Greetings one and all and welcome to TLFG.
I didn't think I'd get anything published this week as I was struck down with a fairly debilitating bout of food poisoning on Friday night which completely wiped me out until this morning.
I also learned this evening that the poorly relative I mentioned a couple of weeks ago passed away this evening. With the wife and child also unwell, it's been a trying few days.
Yesterday's illness was particularly annoying as it scuppered plans I'd laid down months ago to entertain a young Dutch football fan who is in town to write a book about London football.
Operating as a 'fixer' for as much of it as I could, I had intended to host him as he did the QPR leg of his research.
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| Dutch TLFG readers are well looked after on their visit to QPR |
Sadly it was not to be but I did get to meet him for the ticket handover and set him up with some other far more knowledgeable Rangers fans who looked after him for the rest of the day - Paul Finney I thank you :-)
I even managed to get him a welcome message on the Loftus Road scoreboard at half-time and a trip down the 'Adelaide' for a meeting with the FA Cup (sort of) after the game.
He's visiting every professional London club over the next few weeks so if you're a fan and would like to host him and give him a few stories then let me know and I'll put you in touch.
GET INVOLVED
As always, please remember to let me know what you've been up to and if you're interested in reviewing a ground within the London area for this blog then get in touch. You might also want to have a go at writing a 'Top Ten' one week. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.
You can contact TLFG through the comments section below or via Facebook, Twitter or even by good old email.
LATEST TICKET NEWS
Each week at TLFG we attempt to compile a list of what's on general sale to non-members at London's Premier League clubs and for other notable matches (click on the team name for details).
Wednesday 5 March, 8pm - Denmark, international friendly, Wembley
Nothing currently available
Sunday 19 January, 4pm - Manchester United, Premier League (on sale 23 Dec)
Tickets are only available to season-ticket holders, members and their guests
Saturday 21 December, 3pm - Manchester City, Premier League
Wednesday 1 January, 3pm - West Ham United, Premier League
Saturday 11 January, 3pm - Sunderland, Premier League
Wednesday 1 January, 3pm - West Ham United, Premier League
Saturday 11 January, 3pm - Sunderland, Premier League
Thursday 12 December, 805pm - Anzhi Makhachkala, Europa League
Wednesday 18 December, 745pm - West Ham United, League Cup
Wednesday 29 January, 745pm - Manchester City, Premier League
Wednesday 29 January, 745pm - Manchester City, Premier League
Saturday 14 December, 3pm - Sunderland, Premier League
Saturday 28 December, 1245pm - West Brom, Premier League
Saturday 22 March, 3pm - Manchester United, Premier League
Saturday 5 April, 3pm - Liverpool, Premier League
Saturday 3 May, 3pm - Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League
TICKET DEALS
The main deal on offer this week is to be had at Tottenham Hotspur who are pricing all adult tickets at £20 for the visit of Anzhi Makhachkala on Thursday in the Europa League. Family tickets are also available.
On Saturday, one of the ties of the round in the FA Trophy pits former Football League clubs Barnet and Grimsby Town against each other and prices have been reduced to a flat rate of £10 for non-members.
Once again there's also some cheap football down at Motspur Park where Fulham host Tottenham Hotspur in the U21 Premier League on Friday. It's £3 for adults.
Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, it's also £3 to see QPR v Fulham in the FA Youth Cup (U18s) at Loftus Road.
Looking ahead a couple of weeks, it's getting all festive down at The Den where it's only £5 to get into Millwall v Middlesbrough in the Championship. Bargain!
On Saturday, one of the ties of the round in the FA Trophy pits former Football League clubs Barnet and Grimsby Town against each other and prices have been reduced to a flat rate of £10 for non-members.
Once again there's also some cheap football down at Motspur Park where Fulham host Tottenham Hotspur in the U21 Premier League on Friday. It's £3 for adults.
Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, it's also £3 to see QPR v Fulham in the FA Youth Cup (U18s) at Loftus Road.
