PLAYER FOCUS on.....Drew ...."Bambi"....!

It's time for another unique experience! Yes, another player focus! This time the newbie under the microscope is that giant skyscraper of a player Drew. Some call him Lanky, some call him Stretch, some even call him Crouchy but to us he has only one name, and that is..... Bambi! From the moment he took to the ice, sorry soccer field, and proceeded to show us his striking inability to coordinate his legs he earned the name. Of course, he answered his critics by scoring on his debut and continues to impress with his incredibly detailed accounts of fishing and cameras. Well his player focus is no different!
Enjoy!

First time you played soccer?
I played for several spring/fall leagues as a small kid, probably aged 6-9 or so and then gave it up for baseball (at which I was also no good). I got back into it for real as an adult at around age 27 right after finishing my doctorate and have loved playing ever since. ( So basically you haven't really started playing soccer at all yet...that's what I'm reading here...oh yeah, that's what I'm reading....)

Favorite Team?
Man Utd. Why? Ummm.. In reality probably because when I really started playing again as an adult Beckham mania was full fledged and it served as my first entry into really learning about the European game. I am impressed by SAF and the fact that they have managed to do so well so long with some continuity in the staff there. On the other hand, they keep putting Paul Scholes on the field, and he keeps making those tackles… why does he keep making those tackles? ( I don't know Bambi but your answer sounds like you are re-doing your doctorate thesis! Have you not heard of the Scholes uncertainty principle? You never know when or where he is going to tackle you? ....tsk tsk.... call yourself a scientist?)

Fav Player?
Actually not Goldenballs. As I learned more about the European game, I started watching more leagues and teams - definitely my favorite was Zinedine Zidane. Headbutts aside, noone controlled a game like ZiZou at his best. Also like many other attacking midfielders with a penchant for slotting in a pass that makes really good defenders look stupid - Xavi, Fabregas, Gerrard, Essien. ( ...and so the thesis continues.... )

Fav Music?
Anything but Country. Seriously, my truck and my girl are doing just fine, thank you. ( What about your one legged dog ? )

Fav Movie?
So many options…. gotta love the Princess Bride though. "That word. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means…." ( There are just so many things wrong with this sentence that I don't know where to start.....)

Best moment on a soccer field?
One time I actually managed to single handedly dribble past 2 defenders and the goalkeeper and score in an indoor game about 4 years ago. My teammates gave me the obvious "where the f*** has that been hiding???" ( so....where the f*** has it gone??)

Nickname at school?
None really in school…. got nicknamed "flash" by my buddies in DuPont Merck after burning my hands in a chemical fire… we were a real supportive bunch. ( and now your are with an even more supportive bunch of guys....and you are our Bambi....)

Motto for life?
Play hard.. life can be shorter than you think. ( Oh God, another cheery soccer player....whatever happened to " always look on the bright side of life..ta dum, ta dum, ta dum, ta dum, ta dum" ....or were you just thinking about Tano when you said this??)

Something we don't know about you?
I gave up soccer and baseball in school for fencing. Then I actually got good at it. Was a 2X All american at UNC in Foil and was at my best competitive with the top 25 or so fencers in the US. So my reflexes are fine…. it's the lack of technique that defines my football game :) ( Ah... and of course, your rapier wit Bambi! )

Most famous person I've met?
Nobody. Seriously, I suck. Warren Buffet's first wife was related to my family though, does that count? (....No....)

Thanks Bambi! Welcome to the team!

Bambi and Thumper go for a dance.....

Match Report; Woodbridge 0 Madison 3

I missed the game but it looks, and reads, like it was a great one! Thanks again to Annie for the photos and Roniildo for this weeks match report!

Woodbridge No Match For Magnificant Madison!

