Guest Shrimpers From Europe.

[mattitouk]

Slightly off topic, but i'm sure many years ago, the zone created a thread linked to "google earth" where we all could pin our location?

I remember finding it interesting to see how far and wide all the "exiled Shrimpers" were across the planet. Does anyone else remember this? or was I dreaming it?

 

[Beefy]

I was at the game last night in the East Stand and was privalaged to meet three people in the bar from Rotterdam Holland. They flew into Southend airport from Amsterdam. It was an older gentleman aged about 60, his daughter and her husband. They came to watch Southend for the second time this year. They actually support Feyenoord, but absolutely love the faster paced thunder and guts football of the English game. They don't like the money side of English Premiership clubs, so prefer our lower Leagues. Their football can be very boring he said as it's a slow passing game. If a team goes 1-0 up they then play keep ball in their own half and are very good at it. Unlike here where we put immense pressure and closing down until we get the ball back he said. He said our players show much more fight and effort, and it makes for a more exciting game. It's the football he loves. My friend introduced them to Brian Dear, who showed them pictures of him with the likes of Bobby Moore, and the Cup Winners Cup they won in 1965, in which Brian had a goal disallowed. They ended being taken to the railway pub by my friend where they talked for a couple more hours. The daughter told my friend that her father was overwhelmed by all the help and friendliness of Southend fans, and the icing on the cake was meeting Brian Dear, where they of course got lots of selfies with Brian. He was a former docker in Rotterdam, so probably a hard man in his time, but you could see he was over the moon with his trip to Southend last night. They will be coming back for sure. I know over the years that many others in small groups have come over to watch Southend.
When in the Shrimpers bar, another fan said he had seen about 12 Germans that had also come over to watch our match. I know it's much easier now with Southend airport being so close to our ground, but until last night I didn't quite get why all these football fans would come from Europe to watch a team like Southend. Now I get it. They love the atmosphere, they like the smaller tighter grounds, they love the never say die attitude of our players. It's a style of football they long for but are not getting in their country. Long may it continue that they keep coming to watch Southend.
If you see or hear any in the pub or a Roots Hall bar, speak to them. They all speak English and are extremely friendly.

A couple of hours after the Bradford game on Saturday I was stood next to one a Dutch guy with a football scarf at the bar in the Last Post. He was getting really, really annoyed at the bar service (quite rightly) so I didn't start much of a conversation with him but he said he'd been to the game with friends.

I'd wondered how often it was that people came over to see us play and assumed it was pretty rare but apparently not.

 

[Jai]

A couple of hours after the Bradford game on Saturday I was stood next to one a Dutch guy with a football scarf at the bar in the Last Post. He was getting really, really annoyed at the bar service (quite rightly) so I didn't start much of a conversation with him but he said he'd been to the game with friends.

I'd wondered how often it was that people came over to see us play and assumed it was pretty rare but apparently not.

Ah, Wetherservice. Welcome to Britain.

 

[wakes123]

At Port Vale away last season there were about 5 Augsburg fans in our end. They had been to Anfield the night before in the Europa and fancied watching another game the night after. They were really good lads actually.

 

[united we stand]

I brought a colleague from Atlanta a couple of months back on a Tuesday. He gad never been to a 'soccer' matchbefore and really loved it (yes I put him right on terminology immediately). He struggled to understand why 'cuddling ' the opponent resulted in a free kick, except when the opposition had a corner when it was ok (Barrett). I couldn't really answer that

 

[Special Blue]

I spoke with three guys from Belgium on tuesday in The Spread.
They were saying how much they loved Roots Hall and had just come over for the game.
As Beefy I used to think this was rare but in the last few seasons have seen it more! (sadly i could't advise on where to go for a late drink on a tuesday night).