Intertoto Cup a waste of time

Suffering from football withdrawal symptoms and general boredom, I decided to wander over to Windsor Park on Saturday and watch the Intertoto Cup match between Cliftonville and FC Dinaburg of Latvia.

I have since noticed hagiographic accounts of the match appearing from the murkily illogical world of Irish League fandom. These seem to be based largely on the indisputable fact that Cliftonville enjoyed the better of the second half, the Latvians having been reduced to 10 men shortly after the interval.

Unsurprisingly I would dissent from these glowing accounts of what I regarded a desperately poor spectacle.

Cliftonville and Dinaburg both played some neat football on occasions, but were indescribably powder puff at the business end of the pitch. Both goals in the 1-1 draw came from defences completely abdicating their responsibilities.
The Intertoto Cup is a dreadful competition. Poor teams, watched by poor crowds serve up poor fayre at a juncture in the season where they should be resting prior to pre-season training, or doing the fitness work for that training.

Comments

Hernandez said…
The last thing I would want to do at this time of year is watch an Irish League football team in action. I'm afraid I don't know what 'hagiographic' means.
25 June 2007 at 13:12
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