COLUMNIST PAUL TRAILL

Big Club? You Betcha!

By Paul Traill   ::  03/08/2011

Though busy, it was quite a giddy half day at the office as I worked through the morning before heading off to Manchester Airport for the 2:35pm flight to Hamburg. There were plenty of Blues at the airport and after a quick pint watching a bit of the cricket we were away on a busy flight.

The journey was much quicker than I anticipated and we were landed in Hamburg in what seemed like no time at all. The train into Hamburg was quick and easy, finding the hotel was also straightforward...everything was just too easy really. It was quite a nice evening so I went for a good wander round the famous old city, grabbed some dinner and tucked into a few beers. Being on my own I was a little envious of some of the big groups of friends I saw travelling away together, though it probably wasn?t the worst thing in the world to not go out and get wasted with the big day ahead of me the next day. So a fairly quiet night and I was tucked up in bed by about 11.30pm?Family Guy in German sounds funny somehow.

As I?d had a quiet night I was up early for ?fruhstuck? the next morning and with plenty of time to kill I took a bit of time to do a bit more sightseeing. It was about 11:30am when I made my way to Bremen arriving at around 12:30pm following a short train journey. The first thing I noticed as I exited the train station was an Everton flag hanging out of a hotel window and some blues enjoying a few beers outside an Irish pub (unoriginally) named ?Paddy?s?. I noticed a banner which had been pinned up stating ?WE?RE NOT BITTER WE JUST DON?T LIKE YOU? which I thought was a bit rude until I realized whom it was aimed at. I stayed in a hostel for this evening and with my bed not available until 2pm I took a little walk through the interesting city and grabbed some lunch. There were quite a few blues about but you felt there were a lot more to come as it was still quite early. I grabbed a quick beer in Cotton?s Club by the main square whilst the sun beamed down?you sensed this was going to be a good day.

I got back and sorted my bed out for the evening and then I was ready to roll. Experience told me that many Blues tend to flock to the main square on such excursions so I made my way back there. A few Evertonians were indeed milling around here and the beers started to flow. The Becks pub on the square was nice and pleasant with good table service?everyone in good spirits. A banner for ?Shropshire Everton Supporters Club? was pinned up and was getting a bit of attention from the official Everton photographer and some other Evertonians. As I looked around and got chatting to a few supporters it really hit it home to me what big club we support and just how wide ranging our supporters are from. I got chatting to a couple of lads who?d travelled from Denmark, plenty of German Everton supporters were in town and also some Norwegian supporters. Most teams just can?t count on this support?for a friendly game in Bremen!

After a while I moved on, back to the Cotton?s Club where I sat with some top Evertonians who?d been in town a couple of days. They were chatting to a Norwegian supporter who?d even gone as far as to name his daughter ?Evert?. One of the lads was telling me he?d maxed out his credit card to come on this trip and was pulling a ?sickie? from work for a few days just to attend?also saying he had to duck away from the Everton photographer?the lengths people will go to?it really does make you proud to be a Blue.

I got on the Jaegerbombs with these fellas and before long I really was on my way to becoming a drunken mess basically. We got a taxi onto the impressive Weser Stadion. Outside the ground was good fun?Evertonians everywhere, the sun still shinning and a football getting booted around everywhere with everyone joining in?even the affable police getting in on the act.

We shuffled our way into the ground in time for the teams to take to the field. It?s been some time since I stood up at a stadium as I?d chosen the somewhat cheaper standing area. A lot of songs being sung by the noisy Everton faithful?everyone in good spirits.

Now I don?t know if it was the ale or if my eyes are not what they once were but I seriously struggled to see what was going on in this game. We were very far away from the action and I was rather drunk so much of this is a bit of a blur unfortunately.

We took to the field with Beckford up front and Anichebe ghosting between attack and the wing. Barkley patrolled the right hand side with Hibbert behind him at right back. Jagielka skippered and Mucha began in goal. Yakubu and Yobo again left behind?Fellaini and Arteta presumably still injured.

I hope the ale has induced some blackouts for me in this game as otherwise Everton really didn?t do anything noteworthy throughout the 90 minutes. I recall Barkley creating a good shooting opportunity for himself which was well held by Mielitz but I remember precious little else by way of an Everton attack in the first half. By contrast Werder Bremen, fresh from an humiliation at the hands of third division Heidenheim at the weekend, were rather lively. One of their strikers (Bargfrede apparently) missed an unbelievable chance before they took the lead?

A lazy clearance from Distin was seized upon by a Bremen midfielder and the ball was played back into the box, was headed on?took a bounce, neither Distin, Jagielka or Mucha able to clear and Wagner somehow headed in. Was a really poor goal to concede from what I could make out.

Everton offered little in response, in both the remained of the half and the entirety of the second half. The glut of substitutions obviously didn?t help but you have to be worried by our lack of creativity and I wonder how much we?ll notice the lack of pre-season available to Fellaini and Arteta might affect us come the season start?though I did stay downstairs a little bit too long for the second half enjoying a beer.

Saha was at least lively for the second half but our best openings both came from outside the box and both in the form of Baines free kicks. From what I can tell the same problems are still prevalent in the squad?nothing in the final third and a worrying knack of conceding really silly goals even though we?ve got some decent centre backs available. It seems to me with stood still?not just in terms of lack of transfer activity but also maybe not working hard enough with what we?ve got and learning from the mistakes of last season?the last action of the game came when a deep cross was played into the box and you felt Bilyaletdinov might have at least had a stab at connecting with the ball with his head.

Presuming a bit of a crush for the tram was imminent I followed the crowd making the long walk back towards the city centre. God knows how long it took me to get back. I had a few beers in town though was really far too drunk by this point and probably missed all the fun as I was in bed at around midnight.

Awakening the next day I realized I?d left my toothpaste in Hamburg and asked a gentleman in my room if he had any. That he did and we got to talking?he was an Nuremburg supporter whom since our Europa League encounter in 2007 has also been an Everton fan having got chatting to some Everton supporters on the night. He also attended the Wolfsburg game last pre-season and a Europa League fixture against Sigma Olomouc in Czech Republic in 2009. He?s also been over to Goodison a few times and is over again with 11 fellow Nuremburg-come-Everton supporters in October for our fixture with Manchester United. I had a good chat with him and even went for breakfast with the fella?goes to show what great Evertonians you can find?all over the world.

Once I left Stefan to it I took a little wander around Bremen though inadequate footwear had left my feet blistered rather painfully so took to sitting on a bench and watching the world go by for a while. I had plenty of time to kill until my 5:45pm flight so duly took my time?and was still about as early as I?ve ever been for a flight...though was grateful to be at my gate sprawled out over some seats in all honesty. Plenty more Blues turned up on the same flight back?home and back to normal again after a great trip.

These journeys really hit it home to me just how much I miss Everton not being in European football anymore as the trips are better yet if the games mean something?hopefully (though I don?t really see how its possible) we can remedy that this season.

No player ratings for this one, though my man of the match (from what I remember!) would be Ross Barkley?God I hope he can handle the pressure this coming season as a lot seems to be expected of him.

Roll on Saturday 13 August? with trepidation.

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