PLAYER FOCUS on...."Scotty"

Happy St Andrew's Day...the patron saint of Scotland!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Still a day to go on the best striker poll! Make sure you vote....RoRo is way in the lead! I've also added a couple of new features to the blog. The first is the video bar which i have now made more Madison Celtic related....i have loaded up some video of us playing! There is also some video from my camera phone at Celtic park. I have some more video which i will load soon. Also, there is now a "followers" bar which allows you to put yourself down as a follower of the blog. You can be anonymous or use those great nicknames that you all have now....go on, be brave and give it a try! I will also re-explain how to post a comment shortly using the comments feature at the bottom of every post. Anyway, enough of that ...on with player focus!!


This high flying player missed the Spring season but came back to full effect during the Fall. Equally comfortable up front or in a battling midfield position, Scott "Scotty" the ...erm..."Scot", has knocked in 3 goals and quite a few assists. He has the potential to challenge Danny and Fribeka for their titles of La Boca and La Boca junior but so far they remain the top dogs for vocal pyrotechnics. So what else should we know about Scotty?...read on as he beams me up to his World for an in depth interview.


First time you played soccer? Age 7, my first game was indoor, I scored 5 or 6 goals and was hooked from then on. It was like playing against Killingworth.... ( first game and you remember all those goals, huh? so, what were you wearing that day? what was the weather like? what did you have for dinner? no, really... i believe you can remember it....i do )


Fav team? NY Cosmos, really! I went to every game I could and played summer league with a couple of the players. Was great growing up watching Pele, Beckenbauer, Chinaglia and Carlos Alberto (my college coach coached the Cosmos in the 1970's, so I had an affinity for the team even after the NASL folded, and unfortunately had to endure some of the same workouts he put Pele through!) (i can see some of that Pele training in your style of play......ha ha...i know, I'm laughing too)


Fav player? Franz Beckenbauer, "der Kaiser", that was one great German footballer! ( he's not as good as Das Boots)


Your nickname at school? "Scotty"....and only my soccer team mates were allowed that privilege! ( and Scotty it will be....sorry about the beam me up thing...)


Fav music? Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (I'm from New Jersey,what did you expect? You gotta problem with that?) (Whaddya tawkin, stunad? Fuhgeddaboutit!)


Fav movie? Toss-up, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or No Country for Old Men ( both very happy endings!)


Best vacation? Taking the wife and kids to Europe in 2007, great trip....was very expensive so now I play soccer for money - I'm still waiting on my first check from Tom......( so am i ! )


Best moment on a soccer field? Scoring the winning goal against our arch rival with under a minute remaining in the 1983 county championship semifinal, we went on to win the final (then we lost in the state championship 2-0, that sucked)

Motto for life? Don't take it too seriously and have fun

Something we don't know about you? I'm actually bald and not in very good shape ( i don't know how to break this too you but.....)


Christiano Ronaldo or Kaka? Ronaldo ...didn't he help knock Celtic out of Europe? ( yeah yeah and a few other players too....a bad European run this year )


Thanks Scott for the revealing, inside view of the player that is known to all as ....... "Scotty"!

Player of the Fall Awards! Best Striker

Yes, it's that time of the year again when all those honest democratic voters out there get a chance to pay homage to the best Fall defender, midfielder or striker at Madison Celtic! As a reminder the winners from the Spring season were Jim ( goalie ), El Gato ( defender), Jodinho ( midfielder) and El guante blanco ( striker). Will they win again this season? Well one of them will because El Gato has won the goalie of the Fall season award! Well done!....and hopefully that will stop any cheating in the defender poll.....

Ok, we are going to start with the striker of the Fall award....this will be a tough one, with Jorge, RoRo, Eric, and Scotty all up for the award. I could have added some other players who have played up front once in a while but i think we will stick with these four.

Some facts to help with the decision making; the goal scoring charts at the end of this Fall season have RoRo with 10 goals, Jorge with 8, Roniildo with 6, Scott with 3 , Carlito with 2 and Eric with 1. Of course, it's not all about the goals but they do help!

No cheating on the polls .... and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

The popular player focus feature will return soon!

