The Legless Scotsman
Friday 8 January 2021
Los Intocables Black Malbec 2019
Thursday 7 January 2021
Game of Thrones Limited Edition
(alunperin julkaistu toisessa blogissani 10.10.2019)
Pari vuotta sitten julkaistiin sarja skottiviskejä, joiden teemana oli TV-sarja Game of Thrones. Itse en ole tuota sarjaa seurannut, joten ei siitä sen enempää, mutta tässä muutama arvio koskien itse viskejä.
Here’s my 50 cents about Game of Thrones whiskies. First of all, I’m not a fan of the series (at least not yet because I haven’t seen it) but this GoT whisky series looks anyway bloody marvellous even if you aren’t a fan. Here are my ratings from best to worst:
PARHAIMMAT / THE BEST OF THE LOT:
Oban - Bay The Night’s Watch = 89/100
Colour: Amber
Nose: Fruity, oaky, cognac (22p)
Taste: Medium-bodied, oaky, woody, Fruity (23p)
Finish: Long, fruity and oaky (22p)
Balance (22p)
Talisker - House Greyjoy = 89/100
Colour: Amber
Nose: Band-aid/plaster, sea, seaweed (22p)
Taste: Full-bodied, peaty, smoky, sea, salty, seaweed (23p)
Finish: Long, peaty, salty, smoky (22p)
Balance (22p)
Lagavulin Aged 9 Years - House Lannister = 89/100
Colour: Amber
Nose: Band-aid/plaster, peaty,leathery (22p)
Taste: Full-bodied, smoky, peaty, tarry (23p)
Finish: Long, peaty, citric (22p)
Balance (22p)
IHAN HYVÄT / THE QUITE GOOD ONES:
Clynelish - House Tyrell = 85/100
Colour: Amber
Nose: Fruity, apples (20p)
Taste: Full-bodied, fruity, woody (21p)
Finish: Long and fruity (22p)
Balance (22p)
Royal Lochnagar - House Baratheon = 85/100
Colour: Gold
Nose: Fruity, fruit cake (21p)
Taste: Medium-bodied, fruity, woody (22p)
Finish: Medium long and fruity (21p)
Balance (21p)
Dalwhinnie - Winter’s Frost = 82/100
Colour: Pale copper
Nose: Fruity, leathery (21p)
Taste: Medium-bodied, fruity, oaky (21p)
Finish: Medium long and fruity (20p)
Balance (20p)
Cardhu - House Targaryen = 81/100
Colour: Gold
Nose: Oaky, ripe fruits (20p)
Taste: Medium-bodied, oaky, cognac (21p)
Finish: Long with ripe fruits (21p)
Balance (20p)
PETTYMYKSET / DISAPPOINTING ONES:
Singleton - House Tully = 77/100
Colour: Gold
Nose: Fruity, cucumber (19p)
Taste: Medium-bodied, fruity, one-sided, citric, pears (19p)
Finish: Medium long and fruity (20p)
Balance (19p)
Re-Activation!!
Terve
Näin viiden vuoden tauon jälkeen päätin taas siirtyä takaisin tähän blogialustaan tekemään postauksia viskeistä, oluista, pubeista jne. notuli.wordpress.com voi jäädä kaikkeen muuhun (esim. DX).
After five years I decided to come back to this blog and write mainly about whiskies, beers, pubs etc. My other blog notuli.wordpress.com will concentrate on other issues (e.g. DXing).
-Hannu "The Legless Scotsman" Hakonen-
Thursday 14 January 2016
Uusi blogi / New blog
Siirryn toiselle blogialustalle. Tämän vanhan jätän kuitenkin tänne arkistoksi.
Tervetuloa http://notuli.wordpress.comiin
==============
Hello,
I move to another blog provider but I'll leave this old one here as an archive.
Welcome to http://notuli.wordpress.com
Friday 20 November 2015
Oluita 40-pisteen tuolta puolen (beers beyond 40 points), part 6
Siperia & Marilyn Monroe. A nice pair. |
(Fin)
Ei vissiin muuta tartte sanoa. Kaikki olutfanit ympäri Suomenmaan tietävät, että tässä on yksi Suomen parhaimmista oluista. Plevna kuuluu ehdottomasti laatupanimoihin ja siellä tehdään monta hyvää olutta, mutta tämä Siperia on kyllä yksi parhaimmista panimon tuotteista. Tätä pikimustaa imperial stoutia onkin odotettu Alkon hyllyille jo tovin ja nyt se tapahtui. Eli ostakaa föliin niin monta kuin on mahdollista, kohta sitä ei enää taas ole.
Paahteinen ja lakritsinen olut hivelee makunystyröitä ja päälle tulee vielä kahvia, rautaa ja verta. Wau. On tämä hieno olut. Edelleenkin.
(Eng)
Everybody in Finland knows that this is one of the best beers ever brewed in this remote country. Plevna is one of the top breweries in Finland and this one's been eagerly waited to be back on the shelves of Alko.
Roasted and liquorice beer is just like velvet for your palate. There's also coffee, iron and blood. You can't just say anything but "wow". Great beer. Still.
Points: nose 9 + taste 9 + palate 4 + overall score 22 = 44/50.
Saturday 29 August 2015
Oluita 40 pisteen tuolta puolen (beers beyond 40 points), part 5
De Struise Brouwers: Black Damnation III: Black Mes
Musta kuin helvetti on hyvä kuvaamaan tämän oluen väriä. Tämä belgipanimo on tehnyt hyvää työtä kypsyttäessään tätä imperial stoutia Caol Ila -tynnyreissä. Muutenkin tuo Black Damnation - projekti kuulostaa hyvältä ja olisi mukava päästä niitä kaikkia maistamaan. Tämäkin olut on täynnä tuoksuista paahteisuutta, kahvia, savua, tammea, lakritsaa ja salmiakkia. Soijankin tuoksu leijui jostain nenääni. Täyteläinen ja paksu olut oli öljyinen, kermainen ja siirappinen ja löytyi sieltäkin lakritsaa, tammea ja salmiakkia. Ei tätä voi kuin peukuttaa.
Black as hell is a perfect description for this beer. This Belgian brewery has made a real good job when maturing their imperial stout inside Caol Ila barrels. That Black Damnation project sounds really interesting and I wish I have a chance to taste those in the future. This beer is full of great aromas and scents: roasted coffee, smoke, oak, liquorice and salty liquorice. Even soya. Full-bodied and thick oily, creamy and syrupy beer was really tasty. You just love this.
Pisteet/points: n 9/10, t 9/10, p 5/5, o 22/25 = 45/50
Hopping Brewsters: Double Warthog
Uusimpia pienpanimoita on akaalainen Hopping Brewsters, jonka tuosta Double Warthog oli pakko maistaa jo pelkän nimenkin takia. Paksu ja täyteläinen, eikä onneksi niin humalainen. Hedelmää, pähkinää, karamellia jne. Miellyttävä sika kyseessä.
