Monthly Archives: December 2009

What did the noughties do for you?

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So ten years into the third millennium and football just keeps on changing.  The last decade has seen the game become a huge global game where the amount of money in the Premier League itself is more than most countries GDP.  Below are some of our regular contributors, and readers highlights of the last decade and our video of where we’ve been, but first 10 facts from 10 years ago:-

1. The World’s most expensive player 10 years ago was Christian Vieri who moved from Lazio to Inter in 1999 for £32m.  In the last decade the most expensive fee has risen by 150% to £80m for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.  Apart from the summer of madness at Real Madrid transfers have been relatively flat during the decade after the Vieri deal with that amount only being topped on four occasions

2. In the 1999/2000 Premier League, nine of the bottom 10 teams now ALL play outside the Premier League (Watford, Sheffield Wednesday, Wimbledon, Bradford City, Derby County, Southampton, Coventry City, Middlesborough and Newcastle United).  In the top half Leeds United and Leicester City were there meaning that 55% of the league are now playing their football outside the Premier League.

3. In 2005 Deloitte prepared their first ever “Rich List” of Football.  Topping the list was Real Madrid with an income of €258m.  Four years later their income is €366m.  Only one club in the top ten have seen their income fall in that period and that is AC Milan.

4. The average Premier League attendance has risen by 14,000 over the last decade (22%).  Part of this is due to the increase in capacity from some of the bigger clubs (Manchester United and Arsenal notably) but also down to the replacement of some of the smaller clubs from ten years ago by better supported teams such as Stoke City and Birmingham City.  In the Championship attendances are up by 25% although the vast majority of this can be attributed to Newcastle United’s presence this season in the second tier.  In League One Leeds United have turned the averages on their head too, up by 33% but in the lowest league crowds are down marginally by 1%.

5. On the 26th December 1999 Chelsea became the first ever English team to field a starting XI containing not one single English player.  Three of those players are today managers within the English League (Zola, Poyet and Di Matteo).

6. Only Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson were in their current roles anywhere in the English leagues 10 years ago.  John Coleman was in charge at Accrington Stanley but they were at the time in the lower reaches of the Northern Leagues.  52 managers changed jobs out of the 92 clubs in 1999/2000, with all but 2 clubs in the Championship (then Division One) changing their manager resulting in an average tenure in the job of 1.68 years.  However, this season has seen this average tenure fall even lower to 1.57 years.

7. England’s last squad for 1999 was selected by Kevin Keegan in mid November for the two play off games versus Scotland.  Five members of the squad are still playing Premier League football (Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Phil Neville, Emile Heskey and Michael Owen).  The squad also included such well known players as Steve Froggatt of Coventry City and Steve Guppy of Leicester City.  Only one of the squad is currently managing in England today, and that is Paul Ince at MK Dons, although Tony Adams, Gareth Southgate, Dennis Wise and Alan Shearer have had a stab at managing.

8. In European football, Deportivo La Coruna won the La Liga title, the last time it went to a “small club”.  A total of 10 clubs (out of a league of 20 teams) qualified for Europe at the end of the season in Spain through some way or another.  The big shock was that Sevilla and Atletico Madrid were relegated.  In Italy Lazio won the league, holding off the traditional big three.  The top 6 ten years ago is the same as it is today, although 50% (9 clubs) are no longer in the top division.  In Germany the league was won on the last day by Bayern Munich after Bayer Leverkusen lost away at Unterhacing when a draw would have given them the title.

9. It’s not the first time this year that one of the big four has failed to get out of the Champions League.  Ten years ago Arsenal had to make do with the UEFA Cup after their experiment of playing their Champions League home games at Wembley backfired.  They did reach the final before losing on penalties to Galatasaray in a stormy final in Copenhagen.  Their form was impressive to say the least as they scored six in each round against Werder Bremen, Nantes and Deportivo La Coruna before easily beating Lens in the semi-finals.  In the Champions League the Spanish domination continued as Real Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona all made it to the semi-finals.