MATCH REPORT; New Fairfield 3 Madison 1

Madison frozen out of the points in tough season ender

By Jodinho

Reluctant to peel down to our uniforms in the Artic-like conditions (28 degrees F and windy) with only 11 players representing the proud Celtic side, and with several key defensive players, La Boca, Johnaldo and Hamid, nowhere to be found, the teams took the field away to New Fairfield. (Another significant player, Los Guantes de Blanco, unexpectedly withdrew from traveling to the field as he informed his amigo, Carlito, "Es muy frio! Yo no va!") The opponents did not lack for substitutes and played aggressively, and Celtic were up to the challenge. Tough physical play quickly morphed into an ugly match, and New Fairfield struck first when a mix up in the back line resulted in a too easy goal in the first few minutes of play. Celtic pushed back hard and had, as has been our trademark this season, numerous opportunities to put the ball into the back of New Fairfield's net, but with nothing to show for it. In the meantime,New Fairfield's English striker caused fits for the Celtic side and drew the attention of Roniildo who was determined to keep his fellow UK statesman in line.The second half was a continuation of the first, with excellent play in the middle and up top, and lousy, loose play in the back....it was clear that Celtic's defense was in disarray and was having difficulty with repeated strikes toward our goal. Nimble El Gato saved a number of wicked close-range shots by New Fairfield and kept Celtic in the game. Midway through the half, several Celtic players perversely stopped play to discuss the possibility of a ball going over the sideline, all the while NewFairfield sprinted down the field and pounced on yet another all too easy goal. Emotions were tellingly high, with La Boca Junior and Scotty leading the chorus. RoRo placed a couple of nice shots just wide of goal.Things completely unraveled when Jodinho twice attempted to clear the ball from the box, only to kick the ball directly to the opponent at the 30-yard mark who, with a quick pass to his forward sprinting teammate, quickly capitalized. 3-0!! And to think we were playing even or better than NewFairfield! Just when hope was all but lost with only 15 minutes left in the match, RoRo sliced a short cross from the right corner into Ronildo who neatly tucked it away with a powerful shot. Celtic saw a glimmer of hope, which ignited into newly-found high energy when Scotty was taken down in the box by the keeper. Expectations of a successful penalty kick by Ahmad to bring us to only one down with 10 minutes to play were quickly extinguished as the right post was struck and the ball caromed off in a disadvantageous direction. With that, Celtic valiantly attempted to score, but the air was out of us as the ensuing end whistle approached. In the end, a gutsy show of determination, but a demoralizing defeat at the hands of well-matched New Fairfield side. Apres game: Carlito provided a party platter of his home-made wings which were very good...if only we could hold onto to them with our numb fingers.Of course, the wings were washed down with cervezas compliments of Jerry. In order to appease Roniildo, he was also promised that he would be selected to take the first penalty kick of the spring season.

Happy Holidays!

NEXT GAME: Sunday 23rd Nov, New Fairfield!

This is it! The final game of the 2008 season and what a season it has been. A new team, some new shirts and a whole new commitment to winning! After 18 games we have only one left and it's a tough one, away to New Fairfield. They are sitting third in the league with 34 points after 20 games. We are 5th with 30 points after only 18 games so we can't catch them but if we beat them i would say we are the moral victors seeing as they got to play more game than us. In fact every team got to play more than us! We have played New Fairfield 3 times already this season losing one, winning one and drawing one.
I will again miss the game but i know you guys can do it! Someone please take great notes of all the goals that RoRo and Jorge ( El Guante Blanco) scored!

By the way, the current goalscorers for the Fall season are as follows:

Ro Ro 10 goals
Jorge 8 goals
Roniildo 5 goals
Scott 3 goals
Carlito 2 goals

Then Danny, Tom, Eric and Jacques are all on 1. We won't count my goals.......

PLAYER FOCUS on...Jorge..."El Guante Blanco!"

Jorge is a superb player who scores goals for fun. He has knocked in 8 goals during the Fall season and he and RoRo are fighting it out for top goalscorer. He also played fantastically well during the summer, but when it gets cold Jorge gets his white gloves out to keep that important piece of football equipment warm....his hands.
So what do we know about El Guante Blanco.......or should it be....."El hombre blanco enguantado".......? Read on to find out what happens when the gloves come off!

First time you played soccer? Kindergarten in public. In private with my cousins when i was 3 years old. ( wow, you really did plan your soccer career!)

Fav team? "LIGA DE QUITO" actually "COPA LIBERTADORES" champions of South America. "Liga de Quito" is from Ecuador, from my University, where i studied to be a teacher at High School.

Fav player? Raul from Real Madrid, Spain and Maradona 10 times!, World cup '86 was the best. ( I think Scotland was in that one too....)

Nickname at school? "CHINO" I have a small eyes ( that explains a few of the misses then.....)