Looking ahead a couple of weeks, it's getting all festive down at The Den where it's only £5 to get into Millwall v Middlesbrough in the Championship. Bargain!
If you know of any other deals I may have missed or your club is running a promotion let me know.
There are well over 80 matches in the London area this week so there's plenty to choose from whatever your budget.
With bad weather becoming more frequent, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or venue has been changed. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.
Details on all of this week's games can be found in the following match map. If you've never used it before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the left side of the map page to make sure you get all the information.
Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.
It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top (e.g. clubs in the Conference South).
It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top (e.g. clubs in the Conference South).
MATCH MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Turquoise pin - Wednesday fixtures
Purple pin - Thursday fixtures
Magenta pin - Friday fixtures
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Red pin - Sunday fixtures
Purple pin - Thursday fixtures
Magenta pin - Friday fixtures
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Red pin - Sunday fixtures
View London match map 9-15 December 2013 in a larger map
Next up is this week's TLFG match recommendations where I list a few games which I think could be worth a watch. There are often many more games that are worthy of a mention but I simply don't have the time or space to squeeze them all in so add your own in the comments section below.
TLFG TOP 10
1. Chelsea v Crystal Palace - a month ago this game wouldn't have made the top 10 so bad were Palace. Since then Tony Pulis has come in and their fortunes have turned around fairly dramatically. With only one defeat in five they are a very different proposition and will go to Stamford Bridge with some belief. Belief, though, almost certainly won't be enough. Even though the Blues came unstuck at Stoke on Saturday, they should still win comfortably. (Premier League, Saturday 14 December, 3pm. Ticket info)
2. Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool - there's a top six clash up at White Hart Lane on Sunday afternoon. It's a sign of Spurs' improvement over recent seasons that Andre Villas-Boas' job is under threat when they're sixth, two points off a Champions League place with only 15 games played but that's what we keep hearing. Consequently a match against second-placed Liverpool is pretty massive. The smart money is probably on a draw but the Reds' recent record at WHL is poor, having lost on all of their last six visits. (Premier League, Sunday 8 December, 4pm. Ticket info)
3. West Ham United v Sunderland - there's a crucial game at the other end of the table too as the Hammers host the Mackems. Sam Allardyce's side gave Fulham a good stuffing last weekend but normal service swiftly resumed with back-to-back defeats against Palace and Liverpool. Aside from outstanding victories over Newcastle and Manchester City, Sunderland have been flatlining all season and badly need something here. It could be a cracker between two very even teams or a tense and nervy 0-0. (Premier League, Saturday 14 December, 3pm. Ticket info)
4. Brentford v Oldham Athletic - after losing their way a bit, Brentford have become League One's form team and as a result are right back in the hunt for promotion. With seven wins from their last eight they've cut the gap on the automatic promotion spots to six points. Although the Latics are way back in 14th, they're on a decent five game unbeaten run of their own so shouldn't be pushovers. Stat - the Bees have won their last four games against Oldham, scoring seven goals and conceding none. (League One, Saturday 14 December, 3pm. Ticket info)
5. Barnet v Grimsby Town - we're down to the last 32 in the FA Trophy and remarkably there's only one London club left in it. The Bees are the highest ranked non-league club in London so it's no surprise that it's them. The draw could've been kinder to Barnet as only goal difference currently separate them in fifth and sixth in the Conference table and Grimsby have already beaten them in the league this season. Grimsby also made it to last season's final but lost on penalties so will want to go one better. (FA Trophy, Saturday 14 December, 3pm. Ticket info)
6. Boreham Wood v Sutton United - this is a game of great importance to both these London sides but for different reasons. After surprisingly pushing for promotion last season, the Wood have struggled so far this time and are in the bottom three having not won in four. Sutton, on the other hand, are in the top five and could go into the top three if they win here. In recent seasons the U's have just about had the edge in these contests and they should come out on top again. (Conference South, Monday 9 December, 745pm. Ticket info)
