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Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6.

Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6.

My next Swiss football trip brought me to the small medieval town of Rapperswil-Jona.

Rapperswil-Jona is a German speaking municipality, with a population of about 27,000, in the canton of St. Gallen in eastern Switzerland. Rapperswil and Jona, were actually separate municipalities until 2006, when they decided to come together in a bid to become more important in politics and society. The town is located on the shores of the beautiful Lake Zurich.

Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6.So the town is well known for its wooden pedestrian bridge between itself and the nearby village of Hurden. Built in 2001, crossing the Lake Zürich, the bridge symbolizes the fact that over the centuries locals have crossed between Lake Zurich and Obersee, mostly on boats, but also on a wooden bridge that was constructed by Count Rudolf IV the Wise and Duke of Austria. In 1358 this structure was a handy little earner as there was a toll set up on the bridge, that’s why he was considered a wise man! It is also important to acknowledge that there were other bridges from prehistory, and in the Roman times, so this crossing was and is of an important cultural and historical significance to the local area.  

The wooden bridge linked the two shores for over 500 years, it was renovated for the last time in 1847. Due to other means of transport and alternative routes the idea of the toll fell away. In 1873 the Swiss federal parliament approved the construction of a stone dam with railway tracks and a road and construction began two years later. This bridge is adjacent to the wooden bridge that we see today, so there are two bridges side by side. In 2001 the old wooden bridge was replaced with a more safer and more enjoyable pedestrian oak built bridge. So what we have today is the longest wooden bridge in Switzerland at 841 metres long. (2,759 ft), and is listed as a heritage site of national significance.

Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6

To get to the town is easy as it is well linked to Zurich by rail, with many trains to the city every hour, a 35 minute journey. If not in a rush, one can also get a boat from Zurich that stops in the town regularly throughout the day.

I found the town to be pretty pleasant, nice to walk around the Old Town on an early Sunday morning. Not too far from the train station, is the historic wooden bridge that got my attention and is stated as the number one thing to do in the town re TripAdvisor, to which I walked along to the end and back. There is a nature reserve around the bridge where one can see some birds and other wildlife. The views of the lake and the Alps in the distance are lovely, and the walk is nice enough, but to be honest it wasn’t anything particularly extraordinary.

Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6.

Went up to the castle walls to have a wander. The second thing recommend to do in Rapperswil from TripAdvisor!  Didn’t go in, as I went to the castle in Thun and to be honest see one small castle you have seen them all, at least Swiss Castles, this isn’t Wales! So I ventured around the grounds. Built in the 13th Century by Count Rudolf II and his son Rudolf III von Rapperswil. The castle also has a Polish museum inside it which isn’t particularly clear to me why, but its there nevertheless! Ok I know that a Polish émigré, Count Wladyslaw Broel-Plater who purchased the Castle in 1870 and refurbished it, set up the museum, but why? To the south of the Castle is an old Vineyard, and to the north a small deer park. There is also a nice rose garden near the grounds. Either way the Castle, perched on a hill, is where you can get some decent views of the town and of Lake Zurich. 

Funny thing about Rapperswil is that, according to media tabloids, the place is heaving with Nazi’s, and that the town is where a group of neo-boys have settled in. A local tattoo parlour and the Boomerang bar, which I visited, is owned by a Neo Nazi. Can read it here. To be perfectly frank I couldn’t give a flying…….I dont care much for a persons politics when I sit down for a pint. Not that I am apolitical but it seems some people like to play a game where you have to choose from one bunch of cunts on the left to another bunch of cunts on the right, both equally statist. Well they can play that game, and the media, but as long as they serve me a cold one and don’t bother me, then jog on. 

 

Pub watch 

Nautical Pub

Address: Seequai 1, Rapperswil 8640

http://www.seerestaurant-steinbock.ch/Nautic-Pub/

Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6.Arriving early to the town, it was good to see at least one bar open on the promenade. Nice looking bar from the outside, ventured in to a very small bar.  A few people came in, looked like they were in town for some sort of sporting gig, so the small bar, with an interesting wooden and nautical themed decor, was actually quite busy. Ordered a Falken bier (from Schaffhausen), poured well and not too bad to drink for the first beer of the day. 

Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6.

Is beside the much larger restaurant Steinbock, which owns the small bar.  It also has a terrace but the weather was not suitable to sit outside on this day.

A nice bar, cosy and very comfortable. Good friendly service, decent beer, and a nice start to the day. 

 

Boomerang Bar

Address: Stampfstrasse 78 , 8645 Jona

http://www.boomerangbar.ch/boomerang-jona.html

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Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6

Not too far from the Rapperswil-Jona ground is an Australian style bar. Yeah sure why not!

I was very surprised to see it nestled in the middle of an industrial estate, this bar looks a little out of place. I was wondering if it was even open as the surroundings looked a bit dead. 

Open it was, and it actually had a few punters in. 

Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6

It is a bar that obviously caters for large parties and music events as it is quite spacious and looks like a decent place for a gig. Had a big area reserved for smokers as well, at the side. 

Had all the typical Aussie paraphernalia one would expect and a crocodile hanging from the roof of the bar, yeah hats off to the interior designer as they really did a good job with getting the right mood for the bar.  

Ordered a Coopers Pale Ale, a popular beer from Adelaide, and it went down well, nice and cold. Served with a smile and also got a complimentary basket of popcorn. 

Was a nice place to relax before the big game, and happy to know that I didn’t have to walk to far to the match, with the ground just round the corner. Sweet. 

 

FC Rapperswil-Jona

Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6.

 

Arena/Stadium: Stadion Grünfeld

Location: Blaubrunnenstrasse, 8645 Rapperswil-Jona

Capacity: 2,500

Manager: Urs Meier

Founded: 1928

League: Challenge League

Club home page 

sekretariat@fcrj.ch

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Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6.

Founded in 1928 Fussball Club Rapperswil-Jona, the 2017/18 season sees the team play for the first time in the second highest league in Switzerland, the Challenge League, after winning promotion the year before in what was the clubs best achievement in its 90 year long history.

The club play in red out of the Grünfeld stadium, a small ground with a capacity of 2,500, which was opened in 2014.  

 

To the game

FC Rapperswil-Jona 1 – 2 FC Vaduz

11.02.2018  • Stadion Grünfeld, Rapperswil-Jona

Mathys 27′ (Vaduz)
Konrad 47′ (Vaduz)
Elmer (FCRJ, Pen) 83′

Attendance: 780

Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6.

Enjoyed my time at the match. Not a bad game, good atmosphere, beer and food was flowing, and the locals and staff were in fine spirits. The only thing that was a tad bit annoying was the weather! Game started of in decent, albeit wet, conditions, but by the second half snow was coming down heavy enough that by the end of the game I was well frozen.  

Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6.Vaduz started the game much better and scored after about half an hour, a well worked goal deservedly putting them in the front. Devic squaring the ball lovely for Mathys to easily slot home. 

After the break they got their second, and looked well in control of the game. Konrad close range. 

FC Rapperswil-Jona did have their moments, but the Vaduz goalkeeper was in fine form, pulling off a few good saves to keep Vaduz 2 up. 

Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6.

But he couldn’t stop a penalty that was given to Rapperswil, for a hand ball. That resulted in the last few minutes with Vaduz hanging on, just about. Rapperswil had that golden chance to equalise but again the Vaduz goalkeeper,Peter Jehle, saved brilliantly to keep the three points for the visiting team.  

Enjoyable game, and fair play to both teams for that as the conditions were not suitable for good football so well done there. The better team won too, Vaduz just having that bit more quality.

I also would like to say that everyone associated with Rapperswil, from the ticket sellers, to the stewards and the guys and gals selling the beer/hot food were all extremely friendly and a credit to themselves and their town. Really great time and would love to return again sometime in the future, but perhaps on a hot summers day!!!

Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6.

Overall

Enjoyed my short time in Rapperswil-Jona, a nice little town with its own character. The match and the football ground hop was good fun, the food and the beer was tops, and I will definitely be back in the near future. Nice one little Rapperswil-Jona!

Rapperswil-Jona, Swiss football away days 6.

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Zürich, Swiss football away days 5.

My next Swiss football trip brought me to the city of Zürich in the canton of Zürich…..

Zürich, the largest city in Switzerland with just over 400,000 people, is located in the centre of Switzerland on the northwestern shore of Lake Zürich. The city stretches on both sides of the River Limmat, which flows out from the Lake.

A German speaking city, Zürich was founded by the Romans in 15 BC. However, early settlements have been found dating back more than 6400 years ago. The Romans founded the city as a tax collecting point for goods trafficked on the Limmat river. 

Zurich is a city that always rates very highly in “Quality of Life Surveys” carried out here and there by various agencies. With its wealth, general safety, cleanliness, and a wide selection of interesting sights and places to visit, top class universities, fiscally attractive with a lowish tax base: yes it is certainly a lovely city to visit, and even to settle down in. 

Zürich, Swiss football away daysThe city also has a rich cultural tradition with many high-quality museums and art galleries, but for someone who is into more modern pursuits, the city holds one of the largest and most popular dance music festivals in the world, a techno “street parade” around August every year that attracts about a million ravers and the like dancing alongside the lake Zurich. 

Zürich is a major hub for railways, roads, and air traffic for Switzerland and for Europe. Both Zürich Airport and railway station are the largest and busiest in the country, and the city has an extensive local train, bus and city wide tram network. The network also includes boats on the lake and river, funicular railways and even a cable car between Adliswil and Felsenegg. Zürich train station is the world’s most frequently served railway station, with 2915 trains every day, and has high speed trains coming from France, Germany and Austria passing through, and it is also directly connected with Zürich Airport which is less than 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) away. 

I like Zürich, its a lovely city, looking very nice at night, people mulling about, a good atmosphere in the city air. The old town looks great, albeit a bit too posh and stylish for me but a nice city to walk around all the same.

Oh by the way, before I forget The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), otherwise known as the corrupt bastards running, our ruining, the beautiful game, have their headquarters in the city!

Pub watch 

Kennedy’s Irish Pub

Address: Freischuetzgasse 14, Zurich 8004

http://www.kennedys.ch/

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Zürich, Swiss football away daysA large Irish pub not too far off from the train station. Was my first stop of the day, and ventured in to the quiet bar with a small midday crowd. 

Have a good selection of Irish and English beers so went with my old favourite Smithwicks as I was curious to see how it travels. Friendly bar lady pulled a good pint that tasted perfectly fine. 

Zürich, Swiss football away daysWas in this bar before, so it can get very busy and lively on a weekend night. It is a fun place to be for sure, but the prices of the beers are something to behold. Not going to be doing a large drinking session in a bar like this unless you are very flush with the cash! But this is Zurich one of the most expensive cities in Europe so its par for the course here. 

Its a good place to meet mates for a few pints and to watch a game on the box, as they cater for the football barstoolers. Can also get good food here as they serve meals all day long, apparently they do a Guinness pie which sounds very interesting! They also on occasion have good live Irish music on show. So it ticks all the boxes for a decent Irish boozer…….

Whilst the exterior could look a bit better, its a little dull, the interior of the bar is inviting and in a traditional Irish style, all wooden floors with many knick knacks dotted around the place. It is very big inside, has a nice relaxed ambiance, and was not a bad place to have the first pint of the day. 

Strauss bar (Hürlimann) 

Address: Langstrasse 132
8004 Zurich

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Zürich, Swiss football away daysThe Strauss bar is a small dive bar located on the crossing of the Langstrasse. Looked like an interesting place so I ventured in. 

Had a few customers for what was still early in the day, in a nicely lit bar where probably not too many outsiders frequent.

Zürich, Swiss football away daysI ordered a pint of Hürlimann. I actually thought the bar was called Hürlimann since they had it in big lettering over the front of the bar’s entrance, but no it is in fact a local lager. The first thing I noticed was the huge price differential compared to the Smithwicks I had just up at Kennedy’s Irish Pub. The beer I ordered was virtually half the price!

Was a nice quiet bar to sit down and relax in, the service was friendly, and the pint was fine. I liked this bar, a bit rough and ready, not pretentious and looked like a place where the locals hang out.  Especially when you compare to some of the hipstery wanker pubs I had passed in the old town of Zurich, jeez!! This place was good. Recommended. 

 

Oliver Twist Pub (Mr. Pickwick Pub)

Address: Rindermarkt 6
8001 Zürich

https://www.pickwick.ch/en/our-pub/zuerich/home/index.php

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Zürich, Swiss football away daysFinal pub before I got the train home. Decided to head to this bar as I was told it is infact the oldest bar in the city. Located in the Old Town with its nice cobbled streets. 

A little disappointed to see it was another Mr. Pickwick pub, a chain here in Switzerland, as I was hoping for something a little more authentic, but to be fair Pickwick pubs are decent bars. 

Zürich, Swiss football away daysHas the usual look of the chain, wooden interior, nice and comfy setting, English beer on tap, British food on the menu, darts to play, the Premiership on the box, and an English style setting. 

There was a decent enough atmosphere in the bar. I was at the front bar which is a bit small, but they had more room out the back which seemed to be busy. 

I always get excited when I see Fullers on tap, so I ordered that. As I was at the bar I was a little worried at the way it was pulled, too fast and not with much care. So of course I got a pint with no head that tasted rotten. What a pity. The two bar workers who were there at the time both looked quite young as well, very young, they looked like they were on some job experience scheme. I do hope they learn how to pull a good pint in the future. Service fine and friendly but the beer was a downer. Sorry to say. 

 

FC Red Star Zürich 

Zürich, Swiss football away days

Arena/Stadium: Sportplatz Allmend Brunau

Location: Allmendstrasse 10, 8002 Zürich

Capacity: 2,000

Manager: Gargiulo, Giovanni

Founded: 1905

League: 1. Liga Classic 

Club home page 

info@redstar.ch

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Had the opportunity to do two games in Zurich, so when an opportunity presents itself like that you’d be a fool to pass it. Red Star sounded like a good team to see, and with kick off at 4, it gave me plenty of time to see Grasshoppers at 7 in the evening, a quick turnaround but nothing to worry as the transport in Switzerland is always reliable. 

Zürich, Swiss football away daysPlaying in green, white and red, Red Star are a small club based in Zurich, playing in the 1. Liga Classic, the fourth tier of the Swiss football league system. Founded in 1905 by Charles Seiler and Alfred Merk. The idea for the name they found in a newspaper article of that time, which reported on the steamship line “Red Star Line”, and nothing to do with communist ideology or socialist principles, they were in fact originally attached to the local Catholic youth club, later becoming an independent club. 

Although independent, they still keep some of their old catholic ethos, in that there is a clear view on developing youth football in the club. Over 300 young people play in various teams of all ages, who participate in regional and national championships with their teams. With over 20 top rate coaches, the technical and athletic education of all players are well looked after and fairness, camaraderie and teamwork are promoted. This has resulted in many youth trophies for the team.

As for the first team, there best achievement was reaching the last 4 of Switzerland, getting to the cup semi’s in the Swiss Cup in the season 1998/1999, going out to Grasshoppers 7-0!

To the game

FC Red Star Zürich 0 – 0 Mendrisio 

04.11.2017  • Sportplatz Allmend Brunau, Zürich

Attendance: 510

Zürich, Swiss football away daysEven though the game was nil all, it was pretty entertaining. Both teams had chances to score, and the level of quality on show wasn’t too bad. 

Decent sized crowd at the game, with Mendrisio bringing a few noisy supporters up for the game. 

Had a burger and a beer, and fuck me the burger was fantastic, one of the best I have had in a long, long time. Excellent. 

Grasshopper Club Zürich

Zürich, Swiss football away days

Arena/Stadium: Letzigrund

Location: Badenerstrasse 500, 8048 Zurich

Capacity: 26,104

Manager: Murat Yakin

Founded: 1886

League: Swiss Super League

Club home page 

Honours:
Swiss Championship: 27 (Last 2003)
Swiss Cup: 19 (Last 2013)

info@gcz.ch

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Grasshopper Club Zürich commonly referred to as simply GC, GCZ, or Grasshoppers is a football club based in Zürich.

It is the most successful club in Swiss football,  27 championship titles and 19 Swiss Cups. But they haven’t had much recent success as the last title was in the 2002–03 season, and the cup was last won in 2013. 

Zürich, Swiss football away daysGrasshoppers were founded on the 1st of September 1886 by Tom E. Griffith, an English student, who set up a team made up mostly of a group of students who were originally from Manchester and were studying in Zurich at the time.

Where they got that crazy name “Grasshoppers” is not exactly known but some have said it was due to early players crazy celebrations and there lightning speed on the field of play. 

By 1905 they had won the Swiss championships four times, their first in the 1897–98 season in the very first Swiss Championship. After withdrawing from the league for a number of years owing to not having a ground, their next championship title took a while to come, in 1921. But with top Hungarian manager Izidor “Dori” Kürschner, Grasshoppers won the championship three times (in 1927,1928 and 1931) and also the the Swiss Cup in 1926, 1927, 1932 and 1934.  

More success came, when Austrian coach Karl Rappan took over the team. Under his tutelage more Swiss Championships came, in 1937, 1939, 1942, 1943 and 1945.  They also won the Swiss Cup in 1937,1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943 and 1946. This was the golden era for the team, with Rappen’s 12 titles and cups some achievement that probably will never be beaten by any manager in Switzerland, ever!

Zürich, Swiss football away daysIn the 1950’s they won two more league titles and two more cups, but the 1956 win in the Swiss Championship was to be their last silverware for quite a while, 15 years in fact, winning nothing in the ’60s. The long wait was over in 1971 when they beat FC Basel in the last game of the championship, in extra time, to clinch their 16th title.  The 17th came in 1978. 

The ’80s were good to the club. In the years 1982, 1983 and 1984, Grasshoppers won the championship three times in a row, and winning the cup in 1983, 1988, 1989 and 1990. Legendary German manager Ottmar Hitzfeld at the helm for those last two cup wins. A notable success in European competitions came in the 1980–81 season when in the UEFA Cup Grasshoppers reached the quarter-finals, but were eliminated narrowly by French side Sochaux.

As for other European competition success, they did memorably defeat the mighty Real Madrid 2-0 at home, and thus knocking them out of the European Cup in the 1978–79 season, and were eventually knocked out in the last eight by eventual winners Nottingham Forest . But their best European adventure was in the 1977–78 UEFA Cup where after overcoming four knockout rounds they reached the semi-final against French side Bastia. After a 3–2 win at home, they traveled to Corsica for the second leg but unluckily lost 0–1 and were thus eliminated on away goals. I doubt they will ever come so close to a European final again. 

Zürich, Swiss football away daysThe 90’s were good times too, winning the league five times in the decade which wasn’t a bad achievement, and the cup twice. But just the two titles the decade after, in the 2000/01 and 2002/03 season, 2003 proving to be their last Championship. Apart from a Cup win in 2013 , which ended a ten year trophy drought, the club has gone through a mostly barren period with little to show in many recent years of football.

The club play in blue and white, the city colours and, since September 2007, they have played all of their home matches in the Letzigrund stadium which is also the regular home ground of FC Zürich. From 1929 to 2007, Grasshoppers used to play in the Hardturm stadium, before it became surplus to requirements, with a new proposed stadium Stadion Zürich planned on the ashes of the old ground, but as of yet the project has been stalled (2021 the newest date of completion!), making Grasshoppers essentially homeless and ground sharing with their city rivals, not an ideal situation to be in for the club.  

Zürich, Swiss football away daysThe Letzigrund stadium is some stadium though, wide and expansive, at night with the floodlights on it is a sight to see. An athletics stadium first and foremost but owned by the city of Zurich (buying it off FC Zurich who were in debt at the time), with the popular IAAF Diamond League taking place here every year, it also has held some pretty big music concerts down through the years (both the old and updated version of the stadium) from U2, Bon Jovi, Madonna, Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Rihanna, Beyoncé, the Rolling Stones right up to today with Ed Sheeran playing booked to play this summer 2018. The current capacity is 25,000, for football events, 30,000, for athletics and 50,000, for concerts

Great managers that have managed the club include Ottmar Hitzfeld (as we have seen), ex England boss Roy Hodgson, managerial journeyman Leo BeenhakkerChristian Gross where his two Swiss titles got him his big move to Spurs, up to the present man in charge Murat Yakin.

To the game

Grasshopper 2 – 0 Lausanne Sport

04.11.2017  • Stadion Letzigrund, Zürich

J. Suárez 68′
M. Basic (Pen) 90’+3

Attendance: 5100

Even though the first half was nil nil, you definitely had the sense that Grasshoppers would win this game, since they made virtually all of the play, had a few chances and were much better on the ball. Lausanne were really not up to much and seemed to be at a lower level of class. 

Zürich, Swiss football away daysThat goal did eventually come, in the 68th minute when J. Suárez scored a nice goal, scoring from a loose ball just outside the box slotting it home with the goalkeeper no chance. A very well taken goal. By this stage Grasshoppers were piling on the pressure, and they got a second when M. Basic scored from a penalty after Pusic was taken down in the box. 

Grasshopper well deserved the win, as they played nice football and were always in control of the game. Their wingers, both sides, were causing all sorts of damage to the Lausanne defence who at times looked clueless. Nice game to watch, good atmosphere from the Grasshopper fans as well. 

Enjoyed my first time seeing Grasshoppers, and the Letzigrund is some stadium. Even though it has an athletics track around the pitch it still is a good place to watch football, as most seats are elevated and you can get a decent view of the pitch.  It was nowhere full, not even close, but then the Swiss football league is like that, but the Grasshopper fans that were there gave a good effort and were chanting throughout the game creating a decent atmosphere.  Beer and burger was good and I was happy with my time in the Letzigrund 

Goal of the game here.

Overall

Two games of football, a good few beers, some burgers, and a nice walk around the city at night, yeah I enjoyed my day out in Zurich. It isnt a bad old spot.

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Bohemians, football away days

Bohemians, football away days

So off on another League of Ireland ground-hop, into Dublin this time to see Bohemians in Phibsboro, and make it 7 out of the 20 completed, to tick off on the LOI list! 

Phibsborough, or Phibsboro, is a mixed commercial and residential neighbourhood in North Dublin hugging the The Royal Canal. A typical red-brick terrace area, with the odd Victorian style looking pub and the always busy Doyle’s Corner thoroughfare.

Bohemians, football away daysA good key land mark is St Peter’s Church, a nice church that dates back to 1862, the National Botanic Gardens are situated in nearby Glasnevin, and the vast Phoenix park with Dublin zoo not far off too. And if you fancy some Gaelic sports, then Croke Park is also within walking distance.

