MUFC.SIMPLENET. COM: DAILY NEWS
Date: Tues Sept 1 GMT+00:00 1998
Mail: barry@www.red11.org
This Issue:
1. RESULTS AND ATTENDANCES ON 30/08/98 ***
2. Lodz Diary
3. Choked Billy's Trip To Old Trafford, Tuesday 18th August.
4. Jaap Stam career details:
No match this weekend
We didn't have a match this weekend because we were scheduled to play
Chelsea, but they were on Super Cup duty in Monaco on Friday.
********************************
Daily RED Trivia Tuesday 1st September:
1959: Mike Duxbury was born in Accrington. A versatile player who made his debut
against Manchester City in 1980, and won FA Cup winners medals in 1983 and 1985,
plus a League Cup Finalist medal in 1983. Accumulated 376 appearances and 7 goals
between 1980-90, and joined Blackburn Rovers in August 1990. 10 England caps.
1976: United trounced Tranmere Rovers 5-0 in the League Cup 2nd Round at
Old Trafford watched by 37,576. Gerry Daly 2, Stuart Pearson, Lou Macari and
Gordon Hill were the scorers. Team was: Stepney, Nicholl, Houston, Daly,
B.Greenhoff, Buchan, Coppell, McIlroy (McCreery), Pearson, Macari, Hill.
********************************
Next 4 games:
Index: http://www.red11.org/mufc/fix9899z.htm
Wed 9/9 Charlton (H) PL Wed 16/9 Barcelona (H) CL
Sat 12/9 Coventry (H) PL Sat 20/9 Arsenal (A) PL
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
Paul Hinson & Barry.
Subject: *** RESULTS AND ATTENDANCES ON 30/08/98 ***
Newcastle United 1-4 Liverpool 36,740
*** CONDENSED LEAGUE TABLE AS AT 30/08/98 ***
Pos Team P W D L F A GD Pts
---------------------------------------------------------
1 Liverpool 3 2 1 0 6 2 4 7
2 Aston Villa 3 2 1 0 4 1 3 7
3 Nottingham Forest 3 2 0 1 4 3 1 6
4 Charlton Athletic 3 1 2 0 5 0 5 5
5 Wimbledon 3 1 2 0 4 2 2 5
6 Arsenal 3 1 2 0 2 1 1 5
7 Leeds United 3 1 2 0 2 1 1 5
8 West Ham United 3 1 2 0 1 0 1 5
9 Leicester City 3 1 1 1 4 3 1 4
10 Blackburn Rovers 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 4
11 Coventry City 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
12 Sheffield Wednesday 3 1 0 2 3 2 1 3
13 Derby County 3 0 3 0 1 1 0 3
14 Tottenham Hotspur 3 1 0 2 2 6 -4 3
15 Manchester United 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2
16 Middlesbrough 3 0 2 1 2 4 -2 2
17 Newcastle United 3 0 2 1 2 5 -3 2
18 Chelsea 2 0 1 1 2 3 -1 1
19 Everton 3 0 1 2 0 3 -3 1
20 Southampton 3 0 0 3 2 9 -7 0
Paul Hinson & Barry.
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1998 09:30:10 +0100
Reply-To: "Manchester United Football Club (soccer)"
Sender: "Manchester United Football Club (soccer)"
From: Richard Martin
Subject: Lodz Diary
To: MUFC@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
DAY ONE
3:45am,Tuesday 25th August: The alarm goes off and the long haul to and
back from Poland begins.I was looking forward to this trip,never having
been to Poland before,but in a way regretting that we weren't playing
Kapaz of Azerbaijan,as I think that would have been much more of an
adventure.Still,beggars can't be choosers and I was grateful to be able
to go to Poland.
The journey began at Coventry railway station,and 3 trains and 3 hours
later I arrived at Manchester Airport.As I was buying a paper in the
WH Smith's shop,I realised that I was surrounded by the team on their
way to catching their flight directly to Lodz.Like an anorak I went in
search of autographs,but apart from my boarding pass,all I had for them
to sign was my match ticket,which not to put too fine a point on it,was
the same size as a bus ticket !! Still,Coley and Schmikes managed to
find enough room on it to put on their scrawls,though you could never
make out their names !!