One of the newest Finnish microbreweries and I just had to taste this not only because of the great name of the beer. Thick and full-bodied and luckily not that hoppy. Fruits, nuts, caramel and so on. Very tasty warthog indeed.
Pisteet/points: n 8/10, t 9/10, p 4/5, o 21/25 = 42/50
Ruosniemen Panimo (+ Panimo Hiisi): Konttorirutto Barley Wine
Kahden pienpanimon yhteispano eli barley wine, joka kantaa nimeä konttorirutto. On hedelmää, tukevuutta rungossa, pähkinää, toffeeta, makeutta ja hieman savuakin. Hieno rutto (jos rutosta voi niin sanoa).
A collaboration brew from two Finnish microbreweries. A barley wine that name can be loosely translated to English as Office plague. Barley wine is quite uncommon in Finnish beer markets so it was interesting to taste this. Lots of fruits, full-bodied, nutty, toffee, sweetness and a wee bit of smoke was there too. Nice plague (if you can say such thing about a plague).
Pisteet/points: n 8/10, t 8/10, p 4/5, o 20/25 = 40/50
Scheldebrouwerij: De Zeezuiper
Tallinnan matkalta jäi tällainen belgiolut käteen ja täyttä belgilaatuahan tämä on: tässä on sitä tuttua ja turvallista banaania, hedelmää, sitrusta ja paksua kermaisuutta. Hyvä tripeli.
I bought this when I visited Tallinn and a very good belgian beer this is. Lots of familiar aromas and scents: bananas, fruits, citric and it's thick and creamy. Very good tripel.
Pisteet/points: n 8/10, t 9/10, p 4/5, o 21/25 = 42/50
Wednesday 19 August 2015
Reconstructing Scottish football
There has been lots of talk about what's the future of Scottish football and something has to be done to get it more lucrative. Many have suggested around the Net what kind of league structure there should be and here are my thoughts about it. I'm in favour of adding few teams more to the Premiership so that there will be either 14, 16 or 18 team top division but I won't say no to present 12 or even to a 10 team division. Let's first compare some of the leagues and country sizes in Europe.
Big countries (population over 30 million with average of 18.00 teams in top division) :
1. Russia = 142 423 773 and 16 teams
2. Germany = 80 854 773 and 18 teams
3. Turkey = 79 414 269 and 18 teams
4. France = 66 553 766 and 20 teams
5. Italy = 61 855 120 and 20 teams
6. England = 53 865 817 and 20 teams
7. Spain = 48 146 134 and 20 teams
8. Ukraine = 44 429 471 and 14 teams
9. Poland = 38 562 189 and 16 teams
Medium-sized countries (population between 10 - 30 million with average of 15.71 teams in top division):
10. Romania = 21 666 350 and 14 teams
11. Kazakhstan = 17 948 816 and 12 teams
12. Netherlands = 16 947 816 and 18 teams
13. Belgium = 11 323 973 and 16 teams
14. Portugal = 10 825 309 and 18 teams
15. Greece = 10 775 643 and 16 teams
16. Czech = 10 644 842 and 16 teams
Small countries (population 1 - 10 million with average of 11.77 teams in top division):
17. Hungary = 9 897 541 and 12 teams
18. Sweden = 9 784 445 and 16 teams
19. Azerbaidjan = 9 870 780 and 10 teams
20. Belarus = 9 589 689 and 14 teams
21. Austria = 8 665 550 and 10 teams
22. Switzerland = 8 121 830 and 10 teams
23. Serbia = 7 243 007 and 16 teams
24. Bulgaria = 7 186 893 and 10 teams
25. Denmark = 5 659 715 and 12 teams
26. Finland = 5 471 753 and 12 teams
27. Slovakia = 5 445 027 and 12 teams
28. Scotland = 5 327 700 and 12 teams
29. Norway = 5 177 000 and 16 teams
30. Georgia = 4 931 226 and 16 teams
31. Ireland = 4 892 305 and 12 teams
32. Croatia = 4 464 844 and 10 teams
33. Bosnia and Herzegovina = 3 867 055 and 16 teams
34. Moldova = 3 546 847 and 10 teams
35. Armenia = 3 056 382 and 8 teams
36. Albania = 3 029 278 and 10 teams
37. Lithuania = 2 904 391 and 10 teams
38. Macedonia = 2 096 015 and 10 teams
39. Latvia = 1 989 500 and 8 teams
40. Slovenia = 1 983 412 and 10 teams
41. Kosovo = 1 870 981 and 12 teams
42. Estonia = 1 313 271 and 10 teams
43. Cyprus = 1 189 197 and 14 teams
Micro countries (population less than 1 million) are omitted from the list.
First glimpse tells you that mainly countries that have large population can sustain bigger leagues (average of 18.00 teams) and smaller countries can hold of smaller leagues (average of 11.77 teams) but there are also small countries (Sweden, Serbia, Norway, Georgia and B&H) who have 16 team leagues. But according to this list it looks like smaller countries mainly just don't have enough quality teams to support a bigger league. Is it the same thing with Scotland?
Let's see what different proposals there might be.
Tables are taken from the situation that was at 19th August 2015.
10 team Premiership
2. Celtic
3. Aberdeen
4. Dundee
5. Hamilton
6. Ross
================
7. Dundee Utd (to play 4th of Championship)
8. Partick Thistle (to play 3rd of Championship)
9. Motherwell (to play 2nd of Championship)
===================
10. St. Johnstone (to be relegated)
4. Queen of the South (to play 7th of Premiership)
==================
5. Dumbarton
6. Falkirk
7. Raith Rovers
8. Hibernian
=====================
9. Morton (to play against the 2nd of League One)
=================
10. St. Mirren (to be relegated)
SPFL League One (36 games)
Will have 10 teams and the same structure as Championship. Winner will be promoted and the second plays against 9th of Championship.
SPFL League Two (33 games)
Will have 12 teams and play each other three times. Winner to be promoted and the runner-up play against 9th of League One.
PROPOSAL 2:
12 team Premiership with ice-hockey style play-offs
In America they have play-offs in every major sport to make the leagues more interesting to fans and random spectators. Why not try play-offs at European football also? Especially Scotland needs something that makes the league more interesting to watch and to get a better TV deals. Perhaps Scotland should try this system at least for few seasons to see how it goes and scrap it if it wasn't suitable. 12 team top division is slightly difficult because with two rounds it's too short (22 games) and four rounds it's too long (44 games).
This suggestion has Premiership with still 12 teams because many believe there aren't enough good teams in Scotland and therefore a bigger top division is out of the question. Perhaps so. With 12 teams in top division they would play a regular season of 33 games (three rounds) and after that the top 8 goes to play-offs to settle who wins the league. That would be quite a happening instead of seeing Celtic win the title already in February, right? And every game would mean something and because the title would be decided at finals in May that gives people something to be excited about without losing interest earlier.
