Sunday 25 November 2012

TLFG: 26 November - 2 December 2012

I'm going to keep it brief again this week as footballwise I've had another quiet one.

Work has seen me keep some funny hours and my heavily pregnant wife doesn't like me heading off to obscure football grounds on the far side of London on midweek nights and you can't really blame her!

On the QPR front, I'm disappointed for Mark Hughes but he can't really have too many complaints given the support he's received from the board.

I'm also pleased with the appointment of Harry Redknapp who has done some great things at clubs in recent years. Portsmouth are the most comparable and whilst the highs were very high for a team of their size, the lows since have been desperate.

I'm very conscious that QPR must currently be spending well beyond their means and am pretty sure relegation will see us descend into a third spell in administration before too long (depending entirely on the board's commitment).

In other words Harry - no pressure!


LATEST TICKET NEWS
Each week at TLFG we attempt to compile a list of what's on general sale to non-members at London's Premier League clubs and for other notable matches (click on the team name for details).

Nothing currently available

CHELSEA
Wednesday 28 November, 745pm - Fulham, Premier League
Sunday 23 December, 4pm - Aston Villa, Premier League (on sale 26 Nov)

Monday 10 December, 8pm - Newcastle United, Premier League
Wednesday 26 December, 3pm - Southampton, Premier League
Saturday 29 December, 3pm - Swansea City, Premier League
Saturday 12 January, 3pm - Wigan Athletic, Premier League
Wednesday 30 January, 8pm - West Ham United, Premier League

QUEENS PARK RANGERS
Saturday 1 December, 3pm - Aston Villa, Premier League
Saturday 15 December, 3pm - Fulham, Premier League

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Wednesday 28 November, 745pm - Liverpool, Premier League
Thursday 6 December, 805pm - Panathinaikos, Europa League
Sunday 16 December, 130pm - Swansea City, Premier League
Saturday 22 December, 3pm - Stoke City, Premier League

WEST HAM UNITED
Saturday 1 December, 1245pm - Chelsea, Premier League
Sunday 9 December, 4pm - Liverpool, Premier League
Saturday 22 December, 3pm - Everton, Premier League
Tuesday 1 January, 3pm - Norwich City, Premier League

Special deals this week include entry for between £10-15 at The Valley for Charlton Athletic's Championship clash against Peterborough United on Tuesday.

Lower down the pyramid, the offer of the week is to be had at Coles Park where Haringey Borough are letting everyone in FOR FREE as they take on Aylesbury United in the Spartan South Midlands League. The north London club play on White Hart Lane just down the road from Spurs so give them your support if you're around on Saturday afternoon.

Over the next seven days there are over 80 matches happening in the London area. We've got big derbies, some FA Trophy and FA Vase replays, lots of county cup matches and some interesting U21 Premier League and FA Youth Cup fixtures to look forward to.

With all that in mind, here's this week's match map. If you've never used it before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the left side of the page to make sure you get all the information.

MATCH MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Turquoise pin - Wednesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Friday fixtures
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures


View London match map 26 November - 2 December 2012 in a larger map

As always, please check with the host club whether a match is still taking place before you travel. Please also let me know if any of the details are wrong or missing.

Next up is this blog's top 10 recommendations of games we think could be particularly worth watching this week, feel free to mention your own in the comments section below.

TLFG TOP 10

1. Chelsea v Fulham - we kick-off this week with a west London derby. I think I'm right in saying that these clubs are geographically the closest to each other among the capital's professional sides (a little over a mile apart) and yet the rivalry isn't as fierce as some others in town. The Cottagers are traditionally a much smaller club and until Mr Al-Fayed's investment in 1997 were playing in what is now known as League Two. Consequently they aren't deemed as much of a threat by the Blues and their supporters. Although they might not be a major challenge when it comes to trophies, the Stamford Bridge side often find it hard to beat them with the last three league meetings all ending in draws. Another one looks likely. (Wednesday 28 November, 745pm. Ticket info)

2. Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool - it looks like being a busy Wednesday night in old London town as two of the Premier League's grand old clubs do battle in the north. Spurs have blown hot and cold this season with some great results and some rather poor ones but they come into this on the back of a morale boosting 3-1 win over West Ham. The Reds on the other hand have just been dull by their standards - very tough to beat (only one defeat in 10 league outings) but also very short on wins. Another very tough one to call. (Wednesday 28 November, 745pm. Ticket info)

3. Queens Park Rangers v Aston Villa - another huge game for the hosts as they continue their quest for a win. Fellow strugglers Villa are the next to visit - will they be the ones to succumb? If you missed it, the big news from Shepherd's Bush this weekend was the appointment of Harry Redknapp as a replacement for the departed Mark Hughes. This will be his first home game in charge so expectation will be higher than normal. (Saturday 1 December, 3pm. Ticket info)

4. Crystal Palace v Brighton & Hove Albion - the Seagulls come to London on Saturday for one of the weekend's biggest matches in the Championship. Their Amex stadium is less than 40 miles to the south of Selhurst Park so their fans will probably see this as a derby. They are also two of the best sides in the division with Palace in second and Brighton in eighth. The match has been made all ticket (meaning you must buy one before the day of the game) to further emphasise its status as a game of note. (Saturday 1 December, 3pm. Ticket info

5. Millwall v Charlton Athletic - not sure if the above is a proper derby? Then be in no doubt that this one most definitely is. Not much more than three miles separate these south-east London rivals and the atmosphere is likely to be tense. Personally I'm quite surprised it's been scheduled for the same time as the Palace match - the trains in this area are likely to be 'busy' to say the least. Geographical background aside, the Lions are actually on a great run (five wins in the last six) and have climbed into the top six. The Addicks are also doing well after an iffy patch with three wins in four so this has the makings of a pretty decent game. (Saturday 1 December, 3pm. Ticket info)

6. Wealdstone v Bury Town - there are some big games in the Isthmian League Premier Division this week and the first happens on Monday night when the third-placed Stones host Bury Town who are just a point and a place behind them. Gordon Bartlett's side haven't lost in the league since August and yet they're still not top, showing you just how exciting the title race looks like being this season. Head down to Grosvenor Vale to see if there's another twist. (Monday 26 November, 745pm. Ticket info)

7. Hampton & Richmond Borough v Margate - the other match of note takes place on Saturday when second-placed Margate pay a visit to the Beveree. Hampton were the early pacesetters but two consecutive defeats have seen them slip to fifth. The visitors have won their last three and they might have the edge again here. (Saturday 1 December, 3pm. Ticket info)

8. Haringey Borough v Aylesbury United - I mentioned it above and I'm going to give it another plug here because it's such a good deal - FREE ENTRY FOR EVERYONE! All credit to the committee at Coles Park for setting this deal up. With Tottenham Hotspur playing their games within walking distance, it's always been hard for the Borough to compete for support so with Spurs playing away, hopefully a few people will take them up on their invite. There's actually quite a bit to play for in this too with Aylesbury currently second in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division and Haringey among the chasing the pack. (Saturday 1 December, 3pm. Club info)

9. Southall v Harpenden Town - in the division below, leaders Harpenden pay a visit to Reynolds Field to test the promotion credentials of Southall who have crept up to fifth after a fine set of results. Jump on the Tube to Perivale and find out if they can go even higher. (Saturday 1 December, 3pm. Club info)

10. Erith & Belvedere v Phoenix Sports - one of the top teams in the Kent League host the best team in the Kent Invicta League (a level below) in a county cup match on Saturday. Will Phoenix rise to the challenge? (Saturday 1 December, 3pm. Club info)


If you have any questions or want advice about watching football in London, you can contact TLFG using the comments section below or via FacebookTwitter or email.

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