Veikkausliiga starts this weekend!

TampereOwl · Post by **TampereOwl** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 10:29 pm

Anyone else wetting themselves with excitement yet? No?

http://www.nordicfootball.info/category ... kausliiga/

**Sponsor:**

Salopian · Post by **Salopian** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 10:53 pm

Will try to follow more closely this season. At least FC Lahti's progress (semi-randomly chosen). Kotka first up on Sunday, I believe. I see they didn't make it into your preview, but I'm not surprised!!

MagicJ · Post by **MagicJ** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 12:18 am

Salopian wrote:Will try to follow more closely this season.

Me too, although i follow the locals.....

so, like you i'll be expecting a season of mediocrity.
Salopian, do you fancy a beer on whoever finishes higher up the league this season?
Last season's table so could be a close one i.e. adding some excitement to the league

Maybe HJK will improve on their drawn games this time out and manage over 50% this season.

Ha! Just checked, last game of the season Su 26.10. klo 18:30 HJK - FC Lahti. Better book our tickets now. Should be a nail-biter.

TampereOwl · Post by **TampereOwl** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 2:31 am

You people would be better off watching HIFK this year. They're in kakkonen and have a reasonable budget, and their fans will scare most teams !"#¤%:

First game is against Kontu at Finnair stadium, 18:30 on Monday. I'm going, it'll be better than watching MIFK-HJK on the telly.

TampereOwl · Post by **TampereOwl** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 2:33 am

And salopian, in all seriousness, if you're going to go to one match this season I'd make it KTP away. Big derby, good fans, proper ground. Finnish football gets a lot worse than that, and rarely gets much better...

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 8:56 am

TampereOwl wrote:If anyone wants to read my preview, it's at:

http://footballinfinland.wordpress.com/

... Honka? http://www.fchonka.fi/

We'll be at the Espoo team's home game on Sunday (vs MyPa). My kids have season tickets for home games and I sometimes tag along too. The TUP (Tapiola Urheilupuisto) site is slowly improving and you no longer need a 4X4 to negotiate the car park (but it helps). The fans (the ones with the club season tickets, most are players in the junior teams) seem to get the worst deal as far as seating is concerned. Hopefully that will improve. Last year spectator attendance was pretty good. I saw a couple of games with a capacity crowd >7,000.

Kezmale · Post by **Kezmale** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 10:57 am

Bah, we've got Peppi Longstrump on our side ....

...though apparently TPS has better chances winning in football I'm kinda waiting for the ice hockey season to start

Salopian · Post by **Salopian** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:02 am

TampereOwl wrote:And salopian, in all seriousness, if you're going to go to one match this season I'd make it KTP away. Big derby, good fans, proper ground. Finnish football gets a lot worse than that, and rarely gets much better...

Thanks for the tip. Not sure itf I can make it tomorrow, but we'll see. Cheers!

And MagicJ - you're on for the pint. I fully expect to be doing the buying (barring the return of The King), but so be it.

MagicJ · Post by **MagicJ** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:16 am

TampereOwl wrote:You people would be better off watching HIFK this year. They're in kakkonen and have a reasonable budget, and their fans will scare most teams !"#¤%:

I think i stood with that lot during the Jääpallo semi final a month or so ago, that's Kallio right?
Not overly frightening, but then again i don't understand finnish too well, they could have been singing about slaughtering babies for all i know.

TampereOwl · Post by **TampereOwl** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 12:07 pm

Yes, that's the bandy ground. Not exactly terrifying, but in Kakkonen (average crowd: less than 3 men and a dog), around a hundred flare waving singers will scare most teams to death. For a Finnish fan group, they're great, and as a club they have the potential and backing to become one of the biggest football teams in Finland. It might be fun, if you live in Helsinki, to watch their progress over the next year or two. I will be there on Monday, so there will be more people than just you and Stadin Kingit, let me know if you fancy it....

Penelope: I've been very impressed with Honka's progress in recent years. The crowds are good and the team can do well, but blow hot and cold. I thought their support at the cup final was sparse though, and maybe this betrayed the freebie mentality that sometimes afflicts Finnish clubs (ie, inflating their crowds with complimentary tickets)? Nice ground though, if only for the fact that it has no athletics track.

It's beautiful weather this weekend though, perfect for football. Let's hope it stays like this all summer....

simon · Post by **simon** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 7:48 pm

I remember the first time I saw HJK few years back at home. Cant remember who they were playing but the away end was full.....not. T_Hey had 30/40 supporters with their flags and horns, quite funny really compared to the games in the uk.

Chaps, who would be interested in us all going to a game together and having few beers with it? Some of you know Im a bit tied up most of the time with the kids but Id like to do this with some of the lads on here and elsewhere, you know what I mean.

Salopian · Post by **Salopian** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 8:11 pm

simon wrote:Chaps, who would be interested in us all going to a game together and having few beers with it?

TampereOwl · Post by **TampereOwl** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 8:28 pm

Monday night. It will be better than any HJk game you see this year.

MagicJ · Post by **MagicJ** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 10:34 pm

It's my birthday on monday so i'll be watching Arsenal bag a hatful at Pride Park.

But yep, i'll join the throng.

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:17 pm

TampereOwl wrote:
I thought their support at the cup final was sparse though, and maybe this betrayed the freebie mentality that sometimes afflicts Finnish clubs (ie, inflating their crowds with complimentary tickets)? ..

It was VERY seriously pouring with rain that day. And the match was on TV anyway (we watched from home

). But I agree, the crowd was small.

AFAIK only the juniors get free tickets. I usually pay for mine. But for the cup final, I think they should've opened the doors and let the whole of Helsinki in for free. It would've boosted the visibility of the game and everyone would have been buying coffee and makkara anyway, just to keep warm.

Just dropped two of my brood off at the game, looked like a good turn-out this evening. Let hope Honka don't have to score any penalities.....

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