Mainz 3-0 Red Bull Leipzig

Mainz 3-0 Red Bull Leipzig

Bundesliga

Sunday 29th April 2018

Situated quite literally in the middle of nowhere, Mainz's corporately-named OPEL Arena takes the 'out of town' stereotype to a whole new level.

The spaceship has landed next to the cabbage patch

There's an agricultural (and downright ridiculous) feel towards the place as there's nothing but, erm, open fields on all four sides of the grounds and everyone knows watching an old fella pick crops or a farmer tend to a field from your seat in the stands is the greatest form of pre-match entertainment since Wolfie and the Three Little Pigs had a fight, many years ago.

When Mainz made the decision to move here, Germany's answer to Jack Sugden must have been laughing all the way to the Deutsche Bank knowing full well the location would piss off most fans and probably his fellow farmers.  One can only reach the conclusion that it was planned by someone who either despises football fans or supports Eintracht Frankfurt.

It's a good job the club didn't keep with the general tradition of having their training complex situated next to the stadium as I'd hate to see the German version of Claude Greengrass going mental because people have been trampling over his cabbage patch.

You'll never walk alone on the footpath to the ground

The stadium isn't that straightforward to reach by public transport when compared to Germany's high standards and other Bundesliga clubs. Trams and buses terminate around a kilometre away, leaving supporters with a 10-15 minute walk down a stony footpath - something which must feel bloody brilliant whenever it rains and again makes you ask the question why they chose to build this monstrosity so far out of town?

Mainz's fans have also had to show a lot of patience with their team this season as they're caught up in a tight relegation battle and are within reaching distance of perennial strugglers Hamburg, who look like they could defy the odds yet again and somehow survive.

Looking towards the terraced end of the ground

The visitors for this game were RB Leipzig, who have suffered from a bout of 'second-season syndrome' and although they're still in the running for a top four finish which would guarantee a place in next season's UEFA Champions League, there are other teams better positioned and more deserving of one.

Leipzig started the game with a spring in their step but despite obliterating the hosts both territorially and stats-wise in the first 15 minutes, they squandered two glorious chances with Timo Werner and Naby Keita being the culprits.

The OPEL Arena reminded me a bit of Stoke City's ground

Mainz's last home game made international headlines as the referee got in a right kerfuffle after blowing his whistle for half-time then subsequently checking VAR and awarding a penalty during the interval, and history was repeating as Sandro Schwarz's side were given another chance to score from 12 yards after Yoshinori Muto was fouled inside the box.

Pablo De Blasis duly converted and from that point onwards there was an inevitably that the top half side were going to rue those early missed chances.

Throughout, both teams were sloppy and careless with the ball and it wasn't at all surprising that some sloppy possession-play led to the second goal. Alexandru Maxim emphatically finished from about 10 yards following a quick counter-attack after a Leipzig midfielder's bad touch led to him being dispossessed on the halfway line.

Safe standing, but not safe enough for the Premier League? Hmmm...

With the result beyond doubt, the visitors quickly self-destructed and Bote Baku made it 3-0 to Mainz early in injury-time, before Naby Keita was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence - apparently it was his fourth red card this season so Premier League referees ought to take note as he's joining Liverpool for a ridiculous over-inflated fee in the summer.

Having now seen Mainz play twice this season - the other being in a 1-1 draw at Borussia Monchengladbach where there was very nearly one a goalkeeping cock-up of the highest order - then I'm at a loss as to why they have generally struggled, but one more victory now would pretty much secure their status as a top-flight club for another year.

As for Leipzig, if they can qualify for European football for a second successive season, that would be success in it's own right when you consider where they were only a couple of years ago.

All four stands played their part in a crucial win

On a separate point altogether, I never ceased to be amazed by the value for money which the Bundesliga matchday experience offers compared to every other 'top' league in Europe - and how greatly it contrasts from the cash cow of the English Premier League.

Leipzig enjoy an attack in a sun-drenched stadium

A ticket on the large terrace (yes, they have terracing in Germany) cost just 13.50 and there was no sign of any trouble whatsoever with fans happily participating in some great TIFO choreography and enjoying a beer or two in full view of the pitch. The terrace wasn't safe standing-type 'rail seats' that are featuring heavily in British news at present, but more an old-fashioned area for people to stand up and enjoy the match.

The value of treating supporters with respect doesn't end there as the match ticket also included free train travel to and from Frankfurt, which takes about 35 minutes.

Now compare that to England, where the authorities don't seem wiling to budge on all-seater stadiums (at least in the top two divisions). Could you also imagine any London clubs offering free travel on the Underground to games?

The OPEL Arena will probably be a Bundesliga venue again next season

The Bundesliga remains streets, or in Mainz's case large open fields, ahead of its competitors when it comes to value and enjoyment.

