The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Middle-Earth Football Tournament

Sleepy Ranger · 11-15-2005, 04:02 AM

An Interview With Sauron - Drawn and Written by Valesse

SHOCKING DECISION
-Sleepy Ranger

Former player turned coach, Gandalf the Gray, made a shocking decision earlier today. As we know several teams have tried persistently to sign him on as their coach but for the past few years he has stuck to coaching the Shire until his contract ended just before the World Cup after which he retired. So hears some good news for all you old fans, Gandalf has decided to return to the Shire but not as coach. He has said that this time he'll be playing the field as offensive mid-fielder. The entire footballing world was stunned by his decision and he will certainly be a strong addition the Shire team but it has been a long while since he last played and people ask wether he will be able to live up to his old form or if age has finally caught up with him. He is scheduled to play in the first 11 in todays match against Rivendell. When our reporter Rune asked Gandalf what he had to say to the opposing teams, this was his reply, "I'm not a believer in luck but I do believe you need it."

The Result, The Reaction
-Hiriel

The excitement, and the need for more stringent law enforcement, builds as the first-ever Middle Earth Football Championship continued today in earnest.

In Rohan, however, precautions taken by the guard at Edoras seemed unnecessary following a loss to the Moria team that the horsemasters believed too conflicted to play successfully together. “We’ve only had one incident,” Marshal Erkenbrand reported late this evening. “Some kids were caught dragging a burning effigy of Bill the Balrog behind their ponies, which, given the dryness of the plains this time of year, we had to brake up. But quite frankly, I’d rather deal with the whole angry host of Isengaurd then have to watch the match-replay. We were a joke.” Expectations had been high in Rohan after Gondor’s sudden upset of Angband, and many harbored the hope that the team might sign star striker Thorongil to bolster Rohan’s already aggressive offense if they had won a decisive victory.

At Gondolin, however, the situation was surprisingly even quieter following the crushing five to nil victory over the Gray Havens. When asked about the lack of celebrations, mid-fielder Tuor pointed out, “Listen, we’re all really overjoyed about the win, but we can’t exactly go bonkers here. Angband right up the way and they’re P.O’d about losing their first match. I mean, really P.O’d. We get caught mooning somebody in drunken glee and we can say goodbye to our city.” Some other residents of Gondolin have added that the victory wasn’t at all unexpected, asking whether anybody besides ‘that fey dog, Cirdan’ have stayed in the Gray Havens long enough to be considered eligible for play.

Across the rest of Middle Earth, the post-match celebrations have been less sedate. Moria itself is reporting severe infistructure damage, especially bridges, following their win. Dwarves holidaying from Erebor are the suspected culprits, but no particular charges have been filed as yet. Doriath, too, was not without incident. An anonymous tip lead to soldiers having to break up what they described as “a hippie secondborn love fest.” Apparently, a large gathering of beautiful elven maidens were frolicking in the nude, singing and dancing with some human fans of the Doriath club out of Dorthonion. The humans apparently had the intention of playing, “Loose Melian’s girdle” all the way through the night, but have been turned out of the realm indefinitely.

And in Mirkwood, the hall of Thranduil will be in need of repair and washing after their upset over division rival, Erebor. Reports indicate that a great many spider webs were stolen to create a large message that read, “Leggy-Boopers and Proud!” which was strung rather haphazardly along the grand hall of the Mirkwood elves. At least seven web-related fatalities are confirmed among the spider population, as well as uncounted toe-nail polish related acts of vandalism and annoying games of ‘I Never’, played with apple juice.

Rivendell’s motto, however, following their close win against Vinyamar was, “Embrace the chaos.” Supporters of the Imladris club have said they weren’t altogether pleased with the performance, but any win was enough to endanger the Hall of Fire into becoming a literal reality. The rulers of Rivendell, to their credit, were able to turn such enthusiasm towards less arsonistic pursuits. Contests such as, ‘Outrun the Fords of Bruinen’ and ‘Sneak into Elrond’s Council’ were the order of the day along with massive amounts of drinking and bad poetry.