It was on a misty morning in Woodbridge that we returned to the crime scene from last week’s match, but this time Madison marched away with a thoroughly deserved and comprehensive 3-0 beating of the “other” Woodies. This was very much the Woodbridge team line-up and performance predicted earlier in the week by Arniesto, who, despite a late week hamstring pull, showed on Sunday to deliver another stellar performance in the strike line.
Although Woodbridge had 2 or 3 fast and fit players in the middle and upfront, they were no match for the Celtic midfield of Fribeka, Halil and Carlos, and on the very rare occasion they managed to get forward, the back 4 of Telat, Goggellitto, LaBoca & BOR easily snuffed out any threat whatsoever from the Woodbridge offense, including the number 13 (which in the end proved to be his unlucky day). Wave after wave of impressive Madison attacks down the left and right, spearheaded by Fribeka, Halil and Carlos produced a cornucopia of chances for the Celts. From the outside today there was an air of confidence/slight arrogance about Madison (probably because it was LaBoca’s birthday J and we knew there was tons of beer waiting because Roniildo forgot Ilhon already volunteered for beer duty and also brought a cooler full).
Anyway, back to the story! Following a patient build-up involving 6 or 7 of the guys, Bambi delivered another fine ball into the path of Tano in the box, who was just pulverized into the turf by the left back! Penalty to Madison, which Tano (when he regained consciousness) calmly stepped up and smashed it beyond the futile attempt of the Woodie keeper to break his duck for the Celts. WTG Tano, and I’m sure this will be the first of many for you in the green and white hoops!!
After the onslaught of pressure and the opening goal, the Woodies organization was rattled, and once again, as predicted by Arniesto, a lot of internal strife and bad blood weakened the Woodbridge resolve even more. Even at this early stage, it was like shooting fish in a barrel for Madison, who could easily have netted 7 or 8 today. Similar to a couple of weeks ago, Bruce could have got the deck chair and Sunday Times out again (sorry Johnaldo…liked that line a lot, so I repurposed it for you).
Inexplicably, a few minutes later, Madison underwent an unanticipated reorganizational change (and I’ll just leave it at that for blog purposes!) with Carlos coming back to sweep, and LaBoca moving into the attack undoubtedly hoping to net himself a birthday goal, if not many. After more great passing and forward pressure on the Woodbridge defense, the ball fell sweetly to LaBoca on the 18 yard line, who nailed it into the roof, leaving the keeper diving helplessly in despair (2-0 Madison)!After yet another piercing run down the left flank from Fribeka he earned a corner that was floated perfectly onto the towering noggin of the Judge, whose devastating downward header was met by golden boot of the prodigal Jorge giving the Woodie keeper absolutely no chance (3-0 Madison)! A lot of internal Woodbridge drama on the sideline at the end of the game, but hopefully none of the two guys involved ended in the Yale emergency room.

MAN OF THE MATCH; Halil: Superb tackling and relentless running in the midfield throughout the match made Halil the stand out for MOM (You need to sign more of us for the boot camp!). Coach of the Match goes to Dejan, who should be in the running for the Real Madrid job if Mourinho’s negotiations fall through. He managed the team and substitutions like a Swiss watch and played team psychologist to boot. Well done Dejan, and hope to see you back on the field too next week!!!

.....and many thanks to Annie for the great photo's!

NEXT GAME; Sunday 23rd May, Woodbridge!

Our next game is yet another away game and yes, it's back in Woodbridge....how's that for deja vu? Let's hope we also remain unbeaten after this game and maybe tuck away 3 points this time out! We have a more normal squad size appearing for this game.... I'm out for this weekend and so is Jodingo!! ( hope you recover soon! ), along with our usual collection of semi- permanent injured and enigmas. I'll let Arniesto post another intelligence report on this team, but from what i can gather they are not as good as the team we played last week.....so let's get out there and win! Because of my absence the usual film and media entourage will be missing....so this game will not be shown on TV! You must be there to experience it..... unless Tano wants to have a go and do some of that? I also need a report on the game and and a man of the match award..... Arniesto, Roniildo or El Gato please work out who does what and send it to me by email....I will probably not get it posted until Tuesday of next week though!

Also, please finish off the team numbering that Tom A has been trying to do....!!

Have fun guys!

MATCH REPORT; Yellow Jackets 2 Madison 2

"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em "
Twelfth Night (II, v, 156-159) Shakespeare or La Boca?

Another game that was there for the taking; another game that slipped away from the Celts. Although Woodbridge were clearly one of the more organized teams that Madison have played, they did not deserve to get a point out of this match. Madison controlled possession of the ball and were the more inventive and aggressive team throughout the vast majority of the game. However, they fell to the twin problems of not taking chances when they arrived and contriving to be punished heavily for a couple of rare defensive lapses.

A strong and deep Madison squad turned out on a gloriously sunny morning ready to put their unbeaten record to the test again. The much anticipated, and feared, 22 man squad did not actually happen on the day due to last minute injuries, call offs and party recuperation's.

