Frankie goes to Hollywood - Finnster goes to Hamburg

[finnster01]

Finally, I am up for enough air (and calm enough) to put things in perspective and deliver my travel report from Hamburg.

I have dreamed about taking my child to a Fulham final since my dad took me to Wembley on a gorgeous day in '75. Well, that wasn't to be. Courtesy of a non-cooperating ex wife (I even offered to fly her out with my daugther and pay for her room at the hotel of her choice, but she still wouldn't do it. God only knows why)

But let me start with the beginning. I had a lot of work issues on my plate, so the timing was never going to be good. But Fulham in a final? In Europe? Please...But I thought I could sneak away on Tuesday afternoon, arrive via the usually very punctual Lufthansa airline formerly known as Luftwaffe, and Bob would be my uncle. Equally swift escape and return the next day after the game (Thu) so I could be back in New York Friday and in the office to pick up any slack I knew I had left behind. So after paying not even a small ransom, but a Somali pirate scale one, I managed to get my bum in the front of the bus, promised a nice reclining bed seat, peace and quiet for a kip and although I had to change flights in Frankfurt, I was promised they would get me to Hamburg in time for the match even if the ash/path of the plane caused a delay.

It didn't quite go as planned. First, my car service is crawling going to the airport. Some accident had brought the whole freeway to a halt. Now I am getting real nervous, and this time it is not because of any volcanoes but anal US Dept of Homeland Security officials or whatever they are called checking everything and then some at the airport and running out of time to hit the gate. However, the driver managed to get off the freeway, took some back streets, got back on the freeway after where the accident occurred, and got me to the airport with time to spare which earned him a very nice tip. I even had time to grab a drink in the lounge and meet a nice German gentleman from Hannover who gave me loads of good Hamburg tips.

Anyway, this is where it all starts to get horribly wrong. I have my lucky underpants tucked away, the Johnny Haynes Fulham shirt and borrowed lederhosen in the carry-on and wearing my Hangeland home top on the plane, so I know I can't possibly lose any luggage along the way. I sit down in my nice seat, get a drink from the stewardess and happily wait for a meal and a kip. I look around, and to my horror I see two German families with 4 small kids sitting close to me. I can't cope with children on a plane because I know they will always make a fuss, especially on a long flight. Turns out they are Deutsche Bank execs with their families returning to Germany so they are all put in the front of the bus as well. No sooner than the plane leaves, the kids starts screaming. I guess the take-off does things to their ears, anyway it hardly stopped the entire flight. I may have gotten a 40 min shut-eye at most despite endless amount of red wine. Then I realize my slight cold I had before boarding has now become a real cold. The flight is 2 hours late to Frankfurt. I miss my connecting flight, but they set me up with the next one so I still get into Hamburg a little after 1 pm. Plenty of time to get to the match.

I see a couple of Fulham scarves, but not many fans. I grab a taxi to take me to the hotel Steigenberger which is supposed to be top notch. I get there, and they can't find my reservation. I have to call my girlfriend in NY to fax them the booking details only to be told that I have a very angry (and important) client trying to reach me because all kinds of things are going wrong at this project...I get finally the booking details faxed over but now I feel like poo. Haven't even had a chance to grab a beer yet. Then I have to wait another hour for my room to be ready...Get to my room and it is a tiny little thing with all this modernistic poo in it. No character, just ghastly neon lights weird colours and ugly furniture. It looks like Bruno just left there. I am as pissed off as Sir Alex and Arsene Wenger sharing a pizza in the players tunnel, but now I am running out of time. I feel terribe with my cold getting worse by the minute. Quick look out of the window and checking temp via TV and decide to cancel the Lederhosen project. I feel like poo and don't want to freeze more.

Off we go then to the train and to the Ostrichmarschen or what ever the station is called. Then promptly marsched onto a shuttle by the local gruppenfuhrer and off we go. Fulham everywhere.  I still haven't had a beer yet though, but I have called my client in NY. Got my butt pretty much handed to me and told to do all kinds of things or else...Talked to my girlfriend, she is pissed off too because I went on the trip and thinks this blow-up wouldn't have happened if I stayed behind etc. Nothing is working well.

