Getting soaked in Florence...

Fiorentina 2-1 Carpi

Stadio Artemio Franchi

Wednesday 3rd February 2016

Serie A

Inside Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Florence is without doubt one of the most magnificent, charming and delightful cities in Europe. 

Regardless or whether you visit the city centre, officially listed as a World Heritage Site, the fabulous Michelangelo Monument for a stunning panoramic view, or just casually stroll around the many narrow streets, you can't help to be blown away by some brilliant architecture.

Tuscany is definitely up there with Barcelona, Berlin and Lisbon as one of my favourite destinations in Europe.

Duomo in Florence's historic centre.

With some careful planning, I'd timed my trip to this particular part of the world to coincide with a visit to the Stadio Artemio Franchi - the home of AC Fiorentina and a place where UFO's were allegedly spotted over half a century ago - a true story and definitely one that's worth a Google Search when you have a spare five minutes.

Another photo in Florence's historic city centre.

The stadium is located on the outskirts of the city; roughly three miles from the historic 'Duomo' and Santa Maria Novella railway station which serves numerous other major Italian cities.

I'd arrived in Florence (or Firenze as it's called in Italian) just after 1.00pm after a relaxing coach journey from Rome which cost just 50p thanks to Megabus.

The narrow streets of Florence.

One thing that potential visitors to Florence may not be aware of is the city doesn't have a particularly extensive local transport system - there are service buses which run, apparently, but these weren't easy to locate and precisely what routes they operate is anyone's guess. Furthermore, unlike most other major European tourist destinations, there isn't a tram or metro system in place so the most straightforward way to get from A to B is to walk.

With that in mind, having strolled through Santa Maria Novella railway station; the Megabus stop in Piazzale Montelungo is adjacent, I acquired a map from the local tourist office and then spent most of the afternoon exploring some of the brilliant architecture - gradually meandering towards the Stadio Artemio Franchi which was right beside my accommodation for the night, too.

Florence - a magnificent city and one of my favourite in Europe.

If you're of a certain age, there is a strong possibility that you spent some Saturday's morning watching Gazzetta: Football Italia on Channel Four. Therefore, I couldn't resist nipping into a swanky looking restaurant and indulging in some local cuisine with a copy of Gazzetta Dello Sport whilst wondering all the while whether James Richardson had ever done the same during one of his, no doubt several, trips here.

Outside the stadium - before the rain arrived.

After checking into my accommodation and chilling out by listening to a local radio station (where I realised that Italian folk seem to be just as obsessed with Adele as the rest of Europe), time passed quickly and the game itself was only an hour or so away.

Due to several acts of football-related hooliganism in the country in recent years, the Italian authorities have imposed strict regulations on the purchasing of tickets. To obtain a ticket, you'll need to have either your passport or an identity card, both at the time of purchase and at the security points where your ticket will be checked by the police. If the name on the match ticket doesn't correspond with the name on your photographic form of identity, the likelihood is you'll be denied access to the stadium and won't get to see the game.

Italian stadiums aren't the best in Europe by any means.

As a result of these measures, which were brought in a few years ago, attendances at Italian games have plummeted with many fans feeling resentment towards the authorities; accusing them of treating football fans as second-class citizens. This particular game only attracted a crowd of 22,791 and attendances elsewhere, even at bigger clubs such as AC Milan, sometimes aren't even big enough to fill half the crowd.

Another gripe, harboured by many Italian supporters, is that most of the country's stadiums are run down, depressed, lack covered sections and are absolutely filthy. Nearly every stadium in the country is council-owned and many haven't seen much in the way of modernisation for a very long time - the most notable of very few exceptions being Juventus, whose newly-built ground is privately-owned.

Looking out of the stadium and onto the streets.

It's unsurprising, therefore, that the Stadio Artemio Franchi was somewhat disappointing. A ticket in the uncovered Curva De Sud (behind the goal) cost just over €20. The pitch seemed miles away and it was reminiscent of the old Don Valley Stadium, where Rotherham United played for four years between leaving Millmoor and taking up residence at the New York Stadium.

That, by the way, is probably the only time Rotherham will ever get compared to Fiorentina!

The game itself looked as if it would be straightforward enough for the hosts. Viola were challenging to climb into a Champions League position and lowly Carpi, described at the time as 'the Yeovil Town of Italian Football', were struggling near the foot of Serie A.

Fans brave the terrible weather at Stadio Artemio Franchi.

There was a bizarre moment as the teams emerged onto the pitch with Status Quo's 'Whatever You Want' blasting out over the PA system. I'd expected a few things, but certainly not that.