SPFL Premiership (33-39 games)
1. Hearts (to play-offs)
2. Celtic (to play-offs)
3. Aberdeen (to play-offs)
4. Dundee (to play-offs)
5. Hamilton (to play-offs)
6. Ross (to play-offs)
7. Dundee Utd (to play-offs)
8. Partick Thistle (to play-offs)
===================
9. Motherwell (to play 4th of Championship)
10. St. Johnstone (to play 3rd of Championship)
11. Inverness CT (to play 2nd of Championship)
===================
12. Kilmarnock (to be relegated)
So first round of the play-offs (home and away) would be Hearts vs. Partick Thisle, Celtic vs. Dundee Utd, Aberdeen vs. Ross and Dundee vs. Hamilton. Winners proceed to the next level and finally two teams will reach the 2 legged final.
Relegation play-offs (home and away) will be: Motherwell vs. Falkirk, St. Johnstone vs. Dumbarton and Inverness vs. Queen of the South. Winners will have a place at the top division.
SPFL Championship (36-38 games)
1. Rangers (to be promoted)
=====================
2. Queen of the South (to play 11th of Premiership)
3. Dumbarton (to play 10th of Premiership)
4. Falkirk (to play 9th of Premiership)
=====================
5. Raith Rovers
6. Hibernian
=====================
7. Morton (to play 2nd of League One)
8. St. Mirren (to play 3rd of League One)
9. Livingston (to play 4th of League One)
=====================
10. Alloa (to be relegated)
League 1 play-offs: Morton vs. Stenhousemuir, St. Mirren vs. Peterhead and Livingston vs. Forfar.
SPFL League One (36 games)
Will have 10 teams and the same structure as Championship. Winner will be promoted and teams 2-4 plays against 7-9 of Championship.
SPFL League Two (33 games)
Will have 10 teams and play each other three times. Winner to be promoted and teams 2-4 play against 7-9 of League One.
PROPOSAL 3:
Three divisions of 14 teams each or 14-10-18 in three divisions with splits
I assume that this proposal is quite much supported by fans all over and I think this has its benefits too. After two rounds (26 games) divisions will be divided into two and then two rounds of 12 games in the top and bottom to make it a total of 38 games per season. Of course the negative side is that the split comes so soon. How much teams who are left out of the top half have interest to play? Let's say that teams 8-11 might have secured by then their staying at the top division so to them those games aren't giving any extra pressure. But for the top half this would give tough games against each other especially against Celtic (and Rangers when they're back) and that might help other big teams like Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs and Dundee Utd getting tougher games instead of playing small teams. How much this really differs from 10 team top division (with four meetings)? Not much because still there are four meetings with certain teams but this might still be better thus giving a chance to 14 teams instead of 10. The advantage of this proposal is that this combines different proposals: every team meets Old Firm twice (like in proposals 4, 5 and 6) and the best ones possibly have four meetings and therefore teams will have more tougher games (like in proposal 1).
SPFL Premiership: 38 games
1. Hearts
2. Celtic
3. Aberdeen
4. Dundee
5. Hamilton
6. Ross
7. Dundee Utd
==============
8. Partick Thistle
9. Motherwell
10. St. Johnstone
=================
11. Inverness CT (to play-offs)
12. Kilmarnock (to play-offs)
=================
13. Rangers (to be relegated)
14. Queen of the South (to be relegated)
SPFL Championship (36 or 38 games)
Will have either 10 or 14 teams. Will therefore play either 36 games or has same system as Premiership. Two goes down and teams 11-12 to play-offs.
SPFL Conference (38 or 34 games)
Will have either 14 or 18 teams teams. System is either the same as Premiership or they play 34 games. Two goes up and teams 3-4 goes to play-offs.
PROPOSAL 4:
16 team Premiership with OR without play-offs
Okay, I like the idea of a bigger top division and 16 teams sounds good to me. That would mean a 30 game regular season and then top 8 goes to play-offs. Then there would be 30-36 games.
Also the last team will be relegated and teams 12-15 go to relegation play-offs. Some argue that 30 games would be too less because of loss of income from home games and I agree that's a problem in this system but play-offs might help in this one.
SPFL Premiership IF play-offs included (30-36 games). Without play-offs: 30 games
1. Hearts (to play-offs)
2. Celtic (to play-offs)
3. Aberdeen (to play-offs)
4. Dundee (to play-offs)
5. Hamilton (to play-offs)
6. Ross (to play-offs)
7. Dundee Utd (to play-offs)
8. Partick Thistle (to play-offs)
===================
9. Motherwell
10. St. Johnstone
11. Inverness CT
===================
12. Kilmarnock (to play 2nd of Championship)
13. Rangers (to play 3rd of Championship)
14. Queen of the South (to play 4th of Championship)
15. Dumbarton (to play 5th of Championship)
===================
16. Falkirk (to be relegated)
SPFL Championship (36 games)
will have 10 teams and they play each other four times. Winner will be promoted and teams 2-5 will play teams 12-15 from premiership in play-offs. Two goes down. Teams 7-8 will play in play-offs with teams 3-4 of League One.
SPFL League One (30 games)
will have the rest 16 teams and they play each other twice. Two goes up and teams 3-4 play teams 7-8 of Championship in play-offs.
PROPOSAL 5:
16 team Premiership and the similar system as Polish Extraklasa has
In Poland their top division Extraklasa has an interesting league system (from Wikipedia): "There are 16 clubs in the Ekstraklasa. During the course of the season each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 30 games (240 games in the season). From the 2013–14 season onward after 30th round league will be split into 'champion' (top eight teams) and 'relegation' (bottom eight teams) groups. Each team will play seven more games (1–4 and 9–12 teams will play four times at home), starting with half the points (rounded up) achieved during the first phase of 30 matches."
How about that? Halving the points would also bring more interest to the league, right?
PROPOSAL 6:
18 team Premiership
I agree that this proposal is the most unlikely one because of getting 18 good teams into it. Scotland only has 21 (?) professional teams so I don't think this will never go through. After re-thinking play-offs might not suit this system.
SPFL Premiership: 34 games
1. Hearts
2. Celtic
3. Aberdeen
4. Dundee
5. Hamilton
6. Ross
7. Dundee Utd
8. Partick Thistle
9. Motherwell
10. St. Johnstone
11. Inverness CT
12. Kilmarnock
===================
13. Rangers (to play 3rd of Championship)
14. Queen of the South (to play 4th of Championship)
15. Dumbarton (to play 5th of Championship)
16. Falkirk (to play 6th of Championship)
===================
17. Raith Rovers (to be relegated)
18. Hibernian (to be relegated)
SPFL Championship (33 games)
will have 12 teams and they play each other three times. Winners will be promoted and teams 3-6 will play teams 13-16 from premiership in play-offs. One goes down.
It's hard to choose the best proposal and schenario that helps Scottish football. All of them have pros and cons. If I have to choose now the one to pick it might be 14 teams in Premiership... or 16... or 10... or... Argh. Really hard. Anyway the main issue is that Scotland needs to reform their league to make it more interesting and to bring more fans into the terraces. Also better TV deals would be easier to get when you have a better and more competitive league. And nowadays money means much more than it meant in the good ol' days. Hopefully something happens soon and we'll see a revival of Scottish fitba'...
