Pogon Szczecin 0-0 Piast Gliwice, Monday 11th August 2014

Pogon Szczecin 0-0 Piast Gliwice, Ekstraklasa, att. 7,583

Nice day for it (pre-match queueing)

Should I have had that shower back at the hotel?  Dunno.  Did that 10 minutes cost me an hour, much like going to work in London - leave 10 mins later and you get to work an hour later?

I arrived in Szczecin (no, I can't pronounce it either, though under German rule it was 'Stettin'.  See also Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech) sometime after 4:30, for a 6pm KO.  I picked up a map, saw where the stadium was and thought 'no worries'.  So I had my shower then headed for the stadium.  Yes, I was late, but only by minutes.  I was in the queue for tickets by 6:05pm. Mind, it was a bigger queue than I'd anticipated - how come so many others had left it this late?

Bizarre roof...

Time ticked by.  You could hear the crowd inside the stadium chanting, you could hear the occasional ref's whistle.  But the queue(s) barely moved.  There were different signs for each queue and what with my Polish being up there with my Swahili, I had no idea what meant what.  There was something about 'karta' in my queue, which brought to mind previous Polish matches and needing a membership card (Ruch Chorzow) or being sold a ticket on production of my passport (everywhere else).

Look-out tower?  Exec boxes?  Old folks' home?

Half time came and went, unlike the queues.  We edged towards the ticket booths - a small trap of a window behind metal railings.  And once near the front, the 'problem' became apparent.  Every individual had to have their photo taken and every piece of their human existence entered into a computer (in my case, twice - typical IT probs) before your credit card sized membership card was spat out and you'd be allowed to buy a match ticket.

I know how he felt.

'Which part of the stadium would you like to be in?' I was asked by a pretty young lady in perfect English.  She had a lovely voice.  'The cheapest', I said, given that there was barely half an hour of said game left.

The turnstiles were close by and I found myself behind the goal in the ultras section.  The smell of dope was pungent, though not unpleasant.  The cheerleader screamed into his mic, the drummer banged his drum and a thousand or so ultras chanted in unison.

There's something not right here...

The rest of the stadium occasionally joined in, though a goal might have helped (it finished 0-0). Pogon missed a couple of great chances in the limited action I saw.

Despite the blow of arriving so late (had I missed anything though?), I'd still recommend a visit, cos the stadium itself is unique.  When I saw the stadium plan outside, I thought it was missing a part, but it wasn't.  The stadium really is horseshoe shaped, with one stand not even running parallel to the pitch, so at one end, you are quite a way from the action.  Then there's the stand opposite, with the oddest roof I've seen in a while.  It looks huge yet only covers a small amount of seating.  Hopefully Szczecin gets alot of sun, cos this was the only cover in the ground.

Give it up for...Ringo on drums!

As for behind the goals, at one end, a sea of nothingness, a bare space filled by vehicles, while the home end is on a curve.  No running track (maybe there used to be one?) but a steep terrace covered in seats. Not a bad view, if you're high enough up.  You actually enter the area from the top of the terrace, car parks and football pitches spreading out behind.

The club shop had a variety of stuff but no badges.  Fans wore an array of t-shirts I liked, none of which were on sale amongst the official tat.

Pogon Ultras

Szczecin itself?  Utterly forgettable city centre and 'stare miesto'.  I really wouldn't bother unless you had a good excuse.  (Is 'football' a good enough excuse?  Perhaps not if you're a Piast Gliwice fan and the match is on a Monday night, on telly - cos I never saw any of 'em).

ps, I had one lucky escape.  In my keenness to get in, I forgot to pick up my passport.  After the match, all the windows were closed and I was starting to get a little worried.  Thankfully, a rap on the window and the ticket lady appeared.  She knew who it was and what it was for.  Phew!

Attendance: 7,583

The Damage:
31 Plz ent (£6)

The Tunes:
Total Life Forever (Foals)
An Awesome Wave (Alt-J)
Black Sunday (Cypress Hill)

Final Score.  I missed nowt.

To the left...

Towards the Tree End (not really).

That stand again

And from behind...

Old ticket booths.  Beautiful.

Sunset over Stadion Miejskiimienia Floriana Krygiera.  Beautiful.

