European trip memories besides Rotterdam.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

As we begin another European adventure/anticlimax I thought I would start a thread on peoples memories of trips to Europe.
 
According to Wikipedia, this will be our 45th competitive away game in  European competiton.
How many have people been to? I counted up to  8 I attended, I bet theres people out there who have been to the majority of them though.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Aston_Villa_F.C._records_and_statistics

Lets try and keep Rotterdam free though, we have played games elsewhere you know.

Leaving Rotterdam aside,  my favourites are Royal Antwerp in 1975, even though it was as good as over by half time (was it 4-0 at half time?) it was still our very first foray on foreign soil and a big sign that we were returning.

Then 1977 going to Athletico Bilbao, sat behind the goal and we were amongst Spanish fans who kept passing round what seemed an endless supply of red wine. They were a great bunch even though they managed to relieve me of my Union Jack flag when I staggering round the streets in the early hours. Shouldnt complain really, Id nicked it in the first place a week earlier from the flagpole of the Conservative club after another drinking session.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Aston Villa in Europe
Below is Aston Villa's record in Europe. Aston Villa's scores are noted first in both results columns.

1975–76 UEFA Cup 1R  Belgium Royal Antwerp 0–1 1–4
1977–78 UEFA Cup 1R  Turkey Fenerbahηe 4–0 2–0
  2R  Poland Gσrnik Zabrze 2–0 1–1
  3R  Spain Athletic Bilbao 2–0 1–1
  QF  Spain Barcelona 2–2 1–2
1981–82 European Cup (Winners) 1R  Iceland Valur Reykjavνk 5–0 2–0
  2R  East Germany Dynamo Berlin 2–1 0–1
  QF  Soviet Union Dynamo Kyiv 2–0 0–0
  SF  Belgium Anderlecht 1–0 0–0
  F  West Germany Bayern Munich 1–0
1982 UEFA Super Cup (Winners) F  Spain Barcelona 3–0 0–1
1982–83 European Cup 1R  Turkey Beşiktaş 3–1 0–0
  2R  Romania Dinamo Bucureşti 4–2 2–0
  QF  Italy Juventus 1–2 1–3
1983–84 UEFA Cup 1R  Portugal Vitσria de Guimarγes 5–0 0–1
  2R  Russia Spartak Moscow 1–2 2–2
1990–91 UEFA Cup 1R  Czech Republic Banνk Ostrava 3–1 2–1
  2R  Italy Internazionale 2–0 0–3
1993–94 UEFA Cup 1R  Slovakia Slovan Bratislava 2–1 0–0
  2R  Spain Deportivo La Coruρa 0–1 1–1
1994–95 UEFA Cup 1R  Italy Internazionale 1–0 0–1
  2R  Turkey Trabzonspor 2–1 0–1
1996–97 UEFA Cup 1R  Sweden Helsingborg 1–1 0–0
1997–98 UEFA Cup 1R  France Bordeaux 1–0 0–0
  2R  Spain Athletic Bilbao 2–1 0–0
  3R  Romania Steaua Bucureşti 2–0 1–2
  QF  Spain Atlιtico Madrid 2–1 0–1
1998–99 UEFA Cup 1R  Norway Stromsgodset 3–2 3–0
  2R  Spain Celta Vigo 1–3 1–0
2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup 3R  Czech Republic Dukla Pribram 3–1 0–0
  SF  Spain Celta Vigo 1–2 0–1
2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup (Winners) 3R  Croatia Slaven Belupo 2–0 1–2
  SF  France Rennes 1–0 2–1
  F  Switzerland Basel 4–1 1–1
2001–02 UEFA Cup 1R  Croatia Varteks 2–3 1–0
2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup 3R  Switzerland Zόrich 3–0 0–2
  SF  France Lille 0–2 1–1
2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup 3R  Denmark Odense 1–0 2–2
2008–09 UEFA Cup 2QR  Iceland Hafnarfjφrdur 1–1 4–1
  1R  Bulgaria Litex Lovech 1–1 3–1
  GS  Netherlands Ajax 2–1(H) 
  GS  Czech Republic Slavia Prague  1–0(A)
  GS  Slovakia Žilina 1–2(H) 
  GS  Germany Hamburg  1–3(A)
  R32  Russia CSKA Moscow 1–1 0–2
2009–10 UEFA Europa League P/O  Austria Rapid Wien 2–1 0–1
2010- 11 UEFA Europa League P/O  Austria Rapid Wien

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

My first and only Euro trip thus far was Prague a couple of years ago. Great city and good atmosphere amongst the Villa faithful. We had the craic as soon as we departed for Manchester and it continued until we got back, what more could you ask for?

