What a weird day!
I started the day like I did going to Istanbul in '05. Stayed up all night waiting for my old man to get up so we could go, excited like I was a kid on Christmas eve waiting for Santa to come down the chimney. Nah actually f*ck that. . . European Cup final eve- beats Christmas eve hands down, we were going for number six.
After a brief delay before the plane took off we were on our way to Greece and I was buzzing. I literally couldn't believe it. IF someone had said to me after the 03/04 season we'd be in a european cup final in the next 10 years i'd have laughed my bollocks off. We were ****e and we had Houllier.
So 3 years on we're in our 2nd this was literally wildest dreams coming true.
So here were go. . . we land in Athens and get taken straight to the ground.
Uefa's fanzone (Very similar to Istanbul) was a good idea- huge area of activities, bands playing (Apparently, I wasn't there) places to get some food etc but when we got there the place wasn't yet open.
Typical Uefa- ******s!
I'd pout something a little more elaquent but i'm passed that with these bunch of useless tossers.
Anyways off to Hooters it was. Stayed there for lunch got my pic taken with one of the birds who worked there and left for Athens on the train whilst my dad spent the day in the fanzone.
One of the strangest things about yesterday was the weather. It was hot all day but it rained a lot too and this went hand in hand with the people who'd been skanked by the club for tickets because the banter, atmosphere etc in town just wasn't that good. Of course there was singing and drinking and the usual activities of taking of places anc oating it in red but the main emphisis of the day for a lot of people was getting a ticket and this took away from what should have been an electric atmposphere.
Not that I blame them- you spend all your ****ing money to get to Greece and then some prick (i.e. Rick Parry perhaps
) says sorry lads we have been given this many tickets but those nice suited people who come once every two years have decided that they want a day out in greece themselves so you'll have to do without- what a ****ing disgrace.
Which then leads me on to my next point. After spending the day in a wet, yet humid Athens and making my way to the ground, after getting passed the first security check we were let into a big area were people were either just having another drink or waiting for friends/family to get through.
However it was also the location of some of the most horrible little ******s that walk god green earth!
The scallies! Now not all of them are complete little ****e's. SOME of them over there did have tickets and their days work will have been doing over some local off-licence or bar of some ale, maybe treat themselves to a free-lunch etc but there's no harm in that in the sense that the older generation who went to rome in 77 etc did the same thing and have since grown up.
You know 'boys will be boys' type thing and at the end of the days seeing these 'specialists' at work is quite a privilage.
However those little c*nts in the ground I hope rot in hell. To steal sandwiches, bugers, beers, bottles of pepsi etc is one thing andf admittedly quite funny but to steal fans tickets whilst they're in the grounds of the stadium is a completely different kettle of fish and i'm just glad and purely for myself that they didn't try and rob me cause i'd still be in Greece now and would probably be staying there for the forseeible future. These little tw@ts are what give us as fans a bad name. Stealing **** is one thing but stealing what on the day are peoples prized possessions is too far and it's a shame these little tossers can't be found and identified cause first they could be banned by the club and secondly and most importantly people could see who they were and think "yes i remember you, guess whats going to happen now?!- my personal favourite would be a chainsaw to the hands- you can't rob ****ing anything without hands you little *****!
Finally- to the game. Well i'm quite proud. 2 years ago I went to Turkey just delighted to be there. We were playing AC Milan in our first European Cup final in 20 years and we had players like Biscan, Nunez and Traore either playing or at least in the squad. We didn't have a prayer and we come out smelling of roses.
This year we were there on Merit and this year also we were better than Milan. The goal on half time was a killer and completely against the run of play but these things happen. Before and after that we had half and good chances and on another day we could have won that comfortably. The distance between victory and defeat (or at least extra time and defeat) was Pipo Inzaghi's arm. He didn't handle it to be fair, Pirlo's tame effort hit him and that was the end of the matter.
All in all I thought it was a good game to watch football wise and Milans extra class on the ball was the difference. They held it better and passed it much more comfortably and quicker than some of ours did.
Daniel Agger had a nervous game but he's had an incredible season and he'll learn from this experience for later in his career (next year in Moscow
)
The thing that pleased me the most yesterday was, yet again the fans in the ground, especially at the end, nearly no one left and the team and manager got an unbelievable reception. Also the level of which we've improved since Benitez has been here is now really noticable.
I realise Rafa still has his critics and quite a few of them perhaps justifyibly so in the league from time to time (Nb- i am NOT one of them) but since his arrival supporting our club and team has been nothing but a joy! Three years three cup finals two of which we won and a great improvement not just on lleague performances but also footballing performances.
The summer is huge for us now and it's imperative we get signings in and out ASAP so they've got all of pre-season to gel as a squad.
As for yesterday- hard luck lads- it was a better footballing display than 2 years ago only this time we ran out of luck and lets be honest with the luck we've had getting here this year and winning the two cup finals last year and '05 we've been due a small backlash- it's called karma!
A final note- for those fans who didn't make it or didn't get in due to planes not taking off or being robbed. Forget about it (and i know its rich coming from someone who got in and also damn hard to do anyway)- there'll be more to come from rafa and his redmen and also next time we're there and so are you you'll get in. Cause like i mentioned a moment a go- it's called Karma and those little ****s who mugged you won't be there or won't get in.
And i recognise you little ****s as well- if I see you at an away next year don't be surprised if some tall chunky balding 21 year old comes up to you and decides to maybe rob you or plainly get hold of you and kick the **** out of you- you came within a yard of me last night eyeing up my pockets, i saw you! You also came a yard within your life.
Your not supporters you scum!
