retired_milla0225

A creditable Away draw for PP-70

Aamulehti 24th July 2005

VPS 1-1 PP-70

A fine summer's evening here at Vaasa saw high flying VPS held to a 1-1 draw by battling PP-70. In truth the strugglers from Tampere will feel slightly aggreived at this result having had by far the best of the play, creating many more chances than their illustrious opponents. However Tristan Langley's men had to come from a goal down as VPS scored shortly after the restart with their only on target effort of the whole game. And despite near constant pressure PP-70 only drew level with a 72nd minute spot kick, converted by Kotilahti after the lively Mikkola had been hauled back on the point of scoring, the VPS skipper Hietaharju seeing red for the misdemeanor. VPS slip to second after this game as PP-70 stay in 11th spot. As good as this run's been it's not yet been good enough to get them out of the relegation play off spots. it'll be interesting to see how the team cope at home to new league leaders FC Hameenlinna next weekend.

[I]Dag Hammerfest[/i}

retired_milla0225

We'll quietly skate over this one

The following Sunday, July 31st saw the visit of league leading FC Hameenlinna. This was a team bang in form and we struggled from start to finish. We went in at half time two goals down and down to ten men after Kuusela was given his marching orders for his second yellow of the game. And though we got a goal back mid way through the second period, scored by Eranen we were never really in it and FC Hameenlinna won at a canter. To make matters worse we suffered injries to Etelamaki (a week out with a stubbed toe) and Kotilahti( also a week out, this time with a bruised head). there was obviously still lots of work to do.

Final Score PP-70 1-2 FC Hameenlinna

The only silver lining was we stayed in 11th spot despite the defeat

retired_milla0225

A first defeat for Langley

The Dag Hammerfest column Aamulehti 01 Aug 2005

New PP-70 manager Tristan Langley had his first taste of defeat last night at the hands of FC Hameenlinna. Outclssed and outplayed, Tampere's second team struggled to get any kind of foothold in the game and endied up losing out to the league leaders. has the Tristan Langley bubble burst? Well, the month of August will surely tell us more.

retired_milla0225

August. A win and a draw, but two defeats

The first Sunday in August, the 4th, saw us demolish fellow strugellers FC Atlantis by 3-0. Two more goals from Harri Mikkola in the first half were followed up with a Timo Valkeappa penalty in the second with Atlantis's Jokipera being sent off for a professional foul. The win saw us rise up the table at last.

Final Score PP-70 3-0 FC Atlantis
At last, the heady heights of 10th in the table

The following Sunday, the 11th saw us lose away at AC Oulu. Oulu were riding high in the table at the time and showed us a few lessons in finishing as they converted more of their chances into goals than we did of ours. They lead 2-1 at half time and 3-2 at full time, never behind after a first minute goal. Our goals came from Eranen and Mikkola but to be honest we were never in this one.

Final Score AC Oulu 3-2 PP-70
We manage to hold on to 10th spot despite the defeat

Another week another dissapointment as we are held away at fellow strugglers KPV. To our credit we pegged back KPV twice with two goals from Eranen but in truth it was a poor game with few chances on target from either side. KPV certainly created more but we wayward in shooting despite their two goals.

Final Score KPV 2-2 PP-70
We cling on to 10th spot with this point

August closed with another defeat but this time at home. Rakuunat, only just out of the danger zone themselves were the visitors, and they ran out comfortable winners scoring with the two shots that they managed to get on target. We wasted a number of chances and only got on the score sheet in injury time at the end of the game via the left boot of Juuso Olikainen

Final Score PP-70 1-2 Rakuunat
Disaster strikes as we slip to 12th in the table

We closed the month with the purchase of 29. Lasse Vornanen a £1'000 capture from [b]FCV]. He's 26 years old and a creative defensive midfielder.

August wasn't a good month. Surely Dag Hammerfest was just waiting to stick the boot in.

retired_milla0225

The Wheels Have come off !