The team that did take the field quickly got into their stride pressing the opposition and getting some early shots in to test the Woodbridge goalkeeper. The Celts defense was once again in superb form dealing easily with every attack and setting up most of the early midfield play. However, after a strong start the Celts started to lose their way and some of the passing became woeful, compounded by bad decison making and an inability to see a team mate unmarked and available. The Celts were struggling to find a fellow player in space and sometimes sent forty yard passes up the field to no one in particular when a short pass would have been more effective. This player "blindness" got so bad that Dejan could have opened up a hot dog stand on his side of the field without attracting the attention of his team mates. Luckily for the Celts the Woodbridge team were equally as bad at holding on to the ball. As the half progressed it still looked like the Celts were the more likely team to score so it came as a shock when Woodbridge managed to take advantage of a rare defensive error to squeeze the ball past Bruce to go one up. The Celts tried to respond after this setback but were clearly knocked out of their stride and were happy when the half ended to allow them to regroup.

The second half started very strongly for Madison with some great attacking runs and shots on goal. Unfortunately most of the shots were going wide or over the bar. Halil was running hard and making the opposition defence work but was having no luck in front of goal. Arniesto and Ilhan were having the same problems. Although the Celts were chasing an equalizer their shooting was becoming increasingly erratic. Just when it looked as though it was going to be one of those days Dejan got the ball wide on the Madison left. For a split second he noticed the Woodbridge goalie a few yards off his line and fired in a superb arcing shot right over his head from a good thirty yards out and into the net. A fantastic equalizer which really galvanised the team to push forward even harder. And though Woodbridge were still somewhat of a threat moving forward it was clear that Madison were the team going for the win. And the go ahead goal for the Celts, when it came, was another stunner. Halil received a a wonderful ball from Telat, controlled it in the penalty box, shimmied past a defender and slammed a beautiful shot past the despairing dive of the Woodbridge goalie. Madison now in their full pomp, pushed for the third goal that would effectively finish off the game. Several attempts at goal came close including a great shot by BOR that crashed off the post and a gilt edged chance for Arniesto to score against his old team. It was not to be, and as surely as the Earth turns upon its axis, Madison must also give up cheap goals. This time a penalty, as a hard hit ball that smashed off Gogglitos hand was judged to be deliberate. A brave attempt by Bruce was not enough to stop the equalizer but it set the scene for a non stop siege of the Woodbridge goal. The last ten minutes of the game saw chances come and go for the Celts but they could not get their nose back in the lead. An unfortunate draw for a team that deserved so much more. On the plus side Madison are still unbeaten after four games all on the road. Some strong defensive play just needs the reward of a bit of luck up front. Maybe someone has to get out there and try to achieve some greatness, no reason to be afraid of that? Shakespeare knew a thing or two about great plays.......

Ode To La Boca ( By Arniesto....)

To score or not to score—that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The shots and volleys of outrageous fortune,
Or to take aim against a solid crossbar
And, by opposing, score them. To shoot, to sleep
No more—and by a goal to say we end
The heartache of a thousand natural misses
That flesh is heir to—‘tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To shoot, to score
To score, perchance to win. Ay, there’s the rub,
For in that dream of goals what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this trodden soil
Must give us pause. There’s the respect
That makes calamity of such long fields.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of …La Boca……

MAN OF THE MATCH; Johnaldo..... and why not? Strangely, he very rarely gets mentioned in these reports but he had a reasonably effective game and just beat out Telat and Halil to the award this week!

NEXT GAME; Sunday 16th May, Yellow Jackets!

We have our biggest squad in years for this Sunday's game against the Woodbridge Yellow Jackets! We will need good honest subbing, strong and competitive running and some prodigious drinking after the game! Let's make sure we are celebrating a victory! Arniesto used to play for the Yellow Jackets and he supplied the low down on the team in an earlier posting.....Here it is in full!

See you Sunday...don't forget your photos, copy of driving licence and any CARSL fees you need to pay!

The Yellow Jacket Low-Down--back to front. Goalie is very shaky. Should test him frequently and look for rebounds. Their center back, Jim, is very strong/physical--will do what it takes to keep you from getting set for shot/pass. Outside backs weaker (depending on who shows). Midfield has trouble getting back--everyone wants to be a forward, though several strong, quick players there if they are healthy. Strikers are solid. One, Joe, is very good in the air and strong if the ball is played right to him, but he won't move to the ball and loses his legs by the second half usually. He's also very easily annoyed and will cry if you bump him. The other, Mahmoud, has a very strong right foot and is quick, but he's only good for a handful of runs a game. He often thinks he can hit from range, but frequently off target. Play him hard shoulder to shoulder and he'll fold (and get mad and whine a lot). Counter attacking will be a good bet and solid head to head defending. This will not be a good passing team, and they're bound to be plenty of long balls and 1v1 runs.

CFO Financial Satement

MCFC May 2010 Financial Statement:

Dear Members of Madison Celtic FC,

This is the statement of our current financial status. It outlines and accurately reflects our current cash position. It also details the expenses that the club needs to pay for CARSL and SASL in the short term, and the amount we, as individual players, must contribute to cover the team expenditures for CARSL and SASL this year.