Atmosphere is magnificent. Fulham end singing like crazy. I am feeling proud as proud can be. I get to my seat on the side of the South End. Good singing everywhere, just getting into the mood myself, and then the Spaniards decide to score. I feel gutted. 35 years since the last time? Why is this happening? Lucky underpants not working? but then I realize I never had enough time to go to church to light the customary Fulham candle. Even after we equalise, that thought haunts me the rest of the game.

So Fulham loses because I never lit that candle. It is completely my fault. I feel even more gutted. I don't feel like staying out drinking as I know I have to get up early and deal with crap and get myself together to fly back to NY. Everything feels like poo. Team played their hearts out, but were clearly tired. Fans gave their best. But on the day those Stoke looking Spaniards were the better team.

Can't be arsed with anymore bus or train but just give a bunch of notes to a German and ask him to drive me back to my hotel. He does so but insists he doesn't want any money. I give him some anyway and tell him to buy his wife a gift. He seems happy.

Crash in my bed. Haven't slept for years it feels like. Wake up the next day, grab a taxi to the airport. The rest of my journey back goes reasonably well. No crying kids, no big delays etc.

But the one thing that still haunts me: Why didn't I light the Fulham candle?  :034:

[KCat]

It would not have mattered ............I lit 4 in The Michal ( beautiful) .................by it would not have mattered if I burned down the place ..................................we were beaten by the better team

[Jimpav]

Nice one Finnster. Not just your fault mate. I didn't put a bet on and wore the wrong shirt.

Hope you got back safely mate.

[Scrumpy]

Thanks Finnster, sorry it was not all that you had hoped for. You must be gutted that you could not take your daughter.

I also run a business, and it can be a nightmare getting away for a day or two can't it?! Still, it's games like this that put things in perspective. Sometimes you need to put the (Fulham) family first. Well done mate.

[McBridefan1]

My day was very long too... I wake up at 6AM to get my daughter off to school... I clean the house and hide the cat(not a euphemism for anything dirty) I literally had to hide my cat as the apartment's fire alarms were being inspected... I do some errands ie. shopping and going to the bank, return home shower dress and leave around 9:20... I drop my car off at work at 10 AM... fight with some disgruntled union workers over the contract I helped to draft... tell them I don't have time and left at 11 to walk over to the train station...train leaves for boston at 11:15 I get there at 11:14:59... train ride uneventful and we arrive in Boston at 12... Decide to walk to Cambridge from north station about 3 miles, not the longest walk I've ever done but my body lets me know just how old and fat I've become. It wasn't that long ago I would jog 5 miles a day with minimal sweat... so I arrive at the Phoenix Landing around 1 o'clock and realise I am way too early for a game that starts at 3... So I decide to walk around a bit more and then return to the Landing around 1:30 and decide to relax and have a few Guiness before the boys start showing up... Chat with a columbian kid for while about the Prem... then the boys start showing up "Chowdah Head" Adam, then "NEfan" Hernan... was happy to meet some other Fulham boys with a couple ex pats thrown in. One in particular was a regular season ticket holder at the cottage but was in the states to attend College... Was a great mix of characters... then the game starts and I feel we look like the better side early, but then they score that goal and it feels like a long day for nothing... Then the best moment of the day Super Simon Davies plucks that ball out of the air and levels the game... it was like a cold shower after a long hot day, completely re-invigorated me and the boys too... The second half felt as if we were playing for the draw even though Roy made two offensive substitutions. Was a long and painful second half to be honest and the anticlimactic ending sapped whatever energy stores I had remaining... I wanted to stay and celebrate but it all went wrong, so I decided to go back to work... But I didn't feel like walking all the way back to the train and luckily one of the Fulham fans we met was a subway conductor so he helped my drunken arse find my way back to North Station via the subway, and I just want to thank him for using his card to pay my way as well... Good guy... so I get back to North Station at 6 with the train set to arrive a 6:25 well of all the trains in the world wouldn't you know it, mine was 20 minutes late wich meant it was packed full to capacity we sat cheek by jowl for the hour trip home, I just wanted to lounge out and fall asleep but there were no open seats... Finally arrive in Lowell around 7:45 walk back to work around 8 and worked til 1 AM so I would only get charged for half a day... get home around 2 AM making my day from beginning to end a 20 hour excursion... Was a very long day for me, and I wouldn't be complaining about it at all if we had just won that damned game. 

