The Last PostThis will be the last post on European Football Weekends. But hey, don't be shedding any tears -
it's been a thunderously good ride. At the start of 2012 I decided to take a little break from EFW,
and see how things panned out. I've enjoyed that freedom so much that it now feels right to hang up
the old keyboard.
And a cracking 2012 full of European Football Weekends, peace and happiness to you all. Thanks a
million to all of you who have logged on to read these pages during 2011 and huge props to all of
you who have contributed articles, photos, useful information and the like either on here or over
on the EFW Facebook page or forum.
The Pride of the NorthFC Groningen 1-0 FC Utrecht (17:12:11)West Brom fan Thomas Archer sidesteps the usual Dutch red tape for a
rare chance to see FC Groningen...As anyone who has travelled to watch football in the Lowlands, and The Netherlands in particular,
you will be aware that it is easier to get a visa to enter North Korea than to enter most football
grounds to watch some Eredivisie action.
Louder Than BombsLegia Warsaw 0-0 Cracovia (10:12:11)During June of next year the streets of the Polish capital will be pounding with football fans
ready to embrace Euro 2012. The Polish FA will ensure that there are ladies dressed in traditional
Polish folk costumes stood on every corner, and Uefa will insist that those fans drink only
Coca-Cola, Castrol or Carlsberg and that no food should exist in Warsaw outside of McDonalds.
The Belgrade Derby: A World PhenomenonCrvena Zvezda 0-2 Partizan Belgrade (26:11:11)The taxi ground to a halt with the floodlights of the Marakana rising in the distance, writes
Andy Hudson. A single policeman tried to control the traffic from six different directions;
the angles of his hands lost amidst the steam billowing from his mouth.
The Belgrade Derby: A World PhenomenonCrvena Zvezda 0-2 Partizan Belgrade (26:11:11)The taxi ground to a halt with the floodlights of the Marakana rising in the distance, writes
Andy Hudson. A single policeman tried to control the traffic from six different directions;
the angles of his hands lost amidst the steam billowing from his mouth.
The Calm Before The StormBSK Borča 0-4 Vojvodina (26:11:11)It's the morning of The Eternal Derby in Belgrade. Before living and
breathing that dream fixture, Ken Morton and friends took in a match in relatively serene
surroundings...The Luton Ibis is far from glamorous but the prospect of a big European derby made it slightly
easier to rise from my slumber.
The Japanese NewcastleGamba Osaka 1-0 Vegalta Sendai (26:11:11)Newcastle United fan Michael Hudson travels to Osaka to see the
Japanese version of... Newcastle United...There are two ways of getting from Nagoya to Osaka by train. The Shinkansen takes just under an
hour and will set you back the best part of sixty quid each way; a combination of local and rapid
trains is more than twice as long, half the price and perfectly timed to allow you to read at least
halfway through the
Blizzard while sitting next to a bloke in a gauze face mask whose head
keeps falling against your right shoulder.
A hard days night to FC BayernBayern Munich 4-0 Hertha Berlin (15:10:11)Last month Mr and Mrs Orton took a romantic sleeper train to Germany
to see FC Bayern Munich play at the futuristic Allianz Arena. This was their day (and
night)...A couple of weeks ago Mrs O (Debra, as in the Mrs) and I found ourselves with the opportunity to
see Bayern Munich play Hertha Berlin at the super sexy Allianz Arena.