Fav music? Cumbias ( Are they better than Blackstar though?)

Fav movie? Alexander (?)

Best moment on soccer field? When I scored a goal, a fan gave me a bottle of alcohol. It was his way to celebrate ( Was his name Danny?? )

Motto for life? I love my kids, i love my wife, i love soccer, from anywhere, any age, men or ladies, indoor or outdoor ( we are still talking about soccer...right?)

Something we don't know about you? On soccer field, I am very aggressive, big temper. Off, I am very good person. My wife feels disappointed when she comes to watch me play ( Don't let her come and watch you then!)

Thanks Jorge!

MATCH REPORT; Madison 4 Milford 2

Madison magic too much for Milford

A bitter wind that chilled you to the marrow and brought tears to the eyes was a timely reminder, if it was needed, that Spring and Summer had passed and that Fall was now finally giving way to old man Winter. But on this day, even as the seasons rushed to pass the baton to the finish line of 2008, this Madison team could now proudly say not here, not ever, no one beats us at our house!
Yes, a final game at home yet again ended with the Madison team standing proud, unbowed, undefeated.....and victorious!

This was a rousing, bracing game that started at a hares pace and to be honest caught the Madison team cold. After five minutes a defensive mix up allowed the Milford team to break down the right, cut a ball straight across the penalty box for the easiest of uncontested finishes. Madison were one nil down and struggling to deal with Milford's aggressive play backed by an even stronger head wind that made a mockery of the Celt's usual passing game. This early set back had added to the pre-match shock of realizing that Madison's top goalscorer was missing from the line up. RoRo would not be there to rescue the team as he had done in many previous games and the team would need to rise to the challenge. Several chances came and went for Madison with shots going wide or high as they struggled to get into the game. But just when it was looking bleak for the Celts, a great move down the left by Jorge allowed him to swing in a great cross which was expertly controlled by Carlito in the opposition penalty box. With the softest of touches he then gently lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper for a great equalizer. But if Madison thought the Magic would now disappear from the game they were sadly mistaken. Milford roared back with a style of robust, aggresive play that blended perfectly with the awful weather conditions and the overt leniency of the referee. It was perhaps no surprise then that shortly before half time a goal mouth scramble resulted in a handball save by Ahmad which rebounded to a Milford player who knocked the ball into the net. The referee thought long and hard about pointing to the penalty spot and maybe a red card for the Madison player, but instead he awarded Milford the goal and the 2-1 lead to take into half time.

Some tough talking at half time reinvigorated the Madison team and they started the second half the stronger team. As luck would have it, the robust wind that they had been playing against for most of the first half had now subsided denying Madison the luxury of the boot and rush play that Milford had employed through the first 45 minutes. Unperturbed, Madison's slick passing was much more in evidence now and their constant pressure was finally rewarded when a Milford defender hand balled in the area to present Madison with a clear penalty. Unfortunately, a superbly struck shot by Jorge slammed against the bar and was cleared by Milford. Madison didn't allow this set back to upset their rhythm and the constant aggressive play by Roniildo through the center of the field allowed Madison to keep possession. Wave after wave of attack by Madison was repelled by Milford until an unholy stramash in the opposition penalty area allowed Roniildo to scramble the ball over the line for the deserved equalizer. Madison were now in the ascendancy and this position was rammed home when a sweet move started off by Carlito was finished off by a stunning shot by Scott for the go ahead goal. After this Madison still had some stout defending to do but the game was neatly wrapped up when Roniildo grabbed his second and Madison's fourth of the day to complete a well earned victory and claim an undefeated home record. Only one game left in the 2008 season and a strong Fall sequence of games has now seen the Madison team rack up many more league points than they managed through a somewhat indifferent Spring.

NEXT GAME; Sunday 16th Nov, Milford!

Unbeaten at home in 2008, the final game looms.

Having gone through the whole of the 2008 season with an unbeaten home record, Madison meet Milford Magic in their last game at home. During 2008 Madison have played 8 games at home winning 4 and drawing 4. This will be our fourth game against Milford this year having lost one, won one and tied one. So an unbeaten home record to play for as well as bragging rights against the Magic are all up for grabs on Sunday!

Weather permitting, we will play at our normal ground at the Madison surf club and then Tom has planned an after game drink!

See you all there!

PLAYER FOCUS on......Tom "The Pink!"