10. Sky TV had the monopoly on live games in the Premier League and they showed a massive total of 50 games at a cost of £270m per season.  This season the Premier League will share nearly £600m.  Ten years ago the 92 clubs generated just over a billion pounds of income.  This season that figure will be eclipsed by the top 6 in the Premier League (Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City and Aston Villa) by MARCH 2010!  In 2009, 20 Premier League clubs spent £70m on agents fees – more than the total income for over 50 of the 92 football league clubs PUT TOGETHER!

Our 10 Years of highlights from football outside England

Ryan Storrie – Ex-Lewes FC winger and TBIR Player of the year 2009:
“Has to be Chelsea winning the league for the first time in 50 years in 2004-05.  Although beating Liverpool 2-1 at home to clinch 4th place the year before Abramovich came was a close second:)”

Georgous Greek George, pedigree dog supplier to the footballing stars:-
“There were two highlights for me.  Firstly being in February 2008 when we went to the new Wembley for the first time and overcame all the odds by beating money-bags Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final.  Oh how I still laugh today when I see Petr Cech coming out for a cross in any game!  Secondly, as I love them so much it would have to be watching Arsenal’s defeat to Barcelona in Gay Paris in the 2006 Champions League Final.  I have worn out the DVD at the moment of Lehmann’s dismissal due to overuse. Oh how the Seine was fuller that night with all the tears from the Gunners.”

Ross Neumann, our correspondent from the Scottish office:-
“Paris, 2007, James McFadden, 1-0.  Perfect day at work follows winding up our French guys.”

Steve Goff, West Ham, Luton Town and England hardcore fan:-
“Single moment has to be Bobby Zamora’s winner in the 2005 Play Off Final in Cardiff that brought an end to our temporary tour of the lesser known Championship.  In terms of a match it has to be 12 months later when we returned to the Millennium Stadium for the FA Cup Final versus Liverpool – best game I have been to – FACT!!

Gary McDowell, Owl supporting, sausage loving, software development manager:-
“Becks v Greece in 2001 at Old Trafford is a good shout. Only player on the pitch trying to drag his team into it. Literally carried 10 other useless gits and then held his nerve for a brilliant free-kick. Probably at his best as a player in this period.

There hasn’t been many highlights at Hillsborough in the past 10 years, but any step-over from Chris Waddle that you see on DVD is up there. This counts because the players he did it to during the nineties are still fooled into the noughties.”

James Boyes, Lewes FC Webmaster and official photographer:-
“As a United fan: winning the league 2003, after overhauling Arsenal, when Ruud was scoring for fun; ending talk about the Arsenal “invincibles”; and the 2008 Moscow Champions League Final (I’ve strangely forgotten this year’s).

As a Brighton fan: back to back promotions; Cardiff play-off Final and Falmer finally getting the go-ahead.

As a Lewes fan: Conference promo in 2008; Siggy scoring against Thurrock in injury time 2008 and 6-2 against Dover four days ago.

As an England fan: Germany 1 England 5 (even though I was Best Man at my mates wedding and missed it) and Beck’s free kick v Greece.

Controversial moment: Henry handball, not necessarily for what it meant at the time, but more for what it might bringto the game in the future.”

Mahbub Hussain, another Hammers fan working in SE1:-
“It’s Neville to Campbell, Campbell to Rio, Rio to Scholsey, Scholes’y Gerrard.  Gerrard to Beckham, Beckham to Heskey, Heskey to Owen – 1-1 as Ant and Dec once sang.  That game in Munich in September 2001…5-1, 5-1, 5-1.”