Anorak-mode over,I went to the boarding gate to catch my flight to
Warsaw.I thought that there were would be a lot more reds on this
flight,but in the event it turned out that there were only about 20.I
was sat next to Andy Mitten and felt somewhat awkward admitting to not
having bought the new size format "United We Stand" apart from the first
couple of issues.I thought that it lost its editorial bite a little when
it went mass-market and with Zone distribution,which Andy was gracious
enough to admit,but he assures me that it has returned to the days of
old now,so I will gave it another try (honest !!)
After waiting 2 hours at Warsaw airport for the Heathrow flight carrying
a couple of friends,we headed off into town to our hotel and then in
search of the apparently cheap alcohol.
Upon arriving in the city centre,one thing was apparent and that was
that there are very few hotels,so I was grateful that I had booked one
over the internet before we'd left.Our hotel was fully booked and some
other reds who were trying to get a room had just about given up hope
and were contemplating sleeping rough that night.
I thought that we would have a reasonable turn out in town the night
before the game,but I doubt whether there were more than 80 -100 reds
about,and they were only dotted about in small groups.After having a few
beers in the Champions Sports Bar and being entertained by some great
songs and stories from well-known reds Mallet and Tommy Gardiner,we
headed off into the Old Town in search of more activity.The old rumour
factory had started by now and there was talk of 40 local skinheads
"looking for it".
Apart from bumping into Mike Dobbin and perhaps 20 other reds (and a few
Legia Warsaw fans just hanging about),there was nothing doing so 6 of us
headed back towards the centre and to a club that provides entertainment
for the males of our species (there are children reading this,so I shall
keep it toned down !!) As it happened we were refused entry for being
drunk,which was crap.The bouncer then changed his story and tried to rip
us off by charging double and saying that if we went in,we couldn't
drink.After a heated discussion he went back into the club and locked
the doors,so we went off in search of another pub,which when arriving at
it appears that we had just missed all of the action.
Apparently 40 reds had been quietly drinking in a pub which was then
attacked by a gang of locals throwing tables and chairs all over the
place.They were chased out but I don't know what happened to them.
To the best of my recollection,day 1 ended at about 3am after
successfully securing entry into another club.
I didn't really get to see anything much of Warsaw,which is a pity.Like
the rest of the old eastern Europe,Poland is going through a massive
political and financial upheavel with big business trying to muscle its
way into new markets,but at the same time it has a fragile economy and
people who are still trying to come to terms with all of the changes.
Hotel chains like Sheraton and Marriott have been quick to move in to
cater for the foreign businessman,but beneath their shadows are still
the old markets and back streets where the locals spend their hard-
earned zlotys.I also couldn't escape the irony of the tallest,church-
like,building in the city centre (which has obviously been there for
hundreds of years) now being degraded by having satellite dishes and
antennae stuck all around its spire.
As for the prices,if you went to the classier bars catering for the
business population,they were a little cheaper than you would pay back
home;if you went to the locals bars,then you could get a pint for 50p.
DAY TWO
10:00am: With a somewhat sore head,I managed to crawl downstairs to get
some much needed breakfast.We then headed off to the railway station to
catch the train to Lodz.Even though the ticket clerk didn't speak
english,we thought that we'd done enough to explain that we wanted
tickets from Warsaw to Lodz.
After one junior ticket inspector came around and pointed out to his
amusement that we'd been sold tickets from Lodz to Warsaw (but letting
us off as we were carrying on overnight to Berlin),his "little Hitler"
supervisor came round and tried to make us pay the fare all over
again.Trying to act rationally with this prat proved to be completely
useless and it soon degenerated into a fully fledged face-to-face
argument,with us steadfastly refusing to back down and him saying that
it was our problem and not his.Thankfully,a Polish lad who was
travelling in our carriage and who spoke english then acted as a go-
between,took the heat out of the argument and agreed with the ticket
inspector that the best solution was to rip up the tickets so that they
couldn't be used for a return journey,which was fine by us seeing as we
had no intention of going back to Warsaw.I was glad that this lad
intervened as the argument was rapidly heading downwards,and after
having had a similar situation on the journey from Nice to Turin a
couple of years back end up with the train being stopped and the police
being called,I had visions of us being thrown into a cell for the night.
