Bridgford Ram

I know...it's probably been done to death but...oh it was special...
How apt: the very final game at the famous old Baseball Ground was against the Arsenal. I am minded of a game some years earlier against the same opposition, for it was an occasion that really brought home to me just how special the place was; a true theatre of football:
The date: 8th September 1979. A sultry sunny September Saturday of an Indian summer. Sweat, cig-smoke and the smell of alcohol-breath fused with hot-dog onions filled the Pop Side air. Arsenal were in town, a side replete with silky, star-studded names that dripped from the tongue like golden syrup: Pat Jennings, Liam Brady, Sammy Nelson-the bum-show-er, O’Leary, Hollins, Rix, Talbot, Stapleton and Alan Sunderland, all perm and moustachioed; the latter two had, in May, ripped the FA Cup from Man Utd in the final of the century. For Derby there was no longer a Gemmill, a Hector, a McFarland or Todd, or even a Charles George. In rapt contra-distinction we had a ring of Irish: Aiden McCafferey, Vic Morland, David Langan, Andy Crawford, and a liquorice-assortment of stalwarts like David Webb, Steve Powell and Steve Buckley, all honest triers but in truth it was thoroughbreds v also-rans, giant oak trees against mere saplings.  We did though have John Duncan, Scottish International all handsome and broad, and neat, and the winger called Gordon Hill, who had killed Rams at Hillsborough in the FA Cup semi just 3 years before. The Baseball Ground was synonymous with trench mud but even that was no more. But there wasn’t a blade of grass either. Instead the surface was 35 tonnes of hard golden sand; had the ref entered the arena carrying a beach-ball nobody would have batted an eye lid. In the pre-match kick-in, wisps of disturbed sand danced on the air. The first half was a foregone conclusion long before 45 mins was up with Arsenal commanding a 2-0 lead.
Then during the break, something strange began to occur. As sun and heat and alcohol combined, the Pop Side found its voice and songs of deep Derby irony began to fill the air...”You need SAND to hold a lit-tul bay-bee, you need SAND to wipe away a tear...” and “Mr SAND-Man,  bring me a dream (bung, bung, bung bung...”). At first, it was a mere ironic acceptance of the Derby team’s fate, but as the 2nd half kicked-off, with Rams attacking the Ossie End, what started to unfurl was a truly remarkable 45 mins. If only we could get one back. Suddenly, Buckley, with lump-hammer left peg, drove the ball at Jennings from 30 yards. The ball, zipped, and dipped, and hit the ground, leather travelling and bouncing on sand, and, smacked the back of the net with Jennings flapping on the floor; 1-2, Pop Side all erupting in Vesuvian delight, a deafening Derbyshire din of high decibel noise. The sound became a continuous stream; the sun, sand and black and white, wall-to-wall volume, a crescendo-ing cacophony of a collective consciousness was stirring the Rams to gargantuan efforts. Arsenal began to cower and fear took hold. I don’t remember Vic Moreland’s equaliser, but I do remember the rocket-propelled roar and the terrace surge as pure pandemonium broke out in the Pop Side. Now, with clock ticking down, 43 minutes had flashed by, we sung to kingdom come. Last minute, Langan...to Carter...Carter in the corner, crosses to Duncan and bullet-header...Jennings’s dustbin-lid sized hand parries...on to the post... and out for a corner....Ohhhhhhh! How we re-coiled....
But wait...Carter’s corner, inch perfect...Duncan again...bullet forehead, ball bulges onion-bag...Goallllllllllllll, the roar again...3-2...mayhem....Final Whistle....Oh fffffff...foot-balll!
As I walked from the ground, outside an Arsenal fan exclaimed, “Liam Brady walks on water, but he can’t run on sand!”. I’d been to the Baseball Ground many times before, but now as a 14 year old, I properly realised how the combination of the architecture – tight, compact stands that trapped the sound, sending it ping-ponging around the entire ground, the proximity of the pitch, and how the fanatical Rams fans, touched by the memory of magic, Real Madrid floodlit nights, - could all combine to fuel an energy that transmitted from the terraces to the men in white just yards away.
Outside, I watched as the Gooners’ team coach drove away...Pat Jennings saw me stare from his front window seat and tipped me a wink. Monday’s Daily Mail match report described how Arsenal bemoaned that Derby had transmitted the sound of the 16,429 fans through the PA system, in amplification. As if... It was just a special place; and I was there.
What's yourn?

This post cheered me up.
Out of context ducks .

Ducks in general.  But more so when you see them out of context - sitting on your house roof, crossing a road etc.
Always makes me smile.

Ducks in general.  But more so when you see them out of context - sitting on your house roof, crossing a road etc.
Always makes me smile.

