London Updated

[SoCal Deek]

3 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Yep. International break is due to be 9th to the 17th. There will be soccer games in London on Saturday 7th if people want to fit one in during a visit. One would expect Spurs will be away on the Saturday (think the stadium turnaround takes about 48 hours) so that means the mighty Arsenal are likely to be at home. Although now we are good again tickets are likely gold dust. But there will be any number of other London based teams in the Premier League and Championship that are at home that weekend. 

 

As @BritBill says - soccer schedules will be released next month. 

Lots to choose from:

 

Arsenal

Brighton

Brentford

Fulham

Chelsea 

 

Not quite sure if there’s another London area club that might be promoted up from the Championship. Maybe Millwall? 

 

 

[BritBill]

9 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Yep. International break is due to be 9th to the 17th. There will be soccer games in London on Saturday 7th if people want to fit one in during a visit. One would expect Spurs will be away on the Saturday (think the stadium turnaround takes about 48 hours) so that means the mighty Arsenal are likely to be at home. Although now we are good again tickets are likely gold dust. But there will be any number of other London based teams in the Premier League and Championship that are at home that weekend. 

 

As @BritBill says - soccer schedules will be released next month. 

 

There could even be Champions League games on that Wednesday? You'd have to get lucky as it looks like Arsenal will be London's sole representative next season.  

2 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

Lots to choose from:

 

Arsenal

Brighton

Brentford

Fulham

Chelsea 

 

Not quite sure if there’s another London area club that might be promoted up from the Championship. Maybe Millwall? 

 

 

 

Brighton ain't London but doable. Millwall yes. Luton isn't too far away. Crystal Palace is another. 

Edited May 3, 2023 by BritBill

[SoCal Deek]

2 minutes ago, BritBill said:

 

There could even be Champions League games on that Wednesday? You'd have to get lucky as it looks like Arsenal will be London's sole representative next season.  

 

Millwall yes. Luton isn't too far away. Crystal palace is another. 

Ha! Thanks… I always forget about Crystal Palace. 

[Franco_92]

3 hours ago, KDIGGZ said:

So safe to assume Oct 15 is the bye week? That would be pretty early in the schedule unfortunately

Not necessarily, the bye no longer has to follow gsm3s in Europe. 

[Wagon Circler]

On 4/12/2023 at 5:56 PM, TBBills Fan said:

 

 

stop making it rain at the strip club.  We have talked about this, they just pretend to like you

Pac-Man is on the board?

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

4 hours ago, KDIGGZ said:

So safe to assume Oct 15 is the bye week? That would be pretty early in the schedule unfortunately

 

Right around where we have had our bye for the last couple of years. Maybe one week earlier. 

[TBBills Fan]

1 hour ago, Wagon Circler said:

Pac-Man is on the board?

 

 

no, just a member of his entourage

[corta765]

23 minutes ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

 

Right around where we have had our bye for the last couple of years. Maybe one week earlier. 

Bye's no longer coincide with Euro trip unless team wants it. Last two years bye was week 7, teams typically prefer a late bye so wouldn't be surprised if Buffalo is week 10-11ish this year.

[MattM]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Yep. International break is due to be 9th to the 17th. There will be soccer games in London on Saturday 7th if people want to fit one in during a visit. One would expect Spurs will be away on the Saturday (think the stadium turnaround takes about 48 hours) so that means the mighty Arsenal are likely to be at home. Although now we are good again tickets are likely gold dust. But there will be any number of other London based teams in the Premier League and Championship that are at home that weekend. 

 

As @BritBill says - soccer schedules will be released next month. 

Many thanks, GB--I'd love to see an Arsenal game while there. Toured Emirates Stadium a few years back, but have never been to a game there.
 

By "gold dust," do you mean almost impossible to get or just very expensive, and if the latter, any sense how much secondary market tickets might run?

Edited May 3, 2023 by MattM

[GunnerBill]

3 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

Lots to choose from:

 

Arsenal

Brighton

Brentford

Fulham

Chelsea 

 

Not quite sure if there’s another London area club that might be promoted up from the Championship. Maybe Millwall? 

 

 

 

There is West Ham too, and Crystal Palace. Brighton isn't London but is only about 90 minutes away. Luton is about an hour and they are in the Championship promotion race as are Millwall.

Edited May 3, 2023 by GunnerBill

[NoHuddleKelly12]

9 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

I would go but my electric bill is killing me $147 

They may defer it for you again if you explain just how difficult it’s been to locate your wallet? 🤔

Edited May 3, 2023 by NoHuddleKelly12

[GunnerBill]

48 minutes ago, MattM said:

Many thanks, GB--I'd love to see an Arsenal game while there. Toured Emirates Stadium a few years back, but have never been to a game there.
 