Slavia Prague 4-1 Slovan Liberec, Sunday 10th August 2014

Slavia Prague 4-1 Slovan Liberec, Czech Liga, att. 8,248

You are here.

Two games in a day. This is the life.  And for extra 'sad' points, I went a wandering round the Great Strahov Stadium inbetween.  Slavia were kicking off at 8:15pm, Sunday, an (almost) logical choice, given both were in European action earlier in the week.  But if this was England, and I lived in London, I wouldn't be able to get TO the 10:15am kick off, or get BACK from the 8:15pm one.  So I bet there are some unhappy Czech football fans somewhere with these crazy KO times.

The outside of the stadium - how would you know???

Needless to say, with hours and hours between the matches, I cut it finer than was necessary.  I simply spent way too long sniffing around the Great Strahov and surrounding park(s).  The stadium has generally been left to rot (or whatever concrete does) though it's used by Sparta for training.  To give an idea of its size, the playing area can fit 6 full size football pitches on it.  So to have one game somewhere in the middle....the view must have been appalling.

The Strahov...left to rot.

By the time I'd wandered back down the hill (get the Petrin funicular up!) into central Prague, it was 6pm and I was thirsting for a beer. The barmaid defined 'buxom'.  I've never seen a chest like it on such a relatively slim female and most of it was on display.  But I only had time for one.

I only had a vague notion of where of where Slavia's stadium was.  On a hunch, I went into the Metro. Surely the stadium had an underground stop?  Perhaps handily called 'Eden Arena'?No. Prague only has three lines, none of which went to where I thought I needed to be.  I went outside and found a tram stop; there it was (I hoped) 'Slavia'.

Above ground I needed change to buy a tram ticket. So I did what anyone else would do and bought a beer from the convenience store and...found there was no ticket machine.  So I fare dodged my way on the #22 (apologies).  Though chugging around Prague on a tram with a tin of Pilsner Urquell is a very pleasurable experience.

I expected the tram to fill up with fans.  I worked out we'd hit 'Slavia' at 8:08pm, surely perfect timing?  At IP Pavlova (my local stop as it happened) a couple of Slavia fans got on. Phew!  It also meant I wouldn't have to listen out for my stop.

Just follow them.

At Slavia there were lots of fans milling, no rush to get in.  I hunted out a ticket office (there were 2 in diametrically opposite corners).  There were queues (bloody latecomers!) and tickets were CHK 160 or 260.  I had the smaller amount ready..to be told they were sold out (which they weren't).  I got a seat on the halfway line instead.  Next time, I'll just get a ticket for the away end. There was no queue, though I'd decided against it based on the size of the fences at Dukla.

The ticket queue

I got in after 16 minutes to hear a roar.  Yes, I'd arrived!  No, it was 1-0. So I got a beer and took a perch high up on the halfway line.  Problies someone else's seat, but quite a few elected to stand at the back.  Liberec equalized, sliding home at the back post.

Half time was dinner time as far as I was concerned.  I'd eaten 2 mini chocolate croissants all day.  So what you don't wanna hear is 'they'll be ready in five minutes.'  This is HALF TIME at a football match.  I went back 10 minutes into the second half.  Sold out.  So I walked halfway around the concourse, found a sausage and went and sat behind the goal.  This was new one on me, paying for a higher priced ticket and then sitting in the cheap seats.

It was passionate support behind the goal, as well as the largest concentration of topless blokes this side of G.A.Y.  There were flares, choreographed chanting and holding up of banners.  A large proportion of the end missed five minutes of the 1st half stood under one banner,

The Slavia ultras

Slavia went 2-1 and 'Skoda' (a headline writer's dream) bagged two late goals to seal it.  Slovan were very poor throughout, disappointing their 50 or so followers.  Indeed, such was their determination to simply get out of town, their team bus passed me while I waited for my tram.

Attendance: 8,248

The Damage (CHK):
260 ent
80 beer (2)
55 kombasa (sausage)
20 programme
= 415 CHK (12 quid)

The club shop had no badges - but had everything else.

The Tunes:
Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (The Sundays)

Slavia celebrate scoring the 1st

Dunno what they're selling, but I'll take two.

Stadium plan

New stadium, drab outside.

The posh seats

Why sit when you can have a view like this?

The Far Side

Bland stadium...yet a peach of a 'ceiling'.  Beech? Oak?

Still at the prawn sandwiches...

