Drawing Lodz

“Ella, Ella, Under my Umbrella”….just five days prior to our arrival in Poland’s third biggest city, those words has reverberated across the Stadion ŁKS  as one of the most famous and sought after artists in the world, Rhianna played in front of a sell out crowd in the adjacent Atlas Area. One hundred and fifteen hours later, Danny Last and I were wrapped up like Michelin men outside the football stadium, huddled under a canopy, waiting to pick up our press passes from ŁKS Łódź . Now don’t get me wrong, I love Danny Last but he’s no Rhianna and so when he uttered the chorus line for the umpteenth time I told him exactly where he could stick his bloody “Ella” and I wandered off in a huff to find some football socks for my collection.

Our trip to the frozen central plains of Poland had begun like that of thousands of heroes before us at Stansted Airport at 5am on a Saturday morning. We had endured the 2 hour mind torture that is Ryanair and had completed a quick recce of Poznan where the Irish will be playing next Summer (question – when the Irish go abroad, do they seek out the nearest English pub and drink watered down Fosters and watch episodes of Only Fools and Horses with their Roast Beef and two veg?). From Poznan we had travelled east in 1st class Polish train luxury to Warsaw as you can read over at EFW.  Let’s hope they have finished the tram link to the stadium as it is a long walk otherwise.  We also discovered after what seemed liked an eternity that Polish train stations are not allowed by law to sell alcohol.  So now we know why they all head over to England!

Sunday morning saw us rise early from our 5 star luxury abode. Events of the previous day/night slowly started to unfold. Mobile phones tend to leave a history and looking at my call/text/Twitter log left me in no doubt I had had a few too many. All I will say is that no, I don’t think we should do that, yes it was very hairy and Mum, I was only joking.  The noise of the Legia fans was still ringing in our ears, and after a quick Poznan across our Westin hotel room we headed out into the freezing day trying to jointly piece together the evening.

There had been a lock-in at the pub we eventually found. It was a Polish Karaoke bar, hosted by Chris Evans (at 2am he could’ve been his twin brother anyway) who kept plying us with Lech’s, with the mistaken belief that we were journalists and would write nice things about Pub Ślusarna in ul Waliców 12 in the official (ish) guide to Euro2012. Well, we can’t be bought that easy!  And if you thought we were joining in in getting up on a table you would have grossly mistaken our outlook on like.

Of course two hours later it was all different.  Peer pressure got to us, and to avoid a Polish girl grinding into my knee anymore (I wasn’t giving up by bar stool for anyone!) so Danny belted out an N-Dubz version of (Whit Man) in Hammersmith, whilst I brought the house down with my slurred version of Summer of 69. “Encore, Encore” they shouted and so we paired up for one last time on stage (well, a very small table) for a version of Islands in the Stream like no other.

Our plan was to head south west to Poland’s third largest city, Wooge – well that is how I was told it was pronounced.  The fact that the lady at the train station understood what I meant suggested I was right and we boarded the 9:49 “express” that would see us in the city by 11.15am.  All was going well as we sped through the Polish countryside, spotting grounds left, right and centre.  We pulled in just after 11am at Łódź Widzow station which was to the east of the city.  We wanted the other station, which was to the west – Kalinka…But our train was going on to that one so we stayed on.  Fifty minutes later we were still travelling at a speed that SouthEastern trains would have called slow, stopping every few hundred yards so the driver could have a chat with the locals on their allotments.

ŁKS Łódź is the city that brought to the world the founder of Max Factor, co-incidently called Makysmillian Faktorowicz (and butt of one of my favourite jokes of all time – “Why did the make up blush? Because Max Factor!”) and Roman Polanski. Martin Scorsese was also in town, doing the Łódź double over the weekend no doubt with Rhianna.

We picked up our passes, which were as big as a copy of the Times and then headed to the bar (obviously), sharing a brief moment with the world famous Czech groundhopper Christof who had endured a nine hour bus trip for two days in Łódź .  As you can start to see, Łódź is the place to be at the moment of that there is no doubt.

We had been warned the ground was “quirky”…Ok, what someone had actually said was it was the worst in the top league of Polish football.  The story why is a tale of woe, broken promises and general disappointment.  With two top league sides in the city, there was some momentum behind a big for one of the places in the Euro2012 host city lists.  However, Łódź, along with similar placed Krakow missed out, although for a brief period there was a hope that Ukraine would simply have their games taken away and then Łódź would have been in the frame.  Alas, UEFA deemed that cities such as Donetsk and Lviv where there are barely enough hotel rooms for the two teams, let alone the concept of 40,000 fans wanting to watch a game are more than ready and so funding for a new stadium was never forthcoming. The kick in the teeth here for ŁKS  was the construction in 2010 of the Atlas Arena next door.

We entered the ground via the magic blue door, following the mascot as he seemed to know where he was going.  The gallant knight (for that was him forsooth), walked down some steps and into what appeared to be a school gym.  It had that gym smell of sweaty socks and rubber mats, and the ropes hung forlornly down from the ceilings.  We walked across the floor, assuming we were in the wrong place, then up the other side of the steps and into the stadium. Strangest entrance to a ground ever – fact!

Our seats were front row and amongst the WAGS.  What was good to see is that it is an EU regulation that WAGS have to be orange in colour, wearing FMB’s and generally show disdain for everyone else around them, and the game itself.  Whereas Danny and I could not take our eyes off the unfolding drama right in front of us.

ŁKS Łódź 1 Śląsk Wrocław 2 – The ŁKS Stadion – Sunday 11th December 2011
This was a banker away win.  Top of the table Wrocław could open up a four point gap at the top if they won, thanks to Legia’s goal less draw yesterday, whilst ŁKS  had struggled all season and languished too close to the drop zone.   Let’s clear up one myth straight away without having to get those strange ginger Americans involved – Poland is December is cold.  It wasn’t…it was ball-freezing, ice-breaking, cock-shrivelling cold.  Even with our hats (yes, Danny and I both wore silly hats) and our GTC Media issued standard gloves we were freezing.  So cold in fact that neither of us got our GTC Media issued iPads, or even the GTC Media issued scrap of paper to write any notes down on, so don’t expect the Gettysburg address when it comes down to match details.

