Groundhopping24

A quaint spot just outside the ground.  When considering the title for this blog, it was essentially a choice between an Amy Winehouse reference, or an AC/DC reference. Naturally I went for the former, as I much prefer Winehouse to a band whose singer legitimately sounds like Elmo. In any case, it's still perhaps a little too subtle, especially for those unfamiliar with Winehouse's seminal 2006 album. All that said, after a disappointing and dull trip to Vienna last week, I was staying a little more local this week via the half hour train up to Blansko, and things weren't looking so rosy so far this season. Before the game, only Polánka, Karviná B, Slovácko B, and Hlučín are keeping Blansko off the bottom of the MSFL, with the former of these actually having beaten their kind hosts 3-1 a couple of weeks back. That said, there have been three wins so far - at the aforementioned Karviná B (1-2), at home to Vsetín (2-0), and a huge one at Unie Hlubina (0-4).  As far as every...

The scene of the crime...a crime against football.  The last time I was at Austria Vienna's stadium, it had been part of a highly unusual yet enjoyable evening in September 2022, yet there wasn't a single Austrian on the pitch. That was because the Generali Arena was hosting a friendly match between Qatar and Chile for some reason. It was a great game, which finished 2-2 and involved a brief cameo from Ben Brereton-Diaz, but with the stadium more than half-empty, I would definitely need to return for an Austria Vienna game at some point. Fast forward three years and that point has finally arrived. Back in August, I visited Austria's fierce rivals, Rapid Vienna as they played out a goalless draw against Rheindorf Altach , but now comes the turn of Austria Vienna as they host Blau-Weiss Linz. The hosts should be absolutely buzzing following their 3-1 win at Rapid, and given that away fans couldn't attend, they'll certainly be welcomed home as heroes. The previous visi...