Having left the Aston Villa game early on Monday night because I hadn’t packed and therefore missed our 3 goal fight back, made even worse by the fact I listened to the remainder of the game on the radio whilst sitting on the train to Liverpool Street I was looking forward to my trip out to Cyprus all the more. I still didn’t have a ticket but a friend’s father was from Larnaca and was a Spurs fan and had promised to try and sort me one out and would call me at my hotel.
Left home early on Tuesday to get the tube then bus to Heathrow. Glad I left early as the tube was delayed and the bus running late but eventually got to terminal 2 and checked in. Should have checked my ticket better really as I had convinced myself the flight was 2pm not 2.45pm. That extra 45 minutes in the departure lounge when you’ve done all the shopping you need and a beer just makes you want a cigarette all the more just seems to drag forever.
Czech Air to Prague was a nice flight. Chatted to a nice girl from High Wycombe who was working in Prague for most of it, passing on restaurant and bar recommendations from our trip this time last year. Glad to have something to take my mind of things because someone near us had trainers that smelt even worse than my old ones, and that was saying something. Not nice on an enclosed aircraft!
Arriving in Prague I had 4 hours to kill. Not enough to go into town and there’s nothing out by the airport so it was just a case of waiting in departures. Note for future reference! DON’T just go in the first bar you see that has ashtrays!! Stopped on the main concourse in desperate need of a smoke and saw this nice little café bar with a golf theme. Showing clips from the last Ryder cup I thought that’d be a handy place to kill an hour or two. Half pint (ish) cost me 165 Czech Kr. THAT’S OVER £4. FOR A HALF OF LOCAL PILSNER!!! I just put it down to being airport prices and had 3 or 4 then went for a wander to check where the gate was. Sod’s law, right down the far end by the gate was another bar. And this one was 135 Czech Kr for a full pint! OK didn’t have the plasma screen or anything but you could still drink and smoke. You could watch the planes out of the window if you needed entertainment.
Anyway 9.55pm flight out of Prague eventually boarded and took off. Landed 2.20am Cyprus time (another hour in front) and I took a cab to my hotel in Lanaca. Surfaced about 10am Wednesday and decided on a wander. Weather was gorgeous and sunny in the high 20’s centigrade so I subjected the Cypriot population to my chicken legs as I donned the only pair of shorts I own, a 2003 pair of Kappa/Spurs tracksuit shorts bought totally on the spur of the moment when I went to WHL on a steaming preseason game wearing jeans.
Eventually I headed down to the beach front area and had a little paddle in the sea as I walked along. Lovely and warm. Main strip in Larnaca has most of what you’d expect on the main drag of a holiday destination. Hotels, McD’s, KFC, TGI Friday and lots of bars.
I’d done a small amount of research on line before I’d gone out and found a bar on there called The Meeting Pub, which I’d recommended in our Glory-glory.co.uk Euro tour thread and so I wandered in to check it out.
First thing that caught my eye was a Spurs clock on one wall, followed swiftly by the signed and framed Spurs shirt on the other. Seeing as it was only last season’s kit I surmised someone in there supported Spurs!
Grabbed myself a pint of Fosters (£2.45 Cyprus, about £3.00 GBP) and started chatting to a couple of other lads in there in Spurs t-shirts. Mentioned the fact I planned on watching the game on TV in the bar and was amazed to be told that the official Cyprus Spurs Supporters club had been given 2000 tickets.
The landlord, John, made a quick phone call for me and Chris from the supporters club was there within 10 minutes. £20 Cyprus, face value, sorted! That had been easier, and cheaper than expected! After a spot of lunch and a few more beers I bumped into a couple of guys I’d met last year on the way out to Prague and they mentioned the team was having a training session at the stadium at 6pm and they were going up. So shot back to the hotel for a quick S.S & S, put on my white kit from last year and went back to meet them and grab a cab to the stadium.
We got up there about 5.30 and had a wander round. Trophy room in the front had been set up for the press conference and there were a few old guys playing backgammon. We found the staff very hospitable and were soon tucking in to some litre size bottles of Keo, the local Cyprus lager. We got information from a couple of the Cypriot’s that had come down to see the team that they were running later due to flight problems and were not due to arrive until 8pm. No problem, bar was open!!
