View Full Version : Just back from Holland....
Firstly, I have never been so tired but my God it was so worth it.
It was a different kind of trip than the Malmo trip as in we only went to the game, had a night out and came home this morning.
The atmosphere at the game was class, there was nearly double the amount of fans we had in Malmo there... at least 300. Fair play to everyone who made it to either Malmo, Nijmegen or both as the support has been fantastic at both games and we have created a wonderful atmosphere the likes of which we will probably never achieve for an ordinary league game. There was at least 7000 home fans at the game last night but yet for the second week in a row the Rebel Army outsung the home fans and showed them up in terms of colour and atmosphere.
As for the match itself, City played quite well against a superior team. Make no mistake about it, NEC are probably one of the best footballing sides we have ever played and are a million times better than Malmo. The quickness and accuracy of their passing was astonishing, you could see that they all possessed the ability to read the game perfectly and they seemed to play at a far greater pace and tempo to what we'd be used to. However, City put it up to them and we showed what a great team we are.... in truth we could easily have won the game, Billy hit the bar and missed a sitter, Fenn had a great chance, both Doyle and Kearney had chances and George came close (shot needed more power) to scoring a very spectacular goal. If we had converted our chances we'd have won but NEC had most of the posession and nearly snatched it at the end but Mick pulled off a wonder save. In the end this was a fantastic result for us and Dolan's tactics combined with our players (they all played well) ability worked a treat.
Good laugh in the pub after with the banks, ****** song etc and as for that barmaid.... well what can I say! :)
The last two weekends have been up there with my best moments as a City fan, achieving such fantasic results away from home in European competition and seeing so many City fans invading foreign Cities/countries and showing up the locals by creating a great atmosphere both in and out of the stadium cannot be replicated. A good few the lads are not coming home until tomorrow so hopefully they'll have a good time tonight and hopefully we'll get the right result next week so that our European odyssey can continue.
thecorner
04/07/2004, 2:29 PM
we have created a wonderful atmosphere the likes of which we will probably never achieve for an ordinary league game.
maybe that should be our next goal in bringing the club and fans forward
gutted i couldnt make it. well done to all who travelled you sounded in fine voice on the radio.
Nantes is next......... :p
DolansWaistcoat
04/07/2004, 9:27 PM
Sounds like ye had a ball,lets hope that there's a trip to france ahead for city and it's brilliant fans. :)
Sounds like ye had a ball,lets hope that there's a trip to france ahead for city and it's brilliant fans. :)
dead right colm, this NEC side can play a bit and will threaten s at the X.
Shame not to have grabbed the away goal, woodsie and fenn both with half chances, but lads the noise and colour from all the away support was yet again unbeleivable
best fans in the world :)
and feck the ******s stewards who wudnt let me video the match .. official stadium rules me ****** :eek:
one_bounce
05/07/2004, 10:04 AM
dead right colm, this NEC side can play a bit and will threaten s at the X.
Shame not to have grabbed the away goal, woodsie and fenn both with half chances, but lads the noise and colour from all the away support was yet again unbeleivable
best fans in the world :)
and feck the ******s stewards who wudnt let me video the match .. official stadium rules me ****** :eek:
those stewards were a class act... very friendly and professional... fuxake yer wan hung the 451 pride of leeside banners out for us and then took them down again... she was at it for ages
seems fairly obvious to me why you cant video matches
NorthoftheLee
05/07/2004, 10:35 AM
the stewards were class and very friendly even when searching us when we entered....pure nice they were.............shouldn't have said a thing about the cam corder.....didnt stop any of us taking pictures or clips....
Those stewards were pretty class alright, the female steward and another dude hung up the two banners and a couple of flags from the railings in front of us, can't imagine this happening anywhere else!!!!
Think they were amazed at the singing for the entire 90 minutes, they couldn't stop laughing at the whole 'stand up/sit down for the Cork City' songs :D :D
James
05/07/2004, 12:01 PM
ah yeah the lads looking after us were grand
v friendly and helpful esp eric's friend ;)
wud have been nice to have some video footage of the singing etc
they did say grand to taking still shots but did tell me twice not to take video footage like . pity
ah yeah the lads looking after us were grand
v friendly and helpful esp eric's friend ;)
Who?????????????????
tiktok
05/07/2004, 8:32 PM
Not back long, shattered. Hotel in Brussels next to a Greek Restaurant was a ppor choice as it turned out. :eek:
The buzz created in the city end was class from start to finish, we were (though I do say myself) absolutely brilliant. The stewards were sound, very professional and really friendly. The photos in the papers and on the websites are great.
Great buzz in the bar after, a great trip and a great result.
NEC were very good, if they'd been sharper they could have caused us hassle, but we defended brilliantly and deserved the draw and clean sheet. I think Doyler and a fit Flynn will have their back four for pace in the return and if we defend strongly, we have a great shot.