Phil Sheppard – Our man in the New Forest:
“Rotherham 0 – Forest Green Rovers 3 – F.A.Cup 1st Round Replay – 21 November 2007. Best ever performance I’ve seen from a FGR team. Wasn’t even that keen on going as I thought we’d blown it in the first game at home.  The bonus was we were away at Swindon Town in the next round and that was just as good a game but we lost 3-2 after leading 2-1. Forest Green 3 Derby County 4 in January 2008 is also up there with them but Rotherham sneaks it as we won.“

Football Jo, our resident Sexpert on all things foreign and naughty:
“The party in the Lisbon square – after England had lost to Portugal in Euro 2004.  The three of us walked through a crowd of thousands of home fans and they parted and gave us a round of applause.”

Lee Deacon – aka “Deaks” our expert on all things at the Dripping Pan:
“The collapse of Setanta Sports must be up there as a general sign of the self importance of the Premier League.  Give me non-league anyday!”

Danny Last – owner of European Football Weekends and organiser of the hugely successful Ocktobeerfest:-
“Standing on the terrace at Priory Lane, Eastbourne on New Years Day in 2007 for the derby versus Lewes.  I was positioned in exactly the right place to enjoy Andy “Jukebox” Drury’s superb individual effort that put The Rooks 2-0 up.  I subsequently found myself doing star jumps around said terrace.  In that one second half moment I rediscovered my zest for football, fell in love with all things non-league and found a new soul mate – Lewes FC!  I haven’t looked back since.”

Adam Lloyd – owner of Backtheboys.co.uk and Reading’s one man internal PR machine:-
“Seeing my home town team Reading finally make the promised land of the Premier League by sweeping all before them in 2006 by gaining 106 points in our Championship winning season.  And then of course the whole 1st season roller coaster ride where we beat all the odds and finished 8th.”

Luge Pravda – exiled Manchester United fan living in New York:-
“There were some massive highs following United in the last decade but for me the defining moment was THAT free kick at Old Trafford in late 2001 against Greece that took us to Japan.”

Lolly Leaf – TBIR’s resident photographer and on course for being a member of the 92 club by the time she is a teenager:-
“Leading out the teams at the City Ground in March 2009 as a mascot when England under 21′s played France.  Sure it was for France but it still counts as an international!…Apart from that?  West Ham 2 Manchester United 1 in December 2007 maybe?”

CMF – patient, loving wife and general underestimated football expert:-
“Like Football Jo I would go back to Euro 2004 in Portugal.  Fantastic sunny day in the old Expo site and Fans village.  Huge meat fuelled lunch compliments of Carlsberg which we blagged thanks to Andy Daykin at Sheffield United before we headed up to La Luz for the England versus France game.  We got there and it was chaos, and we were forced to walk along the hard shoulder of the motorway before we could get in.  The game was brilliant until the 85th minute – thanks David James (again!).”

Northern Steve, Lincoln’s one and only Tifosi:-
“The sacking of the Wally with the Brolly, Steve McClown – a man responsible for taking our national game back two years.

Nick the Dentist, The St Ives Tricky Tree:-
“There haven’t been many highlights for Forest and I was shocked to see that Johnny Metgod’s piledriver against the Hammers was nearly 25 years ago!  So I will have to say the bizarre implosion of Zinadine Zidane in his final game of football in the 2006 World Cup Final.”

Judi Polansky, exiled Luton Town fan in Texas:-
“As a Luton fan exiled to Texas there were, understandably, not too many high points in the past decade!!!! However, the JPT final has to be the one for me. I do work for an airline so was able to make a quick trip over for the match and it will probably be the highlight of my 30+ years of LTFC supporting, even exceeding the 88 league cup final which I attended with my Arsenal supporting husband (I still cling to that one!!). Even though 2009 was a terrible year for us, this game was amazing.”

