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I just returned from my trip to Europe where I was lucky enough to make the long journey to Moscow to see the unmentionables squeeze out a victory against a very unlucky Chelsea squad at the Luhzniki Stadium last Wednesday. There were four of us in my posse, my bredrin Peleten, one of our Jamaican compadres from England and his English wife. The last two mentioned are Chelsea supporters and season ticket holders. It was through them that Peleten and I were able to get Champions League finals tickets.
Getting flights however, was virtually impossible. We ended up paying a small fortune for seats on a charter out of Gatwick leaving at 6AM 21-May and returning 4AM 22-May. Needless to say, we did not have much time to explore Moscow or do any sight seeing.
Despite the short time we had in Moscow before the game, we were fortunate to have been treated to a nice lunch through some Russian business colleagues of mine at a restaurant called the "GQ Bar" near Red Square. Decent food and good service, but expensive. The bill for the 4 of us was about $US400 before tip and that was the lunch menu which was supposed to be cheaper than the dinner menu!! From there, we were able to take the short walk to visit Red Square and see St. Basil's cathedral, Lenin's tomb and the outer walls of the Kremlin.
I must say that after seeing the towering Kremlin walls off Red Square up close and personal, I can now understand how an average citizen would have to be a complete "eediat" to want to mount any opposition to the Soviet regime back during the cold war. Intimidating is not the world!! It is - even with today's freedom's - imposing and scary no rahtid. To imagine the mightiest of Soviet warriors with all their arsenal marching through Red Square saluting in lock step the line of politburo officials atop those 5 story walls must have been something to see. Just imagining it while standing there sent frightening chills through my spine. All I can say is "Bum-bo!"
Anyway, we took some pictures and bought one or two little trinkets then headed off for the stadium. I have been lucky enough to have gone to more than a few football games in Europe at Stamford Bridge, Anfield, Old Toilet and a few other venues but I have never seen anything like this. First of all, there were plenty of soldiers and police around the stadium. You could see that these were some hombres that would not think twice about shutting your arse up in a goulag if you gave them any sh-t. Secondly, there were no bars or commercial establishments anywhere near the stadium, so the fans were 95% dry. And lastly, the merchandising was pathetic, even inside the stadium. I wanted to buy a program, a commemorative chelski/manure scarf and a pin, but was only able to get the program and a flimsy t-shirt which together set me back US$45!! And to get the program my bredrin had to practically fight his way through a crowd to pull it off. That would never happen at a prem game. You'd be able to come back with bagfuls if you wanted.
Anyway, after the 3 security checks we got inside the stadium only to go through a frisk down by this mean looking Russian police bredda before they let us in to our section stationed right behind Peter Cech's first half goal. Every seat had a Chelsea flag waiting for the ticket holder. During this time and the lead up to the game, people were generally enjoying themselves singing songs, clapping and jumping up and down and waiving their Chelsea flag (as Liverpool man, I just pushed my flag under the seat). Remember, no beer in the stadium and the only food stalls sold some rancid looking hotdogs that I would not eat if it was the last food on the planet. Still, the English man dem went to town on it. I felt sorry for those that would no doubt need to "make a delivery" to the bathroom at some point. Let me tell you, think of the worst facilities you have seen in Jamaica and these bathrooms were close...but unlike many in Jamaica, somehow they functioned.
As I mentioned, before the game, we had the customary pomp and pagentry with the Chelsea fans waving their blue and white up and down singing their Chelsea songs and so on. They fell STONE SILENT when the man u section flashed "B-E-L-I-E-V-E" from their seating arrangement behind the opposite goal. Some clearly felt like they got a big dutty buff.
So to the kick off. I will only say that from the start, Peleten and me both agreed that Ferguson had a clear advantage by putting ballet-man Ronaldo to the left wing to deal with Essien. The second thing that I thought was that playing Malouda (instead of Anelka or even Shevchenko (esp. with latter's experience)) was a mistake. So be it. As I'm sure you all agree, Chelsea were LUCKY not to have been down 3-0 by half time. Cech pulled off a rahtid double save. I haven't seen the TV game yet, but I believe both the double save and the Manure goal came from Ronaldo breaking down the left wing leaving Essien in his dust. If you recall in the Stamford Bridge Prem game (that Chelski won 2-1), Ashley Cole pretty much contained Ronaldo, but this time Ronaldo had a far easier job as he made Essien look like a school boy. Grant made a tactical blunder as he did NOTHING to counter Ronaldo's pace and speed on the left which was evident in the first 10 minutes. To me, this is where Chelsea tactically lost the game. Had they kept Ronaldo off the scoreboard, they may have won in regular time.
Anyway, the second half was a different story from the first. Makele, Cole, Lampard and Ballack were AWESOME. They did the job. But, and I will blame Grant again, Chelsea failed to make the necessary adjustments to turn up pressure on Manure. I will also say that Rio is a sh-t. I firmly believe that he pulled off that fake injury stunt in the box only to squelch the Chelsea pressure at the time, not because he had any pain. Similarly, when Tevez kicked the ball out of play leading to Drogba's red card incident - that was another example of unsportsmanlike play by manure. These are two examples of gamesmanship that I think are part of Slur Alex's f-up approach to football which is in part what makes me dislike him; bottle it up with his arrogance and I really hate that jerk.
Anyway, you all know the ultimate outcome. What you may not be aware of is the little chatter by the fans in the stands. When Ronaldo missed his penalty, I never in my life heard so many people cussing off a player; "YOU C--T!" "YOU W-NKER!" "YOU PLONKER" "YOU PRAT" etc. etc. I mean, they really hate that bredda, me nah lie. So from a Chelski fan's perspective, the script was perfect when they saw Terry going up to the spot. NO ONE (except pesimistic me) thought he would miss. Peleten: "Terry miss!! Nah sah! Chelsea have it rasta"...same thing from the youth beside him...and from the one behind me... Well, we all know the rest and truth be known, this was a truly CRUEL defeat. I felt it for the Chelsea man dem. Strangely enough, in that moment after he missed, such was the shock that I don't think there was a single Chelsea fan who thought they could still win...I certainly saw it as completely impossible at that point.
After the game, we went quietly out in to the rain and had to walk about 1 mile to where we picked up the car we hired for the ride back to the airport. We were all in silence feeling it for my bredrin and his wife who as Chelski fans were clearly upset and disappointed. What made matters worse was the spectacle at the airport. Complete bedlam with thousands trying to get through security and on to delayed flights. Our flight got back to London 4 hours after scheduled arrival and we considered ourselves lucky.
Anyway, despite the manure win (I really don't care who beats manure), I must say that in purely objective terms, it was one hell of a game with the low point being Drogba's red. That was a really really daft stunt he pulled which I believe ultimately cost Chelski the game. But still, I enjoyed the spectacle, I enjoyed the football and even though I am not drawn to them, I enjoyed the Russian people. One thing really quickly on the Russian people - their women are NOT like the stereotypical "Big Bertha" types that we used to get from American propaganda in the 70's, quite the opposite (although they have the customary flat ba**y failing of most European women). They generally look good and take care of themselves.
Lastly, let me congratulate United. They prevailed in a *war* and under very difficult circumstances. They also won a remarkable double and truth be known, were the best team in both Europe and the league. My dislike for them is for their unnecessary mind games and onfield stunts and general lack of class. So all in all, great time in Moscow with my only regret being that manure won and that Drogba (not Terry) let Ronaldo off the hook.
~ Paul
I just returned from my trip to Europe where I was lucky enough to make the long journey to Moscow to see the unmentionables squeeze out a victory against a very unlucky Chelsea squad at the Luhzniki Stadium last Wednesday. There were four of us in my posse, my bredrin Peleten, one of our Jamaican compadres from England and his English wife. The last two mentioned are Chelsea supporters and season ticket holders. It was through them that Peleten and I were able to get Champions League finals tickets.
Getting flights however, was virtually impossible. We ended up paying a small fortune for seats on a charter out of Gatwick leaving at 6AM 21-May and returning 4AM 22-May. Needless to say, we did not have much time to explore Moscow or do any sight seeing.
Despite the short time we had in Moscow before the game, we were fortunate to have been treated to a nice lunch through some Russian business colleagues of mine at a restaurant called the "GQ Bar" near Red Square. Decent food and good service, but expensive. The bill for the 4 of us was about $US400 before tip and that was the lunch menu which was supposed to be cheaper than the dinner menu!! From there, we were able to take the short walk to visit Red Square and see St. Basil's cathedral, Lenin's tomb and the outer walls of the Kremlin.
I must say that after seeing the towering Kremlin walls off Red Square up close and personal, I can now understand how an average citizen would have to be a complete "eediat" to want to mount any opposition to the Soviet regime back during the cold war. Intimidating is not the world!! It is - even with today's freedom's - imposing and scary no rahtid. To imagine the mightiest of Soviet warriors with all their arsenal marching through Red Square saluting in lock step the line of politburo officials atop those 5 story walls must have been something to see. Just imagining it while standing there sent frightening chills through my spine. All I can say is "Bum-bo!"
Anyway, we took some pictures and bought one or two little trinkets then headed off for the stadium. I have been lucky enough to have gone to more than a few football games in Europe at Stamford Bridge, Anfield, Old Toilet and a few other venues but I have never seen anything like this. First of all, there were plenty of soldiers and police around the stadium. You could see that these were some hombres that would not think twice about shutting your arse up in a goulag if you gave them any sh-t. Secondly, there were no bars or commercial establishments anywhere near the stadium, so the fans were 95% dry. And lastly, the merchandising was pathetic, even inside the stadium. I wanted to buy a program, a commemorative chelski/manure scarf and a pin, but was only able to get the program and a flimsy t-shirt which together set me back US$45!! And to get the program my bredrin had to practically fight his way through a crowd to pull it off. That would never happen at a prem game. You'd be able to come back with bagfuls if you wanted.
Anyway, after the 3 security checks we got inside the stadium only to go through a frisk down by this mean looking Russian police bredda before they let us in to our section stationed right behind Peter Cech's first half goal. Every seat had a Chelsea flag waiting for the ticket holder. During this time and the lead up to the game, people were generally enjoying themselves singing songs, clapping and jumping up and down and waiving their Chelsea flag (as Liverpool man, I just pushed my flag under the seat). Remember, no beer in the stadium and the only food stalls sold some rancid looking hotdogs that I would not eat if it was the last food on the planet. Still, the English man dem went to town on it. I felt sorry for those that would no doubt need to "make a delivery" to the bathroom at some point. Let me tell you, think of the worst facilities you have seen in Jamaica and these bathrooms were close...but unlike many in Jamaica, somehow they functioned.
As I mentioned, before the game, we had the customary pomp and pagentry with the Chelsea fans waving their blue and white up and down singing their Chelsea songs and so on. They fell STONE SILENT when the man u section flashed "B-E-L-I-E-V-E" from their seating arrangement behind the opposite goal. Some clearly felt like they got a big dutty buff.
So to the kick off. I will only say that from the start, Peleten and me both agreed that Ferguson had a clear advantage by putting ballet-man Ronaldo to the left wing to deal with Essien. The second thing that I thought was that playing Malouda (instead of Anelka or even Shevchenko (esp. with latter's experience)) was a mistake. So be it. As I'm sure you all agree, Chelsea were LUCKY not to have been down 3-0 by half time. Cech pulled off a rahtid double save. I haven't seen the TV game yet, but I believe both the double save and the Manure goal came from Ronaldo breaking down the left wing leaving Essien in his dust. If you recall in the Stamford Bridge Prem game (that Chelski won 2-1), Ashley Cole pretty much contained Ronaldo, but this time Ronaldo had a far easier job as he made Essien look like a school boy. Grant made a tactical blunder as he did NOTHING to counter Ronaldo's pace and speed on the left which was evident in the first 10 minutes. To me, this is where Chelsea tactically lost the game. Had they kept Ronaldo off the scoreboard, they may have won in regular time.
Anyway, the second half was a different story from the first. Makele, Cole, Lampard and Ballack were AWESOME. They did the job. But, and I will blame Grant again, Chelsea failed to make the necessary adjustments to turn up pressure on Manure. I will also say that Rio is a sh-t. I firmly believe that he pulled off that fake injury stunt in the box only to squelch the Chelsea pressure at the time, not because he had any pain. Similarly, when Tevez kicked the ball out of play leading to Drogba's red card incident - that was another example of unsportsmanlike play by manure. These are two examples of gamesmanship that I think are part of Slur Alex's f-up approach to football which is in part what makes me dislike him; bottle it up with his arrogance and I really hate that jerk.
Anyway, you all know the ultimate outcome. What you may not be aware of is the little chatter by the fans in the stands. When Ronaldo missed his penalty, I never in my life heard so many people cussing off a player; "YOU C--T!" "YOU W-NKER!" "YOU PLONKER" "YOU PRAT" etc. etc. I mean, they really hate that bredda, me nah lie. So from a Chelski fan's perspective, the script was perfect when they saw Terry going up to the spot. NO ONE (except pesimistic me) thought he would miss. Peleten: "Terry miss!! Nah sah! Chelsea have it rasta"...same thing from the youth beside him...and from the one behind me... Well, we all know the rest and truth be known, this was a truly CRUEL defeat. I felt it for the Chelsea man dem. Strangely enough, in that moment after he missed, such was the shock that I don't think there was a single Chelsea fan who thought they could still win...I certainly saw it as completely impossible at that point.
After the game, we went quietly out in to the rain and had to walk about 1 mile to where we picked up the car we hired for the ride back to the airport. We were all in silence feeling it for my bredrin and his wife who as Chelski fans were clearly upset and disappointed. What made matters worse was the spectacle at the airport. Complete bedlam with thousands trying to get through security and on to delayed flights. Our flight got back to London 4 hours after scheduled arrival and we considered ourselves lucky.
Anyway, despite the manure win (I really don't care who beats manure), I must say that in purely objective terms, it was one hell of a game with the low point being Drogba's red. That was a really really daft stunt he pulled which I believe ultimately cost Chelski the game. But still, I enjoyed the spectacle, I enjoyed the football and even though I am not drawn to them, I enjoyed the Russian people. One thing really quickly on the Russian people - their women are NOT like the stereotypical "Big Bertha" types that we used to get from American propaganda in the 70's, quite the opposite (although they have the customary flat ba**y failing of most European women). They generally look good and take care of themselves.
Lastly, let me congratulate United. They prevailed in a *war* and under very difficult circumstances. They also won a remarkable double and truth be known, were the best team in both Europe and the league. My dislike for them is for their unnecessary mind games and onfield stunts and general lack of class. So all in all, great time in Moscow with my only regret being that manure won and that Drogba (not Terry) let Ronaldo off the hook.
~ Paul
, was quite popular at the Embassy. There were NO Big Berthas there for sure!
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