I think this ^ is part of the reason I don't love football as much as I did, I respected players at one time no matter who they played for. How can you respect a bell end like Lingard ? 

Where can I find this young lady?

Similar to that is when you overhear a conversation, often from someone a little bit common, that goes,
'And then I said.....
and then they said....
and then I said'
Don't know what it is but it goes through me.

That settles it I will get Witcher at some point!
Again like you I had never played fallout before no.4 and never played witcher. Thanks for the description

Two things I have thought to add to this thread.
When you brush your teeth and have forgotten to run your toothbrush / toothpaste under the cold tap first.  Yuk.
The second is really getting on my tits.  People who use social media and film themselves talking directly to camera.  I think it really started with the water bucket challenge (great cause but god the videos were annoying) and is worse now with the facebook live thing.  I never listen to the videos because I guess like 99% of everyone my settings are to not play sound on videos but the sight of their self important faces telling me **** I don't want to know really gets on my nerves.

People who say 'pacifically' instead of 'Specifically'
I cringe so much when i hear it.

I have just added a couple of items into the annoys me thread so I want to balance it out with a couple of things here.
- I have not had this one for a couple of weeks because it is lighter in the mornings now but I love it when I am running and as I pass the street lights they turn off, sometimes this can happen for 4 or 5 consecutive streetlights going off in time with when I pass them.  Totally pointless, totally nothing to do with me but it makes me smile.
- Now it is lighter in the mornings there have been a couple of runs over the last couple of weeks where I have finished in bright sunshine, still cold but signs of warmer weather.  Lovely.

I have just added a couple of items into the annoys me thread so I want to balance it out with a couple of things here.
- I have not had this one for a couple of weeks because it is lighter in the mornings now but I love it when I am running and as I pass the street lights they turn off, sometimes this can happen for 4 or 5 consecutive streetlights going off in time with when I pass them.  Totally pointless, totally nothing to do with me but it makes me smile.
- Now it is lighter in the mornings there have been a couple of runs over the last couple of weeks where I have finished in bright sunshine, still cold but signs of warmer weather.  Lovely.

Two things I have thought to add to this thread.
When you brush your teeth and have forgotten to run your toothbrush / toothpaste under the cold tap first.  Yuk.
The second is really getting on my tits.  People who use social media and film themselves talking directly to camera.  I think it really started with the water bucket challenge (great cause but god the videos were annoying) and is worse now with the facebook live thing.  I never listen to the videos because I guess like 99% of everyone my settings are to not play sound on videos but the sight of their self important faces telling me **** I don't want to know really gets on my nerves.

When you see that The Simpson's is about to start after the adverts so you wait 4 minutes and then it turns out to be one made after 2000.

Where can I find this young lady?

I was behind a driver yesterday who was doing her hair whilst a police car tried to come through at red lights.
I needed her to move forward so i could let them through.
When i flashed her she w**ked me off out of the window.Completely oblivious to the police.
Made me smile.

8 months! Wow. I had a bored chilled week free and really got into it to start with I really didn't rate it but that changed as I progressed. Ended up doing a 'night shift 'each night just playing Fallout 4
I did a fair amount of side missions to but like you I like to complete everything but I know if I take a few weeks off from a game I wont ever end up doing it so fair play for spreading it out over 8 months!
Loads of people say Witcher is amazing- is it better than fallout?

It seems to happen me quite a lot at the moment but I dislike it when I am out for a run and get parallel with a bin lorry.  Man they stink, especially when you are breathing heavily.

Its a bloody massive game and the levelling is slow, especially if you do quests below your level as the XP is reduced significantly from what I have read. I bought it back in the end of year sale on XBL for £25 and havent played it as much as I should because of the mountain of other games I play with the wife and mate, Im only level 8 iirc. Fallout etc its easy to forget about side quests but in TW3 they often unlock the next part of main quests that have gone cold.

Well I took the plunge and purchased a Playstation VR at the weekend.
Just shy of £290 for the VR set and the camera from eBay, so I'm chuffed with the price. Should arrive tomorrow, plus being if I don't like it I should at least be able to get my money back on it. 
Didn't get the move controllers, as they're a bit pricey I think I'll wait. 

I'm playing Witcher 3 at the moment - it's massive and I can see me being on it for months as I like to try and complete everything (Fallout 4 took me 8 months).  I'm only level 11 in Velen at the moment so I guess it is still early days I guess, the number of missions / quests and contracts is overwhelming.

The vicar in Broadchurch doesn't look like Monk anymore.

Living in a right handed world is a right pain sometimes

One of the early games was GTA London wasn't it?  Back in the days where it was top down view.

One of the early games was GTA London wasn't it?  Back in the days where it was top down view.