Some interesting links:
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/opinion/sport/record-fc-dundee-united-celtic-6323654
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/13416017.Neil_Doncaster_suggests_SPFL_restructure_may_be_only_way_forward/
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/584318/Departing-SFA-president-Campbell-Ogilvie-predicts-league-changes
http://www.sundaypost.com/sport/football/scottish-football-league-reconstruction-a-major-change-and-not-just-for-the-sake-of-it-1.878373
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/all-about/scottish-football-reconstruction
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/opinion/sport/record-fc-dundee-united-summer-5243815
http://sport.stv.tv/topics/league-reconstruction/
http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/resources/documents/SFAPublications/HenryMcLeishReviewofScottishFootball/Review%20Scottish%20Football%20Pt2%20FINAL.pdf
Monday 17 August 2015
Oluita 40 pisteen tuolta puolen (beers beyond 40 points), part 4 (Põhjala Imperial Baltic Porter)
Öö kuvattuna päivällä. Öö at daytime. |
(Eng)
Last week I visited Tallinn with my wife and I'm so glad to see that the microbrewery boom is really flourishing there too. At many pubs you can find local microbrewery beers instead of Saku and A Le Coq. After walking around at the Old Town we bumped into a small beer shop called Drink Shop (why we don't have these kind of shops in Finland?). Small shop was filled with magnificent beers and I was like a kid in a sweet shop. I also was so frustrated that I didn't brought at least a wheelbarrow with me. I bought few good beers and here's one of those: Põhjala Beers Imperial Baltic Porter called Öö (that's night in English). Pitch black beer had many awsome aspects: coffee, iron, blood, liquorice, plums and it was also nicely salty. Beer was burnt, full-bodied and creamy. And it was very thick, like blood. Like my working mate says about full-bodied beers, it's like drinking Christ's blood from a cup of Grail. I definitely recommend you to taste this. I really have to buy more the next time I visit the beautiful Tallinn. Yummy.
(Est)
Eelmisel nädalal käisin Tallinnas koos naisega ja ma olen nii rõõmus, et microbrewery buum on tõesti õitseb seal. Paljudes pubides leiad kohaliku microbrewery õlut asemel Saku ja Le Coq. Pärast jalutamas at Old Town me põrkasime väike õlu poes nimega Drink Shop (miks meil ei ole seda laadi kauplused Soomes?). Väike kauplus oli täis suurepärane õlut ja ma olin nagu laps magus kauplus. Ka mina nii pettunud, et ma ei toonud vähemalt käru koos minuga. Ostsin paar head õlut ja siin on üks neist: Põhjala Beers Imperial Baltic Porter nimega Öö (see on öö inglise). Pitch black õlut oli palju awsome aspekte: kohv, raud, veri, lagrits, ploomid ja see oli ka kenasti soolane. Õlu põles, täidlane ja kreemjas. Ja see oli väga paks, nagu veri. Nagu mu töö mate ütleb täidlane õlu, see on nagu joomine Kristuse vere tassi Graal. Ma kindlasti soovitan maitsta seda. Ma tõesti ei osta enamjärgmine kord ma külastadakaunist Tallinnast. Nami.
PS. If the translation was awfully wrong then blame the Google translator, not me :-)
Pisteet/points:
nose 9/10, taste 9/10, palate 5/5, overall score 22/25.
Total points: 45/50.
Thursday 23 July 2015
SOPP Helsinki 2015
Beer Hunter's - Belgi-IPA: hedelmäisen mangoinen IPA. Ei onneksi tavanomainen humalahumaus. Kivan erilainen. Pisteet: 38/50.
Hopping Brewsters - Double Warthog: Hedelmäisen täyteläinen ja kermainen. Pähkinää ja toffeeta mukana. Siirappinen. Iltapäivän paras. Pisteet: 42/50.
Radbrew - I'll Get Me Browncoat: perusbitteriä, jossa pähkinää. Ihan kiva. Pisteet: 33/50.
Mathildedalin Panimo - Teijo: Sitruksinen ja hedelmäinen IPA humalaa unohtamatta. Pisteet: 33/50.
Ruosniemen Panimo (Hiisin kera) - Konttorirutto Barley Wine: Täyteläinen, hieman savuinen, hedelmäinen, makea, toffeinen, pähkinäinen. Hieno barli. Pisteet: 40/50.
Rekolan Panimo - Orange county sheriff: Appelsiininkuorinen ja raikas. Pisteet: 37/50.
Jädraås bryggeri - Sällskapsöl: Perusbitter. Pisteet: 33/50.
Ja tähän loppuun joitain kuvia keskiviikolta:
Thursday 2 July 2015
Euroopan mielenkiintoisin jalkapalloliiga / The most interesting football league in Europe 2015
(photo courtesy of www.mff.se) |
Laskuihin otin mukaan 25 suurinta liigaa puhtaasti katsoen vain katsojakeskiarvoja + tietenkin kotoisen Veikkausliigan. Muut liigat jätän suosiolla rauhaan, koska eurooppalaisia liigoja kun vaan on niin paljon (54 muistaakseni UEFA:n mukaan).
Tilastot jaoin neljään eri lohkoon eli 1) koko historia (eli millä joukkueella on eniten mestaruuksia ja kuinka suuri osa tästä koko historiasta on tällä joukkueella sekä kuinka monta eri mestaria löytyy), 2) Viimeiset 20 kautta, 3) Viimeiset 10 kautta ja 4) Viimeiset 5 kautta. Olen myös laskenut eri osioille eri pistekertoimet. Koko historialle annan vain 1x pisteet, koska vanhat jo esim. 100 vuotta sitten pelatut ottelut eivät enää tähän päivään vaikuta millään tavalla. Viimeiset 20 kautta pisteet on tuplattu ja lähihistoriat on triplapisteillä. Lähihistoria (viimeiset 10 vuotta) on kuitenkin tällä hetkellä se mikä painaa eniten liigojen mielenkiintoisuudessa.
(Eng)
It's time again to calculate European football statistics and decide what league is the most interesting and what is the most boring. Note! This is purely based on statistics and it only calculates what league is the most interesting/exciting/most even etc. meaning what league gives you the best value for your money throughout the whole season. It is boring if you already know before the first kick off that your team will win the league or vice versa your team don't have a chance to win it - again.
I decided to choose 25 biggest leagues according to average attendances + Finnish Veikkausliiga (that's my home league so to say). Because there are so many European leagues I leave the smaller ones alone (54 leagues according to UEFA if my memory serves me right).
I've divided these calculations to four different sections: 1) the whole league history (who have the most titles and what is the percentage from whole league history plus how many different winners there are), 2) Last 20 seasons, 3) Last 10 seasons and 4) Last 5 seasons. I've doubled the section two's points and tripled third and fourth because I think near history counts more than e.g. seasons a hundred years ago.