Dagenham Dan, Dagenham & Redbridge’s number 1 fan shares his story his story in more detail here:-
“Most will probably dig through the noughties and find a classic premiership moment of Arsenals unbeaten season or David Beckham World Cup penalty in the Sapporo Dome. Myself, my moment of the noughties fell over a season rather than a defining day. 42 games, 24 teams all about one team…Dagenham & Redbridge 2006-2007.“

And finally my own personal Highlight? – Well I have two.  First must be sitting high up in the stands in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff looking at the scoreboard after 30 minutes which said Liverpool 0 West Ham 2, and subsequently how close we came to winning the best ever FA Cup final.  Secondly it has to be my daughter, Lolly’s love of the game.  All football loving men want to have a boy so they can live out their dreams, but I have two daughters who love the game.

Our 10 Years Highlights Video from football in England


The Road to Hell

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Every day nearly 250,000 cars pass by junction 30 of the M25 in deepest, darkest Essex.  On many days, such as a Bank Holiday Monday like today the “Road to Hell” becomes the world’s biggest car park as traffic heading for the retail cathedrals of Lakeside and Bluewater collide in coastal Essex.  For those travelling anti-clockwise you may have stolen a glance to your left as you pass over the junction and seen a few tall, thin floodlights poking up in the air.  Very few people ever have a chance to make a detour and find out this mysterious venue, passing it in the blink of the eye.  Well today I can exclusively reveal to you that the field of dreams in question is home to Thurrock FC, now of the Blue Square South league.

What makes the ground so different is that it started life as the gardens to the Thurrock Hotel and over time was adapted as a football ground.  The Thurrock Hotel has stood on this site for many a year before the football club were founded in 1985, making its name as an almost halfway point between London and Saafend when the A13 was a major summer holiday route.  Just a few miles to the west is the world famous Circus Tavern, which until recently used to the home to the PDC Darts World Championship. The club started in the Essex junior leagues called Purfleet FC and moved through the gears over the next years, gaining admittance to the Ryman’s Leagues in 1989.

The ground was slowly expanded and new parts seemed to open every year, co-inciding with the regular friendly with West Ham United which used to swell the normal crowds of a hundred or so to over two and a half thousand (the record attendance still stands at 2,572 from such a game in 1998).  The 2002/03 season was the pivotal moment in their history as it was the year the leagues were due to be restructured and so a top half finish in the Ryman’s Premier was essential.  The club did not disappoint and they finished in 3rd place, thus securing a spot in the new Conference South.  They also appeared in front of the TV cameras as they drew 1-1 at home to Luton Town in the FA Cup first round. To build on the progress they had made on the pitch a decision was taken to rename the club Thurrock.

Their first season at the new level was another major step in the right direction as despite having one of the smaller squads, grounds and average attendance in the league they finished in 3rd place and only lost out on Promotion in the end of season play off to Eastbourne Borough.  The FA Cup cameras were back again for the visit of Oldham Athletic although this time they saw a 1-0 defeat.

Since then they have continued to hold their own in this league.  This season the focus has again been on trying to achieve a play off spot, and coming into the game against Lewes they had only lost two at home all season, although recent away form had been shaky including a 5-0 thumping in Wales against league leaders Newport County.

The Fuller Family Christmas was winding down, and I had passed a late fitness test on my Swine Flu so I was ready to make the short hop across the Thames for this one.  Joining me was of course Lolly, now complete with her official TBIR Press Pass (the joys of owning your own laminater), Northern Steve and Lincoln Liam (aka my brother in law and nephew).  The remaining members of the Fuller Family Christmas ™ including of course CMF but also CMFOS (Current Mrs Fuller’s Older Sister) were not even out of sight or mind as they had gone shopping across the road (which is of course the M25).  Dave and Deaks were of course coming, still in a daze at the 80 minutes of football they had seen on Boxing Day when Lewes had scored 6 against Dover.  Alas, Danny was all Fiesta’d up (in a Spanish way and not a Readers Wives way I hasten to add) so we were due to Twitter him the latest.