As of May 11th 2010;

In Summary;

As of May 10th, 2010 MCFC balance is $1,205.37

We owe $500 to SASL by 5/31/10 and we owe $1080 to CARSL by 5/12/10 ( yes, today! ) a total of $1580

Until we deposit additional dues in the official MCFC bank Account, that would leave us in the red by $374.63!!!

We can cover the $1080, owed to CARSL this Wednesday, but it is crucial that everyone bring their CARLS fees with them to Woodbridge on Sunday!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

Our official CARSL Team Roster is 22 players;

Each player pays $40 to be listed on the CARSL official player roster.
All teams pay $200 to be registered with CARSL for the Year.
Total CARSL cost per player = (22 x 40) + 200/22 = $ 49.09

For Sunday May 16th match, please bring cash, check or gold bullion:

$50.00 if you have paid nothing yet... you know who you are!
$15.00 if you have paid $35 already

FOR SASL: Only 8 players have paid their dues for SASL! We need $126.50 to cover Fall 2010 and Summer 2011! Also we need colored passport size photo & copy of driving license (or passport if you don’t have a driver’s license) to fill in the league registration passes. We will be asking everyone to sign the passes on Sunday.

If you know of any players who do not check email, or the Madison Celtic Blog, for their information, please let us know ASAP, so that this information can be given to them directly.

Regards,
CFO

MATCH REPORT; Southbury 1 Madison 1

La Boca was silent, his head bowed, strangely still. "Are you OK Danny?" I asked. He slowly turned to meet my question. "Dude, we should have won that game.....what the Hell happened?" Now, I was silent.....

A game that Madison had in the bag squirmed away from them in the last minute when a very rare Southbury attack ended with the ball nestling in the back of the Madison net for a cruel and undeserved equalizer. Madison should have had this game wrapped up in the first half after a frenetic fast paced start to the game which saw the Celts peppering the Southbury goal with several shots on target. Halil and Tano were moving the ball well at this stage of the game and the Southbury defense were clearly struggling to contain them. Even with a strong gusting wind blowing in their direction the Madison team were making most of the notable power plays but unfortunately not making the most of their possession. Even though the season is still at its early stages, a worrying pattern is beginning to emerge for Madison...... an inability to score when on top! Even with strong possession in midfield and very robust and commanding defending, Madison were still unable to convert their favourable stats into a lead. After thirty minutes the game started to even out and the first tell tale signs that the Madison forwards and some of the midfield were beginning to run out of steam began to appear; walking instead of running, pointing instead of tackling, talking instead of thinking! However, just when it looked like the Celts were starting to struggle Tano fired in a great shot that hit the bar and after a bit of 'ping pong' in the box the ball rebounded to Arnie who slotted it into the net for a Madison lead. Another fantastic shot by Tano that had the Southbury goalie desperately scrambling across the goal nearly made it two but the half finished with a dominant Celtic team one up.

Predictably, the raging first half wind eased to a gentle mocking breeze just before the start of the second half preventing Madison from taking advantage of firing high balls into the box. Not that they managed to get many crosses in. More often than not, their slow as molasses play found one, two and on one glorious occasion, three of the Madison forwards caught in offside positions! Luckily for Madison the Celtic defenders were, once again, in superb form, holding the line and stopping any attempted breakaways before they even got going. Roniildo in particular was in exceptional form defending, tackling, running into space and making great passes.....probably his best game in a Celtic shirt! La Boca, as ever, was all controlled passion and the heartbeat of the team and Telat rarely missed a tackle. Jodingo!! was also throwing himself into the fray taking a blast to the face without missing a beat.

As the game edged towards the end of the 90 minutes the match was finely balanced with Southbury taking advantage of some very poor passing by Madison and putting together some reasonable possession play, though with little penetration. Erratic substitutions by Celtic really affected the balance of the team at this point in the game and you could feel the tide turning ever so slightly in the favor of Southbury. With a minute left calamity hit the Celtic defence as a ball through the middle was headed on to the Madison right side where an on rushing and unmarked Southbury striker collected the ball in his stride and hit a superb shot past the goalie. Bruce had no chance with the shot but the build up play by Southbury should have been snuffed out before the move reached its awful conclusion. The goal knocked the wind out of the team and the ball was barely back in play before the whistle sounded to end the game on a sour note for Celtic. It was a particularly tough ending for the Madison defence after such a strong performance and it clearly left them feeling robbed.