Doncaster Rovers 0-1 Blackburn Rovers

Doncaster Rovers 0-1 Blackburn Rovers
Keepmoat Stadium
Tuesday 24th April 2018
League One

Despite being a relatively common suffix, 'Rovers v Rovers' matches have been extremely few and far between in English football in recent years.

Tranmere played Forest Green in last season's National League Play-Off Final with the winner earning the right to be the only 'Rovers' in League Two this season. In League One, Bristol, Doncaster and Blackburn have all come together this term after varied joy and despair for each club in recent times, though you have to go back to 2013/14 for the last time two of these teams met - this being a Championship clash between Blackburn and Donny at Ewood Park.

The most common 'Rovers v Rovers' battle since the turn of the century has been between Doncaster and Tranmere; the two clubs met eight times in four years in the mid-2000s, with goalless draws or a win for the South Yorkshire side at Prenton Park being the most common result.

Therefore, the clash between Doncaster and Blackburn at the Keepmoat Stadium offered a little novelty and, with the visitors knowing three points would seal an instant return to the Championship, there was plenty riding on the result.

A wet night at the Keepmoat on a waterlogged pitch

A heavy pitch certainly didn't help the game and had it not been soaking wet through to the point of being waterlogged, Blackburn would probably have put Darren Ferguson's team to the sword and wrapped up the win they craved much earlier in the game than what they actually did. Instead, it was a bit scrappy and didn't make for great entertainment.

Yes, there were certainly more tackles flying in as a result of the heavy pitch and players were having to over-compensate on passes to ensure they didn't get stuck in the mud, but the weather killed what could have been a superb game of decent football.

The visitors immediately signalled their intentions as Adam Armstrong had a shot blocked by Andy Butler inside the opening minute, and Donny continued to be pressed back and forced to perform defensive duties for much of the first period.

Tony Mowbray's men dominated in the driving rain and Danny Graham twice went close - including an attack in which he had the ball bravely plucked from his feet by Marko Marosi, whilst Charlie Mulgrew also had a free-kick palmed away by Slovakian shot-stopper.

Looking towards the Family Stand section

Donny began to settle after their nervy opening and almost grabbed the opener against the run of play around the half-hour mark when James Coppinger picked the pocket of his marker on the right-wing and looped in a cross towards Alfie Beestin who saw his glancing header saved.

Blackburn's Bradley Dack then endured a 'miss of the season' moment not long prior to the interval when he found himself unmarked in a superb position, a few yards out, but his glancing header from Armstrong's shot somehow went wide when everyone behind the goal in the South Stand was just waiting for the net to ripple.

Referee Eddie 'the idiot' Ilderton has developed a certain reputation over the years and he's an official who I would recognise by sight alone. When that happens, it can only mean they're pretty damn useless and aren't remembered for anything positive.

If it's ever boring then why not play Candy Crush for most of the game?

He's not quite up there in Trevor Kettle's league for ridiculousness (then again, could anyone be as incompetent as that prat?), but Mr Ilderton made his mark on this game by blowing the half-time whistle with 44 minutes and 46 seconds on the stadium clock, during a period of play where Blackburn were on the attack.

Needless to say, his whistle-blowing antics didn't go down well with Blackburn's players so one can only assume that 'the idiot' was in need of some warmth at half-time and just didn't fancy getting wet for any longer. Either that, he was 'attention seeking' yet again.

In the second half, the Yorkshire version of Rovers seemed to finally get to grips with proceedings and started knocking the ball around and asking a few more questions of the opposition with Ben Whiteman and Matty Blair going close.

Fans in the South Stand enjoy the action

Blackburn then upped the ante, no doubt aware that promotion rivals Shrewsbury had also pulled their fingers out having initially trailed in their game at home to Peterborough, and started to enjoy a sustained spell of pressure.

Butler was fortunate not to inadvertently put through his own net when the ball bounced off his knee and went wide, via the post, before Mathieu Baudry was forced into some last-ditch defending as the resulting corner also wreaked havoc.

Eventually, Mowbray's men got what their performance deserved when Mulgrew expertly guided home a header following a corner with around 10 minutes left, and it sent the 4,000-strong travelling support directly behind the goal into raptures.

Donny's consistently tireless work-horse John Marquis nearly became the ultimate party-pooper on the brink of five minutes of injury-time (maybe Mr Ilderton was making up for lost time in the first half here?) when his powerful header was straight at Blackburn 'keeper David Raya, but it wasn't to be for the hosts.

It was no surprise that Blackburn fans entered the pitch

Off the pitch, I know Donny's MC Jonathan Heath may well like the sound of his own voice. On the whole I don't mind his microphone style whatsoever (and some MC's out there could learn a thing or two from him), but asking the Blackburn fans to stay off the pitch five times in the lead up to the final whistle was excessive to say the least.