A little paragraph about the extended Fuller Family. My in-laws fall in two camps.  Ones who are normal, and ones who aren’t.  Fortunately our visitors were from the former – they enjoy a laugh, a beer and have a life.  The latter ones don’t tend to visit – in fact my FIL (Father in Law) had developed an irrational fear of the M11 and A1 over the past few months and flatly refused to come down either as a driver or a passenger for Christmas.  He is recycling obsessed, and his paranoia was summed up in a story from Christmas Day when he made everyone hand over their tags from their presents so he could shred them just in case someone put them in the wrong bin and it could be traced back to him.  Yep – CMF is related to them but I don’t want any sort of prize for making her normal before you ask.  I could fill a whole book with some of the stories from “up north” (hmmm, idea for a new project forming)….

Crowds do not exactly flock to Ship Lane.  Taking away the five hundred for the game versus Dover, the average attendance is just over 230.  This hotbed of football is a tough audience to crack as local rivalries between East Thurrock United and Averley still burn deep and travelling firms make some areas no go zones…..ok not strictly true but there must be a reason why the crowds simply dont turn up?  It is not as if they cannot find the ground is it?  And if they did win promotion, they would be one step off the Football League ladder meaning the likes of Luton, Oxford, Cambridge and York would be visiting regularly.  Sure that is enough to fire up the emotions?  No, I’ll get my coat.

Traffic heading north to the Dartford Tunnel was piled back to past junction 4 when we joined it.  Obvious everyone wanted a slice of this action on Bank Holiday Monday.  It took us 30 minutes to travel five miles northwards, and by the time we made it on the over side of the Thames, West Ham had gone from holding their own away at Spurs to capitulating to another away defeat.  No worries there though as Lewes would cheer our afternoon up – right?

Thurrock 3  Lewes 1 – Ship Lane – Monday 28th December 2009
We parked up outside the turnstiles and paid a bargain £10 for Adults and £2 for the kids.  I used the change from £30 to buy my programme inside the ground which immediately flipped open to an advert which said “Half price admission to season ticket holders of any Premier League club on production of your season ticket”.  Really handy to know once you have paid to get in!  Straight into the bar where Deaks and Dave were recovering from passing too close to some shops on the way here from the station.  Dave had a little panic attack outside Curry’s apparently, thinking that this was what live had come to, and then another one when he found out that there were no bookies anywhere close to lay his bets on.

The bar was taken over by a sizeable Lewes away support, happy to put some cash behind the Thurrock bar.  Sadly the Thurrock Hotel was closed for Christmas and thus those who fancied making a night of it next to the M25 were thwarted.  We purchased our Golden Goal tickets and headed out onto the terrace.  It is a strange ground, with the Hotel a looming shadow over the single tiny stand like a Essex Bates Motel.  Behind the goal was the dressing rooms, caged in to stop fans committing the heinous crime of walking in front of it.

After Thurrock’s David Bryant had collected his award for “Player with the most similar name to the only bowls player known to the general public”, the game kicked off as the temperature started to fall.  The first half was an open affair, made more interesting by the play acting of the biggest man on the pitch, Thurrock’s Robert Swaine who fell down on a couple of occasions.  On the last one he received lengthy treatment, accompanied by a single man rant, aka Cynical Dave, which went along the lines of “Cheat, Cheat, Cheat…” for a full 3 minutes.  Impressive stuff.

After a half time refuelling stop we emerged back on the terrace in time to see Thurrock take the lead.  A great run down the line by Lalite was met by the unmarked Matt Bodkin and it was 1-0.  I nervously opened my golden goal ticket – 52 minutes.  My stopwatch, as used by Sir Alex Ferguson showed 51 minutes 53 seconds – aka the 52nd minute!  I was a winner, or so I thought.  A stewards enquiry was called and from somewhere 10 seconds had been added to the half and I had lost out on the pot of gold as 53 minutes was the official time – boo, hiss…

Northern Steve was dispatched around the pitch to find some good old fashion northern food but returned with a huge hunk of french bread with a hot dog sausage stuffed in the middle and NO GRAVY!  He was distraught at the level of catering in Essex and vowed never to return.  I got so excited by the fayre that I missed Lewes’s equaliser.  Two minutes after going behind Jack Walder had turned and slotted home from the edge of the box.

