What sports teams do you support?

[Heid the Ba]

Ach well

Lost on penalties. I need a new lucky shirt.

Played 189, won 76, drawn 37, lost 76.

We need a win in the cup final on Saturday to get more wins than losses.

[Arneb]

Fursiously rooting for Rangers on Sat.

But shouldn't the count be

Played 189, won 76, drawn 38, lost 75?

Because losses on penalties are really draws? I seem to remember us doing it that way.

[Arneb]

Now here's a REAL loss:

Hertha BSC 0 - 1 Hamburger SV
in the first leg of the First/Second Bundesliga relegation playoffs.

Hertha was fucking awful, I couldn't bear to watch it. It was as if everyone was just going through the motions, saying, yeah, wtf, I won't be here next season anyway. Hamburg had real bite, and they deserve to be promoted. The outcome in Hamburg is quite predictable (i'tll be next Monday), and I can't even say I'm rooting for Hertha anymore. Let the investor write off his millions, let them fire the management, let the President step down, sell away all the too-expensive slackers earning big money from failure, bring up a young team from the academy and aim for mid-table mediocritiy in League Two next season. Fuck it, Big City Big Club Big Big.

Played 190, won 76, drawn 38, lost 76

[Lianachan]

Fursiously rooting for Rangers on Sat.

Pity there are no Aussies here to chuckle at that. I wonder if the term is also used in NZ though.

[Arneb]

I know it's the lamest thing in the world, but could you explain that joke for me?

[Lianachan]

In Australia, “rooting” is one of the (many) euphemisms used for, err, the physical act of love making.

[Arneb]

Interesting Cup final over here, DDR Fizzywater winning against my secret favourite, SC Freiburg, on penalties. Not a high-class, but high-exciation game after the usual suspects had all crashed out spectacularly. 1 all after 90 and 120 min, Leipzig were down to 10 men early in the second half having had a defender sent off after a last man foul (we call it an "emergency brake").

How about Rangers, who we are all very much rooting for?

[Arneb]

If I may...

Rangers 2 - 0 Hearts (after ET), in the Scottish Cup Final


Played 191, won 77, drawn 38, lost 76

If hertha manage to get relegated with a draw in Hamburg, we'll be above even with our count, if not (and I foresee a Hertha wipeout), well at least we've equalized. Not too bad an IrU season considering the absolute no-show of the two participating German sides.

[Richard A]

In Australia, “rooting” is one of the (many) euphemisms used for, err, the physical act of love making.

I never knew that! Presumably the Aussies do have another term that is the equivalent of the English meaning of the word - does anyone know what it is?

But in the meantime, congrats to Rangers!

[Мастер]

In Australia, “rooting” is one of the (many) euphemisms used for, err, the physical act of love making.

I never knew that! Presumably the Aussies do have another term that is the equivalent of the English meaning of the word - does anyone know what it is?

But in the meantime, congrats to Rangers!

I remember the name of this place, even though it's been more than 20 years.

https://luckyshagbar.com.au

[Heid the Ba]

Apologies for my absence but I was in Ulli’s Farm rowing in their regatta. The stress was added to by towing a boat in a vehicle I wasn’t used to. A six metre van and an eight meter trailer is longer than most people would think. Though not if you can do simple arithmetic. We blew past Inbhir Pheofharain in both directions without slowing down, sorry.

[Мастер]

A six metre van and an eight meter trailer is longer than most people would think.

Yes, I was going to go with 14 metres.

[Heid the Ba]

You are a wiser man than most.

[Lianachan]

Apologies for my absence but I was in Ulli’s Farm rowing in their regatta. The stress was added to by towing a boat in a vehicle I wasn’t used to. A six metre van and an eight meter trailer is longer than most people would think. Though not if you can do simple arithmetic. We blew past Inbhir Pheofharain in both directions without slowing down, sorry.

When I spotted it was on I thought you'd likely be there. Hope it all went well, big-assed trailers notwithstanding.

[Arneb]

1 up at the half. The always-futile hope is what gets to me.

[Arneb]

OMFG 2 nil. It will be all the more painful when we still fuck it up.

[Arneb]

Hamburger SV 0 - 2 Hertha BSC

Played 192, won 78, drawn 38, lost 76

Hertha finish the season in 16th, and win the relegation playoffs against Hamburger SV, 2 - 1 on aggregate.

[Lianachan]

Hamburger SV 0 - 2 Hertha BSC

Played 192, won 78, drawn 38, lost 76

Hertha finish the season in 16th, and win the relegation playoffs against Hamburger SV, 2 - 1 on aggregate.

Excellent!

[Arneb]

Excellent!

I admit I don't know if I can stand another angst season. I went into yesterdays game like, let's get it over with, and we don't deserve better anyway. But then Hertha played with energy, aggression and competence, something they had consistently refused to do all season, and they took home a well deserved Auswärtssieg. What can I say?

[Heid the Ba]

Apologies for my absence but I was in Ulli’s Farm rowing in their regatta. The stress was added to by towing a boat in a vehicle I wasn’t used to. A six metre van and an eight meter trailer is longer than most people would think. Though not if you can do simple arithmetic. We blew past Inbhir Pheofharain in both directions without slowing down, sorry.

When I spotted it was on I thought you'd likely be there. Hope it all went well, big-assed trailers notwithstanding.

A great time was had by all. Having a logistics professional about seemed to improve the supply of beer, being met on the beach after a race with a pint is certainly a step up.
Huzzah for Hertha! The choice between winning in the second tier or scraping by in the top is a tough one.

[Arneb]

Hertha have meanwhile signed a new coach, Sandro Schwarz. He arrives out of Moscow, where he led his former club, Dynamo, through the Cup final (they lost to Spartak) before dissolving his contract. Schwarz has Bundesliga experience, he kept FSV Mainz (the club where both Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel matured as coaches before going to Dortmund) from relegation for two seasons before being fired after a bad start in the third. Another decidedly low-profile choice by the sports director, but hopefully not as disastrous as Korkut. The point about his hiring seems to be that he can pull together a group to form a team in an underdog-type situation, which is where Hertha is. An overdue good-bye to Big City Big Club Big Big hyperbole.

And now for something completely different: Were our distiguished Scottish members rooting for Scotland or Ukraine yesterday?

[Heid the Ba]

Neither, I didn’t watch. Had Scotland won they would just have lost to the Welshies, which would have been worse.

Reality beckons for Hertha, what happen end to the big plans? Never mind . . .

[Arneb]

The investor, it seems, did have some questions about what exactly 375 million had bought him. My answer would be: No surprises.

[Lianachan]

And now for something completely different: Were our distiguished Scottish members rooting for Scotland or Ukraine yesterday?

Wasn't interested in it one way or the other. Hope Ukraine stuff the daffodil shagging brexiteers though.

[Arneb]

Italy 1 - 1 Germany

in the inaugural game of this year's Nations League

Played 1 Won 0 Drawn 1 Lost 0