Alright, so you wanna hear about my deep dive into that Manchester United vs. Barnsley timeline project? Buckle up, it was a ride!
First off, the idea popped into my head after a random late-night YouTube binge of old football highlights. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool to see a really detailed breakdown of a specific game, like a play-by-play but more…visual?” So, Man U vs. Barnsley it was. Why? No real reason other than it sounded kinda quirky and I was feeling nostalgic.
The Grind Begins: Data Gathering
Okay, so I started with the basics. I scoured the internet for everything I could find. I mean everything. Old match reports, team lineups, player stats, and even forum posts from back in the day. I felt like an internet archaeologist digging up forgotten digital treasures.
- I started with general searches like “Manchester United vs Barnsley [Date of Match]”
- Then I branched out to specific player searches to see if I could pull anything interesting about their performance that day.
- Old news articles were gold. Sometimes they had little details you wouldn’t find anywhere else.
This part was honestly the most time-consuming. I basically lived in a browser window for a week.
Building the Timeline Framework
Next, I needed to figure out how to actually display all this information. A simple list? Nah, too boring. I wanted something interactive. I played around with a few different online timeline tools. Some were too clunky, others were way too expensive.
I ended up messing around with some JavaScript libraries I found online. It took some tinkering and more than a few frustrated sighs, but I managed to cobble together a basic framework that could handle dates, images, and text.
Adding the Meat: Key Moments and Visuals
This is where it got really fun. I watched the full match recording about five times (yes, five!). I noted down every key moment: goals (obviously!), near misses, controversial fouls, substitutions, and even changes in momentum.
Then I went back to my internet stash and tried to find relevant images and video clips for each moment. This was tricky, especially for some of the more obscure events. Sometimes I had to settle for screenshots from the game broadcast, which weren’t always the highest quality.
The Devil’s in the Details
Once I had all the content, it was time to refine the timeline. I spent hours tweaking the design, making sure everything looked clean and intuitive. I added little pop-up boxes with extra details about each event, like player quotes or referee decisions.
I also tried to incorporate some “behind-the-scenes” information, like the weather conditions on the day of the match and the pre-game hype in the media. Just to add a little extra flavor.
Polishing and Sharing
Finally, after weeks of work, the timeline was ready. I showed it to a few friends who are also into football, and they gave me some helpful feedback. I fixed a few typos, adjusted the layout slightly, and then…bam! It was live.
Did it go viral? Nah. But a few people seemed to dig it, and that’s all that really mattered. For me, it was a fun project that let me combine my love of football with my (slightly rusty) web development skills.
Lessons Learned
This whole thing taught me a few things. One, historical research is way harder than it looks. Two, even simple web projects can take way longer than you expect. And three, there’s always someone on the internet who knows way more about Manchester United than you do.
Would I do it again? Probably. Maybe a different team next time. Or a completely different sport. Who knows? The possibilities are endless.