TULOKSET/ RESULTS:
KOKONAISPISTEET / TOTAL POINTS:
01. SWEDEN = 131
02. POLAND = 128
03. FRANCE = 127
04. Kazakhstan = 123
05. Denmark = 112
06. Israel = 110
07. Norway = 107
08. Romania = 106
09. England = 98
09. Austria = 98
09. Russia = 98
12. Czech = 97
13. Belgium = 93
13. Netherlands = 89
15. Germany = 88
16. Spain = 85
17. Italy = 81
18. Turkey = 79
22. Switzerland = 61
23. Scotland = 56
24. UKRAINE = 51
25. CROATIA = 32
26. GREECE = 31
(Fin)
Tämän listan mukaan siis mielenkiintoisimmat olisivat Ruotsin Allsvenskan, Puolan Extraklasa sekä Ranskan Ligue 1. Kaikista kolmesta liigasta löytyy monia mestareita ja yksikään joukkue ei lähde selvänä suosikkina kauteen. Jännittäviä liigoja siis kannattajien näkökulmasta. Niin kutsutuista Big Five -liigoista mielenkiintoisin on siis tuo Ranskan liiga, Englanti seuraa toisena, Saksa kolmantena, Espanja neljäntenä ja Italia on viides. Listan toisessa päässä on selkeästi taasen Kreikka ja Kroatia, joidenka liigoja hallitsee yksi joukkue: Olympiakos Kreikassa ja Dinamo Zagreb Kroatiassa. Dinamo on muuten voittanut viimeiset 10 oman maansa mestaruutta. Meneekö Skonto Rigan (Latvia) 14 ja Rosenborgin (Norja) 13 peräkkäistä mestaruutta -ennätykset Kroatiassa vielä rikki? Mahdollisesti. Kuulostaa tylsältä, vai mitä?
(Eng)
So, according to this list Swedish, Polish and French leagues are the most interesting ones because they have lots of different champions and none of the teams start the season as a clear favourite. Interesting leagues from the point of view of a fan. When looking at the so called Big Five the order is France-England-Germany-Spain-Italy. At the other end are Greece and Croatia where only one team dominates: Olympiakos at Greece and Dinamo Zagreb at Croatia where they've won the last 10 titles and possibly break the record of 14-in-a-row by Skonto Riga (Latvia) and 13 by Rosenborg (Norway). Sounds very boring, right?
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OSIO 1 / SECTION 1:
KOKO HISTORIA / THE WHOLE HISTORY
Eniten mestaruuksia / most championship titles:
01. St. Etienne (France) = 10 titles / 77 seasons (13% from the total) = 10 points
02. Malmö & IFK Göteborg (Sweden) = 18 / 116 (18%) = 10 points
02. Manchester Utd (England) = 20 / 116 (18%) = 10 points
02. Gornik & Wisla (Poland) = 18 / 80 (18%) = 10 points
05. Grasshopper (Switzerland) = 27 / 116 (24%) = 9 points
06. Bayern München (Germany) = 25 / 103 (25%) = 8 points
07. HJK (Finland) = 27 / 105 (26%) = 8 points
08. Steaua Bucuresti (Romania) = 26 / 97 (27%) = 8 points
09. Juventus (Italy) = 31 / 110 (29%) = 8 points
09. Ajax (Netherlands) = 33 / 117 (29%) = 8 points
09. Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) = 21 / 73 (29%) = 8 points
12. Anderlecht (Belgium) = 33 / 112 (30%) = 7 points
13. Cervena Zvezda & Partizan Belgrade (Serbia) = 26 / 85 (31%) = 7 points*
14. Rapid Wien (Austria) = 32 / 103 (32%) = 7 points
15. Rosenborg (Norway) = 22 / 68 (33%) = 7 points
16. Irtysh & Aktobe (Kazakhstan) = 8 / 23 (35%) = 6 points
17. Galatasaray (Turkey) = 20 / 57 (36%) = 6 points
18. Benfica (Portugal) = 34 / 90 (38%) = 6 points
19. Real Madrid (Spain) = 32 / 84 (39%) = 6 points
20. Spartak Moskva (Russia) = 9 / 23 (40%) = 5 points
20. FC Kobenhavn (Denmark) = 10 / 25 (40%) = 5 points**
22. Rangers (Scotland) = 54 / 119 (46%) = 4 points
23. Olympiakos (Greece) = 42 / 79 (54%) = 3 points
24. Sparta Prague (Czech) = 12 / 22 (55%) = 3 points
25. Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) = 14 / 24 (59%) = 3 points
26. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) = 17 / 24 (71%) = 1 point
* including history of Yugoslavia
** Danish league taken into account after Superliga formed in 1992
(-19% = 10p, 20-24% = 9p, 25-29% = 8p, 30-34% = 7p, 35-39% = 6p, 40-44% = 5p, 45-49% = 4p, 50-59% = 3p, 60-69% = 2p, 70%-> = 1p)
Kuinka monta eri mestaria suhteessa kausiin / how many different winners compared to seasons
01. Kazakhstan = 8 different winners / 23 seasons (2.9%) = 10 points
02. Denmark = 8 / 25 (3.2%) = 10 points
03. Germany = 28 / 103 (3.7%) = 10 points
04. Russia = 6 / 23 (3.9%) = 10 points
04. France = 20 / 77 (3.9%) = 10 points
06. Finland = 25 / 105 (4.2%) = 9 points
07. Norway = 16 / 68 (4.3%) = 9 points
08. Czech = 5 / 22 (4.4%) = 9 points
08. Netherlands = 27 / 117 (4.4%) = 9 points
08. Romania = 22 / 97 (4.4%) = 9 points
11. Poland = 16 / 80 (5.0%) = 8 points
12. England = 23 / 116 (5.1%) = 8 points
13. Israel = 14 / 73 (5.3%) = 8 points
14. Sweden = 19 / 116 (6.2%) = 7 points
14. Switzerland = 19 / 117 (6.2%) = 7 points
16. Austria = 16 / 103 (6.5%) = 7 points
17. Serbia = 13 / 85 (6.6%) = 7 points
18. Italy = 16 / 110 (6.9%) = 7 points
19. Belgium = 16 / 112 (7.0%) = 6 points
20. Croatia = 3 / 24 (8.0%) = 5 points
20. Ukraine = 3 / 24 (8.0%) = 5 points
22. Spain = 9 / 84 (9.4%) = 4 points
23. Scotland = 11 / 119 (10.9%) = 3 points
24. Turkey = 5 / 57 (11.4%) = 2 points
25. Portugal = 7 / 90 (12.9%) = 2 points
26. Greece = 6 / 79 (13.2%) = 1 point
(-4% = 10p, 4-5% = 9p, 5-6% = 8p, 6-7% = 7p, 7-8% = 6p, 8-9% = 5p, 9-10% = 4p, 10-11% = 3p, 11-13% = 2p, 13%-> = 1p)
OSIO 2 / SECTION 2:
VIIMEISET 20 KAUTTA / LAST 20 SEASONS
Eniten mestaruuksia / most championship titles:
01. Malmö FF (Sweden) = 4 titles (20%) = 18 points
02. Aktobe (Kazakhstan) = 5 (25%) = 16 points
03. Spartak Moskva & CSKA (Russia) = 6 (30%) = 14 points
