Groundhopday (11-11-2007)

Given that I have roamed most first and second division teams in a parameter of some 300 km around Antwerp, it becomes more and more difficult to find a groundhop that can combine two new scalps on one day. Moreover, now that the second divisions in Germany and the Netherlands no longer play their games on Saturday, I had to puzzle for a while to come up with a good double fixture.


SC Verl – Rot-Weiss Essen

At 10.00 JB picks me up at the usual place in Leuven and we get on the highway to Germany. We have a drive of 350 km ahead of us, but ViaMichelin has accounted 3.5 hours for it, and we actually hope to do it quicker given that most of it is on the Autobahn. Unfortunately, the German motorways are not only for their lack of a speed limit, but also for their quality of the roads, and that needs a lot of roadworks. And roadworks mean… Stau (traffic jams)! After four hours of horrible driving, a combination of traffic jams and heavy rain, it’s kick-off time in Verl, yet we are only just behind Dortmund, over 60 km from our destination. But then, after 10 minutes, we see an exit that lists a couple of small towns, including Ahlen, and I remember that there is another game in the Regionalliga Nord (Third Division North), namely


Rot-Weiss Ahlen – VFL Wolfsburg II

It takes us another 10 minutes to get to the town of Ahlen, but around 14.20, we parked our car at what seemed to be (close to) the back of the stadium. But even though we could see and even hear the stadium, it would take us another 10 minutes of walking through the rain to get to the one ticket office that is open.

And as we walk towards the main entrance of the Wersestadion, a strong feeling of disappointment comes over me… I have been here before! ☹ Until 2005, RW Ahlen was known as LR Ahlen, and as Leichtathletik Rasensport Ahlen I saw them play in the 2. Bundesliga three years ago. As there are three town named Ahlen in Germany, and I had forgotten which one I had visited, I had not noticed the disappearance of the LR Ahlen and (at the same time) the appearance of RW Ahlen. What a bummer!

Under the motto, better a non-counting game, in terms of groundhop points, than no game, we bought a ticket for the covered standing places for 7 euro, gave off our umbrellas (a disappointing rule for such a low-risk game), and… attacked the “Grill Station”. Satisfied more by the crispy fries than the fat sausage, we took a place on one of the uncovered stands behind the goal and checked out the ground. I estimate that some 1250 people had faced wind and rain to see their local team take on the second team of 1. Bundesliga team VFL Wolfsburg. A surprising 15 fans had actually traveled the 155 km to support the second team of their club. Respect for the oddly named Non Plus Ultra!

From the discussions and shouts from the home fans around us, mostly old men, we understood that the RW Ahlen was heavily disappointing its fans. The mid-table hosts were expected to trash the visitors, who are dead last in the Regionalliga Nord, but did no such thing. In fact, the visitors were the better team in most of the game.

While German football fans are not known for their critical and complaining nature, let alone compared to Dutch fans, the home supporters clearly had been punished too much this season. Amused J.B. and I enjoyed their complaints. It was roughly the only thing to do, as the game itself was very poor. Wolfsbuurg had a big chance in the 40th and last minute of the first half, the second one called for (and received) a great safe from the Ahlen goalie, while the hosts had one good chance, which was cleared from the goal line by a Wolfsburg defender. Half-time score: 0-0.

This is not Grondhopper!

During the break we taste the local version of the waffle – sorry, but they don’t beat the ones from Brussels or Liege, and buy a small pennant for 5.90 euro. We decide to watch the second half on the covered stand at the long side of the pitch, in between the more colorful supporters of the home team.

The second half starts with a Wolfsburg player walking unhindered over 20 meters and than shooting from a similar distance just wide. Around us, the (younger) home fans are as critical as the (older) fans were on the other stand. In fact, when the visitors score out of a counter-attack in the 51st minute, many home fans around us cheer and applaud. Cynicism has overtaken hope. According to the guy behind me, who tells his friends the only reason he still is in the stadium is the beer, it is all “Ultra-Scheisse” (ultra shit).

With rain and wind tormenting the players on the pitch, and them tormenting the home fans on the stands, the atmosphere is at times grim and abusive. Fans taunt their own players, who react frustrated to the fans. Ahlen does get a couple of chances, mainly because of lucky combinations or bizarre goalkeeping from Wolfsburg. Just as the people around us start to loose faith, Ahlen scores the equalizer after a lucky bounce: 1-1 and the youngest fans go wild.

The people around us are too upset to really celebrate. After all, 1-1 against the number last of the league is hardly a result. Even if the equalizer is scored minutes before the end and Wolfsburg was the better team. As the referee blows the final whistle, some of the people behind us actually apologize to us: it is not always so bad here, one says to me.

