Blackpool under construction! 2 proper stands, 1 temporary and one empty end. Despite the ground being something like Withdean it makes no differnce and we lose 3-1.
Saturday, 10 April 2004
A v Blackpool 10.4.2004
pictures by John Willoughby
Blackpool under construction! 2 proper stands, 1 temporary and one empty end. Despite the ground being something like Withdean it makes no differnce and we lose 3-1.
Blackpool under construction! 2 proper stands, 1 temporary and one empty end. Despite the ground being something like Withdean it makes no differnce and we lose 3-1.
Wednesday, 31 March 2004
A v Sweden 31.3.2004
A v Sweden (Friendly in Gothenburg)
We arrive into Gothenburg and as only on a day trip decide on a whistle stop tour..
Now as you can see we have some very very strange pictures! Liz dropped her camera at the match and the pictures superimposed themsleves on top of each other! A cool but bizzare effect.....
Oooooo isnt that pretty!
As usual we just cant beat a Scandinavian team away from England! Liz took a picture at 0-0 as it would only get worse.....................
A large following, depsite this only being a friendly against a team we never beat!
At least it was a chance to visit Gothenburg for a match as we missed out in 1992 after failing to get beyond the group stages (Only played at Malmo and Stockholm)
As usual we lose , this time 0-1. The match will be remember more for the booing of Alan Thompson than anything else. The abuse was vicious and IMHO out of order. I will always cheer on and support anyone in an England shirt. Because he played for Celtic some people were on his back from the moment he stepped onto the pitch. A bit pathetic really! Next stop would be Portugal for the European Championship Finals. Any chance of a penalty shoot out at some stage?
.
We arrive into Gothenburg and as only on a day trip decide on a whistle stop tour..
Now as you can see we have some very very strange pictures! Liz dropped her camera at the match and the pictures superimposed themsleves on top of each other! A cool but bizzare effect.....
Oooooo isnt that pretty!
As usual we just cant beat a Scandinavian team away from England! Liz took a picture at 0-0 as it would only get worse.....................
A large following, depsite this only being a friendly against a team we never beat!
At least it was a chance to visit Gothenburg for a match as we missed out in 1992 after failing to get beyond the group stages (Only played at Malmo and Stockholm)
As usual we lose , this time 0-1. The match will be remember more for the booing of Alan Thompson than anything else. The abuse was vicious and IMHO out of order. I will always cheer on and support anyone in an England shirt. Because he played for Celtic some people were on his back from the moment he stepped onto the pitch. A bit pathetic really! Next stop would be Portugal for the European Championship Finals. Any chance of a penalty shoot out at some stage?
.
Wednesday, 18 February 2004
A v Portugal (Faro) 18.2.2004
Words by Mark Raven
Pictures by Liz O'Brien
A v Portugal (Faro) 18.2.2004
Liz and I were up at 4.40am this morning to catch the 6.20 flight to Lisbon then on to Gatwick arriving just before 11am, in at work at midday and then down the pub to
celebrate finally passing my final accountancy exams so am now a fully qualified bean counter! First Grimsby, seams like days and days ago. We did catch the 6.11 and arrived at the turnstile at approximately 3.03 due to the bus from Cleethorpes running late and due to the down pour more and more people getting on making the bus later and later. All turnstiles were shut, so we had to go down to the ticket office, before returning to the still closed turnstile, before a steward eventually popped his head round to see who was banging on the gates. Signs of a Mickey Mouse run club if you ask me. The Steward said the turnstiles where nothing to do with him and he didn't know who was in charge. Typical cop out response.As for the match, well we were dire and got what we deserved. Nothing. The away support was about 400 and we made plenty of noise, but once again a controversial decision(s) cost us the match. Was Jones fouled, was the ball over the line, if Knight was pushed into the advertising board at the end afoul or if not Knight should have been booked for diving. After the game we headed back to Doncaster and met some lads we know from England games for a couple more beers.
Monday morning and it was off to Gatwick for the 11.30 flight to Lisbon. It was about 30 minutes late so when we touched down it was literally a rush down to another gate on to the Faro flight. We arrived around 5pm, got some Euros out the cash point and then caught the local bus into Faro centre (20minute ride for just 1 euro 20).
