VfB Stuttgart 2-1 St. Pauli, Monday 8th August 2016

VfB Stuttgart 1-3 St. Pauli, att. 60,000 (capacity)

Pre-match in the underground.

I’m not sure one can get to a stadium any earlier than before the turnstiles open, but I did, and I still didn’t get in. Mistake #4 was problies trying to get a ticket in the away end, for St. Pauli, who surely must have the biggest away support in Bundesliga 2, if only due to their (inter)national appeal. But it’s Monday nite FFS, 20:15 KO and all that. And it’s in the south-west (Stuttgart) and Hamburg is, well, hundreds of miles away. No matter.

Pre-match entertainment.

My ire really is for Vfb Stuttgart. I stood in the slowest moving queue for over an hour and a half, before the ‘sold out’ notice came with 5 mins to KO. I was still about 50 from the front. And I’d be amazed if more than 100 were served before me. St. Pauli fans had no recourse but to mock what was (not) happening, otherwise tempers would have flared. When, after ….ooooh, 45 minutes of queueing?.....the ticket booth opened, a cheer. When someone…finally…finally….bought a ticket, another cheer (as said recipient waved it in the air like a winning lottery ticket). The quickest thing about Stuttgart was the security. Big burly men in yellow shirts appeared form nowhere as soon as the tickets sold out. Vfb obviously feared the worst, but, instead, received much in the way of raised eyebrows and headshaking. The queue had lone since resigned itself to not getting in.

Joining the queue.

A number of St P fans (and me) went round to the Vfb ticket booths. I could have done this pre-match, when HOME ticket booths were open and doing brisk business. I considered it, but I was there to support St. P (though many an away fan is often seen in the home stands of Germany). However, by now only the priciest of pricey tickets were left..go on, have a guess….yes, that’s right, €63, or about £53. I saw a St. P fan walking away, ticketless, muttering ’63 euros for a zweite bundesliga game’. No thanks.

Sold Out!

I was also bloody hungry and looking forward to a wurst or 2, but Vfb weren’t getting any of my money. I headed back into town, in itself a canny walk to Bad Cannstadt station, cos the U-bahn trains from the stadium weren’t going anywehere till AFTER the match. It also gives me a German team to dislike (hate’s a strong word) but Vfb, traditionally seen as one of the big 5 or so in Germany…well, I’m even more pleased than I was to see them get relegated. Long may they struggle.

I have been here 3 times seen one match (an earlier game was moved cos of a Robbie Williams concert). Thus, I wasn’t SO gutted this time about missing out. It just meant I could save my money. And the cheap Chinese I had was very nice, thank you very much.

HOW MUCH?  Home ticket booths.

Outside the stadium.

Stadium plan.

MSV Duisburg 0-2 St. Pauli, Sunday 28th February 2016

MSV Duisburg 0-2 St. Pauli, Bundesliga 2 (att. 20,790)

Welcome to ....

Having a weekend away for some Bundesliga action (Werder Bremen yesterday) I thought 'why not pop in and see St. Pauli?'  After all, Dusseldorf Airport is closeby Duisburg, allowing for a quick and easy exit back to Londontown.  Yes, it meant an earlyish start...the train was about 9ish...but as I was staying near the railway station in Bremen, it was easy enough.  I'd also contacted St. Pauli's fanladen for a ticket in the away end, so had to make sure I was at the stadium early to pick up my ticket.  

Will they do the reverse for the journey back to 3.liga?

I already knew where the MSV Arena was, due to previous visits.  If you come out of the correct side of the station, go straight ahead where buses will take you directly there.  (Stand H1?)  It's easy to spot...if you're playing St. Pauli, cos there's big away support and you can't miss them.  As you leave the station, there's even a little bottle shop where everyone tops up their account.  (Don't worry, the shopkeeper has a bottle opener on hand. Drinking in the street is to be encouraged in Duisburg.)

Erdinger...the amber cloudyish nectar!

Arriving at the ground, there were quite a few St. Pauli milling around, having a drink.  One enterprising soul even had Jagermeister on his drinks' stall.  Not your normal pre-match tipple but it was chilly and perhaps folk could do with a warmer-upper.  It looked like all the St. Pauli buses had arrived, including a 'femalebus'.  I asked if anyone knew where the fanladen guys were and I was directed in no time to Sven, who was handling multiple tickets along with a Dutch bloke.  I didn't expect a Dutchman to be involved with the fanladen, but I guess it shows their appeal.  After a little chat, I headed in.

Very slick...personalised for the trip to MSV.