Whilst we were all done up ready for the next Ice Age, only a few players were actually wearing long sleeve shirts, let alone gloves.  These Poles are made of strong stuff – so strong that this season they are even playing on Christmas Day.  Perhaps it is the numerous types of vodka that the locals consume (17 different varieties at the airport when we left btw) or that Zurek they quaff so much of (Sour Rye soup).

The stadium was unusual in the fact the main hardcore fans stood along the side of the pitch.  The away fans unfurled a huge flag that covered the whole away end with almost precision dimensions.  They kept it in place for the first ten minutes of the game, obviously sure in the knowledge that they would miss nothing.  The home fans “hardcore” fans stood out like a thumb, behind a big banner that just said “Troublemakers”…

The match itself was fairly uneventful.  The home keeper, looking like a chap pulled in off the streets in his baggy track suit bottoms didn’t fancy taking goal kicks and it was from one of the toe-pokes of the defenders taking them in his place that the opening goal came when Lukasiewicz headed home against the run of play.  The home fans, not used to seeing such events even stopped their singing and dancing for a minute in shock.  Current form has only seen one point in the past five and goals as rare as a spare hotel room in Kiev during June 2012.

Śląsk didn’t seem too bothered by the goal and they played as if they knew they would win for the remainder of the half.  With the cold shrinking our bladders we set off in search of toilets.  Back into the sports hall (which was now the scene of amusing incidents as the players tried to keep their balance on the shiny wooden surfaces in their boots), up the steps and outside.  However, the way was blocked.  About fifty riot police were trying to keep some rogue home fans at bay and stopping them reaching the away end.  We didn’t need the little boys room that much all of a sudden and went back the way we came.  And then a door opened up in front of us, as if the God of Football Stadiums himself had said “Let the lads in here to warm up”.  We walked into a room with hot soup (Zurek if you really want to know), pasta with meat (no idea what meat as the tin didn’t have a label on) and beer.  All free of charge.  This was our reward for making the journey to the forgotten city of Polish football. And did we pray at the feet of the God.  Oh yes.

As we stumbled back out we found a port-a-loo.  These are very common all over Poland these days.  Toi-Toi’s are the main brand, which apparently have extra base ballast to stop the age old toilet tipping japes.  Very welcome it was too and as I came out I noticed a previously hidden passageway.  This was literally the stairway to heaven, a route now blocked off to the “closed for safety reasons” upper tier.  With my “I’m English” excuse ready if I was stopped I climbed to the top, to be rewarded with a view and a half.  I returned to my seat with “that smile” as Danny says, which means I have found something.  It didn’t disappoint him either.

With twenty minutes to go the atmosphere in the ground changed.  A flare was thrown/fired from the outside of the stadium into the away fans.  It actually missed and ironically landed on the grill set up for the sausages, giving a new meaning to the word “bangers”, but in incensed the away fans.  They started taking down their banners (these are prized possessions and the loss of one is seem as a major humiliation for the fans) and climbing the fences to get at the home fans, who in turn had taken theirs down and were mustering at the far end of the side terrace.  A nervous stand-off took hold with both sets of fans trying to show bravadery, but not having the bottle to make the first move.

It was events on the pitch that broke the spell as firstly Kazmierczak and then Wasiluk scored for Śląsk to put them in the lead.  The away fans went mental, putting up a set of new banners, forgetting all about starting fighting.  The final whistle followed and it was time for us to depart.  We fought our way through the riot police, in place to keep the fans apart and get some practice in for next year before we hoped in a taxi.  ”Airport, please?” I said in my best Roger Moore voice, adding a slight eyebrow raise.  ”Huh?” said the driver.  Danny Last, pulling on all of his experience as a translator at the United Nations made a flapping bird motion and the driver said “Ah English – Lublinka” and away we went.

One weekend, two games in two days, three goals, four dumplings, a five star hotel, six taxis, seven buses and trams and about a million beers – all for less than £150.  Poland is officially the new Germany.

 

Ron the Seal

Whilst Edinburgh were welcoming two new Panda’s, we travelled to Coxyde, literally the closest Belgium town to England with a semi-professional football team (34 miles from Calais since you ask) where the locals had been waiting all week for the appearance of their new animal, a Seal.  So we sent Danny Last along to find the fellow via numerous duty free shops, Belgian chippies and of course with a number of Jupilers inside him. Find out what happened below…

KVV Coxyde v FC Tournai, a set on Flickr.

 

Cruyff’s turn again?

Michael Miles brings us an update on events from Amsterdam where a new dynasty is starting to develop, although not the one everyone wants.

Johan Cruyff made his debut for Ajax as a 17-year old in November 1964. He scored the only goal in a 3-1 defeat. Now, almost half a century later he is still making waves at the club where his mother used to do the laundry. In the few days I was in Amsterdam to see Ajax play NAC Breda the main story in the local paper was not concerning the team, but Cruyff’s on-going dispute with the club’s Supervisory Board. The gist of the dispute appears to be that they want to Bring back Louis van Gaal , but there is continuing bad blood between the two men , and Cruyff is set against him.

Of course Ajax already has a manager, and a successful one to boot. Frank De Boer was himself a mainstay for Ajax and Barcelona for many years, as well as winning 112 caps for Holland. Last season he took Ajax to their first Eredivisie title since 2004, a period of Arsenal-like proportions for a club of this magnitude, after succeeding Martin Jol.

I’d been to the ArenA once before, for a Euro 2000 semi-final against Italy, so I knew what to expect. Aesthetically it’s alright, but doesn’t take your breath away. Located south-east of the city, the ArenA stands alone, rather like Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium. There’s a road and car park beneath the pitch, so climbing to the second tier involves a bit of a hike. I enter the concourse and there the ArenA experience begins. Everything is sold in “ArenAs”, so before buying anything you must buy a minimum 10 euro Arena card. Mine came as part of the package that Ajax sell to foreign fans. I also got given a very nice scarf. I guess the idea is that you get served quicker, but that you also waste money by either not spending your Arenas , or buying stuff you don’t want, to finish your card.