By "gold dust," do you mean almost impossible to get or just very expensive, and if the latter, any sense how much secondary market tickets might run?

 

The former, or try your luck with a tout and then the latter.... but Arsenal are really cracking down on touting. I get emails frequently telling me about touting rings that have been cracked and people who have bought them from touts not getting in. 

 

Will depend a little bit on who they get that week as well. If they are home to Bournemouth you have a shot. If it is home to Manchester United you have no chance (and the game would almost certainly be moved to Sunday and clash with the Bills too).

[BillsFan2313]

3 hours ago, Tenhigh said:

Yuck, I am going to  be in California that weekend.  A 6:30am Bills game?  Booooo!!!!

 

[SoCal Deek]

19 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

There is West Ham too, and Crystal Palace. Brighton isn't London but is only about 90 minutes away. Luton is about an hour and they are in the Championship promotion race as are Millwall.

Thanks

I forgot all about West Ham. I’ve never been too interested in going to the Olympic stadium. It looks cavernous on TV. We took a train down to Brighton last time just to see the coast. It was super easy and the town is cool! If I recall though the Amex stadium isn’t really near the train station. 

[OGTEleven]

36 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

Thanks

I forgot all about West Ham. I’ve never been too interested in going to the Olympic stadium. It looks cavernous on TV. We took a train down to Brighton last time just to see the coast. It was super easy and the town is cool! If I recall though the Amex stadium isn’t really near the train station. 

Well, the Bills are a small market team performing well of late with a loyal long starved fan base.  Why not drive 6 hours and see another team like that with an intro like this:

 

 

[SoCal Deek]

1 minute ago, OGTEleven said:

Well, the Bills are a small market team performing well of late with a loyal long starved fan base.  Why not drive 6 hours and see another team like that with an intro like this:

 

 

I may just take you up on it. 😂 We’ve already been to Leicester, Watford, Fulham, QPR, and Chelsea…along with Wembley and hopefully Tottenham of course. 

[BritBill]

1 hour ago, SoCal Deek said:

Thanks

I forgot all about West Ham. I’ve never been too interested in going to the Olympic stadium. It looks cavernous on TV. We took a train down to Brighton last time just to see the coast. It was super easy and the town is cool! If I recall though the Amex stadium isn’t really near the train station. 

I use this website when planning visits to grounds other than my team’s

 

https://footballgroundguide.com/

[Mr. WEO]

I'm in--long weekend in London.

[Malazan]

Every time I see this thread, I hope it's London Fletcher has found the fountain of youth and is coming back

[aristocrat]

I still have the scar from splitting my head open during the last London game. You better believe we’re headed back there. 
 

 

[SoCal Deek]

23 minutes ago, aristocrat said:

I still have the scar from splitting my head open during the last London game. You better believe we’re headed back there. 
 

 

Do tell. There’s gotta be a story connected to that. Sky diving? 

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, OGTEleven said:

Well, the Bills are a small market team performing well of late with a loyal long starved fan base.  Why not drive 6 hours and see another team like that with an intro like this:

 

 

 

I think St James's is my favourite stadium in England since they ruined Anfield. Brilliant atmosphere and being in Newcastle city centre on a Saturday night after they have won is like a non stop party.

 

But their recent improvement is not exactly a little guy done good tale so much as it is is a nation state buys a football club tale.

[SoCal Deek]

3 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I think St James's is my favourite stadium in England since they ruined Anfield. Brilliant atmosphere and being in Newcastle city centre on a Saturday night after they have won is like a non stop party.

 

But their recent improvement is not exactly a little guy done good tale so much as it is is a nation state buys a football club tale.

The hilarious one will be when Everton has to open their brand new harbor front stadium in the lower division. Yikes! 

[Tenhigh]

2 hours ago, BillsFan2313 said:

 

I will be at Power Trip watching Ozzy, Maiden, AC/DC and GnR, so not all bad...

[Roadrunner]

6 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

Ha! Thanks… I always forget about Crystal Palace. 

To be fair, Palace are quite forgettable (although I would say that, as a Brighton fan 😁). If the Bills trip to London coincides with a home game for Brighton then I'll be only too happy to advise on ticketing/travel. Depending on where you start from in London, you can get to The Amex in around an hour and a quarter by train. Brighton is a good option if you fancy seeing somewhere a bit 'different', and match tickets aren't completely unobtainable in the same way as the top London clubs. 

[SoCal Deek]

10 minutes ago, Roadrunner said:

To be fair, Palace are quite forgettable (although I would say that, as a Brighton fan 😁). If the Bills trip to London coincides with a home game for Brighton then I'll be only too happy to advise on ticketing/travel. Depending on where you start from in London, you can get to The Amex in around an hour and a quarter by train. Brighton is a good option if you fancy seeing somewhere a bit 'different', and match tickets aren't completely unobtainable in the same way as the top London clubs. 

