1.FC Nürnberg 2-2 1860 Munich, Monday 17th August 2015

1.FC Nürnberg 2-2 TSV 1860 Munich, 36,547 (Bundesliga 2)

Welcome to ....

Monday nite, Bundesliga footie and a chance to see 1.FCN a 2nd time. I was staying in Nurnberg anyway and it’s an easy journey to the stadium – any train or tram to the ‘Frankenstadion’ (they can’t keep up with the latest sponsored title). Was it one stop or two from the station? I can’t remember. Or you could tram it to the ‘dokumentationszentrum’, which in itself is a must to visit.

Anyway, since I’d been before, maybe I’d go in the home end this time. I would let my bladder decide – and it saw the length of the queues for the home terrace and opted for finding a toilet, which we did, in a relatively deserted beer garden near the away end.

One of the entrances.

Mindful that I stood in the away end last time (Erzegirbirge Aue) and fancied a change, I got a seat in the upper tier behind the goal, still only €21. I was early and took my seat, directly behind the scoreboard. I still wasn’t happy, and at my next fill of meat and beer I climbed to the very back row: great view of the pitch, but the roof is so low you couldn’t see the Nurnberg ultras at the opposite end. One advantage however was that one can look out the window behind and see when the queue for beer is acceptable enough to join. (Answer: about 20 mins in.)

This is how central I was...near the cameraman.

TSV took the lead with the last touch of the first half. It was difficult to tell – was it a header from a rebound, or cross? No matter; by now I was chatting to a Nurnberger whose son was among the ultras (it’s a young person’s game). Why does he choose to sit here? ‘Because it’s cheap.’

Our block was quite mixed, with home and away fans mingling together. There seemed more TSV shirts/colours but the cheers were louder for the 1.FCN goals. Yes, goals! One minute TSV were having a goal disallowed for we-don’t-know-what, then Nurnberg run down the other end of the pitch and a low cross is despatched. Minutes later, the home team are ahead. From a potential 0-2 to 2-1 in no time. Both sides continued to have chances, though on balance, one couldn’t deny TSV’s right to their equalizer, from a scramble in the box.

A TSV fan celebrates as smoke wafts from the away fans below.

Although I (mostly) couldn’t see the TSV fans beneath us, early in the second half you could see the flashes of their pyrotechnics. The Nurnberg ultras meantime were content to wave their flags, which were spread evenly throughout their block. As with last time I was here, absolutely no-one waved a flag in the other block of home terrace. It’s just one of those (1.FCN) things.

The Ultras Nurnberg pay tribute.

Afterwards, I wandered through the adjacent Reichsparteitagsgelände (Nazi Party Parade Grounds) and stood in Hitler’s footsteps on the plinth he made his rabble-rousing speeches from. I find it incredible it is so accessible, but all the better for it. Whatever it’s history, (because of it’s history?) I find Nurnberg an incredible place to visit.

It's the marmot on the shoulder which does it for me...

The Damage:
€21 ent
€3.50 beer (x2)
€3 ‘3 in a bun’ (x2)
= €34

The Tunes:
Turns Into Stone (The Stone Roses)
Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (The Sundays)

The view  from the scoreboard.

The Frankenstadion's octagonal shape is defined.

The overhanging roof.

Always ready...

Dusk awaits the teams.

Space for advertising...cars.

The TSV fans above and below.

The view from the back row.

The contrast between above and below.

A minute's silence pre-match.

SC Freiburg 6-3 1.FC Nurnberg, Monday 27th July 2015

SC Freiburg 6-3 1.FC Nurnberg (Bundesliga 2)

Welcome to ..........

It's after 11 p.m. and it's a case of bittersweet. All trains north, whether to Karlsruhe or Frankfurt, are delayed by 1½ to 6 hours. The sweet? I'm sat on the 17:49 (!) to Amsterdam, holed up in the buffet car, replete with a glass of Erdinger. The train still isn't going anywhere but at least I'm sat in the bar area along with a few other reprobates from the footie, both Freiburg and Nurnberg.

Freiburg is a great place to come and see football, even if, as I did, you have a terrible view. The Sud Tribune terrace has barriers by each side of the gangway preventing you from squeezing in, (cos you can be guaranteed someone is leaning on said barrier/handrail). So you have to try and push in from the back (impossible, 5-6 deep) or you walk around the front and hope for the best. The gangway meantime is patrolled under strictest guard and woebetide those who argue. I crawled through an opening in the corner, near the scoreboard, climbed 2 or 3 stairs and leant on the barrier, facing the action side-on. I almost had a view - of the far end. This end seemed very fence-heavy, in a way the seating areas weren't.

AKA ...........