The area is a nice mix of locals, people working in the city, and students who attend the DIT or are training in the Mater Hospital. As a result the area is well built up, has all the amenities you would expect from a smallish town, and is served by a good supply of decent pubs. 

Notable residents include actor Michael Gambon, of Harry Potter fame or Shakespearean thespian, depends on your age I guess, Éamon de Valera, former Taoiseach and President of Ireland and also James Joyce spent a while here in his early formative years.

Easily reachable by a whole swathe of Dublin Buses, the area will also soon be linked to the city centre via the Luas Cross City Line network, of course one could walk from O Connell Street which could take you about 30 minutes or less.

 

Pub watch (and Cafe’s!)

Seventy Four Talbot bar

Address: 74 Talbot St, Dublin 1

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Bohemians, football away daysBohemians, football away daysFirst bar of the day, just off the train and thirsty, hopped in to Seventy Four Talbot Bar, on ……surprise surprise….Talbot Street. Up until very recently this used to be Mother Kellys bar, a decent bar that was always quite popular and always busy, so I was interested to see what the new guys had done. They have done a good refurbishment, and it looks the part alright, but I wonder does it have any character as now it looks like an identikit Dublin bar with all the wooden floors and polished furniture. As it was still early there weren’t many customers, ordered a Smithwicks, which went down well, then quickly left as I went off to get my hair cut, as I so often do when I’m home (its really expensive to do in Switzerland!) 

Pint was decent, staff friendly, place looks smart, clean and good. Will return when busier to get a better feel for the new place, but looks promising. 

 

The Confession Box 

Address: 88 Marlborough Street, Dublin, 

http://c11407968.wixsite.com/ryan

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Bohemians, football away daysNext up was the Confession Box, a pub that the brother recommended, and is considered one of the best pubs in the Northside.  A lovely looking frontage, while inside it had a pretty decent early afternoon crowd in, a bit packed in a smallish intimate bar, I guess that’s why they call it the confession box, that and also cause its not too far from St. Mary’s Pro- Cathedral! Horse racing on, boisterous enough crowd, pints a flowing, doing some good trade. 

Bohemians, football away daysApparently it was Irish revolutionary, Micheal Collins, favourite watering hole. And this also ties in with the name, as many of Collins men during the War of Independence would receive confession here from the priests of “The Pro”, after some of their heroic deeds in the fight for independence, but I do wonder was Collins much of a drinker. I am a drinker and so ordered a Smithwicks, but I probably should have ordered a Guinness as I read later they do one of the best pints in Dublin, but truth be told I wasn’t in the mood for the black stuff on the day. 

Established in 1795, as it says on one of its doors, it is an old pub with a variety of different names and owners since then. The bar is quite tiny, and we were lucky we got seats, but there is an upstairs as well. 

Bohemians, football away daysThere is a great deal of memorabilia and old photos adorning the walls of the pub featuring a lot from the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence, and Dublin in the rare old times, amongst other stuff. They do sell T Shirts and key rings, which to be honest is a little naff and don’t look worth getting, I mean its an ordinary pub at the end of the day, not Disneyland!

I liked this bar, was small and comfy. The pub had a nice mix of locals and tourists, and I am sure if we had stayed longer we would have got into conversation with some of its clientele. The service was fine, and the pint good. Will be back for sure and hopefully next time will try to catch some of the live music that they are renowned for putting on, all for my sins!

Fusciardi’s Cafe 

Address: 27 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1

Bohemians, football away daysBohemians, football away daysWas pretty hungry at this stage as we had skipped breakfast so we decided to have some fish n chips in Fusciardi’s Cafe just up the road from the Confession Box. 

An Italian chipper where you can sit down, they serve food fast and the place is well known for serving great food, especially the fish n chips, for over 80 years now to Dubs and people hoping to get a quick bite as they head up to catch their bus/train home to the country! It has a very relaxed setting and people eat away minding to their own business.

Was busy enough, service friendly, the fish n chips were fine as expected, got well fed, stomach lined and ready for more beer. Like most Irish people, we LOVE our little Italian chippers. Result.

 

The Metro Bar 

Address: 155 Parnell St, Dublin D1

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Bohemians, football away daysPopped in to the Metro for a pint, and it was a very fast pint, as I had to start making a move on to Dalymount. Nice interior, ordered a Tennent’s Lager which was fine. 

Is a sports bar so had a lot of sporting memorabilia dotted around the place.

Small midday crowd, good service, decent pint and that was that. 

 

Bang Bang Cafe

Address: 59A Leinster St North,
Phibsborough,Dublin 7

http://bangbang.ie/

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Bohemians, football away daysI was due to meet Daniel who is a Strategic Planner for Bohemians, and meet him at his place of work which was his Bang Bang Cafe and Delicatessen not too far off from Dalymount itself. 

After a few twists and turns we eventually found it tucked away at the end of a side street. We were surprised to see such a cafe hidden away from the main street in a quiet residential area.

Daniel set up the place with his sister in 2015, looking to open something new in an off street location where people could come and go, enjoy their coffee and food with chill out tunes and friendly vibes all in a relaxing environment. Also important was that any products on sale should be, if possible, local. 

Bohemians, football away daysBang Bang Cafe takes its name from a well known Dublin character. During the 1950’s and 60’s, Thomas Dudley, acted out the life of a cowboy on the streets of Dublin. “Bang Bang” he went at bus and tram passengers, playing with his gun, ie a big church key that he used to carry round with him. It was all fun and games as many used to actively participate in the high jinks and return fire and play dead on the city streets. What great craic it must have been to see a whole street turned into the Wild West all due to the imagination and humour of one eccentric, Bang Bang.

He was immortalised in The Dubliner’s song The Mero which included the line “Bang Bang shoots the buses with his golden key”.

Despite given so much joy to ordinary Dubs, Bang Bang himself had not the best start in life. Both parents died when he was young so he spent a lot of his early life in an orphanage. 

He passed away in 1981, aged 74, in a Home for the Blind run by the Rosminian Fathers in Drumcondra and was buried in an unmarked grave in the grounds of St Joseph’s Cemetery.

The fact he was buried in an unmarked grave troubled Daniel, so much so that he decided to set up a GoFundMe account to get a decent burial place for one of Dublin’s characters. With the help of the cafe, over a hundred ordinary Dubliners donated to the cause and raised enough money to erect a plaque at the grave of Bang Bang. On the 28th of August 2017, the plaque was unveiled by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mícheál Mac Donncha, on the site of Bang Bang’s unmarked grave. A fitting tribute to Thomas Dudley and hats off to the Bang Bang Cafe for the lovely gesture and for keeping the story alive.

Bohemians, football away days(on a side note: wonder do people remember the Diceman who entertained my generation on the streets of Dublin, wonder has he got a memorial?)

Was great to chat to Daniel about Bohs, and his cafe. Only had a coffee but can definitely say that the place was buzzing and I must say it had a better atmosphere going on than a lot of the bars I had visited that day, excellent.There are also many books on art, politics and football available to have a gander, and they also sell retro clothes and all sorts of nick nacks.

Will definitely like to check it out again, even if I am not a big coffee drinker, but I must try their Brunch Burgers as I have read that they are legendary, and I do like me burgers! 

 

Long Island Bar (Joxer Daly’s)

Address: 103 Dorset Street Upper, Dublin 1

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Bohemians, football away daysBohemians, football away daysVentured up to Dorset street to check out two pubs, Glynns and the Long Island Bar.

Not a bad crowd in, nice enough bar, settled down to try a new beer, ordered a Dublin Blue Lager from the Beer Factory, who ever they are. Bar man did a great job on the pint and it looked fantastic. Good news is it also tasted great, definitely a beer to check out again in the future. They should do a Mayo version just for the laugh!  

Good pub, good service, and nice pints. Simples. 

 

Glynns pub (The Wellington House)

Address: 100 Dorset Street, Dublin 1

http://glynnswellingtonhouse.com/

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Bohemians, football away daysAt the corner we went into Glynns and this time I went back to the old reliable, a pint of Smithwicks. This bar had a good friendly and relaxed atmosphere going on, also interesting to watch some Polish fellas play pool very badly, and the pints were great and served well.  

Lovely decor inside with a lot of famous pictures and photos of Irish musicians of the present and the past.  Another good pub to add to the long list of decent Dublin boozers. 

 

The Hut (Mohan’s)

Address: 159 Phibsborough Road, Dublin 7

http://www.thehutbar.ie/

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Bohemians, football away daysBohemians, football away daysWe decided to have one last pint in a new pub for us, just before we headed into the ground. Having already been in Doyles before, on the corner, which is a great pre match boozer, we decided to try somewhere new, so to The Hut with its inviting exterior. The Hut is a family owned traditional Victorian bar on Dublin’s North side.

Also decided to try for the first time the Hop House 13 Lager which wasn’t anything extraordinary from Guinness.

Apparently The Hut got its name from the hut-style dwellings the locals lived in when the bar opened its doors way back about 150 years ago. Not sure about that but what I do know is that it is a nice pub, with a lovely traditional interior, has good service and decent pints, all well and good…

 

The Members Bar/the Phoenix Bar 

Address: Bohemians F.C, Dalymount Park, Phibsborough,
Dublin 7

http://bohemianfc.com/?page_id=83

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Bohemians, football away daysThe beauty of Dalymount is that it has not one, not two, but three bars for supporters to wet their whistle, the Members’ Bar, the Phoenix Bar and the Jackie Jameson Bar. Not a lot of LOI clubs can even manage the one so thats a great venture for the club to offer fans on matchdays, top notch stuff there! 

Bohemians, away daysThe main bar – the Members’ Bar – is open every Friday and Saturday evening, as well as every Sunday from 12pm. It also open early on Bohs match-nights and for other televised sporting events.
The Phoenix Bar and Jackie Jameson Bar are open on match-nights and available to hire as function rooms.

Even though its called a Members bar it seems anyone can walk between it and the Phoenix bar with ease. Not much difference between the two, as they were both packed to the rafters with supporters having the beer and the craic. Good atmosphere brewing in both bars for the game.

Bohemians, football away daysDidn’t get into the Jackie Jameson bar but then I am not that important as it is mainly for VIP’s and Guests of Honour. 

Ordered the Bohemian craft beer, which was rank, disgusting. But then went for the Five Lamps Dublin Lager which was excellent, a nice find. The Five lamps was so good I will definitely be checking it on next time I am home. 

Tickets into the ground cost €15.00, and that includes the game, least you dont manage to actually leave the goddamn bar!!! 

 

Bohemians

Bohemians, football away days

Arena/Stadium: Dalymount Park

Location: Phibsborough,
Dublin 7

Capacity: 4,300

Manager: Keith Long

Founded: 1890

Leagues: League of Ireland Premier Division

Honours
• League of Ireland/Premier Division: 11 (Last 2009)
• FAI Cup: 7 (Last 2008)

Club home page 

lynn@bohemians.ie

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Nicknames: Bohs, The Gypsies, The People’s Club

Bohemian Football Club, the Bohs, is a professional football club from the Northside of Dublin. They were founded by a bunch of students, way back in 1890 at the Phoenix Park Gate Lodge beside the North Circular Road entrance. 

One of the founding members of the League of Ireland in 1921, Bohemians are the oldest League of Ireland club in continuous existence, and are also only one of two clubs (St Pats) that have never been relegated from the top flight.Bohemians, football away days

It didn’t take long for the club to win its first title, winning its first league title in 1924. And more early success followed as the club won four more titles and two FAI cups by the 1930’s. But that was in the good old days of amateur football, and so with the advent of professionalism and the club unable to sign players as an amateur club, they went 34 seasons without anything at all. They finally went professional in 1969, and broke their barren spell in 1975 winning their sixth title, and another one in 1978 with two FAI Cup wins thrown in for good measure. Another trophy-less spell came until the noughties when they won four league titles and two more FAI Cups, making Bohs the third most successful club in League of Ireland football history, having won the League of Ireland title 11 times and the FAI Cup 7 times.

European wise they have had not much success, but they did eliminate Aberdeen from the UEFA Cup in August 2000. In the next round they came up against Kaiserslautern of Germany and although they lost the tie, they did beat their more illustrious opponent away. Its not often that a LOI team can beat both a German and British team in one season. They also beat Rangers 3-2 at home in 1984 in the Uefa Cup, in a very bad tempered game both on and off the pitch.  Of course they also got a 4-0 away hammering from the mighty Total Network Solutions to lose the tie 4-1, which was pretty embarrassing at the time. A game I was at, and am still in shock about.  

Bohemians, football away daysBohemians played their first games in the Phoenix Park’s Polo Grounds, after that they played in numerous different locations, in Jones Road, Old Belvedere, Glasnevin, but it wasnt until 1901 that they decided on Dalymount Park, in the neighbourhood of Phibsborough, where they have stayed ever since. It has been said that this is how they got their name….Bohemians and the nickname of the “Gypsies”….with all the wandering around looking for a ground to call home. 

A lot of Irish international games were played there before the national team moved to Landsdowne Road in the early 1990’s. Many memorable Irish games were played out to a packed Dalymount, 45,000 people cheering on. A 3-0 thrashing of the Soviet Union in 1974 one famous night where “The Dalymount Roar” was in full effect. Pelé, Beckenbauer, Zidane, Van Basten, Charlton and Best, all the greats have lined out here in what many people call the “spiritual home of Irish football”

Bohemians, football away daysDodgy land deals done during the era of the Celtic Tiger put the club in debt and on the brink of collapse, with its members selling the ground not once but twice to developers but with nothing to show for it. But in March 2015 Dublin City Council announced that it would purchase Dalymount park for €3.8 million, thus wiping out the clubs debt.The Council plans to demolish and rebuild the old ground on a phased basis at a cost of €20 million, into a new modern ground with a total capacity of about 8000, and to groundshare it with local rivals Shelbourne. This all comes at a good time as the stadium, loved by the Irish footballing community and all, is in terrible disrepair at the moment, as on big match days only two of the stands are used, making a lot of the ground look bare. The Jodi Stand is the main stand in Dalymount, and this is where the Bohs singing section are located at the far left of the stand.

Their club colours are red and black, which they adopted at the 4th AGM in October 1893.

As Bohs’ fan base is mainly drawn from the northside of Dublin their supporters share a bitter rivalry with Southside club, Shamrock Rovers.

 

To the game

Bohemians, football away daysBohemians 3-2 St Pats   

22.09.2017  Dalymount

 2 ‘Ismahil Akinade (Bohs)
3’ Christy Fagan (Pats)
16’Daniel Corcoran (Bohs)
52 ‘Daniel Corcoran (Bohs)
65’ Conan Byrne (Pats)

Attendance: 2,543

Barely had time to settle in my seat when Bohs went one nil up,  In just the second minute,  Paddy Kavanagh down the left, passed across to Ismahil Akinade who headed home at the back post. A well worked goal and a great start to the game.

Bohemians, football away daysBut if you thought that was quick, then the equaliser was even quicker, Pats were right back in the contest, just one minute later when a long ball from Barker on the right was latched onto by Christy Fagan who with great effort slid the ball under the Bohs keeper to equalise. 

Fagan was getting a lot of luck down the right, in the first half especially, while at the other end Akinade was causing the Pats defence all sorts of problems what with his lanky frame and decent ball control for a tall fella! 

Bohemians, football away daysThe game turned on its head when in the 15 minute Gavin Peers got tangled up with Akinade’s big legs and gave away a penalty. Was it a penalty? I am not so sure but Dinny Corcoran  converted to give the home side a deserving 2-1 lead. And to makes matters worse for Pats, Peers was also sent off with a straight red card. A huge amount of excitement in a jam packed first twenty minutes, scintillating stuff.

Keith Ward was a lively wire too who went close on a number of occasions, a nice free just over from 25 yards out, and long rage effort that was oh so close but for a finger tip save from the Pats keeper. 

Not long into the second half, Dinny Corcoran scored again. This time he slotted home from a loose ball to give the Bohs a two goal lead. It was a pity I missed it as I was still making my way from the bar, damn it.

On the 65 minute Conan Byrne got himself some space on the right (where it was happening all the time for Pats), cut inside and scored a decent goal, to give pats some hope. 

Bohemians, football away daysPats had one more chance when Conan Byrne, that man again, had a great chance to get an equaliser when his stretching shot came off the crossbar, unlucky, but I don’t think Bohs deserved to lose this game.

Was impressed, very impressed, with Keith Ward who was pretty awesome in the central of midfield, creating opportunities any chance he had and also linking up well with the front two. he was also very unlucky not to score with some fantastic shots that were close. Along side him in midfield, Fuad Sule also caught the eye. A really small compact player who can pass well, and gets himself about the park, excellent. I really hope Bohs keep onto these two for next season, as with the front two of Dinny Corcoran and Ismahil Akinade they have the making of a serious team. I guess that’s what Keith Long is doing. He is a manager I have rated in the past and I guess it is taking him time to get things to gel with Bohs. But he would really want to push on for next season, now that he is in his third and a bit season…..but I expect good things for next season……roll on 2018!

As for Pats, well they are a two person team, Conan Byrne and Christy Fagan, and that’s about it for them.

Interview

Short chat with Daniel Lambert, a Strategic Planner with Bohemian Football Club Limited (and also co-owner of the Bang Bang Cafe)

email: daniel@bohemians.ieBohemians, football away days

Daniel Lambert is my name and I look after a lot of the strategic planning for bohemian football club.

They call Bohemians, I see on the advertisement, the peoples club, can you explain that please?

Yeah, basically I suppose soccer has been, in recent years, football or soccer has been associated with owners, individuals, corporations and Bohs is the complete opposite of that. For 127 nearly 128 years we have been owned by a couple of hundred ordinary men and women, in Dublin, so it’s the peoples club in the true sense. Someone like Everton used the phrase when it actually doesn’t hold true, the club is literally owned by ordinary people, and its ran for their enjoyment and to be passed onto another group of people.

And what ways have the club reached out to the ordinary people?

Oh we do a whole litany of things, you may have seen earlier this week we were selected, 12 LOI clubs applied for youth funding in a project called More than a Club and that’s a reflection on how good clubs are integrating into the local community. Ourselves and cork were selected, yesterday is was announced
We do walk in football with mentally challenged people, walk in football with older people, we do a programme in Mountjoy prison to try and help people refrain from reoffending when they emerge from prison, there is actually a group, our club president, is over a prison in the Netherlands right now, tonight, a group of ex-prisoners in Mountjoy are playing with a group of bohs players over there
We do a whole range of things, we have a project for school completion and….

So what about yourself, how long have you been supporting Bohs….?

I was brought since I was a baby….so 30 years.

so you had no choice then

No, no choice at all!

Best season all those years?

For me actually the best season was probably last season! As a fan I suppose I was unusual in that I was on the board for a lot of the years, we had severe trouble and I actually realised in retrospect that the Fenlon years and the other years where we won a lot of trophies behind the scenes were the worst years the club had ever had. And id hand them all back if I could and not have almost destroyed the club.
I think that last year there really was a sense of togetherness, Dalymount was saved, we had a group of honest players on the pitch and we didn’t win anything but for me the feeling around the club is better than its ever been.

So was that serious then, really?

Absolutely. The club blew a serious amount of money in a very short space of time for trophies that really don’t mean anything if you talk about preserving your club that was passed down, that was put in severe jeopardy for trophies over a very short space of time.

then I guess the general consensus is that Keith Long is doing a good job?

Amazing job, yeah, in fairness, Keith’s done a great job and I suppose for Keith he has come to Bohs at a time everyone is fully aware of the situation and what we are trying to do and he has been giving an awful lot of leeway that perhaps other managers weren’t in the past and that’s a good thing. People are realistic about where we are, what our budget is and they know we are not going to win the league, and when you put a group of players on the pitch like Keith has who just have effort and honesty about them, it’s hard not to applaud them
(so this season so far, your more or less mid table, your safe aren’t you?)
Yes, I think we are more or less safe. It would be nice to win tonight, you know Pats were one of the clubs that wanted to go for the ten team league, so id love to see pats go down, and we weren’t in favour of it obviously, yeah so I hope we win tonight and I think we will finish mid table.

your cult hero of the club, all those years?

Tony O’Connell

 
for what reason then?

Well he built the Jodi stand, he is the honorary life president, played for the club, and he stuck around. Tony will be here tonight, and Tony, in those years we were stuck for money, the first person up to write a check or to try to get people together was Tony. And that’s a man in his late seventies. So fair play to him.

so tonight’s game then, st pats, shud be a good game, their real pressing teams

Id say both teams to score

a draw maybe

I think so, one all, or two all either way, pats usually come to Dalymount looking to not concede first so they can’t do that tonight, and our home form has been atrocious, so I think both teams will score and then 2-1, two all or one all.

any players to look out for tonight that maybe general fans wouldn’t know about, under the radar

For us, Fuad, I mean Fuad will be going to England by the looks of things, he is a phenomenon player, he came from Pats under 19’s

definitely then going to score tonight so!

I think he is our best player

its worth a fiver

And of course, wardy after the hat trick up in Drogheda.

and the atmosphere tonight, what should we expect?

The atmosphere will be good. Dalymount is difficult in that , you know we are fully aware that the ground has two sides realistically, so you are creating noise on two sides which isn’t ideal, but Bohs n Pats its one of the better atmospheres, I think you will be pleasantly surprised, obviously us and rovers isn’t comparable to any other game we play, so this ranks up there with one of the better atmospheres

is it difficult to get punters in all the time?

Not anymore no, we turned a huge corner, that the perception of bohs, and its something we have worked on very hard, the perception of bohs has changed massively, when you go in there tonight, you will see there will be quite a lot of tourists, quite a lot of girls, and the kind of demographic at bohs games has shifted quite a lot in the last few years. we haven’t lost anyone, we have just added on a new group of people.

I see you are linking up with other teams as well, you have FC United…

Fc United, we have good links with st pauli in hamburg

really, wow

yeah its something we have really tried to press home

will there be a sparkling of German and……

yeah you will see it here, there will be german, French, Spanish, they will be drinking the bohs craft ale, there will be hipsters everywhere

you have three bars

So The one in the middle is the members bar, generally older demographic in there, mainly bohs members, the bar on the far left is the phoenix walking in that’s generally our singing section, there is a jukebox in there, lots of pictures of past gigs in Dalymount, the one on the far right isn’t open to the public that’s our sponsors bar, it opens up after the game.

will I see Johnny Logan tonight?

You might!

brush shiels?