04. Olympique Lyon (France) = 7 (35%) = 12 points
04. Maccabi Haifa (Israel) = 7 (35%) = 12 points
08. HJK (Finland) = 9 (45%) = 8 points
22. Partizan Belgrade (Serbia) = 13 (65%) = 4 points
22. FC Porto (Portugal) = 13 (65%) = 4 points
22. Rosenborg (Norway) = 13 (65%) = 4 points
25. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) = 16 (80%) = 2 points
25. Olympiakos (Greece) = 17 (85%) = 2 points
(-19% = 20p, 20-24% = 18p, 25-29% = 16p, 30-34% = 14p, 35-39% = 12p, 40-44% = 10p, 45-49% = 8p, 50-59% = 6p, 60-69% = 4p, 70%-> = 2p)
Kuinka monta eri mestaria / how many different winners
03. Poland = 8 = 16 points
05. Denmark = 7 = 14 points
06. Switzerland = 6 = 12 points
06. Romania = 6 = 12 points
14. Israel = 5 = 10 points
(tuplaa mestareiden määrä / double the amount of champions)
01. Wisla Krakow & Legia Warsaw (Poland) = 3 titles = 21 points
01. Maccabi Tel Aviv & Maccabi Haifa = 3 = 21 points
07. Steaua Bucuresti (Romania) = 4 = 18 points
10. Aktobe (Kazakhstan) = 5 = 15 points
(1 = 30p, 2 = 24p, 3 = 21p, 4 = 18p, 5 = 15p, 6 = 12p, 7 = 9p, 8 = 6p, 9 & 10 = 3p)
02. Norway = 6 = 18 points
04. Denmark = 5 = 15 points
04. Poland = 5 = 15 points
04. Romania = 5 = 15 points
04. Israel = 5 = 15 points
08. Finland = 4 = 12 points
08. Austria = 4 = 12 points
08. Germany = 4 = 12 points
08. Belgium = 4 = 12 points
08. Czech = 4 = 12 points
08. Netherlands = 4 = 12 points
08. Turkey = 4 = 12 points
08. Kazakhstan = 4 = 12 points
16. Russia = 3 = 9 points
16. England = 3 = 9 points
16. Spain = 3 = 9 points
16. Italy = 3 = 9 points
20. Greece = 2 = 6 points
20. Portugal = 2 = 6 points
20. Scotland = 2 = 6 points
20. Serbia = 2 = 6 points
20. Switzerland = 2 = 6 points
20. Ukraine = 2 = 6 points
26. Croatia = 1 = 3 points
(triplaa mestareiden määrä / triple the amount of champions)
OSA 4 / SECTION 4:
5 VIIMEISINTÄ KAUTTA / LAST 5 SEASONS
01. Shakhter (Kazakhstan) = 2 = 24 points
01. Legia Warsaw (Poland) = 2 = 24 points
05. Steaua Bucuresti (Romania) = 3 = 18 points
05. Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) = 3 = 18 points
(1 = 30p, 2 = 24p, 3 = 18p, 4 = 12p, 5 = 6p)
01. Poland = 4 = 24 points
01. Kazakhstan = 4 = 24 points
04. Romania = 3 = 18 points
04. Israel = 3 = 18 points
Saturday 27 June 2015
Oluita 40 pisteen tuolta puolen (beers beyond 40 points), part 3 (Westvleteren 12)
W12 ja maailman parhaimman oluen lasi: R10 |
Sometimes three years ago I tasted what was argued as the best beer in the world: Westvleteren 12. I thought back then that it wasn't as good as Rochefort 10. Even Westvleteren 8 was better. Beerheads argued that this new version (XII) needs few years to mature so when our monopoly over 4.7% ABV booze shop Alko bought a batch I had to have few. And one of those I put into my beerfridge and now I opened it. First impression was that there are now lots and lots of chocolate all over the beer. Still, lots of those scents you connect with trappist beers are still there: bananas, toffee, raisins, plums and so on. This is one heck of a beer but I still cannot understand why the hype? I still think Rochefort 10 is a better beer compared to W12 but don't get me wrong: W12 is still one of the best beers in the world and the next time Alko buys a batch I will buy few bottles for me. Points: 45/50.
Friday 29 May 2015
Oluita 40 pisteen tuolta puolen (beers beyond 40 points), part 2
Saturday 7 February 2015
Uisge 2015
Ensimmäiseksi tutustuin uuteen viskitislaamoon Suomessa eli Valamon luostarin viskeihin. Heiltä maistoin 3-vuotiasta Oloroso -kylvyn saanutta viskiä. Tislattu 2011 ja pullotettu 2015. Karamellimainen, sokerinen, puinen ja sherryinen viski oli odotettua parempi. Ilmoituksen mukaan he aloittivat tislaamisen syksyllä 2014, jotenka mistä tämä 2011 tislaus on peräisin? Just Peat It'in mukaan on kyse siis tästä. Itse viski oli kyllä ihan mainio.
Seuraavaksi käväisin ottamassa maisteluun BenRiachin 35-vuotiaan viskin ja ei tästäkään mitään pahaa sanottavaa. Tuoksussa omenaa, kahvia, hedelmää, hunajaa, tammea, suklaata ja sherryä. Maussa hedelmää, tammea, sherryä, mausteita ja puuta. Hyvää oli.
Kolmantena yksi omista suosikkitislaamoista eli GlenDronachin 24-vuotias Grandeur. Nahkainen, sherryinen, viinimäinen, hedelmäinen ja vaniljamainenkin viski maistui. Nam nam.
Neljänneksi halusin jo jotain muuta eli savuakin saa olla mukana. Laphroaigin Highgrove tarjosi hyvän mahdollisuuden maistaa savuakin. Ja oli sitä aika tasapainoisesti tässä. Myöskin turvetta, meren suolaisuutta ja ihanaa savusilakkaakin löytyi. Ei paskempi viski.
Viimeisenä Bunnahabhainin Ceobanach (piti kysäistä, että miten tämä oikein lausutaan). Bunnan 1963-tislattu 40-vuotias jäi tällä kertaa väliin, mutta oli tämä ihan hyvä korvaava viski. Nahkainen ja parfyyminenkin viski toimisi ihan hyvänä arkiviskinä.
Pisteet:
GlenDronach Grandeur = 88/100
BenRiach 35 YO = 86/100
Laphroaig Highgrove = 86/100
Bunnahabhain Ceobanach = 83/100
Valamo 3 YO Oloroso = 81/100
Suuri kiitos taas järjestäjille. On todella hienoa, että tällainen tapahtuma on Suomessa. Porukkaa tuntui olevan paljon liikkeellä ja tuntui, että kyynärpäitä sai ruveta käyttämään, jotta pääsi eteenpäin. Vanha käy vissiin jo pieneksi. Tietysti kiitosta tästä ryysiksestä täytyy varmaan laittaa myös Valviralle ja muille viranomaisille, jotka omalla toiminnallaan ovat mainostaneet tapahtumaa ja saaneet liikkeelle sellaisetkin, jotka normaalisti eivät olisi tulleet paikalle.
