I've watched Charlton games alone with the barman before, as no one else was in on a Monday.
But maybe the weirdest was watching the Ashes (in Oz) on a TV in a bar that suddenly turned very clubby.
There was teenagers everywhere grinding each other etc, except for me and my mate sitting on what had just turned into a dance stage stubbornly refusing to move because Pietersen was about to reach 200.
Watched Charlton vs Blackburn (during the premiership years) in my room in Adelaide very early in the morning having gone to bed early, then went back to bed afterwards. Also watched Charlton vs West Ham (4-0, Curbs return) from my hotel room in Krabbi, Thailand, during the middle of the night while on honeymoon!
watched the Superbowl at 5am in Woodstock pub in Nana plaza, bangkok the day before I got married - wife wasn't happy I got out of bed and came back drunk!
Woke up at about 3am when I was on holiday in Sydney to watch England v United States in the World Cup. Was in Mallorca when we played Liverpool (?) in a late Kick-Off one October so walked along from the Hotel to this really small Irish pub to watch that
Watched the 2-2 Millwall away game in the late 80's on teletext in a bar in Amsterdam. We were 2 0 up with about 5 minutes left and were already celebrating. It was only about 15 minutes after the game finished that the final score flashed up, we were gutted.
Watching the end of the Ryder Cup in a nightclub whilst on a mate's stag do.
Watching England vs Holland, 1990 WC, when attending a cook out at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida and being forced to review the entire wing's homebrew efforts as I was the only Brit there and I 'must know about beer'...
watch the FA Cup final between West Ham and Liverpool back in 2006 in a tiny beach bar in Playa Del Carmen at 9.30am on a 14" TV with the sun shining on it....must've been about 20 English blokes crowded round it (all on honeymoon)
watch the FA Cup final between West Ham and Liverpool back in 2006 in a tiny beach bar in Playa Del Carmen at 9.30am on a 14" TV with the sun shining on it....must've been about 20 English blokes crowded round it (all on honeymoon)
That same game was a weird one for me - had a one night stand from the night before not get the hint about not being able to spend the day with her as I was going to watch the cup final, and invite herself along.
Watched it in the Wetherspoons in Dover with her and three bemused mates.
Was gobsmacked when on came Brian Moore, introducing the Big Match for overseas audiences. Was even more gobsmacked when, as "as reminder of better times for Charlton fans around the world...." he showed Derek Hales 1976 hat-trick v Hull City!!!!!!! (the programme was about 2 weeks behind and was made at the time we were in receivership.....when I watched it we had already been saved). It was a lovely touch from Brian Moore.
Got up at the arsecrack of dawn once in Toronto to have a "Sportsman's Breakfast" at some bar in the middle of nowhere about 15 miles from my hotel to watch us get humped by Chelsea back in the Prem days with my boss who was a massive Chelsea fan. Fry up and lager at 6 am local time is just plain weird.
Also walked a mile from my hotel in Greece to watch us play Leyton Orient (I think) in a televised game. It was brilliant because I was on my own in this bar (aside from several extremely large cockroaches) and about half an hour in there were a load, maybe 8-10, of Bayern Munich (I think) fans wanting to watch their team on the TV. The barman said as I was there first I could have the big screen and they were all huddled around a little portable telly watching their game. The barman got a decent tip from me and I got rather pissed
2004 in a pub in Philly, when we beat Palarse (Dennis in the last minute). Pub was packed with NFL fans, as Eagles were playing Packers later that day. I was lucky to watch the game on a tiny TV in the corner of the pub. (the pub went very quiet, when Dennis scored, as I absolutely lost it. I guess American sportsfans are used to celebrating a win with high fives, and not going fookin mental). Someone even told me to get a grip.
2005 at Famous Three Kings in West Kensington, 2-2 draw away to Boro. Played at the same time as the League Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool. Pub was packed and everyone (apart from me) was watching the League Cup final.
1992 on a portable TV, while riding my bicycle. Had to work (in a supermarket), so was watching Denmark v Holland (Euro semifinal). Went to extra time and as the supermarket closed, I decided to get on the bike, while watching, so I could watch the rest of the game at home.
I found that whole 2002 World Cup disorientating. I was a student at the time, so on the one hand I was free to watch all of the games, but on the other hand I was used to getting up at midday and most of the matches were finished by then.
Remember trooping off to the pub for the 7.30am kick off vs Nigeria and forcing down a couple of pints of unnecessary and unwanted pints of lager.
7.30 again for the Brazil quarter-final. The depression of our tournament being over, compounded by returning home to find This Morning had enlisted Vanessa Feltz to talk about our defeat!
Watching England v Germany (lost on penalties again!) in bed in the Circus Circus Casino in Reno Nevada at 8am with the American equivalent of an English Breakfast.
Watched Rangers v scumtic in a Scottish bar in Cala D'or many years ago, mainly Rangers in there, but a smattering of ***tic at one end, very hostile atmosphere
watched the Walsall away game in 2000 (4-2 win) in a pub in a small skiing village in France. Went skiing with my little bro' & while out there found out that our midweek game away to Walsall was being televised by Sky. What made it all the more memorable was that there was a party of Jocks in our hotel who kept banging on about the Old Firm derby that was being played the night before & where they were going to watch it - only to find it was being screened on BBC Scotland & the bar in question only had Sky !! Surreal experience as we were the only people in the bar watching the match (we specifically asked the barman if he would turn the tv on) & he said that if any locals came in he had have to turn it over to show their favourite programmes. Luckily the didn't (of if they did he didn't bother to change channels) and we got a few odd looks every time we jumped up, spilling our beers everywhere, when we scored.
watched England v Denmark for the 2002 world cup in a Portuguese family's front room. I was desperate to find a bar and then I saw through a window of some chaps house that we had just scored in like the 5th minute. I started cheering which prompted the Portuguese family to come outside to see what all the racket was about. a few minutes later there I was eating some Cheetos on the sofa watching the game with a family of five.