You will see brush shiels,
You will see, who else will be here….
James Kavanagh is coming tonight, im picking james up in the jeep, you know james kavanagh, the snap chat celebrity

No, sorry

John Kavanaghs brother, McGregor’s coach. So james is coming to tonight and he is snapchatting the whole night

im just after realising the name of the bar (café)…..bang bang , you were in the news recently…

Yeah we got a gravestone made for bang bang, on rte news

bang bang?

Used to shoot a key around Dublin

it was only recently, what 2 or 3 weeks

2 weeks ago
I know you cant see this now obviously as we are speaking, but the idea behind this and its something we have tried to say to other clubs, happening more and more is with this picture obviously its red and black but beside that its everything you wouldn’t expect to see on a football poster, no crest, no footballer, and there is a woman in it and that’s done on purpose as very often the FAI try to market the league and they miss the point, they put up a player in a jersey and a kit, that only appeals to existing fans….
But you see this, first of all you are thinking what’s it about……..but it kind of draws you in….

Bohemians, football away daysquestions, questions

Yeah and that’s something we have tried to bring across all our engagements with the public…

so what about shamrock rovers then? Ha ha 

In what way

you get excited when they come this side of the city

yeah both of us do, like…..there are some good things going on about shamrock rovers, I think they miss the point in that we try to celebrate the fact that what they did in terms of a club is getting themselves a ground and coming out from that period of absolute madness that they were in, should be commended as a club. Id have nothing against them as a football club
When we play them I want to beat them, do I like them…..no I don’t.
But I do think for us, been able to stay in Dalymount is massive.
Tallaght is a nice stadium, but there is no soul to it, it’s a sterile place, its on the periphery of the city

(its very windy, jesus right up the middle

I don’t like it. I met a guy here recently and he was a Spanish fella and he had come over, and he came to see us and rover in Dalymount, and he arrived on the Thursday and he got a Dublin bike and cycled out to Tallaght stadium to see it, and he said “I had left the city”

so what’s this place you have going on here the, it seems like a pretty cool place

It… what do we do,,,, we do food, records and clothes and coffee and

are you long open here?

Nearly two years

yeah, seems pretty busy, buzzing in there

A lot of it is football stuff. Me and my sister did it, her rule at the start was no politics, no football, so ….its full of bohs stuff…. And I climbed on top of that building last week and put a Palestinian flag on top last week

Bohemians, football away days
So that’s pretty much it, thanks very much …..and a prediction for tonight 

Id go 2-1 bohs

And who is going to score the last goal

Dinny, to score

Dinny Corcoran, thanks very much

 

Overall

Overall, enjoyed my visit to Dalymount, as I always do. Its a smashing old style ground that can create a special kind of atmosphere in the Dublin air. 

Was great to meet Daniel and get the low down on the club. He was right about Fuad, he is some player alright.

Enjoyed the bars in and around Phibsboro, was good to find some new decent boozers and some new beers to try out next time i am back in Dublin…..Five Lamps n Dublin Blue….

Dublin still the place for the craic….good pubs, great beers, football and the Liffey!!

Anyway, here is my day out in video form

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Thun, Swiss football away days

Thun, Swiss football away days 4.

My next Swiss football trip brought me to the small town of Thun in the canton of Bern. The German speaking city of just over 40,000 inhabitants is situated where the Aare flows out of Lake Thun (Thunersee), 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of Bern.

Be careful and dont get too rowdy at night as this is a garrison town, the largest in the country. That, the armaments industry, tourism, and the food industry are what makes this town. 

Thun, Swiss football away daysIt has had people living on the shores of the lake going back millennia since the Neolithic age but like a lot of towns and cities, it wasn’t until the Romans arrived that things started to progress quickly. The Celts had called the town “Dunum”, meaning “fortified town”, and in 58 BC it fell to the Romans who at that time had conquered most of what we know today as Switzerland, soon making Thun one of the main centres of Roman administration in the region.

Next it was the Romans turn to get booted out. This time by the Burgundians. The who? They were a large East Germanic or Vandal tribe, or group of tribes, who lived in central/east Europe. The Romans viewed them as barbarians and (I am guessing here!) vandals. Vandals or not, they got rid of the Romans from not only Thun but also the whole of Switzerland around 400 AD.

In the 12th Century, the Burgundy Duke, Bertold V of Zähringen, built Thun castle and expanded the town. The castle, in the centre of the town, overlooks the whole town and is a major draw for tourists to the area. 

Thun, Swiss football away daysBut it is not only Thun Castle, with its museum, that’s an attraction, the area is surrounded by stunning views of the Bernese Alps, which include the Eiger and Jungfrau peaks, and also Lake Thun, which is popular for cruises. The town itself has kept some of its old medieval architecture and the old town has a rather unusual style, where the buildings balcony all have lovely greenery and flowers overhanging and you dont know whether to look at street level or above. Behind the old town is the Aare River which boasts numerous restaurants, cafés, and bars.

Getting the train to Thun is no problem as it has a direct line from both Basel and Bern, and Zurich (via Bern)

 

Thun Castle/Schloss Thun

Thun, Swiss football away daysOpening hours:

April through to October: daily 10 am – 5 pm 

 November to January: every Sunday from 1 pm – 4 pm 
(open daily over Christmas and end of the year festivities)

 February and March: daily 1 pm – 4 pm 

Address: Thun Castle, Schlossberg 1, 3600 Thun

Website

info@schlossthun.ch

Thun Castle (German: Schloss Thun) with its four towers, built in the 12th century, today houses the Thun Castle museum, and is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

Thun, Swiss football away daysThe medieval castle was built as an administrative castle and so was the seat of the local court and since at least the 17th century there was a prison on the castle grounds. As early as 1888, the museum opened in the castle and for a brief time the jailer was also the ticket seller and guard for the museum!

The castle’s five floors contains the Knights’ Hall, one of the few surviving halls of its type from the Middle Ages, and cultural and historic displays showing the development of the region over some 4,000 years. 

The corner towers of Thun Castle provide a breathtaking view over the city of Thun, Lake Thun and of the far off mountains.

If that all gets a bit too much for you, then you can relax in the onsite restaurant or perhaps stay the night at the adjacent hotel!

Loved the castle, it is very well preserved, and it was good to climb up to the top and get a great view of the city and its surroundings. You really get a killer view from up at the top, out from the turrets. Also it has a lot of very informative displays, interesting coats of armours to look at, and if you have kids with you they would love it as they can dress up as knights and ladies and play with small wooden swords and reenact the life of the middle ages. It was excellent value for CHF10, and a good start to the day. 

 

Pub watch 

 

Bistro-Bar Ratsstübli

Thun, Swiss football away days

                                             Address: Rathausplatz 6 , Thun 3600

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Thun, Swiss football away daysFirst pub of the day, in the centre of the towns square, the Bistro bar. Nice frontage, in keeping with the traditional style of the city. As it was morning, few customers, ordered a beer I tried before and enjoyed in Thun, a Valaisanne Biere de Cave which was a Zwickel beer (typically a cloudy beer), but which I didn’t particularly like this time. Service was friendly and the bar looked decent inside. Was nice to rest my legs after going up and down the castle in the morning. Decent place.

 

McArthurs Pub Thun

Thun, Swiss football away daysAddress: Marktgasse 12, Thun 3600

http://thun.mcarthurspub.ch/

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Next up was the Irish/Celtic style pub, McArthurs, situated in the Old Town of the city. Decent frontage and what you expect from a traditional Irish style pub, and also had a very good selection of Irish beers and ciders, Guinness, Smithwicks, Kilkenny and Bulmers on tap, which was excellent to see. But I went for another Valaisanne Biere de Cave, cause I really liked it in Thun and this time it was fine. Perhaps it was a different beer I had in the Bistro bar?

Thun, Swiss football away daysBarman was very friendly and chatty and since I was enjoying myself, I decided to order some food. Did notice on the menu that they did a British Breakfast Buffet, so it isn’t an Irish or Celtic bar then, bit annoying that, but I guess the locals wouldn’t twig that! Ordered the veggie burger with chips.  Food looked good and tasted fantastic, was well done and I really loved the carrots in the burger, was a new taste for me but it was bloody good. Hats off to the chef on that. 

Liked this bar, good service, friendly, nice decor and great food…….and the pint was decent too! I will even forgive it for been a plastic Oirish pub!!!

 

El Camino 

Thun, Swiss football away daysAddress: Obere Hauptgasse 32, 3600 Thun

https://www.elcamino.ch/

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Dropped in for a quick beer. Place was nice and cool, and empty inside, as most were sitting outside. I decided to relax inside and catch my bearings. Ordered a Feldschlössen Hopfenperle, which I had enjoyed before in a can,  which was lovely and cold straight from the tap, which tasted just fine on the hot day that it was, top job bar lady! 

Fancy enough bar, nice interior, had some decent beers on tap, good for my quick refreshment break. Nice.

 

Café Zentral Bar

Thun, Swiss football away daysAddress: Obere Hauptgasse 42
3600 Thun

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Thun, Swiss football away daysLast bar before I decided to head to the game, was Cafe Zentral Bar, with its perfect location on the banks of the river with excellent views. Was more like a local bar as it had a lot of, shall we say, older clientele. Bar lady was very friendly and I ordered an Eichof BrauGold. Relaxed and enjoyed my lovely beer as tourists and visitors walked by in the midday sun. Great for people watching! 

Good beer, friendly service, in a very relaxed setting. If I was any more relaxed I’d be comatose. 

 

FC Thun

Thun, Swiss football away days

Arena/Stadium: Stockhorn Arena, Thun

Location: Weststrasse 12, 3604 Thun

Capacity: 10,000

Manager: Mauro Lustrinelli

Founded: 1898

League: Swiss Super League

Club home page 

info@fcwohlen.ch

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Thun, Swiss football away daysOn the first of May, 1898, FC Thun was founded by a small group of football fans in the “Zum Sternen” restaurant on the corner Schwäbisstrasse / Marktgasse.

The club currently play in the Swiss Super League, the top division. Their home ground is the Stockhorn Arena which has a maximium capacity of 10,000. The club’s colours are red and white, representing the city’s coat of arms.  

It has played in the Swiss second division for most of its history but from 2002–2008 it played in the top division, later to be relegated, but they quickly bounced back and in the 2009–10 they won promotion back again to where they have remained ever since, the Swiss Super League.

Thun have never won a Swiss football championship, but they have featured in European club football on a few occasions. 

Perhaps the greatest moment in the clubs history was in the 2005/2006 season as FC Thun qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League, a stage they reached after Thun, Swiss football away daysknocking out Dynamo Kiev and Malmo in the two previous rounds. They were drawn in Group B alongside Arsenal, Ajax and Sparta Prague. Despite losing to both Arsenal and Ajax home and away, by beating Prague at home, Thun managed to extend their European adventure by qualifying for the Europa league as a third place finisher in the group.  Unfortunately the run ended when they were narrowly beaten 2-1 on aggregate to Hamburg. But as European debuts go, it was not bad, 12 games, with 5 wins and a few narrow loses against some pretty tough opposition. They have had three other seasons of European football, always getting by a few rounds and knocking out a relatively big name…..Palermo, Partizan Belgrade….. 

One good thing to see is that Thun’s squad is, bar 3 players, made up of mostly Swiss players, which is a bit unusual in the modern game. If you look at a lot of the other Swiss squads, you get an assortment of international players in squad lists. perhaps the club does a lot with underage development, or maybe they are tight with their money?

 

To the game

FC Thun 0 – 1 FC Sion

23.07.2017  • Stockhorn Arena, Thun

28 ‘Moussa Konaté (Sion)

Attendance: 5617

Thun, Swiss football away days

The goal came on the 28th minute, against the run of play I must add. A quick break from midfield resulted in Kévin Constant playing a lovely swerving forward pass that beat two defenders and was placed perfectly for the Senegalese striker Moussa Konaté to rifle home. Except he didn’t as the last defender put in a great block, only for Konaté to get the rebound to make it one nil to Sion. Unlucky. 

Thun, Swiss football away daysMoussa Konaté had a golden opportunity to put the game to bed for Sion in the second half, when he had the time to place it, but put it just wide of the post from outside the box. Should have at least got it on target.

Thun’s Central midfielder Dennis Hediger was sent off for a rather soft challenge on Joaquim Adao, who went down like a tonne of bricks. Bit harsh me thinks from the referee there.

Thun huffed and puffed and had a good few half chances and also hit the post late on, but that was that.

Have to say, despite losing, I was impressed with Thun as they are a team set up to attack and play half decent football (unlike Sion, from what I saw), and I can see what the manager is trying to do. Just hope they give him time as I am sure Thun will turn out to be a good team in the near future. Watch this space! 

Goal of the game here

 

Overall

Thun, Swiss football away daysThun was a lovely town to visit, a lot of history and I liked the set up of the traditional street with its balconies full of flowers and beautiful shrubs. Also the walk along Lake Thun was nice and the river that goes through the town, albeit it was packed with tourists and day visitors along the river banks. It was also very interesting to see people surfing along the river, something I didn’t expect to see near the centre of Thun!!

Of course the castle is a must see, that goes without saying. And I would like to return to the city someday.

Thun, Swiss football away daysAs for FC Thun, found the ground a little soulless. Ok their ultras did give it a good go, but its one of those stadiums on the edge of town near no bars or pubs and that is such an effort to get to that its a pain in the hole. It was really tough to get to, the bus was direct but little info on where to get it from the bus station, so I ended up with the Sion fans on their bus to the ground. Also was a bit annoyed that a plastic bottle of water was taking off me as I entered the ground. FFS, that’s a first for me, fucking water, and me having brought a six pack into Wembley before, lol! Silly.  Also frustrating was that the club shop was closed, yes fucking closed, as I went round to have a look. I always like to buy a scarf or momento of my day at the club, but no chance here. What the fuck FC Thun!! The only redeeming feature, apart from the ultras who were decent and created some good atmosphere, was that the team were generally enjoyable to watch (at least for me anyway).  

Anyway onto the next ground-hop in Switzerland.

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Sligo Rovers Football Away Days

Sligo Rovers, football away days

So off on another League of Ireland ground-hop, first for the 2017 season, and 6 out of the 20 completed to do tick off the LOI list! This time heading to the west of Ireland to see Sligo Rovers.

Sligo, a small coastal seaport of about 20,000 people, is the county town of County Sligo, in the west of Ireland. Sligo (in Irish “Sligeach”) which means “shelly place”  in reference to all the shellfish found in the Garavogue river.

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysThe town is surrounded by numerous mountains, with the well known picturesque Benbulben looking mighty from afar, with the Atlantic also in view.  

Sligo has an abundance of ancient historical sites from some ancient megalithic tombs near Carrowmore to a cairn at Miosgan Maeve, amongst other archaeological sites all around the city and county, showing that their was civilisation dating back here pre history.  Also the fact that the Greeks and Romans knew about Sligo as a harbour area shows the historical importance of this small town.

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysIt was the Normans who really progressed the town of Sligo with their Castle and developed the port, a port that brought so much trade and wealth to the town down through the years. But strangely enough the Normans never really controlled the town as that was left to the Irish chieftains the O Conors.  

Sligo is probably most famous for the Yeats duo, poet and Nobel laureate W. B. Yeats and his brother the artist, and illustrator Jack Butler Yeats. As people say, this is Yeats country!

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysBut its not only the two brothers, Sligo also have a bit of a long history for Irish music, and the famous Irish music competition that attracts thousands every year, the Fleadh Cheoil, was held in the town on five separate occasions, the last been 2015. This festival has to be seen to be believed as its virtually a must for anyone even remotely interested in Irish music, regularly attracting crowds in the six figures, easily becoming one of Ireland’s biggest cultural events every year.  Sligo having it just goes to show how important Irish music is to the area. 

With two full time theatres on the go, the poetry of Yeats, and all the Irish music, Sligo is a real den of culture and the arts, and we didn’t even mention the lads in Westlife , no lets not go there!

Getting to the town is relatively simple. Get the N4 from Dublin if driving, or get Bus Éireann from Dublin Bus Station, but it does stop in Mullingar and Longford so be careful! Or the easiest would be to get the Irish Rail train from Dublin Connolly, roughly a 3 hour journey (bus is a little under 4 hours but cheaper!)

Pub watch

The Swagman

Address: No 5 Wine Street, Sligo

http://www.swagman.ie/

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Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysFirst pub of the day was The Swagman, a little bit of a walk from the train station, but eventually found it. Had a massive crowd in it which was impressive for the middle of the day but I guess the rain has people in with nothing else to do on a Saturday! Was hard enough to get a seat but did in the end. Bar man charged my phone which was gracious of him. 

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysBar was doing well with food, and had the rugby on the box. Not really my type of place, I am not a huge fan of bar/restaurant combos or at least places that dont separate the two crowds, the beer drinkers and the foodies. 

A lot of options to drink from the usual to some interesting craft beer options. Apparently they have got over 30 craft beers on offer! Got an ale from local brewers The White Hag Brewery, on the recommendation of the bar man. Found it a bit tough to drink to be honest, but its always good to try something different.

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysBar had a very interesting decor, traditional feel  but also with a lot of Australian references, which was very interesting to look at, and overall it is a nice bar, just a bit too crowded and cramped for my liking, albeit service was efficient and quick enough which is always important!

I would like to visit this bar again away from the midday food crowd as I’m sure at night it can be a place to have some fun in. And I see they do have some live music and trad nights so I guess will have to be back to test that!

 

Tricky’s McGarrigles Pub

Address: 11 O’ Connell St, Sligo

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Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysNext up was McGarrigles Pub, a smallish pub with some pretty cool relaxed decor. I think they call this style Berlin retro or something, where the bar looks like your old living room with wall paper, lamps, old chairs, and framed pictures all around. Have certainly seen this style before, and I like it a lot, as it creates an inviting atmosphere and gets you relaxed in no time.

Small bar but had some good beers on offer, but I played it safe and just went for Smithwicks, in fact I had two as it was a nice relaxing bar I decided to break the one pint one pub rule. 

Bar man was friendly, and there was a nice crowd in, and a nice ambiance in the bar. no TV blaring out or loud music, just people enjoying conversation and relaxing over good pints. 

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysSeems to be a second floor as a few came in and vanished upstairs. I should have checked it out, but I was too lazy.

It seems they do food as well, and going by the reviews it looks popular, but to be honest it doesn’t look like a place for food as I didn’t get that vibe or see a menu, and I certainly didn’t see anyone ordering food while I was there anyway. 

Apparently they have a lot of good live music happening here at night time, again its so small but perhaps that’s part of the charm, unless upstairs is massive. 

Anyway liked this place, was very relaxing, had a nice chair at the bar and felt very comfy. Could have had another few beers and that’s what its all about really. Will be back next time nearer the night to check out some of the good live music they have

 

Thomas Connolly

Address: Markievicz Road, Sligo

http://www.thomasconnollysligo.com/

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Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysNext port of call was Thomas Connolly in the centre of the town. Pub has a beautiful and traditional exterior, old style and inviting. As the rugby was on, and more specifically Ireland against England, the place was packed to the rafters.

Here since the 1860’s (officially Sligo Town’s oldest pub), the bar has an extensive collection of whiskies, over 60 according to their website, gins and craft beers as well on offer, the bar also has live music on most weekends

Lovely looking bar with some old style wooden decor, and a nice long bar with a decent selection of beers (A really long bar!). I played it safe and just went for a Smithwicks, as the bar was busy and I didn’t want to dilly dally! Was very impressed at how quick I got served considering it was standing room only in the pub. Hats off to the barmen in this place, quick and efficient. 

As Ireland seemed to be winning in the game, there was a jovial atmosphere building up in the pub. Have zero interest in the egg chasing but any sport we get one over on the English is always to be welcomed. 

Pint was fine, but it was hard to scout out the pub what with the huge crowd in the pub, so its a bar I’d like to return to in the future for another time. 

 

Rendezvous Bar

Address: Holborn Street, Sligo

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysAs I was wandering around I decided to pop into this bar which was off the main drag. Place was heaving and what was unusual (or normal) was that the clientele were more interested in the horse racing than the rugby, which might tell you a bit about the type of bar it was. Got a pint and sat down and rested my legs, recoup the old batteries. 

Decent bar, good service, and a bit of an atmosphere in the pub. Best to go with a friend as they probably dont take kindly to strangers round here, lol, or that could be the mad state of me!

Anyway I like bars like this, rough and ready, do the business and no pretentiousness, its a real town pub.

 

Hargadons Bar 

Address: 4 O’Connell Street, Sligo

http://www.hargadons.com/

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Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysWas getting a bit hungry, so with luck I ventured into Hargadon’s bar, a lovely inviting pub from the outside, in the centre of town, which serves delicious food all day long.  Lovely look decor, very old style and a traditional bar which was small but had regulars relaxing while the rest of the bar was quite narrow where there are many snugs, at the back, where people can have quiet chats and good pints, or in my case sit down rest the legs and order some food and a beer. 

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysThe bar has been here a long time, since 1868, and as usual for a lot of these old bars it used to double up as a grocers and a place of liquor!

Staff were friendly and efficient, the food came very quick which was great. This bar has a reputation for good food (and all locally sourced) and I have to say its not wrong. I ordered some pasta (pasta with broccoli and almond cream…as far as I can remember!)  with a side plate of chips, and some soup to start, all washed down by a pint of Franciscan Wells Red Ale, a Cork brew I haven’t had in a long, long time. All together it was fantastic, very tasty and really refreshed me no end, good portion size too.  Cant beat good food. The food was so good that the beer was an afterthought, which is unusual for me!!

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysThe place had a laid back Saturday late afternoon crowd in, wasn’t too busy as I found it easy enough to get seated. Atmosphere was good, and not loud or with music or TV blaring out. Has a real charm to it and the booths at the back are really cool.

My only regret was that I didn’t sit at the bar to get the banter with the locals, and have a sample of their various craft beers but if I’m ever back in Sligo I will definitely return. Recommended

 

Mooney’s Bar

Address: Maugheraboy Road, Sligo

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Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysThe best thing about Mooney’s is its right beside the Showgrounds, so you will get a good dose of pre match banter with all sorts of fans congregating in and around the pub. Was here before, so know its a great place for a chat and some high jinks from the football mad Sligo fans who are always up for a laugh. It was here I met some of the Forza Rovers lads, but also got into conversation with a few other fans.

