Germany (A) EQ16 - Tuesday, 14th October 2014

[DeLorean]

Gelsenkirchen (http://www.dfb.de/news/en/e-national-team-men/argentina-clash-precedes-euro-qualifiers/56548.html) has been confirmed for our fixture. (K/O 19:45 Irish Time)


The Scots are playing them in Dortmund. (http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/26688914)

[Stuttgart88]

Dusseldorf, Dortmund and Cologne nearest airports.

[brendy_éire]

http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/ryanair-schedules-special-dortmund-euro-2016-flight-for-ireland-fans

Ryanair putting on extra flights.

[Stuttgart88]

Any idea when the FAI will be taking applications via the away fans portal?

[Stuttgart88]

Ticket applications now open via www.fai.ie. Georgia, Germany and Scotland.

[aidz1]

any recommendations for which town to stay in for this match??
flying in monday, out wednesday.

monday night would be quiet, so any area with a bit of nightlife would be an advantage

[paul_oshea]

Anyone got a contact in the fai.missed the deadline and sent an email at the weekend but no reply.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Deadline was 31/7, so might be alright. You have my no, SMS day of the game if not been in touch before.

And to answer the post before, Dortmund/Dusseldorf best options?

[Stuttgart88]

Paul texted me yesterday with this idea. Train from St. Pancras to Dusseldorf, with a change at both Brussels and Koln looks a good option. Around 110 quid return. Just under 6 hours, so all in all a bit longer than flying if you include getting to airports, checking in and hanging around but I prefer trains.

I think I'll get the 7am train on match day and a mid morning train the day after.

[brendy_éire]

Anyone got a contact in the fai.missed the deadline and sent an email at the weekend but no reply.

Ring the office. They're usually very good about getting people sorted.

[brendy_éire]

any recommendations for which town to stay in for this match??
flying in monday, out wednesday.

monday night would be quiet, so any area with a bit of nightlife would be an advantage

Clean missed this earlier.
We're staying in Düsseldorf. Will be my fifth time in the town, stayed there for the Köln match too.
IMO, it's a great some. Good beer, good brewery bars with decent food, and a few nightclubs thrown in as well. Seems relatively busy every night of the week, and the locals will advise you of where to go if you ask.
It's a nice place during the day too. Decent enough architecture, few museums, there's an classic car garage/museum that's open to the public, and of course the Rheinturm, which is a big tower you can go up. Also plenty of boat tours of the Rhein to do.
I absolutely love the place, so couldn't recommend it enough.

[paul_oshea]

Staying there too brendy, wheres good on a monday night there?

[brendy_éire]

Staying there too brendy, wheres good on a monday night there?

Altstadt is where you'll probably want to go, basically the old town around in the centre. It's where most of the brewery bars and non-brewery bars are. It's a compact enough area.
We go to Brauerei im Fünchschen on Ratingerstraße for food, which is one of the main drinking streets. Old style decor inside, great beer, great food (think large chunks of meat with spuds and gravy). Always seems busy, and there's a decent chance the staff will be drinking at a faster rate than yourself (really).
You could do a pub crawl of the brewpubs, though some aren't massively busy later on weeknights. Would definitely recommend Zum Uerige on Bergerstraße. It's one of the brewery bars as well, with waiting staff that are famously grumpy. Go there during the day if you can, gets quiet at night.
Other than the brewpubs, pub crawl yourself around the Altstadt, that's what the local seem to do. Et Kabüffke is one of my favourites, on Fingerstraße. It's a wee pub with a big shot selection. Speaking of which, you'll have to try Killepitsch, which is the local herbal liqueur.
Out of the Altstadt, Medienhafen is alright. More 'upmarket and cool', I suppose. People will be more dressed up and drinking cocktails. It's down by the river though, so nice views. It's also got more nightclubs than Altstadt.
And go up the Rheinturm too, I suppose. Nice views at night and you can get a drink up there.

Really looking forward to this trip now actually.

[Stuttgart88]

I was in a bar in Dusseldorf in 2006 on the way to Koln for a World Cup match. I was with my American boss at the time and as I had always been advocating black pudding to him at work, when he spotted black pudding in the translated menu he ordered it for both of us. Out came a slab of the darkest brown bread ever, a raw onion and raw black pudding! Not quite the fried Irish version I had been harping on about! However, the waiter also brought out two glasses of a beer that accompanied it perfectly, a beer so dark it was almost stout but also very clearly an ale of some sort. Pretty high alcohol content too. The whole package was a gastronomic magnificence.