La Boca was silent, his head bowed.......

MAN OF THE MATCH; Roniildo... a player at the top of his game mentally and physically! Fantastic play by Roniildo who is really revelling in his new role just in front of La Boca.

NEXT GAME; Sunday May 9th, Southbury!

Next game is an away game against Southbury Boomers. Really don't know much about this team and I'm not even sure if we have played them in the past so they will be a big unknown!

At time of writing we only have 8 players signed up! We need three more for a team!

We also do not have a beer guy for this weekend......BOR is MIA on this at the moment so we need volunteers. So.....?

No doubt people will want to meet up to drive there.....I'll let Tom post in the comments section where and when. The " new " directions to the field are on the pages section of the blog.

See you on the field!

Launch Of Madison Celtic TV!!

I am happy to announce the start of a brand new feature on the Madison Celtic Blog......

.....Madison Celtic TV!

Yes, if you click on this link;

( http://www.youtube.com/user/MadisonCeltic)



you will be taken straight to the this new exciting channel where you will be able to watch Madison Celtic movies, match clips, interviews and other special features. The channel is just starting so there is not a huge amount of content but I hope you enjoy the three movies I have specially prepared and uploaded! Comments are welcome and if you want, you can also subscribe to the channel ( no cost!) and get updates directly to your Youtube account!

The channel is also available at all times by clicking on the New Team Photograph on the right hand side of the blog!

There is also a new MadCelts Media page on the top right hand side of the blog which will have photo archives! Go check them out....there might be a good one of you!

You are all TV stars now! Enjoy!

MATCH REPORT; Southington SC 0 Madison 2

On a glorious day, when Spring seemed to turn into Summer over ninety Sun filled minutes, Madison Celtic kept the heat on Southington and earned a well deserved second win on the road. This was not the Southington team of two years ago that Madison had swept aside 10-1. They were much better organized and had a reasonable attacking threat with two pacy forwards. However, they were still no match for the controlled passing and possession football played by the Celts.

Madison had started the game with two new debutant's on the field, Bruce, in between the sticks, and Arnie playing in midfield. Both would have great games although Bruce was called into action fairly infrequently as a very tight Madison defence led by La Boca and Roniildo mopped up any stray balls coming their way. In fact Ronilldo was also a significant attacking threat as he was able to push up to the opposition box on a regular basis.

As the early part of the match unfolded it was clear that Madison could take as many shots on the opposition goal as they wanted. Some superb passing got the team into great goalscoring positions but invariably the final ball was either hit past the post, over the bar or trundled weakly to their goalie. After twenty minutes Madison needed some inspiration to get the goal that they so richly deserved. Luckily for them that little spark was waiting to sub into the game in the slight form of Carlito. With his first touch of the ball he sent a screaming shot from 30 yards into the top right hand side of the opposition net. What a sensational way to end the deadlock and bring some relief to the Madison team. Buoyed by the goal Madison went into overdrive with wave after wave of attack. At this point in the game the Celts were so dominant that Bruce could have easily pulled out a deck chair, finished reading a copy of The Sunday Times and had a brief snooze before he was called into action again. Roniildo and La Boca along with Johnaldo and Telat were keeping a tight lid on the Southington attack. However that second goal was refusing to come, and again the team needed a little push and a spark of invention. And this time it came in the form of the third debutant of the game, Bambi..!

Frolicking onto the field like a gazelle, the Crouchy lookalike tried to get up to speed with the pace of the game but struggled early on. As time past he was beginning to make some good runs into the box and nearly scored with a header after a salmonesque jump over Carlito. However every debutant's dream is to score in his first game and amazingly just as it looked as though Bambi was about to be pulled from the field to allow himself to re-inflate his lungs, he found himself unmarked in the box with the ball at his feet. A simple tap in later and Madison were 2-0 up and Bambi was a happy deer!


If the first half was a lot of hard graft with moments of inspiration the second half was lots of hard graft with only perspiration! For the second game in a row the Madison front line ran out of steam and the midfield started to misfire with some really poor passing. This allowed Southington to get into the game more and more, testing the Madison defence and making them work harder than they would have expected too. Several chances to score a tension busting third came and went for Madison and it was somewhat of a relief when the whistle blew to end a game that the Celts had largely dominated throughout.

MAN OF THE MATCH; Roniildo. Superb defensive play, great tackling and high energy tempo throughout the match made Cap'n Ron the stand out for MOM. La Boca was a close second for the award, but in his own inimitable style he said...."Give it to Ron, I'll get plenty of those during the season!" That's why we call him La Boca!

.....and many thanks to Annie for the great photo's!