Thanks!

We always stay just above the park at Kensington. Near Bayswater station. 

[aristocrat]

1 hour ago, SoCal Deek said:

Do tell. There’s gotta be a story connected to that. Sky diving? 

It was a hell of a bender. Basically flew the red eye overnight  got to Ireland the day of the rugby World Cup which was followed by the bengals game. I couldn’t fall asleep on the plan and basically they shut the lights out and everyone was asleep but me and it was free liquor on the flight.  The Irish won their rugby match that day which was wild and then we ran into a bunch of bills fans and we got smoked by the bengals which just kept it going. My girlfriend passed out and somehow I was wired and ended up at a strip club which is my last memory of the night. I walked in and I swear to god all the strippers were sleeping on the couches.  I asked the Bartender what happened and he was like the rugby World Cup wore em out! 
somehow I made it back to my condo as I have no recollection and I came in loud as hell and my now wife was in bed and im like let’s get it on and run and jump on the bed but jumped right over top of her bounced on the edge of the bed and back of my head on the night stand. I crawled to the bathroom and it was a murder scene. She’s a nurse so she like butterflied it for the night. I slept in the tub. 
 

I woke up the next morning with no idea what happened and what’s wrong with my head. She was like don’t be a ***** get ready we have to get on a train for Belfast. I kept asking her how bad it looks and she’s like you’re fine don’t touch it. We’re in line and I ask this lady how bad my head looked she goes Jesus ***** Christ what happened? She ended up super gluing it together lol

[BritBill]

1 hour ago, Roadrunner said:

To be fair, Palace are quite forgettable (although I would say that, as a Brighton fan 😁). If the Bills trip to London coincides with a home game for Brighton then I'll be only too happy to advise on ticketing/travel. Depending on where you start from in London, you can get to The Amex in around an hour and a quarter by train. Brighton is a good option if you fancy seeing somewhere a bit 'different', and match tickets aren't completely unobtainable in the same way as the top London clubs. 

Only time I’ve been to Brighton it was the Goldstone. 11am kick off on a Thursday morning.
 

The first game had been abandoned following on pitch protests by the Brighton fans. 

 

I was still at school so probably 1995/96 time. 

[BritBill]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I think St James's is my favourite stadium in England since they ruined Anfield. Brilliant atmosphere and being in Newcastle city centre on a Saturday night after they have won is like a non stop party.

 

But their recent improvement is not exactly a little guy done good tale so much as it is is a nation state buys a football club tale.

Villa Park and Hillsborough for

me. 

[GunnerBill]

10 minutes ago, BritBill said:

Villa Park and Hillsborough for

me. 

 

Ugh. I HATE Villa Park. It is like bottom of my list. Just something about the place. Hillsborough is good though. Although I haven't been for about 20 years. I was there the Di Canio day....

[SoCal Deek]

36 minutes ago, aristocrat said:

It was a hell of a bender. Basically flew the red eye overnight  got to Ireland the day of the rugby World Cup which was followed by the bengals game. I couldn’t fall asleep on the plan and basically they shut the lights out and everyone was asleep but me and it was free liquor on the flight.  The Irish won their rugby match that day which was wild and then we ran into a bunch of bills fans and we got smoked by the bengals which just kept it going. My girlfriend passed out and somehow I was wired and ended up at a strip club which is my last memory of the night. I walked in and I swear to god all the strippers were sleeping on the couches.  I asked the Bartender what happened and he was like the rugby World Cup wore em out! 
somehow I made it back to my condo as I have no recollection and I came in loud as hell and my now wife was in bed and im like let’s get it on and run and jump on the bed but jumped right over top of her bounced on the edge of the bed and back of my head on the night stand. I crawled to the bathroom and it was a murder scene. She’s a nurse so she like butterflied it for the night. I slept in the tub. 
 

I woke up the next morning with no idea what happened and what’s wrong with my head. She was like don’t be a ***** get ready we have to get on a train for Belfast. I kept asking her how bad it looks and she’s like you’re fine don’t touch it. We’re in line and I ask this lady how bad my head looked she goes Jesus ***** Christ what happened? She ended up super gluing it together lol

As Paul Harvey would’ve said…”and now you know the rest of the story”. (For a minute there we were headed into Penthouse Forum territory.)

[aristocrat]

2 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

As Paul Harvey would’ve said…”and now you know the rest of the story”. (For a minute there we were headed into Penthouse Forum territory.)

Lol it would have been…dear penthouse forum….I had whisky Dick 

[Punching Bag]

14 hours ago, BritBill said:

 

Teams played in London last season and didn't have a bye week the week after. It's not an automatic given.

 

According to NFL schedule guru interview  it the team's choice whether teams take a bye then. 

Many teams have adjust to travel to England and do not feel they need a bye.

