The Ref Stop

Prestigious Visits

Sheffields Finest

Sheffields Finest

Maybe I'm foolish, maybe I'm blind!
Level 7 Referee
I’m stopping in Sale tonight as my first call in the morning is the maintenance department of MUFC at Old Trafford. I’ve even got my own parking space arranged too. :devil: Also we’ve tender quoted an extraction job at Melwood, Training ground of LFC this week too. Not linked but two great jobs to be associated with.

What other random visits have you made to football clubs for things other than reffing or watching?
 
The Ref Stop
Pacesetters Course - Athletics coaching qualification (for instructing at a school holiday activity event) at Sixfields, Northampton Town
 
when in Prague to watch a game in Slovakia, guess 1997, (travelled from Prague to Kosice for game then bk to Prague) , we went to visit Sparta Prague, Victoria Zizcov, we also tried to find Dukla Prague but found it hard, as the locals dont talk much of it, eventually we did, sneaked in, and no, we could not find a Dukla Prague home shirt on sale anywhere, far less an away top....
 
I was in Falkirk once and stopped in a pub behind the old ground, there was a game on and it was almost finished. The exit gate was open so we walked in, didn’t know whether it was home end or away end so we asked some fans who was playing. They couldn’t believe we were asking but I had genuinely no idea who was who and where I was in the ground. The standard was terrible but the fans were loyal and sang a few songs. Luckily they are in a new ground now as that one was a sh1thole...
 
Sheffields Finest said:
I was in Falkirk once and stopped in a pub behind the old ground, there was a game on and it was almost finished. The exit gate was open so we walked in, didn’t know whether it was home end or away end so we asked some fans who was playing. They couldn’t believe we were asking but I had genuinely no idea who was who and where I was in the ground. The standard was terrible but the fans were loyal and sang a few songs. Luckily they are in a new ground now as that one was a sh1thole...
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Excuse me I spent my teenage years in that sh1hole not a day goes by I dont miss it.
If you have a spare month I could type the reasons they moved to a new stadium....
 
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Ciley Myrus said:
Excuse me I spent my teenage years in that sh1hole not a day goes by I dont miss it.
If you have a spare month I could type the reasons they moved to a new stadium....
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Apologies for your loss Miley, really, you miss that dump!!! :cool: Bramall Lane had its dark days but that was a latrine!!!
 
Yes I am being honest, there is a framed pic pride of place of me on the terraces the day before the bulldozer came in.
Best atmosphere in Scottish football, old Millwall is about the best comparision I can think of, got its safety certificate every year and had no safety incidents of note, scraps outside yes indeed but perfect stadium for a club of that size.
was there with crowds up to 10,000 and never a problem, train station next door so was home at 515 and course pubs next door so could leave boozer at 245 and get your spot
Today folk drive to a souless out of town purpose lego brick effort. They sit on their hands in the freezing cold, glued to seat , then moan about how much better it was in the old days.

Town centre died with that stadium, town chippies, bookies, bakers the lot, everything that was part of the 80s experience is gone
 
Ciley Myrus said:
Yes I am being honest, there is a framed pic pride of place of me on the terraces the day before the bulldozer came in.
Best atmosphere in Scottish football, old Millwall is about the best comparision I can think of, got its safety certificate every year and had no safety incidents of note, scraps outside yes indeed but perfect stadium for a club of that size.
was there with crowds up to 10,000 and never a problem, train station next door so was home at 515 and course pubs next door so could leave boozer at 245 and get your spot
Today folk drive to a souless out of town purpose lego brick effort. They sit on their hands in the freezing cold, glued to seat , then moan about how much better it was in the old days
Town centre died with that stadium, town chippies, bookies, bakers the lot, everything that was part of the 80s experience is gone
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I hear yeh Miley, I'm of that era too, not Scottish true but certainly non-glory hunter hating these Premiership or nothing idiots that prevail today.

I lived in Darlington when finishing bottom or preferably next to bottom was 100% success as you didnt have to apply for re-election!!
SUFC are the City club, whilst our porcine neighbours have flurried with the top table in living memory but the stadium is the same rust bucket from the 1980s, that needs knocking down and re-building too! Sadly money is the key and I have seen the new Falkirk stadium from afar and i agree that its fairly bland!!
 
You asked... I've mimed playback in a band in the national stadium - same "stage" as U2, Bruce... only I couldn't play a bum note!
 
I worked for My dads old firm we did the line painting at the Madjeski.
Used to collect the club merchandise from Upton Park every day Aswell for about 6 months.

I also made a point of breaking into stadiums as a kid, anytime up & down the country with mum or dad made them wait outside a ground whilst I sneaked in.

Managed to get into Anfield,Goodison,Norwich,Watford,Brentford off the top of my head.

Delivered under the emirates once, took a little walk on the pitch imagined sticking one in the top corner took a couple of pics then got chased off the pitch.

Did an old Trafford stadium tour once that was impressive.

Broke into Nantwich F.C. as a kid with another youngster if you can call it breaking into, never forget it must have been around 14, nets were up which was a bonus we played on there for a good hour, then the strange thing was the next night they had a game on & there was a decent crowd, we looked at each other thinking wow we was on there yesterday they’re a proper team.
God what i’d do to be a kid again, everything’s an adventure and your fearless. Not like today’s youngsters stuck behind an iPhone or PlayStation.
 
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Old Wembley, as a kid. A tour if I recall correctly, got to lift a cup.

I was quite young, my memory of it is foggy.

Probably the only ground I ever went to, not for refereeing or watching purposes.
 
Sheffields Finest said:
I’m stopping in Sale tonight as my first call in the morning is the maintenance department of MUFC at Old Trafford. I’ve even got my own parking space arranged too. :devil: Also we’ve tender quoted an extraction job at Melwood, Training ground of LFC this week too. Not linked but two great jobs to be associated with.

What other random visits have you made to football clubs for things other than reffing or watching?
Click to expand...
James Brown and Red Hot Chili Peppers at Etihad in July 2004.

The Who at KC Stadium in Hull in 2009 (?).

Nipped into the old Wembley once when passing and stood looking down on to the turf at the old place.
 
Brian Hamilton said:
James Brown and Red Hot Chili Peppers at Etihad in July 2004.

The Who at KC Stadium in Hull in 2009 (?).

Nipped into the old Wembley once when passing and stood looking down on to the turf at the old place.
Click to expand...
Who was the last England manager to walk a team out at Old Wembley?
 
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