Away support in Bari

[NeilMcD]

well said superhoops great trip. I gave a taxi driver 7 euro for a taxi he wanted 15 for. every night it had been either 6 or 7 back to the hotel and he wanted 5 euro each from us.

[MariborKev]

I was there with my hi-vis green Athlone Town 'keepers jersey

Aye ye ******, ignored me!

Anyways the normal mix of "big game" away support
- The faces you always see there
- The "one trip a campaign" brigade

I thought the later kick off meant a lot of people got really twisted. I though the support was great, but there are still issues between the older generation and the younger generation. As some who travels with me da and me mates I can see both sides of the argument.

I'm lucky enough to have decent Italian and we have great craic for the three days. We were in the team hotel and had mad craic. The bar men were amazing craic and told us that ourselves and the FAI delegation had put through the same on the bar as 500 Italians had over a weekend the week before.....

[SkStu]

I thought the later kick off meant a lot of people got really twisted. I though the support was great, but there are still issues between the older generation and the younger generation. As some who travels with me da and me mates I can see both sides of the argument.

any chance you could explain whats going on? Just interested as i had no idea there was any sort of issues

[NeilMcD]

What issues were they out of interest. Just curious, is it in relation to standing up at the game etc.

Snap, I had that typed before I saw your post.

[MariborKev]

Aye,

A lot of the "older generation" want to sit at the game, whereas whippersnapper such as myself are happy to stand. Both sides are valid as people have paid their money, and there has to be a happy medium. That is normally grand when free seating is in operation but when people start standing at the fences at the top of stairs etc.

It wouldn't be an issue but a lot of support of our age don't have the cop on to realise when to stop drinking. Hence you get a sizeable number of people who are completely buckled at the game and are a complete disaster to deal with. If you ask them to sit down or to move etc you get a volley of abuse. Other lads decide that they want to crowd surf over the fence and down into the lower section of section. Cue people getting hit with shoes and limbs.

Same as on the buses on the way back in(I got a taxi out so can't comment). Kids and teenagers were coming up alongside the buses and asking to swap/get scarves. Hurling abuse at them for no reason. When people on our bus had the morals to call people on it, they got verbals for it as well.

Lads ****ing off the top of the stadium as they couldn't be bothered going down to the toilet.

Again, a minor thing but it is definately still there in the away support. Great trip though.

[Superhoops]

There was no problem on Wednesday with seating, you could virtually sit where you liked. The one annoying thing though is those who choose to stand and lean on the barriers at the top of the steps by the stairwells. That's nothing to do with older/younger generation, it is just fuc*in ignorance.

[Crosby87]

I noticed a few times on TV, it looked like there were lots of empty seats. Am I crazy?

[Superhoops]

I noticed a few times on TV, it looked like there were lots of empty seats. Am I crazy?

No you were not seeing things. The Lower Tier of the Curva Sud was not even open. The Upper Tier was at best only two thirds full. When it started raining, we moved back up higher and there were any amount of seats.

Never heard what the official Irish attendance was but I would have said 4000 tops.

[Bottle of Tonic]

Would echo the above sentiments about the trip to Bari. Mighty craic for the best part of a week. Tuesday night especially the main square was mental, the bus out to the game complete with crowdsurfers going up and down the isle, and then the celebrations for Keane's goal were the highlights. Had a bloke in front of me celebrating the final whistle bollock naked lepping around like a lunatic. Unreal craic. Locals were very friendly, even the Bari Ultras, only downside was aforementioned rip-off taxi drivers, bar owners and the ****e expensive food in the restaurants.
Had great craic over the course of the few days with the owners of the 'sono il capo' flag and the 'Diamond Bar Ennis' flag among many others.

Will live long in the memory.

[magnumpi]

have to agree with what is being said here. i'm more than fond of a few pints, but to see lads who didn't even realise italy were down to ten men, too ****ed to watch the game and then acting like dicks outside the ground annoys me.

we've an excellent reputation to maintain. its always been said that we police ourselves and never cause any trouble. i'd like to think that would never change. - especially seeing as the fans in bari were incredible, really congratulating us after the match etc.

[rambler14]

Bari was really great but I wouldn't go near the place if there wasn't a match there........sh!thole of the highest order!

[NeilMcD]

Thats a bit harsh rambler. Did you have a run in with people or what. Of course its all opinion but just find that a bit suprising.

[rambler14]

Thats a bit harsh rambler. Did you have a run in with people or what. Of course its all opinion but just find that a bit suprising.

Just found it all primitive. There's nothing there as such. Any landmark of note is seperated by the dual carraigeway which meant you couldn't walk there. Shops are limited and no house's they all live in high-rise flats that are next to each other.
The bus ride from the airport I thought I was in Ballymun!

Had no run in as such. I had an argument with a taxi driver who tried to charge me €100 to go from the bus station to my hotel after the match!

[SuperDub]

Just home this afternoon. I found Rome and Bari great craic. the italians were really good hosts. We even got to see the world cup in bari city hall. The atmosphere on wednesday was excellent especially at the final whistle.

Regarding issues between the older and younger generations i travel with my father and his mate to all the away games one in his mid seventies the other in his late sixties and they are great travelling partners. While they like to sit at matches the abuse they get from some younger lads when they are asked to sit down is not on. The other issue they have is the younger lads dont know when to stop drinking and the sight of some lads asleep during the game is a joke.

Great trip and it was good to meet up with so many regulars. Role on bulgaria

[Bottle of Tonic]

Thought the old town was lovely myself. Bit of character. Did you try going for any random strolls up by the St Nicholas Cathedral or that? You'd get lost in the narrow windy lanes amongst little shops and bars. Then you have the sea two seconds from the main square, nice scene on a sunny day. The rest of it was a standard enough foreign city. I've been in far worse.

Regarding fellas not knowing about the sending off - it took our group a while to figure it out. I think a lot of people were confused about what was going on.

[green army]

as has already been said, it was a great trip. glad that the game was in bari and not rome. locals were great hosts. great to see families out mixing with us in the piazzas. bus trip to the ground was one i will never forget. on leaving the ground, italian fans in their cars were clapping along. saw one kid climbing out the car window to take photos of us. thought bari was a nice enough place. liked the walk along the seafront.

[mrtndvn]

Just found it all primitive. There's nothing there as such. Any landmark of note is seperated by the dual carraigeway which meant you couldn't walk there. Shops are limited and no house's they all live in high-rise flats that are next to each other.
The bus ride from the airport I thought I was in Ballymun!

Had no run in as such. I had an argument with a taxi driver who tried to charge me €100 to go from the bus station to my hotel after the match!

We got charged €66:10 to use the toll road to get into Bari

[rambler14]

As I said to the fella travelling with me............"Old Bari is fantastic but you'd expect they'd improve the new part rather than down grade!"

[Crosby87]

Regarding fellas not knowing about the sending off - it took our group a while to figure it out. I think a lot of people were confused about what was going on.

Cant you just count them?

[marty]

Thought the trip was fantastic from start to finish althouth I"l plan it a bit better and cheaper next time.The best part was the laid back approach the locals had to us.We actually met up with some Bari "Ultras" before and after the game all they wanted was my Cobh Ramblers jersey and they gladly gave us scarves,free drink and spins back to appartment.Only down side to them is they fought with the police before the game and they insisted they were only there th support Bari and actually despised Lippi for obvious reasons.