[Football] Have you ever been to an England football game?

[Flounce]

Never been, would love to go, expect I’d get something like that game against Iceland just before the Euros.

Could be worse, how about Iceland in the Euros under Hodgson?

 

[Giraffe]

Done home and away with my son since the mid 00's. Has really been an excuse to see a lot of European cities at the same time. Other than Qatar which I didn't do this Euro's was going to be the first tournament I was going to miss since 2006. I thought I'd done enough travelling with our Europa trips but I suddenly got the desire to be there so managed to get to Dusseldorf for the game on Saturday and will be out again tomorrow for the Semi.

Whilst the football may be a poorer level I just love the experience of seeing new cities and stadiums.

 

[Brovion]

Between about 1969 and 1972 I went to most England home games - bar the Home Internationals. Our school used to run coaches, and if they didn't or they were full there would often be a local firm running a coach and somebody's Dad could usually get some spare tickets. I loved, it was a proper experience.

Then in the 1980s when I was working in London I used to go to a few games. This was in the days when you didn't need a ticket, you could just rock up and pay cash on the gate as Wembley would sometimes be barely a quarter full. I think my last England game was a 0-0 draw with Northern Ireland in 1985. (World Cup qualifier).

Never seen England play away - although I did go to Brussels to see the Glorious People's Republic of Albania play Belgium. (We lost 3-1).

 

[gripper stebson]

So I have been VERY lucky. Been to two.

Euro 96.

ENG v SCO
ENG v NED

The Holland game was unbelievable. We were sat about 10 rows back at the end we scored all the goals. Same seat for Gazza's Dentist Chair celebration.

 

[Trufflehound]

Once and only once.

England 1-2 Scotland at Wembley 1977. That was the year those lovely Scots folk invaded the pitch afterwards and broke the goalposts.

Game was shit, but I did get to sit next to* Rod Stewart at lunch before the game...




*All right, back-to-back really - he was at the next table

 

[mikeyjh]

Loads, went to every tournament from 96 onwards until England didn't and loads of away qualifiers. The experience is so totally different from that seen externally, I've never seen any trouble and always felt wanted and welcome wherever we were

Yep, similar experiences. There's something amazing being at a tournament knowing there are millions of people watching at home. The Brighton Euro tour last season brought back some of those memories. The main difference I found to watching England away in a tournament to back home is that you just don't get all that media insanity and it's much more chilled. It's like being the eye of the storm rather than being battered by endless headlines and hyperbole.

Quite - You nailed it really, it's FAR more relaxed!

The sheer numbers of people following England is ridiculous but the vast vast majority of them bear no resemblance to the image being shown at home....

 

[Mellotron]

No but it's bucket list to see us in a major tournament, preferably abroad.

Otherwise definitely have an eye on getting to one of the Euro 28 games.

 

[ozzygull]

It depends what you mean by England games. I have seen England women's team a few times, but only the men's once in a friendly in 1995

It was this game and the goal keeper save was the only interesting thing that happen all game, it was as boring watch them then as it is now.

 

[Hotchilidog]

Not many, went to a few friendlies back in the day when it 20,000 at Wembley to see England play the likes of Bulgaria on a wet midweek night. Been to competitive games Spain Quarter Final in Euro 96 which was a terrific day as I had AC/DC at the Arena after the game! Also went to the defeat against Portugal in 2004, which was a brilliant tournament to attend despite the outcome.

 

[cheshunt seagull]

Just the one. England v Northern Ireland. Euro qualifier 1979.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

No but it's bucket list to see us in a major tournament, preferably abroad.

The next WC is USA , Canada & Mexico.

Great Road Trip Holiday combined with some football.

 

[Slum_Wolf]

An under 16 game v Scotland way back when (classmate was playing for Scotland), Under 21 game v Macedonia at Reading (had been to see the Albion reserves v Aldershot in the afternoon) and England v Croatia 2004 Euros in Portugal - the final game just confirmed I have no real interest in the national team and couldn't really care on any level whether they win or not.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

A few games in the early 90s including Argentina, Brazil. B International at the Goldstone. Women's International at the Goldstone. U21s at the Amex

 

[Weststander]

Once and only once.

England 1-2 Scotland at Wembley 1977. That was the year those lovely Scots folk invaded the pitch afterwards and broke the goalposts.

Game was shit, but I did get to sit next to* Rod Stewart at lunch before the game...




*All right, back-to-back really - he was at the next table

Prawn cocktail
Duck a l'orange
Black Forest gateau

Accompanied down by Liebfraumilch.

 

[Flounce]

Prawn cocktail
Duck a l'orange
Black Forest gateau

Accompanied down by Liebfraumilch.

Vol au vent canapés to start I hope!

Oh and cheese and pineapple on cocktail sticks

 

[Trufflehound]

Prawn cocktail
Duck a l'orange
Black Forest gateau

Accompanied down by Liebfraumilch.

Probably right about the food.

Wouldn't have been Liebfraumilch though. I was with my dad, and he was a real wine snob in the '70s and '80s

 

[Eric the meek]

I've only been to one - England v Wales in about 1981.

It finished 0-0. The only memorable thing about the game was that it was terrible. Off the scale terrible. I've not been to see England since.

 

[Bry Nylon]

England 1-2 Scotland at Wembley 1977. That was the year those lovely Scots folk invaded the pitch afterwards and broke the goalposts.

I believe @Tom Hark Preston Park was at that game, in his capacity as an undercover police officer

 

[jamie-oh]

Weirdly, i was at Germany 1-5 England in 2001. Now i'm no England fan at all, but my pal was intending on going to this match, and tacked on a few days in Amsterdam on the way - so when i heard of this holiday, Amsterdam followed by Munich, i was right aboard. It was a magnificent week away, with lots of tales of excess and fun, and while he was fine for a ticket in the England away end, i was fairly happy to watch it in a nearby bar if it came down to it. But about ten mins before kickoff, with my mate in the ground and me hovering outside the biergartens outside the Olympiastadion, a little kid came up to me and offered me his ticket.
Alright, says i, and in i go, to sit in the middle of the Red Barbarian's Dungeon, in the FC Bayern hardcore area of the home end. I got to wave a german flag before the game, didnt celebrate any of the goals (not that i was going to anyways, to be honest) and saw probably England's best result since the sixties. After the match every single bar in the whole of Munich was shut, we had to go back to the hotel which was full of aussies and kiwis who kept trying to compare the result with their own sports:
'so its like if the All Blacks won 55-10 at Twickenham?'
'sort of, but also no, not really mate'

 

[Pinkie Brown]

A couple in Australia including the Peter Ward cameo appearance in 1980. A World Cup qualifier circa 2013 v Moldova. We got last minute tickets cheap and up in the Gods behind the goal so the players were distant dots. Had the pleasure of Mr PFC Bellend nearby in the next block. Quite entertaining when a group who were clearly Southampton fans spotted him at the end. Aside a school trip to a schoolboys international in ancient times, that's it.