[ No Scoreboard, No Final Score ]

We run through the rain to the entrance, pick up our umbrellas, and walk the distance to our car. How nice and warm it feels in there. Having chosen Ahlen over Verl, we are now closer to our second game of the day. Moreover, having no problematic roadworks on our trip, we travel the 300 km to our next destination well within the 3 hours predicted by the route planner. In fact, we still have time for a light snack in the center of Geel, where we are confronted with the least friendly Flemish person ever.

KFC Verbroedering Geel – KSK Beveren

Few teams have such a funny name as Verbroedering Geel, which literally translated means Brotherhood Yellow. However, the Yellow is not a choice, but the name of the town, Geel, in the Kempen area of north Belgium. It is about 19.30 when we park in front of Stadion De Leunen and buy a ticket (standing) for 10 euro.

The weather has gotten even worse, and it rains cats and dogs for most of the game. Although we are a league higher than this afternoon, i.e. the Tweede Klasse (Second Division), the game is even poorer. Belgian football is not what it used to be. The two teams both have an odd recent history. Koninklijke Sportkring Beveren relegated last season from the Eerste Klasse (First Division), after some good results in preceding years (including Uefa Cup football in 2004-2005), and decided to let all its Ivory Coasts players go (it had at times played with only one non-Ivory Coast player). Verbroedering Geel promoted to the Second Division last summer, but almost didn’t get a license because of financial issues, which led to a bizarre legal case by another team, UR Namur, and the decision to play this season with 19 instead of 18 teams in the Belgian Second Division (which led to sharp criticism of FIFA).

Some 1000 people had worked themselves through the pounding wind and rain to see this game. Some 250 had traveled the 60 km from Beveren to support their team.

Before kick-off, the announcer said that Geel was waiting for its first home win, which says it all. Soon it became clear why. In the 10th minute the hosts had their first ‘attack’, a weak header straight at the goalie. After that, only Beveren showed something; after having an attack cut short because of offside, they set up another attack just at the border of offside and scored 0-1. After that the game went back and forth without any chances, not helped by the wind and rain. The last five minutes of the first half Geel got two chances, one because of strange goalkeeping, and Beveren got one, but it remained 0-1.

The second half started a bit as the first half had ended: in the first minute the Geel goalie came out too late, but the Beveren striker shot just wide. In the 66th minute a Beveren player dribbled around four defenders, but his weak shot was cleared from the goal line. It would take till the 78th minute for the hosts to get their first attack (which didn’t even lead to a real chance!).

The last fifteen minutes saw two more chances, one for each team. In the 82nd minute Beveren shot a free-kick just wide, and in the 86th minute Geel had its second good attack of the second half, but wait too long with a shot. Thus, final score 0-1.

Wet and cold we headed back to the car. After two relatively long drives of three hours of or more, it was nice too be back in Antwerp after a 30 minute drive.

Royal Capellen FC – RFC Union La Calamine (04-11-2007)

After some gloomy autumn days, Sunday was starting out pretty well. I had decided not to take on a big groundhop this weekend, but instead opted for a game in the direct environment of Antwerp. So, just before 13.00 I met with fellow-academic and fellow-blogger, P.S., to take bus 650 from Antwerp to Putte. After some 30 minutes we got out at Kapellen, where we walked a couple of minutes to Stadion Jos van Wellen.

There are few old school stadium like the one of the Royal Capellen Football Club left in Belgium, or in other countries for that matter. It is situated in a residential street and has a beautiful old entrance. Given the weather, we decided to get a ticket for the covered seating stand, the most expensive at a steep 15 euro. After all, we are talking here about a game in the Derde Klasse B (Third Division) in an old stadium. Moreover, the view from the stand left much to desire.

I guess some 150 people had come to the Stadion Jos van Wellen for this game between the number 3 and number 18 of the Derde Klasse B. This included some 10 people from La Calamine, or Kelmis, in the German-speaking part of Belgium, a trip of almost 100 km. Among the home supporters were a small hard core in red-yellow, the colors of RCFC.

Let me get straight to the point: the game was poor! Although it went back and forth, with play at both sides of the pitch, the game was dominated by weak passes and saw few decent chances. It was already the 20th minute when the visitors had their first decent attack, over right, leading to a header at the goal. Two minutes later the hosts had their first chance, which directly led to a penalty and the 1-0.