Lovely exterior, traditional, and inside not too bad either. Good pub, great and efficient service, always easy to get a seat, always guaranteed to be talking to someone, mostly about Sligo Rovers, but that’s fine. Had a pint of Smithwicks, was perfect, might have had two, but wished I had come earlier as I was enjoying myself here, but time crept up and I had to toddle along to the damn game! 

Love this bar. Recommended, and a definite must if going to a match just up the road. 

Sligo Rovers FC

Sligo Rovers Football Away Days

Stadium: The Showgrounds 

Location: Churchill, Sligo

Capacity: 5,500 (4,000 seated)

Manager: Dave Robertson (Since sacked!)

Founded: 1928

Leagues: League of Ireland Premier Division

Honours:
League of Ireland Championship: 3 (Last 2013)
FAI Cup: 5 (Last 2013)

Club home page 

media@sligorovers.com

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Nickname: The Bit o’ Red

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysSligo Rovers Football Club, founded in 1928, have been in the League of Ireland since 1934. The club is supporter owned and have played in the Showgrounds since their inception.  Sligo is a real football town and the supporters are a loyal bunch with the Showgrounds regularly getting decent crowds for games, averaging around 2000 per home game, which is pretty decent for the LOI.

In terms of silverware, they have won the league three times, the most recent in 2012, and the FAI Cup a total of five times.

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysThe History of the club (skip if not interested!)

With some good initial success at non league, junior and intermediate football (Winning the Leinster Senior League in 1933, not bad for a team from Connaught!), they decided to step up and joined the Free State League on 28 June 1934. Manged by English man Bob Preston , Sligo came a very impressive third in their first season playing top level football,  with forward Gerry McDaid finishing as top scorer. Not bad. 

The good work continued as in the 1936–37 they won the title for the first time, pretty good for a club less than ten years in existence, trained by Jimmy Surgeoner with the Englishman Harry Litherland scoring 19 league goals, a record that wasnt surpassed until 2011 by Eoin Doyle scoring 20 league goals.

In 1939 they had a double dose of bad luck as they came second in the league to Shamrock Rovers, and also second in their first FAI cup, losing to Shelbourne one nil.  1939 was the year that Sligo somehow managed to pull of a coup of a signing when they got the legendary Dixie Dean to play for them. Ok he was an old fella at the time, but to get a big name like this was pretty impressive. Dean, of course, is best known for his time with Everton, where he is still the club’s all-time leading scorer and his record of 60 league goals in a season (1927/8) still stands today, and I doubt it will be beat anytime soon. 

Scoring on his debut Dean drew a big crowd to the games, and went on to score nine goals in seven league appearances, before the impending World War curtailed football everywhere! And that was the end of that!

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysAfter the war, Rovers went through a long period of ups and downs, mostly downs. They did come second in the league in 1951, and got to an Fai Cup final in 1970 where they lost to Bohemians, but it was a period with no titles and the odd re-election to the league, having to reapply to play in the league on four separate occasions. 

It was in the 1976/77 season that Sligo won its second league title, after a long 40 years wait. On Easter Sunday Sligo Rovers beat the other and lesser known Rovers (Shamrock Rovers) 3-1 to claim the title from Bohemians by a solitary point. Scottish Manager Billy Sinclair, in only his second season at the helm, had a winning squad made up of Irish and British talent, including local lad Paul McGee the seasons top scorer, and who later went on to play for QPR in London, and also get 16 caps for Ireland. 

In 1983 they finally got their hands on the FAI Cup, beating Bohemians 2-1 to win it for the first time in their history. It only took about 50 odd years, albeit they did get to 6 finals beforehand! Local lad, Tony Fagan, who holds the club record for most appearances (590 appearances), was the man to lift the trophy aloft.

It took them a while to win the FAI Cup again, in 1994, on a wet May day they beat Derry City one nil, a Gerry Carr header to clinch their second Cup, with another local land, Gavin Dykes lifting the trophy and managed by Willie McStay (Paul’s brother!) 

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysThe arrival of Scouser Paul Cook in 2006 really changed fortunes for Sligo. By playing an attractive brand of football, getting them into Europe for the first time in 12 years and also into an FAI cup final, the first in 15 years, against Sporting Fingal which they lost 2-1. A game I actually attended and played out in gale force winds and torrential rain. Summer football Irish style. Building on this Cook managed to get Rovers into another FAI Cup final in 2010, this time against their hated foes, Shamrock Rovers. After a pretty dour 0-0 the victory was achieved, and their third FAI Cup, when Ciarian Kelly saved all four penalties in the shootout. A pretty amazing thing for their second choice goalkeeper to pull off!! There was also a huge crowd of 36,101 at the game, the highest attendance for 32 years, to see the FAI Cup final in the newly revamped Aviva Stadium (ex Landsdowne Road) 

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysIf Sligo fans thought that was good then they had another reason to celebrate, as the next year they just went and done it all again, winning the FAI Cup two years in succession, another win in 2011. This time beating Shelbourne, but again winning on penalties. after the game finished 1 a piece at full time.  Cook did something that was quite extraordinary to watch. Just before full time he took off his regular goalkeeper Clarke to replace him with Kelly the spot kick hero from the last final. It worked a treat as Kelly saved two penalties, with Sligo native Raffaele Cretaro taking the decisive penalty to keep the cup in the town for another year.

Unfortunately for Sligo, Cook got a good offer to return to the UK to manage Accrington Stanley (“Who are they?”), but they had nothing to worry as their new manager Ian Baraclough, just given the job 5 days before the league season had started, by the end had cemented on the good work done by Cook, to win the title in his first season in charge, winning Rovers third ever league title, and a long 35 year wait. The league was decided during a memorable home game against St Pats, who were also going for the title. About 6,000 people crammed into the Showgrounds to see Rovers edge out a 3-2 win in a pulsating game that will live long in the memory for the bit of red fans. Barraclough followed that success up with another FAI Cup win in 2013 (Their third in four seasons) , beating Drogheda 3-2 with a last minute winner from Anthony Elding to send the Rovers support into raptures. 

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysWinning their first league title wasn’t enough for Sligo as they shortly after got rid of Ian Barraclough in the summer of 2014, and sure enough they haven’t won or even come close to winning anything since. That’s Ireland for ya!!! 

I have to mention Joseph N’Do, the Cameroonian start who played for Sligo Rovers and played a big hand in all three of those FAI Cup victories for the club. In fact he was man of the match in the 2010 final and was always the type of player fans would love to see, with his mazy dribbles and fancy flicks. 

But possibly the best player to come out of Sligo is Seamus Coleman, who got his big break when Paul Cook played him as a sub against Derry in 2006, quickly establishing himself as the teams right back. He was slowly making a name for himself and it wasnt long before a top team from across the water took not. That team was Premiership team Everton, who introduced him fairly quickly onto the first team where in 2010/11 season he was a nomination for the PFAI Young Player of the Year. He has also established himself as a regular in the Ireland national team, and an essential player that Ireland needs if they hope to qualify for the World Cup in Russia 2018. 

As they play in red their nickname is the “The Bit o’ Red”. It is strange to me though why they play in red and not in black, as the GAA team play in black and it is the county colours, but there you go!

The Showgrounds

Playing in the Showgrounds, one of the oldest football grounds in Ireland and home to Rovers since the club was formed in 1928. Located in Church Hill just on the outskirts of the town. The ground is a publicly owned ground to be used solely for sport and leisure. 

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysStadium capacity is around 5,500 with 4,000 seats, and it must be said one of the better stadiums in the League.  Sligo Rovers are one of the few clubs that have made a concerted effort to improve their ground and spectator facilities with a lot of that hard work, it has to be said, down to the huge voluntary effort of their supporters. There are three stands, a club shop, plenty of parking space and the most important thing of all, a decent playing surface for good football.  This is one reason why the club has such a strong bound to the town, it really is a supporters club, they virtually built it and maintained it through the bad old days,  and now they have pride in what is easily one of the top grounds in the LOI. Hats off to Sligo and their fans here. 

The record attendance was set in 1983 with 13,908 fans coming out to see Sligo Rovers take on Cobh Ramblers in a semi-cup final replay.

My ticket cost 15 euros. I must say I enjoyed my visit to the Showgrounds, and it really was refreshing to get a great vibe off the fans, you really can feel in how proud they are of their club. And the amount of young people, teens and children, with their Sligo Rovers gear, and all the rest, was great to see……this is how you build a football club, from the ground up. The place had a buzz, ok the football might not be too hot at the moment, but I’m sure the glory days will return soon enough. 

 

To the game

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysSligo Rovers 3 – 2 Bray Wanderers  

18.03.2017  the Showgrounds
3 ‘Gary McCabe (Bray)
26’ Derek Foran (o.g)
27’Chris Kenny (Sligo)
37 ‘Gary McCabe (Bray)
55’ Kieran Sadlier (Sligo)

Attendance: 1’387

Exciting game, end to end, with some nice goals to boot. 

Kieran Sadlier the stand out player, constantly beating his man on the wing all night, and to top it all he managed to clinch the winner with a lovely free kick from 25 yards out on 54 minutes to win Sligo’s first game of the season. 

But a Sligo win didn’t look very likely after just 3 minutes into the game, when ex Sligo rovers player, Gary McCabe slotted home from close range after a weak clearance from the Sligo defence. 

I have to say I was quiet happy having backed him at 7/2 with a fiver on him to score. The simple old player returns tip that surprisingly often comes up! Thanks Gary.

Sligo Rovers Football Away Days

Sadlier, a constant thorn in the Bray, defence hit the post, and not long after whipped in a low dangerous cross where Bray defender Foran managed to put into his own net to put the game one all. 

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysBarely a minute later, Sadlier once again cut back to cross in another dangerous ball which was cleared, but only to fall to Chris Kenny to thunder it home, for Sligo to take the lead. 

But the lead only lasted about ten minutes as that man again McCabe scored a cracking free kick from just outside of the box, top corner, goalkeeper with no chance, excellent goal. Wonder why Shamrock Rovers let him go, perhaps Bray are paying him more, I dont know but he is having a cracking season. 

Excellent first half, four goals and end to end football. Second half had more of the same, and it wasn’t long before Sadlier finally got on the score sheet, no more than his hard work deserved. Another free kick, another goal, this time Sadlier swung it in from right to left, top corner and a great goal for Sligo to take the lead again. 

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysSligo sat back a little after that, or Bray increased the tempo, I am not sure but either way Bray had a handful of scoring chances that they really should have scored from, some simple misses, that had the Bray supporters aghast. I know as I was sitting with them in the second half! But 3-2 to Sligo it stayed and Bray had the long journey back to Wicklow pointless, they deserved a draw but alas that’s football. 

Excellent game, both teams playing some pretty good football, some cracking goals, good decent atmosphere at the game, and with Sadlier I now have a new favourite player to follow in the LOI. Oh yeah I also won some money. Cant do better than that! 

 

Highlights of the game here

Interview

Short chat with Sean from the supporters group, Forza Rovers, Sligo Rovers most fervent supporters who one can see in the small Jinks Avenue StandSligo Rovers Football Away Days

Sean for Forza Rovers

Group’s going now 9 years. Next year will be our tenth year

It was going great for our first you know 5 or 6 years

The last few years it kind of died down a bit

A lot of lads getting old, Emigration you know, things like that

But actually our group was nearly Coming to an end at one stage there last year

And we were kind of saying, you know….the numbers weren’t really justified calling ourselves an ultras group so

So we started kind of recruiting a few young lads again and…..

Things are on the pick up again so………..

 

But you have a very impressive social media, I have to say…the website and on Facebook

Yeah but that was part of the drive of getting young lads, more young lads involved

We kind of kept to ourselves a lot of the time, it was kind of a very close, very close knit group but we kind of opened up things a lot more the last while

 

Sligo has always been a soccer town, I mean what’s the history about that, why….. I mean even in the rough times you do have a general good support in the town

I suppose traditionally it is a garrison town going back…………….and football has been played in Sligo since the 1880s you know so….. Gaelic never really took off here, you know it’s kind of more seen out in the county more so than in the town itself.

So that’s probably why

 

And how far is that reach from the town, does it go into the country. The county of Sligo, or?

Oh yeah, yeah, like myself, I’m not from Sligo town myself you know, So like a lot of lads

We got fans from you know like all over the north west really

I know a lot of fans from Leitrim, mayo, all over sligo

Like there’s North Sligo, it’s like a massive community

Course because Summerhill school used to be a boarding school, years ago, so you got a lot of lads coming in from Roscommon, Mayo, staying there, that’s kind of how it took off

 

And what about yourself then, how long have you been supporting the rovers?

Mid 90s my dad started bringing me, the early mid 90’s

Then, the first time we used to stand on the terrace kind of beside the shed

And then when I kind of got old enough I was allowed into the shed!

Some crazy nights there as a young lad

So its kind of a progression then is it?

Ah yeah, yeah it was like that, it was good, you know it was good

 

So what about the best season all those years you followed them then?

Oh it has to be when we won the league you cant beat that you know

In fairness, like I know the last two years people are saying things have gone downhill a bit but still when we were in the first division, and struggling and you know and 600 people in the ground, you are looking round the place and no atmosphere, the place was dead

I still think its good now you know

We won the cup in 94, that was when I started getting involved following rovers, and my dad started bringing me back then

 

What about your cult heroes then, what are the cult heroes of the club?

Of the club in total? There’s plenty

but at the moment

Raf is the cult hero at the moment, local lad

Is has been here a long time hasn’t he? I cant seem to believe he is still playing!

Ah no he is something else raf is

Probably score tonight

Hopefully anyway yeah

But no we have plenty of cult heroes down through the years

Ndo was unreal there

Myself I always kind of have something for local players, it’s the main thing to kind of support

 

The guy that won you the league, was it right to sack him? It’s like Leicester a little bit!

Barraclough. A lot of people weren’t happy with his tactics, his signings and blah, blah, blah. Personally I think he deserved to see out the end of the season and his contract

It left an awful lot of instability there

When he left we had caretaker managers and this that and the other

I think we are still suffering from that time but hopefully things will improve now

This season, what the hell is happening this season, Jesus!

Yeah, a look it….its a bit soon to call for a managers head and all that but…….

It was 6 games last year before we got a win so it was a struggle

Look, we will see how it goes….

 

The LOI is a small place but are Sligo too big to go down!?

No, there’s nothing like that. Look, we have been down before and we have been up and down…..a ten team league so its really going to be tight this year. It;s not looking good at the moment but hopefully…

Are there any players that perhaps people wouldn’t know coming in from the outside, any young players we should look out for or any up and coming talent?

 

Ah I don’t know, we don’t really have anyone at the moment. Maybe it’s the way the manager is playing the side…..there is no one really that I could see. There are a few lads there but there is no one really that I can see that’s going to…..….

 

Is it difficult to get people into the showgrounds?

No…..last week weekend against st pats the crowd was down, think it was down 1300,  cause it was Friday night football.

But if a game is on Saturday and we dont get our games moved by television or FAI poor fixture listing, no but a Saturday night traditionally great support and it’s always the way

 

So what should  I expect tonight, in terms of atmosphere, going into the ground?

Bray isn’t ….is not a crowd puller, never will be

They are never going to be a crowd puller, you know there’s no rivalry with Bray. they are doing alright this year and they will do well but Its not going to be a massive crowd puller

Hopefully with st Patricks weekend there should be a big crowd down
Atmosphere? We will see how it goes?

Just a few more questions

Rivals? I guess its Derry and Galway

No no Shams, fucking shams, fucking hate them

That was my next question, the other rovers, are they not rovers?

Shams for us!

Whats the copyright for that!

Well if you are in town, everyone likes to say rovers because if you say Sligo they presume you were at the Gaelic game

So rovers are rovers and shams are shams

When they come to town then is it……everybody’s a bit on edge

Yes it can get a bit heated at times alright

Yeah everyone is fired up for playing shams obviously you know

They probably see us as country bumpkins, come down act the bollix, but …fuck them!

 

So in terms of the season we have at the moment what’s your expectations, at this early stage it’s just avoid relegation

Yeah definitely, if you had asked me when last season had ended, players signed up early and it was looking good, I was saying we could push for a top four but now survival at the moment, and we take each game as it comes

 

Time for pints, come on lets go! Thanks man

Ok lets go

Overall

I have to say Sligo is a cracking little town with some great pubs and a nice friendly vibe to the place. Was surprised, as Galway tends to steal all the thunder out west, while Sligo is often overlooked as a “fun” destination. Along the riverside with its nice stone bridge, developed since the 90’s, looks fantastic, and some nice buildings and monuments, yeah Sligo is a happening place, you really are spoilt for choice here with great bars and good eateries, and definitely I will be a returning. 

The Forza boys certainly created some good atmosphere at the game, and I really enjoyed my time at the Showgrounds. Everyone is so chilled and friendly. Its a shame they dont sell beer there but anyhow.

Sligo Rovers Football Away DaysWould like to say one thing that was a slight dent in all the positively. Seen this pig of a man throw a big pile of rubbish on the floor without a care in the world. Now I know in itself this happens at grounds, but what was shocking was there was a bin right beside him and I happened to catch the reaction of three young kids who were left gobsmacked at the sight of this. Normally i would confront someone like this, but I really wasn’t in the mood for some agro as i really had a great day so i did the next best thing i guess, took his pic and a little of his soul……I guess!! repent he should!

I was right not to get into a confrontation, and keep the good ambiance kicking along, as I eventually ended up with the Bray fans who despite their team losing were in decent spirits and kind of enough to give me a lift near my home in their mini bus (for a small price, naturally!) as they were using the same route back to Dublin I had taken on the bus earlier. Saving me the 4 hours or so hanging round waiting for the night bus……..cheers fellas!

Anyway, here is my day out in video form!

 

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Swiss football away days 3

Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3.

Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3Wohlen is a small town of about 15,000 residents, to the west of Zurich, and in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. Mostly a farming area it really only got going as a town after the 1800’s when it developed into a key industrial town with important rail and road links. In particular, for the straw braid industry, where Wohlen became well known all over the fashion world for its straw hats and garments. Sadly that industry is long gone in the town but the affects of that legacy is a small town that is thriving, (or not doing too badly I guess!)

Getting to Wohlen is easy enough as the area has its own train station with good links to nearby towns Aarau and Zurich (via connections).

Overall Wohlen looked like a quiet enough place, a country town, even seen a few tractors on my way to the game, which tells you how close it is to the countryside. 

 Pub watch 

The Kebapistan

Address: Zentralstrasse 12
5610 Wohlen AG

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Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3

Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3First pub of the day, wasn’t a pub at all. But I was hungry, having skipped breakfast and after a nice walk around the town this place looked perfect to sit down outside, have a quick bite to eat and a beer. Was very busy for a Saturday morning, which is always a good sign.  Went simple just got some chips with ketchup, and two beers. Simple but fantastic with the peppers and salt, lovely. Good friendly service and a nice place to sit outside and watch the traffic of Wohlen go by.  Had two small cans of Feldschlösschen Hopfenperle, a decent enough lager.  Perfect start. 

 

Zanzibar Cafe 

Address: Zentralstrasse 36
5610 Wohlen

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Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3Ventured in and ordered a bottle of Birra Moretti, which is always nice to sip. Zanzibar looks like a very trendy lounge bar and club, impeccably clean and modern, the place looks really snazzy and cool. For the time of the day, early afternoon, naturally there were only a handful of customers, who looked like they were Italian Swiss chatting away to the very friendly barman, guess that’s why I guess was in the mood for a Moretti, which went down fine. So good I had another beer, this time a nice cold Eichhof Lager

Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3Zanzibar is the place to be once it gets dark, as it is a club venue that promotes a lot of up and coming DJ’s and invites international dance acts to the club every month. 

They do have a nice terrace for people watching outside, but I decided to stay inside. The bar was nice and I enjoyed myself here, relaxing on a high stool at the bar, pints were fine and the club was well aired and had nice lighting that made the mood very mellow. 

 

Piccadilly Pub

Address: Bünzstrasse 6
5610 Wohlen/AG

http://piccadilly-wohlen.ch/

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Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3

Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3Door was closed and didn’t look very inviting, but then I was early. It opened at 4 and I was there bang on time! Restaurant with terrace was doing a cracking trade next door on a lovely hot day, while I was the only customer in this, truth be told, rather tired looking bar with an old fashioned British style decor. I went for a Feldschlösschen braufrisch on tap, a Wheat Ale beer, which was fine, not as good as their lagers I think.  Bar lady was friendly, but this seems like a bar that could do with a makeover. Drank and left.

   

Rock and Burger Bar

Address: Aargauerstrasse 4, 5610 Wohlen

Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3On the way back to the train station, from the game, I accidentally stumbled onto the path of this bar. Looked good so ventured in. A small crowd in, with some friendly service. Had a Brooklyn Brewery lager, which was fine with the complimentary nuts that I scoffed down.  Place was quiet for a rock bar, but had a chilled out atmosphere, or perhaps that was just me. 

 

El Hale Shisha Bar

Address: Inh. Islek
Bahnhofplatz 1
5610 Wohlen

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Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3Just before I got my train home, popped into a hookah bar right at the station. Not my usual type of place to go for a beer, but it was cool enough. Lovely decor which was very relaxing and in an Arabic style, the service was friendly. Place was quiet, but it was still relatively early. Just ordered a regular beer, a Feldschlösschen lager. Nice place to wind down for the day, lovely ambiance and a nice pint in the dimmed lights. Would have liked to stay for another beer but had to catch my train. 

FC Wohlen

Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3

Arena/Stadium: Stadion Niedermatten, Wohlen

Location: 5610 Wohlen

Capacity: 3,734 (634 seated)

Manager: Francesco Gabriele 

Founded: 1904

Leagues: Swiss Challenge League

Club home page 

info@fcwohlen.ch

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Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3

Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3Founded in May, 1904, FC Wohlen play in the Challenge League, the second highest league in the country. They say the best things come to those that wait, well the highlight of over 100 years of football came late, in June 2002 when the team got promoted to then National League B, today’s Challenge League , the second tier of Swiss football. 

With the club moving in the right direction, they moved into their new stadium, Stadion Niedermatten, in 2004.  The stadium holds about 3,700 people and is owned by the local council and is part of a sports complex which includes an athletics track, an inline skating space, two all-weather football pitches and nine tennis courts. 

Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3Without doubt their most famous son is Ciriaco Sforza, the ex Wholen player and coach who had an illustrious career with stints in Germany with Bayern Munich, FC Kaiserslautern  (when they were half decent) and in Italy with Inter Milan, a long way from tiny Wohlen.  

Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3Nice enough little ground, a not too far from the town centre. Ticket cost me 20 Swiss Francs, and manged to get a scarf as well which was great. But even better was I somehow ended up in the VIP room, where there was complimentary wine and titbits to bite. I know it was a little bit cheeky but why not as I do consider myself at least a little bit important. The two girls behind the bar were very friendly, and were more than kind enough to fill my glass on the many occasions they got empty! 

Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3Nice club with a lot of friendly staff, from the ticket sellers at the gate, the grounds staff directing people to their seats, the ladies in the office who sold me the scarf, to the girls in the VIP room.

Decent enough crowd too, friendly type and was a decent atmosphere in the ground. Also have to say that Le Mont had a small support, which considering how far they would have to travel is understandable, but they did have one young fella with a megaphone who was chanting, mostly on his own, all throughout the game, hats off to him for that.

 

To the game

FC Wohlen 0 – 0 FC Le Mont LS 

01.04.2017  Stadium Niedermatten, Wohlen 

Attendance: 578

For a nil niler it wasn’t the worst game I have ever seen. Some good build up play from both teams, especially from FC Wohlen while Le Mont were more concentrated on attacking from the break down.  I would say though that Wohlen need to practice shooting from distance as on many occasions they were in good positions to take a shot but their players passed instead. Is that a confidence thing, perhaps but it did really irk the crowd on a few times looking at good shooting opportunities go amiss. 

Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3Thought Wohlen midfielder Sandro Foschini was pretty decent and set up a lot of play and opportunities for his teammates, but I noticed he also grew increasingly frustrated as he seemed to be at a different level to the rest of his team, one step ahead and he was constantly creating chances that were spurned again and again. I’d build a team around him, I say! 

For Le Mont, Luís Pimenta was a pretty good target man, held the ball up well when he could and was always lively and causing the Wohlen defenders problems. 

Overall it wasn’t a bad game, just a pity that with all the play the home team couldn’t get a goal. 

Overall

Wohlen, Swiss football away days 3Wohlen was a sleepy enough town, but I did enjoy my day out here. Was well nourished with alcohol and did have a good time at the ground watching Wohlen FC play. All in all a good enjoyable day in little old Wohlen (the good weather helped too, it was a scorcher!)

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FC Basel, Swiss football away days

FC Basel, Swiss football away days

Basel: Some history and culture, a bit of football and a good amount of beer!

FC Basel, Swiss football away days Basel is a Swiss German speaking city in the northwest of Switzerland on the river Rhine. Basel has been a commercial hub and important cultural centre since the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment, and it has emerged over time as an important centre for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries of the world with major companies such as Roche, Novartis, Bayer, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Abbot, etc all situated in the city. 

There are settlement traces on the Rhine from the early La Tène period (5th century BC), but it wasn’t until the Romans established a centre here and built a castle that the city began to develop. The name of Basel is itself derived from the Roman word Basilius, meaning emperor. Basel was incorporated into Germania Superior in AD 83, and over time became a centre for trade, study and printing. 

Basel is Switzerland’s third-most-populous city (after Zürich and Geneva) with about 175,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet.

FC Basel, Swiss football away days Basel has a population of about 175,000, where about 35.5% of the population are resident foreign nationals, a lot who work in the many chemical and pharmaceutical industries dotted around the city. Also factor in that due to the close borders with both France and Germany, you can add another 120,000 commuters moving into the city for their daily work. All in all it is a busy city, but it has to be said most travel in this city and extended region is done via the excellent tram, train and bus network that is also well connected to France and Germany. Basel is also a very bicycle friendly city with many bike lanes and places to park a bike. You really dont notice much cars or trucks when walking around the city, which really is a great feeling.

Of course not far from the city centre (about 35 minutes by bus) is the EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg. The interesting thing about this airport is that there are two borders….one for France (where the airport actually lies on) and the other for Switzerland. In the old days before Schengen there was an immigration check point in the middle of the airport where one could border hop officially with stamps, etc if needed. But be careful, the border police can still do customs checks on its various borders, just in case you are trying to enter Switzerland with a van load of dodgy TV’s or mutton or whatever. 

FC Basel, Swiss football away days Basel calls itself the Cultural Capital of Switzerland which is a bold claim it has to be said. The reason for this claim is many fold. One reason is the massive amount of galleries and museums all over the city, well over 50 or more, the highest concentration in the country.  You have the internationally renowned museums such as Basel Art Museum, the Beyeler Foundation, Natural History Museum of Basel and the Museum of Cultures Basel, Caricature & Cartoon Museum Basel, Jewish Museum of Switzerland, Sports Museum of Switzerland, Museum of Contemporary Art, Kunstmuseum Basel (Art Museum Basel), amongst many more, too many to mention in fact, and a shit load of other museums dedicated to more contemporary “modern” art, as if you didn’t get enough, or otherwise known as horse shite to the man in the street! 

FC Basel, Swiss football away days The best thing about Basel for me is the sight of the river, the Rhine. The river cuts through the the city and its great on a hot summers day to hang out with a few friends having some cans of beers by the banks of the great river. Refreshing. 

FC Basel, Swiss football away days I also strongly recommend coming to the city for its annual carnival of the city (Basler Fasnacht), the biggest carnival in Switzerland and large crowds attend every year, but be aware its a four day event with the first day starting at 4 in the morning! It is on the Monday after Ash Wednesday and brings the city to a standstill celebrating on the streets of Basel in a big street parade that goes on forever, with music and costume and good fun.

Fun facts about Basel: 

In 1938 Albert Hofmann, working for the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, was the first to synthesize the psychedelic drug LSD.

The Roche Tower, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, is 41 floors and 178 metres (584 ft) high, opened in 2015 it has become the tallest building in Switzerland

FC Basel, Swiss football away days Basel has Switzerland’s oldest university, the University of Basel, dating from 1460. Well known alumni and staff include Jacob Burckhardt, Friedrich Nietzsch, Erasmus,and Carl Gustav Jung.

Established in 1874, Zoo Basel, affectionaly called “Zolli” by the locals, is the oldest zoo in Switzerland, and with over 1.7 million visitors per year, it is the second most visited tourist attraction in Switzerland, and well worth a visit. 

While FC Basel is well known to football fans across Europe, it is Roger Federer, a Basel native, who is the sporting darling of the city. 

 

Pub watch

Paddy Reilly’s Irish Pub & Restaurant

Address: Steinentorstrasse 45, Basel 4051

http://www.paddys.ch/

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FC Basel, Swiss football away days Got off the tram near the centre of town and the best place really to start a beer crawl is in Paddy Reilly’s Irish pub. 

This place does be heaving during Friday and Saturday nights, and can be more like a night club than a bar with a very young crowd, i.e a lot younger then me the old fella! But when its not packed to the rafters on a weekend night, it does normally have a very relaxed setting, always a good place to come in and have a good pint and chat with friends. 

Typical decor you would expect from an Irish bar, a bit of traditional mixed in with the modern, all nice and respectable. A good long bar with plenty of space to sit at. 

Friendly staff, chatty and efficient, and it seems all the staff are Irish as they do cater for a lot of British and Irish clientele. 

Typical in an Irish bar, not a minute in the place and I’m already chatting to people, two strangers, but you know it really is true when they say that there are no strangers in an Irish pub, just friends you haven’t met yet, or something like that!

FC Basel, Swiss football away days Good atmosphere in the place, a lot of sport on the various TV’s dotted around the pub, all relaxed and chilled…….just the way I like it

Apparently they do good food here, but feck that……..its the beer I am here for. Have the usual fare to drink, but some highlights on offer as well…..A Grimbergen was a surprise to see……but decided to go for a pint of Bodingtons as I had never tried it before.  Pint was good, liked it and it went down well, if a little pricey, but heh this is Switzerland so….

So overall Paddy Reilly’s did the job and is recommended if you come to Basel. 

 

Mr. Pickwick Pub

Address: Steinenvorstadt 13, Basel 4051

www.pickwick.ch

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Mr Pickwick is your quintessential British pub, with plenty of beer available on tap, wooden decor with carpet, football (or at times Cricket) on the box and a smattering of ex pats all around. Located in the Steinenvorstadt, a pedestrian street where you will find a lot of snazzy bars and restaurants in the centre of Basel, albeit the more upmarket ones, that is the more expensive ones! 

Mr Pickwick is a fine pub though, and it has a pretty decent selection of British and Irish beer both on tap and in bottle. 

In summer one can sit outside and do some people watching. Also they open the large front doors which is great for letting in some cool Rhine air throughout the bar.

The pub grub here is meant to be good (their nachos, and fish n chips are popular dishes) and certainly what came out of the kitchen while I was there looked good, but as this is Switzerland I preferred to keep my money for a more refined liquid lunch.  I went for Fullers Jack Frost, an English bitter that was fine. Staff were efficient, albeit a bit cold, but heh this is an English pub right! Anyway I do like Pickwicks, its a decent place and its always easy to find a seat and have a nice pint while planning what you will get up to in the night, a good starting point……even if its best not to look too closely at your bill, ouch! (Yes, I know, its Switzerland!) 

  

Didi Offensive 

Address: Erasmusplatz. 12, 4057

http://didioffensiv.ch/de/

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Didi Offensive is a football culture bar in Kleinbasel (little Basel) a little bit from the city centre. It is a great place to watch live football, as there are TV’s, big and small all over the place, twelve in fact. But its not only live football, the bar regularly organize events on football culture, have table quizzes, host photography exhibitions, and the decor itself is like a museum dedicated to all things got to do with the beautiful game. 

The name, “Didi offensive”, is a nickname that refers to the defensive-oriented football that former FC Basel coach Claude “Didi” Andrey used, and where the FCB fans began to mockingly sing  “Didi offensively, Shalalalala”

Anyway nice little bar, friendly bar man, loads of football on the tv, nearly overloaded with football didn’t know what game to watch……mostly German and Spanish league football for the time I was there.  Had a local Ueli beer,a wheat beer which perfectly poured but just not my cup of tea actually. In fact they didn’t really have a good variety of beers on offer, just the two pumps if I remember correctly, but I do see they organise regular craft beer nights which is interesting. 

Toilets were a double treat, do the business but also to marvel at all the cool old Pannini stickers stuck up around the gents, and to pee into a goals which gives a cheer when you finish, now that is cool. I also noticed John Aldridge staring at me when I was peeing!

I like this bar, had a good vibe and is definitely a great meeting place for football fans to hang out and watch the big game…………..cool bar. 

 

The Fish Inn 

Address: Clarastrasse 56, 4058 

The Fish Inn is a traditional British style pub on Clarastrasse, a little bit out but really not that far from the city centre via the tram. It has the typical British style decor you’d expect and had a nice cozy atmosphere when I was there. A few people, but not to many were present, and the bar lady was friendly. The bar has a real homely atmosphere that I like, a good place to have a quiet pint and a good chat with a friend. Feels like a traditional “local” pub. I imagine in the winter this is a the perfect place to come to get out of the wind and the rain and have a hot whiskey and pint to warm the soul.  

They do food, which is typical British food, and also offer takeaways, which is kind of cool, albeit looking at their menu it does all look a bit too pricey for me!

The owners have their dogs wandering around and there is a relaxed setting in the pub. 

I was happy to see that they had Fullers London Pride, an English bitter that I really like. Less happy to report that the pint wasn’t great, a bad pint, which was a pity. Perhaps that was the luck of the draw, but anyhow I will check this place out again as its a good to get a pub where one can relax away from the hustle and bustle downtown. 

 

Bar Rouge 

Address: Messeplatz. 10, 4058 

https://www.barrouge.ch/en/

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Went to this place if only because apparently its the highest bar in the whole of Switzerland, that’s what they advertise themselves, which is a load of bollix as I had a beer near the top of the Jungfrau, inside its mountain station, but there you go. 

Entrance via lift to the top of the high rise building, to the 31st floor, Bar Rouge is a cocktail and lounge bar with a very modern and snazzy decor, looks good inside, very stylish, and can get a great panoramic view of the city, which looked pretty cool as day was turning to night. The bar itself looks fantastic, lots of activity going on from the bar staff making all varieties of cocktails, great chilled out ambiance inside everyone seems to be in good spirits. Except the bar manager who was having a bit of a row with one of his bar staff, a little bit unsavory to see, and he looked like a bit of a prick to be honest, all Gordon Ramsey. Looked like there was a mistake with a cocktail order, with the barman having to redo it again and also pay for the extra cost out of his own pocket, or at least that’s what it looked like. I didn’t see the big deal, sure its not like people really know what the fuck they are drinking in a cocktail anyway, and I know if he talked to me like that I’d tell him to do one.  Anyway wasn’t nice to see…..

As for me, I played it safe and went for a regular local beer. The cocktails were a bit pricey for my small wallet. I was served quickly and efficiently and with a friendly smile by Shangi (I looked it up via their website!), who I have to say was very good. Always nice to get good service. 

Pint was fine, and I was nice and comfy sitting at the bar admiring the views both outside and at the excellent selection of drinks behind the bar.

Even in the toilets you can get a view of Basel where they have a glassed window overlooking the city landscape, but you need not worry as no one is likely to see you do your business that high up off the ground! 

I did like it here, very relaxing, nice tempo to the place, music not too loud but in the background so it can be appreciated, and the bar was well lit. I bet they studied how to get the right moods via the perfect lightning, music tempo, etc……..it seems to work anyway. If it wasn’t for the price I’d like to return, alas maybe if i get a big win on the gee gees! Next time I will try a cocktail!

 

L’Unique

Address: Gerbergässlein 20, 4051 

http://www.lunique.ch/

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L’Unique is one of the more hip bars in the town. Cool because its decor is completely made up of rock music memorabilia all around the bar.  This American style bar has quite an extensive collection on display, from signed platinum albums, guitars, rock suits, and rock art, a veritable feast for anyone interested in rock music.  

The bar is located right down an alley way not far off the city centre, and can be difficult to find. If so, all you need to do is ask for the directions to the graffiti with all the rock stars, as right across from the bar is a brilliant street painting of various rock legends. It is a Basel highlight to take a photo of it as it really is that good!

Sat at the bar, ordered a regular beer (a Feldschlösschen lager) which was fine and nice. Half the time you are just staring at all the stuff on the walls……I noted a signed Kiss drum set on the ceiling, some Nirvana albums beside me and also a cool looking gorilla with a guitar!

Had a very good chat with the bar lady, Eleni, who was super cool and friendly to boot, who agreed with me that the Nirvana stuff was probably the best thing in the rock collection. 

Bar has great service, and always has a good friendly atmosphere in the place. Even though it can be busy it is always easy to find a seat and a place to relax. Good vibes always, and as I am a metal head so yes this is one of my favourite bars in the city. Recommended! 

 

Rio Bar 

Address: Barfüsserplatz 12, 4051 Basel

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Rio Bar, is a nice little bar in the city centre, great for meeting people before heading onto somewhere else where all sorts from the young and the old, the well to do and the not so mix and chat on small tables, or at the small bar. The bar is run by a stern looking Swiss lady, but once you get to know her, she is good fun and has a good sense of humour.  

Has a good selection of spirits and aperitif’s on show, and not such a great selection of beer, really just the local stuff. I ordered a large glass of Ziegel Hof, a beer from Liestal just up the road from Basel. Was fine, in fact I had about three of them. Not strong and went down well.  One of my favourite bars in the city, small and comfy and really a great place to wind down and relax after a tough day. 

Baragraph

Address: Kohlenberg 10, Basel 4051

http://www.baragraph.ch/

Baragraph is a small bar on a side street off the main square of Barfüsserplatz.  Cosy bar with not a whole lot going on, but its good for a quick pint in quiet surroundings, more a chill out bar to relax and reflect. Has an interesting decor going on, all 70’s style or at least that’s what it looks to me on the untrained eye, all bright colours and lots of light, and the service is always friendly and chatty.  I like this place, had a KonigPilsner, was fine in a bar that one can definitely while away a few hours. Also must add the beer is not as pricey here than in other establishments in the city.

Excalibar 

Address: Kohlenberg 7, 4051 

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Topped the night off with a late pint in Excalibar, a late, very late, night bar that seems at least to me to have no closing time! Small bar, that can get crowded at times, but it really is the place to be to get that late night drink. Does have a juke box that bangs out the tunes, and the darts (the plastic version, not the real dart board) do keep punters amused over the hours. Had a quick pint, a Calanda lager, was fine.

Is an ok bar, with staff that could be friendlier, and not a great place to actually meet people as everyone tends to be pretty sloshed by the time they get here, but it does the business when one needs that late night drink and for that we should be thankful. 

 

FC Basel

 

Stadium: St. Jakob-Park

Location: St. Jakobs-Strasse 395, 4052 Basel

Capacity: 38,512

Manager: Urs Fischer

Founded: 1893

Leagues: Swiss Super League

Club home page 

Honours:
Swiss Championships: 20 (Last 2017)
Swiss Cup: 13 (Last 2019)

info@fcb.ch

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Nicknames: FCB, Bebbi, RotBlau

FC Basel 1893 (Fussball Club Basel 1893), are a Swiss football club based in Basel. They are one of the most successful clubs in Swiss football, having won the Swiss Super League 19 times, and well on their their way to winning their 20th, the second most for any Swiss club. (still a long way to go to catch the Grasshoppers with 27 titles!). Basel have also won the Swiss Cup 11 times.

On the 12th of November 1893 an advertisement appeared in the Basler newspaper requesting that anyone who wished to join a football team should meet up on the Wednesday at 8:15 in the Schuhmachern-Zunft restaurant. Roland Geldner placed the advert, later elected as the clubs first president. Eleven men attended the meeting and thus, Fussball Club Basel was founded on 15 November 1893. The club colours were decided from the first day on, red and blue, the RotBlau”taken from the local rowing club that a few of the early members were also involved with.  Incidentally, Hans Gamper, an early club captain, went on to found FC Barcelona in Spain, while he was visiting his uncle in the Catalan city, and is the reason why both clubs share the same colours.  

It took a while for the club to get going as they got their first trophy 40 years after their inauguration, winning the Swiss Cup in 1933 beating Grasshoppers 4-3, and in 1953 they finally won their first league title in 1953, beating Young Boys of Bern who came second. 

It was really in the late 1960’s that FC Basel started to come into real prominence. Under the tutelage of Helmut Benthaus, winning the club’s first double in the 1966–67 season. From 1968 to 1970 they won the title two seasons in a row. At the early 70’s Basel again won two in a row back to back titles, 1971–72 and 1972 -73. Former player and Manager Helmut Benthaus stayed on with Basel as a boss for 17 years which is pretty amazing when you take into account modern day football and how sack happy chairman can be. In those years as manager he brought the title to Basel seven times and won two cups as well.  Not bad from the German, who also won the Bundesliga in his home country with VfB Stuttgart in 1982.

In 1988 the unthinkable happened and Basel were relegated into the Nationalliga B, the second league. It took them a few years and several managers to get back to the top in 1994 under Claude Andrey (see “Didi Offensive” above!)

Christian Gross, yes THAT Christian Gross, ex Spurs manager and London Underground aficionado, became coach of Basel in July 1999 after a horrid time in London with Tottenham. Gross’ appointment happened at the same time as Basel started to get some serious financial backing. It was not long until Basel returned to the top. (At the moment, Pharma giant Novartis give the club roughly US$2.2 million a year to sponsor their shirt). Also a brand new spanking stadium, St. Jakob-Park, was built and finished in time for the 2001 season.

All these positive steps resulted in four Swiss championships, four Swiss Cups, and some very good runs in Europe under Gross. The championship win in 2001-2002 was their first for 22 years, also securing the cup, making it a nice double for the season. The good days were back!

One player that stood out at this time was Scott Chipperfield, the Aussie box to box player and all round terrier on the pitch. He is Basel’s all-time record holder of titles with the club, with seven Swiss Championships and six Swiss Cup honours. A player that probably could have had a stint with an English team but was loyal to Basel, and in my opinion a very much underrated player. 

Basel have competed in European competition every season since 1999–2000, and had a bit of a voodoo over British teams, beating the likes of Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool, Celtic, Middlesbrough, Spurs and, em Glentoran, over the years, until this season where they got their arses spanked by Arsenal home and away in the CL.

They have been in the Champions League more times than any other Swiss club and are the only Swiss club to have ever qualified directly for the Champions League group stages. They also got to the last 16 in the CL three times, and got to a Europa League semi-finals in the 2012–13 season losing out 5-2 on aggregate to eventual winners Chelsea.  

With all this European exposure it means that Basel is not only gaining invaluable experience but also doing nicely in revenue. Revenue that can improve the team and what we see is that Basel are clearly head and shoulders above every other team in Switzerland. This is borne out by the fact that FC Basel are currently looking to win their 8 league title in a row this season 2016-2017, flying ahead of the rest of the teams once again. 

FC Basel play their home games at the 38,500 capacity St. Jakob-Park, the largest stadium in Switzerland and nicknamed “Joggeli” by the fans.The stadium has a restaurant and a sports bar, as well as a shopping centre and some apartments and office. It definitely doesnt look like a stadium when passing by, it is a bit drab to be honest. It is easy to get on match day via tram (Line 14) or bus (36, 37) from the city centre, or by train as the stadium also has its own stop. In 2016, the UEFA Europa League final was played at St. Jakob-Park between Liverpool and Seville, with many in the English press complaining of how small the attendance was for such a high profile game. 

What you will see in St. Jakob-Park is plenty of loyal and passionate local fans who have made a name for themselves not just in Switzerland but abroad as well for their great banner displays and pyro parties from the stands. And if you are lucky you might just also see tennis star, and Basel native, Roger Federer, officially FC Basel’s most famous fan!

As for rivals, I would say it has to be the two Zurich clubs, Grasshopper Club Zürich and FC Zürich, with FC Zürich the number one foe, mainly down to an incident in the last day of the 2005–06 season when FC Basel only needed a draw to clinch the title at home against FC Zürich, who had the cheek to spoil the party and score in the last minute to take the title. After the final whistle, players and fans from both teams started fighting on the pitch and in the stands. Since that day, fans from FC Zürich and FC Basel pretty much detest each other with a passion.

To the game

FC BASEL 4 – 0 FC LUGANO

04.02.2017 ST. JAKOB-PARK
2 ‘MOHAMED ELYOUNOUSSI
23’ MOHAMED ELYOUNOUSSI
36 ‘MOHAMED ELYOUNOUSSI
85’ MARC JANKO

Attendance: 23,439

Was pish easy for Basel.