Ajax 2 NAC Breda 2 – The Amsterdam ArenA – 19th November 2011
Prior to this game Ajax lay in fourth place in a league led by AZ. NAC Breda were in mid table, but only four points behind tonight’s opponents. It was a match Ajax were expected to win comfortably, but it took them until the 36th minute to take the lead when Sulejmani swept in a cross. Luis Saurez’s place in the Amsterdamer’s affections has been taken by another Uruguayen, Lodeiro, and he buzzed around to great effect after coming on as a 28th minute substitute. Also in the side was the Dane Eriksen, reportedly a target for several Premiership clubs.

Despite only holding a one –goal lead Ajax became over-confident against limited opponents seemingly intent on keeping the score down. Players like Eriksen appeared more intent on showing off their skills than pushing for more goals.

It took until the 84th minute for another substitute, Boerrigter , to make it 2-0, and that should have been that. Many of the 49,531 crowd presumably thought so, as they made their way to the exits. Then a minute later NAC’s Kolk tried a speculative shot from the edge of the area that squirmed under goalkeeper Vermeer’s body. For the first time in the game NAC believed they could salvage something , and a minute from time Schilder hit a belter from distance to earn an unlikely point.

Apart from the two Ajax goals the biggest cheer of the evening came when the crowd spotted Cruyff sitting in the directors’ box. His post-match comments went unreported, though one didn’t need to be able to understand Dutch to see that Frank De Boer was not a happy bunny.

 

Pole Dancing in my pants

Some of the most beautiful cities in the world have the honour of being twinned with Warsaw, capital of Poland and proud host city of Euro2012. Berlin, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Oslo and San Diego are just some of the names culturally associated with Warsaw. And then we have the British offering – Coventry. If this is the only impression the Poles have of our green and pleasant lands then I apologise now. No disrespect meant to the home of Jimmy Hill, Willie Carr and Talbot but it is hard to compare the Coventry Ring Road in the constant grey drizzle with Gran Via and its never ending nightlife in Madrid or the sunshine of San Diego’s harbour. So I was sent on a mission to try to make the Poles feel that us Brits really do care. Oh, that and to see Legia Warsaw play against Zaglebie Lubin in the Polish Ekstraklasa.

Poland had hardly appeared on my footballing radar since my days of getting my passport stamped for European football commenced back in 2000. One single visit to Krakow back in May 2008 was the sum total of my experience, which is quite unforgivable and forgettable as I spent that weekend with Football Jo talking celebrity rubbish. With Euro2012 almost upon us, those good chaps at In Bed With Maradona gave me a gentle nudge and reminded me of my duty to produce at least an online guide book for the championships, just as I had done for every major European football tournament since 2006 (such as the now out of print 2006 World Cup Guide). Oops, there I have gone and revealed a huge trade secret. Yes I can exclusively reveal here, today that there will be a IBWM/TBIR with guest stars Ryan Hubbard and Danny Last inspired guide coming to a screen near you soon.

So to make it as authentic as possible I set out on a schedule to take in the 8 host cities and see how things were shaping up for the big day(s) in just three months. First up was a quick overnighter to Warsaw, where the re-arranged opening day fixture for Legia Warsaw was being played. The game was cancelled back in August due to appalling rain and the final stages of redevelopment of the Stadion Wojska Polskiego imienia Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego (aka handily known for us foreigners as the Pepsi Arena). Now this wasn’t one of the venues for the games next summer – Warsaw had decided to build the new 58,145 seater National Stadium on the other side of the Vistula River from the picturesque old town.

That magnificent venue is just a week away from completion, having been built on the site of the old Stadion Dziesięciolecia. When this opened in 1955, to mark the 10th anniversary of the liberation of Poland (the name translates to 10th Anniversary Stadium) it could hold 100,000 spectators and was a classic Eastern European venue – a huge open air bowl with wooden benches and floodlights that leaned down on the crowd, almost inspecting what each and every spectator was doing. However, when modernisation was required in the 1980′s the city had no funds and so football was ceased, the national team moving south to Chorzow and the stadium was used instead as the world’s biggest flea market. Now I see the relevance to Coventry!

After I arrived in the city (no thanks to First Capital Connect trying their hardest to screw up my travel to the airport) I headed towards the national stadium site.  It seemed every road/bus/tram in the city went that way so it wasn’t hard to make sense of the Polish signage.  Straight down Aleje Jerozolimskie, onto the Aleje Ksiecia Józefa Poniatowskiego and then do a left at Zieleniecka of course.

With the sun shining, the locals had dusted down their fine boots for one last hurrah and no one was complaining at such sits wandering around one of the last bastions of Soviet architecture, the Palace of Culture and Science which is still the tallest building in Poland, and remarkably considering the skylines of London, Madrid and Frankfurt, is the 8th tallest in Europe (well, until the Shard is finished).The building, when complete in 1955 was a gift from the Soviet Union to the Poles – quite touching really although perhaps a bunch of flowers and a DVD may have been sufficient.

After a tour around the outside of the magnificent structure (alas due to the fact the building is not complete yet, insurance restrictions meant we could only go as far as the steps).  The 1.915billion Zloty stadium looks impressive from the outside and with the sun shining overhead, glistened.

Next stop was in the north of the city and the Stadion Polonii, home of the second Ekstraklasa team in the city, Polonia.  A swift change of tram found me deposited outside the gates of the ground.  And the gates were open.  Wide open.  So I did as all of us would do.  I walked in, pausing to take a picture or two on the way.

All of a sudden I was joined not by one, but two security guards.  Not your English security guard, but Eastern European ones.  Dark trousers tucked into big boots, think polo shirt and very large truncheons.  They asked me a question in Polish. I responded in the only way I knew – “English.  Writer” – I made the universal sign for journalist, which ironically is the same as it is for “the bill”.  One spoke into his radio and they ushered me out.  But when we got to the gate they indicated I needed to come with them into the main building.

