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Euro 1984 qualifying
Mircea Lucescu is arguably the titan of post-war Romanian football. As a successful player, as an even more successful manager, and in his current incarnation as a polyglot, generally benign uncle-figure who takes care of his boys during wartime and still wins trophies, ‘Nea Mircea’ is celebrated both at home and abroad like few other… Continue reading
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End of season round-up
I’ve been away from Romania for nearly 3 years. As the 2021-22 season draws to a close, let’s see what’s changed since I left. Oh, not much. Continue reading
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Pastures new
It’s been a while. I’m still interested in Romanian football, because it’s a deep hole I’ve fallen into and frankly it’s hard to get out. But I no longer live in Romania, so if you want to see what I’m blogging about now, try https://koballs.wordpress.com. If you were disappointed by this blog, you’ll be disappointed… Continue reading
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Talk about the passion
Who says nobody cares any more in Romanian football? Me, I say that, usually. And the people I talk to about it tend to agree, unhampered by their having no concrete existence outside my head. But last weekend saw tension, passion and confrontation on and off the pitch at different ends of the pyramid. Warning:… Continue reading
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It’s business time
I’ll admit it. I haven’t been following the footballing ups and downs of the footballing leagues much over the past year. But, with the end in sight, the time has come to scratch the footballing surface of what’s been going on around the footballing country during this footballing season. Continue reading
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Inter-Allied Games, 1919
Thanks to Brian D. Bunk of the excellent soccerhistoryusa.org website for drawing my attention to this multi-sport competition, held a hundred years ago, after the cessation of hostilities on the western front. Romania was one of eight countries which sent a team to take part in the football tournament. Although the composition of the team… Continue reading
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Romania at the 1930 World Cup (2)
The story continues. (See here for part 1 of this timely look back at something which happened almost exactly 89 years ago next-but-one month.) Continue reading
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Romania at the 1930 World Cup (1)
Only about 188 weeks to go until the long-awaited Qatar World Cup kicks off!!!! That, and the upcoming 88.75th anniversary of the event in question, combine to mean it must be another timely Romaniaballs blog post. We will be EXPLODING myths, EXPOSING biased reporting and possibly even EXPANDING our knowledge of men in big, baggy… Continue reading
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Home away from home
…aka The Fall and Rise of the Perennial Regie. Saturday 9th March, 2019. 3.00pm. Rapid v Popești-Leordeni. AND Saturday 23rd March, 2019. 3.30pm. Rapid v FCSB 2. Stadionul Regie, Bucharest. Effingham Grant was born in 1820 in Guernsey, the son of a captain in the British Army. Continue reading
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I can’t take my eyes off you, Hagi
This is part 4 in a series of posts tracing the Romanian national team’s fortunes 1990-94. Click for parts 1, 2 and 3. Wales: episode 2 Wales and the Slovakoczechs both beat Cyprus during October, meaning that, come 17 November 1993 and the last pair of fixtures, any of the four contenders can still qualify… Continue reading
About Me
I like books. I like words. I like maps. I like football (mostly Romanian).
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