I started the day like I did going to Istanbul in '05. Stayed up all night waiting for my old man to get up so we could go, excited like I was a kid on Christmas eve waiting for Santa to come down the chimney. Nah actually f*ck that. . . European Cup final eve- beats Christmas eve hands down, we were going for number six.
After a brief delay before the plane took off we were on our way to Greece and I was buzzing. I literally couldn't believe it. IF someone had said to me after the 03/04 season we'd be in a european cup final in the next 10 years i'd have laughed my bollocks off. We were ****e and we had Houllier.
So 3 years on we're in our 2nd this was literally wildest dreams coming true.
So here were go. . . we land in Athens and get taken straight to the ground.
Uefa's fanzone (Very similar to Istanbul) was a good idea- huge area of activities, bands playing (Apparently, I wasn't there) places to get some food etc but when we got there the place wasn't yet open.
Typical Uefa- ******s!
I'd pout something a little more elaquent but i'm passed that with these bunch of useless tossers.
Anyways off to Hooters it was. Stayed there for lunch got my pic taken with one of the birds who worked there and left for Athens on the train whilst my dad spent the day in the fanzone.
One of the strangest things about yesterday was the weather. It was hot all day but it rained a lot too and this went hand in hand with the people who'd been skanked by the club for tickets because the banter, atmosphere etc in town just wasn't that good. Of course there was singing and drinking and the usual activities of taking of places anc oating it in red but the main emphisis of the day for a lot of people was getting a ticket and this took away from what should have been an electric atmposphere.
Not that I blame them- you spend all your ****ing money to get to Greece and then some prick (i.e. Rick Parry perhaps
) says sorry lads we have been given this many tickets but those nice suited people who come once every two years have decided that they want a day out in greece themselves so you'll have to do without- what a ****ing disgrace.Which then leads me on to my next point. After spending the day in a wet, yet humid Athens and making my way to the ground, after getting passed the first security check we were let into a big area were people were either just having another drink or waiting for friends/family to get through.
However it was also the location of some of the most horrible little ******s that walk god green earth!
The scallies! Now not all of them are complete little ****e's. SOME of them over there did have tickets and their days work will have been doing over some local off-licence or bar of some ale, maybe treat themselves to a free-lunch etc but there's no harm in that in the sense that the older generation who went to rome in 77 etc did the same thing and have since grown up.
You know 'boys will be boys' type thing and at the end of the days seeing these 'specialists' at work is quite a privilage.
However those little c*nts in the ground I hope rot in hell. To steal sandwiches, bugers, beers, bottles of pepsi etc is one thing andf admittedly quite funny but to steal fans tickets whilst they're in the grounds of the stadium is a completely different kettle of fish and i'm just glad and purely for myself that they didn't try and rob me cause i'd still be in Greece now and would probably be staying there for the forseeible future. These little tw@ts are what give us as fans a bad name. Stealing **** is one thing but stealing what on the day are peoples prized possessions is too far and it's a shame these little tossers can't be found and identified cause first they could be banned by the club and secondly and most importantly people could see who they were and think "yes i remember you, guess whats going to happen now?!- my personal favourite would be a chainsaw to the hands- you can't rob ****ing anything without hands you little *****!
Finally- to the game. Well i'm quite proud. 2 years ago I went to Turkey just delighted to be there. We were playing AC Milan in our first European Cup final in 20 years and we had players like Biscan, Nunez and Traore either playing or at least in the squad. We didn't have a prayer and we come out smelling of roses.
This year we were there on Merit and this year also we were better than Milan. The goal on half time was a killer and completely against the run of play but these things happen. Before and after that we had half and good chances and on another day we could have won that comfortably. The distance between victory and defeat (or at least extra time and defeat) was Pipo Inzaghi's arm. He didn't handle it to be fair, Pirlo's tame effort hit him and that was the end of the matter.
All in all I thought it was a good game to watch football wise and Milans extra class on the ball was the difference. They held it better and passed it much more comfortably and quicker than some of ours did.
Daniel Agger had a nervous game but he's had an incredible season and he'll learn from this experience for later in his career (next year in Moscow
)The thing that pleased me the most yesterday was, yet again the fans in the ground, especially at the end, nearly no one left and the team and manager got an unbelievable reception. Also the level of which we've improved since Benitez has been here is now really noticable.
I realise Rafa still has his critics and quite a few of them perhaps justifyibly so in the league from time to time (Nb- i am NOT one of them) but since his arrival supporting our club and team has been nothing but a joy! Three years three cup finals two of which we won and a great improvement not just on lleague performances but also footballing performances.
The summer is huge for us now and it's imperative we get signings in and out ASAP so they've got all of pre-season to gel as a squad.
As for yesterday- hard luck lads- it was a better footballing display than 2 years ago only this time we ran out of luck and lets be honest with the luck we've had getting here this year and winning the two cup finals last year and '05 we've been due a small backlash- it's called karma!
A final note- for those fans who didn't make it or didn't get in due to planes not taking off or being robbed. Forget about it (and i know its rich coming from someone who got in and also damn hard to do anyway)- there'll be more to come from rafa and his redmen and also next time we're there and so are you you'll get in. Cause like i mentioned a moment a go- it's called Karma and those little ****s who mugged you won't be there or won't get in.
And i recognise you little ****s as well- if I see you at an away next year don't be surprised if some tall chunky balding 21 year old comes up to you and decides to maybe rob you or plainly get hold of you and kick the **** out of you- you came within a yard of me last night eyeing up my pockets, i saw you! You also came a yard within your life.
Your not supporters you scum!
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