[CorkedHat]

Great stuff Mr Finn - thanks for sharing it wih us.
I watched the game in my lounge room eating a bowl of Puffed Wheat at 4am - beat that.  :dft003:

[RidgeRider]

Thanks for sharing the trip with us Finn. Good read.

poo at the office ALWAYS gets in the way when you try sneak away. I leave for a weeks vacation and 5 new clients prospects call looking for help. I sneak out of the office on a Friday afternoon and guarentee I get three calls at 4:30.

You made it though and were part of history.

[MrCheviot]

Sorry to hear about your troubles Finnster - woulda set you up w/ a Valium or equiv prior to your flight, would've made the screaming kids seem like a soothing church choir..

I had set a visit up w/ my parents weeks ago, couldn't manage to find a way to Hamburg & back without pushing their visit back and paying a small fortune in ticket rescheduling fees. So it goes.

Hope your work situation gets worked out, and if we happen upon the same bar for any of the WC matches, first few rounds are on me.

[epsomraver]

Shame it all went tits up Finn, I think we all look back and wonder, I remember at the home games pulling the FFC badge on the boxers into daylight when Hamburg scored , getting some funny looks from the woman in front fiddling in my strides just behind her! I forgot to do so this time but as Kcat says, we were beaten on the night by a better team, there are always going to be the if only but it all came down to the 120 minutes on the night, hope you have resolved the problems you left behind both on the work and domestic front.

[epsomraver]

Great stuff Mr Finn - thanks for sharing it wih us.
I watched the game in my lounge room eating a bowl of Puffed Wheat at 4am - beat that.  :dft003:

Not a whole bowl??? you old devil you! :003:

[FatFreddysCat]

Great read Finny, sorry you didn't get to enjoy it more.

[finnster01]

It would not have mattered ............I lit 4 in The Michal ( beautiful) .................by it would not have mattered if I burned down the place ..................................we were beaten by the better team

Thanks Ms KCat,

That acutually made me feel better :045:

[FatFreddysCat]

And at least you didn't have a little accident on the Reeperbahn, thankfully at the end near my hotel, and no where near as bad as i thought it was.

[KCat]

The real reason we did not win was because Kelly was not in the squad

[finnster01]

The real reason we did not win was because Kelly was not in the squad

LOL and Full Marks Ms KCat - About time you got me back on that one  :54:
However, just in case you were serious, the chances of Kelly handling that Agorilla chap on that day was about as good as me speaking enough Spanish to get anything but a beer in a bar in Madrid.
Mind you, I don't know who could to be honest. 

[FatFreddysCat]

The real reason we did not win was because Kelly was not in the squad

LOL and Full Marks Ms KCat - About time you got me back on that one  :54:
However, just in case you were serious, the chances of Kelly handling that Agorilla chap on that day was about as good as me speaking enough Spanish to get anything but a beer in a bar in Madrid.
Mind you, I don't know who could to be honest. 

Hahaha spot on Finny , i've just been saying that to her on the phone .

[cebu]

The real reason we did not win was because Kelly was not in the squad

Yep, I blame Kelly too ... and AJ of course.

[chez]

Finnster you have made my journey back to the uk sound trivial, shame the result didn't go our way.

As for Kelly cant describe how happy i was not to hear his name in the squad as had bumped into some old school pals  of his earlier in the day, and they were convinced he was going to score the winning goal.... with that my reply was if he did that i would have somehow have got on that pitch and run round starkers  :013:

[KCat]

Oh !!!now I feel a hesky moment ... :dft007:

You lot should have watched the other European games,  that got this great club to a  final in Europe for the first time in our existance
  sober .....................

The reality is the two games we lost:  Juvo away and the final,  are the two games Kelly did not play