Stuttering in Stuttgart but Still Standing!

Our longest trip in terms of miles (1,100 miles) and time (5 days) saw us enjoying the delights of a scorching Stuttgart. But before I get on to that a quick line or two on common questions from readers to earlier postings.

Are the Germans good hosts? They are absolutely fantastic. Everyone we have met has gone out of their way to be helpful and friendly and all are keen to chat and party with England fans. As you may expect from the national stereotype, everything has been very well organised and proceeded without a hitch.

The second frequently asked question was to do with a lack of information on the local food and drink. The reason for the lack of culinary reference is because we make our own food for the journeys - generally a healthy wild rice, quinoa and cannellini bean salad with some fresh fruit (hark at us!) We always sleep too late for breakfast and, travelling with a vegetarian, tend to eat tapas or Italian food as the local German sausage doesn't count as a vegetable! But I will endeavour to get more food references in and seek out some culinary delights during future stays. And yes, the beers are very large. But neither of us drink beer. James tried some of the Frankfurt speciality of Apfelwein when we were there, but as a hardened cider drinker declared it too weak and sour to be worthy of the cider name!

Budweiser being the sponsor has not gone down well with the German breweries - when we had visits from the host cities to fan forums in London they were all competing for the title of "city with most breweries/beers" (Nuremberg won with over 150 by the way!) but this doesn't include Munich as we only had visits from the cities for our group games. I have been slowly pickling myself in the vino - but none of it German until this trip!

So, back to the Stuttgart trip ... as we headed off to Eurotunnel it felt like the first game all over again - excitement, anticipation, nervousness. The second game should have been easier than we made it and the third was less important as we had qualified already, but this one was do or die and so the excitement levels were as high as ever. We had a slightly different route through Luxembourg to southern Germany and, despite the lack of borders, could see a discernible change in the landscape. Northern France very farming led, with a trend for planting trees around your house in a range of topiary efforts. One had Christmas trees all around it which must take forever to decorate each December! Belgium is more twee rural whilst Luxembourg is much like Kent and other parts of England.

James produced an e-mail from his friend Justin - a fellow Saints fan - with help in our "Saints and Villa players, past and present, at the tournament". It brought us to 9 each and set a competitive and brain stretching tone for much of the journey to our stopover on the Belgian and Luxembourg border. We just missed dinner at the hotel so, tempted though we were to eat our home made healthy lunch for the next day, we ended up with a rather unhealthy combination of Pringles, chocolate and 2 bottles of wine (urgh!) but there was BBC on the TV in the room so we could watch the football with English commentary and punditry.

The next morning saw news of fan trouble in Stuttgart on the BBC. Historically when travelling with England your heart always leaps when you hear a siren and you hate turning the news on or reading a paper the day after a game. I have never witnessed any fan trouble first hand in my 16 years - but plenty of over eager riot police - and frankly, in the past 6 years there has been nothing to report. Throwing chairs or bottles is unforgivable but the report suggested that the German fans had started it and that many of the arrests were preventative. The key for me about the report was that it was very balanced - the journalist went to great pains to point out that there had been 50-60,000 fans in the other cities and no trouble, that the English fans had been praised for their contribution to the party atmosphere and that there were variations in regional policing styles. This is a massive change from the old style media coverage where fans were all tainted with the same brush and the minority really did spoil it for the majority.

Reassured that it was nothing serious we hit the road on a gloriously sunshine filled day with the temperature topping 35 degrees. I can heartily recommend giving Saarbrucken a wide berth as we drove for 10 miles around its ring road with only the largest industrial landscape and factories I have ever seen as scenery - not attractive. Our route took us off the autobahns for 30 miles and high into the beautiful forests of Southern Germany which were a welcome change from the industrial view and enabled us to stop for our very healthy lunch in stunning parkland. James was equally as impressed with his discovery at a service station - Jack Daniels and Coke in a can! As we approached Stuttgart we were greeted with a fantastic floral tribute, with the flags of all competing nations drawn in flowers together with the scores from the games between those nations on the grassy banks lining the road and drove straight to the stadium to collect our tickets.

You receive vouchers for the knockout stages of the tournament and, when we had exchanged them for our tickets in Portugal, we went on the day of the game and queued for hours. Getting there the day before the game saw a very swift exchange but a gruelling walk in the baking sun. The rear car park at the stadium had been turned into a campsite and was full of St George clad motorhomes and tents (on the concrete!) with more arriving while we were there, greeted by a site attendant on a Vespa who could guide them to their spot. One motorhome stood a little distance from the group as it was complete with a full sound system, decks and a DJ entertaining the campers!!

After checking into our hotel - no air conditioning and, bad enough that Europe is obsessed with twin rather than double beds, this one had them built into a unit with fixed table in between that did make it feel a bit like you were on school camp! - we headed into town just before the end of the Germany v Sweden game. As we left the hotel and boarded the tube it was like tumbleweed was rolling through the streets - apparently, absolutely everyone was watching the game. When we got out at the main train station we were greeted by a cacophony of noise as cheering fans filled the subway and when we reached ground level all the cars were beeping their horns and waving flags from windows. It felt like they had actually won the whole tournament, but I guess when over 75% of the nation didn't think they would get out of the group stage before it started it must have felt like it to them!