Exclusive Interview With The Barrow-Downs Team

Earlier today our staff managed to catch up with several members of the Barrow-Downs team and get their views on their upcoming match against Valmar. Our reporter first found the enigmatic mid-fielder The Phantom who had this to say, "I'm not worried at all about Valmar or Valimar. We could've blown out Woodhall in that first match, but instead we showed off most of the game, doing fancy dribbling and passing. That may not seem very smart, but I think it was good to show everyone what we could do- to intimidate them. I'm sure that free kick of mine that went completely out of the stadium scared the heck out of the goalies from Valmar and Valimar. They know that I could turn that power straight at their goal at any time. We're just going to go out and have fun in our next couple matches. We don't need to be all serious to beat the teams in our group. We'll save our serious play for the next round where we will likely be facing better teams."

Next we came across the Barrow-Downs mid-fielder and writer of the The Result, The Reaction column, Hiriel. This is what he said to us, "After the intense practices we've had all through the off season, to see everything come together for us in the opener, it was really amazing and gratifying. The important thing is that we don't lose our focus. We can deffinitely improve on our game and there's a lot of tough teams to beat out there."

The next was one of the 'Downs Defenders, Firefoot. "Valmar has some real power players, but a show of action from them is rare - the Valar are real passivists. As long as we come out hard I don't think we should have a lot of trouble with this team." is what she told us.

Another defender, Glirdan told us, "Well, let's just say that this is probably going to be a very interesting and difficult match. But I think we can handle it." and the mid-fielder Arcticstorm87 only said, "We will win." with an air of confidence around him.

After a lot of searching we finally found Gil-Galad in the lunchroom and this is what he told us about the match, "right, i think that they have a strong defense but very weak offense, so we can naturally just win cause you gotta have both...hi mom!" Of course we don't really know what he was talking about but we shall assume he meant the match.

Next up was Barrow-Downs newest signing and youngest player, Sleepy Ranger. He has felt the taste of cup victories before and upon being asked about the team and their next match this was his reply, "The Barrow-Downs is definately stronger than any other team I've played in. We have an excellent offense and defense and our mid-field takes no prisoners, I don't think we should have any problems qualifying. Valmar shouldn't be too hard and if we beat them by a big margin we'll be sending a clear message to the other teams, hope you get eliminated early so you don't have to face us."

Unfortunately The Saucepanman was mobbed by fans and unable to answer our question over the sound and Feanor of the Peredhil was away the whole day. As for the Barrow-Wight, he was too intimidating to approach for questioning. On the whole we wish the Barrow-Downs team luck and they definately look strong favorites.

What We Think - The Players and Managers have their say

Earlier today Rune caught up with some of the teams and their managers and got their thoughts on the tournament.

Faramir of Gondor - If we played like that every time we wouldn't be so inconsistent. Commenting on the 1-0 victory over Angaband.

Turgon of Vinyamar - We can't win at home, we can't win away. I just can't figure out where else to play. Commenting on his teams unlucky 1 goal loss to Rivendell.

Balin - Azog sliced the ball when he had it on a plate. For once he has something good to say on Azog, speaking of the goal scored by Azog at the end of their pinball play.

Saruman - Without being too harsh on Grima, he cost us the match. Speaking on his teams 4-2 loss against Doriath.

Frodo - My legs sort of disappeared from nowhere. What he had to say about a missed goal in the first half of their match against Arnor.

Now that we've seen what they had to say about their previous matches heres what they have to say about their upcoming matches.

Samwise - I honestly believe we can go all the way to the final unless somebody knocks us out. Sam showing us just how optimistic he is.

Elrond - I never predict anything, and I never will. Must be a fancy way of saying no comment.

Thingol - You've got to believe that you're going to win, and I believe that we'll win the World Cup until the final whistle blows and we're knocked out. I can't see that happening any time soon. Stick to your beliefs!