Goal of the game came a few minutes later though.  A long cross pitch pass caught out the Lewes full back and Bodkin ran onto the ball at full speed and delivered an inch perfect cross for Leon McKenzie to smash the ball home – a goal worthy of any stage.  Lewes huffed and puffed but there was only going to be one winner and a third goal a minute from time, again on the counter attack put an unfair reflection on the final score but McKenzie again took the goal very well.

On the final whistle the two hundred and seventy headed off their separate ways.  Dave and Deaks into the twinkling lights of Lakeside and us into the car and back into the safety of The Garden of England.  Roll on Dover on Friday.

About Ship Lane
At first the ground was a part of the Thurrock Hotel and at first consisted of two pitches and dressing rooms in the main hotel building. Due to this set-up the club could only compete at Junior level. The playing area was turned around 90° to make one full pitch and dressing rooms were built so the football club could become a separate entity away from the Hotel.

Floodlights were erected in January 1988 after planning permission was accepted from Thurrock Council to add these features as well as a grandstand.

How to get to Ship Lane
Potentially one of the easiest grounds in England to find.  Exit M25 at junction 31.  If coming from south (i.e via Blackwall Tunnel) then take 3rd exit into Ship Lane and ground is 50 yards on right.  If you are coming from north on M25 then it is the 5th exit.  Nearest station is Purfleet which is about a mile away.

How to get a ticket for Ship Lane
The ground never comes near to capacity for 99% of games played here.  Even recent FA Cup games have been pay on the door and with an average attendance around 8% of the capacity you will not have an issue turning up a 2.55pm and getting in.  £10 for Adults, £2 for Under 16′s and you can move from terrace to stand as you want.

The 2009 TBIR Awards

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Almost a year ago to the day we announced the first ever TBIR annual awards (see our announcement and video from last year).  The response was phenomenal and over the past month we have been taking nominations for this years gongs.  And ladies and gentlemen we are now ready to announce the winners (and losers) for 2009.  Click on any of the links for more details of the trips to the specific places.  Scroll down the page for our exclusive video as well or click here.  Drum roll please……

Best non-football trip in 2009
It’s not all about the beautiful game here at TBIR.  We love a bit of Rugby and Cricket too and in 2009 we were privilaged to attend a number of “small ball” events especially those during the Twenty20 World Cup.  So the winners were:-

3rd Place – England v Holland – Twenty20 World Cup Lords
England lose the opening game of the tournament at the world home of cricket and we got to watch it from the best media facility on earth.
2nd Place – Kent Spitfires v Sussex Sharks – Twenty20 Cup Canterbury
A beautiful sunny July day in Kent, fantastic picnic, cold beers…what could be better?

Sums up the day really

The Winner – The Super6′s Day in the Twenty20 World Cup at The Oval
A double header of South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan and New Zealand on a lovely sunny day?  What could be better – how about an all access media pass, the company of Danny Last from EFW and our own executive box to report from.  Days like these are rare but when they come you have to grab them with both hands.

Best Overseas Match in 2009
European football is what we are all about at TBIR and we are lucky enough to spend most of our week in the capital of cool, Copenhagen, giving us excellent access to the whole of Scandinavia.  So what games rocked our world in 2009 abroad?

3rd Place – HB Koge 0 FC Copenhagen 2 @ the SEAS NVN Arena
Bottom of the Superliga versus the top in a game full of incident, flares and generally bad behaved fans.
2nd Place -Stabaek IF 4 FK Tirana 0 @ The Telenor Arena, Oslo
Ever been to a game indoors?  On a plastic pitch?  In a press area with just one other person?  No neither had I until I went to the Telenor Arena for this one….oh, and what about a game that is subsequently investigated for Match Fixing by UEFA!