I weighed up my options.  I could run, but I feared with my bag over my shoulder they would quickly take me down, so I went quietly.  I was led into a room where a man sat behind a desk.  “Please come” he said.  So this was good cop/bad cops eh.  I remembered my survival training and was ready to repeat my name, rank and passport number when he said “So you want to know all about the General Kazimierz Sosnowski Stadion?” I breathed a sigh of relief and twenty minutes later I had a friend for life as he took me around the ground, explaining the history of the stadium and the club.

It was time for food and so I headed down towards the Old Town.  This picturesque small area of the city was completely razed to the ground by the Nazi’s in 1944 to suppress the Ghetto uprising.  You would never know that today as it has been rebuilt painstakingly.  I found a small restaurant that looked like an antiques shop.  Weiner Schnizel, steaming cabbage with bacon, potatoes, two beers and a coffee to round it all off.  The bill (or journalist) when it came made me scratch my head. 55 zlotys or about £11. Unbelievable Jeff.

Fully refreshed it was time to find the Platinum Residence, where I was staying.  A Hotels.com cheapo – only £44 for the room for the night but like everything in this city it was unbelievable value.  Basically it was a posh apartment, one that wouldn’t look out of place in Chelsea village.  I do what everyone does when they get to their hotel room.  I stripped to my pants and walked around.  What I didn’t realise was the floor to ceiling windows looked straight into an office opposite where two Polish women got their Diet Coke break – well full fat Coke break in my case.

There is only so much time you can walk around in your pants for and with an early kick off I headed off to the bus stop and a non-stop ride down to the Pepsi Arena, joining the thousands of Legia fans, all dressed in their white shirts.

Legia Warsaw are domestically one of Poland’s most successful teams. Nine time champions (the last time was back in 2006) and fourteen times Polish Cup winners they have also have a successful track record in Europe. European Cup semi-finalists in 1970, quarter finalists twice since including the Champions League of 1996 and often victors over English teams, they are currently on course for qualifying from their Europa League group with three wins out of four games. Today, the Pepsi Arena is a less intimidating place to come on a cold winter’s night than it was a decade ago. The open air terraces have been replaced by smart green seats and a roof. In fact it wouldn’t look out of place in a place like, well Coventry actually.

Legia’s most famous player is Kazimierz Deyna, probably Poland’s most famous ever player who was capped ninety seven times for the national team and played over three hundred games for the club. He also played for three years at Manchester City, becoming one of the first overseas players in the top level of English football in 1978. He also starred in the film Escape to Victory. He died aged 41 years old in San Diego and as a mark of respect Legia have retired his number 10 shirt and opened up a museum at the ground in his honour.

Press pass around my neck and a warming cup of coffee in my hand I headed up to the top of the stadium to see what would unfold in front of me.

Legia Warsaw 3 Zaglebie Lubin 0 – Legia Army Stadium – Wednesday 23rd November 2011
About 9.15pm I regained my hearing in both ears.  Despite the stadium being at best half full, the noise generated by the home fans was deafening.  I’ve seen (and heard) some decent fans in the past but for sheer noise and constant singing these guys take some beating (see for yourself here).  Lubin on the other hand had brought six fans.

The game flowed nicely, with both teams passing the ball around.  Lubin, wearing what can only be said was Man Utd’s kit that had been put in the wash with a yellow hankie looked the better team to start but after twenty minutes it was the home side who took the lead. A great ball into the area found Ljuboja, who cleverly backheeled it into the path of Rybus who fired home.  I believe this is what happened, but as you will see from this video (fast forward to 50 seconds) I was filming those fans.

Half time came and I headed down to the media centre.  On the way I took a wrong turn and ended up in the VIP reception area.  I made my apologies to the stunning girl on the front desk, picking up my jaw off the floor as I went and found the right door.

“You see the girl there.” Said one of my colleagues, pointing at the smiling blonde on the reception desk. “She is a hostess”.  ”We call then receptionists in England”.”No, you English fool.  She is a HOSTESS”.

After I pulled myself away (away I said), I headed back up for the second half.  Legia continued to impress and a counter attack on the 60th minute saw Radovic pounce on a great ball through the back four to make it two nil.  It was inevitable that a third would arrive, and just fifteen minutes later it came as Ljuboja, the man with the skunk hair (black with a white stripe and not smelling) tapped home to make it three-nil.

As the final whistle blew I made the mistake of not wrapping up, seduced by the heaters in the roof and almost froze as I stepped outside the stadium.  The hardcore fans tumbled out of the ground, many in just shirt sleeves.  They are made of hard stuff here in Poland.  Twenty minutes later I was back in my apartment, trousers off and wandering around in my pants again.  I had a 3.30am start so what would any sensible person do? Grab a couple of beers and watch the Champions League of course!

Four hours later and I was back at Lotnisko Chopin airport.  I had spent less than £100 including food, drink, bed and football.  If only all trips could be like Warsaw.

More pictures can be found here.

 

On the waterfront

On the banks of a picturesque Alpine lake in the heart of French-speaking Switzerland sits the tiny town of Neuchtel. This is picture-postcard ville. The steep Jura mountains, part of the lower Alps rise high up on both sides of the lake, whilst expensive looking boats bob up and down on the calm waters. On Sunday’s here you could hear a pin drop. That was until the 14:32 from Zrich arrived and decamped the wild boys of FCZ who were here to back their team in the Super Sunday Axpo Super League showdown against Neuchtel Xamax.

The town is the home today for the likes of tennis starsRichard Gasquet, Gilles Simon and Florent Serra as well as Roberto Milani (aka Robert Miles) who wrote such 90′s Electronic classics as Fable and Dreams. But today they had batterned down the hatches or simply left town. Today was not a day to be “sitting, chillin’ and having a coffee”.

Down by the lakeside the Stade de la Maladire these days is buzzing again. The Swiss Champions from 1987 and 1988 were runners up in the Swiss Cup last season, their first return to nearly winning some honours for some time. This season their form has surprised many people as they sit in mid-table, although FCZ’s form is probably more of a worry as they came into this game in 8th place (out of ten) – hardly the form you would expect from the Swiss Champions of just two years ago.