Todays Fixtures - The Odds and Evens

Game 1 - Old Forest vs. Moria
One team has just come off a goal loss and the other a goal win. One team has few quality players but excellent team work and the other has excellent talent but they have trouble getting along. This should be an interesting match.
Predicted Result - Draw

Game 2 - Shire vs. Rivendell
With the return of Gandalf the Shire definately looks a strong team but it remains to be seen wether or not Gandalf still has it in him. If he does then this should be a walk-over unless Rivendell is saved by luck but as always that is a trippy matter.
Predicted Result - Win for Shire

Game 3 - Barrow-Downs vs. Valmar
Barrow-Downs has the home team advantage in this match and the players are definately confident and prepared after their 1-0 win in the opening game. Valmar just came off a humiliating defeat (result taken as draw) against rivals Valimar in a penalty shootout. Though they are a good team it'll take something special to defeat the Barrow-Downs.
Predicted Result - Win for Barrow-Downs

Game 4 - Nargothrond vs. Mirkwood
Nargothrond have the better offense but often lack accuracy and play too aggressive. On the other hand Mirkwood has excellent accuracy and agile players with excellent dribbling ability but they may often find themselves running uphill against the hard as rock defense of Nargothrond. Nargothrond have an amazing offensive player in Turin and he will most likely win the match for them.
Predicted Result - Win for Nargothrond

Game 5 - Dale vs Bree
This match is a complete waste of time. Both teams managed to draw against two much stronger teams and now are up against each other. Trust me don't waste your money on these two. But Dale has a clear advantage since Bree is missing its two main players, one on a red card and the other injured.
Predicted Result - Win for Dale (Probably their only)

Game 6 - Goblin-Town vs. Doriath
Is this supposed to be funny? Because its not. Doriath will destroy Goblin-Town since they posess superior everything. This match will be a worth a watch only if you enjoy seeing squash matches.
Predicted Result - Win for Doriath

Game 7 - Lothlorien vs. Fangorn
This promises to be an exciting game and will be one of the better ones of the evening. Lothlorien lost to Crickhollow in a game where they were billed as favorites and Fangorn drew against Aqualonde. This will be an interesting match seeing how both teams have very good defenses though a somewhat shaky offense. This one will be close and I see Lorien gaining an early advantage but after an Ent-Moot at half-time I can see Fangorn making a come back but not doing enough to win.
Predicted Result - Draw

Game 8 - Gondor vs. Gondolin
This match will be a real clash of offenses. Gondor just came off a win against Angband while Gondolin demolished Grey Havens. I expect the goalies and forwards to play a major role in this match but Gondolin may edge the match away owing to a superior defense yet Gondor will make this match close and this will definately be one of the better matches in the tournament.
Predicted Result - Win for Gondolin

Tournament Happenings

Injuries -
Smaug (Erebor) will miss the next match because of a belly injury.
Tar-Enclime (Numenor) will miss the next match due to a broken nose.
Barliman Butterbur (Bree) will be out indefinately due to a hamstring injury.

Cards -
Melkor (Angaband) recieved a red card and a 2 match suspension.
Dark Lord (Mordor) was given a yellow card.
Manwe (Valmar) was given a yellow card.
Varda (Valimar) was given a yellow card.
Bill Ferny (Bree) recieved a red card and 2 match suspension.
Elros (Numenor) recieved a red card and 2 match suspension.
Saruman (Isengard) recieved a red card on two yellow cards but his match suspension was dropped after he appealed to the governing body.

Most Promising Player - Ugluk (Isengard) was a cut above the rest due to sheer determination and will-power alone. He played excellent and managed to keep the team under control even after their captain was sent off. He managed to score the teams only two goals under a lot of pressure and is a fan-favorite among orcs, uruk-hai and trolls alike. Once Saruman retires I see him taking charge of Isengard.

Most Impressive Team - Gondolin definately impressed on the field in their first match. A five goal romp over Gray Havens was enough to show their intent on winning this cup. This team will make it to the finals and probably win the cup as well if they can keep up this form of play. It will be interesting to see if they keep their current 3-4-3 formation or change to a more definsive one for their later matches.
---

Thank you Valesse, Hiriel, THE Ka and Rune for your contributions. Hope to see more from you soon. Also thanks to the team for taking the time to respond to the interview.