As it was, the game was spoiled (certainly from a spectators point of view) by a relentless rainstorm which began five minutes into the game and lasted until nearly the final whistle.

On the pitch, the hosts made a blistering start thanks to a goal from Borja Valero inside the opening two minutes, but in treacherous conditions they couldn't build on that advantage and Carpi drew level thanks to a strike from Kevin Lasagna with a quarter-of-an-hour remaining.

My view for the second half as I attempted to keep dry.

With Fiorentina boss Paulo Sousa, one-time of Queens Park Rangers and Swansea City, coming under increasing criticism from a disgruntled crowd, his blushes were spared as Mauro Zarate, signed from West Ham United just a week earlier, scored in injury-time to give Viola a 2-1 win and consign the visitors to a very unfortunate defeat.

The game wasn't a classic and probably won't live long in my memory. However, the weather, or at least getting soaked, is my most vivid recollection.

And at least the Don Valley Stadium had a covered concourse!

The panoramic view of Florence - simply magnificent.

Two German giants on the River Rhein..

For those that don't follow goings on in the best-attended football league in Europe, today, Sunday 10th April, is 'derby day' as two rivals from the River Rhein, 1. FC Köln and Bayer 04 Leverkusen, lock horns at the RheinEnergie Stadion.

Whilst the rivalry between the two clubs might not be the best known about in Europe, it's still pretty fierce - with 1. FC Köln historically the more dominant domestically, though their arch-rivals have enjoyed plenty of notoriety in European competitions - especially in modern times.

To throw in a couple of random facts, 1. FC Köln have won two Bundesliga titles, whilst Bayer 04 Leverkusen have never actually finished top, but have finished as runners up on no fewer than five occasions.

The two clubs are located around 10 miles apart - with 1. FC Köln found in the west of the city, not overly far from where the main student population resides, whilst Leverkusen are in the north - about a mile or so away from Schlebusch (the terminus metro station on Line 4).

During a crazy near month-long tour of Europe at the start of this year, I was fortunate to visit both stadiums. As you can see, just like the clubs themselves, their stadiums also contrast greatly from one another...

Outside the BayArena.

Taken from the hotel, adjacent to the BayArena.
Bayer Leverkusen were playing 'silly sods' about letting me into the ground to take some photos.

The distinctive roof at the BayArena.

The impressive roof of the stadium.

The training facility adjacent to the BayArena - with more fences around than Fort Knox.

In the other part of the city, at the RheinEnergie Stadion - a distinctive venue.

Looking into the stadium.

This is where England played Sweden at the 2006 World Cup.

Another photo looking into the RheinEnergie Stadion.

Valentines in Barcelona!

Barcelona 6-1 Celta Vigo 

La Liga
Sunday 14th February 2016

Do you remember that game where Lionel Messi won a penalty and passed the ball to Luis Suarez to score? Well, this was it...

In a lifetime of visiting new places and watching obscure football matches, you know that for every time you witness a drab draw in the freezing cold in some far-flung corner of the country, there will be also be one game that creates dozens of memories and makes the whole football experience seem worthwhile.

Needless to say after frequent visits to places such as Newport, Morecambe and Dagenham & Redbridge in recent seasons, this trip to the Nou Camp to see Barcelona versus Celta Vigo was something altogether new and exciting - even if it's straight out of a typical 'football tourism' manual.

Things could have been very different because having planned a trip around Europe, two particular games stood out on this weekend. One was this game and the other was a Ligue 1 clash between Nantes and Lorient at Stade De La Beaujoire in North-West France simply, mainly because that's a stadium I've long since wanted to visit (yet still haven't managed to do so).

In the end, Barcelona got the nod... sometimes you just make the right choice!

I'd arrived in the city a day prior to the game following a mammoth 14-hour coach journey from Paris which had cost just £1.50 (cheers Megabus) so I spent plenty of time unwinding and enjoying the many, many, many sights and attractions here beforehand.

I'd decided to make my way to the Nou Camp using the metro system. The journey was pretty straightforward, taking 20 minutes, and passed relatively smoothly - joining the train at Passeig De Gracia (located not that far from Las Ramblas) and alighting with the masses at Les Corts, which is situated around a ten-minute walk away.

Surprisingly, the Camp Nou doesn't look that big from the outside because in a similar fashion to the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, the pitch is actually below ground level. Nevertheless, once you're inside, it's hard not to be amazed by the sheer size of the place. I can testify that the steps leading up to the seats in the top tier are VERY steep but you do get a quality view over the city.

