Away days...

[pineapple stu]

Might as well make a poll out of this - which is the away trip people'd be most likely to go on?

I was in Basel in October - great criac and a really nice place, wouldn't mind going back again. Paris is a place you'd visit anyway - football trips should be about going to places you wouldn't otherwise dream of going to, like Louth. Too many clubbers in Cyprus for my liking and Israel is going to be anybody's guess! The Faeroes have really caught my eye though - going to have to head up I think!

[Footie_Fan]

Paris for me. Easy to get to and Ireland in the Stade... you never know?

[pineapple stu]

Originally posted by Footie_Fan
Ireland in the Stade... you never know?

Brian O'Driscoll doesn't play soccer though!:D

[Jon'o]

France and switzerland for me, depends on the tickets though it was a bit of a muppet show for the switzerland game, with most of the tickets going to the people that the fai were trying to butter up.

great for the ticket touts i supose? :rolleyes:

[tiktok]

Stade de France for me, can't wait. it's been suggested that as Israel currently play their home games in Cyprus we might be able to turn that into a wednesday/saturday away trip. Faroes would be great but could be costly.

[MariborKev]

Was in Cyprus with Derry during the summer- brilliant trip

Have to say that the Faroes would my number one pick at the minute- maybe we could get together and rent fishing baot to get us there and back

[Junior]

Faroes and Paris are my top choices, was at the Swiss game and Cyprus last time around so they'll probably be bottom of the pile, but I'll get to them all if I can!!!:) :)

Can't wait now, though it'll be a good 9 months before we start I guess........

[Beavis]

I hope to get to all the away games in the qualifying but obviously as a result of funds this probably won't be possible.

Maybe we will be able to get cheapo Ryanair to Paris and to Basel via Standsted,which will save money but these will have to be booked long in advance and Ryanair might up the ticket prices when they see that irish fans will be looking for planes.

If anyone knows any money saving ways of getting to games, please share the secrets:)

[brine2]

I'm in Amsterdam and will be jumping on the TGV for the Paris match. It'll make a welcome change from the smelly 8 hour clackety clack train trip to Basel surrounded by crying babies.

Who knows, maybe the Swiss will play in their 60,000 seater in Zurich and there'll be enough tickets to go around? Though I don't see them leaving Fortress Basel all too soon.

[Junior]

Looks like fixtures will be agreed at a meeting in Dublin on the 3rd Feb 2004.

[London Irish]

money saving tips #1

if we play again in Basel and if flying to Zurich the night before:

don't bother booking a room. Paid £70 for a room in Zurich, got there at 10, just dumped my bags in the room,went drinking till 5 am, picked them up, and went to get the 6am 'happy' train to Basel!!!!

Seriosuly though, great craic we all had in Suisse and I for one cannot wait to return. Despite the result, so many friends made and what following the boys in Green should be all about.

One thought: does anyone think that nice Mr Jensesn from Euroteam might come to catch up with all his irish friends at the hockey stadium???????????After all, so many seemed to miss him last time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Beavis]

Was I the only sucker to pay 160 Swiss Francs(about E120) for a train from Zurich to Basel(about 40 miles),that couldn't be right could it?

Luckily I found a match ticket in Paddy Reilly's:D :D (trust me I felt sorry for whoever lost it),sold it for 300swf!!

[The Donie Forde]

Gotta be Switzerland for me! Absolutely brilliant last time. Can't imagine what it would have been like if we'd pulled off a result...Recommend it to anyone. The Swiss are great, forget any boring/cold misconceptions...they're well up for the craic.

Donie

[Ozymandias]

swiss was a great trip and basel a nice place and friendly people with top totty...will go again deffo....Paris is a must ..Ireland in the stade de France....has to be done...can't wait...how do ya get to the faroe islands pane to where and boat from where to where

[Pogsly]

Just read today in the Indo ... only 700 fans will be able to watch the match in Torshavn against the Faroe Islands . Presumably because there would be no more room on the Island :D

[Junior]

Originally posted by Ozymandias
swiss was a great trip and basel a nice place and friendly people with top totty...will go again deffo....Paris is a must ..Ireland in the stade de France....has to be done...can't wait...how do ya get to the faroe islands pane to where and boat from where to where

Ive had a quick look at this.

You can fly from Aberdeen direct, but generally people fly from Copenhagen. It's a small place so accomodation gets booked up early.

There are ferry routes, but I've not had chance to look in to them yet.

about £5 (sterling) a pint.

I'll have my route sorted well in advance of the release of the fixtures so that I can book up pronto!!

Spoke to a few of the tartan Army, who were out there and said it was a great spot.

Jnr

[lopez]

Originally posted by London Irish
One thought: does anyone think that nice Mr Jensesn from Euroteam might come to catch up with all his irish friends at the hockey stadium???????????After all, so many seemed to miss him last time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's a shame we didn't play Norway?

Anyway bit concerned about the figures for the Faroes. There wasn't anywhere near 700 in Georgia by all accounts, and that will take less time and possibly money than getting to Faroes, unless you're on a chartered 747 rip-off bucket, and cost a lot less to get drunk. But still think that many will attempt to go. I certainly fancy visiting it.