[paul_oshea]

Or was it you drank the stout-looking-drink first and then through gleamy eyes you ravaged the plate in front of you?

[Stuttgart88]

No, it was a perfect case of the beer being right for the food. Classic German precision.

[brendy_éire]

Out came a slab of the darkest brown bread ever, a raw onion and raw black pudding! Not quite the fried Irish version I had been harping on about! However, the waiter also brought out two glasses of a beer that accompanied it perfectly, a beer so dark it was almost stout but also very clearly an ale of some sort. Pretty high alcohol content too.

Rye bread, Blutwurst and Altbier is what you had. Had the same meal myself, I think in Uerige. Great feed. The raw onion really worked.
Altbier is what you'll get everywhere in Düsseldorf, fantastic stuff. It's usually around 4.5-5% ABV, so you probably had one of their special stronger ones.

[DeLorean]

Altstadt is where you'll probably want to go, basically the old town around in the centre. It's where most of the brewery bars and non-brewery bars are. It's a compact enough area.
We go to Brauerei im Fünchschen on Ratingerstraße for food, which is one of the main drinking streets. Old style decor inside, great beer, great food (think large chunks of meat with spuds and gravy). Always seems busy, and there's a decent chance the staff will be drinking at a faster rate than yourself (really).
You could do a pub crawl of the brewpubs, though some aren't massively busy later on weeknights. Would definitely recommend Zum Uerige on Bergerstraße. It's one of the brewery bars as well, with waiting staff that are famously grumpy. Go there during the day if you can, gets quiet at night.
Other than the brewpubs, pub crawl yourself around the Altstadt, that's what the local seem to do. Et Kabüffke is one of my favourites, on Fingerstraße. It's a wee pub with a big shot selection. Speaking of which, you'll have to try Killepitsch, which is the local herbal liqueur.
Out of the Altstadt, Medienhafen is alright. More 'upmarket and cool', I suppose. People will be more dressed up and drinking cocktails. It's down by the river though, so nice views. It's also got more nightclubs than Altstadt.
And go up the Rheinturm too, I suppose. Nice views at night and you can get a drink up there.

Really looking forward to this trip now actually.

Just after buying a house so I was thinking I'd hold tough til the Scotland game, but my God you paint a lovely picture.

[Junior]

Staying there too brendy, wheres good on a monday night there?

Hey POSH!!!

a) Aren't you always giving out to people who don't stay in the town where the match is being held? Pfffft......
b) I already told you the name of the bar in Dussledorf that was made for you.......

http://www.xn--weisserbr-22a.de/

[AidoP]

Any idea when we'll find out if we're successful in getting tickets for the Germany away match? Thanks.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Already announced.
Everyone who applied, successful?

[paul_oshea]

I missed the deadline by 2 days. I better get tickets.

[AidoP]

Hi ArdeeBhoy. Did you get an email from the FAI regarding if you were successful or not?

[Bosco]

I missed the deadline as well as didn't think it was realistic with work,I've emailed the Fai twice to see if there was a possibility of any being left over after our allocation...anyone in the same boat?

[ArdeeBhoy]

Get mine through a SC. They may have spares, but was told the FAI didn't sell their full allocation(4.2k?), around 3-400 short, don't know if they have still or if returned to the Dfb.
Phone them and ask...

[Stuttgart88]

I got mine today via the FAI. Got a room in Hotel Maritim in Gelsenkirchen online. Very near stadium and town centre area. Stadium seems very near town centre anyway.

I'll follow Paul's advice and get the train to Dusseldorf from London early on match day.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Should have at least one spare...

[IsMiseSean]

Got confirmation from the FAI yesterday about a ticket.
I have a mate who might be looking for a ticket AB if you still have it closer to gameday.

[Stuttgart88]

Actually I'm now flying from Stansted at 8am on match day, via golden wings, to Dortmund. Pretty cheap still. Fly back to Heathrow next afternoon.

[Stuttgart88]

FAI sent out an email today requesting final payment for Germany tickets, but the link to the payment portal doesn't work. I just rang the FAI and the ticket office is swamped with incoming calls. Has anyone here made payment successfully?

Edit: they have corrected the problem now.

[fistamorte]

Apologies for posting here, but I can't find a thread on the Gibraltar match and can't open new threads.

Ticketmaster is showing that Gibraltar match is sold out all but for seats in Premium and Upper tiers in South Stand. They are showing pretty much the same for the USA friendly.

I was at Oman match and bought ticket from the TM van at corner of Ballbridge and Landsdowne Road, where I didn't have to pay any TM fee. Lots of others were doing the same.

