San Siro... Milan

[spyinthesky]

Perhaps I may indulge myself in the memories of our game in the San Siro a few years back.
We took over 7,000 there which was an incredible achievement for a relatively small club amongst the Premiership elite often supplemented by part time supporters..
Big City Newcastle, who enjoy a passionate and loyal fan base, only managed a reported 4,000 turn out for their visit to Milan yesterday.
Amongst all the negativity surrounding the Saints atm, this makes me feel a tad proud and a good memory of the day and the very impressive support of Saints fans.
We should have won too!!!

[Saint_clark]

It was a great trip and i'm also fond of the memories...not wanting to rain on the parade a bit but is the difference in attendance perhaps due to it being a different competition? Allocations or demand may be playing a part? 

[CB Fry]

I think a pretty dopey comparison.

Champions League ties are a bigger deal than Europa and playing Saints in that competition would, for Milan fans, be comparable to us having a home tie with Yeovil in the League Cup.

Without even looking can pretty much guarantee that Newcastle sold whatever allocation they got.

Pretending that Newcastle couldn't easily sell 7,000 at the San Siro is just a ridiculous premise.

[Lord Duckhunter]

42 minutes ago, spyinthesky said:

We took over 7,000 there which was an incredible achievement for a relatively small club amongst the Premiership elite often supplemented by part time supporters..
Big City Newcastle, who enjoy a passionate and loyal fan base, only managed a reported 4,000 turn out for their visit to Milan yesterday.

How many tickets were they given? 
 

Don’t get me wrong, going there with 2 of my sons to watch Saints will remain with me forever, but weren’t we given more tickets because they didn’t sell many. Are you saying Newcastle failed to sell their allocation. 

[Saint_clark]

The crack along that canal was great, Saints fans swarming both sides of it completely filling out the bars and restaurants, seeing Benalis face plastered everywhere, gorgeous sunshine and great Italian food and drink. 

Might have to go back to Milan now. 

[CB Fry]

4 minutes ago, Saint_clark said:

The crack along that canal was great, Saints fans swarming both sides of it completely filling out the bars and restaurants, seeing Benalis face plastered everywhere, gorgeous sunshine and great Italian food and drink. 

Might have to go back to Milan now. 

100% this. Was an absolutely fabulous couple of days.

Even though we did not have a significant budget we ended up in the same hotel as the team. Which was nice.

[JRM]

Iconic stadium and one to tell the Grandkids about, shame we didn't win there missed so many chances, familiar story, no goals scored in any of the three away group games, textbook Claude 🤣

Those European tour seasons were brilliant, Hapoel Be'ersheva away was my favourite passing a camel through the desert on the way, longest distance ever for a Saints competitive fixture 👍

Going to be a long wait to do a trip like that again 

Edited 20 September, 2023 by JRM

[Turkish]

23 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

I think a pretty dopey comparison.

Champions League ties are a bigger deal than Europa and playing Saints in that competition would, for Milan fans, be comparable to us having a home tie with Yeovil in the League Cup.

Without even looking can pretty much guarantee that Newcastle sold whatever allocation they got.

Pretending that Newcastle couldn't easily sell 7,000 at the San Siro is just a ridiculous premise.

It is particularly dopey Seeing as how they took 12,000 there a few years ago.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/history/12000-newcastle-united-fans-turned-14385415

 

Ipswich also took 10000 there when they qualified for Europe in early 00s

[Saint_clark]

9 minutes ago, JRM said:

Iconic stadium and one to tell the Grandkids about, shame we didn't win there missed so many chances, familiar story, no goals scored in any of the three away group games, textbook Claude 🤣

Those European tour seasons were brilliant, Hapoel Be'ersheva away was my favourite passing a camel through the desert on the way, longest distance ever for a Saints competitive fixture 👍

Going to be a long wait to do a trip like that again 

That Hapoel trip got me in trouble at work even though I didn't end up going. I'd only just started working for the prison service at an Immigration Detention centre and I got flagged up on their computer system for searching for flights to the middle east, they thought I was being radicalised. 

[Turkish]

23 minutes ago, Saint_clark said:

The crack along that canal was great, Saints fans swarming both sides of it completely filling out the bars and restaurants, seeing Benalis face plastered everywhere, gorgeous sunshine and great Italian food and drink. 

Might have to go back to Milan now. 