Well taken hat trick from Mohamed Elyounoussi, the Norwegian (obviously!), who had scored all his three goals within 34 minutes! In fact I had just about taken my seat when he had scored the first goal in the second minute with a simple touch into an empty net.  His second was a bit nicer on the eye, beating the defender and scoring from just inside the box.  The third was a nice cross into the box, well met and headed past the goalkeeper. 

It was always going to be an uphill struggle when Lugano got a man red carded, unfairly in my opinion, for a stray elbow that the Basel fairy made a meal off, but they are the breaks.

The veteran Marc Janko came on in the 78th minute and it wasn’t long before he scored, in the 85th minute, to make it 4-0 to Basel and wrap another dead easy win for the team. 

 

Lugano had a few chances but the Basel goalkeeper, the Czech Vaclik, was alert to their rare forays. Truth be told they were muck and its easy to see why they are second from bottom of the league. 

I was impressed by Steffen on the wing, always lively, and of course the hat-trick hero who took all his goals very well.  Overall the game was boring as it really was so one-sided, even from the get go, and I hate looking at games that are a non contest. But Basel can only do whats put infront of them, so fair enough for them. 

Have a look at the match highlights for yourself

 

Interview

Short chat with Dr. Daniele Ganser, a prominent Swiss historian, Journalist, energy and peace researcher and head of the Swiss Institute for Peace and Energy Research (SIPER), based in Basel. He teaches at the University of St. Gallen on the history and future of energy systems and at the University of Basel in the postgraduate study on conflict analysis on the global struggle for oil. His area of expertise is in the areas of global security, secret warfare, conflict analysis, peak oil and resource wars, economics and human rights and peace research. He has written many books covering his special topics, has appeared regularly on Russia Today and on Swiss TV, has given a TEDx lecture on “War and peace in the 21st century – the stories in our minds” in Budapest in 2016, and worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Switzerland. 

Ganser certainly has some interesting points to make on 9/11 (the real reason for the war is the control of energy resources and has questions on that the third tower, WTC 7,  that collapsed that day, and has some doubts that a plane had actually crashed into the Pentagon), on the need for oil (that the 2003 Iraq war a “classic resource war”) and false flag operations (Various activities of Operation Gladio)

Whatever you think of Ganser, just dont called him a conspiracy theorist. He doesn’t particularly like that! He had a fierce clash with Wikipedia over this issue when they more or less called him a conspiracy theorist while Ganser sees the word as a catch all term for the weird and the mad. This resulted in a mini edit war with supporters of Ganser dueling with the Wikipedia mafia on who decides whats what on Gansers page. 

Instead, Ganser calls himself a peace researcher and historian who investigates covert warfare using scientific methods and basic historical questioning techniques. 

 

Important Works

Illegal wars: How the NATO countries sabotage the UN. A chronicle from Cuba to Syria. Orell Füssli, Zurich 2016, ISBN 978-3-280-05631-8.

 

The book recalls that the United Nations Charter forbids Wars, and shows current examples of how this ban is disregarded by the NATO countries.

NATO Geheimarmenn in Europa.  Orell Füssli, Zurich, 2008 ISBN 978-3-280-06106-0 .

“NATO Intelligence in Europe” in English. Ganser shows how manipulated terror and covert warfare were used in the cold war to discredit political opponents and create a climate of fear.

NATO’s secret armies. Operation Gladio and terrorism in Western Europe. Routledge, 2005 ISBN 0-7146-5607-0 

FC Basel, Swiss football away days

 

The book addresses secret armies run by NATO and the CIA across mainland Europe, especially concentrating on Operation Gladio in Italy. 

Website: www.Danieleganser.ch
Twitter @DanieleGanser                                                                                                                             Facebook

So overall, Basel isn’t a bad city for a short visit, can get expensive but even with that you can always grab a few cans and sit by the Rhine in the evening to chill out. Seeing FC Basel play is good fun, in a decent stadium, where the fans do create a good atmosphere at times. Basel well worth a groundhop and beer crawl, just save for it beforehand!FC Basel, Swiss football away days

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FC Aarau, Swiss football away days 2.

Aarau is a small town of about 20,000 people, and is the capital of the northern Swiss canton of Aargau. The town is also the capital of the district of Aarau. It is German-speaking, or Schweizer Deutsch as I should really say, and predominantly Protestant. Aarau is situated on the River Aare (where it got its name!) and at the southern foot of the Jura mountains and to the west of Zürich.

Life here goes way back, to prehistory in fact, as the ruins of a settlement from the Bronze Age (about 1000 BC) were found in the town. The Romans also passed through, but the first mention of the town was in 1248 as “Arowe” in the Middle Ages. The town developed over time and on the 2nd of March 1798 the town was actually declared the capital of the Helvetic Republic, a precursor to a unified Switzerland, and home to Switzerland’s first Houses of Parliament. But it didn’t last too long as a few months later the capital was moved to Lucerne.

We move onto Napoleon who in 1803, ordered that the cantons of Aargau, Baden and Fricktal amalgamate, with Aarau as the new capital of the enlarged canton of Aargau, and this is pretty much what we have today.

Aarau is mostly well known for is its painted gables and beautiful eaves, a special feature of the old town of Aarau, from which the town is often regarded as the “town of beautiful Gables”, as good as you can find anywhere else in Switzerland. The old town, Laurenzenvorstadt, government building, cantonal library, state archive and art museum are all listed as heritage sites of national significance, all dating back to the 16th century when the town underwent considerable extension. On the other hand The “Schlössli” (small Castle), the Rore Tower and the upper gate tower have remained nearly unchanged since the 13th century, with the castle the oldest building left standing in the city, circa 1200.

One notable resident of the town was a Albert Einstein who attended a local high school for a while.

Other interesting things about Aarau is that there is a shoe museum in the city, in 2005 the city held the Swiss National Yodelling Festival and as Aarau has an unemployment rate of about 2.35% (with most working for the government, typical!) statistically it has the most jobs per capita of any Swiss city,  (thanks to Wiki for that last one!)

But perhaps the most interesting thing I found about the city is that it has a horse racing track. I didn’t even know the Swiss were into that kind of thing! Apparently its meant to be one of the nicest tracks in the whole of Europe and has been on the go since 1921, but is it any good for racing on? Who knows, but I know as we are in Switzerland you definitely dont want to be backing fucking losers all day that is for sure……..

Getting to the town is relatively easy as it is well connected by train to Basel (about 40 minutes) and to Zurich it takes about 30 minutes by train. A little later by car for both destinations, but still within the hour.

Overall Aarau is a nice enough place, lovely street and those cool gables that they are oh so proud of, overall it is a bit quiet and not a whole lot going on, but I liked the Church tower that was a nice marker in the town centre. Not a bad place to visit for a day out, but not enough bars to keep me happy here. 

Pub watch

Penny Farthing Pub

Address: Bahnhofstrasse 57, 5000 Aarau

http://www.pennyfarthing.ch/

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The Penny Farthing Pub is a traditional British Pub situated not too far from the main train station, easily found as you make your way from the station into the city. 

First pub of the day, a short walk from the train station where I got my train from Basel to Aarau which only took me about 30 minutes or so. 

Thought it was closed as the doors looked slammed shut, but joy they were open. Early about 12. or so, but still a few other souls in the bar. The bar has a good selection of beers from the UK and Ireland, and some interesting Scottish whiskies as well. Ordered a Brooklyn Brewery lager, a first timer for me, which was on tap, and poured by a friendly bar lady. Pint looked good but wasn’t impressed with it, nothing to the quality of the pint poured but found it hard to drink. Not a Brooklyn fan I guess. 

The decor has some references to the Penny Farthing bicycle of the 1870’s with photos and an actual bike itself on one of the walls, which was pretty cool to see. Of course the pub was also decked out with a dart board and plenty of TV screens for sports for the more modern customer!

I liked this bar, good friendly service, nice decor, nice long bar, and good atmosphere for that time of the day. Overall a good pub to start the day.  

 

Mr. Pickwick Pub

Address: Graben 6, 5000 Aarau

www.pickwick.ch

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There are a few of these Mr Pickwick Pubs dotted around Switzerland. They are quintessential British style pubs.

Have some decent fare on tap here, but I ordered some Valaisanne Zwickelbier (bière de cave), a lager from Sion. I had never tried it before but on the recommendation of the barman I went for it. I tell you he wasn’t wrong, it was delicious, so good in fact that I had ordered another one straight after the first, this breaking my one pint one pub rule. Heck there were fuck all pubs in the town anyway!!

Pub had the usual decor to be expected from a British style bar, service was decent enough and in a very relaxed style, bar staff were a bit chatty.

Didn’t detect any “British” style atmosphere here, but it was a comfy place to have a few beers and they went down fairly well too, so no complaints! And they charged my phone!

Place was busy enough for the middle of the day. 

As I couldn’t find a whole lot of bars in the town I did return here again later in the day. Second time round a different bar man, friendly, said he never met an Irish man in the bar before…..but i doubt that’s true.  Just had the usual Feldschlossen beer lager, which was fine, nice and refreshing and cold. 

Liked this bar, quiet and a good place to while away a few hours. Comfy and good pints

 

Bierstübli

Address: Pelzgasse 25, 5000 Aarau

www.1212.ch/ag.290.bierstube.aarau.bar.html

An interesting one this, easy to pass as it is has very small frontage. Bierstübli, the smallest bar in Aarau, is in the heart of the town, a tiny bar with some very rustic settings inside. Altogether I counted about 8 seats and four bar stools in this box of a bar! 

You have to be careful of the time as this place doesn’t open until 2.00 most days, so for me when I arrived at 1 I had to walk around the block a few times to kill time!

The bar is very old fashioned, there are numerous old beer jugs on display, models of Swiss warriors from the Second World War on the ceiling and all bills are paid from a cashier from the 60’s, all the while an old wooden clock slowly ticks in the corner of the bar.

As its a small bar I guess it can be easy to meet new friends, but alas at just after opening time, midday, I was the only customer! Also the bar man smoking from a pipe, was wondering why this strange looking foreigner with a bad haircut and a smirk was in his bar. This was most definitely a local bar for local people. 

Anyway these days you will find less and less of these kind of places in Switzerland as modern bars aiming to make the big bucks entice all the crowds and custom. 

The bar is well stocked in beers though, selling 15 different types of beer. I went for a Cardinal Rousse, a 5.2% ale from Sion, which was fine and a Boxer Old, a pale lager from Yverdon-les-Bains (west Switzerland) another 5.2% beer, again a fine beer. On an empty stomach these beers definitely did the business. Good that you can get beers that otherwise you might not try.

As it was myself and the bar man in a very quiet and small environment, I decided to lighten the mood by picking a few tunes on the Jukebox, all 1950’s to early 1960’s stuff…….I struggled to find something good but I did…..Chuck Berry for example, early Beatles stuff, Elvis (cant beat a bit of Elvis!)

Truth be told I liked this place, if only to try out some new beers and it was nice to reflect on life in a quiet bar while humming along to the King on the jukebox, guess I most really be getting old!

OscarOne 

Address: Schlossplatz 1, 5000 Aarau

www.oscarone.ch/en/home

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Not finding many bars in the town for my beer crawl I got desperate and ventured into OscarOne, a hip looking Lounge, CockTail and Wine Bar. I say desperate as these are really not establishments I feel comfortable in! I’m not hip or cool enough for these kind of places, I’m an ordinary fella who has simple pleasures……football and beer, not really into strobe lighting, fancy cocktails and showing off my new designer gear, if I had any!

Took a long time to get served, a long time. Which was funny as there really wasn’t anyone else at the bar. Sure the place was busy but I was the only one sitting up at the bar. The two staff were doing the age old art of looking busy without actually doing anything, you know…. moving around here and there, the long walk, a wipe here and wipe there, pick up a few glasses, etc. Having said that though the service was friendly all the same. 

Anyway, got served eventually, got a Franziskaner Weissbier, which was pretty difficult to stomach, but that’s just me, as I’m not a great fan of Weissbiers.

The route to the toilet is a real hazard, a very steep spiral staircase to the basement, in a darkly lit bar it was a bit too steep and I’m sure if this was Ireland it would definitely be popular for those that like to partake in frivolous insurance claims! 

Had a nice interior, quite high class, all nicely decorated and stylish, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, a good crowd in for a mid day Saturday, albeit a bit quiet, but you know it didn’t do anything for me, so overall OscarOne didn’t impress me too much. 

 

FC Aarau

Arena/Stadium: Brügglifeld stadium 

Location: Brügglifeldweg in Aarau

Capacity: 9,249

Manager: Marco Schällibaum

Founded: 1902

Leagues: Swiss Challenge League

Club home page 

Honours:
Swiss Cup: 1 (1985)

geschaeftsstelle@fcaarau.ch

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Nicknames: “The Unabstandable” (“that can not be relegated”)

FC Aarau is a Swiss football club, based in the small town of Aarau. They play in the Swiss second tier in the Challenge League, relegated last season from the top division.  

FC Aarau were formed on the 26th May 1902 by workers from a local brewery, and within ten years they won the Swiss Championship in 1911/12, repeating it again in 1913/14. It wasn’t until the 1992/93 season that they won the Swiss National League again, a break of 79 years. 

In 1985 Aarau won the Swiss Cup for the first time, coached by Ottmar Hitzfeld, yes that Ottmar Hitzfield, two time CL winner with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. There for 4 seasons it was here that he first tasted success as a manager.

FC Aarau have got the nickname ‘Die Unabsteigbaren’ which in English means ‘those that cannot be relegated.’, as they were seen as a lucky team that could not be demoted, in the top league since 1981, with one exception (relegated in 2010), and generally escaping relegation by the skin of their teeth on a few occasions. They were relegated though last season 2016/2017. I guess they need to get a new nickname so…. 

But the biggest challenge the club faced was in 2002 when the club was in serious financial debt, but thanks to the help of the fans who put their hands in their pockets buying 4,500 shares that were made available by the club helped stave off liquidation. The sale made 1,510,000 Swiss Francs (roughly 1.4 Million Euro) for the club and a holding company, FC Aarau Ltd, was set up to run the club.

They have played in European competition on 5 different occasions, but never getting past the first round of the various competitions they entered. They did however give the mighty AC Milan a good run for their money in the Champions League, only going out 1-0 on aggregate to the same team that eventually went on to win the competition by hammering Barcelona 4-0 in the final. Not bad! 

FC Aarau play in the Brügglifeld stadium, which has a capacity of 9’249, and have been doing this for more than 90 years (opened in 1924). The stadium is an old style ground and somewhat unique in this era of modern shiny soulless stadia, the stands are close to the pitch, with most of the ground uncovered terracing, and a ground in which the fans can easily make their feelings known to the players, small and compact. 

The club play in all white, and take the Aarau city coat of arms of a Black Eagle as their club logo 

To the game

FC Aarau 4 – 2 FC Le Mont LS 

18.02.2017  Stadium Brügglifeld
5 ‘Geoffrey Treand
34’ Sandro Burki
38’Damir Mehidic
53 ‘Helios Sessolo (Le M)
65’ Zoran Josipovic
87’Patrick Bengondo (Le M)

Attendance: 2’749

Good game with a cracking atmosphere. I must say I enjoyed my time seeing FC Aarau. 

Another Swiss game, another early goal for me. This time after just 5 minutes. Geoffrey Tréand with a long range shot from outside the box placing it nicely past the goalkeeper. Nice strike, good start.  Two more goals followed and by half time FC Aarau were well in control. 

Le Mont got one back in the 53rd minute but Aarau replied in the 65th minute to put the game to bed. 

Good game, FC Aarau had little problem putting Le Mont to the sword, good atmosphere in the old ground and despite the weather and wet conditions it was a good day out.

Overall the day was good, good pubs, decent beers, a nice place to stroll around and a good old style ground with a cracking atmosphere. Yes, might be back for another game in the future. 

 

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Sleaford Mods and a Drugs Tour of Amsterdam

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam

Sleaford Mods

https://www.sleafordmods.com/

Sleaford Mods are an English electronic post-punk band hailing from Nottingham, composed of vocalist Jason Williamson and musician Andrew Fearn.  The duo have been on the crest of a wave recently as their music is seen as the perfect antidote to David Cameron’s ruination of Britain. The “Sleaford” comes from the town Sleaford that is near Grantham, Lincolnshire (where Williamson is from) and the “Mods” is an obvious reference to the subculture that inspired the group. Paul Weller, the Jam and all that!

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015Both in their angry 40’s Williamson is the lyricist, Fearn the man with the beats, and years of working in dead end jobs, doing drugs, and getting by, have shaped them into what we have today, a band with something to say about the state of modern day Britain.

Their songs/rants are mostly a commentary on the mundane life of working class life in small town Britain: drinking cheap lager, shit jobs and weekends of nothingness. Also included are many criticisms of other rock groups and pop culture in general. There is a lot of swearing and shouting, ie industrial working class language, all done in their typical East Midlands accent.

Comparisons have been made to Mark E. Smith, John Cooper Clarke and Ian Dury, amongst others, all of which annoys the band no end.

With success comes recognition, and this year has seen them collaborate with the Prodigy, on “Ibiza”, a pish take on modern day superstar DJs, and with Leftfield “Head and Shoulders”, about modern consumerism, and which has a video that is definitely worth checking out.

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015Along with that, in July they also released their newest album ‘Key Markets’. Their eight album since 2007, and following on from the successes of 2014’s album “Divide and Exit” and 2013’s “Austerity Dogs”, albums which got them a lot of press interest and, with appearances in Glastonbury and in Banky’s DISMALAND attraction, the band have really started to get a lot of attention to date. Key Markets also hit the charts, getting into the top twenty,

I like the Sleaford Mods. In an age where music is generally bland, and with no one having anything of note to say, it’s refreshing to hear a band that cuts through the shite and lays modern life as it really is. Its middle age angst, enough of the shite we have something to say too! And you can tell that Williamson means it. He makes the music we all would love to make, or at least I would.

I also love the fact that Fearn just stands on stage, happy and content, mostly chugging a beer, and presses play on the computer. Brilliant. While Williamson is the prefect front man, the opposite to Fearn, frantic, dripping with sweat looking possessed, slightly mad, slightly manic with the odd tic thrown in here and there. Compelling.

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015But its not just shouting and acting the maggot. Williamson’s lyrics do contain some real gems.

“Boris on a bike? Quick, knock the cunt over.”

“I fuckin’ hate Northern Soul / it’s like Motown’s on the dole.”

“Can of Strongbow, I’m a mess. Desperately clutching onto a leaflet on depression. Supplied to me by the NHS.Is anyone’s guess how I got here. Anyone’s guess how I go.I suck on a roll-up – pull your jeans up Fuck off, I’m going home.”

“Cameron’s hairdresser got an MBE, I said to my wife ‘You’d better shoot me”

Or the lines from arguably their best song, “Jobseeker”:

“So, Mr Williams, what have you done in order to find gainful employment since your last signing on date? ‘Fuck all. I sat around the house wanking.’”

This is Rage Against The Machine via Nottingham, and I love it.

As for the concert in Amsterdam, it was pretty good, lively enough, a good set of all the top songs, and a bit of angry banter from Williamson. Small venue which was packed to the rafters,  looked like a lot of English came over the gig. Had one nutter infront of me headbanging like a wally, (keep that for Iron Maiden man!), but overall a good vibe from the crowd……I guess everyone was chilled…….so all in all was good to see the duo live, and set us up perfectly for a night on the town in the dam.

Melkweg in Amsterdam

Lijbaansgracht 234 A

1017 PH   Amsterdam

The Netherlands

http://www.melkweg.nl/

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015The concert was held in the Melkweg (“Milky Way”), a popular night club in the heart of Amsterdam, near the Leidseplein, the nightclub area of the Dam. A huge building that was once an abandoned dairy factory. The venue, founded in 1970, hosts all kinds of music, theatre, and cultural events throughout the year, from the big international acts to emerging talents, they all play here making the venue a popular place for both lovers of mainstream and underground styles. Melkweg is run as a not for profit organisation of artists, and on top of the price for the gig we also had to pay a monthly membership fee which was a tad bit annoying but to be fair the price of the Sleaford Mods tickets were cheap (Something that Williamson of the band moaned about himself during the gig!) so I guess it didn’t really matter in the end.

Rookies Coffeeshop Amsterdam

Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 145-147

1017 PZ   Amsterdam

The Netherlands

http://www.rookies.nl/

So we were in Amsterdam, mulling around after the concert, wandering around when we passed by “the Rookies”, what looked like one of those coffeeshops we have heard about so much. Well when in Rome and all that, why not.

Not sure what exactly to get on the Marijuana menu:, we played it safe and went with the hashcakes. The staff were friendly and gave us some good advice and tips, the cake also came with beginner notes. Not to drink too much alcohol later as it might have a negative effect, etc, well of course that went in one ear and out the other

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015Founded in 1992, by at that time Amsterdam’s youngest Coffeeshop owners hence the reason its called “The Rookies” situated close to the Leidseplein area, and not too far off the main drag, past all the nice restaurants (we had some decent food in a Uruguayan joint)

Apparently it used to be a bar but owing to a law prohibiting coffeeshops from selling beer, The coffeeshop didn’t sell beer which for us was a bit of a downer, but nevertheless interestingly enough the vibe felt like we were in a pub. The interior looked like a bar, albeit it had a huge sealed off smoking lounge to the right which can seat over 80 people, and looked pretty packed on the Friday night we were there …… but we decided to stay at the high bar near the entrance, chilling with some coffees, nicely squeezed orange juice, and the cakes, where there was less people and plenty of space

The place was very relaxing, the music was pretty good not too loud and easy to chat over, friendly staff, and the vibe of the place, was great, very relaxing place to spend a few hours and have the chat. Have to say the coffee was great, and I am a tea drinker so…

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015I really liked the place, don’t know if it was the coffee, the cake or what but the ambiance was well chilled…. and also it didn’t have a touristy feel, felt more homely, well laid back, Amsterdam style.

So as for the cakes, they were nice enough. Apparently you are not meant to drink beer and do the cakes, so feck that, but yeah after a long while the affects did kick in. Giggling like a girl at the start, a bit of paranoia to end, but overall nothing a whole lot special. To be honest I am not into this kind of thing, but it was interesting to try all the same……

The Hangover Information Center

http://hangover-information.com/

Could not but notice this place, it was so well lit up and looked like it was selling some kind of hard core liquor. Alas, no, but it did offer to cure our expected hangovers? Intrigued we just had to hear more about this magical cure…..surely not….a cure for hangovers!!

