Tuesday, 30 June 2020

Germany Calling !!




Manny. 

On Sunday 28/6/2020, Our old mate, Manny, who we’d known since 1973, when we drank in the Greyhound pub in Balls Pond Rd, sadly passed away. 

He’d been suffering with pneumonia but managed to watch his beloved Arsenal on television one last time. 

Always smiling, Always Arsenal. 

RIP. 




Germany Calling!!

Berlin - Borussia - Bayern. 


Berlin - 2013. 

In August 2013, my wife and I, took our granddaughter, Hollie, to Berlin for a few days. 

Apart from sightseeing and shopping, I managed to get to see the Olympic stadium, built in 1936, nowadays, the home of Hertha Berlin. 






























Hollie prefers Shopping. 




Borussia - 2013. 

Arsenal played Borussia Dortmund away in the Champions League in November 2013. 

As I’d never previously seen a football match in Germany and had always wanted to see the Dortmund fan’s famous “Yellow Wall”, I travelled there by car with Henry T, Mick C and Terry Jones. 

Henry had done all the travel arrangements and we stayed in a hotel directly opposite the stadium. 

On the morning before the game, we visited the Dortmund museum. 







Museum. 




Everywhere I go, they’ve got a European Cup. 












London Fan Club. 




Yellow Wall. 




Klopp is King. 







The Terry “Dortmunder” Jones Entrance




Match Programme. 




Terry is about to become a German. 




After a Bratwurst (Without Sauerkraut) and a few beers, we later crossed the road to enter the stadium. 

The police were doing the mandatory pat down of Arsenal Fans, checking for weapons etc, but not the locals. 

Now Terry Jones has, for many years, always argued that my head is bigger than his. 

As I approached the police officer, he patted me down and searched my pockets as normal, then let me pass. 

When Terry stepped up and raised his arms to be searched, the copper just said, Dortmunder?  and let him through the cordon. 

I was in hysterics and told Terry, the copper thought you were German because of the size of your head.

Terry can’t ever argue with me anymore, as I just call him a “Dortmunder”.


Inside the stadium we met our old mate Spandau and Terry borrowed his scarf for our photo. 


Myself & Terry “Dortmunder” Jones. 




The teams walk out. 



Arsenal won 1-0 and we returned to our hotel for a few more beers. 

When we eventually decided to go to our room, there were two very tall, unhappy, German blokes in the lift with us. 

After a few moments of silence, Terry started singing “Always look on the bright side of life”.
They burst out laughing and shook his hand. 



Terry’s Grandson, Sam, gets a Dortmunder shirt. 




Terry’s Grandkids, Bethany & Sam, in an Arsenal shirt. 





Bayern - 2017. 



An offer I couldn’t refuse. 


As I was rarely going to a football match by now, when Mick C offered me a seat on a mini bus with his mates to go and see Arsenal play at Bayern Munich in the Champions League, I gladly accepted it. 

After driving across France, we eventually arrived in Munich, on match day, at about midday. 

After quickly checking in our hotel, we went to the Hofbrauhaus Bierkeller for food and drinks. 



Hofbrauhaus Bierkeller. 





Cheers!!




Spot the German!!




Like Father - Like Son. 



Later, we merrily, along with a few thousand other Gooners, made our way to the stadium, only to see Arsenal get slaughtered 5-1. 



Ray Parlour was in with Gary D’s son Lee. 





Outside the Stadium is impressive. 




Inside is impressive as well. 



The Bayern team were even more impressive. 

They beat Arsenal 5-1 in both Legs and we all knew that the Arsene Wenger reign was coming to an end. 

As a measure of how bad Arsenal played that night, the stadium announcer mockingly asked, 
“Can we play you every week?”


At the end of the game we went back to our hotel for a few more beers and next morning, I managed to do a bit of sightseeing, while the other blokes slept in. 

We all went to the stadium again, before driving home. 


Still impressive. 



Like a Giant Tyre. 




Fantastically Different. 





Me & Mick C. 




Mick & His Mates. 





Different colours for different teams. 
Red - Bayern. 
Blue - Munich 1860. 
White - German National team. 


In the early hours of the next morning we arrived at a deserted Calais Customs Control point. 

The solitary officer on duty asked our driver, where we’d been? 

Johnny H, who was driving, replied, Munich. 

The officer then asked, what did you do there ?

As one, we all shouted, got fucking beat!!!

A Truly Funny, Marvellous, Magical, Moment.  


Next Post - Wednesday 1/7/2020. 

Wembley Wonders. 

Comments/Questions - oldgunnersandgooners@gmail.com

Monday, 29 June 2020

Barca - Boca - Betis.




Outside the Nou Camp. 


Barca. 

After knocking out Porto, I went to see Arsenal draw 2-2 with European Champions Barcelona, at the Emirates. 

Some of us decided to go to the 2nd Leg for a few days, as it also enabled us to meet our old mates, Charlie Mc, Tommo and Alan F. 
 
We also met Vic W and Mick C at the stadium. 



Inside the Nou Camp. 





3 Old North Bank Mates. 





Tommo & Dan. 



Although Arsenal were well beaten, it was a privilege to have seen such an outstanding performance from Lionel Messi, in what has been his incredible career. 

At the end of the game, even most of the Arsenal Fans applauded him off the pitch. 


Match ticket. 





Messi scores 4 goals. 




Almunia looks shattered - Messi looks Elated!!





It all got Messi on the night. 




One for the Spanish Speakers. 


We spent the next couple of days drowning our sorrows. 



Tommo - Alan F - Charlie Mc - Myself. 
Just like the old days !!





Vic C & Alan F. 








My belated 60th Birthday greeting from - 

Denmark & Charlton striker Alan Simonsen & Tommo. 




Even the Barman’s a Gooner. 




Boca. 


In February 2011, I achieved another of my boyhood dreams, when my wife and myself went to Buenos Aires and saw a match at “The Bonbonera” stadium, home of Boca Juniors. 


The Bonbonera - Home of Boca Juniors. 


We took a Boca stadium tour on another day, also toured the River Plate stadium and saw a local derby at the Indipendiente stadium against River Plate. 


Inside the Bonbonera. 





On the pitch with the Copa de Libertadores. 



The atmosphere at the Boca Juniors match was incredible. About 20 minutes before kickoff, the stadium is full, except for a large area on the terrace behind one goal. 

Then you can here hundreds of Boca fans, singing and chanting, as they march down the street and enter the stadium together and fill the gap on the terrace. 


Jugador numéro 12 - The 12th player. 


They never stopped singing throughout the game and up until about 20 minutes afterwards. 
Most of the time, they were bouncing up and down as well. 

Probably, the best support I’ve ever seen in my life. 

Disappointingly, it was a 0-0 draw, so I can only imagine what it would have been like if Boca had scored. 

Boca Juniors Match Programme. 




Guy gets a Boca Juniors Shirt. 






River Plate stadium - Where Argentina won the World Cup in 1978. 




Indipendiente stadium. 




Indipendiente fans. 












Souvenirs of Buenos Aires. 



The following week we went to Santiago in Chile and although we never saw a game, we did see Colo Colo’s and the Chilean National stadiums. 



Colo Colo Pennant. 





Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas wins the World Cup with Spain in South Africa - 2010. 





Later in the year, we visited Seville in Spain. 

Outside Real Betis stadium in Seville. 



Next Post - Tuesday 30/6/2020. 


Germany Calling. 


Comments/Questions - oldgunnersandgooners@gmail.com