Who has been abroad to watch some European club football?

[Ex Shelton Seagull]

Bloody hell Cheeseroll, you just managed to miss St Paulis good seasons in the top flight! Did you see the play-offs with Stuttgart Kickers?
Also, St Pauli are pretty useless in away games but always take a decent following (as long as it's not in East Germany) just like us! They also have a bit of thing for great escapes as well. They stayed in the 2nd division in 2000 when Marcus Marin scored in the last minute of the last game of the season against Oberhausen.
Anyway, Germany is great for a football break. The tickets are cheap, the beer is plentiful and quite a few Germans speak very good english so you can normally make yourself understood. If you say you've come from England to watch a game you get treated like royalty! Dortmund can get 75,000+ into their stadium and it's a traditional four sided job. Berlin has loads of clubs (Hertha, Union, Tennis, Tasmania) and is a top place as well. I think I might go over there for my next trip.

 

[Albion Dan]

Have been to see Rael Madrid a few times over the years as half the family live there and my dad first took me when I was 7.

going over for the Osasuna game on the 28th March.

As for those who say the atmosphere is crap, it totally depends on teh game you go to see, and talk about people in glass houses, you heard Withdean lately?

 

[cheeseroll]

Bloody hell Cheeseroll, you just managed to miss St Paulis good seasons in the top flight! Did you see the play-offs with Stuttgart Kickers?

yep that was my first season and i went to all 3 relegation play off games. after nearly a crate (each) of jever on the 8 hour train journey down, i remember sitting on the bog at half time - one nil down and best player already sent off - what the hell was i doing here. very similar to the Albion either promotion/relegation or goal difference from non league football. by the way and coincidently it was Marin who also scored against us for Kickers !!

we had a regular 15 man/woman group going with west ham,millwall & celtic all represented and all living in Hamburg. the picture posted above does not show the spliff smoke that pours up the gegen tribune (terrace opposite main stand).

 

[Easy 10]

the white handkerchiefs were waved at the referee.

I always thought the Catalans waved the white hankies when the team was playing crap and they wanted the manager out ?

 

[Padders]

It obviously applied when the referee is playing crap too. I thought Davids was unlucky to be booked once let alone twice.

 

[CP 0 3 BHA]

Saw Barca last month:-

Easyjet £29
Hotel Jardi eur80 for double with view
(Clean, top location on lovely square in Barre Gothic near Ramblas).
Tix eur35 bought locally - side view second tier.

Fantastic value and fantastic weekend.

 

[DJ Leon]

Cheers guys, CP 0 3 BHA - I may do just that trip soon. Barcelona seems like a good place to start.

Let me know you get on at the San Siro Jambo

 

[Kenhead]

I've seen benfica play, i had no problems getting a ticket as it wasn't a big game, games against sporting and porto sell out really quickly apparently, but for the not so big games there is a kios in lisbon town center where you can buy tickets and also at the ground! i went before they redone up the ground and it was fantastic!

 

[Storer68]

we had a regular 15 man/woman group going with west ham,millwall & celtic all represented and all living in Hamburg. the picture posted above does not show the spliff smoke that pours up the gegen tribune (terrace opposite main stand).

something like this?

 

[Storer68]

or

 

[cheeseroll]

that is a classic ! i will post it on the pauli board

 

[Italiaseagull]

Forza Lazio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fatbadger]

Nope - although I have made it to African (Ghana) and Asian (Lebanon and Kyrgyzstan) league matches.

 

[Albion Rob]

I took in Hellas Verona against Catanya last Sunday. Here are my observations:

The Verona crowd was bloody loud, but also amazingly racist. When a black Catanya sub touched the ball, the monkey noises were deafening and there were also Nazi salutes.

I noticed there were no police or stewards in the ground, the atmosphere was odd because the home end, or curva, was packed, but the rest of the stadium was relatively empty. Having said all that, it was interesting and vocal. Everyone stood up and there were beer bottles flying all over the place all game as well as flares etc.

I thought it was ok, shame about the racism, but it's not worth pretending it doesn't go on over here too.

Would definately go again.

 

[Brighton Breezy]

I went to see Brugges play L'Ommel. I was on football tour with Horsham Sparrows and we asked if we could have a tour of the ground and someone met us and gave everyone free tickets.

Have played against Roda JC (Dutch league team) Under 17s.

 

[Tooting Gull]

The worst racism I've ever seen in football bar none, and that includes the early 1980s when it was obviously bad here, was at the Verona derby a couple of years ago, when both Chievo's black players were substituted (may or may not have been coincidence, but since one of them had scored a wonder-goal, probably not). It was frightening, but Hellas do have something of a reputation.

Other grounds/matches been to are Inter, Nantes, the old Matra Racing Paris at the P des P, St Etienne, Basel, Servette, Grasshoppers, and Malmo. And Longford Town!

 

[CHAPPERS]

Sitting with the Reggina Ultras at the Olympic Stadium in Rome a Lazio game (the same game that they won the league by winning as Juve lost that evening in Perugia) was quite eye opening. There was a black bag on the way in full of knives and chains that had been given up by people on entry only to be collected after the game.

The rascism is extraordinary and actually kinda 'funny' really hw it is so open with people being so proud about being so stuid.

Good game though, Mancinis last ever appearance for Lazio and a 4-0 win whcih sparked massive celebrations that lasted all night. Shame we had to leave the next day really.

 

[Albion Rob]

As a follow up to the game, I am reading A Season With Verona, which is quite interesting, if not particularly well written.

Verona struck me as a club dying on its feet. The stadium was half full and there seemed to be no affection between the club and the players. Almost as if the fans saw it as their afternoon out and the football ground was the place to do it. The football was a mere irrelevance.

also, the Bentegodi Stadium is awful, in my opinion, vandalism was rife and it was far too big.

the Italians are passionate, but give me the English game any day.

 

[bhanuts]

Can't we adopt St Pauli as our 'twin' club, the same way the other places have twin towns?

We are similar in terms of
• campaigning
• beer-swilling
• partying
• large anti-Nazi contingent
• being either totally crap or totally brilliant
• chairman being (as certain fans have labelled him) a 'Trot'

... or am I being naive?

They have big connections with Celtic!

 

[guest2004]

Am thinking of going over for a Real Madrid home game before the end of the season, anyone know how to get tickets and how easy it is, as I've heard conflicting information.