Two minutes later it appeared 2-0, but the header was from an offside position, so the goal was canceled. After that the game returned to its dismal level, and it would take until the last minute of the first half before there was anything noteworthy to report: a Capellen attack with an exceptional good end pass from the left, met by a decent header, unfortunately just over the goal. Half-time!

Half-time we spent eating a typical Belgian football snack, the fat and fairly tasteless braadworst (sausage), watching our “fans of the game” carry their horn ensemble to another spot, and visiting the cozy and warm canteen.

The second half was as poor as the first. I noted only a couple of half-chances, my irritation with the horn ensemble, and a huge mistake of the last defender of Kelmis, which leads to the 2-0 for Capellen in the 77th minute. After that, both teams had one chance, and the decent goalie of the visitors made a good safe in the dying minutes. Without him, the score could have been worse for the visitors, although I doubt Capellen has the potential to score much more. 2-0 final score.

[ no scoreboard, no final score ]

The best things of this trip were: the company, the quick trip (we virtually walked into the bus back to Antwerp, which meant we were home by 17.30), and the beautiful old entrance of the stadium.

Valenciennes FC – Paris Saint Germain (20-10-2007)

Because of the final of the World Cup Rugby, which would be played at 20.00 that evening (and in which the Springboks defeated the English J), all games in the French Ligue 1 (First Division) were played at 16.00 this Saturday. This provided J.B. and me with a golden opportunity to see two games on one day and still make a relatively short groundhop. Thus, around 13.30, we left Leuven to arrive at Valenciennes, just across the Belgian-French border, more than half an hour before kick-off.

As the online billeterie had shown that there were only few tickets left a couple of days before the match, J.B. had bought tickets online (at 30 euro per ticket, not really a steal). We parked the car around the corner of the Stade Nungesser, which wasn’t easy to find, and were pleasantly surprised by the lack of long lines in front of the reserved tickets office. In fact, it took us less than five minutes to get the tickets and enter the stadium (after a quite professional body-search by the security personnel). As J.B. was trying his luck with an attractive pollster, who asked whether we found the official parking lot of the stadium (not whether we liked it; in fact, we hadn’t even seen a sign towards it!), and I bought a small pennant for a mere 3.50 euro, we came to the first shock of the day: there were no, and I mean not a single, hot snacks in the whole stadium! Two thumbs down for Valenciennes!

With a drink and an empty stomach we climbed up the stairs of our (emergency) stand. Even the cool mascot (with whom I would later take a picture J), and the overly enthusiastic female announcer couldn’t compensate for the lack of food. Moreover, it was quite cold this afternoon, and our view was, despite the hefty price, not impressive at all.

VAFC, as Valenciennes FC is officially abbreviated, is building a new stadium, innovatively called Nungesser II, which will be more modern and bigger (23.000). As far as I understand, the new stadium will be in the heart of Valenciennes, rather than at the current spot, in a suburb of the city. I bet everyone is happy with that, as the original Stade Nungesser is one of the most horrible I have visited. It is amazing how far you are away from the pitch; a consequence of both its historical roles (it used to double as a cycling stadium) and the bizarre structure of the stands (at least the one we sat at). The stadium holds 16.500 people, with one small stand with only standing places, but despite the impression created online the days before, and the official figure of 15.037 on the VAFC website, the stadium was at best 75% full. This included a couple thousand away supporters, who had made the relatively short distance of ca. 200 km from the capital.

Despite several negatives – did I already mention that there were no hot snacks? – the atmosphere before the game was very good. For some reason, the locals treated this game as a top game, even if PSG has not won anything significant in years. On the various stands the home fans sang, showed their banners and wave their flags in support of their boys in red. I personally liked the small long stand the most (only standing); it still had an authentic hand-painted “welcome to the supporters” on one side.

Unfortunately, things didn’t improve after kick-off, and that’s an understatement. We didn’t expect much from Valenciennes, who only returned to the top flight of French football two years ago, and finished 17^th last year, but were shocked to see how poor the PSG team is this season. Sure, they have been the French “sleeping giant” for decades, a bit similar to Hertha BSC in Germany or Manchester City in England, but the current team is at best a sleeping midget. It is full of big Africans, who bring little else to the game than an impressive physique. Still, the rest of the team doesn’t even have that.