Situated in the heart of the red light district the Hangover Information Center (HIC) offers to Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015help cure your morning afters. When you drink alcohol you dehydrate, you lose water and important nutrients (amino acids and vitamins), you will get that sore head unless you can rebalance the loss. Now the experts always say you should drink some water during the night or before you go to bed, but people rarely do that in all honesty. So the HIC have come up with the miracle cure called RESET

The formula contains specific vitamins and amino-acids that are meant to rebalance the body after a night on the town. It won’t get you sober, but it is meant to cure your next day hangover.

Tried it the night before we were to leave Amsterdam, didn’t taste as bad I would have expected. Found it a little hard to mix the power with the fluid, as the powder was rock hard, but managed most of it in the end.  I woke up early the next day fine, and had no hangover or feeling of grogginess. But I honestly wouldn’t put that down to the RESET. I think the beer in the Dam is clean and very crisp, and I think that it was more to do with the quality of the beer I was drinking than anything I consumed before bed. I guess!

 

The Pint

Oudezijds Achterburgwal 116

1012 DT Amsterdam

Centrum, De Wallen

The Netherlands

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cafe-Bar-The-Pint/159680080722533

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015All that walking around De Wallen and admiring the views (or gawking at the ladies!) was thirsty work. Noticed this bar dead centre in the area of the red light district. Had a distinctive big red Rolling Stones tongue on the outside, and sure enough inside there was a rocky feel to the bar. Good music, cozy atmosphere, a nice and relaxing bar.  I liked it as it was like a cocoon to all the crowds and the madness that was happening outside. Was good to escape the craziness of De Wallen for an hour.

Cafe Brecht

Weteringschans 157

1017 SE Amsterdam

SE Amsterdam

The Netherlands

http://www.cafebrecht.nl

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015We had our accommodation just around the corner from Weteringschans, an intersection of trams and streets, near the Rijksmuseum.

Café Brecht caught our eye, it was teaming with people, and looked like a decent place. As it is a café we weren’t sure if they did beers but luckily for us they did. The bar has an amazing décor, decked out like an old fashioned living room with vintage furniture, cool wallpaper on the walls, and a lot of retro lampshades, all very comfy. The small living room style, a nostalgic Berlin café feel, was very cool, and the atmosphere was friendly and relaxed.

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015They have a pretty impressive array of beers, mostly German, and all with weird sounding names.  Was lucky to get a seat as the place was pretty packed. Sat down on a lovely comfortable armchair, taking in the nice vibe, sipping a tasty stout, and was able to enjoy the chat. Called after the German poet Bertholt Brecht, the place did have a very arty feel, but it was not at all pretentious or too full on. It was more quirky and laid back than anything. Liked it a lot and if I ever return to the Dam will definitely will return. A good place for a nice beer.

 

Cut Throat Barber and Coffee

Beursplein 5

1012 Amsterdam

Amsterdam

The Netherlands

http://www.cutthroatbarber.nl/

 

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015Hidden away in what was once Amsterdam’s stock exchange and very easy to miss, Cut throat is a unqiue experience that’s for sure. Don’t you just hate waiting to get your hair cut, I know I do anyway. Well why not spend that time waiting, by drinking beer, or coffee, or having a decent meal. Have to say, this is a cracking idea, and fuck me why didn’t I think of this! A barber shop that also is a coffee/bar. Brilliant idea.

Mate got the haircut, and a have to say a cracking good cut too.  Was regretting not getting one myself, lord knows I need one as I haven’t had a cut since early summer and presently look like something that crawled out of a cave, but Im not so sure they could deal with my scraggily hair. I am not a hipster and like it messy. So I concentrated on the bar and the beers, I didn’t mind the wait!! Even though it was a Saturday afternoon my mate didn’t have to wait so long. He just put his name down on the board, was called after about ten minutes, which was great. They were busy but they had about 3 or 4 barbers working flat out.

The barber shop area can be seen from the bar so you can get a good view of their craftsmanship, and the interior of the place is bricked which adds a bit of character to the place.  The bar had quite a few craft beers on offer, and with the recommendation of the friendly bar maid I went for Raging Bitch an interesting Belgian-Style IPA.

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015Didn’t get anything to eat, but heard that apparently the tacos are good. Damn missed that, as the Chinese I had in town later was rank. Opportunity missed. The bar itself wasn’t too bad, a nice friendly chilled atmosphere, the service excellent, was kind of interesting to see the hipsters with their perfectly pruned beards and all, the delicate flowers.  Nice enough bar, but I like the sawdust on the floor, blood on the wall kind of joints, and this is a little too bit too pretentious for me, sorry!

 Prostitution

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015Prostitution is legal in the Netherlands, with the exception of street prostitution, and De Wallen is the largest, the oldest, and best known of the three red light districts in the city of Amsterdam, consisting of a network of narrow alleys where about 300 small one room cabins are rented by prostitutes who offer their unique sexual services from behind a window or glass door, usually illuminated with red lighting.

The area is not too far from Amsterdam’s China town and just a few blocks away from Oude Kerk, the city’s oldest church, and is located in the centre of Amsterdam’s old town, criss- crossed by several canals, cobbled streets and utterly charming 14th century architecture.

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015The area is an interesting tourist attraction, not just for the lonely man looking for some relief, but is also usually bustling and packed every evening with thousands of tourists and/or punters, gawking at all the scantily clad ladies waving at the passing trade. Apart from the red lights there is also a variety of sex shops, peep shows, two sex museums, and a few coffee shops, bars and clubs. Apparently some men also offer their services but I didn’t notice that! One must note that it is strictly forbidden to take a photograph, and doing so might get you a free bath in the canals of the city, so be careful!

Prostitution is “the world’s oldest profession”, and the history of it in Amsterdam dates as far back as the 14th century and the fact that Amsterdam was always a harbour city where trade brought people into the city, and with it an explosion of bars, gambling houses, brothels, and parlors where women could offer their services for the right price. All illegal but tolerated if kept hidden. In the Napoleonic period, in the early 19th century, prostitution became legal, and French soldiers were the main customers. Regular health checkups were compulsory.

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015In the early 20th century religious organizations ran campaigns hoping to end prostitution resulting in a series of laws banning brothels, trafficking, and pimping thus driving the girls underground, and out of sight. But of course this didn’t stop prostitution and by the 20’s and 30’s the local authorities eventually allowed prostitutes to ply their trade as long as they didn’t solicit in doorways, but did allow them to sit behind their windows peeking from the curtains beckoning customers, and so this is how the “window trade” began, first with elegant nice dresses to later and now with no dresses and little else!

By the 1960s, Amsterdam authorities tolerated red-light district prostitution, and the trade became legal in the year 2000. The prostitutes have to pay tax, but their profession is now has better access to medical care and must abide to health and safety government standards. With the Prostitution Information Center, a prostitute led organisation, in the district itself, also offering advice and valuable information and with the Red Light District heavily policed and controlled, you could argue that their profession is now much better regulated than ever before.

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015The system is not perfect, there are still issues regarding pimps, trafficking and general criminality, and for this reason there has been a crackdown on the number of windows, that in 2007 the De Wallen lost a third of its windows, closed by the city council. Of course the argument is that by closing legal brothels this will push women out onto the streets, unsafe and unregulated. At least at present it is strictly regulated by the police who carry out regular checks to ensure they comply with the rules, and also on hand are social workers, health workers, tax authorities and civil rights groups.

One thing is that the place in and around the De Wallen at night time was absolutely heaving with people. I am nearly sure I passed the area during the day time, but once it gets dark that’s when the red neon lights go on and the fun starts! It was a little bit seedy, and low rent but what you see is the reality of life. There will always be prostitution and at least Amsterdam doesn’t try to hide this fact, and for that it has to be commended.

Cannabis

Now most people think that cannabis is legal in the Netherlands, but in fact it’s not! So how do they have coffeeshops then? Well the Dutch are a practical people, they turn a blind eye to it. “Gedogen” basically means denying all knowledge, or looking the other way. If you look at their history, through the 17th century when Catholics were banned to practice their religion, yet did in houses and attics by paying taxes to the relevant authorities, or the sex trade down through the ages, yeah the Ditch have a habit of pleading innocence or more precisely not giving a fuck. They are a chilled out bunch the Dutch.

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015So coffeeshops can sell cannabis products in small quantities as long as the shop adheres to a number of strict regulations, such as no advertising of drugs, no hard drugs, alcohol, or tobacco smoking on the premises, no sales to anyone under the age of 18, no sales of quantities bigger than 5 grams, amongst other health and safety considerations. If these rules are followed then the shop will not be punished for selling cannabis, which as I said is illegal.

Most of the coffee shops are located in the city centre and they are roughly just over 200 in Amsterdam. As they are not allowed to advertise their ware, you can easily spot them, apart from the unique smell, they are usually decked out in the Ethiopian flag, Rastafarian and reggae symbols or the palm leaves of the plant itself.

Since the early 70’s, Coffeeshops in Amsterdam have been going strong with Mellow Yellow counted as the first one in the city when a group of friends opened a coffeeshop to share their hobby of smoking hashish and marijuana. Surprisingly to the group of friends, the police didn’t bother them too much, as heroin and other hard drugs were creating all sorts of problems in the city, with Amsterdam at one stage having over 500 heroin users! so the authorities quickly noticed that wasting time and resources fighting soft drugs was not going to solve the cities hard drugs problem. With coffeeshops people don’t encounter dealers selling hard drugs, and hence were not open to this side of the industry. The proof is in the pudding as they say, with the introduction of coffeeshops demand for hard drugs has decreased dramatically over the years, in fact the Dutch have one of the lowest rates of hard drugs users in Europe, and also they don’t have prisons overcrowded with drug abusers.  Additionally, It has to be said that the coffeeshops are now licensed by the local council and are subject to stringent regulations, and also pay taxes so it benefits the government’s coffers which is one way to make the authorities happy.

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015One particular reason that the Dutch don’t go the whole hog and just officially legalise the drug is that would more than likely bring it into conflict with its EU partners, so they have decided to tolerate it without excessively restricting the trade.

However there is a rather strange and interesting anomaly with this sytem. Coffeeshops are allowed to buy and sell cannabis; however suppliers and dealers are not allowed to grow and sell to the shops. This grey area works as the coffeeshop owner pleads ignorance to where he gets his supply, ie from the often locked back door, while the police only care what’s going on from the front door! Gotta love the Dutch!

Sleaford Mods n Drugs Tour of Amsterdam 2015In 2012 A Dutch judge ruled that only residents of the Netherlands may buy and smoke soft drugs at coffeeshops tourists, but thankfully it appears that the city of Amsterdam has collectively decided to once again turn a blind eye to this ruling, fearing a loss of tourist Euros to the city since the coffeeshops, whether you partake in the blow or not, are tourist attractions in their own right

“Drugs Tour Amsterdam”

So we were lucky enough to have a 2 hour private tour with Marco from “Drugs Tour Amsterdam”, a tour group who are trying to give the low down on Amsterdam’s drug culture, both the myths and the reality. In fact I think they are the first, if only, tour group that offers this insight into the hot spots of the city including the Red Light District, and where topics include the history of Coffeeshops, what are the purpose of Heroin Users Rooms, how the police and other instutions help in the quality control and testing of illegal drugs, the religion of the Ayahuasca Church, a look at Absinthe and Van Gogh, and basic information of all the rest! Participants will also learn about the positive social implications and effective results in decreasing cannabis and hard drugs consumption of the Dutch drugs policy. The tour is informative, educational and fun. Marco, our guide,  showed us around the centre of Amsterdam pointing out key landmarks and cultural reference points with regards drugs/alcohol/and the sex trade.

http://www.drugstour.com/

BOOK YOUR FREE TOUR TODAY, EMAIL: booking@drugstour.com

The History of the Red Light Zone

Amsterdam was born as a city as an international port, actually there was,  with London actually with the British Empire, was one of the big empire that was going back and forth. Was born as a crossing ways and actually of course there are Sailors, with money started with prostitution.

You remember the church where we found where we met, this is called the Oude Kerk that means Old church and it has been built there in order to stop prostitution

It didn’t work!

(So prostitution was there first!)

Yes, yes the prostitute was here first and they try to make this church in order to bring some decent life and they failed totally

(So they had lots of randy priests running around the place?)

Now is came the best, on the 13th century they decided to make it legal and the prostitutes or the tenants had to go to the priest in order to have the extension from the sin for a certain period for example. You will be free of sin for one week, so for the week they could do everything because they were very catholic and of course they had to pay, yes we are talking about the Catholic Church.

(You kind of have to respect them for that, don’t you really!)

Actually I’m Italian so I have Catholicism in my vein and I hate it! Italy is a wonderful place with a big cancer inside that is called the city of Vatican. I love the pope but the church by itself is not good

(We understand. We are from Ireland so you don’t have to tell us, you don’t have to tell us!)

That’s true, actually I think that we are spoiled as well like you

Ok, ah yes, 13th century it become legal and actually this bring a new wave of using prostitution

First of all its not so bad the scene as in other countries

Here it’s normal, in fact here you can find during the Saturday morning, and the Sunday, and the Friday Saturday morning you can see even school that is passing by in the red-light because they have to spend one lesson about sexual stuff and so they check out the red lights, this within the cities, and they have to spend one lesson talking about drugs in the schools. So you can see sometimes the school

The fact that now its so clean and everything is perfect is because they started to show everything.

All these girls are self-employed, they pay about from 50 to 150 of rent for one day, 8 hours of window, and normally you pay from 50 to 70 euro for what they call Suck and fuck, I mean 15 minutes because they are very good in 15 minutes they are done!

Blowjob and a fuck normally with a brown (?). you have always to contract the price when you get in.

Suck and fuck maybe they are totally covered and you can not take pictures and there is a very intense security system. You see all these windows , at the back of the window there is a corridor that connects with other rooms. If they hear some scream, or she hit a hidden button, arise immediately Two or three giant men, they send you out.

In fact if you pay for the night sometimes you are yahh (drunk and angry), people like that and If they are sent out from here normally they finish in the canal!

(So do they have to pay a tax to the government?)

Yes of course. They pay taxes and actually taxes of marijuana, and taxes of prostitution are two big revenues, especially the Amsterdam city and that’s why these places are not closed. Because they makes a lot of money

There are girls that come here for making 6 to 8 months of prostitution and then they pay 5 years of university because if you think 50 minutes, lets have 3 clients per hour, 8 hours is 150 per 8 hours is already 1000 in a day

(And there is tax on this?)

Yes of course, but even taxes, because as you have costs. Ok you can say I have done ten customers, inside you have 30. Its like the coffee shop, the coffee shop as well, they pay taxes but there is no registry. And I will explain you later how it works. But in the register they can say I just sold one kilos of weed, in fact they sold 3 kilos. Because there is no register of whose coming they can sell whatever they want. But since its working good for the society….

 

(What do the ordinary Amsterdam people think of all this?)

Actually Its normal, its like a a sign on the corner, because its perfectly normal and its normal for example to have a neighbour that is a hooker

Here in fact, this thing I was telling you about that a drug user is not seen as a criminal. It works even for prostitutes. They are making maybe an uncomfortable job, but not a dirty job , like in all the other places. And With the systems, ok you have people who of course here there is lots of noise, people yahha, horny and back, but this way I don’t know how it is on your places but In Italy prostitution is not legal but you find hookers on the road. People who stop on the verge of the road have accident, have public disturbance and everything and this absolutely brings more criminality.

This way of course I think there are some of them are spoiled or exploited by some other people but almost 70% of the prostitutes here are here for their will not because they have been imported and forced to prostitution

(It’s the best of what you can do, I guess)

(What percentage are from the Netherlands?)

Actually from this point of view don’t really know because there is no registry, they have the guilds….but they give you no information

Some ideas in your country, Here are totally normal

(I guess with this kind of system, like with the shops closing, the situation can change very quickly,  all the time?)

Yes, even the windows are under the supervision of the major that can reduce or enlarge the Red light district on his will, just enough that he just when a window finishes a license he doesn’t renew it. So in fact there was a lot more windows around here. Now if you go later will make a round when you come back one of my favourite spots because there are models

(Yeah, yeah, will I stop recording will I?)

You are married??????

Coffeeshops

Meanwhile I smoke a cigarette?

(Only cigarettes, those things will kill you,  tobacco, that’s the worst!)

Yes I know but its one of the things I cannot quit, tobacco, weed and girls

Ok coffeeshops, I told you in 1976 the Netherlands decided to make this division

Hard drugs and Soft drugs and for the soft drugs they created these places that are called coffeeshops, you can in these places was and is allowed to consume and sell weed

While outside in the city is not absolutely allowed or permitted to sell or consume weed

Here In the centre of Amsterdam if you go around with a joint in the street they don’t tell you nothing because you are in the centre of duke

Just go in another place or just outside Amsterdam with a joint, if you cross the cops they stop you, they give you a fine because you are not a criminal you are doing something bad because it is for public nuisance but you are not a criminal they just give you a fine and adjourn

The coffeeshop, since they work outside the law, since cannabis is illegal and this is absolutely true, they work in this so called grey zone, that it means, grey zone, is a grey zone that is between legal and illegal , the police knows but don’t care.

There is a backdoor policy, I mean that of course they cannot buy weed from anybody because growing weed for selling is an offence and is a very big offence. If you can grow by yourself until upto 5 plants in your apartment and the 6th plant you could be arrested. Usually they take you away the plants and they let you go because anyway it is low priority

Weed and hashish seem not to make real damage to society, to other people they are not taking care

If you are talking about hard drugs they find you with a personal dose of hard drugs they take it away and they let you go. Hard dose, about 2 or 3 grams of cocaine or heroin they give you a fine, if you have more they can give you dealing charges

And actually how it works the coffeeshop

There are growers that actually usually connected to the hell angels or to smugglers that grow in apartment a huge number of plants and they sell it to the coffeeshop from the so called back door, this is the famous back door when they call they speak about the back door of a coffee shop it is this system. From the back door arrive a guy, that is called a runner with his bag full of weed, half a kilo of this, half a kilo of this and half a kilo of this

If you are a private you can go around the city with 5 grams of weed, top, without any problem

The coffeeshop can have a maximum of 500 grams in the place and the place related so even the place where the coffeeshop owner is living. So in fact sometimes when they want to close a coffeeshop they make a raid in the coffeeshop in the place of the guy and everything is related and if they find even one gram more, they’re done

Now in many cities outside Amsterdam they are required to be a resident In order to enter into a coffee shop

(Oh, Really?)

Yes, especially in the south because this is intended as a measure in order to stop the smuggling to Belgium, Germany and France

(So we couldn’t enter that place?)

No, no here in Amsterdam they don’t ask you. The minimum that you must be of legal age of 18

The coffeeshop runs with 5 golden rules. No hard drugs. No people under 18

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhh

(Ha. No more than 500 grams)

No more than 500 grams in total. No weapons, no I already told that

I’m certainly tired!

(Its ok, No alcohol)

No alcohol

There is a bar.There is the trick for example. There is a bar that has near a coffeeshop, together with the coffeeshop you are going into your bar and have your joint. Your beer, you Jägermeister or..

Actually there is a bar that I have seen that you can have joints as well

This is actually an exception to the rule because they can get a fine, if they come in and we still adhere to the European law that all the places are actually no smoking and you have to have a place for smoking area

There are some bars that don’t give a shit. Sometimes you have to chip in 10 cents in order so when they come they get the fine they already have the ……

And If they fail in any of these 5 rules, the premises is closed immediately. No mercy about that

In fact this is another thing that makes this thing work, you have boundaries in which you can do whatever you want

Just step outside these boundaries they are going to beat you very hard

(Kind of like self-policing then, they know…)

Exactly, but for example even for drug addicts, junkies of heroin some people that are in a certain state that they are really very addicted, old, this kind of stuff. They have no money they (the government) normally give house, and some money for living and the drug and the Heroin for the daily dose. If they are caught in doing something illegal but even if they, I don’t know, sleeping on the street or this kind of stuff, they lose all their privileges

This way they are actually motivated, motivating them in order to behave

(A set of rules, follow them!)

So in this way many of the junkies actually have an active social life, they have a job, they pay the taxes, and some people that they meet, they are kind and normal people and from a point of view this is incredible, its quite a miracle because really heroin is one of the most destructive drugs ever seen, well now there is even worse but………..

Treatment centres for heroin users AND Ayahuasca

And this place is are the first source for help and treatment for heroin user. They have a very high percentage of people that are recovering without falling back

(Are people sleeping up there?)

There are rest room, they cannot sleep overnight because it’s not a hostel, but there are hostels all around the city even for junkies that they have to go here in order for their stuff and then for sleeping they have to go, for example, near the central station

(If something bad happens, I mean, there is medical help?)

There is residence of medical, there is, actually the lady on the first floor that is the one that is handling and sending the people to this room was an ex addict.That After 25 years of addiction She give up and she recovered completely, went to a community in the south of the Netherlands, and came back and she started to volunteer here, and now is 5 years.

(Can I bring that back to the first, eh The church of Acahuasca (Ayahuasca!))

Ayahuasca!

(Sorry I am …)

Ayahuasca, it was difficult for me, its an Inca word!

(So many people say that it’s a pretty good way of getting off heroin and hard drugs, because it’s a shock to the system, I mean I don’t know…..)

Absolutely, there are many people use it but this is not related to the religion because the religion is one thing you do all this kind of stuff

(Yeah I’m just wondering if that idea has been…)

No not yet, they are using a methadone programme in order to escalate it but lately they…

(Because some countries are thinking of that, I know Brazil and America…)

Yes but there is the problem of mental state, usually an addict is not mentally free, in order to have this kind of psychedelic experience you must have an inner balance that is powerful, this is why actually they don’t, ok I want to do Ayahuasca and you are making the rite of two month. It’s the priest that decides when you are ready because he sees you, about yeah, now you are ready, even if you have a problem because many people really they solve the problem during this trip

Actually it’s a sort of very similar to the Rite of the coming of age of the Indians of the Incas of America, that you do this very intense experience that makes you know yourself very well, and actually I think this is the real trick in the Ayahuasca, I mean that you have self-knowledge, and actually I can tell you……….

(A self-humility maybe is it?)

More than humility, you know more, you can except your limits, and honestly everybody takes drugs , me as the first person that has smoked and I did lots of ecstasy , amphetamine, and lot of things in the past because I was not comfortable with my limits , with my, that part of myself I didn’t like it. And the trip, sometimes if its done in a proper way can help you like that

The Ayahuasca treatment that you are talking about is actually is more shocking, and this is why it’s still controversial because it really like if your ice bucket in the face of ……….