I am bringing 3 kids to the Gibraltar match and was wondering if anyone can give me some advice. Also, I hate paying TM a 15% premium on the price of the tickets.

1. Is it likely that the match is that sold out, or is this just TM dripping tickets on to the market to give the impression that the match is heavily sold
2. Will there be ticket van/booth at the match?

The FAI site is always very reticent about this stuff, presumably because of some aspect of the TM agreement.

[Bray Head]

Apologies for posting here, but I can't find a thread on the Gibraltar match and can't open new threads.

Ticketmaster is showing that Gibraltar match is sold out all but for seats in Premium and Upper tiers in South Stand. They are showing pretty much the same for the USA friendly.

I was at Oman match and bought ticket from the TM van at corner of Ballbridge and Landsdowne Road, where I didn't have to pay any TM fee. Lots of others were doing the same.

I am bringing 3 kids to the Gibraltar match and was wondering if anyone can give me some advice. Also, I hate paying TM a 15% premium on the price of the tickets.

1. Is it likely that the match is that sold out, or is this just TM dripping tickets on to the market to give the impression that the match is heavily sold
2. Will there be ticket van/booth at the match?

The FAI site is always very reticent about this stuff, presumably because of some aspect of the TM agreement.

I doubt it's sold out. I know they gave free tickets out to people who attended summer schools for Gibralta match. They just don't sell tickets in some sections so you have to buy lower down or centre as its better for TV.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Definitely not sold out...told 14k tickets 'sold'.

[Kingdom]

Strongly thinking about ferrying and driving over to this one. Looks to be the less complicated way of doing things at short notice. 3 hours from Dunkirk to Gelsenkirchen.
Never driven on the continent before, is it worth it?

[brendy_éire]

Strongly thinking about ferrying and driving over to this one. Looks to be the less complicated way of doing things at short notice. 3 hours from Dunkirk to Gelsenkirchen.
Never driven on the continent before, is it worth it?

It's do-able, but flights are only around the €180 mark return, so could be cheaper doing that unless you've a full car load.
Driving on the continent is fine, especially the route you'll be doing. Motorway the entire distance, so no hassle.
You'll need to get a move on with getting your ticket from the FAI though, that's the only thing.

[Kingdom]

cheers brendy I'm actually not far from Dover, and the ferry is about €60, so it's just as easy as trekking across to Stansted to get to Bonn or Dusseldorf.
I had emailed the FAI and got no reply, so was going to try and locate a ticket myself. Has the Irish allocation sold out?

[brendy_éire]

cheers brendy I'm actually not far from Dover, and the ferry is about €60, so it's just as easy as trekking across to Stansted to get to Bonn or Dusseldorf.
I had emailed the FAI and got no reply, so was going to try and locate a ticket myself. Has the Irish allocation sold out?

Ah right, handy enough then.
No, hasn't sold out. I'd ring them on +35316486054. If you don't have one already, set up an account on away.fai.ie before you ring to save some hassle.

[paul_oshea]

I am pretty sure i have a spare ticket.

[paul_oshea]

Strongly thinking about ferrying and driving over to this one. Looks to be the less complicated way of doing things at short notice. 3 hours from Dunkirk to Gelsenkirchen.
Never driven on the continent before, is it worth it?

Fill your boot(s) with booze on the way back! Stop off at Leclerc, get some nice fresh french bread and ham, maybe some cheese and a bottle of wine too! You will be grand.

[ArdeeBhoy]

I Definitely have a spare ticket...
And our allocation, see upthread, wasn't sold out.

[ArdeeBhoy]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=959842707364684&set=p.959842707364684&type=1&theater

https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/1794697_959842707364684_9140115382758580139_n.jpg? oh=c4c3882f019de1cb5675773cde3000de&oe=54C348B1

[Kingdom]

Free travel in the Rhine Ruhr region for all non ICE/Inter-city trains, in 2nd class. with a match ticket.

I think.

[Kingdom]

Paul O'Shea, Ardee Boy, do either of you still have your spare ticket? If so, I'd be happy to take it off your hands.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Yes...will PM, but probably can't meet you until just beforehand.

Actually, you need to clear space, will contact later but definite...

PM now sent, best to e-mail me?
Thanks.

Can you let me know Y/N ASAP?

[Kingdom]

Yes...will PM, but probably can't meet you until just beforehand.

Actually, you need to clear space, will contact later but definite...

PM now sent, best to e-mail me?
Thanks.

Can you let me know Y/N ASAP?

Just replied to you there. Cheers.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Danke, mein herr.