Another attempt at choreography

Half time entertainment

That roof again.  Beautiful.

The away contingent

The touchline

Behind the goal

Cheerleader-in-Chief

Some semblance of architectural 'difference'

Taking the applause at full-time

Have a seat, gentlemen.

Viktoria Zizkov 1-1 FK Pardubice, Sunday 10th August 2014

Viktoria Zizkov 1-1 FK Pardubice, Czech FNL, att. 1,764

Welcome to Zizkov!

Why are Czechs drinking beer and watching football at 10:15am on a Sunday morning?  Why do dogs lick their balls?  Because they can!

Yet, at a time when I should have been in church, I was sat in an open stand, the sun beating down on m e, watching smoke drift up from below the seats.  No need to panic, Captain Mainwaring, it's only a BBQ going on underneath.  Sausage and beer 1st thing on a Sunday morning. Why not?

BBQ under the stand

I'd been worried I'd miss kick off, it being so early.  And I did - but not for any usual reasons. I was up with the larks (do they have larks in Prague?) and was at the launderette at 8am.  Every traveller has to wash his clothes at some point, and the launderette was so busy yesterday that now was the only time I could fit it in.

So, yes, I got to the game about 10:20am, having had a lovely walk through Malesicky Park.  The 'efotbal Arena' is Prague's most central football stadium and what a beauty it is. I paid my CHK 90 (about 3 quid) and sat down in the 1st area I came to, a temporary stand with open seating.  It wasn't long before I regretted it slightly, as the sun bore down on me.  I couldn't be bothered to move till HT though.

This pic doesn't do the morning heat justice.

The match was end to end - the same end.  Viktoria had shot after shot blocked or saved as Pardubice couldn't get out of their own half. Finally, when they did, it was only cos they'd got a free kick (which led to a disallowed offside goal; they should get out their half more often).  It really should have been 4 or 5 nil by HT.  Imagine my surprise then when I saw the scoreboard early in the second half: 0-1.

Mind, I wasn't sure the scoreboard was working.  It looked like a dot matrix with half the dots missing.  When Viktoria later equalised (I can't remember how) it took 4 minutes for someone to update it.  Till it had, I wondered if '0-1' was some kind of default setting.

How long gone? Who knows!?

Second half, I decided to sit in the tribune by the side of the pitch, where most of Viktoria's fans were. It was uncovered but nicely shaded due to the tall buildings behind.  Opposite was a low, covered stand while at one end was a big red box which housed the club shop, police control room and a club lounge, consisting of a couple of pensioners.

From the top, police control room, club lounge, club shop

The club shop didn't have a lot, but I picked up a sticker and a programme (which the bloke on the turnstile happily gave out to anyone who wasn't English).  The programme was a double header, covering this and another game.  Another English-speaking visitor confused the woman in the club shop by asking if he could buy an advance ticket for a game - obviously not the done thing here! While they're in the Czech 2nd tier there's absolutely no need.

Main Stand (and half time entertainment)

Otherwise, behind the open end , there were 3 or 4 places to buy sausages and beer, along with picnic benches which some took advantage of rather than watch the football.  At the other end were the Pardubice Ultras.  They'd brought along 22 fans, of which 15 of them banged their drum and sang their hearts out.  Well done them, travelling to Prague for a 10:15 KO.  The average English team wouldn't bring many either.

Attendance: 1,764

The far tribune, where I sat 2nd half

The Damage (CHK):
90 ent
50 pin badge
60 sticker
45 orange juice (with a free pen; there was some promotion on)
= CHK 245 (about 7 quid)

Beer?  Sausage?  Strangely, I never fancied one.

The tunes:
Spirit of Eden (Talk Talk)
Asleep in the Back (Elbow)

Stressful job, being a copper at Viktoria

Behind the goal (bring sun hat!)

The tribune...much busier in the shade.

Same again

Tunnel and bench

The away end and exec boxes (not really).

The surrounding buildings add a certain 'majesty' to proceedings.

Rundown, falling to bits...I love it!

Ammunition for later

Pardubice thank their fans

as do Viktoria

Not everyone could handle their beer...

Behind the goal (home end).

The tribune after the match

The club shop.  Tidy and well presented.

Typical Czech football fans

Club gates

The away team coach

Outside the ground...graffiti heaven