I wouldn't even care, but this wasn't even Freiburg's main fankurve. That was at the opposite end. Our end had a tier of terrace below seats; the view from above must be amazing given the height and it being the only stand devoid of pillars. Outside, I saw at least a dozen fans asking for tickets for the home end. I imagined plenty of seats available, though once inside it looked a full house (which it was: 23,700).

What a great stadium though. 4 'proper' stands overlooking the pitch and the fans tight to the action. The home end, one large bank of terracing behind the goal, two sides of seating and our end, which today included the Nurnberg ultras (far right, ho ho).

Banners before kick off

We WILL be back (to the Bundesliga).

Also. as nice as Freiburg (the place) is, if you can afford the time, definitely stroll the three miles or so to the stadium. Head to the river from the train station, turn left and keep on walking. You can even sit on a rock mid-river and dangle your toes in the Dreisam as one did. (Note: problies best not to do this in winter.) Or, further back along stream, a bunch of students were sitting for dinner at a picnic table in the middle of the shallow current. Style.

The match was crazy, and a perfect choice for TV. Newly relegated Frieburg versus yo-yo club Nurnberg. I saw Kaiserslautern go 3 up in half an hour t'other day, tonight I'd seen a hat-trick in 13 minutes and 2 penalties in the first 10.

Scarves up, the teams are coming out.

1-0 A mazy dribble, outflicked leg, penalty. Straight down the middle (I saw in the replay).

2-0 Last man is rounded and chops him down. No red. Penalty again savable but keeper goes the wrong way.

3-0 Keeper makes a hash of it; off a freekick, he leaves near post unguarded, expecting a cross. Although he saves the shot, he pops the ball up nicely for Pedersen to finish into the roof of the net.

4-0 It's getting silly now. Quick move in 1.FCN box has Pedersen rounding the keeper...great save but the ball falls to an unmarked teammate. Half-time, easy. But is it?

4-1 Goal of the game. corner is swung in, it's flicked on towards back post, 12 yards out and it's hit on the half volley into the far corner. For technique, this needs to be used in coaching videos.

The Sud Tribune...packed and fences galore.

4-2 Goal, one minute into the second half. Easy for you to remember you've got YouTube. I have no idea how Nurnberg scored, but I do know I saw it.

4-3 Penalty. Same end, different team. You can finally here the Nurnbergers (where were they at 4-0?) The home fans are stunned into silence. They're bricking it.

Then, for a while, it was an average game. Coulda been one of them nil-nils for all you'd know. Then it's 5-3, the left back beats ONE player and is suddenly clean through, as defenders everywhere retreat, expecting the pass. He puts it onto his right and places it in the far corner. Goodnight. Or it is on 84 minutes when I see it yet another player sent off for idiocy, in this case a second booking for vehemently disputing a throw in. A throw-in, FFS!
6-3 was easier to describe. I was holding my **** when I heard the cheer. Yes, I was in the bogs. But I still saw the replay showing a back post finish through the keeper's legs. It was Freiburg's night.

Front row seats, visibility impaired.

To be honest, I don't know where the Nurnberg goals came from. Freiburg looked streets ahead of them. And for Pedersen, whose on-loan goals nearly saved them last year - whatthehell is he doing here? Surely some other Bundesliga side would have signed him up?

Earlier, I'd had good time to amble around Freiburg including climbing the big hill overlooking the town. Shame then that the tower at its peak was closed. So much for my Panorama of Freiburg and the Black Forest. All I could see from the foot of the tower was trees but sometimes it pays to get away from the crowds and on the way down I found something which would have saved half my effort the other way - a funicular railway. It was Heidelberg all over again (finding a funicular after the event). Funnily enough, I've just spoken to a Nurnberg fan from Heidelberg. It's Monday night, close to midnight and there's no trains heading North. Still as long as the TV cameras are happy! (I remember the chant when Barnsley were in the Premiership....'On Sky on a Monday night...on Sky on a Monday night!') Who gives a s*** about the fans?

So I made a dash at full-time. The tram stop was handily situated at the south end of the stadium, 5 mins walk...and my train was 11 pm. Well it's now 11:45 pm (as I write this) and the buffet car on the 1749 to Frankfurt is turning into a handy little lock-in. But will I get to Karlsruhe anytime tonight? Attendance: 23,700 (capacity). The Damage:
€13.50 ent (inc €3 postage, I bought my ticket in advance)
€3.30 schnitzel (x2)
€3 bier (400ml, x2)
€1 prog
€1.50 badge
= €28.30 (£20)

Goal crazy at Europa Park.

Mosaic outside a Freiburg business.

Tonight's entertainment advertised.

I was wondering where I might get a Rangers flag...

I spot a team coach...

Match parking, Black Forest-style.

The mascot mingles, pre-match.

A full stand awaits the action.

Chumbawamba fans?

Is that Wayne Coyne? (lead singer of the Flaming Lips) 

Packed out, expecting at least half a dozen goals...