(It is a kind of shock thing)

Yes exactly but there is a risk that ok, he give up with heroin, but he give even with social life

In fact psychedelics, some class of psychedelics, LSD, morning glory or Hawaiian baby woodrose that are hallucinogenic seeds and Ayahuasca must be treated very, very carefully

Because if you do the wrong steps you are fucked. Totally!

Be Careful!

They was conning you in an incredible way, even now if you go around there back and forth you will hear someone with their lips…..coke, and this kind of stuff. My suggestion is never take this kind of stuff because they always con you. You can get for coke a lidocaine that actually is an aesthetic, very similar, the same. If you try that, the cocaine is an aesthetic, you do like this (rub into your gums, etc) your mouth will disappear. The same with lidocaine but it doesn’t do nothing.

And there is, I’m going to show you, (rummages through his bag)

Ok, These are one of the most famous pills sold for ecstasy, you see there is an S. They are triangle, they are fake because they are, this one (aspirin) and they are sold even now.

For doing that, you see that because these (the aspirin) are giving by the police, so I can show you the lidocaine as well

This is lidocaine, its used by dentists, for anesthetising your mouth, and is sold as coke. If you are lucky, because if you are lucky you just get this stuff it doesn’t really harms you too much.

If you are unlucky you can……………

(So how much would one of those (lidocaine) be then, if they were selling them?)

10 euro, 12 euro

(ok, wow, for tourists they can have a field day)

1.5 euro expense euro and there are 15 pills inside, so let’s make a calculation. Yeah, there are people here who make a living just coning the tourists

(That would be an easy kind of thing to do, I suppose!)

(Sure everyone is out of their mind!)

(Lot of tourists coming here, I would feel, I mean I see a lot of people walking around completely spaced out!)

(Like do people fall into the canal, on a regular basis?)

Yes, Mostly Tourist and because they are doing psychedelics

I work in a smart shop during the day, and we sell Truffles, psychedelic truffles, these one gives you a lot of hallucination and believe me, and i that strongly believe that 80% of the people who fall in the canal because of these mushrooms

(And do a lot of people die in the canal?)

Not dying but getting bad diseases because actually its not clean this water, you can have from Rats, leptospirosis. Surely for skin disease you can have liver hepatitis. You come inside healthy you came out very, very ill!

(So that stats are good obviously, you are going to show us some impressive stats)

Yes exactly, because checkout, this is In the USA and in the Netherlands

People that used Once or more cannabis or cocaine once in their life

(for cannabis) In the US 14% in the Netherlands 22%

This is half and we are talking about residents that tried at least once

For cocaine 13% against 3 .4

This at least means that this policy keeps away the people that are not really intending to making drugs, starting with the drugs because here you have so many opportunities and alternatives you dont want to take the ecstasy. There are many alternatives that can boost you up, you don’t want to take the heroin. There is a a crouton (?) that has the same affects and is totally legal. And it is Not addictive

This policy gives the people the choice and actually they are making an even a big education in schools about the dangers of drugs. It is very unlikely that someone goes on cocaine, on ecstasy

As you can see even that its working

Check this out. In Europe.This is the number of problematics of drug users in the EU

Actually, The uk are on top

Safety

Here (junkies) have places where to go, you cannot see it. Walk around freely, you are not scared about someone comes up with a Syringe. Besides that, check out everywhere you look there is a camera. For one camera that you see, there is three that you don’t see So here this is the safest place in Europe, After London……………….

Absinthe

(What is Thujone, you mentioned that before ?)

Thujone, yes, Is a active component Of absinthe

(Is it the name of the molecule or something …?)

It’s the name of the substance. Taken out from the worm wood plant that is distilled and it’s a psychoactive component that open your mind, and in high quantities, gives you hallucination.

When he was doing absinthe, whoever was doing absinthe, in the old times, I mean the 17th century, 18th century the distillation was not perfect and was producing another elements that was connecting with your brain cells and was making the stopping with each other, stopping the connection with each other, and stopping the synapses

These are some of the paintings that has been Inspired by absinthe. This is one of the most famous, called the Muse

In fact I make electronic music, when I was making a bottle of absinthe I was making an album in one night. Maybe it was shit but I loved it!

(Yeah, yeah, you had a Lot of energy)

What do the Dutch think?

This is how the Dutch think about the period of danger of drug. They make a scale of 9 points for personal damage and 7 points for damage to society

As we can see Alcohol is the worst, it’s very wide, it’s used by everybody. There is no emphasising and no education about that.

And check out the less problematic is the mushrooms, but that is 6 scale for the society problem because When you are eating mushrooms, the trouffles, you make noise.

Alcohol is the first, heroin and cocaine, and then you have methadone,

Cocaine, tobacco, and these things I don’t know antidepressant stuff

(It kind of makes sense, I think that list makes sense)

Lsd, and this one no personal harm

(Really I would have though,LSD you’d get a bad trip and…)

Mental

This is to show this is working, and this is why these are legal here and while in all over Europe they are not legal and the alcohol which is the worst is legal everywhere.

Its actually Bullshit from my point of view. If the countries just put some more alcohol education, because alcohol is wonderful like any kind of substance it is done in a certain way and the right way it’s a great thing. But if you abuse it then have lots of problems and actually there are lots of deaths for alcohol, not a single death for weed, not directly related. There are  Some accidents, car accidents and this kind of stuff, some people, for example, fall into the canal, people here during the winter they got stoned they fall asleep, freeze to death. And these are related, but not directly related, and this is why its free, and that’s all………..

(Can I ask is there any negatives. Anybody rallying against this in Holland, in the Netherlands, is there any groups that are against all this…..?)

Yes because there are always people that wont like the fact that you have the freedom to do whatever you want. But they are shot down by the results because believe me when they started to apply this policy and did a social study on it. Because its not enough that you divide the market, you have to take care of the people that will anyway will do hard drugs no matter what because they will do it anyway. You can put them in jail and they are going to get the drugs in the jail. You can make them fine and they are going to steal, and besides that with all this kind of stuff there is more crime

(But what about the Local residents?)

The local residents in the area are mostly tourists, not tourists, mostly expats

For the locals actually they have no problem, and besides Amsterdam is one city

The Netherlands is totally different, they are in the south more open, in the north, closed, and very racist, and in fact there is no coffeeshop in every city. Because If the major doesn’t want it, the people doesn’t want it, no coffee shop in the cit.y

But the majority of the Dutch doesn’t give a shit about weed because they are so used (to it)

Everyone smoking, drunk and having a party, and this is strange but it works

In fact, there are for example, In the bars where they sell alcohol there are about 1000 calls a of the police a month, we are about 2 calls a month in the coffeeshops because anyway cannabis can is a drug that makes you more relaxed while alcohol makes you urgh!

Talking about governments, UK and the United States are against and criticising this kind of policy a lot

But here in Europe they are starting to be a change of thinking I mean they are starting to get used to the idea that weed and hashish are not so dangerous as they can think.

That they really are the First steps to the hard drugs If you don’t separate the market

In the US, Colorado, Florida and California and Washington now they can sell weed. Colorado made in one month of Selling weed as many taxes as doing taxes in the city for commercial premises. One month AND they went to the school,I mean just think about that!

The market. The legal market there are some kind of substances that are not harmful so its stupid that they are illegal but not from a point of view from an objective point of view, because if you make the alcohol legal that is very dangerous, you make….Why the weed that is not so dangerous

 

The Tour

(How long have you been doing this tour?)

This now 6 months, and im doing research for 3 months because now we are expanding.

And they give me some materials and I started to expand it and in fact even now its still a growing creature. We are asking for permission from the police and the government In order to have access to more information and to some person, for example we would like to make an interview and make it on paper in order to make it available to our tours, for the drug users Injection room people for example or somebody from the ayahuasca, but in order to do that we need some permission because actually as we really want to do the stuff in the correct way

We have a private tour that as you can see you can ask everything and we can make a different and we have on Friday a fixed tour that is free on a tip basis

We have a group that is just more casual we talk about the coffee shop

A group that is just drinkers, we talk about the absinthes, the hangover information and so on

Actually I can tell you I am very proud of this small creature that is growing

We are telling people how is the real stuff here

(The reality)

Because believe me there are lots of myths about this city, and some are true!

 

http://www.drugstour.com/

BOOK YOUR FREE TOUR TODAY, EMAIL: booking@drugstour.com

 

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UCD AFC football away days

Off to see University College Dublin play Drogheda for another LOI away day trip.

Have seen the students a few times, nice little ground even if they have no supporters….

UCD AFC football away daysFounded in 1854 as the Catholic University of Ireland, later established as UCD, the University College Dublin was where all good Catholics were sent to for further education. The University has over 32,000 students and is easily Ireland largest university. Like a small town, its that big, situated on a 133-hectare (330-acre) campus out in Belfield, not that far from the city centre, south of the Liffey.

Perhaps the best known of all the UCD’s graduates is James Joyce, like myself a Bachelor of Arts waster, and unlike me, a world renowned writer, but I am working on it, ok. Other notable alumni (alumni’s, plural?) include three Presidents of Ireland and five Taoisigh (Prime ministers), Brian O’ Driscoll who is amongst over 70 Rugby Internationals, and, for us football junkies, ex Man United star, Kevin Moran. There are also five Nobel Laureates amongst University College Dublin’s alumni and current and former staff. Pretty impressive I must say.

Pub watch

Madigan’s Pub Abbey Street

Address: 4 Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1, Dublin

 http://www.madigansabbeyst.com/

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UCD AFC football away daysAs I was over ten minutes early for the Dublin bus (I took number 11, The Clonskeagh entrance to Belfield, but you could take other options), I decided to sneak into Madigans just around the corner from O’ Connell street, on Lower Abbey Street, just across from the Luas stop. Always a safe option for a good pint of plain.  Quick pint, no problem, good stuff.

Established in 1991, Madigans is run by the Madigan Family. The pub appears lovely from the outside, a real old fashioned bar, and inside it has the hallmarks of a decent looking boozer, with efficient service, and good pints, all in a nice relaxed atmosphere.

Just off O’Connell street with all the hustle and bustle, this is a place you can have a quite pint, the kind of pub that you can have a good chat in, a nice mixed crowd, no music or TV blaring out.

Good pint, and suitably refreshed for my bus journey to UCD, onwards…….

UCD Club House Bar

Address: UCD Campus

https://www.ucd.ie/studentcentre/services/theclubhousebar/

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UCD AFC football away daysA bit early for the game, so I went looking for a student bar. Every college has some sort of student boozer, so sure enough, after a brief search I came onto the UCD Club House Bar. was packed to the rafters inside, as it looked like some rugby types were having an end of season do, all booted and suited, and a lot of drink taken.  A very modern interior, with a decent bar, and more importantly they also served food. I had some sausages and chips, soaked in vinegar and red sauce. An unhealthy option but I was hungry!UCD AFC football away days

It has two floors, but with space tight I didn’t venture too far.

Apparently this is the only student bar on campus, so for over 30,000 students it figures that this bar is always crammed to the rafters!

The Porterhouse Central 

Address: 45-47 Nassau Street
Dublin 2

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After the game, and back in town, I went to The Porterhouse Central,  in Nassau Street, not far off Trinity College, and at the bottom of Grafton Street.

The Porterhouse Brewing Company is a chain of bars that have a reputation for serving craft beers and holding a lot of good time music events. Apparently it has the longest bar in Dublin…

UCD AFC football away daysFounded in 1989 by Liam La Hart and Oliver Hughes, with the first one in Bray, they now have six bars in and around Dublin, and one in both London and New York

I normally don’t like chain pubs but after having visited the original Porterhouse in Bray, which made a good impression on me, sure why not……

If you are a craft beer junkie then this is surely the place to be, they have a huge selection of craft beers on the menu,…also have a lot of their own unique house brews as well, including their alternative Guinness beer called Oyster Stout, which I am kicking myself for not trying as it is meant to be pretty good (a good excuse to return!)

The place was teeming on a Saturday night, but still relatively easy to get a good seat at the bar (well if they have the longest bar….), and also not so loud to have a good conversation. Atmosphere was cheerful and lively. Ordered some strong craft beer, that I forgot the name of, but it was bloody good.  Service was prompt, despite the big crowd.

University College Dublin A.F.C.

UCD AFC football away days

Nickname: The Students, College

Stadium: UCD Bowl

Location: Belfield, Dublin 4

Capacity: 3,000

Manager: Collie O’Neill

Founded: 1895

Leagues: League of Ireland First Division

Club home page 

Honours:
FAI Cup: 1 (1984)

Email: diarmuid.mcnally@ucd.ie

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UCD AFC, or University College Dublin Association Football Club, play in the second tier of League of Ireland football, and are a semi pro team that mostly use players who also attend the university. Many players avail of the opportunity to earn a degree while playing top class, or relatively top class football. UCD’s claim to fame was running an Everton team close in the European Cup Winners Cup in the 1984/85 season, a team that had the calibre of Southall, Sheedy, Sharp, Reid and Gray in its line-up, going down just 1-0 in aggregate.

AUCD AFC football away dayslso more importantly it is said that Socrates, the legendary Brazilian chain smoker and sometime footballer, played for the team when he was a student of UCD back in the day.

(Even though I love to dream, that’s unfortunately more than likely an urban myth)

Founded way, way back in 1895 as the Catholic University Medical School Football Club, and in 1908 they became University College Dublin when the Catholic University merged with University College Dublin. Over the next few decades they played in university competitions,  and other various non league competitions

But it wasn’t until 1979 that UCD were elected to the league proper. Dr. Tony O’Neill, affectionately known as “The Doc”,  had a huge hand in getting UCD on board, and was the man who was instrumental in getting sports talent to the university, be they soccer, rugby, athletics or GAA performers. He introduced the sports scholarships scheme, at that time a pretty radical and unique concept to Ireland. He was general manager when the club joined the League and remained in that role until his untimely death from cancer in October 1999.

UCD AFC football away daysStruggling in the 80’s and not really making much of an impression, the club decided by the end of the 1982/83 season to turn semi-pro, and players outside of the college were allowed to represent the first team, a practice that is still maintained today, albeit with still a heavy emphasis on graduates playing for the for first team.  This seemed to have the desired effect as UCD wont their first piece of real silverware, winning the FAI cup in 1984 (sorry Leinster Senior Cup doesn’t count!), beating Shamrock Rovers 2-1 after a replay.

UCD AFC football away daysOf course winning the cup saw UCD qualify for European competition – the old European Cup Winners Cup – for the first time. They were drawn against Everton. As hard as it is to believe now, they were once a top class team and had a pretty decent side, a team of illustrious players such as Andy Gray, Peter Reid, Kevin Sheedy and Neville Southall, amongst others. Drawing the home leg 0-0, a heroic display for the part timers, they bowed out at Goodison Park, losing 1-0 win, despite hitting the post late on. The rest they say is history, as Everton went onto win the entire competition (they also won the English First Division that season). Small margins!

With financial difficulties, UCD had to sell a lot of their star players, this resulting in a relegation, and so this began a trend for a few years of promotion followed by relegation as the club was yo-yoing between the two divisions,  but it did include a 9 year stint in the top division.

Another amazing European adventure was just last year when the students, qualifying via the Uefa fair play spot, progressed past the first round of the Europa league against Luxembourgers F91 Dudelange, a full time team with considerably more resources than lowly first division outfit UCD. No one gave them a chance, some said they would embarrass the League of Ireland, yet there they were holding on to progress into the second round. For a small team it was some achievement and luckily enough I was there! Read it here

Away days in the Duchy

Since March 2015, UCD have competed in the First Division, the second tier of the League of Ireland.

From the 2008 season they have played at the UCD Bowl, also home to the college’s rugby team. ‘The Students’ play in sky blue and navy.

To the game

UCD 2 – 2 Drogheda United

Attendance: 300

UCD AFC football away daysCracking first half, it really was. Four good goals, end to end action and all round good football.

Ryan Swan scored the opening goal, running on from a lovely through ball from Watts right onto the on running Swan, who slotted it home beautifully, what a well taken goal. Not soon after Swan had a similar chance but this time the Drogheda goalie McGuinness was onto it.

But the lead didn’t last too long, as the Drogs were level as Kirwan tapped home from a spilled shot from the UCD net minder, Corbet, who did well to block the original shot.

UCD got back in front from a Gary O’Neill free kick that took a bit of a deflection, leaving McGuinness with no chance in the Drogheda goal, hitting the back of the net.

But just before half time Drogheda got the equalizer, Sam O’Connor with plenty of space manged to drill home to put the teams level before half time.

Four goals, cracking first half, game on, or so I thought, but sure enough the second half had no goals. Thank Christ I didn’t manage to go all in with 5 or more goals with some internet bookies.  It still was a very entertaining second half, lots of end to end chances for both teams, with Swan in particular going close on a few occasions.

It ended 2-2, a fair score for two teams that played good football and showed a lot of heart. A good enjoyable game. Enjoyed it.

Interview

Short chat with Stephen from the supporters group, UCD AFC supporters club.

My name is Stephen and I’m secretary with the UCD AFC supporters club and we were created in 2010 just to give a bit of a structure and direction for UCD fans going to matches.

UCD AFC football away daysAnd did you attend UCD yourself as a student!

I never did, no, in my teenage years I looked at the league of Ireland senior division table, it was only one long list at the time and I thought ok well I am got to have to start supporting a Dublin team here and Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers were at the top and I thought no they were too successful for me so I looked right down and it was all names of country towns, Drogheda, Athlone, and Dundalk, and right down at the bottom was UCD and Shelbourne, and Shelbourne I thought, just in case Shelbourne are really, really bad, I better just support the team ahead of them, that’s UCD. So I started supporting UCD.

Ok, and how long ago was that?

That was in ’83, I was watching them from the paper let’s say and from radio, and I started going to matches in ’87, 1987

And what kind of crowds do you get to support UCD? Do you get any students? Do they actually bother coming down, do you get them out of the bars?

Well yeah, it can be tricky, especially on Fridays nights. First of all supporters do come, from the campus to support players who are studying in their own faculty so you will have little groups of 2’s and 3’s and that, all the time coming down, and then occasionally especially when the pressure of exams are off you’ll get more groups coming down and maybe a singing section as well, coming through in the summer.

And I want to ask about the team, is it semi-professional or is there a few professionals or is there some students or what, what is the structure?

In the recent past it’s been mostly students and then the odd players who are especially returnees who had a connection with a club and the university before so we would say we are kind of part time graduates, students and then graduates, we even have leaving cert students in our squad as well

Ok that’s pretty cool. And all those years, the best season?

Well it probably would be a premier division season, there has been little good spells, I think I’m going to say a period of time, we were 9 years in the premier division from 85 to 94 and so that was my best time supporting UCD, and I’d like to go back there. Now we do consider ourselves a premier division team even though we are in the first division this year because we spent I think only three seasons in the first division in the last 21 years, so we do consider ourselves definitely premier division, but yeah that spell of matches, there was one year in 99/2000 where we finished fourth and qualified for the InterToto cup and then we played in Bulgaria, and then the following June, that early, so June 2000 was a good time.

And the European adventure last season?

That was amazing, that’s was 4 matches in July, was incredible, especially we were granted access to the Uefa cup very late, in March through Uefa’s own fair play calculations so Ireland got a place and that was given to UCD, and just the preparations and the amount of work that the club had to put in to prepare for that, because we held two home games here at the UCD bowl and that was very special for us that people would say no, no outside of UCD and the LOI they would insist it would have to be moved but we showed we can hold them here

You did the league proud I think, for a small club really…

I agree with you, there was a bit of negativity saying why should they, they are only first division, and its UCD and they are going to embarrass us, but we won our first game against a Luxembourg team here and then we travelled away a week later and it was just an incredible emotional match in Luxembourg because the players were out on their feet by the end of it but we went through into the next round.

And what about this season so far, how do you think its panning out?

It’s slow at the moment, Limerick have set their stall out, they have won six games out of six , and they look like they will completely dominate the league, so it’s for the lesser places, 2nd of third or play off places so we will really be fighting for that but it’s not over yet for the first place but we have Limerick next week, but at the moment the signs are they will dominate the league, but we will look to get off into the play off places again and hopefully we will get up through that.

And just one or two players to look out for, we should note?

 We have a centre back Maxi Kouogun, and it’s his second season here

He is very strong!

He is strong at the back, and he is scoring up front, he is our leading scorer at the minute with 4 goals and they have all come from headers from corners from Kieran Marty Waters, so Maxi as a centre back, and maybe a new player for us is Georgie Kelly, he came to us from Derry City, and he always looks lively, and hopefully he will be a good player for us this year, he is a new player.

How did you manage to get Kieran Marty Waters?

Well he would be one of the lets say part time professionals if you like rather than just graduates, I think we just gave him traction

Because he came from Shamrock Rovers, didn’t he?

He did come from Shamrock Rovers, he was having a quiet time there and he wasn’t getting much off a game, I think there was a few people ahead of him, so we just obviously gave him a package, and invited him to say what we are doing here and he was attracted to it.

So why do you think people should pop along to their LOI team?

Cause its local, you are going to meet people that you probably didn’t know, went to games from other circles in your life, you are supporting players who are playing at the top league in the country, and this is the best that is available, there is great friendliness and hospitality at ALL LOI grounds, I mean you go anywhere, and yet there is still a kind of a solidarity as well between us as well because we feel we are up against it with even other sports in the country as well as football in neighbouring countries as well.  We fell there is a lot of emphasis on other football but not Irish football, so we have a solidarity there between ourselves and also then at the matches themselves you have small groups singing and chanting right through the game and there is a lot of colour and you can be part of the noise or you can sit and watch the noise.

I mean the package is ok too, I mean tonight’s game, it was good I thought, a good game

Yeah we had 4 goals in the first half

A lot of chances as well

Exactly, yeah Drogheda equalised twice, and we are a bit disappointed about that, but that’s how tough the first division is, there is about 4 teams that are all about similar standard and they are looking for two play off places.

Ok thanks, that’s grand

Ok thank you

 Overall impressions:

Always like going to see UCD, two reasons, a nice little ground, and they always entertain, always play decent football, on the ground the way it should be played.

Was good to have the chat with Stephen who gave me all the low down on the club, and for joining me for a few pints after, was good.

By the way its ace that you can get good broadband at the ground, one of the definite advantages of playing within UCD!

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