Voll Blau

You know a football match lasts a whole 90 minutes, right?

If you're doing it for yourself then fair enough, it'stotalky understandable. If you're doing it because you think it'll affect change, you're living in cloud cuckoo land. Actions in and around the ground ate the only thing that might actually help us to get our club back.

Have mates down south who do that every year. They rated Shrewsbury highly. Know they ended up in Exeter one year too. When they got Rotherham they asked at the hotel reception where was good on a Saturday night. "Sheffield", was the reply.

Mentioned it to a mate on the train down to the Arsenal game last week. He approved.

If I'm at home on a Saturday afternoon, I like to play a game of watching the results shows and then guessing which way the away fans travelling by rail will go home from each game, where they change etc. I then check on the National Rail app to check whether I was right. Great fun.

At least an Englishman got a ton in the chase...

Helped Handscomb score the most first-class runs across the world in 2024 too.

Busy morning! https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/county-cricket-premium/pakistan_test_captain_shan_masood_county_cricket_2025.html?t=638756482710418653

It's Van Beek. Kind of fills a Mulder-shaped hole.

The only positive PR the club have ever been bothered about in the KP era is PR that makes KP look good.

Currently on half a Kings Pale (Hawkstone/Scottish Stores collaboration) in, surprisingly, The Scottish Stores at Kings Cross before my train home. First time I've been in here sober. As good a pub as when you're half cut, which is pleasing.

Our football club's being driven into the ground right now. I don't "think myself lucky" to bear witness to that.

Get a tram into the centre. Plenty of stops nearby.

League of Ireland attendance record set today. 33k at Landsdowne Road after Bohs moved their home Dublin derby against Shamrock Rovers there. Good to see. Always thought it a real shame so few Irish football fans gave their own league the time of day.

Tin of some Round Corner pacific pale ale in Duffy's after the game. Nice to see them stocking their stuff in there.

Allegedly they actually sang it first. Some (very) old Chelsea refuse to song it as it's an "Arsenal song".

Really encouraging numbers for a first go, which is half the battle. Fair play for Project Reset and the van guys for their work. A bit more visible leadership next time would help the cause no end, but you guys didn't know what to expect today. Feel more need to step up once in the ground, otherwise it just looks like another UFS thing. If you care enough, it's not hard to spray paint some wallpaper or even just sing up. All the internet posts in the world aren't going to save our club. A good start, but momentum now needs to be built.

Yes, we are represented. Daft amount of games in a row where Leicester have been over there now.

How he's never won a cap in any format is a massive mystery.

That's a phrase that would land very differently on the Falls Road. You're right though. Cracking city but not sure how Stag-y it is? Guess if you keep to the centre and don't act like absolute dicks you'd be fine.

Ha! Never pulled that one but I did once successfully get my missus into a routine of having an afternoon siesta on holiday in Madeira once. By the Saturday, it coincided nicely with Maritimo's kick-off time.

Enjoyable weekender overall, despite a mad dash from Brussels Zuid to Brussels Nord with just 15 minutes to make our initial connection to Cologne after what had been a relaxed 2-hour layover there. The way Belgians do delayed trains is so weird. Duisburg v Oberhausen was a good atmosphere without being mind-blowing for a local derby. Ended up being part of a full stadium tifo. We left at half-time as one of the lads had a bad cold and was shivering his way through it, but still managed to see the game's only two goals. Bochum was great, as always - despite the result. Never managed to bump into the other group of Leicester who were over, but seemed like they had a great time from the messages I got. Found Leverkusen more impressive than I was expecting. Some of the best stadium acoustics I've heard and still retains quite a unique identity for a bowl ground. Was in the Hoffenheim end and they were poor as you'd expect, but Leverkusen blew them away on the pitch in the first half. Had a couple of missiles land near us from the upper tier - a reminder that there's usually an edge to even routine games like that in Germany that you don't get here. Good weekend in all. Must tick off one of the Hamburg or Berlin clubs away with Bochum next, I think.

Amen. It's the standard of officiating that's the problem. You shouldn't be running the line at an Under-5s game if you can't flag an offside like that.

Heard him on this week's Mike & Vittorio podcast. Seems very funny.

Just chilling at out hotel in Cologne with a Früh Kolsch radler.