More hilarious was the reasoning given that the request was for 'Elf & Safety reasons' only for Rovers to then go and turn on the sprinkler system, full blast, at that end of the ground when the inevitable pitch invasion occurred.

I know Mr Heath will have been under instructions from Safety Officers and other folk, but you can't give out claptrap reasons to not do something then whack on the sprinkler system, which if it hit someone and knocked them off their feet, it could lead to that person being trampled by the surging crowd behind them.

Anyone with an ounce of common sense will also surely realise the more you emphasise for people to not do something, the more likely it's going to make them disobey that order and do their own thing.

This is something Donny could do with learning pretty quickly, as Wigan Athletic rock into town on the final day of the season - in a position where they could win the league that day and their fans may want to take their own selfies on the Keepmoat pitch during any invasion...

Touring the San Siro

If you've ever been to Milan, aside from the expensive designer shops that will keep most female companions occupied for hours, you'll probably already know there isn't actually a huge amount of sights/landmarks to visit in the city.

The Duomo is probably Milan's best-known landmark

In the centre, there is 'Duomo' - probably Milan's most well-known landmark and one which attracts thousands of tourists (and pigeons) on an hourly basis, throughout the year, and it's only a stones throw from the world-famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II which houses those stupidly expensive Gucci, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana type shops.

If you're into history, then Piazzale Loreto may be worth a visit as this was the place where fascist dictator Benito Mussolini was publicly strung up from a petrol station, shortly after he was captured and killed towards the end of World War II.

The view of the San Siro upon exiting the metro station

However, sports fans are almost certainly going to be drawn to a quiet suburb in the city's north-west where the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (that's the San Siro to most people) is located.

The San Siro is worth a visit regardless of whether or not there is a match being played simply due to its iconic status, and it'll also make up for the fact that unless you like art, fashion, designer handbags or famous monuments, it's the best sport-related thing to do in the city.

Italy's largest in terms of capacity is home to two giants of world football - AC Milan and Internazionale, both of whom have enjoyed considerable success over the decades but have fallen on more testing times in recent years.

Inside the San Siro on a brilliant summer morning

The teams, coincidentally, are a bit like the stadium nowadays as it was extensively renovated ahead of the World Cup in 1990, but has barely seen any major improvements since, barring the odd uplift here and there in preparation for hosting a UEFA Champions League final, etc.

A complete tour of the San Siro costs €17 and includes a visit to the museum which is split across two levels and includes a range of memorabilia ranging from a replica of the UEFA Cup, match balls from notable games and dozens of old shirts - including specific areas dedicated to AC and Inter as well as the Azzurri national team.

An old replica of the UEFA Cup on display in the museum

Newspaper cuttings, featuring key moments, also add a nice touch of nostalgia but there's a bit of an 'ad-hoc' feel about the whole tour as you're left to wander around and discover things for yourself, rather than have a dedicated tour guide who will explain a little more history.

Once you've finished in the museum and choose to head inside the stadium itself, you'll arrive at the 'mixed zone' area where journalists get to put key questions to players and managers. Interestingly, there appeared to be no huge press room where managers conduct their pre and post-match interviews so one can only gather that, for whatever reason, this area is off-limits to the general public.

Inter's changing looking bigger than it actually is

AC Milan's dressing room was the better of the two teams

Once you've finished at the mixed zone and wandered down a couple of the corridors, you're able to go inside both changing rooms and explore them at your own pace. Both teams' areas are decorated in their respective club colours and are very different from one another.

Whilst there are padded seats, colourful montages, plasma TV screens and several creature comforts in Milan's spacious dressing room, Inter's is far more basic (and smaller) with furniture that looks like it was purchased in IKEA and fitted by a couple of blokes on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

It's nevertheless an experience to see the contrasting differences between the two locker rooms and it also is probably a reflection of how the two clubs view themselves, not just in society, but in specific club traditions stretching back over a century.

Pitchside and perfect

The next destination after the dressing rooms is the long tunnel, decorated in AC Milan paraphernalia on my visit, which leads pitchside - and at this point you'll be hit by the spine-tingling numbness as the San Siro in all its glory and the gloriously green pitch appear in front of you.

Even though the seats represent a neutral colour, you can't help but be taken aback by both the sheer size of the stadium and the imposing and iconic roof, which seems even bigger when looking up towards it from pitch level.

Looking up towards one of the four iconic towers of the San Siro

Disappointingly, this is where the tour itself starts to become a disappointing as you're allowed to freely wander through the post seats at the front of the stand and into a couple of sections within the stands, but there's no chance to visit VIP, corporate or press areas - something which is offered at most other venues which offer tours.