If Rizla had invented a typeface...

'On Sky on a Monday night'

Home time.

1. FC Nürnberg 1-0 Erzgebirge Aue, Sunday 3rd August 2014

1. FC Nürnberg 1-0 Erzgebirge Aue, Bundesliga 2, att. 37,116

Beyond the stadium, the old Nazi Party Rally Grounds

I'd had my eyes on a visit to the Frankenstadion since Nürnberg were relegated, even if the vagaries of the fixture list meant a long trip down from Hamburg.  Still, the journey passes quicker when you're drinking on the train with St. Pauli fans!

The Grundig Stadion (to give its official title) is easy to get to from Nürnberg Hbf, even if it's a bit far to walk.  A plethora of trains, trams and buses can be got, to the stadium or the nearby Dokumentzentrum (a MUST if you've never been).  I caught a train.

I had an hour before kick-off so I had a wander around the outside.  Red hot and it looked busy.  I eyed up the Nürnberg ticket booths.but I could only see the price of seats; were the terraces sold out? I hit on the idea of the away end - after all, Aue are a small team, they're the underdog, could do with the support, etc....and there'd be plenty of space!  Wrong.  Although I entered the ground early, by KO I was crammed in (no chance of being crushed to death; there were barriers every two steps.) There was rail seating but these were locked 'up'.  But Aue had come in numbers.

Aue fans relax outside

The atmosphere was rocking but I'd been adopted by an older Aue fan who explained passionately what supporting Aue meant to him.  (He never missed a match home or away, though he wasn't happy with the made-for-TV Friday and Monday evening kick-offs.  I wouldn't be impressed either.)  'You'd think we were in Aue' he said, as the low ceiling meant no escape from the noise.  'What chance do Aue have today?' I asked.  'No chance,'  Optimistic, then.

The teams come out.  I think.

The first half was generally even, yet Nürnberg still fashioned four superb opportunities to score. Aue scraped in level at half time.  The Nürnberg Ultras flag-waving hadn't stopped, yet their other terrace had no flags whatsoever.  You pays yer money and yer takes yer choice, though both looked rammed to capacity.  Maybe there WERE no terrace tickets left.

Aue must have brought 2500-3000 and I could barely escape for a p*** and a beer.  I achieved the former and spent the rest of half time nowhere near achieving the other.  With one or two refreshment stalls unopened, I wonder if 1.FCN underestimated the away turnout?

Come on Aue!

I squeeze back into my place and it's a good job I didn't continue queuing for a beer cos 10 minutes in and it's the only goal of the game - 1.FCN burst from midfield, the guy knocks the ball on for another teammate to burst through and pick his spot.  I thought he'd maybe kicked it too far in front of him, but the keeper, slow to come out, gave himself no chance.

Nürnberg's octagon of a stadium

Now, I don't know if the goal was the catalyst, but two minutes later a fight broke out in the away end.  A youngish, but physically overbearing specimen wanted a piece of a large 50-something, beer-belly and all.  'You're a big man but you're out of shape'.  Still, if dogs look like their owners, and if this one had a dog, it'd be a (fat) pit bull.  A few punches were thrown before each was pulled back by other fans.  Full marks to one lad, not as big as either of these two, who positioned himself between them while acting as peacemaker.

Futuristic, yet aged.  An enigma.

The rest of the match had less excitement, though Aue can claim they threw the draw away as, with 3 mins left, their guy ran beyond the Nürnberg defence from a free kick, controlled it, before stabbing wide from 6 yards.  Okay, the keeper ran at him, but he absolutely bottled it.

So, on this most sweltering of days, I found myself clad in a purple and white 'Wismut' (never 'Erzgebirge'; it's a throwback to their former days) scarf, a present from my chaperone, 'Joachim'.  I wish 'Wismut' all the best this season.  It's going to be a struggle, but you never know.

Attendance: 37,116

The Damage:
€14 ent
€3.90 beer

View from the away end

The Apollo Space Station

Aue, Aue, what's the score?

I thought Grundig disappeared in the 70s?

Hints of Nürnberg's dark past

Hoffenheim 2-2 1.FC Nürnberg, Saturday 10th August 2013

Hoffenheim  2-2  1.FC Nürnberg, Bundesliga, att. 25,730

What is there to say about Hoffenheim?  A village team playing in front of 3,000 people not 5 years ago, now mainstays in the Bundesliga.  Of course, having a tiny stadium in the hills above Hoffenheim was no match for their meteoric rise, so they’ve gone the whole hog and bought themselves one of those large out of town super stadia, built in the middle of nowhere yet easily accessible from the motorway next door. Like the Reebok, then.

Pointless signs #647

It’s not greatly handy for the pedestrianised populace, though the stadium has it’s own bahnstop, some 20+ minutes walk away.  For you city types it might even be described as a pleasurable stroll, through fields of corn. There’s also a couple of biergartens en  route and a stall selling hundreds of scarves (see pic).  What is not on display is stuffed in boxes underneath the tables, where Rangers and Motherwell (amongst others)had been relegated to.  Who’d NOT want a Motherwell scarf?

Why would you?

Also, one stand sold scarves purely insulting teams (‘Scheiss Bayern’).    Now, while I can subscribe to the message, why would I buy a ‘Scheiss Bayern’ scarf in BAYERN COLOURS?  (Or Dortmund, or St. Pauli…take your pick).  Is the idea that I wear it as an away fan at THEIR ground while sat ‘under cover’ in their end?  Cos they won’t be able to read the ‘Scheiss’ bit as it’s round my neck?  Equally, would I hang it up at home? I might hate Newcastle United (however ‘entertaining’ they might be) but I don’t want to see some black and white monstrosity on my wall, let alone reference to their name.

NOT how I got here.

Today I came from Heidelberg, which meant a rail replacement bus (Germany has them too) to Neckargemund, then a S3 train to Sinsheim Arena/Museum, calling at every village on the way.  Still, this is  a necessary evil if Hoffenheim are to ensconce themselves as the team of the region.  In this day and age,  with football dominated by the urban conurbations, Hoffenheim need all the support they can muster.  What will happen if (when?) they get relegated, as many in Germany hope they do, seeing them as having bought their success (like big teams don’t!)?
I told a lie when I said the Rhine-Neckar Arena is in the middle of nowhere.  There is a large transport museum next to it, so if you’re interested in planes, trains and automobiles (I’m not) then you could easily combine a trip to both.  It looked impressive to the untrained eye.

A farmer arrives early...

At the stadium, the standing tickets (€12) had sold out,  so I had to get myself a seat. The cheapest was €20, in Sektion R, right next to the ‘Bitburger Kurve’, their main terrace.  Despite worries over sightlines, I had a punt and booked myself in on the back row.  I could always stand.  But I need not have been concerned.  I was inside the stadium early – partly a result of Hoffenheim having one of those infernal card systems to buy refreshments.  Well, they’ve diddled themselves out of some of my money there then. So I decided to take a few pics, which is how I ended up taking a €41 seat by the side of the pitch.  Hurrah, I wouldn’t have to watch the match through a net.

A club shop offering...don't think I didn't consider it.

The teams came out to a bewildering number of kids waving large flags on the pitch.  The Nürnberg corner was full, but there were a few away fans dotted around elsewhere.  Seasoned Nürnberg fans without tickets for the away end took over the block next to the away end, so we had the odd site of a fence separating the away fans from…other away fans.  What with the number of empty seats in the home end, might I make a suggestion to Hoffenheim?  Increase the size of the away end!

The official crowd was 25,730 but this looked a blatant exaggeration – there were way more than 5000 empty seats.  I’d have said a nearer 22k.  Were they ‘doing an Arsenal’ and massaging the figures for sponsors, etc?

An interesting sculpture outside the stadium.

The match was quite a thriller.  Hoffenheim went two up just after half time with a tap-in but in a crazy opening 15 minutes of the second half, Nürnberg managed to bag themselves a pair.  Hoffenheim opened with a header from a corner before Modeste, having missed everything else, was given one on a plate that even he couldn’t miss.  When 1.FCN pulled it back (I can’t remember their goals) the scene looked set for a crescendo, but that was it, save for a couple of near misses.

Hoffenheim ultras pre-match

There was one point of controversy though, which collided with the one moment of pure class.  In the last minute of the 1^st half, Hoffenheim found themselves clean through, wide left, and the deftest of chips beat the keeper.  Sublime finish – yet it was chalked off.  I thought for offside, but there was no flag.  The ref had simply blown for half time.  But surely not when there’s a goalscoring chance?  And anyway, I could SWEAR the whistle went AFTER he shot.  Note to self: must youtube this.  (Turned out it was disallowed because the officials wrongly thought it hadn’t crossed the line; the spin on the ball brought it back into play).

I spoke to another guy later who’d been to the match.  It turned out we were staying the same room at the hostel.  He was behind the goal where the ‘goal’ was scored and he had no idea what happened but he wondered if the ball hadn’t crossed the line…!

Attendance: 25,730  (Wirsol Rhein-Neckar Arena)
The Damage:€20 ent
€6 badge
€1 prog
= €27

Outside of the stadium

Scarves galore

Fence separating the home terrace and seats

Welcome to the...

Plenty of space to move into the expensive seats...

Full time.

The scarf waving says excited, the face says ....

Away fans on the right

The teams come out.

Nurnberg corner.

An interloper in the home end.

Outside the stadium.

Home time!