The Dag Hammerfest column Aamulehti 01 Sep 2005

After a tolerably good start to his managerial career Tristan Langley has seen it all go wrong in the last month and seen the PP-70 team slide back into relegation trouble.

It's true that the Englishman had a good start to his career at Tampere's second club, but despite the good form the team haven't managed to escape from trouble, never rising above 10th spot in all Langley's time here. And now with a run of bad form the club have dropped back to 12th spot, the second of the relegation playoff spots, and it seems to some people, this observer included, that there is only one direction the club is going to go from here.

I hope events will prove me wrong, but Tristan langley is going to have to pull out all the stops if he is going to rescue this season.

More next month folks

retired_milla0225

The pressure's on now

I didn't expect the press response to be friendly and things were notched up another level late on in the week when P-Iirot manager Kari Latvenen piped up in the press that he thought I'd have a hard time saving PP-70 from relegation. Quite simply a lame attempt at mind games ahead of our clash at the weekend but I chose to respond by saying that i'd enjoy it when we beat them on Sunday. All good clean fun.

retired_milla0225

Desperate Times, Desperate measures

So Sunday came around and we have an away game at fellow strugglers P-Iirot. The game itself began as a very cagey affiar with chances few and far between. All the players were nervous nd mistakes were common place. Indeed it was from a mistake that we managed to break the deadlock right on half time as full back Jaakko Pasanen crossed from the right, the ball sailed over the keeper's head and straight in. A bizarre goal but a 1-0 half time lead. So far so good.

P-Iirot came out fighting though in the second half and soon equalised, Heliminen with the vollied equaliser. Things got alot worse on 76 minutes when P-Iirot took the lead with a fine individual effort from Santahunta (And, no, I haven't made that name up !). And we struggled to get back into the game. As the time ticked past 85 minutes and we didn't look like making a breakthrough I switched to all out attack. P-Iirot just couldn't live with us after that point as Timo Valkeapaa, up from the back at a corner, rammed home the equaliser from close range.

It was well into the 4 minutes of injury time that we picked up the winner, Eranen picking up a sweet through ball and tucking it under the advancing keeper's body for the winner. There was barley time left to kick off and as the final whistle went you could see the P-Iirot players just looking at each other in disbelief. As for our lads, you'd think we'd won the Finnish cup.

Final Score: P-Iirot 2-3 PP70
And as a bonus we move back up to 10th. Out of the relegation playoff spots.

retired_milla0225

Two games against fellow strugglers

11th September saw the visit of FC Viikingit, languishing in 13th spot with little hope of redemption. The itself was a one way affair and we ran out easy winners with goals from Sihvonen, Mikkola and an own goal. A 3-0 win, and at a canter.

Final Score PP-70 3-0 FC Viikingit
Up to 8th. As high as we've been all season

The following week saw a game at home to PK-35 another team in the mire, though at least with a hope of getting out. But not so much after this match, an absolute demolishion by my PP-70 boys. Playing with exceptional confidence the boys produced the display of the season, totally dominant and running out very easy winners. Three goals from Mikkola (what great signing he was) and another two from the ever deadly Eranen took us to 5-0 up. We took our foot of the gas at the very end and allowed PK-35 a consolation goal, but it was no more than that.

Final Score: PP-70 5-1 PK-35
[i]Up another place to 7th. The good news is we can no longer finish in either of the automatic relegation spots.[/b]

retired_milla0225

Mods. if you read this can you correct the last sentanc there, should be italicised. Ta.

retired_milla0225

Another win and an Award.

Another home game closed out the month. A different proposition this time though in the shape of second placed VG-62. But once again we were outstanding. After a tight first half, which closed 1-1, Eranen getting our goal, equalised by VG-62 on the stroke of half time; the second half was a different story. We were outstanding. Eranen completed his hatrick with two more goals as we crusied to another win.

Final Score PP-70 3-1 VG-62
Up again. To 6th

Month end saw the good news of me being named Manager of The Month for the Finnish First Division. That should shut Dag Hammerfest up, eh ?