[BritBill]

10 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Ugh. I HATE Villa Park. It is like bottom of my list. Just something about the place. Hillsborough is good though. Although I haven't been for about 20 years. I was there the Di Canio day....

 

When Winterburn ***** himself 🤣

 

Villa park was the first "other" ground I went to. Was about 1990/91. We'd played a game in Walsall and then went to Villa v Sheff Wed after. It finished 1-1. We were in the Trinity Road but at the Holte End side. I found the Holte End breath taking at the time. Went back late 2000s to watch England v Holland. Terrible game but still found Villa Park beautiful. 

[Roadrunner]

12 hours ago, BritBill said:

Only time I’ve been to Brighton it was the Goldstone. 11am kick off on a Thursday morning.
 

The first game had been abandoned following on pitch protests by the Brighton fans. 

 

I was still at school so probably 1995/96 time. 

 

Yep, I was at that one (vs York City I think). Right in the middle of our 'war years'. If you'd have told me then that almost 30 years on, after three different home grounds, Brighton would be pushing for a European place in front of sellout 32,000 crowds in a state of the art new stadium I would have questioned your sanity. 

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, BritBill said:

 

When Winterburn ***** himself 🤣

 

Villa park was the first "other" ground I went to. Was about 1990/91. We'd played a game in Walsall and then went to Villa v Sheff Wed after. It finished 1-1. We were in the Trinity Road but at the Holte End side. I found the Holte End breath taking at the time. Went back late 2000s to watch England v Holland. Terrible game but still found Villa Park beautiful. 

 

Yea and we lost 1-0 to 10 men with an injury time goal from their backup left back (think he was name Lee Briscoe?) 

 

I've just always found Villa Park very "meh". The atmosphere whenever I have been has ranged from "non-existent" to "toxic." I hate the tunnel in the corner thing, I don't think the view from the away section is all that great. I am normally a fan of the older grounds, I love Goodison despite the fact the facilities are atrocious, it smells, and it shakes... I just find Villa Park a bit soulless. 

[GunnerBill]

Just now, Roadrunner said:

 

Yep, I was at that one (vs York City I think). Right in the middle of our 'war years'. If you'd have told me then that almost 30 years on, after three different home grounds, Brighton would be pushing for a European place in front of sellout 32,000 crowds in a state of the art new stadium I would have questioned your sanity. 

 

And be one of the best run clubs in the country. It is the great shift of the last 15 years in English football I think that it kind of didn't used to matter if a club was a bit of a basket case behind the scenes, you could stumble across a good manager, sign a few star players and be successful. I don't think you can do that now. You look at the clubs who are being successful (relative to their status) and it is clubs who have really nailed it off the pitch, have a club strategy and ethos and bring managers and players in that fit that ethos rather than building around a manager or star players. Brighton, Brentford, Luton etc... on the other hand Manchester United have outspent everyone since Ferguson retired but have lurched from half baked strategy to half baked strategy hiring big name managers without ever developing a clear sense of who they want to be. And then the Boehly experiment so far at Chelsea. 

[SoCal Deek]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

And be one of the best run clubs in the country. It is the great shift of the last 15 years in English football I think that it kind of didn't used to matter if a club was a bit of a basket case behind the scenes, you could stumble across a good manager, sign a few star players and be successful. I don't think you can do that now. You look at the clubs who are being successful (relative to their status) and it is clubs who have really nailed it off the pitch, have a club strategy and ethos and bring managers and players in that fit that ethos rather than building around a manager or star players. Brighton, Brentford, Luton etc... on the other hand Manchester United have outspent everyone since Ferguson retired but have lurched from half baked strategy to half baked strategy hiring big name managers without ever developing a clear sense of who they want to be. And then the Boehly experiment so far at Chelsea. 

Gunner…question for our English contingent: Why does Fulham’s brand new riverside grandstand appear to be mostly roped off when I see it on TV? Are they having a problem with the stadium or is it that they can’t fill it? 

Edited May 4, 2023 by SoCal Deek

[BritBill]

17 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

Gunner…question for our English contingent: Why does Fulham’s brand new riverside grandstand appear to be mostly roped off when I see it on TV? Are they having a problem with the stadium or is it that they can’t fill it? 

 

I don't think it's quite finished yet. Delayed by the Covid. Ready for the start of next season by all accounts.

Edited May 4, 2023 by BritBill

[SoCal Deek]

7 minutes ago, BritBill said:

 

I don't think it's quite finished yet. Delayed by the Covid. Ready for the start of next season by all accounts.

Thanks

On television it looks like fans are sitting in the two outer ends of the upper deck but not in the middle of the upper grandstand, while the entire lower deck is full.  It reminds me of how Jacksonville puts a tarp over a large portion of their stadium. I sure hope they’re not having a problem after the construction.