11-15-2005, 04:02 AM	#48
Sleepy Ranger Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: On the field, kissing the 'Downs crest Posts: 1,654	Middle-Earth Football Daily An Interview With Sauron - Drawn and Written by Valesse SHOCKING DECISION -Sleepy Ranger Former player turned coach, Gandalf the Gray, made a shocking decision earlier today. As we know several teams have tried persistently to sign him on as their coach but for the past few years he has stuck to coaching the Shire until his contract ended just before the World Cup after which he retired. So hears some good news for all you old fans, Gandalf has decided to return to the Shire but not as coach. He has said that this time he'll be playing the field as offensive mid-fielder. The entire footballing world was stunned by his decision and he will certainly be a strong addition the Shire team but it has been a long while since he last played and people ask wether he will be able to live up to his old form or if age has finally caught up with him. He is scheduled to play in the first 11 in todays match against Rivendell. When our reporter Rune asked Gandalf what he had to say to the opposing teams, this was his reply, "I'm not a believer in luck but I do believe you need it." The Result, The Reaction -Hiriel The excitement, and the need for more stringent law enforcement, builds as the first-ever Middle Earth Football Championship continued today in earnest. In Rohan, however, precautions taken by the guard at Edoras seemed unnecessary following a loss to the Moria team that the horsemasters believed too conflicted to play successfully together. “We’ve only had one incident,” Marshal Erkenbrand reported late this evening. “Some kids were caught dragging a burning effigy of Bill the Balrog behind their ponies, which, given the dryness of the plains this time of year, we had to brake up. But quite frankly, I’d rather deal with the whole angry host of Isengaurd then have to watch the match-replay. We were a joke.” Expectations had been high in Rohan after Gondor’s sudden upset of Angband, and many harbored the hope that the team might sign star striker Thorongil to bolster Rohan’s already aggressive offense if they had won a decisive victory. At Gondolin, however, the situation was surprisingly even quieter following the crushing five to nil victory over the Gray Havens. When asked about the lack of celebrations, mid-fielder Tuor pointed out, “Listen, we’re all really overjoyed about the win, but we can’t exactly go bonkers here. Angband right up the way and they’re P.O’d about losing their first match. I mean, really P.O’d. We get caught mooning somebody in drunken glee and we can say goodbye to our city.” Some other residents of Gondolin have added that the victory wasn’t at all unexpected, asking whether anybody besides ‘that fey dog, Cirdan’ have stayed in the Gray Havens long enough to be considered eligible for play. Across the rest of Middle Earth, the post-match celebrations have been less sedate. Moria itself is reporting severe infistructure damage, especially bridges, following their win. Dwarves holidaying from Erebor are the suspected culprits, but no particular charges have been filed as yet. Doriath, too, was not without incident. An anonymous tip lead to soldiers having to break up what they described as “a hippie secondborn love fest.” Apparently, a large gathering of beautiful elven maidens were frolicking in the nude, singing and dancing with some human fans of the Doriath club out of Dorthonion. The humans apparently had the intention of playing, “Loose Melian’s girdle” all the way through the night, but have been turned out of the realm indefinitely. And in Mirkwood, the hall of Thranduil will be in need of repair and washing after their upset over division rival, Erebor. Reports indicate that a great many spider webs were stolen to create a large message that read, “Leggy-Boopers and Proud!” which was strung rather haphazardly along the grand hall of the Mirkwood elves. At least seven web-related fatalities are confirmed among the spider population, as well as uncounted toe-nail polish related acts of vandalism and annoying games of ‘I Never’, played with apple juice. Rivendell’s motto, however, following their close win against Vinyamar was, “Embrace the chaos.” Supporters of the Imladris club have said they weren’t altogether pleased with the performance, but any win was enough to endanger the Hall of Fire into becoming a literal reality. The rulers of Rivendell, to their credit, were able to turn such enthusiasm towards less arsonistic pursuits. Contests such as, ‘Outrun the Fords of Bruinen’ and ‘Sneak into Elrond’s Council’ were the order of the day along with massive amounts of drinking and bad poetry. Exclusive