Tom has played all through the 2008 season and has had several great games. But by far the best was his stand out performance as the second half referee in our game against the Clinton Brazilian select when we came back from a 4 0 deficit to tie the match 5 - 5. Great game ref!
He is the voice of reason and conciliation in the team. He is willing to take the blame even when it is not his to take, to calm when things are getting a bit stormy....all in all, a great team player. So, what makes this saint of a teammate tick? Read on......


First time you played soccer? Very young! I had 3 older brothers and I was always playing what they were playing - and getting hurt! I played on teams in HS and college and since then in CT summer and indoor leagues


Fav team? Liverpool FC - YNWA! ( Not as good as the Celtic fans version! )


Fav player? I like several: Stevie Gerrard for his explosiveness and ability to influence a game (not his consistency), Fernando Torrez for his efficient movement and ability to shoot from anywhere using whatever he has available, Deco for his awareness, control, and play making. I've also grown to like Rooney a lot since he's shown some maturity. There are also a number of really smart, elegant players to watch in Europe and South America, I just don't see them enough to know them. ( The smart elegant South Americans must be Jorge and Carlito!)


Motto for life? Do your best, treat others well, and keep moving or things will stop working on you!


High school nickname? Pink ( Go figure!....imaginative though)


Fav band? The Who ( The what? )


Fav movie? Again, many for different reasons: Caddyshack, Little Big Man, Terminator, Bourne series, Dr. Strangeglove, Platoon, Bond movies (Connery was best), Thelma and Louise - just kidding! (Did you really mean Dr Strangeglove? )


Best moment on a soccer field? Two - winning in OT in HS to get to state semi-finals; shutting down a Div I All-American in a summer college league match. I've had a few really good indoor games at Oakwood playing on a team that did not lose for 2 1/2 yrs which will go unnoticed in soccer history....( Not now!!)


Tina or Sarah? Why not both?


Most surprising thing we don't know about you? I could tell you, but then I'd have to have you whacked! I don't know...I was an A-league darts player, studied English and philosophy in school, and was in my high school math league just to mess around at other high schools. ( Math league, huh?... no drink, no girls... but math league...)


Thanks Pink!

MATCH REPORT; Clinton 0 Madison 1

Last gasp goal wins it for Celts

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that this league is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dreams of our players are still alive; who still questions the power of our team, this game is your answer!

A game that should have been won well before the end and was thrillingly claimed in the dying moments of an enthralling encounter against one of our most bitter rivals. I say this without the benefit of actually being at the game but as a conduit of information coming from Jody, Behrooz and Jacques. A very strong performance against a stubborn Clinton team was accentuated by a season best performance by Roniildo. Marking Enrique out of the game and creating many great opportunities throughout the game were the hallmarks of success for Ronnie in a performance that clearly frustrated our ex player to distraction. Roniildo was not the only great performance during the game with some great point saving saves from The Cat especially near the end of injury time. However, it may be no surprise to hear that the goal that won the game for the Celts came from a great move down the left when RoRo was released by Fribeca. He stormed into the opposition penalty box, as he has done so many times this season, before delivering a great shot from an impossible angle that slammed deep into the Clinton net. A crushing moment for them and another great goal from a great player!

And with only two games left in the league I think about all that we have seen throughout this years campaign, the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the team who pressed on with that great sporting creed:

Yes, we can!

NEXT GAME; Sunday 9th Nov, Clinton!

Jodinho explains the rules to Roniildo

Our next game will be an away game to Clinton at Indian River. Clinton vs Madison is a derby game for me and I'll miss it because I'm still in the UK. In over 6 years of playing Clinton, they have never beaten us! They have never even taken a point from us! We have a proud record to keep!

They have really improved their team this year with a lot of Brazilian imports and our game against them earlier in the year was only a 3-2 win for us. Of course, one of our ex players now plays for them which should make the game very interesting. I'm sure he will be trying his best to score against us. Best of luck! Let's go for another big win after the destruction of HK. Oh, and someone please take notes so i can blog it later.

PLAYER FOCUS on.... Danny...."La Boca!"

Today we will focus on one of our most talented players (well, that's what he told me!) Danny Bhoy! He joined the team during the summer of 2008 and initially played up front before reverting to his natural position as sweeper. Although he still likes to go up front to show the strikers how to score. He is the last line of defence before our goalie and more times than not he gets the ball ( and sometimes the player!) Danny is not shy in expressing his views on the field, hence his nickname, but he is committed to winning! Although some of his best moments are usually reserved for the after match play by play. An event not to be missed!