VAFC had the first shot on goal, in the 2^nd minute, while it took PSG 10 minutes for its first header over the goal. The highlight of the game, fortunately we didn’t know this at that time, was a well executed one-two pass by the home team, which didn’t lead to a goal though. After this ‘excitement’, very little noteworthy happened, except for a good shot by the visitors, in the 42^nd minute, and a ditto safe by the home goalie. For the rest, we had to endure the worst songs ever, from the away fans, who in addition to the highly annoying “ici, c’est Paris”, had also masterminded the following song:

Allez Paris

Allez Paris

Allez Paris

Allez Paris et PSG

Half time was cold and frustrating, because of the (no) snack situation, so oddly enough we were happy when the second half started. The happiness soon disappeared, however, when it turned out to be a copy of the first half. I’m not even going to mention the “chances”, as most were nothing more than free-kicks or shots from afar. VAFC did hit the crossbar from a free-kick in the 80^th minute though.

I guess the most exciting moment was in the 70^th minute, when the coach of VAFC was sent to the stand for objecting too strongly to a dodgy free-kick. In addition, I did enjoy some actions of the skilled VAFC striker Steve Savidan (number 9), including a beautiful lob from some 25 meters in the 87^th minute, but overall there was far too little for a game in the Ligue 1 (and for 30 euro!). Final score 0-0, which unfortunately I couldn’t get on camera because of the strange lightening of the scoreboard.

Cold and starved we ran out to storm the friture opposite to the stadium. Though it took a while for them to prepare the goodies, what else than an americain merguez, the portion was just what we needed, excessive, so we happily ate our fattie food in the car.

RRC Péruwelz-Standaard Wetteren (20-20-2007)

While disappointed by the game, we remained in decent spirits. After all, we still had a game to see. After getting lost in traffic, we finally made our way to Péruwelz, a Belgian town at 20 km from Valenciennes. We arrived early in the town, which turned out bigger than expected. Despite having some 30 minutes to find the Stade Péruwelz, it wasn’t till just before kick-off that we found it… closed!

The official website of the RRC Péruweltz had been down the weeks before, but I had checked the information from the semi-reliable Flemish website Voetbalkrant on the website of the opponent, Standaard Wetteren. Saturday 20 October at 20.00 would be the game in the Derde Divisie A (Third Division A) between these two teams. After having consulted various people, who all turned out French rather than local, we finally found someone pretending to be local, who led us even more astray. He claimed that RRC Péruweltz played its home games in the city of Tournai, 23 km to the east, as their own stadium was too small. Having little other options, we decided to drive there, got lost, and around 20.45 gave up. Later that night, at home, I checked again, still finding the same announcement on the Standaard Wetteren website (thank god they don’t have any traveling fans). The next afternoon RRC Péruwelz would beat Standaard Wetteren 2-0, without us present.

Royal FC Union La Camine – Royal FC de Liège (07-10-2007)

Although the groundhopweekend with my brother had been tiring, it had also awakened my hunger again. So, one week later the groundhopbug bit me again, and my friend J.B. and I were on our way to the German speaking part of Belgium, more particularly to the little town of Kelmis-La Calamine.

It was another bright and sunny day (roughly 18 degrees), which made us enjoy the scenic route even more. After a short drive of some 1.5 hours, we arrived in the town, and directly noticed the large number of cars with blue-red colors in them. It was clear, the away team of RFC de Liège would not be without its support. After a short walk we arrive at the Stade Prince Philippe, by now surrounded by away supporters. We line up for the ticket office and buy a ticket for 8 euro.

The Stade Prince Philippe is a posh name for one of the smallest stadiums I have ever visited. In fact, it was quite comparable to the Stade Hautcharage of the UN Käerjéng of last week. The main difference is that the canteen here is next to the covered stand, rather than above it (as at Käerjéng). Both inside and outside of the canteen it is full with red-blue supporters, as if it was their home game.

The atmosphere is very pleasant, people enjoy the trip and the sunny weather. The drinks are much more popular than the snacks – (German) sausages, fries, and cutlets – which is not just because of the weather (the snacks were quite disappointing).

We decide to walk to the other side of the pitch, so that we face the one stand of the stadium, which is completely taken over by the away supporters. I doubt the Stade Prince Philippe has ever had more atmosphere than on this day. I estimate that a good 500-600 people attended the game, of which only some 100 were home supporters! (The official website speaks of 1.200 spectators, but that seems a wild exaggeration).

On the program for this afternoon was a game between the number last, RFC Union La Calamine, and the number 1, RFC de Liège, of the Belgian Derde Divisie B (Third Division B). La Calamine has played below the national leagues until the mid-1990s, and got promoted to the Third Division in 2003. Its stadium reflects its long-term amateur status and can allegedly hold 4.000 people.

