Wirral for Thrills

Some really interesting stories on this thread - mention of Korean football and teams like "Partick" Vissel make my own UK travels seem very mundane, but my heart seems to be a bit more open to new teams without feeling unfaithful to my first and truest love! When I was a student in the North East with the option of watching relatively successful Newcastle and Sunderland sides, but they were a bit full of themselves and I took a perverse pride in following the somewhat downtrodden 'Boro. The team could be iffy, but the fans had a great sense of humour. Then after I settled down by the Mersey, I had the option of watching pretty darned successful Liverpool and Everton sides, but they were a bit full of themselves and I took a perverse pride in following the very downtrodden Tranmere Rovers. The team could be iffy, but the fans had a great sense of humour. These days I have a teenage son to share the ups and downs with, and the Nomads to keep me in touch with my roots. Life is good!

Further evidence of solidarity [sic] in the refereeing brotherhood (Copyright Celtic FC 1888 - 2010)

The Pope has recently offered a different position (fnarr fnarr) on such matters. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/world/11/20/10/pope-says-condoms-acceptable-certain-cases-book

Undoubtedly the most worrying moment in all the good news you Firhill talent scouts have been bringing me recently - I thought the Rovers were getting a new manager for a moment there!!

Tranmere Rovers manager Les Parry has confirmed reports that he was interested in signing left footed centre back Mark McChrystal who has been on trial with the club. By the way check out Dale Jennings' winning goal v Plymouth on Saturday: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tranmere_rovers/default.stm

Sam is sporting a fetching shade of electric blue Nikes this season. But never mind that, keep your eyes on Dale Jennings - only 17 and a star in the making. Fast as lightning on the left wing, an eye for a pass, and scoring brilliant goals at will. You heard it here first.

...and I'd be glad I spent it with you. Nominations for the teams? I suspect we can probably come up with outlaws more readily than good guys! Chic Charnley John Donnelly...

Well I don't care what anyone say, I think it's a nice idea to have an appeal for Dundee now that they're so down on their luck. If my 10p can help buy their bus fare to the Eastern Region Juniors, then that's fine by me.

I wrote to Rovers at the back end of last season suggesting exactly that, and was - totally ignored. Seen one Chairman, you've seen them all.

Sorry for the slow reply TH, I just noticed this. Em, they might well have done but it would be easy to miss if they did. The Thistle slot is supposed to feature on their Tuesday night programme Total Football, but the veteran presenter Alan Jackson is a bit absent minded and meandering to put it mildly - typically he prefaces phone in callers points by telling them (at length) how little time they have and how they should get on with it, before pressing the wrong button and deciding he's going to take the travel news instead since he's just brought in the reporter. Last Tuesday he was preoccupied with the impending kick off of the Carlisle v Rover match commentary, and although at the very beginning he definitely said they were going to be talking to somebody from Thistle, as far as I heard he never actually did. Admittedly I was listening to this in the shower after my own Tuesday night game, so I might have had water in my ears, but I don't think so. The iplayer recording is still live for another 24 hours I guess. It's great comedy if nothing else. At one point he peters out mid-sentence and says, "Ooh, I'm getting a headache." http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00bsz8g/Merseyside_Sport_02_11_2010/

The best, no debate.

Am I just imagining that this picture was in the exhibition in the Art Galleries the other year? Or maybe it was the special exhibit at the museum at Hampden. I think maybe the latter.

Too true. There's not been much to sing about at Prenton Park for the last few years unfortunately. Mind you I always liked the one that began "Don't be mistaken and don't be misled, we are not Scousers we're from Birkenhead..." - echoes of "We hate the boys in royal blue, we hate the boys in emerald green" . On the subject of relative levels, I think I can cast a reasonably unprejudiced eye, and without dissing my ever beloved Jags for a moment I'd say that in the long run Tranmere would win more often than lose - but an Anglo-Scottish Cup tie would always be interesting. They (players in general) are just that bit bigger, faster and fitter down here. However it's not exactly a vintage crop in either case at the moment. That's alright, I LOL-d reading several of the answers! They amply backed up my own suspicions. Lastly, if any of that had you checking the FA Cup 1st round today, you may have seen that Bournemouth led TRFC 3-0 after SEVEN minutes today, before Rovers pegged them back to 3-3 (no, neither Morrow or Akins scored!) and ultimately succumbed 5-3. Remarkably this was all done and dusted just after the first hour of the game, leaving a fairly uneventful final third. Just another day in the life of the "Super"whites. P.S. Another result frittered away at Dam'dee.

Thanks folks. Glad to know my eye for a player is as unerring as ever. By the way, down here I'm "benefitting" from Radio Merseyside's season long adoption of Partick Thistle as their "other" team for the season, so anytime I need patronising and ignorant drivel I know just where to tune in...

I knew Sam Morrow had been at Thistle for a few games, but only stumbled across this ghost of a Lucas Akins page on the official Thistle site tonight. Currently Morrow seems to be a subliminally present bench warming crock, while the Tranmere incarnation of Akins shows signs of life as a energetic sub, but not much end product. Can I expect more of the same?