Non-NUFC games you've attended / are attending

[ponsaelius]

Went to watch a random top flight game in Cyprus, between a side already safe and another already relegated.

 

Finished 6-6, could have been far more. Definitely one of the oddest games I've ever been to, and by a long way the highest scoring. One of those where you wouldn't be surprised in years to come to find out that numerous players were involved in a spot fixing scandal.

 

 

Edited April 24, 2024 by ponsaelius

[Yorkie]

Attended an EFL relegation shit-off yesterday, as Huddersfield and Birmingham all but demoted one another. Was a remarkable sight seeing both teams crestfallen on the pitch at full time, but by God was there a dearth in quality; barely distinguishable from some of the more competitive contests I've observed at York City. 

 

Our seats were among the rowdier of the home support, which I have to say was quality because everyone spent the whole match standing. That was my first experience of that at a big game and I would say - without question - that it would be my preferred way to watch football. 

 

In true football tourist fashion I missed Hudds' equaliser as I was stood on the concourses with an inch of bad lager in a cracked plastic cup. Mrs' missed both goals for the same reason. Scum, sub-human scum.

 

 

[Disco]

OM 3-1 Lorient. 
 

 

Second time here. What a city, what a ground.

 

(A rapier finish by Benjamin Mendy for the visitors being the best of the goals. )

[Deuce]

2 hours ago, Disco said:

rapier finish by Benjamin Mendy

[ponsaelius]

I've got a ticket in the Atalanta end for next Wednesday.

 

I also have a Cat 3 neutral that I need to shift if anybody Dublin based wants it.

[Yorkie]

Jealous as fuck

[Disco]

Went to Hammarby 1-1 IFK Norrköping the other week. Stadium and atmosphere both really good but the standard is way worse than what I thought it would be. Albeit stadium is sort of in a shopping centre/entertainment area so it’s all bit new and clean so not ideal IMO but very decent once in.
 

Think it’s the first game I’ve been to with a placca pitch, very disconcerting for reasons I can’t put my finger on. Could see right in the TV studio at HT as well, no idea who they are like.
 

 

And then was at Bath 0-1 Enfield last weekend which was canny, lovely little non league ground if an absolute arse to get too. Proper smash and grab performance from the visitors. 
 

 

[NSG]

Off to Japan in a few weeks so taking in a couple of J League games. Got FC Tokyo v Grampus 8 (without the 8 nowadays) and also Vissel Kobe v Fukuoka.

 

Get to see Yoshinori in action  

[Ameritoon]

4 hours ago, NSG said:

Off to Japan in a few weeks so taking in a couple of J League games. Got FC Tokyo v Grampus 8 (without the 8 nowadays) and also Vissel Kobe v Fukuoka.

 

Get to see Yoshinori in action  

 

I'll be right behind you for FC Tokyo vs. Shonan Bellmare

[duo]

 @NSG @Ameritoon totally jealous !! Japan is awesome - Enjoy 🙂

[El Prontonise]

You going to any Baseball @Ameritoon over there?

[Ameritoon]

6 minutes ago, El Prontonise said:

You going to any Baseball @Ameritoon over there?

Unfortunately I miss it by about 2 weeks but definitely want to go to a game and a sumo tournament in the future 

[Kilcline]

Working in the NW for a couple of days ahead of Saturday so had a drive down to Port Vale v Notts County tonight, it's an absolutely dreadful game 

[Wallsendmag]

Was at Juventus v PSV on Tuesday. 

 

PIF should take a look at that stadium and make sure ours is absolutely nothing like it whatsoever. A very underwhelming arena, inside and out and as for the facilities, fair enough I was in the away section but they had one small serving hatch, which you had to leave the stadium to access, for the entire away end.

[TheBrownBottle]

3 hours ago, Wallsendmag said:

Was at Juventus v PSV on Tuesday. 

