In this episode, the FFS team is missing one or two key players. Not because of injury or poor form, but because of holidays. Mark has a had a challenging summer and is taking a well-earned break. Similarly, Keke seems to have ventured overseas for a family vacation.
We didn’t want to keep you waiting any longer, so this episode is Mark W and Rich, possibly joined by Keke. We will discuss our recent predictions competition (if a survey that collects answers but offers no prize can be called a competition!) We will then look at how the opening 7 rounds of Veikkausliiga action has panned-out. Who is leading the table? Who has already fallen behind? And why does Rich keep trolling me about the form of SJK?
I have to also give a shout out to Kevin Cumming in our Facebook group. He found us recently and has listened to the entire back catalogue. Kevin – you are clearly bored during lockodown or a superfan or a lunatic, but THANK YOU! You can read Kevin’s full review of five-and-a-half shambolic years here https://www.facebook.com/groups/FinnishFootballShow/permalink/2628245217275512/
This show was yet again pulled together at the last minute so, once again, we won’t have all the usual features this time. We’ll bring back ‘Ja sillä sipuli’ and ‘Following’ next time we have a full team.
Download an MP3 of Finnish Football Show 31 – Veikkausliiga Predictions & Reality (After 7 Games!)
Join Mark (@explorefinland), Mark (@FCSuomi), Keke (@kekemyllari) and Rich (@EscapeToSuomi) for regular episodes, where 4 old blokes sit and talk about football in Finland. In English.
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SHOW NOTES & LINKS
First Half
News
- Free-Agents: Tim Sparv, Markus Halsti (the FFS curse?)
- Suomen Cup results and final date
- Europa League and Champions League qulifying rounds will be drawn next week
- Champions League (1st Qualifying round): KuPS Kuopio. Link to all participating teams
- Europa League (1st Qualifying round): Ilves, Inter Turku and Honka. Link to all participating teams
- JJK Sales & Marketing Director, Joni Vesalainen’s comments about the finances of clubs in the Veikkausliiga:
- Not enough home games
- Season tickets too cheap
Veikkausliiga Predictions
We promised to get a Predictions episode out before the season started. We didn’t, of course. But we did get the survey out and THIRTY of you took the time to answer it. A couple of you even submitted your responses twice! So, first-of-all, a huge thanks to everyone that took part, all listed below for posterity:
Mateusz, Oskari Karppinen, Juhavaltteri Salminen, Teemu Taipale, Juha Pakkala, Rauli, Gustav, Henri, Santeri Salminen, Erkka, Henrik Hyvönen, Joaquín Gómez Blasco, Chris Cleaver, Justin Turner, Jussi Heikkinen, Martin Hawkins, Pl, Ville H, Toni Laatanaho, Joel Rantanen, Sami Kankaanpää, Jere T, Finsvenskan, Kevin Moseley, Henry Hakamaki.
Plus your four FFS hosts: Rich Nelson, Mark H, Keke, Mark Wiltshear.
HJK Helsinki (18 responses) , Inter Turku (5)
HJK Helsinki (23 responses) , Inter Turku (2), HIFK Helsinki (1), Honka (1), Ilves (1), KuPS Kuopio (1), SJK Seinäjoki (1)
KuPS (12 responses, 40%), Honka (11, 36.7%), Inter Turku (11, 36.7%), SJK Seinäjoki (7, 23.3%), Ilves (6, 20%), HJK (6, 20%)
TPS Turku (14 responses), RoPS Rovaniemi (7), IFK Mariehamn (4), HIFK Helsinki (3), Lahti (1), KuPS (1)
What are you most looking forward to in the 2020 season?
- Live Football (5 responses)
- Eero Markkanen 😍 (3)
- Seeing how KuPS perform (3)
- Expecting RoPS to struggle (2)
- This season there are four or five strikers that can score for fun. Markkanen and Tim Väyrynen in particular.
- Start of the season
- Promotion play-off match between AC Kajaani and RoPs
- A lot of surprise, big talents
- Relegation battle between RoPS and TPS. All the classic rivalry matches (Haka-HJK, Turun derby, Stadin derby, Pirkanmaan…etc.)
- seeing big Eero banging in goals again!!
- High quality Finnish football.
- Two things: a) a proper title race and relegation battle and b) as many games as possible without capacity restrictions.
- Kevin: WAS hoping to visit Finland for the first time, to watch some matches and to bring an Ilves shirt back (I’m a Norwich City fan!) but this will have to wait now until 2021 I think….
- Just watching live football in a stadium with the Klopit!
- KuPS winning the Champions League
- Sami: SJK winning ceremonies
- Meaningful matches until the end of the season (competition for the championship, medals and relegation)
- Live football paikan päällä.
- Naatan Skyttä magic.
- watching football live
- Eero Markkanen
- That season will be played after all what has happened.
- Results
- Huck: With HJK’s struggles, it’s possible we could have another season with the league’s historic juggernaut not picking up silverware again (which, frankly, is good for the league in my opinion). Will KuPS be able to retain their title without Jani Honkavaara at the helm? Could Ilves, under the fantastic Jarkko Wiss go for the double this season after winning the cup last year? Could we have a surprise team win the league this year? Could HJK’s reload lead to them dominating the competition? Honestly this season feels like almost anything could happen, which is a very welcome thing for Finnish football!
- Healthy, smooth and attractive league
- Kakkonen and JJK
- Beer
- Following KuPS
- Haka
- The enjoyment of watching live football again
Second Half
Veikkausliiga Table 2020 – After 7-ish Games!
- Podcast listeners should be able to see the table in the episode description on their podcast player. Let me know how that worked out for you @explorefinland.
Veikkausliiga Top Scorers – After 7-ish Games!
Upcoming Veikkausliiga Fixtures 9-10.8.2020
Full-time
Join our new Facebook page for advanced warning of the next Show. There you will also find the link to our Facebook Group, if you want to join or, better still, instigate a conversation!
- Facebook Page
- Facebook Group
- FFS Instagram Page
- FFS YouTube Channel – where you’ll see the video from this and previous episodes
You could also follow one (or all) of us on Twitter:
- Mark W @explorefinland
- Mark H @FCSuomi
- Keke @kekemyllari
- Rich @EscapeToSuomi
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