Pre season 80 81.The trip to Germany and Holland.

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greeny 68

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The piccadilly branch ran a trip to German club Werder Breman, and PSV in Holland. From memory ran by Arthur Wilkinson we had a great week mainly staying in Amsterdam. Anyone with recollections of this "outing" or similar excursion s to the continent in the years when this was about as good as it got regarding European football. Happy days.
 
I'm not sure the year (not the one you mention) probably 1984 or 85, City did a similar tour.

I was working in Germany at the time, and went to 2 of the games, one in Osterode near the east German border, and also WillemII in Holland, there was another game but I was working so couldn't go, but I loved watching City "on the continent", in days when it was highly unlikely we'd be in europe, lots of blues at both the games I went to.
 
I don't remember the trip to Germany but I do remember Arthur Wilkinson of the Piccadilly branch. I went on a coach he organised for a pre season match at Walsall when we had just signed Mike Channon. City won 4-0 I think.
 
greeny 68 said:
The piccadilly branch ran a trip to German club Werder Breman, and PSV in Holland. From memory ran by Arthur Wilkinson we had a great week mainly staying in Amsterdam. Anyone with recollections of this "outing" or similar excursion s to the continent in the years when this was about as good as it got regarding European football. Happy days.
Click to expand...
Yes the Leicester & Rugby branch took a coach too. We also stayed in Amsterdam.
Lost 8-0 to Werder Breman and drew 1-1 with PSV.
I remember Martin O' Neil playing in Bremen. Was head and shoulders above the other City players. He was subbed! Couldn't believe he only lasted 6 months at the club..

We greeted the players coming off the bus at PSV and I got Steve Mackenzie's autograph. He was rumoured to be leaving for WBA and I asked him to stay - he replied "what can you do when the boss doesn't want you?"
3 days later he was sold.

In between the games we went to see Ajax v Ipswich and there were more City fans there than Ipswich!
Bottles were flying in our direction and it got a bit hairy so we left early and got followed out.... It was like a scene from the Warriors.... We legged it to the tram stop and the tram was in..... The automatic doors closed behind us and as the gang got nearer to the tram we thought this is it.... We are done for! At the very last seconds the tram pulled out and we went from shitting it to laughing and sticking the v's up as the train pulled out! Such a relief. But we had no idea where the tram was going - we got off somewhere down the line and got a taxi to the hotel.
I was 17 at the time!
 
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The year before in 80/81 the Leicester / Rugby branch went to Holland for the FC Breda game. The score was 3-2 but can't remember who too! Pretty sure (having thought about it) that City won.
Amazingly we found ourselves in the same hotel as the players - Swales must have been a right skin flint as it was cheap!
Remember Ray Ranson amd Nicky Reid in the pool with us in the morning before they went off and trained. After the game the players were packed off to bed and Swales, Tony Book and Big Mal sat in the lounge with us all having a few beers.

82/83 we stayed in Cologne and went to see us beat Bochum 3-0. The locals were throwing glass beer bottles down at us. Me and the little group we were in got chatting during the game with a couple of friendly Bochum fans who kept turning around and asking them to stop as there were Bochum fans there too!
After the game these lads took us back to the coach as we were being followed. Two Bochum hooligans tried to trade punches with us and our new found friends again fended them off. In the end the hooligans turned on their own fans trying to protect us and they urged us to run - which we did! They chased after us and there was a posh hotel nearby and we made it into there as the doorman could see the baying mob and locked the glass doors. About 5 seconds later the glass doors were smashed and screams everywhere from residents in the lounge area. The police arrive and this one hotel worker points to us.... We are like "what?" and luckily the doorman said it wasnt us!
The police escorted the 4 of us to the coach about 2 mins away.
 
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Mad Eyed Screamer said:
The year before in 80/81 the Leicester / Rugby branch went to Holland fkr the FC Breda game. The score was 3-2 but can't remember who too!
Amazingly we found ourselves in the same hotel as the players - Swales must have been a right skinflint as it was cheap!
Remember Ray Ranson amd Nicky Reid in the pool with us in the morning before they went off and trained.after the game the players were packed off to bed and Swales, Tony Book and Big Mal sat in the lounge with us all having a few beers.

82/83 we stayed in Cologne and went to see us beat Bochum 3-0. The locals were throwing glass beer bottles down at us. Me and the little group we were in got chatting during the game with a couple of friendly Bochum fans who kept turning around and asking them to stop as there were Bochum fans there too!
After the game these lads took us back to the coach as we were being followed. Two Bochum hooligans tried to trade punches with us and our new found friends again fended them off. In the end the hooligans turned into their own fans trying to protect us and they urged us to run - which we did! They chased after us and there was a posh hotel nearby and we made it into there as the doorman could see the baying mob and locked the glass doors. About 5 seconds later the glass doors were smashed and screams everywhere from residents in the lounge area. The police arrive and this one hotel worker points to us.... We are like "what?" and luckily the doorman said it wasnt us!
The police escorted the 4 of us to the coach about 2 mins away.
Click to expand...
Christ that sounds a bit hairy. The most dangerous time on our trip was hanging out of the hotel window in Amsterdam pissingon a queue to get into the club in the cellar. Great times.
 
Mad Eyed Screamer said:
Yes the Leicester & Rugby branch took a coach too. We also stayed in Amsterdam.
Lost 8-0 to Werder Breman and drew 1-1 with PSV.
I remember Martin O' Neil playing in Bremen. Was head and shoulders above the other City players. He was subbed! Couldn't believe he only lasted 6 months at the club..

We greeted the players coming off the bus at PSV and I got Steve Mackenzie's autograph. He was rumoured to be leaving for WBA and I asked him to stay - he replied "what can you do when the boss doesn't want you?"
3 days later he was sold.

In between the games we went to see Ajax v IpswichI and there were more City fans there than Ipswich!
Bottles were flying in our direction and it got a bit hairy so we left early and got followed out.... It was like a scene from the Warriors.... We legged it to the tram stop and the tram was in..... The automatic doors closed behind us and as the gang got nearer to the tram we thought this is it.... We are done for! At the very last seconds the tram pulled out and we went from shitting it to laughing and sticking the v's up as the train pulled out! Such a relief. But we had no idea where the tram was going - we got off somewhere down the line and got a taxi to the hotel.
I was 17 at the time!
Click to expand...

Must have bumped into you at some stage.
12 of us did the trip.
Went to Ajax V Ipswich. Behind the goal when Ajax com round a few of us stood with a couple of West Ham but Ipswich ran.
So we said F this and got the Tram and they came after us. Think there was a bit of stand off and jumped on Tram.
Did you go in Gary's Bar by any chance.
 
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