Upon arriving in Lodz at 1:00,we headed off to check out the ground and
to find out where we were to enter it (which proved to be the right
thing to do seeing as the red that I was stood next to in the ground had
had his head used for football practice outside when he made the mistake
of going to the wrong end).To say that the ground was a tip is an
understatement;I have been to non-league grounds that were in better
shape.
We then went in search of a pub and ended up at the Irish Bar just
opposite where the players were staying at the Grand Hotel.There were a
good number of reds in here,together with some dickhead LKS fans wearing
their "official LKS hooligan" scarves....I ask you !! The banter was
reasonably well natured,though I heard when I got to the ground that one
United fan had been stabbed just after we'd left.
I spoke to some of the 119 official travellers with the club who were
also in this bar.They had been charged 355 pounds for a one day trip.How
can the club justify this cost ? Including my air fare,hotel,trains and
beer money,I spent less than this in 3 days !!
There was a bit of fun trying to get into the ground as the police were
smelling everyone's breath (what a lovely job !!!) for traces of alcohol
and refusing entry to some.Thankfully I got a couple of sticks of gum
off somebody and was able to get in OK.For some reason about 30 of us
ended up on the terrace behind the goal rather than in the United
section down one side,then just as the game kicked off there was an
almightly roar as 20 poles came running into our section.Thinking that a
riot was about to break out,everyone got ready.Then we realised that
they were Legia Warsaw hooligans who had come to wind up their LKS
counterparts.Hooliganism is still very much alive and well in Poland.
What can I say of the game ? If I told you that one of my mates slept
through most of the second half and that I spent this time writing out
song lyrics to tunes that a Polish United fan (his first United match)
knew but not the words,then it probably sums it up.United had a job to
do and they did it.A goal would have been nice though.
To liven up the entertainment,the 30 of us behind the goal had a few
silly songs going and then decided to do a new slightly re-worded
version of "If You All Hate Scousers",replacing "Clap Your Hands" with
"Drop Your Pants",which pleased the one girl in our group no end !! It
also sparked the main contingent of United fans into life with "Do You
take it up the **** etc..." Still,we all had a laugh especially when
everyone dropped their kegs when Beckham came over at the end of the
match !! I am not sure what the police thought of it as we were
outnumbered by about 3 to 1 including 20 fully kitted up in combat suits
and balaclavas !! I thought for one moment that we were playing at West
Ham again !!
Apart from the immediate area around the players' hotel,which had been
turned into a cosmopolitan walkway of shops and bars,the rest of Lodz
was very dour and run down.
DAY THREE
12:01am: We had a choice.Either drink through the night (if we could
find a bar that would stay open long enough) and catch the 6am (6 1/2
hours) train to Berlin,or else catch the 12:01am overnight (11 hours)
train to Berlin and try to get some sleep.The latter choice won and so
we boarded the train expecting to find an empty carriage in which we
could crash out for the night.Wrong !!! This train was packed solid,with
people even in the aisles.We walked the whole length of the train until
we found the last 3 available seats in the buffet carriage, which purely
by chance were next to 2 reds from Redditch that we knew.
After about 4 hours,we had to change at Poznan (with an uncomfortable 3
hour wait in a very packed station at 4am !!),then thankfully boarded an
almost empty train to Berlin on which we could get some much needed
sleep.This train seemed to be a ticket collectors and customs officers
hangout as I lost count of how many times we were asked for tickets and
passports by different people !!
We finally arrived bleary-eyed in Berlin at 11:00.The original plan was
to take a walk up to the Brandenburg Gate and Berlin Wall,but once we
realised that this was the best part of a 3 mile round trip and that we
had to leave for the airport by 1:00,the desire for food and beer soon
convinced us to head for a bar instead.
I arrived back home at 5:30pm,put on the teletext for the draw and
within half an hour had arranged my flights to the Barcelona and Bayern
Munich games.Unfortunately,and I am really pissed off about this,it
looks as if I'll have to miss the Brondby match in Copenhagen as I have
an exam that day that finishes 10 minutes before the last flight to
Copenhagen leaves Birmingham !!!
--
Richard
Paul Hinson & Barry.
Subject: Choked Billy's Trip To Old Trafford, Tuesday 18th August.
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1998 15:37:40 +0100
X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.0.1458.49)
Billy's Trip To Old Trafford, Tuesday 18th August.
