The game, the trip, the weekend etc....
Can't be reading through all the threads here now so I'll start my own one! :)
The Rebel Army invaded Nantes like we've never invaded a City before.
Molly Malone's on Saturday night was a great laugh with City fans stopping traffic as they 'sat down for the Cork City' in the middle of the street as some fans were singing songs out the first floor window of a cyber-Kebab shop across the street.
Then Sunday afternoon was fantastic with Hundereds of City fans congregating outside John McByrne's. It was really what being a City fan is all about, there was singing, chanting, dancing, drinking, shouting, sitting down/standing up/turning around/jumping up for the Cork City! There was also some crazy old stereotypical french guy who took great pleasure in joining the Rebel Army!! I loved it.... so many City fans in glorious sunshine on foreign street united together in song and all there for our European odyessy. I think the french passers-by were very bemused by our behaviour!
We then went down to the team hotel to see the lads off before getting a tram out the stadium.... again City fans were plentiful and full of noise on the tram and the two Nantes fans in our carriage didn't seem best pleased! :D
Onto the game itself, the stadium was magnificent and with 508 City fans there we were always going to create one hell of an atmosphere. It was boiling hot so many City fans went topless at the game (as you'll see intodays Echo! :) I was wearing a french jazz type hat courtesy of hotel reception! :D I think the heat really got to the players as unlike they are not used to such extreme conditions. Only a few minutes into the game and Fenn was so close, if it had gone in it would have been a totally different game. Nantes dominated for most of the half and got their two goals. Things were not looking good at HT and depression was rife among the Rebel Army. However, we still sung our hearts out and even when Nantes got their third it didn't stop us getting behind the team. Fenn scored and sent the Rebel Army wild in the stands. Fenn was definately our best player throughout but fair play to all the lads. It's going to be very difficult next week as Nantes are a top notch team but who knows what could happen....
After the game, we all headed to John McByrnes where they didn;t want us singing. Ah well, who cares if they got a bit upset! We then went to a late bar and took the place over.... two of us even ended up behind the bar with the 'lasher' barmaid at one point. Inevitabley a Eurovison sing song ensued with all the usual numbers belted out with a couch acting as the stage! Afterwards some people ended up dancing in a fountain.
All in all, a good trip a la Malmo/Copenhagen. Here's hoping we can get the right result and that our European odyessey will live on.....