You can also only visit a few sections in one stand and not every single stand, which at a lot of other places you can do. A lack of a tour guide here also really prevents you from learning more about the culture, the myths, the stories, the legends of the place and so much more could be offered to turn this into an even more memorable visit.

The iconic roof in all its glory

Naturally, like every tour, once you've finished strolling around the stands, it ends at the most predictable place; the club shop (or megastore as they're usually called nowadays) where you can purchase a wide-range of products at super-high prices.

Talking of super-high prices, it might be time do some shopping. Milan will always have a habit of getting you to part with your money...

Doncaster Rovers 0-1 Oxford United

Doncaster Rovers 0-1 Oxford United
Keepmoat Stadium
Saturday 21st April 2018
League One

A good afternoon for the southerners

Every now and then in football, teams dominate a game, create a shed load of chances and then suffer a sucker-punch where their hard work gets undone and the opposition are left celebrating.

Although there's close to nothing resting on the remaining fixtures of Doncaster's season, they endured a frustrating afternoon in South Yorkshire as Oxford visited the Keepmoat Stadium for the first time, picked their pockets and pinched three points.

The game wasn't a classic, and it even had shades of a pre-season friendly at times, but the result means that the visitors have all but mathematically guaranteed their League One status for another 12 months.

Oxford have goalkeeper Simon Eastwood to thank for their victory as his 'Man of the Match' performance was sublime and he pulled off several saves to deny Donny's frontline; spearheaded by the ever-impressive work-horse that is John Marquis.

Outside the ground before kick-off

It was Marquis' strike-partner Alfie May who first tested the U's 'keeper, midway through the first half, when he carved out a chance for himself with some clever footwork but Eastwood was quick off his line to narrow the angle and smother the youngster's powerful effort.

Marquis then powered a shot straight at Eastwood as Rovers searched for a win that would give them a very good chance of ending the season in the top half of the table.

At the other end, Oxford knocked the ball around quite well and they probably shaded the early midfield battle, but a combination of wayward shooting and attacks breaking down in the final third meant that Donny 'keeper Marko Marosi was hardly tested throughout the opening 45 minutes.

Oxford's fans traveled in good numbers for their first game at the Keepmoat Stadium

Marosi was finally given some real work to do shortly after the re-start when he made a routine stop from Jon Obika's low set-piece header, whilst Marquis had a similar effort gathered by Eastwood at the other end.

What could then be described as a game-changing moment occurred just shy of the hour mark when Oxford's on loan Doncaster-born midfielder Alex Mowatt was replaced by James Henry, who went on to score what would be the match-winning goal.

In some quarters, the substitution may fit straight into the book of 'Claptrap Cliches' and would be described as inspired, superb, etc, but it's worth remembering that for the first five minutes of Henry's time on the pitch, Oxford got absolutely ripped wide open and were lucky not to have found themselves behind.

The West Stand mafia had another afternoon of lino-bashing

Marquis emphatically smashed the ball home from Ben Whiteman's clever ball, but was judged to have strayed into an offside position so the goal didn't count, and then in a separate attack, Eastwood produced a magnificent point-blank save to deny Matty Blair when it seemed for all the world that the former York and Mansfield man would find the net.

With Darren Ferguson's team well on top, the visitors then went and did their best Dick Turpin impersonation by springing a surprise counter-attack from which they opened the scoring. Some slack marking meant Ryan Ledson wasn't noticed unmarked in the middle and he broke out-wide before delivering an inch-perfect cross for Henry who headed home.

It's become almost habitual for Doncaster fans to moan about referees over the years and this game was no different as the officials bore the brunt of protests after two failed penalty appeals.

Looking towards the East Stand's prawn sarnie army

May went down cheaply for the first appeal and then theatrically throwing his arms up in the air - evidently disappointed that his blatant dive failed to fool the officials, before substitute Jordan Houghton drew much more meaningful contact which, perhaps with a different referee, it would have resulted in a spot-kick.

The appeals at least proved Donny were getting the ball into dangerous areas despite Oxford's evident tactics to waste as much time as possible (who can blame them?) and they were yet again foiled when Eastwood's spectacular fingertip save denied Marquis a deserved goal with a quarter-of-an-hour remaining.

Nevertheless, Rovers run out of ideas in the dying minutes as the visitors soaked up the pressure and by the time the long ball tactics were adopted and started coming into the box, no home player on the pitch seemed capable of acting as a proper target man to give them half a chance of an equaliser.

These folk had little to cheer on a frustrating afternoon

Whether Ferguson's players missed the influence of James Coppinger, who grabbed two assists in Tuesday's 3-3 draw with Bury, is a valid argument but their season look dangerously as if it's going to peter out.

Oxford, on the other hand, barring an almighty cock up, now appear to be safe and Karl Robinson will be eager to ensure there's no relegation worries next term.