Looking back, it was a trip of a lifetime. I've been to not a great
deal of United matches, but of the few I have seen, this was the
greatest occasion - possibly not the greatest match but undoubtedly the
greatest occasion.
It all started back at the turn of the year when I applied and received
a pair of tickets for the Munich Testimonial match versus Eric Cantona's
European XI. It turned out the original February date was postponed
which was a blessing for me as it turned out I would have missed it. So
August 18th beckoned and I combined it with a trip to see my Dad who
lives on the other side of the country from Manchester, but as I was
coming 500 miles down from northern Scotland it was merely a diversion.
Tuesday morning arrived and off to Manchester we went. The journey for
me flew by, with my mind elsewhere - the return of King Eric wasn't a
match to take lightly combined with the tribute to the Babes. I was
born 10 years after Munich so all I know about it was what I've read
about and heard from others but I think any United fan with a genuine
loyalty to our club would find it hard not to hurt from the Munich
crash. But as much as I feel sadness for Munich it is equalled with the
pride I feel for Eric. Sure I was sad when he left and I still am, but
for what he did for our club and for the success which came with him I
have nothing but happy memories. He was without doubt the best player
I've ever seen and for me the epitomy of Manchester United - larger than
life, gifted, adored by the fans, hated by our opponents (but admired in
a back handed complimentary sort of way), influential, the best of his
kind, with a presence unequalled in the 25 years I've been watching
football.
So after being dropped off on Sir Matt Busby Way at 2pm - my Dad had to
visit one of his work's sites nearby - I proceeded to mull around the
ground and soak in the atmosphere and sunrays of that glorious
afternoon. After mosying round the Megastore and Superstore I bought
some food from the vans assembled round the ground and scoffed an ice
cream. The forecourt was busy all afternoon and by the time the players
arrived around 4pm it was getting pretty crowded. One by one they
arrived and some would take the time to sign autographs to the screams
of fans but others would just jump out their cars and walk into the
stadium, to the boos of the fans - Andy Cole, Denis Irwin and Roy Keane
were the culprits whilst Jordi, Rai, Teddy, Superstar, Giggsy and The
Ginger Prince took time to sign some shirts and programmes etc. The
real stars of the show were St. Alex of Govan himself and Becks. The
two of them took about half an hour going round everyone signing
anything that was stuck under their noses. A couple of the wee kids
were caught up in the crush against the barriers so they were lifted
inside the cordoned off area by security and Becks' then went over to
sign their possessions and have a chat with them, which I thought was a
cracking thing to do. I'll remember that old crush routine next time
I'm at OT..........
It was gone 5 O'clock by now so I made my way towards the Throstles Nest
in the off chance there may be some listers hanging around - I wasn't to
be disappointed. Upon my arrival I spotted Alan Dobson (who else?)
hanging round the bar with his girl and after ordering a pint I made my
introductions. With him was someone who's face I'd seen on the listpics
but I thought surely it couldn't have been - but it was, Webmaster Barry
Leeming himself. Paul 'statsman' Hinson and Neil Sharp (hi guys, good
to have met you) were there also and the following hour was spent in
pleasant company chatting about all things United. It seemed to fly by
but I was glad I'd taken the chance. Pete Hargreaves showed up with his
Dad, Hal, and I spent some time 'getting the crack' with Pete.
I'm glad I saw Pete as he said some wise words about Eric and his
contribution to Manchester United which I was pleased to hear. I'd
considered him to have been the greatest player I'd seen play for our
club but to hear similar sentiment from someone who'd been through the
sixties and I guess before (sorry Pete!) it was re-assuring that my
views aren't as extreme as I suspect they sometimes are, especially
about my hero.
So the hour passed all too quickly but a greater prize awaited and it
was back to OT to meet my Dad, appropriately underneath the Munich
clock. We stopped and had a look at the memorial and I quipped to him
that without that, we all wouldn't be here tonight. Ironic but true I
thought, that a desperately sad occasion was also going to be an
incredibly happy one. The contrasts of football - perhaps that is why
we're all addicted to it, who knows.