 

PIF should take a look at that stadium and make sure ours is absolutely nothing like it whatsoever. A very underwhelming arena, inside and out and as for the facilities, fair enough I was in the away section but they had one small serving hatch, which you had to leave the stadium to access, for the entire away end.

Did you go to the Delle Alpi in 2002 WM?  I don't get the impression that Turin can build decent grounds - that one was built for the 1990 WC and was already an absolute shit tip when we played there in the CL against Juve only a dozen years later.  The state of the bogs was a wonder of the ages - you could've swam in there.  Though I always did like a running track in European grounds - it always made it 'feel' like you were at a European match!

[Disco]

30 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Did you go to the Delle Alpi in 2002 WM?  I don't get the impression that Turin can build decent grounds - that one was built for the 1990 WC and was already an absolute shit tip when we played there in the CL against Juve only a dozen years later.  The state of the bogs was a wonder of the ages - you could've swam in there.  Though I always did like a running track in European grounds - it always made it 'feel' like you were at a European match!

IIRC a running track that wasn’t up to standard for athletics. Lovely stuff. 

[TheBrownBottle]

1 hour ago, Disco said:

IIRC a running track that wasn’t up to standard for athletics. Lovely stuff. 

Mebbes they used it for dog racing, like the old Wembley

[Miercoles]

On 30/01/2025 at 14:01, Ameritoon said:

Unfortunately I miss it by about 2 weeks but definitely want to go to a game and a sumo tournament in the future 

 

Would love to go to the sumo. The Japanese state media YouTube channel does an excellent English language recap of each day of the bashos and it is fun as fuck to watch. As far as fight sports go sumo is hard to beat for action per minute, and if you're into grappling they are doing some high level shit so it's fun to watch.

[Wallsendmag]

6 hours ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Did you go to the Delle Alpi in 2002 WM?  I don't get the impression that Turin can build decent grounds - that one was built for the 1990 WC and was already an absolute shit tip when we played there in the CL against Juve only a dozen years later.  The state of the bogs was a wonder of the ages - you could've swam in there.  Though I always did like a running track in European grounds - it always made it 'feel' like you were at a European match!

 

Nah I didn't go. Few of my mates went and said it was a shit hole and from what I can gather the Juventus and Torino fans hated it as well. 

 

For a club of Juventus stature their new stadium was so underwhelming. Nothing special to look at from the outside and very basic inside. Only holds 41k as well and tbh it wasn't even completely full either. A few empty seats dotted about. Atmosphere fairly average too.

 

You look at both Milan clubs pulling in 75k every week, Roma 60k, Napoli 50k and you wonder how Juventus don't have a bigger fanbase.

[NUFC91]

44 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

Nah I didn't go. Few of my mates went and said it was a shit hole and from what I can gather the Juventus and Torino fans hated it as well. 

 

For a club of Juventus stature their new stadium was so underwhelming. Nothing special to look at from the outside and very basic inside. Only holds 41k as well and tbh it wasn't even completely full either. A few empty seats dotted about. Atmosphere fairly average too.

 

You look at both Milan clubs pulling in 75k every week, Roma 60k, Napoli 50k and you wonder how Juventus don't have a bigger fanbase.

 

What's interesting about Juventus is they are the biggest supported club in Italy (most watched on Italian TV) but have by far the largest out of region supports (glory fans). 

 

Spent some time in Torino after we played Milan and the locals were all Torino fans. Interestingly in Milan the amount of bar staff/restaurant staff that supported Juventus was mental.

 

My mates dad moved to England as young lad from Italy, he lived in South near Sicily and again growing up majority of his school were Juventus fans.

[mattypnufc]

Just now, NUFC91 said:

 

What's interesting about Juventus is they are the biggest supported club in Italy (most watched on Italian TV) but have by far the largest out of region supports (glory fans). 

 

Spent some time in Torino after we played Milan and the locals were all Torino fans. Interestingly in Milan the amount of bar staff/restaurant staff that supported Juventus was mental.