We had soon checked into our hotel overlooking the harbour and then ventured out for some food (after I had been brave and checked my exam results released on line at 4pm). We found a nice place in the centre of the newer part of the city and were soon tucking into the local sardines (well Liz was not me as I am not a great fish eater)and a great meal and we had plenty of time to talk to the waiter as we were the only people in for food that evening. We wandered back to the hotel bar, and were soon off to bed ready for a full days sightseeing (and food and drink the next day).
Tuesday we spent in the old town. Faro has a long history, lots linked to the Moorish population (Arabic) and then the Roman times. The square by the old church was dominated by numerous overloaded orange trees. We found abar in the back streets
and the barman was a nutter, he spoke very little English but we got along fine especially as the Super Boc and Sagres beer was cheap and very tasty! We visited the restaurant next door and once again had a local dish as a starter (based on some old Arabic tradition).The building still had the wells built by the Arabics which link to underground tunnels that lead 15km out of the city. The waiter gave us agood history lesson and the food served up was superb. He gave us some taster of the local liqueurs and we finished on an Almond based once, which was very different especially when lemon juice was added, but even after those I turned down his offer to go down one of the wells for a look!
Wednesday morning and we did our bit for English/Portuguese relations. In league with the British Council and englandfans we visited a local school to take part in an English lesson.
The pupils were only allowed to talk English and after we introduced ourselves they asked us questions. The topic of hooligans and violence raise its head but we were able to put over the positive side, and was well worth the 2 hours out of the day. Once we were back we visited the football village they had built which had live music and additional bars installed. We visited our local in the old town and then at 7pm headed for the free shuttle buses to the ground. It took about 45 minutes and we were soon outside the
away entrance. For the first time in 10 years we had to produce our membership cards and our tickets open an electronic turnstile. All positive so far, but then it went down hill.The stand we were in was temporary (similar to the South Stand at Withdean)and only 2 small entrances for 2,500 people. There were no proper ladies loos so had to bring in
porter-loos. Once in the seated area there were 3blocks (with no information) so 3 sets of identical seat numbers. We had z13and z14 and found 3 of them, apparently it was blocks s3, s4 and s5 but it was chaos as nobody had a clue. I thought the match was entertaining for afriendly and a draw a fair result. The highlight of the match was the announcement
that those on the "official day trips" had to be back on board buses within 5 minutes!!!!! After the game the shuttle buses back to Faro couldn't be seen, but a mate had a coach back to Faro so we were able to jump back on that. No rush was needed. The coaches (including those to the airport) sat attempting to get on the one road out of the stadium. We had got out the ground at about 11pm, we finally drove back past the away stand at 12.30 and were back in Faro just before 1am. The traffic was chaotic and needs to be sorted before the "proper" matches. As I said we were up at4.40 for a taxi to the airport.
So Bournemouth on Saturday but before that its time to book our trip to Sweden for the friendly on the 31st March.
Mark R
orange trees
Pictures by Liz O'Brien
A v Portugal (Faro) 18.2.2004
Liz and I were up at 4.40am this morning to catch the 6.20 flight to Lisbon then on to Gatwick arriving just before 11am, in at work at midday and then down the pub to
celebrate finally passing my final accountancy exams so am now a fully qualified bean counter! First Grimsby, seams like days and days ago. We did catch the 6.11 and arrived at the turnstile at approximately 3.03 due to the bus from Cleethorpes running late and due to the down pour more and more people getting on making the bus later and later. All turnstiles were shut, so we had to go down to the ticket office, before returning to the still closed turnstile, before a steward eventually popped his head round to see who was banging on the gates. Signs of a Mickey Mouse run club if you ask me. The Steward said the turnstiles where nothing to do with him and he didn't know who was in charge. Typical cop out response.As for the match, well we were dire and got what we deserved. Nothing. The away support was about 400 and we made plenty of noise, but once again a controversial decision(s) cost us the match. Was Jones fouled, was the ball over the line, if Knight was pushed into the advertising board at the end afoul or if not Knight should have been booked for diving. After the game we headed back to Doncaster and met some lads we know from England games for a couple more beers.Monday morning and it was off to Gatwick for the 11.30 flight to Lisbon. It was about 30 minutes late so when we touched down it was literally a rush down to another gate on to the Faro flight. We arrived around 5pm, got some Euros out the cash point and then caught the local bus into Faro centre (20minute ride for just 1 euro 20).