I was in the seats this time, right behind the goal.  My seat was in row 7, lower than I'd like, but it didn't matter; everyone was standing anyway.  I headed further back.  And what a festival of football it was.  Actually, best not to mention the football, it was terrible.  A heading-for-relegation MSV looked it and St. P comfortably won 2-0, a low shot from the edge of the box being matched in injury time with a second.  MSV were hit on the break and as the forward rounded the keeper he hit a shot that I swear was missing the net, but it hit a defender and went in.  All in keeping with the standard of the match.  Despite the result, on this evidence, St. Pauli will struggle to gain the top 3 berth needed for a crack at promotion.

The teams come out.

I also snuck upstairs for the 2nd half; cracking view, though largely empty.  So, after a toilet trip, I went back downstairs to be surrounded by a CROWD.  Warmest I'd been all day.  Then it was back on the (free) bus to the station and a 20 minute journey to the airport.  Job's a good un.

The Damage:
€22 ent

€3.50 beer (x2)

€2.20 bratwurst (x2)

€19 train from Bremen (advance fare)

€5.70 train to Dusseldorf airport

= €58.10

...plus the flight back (£31)

The Tunes:
Plumb (Field Music)

Screamadelica (Primal Scream)

'ello 'ello, what 'ave we got 'ere then?

Are you a 'zebrafreunde'?

Supporters club hut.  Beer in sale here.

Mobile cub shop.  Still no badges (3rd time trying).

The drummers arrive.

Outside the home end.

I've located where all the badges are.

MSV Arena

I love the angles.

stadium plan

Beer seller in ground.

Cushiest jobs in the world #346: policing MSV (see right).

Match action.

We heart St. Pauli!

Full time, 0-2.

The entrance to the home end.

Ticket office after the match.

Duisburg-St. Pauli panorama

St. Pauli 0-0 Arminia Bielefeld, Saturday 25th July 2015

St. Pauli 0-0 Arminia Bielefeld (Bundesliga 2, att. 29,546)

Welcome back!

I set off for this game with more trepidation than usual. Last season I fell asleep as my train came in to Hamburg and I ended up 1 and a half hours the other side of the city, not getting to the Millerntor till half-time. see: http://geordiealsgroundhopperscrapbook.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/St.%20Pauli

My train today was due in at 12:30 and I had to pick up my ticket at the office by 1:30 pm but my train was late by 15 minutes or so and the locker situation in Hamburg Hbf took time. Then how to get there. Walk? Could do - .once I know which street is which. Too hard to figure, let's jump on the u-bahn. Went back on myself to Berliner Tor to catch a U3 to St Pauli. U3 not in action. Replacement bus service! Try not to panic...

Interesting that they didn't fill the corner in...

Thankfully, there were a few St Pauli fans to follow. I settled in my seat...daydreaming...then noticed at the rathaus, as the bus doubled back on itself, all the St Pauli fans had already got off. So I jumped off at the next stop and walked. By now I knew the way.

I reached the fanladen at 2pm. Luckily, they'd not sold my ticket yet (they do if you don't arrive in time). For a second game in a row, the standing areas had sold out. Fans mulled around with 'stehplatz suche' scribbled across scraps of paper but there were still a few seats left. In fact, I was a bit surprised to hear the attendance was so high.

The crowd

Now, every time I come to see St. Pauli, something amazes me. This time it was all four sides of the stadium unveiling giant banners. Of course, I'd not have seen this were I not stood on a small corner of the Nord Kurve not covered in flag. Wouldn't happen in England. I saw 30 odd volunteers in the west stand wrapping it up and trotting off to put it in storage while the game had already kicked off.

The match finished 0-0, my 3rd opening day St Pauli goalless fest in 5 or 6 years. However, unlike the other two this wasn't a little stroll in the park under 90 degree heat, this was cool enough for proper football and against newly promoted Arminia Bielefeld, St Pauli probably fancied themselves. For much of the first half they looked one pass or flick away from a chance but it never came. The second half saw Arminia being the more dangerous on the break and, indeed, with them on the attack late on, it was the home fans whistling for the final whistle.

It absolutely bucketed it down pre-match

Later, I caught an overnight train to Karlsruhe, which was not without incident as the train was massively oversubscribed (good job I had a reservation) and full of people in a temper, enough for police to be called to one disagreement. Another late train, though spare a thought for the Arminia fans on the 'football special' (these things still exist in Germany). It was due to set off 2 hours late, hence dozens of wide-eyed Bielefeld fans staggering around Hamburg railway station.

The Damage:
€12.50 ent
€3.50 ? beer (x3)
€4.50 plastic beer glasses
€3 wurst
€20 t-shirt
= €51.50
The Tunes:
La Revancha Del Tango - Gotan Project
Ma At Mama - Ursula Rucker
Psyence Fiction - Unkle
Loveless - My Bloody Valentine
Lady's Bridge - Richard Hawley

Skinheads were 'ere.

Giving the kids the office shreddings to chuck in the air

...like this!

