Poland Friendly

**London Irish** · 21/02/2004, 7:44 PM

��Polish mate reckons their FA has confirmed the friendly on the 28th April�.see http://www.pzpn.pl/!!�nothing confirmed as yet from the FAI�...

��Lots in common the Irish and Poles and certainly worth a visit (without even mentioning the vodka and obscenely attractive women) ��

**Jon'o** · 21/02/2004, 8:27 PM

Originally posted by London Irish
��Polish mate reckons their FA has confirmed the friendly on the 28th April�.see http://www.pzpn.pl/!!�nothing confirmed as yet from the FAI�...

.... intresting got the dutch translation?

only joking worth a look see

**gspain** · 24/02/2004, 8:55 AM

Looks like BydgosXXXX - venue for U21 game in 91.

Drove there from Warsaw approx 3 hours west of warsaw. Should be accessible also from Berlin.

Nice City. stadium was a bit of a concrete bowl.

**Condex** · 24/02/2004, 12:37 PM

Looked on the fai website and theres details of this friendly.

**lopez** · 24/02/2004, 1:52 PM

Originally posted by gspain
Looks like BydgosXXXX - venue for U21 game in 91.

Drove there from Warsaw approx 3 hours west of warsaw. Should be accessible also from Berlin.

Nice City. stadium was a bit of a concrete bowl.

Bydgo...sh*t!!! Would have liked Kracow where there is a bit more culture going on. Wasn't this also the kip of the 1981 3-0 defeat? Me thinks a return beano to Madame Marijana's could be on the cards for the more seasoned members of the FAI Council.

Let's hope they actually see the game this time.

Anyway, this is what the Polish FA said: Prezydium Zarz�du PZPN ustali�o ceny bilet�w na najbli�sze mecze towarzyskie reprezentacji Polski. Karty wst�pu na spotkanie Polska � USA, kt�re rozegrane zostanie 31 marca w P�ocku kosztowa� b�d�: 20, 30, 70 i 100 z�otych. Ceny bilet�w na mecz Polska � Irlandia, kt�ry odb�dzie si� 28 kwietnia na stadionie Zawiszy w Bydgoszczy, ustalono na: 20, 35, 50 i 70 z�otych. Erm that isn't what it said as the lifting of the article hasn't worked out too well. Still, no need to speak Polish to get the raw details. Haven't seen anything on the FAI site yet.

**Footie_Fan** · 25/02/2004, 5:28 PM

It will good to get an away friendly in to see how the younger guys cope away. However, as it likely to be in April there will be mass drop outs with the season finishing.

**gspain** · 26/02/2004, 8:23 AM

Originally posted by lopez
Bydgo...sh*t!!! Would have liked Kracow where there is a bit more culture going on. Wasn't this also the kip of the 1981 3-0 defeat? Me thinks a return beano to Madame Marijana's could be on the cards for the more seasoned members of the FAI Council. Let's hope they actually see the game this time.

Anyway, this is what the Polish FA said: Prezydium Zarz�du PZPN ustali�o ceny bilet�w na najbli�sze mecze towarzyskie reprezentacji Polski. Karty wst�pu na spotkanie Polska � USA, kt�re rozegrane zostanie 31 marca w P�ocku kosztowa� b�d�: 20, 30, 70 i 100 z�otych. Ceny bilet�w na mecz Polska � Irlandia, kt�ry odb�dzie si� 28 kwietnia na stadionie Zawiszy w Bydgoszczy, ustalono na: 20, 35, 50 i 70 z�otych. Erm that isn't what it said as the lifting of the article hasn't worked out too well. Still, no need to speak Polish to get the raw details. Haven't seen anything on the FAI site yet.

Yes same venue as 81 game - Packie's debut. I didn't get to sample to delights of Madame Marijana's though in 91 and too young in 81 - 1st away trip was Rotterdam a few months later.

BTW I do rememebr that in 91 the U21 game was live on TV - olympic qualifier for Poland and not a single journalist made the trip and they all filed their reports from Poznan having watched the game on TV.

**lopez** · 26/02/2004, 10:44 AM

Originally posted by gspain
Yes same venue as 81 game - Packie's debut. I didn't get to sample to delights of Madame Marijana's though in 91 and too young in 81 - 1st away trip was Rotterdam a few months later.

My first away game was the same (in fact it was my first game full stop

).

Originally posted by gspain
BTW I do rememebr that in 91 the U21 game was live on TV - olympic qualifier for Poland and not a single journalist made the trip and they all filed their reports from Poznan having watched the game on TV.

I've seen the antics of some of the Irish press corps at close range and they wouldn't feel out of place in Madame Marijana's.

One hack from The Sun was known as 'Magic' after the LA Lakers basketball player who caught AIDS sleeping around. Another night in Tirana in 93 I was having a drink in the street talking to some locals and a policeman when this semi-naked drunk (all he had on was a towel) stumbled out of some house shouting at us to keep the 'fe*kin' noise down lads'. He was one of Ireland's top sports photographers.