[The Man With A Stick]

Prague is my only one so far, had a great couple of days over there though.  Hoping on doing another one this season, even if I can't get tickets for the game through the Villa.

[Chris Harte]

La Coruna in 1993 and Inter in 1994 are my only away trips in Europe.

[Ger Regan]

Hamburg was my only away trip to date. Barring the game itself, it was a very pleasant trip. A friend of mine lives over there so she and her friend (a St. Pauli season ticket holder, so she was dying for us to beat their rivals) came with me to the game.

[dave.woodhall]

Bilbao in 1997 was the best trip ever, but Inter in 1993 was also good after a bit of bargain-huntrng got a five day holiday plus match ticket for the price of the club's there-and-straight-back flight. .

[lennythekad]

Been to 10 Euro aways, loads of memories, hardly any bad ones either. One that sticks in the mind was Gornik Zabrze in 77-78, mainly because there were only about forty of us that went. It was before the Iron Curtain came down. We flew into Warsaw, and then faced a five hour coach trip to the Holiday Inn, Krakow, before another hours trip to Zabrze itself. Poland certainly lived up to the stereotypical Eastern European country, grim weather, no leaves on the trees, military types with machine guns watching our every move,  drab, austere buildings and no fast food joints!
The game finished 1-1 and we returned to the hotel after the game. We were in the restaurant, when the door opened and in came the full Villa party. Their charter flight had been postponed until the next day due to the heavy fog and they were stopping the night at our hotel. I got some nice photos of myself with Andy Gray, Frank Carrodus and Alex Cropley amongst others. Deadly Doug came round every single fan in the room and shook their hand and thanked us for travelling to support the boys. The only downside was when I had to share the lift later on with Gary Newbon, who was with Central at the time!.
Terry Weir took a group photo of us next morning, which appeared in a subsequent programme.
It was nearly 33 years ago, but I can remember it like yesterday. As I can remember a group of us being mistaken for Villa players in a restaurant on the banks of the Bosphorus befor the Fenerbache game in September '77, but that's another story.......
Anyone else on here at either of these games? ALITA?   

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Been to 10 Euro aways, loads of memories, hardly any bad ones either. One that sticks in the mind was Gornik Zabrze in 77-78, mainly because there were only about forty of us that went. It was before the Iron Curtain came down. We flew into Warsaw, and then faced a five hour coach trip to the Holiday Inn, Krakow, before another hours trip to Zabrze itself. Poland certainly lived up to the stereotypical Eastern European country, grim weather, no leaves on the trees, military types with machine guns watching our every move,  drab, austere buildings and no fast food joints!
The game finished 1-1 and we returned to the hotel after the game. We were in the restaurant, when the door opened and in came the full Villa party. Their charter flight had been postponed until the next day due to the heavy fog and they were stopping the night at our hotel. I got some nice photos of myself with Andy Gray, Frank Carrodus and Alex Cropley amongst others. Deadly Doug came round every single fan in the room and shook their hand and thanked us for travelling to support the boys. The only downside was when I had to share the lift later on with Gary Newbon, who was with Central at the time!.
Terry Weir took a group photo of us next morning, which appeared in a subsequent programme.
It was nearly 33 years ago, but I can remember it like yesterday. As I can remember a group of us being mistaken for Villa players in a restaurant on the banks of the Bosphorus befor the Fenerbache game in September '77, but that's another story.......
Anyone else on here at either of these games? ALITA?   

I didnt go but my Dad went to Gornik and we have a copy of that photo somewhere in our family. Give me a few days.

