FAC383 go to Red Star

Nine of us are off to Belgrade at the weekend - can't wait.

As well as the normal look around this excellent city, we plan to attend Red Star vs Partisan at Red Star's ground.

Someone from Red Star marketing has been on the phone today, making arrangements for welcoming us - it's rare for them to have foreign visitors, aparently. This came as a great surprise to me - Red Star are a famous club and the Belgrade Derby is renowned for being one of the worlds great fixtures.

They're going to do a feature on us for the magazine, which should be quite a nice momento of our trip (providing one of us remembers to go back a fortnight later to buy a few copies).

Belgrade is in the middle of a techno-wave at the moment and there are supposed to be some excellent clubs.

A full report may be posted here on our return.

BIGINOIL wrote:

Someone from Red Star marketing has been on the phone today, making arrangements for welcoming us

... and who's responsible for all that eh? WHO IS?? :p

Oops, I meant to say that the wonderful NOBabe has done fabulous work sorting out our hotels, giving advice and putting us in touch with the Red Star people.

That's why I started the thread, to thank NOBabe for all her work.

So all of you that say she's a stupid foreign gimp with no manners or brains can take it all back. She's our friend and that's that.

(as long as she's not fucked up the hotel bookings, of course)

The receptionist at the hotel asked for my phone number so I gave him my serbian number but haven't switched it on since oops

I'm sure it will be fine.

Many thanks NOBoobs

Anytime, Biginfoil

edit: say Hi to that Cheesy fucktard

Please now leave this thread clear for people who can be arsed to go, and any posts praising and wishing us well for our mission.

Will you eat burek in Belgrade?

I'm not putting any of that shit in my mouth - it's awful.

I hope to go to ? though. It's fabulous there.

I don't think it's the law we have to be worried about.

But if there's trouble to be had, I'm sure we'll find it!

I'll ask my brother to buy that Red Star Magazine for you

He should be over here in April anyway

Have a good un dudes and don't forget to eat loads of Burek

Maya

All my mates think we're gonna die

Gotta be safer than an Italian game I've told them

North stand tickets ??

No. The North stand is for the proper fans, South for the visitors. West is the best for us. I think he said East is for the families.

We'll be safe as long as nobody starts waving a Luton scarf around.

Or, for that matter, a bloody Stoke flag

Oh now you've heard we're all going to die, you want to come.

Fair weather friend

In case the worst happens I hereby state that Jemma can keep her fingers off my records.

Stop Press: Just heard that the Red Star baketball team are playing on Sat night.

We've been offered tickets - anyone interested?

nice trip

BIGINOIL wrote:

In case the worst happens I hereby state that Jemma can keep her fingers off my records.

:finger:

Good news - we're off to the basketball now as well.

And the footie kick-off has been put BACK by half an hour for safety reasons.

What's that all about then?

Just hop into a taxi (presumably you're still alive after the footy) and say PIONIR (or write it down even) cause that's where the basketball takes place

We can still hop if we have only one broken leg!

HAVE FUN

Red Star Belgrade, otherwise known as Crvena Zvezda, isn't it?

Japan's Takayuki Suzuki used to play there, for one year, and their president, Dragan Stojkovic used to play at Nagoya Grampus Eight from 1994 to 2001.

Also, the Japanese team JEF United Ichihara Chiba (my favourite team) recently signed Nenad Djordjevic, who used to play for Partizan.

Very brief report: One of the best days out I've had. Despite the sub-zero temperatures, the atmosphere in the ground was nothing short of electric. Chaos reigned at certain points in the game, but order was generally maintained just enough to hold a footbal match.

Man of the match for me was the Partisan player who celebrated the second goal by stealing the corner flag and hurling it into his own fans, then running around with a flare that had been thrown onto the pitch. Amazing. At the final whistle (which signalled an impressive win by the visitors) the whole Partisan team ran to their fans, threw their shirts and shorts at their fans, then posed for team photos in their underpants.

