A postcard from Kiev

[spiv]

Just back from Kiev and i dont really have too many nice things to say about the place. I went out on the Wiz air flight on wednesday from Luton with about 100 other blues on board and we sat at the back of the plane with a crowd of the regular young blues who were a bit noisy and had brought bottles of vodka on to the plane and were getting bollocked by the mardy cabin crew on numerous occasions for noise and bad behaviour and smuggling their own vodka on board and were threatened with police to be waiting at the other end, we landed on time and i met my pre ordered taxi who took us to the City Center hostel that we were booked into. I dont normally do hostels but i thought i would give it a try as all my mates were staying here and it turned out that it was all blues staying in the place and i had a pleasant surprise when i saw that McDonalds was about 20 yards away from the hostel but i wont dwell on that. We had a quick wash and brush up and went out looking for O'Briens bar when after about 10 minutes we got our first shake down from the police checking our passports but as there was six of us he just checked the passports and allowed us on our way. We found a small bar with a load of other blues inside and cleared them out of beer by 10-00 so we moved onto O'Briens bar where all the blues had planned to meet up and stayed there till about 2-00 and moved on because they finally run out of beer, anyway we headed for the vodka bar and got refused entry for "face control" wtf is that all about? so we headed off to another late bar and chilled on a few beers till about 5-00 in the morning and then headed back to our digs when two coppers appeared from nowhere and checked our passports again and one of them said that it was the other coppers birthday and would we like to give him a present? I told him it was my brothers birthday as well and grabbed him by the hand and shook his hand and wished him happy birthday and walked off leaving the two of them looking at each other thinking wtf we were supposed to get money there.

On match day we woke up at about 1-00 and headed into the square for a bit of scran and took a few photos of some of the beautiful monuments before heading off to O'Briens which was rocking with blues. We stayed there till it was time to walk to the ground which was only about 15 minutes walking distance away and got in without even having to show our tickets. Inside the ground it felt like -10 degrees and we were kept in till about 12-30 and were then escorted up a hill to where the coaches were parked and we had to wait around in the freezing cold till the coaches left with the official trip who were going straight back to the airport and then we were marched back down the hill to the town centre where we all spread out to various bars. I ended up in a bar that was about 200 yards away from our digs and i spotted the same two coppers that were hassling all the blues hanging about around McDonalds and i knew they were waiting for us because they didn't get a present the night before. I kept an eye on them and worked out that they were walking down to the other end of the square every 15 minutes to pick people off and at about 5-30 when they went for their walk we legged it out of the bar and got chased back to the hostel but we got away from them. Back in Thesaloniki we got chased by wild dogs at 5-00 in the morning and we could have done with some coppers but this time we could have done with some wild dogs.

Home day on friday and it was hunting around all the kiosks for fags but most of them had run out at £9 a sleave so we killed time drinking in a small bar 50 pence for a large bottle and then got a cab to the airport for the flight home.

Stories will come out from blues getting a shake down from corrupt police for jay walking or not having their passport on them or any other silly thing but in general the Ukranian people were the most unfriendly, unhelpfull, unsociable, unsmiling people i have ever met and i hope i never go back there again. And did i mention that the police are corrupt?

[Slim]

HAHAHAHAHA spiv, face control is a dress code for attractiveness.

You're not getting in with that face.

[dazby]

Who went with you Spivler?

[john68]

HAHAHAHAHA spiv, face control is a dress code for attractiveness.

You're not getting in with that face.

I'd love to tell you that that made me laugh Slim...but Spiv's got my Reading ticket...:-)

[Patrick]

Cheers Spiv, glad I didn't drive to that one!

[nick (duki blues)]

i saw quite a few people getting stopped by the police and heard a few stories about them asking to check your passports and then asking for money before you gave them back
even thought there was only supposed to be about 650 of us there it seemed which ever bar you went in it was full of blues and most of them were running short of beer so they definatly werent prepared for us coming
obrians was quality before the game then ended up in another bar on the way to the ground which was full of there fans and had a good sing song with no hassle whatsoever
was good to meet up with a group of city fans from moscow who had flown down for the match one of them a stunning looking girl said she was looking forward to going in mary ds on sun day as its her favourite pub and then they are flying down to london for the chelsea match next weekend before going home so gotta give them credit for that
all in all i had a good trip and hopefully we will get a result on thursday

[spiv]

Who went with you Spivler?

Just me and Scott from my end but wee dave and the rest of the crew were on the same flight and in the same digs.

I was clearly far too good looking to get into that vodka bar ;)

[The Original Special One]

You forgot to give us your match report!

Great story, though.
When I worked in West Africa in the mid 90's corruption was a way of life, too.
But in their case it was more of a pleading, or begging.
No threats, or heavy stuff.
Or maybe I was just bigger than them.

btw, do the police 'dive', too?

[john68]

Who went with you Spivler?

Just me and Scott from my end but wee dave and the rest of the crew were on the same flight and in the same digs.

I was clearly far too good looking to get into that vodka bar ;)

I must speak with the doormen at the Townley...:-)

[Goataldo]

Who went with you Spivler?

Just me and Scott from my end but wee dave and the rest of the crew were on the same flight and in the same digs.

I was clearly far too good looking to get into that vodka bar ;)

I must speak with the doormen at the Townley...:-)

Sounds like a good trip Spiv, bar the result.

RE the doormen at the Townley, they can be a tad surreal at times. Me and The Man In Blue were on our way in there a bit back, mentioned something about the game, and a one of the doormen gave us a knowing sidelong look, and said: 'Tevez makes it so', like some massive, hard-as-nails Yoda or summink.

[john68]

hahahahaha...GOATBLOODYALDO...my arse!!!Is yer duvet in the wash then?

Whatever next...will your kid change to MHiggi Mouse?.....:-)

Take some responsibilty and Get this sorted Doug!!!

[Goataldo]

hahahahaha...GOATBLOODYALDO...my arse!!!Is yer duvet in the wash then?

Whatever next...will your kid change to MHiggi Mouse?.....:-)

Take some responsibilty and Get this sorted Doug!!!

Blody typical! I gave you a more than adequate explanation in the pub. How long were you in there for? You must have forgotten...

[john68]

Hahahahaha...some tommyrot about you painting your trainers...adequate?...bloody certifiable!!!...hahahaha.