One thing that took me totally by surprise is that the game wasn't anywhere close to a sell-out. By kick-off, there were still hundreds of vacant seats everywhere in the ground and the attendance was later given as just 70,000 - about 30,000 short of its full capacity. It's difficult to imagine such a scenario happening in the Premier League at say Manchester United or Liverpool, or at any of the top-flight clubs in London.

The game itself will always be remembered because of Lionel Messi's pass penalty to Luis Suarez, but in a tepid first half, which never really got going, the Argentinian produced a moment of magic - curling a 25-yard free-kick into the top corner to give the hosts an early advantage. Celta Vigo, something of a nuisance team to Barcelona in recent years, hit back thanks to a penalty from John Guidetti and surprisingly looked comfortable as the score was 1-1 at the interval.

Nevertheless, in the second half, despite Celta's best efforts and a couple of spells where they posed some real questions of their counterparts, Barcelona kicked into action. Suarez made it 2-1 on the hour mark, before doubling his personal tally for the evening with a quarter of an hour remaining. I don't know what the Spanish is for 'throwing the towel in' but from going 3-1 down, that's exactly what Vigo did.

That great moment, which took the world by storm, then occurred a couple of minutes later when Messi deservedly won a spot-kick. My expectation was that with Suarez on a hat-trick, the diminutive superstar would step aside and let the ex-Liverpool man take responsibility. What happened next couldn't have been predicted by anyone as Messi nonchalantly laid the ball into Suarez's path - thus allowing the Uruguayan to pick his spot. Clever? Yes. Cheeky? Most definitely. However, I think if I'd been a Celta Vigo defender, then I'd have gone in with a crunching challenge at the next available opportunity, as scoring such a goal could quite easily be perceived as taking the p*ss.

With fans inside the Camp Nou now in raptures (and with their counterparts already suffering a public humiliation), Barca added two more goals to compound Celta's misery with Ivan Rakitic and Neymar adding their names to the score-sheet in the final five minutes or so.

A 6-1 victory for Barcelona. Nobody would have predicted that at half-time!

Getting away from the busy streets around the stadium afterwards wasn't quite as straightforward as I would have hoped. Queues into Les Corts for the metro were extremely long, so with a map in hand I opted for what proved to be a 45-minute walk back into the city centre.

With drizzle soon turning into heavy rain amidst muggy temperatures, I smelt absolutely delightful by the time I eventually made it back to the hostel where I was staying... but what a brilliant experience it was to be in such an iconic stadium for such an iconic moment.

An away day in Munich...

Bayern Munich 2-0 TSG Hoffenheim
Allianz Arena
Bundesliga
Sunday 31st January 2016

After spending a decade travelling around the United Kingdom watching football matches at dozens of different venues, it had always been a long-harboured intention to go abroad at some point and see what stadiums on the continent had to offer.

With Megabus offering extra-special fares throughout January whereby you could get long-haul trips for as cheap as 50p, I decided I was having some of that and before I knew it, I was booked on a European adventure, whereby I'd visit several places in just under a month and get to see no fewer than seven games on the continent. 

One of these games was the reigning German champions, Bayern Munich, against minnows TSG Hoffenheim at the Allianz Arena. Tickets, surprisingly, were simple to obtain thanks to some kind assistance by the ticket office at Bayern Munich.

In the week leading up to the game, I'd visited Cologne, Dortmund and Berlin. The night beforehand, I'd travelled down to southern Germany from the capital city - a journey which took some 10 hours (and cost £1.50 because someone else booked the first bus fare), but I still managed to get just about enough sleep to feel refreshed enough when I arrived at a snowy Munich at 6.30am.

Weather conditions, unfortunately, weren't what I'd hoped for as a snowy morning spent partly in the awe-inspiring Marienplatz, turned into a rainy afternoon - thus meaning at some point I was always going to get soaked to the bone. Especially lovely when I had a coach to catch to Milan later that night as well.

The Allianz Arena itself is a strange affair - located in the north of Munich, quite a distance from the city centre but next to the motorway - meaning it's easy to spot if travelling into the city. To reach the 75,000-capacity stadium by public transport, you have to alight at Fröttmaning on Munich's underground metro system and from there it's a 10-minute walk.

Once inside the stadium, the sheer size of the arena hits you. It's not quite as big as Wembley, but facilities are first class with plenty of legroom between seats, great views, a terrific PA system (which I could have probably heard, had I still been in Berlin) and a very noisy home faithful. I assume this would differ vastly from a TSV 1860 Munich game; the lower division outfit also share the Allianz Arena and average around 20,000 crowds.