Already before kick-off the away supporters had created a real (if relaxed) football atmosphere with chants and songs. Some of the locals seemed quite amused by it, while a police force of ten kept an eye on the ‘ultras’ (even videoing them). The game started directly with some hard duels, as both teams had much to loose. To be fair, I couldn’t see the huge difference between the two clubs. Both teams were quite decent in terms of tactics and “functional technique” (dixit Johan Cruyff), but provided little if any good or intelligent pass. Consequently, chances were rather sporadic.

Indeed, it took until the 32nd minute for the first good attack. The visitors attacked, passed between a couple of players, pulled the ball back to a free player who finished it with a well-laced low shot in the corner: 0-1. The crowd celebrated it as a home goal, while the few actual home supporters seemed content that their boys had kept up so long. The rest of the first half was much the same, mediocre but committed struggle in midfield, with the only noteworthy offensive action a shot just wide of the La Calamine goal. Half-time score 0-1 and everyone seemed happy.

Having had my disappointing snack already during the game, I used the half-time to scout for “the fan(s)”, which were the two above, sporting a Che Guevara flag. ☺ The second half brought much more of the same. The hosts had two real chances, including one close header that was saved well, while the aspiring champions couldn’t create more than one (soft) chance.

Fortunately, the away fans kept singing and the sun kept shining, so J.B. and I kept enjoying our game. But although the level of play was higher than last Sunday at UN Käerjéng, it was still poor. I was particularly taken aback by the visitors, who are leading the division (La Camine still is without points after five games). Still, the away fans made clear that we should visit a home game of RFC de Liège soon.

[ no scoreboard, no final score pic ]

The final whistle was greeted by all in the stadium: the few neutrals (i.e. J.B., me and the police) because we were getting a bit bored by the play, the home fans, because their team hadn’t been slaughtered, and the away fans, because they don’t seem to expect much from their team. While walking back to the car, we heard the loyal fans celebrate their heroes for minutes.

I don’t think RFC Union La Calamine should be at the top of any groundhopper’s to-do list. I can only start to imagine how it is to watch a game there in normal Belgian weather conditions (i.e. wind and rain). But if you can visit them on a sunny day, by all means do. The scenic route to Kelmis-La Calamine alone will already be worth it!

Groundhopweekend September 2007

Just over one year since our last groundhopweekend, 15-17 September 2006, which brought us to Germany and Poland, it was time for my brother and I to hit the road again. As we all get older and more quickly tired, we decided to be less ambitious and circle the surrounding countries. After all, there is plenty to see here.

US Boulogne Côte d’Opale – Stade de Reims (28-09-2007)

Although I often look for French teams that play at roughly two hours from Antwerp, the Union Sportive de Boulogne Côte d’Opale had remained below my radar until I was looking for a game to start this weekend with. It turns out that the team belongs to the oldest in France, founded in 1898, having been a semi-finalist in the Coup de France in 1937! It got promoted to the Championnat National (Third Division) in 2005 and to the Ligue 2 (Second Division) in 2006.

Supporters Pub

After an easy drive of just over two hours we arrived in Boulogne sur Mer, the biggest fish port of France, as billboards everywhere tell you, and home to the Stade de la Libération, home of the US Boulogne Côte d’Opale. As the weather had been instable, we decided to buy tickets for the Tribune Sud, at 10 euro per person.

Unfortunately, it turned out that the Stade de la Libération has only two covered stands, and the “Tribune Sud” is an uncovered emergency stand spanning the side behind one goal (behind the other goal there is no stand at all). It can take 7.000 people, most of them at the two (very different) covered stands on the long sides of the pitch. In short, the stadium is no beauty, and the track around the pitch makes it even worse. This was the view from my seat.

As the loyal reader will know by now, much of these (small) disappointments can be compensated by the offering of good snacks, and this they did. Every French stadium will provide frites and sandwiches, which can be combined in the americains. However, while in most instances the fries are undercooked and soaking in fat (English style, ironically), they were crispy and tasty here. Well done! The merguez sausage, undoubtedly the main Maghreb contribution to French cuisine, was unconventional but spicy. Add to that the wonders of samourai sauce, which normally can only be sampled in Belgium, and you have a very happy Grondhopper!

I estimate that there were some 2.000-2.500 spectators this Friday evening. The most fanatic home fans are on the East Stand, but are divided into two groups: the Ultras Boulonnais (see above) and the US Corsaires (according to the banner). While their songs are far from original, they do bring quite a decent atmosphere to the game. They could even improve, if they would sing with (or to) rather than against each other. Only some 35 fans had made the 270km trip from Reims to Boulogne sur Mer to support their team.