Much better cities to visit in Italy IMO

[Turkish]

11 minutes ago, JRM said:

Iconic stadium and one to tell the Grandkids about, shame we didn't win there missed so many chances, familiar story, no goals scored in any of the three away group games, textbook Claude 🤣

Those European tour seasons were brilliant, Hapoel Be'ersheva away was my favourite passing a camel through the desert on the way, longest distance ever for a Saints competitive fixture 👍

Going to be a long wait to do a trip like that again 

Biggest shame for me was I couldn’t do them all. Son was still quite small, missus wasn’t working so had to chose one, so went with the obvious one so I could visit the San Siro, which having grown up loving Italian football due to Italia 90 and Sunday afternoon Italian football on TV was always going to be the choice. 

[JRM]

3 minutes ago, Saint_clark said:

That Hapoel trip got me in trouble at work even though I didn't end up going. I'd only just started working for the prison service at an Immigration Detention centre and I got flagged up on their computer system for searching for flights to the middle east, they thought I was being radicalised. 

Brilliant, bet it took a bit of explaining. 

I remember the strict questioning at Tel Aviv airport immigration on the way in, "what is the purpose of your visit to Israel" "Beersheva away mate, Southampton in Europa" 

 

[Saint_clark]

17 minutes ago, Turkish said:

Much better cities to visit in Italy IMO

Any recommendations? Always wanted to do Rome and Florence but other than that know nothing about Italy. 

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

1 hour ago, spyinthesky said:

Perhaps I may indulge myself in the memories of our game in the San Siro a few years back.
We took over 7,000 there which was an incredible achievement for a relatively small club amongst the Premiership elite often supplemented by part time supporters..
Big City Newcastle, who enjoy a passionate and loyal fan base, only managed a reported 4,000 turn out for their visit to Milan yesterday.
Amongst all the negativity surrounding the Saints atm, this makes me feel a tad proud and a good memory of the day and the very impressive support of Saints fans.
We should have won too!!!

I seem to remember that we took 4000 to Bucharest under Strachan. All of the local support could not believe it and said that Liverpool has taken a quarter of that the season or so before. 

It always irritates me when people go on about football being a religion in Newcastle. We get 30,000 every other week when we have won three games at home in the last year. We should be saluted.

[grezz]

I was there and we deserved to win that game. The off field antics were superb! (as was Prague)

Also went there to watch Denmark - Italy a year or so after but I'd learnt my lesson and took my opera glasses. Looks good on TV but I think it's a shite stadium and defo needs a few extra bogs. 

[Lord Duckhunter]

8 minutes ago, Saint_clark said:

Any recommendations? Always wanted to do Rome and Florence but other than that know nothing about Italy. 

I can recommend Puglia in summer. We went in June, beautiful. Gallipoli a personal favourite and funnily enough I met an Inter supporter in a phone shop there, who was also in San Siro for our game. 

Edited 20 September, 2023 by Lord Duckhunter

[Turkish]

11 minutes ago, Saint_clark said:

Any recommendations? Always wanted to do Rome and Florence but other than that know nothing about Italy. 

 

done loads of Italy.

Both of those you mention are amazing and I mean amazing. Great mix of fabulous food and bars, plenty of sight seeing. Obviously very busy being major tourist destinations 

went to the north west of Italy this summer and visited Verona and Venice for the second time. Venice is beautiful but expensive, Verona is beautiful as well.

Naples is a bit moody and rough but the areas down the Amalfi coast Ravello, Amalfi and Positano are wonderful. 
 

Wouldn’t bother with Pisa but Sienna near by is nice but small so probably only worth a day trip

Cities a bit less popular to visit but really nice Bologna, Parma and Lecce are nice. Done weekends In Bologna and Parma We went to Lecce when we did a holiday to Puglia, can also visit Ostini and Alberabelo from there which are both great 

any of those if it’s good food and culture you’re after then you won’t be disappointed 

 

If you can be bothered to find and watch them you can see most of those place either on Stanley Tuccis Italy or Rick Steins long weekend to give you an idea

Edited 20 September, 2023 by Turkish

[Saint_clark]

41 minutes ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

I can recommend Puglia in summer. We went in June, beautiful. Gallipoli a personal favourite and funnily enough I met an Inter supporter in a phone shop there, who was also in San Siro for our game. 

 

40 minutes ago, Turkish said:

 

done loads of Italy.

Both of those you mention are amazing and I mean amazing. Great mix of fabulous food and bars, plenty of sight seeing. Obviously very busy being major tourist destinations 

went to the north west of Italy this summer and visited Verona and Venice for the second time. Venice is beautiful but expensive, Verona is beautiful as well.

Naples is a bit moody and rough but the areas down the Amalfi coast Ravello, Amalfi and Positano are wonderful. 
 