As my train trundled along the edge of Lake Neuchatel you knew how Wordworth felt when he penned “As I wander lonely as a cloud”. The afternoon sun was reflecting off the mill pond surface of the lake and what could make the afternoon any better? Well how about a few Swiss beers and some football? Don’t mind if I do.

The train rolled into Neuchatel. It was a bit hilly. Despite Uncle Google saying it was only a 12 minute walk to the stadium I could see that I was high above the floodlights. Twelve minutes there, twelve hours back!

I found the press entrance and got a nightclub -esque wrist band. No problems there then but with access to the press tribune through the tunnel, and my tardiness meaning I only got there at 3:55pm I took my place at the back of the two teams as they lined up in the tunnel and walked out with them.

The stadium is unusual to say the least. It is smart, functional and very red. The grass looked a little too green and I dared to put my foot on the pitch. It was not real. No real issue there, apart from the fact they were heavily watering it. I am sure someone with a degree in Physics will tell me the reason for this but for now I am completely at a loss.

Neuchtel Xamax 3 FC Zrich 1 -Stade de la Maladire – Sunday 6th November 2011
Without a laptop I resorted to actually writing notes on the game. At one point I got too carried away and started drawing chalkboards of the game, but then I realised that the players actually had no idea where they were playing and were making it up as they went along.

At the back for Xamax was David Navarro. That is David Navarro who was involved inTHISincident a few years ago whilst playing for Valencia against Inter Milan and saw him banned from football for six months.

The game was open enough with both teams playing with a 4-3-2-1 formation (STOP IT NOW)…The one surprise was that we had to wait until the 24th minute for the first goal, although it was certainly worth the wait. Uche Kalu picked the ball up on the edge of the area, danced his way inside two defenders and slotted the ball home to give Xamax the lead.

Their lead lasted just four minutes. Admir Mehmedi had already missed a sitter for FCZ and the home crowd started getting on his back when he picked the ball up on the edge of the area. But he had the last laugh when he curled the ball into the Xamax net to bring the sides level. The away fans, who hardly ever let up their singing all afternoon broke into a rendition of Mike Oldfield’s Moonlight Shadow to celebrate.

Four minutes later it was 2-1 to the home side. A well work free-kick was sent into the area and centre-forward Arizmendi Angel Javier rose the highest to head home. A breathless half came to an end and I tucked into my Oat Crunch biscuits (thank you BA Executive Lounge).

We had more of the same in the second half with both teams trying to create chances. Tackles were flying in and it was no surprise that the referee brandished five yellows in the second period. One disappointment was the crowd – just 3,606 which was thousands less that Luton Town versus Fleetwood in the Conference Premier yesterday. My last two Swiss Super Liga games has seen crowds sub 4,000. How do these clubs actually survive?

It could have gone either way right up until the final minute of four given for injury time. A stupid challenge from the FCZ centre-back saw the referee point to the spot, and after some internal wrangles as to who would take it, up stepped Kalu to score his second goal of the afternoon and Xamax’s third. With no time left to kick off again it was a vital win for Xamax, but perhaps more importantly, with Grasshoppers winning, seeing FCZ, Champions League group stage participants just last season, drop into the relegation spots.

All that was left for me was the hike uphill to the station. I tried to recruit a Ghurka to help me but they were busy with Joanna Lumley – Good job they provided free oxygen at the top – and get back on my train to Zrich, which with typical Swiss efficiency rolled into the Hauptbanhof on the dot. Well, for 80 return you expect punctuality.

More pictures from the afternoon by the lake can be found here.

 

TWO TEAMS IN HAMBURG, TWO HSV’s IN THE BUNDESLIGA.

TWO TEAMS IN HAMBURG, TWO HSV’s IN THE BUNDESLIGA.

Why Watch Football in Hamburg?

I have to confess I am mystified why it has taken me so long to pencil in a football weekend in Hamburg. If  you want to dive head first into two distinct cultural differences of German football, it does not come more fascinating than  Hamburg SV and FC St Pauli. My preconceptions of Hamburg SV were of  a traditional club, whose loyal working class supporters regularly troop out to the modern out of city centre sports stadium, Imtech Arena. The club has never been relegated from the Bundesliga and there love for former player Kevin Keegan is only matched back in Newcastle.

FC St Pauli were the rock and roll club of German football. Their Millerntor stadium is a cramped small stadium, just  an Astra beer bottle’s from Hamburg’s infamous Reeperbahn and are followed by some of the most politically motivated, but passionate supporters in Europe.

Being German football, I was naturally looking forward to enjoying top class European football  for between 12-35 euros, stand on a terrace whilst drinking a beer, eating a bratwurst and whinging about why I am not allowed to do this back home in England.

Away from the football, Germany’s second biggest city has alot to offer  the weekend visitor. For the discerning beer drinker, stag party goer, beatles nut or  pervert, there is the Reeperbahn. Here many of the cafes, bars, sex clubs,  pubs , peep shows, nightclubs  and restaurants never seem to close, but if you are still standing at 7am, you may want to round off that night out with a dawn drink at the Fish Market. On arrival at the fischmarkt in nearby Altona, just follow the noise of live band. After 3 days and nights in  the Reeperbahn, I can understand why John Lennon was famously quoted as saying he ‘was born in Liverpool, but grew up in Hamburg’.

A perfect cure for the Reeperbahn hangover is a visit to the Hamburger Dom (or funfair), near Helligengeistfeld. Held in late March, late July and late November and lasting for 4 weeks at a time, one of europe’s largest and oldest funfairs offers acres of fun in roller coasters, dodgems, and gluwhien/bratwurst stalls. The ferris wheel here is perfect for aerial views of St Pauli’s Millerntor stadium.

When to Go:

Bundesliga season goes from mid- August to early June, with a  break over late December to mid January. Fixtures are normally confirmed in July, giving you plenty of time to book those budget flights. As with other major European football leagues today, Bundesliga fixtures are determined by television schedules and spread over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fixtures dates are normally  confirmed up about 5 weeks before kick-off.