I was in the Caribbean during the 1990 World Cup and watched England v Cameroon on a tiny TV on a tramp steamer somewhere off St Vincent. Unfortunately we couldn't get a signal for the the semi-final v Germany and I was left listening to the radio, which had Brian Moore's ITV commentary, including several reminders the Coronation Street would follow straight after the game. The boat was full of Germans and being the only Brit I was ceremonially dumped into the sea after the unfortunate defeat.
watched England v Denmark for the 2002 world cup in a Portuguese family's front room. I was desperate to find a bar and then I saw through a window of some chaps house that we had just scored in like the 5th minute. I started cheering which prompted the Portuguese family to come outside to see what all the racket was about. a few minutes later there I was eating some Cheetos on the sofa watching the game with a family of five.
I was in Paris for France v Spain in Euro 2000, and everywhere was shut as it was Sunday, all the bars etc included so couldn't find anywhere to watch the game. Was really odd, they must just all watch at home.
Ended up in a tiny cafe run by an Italian family, watching it on a tiny TV in the corner just two of us and this family.
Watching England v Germany (lost on penalties again!) in bed in the Circus Circus Casino in Reno Nevada at 8am with the American equivalent of an English Breakfast.
Watched a European Cup game in the wagon of a very slow overnight train traveling from Kiev to Bratislava once. It was back in 2004 and it might have been Chelsea v Marseille (but my memory is a little hazy due to the large quantities of Ukrainian beer I'd consumed on the train!). Think the tv signal cut out about 20 minutes in so I didn't actually watch the entire match. Does that count?
Well, not watching, but I reckon this counts. I woke up at 4.30am on December 21st this year when in Beijing to listen to us lose to Millwall. In hindsight, probably not a great decision.
As for watching - then probably a heavy metal-themed bar in Dortmund. I actually had flown out there to watch the football this year, but happened to have tickets in the Yellow Wall for the ONE game the stand was closed. Peak times. So off to the bar it was.
Watched the 1990 World Cup Semi in the kitchen above an old working water mill,where I was working in Surrey with a Tv propped on top of a stock pot, an improvised aerial hanging out the kitchen window and 5 chefs sitting on upturned pots. We only had bookings after the match and we ended up only doing 2 gloomy tables due to that penalty shootout. Still a great watch
I was in Singapore (in the sleazy end of town) on the day of Curbs' final home match in charge (vs Blackburn) and most surprised to find it on TV there...
Comments
But maybe the weirdest was watching the Ashes (in Oz) on a TV in a bar that suddenly turned very clubby.
There was teenagers everywhere grinding each other etc, except for me and my mate sitting on what had just turned into a dance stage stubbornly refusing to move because Pietersen was about to reach 200.
Watching the end of the Ryder Cup in a nightclub whilst on a mate's stag do.
Watching England vs Holland, 1990 WC, when attending a cook out at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida and being forced to review the entire wing's homebrew efforts as I was the only Brit there and I 'must know about beer'...
Watched it in the Wetherspoons in Dover with her and three bemused mates.
Was gobsmacked when on came Brian Moore, introducing the Big Match for overseas audiences. Was even more gobsmacked when, as "as reminder of better times for Charlton fans around the world...." he showed Derek Hales 1976 hat-trick v Hull City!!!!!!! (the programme was about 2 weeks behind and was made at the time we were in receivership.....when I watched it we had already been saved). It was a lovely touch from Brian Moore.
Also walked a mile from my hotel in Greece to watch us play Leyton Orient (I think) in a televised game. It was brilliant because I was on my own in this bar (aside from several extremely large cockroaches) and about half an hour in there were a load, maybe 8-10, of Bayern Munich (I think) fans wanting to watch their team on the TV. The barman said as I was there first I could have the big screen and they were all huddled around a little portable telly watching their game. The barman got a decent tip from me and I got rather pissed
Pub was packed with NFL fans, as Eagles were playing Packers later that day. I was lucky to watch the game on a tiny TV in the corner of the pub. (the pub went very quiet, when Dennis scored, as I absolutely lost it. I guess American sportsfans are used to celebrating a win with high fives, and not going fookin mental). Someone even told me to get a grip.
2005 at Famous Three Kings in West Kensington, 2-2 draw away to Boro. Played at the same time as the League Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool. Pub was packed and everyone (apart from me) was watching the League Cup final.
1992 on a portable TV, while riding my bicycle. Had to work (in a supermarket), so was watching Denmark v Holland (Euro semifinal). Went to extra time and as the supermarket closed, I decided to get on the bike, while watching, so I could watch the rest of the game at home.
I found that whole 2002 World Cup disorientating. I was a student at the time, so on the one hand I was free to watch all of the games, but on the other hand I was used to getting up at midday and most of the matches were finished by then.
Remember trooping off to the pub for the 7.30am kick off vs Nigeria and forcing down a couple of pints of unnecessary and unwanted pints of lager.
7.30 again for the Brazil quarter-final. The depression of our tournament being over, compounded by returning home to find This Morning had enlisted Vanessa Feltz to talk about our defeat!
Watched England v Argentina 2002 from Malibu Beach Club (receptionist.."World Cup, is there a World Cup on?")
Ended up in a tiny cafe run by an Italian family, watching it on a tiny TV in the corner just two of us and this family.
As for watching - then probably a heavy metal-themed bar in Dortmund. I actually had flown out there to watch the football this year, but happened to have tickets in the Yellow Wall for the ONE game the stand was closed. Peak times. So off to the bar it was.