7. Kingstonian v Wealdstone - the match of the week in the Isthmian League takes place right at the start of it when two of the top three clash at Kingsmeadow. AFC Hornchurch are currently top but have played more games than both of these two. Consequently if the K's win this they'll go top on goal difference. The Stones will take a large vocal following to this so the atmosphere is likely to be lively. Massive game, be there! (Isthmian League Premier Division, Monday 9 December, 745pm. Ticket info)
8. Northwood v Barton Rovers - local Southern League clubs haven't featured much in the top 10 this season because most of them are having a stinker! All that is except for Northwood who have crept into the top six recently. To be taken seriously as play-off contenders they'll have to beat the likes of Barton who were top but are currently third. (Southern League Division 1 Central, Saturday 14 December, 3pm. Ticket info)
9. Molesey v South Park - we've got a top-six clash to look forward to in the Combined Counties League too. The Moles have stuttered a bit of late but on Saturday gave Farnham Town a thorough thrashing to get back on track. They'll find things tough against South Park though as they've won 16 of their 19 games to go six points clear at the top. They are also scoring a whopping 3.3 goals a game so this match has real potential. (Combined Counties League Premier Division, Tuesday 10 December, 745pm. Ticket info)
10. Orpington v Hollands & Blair - last up this week we have a Kent Invicta League match. Orpington were pretty mediocre last season, coming home ninth. This year they're much improved and are third at the time of writing. Hollands & Blair finished runners-up to the impressive Phoenix Sports last term and are currently on course to go one better being two points clear at the top. Despite the closeness in position, there are 11 points between them so H&B should triumph. (Kent Invicta League, Saturday 14 December, 2pm. Club info)
6. Boreham Wood v Sutton United - this is a game of great importance to both these London sides but for different reasons. After surprisingly pushing for promotion last season, the Wood have struggled so far this time and are in the bottom three having not won in four. Sutton, on the other hand, are in the top five and could go into the top three if they win here. In recent seasons the U's have just about had the edge in these contests and they should come out on top again. (Conference South, Monday 9 December, 745pm. Ticket info)
7. Kingstonian v Wealdstone - the match of the week in the Isthmian League takes place right at the start of it when two of the top three clash at Kingsmeadow. AFC Hornchurch are currently top but have played more games than both of these two. Consequently if the K's win this they'll go top on goal difference. The Stones will take a large vocal following to this so the atmosphere is likely to be lively. Massive game, be there! (Isthmian League Premier Division, Monday 9 December, 745pm. Ticket info)
8. Northwood v Barton Rovers - local Southern League clubs haven't featured much in the top 10 this season because most of them are having a stinker! All that is except for Northwood who have crept into the top six recently. To be taken seriously as play-off contenders they'll have to beat the likes of Barton who were top but are currently third. (Southern League Division 1 Central, Saturday 14 December, 3pm. Ticket info)
9. Molesey v South Park - we've got a top-six clash to look forward to in the Combined Counties League too. The Moles have stuttered a bit of late but on Saturday gave Farnham Town a thorough thrashing to get back on track. They'll find things tough against South Park though as they've won 16 of their 19 games to go six points clear at the top. They are also scoring a whopping 3.3 goals a game so this match has real potential. (Combined Counties League Premier Division, Tuesday 10 December, 745pm. Ticket info)
10. Orpington v Hollands & Blair - last up this week we have a Kent Invicta League match. Orpington were pretty mediocre last season, coming home ninth. This year they're much improved and are third at the time of writing. Hollands & Blair finished runners-up to the impressive Phoenix Sports last term and are currently on course to go one better being two points clear at the top. Despite the closeness in position, there are 11 points between them so H&B should triumph. (Kent Invicta League, Saturday 14 December, 2pm. Club info)
Shame there isn't anything other than Spurs on Sunday. Clubs are missing a trick I reckon.
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