[knowsleyvillain]

Have been to 3 aways , inter in 94, bilbao 97 best of the lot and hamburg 08 still not seen the villa score! we left just before the fonz scored in hamburg as mate wanted to get back on the beer.http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/Smileys/default/sad.gif

[Dave Clark Five]

There have been many great trips; each with their own tales.
I remember the visit to Berlin which was made even better by the fact that it was played behind the Berlin Wall.
We arrived there about 9 in the morning, by train, and after all the performance of getting through the security and collecting our ration of East German Marks, we set off for a pub. There was a bar near the ground that served the purpose and we sat in there all day until about half an hour before the game. The beer was the equivalent of 25p per pint and we must have had two gallons each. For food we had kartoffel suppe mit bratwurst. It came in a white plastic bowl and was thin potato soup with a sausage dumped in it.
The game was memorable for Tony Morley's goals. There was a bit of trouble immediately after the game but we had to get to the station for midnight as our visa would run out and we would miss the train.
Following all the beer, I felt extremely rough but this changed when the attendant came to the carriage and asked if we would like tea. It was served in a plastic tea pot, one of these each, and did the trick instantly.
The tram becoming derailed in Antwerp was another laugh. Villa ran a Special to that match.
Two Black Country blokes who came to Bucharest chanced on the same bar as us and proclaimed, to their delight, 'we'm struck ere mar mate, ay we?'
I found them later that night on a balcony in a lift lobby. They were trapped there and couldn't get back into the hotel.
A familiar cry came from them 'we'm stuck mate!'
Recent trips have concentated on having the best food and drink that is on offer and it is things like that which cause you to return for more.

[144 Hard Boiled Eggs]

Two that stick out are Juventus 1983 (pretty lively in and outside of the ground and it pissing down for most of the time in Turin) and Celta Vigo in 1998 when Joachim scored in a 1-0 win and we got played off the park in the return home leg (flew to Porto for this one, saw the Porto v Boa Vista "derby", took the train up to Vigo, had a great time there, slept through my alarm the day after the match and missed the train meaning I had to get a taxi from Vigo back to Porto for my flight home. Drinking too much, it's not big and it's not clever!!)

[lennythekad]

Been to 10 Euro aways, loads of memories, hardly any bad ones either. One that sticks in the mind was Gornik Zabrze in 77-78, mainly because there were only about forty of us that went. It was before the Iron Curtain came down. We flew into Warsaw, and then faced a five hour coach trip to the Holiday Inn, Krakow, before another hours trip to Zabrze itself. Poland certainly lived up to the stereotypical Eastern European country, grim weather, no leaves on the trees, military types with machine guns watching our every move,  drab, austere buildings and no fast food joints!
The game finished 1-1 and we returned to the hotel after the game. We were in the restaurant, when the door opened and in came the full Villa party. Their charter flight had been postponed until the next day due to the heavy fog and they were stopping the night at our hotel. I got some nice photos of myself with Andy Gray, Frank Carrodus and Alex Cropley amongst others. Deadly Doug came round every single fan in the room and shook their hand and thanked us for travelling to support the boys. The only downside was when I had to share the lift later on with Gary Newbon, who was with Central at the time!.
Terry Weir took a group photo of us next morning, which appeared in a subsequent programme.
It was nearly 33 years ago, but I can remember it like yesterday. As I can remember a group of us being mistaken for Villa players in a restaurant on the banks of the Bosphorus befor the Fenerbache game in September '77, but that's another story.......
Anyone else on here at either of these games? ALITA?   

I didnt go but my Dad went to Gornik and we have a copy of that photo soemwhere in our family. Give me a few days.

Here's the photo from the Gornik trip in Nov. '77. I'm second from the right on the front row. Anyone know any of the other faces on the pic?. Dave Birts smack in the middle of the middle row. Dave Bridgewater's right behind him. I think it's his wife, Pam, fifth from the right on the back row. The lad third from the left on the back row's still going as well.

[lennythekad]

The top picture's at Heathrow after the Fenerbache away trip in Sep. '77.

The bottom one's in the hotel at Simferepol, before the Dynamo Kiev away leg in 81-82.  Tony Morley, Gary Williams, Des Bremner, Pat Heard and Sid Cowans holding up my Lichfield flag , (which also features on page 41 of the Road to Rotterdam book, and got pinched off the fence at the end of the EC final by some unknown cnut)!!!!

[dave.woodhall]

Gornik photo - bloke with the beard on the front row is Dave (second name unknown). Third from the right on the back row (wearing the scarf, next to Pam ) is Chris from Handsworth. Him with the beard in the second row isn't Steve Stride is it?