Interview With The Barrow-Downs Team Earlier today our staff managed to catch up with several members of the Barrow-Downs team and get their views on their upcoming match against Valmar. Our reporter first found the enigmatic mid-fielder The Phantom who had this to say, "I'm not worried at all about Valmar or Valimar. We could've blown out Woodhall in that first match, but instead we showed off most of the game, doing fancy dribbling and passing. That may not seem very smart, but I think it was good to show everyone what we could do- to intimidate them. I'm sure that free kick of mine that went completely out of the stadium scared the heck out of the goalies from Valmar and Valimar. They know that I could turn that power straight at their goal at any time. We're just going to go out and have fun in our next couple matches. We don't need to be all serious to beat the teams in our group. We'll save our serious play for the next round where we will likely be facing better teams." Next we came across the Barrow-Downs mid-fielder and writer of the The Result, The Reaction column, Hiriel. This is what he said to us, "After the intense practices we've had all through the off season, to see everything come together for us in the opener, it was really amazing and gratifying. The important thing is that we don't lose our focus. We can deffinitely improve on our game and there's a lot of tough teams to beat out there." The next was one of the 'Downs Defenders, Firefoot. "Valmar has some real power players, but a show of action from them is rare - the Valar are real passivists. As long as we come out hard I don't think we should have a lot of trouble with this team." is what she told us. Another defender, Glirdan told us, "Well, let's just say that this is probably going to be a very interesting and difficult match. But I think we can handle it." and the mid-fielder Arcticstorm87 only said, "We will win." with an air of confidence around him. After a lot of searching we finally found Gil-Galad in the lunchroom and this is what he told us about the match, "right, i think that they have a strong defense but very weak offense, so we can naturally just win cause you gotta have both...hi mom!" Of course we don't really know what he was talking about but we shall assume he meant the match. Next up was Barrow-Downs newest signing and youngest player, Sleepy Ranger. He has felt the taste of cup victories before and upon being asked about the team and their next match this was his reply, "The Barrow-Downs is definately stronger than any other team I've played in. We have an excellent offense and defense and our mid-field takes no prisoners, I don't think we should have any problems qualifying. Valmar shouldn't be too hard and if we beat them by a big margin we'll be sending a clear message to the other teams, hope you get eliminated early so you don't have to face us." Unfortunately The Saucepanman was mobbed by fans and unable to answer our question over the sound and Feanor of the Peredhil was away the whole day. As for the Barrow-Wight, he was too intimidating to approach for questioning. On the whole we wish the Barrow-Downs team luck and they definately look strong favorites. What We Think - The Players and Managers have their say Earlier today Rune caught up with some of the teams and their managers and got their thoughts on the tournament. Faramir of Gondor - If we played like that every time we wouldn't be so inconsistent. Commenting on the 1-0 victory over Angaband. Turgon of Vinyamar - We can't win at home, we can't win away. I just can't figure out where else to play. Commenting on his teams unlucky 1 goal loss to Rivendell. Balin - Azog sliced the ball when he had it on a plate. For once he has something good to say on Azog, speaking of the goal scored by Azog at the end of their pinball play. Saruman - Without being too harsh on Grima, he cost us the match. Speaking on his teams 4-2 loss against Doriath. Frodo - My legs sort of disappeared from nowhere. What he had to say about a missed goal in the first half of their match against Arnor. Now that we've seen what they had to say about their previous matches heres what they have to say about their upcoming matches. Samwise - I honestly believe we can go all the way to the final unless somebody knocks us out. Sam showing us just how optimistic he is. Elrond - I never predict anything, and I never will. Must be a fancy way of saying no comment. Thingol - You've got to believe that you're going to win, and I believe that we'll win the World Cup until the final whistle blows and we're knocked out. I can't see that happening any time soon. Stick to your beliefs! Todays Fixtures - The Odds and Evens Game 1 - Old Forest vs. Moria One team has just come off a