James had studied the Rough Guide and marked recommended restaurants on the street map before coming into town. But once we got there we realised we weren't going anywhere anytime soon - the streets were brought to a standstill by the celebrations of the German fans and we were barely able to move, let alone get our bearings in the midst of the giant party going on before our eyes. We found a great place by default - tapas/tex mex/Italian food, cocktail happy hour for 2 more hours after we arrived, cool music, great location and big screens for the game - sorted!

Two guys who used to work with James in Sheffield - Dave and Grant - joined us after our description of the venue got their thumbs up. Grant works for an online marketing agency and as Gillette were a client, had pitched the idea of being their fan in a camper van for the tournament and - to his complete delight and amazement - they had bought the idea. He had been travelling around Germany in a camper van with one mate for the first 10 days and now Dave was taking over as his sidekick for the remainder of the tournament. We watched the Argentinians finally look fallible against Mexico - winning with a gorgeous goal though - and many fine mojitos and caiprinhas later we were joining the locals on the dance floor before staggering home in the small hours via the tube filled with various fans and one German who had celebrated himself into a coma - check out the photos!

Tip for you all - large quantities of booze followed by attempts to sleep in a room which becomes a sauna as the 35 degree heat starts to force its way in does not a good start to the day make! It was so hot in the room we had to dowse our heads with cold flannels to cool our temperature and this didn't fill us with optimism for the conditions for the game. I finally dragged myself out of the hotel at 1.30pm and we headed to the ground, wearing as few clothes as was decently possible and - whilst recognising we are not world class athletes - struggled to come to terms with moving in that heat, let alone play football. Visions of Ecuadorians rubbing their hands with glee came to mind and the nerves really kicked in.

My willingness to play by the rules and get off at the stop the train announcer asked us to rather than the one which appeared to be right next to the stadium subjected us to a long walk in the sun to the right side of the ground - via Ecuadorians giving out free Ecuador bags and Panama hats (did you know they originate from Ecuador?) and the Pompey schoolkids who FIFA has sorted tickets for - and we were grateful to get inside, get some water and be undercover. The heat was overwhelming by now and the fans inside the ground were lethargic and praying for the forecast break in the weather to materialise before kick off.

Our seats were just 3 rows back from one goal mouth but, unlike Cologne, the presence of a wide running track meant the perspective was out of alignment and the height of the cameras and photographers behind the hoardings also created some poor sight lines. However, we were at the World Cup knock out stages and nothing could dampen our enthusiasm or limit the nerves which had reduced me to a fidget - not sure whether to sit or stand, sing or be quiet, be optimistic or fear the worst. As the stadium filled up you could hear the muttered conversations about the impact of the heat and start to feel a collective tension from the thousands of English fans which, once again, made the fixture feel like a home game even with the splash of yellow from the Ecuadorians.

England's players left it very late to come out and did a limited warm up in the slightly shaded area of the pitch while Ecuador were running and training in the scorching heat whilst barely breaking a sweat which did nothing to ease the tension. And so to kick off...

As with our other games we opened brightly and the balance of the team looked good. I would probably have picked Carragher at right back but it looked promising - the holding midfielder giving more scope to Lampard and Gerrard to get up and support Rooney. However, Gerrard failed to make the most of his freer role and Lampard currently couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo. Ashley Cole had his best game yet in the tournament and we looked better with Ferdinand back but suffered from the same problem we have throughout - the lack of a quality final ball. It is either mis-hit, an optimistic long ball or over complicated approaches giving the opposition time to get back and defend. Sven passed the ball back onto the pitch on a couple of occasions and it was almost as though he was trying to remind the players to do what we do best - a strong passing game on the floor. Having seen our generally poor second half performances, everyone felt we needed at least one goal, if not to be comfortably ahead by half time, so it was a very nervous ground when we went in at half time 0-0.

Shortly after the second half kicked off someone started up the 10 German Bombers song - with 6 Germans in front of us (some English fans had clearly decided that the value of their tickets was too good to pass up) I felt acutely embarrassed but the anxiety of what was in front of us, coupled with the heat induced lethargy was rapidly affecting the willingness and ability of fans to sing as they resorted to nail biting and holding their head in their hands instead!

When Beckham's goal went in there was a clear delay before the cheer went up from the crowds. The net had barely seemed to move and those that did see it thought it was side netting, but once it was confirmed - and replayed on the big screens - there was a palpable sense of relief. But only for a moment. The mutterings of needing to be ahead of half time and not coping with the heat was replaced by spoken fear that we couldn't hold on to this lead and that the rest of the game would be fraught with danger as we tired. The only consolation for these fears was the fact that at least we tried to get a second goal to finish the game off - which made a nice change - but the same lack of final ball was evident no matter what we did.

