THE FOOTBALL ZINE ALL THE COOL KIDS ARE READING
OFFSIDE BY AN ARMPIT SINCE 2006
Could this actually happen? World Cup qualifying notes
Did we break Ethane?
Kelssek’s qualification campaign would have effectively ended without a win against Ethane, and with that result the Football Voyagers narrowed the gap from nine to six points. Not only did it snap Ethane’s win streak, it also seemed to break something because they went on to scramble a draw against Appalachia in their next game. With the gap now four points, this race for the two qualification spots is on. And don’t look now, but up at the top of the table Valanora also lost to Port Ember.
Douglass emerges
As CF Outineau battle for the KFL Championship, Ashley Douglass has been a key player in the bid to climb over... [checks notes] Mazinaw Vanorian and Hamiltonian Cambria? Really? Anyway, Douglass has been a revelation in the league and has staked a claim to a spot in the national team lineup with her performances against Ethane and Razneta. She seems able to find the gap between the defenders, even if there isn’t one, and should get full credit for the chances she’s creating with her play.
Andrea Crowe at the wheel
New manager bounce? It doesn’t seem like it would apply with a national team, but it can’t escape notice that Kelssek has won every match since Andrea Crowe was appointed manager. An unnamed source in the team said Crowe’s style is rather different from Kirk McDonagh and the players have responded well.
“Kirk was always a guy who would try to push a particular player’s buttons. His discourse of subaltern resistance was also well-suited for an team trying to rise from below and overthrow hegemony. So in some ways I guess he thought he’d done all he could when he took the team to the finals last cycle. But honestly, God knows what that guy is thinking sometimes. Andrea is different. She is a great motivator and technician, first and foremost. And if you’re not up to par, she will let you know.”
“You’ve seen how the team being able to grind out three 1-0 wins in a row – that’s the kind of steel that she’s put into the players.”