Bembeltown said:
gordondaviesmoustache said:
gordondaviesmoustache said:
Bit of advice please lads.
I'm going to Frankfurt from 15th March for the weekend and I've noticed Eintracht are at home on the Sunday.
How easy is it getting tickets and how do I go about it (for three)?
Thanks in anticipation.
Just got in from this, so thanks again everyone for your help.
A great day out. I'll post in a bit more detail tomorrow with my thoughts. Although I went to City's CL game at the Allianz, this was my first trip to a Bundesliga game, so there were a number of things that struck me.
I will say the card/drinks system employed at/around the ground which was referred to could work really well with a little more craft.
Glad to hear that you enjoyed the trip despite the horrible weather in Germany, the bad quality of football on display and the subpar Atmosphere.
I was definitely more than pissed off after the match...
Anyway would be nice to read a neutral person´s feedback on their first Bundesliga game.
The card system might have some potential, but its horrible annoying if you have to carry a different set of cards around for each and every match you plan to attend.
I got multiple football and hockey (second sport I follow) catering cards in my wallets from all the different Arena systems. Its kinda annoying for the travelling fans...
Just been for breakfast and feel ready to actually see the city properly today before flying back tomorrow!
A few observations from a Bundesliga virgin.
Had a few beers at a bar on Kaiserstrasse before the game in a place that served Pauliner. Good atmosphere apart from an annoying bloke playing the spoons ffs!
Got the train to the ground around two hours before kick off. Unsurprisingly the trains to (and especially from) the ground seemed to run much more smoothly than the trams to/from the Etihad - especially in terms of the queuing time. I got a sense that virtually no-one drives to the ground, but there are wider reasons for that which are for debate elsewhere I guess.
There was a lot more security going in to the ground than any Premier League venue, which has to be a good thing. To me it is a little astonishing that people are allowed unfettered access, with no form of search, to an arena that holds 50,000 people with footballers worth 100's of millions of pounds. This should be addressed asap imo.
Upon entering the ground a few things struck me. One was that the public toilets were much better and more readily available. Also, there was virtually no litter. Germans have a much greater sense of civic responsibility and respect for the law than we do, sadly for us.
The drinks system is interesting. I speak as someone who has no little experience in drink retailing and I can see the system has merits. Certainly it speeds service up at the point of sale and the scope for 'slippage' (pilfering) is reduced. My issue was the amount of time it took to get your card loaded up. I'm not sure whether folk can load their cards up online, but I think this system could be worth looking at at the Etihad if the concerns I have raised were properly addressed. I think running it alongside the existing system for a while would give an indication as to its long term viability. Most certainly the current arrangement at City is piss poor, not least because of the apparent limitations of the current staff to undertake even the most basic form of mental arithmetic.
The stadium was a little bland and uninspiring architecturally from the outside, a bit like Pride Park, but looked much more impressive from the inside. A good space, I thought.
As to the game itself I thought the standard of football was poor, but I make no particular judgement on that in terms of the Bundesliga. I've watched enough to recognise that it is at least as good, if not better than the Premier League in terms of standard. As the two City fans who went with me said, a Frankfurt fan attending many of our home games this season would have arrived at a similar conclusion. Swansea and Fulham spring especially to mind. Sometimes good leagues throw up poor games. C'est la vie. Same goes for the weather. Never especially high on my wish list, you'll be pleased to know!
I am surprised, however, about your comments about the atmosphere, which met my expectations. We were behind the goal next to the Stuttgart fans, who were in good voice all game. It certainly put most, if not nearly all, Premier League games to shame. The return of safe standing to our country's grounds is a must imo.
One other thing about where we were sat. It was right behind the goal right at the back. I was in similar seats at Villa Park recently for our victory (not sat with City fans - on a corporate jolly). The view behind the goal when you are sat high up is far better than if you are low down. It may seem an obvious point but the difference is much more pronounced than if you are sat along the length of the pitch. I say this because the oft mooted development of the Etihad seems to have the increase of the ends behind the goal as the most widely received proposal. I would happily sit in those higher seats, whereas I try and avoid sitting behind the goal now for home games if possible. Any such development, at least from my point of view, would enhance the standard of seats, therefore, rather than merely add on sub-standard ones for the sake of more capacity.
So overall, a fantastic day, finished off with lots of pig and beer in a fantastic restaurant called Dauth-Schneider. As you may have gathered from my post I am a big fan of Germany and the Germans and this feeling has certainly not been diminished in any way by my experiences yesterday. It has merely served to underline what a great place this country is.