We had soon checked into our hotel overlooking the harbour and then ventured out for some food (after I had been brave and checked my exam results released on line at 4pm). We found a nice place in the centre of the newer part of the city and were soon tucking into the local sardines (well Liz was not me as I am not a great fish eater)and a great meal and we had plenty of time to talk to the waiter as we were the only people in for food that evening. We wandered back to the hotel bar, and were soon off to bed ready for a full days sightseeing (and food and drink the next day).
Tuesday we spent in the old town. Faro has a long history, lots linked to the Moorish population (Arabic) and then the Roman times. The square by the old church was dominated by numerous overloaded orange trees. We found abar in the back streets
and the barman was a nutter, he spoke very little English but we got along fine especially as the Super Boc and Sagres beer was cheap and very tasty! We visited the restaurant next door and once again had a local dish as a starter (based on some old Arabic tradition).The building still had the wells built by the Arabics which link to underground tunnels that lead 15km out of the city. The waiter gave us agood history lesson and the food served up was superb. He gave us some taster of the local liqueurs and we finished on an Almond based once, which was very different especially when lemon juice was added, but even after those I turned down his offer to go down one of the wells for a look!
Wednesday morning and we did our bit for English/Portuguese relations. In league with the British Council and englandfans we visited a local school to take part in an English lesson.
The pupils were only allowed to talk English and after we introduced ourselves they asked us questions. The topic of hooligans and violence raise its head but we were able to put over the positive side, and was well worth the 2 hours out of the day. Once we were back we visited the football village they had built which had live music and additional bars installed. We visited our local in the old town and then at 7pm headed for the free shuttle buses to the ground. It took about 45 minutes and we were soon outside the
away entrance. For the first time in 10 years we had to produce our membership cards and our tickets open an electronic turnstile. All positive so far, but then it went down hill.The stand we were in was temporary (similar to the South Stand at Withdean)and only 2 small entrances for 2,500 people. There were no proper ladies loos so had to bring in
porter-loos. Once in the seated area there were 3blocks (with no information) so 3 sets of identical seat numbers. We had z13and z14 and found 3 of them, apparently it was blocks s3, s4 and s5 but it was chaos as nobody had a clue. I thought the match was entertaining for afriendly and a draw a fair result. The highlight of the match was the announcement
that those on the "official day trips" had to be back on board buses within 5 minutes!!!!! After the game the shuttle buses back to Faro couldn't be seen, but a mate had a coach back to Faro so we were able to jump back on that. No rush was needed. The coaches (including those to the airport) sat attempting to get on the one road out of the stadium. We had got out the ground at about 11pm, we finally drove back past the away stand at 12.30 and were back in Faro just before 1am. The traffic was chaotic and needs to be sorted before the "proper" matches. As I said we were up at4.40 for a taxi to the airport.
So Bournemouth on Saturday but before that its time to book our trip to Sweden for the friendly on the 31st March.
Mark R
orange trees
Friday, 10 October 2003
Argus article 10.10.2003
Blinded fans warns of Turkey trouble
From the archive, first published Friday 10th Oct 2003.
A diehard England fan who was blinded by a missile thrown by rival fans when England last played in Turkey has warned supporters not to travel to Istanbul.
Mark Raven will miss only his second England game in ten years when he stays at home for tomorrow's Euro 2004 qualifier.
His right eye was cut in half by a coin thrown by a Turkish fan during England's 2-0 win in Izmir in March 1993.
He said: "The Football Association and police don't want England fans to travel and I can see why.
"People need to look at the possibility something nasty could happen. They should stay at home."
Mr Raven, 33, said he had decided to stay away as soon as the groups for the qualifying stages were drawn.
He said: "Ever since the fixtures were announced I knew I wouldn't be going.
"I will be watching it in a pub.
"I got my right eye cut in half by a coin at the match in Izmir.
"I was taken to a training hospital where I underwent surgery but they couldn't save the sight.
"I was in hospital for a week before being flown back to Moorefields eye hospital in London.
"They had trained the surgeons who operated on me and confirmed I had been blinded on impact."
Turkey were given a six-month ban from home games by UEFA as punishment for the incident - but did not have a scheduled game there for seven months anyway.
Mr Raven, who supports Brighton and Hove Albion and works in the finance department at Brighton University, thinks there could be more trouble in England tomorrow night than in Turkey.
He said: "I don't think many people will travel to Turkey.
"What with the security cordon around the stadium, I really think people are going to find it difficult to even get close to the ground.