And who could forget in this Hall of Shame, 'Slags', aka 'The Italian Stallion' whose proud boast was that he'd never been to a brothel even though some of his female aquaintances wouldn't get a job as a puta in that crack house in the film, New Jack City. If you're reading this Slags, are you still alive?

**sylvo** · 26/02/2004, 11:01 PM

Yea he is still going strong by the sound of thing's, he was commentating on Fulham v someone on capital gold the other night, I heard his dolesit tone's while I was crashed out in the lorry coming back from Watford.

**czarner** · 27/02/2004, 12:23 AM

I'm an Irishman currently living in Bydgoszcz and all the Poles here are telling me that the match is definitely on (for 28th April) and tickets are going on sale soon (for 35, 50, and 70 zlotych each - about 8, 11 and 15 euro respectively; the 50 zl ones are the ones to get apparently). I was looking about the web for some English-language confirmation of this (as my Polish is still woeful) when I came across this site. So anyway, don't know why the FAI are saying nothing about it but hopefully the game will go ahead.

Anyway, some info about the city: Its got a population of about 400'000 but the city centre isn't very big and the pubs are ok but there that many of them; that said the drink is very cheap (in fact, everything is a good bit cheaper than in other large Polish cities) and they'll stay open as late as you want. The place is ok in its own way but it's primarily an industrial and commercial city and doesn't have too much of interest culturally - its a bit of a Limerick really. The stadium they'll be playing in belongs to a 3rd division club but it's fairly big (they were a top team until about 20 years ago apparently) and they've held a good few internationals here, the last being against Scotland about 3 years ago. Everyone still talks about the Scottish fans quite a bit so you lot owe it to your country to get over here in large numbers and give the locals something to remember!

**gspain** · 27/02/2004, 7:44 AM

Originally posted by czarner

- its a bit of a Limerick really. !

As I said it's a really nice city.

**lopez** · 27/02/2004, 9:01 AM

Originally posted by czarner
The place is ok in its own way but it's primarily an industrial and commercial city and doesn't have too much of interest culturally - its a bit of a Limerick really.

Erm, count me out!

Originally posted by sylvo
Yea he is still going strong by the sound of thing's, he was commentating on Fulham v someone on capital gold the other night, I heard his dolesit tone's while I was crashed out in the lorry coming back from Watford.

Yeah I s'pose no one wants to listen to QPR playing.

**czarner** · 27/02/2004, 6:39 PM

Don't think I'd ever make a succesful career in sales

Its not that bad really... honest, guv

**lopez** · 27/02/2004, 6:59 PM

Only joking hombre. I'm virtually committed to coming over, so you haven't done that bad. Wished it was in Kracow though. Maybe you'd even agree on that one.

**lopez** · 02/03/2004, 10:21 AM

Spoke to a nice colleen at the FAI by email today and apparently the 'fixture is 99.9% going ahead.' The FAI 'are just waiting on the Polish to return the signed agreement which they have not done yet.' Bydgoszcz is definitely the venue.

**London Irish** · 02/03/2004, 5:58 PM

Originally posted by lopez
Spoke to a nice colleen at the FAI by email today and apparently the 'fixture is 99.9% going ahead.' The FAI 'are just waiting on the Polish to return the signed agreement which they have not done yet.' Bydgoszcz is definitely the venue.

Good work Lopez!!! Agree it is a shame it wasn't Kracow which is easilly the best part of Poland....For those intersted there is a new Polish budget airline (can't be bothered to do a web search) my mate was telling me about......Flies I think to/from Warsaw and Poznan (from London) but Bydgoszcz is coincidently eqidistant from both!!

Can't wait!!!! And only four weeks + 1 day to the Czechs in Dublin!!!!Keep them coming I say!!!!!

**lopez** · 05/03/2004, 12:44 PM

Just got an email from my contact at the FAI confirming that the red tape has been cleared and the game is confirmed. Presumably an official statement will be posted on the FAI website and the press.

**lopez** · 05/03/2004, 1:27 PM

Originally posted by davros
Probably out of Jnr.'s WC remit,but definitely interested in going....

Any news on budget flights/trains,planes,automobiles etc.....

Air Polonia (a Polish Ryanair) fly there from Stansted: Warsaw flights are daily. British Airways also do cheap deals too.

**Junior** · 05/03/2004, 1:50 PM

Originally posted by davros
Probably out of Jnr.'s WC remit,but definitely interested in going....

Any news on budget flights/trains,planes,automobiles etc.....

hey Davros, was flicking through 'Jack Charltons USA94 Diary' and guess who's ugly mug appears in it, with a group of fans in Albania - you celebrity you!!

Won't make the Poland game, fair bit on at the moment off to the Nou Camp with a bit of luck in a few weeks time !!

**lopez** · 05/03/2004, 1:57 PM

Originally posted by Junior
hey Davros, was flicking through 'Jack Charltons USA94 Diary' and guess who's ugly mug appears in it, with a group of fans in Albania - you celebrity you!!

Won't make the Poland game, fair bit on at the moment off to the Nou Camp with a bit of luck in a few weeks time !!

I'm there on the left. Also present is T 'No Pasaran' F, Davey G and the late Tony Booth.

Happy days.