The Winner - FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Ireland 2 Italy 2  @ Croke Park

Croke Park full

An all or bust must win game for Ireland in a full Croke Park, one of the best stadiums in Europe.  Throw in some all access passes, a hotel opposite and a number of pints of Guinness with Dagenham Dan and you have the best Overseas Match of 2009.

Best English Match in 2009
Most of our time we wander from ground to ground watching football in the UK.  We saw over 70 games in 2009 in England (and two in Wales), seeing an average of over 3 goals per game.  We saw some great games, full of goals and incident so picking our top three was difficult so here goes.

3rd Place – West Ham 5 Burnley 3 @ Upton Park
West Ham are having a torrid season so when they went 5-0 with twenty minutes to go few thought they could throw it away..well 3 Burnley goals in 10 minutes almost brought this to reality.
2nd Place – Cambridge United 3 Luton Town 4 @ Abbey Stadium
Luton 2-0 down and reduced to 10 men with 40 minutes to go and boss Mick Harford’s job hanging by a thread.  50 Minutes later they ran out 4-3 winners….Harford was sacked 4 days later!

The Winner – Alfreton Town 4 Telford United 3 @ The Impact Arena

It's all over for Alfreton and the Police Dog makes his debut

Blue Square Conference North is not known for its passion normally but when the Play Offs beckon then its a different story.  The small Derbyshire town of Alfreton hosted a huge game with the home team on the verge of a promotion to virgin territory.  a humdinger of a game, played out in front of a passionate full house.  Seven goals, police dogs on the pitch and some “interesting” characters.  What more can I say!

The Worst game in 2009
Again seeing so many games means once in a while there will be a duff one and it’s not always the nil nil draw.  So the three below stick in the mind for lots of reasons.

3rd Place – Charlton Athletic 0 Nottingham Forest 2 @ The Valley
A freezing cold day and one of the only games still standing but all those who attended wish it was one of the other postponed games.
2nd Place – Millwall 0 Wycombe Wanderers 2 @ The New Den
I hadn’t been to Millwall for years and judging by this performance it will be ages before I go back again..

And the Winner – Malmo IF 0 Orebro 0 @ The Swedbank Stadion

Swedbank Panorama

A move to a new stadium should improve the quality of the games right?  Er no.  Malmo struggled to score in their first few games in their spanking new ground and this was one of a couple of turgid bore draws they played.  Forgettable.

Best Fans in 2009
We have seen the best, been with the best and drunk with the best…but who exactly were they in 2009?  Best fans were the noisiest, most passionate and vocal without bordering on hostile towards other fans.

3rd Place – Drogheda United Fans
Drogheda’s claret and blue army get our vote here for their huge display of support despite their team facing hard times on and off the pitch.  Away to Bohemians on a cold Friday night in October they never game up despite losing 4-0.
2nd Place – Borussia Monchengladbach
A 50,000 capacity stadium which is nearly always full despite their lowly position.  A green wall of sound – quite simply very impressive.

And The Winner is  SCC Napoli Fans

Napoli 2 Udinese 0

A delipated stadium, fans that border on the nutty and a lowly league position…Crap atmosphere right?  Wrong – what a cracking stadium – the noise will stay in your ears for hours.

The Best Stadium we visited in 2009
So after visiting 56 different stadiums what was the best in terms of atmosphere, facilities, fans and location in 2009?  Well lets see –

3rd Place – The LTU Arena – home of Fortuna Dusseldorf
Close to the city centre, easy transport links, wide open concourses with plenty of places for a beer and fantastic views from all 50,000+ seats.
2nd Place -  Borussia Park – home of Borussia Monchengladbach
Another 50,000+ Bundesliga stadium, full on almost every occasion with a rocking atmosphere.  It would have scooped the top award if it was easier to get to.

