danebanksheik
Well-Known Member
Got back 3am last night via Milan and just surfaced.
Similar stories re locals in that all very genuine and friendly and we walked down to ground with some Romanian lads from out of town who wanted to talk Liverpool and Premier League (Liverpool appear more popular in Rom than the swamp dwellers), they had travelled 200km to get to the game.
An average game though (due mainly imho to their attempt to have 10 behind the ball and play us on the break but they were not good enough). Their fans were brill though, a lot of noise orchestrated by someone with a microphone but were good value.
After the game we decided to stay away from main area because of size of police presence we just thought it may be less friendly but now realise probably mistaken.
All discussions with anyone on the whole trip centered on Balotelli - got the attention of an Italian on landing on in Timisoara - he said “ee is a bad boy” – they saw the interview. He really is a big name in Europe - the local’s first test of their English was always "you have Balotelli" – the hotel staff wanted to talk Balotelli and on our diversion home in Milan, jeez, it was non-stop.
Everywhere in the city all you could hear was people passing pointing at our shirts and saying “City” and “Balotelli”. We went on the San Siro stadium tour and the ticket office guy was a legend. With his microphone on full and a queue behind us he spots the shirts “Ah City – are you on way back from Romania?” – “what you think of Balotelli – goal - booking – he is an ARSEHOLE” at the top of his voice. Ha ha – in the ground preparing for today’s Supercup all the staff pointing and again “City” and “Balotelli”. The overall feeling is we have spent a lot of money on a match-winning nutcase but with I suppose real talent always comes a touch of madness.
Anyway two things
1) if you ever go on the San Siro tour (12.50 Euro for museum and stadium tour – 10 for kids) don’t expect much – it is a tired old place. (it is a metro and tram trip out of city centre as well) The tour was passable with a good English guide – only saw AC changing room which is staggeringly small and walk around inside bowl of stadium but fences everywhere, museum ok. The joint shop at the ground is poor – I think most of their business is done in the City centre stores.
2)We are “City”, that is what everyone I spoke to calls us – there’s no point in arguing for the Manchester – even on the TV it was “City”, they know who we are and they know we are coming.
Good trip, nice to meet up with some old faces again, cheers blues.
Similar stories re locals in that all very genuine and friendly and we walked down to ground with some Romanian lads from out of town who wanted to talk Liverpool and Premier League (Liverpool appear more popular in Rom than the swamp dwellers), they had travelled 200km to get to the game.
An average game though (due mainly imho to their attempt to have 10 behind the ball and play us on the break but they were not good enough). Their fans were brill though, a lot of noise orchestrated by someone with a microphone but were good value.
After the game we decided to stay away from main area because of size of police presence we just thought it may be less friendly but now realise probably mistaken.
All discussions with anyone on the whole trip centered on Balotelli - got the attention of an Italian on landing on in Timisoara - he said “ee is a bad boy” – they saw the interview. He really is a big name in Europe - the local’s first test of their English was always "you have Balotelli" – the hotel staff wanted to talk Balotelli and on our diversion home in Milan, jeez, it was non-stop.
Everywhere in the city all you could hear was people passing pointing at our shirts and saying “City” and “Balotelli”. We went on the San Siro stadium tour and the ticket office guy was a legend. With his microphone on full and a queue behind us he spots the shirts “Ah City – are you on way back from Romania?” – “what you think of Balotelli – goal - booking – he is an ARSEHOLE” at the top of his voice. Ha ha – in the ground preparing for today’s Supercup all the staff pointing and again “City” and “Balotelli”. The overall feeling is we have spent a lot of money on a match-winning nutcase but with I suppose real talent always comes a touch of madness.
Anyway two things
1) if you ever go on the San Siro tour (12.50 Euro for museum and stadium tour – 10 for kids) don’t expect much – it is a tired old place. (it is a metro and tram trip out of city centre as well) The tour was passable with a good English guide – only saw AC changing room which is staggeringly small and walk around inside bowl of stadium but fences everywhere, museum ok. The joint shop at the ground is poor – I think most of their business is done in the City centre stores.
2)We are “City”, that is what everyone I spoke to calls us – there’s no point in arguing for the Manchester – even on the TV it was “City”, they know who we are and they know we are coming.
Good trip, nice to meet up with some old faces again, cheers blues.