 

My mates dad moved to England as young lad from Italy, he lived in South near Sicily and again growing up majority of his school were Juventus fans.

The Man U of Italy

[ponsaelius]

56 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

Nah I didn't go. Few of my mates went and said it was a shit hole and from what I can gather the Juventus and Torino fans hated it as well. 

 

For a club of Juventus stature their new stadium was so underwhelming. Nothing special to look at from the outside and very basic inside. Only holds 41k as well and tbh it wasn't even completely full either. A few empty seats dotted about. Atmosphere fairly average too.

 

You look at both Milan clubs pulling in 75k every week, Roma 60k, Napoli 50k and you wonder how Juventus don't have a bigger fanbase.

 

As discussed subsequently Juventus have the biggest fan base in Italy by a fair way - but not locally. If you were to look at the data of most provinces/regions, particularly in the south, they will usually be the second most popular team in every area behind the local club. This adds up to a large cumulative supporter base.

 

A lot of the supporter base in the south in particular came from the large numbers of southern Italians who moved north for work, many specifically working for the Agnelli family at FIAT. During the economic boom Juventus became synonymous with the economic growth in the same way the various other industries/brands did and were seen as an aspirational club to support. The southern diaspora passed on a lot of this support back to families at home and these connections are still there.

 

The club has always also deliberately marketed itself as a club of the country rather than Turin, which makes it easier for any potential gloryhunter to shamelessly latch onto. The fact there is no reference to the city in the name exemplifies this - and the site of the new stadium and training ground complex being both put quite a way out of the city core continues that trend. Of course they were the club that pushed most to leave for the super league too.

 

If anybody wants to understand more the oddity that is Juventus (I'm not sure there is an equivalent in other countries in Europe really) then the book 'Juve!' by Herbie Sykes is a really good read.

[SteV]

2 minutes ago, ponsaelius said:

A lot of the supporter base in the south in particular came from the large numbers of southern Italians who moved north for work, many specifically working for the Agnelli family at FIAT.

Is this the Italian version of backshift at Nissan?

[Nucasol]

25 minutes ago, ponsaelius said:

 

As discussed subsequently Juventus have the biggest fan base in Italy by a fair way - but not locally. If you were to look at the data of most provinces/regions, particularly in the south, they will usually be the second most popular team in every area behind the local club. This adds up to a large cumulative supporter base.

 

A lot of the supporter base in the south in particular came from the large numbers of southern Italians who moved north for work, many specifically working for the Agnelli family at FIAT. During the economic boom Juventus became synonymous with the economic growth in the same way the various other industries/brands did and were seen as an aspirational club to support. The southern diaspora passed on a lot of this support back to families at home and these connections are still there.

 

The club has always also deliberately marketed itself as a club of the country rather than Turin, which makes it easier for any potential gloryhunter to shamelessly latch onto. The fact there is no reference to the city in the name exemplifies this - and the site of the new stadium and training ground complex being both put quite a way out of the city core continues that trend. Of course they were the club that pushed most to leave for the super league too.

 

If anybody wants to understand more the oddity that is Juventus (I'm not sure there is an equivalent in other countries in Europe really) then the book 'Juve!' by Herbie Sykes is a really good read.

Definitely sounds like Man Utd but without the work-based attachment (more the post-Munich national sympathy as the club rebuilding from adversity).

[Wallsendmag]

51 minutes ago, NUFC91 said:

 

What's interesting about Juventus is they are the biggest supported club in Italy (most watched on Italian TV) but have by far the largest out of region supports (glory fans). 

 

Spent some time in Torino after we played Milan and the locals were all Torino fans. Interestingly in Milan the amount of bar staff/restaurant staff that supported Juventus was mental.

 

My mates dad moved to England as young lad from Italy, he lived in South near Sicily and again growing up majority of his school were Juventus fans.

 

I'm pretty sure they played a home game at the San Siro many years ago, possibly when they were still at the old Delle Alpi and it was a complete sell out. Might have been a CL game.