Wouldn’t bother with Pisa but Sienna near by is nice but small so probably only worth a day trip

Cities a bit less popular to visit but really nice Bologna, Parma and Lecce are nice. Done weekends In Bologna and Parma We went to Lecce when we did a holiday to Puglia, can also visit Ostini and Alberabelo from there which are both great 

any of those if it’s good food and culture you’re after then you won’t be disappointed 

 

If you can be bothered to find and watch them you can see most of those place either on Stanley Tuccis Italy or Rick Steins long weekend to give you an idea

Cheers for the suggestions gents. Venice has never really interested me but i'll look into all the others mentioned. Enough there that I might look at train routes and do a tour. 

[Yorkshire Saint]

2 further memories for me:

1. Drinking 4 pints in the 1st half on the terrace at €5 a pint before getting a head ache having not realising it was alcohol free. FFS

2. The guy who had a heart attack in the ground. 

Great night. Stuff of dreams having watched Italian football on channel 4 in the 90s 

[niceandfriendly]

Los Locos Chiosco, one of the only bars anywhere near the ground selling alcohol. Good ol' Mexicans.

[JRM]

Always worth a watch with volume up 

 

[TheAlehouseBrawlers]

3 hours ago, niceandfriendly said:

Los Locos Chiosco, one of the only bars anywhere near the ground selling alcohol. Good ol' Mexicans.

We found a few bars near the ground, before with plenty of Saints fans in them and then after drinking with locals. Good night. Can't remember any names but all a short walk from our 'end'.

[Wurzel]

I'm staying just over an hours drive from there next month, AC Milan are playing Juventus on the Sunday night. I might just have to persuade Mrs W it's a good day to visit the city and tick a neutral visit to a big foreign game off the bucket list.

Looks like there are some serious differences in ticket prices for the various areas, I'm assuming the second tier is reasonable view but does anyone know what areas to avoid bearing in mind she's unlikely to appreciate not speaking any Itallian and ending up in the middle of their ultras or away fans 😕.

PS the question is posted in the extremely optimistic hope that she can be persuaded.🤣

[Turkish]

15 hours ago, Saint_clark said:

 

Cheers for the suggestions gents. Venice has never really interested me but i'll look into all the others mentioned. Enough there that I might look at train routes and do a tour. 

For a holiday Puglia is fantastic but rural, you'd need to hire a car. Amalfi coast is great, stay in Sorrento can get the train to Naples or bus down the Amlfi coast. Good and cheap bus and rail links to the area.

Also worth looking at are Sardinia, been 3 times, twice to Olbia (north east) can go up the Costa Smeralda which is gorgeous been once to Alghero (north west) great old city with lots of history, Sardinia is fantastic. White sand and blue sea and relatively undiscovered by Brits yet. August is mainly Italians holidaying there.

Been to Sicily as well, a weekend in Palermo is good and fairly cheap for Italy.

We're booked to go to Calabria next year which right at the toe of the boot, looks class.

[Lord Duckhunter]

I found Puglia a bit cheaper than most of Italy if you’re on a budget. 

[RedArmy]

21 hours ago, JRM said:

 shame we didn't win there missed so many chances, familiar story, no goals scored in any of the three away group games, textbook Claude 🤣

 

Yeah but at least we got a point away to Man City at the weekend. God forbid we’d have finished 9th instead of 8th. 
Who wants to see their team win at the San Siro anyway? 

[saintquin]

5 hours ago, Turkish said:

We're booked to go to Calabria next year which right at the toe of the boot, looks class.

Went to Calabria this year. Stayed near Tropia, reminded me a bit of Cornwall, rough and rugged coastline. Had some brilliant food there.

Also went across to Stromboli, the most active volcano in europe and saw a sperm whale half way there! 🐋

Wish I could do away games like I used to but, I suppose things change as you get older. Never mind!

[TheAlehouseBrawlers]

4 minutes ago, saintquin said:

Went to Calabria this year. Stayed near Tropia, reminded me a bit of Cornwall, rough and rugged coastline. Had some brilliant food there.

Also went across to Stromboli, the most active volcano in europe and saw a sperm whale half way there! 🐋

Wish I could do away games like I used to but, I suppose things change as you get older. Never mind!

Going a bit off topic but...we stayed near Pizzo pre-covid, Calabria is a cracking part of Italy. Also took the ferry across to Stromboli, left once it started to get dark and sailed past the part of the coast where you can see the ever-spewing of lava - had a major eruption not long after!

Milan was a fookin' great few days away though! 