As for the game, this would best be described as a typical performance of a side managed by Pep Guardiola. Bayern simply kept the ball, made dozens of passes, whilst their counterparts ran around chasing shadows in an effort to try and keep the score as respectable. 

Unsurprisingly, the reigning German champions emerged as comfortable winners, 2-0, thanks to goals either side of half-time by the prolific Robert Lewandowski.

A couple of strange aspects about the Allianz Arena is when the hosts score, the distinctive panels on the exterior of the stadium flash up. Given that the stadium is adjacent to one of the most well-used motorways into Munich, you can only hope there aren't too many drivers who get distracted by this otherwise it's a recipe for chaos.

Another bizarre aspect is catering kiosks in the stadium are cashless and you have to load money into advance onto a special debit card to effectively pay for what you want. Whilst I'm sure this speeds up the service, it's worth noting in advance - especially if you want a beer/coke/pie. Otherwise, it's a case of holding on until you've left the stadium.

Having been soaked to the skin for the second time after the game, it was back to Munich bus station to pick up the rest of my belongings which I'd left in one of the very cheap luggage lockers which are commonplace across Germany, get changed and ready for another night of travelling - and a new country with Milan next on the agenda.

Snowy Munich at 7.00am on a (very) cold winter morning.

The Marienplatz is well worth a visit.

Outside the Allianz Arena.

In the stadium before almost anyone else, as per usual.

Getting ready for kick-off.

The Bayern fans were a friendly enough bunch.

The Allianz Arena lit up in Bayern colours.

Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Burnley

Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Burnley
Ewood Park
Sky Bet Chamionship
Saturday 24th October 2015

Not convinced by this programme cover.

Having been to many 'big' local derbies in previous years, when Burnley were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2014/15 season, I was determined to get to their local derby with arch-rivals Blackburn Rovers the following year, and add that to my list.

My only previous visit to Ewood Park was to see Rovers against Portsmouth quite a few years earlier. On that occasion, in September 2007, they lost 1-0 in a pretty drab game with Kanu scoring the only goal, whilst Tugay and Robbie Savage went around kicking everyone in sight.

With many Blackburn fans unhappy that Gary Bowyer was still their manager, tickets for the game were relatively straightforward to come by and after exchanging a couple of e-mails with the club's ticket office, my wallet was soon almost £30 lighter and I was off to what promised to be a special East Lancashire derby.

A very empty (and wet) Ewood Park.

Burnley, unlike their nearest and dearest, had enjoyed a relatively good start to the season and were firmly in and amongst the promotion mix at the time. The feeling (or fear, depending on who you support) was that the Clarets would turn up at Ewood Park and dish out what is known in these parts as a good, old fashioned tonking.

The journey to Blackburn was less than eventful, with a two-hour coach ride to Leeds passing smoothly, before an hour-long journey on the train to my final destination. Luckily, for passengers, the local police force had made this trip a 'bubble' for visiting fans - thus meaning it was eerily quiet in terms of passengers numbers when the train passed through Burnley Manchester Road, en route. Once I was in a wet and drizzly Blackburn, a short 10-minute bus ride to the ground was required and I was outside Ewood Park for about 10.30am.

Weather conditions couldn't have been worse.

With weather conditions threatening to deteriorate further, I opted to head straight inside. Then came the task of trying to keep warm, as with the exception of a few stewards, I was one of only a handful of hardy souls already in the ground. The atmosphere didn't improve much by kick-off, surprisingly, with less than 20,000 turning out - and 6,000 of them were away fans creating a racket in the Darwen End.

Despite a goalless first half, during which not an awful lot happened and many of those watching on TV may have been bored, Blackburn kicked into life in the second half and went close on a couple of occasions with both Tom Lawrence and Jordan Rhodes squandering brilliant opportunities to send Rovers fans into raptures. Burnley's threat was less than sporadic, but just after the hour mark they made the hosts pay thanks to a sublime effort by Scott Arfield.

The Darwen End which housed the Burnley fans.

Rovers did their best to rally in the closing stages, but when it's not your day, it's simply not your day - that was proved in the dying minutes as an effort by Craig Conway rattled the upright, and despite further pressure, the hosts couldn't force an equaliser.

The journey back to Nottinghamshire was straightforward. A quick walk to the station resulted in being able to catch an earlier than expected train, which also subsequently meant that I was able to catch an earlier than anticipated return coach too. Once home it was straight to bed, as I'd been suffering with a severe bout of man flu for most of the day!

The visiting fans and players celebrate at full-time.

Cambuslang Rangers...

How many teams called Rangers are there in Scottish football?

So you've probably heard of Glasgow Rangers. And perhaps even Berwick Rangers even though, technically, they're located in England.