And the Winner is Croke Park – Dublin

Croke Park full

Sure it could have been the occasion, the event management or the game itself but Croke Park took on a magical veil on this chilly October night.  The Irish got behind their team 150% and it was a night few will forget who were there.

The Worst Stadium we visited in 2009
Another subjective one to try and call although one main criteria was any stadiums that had running tracks!

3rd Place – Frederiksberg Stadion – home of FB Copenhagen
Basic athletics ground, big running track and no cover…what more can I say?  Ah yes average attendance of 12.
2nd Place – Melbourne Park – home of Chelmsford City
I have nothing against Chelmsford City but their ground is a nightmare for fans.  Huge open spaces, strange little temporary stands behind the goal.  Not good.

And the Winner is Goldstone Road – home of Brimsdown Rovers

The teams emerge to a fanfare

I know they are only a Spartan League club, and the weather was appalling but basic is as basic does.  Hardly very welcoming for any fans.  Corrugated stands, no facilities in the stadium itself and an unwelcoming supporters bar where on the night of the game (an FA Cup tie) there was a “members only” event.

The Best Matchday Experience in 2009
When we pitch up at a new stadium for the first time we head straight for the bar to sample some of the local cuisine and chat with a few fans – what could be better.  So what were the most “welcoming” places in 2009?

3rd Place – Bromley FC
A sunny Bank Holiday Monday, a fantastic bar, great cheap food and locals who loved to chat about football.  So good that the Lewes team were still there a few hours after the game finished.
2nd Place – Bishops Stortford FC
A set of fans who welcome visitors, a bar that serves beer at £2 and even Teddy Sheringham in the crowd – what more could you ask for?  Well what about sprinklers that pop out of the pitch to soak the opposition goalkeeper – classic!

And the Winner is…..Lewes FC

The fantastic Dripping Pan

There could only be one winner….The home of Harveys Beer, close to the station in one of the prettiest towns in south of England.  Add in a decent clubhouse and some top fans.  Even when things on the pitch are not going to plan, the banter off the pitch will always take away your troubles.  Visit here NOW!

The Best Overseas Trip in 2009
Not to be confused with the best game overseas, this award is for the whole trip.  The company, the laughter, the madness and in certain people’s minds, the porn.

3rd Place – Naples
Pizza, Pasta, crime, porn, volcanoes, roman ruins and a bit of football – a great weekend break!
2nd Place – Sweden Under21′s Tournament
A long weekend of sunshine and good company as well as a couple of decent games, none more so that Sweden’s 5-1 win versus Belarus where all 6 goals could win MOTD’s goal of the month.

And the Winner is Ocktobeerfest

The EFW Ocktobeerfest team

Absolutely no doubt on the winner here….32 fans from all over Europe, 4 games of football and god knows how many beers and sausages – the video above sums it all up!  Expertly organised by EFW.

And Finally – The How did we end up here 2009 Award
Often we find ourselves in the most unusual places, and take advantage of the situation.  Here are the three best ones from 2009

3rd Place- On the pitch at Bromley FC
Thirty minutes after the game and me and the EFW team are on the pitch practising our penalties without a ball – classic British comedy.
2nd Place – In the Hamilton’s Flat
Long story short, Neil and Christine Hamilton are big fans of the blog and follow our every move via Twitter.  So when they wanted to meet up for lunch how could I refuse?

And the winner is The Perfect Storm
How could you every top a day like this?  All access pass to Lords Media centre for a Friends Provident cup game, then hot footing it up to Wembley Stadium for the Blue Square Premier Play Off Final between Cambridge United and Torquay United, again with a press pass before finally going down to the O2 for front row (literally) seats for the Blue Man Group.  Just pinch me!

So there we have it – time to put the tux away and roll up the red carpet.  Of course you can always revisit the best bits in our Highlights video.