[Albion] Nottingham

[Easy 10]

No gout though?

Had it once about 10-15 years ago, never felt pain like it. Women bang on and on about childbirth, but I'm certain it has NOTHING on this. I couldn't even bear to have a bedsheet on my foot, and driving was completely out of the question.

So no, no gout. Its not been back since thankfully. I'm a fair bit healthier than I used to be.

 

[Easy 10]

The walk will warm you up. Buy a 4-pack or something to drink or a cup of tea if you want to.

Yeah that's completely insane. Bus drivers are basically soulless colons put on the world to make other people more miserable. Expect nothing. You could have looked up which bus you needed in seconds.

Incidentally, and it's not particularly relevant to this, my friend from Nottingham told me the buses yesterday were generally cocked up and running slower and less reliably than normal, for no perceptible reason.

I did get the right bus, and still missed the first 5 minutes and the Forest goal, by the way.

I expect you at least knew the score when you arrived though, unlike me.

 

[Giraffe]

Sorry to hear of your trevails @ElectricNaz

As it turned out, I had some of my own. I didn't even make kickoff. Get this. I was happily ensconced in a boozer in Market Square, Nottingham City Centre, watching the 12.30 with a few shandies. Around 2pm, I sloped out and stood at one of 2 or 3 bus stops to get a bus to the game. A bus pulls in, and I step on to ask the driver "do you go to Trent Bridge mate ?"
"Oh, err. MmmNnnn...Yeah, yeah. Trent Bridge, yeah"
Bit uncertain, weirdly, but right-o. So I pay and sit down.

So whilst the bus went in roughly my expected direction (I knew the City Ground was south-east of Market Square), it soon veered off into uncharted territory. I was embarking on a grand tour of Nottingham housing estates. I'd have picked this up with him sooner, but we then got onto a dual carriageway with signs for the cricket and football grounds. "Excellent" I thought. He must be looping round. But no. He took an exit that then took me into another council estate rabbit-hole, and I could see from my Google Maps app that I was getting further and further away from the City Ground.

So he pulls in at another stop around some more slums, and I mince up to his cabin. "Err...I wanted Trent Bridge ?"
"Ahhh...oh shit. Sorry, no, this doesn't go to Trent Bridge"
"Umm...WTF ? I'm going to the game, it kicks off at 3. I SAID Trent Bridge"
"Ahh bollocks. Really sorry mate"
"For F8CK sake. So what do I do now ?"

He fumbles and brings out a load of laminated bus times sheets. I tell him f8ck it, just let me off here. "THANKS for that MATE"
Anyway, I'm outside some shithole pub called The Peacock somewhere or other. I whistle up a local cab firm, fortunately the guy turns up within 5, and £12 later I'm at the away end at the City Ground at 3:10pm.

I walk in, and I don't even know we're losing. Their shitty big screens are showing the game live (whats the point of that btw ?), and the numbers / scoreline / clock are too small in the top-left of the screen too far away for me to read it. So I'm there for a good 10-15 minutes of the game thinking its 0-0, until our fans chime up with "1-0 AND YOU STILL DON'T SING". I'm then like..."Huh ? Oh, we're LOSING ?....F8ck me".

Thankfully it all turned out great in the end. But christ.

This very much does feel like a "user error" or "fail to plan, plan to fail" type situation. Do you cope okay in normal life or is it just football that causes these sorts of issues?

 

[Easy 10]

This very much does feel like a "user error" or "fail to plan, plan to fail" type situation. Do you cope okay in normal life or is it just football that causes these sorts of issues?

Yes, I suppose I could've done my own research on which bus to get. I was going to check the timetables (there were 3 bus stops right there). But as I stepped out of the pub, a bus literally pulled up and stopped right next to me. So I just stepped in the door on the offchance, and asked if he was heading to Trent Bridge ?

My error was obviously making the assumption that this bus driver (a) actually knew where he was going, and (b) was not a clueless semi-lobotomised drooling moron. The fact that it turned out that he was both was not immediately apparent at the time I stepped on and asked. I'm sure not ALL Nottingham bus drivers are incompetent slack-jawed northern simpletons. I was just unfortunate to encounter one that was.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

I expect you at least knew the score when you arrived though, unlike me.

I heard the goal as I walked into the ground.
Without wishing to rub it in further, my eyesight's just about good enough to allow me to read the score on the screen at the other end of the ground.