If you think outside of the box, you might be able to get Brora Rangers and Cove Rangers.

But Cambuslang Rangers? Nah, unless you either know your stuff or have connections to the area, there's every chance you've probably never heard of this relatively unknown junior club who are located in the 'central belt' of Scotland.

The 'Rangers' ply their trade in the West Region (Junior League) and, during a trip to Scotland last year, I couldn't resist to jump off the train at Cambuslang and find their ground, Somervell Park.

What better way is there to spend a Saturday night?

Outside the ground.

A different way to spend a Saturday night.

I wonder when they last replaced the posts?

Up the Cambuslang!

Alloa Athletic 0-1 Brechin City (2015)

Alloa Athletic 0-1 Brechin City

Scottish Championship Play-Off Semi-Final
Saturday 9th May 2015

The programme - featuring Michael Chopra

Having spent a few days 'up north' in the greatest country on the planet, a trip to Alloa Athletic's Indodrill Stadium, located deep in Clackmannanshire, was most definitely on the cards to push me one step closer to completing the Scottish 42.

As it turned out, this would be my fourth game in as many days following trips to East Fife, Greenock Morton (to watch Celtic's youth team) and Motherwell.

Edinburgh Waverley. A place I've spent many Saturday's aimlessly rushing about.

As always, what should have been a straightforward trip to Alloa threw up a couple of challenges as I was determined not to pay for a single ticket from Glasgow to Alloa, then a single ticket from Alloa to Edinburgh, where I was heading back home from the following night.

So, to keep costs down, I took full advantage of Megabus' dirt-cheap fares and headed to Edinburgh at around 8.30am, before then heading north on the train - eventually arriving in Alloa just after 1.00pm having stopped in Stirling for an hour or so, to pass the time.

Outside the Indodrill Stadium.

Despite somehow managing to get lost on my way from the station to the ground (not sure how when it's just a five-minute walk), I still got to the Indodrill Stadium in good time - so much so that I was one of the first people to pass through the turnstiles and enter the stadium.

The ground itself is pleasant enough with the two ends being relatively undeveloped, barring a small terrace, whilst on the sides lies a temporary stand of red seats which is opposite a 'wendy house' style main stand. In addition, the Clackmannanshire hills are easily visible in the distance and the scenery just adds to the charm of the place.

The Brechin players warm-up.

As for the game, Alloa had a somewhat obese Michael Chopra in their ranks and with such experience, plus the fact that they were already 2-0 up from the first leg, you'd have been forgiven for thinking that this would be a straightforward game on home soil as they sought to protect their status in the Scottish Championship.

Looking beyond the stand towards the Clackmannanshire hills.

Opponents Brechin, nevertheless, had other ideas and from the first whistle they seized the initiative and dominated proceedings. What cost them, however, was their wastefulness as time and time again, they were unable to find a goal to halve the Wasps' aggregate lead - much to the frustration of manager, Ray McKinnon. Eventually, Alan Trouten broke the deadlock on 82 minutes, but despite some nerve-jangling moments in the closing stages, Brechin couldn't strike again to force extra-time and Alloa held on to set-up a play-off final with much-fancied Forfar Athletic.

Another view of the 3G surface.

The journey back to Edinburgh again wasn't quite straightforward as I opted to stop in Larbert, to visit Stenhousemuir's Ochilview Park and get some photos of the ground. Stenny had just competed in a play-off game of their own where they managed to edge out East Fife.

Overall, my trip to Alloa was money well-spent and it means I've now got only Elgin, Brechin, Dundee and Peterhead to visit north of the border before I've done the whole lot in the SPFL.

A look at Lewes...

On my way to that glamorous FA Cup First Round tie between Whitehawk and Lincoln City, I couldn't resist popping past Lewes' Dripping Pan ground - a game where I'd seen the Rooks play Kettering Town some six years previously in their season-long stint in the Conference Premier.

It's a ground that I'd very much recommend visiting. Full of charm, character and pretty easy to get to - it's just a five-minute stroll (maximum) from Lewes railway station.

Unfortunately, it looks like the long-suffering fans of Lewes are about to witness another relegation season - thus meaning the boys from the Dripping Pan will almost certainly be plying their trade in the Ryman League Division One (South) in 2016/17.

Here are a few photos to enjoy...

Peering over the fence and into the Dripping Pan.

Great scenery if you look beyond the stand.

Outside the main entrance.

At the other end of the ground.

Undoubtedly an away day worth doing - if you're sad enough like me.

I wonder if that van gets moved on matchdays?

Arguably the best scenery from inside a football ground.