Heikki Kähkönen ja Ian Buxton |
Uisge2015 klasi. Oli mukavan kokoinen... |
Teerenpelin tiski |
GlenDronach Grandeur. Nam. |
Munkkien tekemää viskiä. |
Tähän loppuun lisään linkkejä muihin saitteihin, joissa käsitellään Uisge-aihetta:
http://viskisieppo.blogspot.fi/p/uisge.html
http://mushimalt.blogspot.fi/2015/02/uisge-2015-mushimaltin-kokemana.html?spref=fb
http://viskikonttori.com/2015/02/07/uisge-2015/
Saturday 27 December 2014
Skottifutiksen, suomifutiksen ja suomilätkän tila / The state of Scottish and Finnish football and Finnish ice hockey
Viime aikoina on taas vellonnut keskustelua eri medioissa koskien skottifutiksen, suomifutiksen ja suomilätkän tilaa. Aloitetaan Skotlannista.
During last few weeks there's been lots of discussion about the state of football in Scotland and in Finland but also ice hockey's state in Finland.
FIRST IN FINNISH (BRIEFLY IN ENGLISH AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE)
SKOTLANTI
Skotlanti on viskeistä, kilteistä ja jalkapallosta tunnettu maa. Itse olen suorastaan hulluna Skotlantiin, vaikka viskien hinnat vain nousevat ja vastapainona jalkapallon taso laskee. Onneksi miesten kilttien pituudet eivät sentään lyhene. Voisi tulla vilu kulkusiin. On tosiasia, että Skotlannin jalkapalloskeneä ovat Celtic ja Rangers hallinneet koko sen olemassaolon ajan vain muutaman joukkueen onnistuessa pudottamaan jomman kumman valtaistuimelta. Viimeinen tällainen tapahtuma oli 1980-luvulla, kun Aberdeen vei mestaruuden (Sir Alexin johdolla). Skotlannin Cupissa ja Liiga-Cupissa sentään on ollut tasaisempaa. Ainakin jonkin verran. Myöskin kultaisella kasarilla Aberdeen pystyi nappaamaan Cup Winners Cupin Real Madridin nenän edestä. Tuskinpa enää pystyisi samaan.
(Aberdeen winning the Cup Winners Cup in 1983. Picture taken from Events for Archie blog) |
Skotlannissa mentiin myös tuohon Valioliiga-maailmaan ja syntyi kaksi kattojärjestöä, joista viime vuosina onneksi päästiin eroon ja nyt kaikki 42 joukkuetta ovat saman järjestön alla (SPFL). Rahat kun tuntuivat siirtyvän ensimmäkseen Old Firm'in (Celtic ja Rangers) taskuihin ja muilla joukkueilla ei juurikaan mahdollisuuksia ollut nousta mestariksi. Jo se oli suuri saavutus jos joku sai kiilattua itsensä näiden kahden väliin. Viime aikoina on silti noussut kysymyksiä, että jotain on pielessä. Porukka ei käy otteluissa enää samaan tahtiin kuin ennen. Tähän ratkaisuna on mm. ehdotettu kesäkauteen siirtymistä, jotta ei tarvitsisi keskitalvella yrittää pelata kesäpeliä. Ei se välttämättä ole edes katsojaystävällistäkään. Hytise nyt sitten katsomoissa keskellä talvea. Fanit halusivat tämän lisäksi laajentaa pääsarjaa, jotta samoja joukkueita ei tarvitsisi kohdata montaa kertaa kaudessa, mutta SPFL ei noteerannut tätä mitenkään. Halusivat pitää 12-joukkueen sarjasta kiinni (ja siitä fanien vihaamasta jaosta kolmen kierroksen jälkeen). Nyt katsojamäärät ovat laskeneet ja huoli on kova, koska mm. koripallo ja yllättäen myös jääkiekko ovat lisänneet katsojamääriä. Lippujen hinnat tietysti ovat ratkaisevassa asemassa tässäkin: samalla hintaa pääsee koko perhe katsomaan koripalloa kuin yksi menee katsomaan jalkapalloa, jossa Celtic kuitenkin voittaa tällä hetkellä mestaruuden. Ja nyt myöskin pelätään, että taso laskee kohti irkkuliigaa. Maajoukkuekin on tietysti huolissaan, koska viimeisestä suuresta turnauksesta on jo... hetkinen... 16 vuotta. Ei olla totuttu Skotlannissa tuollaiseen.
Mitä sitten voisi tehdä? Itse näkisin, että joko siirtyminen 10-joukkueen liigaan, jolloin heittopussien määrä vähenisi tai sitten suoraan 18-joukkueen liigaan, jolloin tarvitsisi kohdata vastustaja vain kaksi kertaa kaudessa neljän sijaan. Kun viimeksi joku muu kuin Old Firm voitti mestaruuden oli vuosi 1985 ja 10-joukkueen sarja. Pienten maiden (asukaslukumäärä alle 10 miljoonaa) ongelma on, että ei vain löydy tarpeeksi montaa laadukasta joukkuetta, kuten suurissa maissa. On myös jotenkin väärin, että monesti Skotlantia verrataan Englantiin, vaikka järkevämpää olisi verrata saman kokoisiin maihin. Vääristymiä aiheuttaa myös järjettömät määrät rahaa, jotka menevät Englantiin. Monet vanhat englannin liigan pelaajathan ovat kiroilleet mm. sitäkin, että nykyään keskinkertaisetkin pelaajat saavat enemmän kuin huiput ennen. Talouspuolenkin tyypit ovat varoitelleet, että ei ole tervettä, että pelaajabudjetit valtaavat kokonaisbudjetista niin ison loven. Kaiketi korttitalo joskus romahtaa, mutta vielä se on pystyssä jotenkuten. Voisiko siis kesäfutis ja joukkueiden määrän muuttaminen pelastaa Skotlannin? Mahdollisesti. Tietysti elokuussa pitäisi pitää vapaata, kun suuri osa viettäisi lomaa jossain muualla kuin katsomoissa, kuten seuraavassa linkissä epäillään. Ja tietysti lippujen hintojakin pitää laskea, jotta ne tavalliset duunaritkin palaisivat takaisin.
Yksi asia tuntuu minusta ainakin varmalta eli joukkueiden määrää koko SPFL:ssä pitää vähentää, koska 42 joukkuetta on vain liikaa Skotlannin kokoiseen maahan. Joko siis 10-joukkueen pääsarja ja 20-joukkueen Championship tai 18-joukkueen pääsarja ja 12-joukkueen Championship tai 16+16, kuitenkin niin, että 30 taloudellisesti terveintä joukkuetta olisi mukana (tämä tuntuu jostain kumman syystä sopivalta määrältä. Joku muu voisi olla eri mieltä). Muut sitten esim. Regional liigaan, mutta kuitenkin niin, että joukkueilla olisi kuitenkin mahdollisuus nousta SPFL:ään jos täyttää kriteerit. Toivoa ei saa tappaa.