So started chatting to a couple of the old guys and turned out they were from Palmers Green and Edmonton, North London, originally. One of them lived in Cyprus the other was just back for a holiday but was originally from there. Well we started chatting and the beer and snacks started flowing so the time waited for the coach to arrive flew past.
When they finally arrived I managed to get Jermaine Defoe, Gareth Bale, Steeeeed Malbraque, Tommy Huddlestone and Chris Hughton to sign my shirt. It was then announced that the last 15 minutes of training would be open to the fans so despite a quick wander of the interior and trying to bribe the staff that was all we got in to see but the players were happily signing things after. I then went back into the trophy room and sat in on the press conference. Got told off by Ian from WHL press office for making a sarcastic comment when the journo’s were asking silly questions. Shook Jol’s hand after and got him to sign my shirt too.
From here things start getting hazy. A couple more drinks and then a lift with Chrys from the Cyprus supporters club back to the Meeting Pub and a couple more beers. Then meeting up with the Guv’nor of my local with his wife and a couple of regulars who were out there for the game and having another couple while Liverpool and Chelsea games were on. A glass of champagne to toast happy birthday to Mandy about midnight then deciding discretion was the better part of valour and wobbling off to my hotel about 1am as the others were of to a club somewhere. Very unlike me, must be getting old!
Surfaced mid-morning on Wednesday and went for a wander along the beach, rather than up the road, to the bar. By the time I arrived the flags were everywhere as usual. Same old faces, Chelmsford, Southend, Sussex and Essex Spurs all had their flags up and I have to admit to being impressed at the Cyprus Spurs flags that were on display too.
Well lunch and a few beers then it was time to wander up to the stadium. One of the locals was driving up and offered us a lift which was handy. When we arrived it was obvious that there were at least 2000 Spurs fans. The 440 from WHL were mainly penned into the little fenced in away section in the corner. What was funny was the fact the rest of us had the whole of that end. Why they just could not have opened the gate and let them join the rest of us really didn’t make a lot of sense. Rather bizarre but let to a few moment s of banter with We’re the Tottenham in the Cage, We’re the Tottenham out the Cage at one stage being a chuckle.
I felt sorry for the Cypriot Spurs fans in a way. The game was a nothing game, not helped by dodgy officials. Don’t know where they were from but the 1st half linesman couldn’t keep track of Darren Bent and his answer was to put his flag up. 3 or 4 times in the first half he was flagged despite being obviously on side (backed up by TV replays, not just my bias opinion) and at 6-1 from the first leg the players soon got to the “why bother” mentality which put a total block on the atmosphere really. The referee giving their goal was another example of the officials desperately doing anything in their power to give Anorthosis a chance. The Cypriot striker virtually caught the ball in both hands before shovelling it like an Aussie fly half into the path of his team mate to blast in. It was right in front of us and no one could believe hand ball wasn’t given. Poor old Robbo then got booked for complaining! Between this and the “penalty” decision at Seville away last season he must wonder what UEFA ref’s have against him.
Robbie’s goal at the other end obviously evened it out so the team can say they haven’t lost but in reality it was academic. It could really have been an opportunity for Spurs to play an exhibition game under no pressure but I think a lot of them were of the mentality to save themselves for the Sunday game v Liverpool.
Coming back was a pain. I’d lost track of my ride and getting a cab was a nightmare so wandered up to the main road away from the stadium hoping to flag one down. Well I’d walked about 2 miles and rescued a lost elderly couple from North London who’d also started walking to get a cab and then realised they’d lost their map and were lost and slightly confused, by the time we managed to get a cab. Within 2 seconds of driving off I recognised where we were and we could actually have walked back to the beach front within 5 minutes if we’d kept going.
Not as many people went back to the bars as I’d expected. I suppose some were fling straight out while others went for food or girls or whatever but it was still pretty lively all evening. Topped off with a humungous thunder storm and lightning display that lasted over 30 minutes.
Won’t bore you with the other couple of days of my time out there except to say watching England beat Australia whilst sitting outside a bar in shorts enjoying the sun and a few cold beers was far more enjoyable than shivering outside a pub whilst having a cigarette trying to keep track of what was happening through a window like I did for the Scotland v Argentina game the following day.
Verdict – Poor game. Good overall result. Definitely recommend Larnaca to anyone!!