STUART BAXTER is a polite and eloquent man, but at a Finnish FA press lunch
given on Finland's final day at the UEFA under-21 championships he found it difficult to express
his feelings without recourse to an expletive. He had watched Finland's previous two matches from
the enclosure reserved for scouts, and their constant queries about the relatively unknown Finns
had exasperated him.
Watching Tampere United struggle to a single goal victory over JJK at Ratina yesterday, it
occurred to me just how astonishing it is that anyone watches Finnish football. The first half was
enjoyably predictable, as TamU attacked and JJk attempted to string a few passes together. JJK's
South Korean striker Nam was brought off injured, and someone curled a shot against the bar for the
Jyväskyläns (it could very possibly have been Koskela), and Rafinha got the winner when
Sinisalo's headed past his own keeper, but overall it was a pretty run of the mill Veikkausliiga
match.