SUOMI
Sama juttu Suomen jalkapallon suhteen. Viimeisin synkkä uutinen oli FC Hongan häviäminen liigakartalta ja MyPa:llakin taitaa olla ongelmia.
http://www.iltalehti.fi/jalkapallo/2014121618933556_vg.shtml
MyPa pois Veikkausliigasta ja Ilves tilalle:
http://www.iltasanomat.fi/veikkausliiga/art-1420780106490.html
(FC Jazz'in Alekou. Kuva: Satakunnan Kansa) |
(Ässät. Kuva: Iltalehti) |
Tässä vielä HIFK-legendan Matti Hagmanin ajatuksia:
http://www.iltasanomat.fi/sm-liiga/art-1418630998730.html
VERTAILU POHJOIS-AMERIKKAAN (lisäys 29.12.)
Pohjois-Amerikassa tuntuu homma toimivan paljon tasapuolisemmin. Liigoissa ei ole yhtä tai kahta tai edes kolmea suurta suosikkia, vaan lähes jokaisella on mahdollisuus voittaa mestaruus. Tietysti USA:ssa ja Kanadassa riittää populaakin katsomoihin ja kentille, mutta silti tuntuu, että jotain on tehty eri tavalla ja paremmin kuin Euroopassa. Tasaisuus on valttia. Pohjois-Amerikassa neljä suurinta liigaa tunnetaan nimellä The Big Four (MLB, NBA, NFL ja NHL), mutta MLS voidaan kaiketi jo liittää porukkaan ja monet puhuvatkin The Big Five’sta. Miten näissä sarjoissa sitten mestaruudet ovat menneet? Viimeisten 10 vuoden aikana MLB:n World Seriesin on voittanut kuusi (6) eri joukkuetta, NBA:n neljä (4), NFL:n kahdeksan (8), NHL:n kahdeksan (8) sekä MLS:n kuusi (6) eri joukkuetta. Erittäin tasaista on siis ollut. Miten noissa viidessä liigassa sitten pelataan?
(3.1.2015)
Yksi asia vielä lisättynä, että Pohjois-Amerikassa monet liigat käyttävät palkkakattoa, jotta liigasta tulisi mahdollisimman tasainen ja että palkkakustannukset eivät paisuisi liiaksi. Älyttömän hyvä idea. (Kiitos Jussi tästä muistutuksesta).
IN ENGLISH:
Partick Thistle in red and yellow jersey. (Picture courtesy of Herald Scotland) |
(30.12.) One thing that might also bring back the fans are the standing areas. Many fans love those areas and I don't blame them. It's the standing areas that usually have the best feeling. I support Finnish ice hockey team Ässät and they have an arena that has a capacity of ~6500 and ~2500 of those are for standing fans. And it's bloody marvelous being there...
Briefly about Finnish football which is also in shambles as HJK seems to be the only financially stable team at the moment (with 27 titles and six of them from the past six years). To make it more attractive I'd like to see that Veikkausliiga should be reduced to 10 teams and first division should have also 10 teams. Ice hockey (and SM-Liiga) is Finland's number one sport brand but like HIFK legend Matti Hagman states at the news article (http://www.iltasanomat.fi/sm-liiga/art-1418630998730.html) it needs a revamp. The biggest team Jokerit moved to KHL and a small Sport Vaasa replaced them. I like Matti's idea of two leagues with 10 teams each. That would make every game important and make teams stronger.
COMPARING EUROPE TO NORTH AMERICA (added 29th December):
It seems that everything's better at North America: at least sport is more competitive and interesting. Of course the population is huge at the other side of the "lake" but still it's different. What is then different? Let's look at the Big Four (MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL). Also MLS can be considered a big league and many nowadays use the term The Big Five so let's include that also. During the last ten seasons: MLB's World Series was won by six (6) different teams, NBA four (4), NFL eight (8), NHL eight (8) and MLS six (6). Very even and interesting leagues, right? This is what an average fan wants, I assume.
Toronto Raptors (Picture: bleacherreport.com) |
So one common thing in every league is the use of play-offs after regular season. I know, there are Cups and even League-Cup's in come countries in the football world so would a play-off still be interesting? Possibly because those play-off's might bring some surprises that a long run series won't perhaps produce and that would be a huge positive thing especially to small/medium sized leagues like Scotland and Finland - almost anyone can win the title! Also the wee ones. Those play-off's and finals might bring back the fans when other teams also have chances of winning instead of seeing Celtic confirming their title in January. How about two divisions of 16 teams each? Would that be all right? After a 30 game regular season the top eight of the Premiership go to play-off's. At the bottom, two go down and teams 13 and 14 play against second tier's 3rd and 4th about who two win a place at the top division. Season would then be 30-36 games long. And even at the final two games there's still a chance for that other-than-Celtic team to win the league.
But these are just my ideas of revamping the game in Scotland and Finland. I assume the suits who decide how the game looks like don't give a shit about these ideas. But I hope something happens in the near future because something has to happen before it's too late. They have to make the product more attractive. And especially attractive for the fans. SPFL should try anything now instead of standing still like there's no problem at all. Unfortunately I'm not living in Scotland but if I was I would be welcoming such changes and buy a Partick Thistle season ticket (and perhaps a ticket to some odd Aberdeen game at Pittodrie as well)...
(3 January 2015)
In North-America they have this thing called salary cap. That is the thing that gives smaller teams a chance to buy good players and this won't let budgets go too bloated. I like this idea. Whatever makes a league better is a good idea. Wikipedia: "In theory, there are two main benefits derived from salary caps - promotion of parity between teams, and control of costs."
Linkkejä koskien Skotlannin tilannetta / Links about the state of Scottish football:
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/scottish-football-heading-irish-league-4802544
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/scottish-footballs-problems-wont-solved-4826159
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/opinion/sport/david-mccarthy-free-spfl-sponsorship-4825831
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/30122536
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/30054170
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/legacy/jimspence/2012/03/as_the_debate_about_change.html
http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/spl-chief-scotland-has-highest-attendance-pr-head-population-europe-2013581#.VKJT7s8rkDA (Good news but how long it will be like this? Hopefully for long...)
http://storre.stir.ac.uk/bitstream/1893/2196/1/SCOTTISH%20FOOTBALL%20-%20ITS%20A%20FUNNY%20OLD%20BUSINESS.pdf
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/opinion/football-is-paying-the-price-for-its-lack-of-vision-as-attendances-fall.20249246
http://thinkfootball.co.uk/why-are-attendances-in-the-spl-so-low/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2859373/Scottish-football-terribly-lazy-self-pity-according-Barry-Hearn.html
http://www.givemesport.com/362679-scottish-football-the-beginning-of-the-end