TFK Euro 2012 Arrangments

Things
581

Highlights:
The train from Berlin to Poznan on the Saturday. Truly riotous scenes. Every possible rebel song was sung, everybody drinking and smoking in the corridors throughout. We even got a German archaeology professor who was on her way to Warsaw drinking and singing with us. She ended up wanting to get off with us in both senses of the phrase.

Torun. A wonderful little spot with everything so compact and all the best Irish fans staying there. The fans match there on Saturday at least meant we came away with one win.

Being part of an extended group of about 40 who were there for the whole thing. The afternoon of the Italy game was nearly the best of the lot. Different atmosphere to the days of the other games but more reflective and appreciative of still being there. Incredible three-hour sing song in one of the beer tents on the square post match again with all the best songs featuring. The people I met from everywhere. Massive Northern contingent with Down particularly well represented which was great to see.

The almost BDO-esque camaraderie with most of the Polish. Massive night in Torun for Poland v Russia with Irish supporters constantly singing “Polska Bialo Czerwoni”.

Despite my earlier criticism of some of the excessive drinking the behaviour of the Irish supporters was on the whole, magnificent. Anybody slagging off what happened at the end of the Spain game has little to be complaining about and doesn’t understand the atmosphere in the stadium anyway.

Lowlights:
Coming back from the Spain match in the cold, wet and wind was really miserable. Made the mistake of staying in a place called Wejherowo which is about 50km out at the end of the suburban rail line with pretty much no Irish staying there. The train journey back was a lonely one especially when a few Polish hooligans got on and found the light switch and flicked it on and off literally non stop for ten minutes while constantly shouting. Was supposed to stay there for another night but just decided to head back to Torun without seeing any of Sopot which was a disappointment in hindsight.

Dishonourable mention for the ten hour train journey from Poznan to Krakow with everybody knackered and having run out of beer.

Best food: The sausage and potato stall in Gdansk was about the only good thing after the Spain game. Some excellent kebab places in Poznan.

Worst food: Forum member Trapattoni’s raw chicken stew in Torun.

Fool of the trip: Me at Stansted Airport yesterday laughing at people getting a bottle of whiskey TAKENoff them at the security check, calling them idiots and totally forgetting I’d bought a bottle of vodka at Krakow Airport which I then had taken off me in exactly the same way. FFS sake.

Funniest incidents: Seeing a pigeon getting flattened by the tyre of a van in Torun. At least 20 people saw the same incident and a collective gasp went up around the square.

Newlywed couples in the square in Gdansk posing for pictures with hurley sticks in their hands surrounded by drunken Irish supporters the day before the Spain game.

Seeing somebody trying to pull a wide open train door back in at 80 miles an hour on the train to Gdansk.

All of the above paled into insignificance though in comparison to the official TFK meet up in Poznan the night before the Croatia game. A seminal moment in the history of the forum.

582

Best songs: “Everywhere you go, you always take St.Ledger with you, everywhere you go, you always take St. Ledger”

:lol: :clap:

Rock ‘N’ Roll Kids

Polska Bialo Czerwoni

583

Sounds like an unforgettable rollercoaster experience Sid. Would you go back to Poland again in a non sporting capacity?
I’d be interested in hearing other peoples accounts of the trip to excape the mundaneness of studying for FAE’s.Surely there must have been unbelievable escapades.

Were the majority of locals receptive and engage with the Irish or did they just watch on?Some of them seem to keep to themselves over here and like to keep at arms length.

584

:strokechin: :cool:

585

Chewy, it was a pleasure indeed.

I was going to ask you lads if you wanted to share a taxi into town that day but you had legged it off. We were wet, pissed off with the team and slightly hungover walking out of the stadium after the Croatia match so we just decided to head back to Lubon rather hit the main square again. We had our blow out the following night up on the northern coast however.

Also, we left some beers there so I hope you drank them!

586

It definitely was and I’ll definitely go back and hopefully sooner rather than later. Torun as I’ve said is a little gem of a place and Gdansk for all its misery last Thursday is a wonderful city. Sopot by all accounts is great too.

By and large I liked the Polish I talked to although there did seem to be quite a few who’d give you dirty looks as they’d pass you on the street, especially early in the trip in Poznan. Lots of skinheads walking around too and they’re seriously into that whole macho culture bullshit, bodybuilding and all that and there appears to by quite a bit of misogynism towards the women.

Certainly in Torun though there was lots of interaction between the Polish and Irish, each supporting the other’s teams. I actually think the way the Irish took the defeat against Spain rubbed off on the Polish when they were beaten by the Czechs as they kept singing in support of their team afterwards and their didn’t seem to be any trouble at all.

