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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. -
Aston Villa in Europe
Below is Aston Villa's record in Europe. Aston Villa's scores are noted first in both results columns.
197576 UEFA Cup 1R Belgium Royal Antwerp 01 14
197778 UEFA Cup 1R Turkey Fenerbahηe 40 20
2R Poland Gσrnik Zabrze 20 11
3R Spain Athletic Bilbao 20 11
QF Spain Barcelona 22 12
198182 European Cup (Winners) 1R Iceland Valur Reykjavνk 50 20
2R East Germany Dynamo Berlin 21 01
QF Soviet Union Dynamo Kyiv 20 00
SF Belgium Anderlecht 10 00
F West Germany Bayern Munich 10
1982 UEFA Super Cup (Winners) F Spain Barcelona 30 01
198283 European Cup 1R Turkey Beşiktaş 31 00
2R Romania Dinamo Bucureşti 42 20
QF Italy Juventus 12 13
198384 UEFA Cup 1R Portugal Vitσria de Guimarγes 50 01
2R Russia Spartak Moscow 12 22
199091 UEFA Cup 1R Czech Republic Banνk Ostrava 31 21
2R Italy Internazionale 20 03
199394 UEFA Cup 1R Slovakia Slovan Bratislava 21 00
2R Spain Deportivo La Coruρa 01 11
199495 UEFA Cup 1R Italy Internazionale 10 01
2R Turkey Trabzonspor 21 01
199697 UEFA Cup 1R Sweden Helsingborg 11 00
199798 UEFA Cup 1R France Bordeaux 10 00
2R Spain Athletic Bilbao 21 00
3R Romania Steaua Bucureşti 20 12
QF Spain Atlιtico Madrid 21 01
199899 UEFA Cup 1R Norway Stromsgodset 32 30
2R Spain Celta Vigo 13 10
2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup 3R Czech Republic Dukla Pribram 31 00
SF Spain Celta Vigo 12 01
2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup (Winners) 3R Croatia Slaven Belupo 20 12
SF France Rennes 10 21
F Switzerland Basel 41 11
200102 UEFA Cup 1R Croatia Varteks 23 10
2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup 3R Switzerland Zόrich 30 02
SF France Lille 02 11
2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup 3R Denmark Odense 10 22
200809 UEFA Cup 2QR Iceland Hafnarfjφrdur 11 41
1R Bulgaria Litex Lovech 11 31
GS Netherlands Ajax 21(H)
GS Czech Republic Slavia Prague 10(A)
GS Slovakia ilina 12(H)
GS Germany Hamburg 13(A)
R32 Russia CSKA Moscow 11 02
200910 UEFA Europa League P/O Austria Rapid Wien 21 01
2010- 11 UEFA Europa League P/O Austria Rapid Wien
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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?
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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.
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La Coruna in 1993 and Inter in 1994 are my only away trips in Europe.
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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.
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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. .
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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? -
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!
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.
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? -
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
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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. -
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!!)
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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!
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.
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?
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. -
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)!!!! -
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?