The game was I guess what you can expect of a battle (struggle?) between two mid-table teams in the Ligue 2. Still, it took till the 20th minute for the first shot at goal (of the home team). The first real chance was for the visitors, however, but the shot from 11 meters was well saved by the home goalie. Directly afterward Boulogne forced the Reims goalie to a safe, after which it took until the 42nd minute for the next chance, a diverted free-kick from 18 meters of Reims. Half-time: 0-0.

Having circled the ground during half-time, we decided to watch the second half at the fairly crowded East Stand. The game remained poor, but Reims clearly had the best of it with a header just wide and a shot at the crossbar. This changed in the 65th minute, however, when a Reims defender held a lone Boulogne player and was correctly sent off. While this made the home team the stronger side, they remained weak in their passing.

Surprisingly, they were further helped by the Reims coach, who substituted his two most creative players and thereby killed any ambition at scoring. This notwithstanding, it would be the visitors who got the next good chance, in the 74th minute, but missed from 5 meter. From then on the supporter in front of me said “ooh-la-la-la-la-la-la-laaaa” at almost every touch of the ball by Reims.

Fortunately for him, and us actually, Reims would not touch much in the last minutes of the game. The only man working his ass off was the Reims goalie, who made two great safes in the last two minutes of the game. Making himself up for a celebration as the man of the match in the Reims bus, he completely misread a weak shot from ca. 35 meters and fumbled it into his own goal: 1-0 in the 92nd minute! An amazing ending to a highly uneventful game.

Somewhat frustrated by the undeserved victory of US Boulogne, we walked back to our car to drive the roughly 250 km to our hotel around Charleroi (Belgium), which would bring us roughly halfway our next game at 14.00 on Saturday.

SV 07 Elversberg – FSV LU-Oggersheim (29-09-2007)

Having still 300 km to drive, we woke up at a reasonable hour, got some croissants at a local market, and drove to Spiessen-Elversberg in the German Saarland. We arrived almost an hour before kick-off, visited the Russian supermarket of Elversberg, and than parked just opposite the Waldstadion Kaiserlinde, home of the Sportvereinigung 07 Elversberg.

Although the stadium looks much less professional than the Stadion de la Libération, it also holds a maximum of 7.000 and has two covered stands (though they are much smaller). Although SV Elversberg has “07” in its name, this is somewhat dishonest. True, the FV Germania Elversberg was founded in 1907, but it was dissolved in 1914, and the current club is the successor to the Sportvereigung VfB Elversberg, founded in 1918 (to be even more accurate, they seceded from the successor in 1952!). Until 1996 the club mainly played at the amateur level, but since then they have been a stable member of the Regionalliga (Third Division).

The professionalism can be most noted in their prices: we paid 18 euro for a seat on the only stand that they sold tickets for (the other one is exclusively for VIPs, according to the stewards). So far this season, the club hasn’t been able to draw more than 1.000 people to their home games, and today was no exception. I estimate that there were some 500 spectators, including the “Black White Army Elversberg” behind the goal.

The opponents of the FSV LU-Oggersheim come from Ludwigshafen (hence LU), a city at ca. 117 km from Spiessen-Elversberg. As this is a short distance according to German standards, some 100 away fans had made the trip to support their team. Most away fans sat with us, but the small ‘hardcore’ stood behind one of the goals, and behind an unreadable banner, bravely facing their ‘enemies’ behind the other goal.

What can one expect from a game between the umbers 15 and 18 of the Regionalliga Süd? Exactly, mediocre and overpriced football, and good and inexpensive sausages! And this game was no exception to this general rule. Although the game started well, with a shot at goal by Elversberg in the 1st minute, it soon deteriorated. That said, there were quite some exciting moment, at least in the first half. For example, in the 13th minute Elversberg missed from 5 meters, and two minutes later a great chance for Oggersheim was stopped for offside (which it was not). Equally notable was the fact that the visitors had to make two substitutions in the first 20 minutes because of injuries.

I decided to circle the ground, as far as possible, to take some pictures from different angles. Among other things, I came across a true old-school German fan (see below) and found, despite stewards had told me I wouldn’t, a “fan shop” (in fact, a table with some items stashed away in a kind of tent annex cantina) where I bought a pin and a small banner for my brother and me.

From the reactions around us, it seemed even a poor game for local standards. As many other fans I looked for comfort at the sausage stand, which, as usual in Germany, didn’t disappoint. At 2 euro a sausage with bread, you cannot go wrong easily, but both sausages I ate (einmal Weiss, einmal Rot) were excellent! Anyway, half-time (again) 0-0.