587

Posted by someone on the YBIG forum…

[font=Verdana][size=3][left]Well Boys in Green.[/left][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=3][left]I am sitting here today in Poland, in the lashing rain, as wet and grey as home and I am thinking back on the mad crazy time that was Euro 2012[/left][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=3][left]It was great fun.[/left][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=3][left]Everywhere I go people are telling me how much they loved the Irish fans - on facebook there is a new page doing the rounds by the Poznan people. They want to organise a friendly match between Poland and Ireland and for it to be held in Poznan.[/left][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=3][left]Thing is most of the people posting are women - Lads you have so many female fans here in Poland its not even funny - on the local news in the papers, on facebook the general feeling is, that Irish men are gentlemen, not macho like Polish men - They loved the humor, the chat, the general easy going and fun loving nature of the Irish.[/left][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=3][left]You all did us proud.[/left][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=3][left]I loved having you all here in Poznan, I talked to hundreds of people during the event, even James Nolan and his friends, I did not have one bad experience. I think we all made many friends.[/left][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=3][left]One of the most emotional moments for me was watching the crowds walk out the road, singing their hearts out to the match, young old all together, very emotional, plus the long chorus after the match of ‘the fields’ Very moving.[/left][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=3][left]I think you took the hearts of the Polish people and they were very amazed of our love for football. I met girls and they all know the words to all the chants and our after event party for our workers they all sang all of them, taking their shoes off e.t.c.[/left][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=3][left]So big standing ovation to everyone who made it here.[/left][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=3][left]I am very sad about James Nolan - I hope people in his area who were here in Poland make it to his funeral, Polish people are so sad about his accident.[/left][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=3][left]You are all welcome in Poland anytime - so heres hoping they will organise a friendly once again here in Poznan!!![/left][/size][/font]

[font=Verdana][size=3][left]Go on the boys in Green, Poznan is very quiet and dull without you.[/left][/size][/font]

588

A fantastic read. By page 3 - plenty of Polish have registered and posted their thoughts

http://www.ybig.ie/forum/thank-you-poland_topic39633_page1.html

589

Funnily enough we were going to suggest the same thing to ye, but when I passed your room I noticed ye were having a power nap and decided not to wake ye.

590

I would say outside of the main square there is very little in Poznan. Looked a bit of a kip in all honesty but had a good time there

591

The Old Market Square in Poznan on the Saturday night before the Croatia game was something incredible. We only arrived into Poznan that evening on the train from Berlin and were dropped off by the official Fan Zone area by taxi. Word was that the atmosphere and most of the support was in the square so we strolled down the hill and the wall of noise was getting louder and louder as we got closer.

Our Friday night was pretty heavy (Berlin 50m Dash etc) and we’d only had a few settling cans on the train so we were all sober enough but it was quickly apparent that this was a street party with thousands of Irish. It took a little while to cop where the handiest places to get beer without queuing forever were but it was one of the most enjoyable piss ups ever after that. It was pretty much a non-stop singing session in the square for hours and hours until the riot police moved in. :lol:

It was a cracking night and a great spectacle with everyone going for it in celebration at being back at a major finals. :ireland:

592

It was epic, I arrived in the square at half time in the Denmark match and went to the Viking Bar down a side street 100 metres from the square and there were about a dozen Denmark fans going wild after the game and a DJ beating out the best of dance tunes and the place was rocking. Didn’t move down into the square itself on the Saturday night til around 10.30pm and at that stage it was electric

593

Agree with the above. Atmosphere there was pretty unforgettable. Trip was worth it for that alone.

594

Irish people are great.

595

It felt like a TFK AFC home game in Sandymount Park. That good.

596

Fucking cunts. Singing and having a laugh when on holidays. FFS sake.

597

[quote=“chewy louie, post: 635185”]

I would say outside of the main square there is very little in Poznan. Looked a bit of a kip in all honesty but had a good time there[/quote]

Not a lot there no. The men from ‘the Great Escape’ are buried in the war cemetery there.

598

[quote=“sid waddell, post: 635181”]
It definitely was and I’ll definitely go back and hopefully sooner rather than later. Torun as I’ve said is a little gem of a place and Gdansk for all its misery last Thursday is a wonderful city. Sopot by all accounts is great too.

By and large I liked the Polish I talked to although there did seem to be quite a few who’d give you dirty looks as they’d pass you on the street, especially early in the trip in Poznan. Lots of skinheads walking around too and they’re seriously into that whole macho culture bullshit, bodybuilding and all that and there appears to by quite a bit of misogynism towards the women.
.[/quote]

A fine country. Very big though so hard to take it all in. Down south is very nice. You would need a cr really. Torun is a student town so a nice enough vibe. A lot of the young men are dickheads.

599

As the father of a half-Polish boy, this is making me pretty emotional. Fucking wonderful stuff. :clap:
I couldn’t go because of him, but everyone there, I think, have done something that will make his life and mine that little bit better.

You should see people’s faces when I tell them his mother is Polish. I don’t give a shit, it’s their problem, but I hope Euro 2012 will start something that means when I tell people the same thing in a few years they think it’s a fucking great thing, rather than whatever prejudiced shit goes through their minds up to now.

Up Ireland. Up Poland.

(Rocko, respectfully asking for a Polish flag smiley please)

600

the backslapping here by the inflatable shamrock holding drunken leprechauns is ridiuclous- Oirish fans went away, got pissed, urinated in the square,vomitted on the streets and nt back home thinking everyone loved them-