Robinson and Carragher both picked up unnecessary bookings for time wasting - particularly concerning in Robinson's case as frankly we have less cover in goal than we do up front - but it is notable how few cards England have had so far in this tournament. When Lennon came on his pace and attacking intent was such a welcome sight - I wonder how we can make better use of him and Beckham, but I guess that would mean either Lampard and Gerrard in the holding role of a 5 man midfield as Sven seems intent on picking the best 11 players rather than the best team.

When the final whistle went there was a rather lacklustre cheer from the fans to start with. I'm not sure if that was to do with the heat or whether it just didn't feel like a victory. We had struggled to win against a team we should have beaten comfortably - heat or no heat - and again looked unconvincing as an attacking force and team, so it was more relief than celebration. If we play like that next Saturday we'll be coming home. However, as the PA blasted out "Football's Coming Home" and other celebratory tunes, the realisation that we were in the quarter finals of the World Cup filtered through and saw us all singing and dancing in the ground until the stewards had to ask us to leave!

We strolled back to the area of our hotel - stopping off at an internet cafe to book our next tunnel crossing and hotels - before discovering a nice Greek restaurant to eat at. We sat outside as the skies darkened. The rain we had all been praying for earlier started and we persisted for a while but when it turned into a full on tropical downpour with thunder and lighting we relented and went inside! Fine swordfish steak and vegetarian mezze with a drop of nice German biodynamic wine later and it was time to find a place to watch more footie and find out who would be facing England in the quarter finals.

We found a tiny local bar with about 6 middle-aged Germans, a Croatian and a barmaid who was more like your mum! Definitely a local bar for local people! The German guys cleared space and went out of their way to make us welcome to watch the game. Our basic grasp of each other's languages saw them pleased that England had won and 4 out of 6 were convinced they could end Argentina's tournament. This would concur with James view of a Germany v England final being destined for this World Cup! A couple of other England fans joined us - one Saints and one Arsenal - who were out as football tourists, and told us of a bureau called Euronext where you could pitch up and buy tickets to England games for around £250, with the sellers holding sheafs of unwanted sponsors tickets. With tickets selling for closer to £500 near the ground, there was potential for another layer of touts to develop, with fans buying more tickets than they needed from the bureau then selling them on to cover their own costs.

The Portugal v Holland game was certainly dramatic and the sight of 2 of the best Portuguese players getting sent off - meaning they will miss the England game - together with a few drinks, made us smile more as the evening wore on and we staggered back to the hotel. The rain hadn't lowered the temperature much, with the sun still shining on us as we left Stuttgart the next morning. We stopped at the same service station on the way back - primarily so James could get more JD & Coke in a can! - and it was over run by English fans leaving Stuttgart either for England or another game elsewhere in Germany. The poor woman in the little bakery making the sandwiches was getting completely stressed about her fresh baguettes being sold the moment she had made them - I don't think it had ever been so busy!

We made it to Luxembourg with just under an hour before kick off for the Italy v Australia game, giving us time to admire the sights and stroll around the squares (one of which had a brasserie called "2 Lions" - one too short for us!) before finding a cool bistro with great home made food and a plasma screen. We both had gorgeous omelettes and James some rather fine French cider. It was an Aussie friend's birthday so I was rooting for the best present of all for him, while James had gone to the dark side and was supporting the Italians. The way in which the Italians won the game at the death had the Italian member of kitchen staff who had been allowed to come out to see the game stating that he was ashamed to win like that. I was gutted for the Australians and also fearful of the same happening to England if we don't raise our game and start scoring a few goals. As we left the bistro the streets were full of Italians driving around beeping their horns and waving their flags out of the window in celebration. I was tempted to mime the diving action at them, but James reminded me that if England won like that I wouldn't be moaning so I stopped myself!

After one more stopover on the Belgian border - and the dullest game of the round of 16 on TV - we headed home. Next stop Gelsenkirchen on Friday for the game on Saturday. We have a hotel in Munich for the semi and Stuttgart for the 3rd place play off (which can both be cancelled!) and friends in Berlin, so will be packing for a 11 day stay - will we be returning after 3 days or 11? As per the rules of the tournament (started at Euro 2004), we paint our faces from the quarter final onwards, so James is working on designs to maximise his bald head as I type this! I'm fluctuating between complete dread about Big Phil getting his hatrick of wins over us and us going out at the quarter finals (again!) and optimism about England finally showing what they are made of. All I know is it will be one exciting time ... and if we stay longer than 3 days I'll blog from an internet cafe to keep you posted. Come on England!

STUTTGART FOR TWO PEOPLE
Match tickets: £80
Travel: £245
Accommodation: £364
Spending Money: £232
Stuttgart Total: £921
Tournament Total to date: £2961
Watching England get through to the quarter finals: priceless!

PHOTOS AT: http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/3497290