"I know a lot of people through England games and I do not know of anyone who is going.
"There will probably be more trouble in this country with people fighting with Turkish people living here.
"The atmosphere at the Turkey game in Sunderland in April was reasonably hostile but it was still the best atmosphere I have seen at a football ground.
"There were 5,000 Turks there who helped the atmosphere.
"We were staying in Newcastle and didn't see any trouble all day.
"I think the arrests that were made took place before any trouble.
"If this hadn't been the last match in the group and the deciding fixture, I don't think we would be in the same situation.
"UEFA should have seen the potential and rescheduled the fixture so it wasn't make or break.
"It will decide who wins the group and who has to go through to the play-offs."
Mr Raven admitted he had seen violence when travelling to England games.
But he said the last World Cup was the most well-behaved he had been to.
He said: "There was trouble in Italy in 1990 and we saw the trouble in Zurich before the Liechtenstein game.
"However, in Japan for the World Cup last year we spent a month there and saw no trouble whatsoever.
"The vast majority of England fans are true supporters but there is this minority which gives England the bad name, which I think we have.
"I have been to places such as Georgia, Macedonia and Moldova and not seen anything and the people were really friendly to us."
England need a draw in Istanbul to secure a place in next summer's European Championships in Portugal.
Mr Raven said: "It will be strange not to be there but hopefully we will get the result we need."
If England do qualify for Euro 2004, Mr Raven is set to marry fiancee Liz O'Brien between the end of the domestic football season and the European championships
From the archive, first published Friday 10th Oct 2003.
A diehard England fan who was blinded by a missile thrown by rival fans when England last played in Turkey has warned supporters not to travel to Istanbul.
Mark Raven will miss only his second England game in ten years when he stays at home for tomorrow's Euro 2004 qualifier.
His right eye was cut in half by a coin thrown by a Turkish fan during England's 2-0 win in Izmir in March 1993.
He said: "The Football Association and police don't want England fans to travel and I can see why.
"People need to look at the possibility something nasty could happen. They should stay at home."
Mr Raven, 33, said he had decided to stay away as soon as the groups for the qualifying stages were drawn.
He said: "Ever since the fixtures were announced I knew I wouldn't be going.
"I will be watching it in a pub.
"I got my right eye cut in half by a coin at the match in Izmir.
"I was taken to a training hospital where I underwent surgery but they couldn't save the sight.
"I was in hospital for a week before being flown back to Moorefields eye hospital in London.
"They had trained the surgeons who operated on me and confirmed I had been blinded on impact."
Turkey were given a six-month ban from home games by UEFA as punishment for the incident - but did not have a scheduled game there for seven months anyway.
Mr Raven, who supports Brighton and Hove Albion and works in the finance department at Brighton University, thinks there could be more trouble in England tomorrow night than in Turkey.
He said: "I don't think many people will travel to Turkey.
"What with the security cordon around the stadium, I really think people are going to find it difficult to even get close to the ground.
"I know a lot of people through England games and I do not know of anyone who is going.
"There will probably be more trouble in this country with people fighting with Turkish people living here.
"The atmosphere at the Turkey game in Sunderland in April was reasonably hostile but it was still the best atmosphere I have seen at a football ground.
"There were 5,000 Turks there who helped the atmosphere.
"We were staying in Newcastle and didn't see any trouble all day.
"I think the arrests that were made took place before any trouble.
"If this hadn't been the last match in the group and the deciding fixture, I don't think we would be in the same situation.
"UEFA should have seen the potential and rescheduled the fixture so it wasn't make or break.
"It will decide who wins the group and who has to go through to the play-offs."
Mr Raven admitted he had seen violence when travelling to England games.
But he said the last World Cup was the most well-behaved he had been to.
He said: "There was trouble in Italy in 1990 and we saw the trouble in Zurich before the Liechtenstein game.
"However, in Japan for the World Cup last year we spent a month there and saw no trouble whatsoever.
"The vast majority of England fans are true supporters but there is this minority which gives England the bad name, which I think we have.
"I have been to places such as Georgia, Macedonia and Moldova and not seen anything and the people were really friendly to us."
England need a draw in Istanbul to secure a place in next summer's European Championships in Portugal.
Mr Raven said: "It will be strange not to be there but hopefully we will get the result we need."
If England do qualify for Euro 2004, Mr Raven is set to marry fiancee Liz O'Brien between the end of the domestic football season and the European championships
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