Again, the second half started promising, but deteriorated rapidly. Within the first ten minutes Elversberg missed from close range twice, once with a shot and once with a header (after a beautiful pass with the outside of the foot). After that we were only entertained by the ‘overcoaching’ of the Oggersheim coach, although I don’t think it was much appreciated by his players, and a comical run-in between the keeper and central defender. In the 72nd minute a good double one-two pass was poorly finished by the home team. When T.M. and I were already convinced that we would see our first 0-0, Elversberg actually scored with a header from a corner kick: 1-0.

This created some activities from both sides, including a horrible finishing of a great chance for the home team and a strong shot (with ditto safe) from the visitors. In the 86th minute Elversberg scores the 2-0, this time a header after a free-kick. At that time we also notice that Oggersheim is playing with ten men, probably the result of a fourth injured player and no more (allowed) substitutions – as we didn’t see a red card (and, yes, we did look). After a last ditch attempt by the visitors, a header just over the goal, the referee ended this rather poor game: 2-0.

(As they didn’t have a scoreboard, there is no picture of the final score)

While leaving the small parking lot opposite the stadium, we were approached by a guy who needed a ride back to Saarbrücken, which was on our route anyway, so we dropped this self-declared “Fussball Freak” off at his home, and continued our drive to the second game of the day: kick-off at 20.00 in Troyes.

ESTAC Troyes – Clermont Foot (29-09-2007)

After a drive of just over 3 hours, and roughly 330 km, we arrived well in time in the picturesque French town of Troyes. Here the awkwardly named Espérance Sportive Troyes Aube Champagne, ESTAC or ES Troyes AC, plays in the beautiful Stade de l’Aube. ESTAC was founded only in 1986 and was forced to change its original name, Association Troyes Aube Champagne (ATAC), in 2000, to prevent legal problems with the French supermarket chain ATAC. Since 1996 the club has been yoyo-ing between the two top flights of French football.

The Stade de l’Aube was inaugurated in 1924 and has been changed many times since. The current stadium was finished in 2004 and can hold 21.877 people; so far, it never did. It has a stunning front, with tingling lights on match nights, and provides a professional but pleasant home for a football club like Troyes.

Tickets were very decently priced: we decided to sit at the upper level behind one of the goals for 11 euro. While the club also has a well-stocked boutique (fan shop), the merchandise was horrible and reminded us of the Dutch neo-team FC Omniworld. No class, no tradition! And even worse, no pins or (serious) banners.

Slightly disappointed we walked to our end of the stadium, where we were welcomed by young girls with free mini-croissants and a couple of stands with snacks. Never changing a winning team, I went again for the americain merguez and was again not left wanted (although this time the sausages were far superior to the fries). While enjoying the food, I watched a somewhat shabby performance by the local cheerleaders and a more impressive unraveling of the banners of the Troyes ‘ultras’.

ESTAC relegated from the Ligue 1 (First Division) last season and wants to get back as soon as possible. Everything seems in place for it, as the ground is professional and the following seems loyal and supportive. Tonight’s game was between the numbers 4 (ESTAC) and the number 10 (Clermont Foot Auvergne) of the Ligue 2 (Second Division). The stadium was roughly two-thirds full, with a remarkable number of children; the official site speaks of 17,404 spectators. Only a handful of supporters had made the ca. 375 km from Clermont-Ferrand to support their team.

The level of play was not much different from our Friday game in Boulogne sur Mer, despite the far more professional surrounding. While ESTAC got several smaller and larger chances, I was far from impressed by their game. They seemed uncoordinated and even when they combined it seemed luck rather than plan. As if it was meant to be, the half-time score was once again 0-0.

While we were discussing whether this would be a game with either no goals or only a sneaky goal in the last minute, as at Boulogne, the away team got a corner, the home goalie completely missed the ball, and a Clermont player scored with his back. To be fair, it seemed also the only way they would be able to score, but this didn’t change the fact that the second half had just started and the home team were 1-0 down.

Now the game really started, and Troyes finally created some chances. One of the most notable was in the 52nd minute, when a striker took the ball with his right foot, turned away from his defender, and in one move shot at goal with his left foot. In the 54th minute it finally paid off, although through a somewhat surprising dry shot from 20 meters in the low corner: 1-1.

The equalizer was followed by several minutes of very offensive football with chances on both sides. Unfortunately, after the 60th minute the game became poorer again. One exception to the general poor quality was a beautiful attack with a one-two pass, a great dribble, and a strong finishing in the far corner: 2-1 for ESTAC in the 68th minute. Two minutes later Clermon hit the post, but after that it was all ESTAC that played. Although positionally weak, they did create various chances, but failed to seal the game. And as can only happen in football, as the cliché goes, they paid the price for it. In the 91st minute a defender touched the ball with his hand and the referee was left with no other choice than to give Clermont a penalty: 2-2.

