"The Kodak, Instamatic and Polaroid Game K.I.P."

Being an Under 21 away virgin I was looking forward to my first experience, we all have to start somewhere! Potters kept going on about how much fun it was, so I said ok I’m in. We meet up in a town in the Midlands on Monday night and have a couple of beers and a Chinese ready to get down to Stanstead for the 7.10 flight to Pisa. Fan A is driving, we leave Town X at 4.30 travel 15 minutes and the car blows up. We are on the side of the AXX with smoke everywhere, the car is dead. Potters phones for a taxi as you do at 10 to 5 in the morning and after a £70 quote to get us to Stanstead the taxi is booked!!

At 6.29 with one minutes to spare we arrive outside the terminal, with the speed and grace of Heskey we dismount the cab whilst still moving and make it to the check in with seconds to spare before the computer closed down any chance of flying at 7.10. Little did I know what fun would follow?

 Safely in Italy, the Leaning Tower checked out and photographed, we drive up in the early afternoon to Carrara and the stadium. An impressive setting, so much so we drive straight into the ground. There is no one about except for a couple of security men looking after the Italian TV wagons. Then a chap arrives from the big house and tells us he is the President of the home club. He asks us if we are the English Press, we say “no just supporters”. The chap is kind and tells us to have a look around the stadium and take some photos, this we do and then leave to book into a Hotel.

Imagine the scene some 6 hours later when the teams come out and so to do 3 very English looking Supporters dressed up as Pressmen!! Yes it is quite clearly 3 known followers who have blagged their way into the ground as press or media!! They must have met the President just like we did but said yes? They had the official bibs on but only one camera between the 3 of them and this looked like an instamatic!. Nevertheless we nicknamed them Kodak, Instamatic and Polaroid. I am sure the photo of the England Under 21 side has never before been taken with a red eye flash camera? By now we the unworthy on the stands behind the moat are shouting at K. I. & P, in friendly recognition and good humoured banter.  Imagine the scene Italian “Official” Press zoom lens, Digital cameras ready to download the best pictures back to the Worlds Press and K asks one of them if he can buy a film off him as he has nearly run out of film!!! I hope they post their version of events but the 23 of us in the crowd took great enjoyment from their daring and excellent blagging. How do I know it was 23? They told us on the flight home that they had counted us from the pitch, who knows they may even post the photo they took of the team and the England fans?

Under 21’s away? I would recommend it to anyone. Except make sure you have the car serviced before setting off and if ever asked if you are from the Press say Yes. Nearly all the faces I recognised from Japan or some other full internationals away, I started to put names to faces Sean, Bob Alex, Tim, Simon, Ian and of course the ones that shall remain nameless. We were all flying back to watch the Aussies get a stuffing............now that is another story!!

Al Lee

"Red Lights in their Eyes" Tonight Matthew we are going to be ……………. The Photographers"

Then bombshell No. 2, one of our little band, though he’s actually quite big, and we are NOT the band, had been E mailing the FA as unlike Trnava in Slovakia, no ticket information had been forthcoming. Then it arrived by E Mail …the ground is quite small and tickets may sell out. I have detailed below a fax number for the Italian FA if you want to fax them to see if you can pre-book tickets……... Yes, pre-book tickets, doing it is one thing, getting them another. We could envisage being locked out especially as all fans going to the senior sides friendly in Genoa against Portugal the following day were offered a free ticket for the U21’s.

Pisa, glorious blue cloudless skies, but not too warm and hotel just a stones throw from the leaning tower. On first look, what’s all the fuss about, it hardly leans at all I thought as we approached it head on, but then walk to one side, and blimey it don’t ‘arf lean. All the main sights are in this one place, the "field of miracles" with the Duomo (Cathedral) a museum and just over the back, Pisa’s ground. That afternoon, having crashed the computer numerous times at the hotel trying to access Ticketdiaster being one of the few lucky ones to get a ticket for Liechtenstein, I headed off to an Internet Café where despite more "debugging scripts" whatever they may be, I had a confirmation of purchase only for the session to time out, and refuse to let me back in to purchase my Turkey ticket. Oh well, that will have to wait until the general sale, and all was soon forgotten with the aid of another litre of Chianti.