I approached my interview with "La Boca" with some trepidation....with his straight talking, to the point reputation will I have to use the **** censor more than I did for The Heckelator? Read on for this fascinating insight into the sweeping genius, the defensive maestro, the verbal fountain that is......... Danny! ............the Third.


First time you played soccer? I first played Soccer when I was 7 years old ( Phew, first question safely out of the way)

Fav team? Man-U, how did you like that ass kicking? ( Ut oh....Here we go...let's see what happens in the return game tonight!)

Fav player? Lionnel Messi ( Hmmm...didn't pick a defender like Rio, Terry, Puyol or Buckwheat? )

Slogan for life? Ride this train until the wheel falls off ( I think there's a couple off already...)

High School nickname? "Spot", I was the only black guy on the team! ( were you bald then too? )

Fav band? Blackstar (...is that really a band?)

Fav movie? A Bronx Tail ( .... the porno version of A Bronx Tale? )

Fav Soccer moment? Hitting the winning P.K. freshman year for state championship

Beyonce or Christina? Beyonce ( You'll have to fight Ro Ro for her )

Something we don't know about you? The girls love me! ( And Jorge loves your salty head! )


Thanks Danny bhoy.....your answers were to the point and you let nothing go past you.....just like the way you play! Let's hope you will be recovering from a Man U defeat as you read this.....

MATCH REPORT; HK 2 Madison 9

Madison run riot to destroy HK

No one could have predicted the final scoreline that stood at the end of this game. Not even the most optimistic of Madison supporters would have thought that the Haddam-Killingworth team would crumble so swiftly, so easily to this Madison team that were sitting several spots below them in the league. It was a truly breathtaking performance by Madison as they gave HK one Hell of a beating.


In what was HK's biggest ever loss, 9 goals were clinically dispatched by the Madison outfit over two fabulous halves of soccer supremacy.


Madison got off to a flyer of a start in this game as they attacked the HK defence from the kick off. Strong running and great possession play by Madison were very quickly rewarded when Ro Ro, the unstoppable Madison striker, hit his 9th goal of the season with a great shot past the stranded HK goalkeeper. Unfortunately for HK this was just the start of the onslaught and very shortly after this first goal Ro Ro was at it again as he surged past HK defenders down the left side of the field, cutting inside the box, then finishing of his great run with the second goal of the game. The HK team did not know what had hit them.....we did....it was The Tank! Stunned by the Madison verve and majestic style of play the HK team could only look on in awe as Jorge took the whole HK defence on a run, as he outstripped the last defender, broke into the penalty box and unleashed an unstoppable shot high into the left side of the HK goal past the hapless goalkeeper.


Things went from bad to worse for HK after this when some great play by Carlos and Jody down the right side of the field resulted in a neat pass to Scott who slammed the ball into the net for goal number four. HK tried to respond to the Tsunami of attacks coming from Madison and to their credit managed to break through the untested, and slightly bored, Madison defence to crack a great shot past the catnapping Behrooz and reduce the deficit to 3 goals again. This goal seemed to only stir up the Madison team as they went back on the offensive and just before half time they re-instated their 4 goal lead when Scott slotted his second goal of the game past the increasingly harassed HK goalie.


The frantic pace of the first-half continued after the break, with Madison intent in dishing out a real beating to an HK team that had given them some tough games in the past. It wasn't long into the half when that beating continued; Jorge went on a mazy run down the right hand side of the field and unleashed a shot that went past the HK goalie on his inside post. This was Jorge's second of the game and Madison's sixth. The Madison players were now all trying to score a goal resulting in some fairly awful attempts at goal by the Madison defenders. However, possibly the goal of the game, if not the season, came from Carlos at least 35 yards out. Seeing the HK goalkeeper off his line Carlito unleashed an audacious lob that sailed high into the net for goal number 7. Two more goals from Madison, one from Jorge, to finish off his second hat trick of the season, and another from Ronnie finished off the scoring for Madison. A late consolation goal by HK, as they thumped the ball past the sleeping Behrooz, was not enough to save the embarrassment of such a devastating defeat. Superb play by Madison in all departments as the midfield were firing on all cylinders with Ronnie, Jody, Carlos and Jacques all turning in "best of the season" performances. Strong play by the strike force with 7 goals shared between Ro Ro, Scott and Jorge told you everything you need to know about the game today. Some late injuries to Eric and Jorge took some of the fun off the victory but hopefully they will be fit and available for the next game against Clinton. On this form Clinton should run for the hills!