Been to Cyprus so will probably skip that to save on the shekels. Speaking of shekels, it would be a shame, although totally understandable and advantageous if we never played in Zionist Occupied Palestine:eek: , sorry Israel. I was there in 1984. Great place, and one of the gaffs you must visit in your lifetime. Narrowly missed a shoot-out in Jerusalem but was made up for that by having my a*se pinched in a souvenir shop by an overenthusiastic Arab boy.:eek: Israelis are top people too if you don't mention politics.

[Ozymandias]

cheers for that junior..must suss it out

[frano]

Hopefully will get to all of them. Switzerland was brilliant, but to be honest watching the lads run out at a packed Stade de France will be un-fecking believable.
Faroes, will almost cetainly be the hardest to get tickets for. It only holds about 7 or 8 thousand, so going by the 10% rule, that will leave tickets thin on the ground for us.
Israel would be an amazing trip, though I doubt we'll get there. So I'd be up for the Saturday - Cyprus, Wednesday - Israel (in Cyprus). I feel a weeks holiday coming on.
As for the fixtures lads, the relevant FA's will have to agree dates, but does anyone know the dedline for that?

[Junior]

Originally posted by frano

As for the fixtures lads, the relevant FA's will have to agree dates, but does anyone know the dedline for that?


Originally posted by Junior
Looks like fixtures will be agreed at a meeting in Dublin on the 3rd Feb 2004.

[London Irish]

Faroes has got to be done hasn't it- by plane, by boat who cares?????? For a bit of tourism info on the faroes I have originally found

http://www.faroeislands.com/

apparently a 'birdwatchers paradise' - funilly enough that's what a few of us thought about Switzerland!!

Too young to go to Stuttgart 88 (aka 'paradise'), Rome 90 or NJ, 94 but Paris will be one of those trips that simply cannot be missed - goosebumps just thinking about the Soldier's Song preemting Les Marsielles (wrong spelling but you know I mean) in the stade de France - which some say is the best football stadium in the world?

Basel (again) will also done as will Cyprus possibly X2.

What a cracking group and what a coming two years to look forward to!!!!

Erin go Bragh!!!!!!!!!

[lopez]

All this talk about games is making my feet itch. Anyone got news on friendlies abroad, or are we going to get more of the same Canada at home sh*te, plus the obligitary US Cup cojones? I'm hoping for the return friendly in Sweden. With France in the group, it's the last of the top European sides I haven't seen Ireland play away. Good birdwatching there too I hear, LI!;)

[Junior]

One of The Tartan Army lads said that Scotland were playing in the US and that we were one of their likely opponents, sounds like a US cup thingy to me (though I haven't got a link or anything)

[republic]

Originally posted by lopez
All this talk about games is making my feet itch. Anyone got news on friendlies abroad, or are we going to get more of the same Canada at home sh*te, plus the obligitary US Cup cojones? I'm hoping for the return friendly in Sweden. With France in the group, it's the last of the top European sides I haven't seen Ireland play away. Good birdwatching there too I hear, LI!;)


The latest I heard was that an away friendly in Denmark was planned for March/April.

Speaking of 'birdwatching', Copenhagen ranks right up there with the best. The last trip to Copenhagen in 1992 was a very successful one on and off the pitch for the Irish!

Definitely an away fixture to be considered.

[lopez]

Originally posted by republic
The latest I heard was that an away friendly in Denmark was planned for March/April.

Speaking of 'birdwatching', Copenhagen ranks right up there with the best. The last trip to Copenhagen in 1992 was a very successful one on and off the pitch for the Irish!
I know the score. While Preben Elkjaer was knocking them in at Lansdowne road in 85, I had already got a hatrick that morning with a Danish supporter I met on the boat over from Holyhead. :eek: She was over with her boyfriend,:rolleyes: but that didn't stop her sampling some Irish culture.:o I mean you'd never find an Irish bird that would do that back then, although I hear times have changed.;) Still, not on par with the previous year's performance by an Irish fan and a local lass over a pool table in the appropriately labelled 'Spunk Bar' to a collective rendition of 'Here we go, here we go, here we go.' It merited the immortal front cover headline in the Sunday W*nk of 'Randy Paddies Shock Sex Mad Danes.'


Originally posted by republic
Definitely an away fixture to be considered.
Definitely!!!

[London Irish]

.....Do we know if there is a friendly pencilled in February – would have to be on a weds as no blank premier league Saturday.

………Had the pleasure of visiting Copenhagen a couple of times (non-footie) and found it to be cracking – though expensive - city. An excellent destination for the Green army. Also Poland would be very welcoming…

I think some of the heavyweights might fancy us for a friendly with Euro 2004 in mind – as if they need practice to beat England. What about a trip to Spain or Italy???

The disproportionate number of 12-year-old running around the cities of Caligaria, Palermo and Genoa with ginger hair, freckles and green eyes would welcome it!!!!!!!
:ball: