Another day from hell

[NorfolkJim]

3 years of no pay rises, big price increases for fuel and trains and 2 kids turning into teenagers have drained my resources and getting to ANY games is becomming a serious challenge.
For the Wigan game I decided to overcome my dislike of National Express (After a nightmare journey a few years back with a crazy driver) and get the bus from Dereham to London (at just £6.50, oh +£1 booking fee - arn't booking fees a con? its £7.50 why not say so) so 4 hours on a bus and a detour to Cambridge.
Since the bus was half empty and had a loo it wasn't too bad other than its not set up for fat aging middle aged men like me so a bit uncomfy - but I discovered that you reach Bow by 11 so I might use that route again. Thing is theres no evening bus back so its good for one way only.
Get to Victoria early, only 11.40 so time to buy a pie, get to Putney Bridge at a saunter and walk through the park thinking back to my childhood times there as I do.
Got to ground early to watch the QPR game (not as good as I'd hoped) - Stop those guys from ghostbusters offering me beer please - I'm an alcoholic - I dont want to be offered beer!

I'm usually in H5. Today I am in H4, almost exactly where I used to stand when it was a proper terrace. 2 rows further forward and I'd be in my old spot! So far, so good.

I love the build up. It makes me realise that I'm just not happy in myself if I don't get to craven cottage regularly.

Forced to play towards Putney end first half - not a good omen. Not bad first half, not great but ok. H5 in fine voice.
What the hell happened 2nd half? Sloppy, poor, mortified. We were very lucky not to lose.
Highlight of the game - Marks fantastic save - that was outstanding. Anyway not happy with 2nd half, it was awful.

Back to Liverpool st - no money for chips or drinks but I'm fat so I'll live.

At Liverpool street big crowd looking at the boards. I'm looking at the boards. Wheres my train! Train cancelled? Hang on, all trains cancelled! Why wont people leave those bloody cables alone. Theres no info, theres about 100 people beseiging information stand with two overwhelmed staff doing their best at the impossible. Then the announcer says no more trains in or out tonight but 1 train will go to Shenfield so get that and travel on to Colchester where there might be a train.
Mass scramble as 1000 travellers try to all get on the train to Shenfield. Its a regular train so it stops everywhere but no one can get on at the stations en route. At a couple of stops it gets desperate and by Romford fighting is breaking out as people panic.
Thank God when its Shenfield and 1000 people stand on the platform and station staff have no idea why we're there. After 10 mins they say a train will arrive to get us, stay on that platform. Sure enough a train does come but on the other platform.
If you've been in the away end at West Ham at half time you'll know what its like when 1000 people all try to go through a tiny passage in a hurry. Thank God no one died!

At least I get to sit on the train. No one is sure where its going or when and another train arrives at Shenfield and another few hundred pile out and try and get on what is now a standing room only train. The staff say its going to Norwich but will stop at Ipswich and Colchester. Those who want Chelmsford or Stowmarket stand on the platform looking lost. Then they say it will stop everywhere. About 9 it finally goes.

Now bear in mind that the last bus goes to Dereham from Norwich at 11.10 and its a mile between the station and the bus station and about 15 miles from Norwich city centre to Dereham. It takes about 2 hours to Norwich if the train stops everywhere and I have under £10. Its definitely squeeky bum time as its a bloody long walk to Dereham down a dual carriage way in the dark and I'm dressed in black!

Well by some miracle the train gets to Norwich at 10.50. If I get a taxi I can get to the bus station in time. Only - No taxi! Taxi drivers know about the lack of trains from London and are looking for trade elsewhere. London Norwich aint so a taxi can take a while to turn up and theres a queue. When I do get a taxi all the f-ing red lights are against me but against the odds I make it to the bus before it leaves.

I'm home at 11.45 and fall asleep watching my recording of match of the day just as the Fulham game comes on.
When it takes all this to see my beloved Fulham and the team is coming apart at the seams its not much fun
I love it really - Only a Fulham fan could.

Now I have to wait till 23rd to buy a Norwich City ticket so please leave me one everybodypeeps.

[Lighthouse]

 065.gif :group hug: :54:

[SuffolkWhite]

Well Jim it's does sound slightly better than your trip to Aston villa a couple of seasons back  064.gif

[jms]

Loved reading that ! Thanks Jim....made me smile after that dismal 2nd half yesterday !

[Alan]

It could've been worse. When I got back to Liverpool St, people for Norfolk were being advised to get a train to Ilford, get the 86 bus to Romford, then get another train to Shenfield, then a final train onwards. Given that I live in Ilford, there would be no chance of anyone getting on the 86, let alone *all* of them.

[leonffc]

Terrible luck but a what a great write up Jim!! As I was reading this I was thinking "at least we're at Norwich for him in a couple of weeks"
And you're not Garuanteed a ticket! SOMEBODY GET THIS MAN A TICKET. Please!
I would but someone's already getting mine.

Jim, if / when you get a ticket I take it you'll be in the Angler pub by the station? I'll certainly buy you a pint mate. Or a coke, sorry.

[Wingnut]

Wow Jim, that is a journey and a half. Mine was fine slightly eventful but nothing disastrous.

Got the later flight from Dublin at 11.40, into Gatwick train up to Putney, in massively high spirits, expecting a win (foolish I know!!!). First half was enjoyable but our performances of late at home have been very predictable. We start off strong and tend to get worse (and slower) as the game progresses. Second half was dire, it was a replica of the Southampton. Anyway, unlike Southampton, when I had the quick relief of a 20.00 flight back from Heathrow, I had to kill a few hours until 21.55, so I went for a few drinks and ended up doing my bit for London tourism by bringing a Japanese couple to the Victoria line, so they could get to Green Park.

Back to Gatwick and I was sitting in departures, just on 21.00, waiting for the gate to appear on the board and I noticed a group of well dressed early 20 somethings heading for the pub. I said to myself that this lot have the appearance of people who are going to delay the flight, as a result of being stuck in the pub. Anyway, gate goes up, we all board the plane, they get on, fully boarded, happy days. Oh no it isn't!! Suddenly, one of the group runs to the front of the plane. He left his phone in the pub. They want to go back in but the gate is shut. So he spends the next five minutes ringing his phone from the plane. No answer, dispatcher comes on and tells him the staff have left. Bye-bye phone and we are off.

Arrived back in Dublin, off to the car park, ready for off, suddenly this young lady taps on my window. Her car won't start. Any chance of a jump. Drive over, jump start her car, on the road and back in the door at midnight on the dot.

[Burt]

Huge respect for those of you who have to go through such hoops to see us play, particularly when it doesn't really go according to plan...

My trip back to Thames Ditton with Burt Jr, Brother Burt and a Lecce supporting friend from Italy was positively uneventful.

His tales about his home town club provided some context to our current travails, Lecce were caught up in the Scommessopoli scandal and the punishment was relegation to Lega Pro Prima.

[NorfolkJim]

Terrible luck but a what a great write up Jim!! As I was reading this I was thinking "at least we're at Norwich for him in a couple of weeks"
And you're not Garuanteed a ticket! SOMEBODY GET THIS MAN A TICKET. Please!
I would but someone's already getting mine.

Jim, if / when you get a ticket I take it you'll be in the Angler pub by the station? I'll certainly buy you a pint mate. Or a coke, sorry.

Cheers mate, yes I've been dry for a while now, kids keep encouraging me so its coke for me! I expect tickets will still be on sale come Wednesday week. I know a lot of our fans dont know if they can go till its virtually match day. I'll be getting the bus to Riverside so will certainly be in the area. Complete Angler is a nice pub - always full of away fans. Thanks for the nice comments , I certainly dont deserve any special treatment though.

[leonffc]

Terrible luck but a what a great write up Jim!! As I was reading this I was thinking "at least we're at Norwich for him in a couple of weeks"
And you're not Garuanteed a ticket! SOMEBODY GET THIS MAN A TICKET. Please!
I would but someone's already getting mine.

Jim, if / when you get a ticket I take it you'll be in the Angler pub by the station? I'll certainly buy you a pint mate. Or a coke, sorry.

Cheers mate, yes I've been dry for a while now, kids keep encouraging me so its coke for me! I expect tickets will still be on sale come Wednesday week. I know a lot of our fans dont know if they can go till its virtually match day. I'll be getting the bus to Riverside so will certainly be in the area. Complete Angler is a nice pub - always full of away fans. Thanks for the nice comments , I certainly dont deserve any special treatment though.

You may not expect special treatment but surely you have ST holding mates that will sort you out?
Not sure of your status these days but I remember your away day write ups (especially from Europe I seem to remember??) so people must remember you and your efforts from then??
In my ST days id always help out a poster that I recognised even if I didn't know them. It's about being part of the Fulham family surely?!

[Berserker]

I can get you a ticket if you want. PM me the details. I'm not going to the match myself and live in Swindon so all will have to be arranged by post

[jarv]

Excellent write up, somehow makes the result not matter so much. made me smile. (the wrie up, not the result).

[JohnKovacs]

I have always loved the NJ writeups.

Somehow wish we could resurrect some of the stories he wrote from his Europa travels a few seasons back.

[NorfolkJim]

Terrible luck but a what a great write up Jim!! As I was reading this I was thinking "at least we're at Norwich for him in a couple of weeks"
And you're not Garuanteed a ticket! SOMEBODY GET THIS MAN A TICKET. Please!
I would but someone's already getting mine.

Jim, if / when you get a ticket I take it you'll be in the Angler pub by the station? I'll certainly buy you a pint mate. Or a coke, sorry.

Cheers mate, yes I've been dry for a while now, kids keep encouraging me so its coke for me! I expect tickets will still be on sale come Wednesday week. I know a lot of our fans dont know if they can go till its virtually match day. I'll be getting the bus to Riverside so will certainly be in the area. Complete Angler is a nice pub - always full of away fans. Thanks for the nice comments , I certainly dont deserve any special treatment though.

You may not expect special treatment but surely you have ST holding mates that will sort you out?
Not sure of your status these days but I remember your away day write ups (especially from Europe I seem to remember??) so people must remember you and your efforts from then??
In my ST days id always help out a poster that I recognised even if I didn't know them. It's about being part of the Fulham family surely?!

You are so right - I dont exactly have any ST holding mates since they are all down at Carrow road or glory hunting some manc team or other but I've always managed to get a ticket by asking on the forums if someone could help me out. I'm not too worried that we'll sell out and I've had a couple of offers which is really, really kind. The people who support Fulham have always been part of why I love the club so much and no other will do - They are a special breed.

[NorfolkJim]

I have always loved the NJ writeups.

Somehow wish we could resurrect some of the stories he wrote from his Europa travels a few seasons back.

Aww, thanks John. I wish we could have some more of those amazing away days in far flung places you'd otherwise never go to. I still have not gotten over not winning the final - somehow I thought our name was on the cup but I forgot to allow for our great tradition of falling at the last fence - I thought that year would be different.
I like to write about my travels and its nice if anyone else get any pleasure out of hearing about it. I like reading other peoples report too - theres a lot more to supporting a team than what happens on the pitch. Theres a lot of amazing things going on you never hear about. I've really enjoyed meeting people like in Odense and Krakow and they have some nice things to say to me or they share their own tales with me.
Lets hope there are some more of those days soon.

[NorfolkJim]

Well Jim it's does sound slightly better than your trip to Aston villa a couple of seasons back  064.gif

Naaah, that was a fun experience. Getting through that silly little tunnel at Shenfield - now that was scary. Having a full tour of spaghetti Junction, a nice break on the M6 and meeting the man mountain from Leicester. seeing your car on a break down wagon on another breeakdown wagon - thats what makes away days a novel day out.

Who wants easy when you can have memorable? As I was trying to explain to people who dont understand things black & white through the middle - I enjoy the whole day. The travel, the day away from my regular life, meeting people, just as much as the game. For the first 28 years it had to be about more than the game and even today I dont need a win to have fun - in fact the low points make the peaks all the sweeter! I feel sorry for these glory hunter fans who never experience the joy of a come back against Juventus in the way we who have suffered have.

It was a good day out at Villa, I very much enjoyed it.
Cheers
Jim

[EJL]

One of my favourite ever posts.