Bayern fans to be given free beer

And we thought there was a booze culture at dare fc... (Ian Fooks)

Conversation with Kassam

Give Kassam a drink, and he begins to sound a little like this:

http://www.e4.com/video/eBwe0xbDIMmm8438WTYkDa/play.e4

"He's a saucy c..."

Guardian images from last night's Carling Cup game between West Ham and Millwall;

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/gallery/2009/aug/25/carlingcup-footballviolence?picture=352104796

The FA dazzle an unlucky dare (Dare XI 0 – 2 The FA)

The FA dazzle an unlucky dare

Dare XI 0 – 2 The FA - Match report

The Build-up
Last Friday, as many of you may remember, was an exceptionally beautiful August evening. Paddington Recreation Ground, located in the heart of the leafy suburb of Maida Vale, made a quite perfect setting for what was expected to be dare’s toughest encounter yet, The FA.

Early whispers from those close to the account had suggested an FA team being custom built of former 90s international heroes such as Beardsley, Les Ferdinand, Waddle. This speculation was however mercifully extinguished on the opening sight of our opponents entering the field, all in dazzling pure England white.

Game...

In brief, this much anticipated debut fixture was settled either end of half-time by two slick corner set-pieces. Two powerful tidy headers were converted easily by our opponents with devastating timing just before/after halt-time to leave the dare defence open-mouthed, hands-a-side and all gasping for answers that were never coming.

Despite these two moments of brilliance from our opponents, dare were rarely threatened directly at goal for most of the game and were unlucky not to have opened the scoring themselves with several decent chances during the opening 60 minutes.

The dare midfield sparkled on several occasions and was packed full of talent and variety with the likes of Roy, Rohit, Whitehead, Lexi and Fooks. The defence absorbed pressure effectively and were supportive enough to rescue each other well when needed. However this was not enough to over come a resilient FA team and as the opening hour passed dare visibly began to fade and after the two goals had been conceded - belief soon followed. During the later period our opponents were able to settle comfortably and eventually control the game with effective sweeping counter-attacks late on.

The Verdict...
Overall, the final score was an unsettling result for the Rosaneri of dare. In reflection I still remember now the sight of the dare squad leaving the pitch all visibly frustrated rather than disappointed by their performances. No one could argue that The FA were the more convincing of the two opponents. They deserve credit for their performance and were solid throughout, but the fact we failed to score doesn’t justify our contribution to what was overall an evenly fought game for the majority.

The classic commentator’s cliché of ‘the 2nd goal will decide this game’ (as quoted by Rohan at half-time) proved quite true on this occasion and The FA should be congratulated for taking their chances very very well.

The Players...

Dennis Christensen
Solid keeping between the sticks despite his pre-game nerves and obvious apprehension. Made some important saves when needed and could do little about the two corners. Perhaps communication could of been better between keeper and defence but other that a Dennis was safe at the back. Personally, I’ll never forget his cameo moment when he ventured out of the box Grobbelaar style.

Jamie *(friend of Dan Whitehead)
Started very well and certainly gave us extra authority in defence at left-back. Useful with the ball and provided a welcome option on the left. A little excessive vocally at times such is the passion of the boy and caught out of position more than I would prefer, but a very important player on the day.

Captain Green
I enjoyed a comfortable game after a slightly lethargic start. Never really felt under pressure too often from their strike force and enjoyed combing with Dip in central defence.

Dip Mistry
Crucial in defence especially in the air early on. Good on the ball and lively when needed for chasing-down through balls. A great performance despite the sacrifice.

James Kassam
Not the most memorable of games for Kassam despite performing his defence duties effectively. Looked a little drained and short of confidence after a recent busy schedule of late. A dependable performer but lacking his normal spark.

Lexi Cherniavsky
The benefit of having Lexi (and Fooks) is that your always guaranteed a decent level of performance and a variety of skills in the middle, but unfortunately consistency always seems to battle the pair when they play together (i.e. Lampard/Gerrard syndrome). On this occasion Fooks seemed slightly the sharper of the pair, but in consideration of Lexi’s recent food poisoning - this would prove quite the handicap during a leggy football mach.

Ian Fooks
3PF Fooksie, the Gascoigne of the team. You never know with Fooksie, you literally never know. However, on this occasion Fooks was a battler in the midfield and fought valiantly for his team. Unfortunately on this occasion time on-the-ball was short for Fooks (and Lexi) and together their ability to create was sadly stifled somewhat in their defensive-midfield roles.

Rohit Mistry
The search would appear to continue for Rohit’s best position in the 11-a-side game. Naturally he comes across as a winger in the same style as Ashley Young, but on view of the last few occasions I’m now wondering if a Michael Owen style role upfront would seem more appropriate? Still to show his potential in the big game but I have the feeling we might see it very soon.

Rohan Nayee
Often the talisman for dare, Roy’s form in front of goal seems to have left him of late. Showed great composure and vision within the build-up play as expected but his finishing seems to be suffering when it matters. Nearly scored a spectacular overhead and probably would of if hadn’t of been for a shade of doubt in his movement at final the moment of contact. Temporary blip on Roy radar.

Dan Whitehead
A wild debut from Whitehead. Much like the untamed gypsy - Whitehead has a bright-eyed quality, full of passion and drive. Unfortunately this visibly began to fade late on and after some heating exchanges it seemed as though the faith was failing. Despite this Dan was the source behind a majority of dare’s best chances from wide-right and was unlucky not to score on two occasions. A fine maverick of a player full of bottle but a temperament most delicate.

Leighton **(friend of Luke)
A likeable regular for some time to the dare’s Maida Vale sessions, Leighton showed great promise as a lone striker for this occasion. Worked hard and created some great opportunities to score, but unfortunately lacked the finish needed to capture the game. Suffered a grim injury early on which may of limited his performance later on in the game. Another important player on the day.

(Substitutes) Miles Gilder & Matt Firth
Limited by the amount of game time but contributed heartily never the less.


...and finally
A moment of credit and glory is due to our supporters on the day made up of Creek, Hastings, Double-Day, Summer and Tina. Thank you very much for your kind support. It was very much appreciated subconsciously and I hope you all enjoyed the dare fc experience - (with the exception of Hastings who is already a seasoned dare fc performer).