Whether knowing we were already 1-0 down improved my mood is another matter entirely. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

 

[Easy 10]

I heard the goal as I walked into the ground.
Without wishing to rub it in further, my eyesight's just about good enough to allow me to read the score on the screen at the other end of the ground.

Whether knowing we were already 1-0 down improved my mood is another matter entirely. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Shite though innit ?

WHY bother showing the game "live" on the big screens inside the ground, when you're actually inside the ground watching it ?? Replays of goals etc fair enough, but who on earth goes to a match, and then spends most of it watching it on the big screen ?

They've got it spot-on at the Amex. All you want is the scoreline (in case your bus driver LIES), two lineups (updating with cards dished out), and a visible-sized clock, along with injury time. Not much to ask is it ? (Don't get me started on the UEFA directives for the big screens we have to abide by in the Europa).

Whoever the GOON is at Forest responsible for their big screens needs a good shoeing.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Heading up this afternoon, staying with my sister and brother-in-law (Forest STH)

Really hoping for a decent result otherwise it's going to be a long weekend.

Nottingham has LOADS of decent pubs.

Safe to say I had a very enjoyable Saturday evening

 

[Arthur]

Canal house was a great recommendation. No football on but really good beer and food and a bouncer with a sense of humour.

Went back after the game and the rest is on the train thread

I was in FMC before the game as they had Titanic Plum Porter and the football on. Only downside was plastic glasses but I'm guessing that was the case with all pubs around there on a matchday.

Thought I'd give the Canalhouse a go after and walked straight out as it was 6 or 7 deep at the bar.

Nottingham is a great city with loads of good drinkers. Whole Meadow Lane, Trent Bridge, City Ground setup is brilliant. Just such a shame it's now such a shit show to get there and back.

 

[Arthur]

Shite though innit ?

WHY bother showing the game "live" on the big screens inside the ground, when you're actually inside the ground watching it ?? Replays of goals etc fair enough, but who on earth goes to a match, and then spends most of it watching it on the big screen ?

They've got it spot-on at the Amex. All you want is the scoreline (in case your bus driver LIES), two lineups (updating with cards dished out), and a visible-sized clock, along with injury time. Not much to ask is it ? (Don't get me started on the UEFA directives for the big screens we have to abide by in the Europa).

Whoever the GOON is at Forest responsible for their big screens needs a good shoeing.

Great that they show it on the concourse though. Would have missed Pedro's header as I'd already gone for a beer. Been saying since day one of the Amex we should do that.

 

[Easy 10]

Great that they show it on the concourse though. Would have missed Pedro's header as I'd already gone for a beer. Been saying since day one of the Amex we should do that.

I think they (ie PBOBE) probably take a view that they'd rather as many punters as possible are in their seats watching the game, rather than sloping off indoors early to watch it on the concourse.

I can remember being at Bolton many moons ago on a BITTERLY cold Lancashire afternoon. It was the day Barnes got sent off for tripping up the ref. Anyway, I bunked off inside to get a Bovril and a beer as I was starting to lose the feeling in my hands. Once I clocked that they were showing the game live on the concourse, I ended up having an extra beer inside, and didn't emerge for the 2nd half until about 10 minutes in. I can imagine that happening en-masse at the Amex if they showed the game on the concourses.

 

[Arthur]

I think they (ie PBOBE) probably take a view that they'd rather as many punters as possible are in their seats watching the game, rather than sloping off indoors early to watch it on the concourse.

I can remember being at Bolton many moons ago on a BITTERLY cold Lancashire afternoon. It was the day Barnes got sent off for tripping up the ref. Anyway, I bunked off inside to get a Bovril and a beer as I was starting to lose the feeling in my hands. Once I clocked that they were showing the game live on the concourse, I ended up having an extra beer inside, and didn't emerge for the 2nd half until about 10 minutes in. I can imagine that happening en-masse at the Amex if they showed the game on the concourses.

Would have thought PBOBE would feel the exact opposite? No revenue to be made from punters sat in their seats. Get them back in the bars as early as possible spending money. And if those punters choose not to go back out after half time then think of all the extra beer tokens that would rake it.

Remember we played Millwall in the LDV trophy (I think, was a micky mouse cup anyway). We spent the entire second half watching the game in the stand but did venture back out for the penalties.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I remember the game being screened on the concourse at Deepdale. It was bitterly cold and several Brighton fans stayed on the concourse for practically the whole game. I saw it when going to the loo and was tempted myself to stay out of the wind.