goal loss and the other a goal win. One team has few quality players but excellent team work and the other has excellent talent but they have trouble getting along. This should be an interesting match. Predicted Result - Draw Game 2 - Shire vs. Rivendell With the return of Gandalf the Shire definately looks a strong team but it remains to be seen wether or not Gandalf still has it in him. If he does then this should be a walk-over unless Rivendell is saved by luck but as always that is a trippy matter. Predicted Result - Win for Shire Game 3 - Barrow-Downs vs. Valmar Barrow-Downs has the home team advantage in this match and the players are definately confident and prepared after their 1-0 win in the opening game. Valmar just came off a humiliating defeat (result taken as draw) against rivals Valimar in a penalty shootout. Though they are a good team it'll take something special to defeat the Barrow-Downs. Predicted Result - Win for Barrow-Downs Game 4 - Nargothrond vs. Mirkwood Nargothrond have the better offense but often lack accuracy and play too aggressive. On the other hand Mirkwood has excellent accuracy and agile players with excellent dribbling ability but they may often find themselves running uphill against the hard as rock defense of Nargothrond. Nargothrond have an amazing offensive player in Turin and he will most likely win the match for them. Predicted Result - Win for Nargothrond Game 5 - Dale vs Bree This match is a complete waste of time. Both teams managed to draw against two much stronger teams and now are up against each other. Trust me don't waste your money on these two. But Dale has a clear advantage since Bree is missing its two main players, one on a red card and the other injured. Predicted Result - Win for Dale (Probably their only) Game 6 - Goblin-Town vs. Doriath Is this supposed to be funny? Because its not. Doriath will destroy Goblin-Town since they posess superior everything. This match will be a worth a watch only if you enjoy seeing squash matches. Predicted Result - Win for Doriath Game 7 - Lothlorien vs. Fangorn This promises to be an exciting game and will be one of the better ones of the evening. Lothlorien lost to Crickhollow in a game where they were billed as favorites and Fangorn drew against Aqualonde. This will be an interesting match seeing how both teams have very good defenses though a somewhat shaky offense. This one will be close and I see Lorien gaining an early advantage but after an Ent-Moot at half-time I can see Fangorn making a come back but not doing enough to win. Predicted Result - Draw Game 8 - Gondor vs. Gondolin This match will be a real clash of offenses. Gondor just came off a win against Angband while Gondolin demolished Grey Havens. I expect the goalies and forwards to play a major role in this match but Gondolin may edge the match away owing to a superior defense yet Gondor will make this match close and this will definately be one of the better matches in the tournament. Predicted Result - Win for Gondolin Tournament Happenings Injuries - Smaug (Erebor) will miss the next match because of a belly injury. Tar-Enclime (Numenor) will miss the next match due to a broken nose. Barliman Butterbur (Bree) will be out indefinately due to a hamstring injury. Cards - Melkor (Angaband) recieved a red card and a 2 match suspension. Dark Lord (Mordor) was given a yellow card. Manwe (Valmar) was given a yellow card. Varda (Valimar) was given a yellow card. Bill Ferny (Bree) recieved a red card and 2 match suspension. Elros (Numenor) recieved a red card and 2 match suspension. Saruman (Isengard) recieved a red card on two yellow cards but his match suspension was dropped after he appealed to the governing body. Most Promising Player - Ugluk (Isengard) was a cut above the rest due to sheer determination and will-power alone. He played excellent and managed to keep the team under control even after their captain was sent off. He managed to score the teams only two goals under a lot of pressure and is a fan-favorite among orcs, uruk-hai and trolls alike. Once Saruman retires I see him taking charge of Isengard. Most Impressive Team - Gondolin definately impressed on the field in their first match. A five goal romp over Gray Havens was enough to show their intent on winning this cup. This team will make it to the finals and probably win the cup as well if they can keep up this form of play. It will be interesting to see if they keep their current 3-4-3 formation or change to a more definsive one for their later matches. --- Thank you Valesse, Hiriel, THE Ka and Rune for your contributions. Hope to see more from you soon. Also thanks to the team for taking the time to respond to the interview. Last edited by Sleepy Ranger; 11-15-2005 at 04:07 AM.