Both sets of fans, and particularly Red Star's Delija, are trully impressive. Not just for the massive noise levels, flares, bangers and other fireworks, but also for the huge amount of organisation and discipline that must go into their antics. Dozens of banners are unfurled, one at a time (obscuring the view of about half of them, in some cases), held aloft for long enough for everyone to read them, then folded away for next week. The Delija produce a Partisan banner and set it alight. Suddenly everyone is holding a scarf aloft then, as one, put them away. The Partisan boys link arms and turn their backs to the crowd. The Deliga produce a banner bearing the names of all the European teams they've beaten (up?) It's really really impressive to see.

The walk away from the ground was a little more traumatic, especially when we found ourselves in the middle of a bit of good-natured rock-throwing. It was all over in a couple of minutes and the very well-equipped riot police seemed to get on top of things quite quickly.

The list of friends of FAC383 has grown on this trip - Red Star Marketing treated us like lords; insisting on giving us expensive scotch at 11am, giving us the tour of the ground and trophy room and getting us into the sold-out basketball game in the evening (which Red Star won). Bane the photographer was an absolute star, despite making an awful job of putting a brave face on the absolutely disasterous football result ("Colin, I feel like shit!"). Away from the football, we fell into the company of a great crowd of lads in a local bar who took us to a nightclub that we would never have found and certinaly wouldn't have got into and made us feel very safe and welcome until the early hours. Twice.

Special Viking mentions: Gordy for not remembering how he got his breakfast (as he was still eating it), Roy for always finishing his breakfast and anyone who made it to the airport in time for this morning's flights. Oh, and me for the worst bank job in history.

Me and the Glasgow lads have one more day in Belgrade, and intend to spend it very quietly. I've caught a nasty hangover and will not be drinking again. Ever.

So, who's coming next year?

And of course, Maya for helping so much with all the preparations.

Cheers NoBabe

Next year you're coming with us

BIGINOIL wrote: Very brief report: One of the best days out I've had. Despite the sub-zero temperatures, the atmosphere in the ground was nothing short of electric. Chaos reigned at certain points in the game, but order was generally maintained just enough to hold a footbal match.

Man of the match for me was the Partisan player who celebrated the second goal by stealing the corner flag and hurling it into his own fans, then running around with a flare that had been thrown onto the pitch. Amazing. At the final whistle (which signalled an impressive win by the visitors) the whole Partisan team ran to their fans, threw their shirts and shorts at their fans, then posed for team photos in their underpants.

Both sets of fans, and particularly Red Star's Delija, are trully impressive. Not just for the massive noise levels, flares, bangers and other fireworks, but also for the huge amount of organisation and discipline that must go into their antics. Dozens of banners are unfurled, one at a time (obscuring the view of about half of them, in some cases), held aloft for long enough for everyone to read them, then folded away for next week. The Delija produce a Partisan banner and set it alight. Suddenly everyone is holding a scarf aloft then, as one, put them away. The Partisan boys link arms and turn their backs to the crowd. The Deliga produce a banner bearing the names of all the European teams they've beaten (up?) It's really really impressive to see.

The walk away from the ground was a little more traumatic, especially when we found ourselves in the middle of a bit of good-natured rock-throwing. It was all over in a couple of minutes and the very well-equipped riot police seemed to get on top of things quite quickly.

The list of friends of FAC383 has grown on this trip - Red Star Marketing treated us like lords; insisting on giving us expensive scotch at 11am, giving us the tour of the ground and trophy room and getting us into the sold-out basketball game in the evening (which Red Star won). Bane the photographer was an absolute star, despite making an awful job of putting a brave face on the absolutely disasterous football result ("Colin, I feel like shit!"). Away from the football, we fell into the company of a great crowd of lads in a local bar who took us to a nightclub that we would never have found and certinaly wouldn't have got into and made us feel very safe and welcome until the early hours. Twice.

Special Viking mentions: Gordy for not remembering how he got his breakfast (as he was still eating it), Roy for always finishing his breakfast and anyone who made it to the airport in time for this morning's flights. Oh, and me for the worst bank job in history.

Me and the Glasgow lads have one more day in Belgrade, and intend to spend it very quietly. I've caught a nasty hangover and will not be drinking again. Ever.

So, who's coming next year?

Im not impressed. Football violence is neither big nor clever