So we're in the North Stand lower section not far from the scoreboard
end, which was to be more than convenient during the match as I lost
count not long into the second half, and I've my programme (signed) and
fanzines in hand. Or rather they're in my Dad's hands as I've too much
nervous emotion to hold onto them. Out come the teams...... 1, 2, 3
.....10 red shirts. No Eric. 1, 2,3,....9 black and white shirts. 9
black and white shirts, there's only 10 of the European team I quickly
say to him. It was more or less the last words I said to him for most
of the game as I then saw the figure emerge from the tunnel.
The cheers just kept on coming and I couldn't believe it. There he was
playing one last time at OT and I was there to see it. Brilliant. He
strode out with his son and after formalities the game began. I've
never supported a team against United but for 45 minutes I couldn't help
myself. It was surreal. Cheering every United goal and move but
cheering the other side on also in the hope that Big Eric will bang one
in while I sat there (as we're encouraged to do) and just choked on my
emotion. I couldn't look my Dad in the eye but I'm sure he could see
but he didn't say anything - it's a father/son thing I guess. Half time
came and the real fun began. You've all read about the match so I'll
not go into it in too much detail, but suffice to say I was more choked
in the second half than I was in the first. Eric scored but it was
disallowed and then he got what I'd come for - Number 7 scored number 7
and it made my night. There's been rumours and hints that it was, shall
we say created, but frankly I don't give a monkey's - he'd scored and
that was good enough for me. Over the course of the game there were
many highlights..... giving Sparky a hero's reception..... likewise
Robbo who I'd never seen play so this was another special reason
highlight for me..... the mad goalkeeping mate of Eric's...... he nearly
scored...... he was running up and down the wing and for corners.......
Robbo tackling Giggsy in front of us, getting a huge cheer and then
proceeding to sit on the ball before playing it upfield - class
act........... Gazza admitting he eat all the pies ....... Jean Pierre
Papin...... Laurent Blanc....... I could go on and on.
All too soon the game was over, but I was still choked. A presentation
was made and Eric took to the mike. I was waiting, waiting, waiting for
him to say he'd started training again and that a comeback was to be
made, but unfortunately this never came. The nearest he got was saying
he might see us all again soon. Well it was never going to happen was
it? But I can live in hope, he certainly has still got it and I don't
think there would have been too many complaints if my dream had come
true. But perhaps it's best to remember him in his prime, and if you've
lost your passion for something then what's the point? I can vouch for
those sentiments.
A very moving moment came just before Eric's speech, and that was when
the East Stand started singing really loudly "We'll Never Die, We'll
Never Die, We'll Never Die, We'll Never Die, We'll Keep The Red Flag
Flying High, Cos Man United Will Never Die!". Everyone quickly joined
in and it was incredible and so, so fitting. What a moving tribute that
was. I think it shows we'll never forget. Never.
So it was over, all too quickly, and Eric was on a lap of honour and
then away up the tunnel. I'd paid my respects to the Babes and I'd said
farewell to my hero and I still was all choked and if the truth be told
I'm choked just typing this out, but that's no bad thing 'cos that's how
much I care about our club. Anyway, we walked to the car which was
parked at possibly the most distant point from OT my Dad could find and
then he drove us the 100 miles or so home as I was emotionally drained
from the incredible feeling of the day and slept all the way back to
Lincolnshire.
In hindsight it was without doubt the best footballing occasion I've
been to. There was a time before I drove down from Scotland that I
thought was it all worth it for what was little more than a friendly,
but something within me kept me encouraged and am I glad I made the time
and effort. A thousand miles round trip and I'd do it again tomorrow if
I could. My Dad had a great time also and it was nice to spend some
time with him as we see little of each other most of the year - he's not
a football fan in any shape or form, he just admits to following United
simply because I do but he can appreciate a special occasion when he
sees one and I don't think he'll see many like that in his life, and
neither will I.
Cheers,
Billy
Balti Devil
Billy.Read@Halliburton.com
Paul Hinson & Barry.
Subject: Jaap Stam career details:
Jaap Stam career details:
Born 17/07/72 in Kampen, Holland
191cm, 90 kilo
92/93 PEC Zwolle(2nd div.): 32 games, 1 goal
93/94 Cambuur: 33 games, no goals
94/95 Cambuur(2nd div.): 33 games, 4 goals
95/96 Willem II: 19 games, 1 goal and PSV: 14 games, 1 goal
96/97 PSV: 33 games, 6 goals
Paul Hinson & Barry.
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