Jun 23, 2017 11:15:07 GMT
Z - ZAGLEBIE LUBIN (POLAND)
These guys make it in by way of coincidence. As we began our journey into CHASM, I was playing FIFA with junior and we always play random v random and these boys appeared. They were founded in 1945 after the town of Lubin was returned to Poland from Nazi Germany and Poles who had been cleared from eastern Poland by the Russians got together to create a football team. Their number included three pre war professionals. After bumbling around the lower divisions for forty years in 1985 they won promotion to the Polish top flight (Ekstraklasa) which they went on to win twice 1991 and 2007. They have lost the Polish cup final twice. This season was their most successful in Europe winning 2 qualifying rounds including Partisan Belgrade before losing in Q3. They play in a modern 16,000 seater stadium bearing their name. Amongst their former players are the marvellously named Marcin Adamski, Sunday Ibrahim and possibly the last child on any register ever Mateusz Zytko. Kit: red and white stripes DUDLEY HATTER
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