[Turkish]

25 minutes ago, saintquin said:

Went to Calabria this year. Stayed near Tropia, reminded me a bit of Cornwall, rough and rugged coastline. Had some brilliant food there.

Also went across to Stromboli, the most active volcano in europe and saw a sperm whale half way there! 🐋

Wish I could do away games like I used to but, I suppose things change as you get older. Never mind!

We are close to Tropia in Pizzo. Looks great, will definitely do Stromboli. Any other recommendations? 

[niceandfriendly]

16 hours ago, Wurzel said:

PS the question is posted in the extremely optimistic hope that she can be persuaded.🤣

Spin it another way. Tell her you're organising a treat day for her and she doesn't need to worry about a thing, you're planning it all. Fancy coffee and breakfast followed by massage and spa. Few shops and pizza in the afternoon then take in "a show" in the evening. She doesn't need to know that the show is footy. She also doesn't need to be persuaded if you plan everything on her behalf. 😎

[Wurzel]

8 hours ago, niceandfriendly said:

Spin it another way. Tell her you're organising a treat day for her and she doesn't need to worry about a thing, you're planning it all. Fancy coffee and breakfast followed by massage and spa. Few shops and pizza in the afternoon then take in "a show" in the evening. She doesn't need to know that the show is footy. She also doesn't need to be persuaded if you plan everything on her behalf. 😎

You clearly don't know my wife. With a username like yours you might get away with it, for me that would be treated with at best a contemptuous "what are you after?", at worst an outright refusal.

However, thinking about it "I'm taking the car this evening, won't be back until around 2am (stupid kick off times over there), you can come with me or stay on your own in this small sleepy village where you know nobody, don't know your way around, and don't speak a word of the local language"  might just work. 🤣

[Chez]

On 20/09/2023 at 21:09, Turkish said:

 

done loads of Italy.

Both of those you mention are amazing and I mean amazing. Great mix of fabulous food and bars, plenty of sight seeing. Obviously very busy being major tourist destinations 

went to the north west of Italy this summer and visited Verona and Venice for the second time. Venice is beautiful but expensive, Verona is beautiful as well.

Naples is a bit moody and rough but the areas down the Amalfi coast Ravello, Amalfi and Positano are wonderful. 
 

Wouldn’t bother with Pisa but Sienna near by is nice but small so probably only worth a day trip

Cities a bit less popular to visit but really nice Bologna, Parma and Lecce are nice. Done weekends In Bologna and Parma We went to Lecce when we did a holiday to Puglia, can also visit Ostini and Alberabelo from there which are both great 

any of those if it’s good food and culture you’re after then you won’t be disappointed 

 

If you can be bothered to find and watch them you can see most of those place either on Stanley Tuccis Italy or Rick Steins long weekend to give you an idea

I thought Bolognia was nice. Florence and Venice are great.

Sicily has a lot to offer too IMO. The main cities Palermo and Catania are a little scruffy, but it's a great place to tour around. I much prefer it to Sardinia, which has better (fabulous) beaches, but not much else.   

 

Back to the San Siro game. It was a dream come true to see us play at one of the big clubs. Somehow managed to get tickets for everyone. It was a shame the ground was empty though. Playing them on a full house would have been magic. We should have won. Not sure How Van Dick didn't score. 

[Chez]

On 21/09/2023 at 13:02, Turkish said:

For a holiday Puglia is fantastic but rural, you'd need to hire a car. Amalfi coast is great, stay in Sorrento can get the train to Naples or bus down the Amlfi coast. Good and cheap bus and rail links to the area.

Also worth looking at are Sardinia, been 3 times, twice to Olbia (north east) can go up the Costa Smeralda which is gorgeous been once to Alghero (north west) great old city with lots of history, Sardinia is fantastic. White sand and blue sea and relatively undiscovered by Brits yet. August is mainly Italians holidaying there.

Been to Sicily as well, a weekend in Palermo is good and fairly cheap for Italy.

We're booked to go to Calabria next year which right at the toe of the boot, looks class.

Echo your sentiments about the white sand and blue beaches. We toured most of the island (Sardinia) last year. Spiaggia La Pelosa (North West tip) is one of the best beaches I have ever seen. It also has some of the most amazing coastal (cliff top) roads you will ever drive on - scared the shit out of a vertigo sufferer like me though. Car hire was fucking expensive though.

Wish I'd been able to go to a footie game while I was there. Was a big fan of Italian football back in the days of Channel4 coverage. The stadium England played in during 1990 world cup was still there, but Cagliari have moved out long ago.