Match action (yes, I'd changed sides)

I spot a bus...a St. Pauli bus!

Back of Gegengerade after the match

and another...loading the Arminia coach.

St. Pauli 1-1 Ingolstadt, Saturday 2nd August 2014 (Bundesliga 2)

This is who we are!

I believe it was Oscar Wilde who once said 'To miss kick off once is misfortune, to do it twice looks like carelessness'.  I think he'd been to see Accrington Stanley that day.  I've f***ed up again.  I'm on a train an hour out of Hamburg, having fallen asleep and missed my stop.  Ironically, I'm currently listening to an album called 360°, cos that's what I'm gonna have to do. Tho' technically I s'pose, it's more like 180 degrees.  God, I'm confused.

The new Gegengerade

After yesterday's debacle at RW, getting there at HT, I face similar if not worse today. My train from Dortmund was half an hour late and I've messed everything up completely by sleeping through the Hamburg stop. Being a long distance inter-city, it's not due to stop again till Schwerin. It arrives 14:08 and if the regional train remains 13 mins late, I'll be able to get back to Hamburg for 15:36  plus 13 minutes. Kick off is 15:30.  F*** f*** f***.

The South Stand

(Later)
What a day I've had, in one word, 'mixed'. I made it to the game - well the last 35 minutes. Got to Millerntor at HT then spoke to a lady outside Fanladen / security / security outside club shop / head of security (to a level!)  It was mad. Phone calls made (no answer - they were at a MATCH!) texts sent ... Fanladen closed (there's a game on!) Do people realise I'm not there yet?

On the Gegengerade

Just kidding. The last security guy grabbed a be-dreadlocked fan (X) outside and said fan tried this, that and everything to get me in. Fortunately a) there were blocks against letting anyone in and b) he appeared high up in the Fanladen and had the ways - and most importantly the means - to get me in, tho' it took time and involved one Securitate turning us away, despite me wearing some access all areas badge cos apparently I was already in the ground! No point arguing when you're in the wrong ... so a couple of unlocked doors here and there and I'm handed someone else's season ticket (but I must give it back as soon as I'm in). Anyway, there were two people who were helping me, so presuming they don't want me to name names, I'll say this:

i) I went back to the Fanladen after the game and they'd sold my ticket cos I'd not turned up (fair enough)
ii) I found X in his office after the game and offered him ten euros to have a couple of drinks on me ... But he declared he couldn't do that but he'd put the money towards the youth team. How very St. Pauli and I can only say thanks to everyone involved. I just hope my name isn't tarnished as a no-turner-upper!

Designed to hook into your pocket...

After the match as I went to pay for my match ticket (no need) and found Y (need), I got to the Hbf in plenty of time to get my stuff from my locker ... But here's the thing, it turns out there are LOTS of lockers in Hamburg Hbf, in lots of different places.  'A lot of people in a lot of high places'; I suddenly had an urge for Spaceman 3. Indeed, maybe I should play 'Rollercoaster'.  This must make no sense to anyone normal. 
I caught the train out of Hamburg with seconds to spare.

Beer snake after the match

I got in to the game 55 minutes down and 0-1 (I knew the latest score, at some point in the rigmarole I saw it in the club shop). I was thirsty and before long I was off for a beer. Honestly, I needed it. 5.5 euros (including deposit) I was at the top of the terrace , towards the halfway line. Made a change from behind the goal.  It wasn't as noisy as I'd been used to, tho the jingling of keys at corners persisted.

Maybe it was the football - St. Pauli never looked like scoring.  Ingolstadt missed 2 great opportunities, both saved by the keeper, one-on-one. Then from nothing the St. Pauli forwards fashioned a chance, and, in slow motion, the ball came off the boot of Gonther and into the top corner. He looked as surprised as us. Cue beer in the air, beer over my leg.

Imagine the whole terrace like this...

It finished one-all, and which I shouldn't grumble at given St. Pauli's get out of jail free card, but the last 2 home games I'd seen late winners so I expected better!

Later I nearly missed my connection to Nürnberg cos of the locker situation and I was so 'pumped' I needed a beer...leading me to drinking in the refreshment carriage with 3 other St. Pauli fans from Wolfsburg and near Kassel.  One of them, a lawyer, was bemused to learn that 'glass' could be used as a verb in English.  (I'd been amazed we'd been given glass glasses.)  It took a couple of seconds on me.  WTF is a 'verb'?  Then it struck me. 'To glass'? THIS is England's gift to the world! The verb 'to glass'. Some things just make me proud.

After match thanks

The Damage:
€10 ent
€3.50 beer
€15 t-shirt

The tunes:360° (Dreadzone)
Losing Touch With My Mind (Spacemen 3)
Sound of Confusion (Spacemen 3)
Rubycon (Tangerine Dream)

Club shop warning