[Amelia Chaffinch]

    

jjamez has got plans for the weekend so has sent this match thread out on loan to me. Thanks to jj for letting me have the name MEEWAW. Although, technically, I think most of them chant Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw but we won't argue over a few vowels. Enjoy yourself, jj, at least you don't have to turn up at the John Smith's!

Peel open yer mince pies, hold on to yer syrup-of-figs, it's squeaky bum time for yer Khyber Pass, we've got ourselves an itch and scratch to go to.

Huddersfield Town v Millwall

The John Smith's Stadium

Saturday 28th September

15:00

I won't say we welcome Millwall to Huddersfield; does anyone welcome Millwall? However, we have more reasons than most, given our shocking form. Millwall are 16th on 9 points. What we would give for 16th and 9 points!

Their season so far:

But no win since 17th August. Can we take advantage of that? There are some good results there; Wins against PNE and the Owls plus three draws against the Baggies, Boro and Hull are not to be sniffed at.

Who are Millwall?

Millwall Rovers were founded 1885, became Millwall Athletic in 1889, before being simply Millwall from 1920. Was it essential to change it to a word of no more than two syllables?   They were formed from workers at J T Morton's factory in Millwall, Isle of Dogs. They started out on waste ground on Glengall Road before moving to the Lord Nelson pub. They moved to the Athletic Grounds in 1890 and North Greenwich in 1901. All these were on the Isle of Dogs. In 1910 they moved to the Den, New Cross or was it already the Old Den? Or did it become the Old Den when the New Den in Bermondsey was built in 1993. Although probably not because the New Den is just known as The Den.     Sorry, I am being obtuse.

It was when Millwall moved to the Old Den that they ceased to play in the Millwall area. The Old Den was built in 1910 and designed by Archibald Leach, a name we are familiar with because he'd already done one for us in 1908.

They joined the Football League in 1920.

The Den was bombed on 19th April 1943 and the week after a stand burned down, the fire thought to have been started by a discarded cigarette. As a result, the club played matches at the grounds of local rivals; Crystal Palace, Charlton Athletic and West Ham Utd. These make up the South London Derbies. There is a fierce rivalry with West Ham, in particular. With Danny and Nicky Cowley being West Ham fans, that should give them extra grounds for wanting a win come Saturday. Millwall also have a rivalry with Leeds. That probably involves seeing who can chant "no one likes us but we don't care" the loudest.

In 1972 Millwall became the only club to go without losing a match at home the whole season in four different divisions: 1927–28 Division Three South, 1964–5 Division Four, 1965-6 Division Three, and 1971–2 Division Two.

Millwall have spent their time bouncing around Leagues 2, 3 and 4, except for 2 seasons in the top flight; 1988-9 and 1989-90. They were in the FA Cup Final 2004 and lost to Man Utd 3-0 but did get them into the UEFA Cup.

No secret that their nickname is the Lions but they started out as the Dockers.

Head to head

As you can see from the last 6 meetings in 3 consecutive seasons (go back to 2009/10 prior to this) we won the last 5. The last match on 7th Feb 2015 saw goals from Scanz, Jacob Flutterfield and James Vaughan. That match even saw Nicky Nahki Wells sent off.

Who's the boss?

Essex boy Neil Harris is head coach. He spent most of his playing career at Millwall. He finished his career at Sarfend due to injury then went on to manager Millwall U21s He had a few stints as caretaker for the first team before taking over fully in 2015 following Ian Hollowgob's sacking.

 

Harris has been red carded this season during the 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough. He claims to have gone to knock the ball from under Boro coach Leo Percovich's arm but Percovich moved and he ended up hitting his arm.... allegedly. Anyway, like I say, he got sent to the stands, charged by the FA and consequently fined £2,000.

We've seen him here, we've seen him there

Who's played for both?

Scott Malone - Millwall 2012-15, Town 2017-18

Murray Wallace - Town 2012-16, Millwall 2018-date

I'm struggling - anymore? There were rumours Scanz was heading there at one time.

He didn't half crack that one, did he not? (rep point for the film that line was in)

Top scorers this season are Tom Bradshaw, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, Matt Smith, Jed Wallace (no relation to Murray) all on 2 goals each. Shaun Hutchinson and Aiden O'Brien have 1 each.

Hawling like Brooligans (rep point if you can tell me what film that line comes from?)

Talking of naughty behaviour, Millwall fans have a bit of a reputation. Violence at their matches goes back over 100 years and is originally claimed to be down to the dockers who supported them. However, time moves on and dockers don't exist in the same numbers any more. Racism is a problem, of course, but is it more that they just like being hooligans?

Famous fans

Gregg Wallace - urggghhhh

Danny Baker

David Haye

[Lord Snooty]

Nice one, Chaffers.

This is not just a must win game. It's a mustapha six points week. Stoke on Tuesday to follow this. Gotta win em both.

[theo_luddite]

Nice one AmChaff, fair play for taking that late pass, chesting it down (oo, err, missus) and laying it off for a quick one-two and knocking it home with a sweeping shot (or two) at the Meeewwwwaaaaawwww fans (if that's what you can call them).

I've googled the films (so I won't be posting a guess that ain't a proper guess) because to be honest, I can't be 'arrised watching films much these days. I've seen the first one umpteen times (enter well known laugh of the wrinkly faced typically leading man here) and had a feeling it might be from one of 'that' series, but in all honesty - I don't ever recall watching the other one, even as a snotty nosed, two candles on the top lip, nipper.

Must admit though I've thought for years, how does a seemingly intelligent guy like Mr. Danny Baker continue to support and defend Millwall after everything their fans get up to? Admittedly, when the bug bites it's hard to let go, as we all know from following Town, and then he suddenly lets his guard down, shoots himself in the foot with a stupid and unnecessary comment and blows one of the cushiest numbers ever on weekend National Radio.

I used to enjoy listening to him driving up the M6 of a Saturday morning and The Sausage Sandwich Game. I haven't got a scooby doo who does his "spot" now, other than he's more boring to listen to than Jeremy Vine (or is that Whine?). Think I'd rather listen to the shipping forecast for 2 hours. It sometimes comes in useful as I cross the Manchester Ship Canal you know, knowing there's a 'North Westerly, Force 8, Imminent' blowing in across the Irwell Delta's.

Good job that Fighting Talk is still going for the stretch from around 'Knutsford City Limits' to the sunny side of the Pennines. Plenty of points for punditry in that show and some hilarious Defend the Indefensibles - especially from those 'pundits' that don't quite get it.

3 points on Saturday please!!

[Amelia Chaffinch]

That's a better post than my entire thread, theo. You put me to shame.

[theo_luddite]

[Lord Snooty]

Terry Kongo hasn't trained all week but will be back tomorrow. It's a soft tissue injury (whatever that means) and he could still make the team.

[Lord Snooty]

Could have Danny Simpson playing as well. Apparently he's been training with us for ten days now and our chairman is in advanced talks with his agent.
Positives. He's got a Premier League winners medal.
Negatives. So what, Erik Durm had a World Cup winners medal.
Positives. He must be a better bet than Flo.
Negatives. He hasn't started a first team game since January.

[Lord Snooty]

Simpson signed.

[theo_luddite]

Let's hope he's a shining light and doesn't turn into a whining shshshshshambles of the player he's been.

[ritchiebaby]

Let's hope that its's Gregg(s) Wallace that's playing and not Jed.