The frustration around us was huge. Although the Troyes crowd don’t seem to be ‘success supporters’, they do not handle disappointment well. It is clear, both the club and its supporters want to get back to the First Division and accept no failure! Though not impressed by their team, ESTAC does seem to have at the very least the infrastructure to get back to the French top flight. Still, if they could invest a little bit more in their logo and merchandise, all of us would benefit!

After a relaxing night in the cheap but clean Etap hotel in downtown Troyes, and a tasty breakfast of artisan breads and croissants, we got in our car to drive the roughly 300 km to our fourth and last game of the weekend in Hautcharage, Luxembourg.

UN Käerjéng ’97 – RFCU Lëtzebuerg (30-09-2007)

After a short search in the tiny village of Hautcharage, we parked our car truly next to the stadium (roughly 5 meters and 1 fence from the pitch). Having arrived almost one hour before kick-off (16.00), we were among the first to enter the Stade Hautcharage, one of two ‘stadiums’ of the fusion-club. UN Käerjéng ’97 is a merger of US Bascharage, from “Low Charage”, and FC Jeunesse Hautcharage, from “High Charage”, and exists exactly 10 years. Clearly, its high point was this summer, when they played the ‘huge’ Standard de Liège from Belgium in the UEFA Cup, as virtually all their fan gear was made for that game.

We had bought a (generic) ticket for 7 euro and made our way to the one stand, literally, to see whether there were any souvenirs to be bought. The cantina was a classic, quite similar to the one at Avenir Beggen, small and full of banners and posters of famous games. It also had a special part for VIPs and press (I particularly like the “Golden-Card Invitees”).

Somewhat surprised by outsiders, the friendly people told us that there was an actual fan shop. After having forced my brother to take a picture of me in the dug-out, which didn’t seem to bother anyone, we walked over to the fan shop, which indeed was there and open. However, getting a banner was a far from simple task, despite the huge willingness of the extremely friendly people, and a pin was completely impossible. (Having only one pin from four games, i.e. from SV Elversberg, was a huge disappointment for my brother; I did much better with 3 out of 4, only Boulogne didn’t deliver, despite having a big fan shop… in town).

As had been forecasted, the Sunday was a beautiful summery day, so we could enjoy the game while standing (most of the time) in a pleasant sunshine and some 20 degrees. Given that the stadium has only a tiny covered stand, one wonders how it is to watch a game here in mid-Winter. Probably the small cantina will be even fuller; though this time some 30 people were sitting all second half inside to watch the World Cup Cycling (an indication of the quality of play on the pitch?).

Fortunately, we didn’t have to worry about that. With such great weather, even my very long wait for what turned out to be a quite mediocre sausage, as the baker hadn’t delivered his bread, couldn’t spoil the fun. This was football as I used to watch at my Dutch amateur team (VVO), which by now probably has a better stadium and much more spectators. This sunny Sunday afternoon (officially) 290 people had made it to the game, of which at least 90 had come the 17,5 km from the capital city to support Racing FC Union Lëtzebuerg, another fusion club in the Fortis Ligue, Luxembourg’s First Division.

Now, I know I have said this before, and you are free to doubt me on this, but if I would still be 18-25 (oooh, the good old days), I could have easily played in this game! In fact, there was a (English?) player in the visitor’s side who would never have made it into the first team of VVO! I guess that says enough about the level of play that afternoon. The first half showed little noteworthy (on the pitch) except for a dumb foul that was penalized with a penalty: 0-1. For the rest, it was just enjoying the sun and hanging out.

Not surprising, the second half was much the same. I guess you could say that RFCU Lëtzebuerg had the better team, although even this is relative. In any case, the most enjoyable part of the whole game was watching the coach of the visitors discuss virtually everything with everyone (e.g. linesmen, players, referee, supporters). At least he was much more positive than his colleague from Ogersheim, as his main remarks was “c’est ne pas grave” (it’s not bad/a problem), irrespective of how horrible the action of the player had been.

Despite some isolated chances and commotion, 0-1 was the best either team could do. Surprisingly, the visitors were very happy with the result, even though they are second and Käerjéng are fighting relegation. Still, who could complain with such great weather and such nice people. Satisfied but tired we walked out of the stadium, entered our car, and drove home. It had been a weekend with poor football, but good snacks. To be fair, none of the teams really caught my heart, and I guess US Boulogne was the most fun. But with good company and weather, and four new scalps under my belt, I don’t complain!

Video of the Ground