Monday went to see Florence, but she wasn’t there, nor any of her Magic Roundabout characters. Tuesday dawned and the phone was full of text messages, "where r u" "wot time u goin up grnd" a couple of the lads having arrived late Monday with the rest arriving today. We all met up in a square close to the station, (save for a few who took a taxi to the tower for pics before hiring a car and driving to Carrara), the original meeting point, an English Pub, the Big Ben, being not only closed, but also full of shamrocks !!.

Headed by train to Carrara. On arrival, a few who preferred to stay the night in the town with an early start next morning back to Pisa were loitering in the station café, one as always CW, unmissable in bright yellow, but being too cold for his usual LFC shirt, it was a big yellow waterproof jacket trimmed with navy. Must have joined the RNLI we thought though my geography still tells me that Harlow is nowhere near the sea !.
A few of us headed on up to the ground, leaving the Lifeboatman and his mates at the Station. This was a very long walk, past many roadworks with rocks lying everywhere which we hoped would not be chucked at us later on.

The next bit is a blur, sorry, but suffice to say I and two others, well somehow found ourselves on the wrong side of the fence, pitchside, being abused by the 23 following England, to which we responded with "is that all you bring away". As for the segregation one line of Policeman and a red and white striped roadworks barrier supported by two "A frames", but no animosity was shown towards the boys by the I’ties, which was a relief given the recent surge in Italian hooliganism.

No problems with the officialdom, but one alarming moment for "Kodak", the one without a Camera, was when a ball boy said "Ey you, why you hava no camara, what is you doin ‘ere, you is fake." Kodak looked shocked, as the ball boy laughed whilst talking to his friend who was laughing even more. "He’s sussed me, he’s sussed me" said "Kodak" clearly panicking as he swiftly moved to the other end of the "Puma" billboard to flee from the 10 year old Juventus fan.

The game was dire, only Zamora played well, but the highlights had to be taking the team photograph pitch side, the earlier line up being spoiled by too many Italian smoke flares, counting the 23 fans, and annoying the hell out of the Italian keeper, Amelia, by taking pictures at corners and crosses before realising in our naivety we were the only ones using flashlight photography pitchside.

At the end, not a single acknowledgement from the team to the fans really was unjust.

The journey back to the Station was without incident along deserted streets, before we waited for a delayed train, and finally got back to Pisa just before 2.30am, only to be up again shortly thereafter for the flight back to Stanstead for the Australia game. I’ve nothing to say about that farce, only to repeat what was in one of the papers, "England were Pants, so was the streaker", why did he keep them on ?. Pictures to follow for both games.

Kelvin Pressman
 

"Pizza in Pisa"

The FA confirmed Carrara and with Ryanair doing cheap flights to Pisa, 30 miles away, the flights were booked.
The night before, we all met up for a night at "Harlow Towers" (Carl’s house) for some food and car to Stanstead for the 07.10 flight the next morning.

On arrival in Pisa, we missed the train, could not find the bus to town, so decided to walk it, finding the town centre in about ten minutes. All of us which were now 5, including Duggie, one of Johno’s Forest mates were now in need of refreshments went in search of some food. Cue the Pizzeria, 4 beers and a Pizza later we set off for the train to Carrara and to find some digs.

The hotel outside of the Station was ideal and we went back to the Station café for some beer. From 3 o’clock until 8 we met most of the travelling fans passing through the bar including Alex, Steve and Andy, plus a few more whose names I cant remember (sorry too many beers by then).

A taxi to the ground and tickets secured, we went into the away end to find the Aussie U20 team who were playing Italy the following night also in our end. Some friendly banter ensued while what was a very poor game passed me by. England only managed one shot all night and that went out for a throw in.

After the game we caught the first bus back into town which dropped us off outside our Hotel. With an early start the following morning, we headed back to the Airport to find the plane only slightly delayed and arrival back in Stanstead in time to travel to Upton Park and watch the senior squad. The words for that game are unprintable on this website.

Simon Kelly
Didcot.