GavinZac
06/07/2004, 7:26 AM
ah yeah the lads looking after us were grand
v friendly and helpful esp eric's friend ;)
wud have been nice to have some video footage of the singing etc
they did say grand to taking still shots but did tell me twice not to take video footage like . pity
SOC got some digital camera video footage i think
Peadar
06/07/2004, 8:28 AM
Having been to a load of Ireland international games away, for me this ranks up there as one of the most enjoyable trips ever.
All the City fans were brilliant.
No one let the club down and so many earned the club a lot of respect.
That perspex pen for away fans was a blessing really because it kept us all together. No one could escape from Eric when it came to the sit down/stand up bit. There was nowhere to hide.
An NEC supporter was telling me that they will have 500 fans at the cross and that they always sing. I'll believe that when I see it.
liamon
06/07/2004, 10:03 AM
An NEC supporter was telling me that they will have 500 fans at the cross and that they always sing.
Where were they on Saturday? Laryngitis epidemic? Don't think I heard a single song from them until we met them in the bar.
Peadar
06/07/2004, 10:29 AM
Lads, I nearly forgot to mention this but NEC are so far ahead of us when it comes to marketing and the like.
They even had a "Hoofsponsor." :D
I got a great kick out of that, excuse the pun.
Imagine the money we could have made over the years with something like that :D
Too late now though with our new passing game ;)
ccfcgirl
06/07/2004, 11:14 AM
i just arrived home great trip
Peadar
06/07/2004, 11:25 AM
i just arrived home great trip
Where have you been?
You could have walked back from Nijmegen after the game in that length of time :D
NEC Nijmegen
06/07/2004, 11:47 AM
500 for the away game?!? That NEC-supporter is full of ****. Perhaps 100 or something. In Krakow we were with 500...
paudie
06/07/2004, 11:52 AM
how much were the tickets for the game in Nijmegen?
James
06/07/2004, 11:56 AM
how much were the tickets for the game in Nijmegen?
10 eurobucks :), same as in Malmo
Peadar, was it the big guy in O'Shea's that told you they were bringing 500?
He told me the same and said they were going to "give us the worst time of our lives"! This is the same lunatic who was telling some of the lads how much he hated jews.
I'd say he was full of sh!t.
Peadar
06/07/2004, 12:40 PM
Peadar, was it the big guy in O'Shea's that told you they were bringing 500?
They were all big guys.
Bloody hell, were any of them under 7Ft.?
What are they feeding them over there!?!
Thank crunchie none of the fans are playing for NEC.
NorthoftheLee
06/07/2004, 12:51 PM
Peadar, was it the big guy in O'Shea's that told you they were bringing 500?
He told me the same and said they were going to "give us the worst time of our lives"! This is the same lunatic who was telling some of the lads how much he hated jews.
I'd say he was full of sh!t.
he was a complete tool and off his head........
Very different trip than Malmo as tis only half time like..... Took me days to recover from Malmo but fairly ok from this one.
Highlights:
"Passport" control at Charlerloi. :D
Car hire fella says unleaded when giving keys but was a diesel car :o
Simulated crash on Dutch motorway ;)
O'Sheas pre & post match.
Nijmegen Stadium - another lesson for the eL.
Bar code reader to open turnstiles than didn't work.
Fans at match.
Lunitic in O'Sheas most match shouting his humming.
Brussels motorists - nutters :eek:
Driving down the pedesrian street in Brussels, green man light @ end of street.
Crazy woman in "South Brussels" airport.... "SHANE...." :eek:
And excellent pin of fans in Mondays Sun.
GavinZac
07/07/2004, 10:49 AM
Brussels motorists - nutters :eek:
Driving down the pedesrian street in Brussels, green man light @ end of street.
that'd be us the nutters then? :D
low countries radio :p
trying to find the hotel in brussels, cheers tiktok!
trying to stay awake 62 hours then starting to drift off in the bar, only to be snapped by anyone with a camera :o
having a 10 minute conversation in german and french with two visitors in the away section who tried to rob my programme. '
Me: "ma francais, c'est..."
Frogeating surrendermonkey: "merde?"
peadar's chat up lines
oh and peadars revealations about a certain 'cute' actress :D
Peadar
07/07/2004, 10:52 AM
peadar's chat up lines
I don't remember trying to chat you up!?! :D
GavinZac
07/07/2004, 10:52 AM
I don't remember ttrying to chat you up.
i can cook, you can iron... :D
Peadar
07/07/2004, 11:04 AM
i can cook, you can iron... :D
She started that ;)
liamon
07/07/2004, 2:01 PM
Highlights:
...
Brussels motorists - nutters :eek:
....
And who was it that drove the wrong way around the roundabout in the middle of Brussels? :p
tiktok
07/07/2004, 2:42 PM
And who was it that drove the wrong way around the roundabout in the middle of Brussels? :p
and down the pedestrian street :D
And who was it that drove the wrong way around the roundabout in the middle of Brussels?
Obviously that sounds bad but honestly its been taken out of context... ;)
Back seat drivers :eek:
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