Thankfully there is enough to do in Hamburg to warrant a Fri-Mon long weekend break and you should be able to do a couple of matches, with St Pauli and Hamburg SV  playing at home over  alternate weekends. So after deciding whether you prefer football at the Millerntor stadium or Imtech Arena, why not add a Werder Bremen or Hannover 96 home fixture to the itinery?. Both are only about an hour on the train from Hamburg and if you plan it right, you could even watch the other Hamburg team play away.   Our “Bundesliga weekend” on 20/21st November was Hannover 96 v Hamburg SV on the Saturday and St Pauli v Steve Mclaren’s Wolfsburg (as they appear to have been renamed back in England) on the Sunday.

Club Basics: Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896 e.V.

Address: Arthur-Menge-Ufer 5, 30169 Hannover.

Email: info@hannover96.de

Website: www.hannover96.com

Supporters Website: http://forum.hannover96.de

Getting a ticket:

At the time of writing, Hannover96 are riding high and are currently third in the Bundesliga. Unless its against Bayern Munich, Schalke or Werder Bremen you should still have no problem getting tickets for a Hannover 96 match. Simply email the ticket office about 6 weeks before the match and the club will arrange for tickets to be collected from Hannover 96 fanshop at the AWD Arena, on day of match. Bring some ID.

The best place to watch a match and the choreography of both home and away supporters at the AWD Arena  is on the Westtribune (western) or Osttribune (eastern). We purchased  €35 tickets in West Tribune, lower tier (block W2), and had unrestricted views can be seen on photo below:

Please note that to reach lower tier of the West Tribune, the entrance is actually back at the Nord tribune. We naturally entered the AWD Arena outside the West Tribune and found ourselves in the upper tier with no obvious way to our seat below. This is the first ever time I have been ‘lost’ inside a stadium itself. Upon finding the correct entrance, you finally enter the AWD Arena itself, right under the section containing the Hannover ultras on the Nordtribune.

Getting to Hannover from Hamburg:

Intercity (IC) trains only take an hour to Hannover, and will cost about €40. For a mere €12, I would highly recommend a Regional (RE) train via Ulezen, to be in Hannover about 2 hours before kick-off. We arrived at Hamburg’s central station, Hauptbahnhof (hbf) to be greeted by sight of hundreds of HSV supporters  carrying crates of Astra beer. In our “non-alcoholic”carriage, other HSV supporters were busily decanting everything from schnapps to jagermeister into soft drink bottles for the 2 hour journey. This accounted for  the carnival atmosphere on ‘HSV party express’  when it finally pulled into Hannover hbf.

After the match I would advise grabbing a bite in Hannover before catching train back to Hamburg. We did not do this and instead decided to catch the earliest train back, spending an hour on a packed train, after a good day’s drinking. Never was so many bladders emptied off platform 2 at Ulezen train station, by so many relieved looking HSV supporters ,that evening.

Getting to AWD Arena:

On arrival at Hannover hbf, you can catch underground. Lines 3 and 7 (to Wettbergen) or line 9 (to Empelde). Get off at Waterloo and on leaving the station, just follow signs to Stadion/Waterloostrasse. We opted for joining the crowds in a leisurely stroll through Hannover, to the AWD Arena. The journey will take about 25 minutes, longer when stopping off to sample the local brew “Hannoversch”.

Pre-match pint and programme:

Regulars recommended the following bars that can be found during the walk from Hannover Hbpf to the AWD Arena:

Brahaus Ernst August, Schmiedstrasse. 13, 30159 Hannover.

HBX-Stadtbrauerei am Aegi, Osterstrasse. 64, 30159 Hannover.

Nordkurve, Arthur-Menge-Ufer 8, 30169 Hannover.

The Nordkurve is located at the AWD Arena and appeared to be a popular meeting point for both Hannover 96 and Hamburg supporters. Weather permitting, grab a table and benches outside and enjoy a few beers, a bratwust and some Bundesliga2 matches on a big TV screen.

The Hannover 96 fanhaus is apparently located close to the old “Eilenriede Stadion”. From Hannover Hbf, you can get there on the bus (128 or 134) or on the underground on line 11 from Kropcke (towards the Zoo).

Souvenirs  can be brought directly at the Hannover 96 Fanshop at the stadium. Match programmes are on sale at kiosks around the stadium. British Clubs, please note Hannover 96 can knock out 68 page glossy magazines for a mere €1.50 each.

HSV and HSV:

Throughout the day, I was surprised about the lack of police presence, either when getting to and from Hannover with the Hamburg supporters and at the AWD Arena itself. During the match our section was a peaceful mix of Hannover and Hamburg supporters, exchanging banter and songs. At one point both sets of supporters were chanting “HSV” from their respective ends of the stadium and the stadium tannoy played Hamburg’s club song..

Talking to  supporters on the train back to Hamburg, they confirmed both clubs supporters  have a friendship that began in the late 1990s and both clubs are known as HSV. Both Hannover and Hamburg share a rivalry against Werder Bremen and probably explains the amount of “F#ck Bremen” scarves in evidence. There are a few more friendships within Germany, including Bayern Munich and Bochum and Schalke and Nuremberg.

Club Basics: Hamburger Sport-Verein von 1887

Address: Imtech Arena, Sylvesteralle 7 , 22525 Hamburg

Email: ticketing@hsv.de

Website: www.hsv.de

Supporters Website: www.hsv-uk.co.uk

Getting to Imtech Arena:

Take the S3 or S21 S-Bahn line from Hamburg hbf to Stellingen. Keep an eye out for HSV fanhaus which is 3 stops before on the same line (Holstenstrabe) and well worth a visit on the way back. Exit the Stellingen station and follow signs and HSV graffiti for 20 minutes through the Volkspark to the Imtech Arena.

HSV Museum:

This excellent museum is open daily from 10am and entry for adults is €6. For an extra €2 you can get an English language audio commentary on everything you wanted to know about the only founding member of the Bundesliga to have never been relegated.

Despite its illustrious history, if you are to ask an English football supporter of a certain age what they know about HSV, he/she will inevitably answer that is the team that Kevin Keegan played for. HSV stunned English football and me (My dad remembers showing an 8 year old me where ‘Hamburg SV’ was on the map!), when they persuaded Kevin Keegan to leave Liverpool in 1977.

After an indifferent  first season in the Bundesliga, Keegan inspired HSV to their first Bundesliga title in 1979. Celebrations at the championship winning match versus Bayern Munich, were overshadowed when serious overcrowding in home end, led to crushing which seriously injured 79 supporters.

Although HSV finished Bundesliga runners-up in 1980 and lost European Cup final to Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest, Keegan again had another excellent season.

‘Machtge Maus’ ( ‘Mighty Mouse’ as HSV supporters affectionately called him) became the  most universally admired Bundesliga player of that era and his admirers spread outside Germany, being voted European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979. Yes, English players used to be proficiently technical enough back then, to win such accolades. Sorry, I’ll get off me soap box now….

The museum’s section on Keegan includes his original locker, signed Hamburg and England shirts, a Union Jack flag from the Keegan fan club and a copy of his pop single, “Head Over Heels in Love”. Although Keegan’s pop single barely reached the top 30 back in England, the record stayed in the German charts for nearly 33 weeks. I can only imagine there are fair few 30 year old hamburgers today, with the distinctly Anglo Saxon  middle name of “Kevin”.

The tour ended with a stunning views of the Imtech Arena itself and a promise to return to Hamburg and watch a HSV  match here.

Getting a ticket for:

HSV biggest matches of the season are against Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich and St Pauli. Matches against teams with a good away following also include FC Koln , Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach.  Tickets go on sale about 6 weeks before the match and see club website for details. Also check out the HSV UK supporters website  (  www.hsv-uk.co.uk ) where they have a very handy guide to ordering tickets

Pre-match pint and scarf:

If you are looking to meet up with HSV fans in Hamburg, then visit the FanHaus ( Stressemanstrasse 162, 22769 Hamburg) right beside by Holstenstrasse S-Bahn station. Exiting the station, turn left and it is the first building you see. From the front it looks like an old schoolhouse and that is because it is. From the back you see walls painted in club colours, that could even be seen from the train above. Inside, fan projects meet regularly to look after the interest of HSV supporters  at home and away matches and there is also a bar to down an Astra beer or two.

I did not see too many HSV bars in the Reeperbahn and I understand most to be located on the southern part, towards the port. One bar repeatedly recommended by HSV supporters was the Sportspub Tankestelle ( Gerhardstrabe 7, St Pauli).

For unofficial HSV souvenirs, check out the 1887 Streetwear shop (Kleine Reichenstrbe 15 , 20457 Hamburg). They were formerly located in the upper floor of the HSV fanhaus.

Official souvenirs can be purchased at the Imtech Arena and at Hamburg airport. Amongst the usual club endorsed products is a nifty toasted sandwich maker that not only toasts your sarnie, but also leaves the HSV club logo on it!. Class.

Club Basics: FC St Paul.

Address: Auf dem Heiligengeistfeld,  20359 Hamburg

Email: kartencenter@fcstpauli.com , info@stpauli-fanladen.de

Website: www.fcstpauli.com

Supporters website: www.stpauli-fanladen.de

Getting a ticket:

Bearing in mind it is FC St Pauli’s centenary year; the club is back in the Bundesliga for the first time in nine years, the Millerntor stadium has a limited capacity of some 23000 capacity and they have a worldwide fanbase numbering millions, match tickets are understandably difficult to source. Any tickets left go on general sale about 3 weeks before match and you can apply online through the club website. If you are prepared to pay over the odds, you can go through reputable ticketing agencies.

Because I wanted to experience the joys of watching top flight football whilst standing, I opted for tickets for one of the many terrace sections that can be found at the Millentor stadium. I contacted St Pauli’s supporters club, the Fanladen and was very, very, very fortunate to secure a spare ticket on the sudtribune. It cost me just €13 euros and had to be collected at the Fanladen on Friday between 3-8pm or until 2 hours before kickoff. Please chuck some euros  into the funds tin on the fanladen desk.

Pre-match pint and souvenirs:

The Millerntor is a classic, small town-centre type stadium right next to hamburg’s busiest bar district, the Reeperbahn. There were plenty of bars that will were packed the previous night before ,let alone before kick-off. In no particular order of preference, our favourates were:

Gretel & Alfons.  Gross Freiheit 29 , 22757 Hamburg.

Fanladen St Pauli: Brigittenstrasse 3, 20359 Hamburg.

Jolly Roger : Budapesterstrasse 44, 20359 Hamburg.

Rosi’s Bar: Hamburger Berg 7, 20359 Hamburg .

St Pauli Eck: Simon-von-Utrecht-Str. 87, 20359 Hamburg,

Tippel II Detlev-Bremer-Str. 46, 20359 Hamburg,

Zum Silbersack , Silbersackstr. 9, 20359 Hamburg,

Inside the Millerntor itself, the drinking continued. I experienced the ultimate joy of standing on a terrace, watching football with a beer or gluwhien in one hand, a bratwurst in the other. Don’t forget to return your beer mug for a refund, although I kept mine as a souvenir of a memorable evening:

You will be spoilt for choice when it comes to St Pauli souvenirs. Fanladen is good source for unofficial  tshirts, if there are any left in stock. To be honest, the official stuff is so good you just have to visit the club store located outside the sudtribune on non match day. Saves you the hassle of carrying bags of St Pauli goodies into the match later.

Even if the skull and crossbones theme is not your cup of tea, you cannot help but be tempted by fashionable  brown tshirt complete with club logo and phrase “RETTER”. This shirt was sold to raise funds for the club when it went into administration, a few years ago. I also picked up a baby romper suit for me cousin’s new daughter, choosing the club emblem over a skull and crossbones motif that might not have gone down too well at the christening. A St Pauli scarve is obligatory if you want to stand on the sudtribune and join in with the locals, singing “You Will Never Walk Alone” at the final whistle.

Opening hours are Monday to Saturday, 10am-7pm. Please note on Sunday or match days, store is only open 3 hours before kick-off. Contact store at fanshop@fcstpauli.com . There is also an outlet at Hamburg Airport.

Getting to Millerntor stadium:

It was not too difficult for us to locate the Millerntor stadium, as we could see the ferris wheel of the Hamburger Dom (that overlooks it) from our hotel window on the Reeperbahn.  If you are coming in from another part of Hamburg, simply head to  train station, St Pauli on U3 line . On exiting station, you cannot miss Millerntor’s floodlights or the imposing concrete structure overlooking the stadium that was a second world war flak tower fortification. On matchdays, flag waving St Pauli supporters have been spotted on its roof , watching the match below. Both the club store and ticket collection (Kasse) windows are located on the sudtribune.

Millentor stadium:

Wallking onto the sudtribune of the Millerntor stadium, was like stepping back in time to Blundell Park  or Elland Road in the 1980/90s. But watching Grimsby Town or Leeds United was never like this.

The sight of thousands of St Pauli supporters standing on a terraces around three quarters of the stadium, to watch a  football match. On the perimeter fences in the sudtribune, the conductors with megahones lead the choreography.

The sound of St Pauli team entering the field to AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” and celebrating a goal to Blurs “Song 2”. Between, the St Pauli supporters provide their own atmosphere by of jumping up and down and chanting enough terrace songs to match the Beatles back catalogue.

The smells of bratwurst, beer and smoking. And all for just €13 euros. I have read that St Pauli plan to increase stadium capacity from current 23,000 to 28,000 but this being St Pauli, the terrace sections will be expanded , rather than replaced. This can only be good news for the St Pauli regulars and football tourists alike.

Thanks to folks at Hannover 96 forum; HSV UK supporters website; Fanladen St Pauli; Danny Last at EFW: Mike Davies for the Hamburger Dom photo ;Michael Stoffl for translations and finally Glenn who only decided to get married, just so he could plan a stag weekend enjoying Bundesliga football in Hannover and Hamburg (Only joking Janet!).

Paul Whitaker, Maracana Manor – December 2010

 

Welcome to Budget Airline Football

As more and more new airlines routes are launched from the UK, there has never been a better time to escape for a weekend away to watch some football. Whether it is a short overnighter to watch world stars such as Lionel Messi playing in Barcelona or a longer weekend break to catch a match or two in the likes of Copenhagen, Istanbul or Moscow, this site will give you everything you need to know to plan the perfect trip.  This is one of the most comprehensive sites on the net for all of this information and has been pulled together through years of first hand research.

The site will take you through a number of the places where cheap weekends away are within the reach of many of us.  We have also published a number of books which you can buy via this site either as downloadable pdf that you can access via your mobile phone, Blackberry or iPhone.

Many people pick up the Sunday papers, or turn over the TV channel to see football being played abroad, and wonder what it is like to experience it first hand. This site will try and guide you on how you can do that at a fraction of the cost that you find elsewhere on the web. We know it can be done, because every listing, every hotel and every bar has been visited by us.  And we keep adding more and more every month.

Though our main focus is helping football fanatics find a way to watch matches abroad, we also love a bet.  And with Gold Cup season soon upon us we are pleased to be able to offer a free £10 bet on the meeting by visiting the Cheltenham Betting page.  Terms and conditions apply.

RECENTLY ADDED DESTINATIONS…..

Willem II Tilburg and Den Bosch in Netherlands
HB Koge and Odense in Denmark
Lillestrom and Sandefjord in Norway
Wiesbaden, SC Freiburg and TuS Koblenz in Germany
Complete update on the Romanian League thanks to Oliver Leisner from Groundhopper Informer

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We are pleased to announce that Passport to Football hits the shops on Monday 12th October. Taken from our award winning blog, The Ball is Round, the book features 30 of our best adventures from the past 3 years including trips to Moscow, Macedonia, Minsk and Madrid. Available to buy from all good bookstores or by clicking here.

We have also tied up with Footiemap.com, one of the fastest growing and informative football websites. Footiemap.com has maps of over 65 countries from around the word, details where all of the major clubs are located – and not just those in the top tier. It also includes street level map access for the major cities so that you can see exactly how to reach the stadiums. We will also be linking through from our country pages to the excellent About a Ball website, one of the fastest growing world soccer directories.

Don’t forget to put your bets on before you go to any game in Europe to make the day even more special.  For some of the best deals, click here.

We are very grateful to Colours of Football for allowing us to use their excellent kit icons and to Footballderbies.com for their continued support of our work. Check out both of these excellent sites.

European Football: The Fans Guide has been on our shelves for over a year now and is still the best publication as a travel guide for the fan flying overseas since the long lamented Rough Guide to European Football.  It has 190 colour pages and some new stadiums never been featured before. Published by Ian Allan Publishers and available by clicking here.

Our earlier publications, including the completely sold out The Budget Airlines Guide to Football is available as a FREE download from our partners at Calameo by clicking here.

The Times Top Travel Guides:-

“The Budget Airlines Guide to European Football”
If you’ve always wanted to see FC Boavista play at home or check out a match at the Stadio delle Alpi, Stuart Fuller’s handy guide will give you tips on where to stay and how to get about.” Click here to see the full review. To buy a copy then go to our print partner Lulu.com by clicking here.

SOME REVIEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Klassiker – Vi Listar fem Odödliga klassiker som bör finnas I varje Bokhylla!

“Fuller är fotbollresenärens bäste vän. Hans guide till de tyska arenorna inför VM innehåller allt man behöver veta inför avfärden. Lika aktuell nu som då”.

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Short Weekend Breaks Guide – http://www.shortbreaksz.co.uk

5 Stars out of 5.- DIY football breaks in Europe which won’t break the bank!

“Yet another gem from the author – if you are looking for a cheap break away in Europe or are an avid fan of the beautiful game or both, well look no further. The author guides us through passport control without breaking the bank. If you buy just one travel guide in 2007, ensure this is in your trolly.”