Dont follow me, follow SUFC!

Well, its been awhile since we last spoke and I apologize for that. Life has been an exciting blur at the moment. I started work finally and I have plenty to share (although I dont have any pictures of the stadium or office yet!). My first day of work I think I made it through the day on sheer adrenaline due to the fact that I got about 2 hours worth of sleep. I had little worries though. The title of this entry was on a bumper sticker I saw on my way to work I knew it was going to be a good day. I managed to catch the right bus to the stadium and found myself 30 minutes early. Brian Dear, the man who picked me up from the airport was waiting outside the stadium. So as he was my ambassador to England, he was my ambassador to Roots Hall Football Ground, home of Southend United Football Club. The stadium was built in 1955 and it really shows. What it lacks in modern amentities, it more than makes up for in character. Reminiscent of Fenway Park, there are wooden seats and plenty of spots with obstructed views. Roots Hall holds a bit more than 12,000 fans. I tried to envision the stadium packed, like it was when the team famously beat Manchester United in the fourth round of the Carling Cup. I became really excited just to be there, but also a little bummed when I realized its still about two months until I'll see another live match.

After walking through the maze-like interior of the offices and lounges I was introduced to the commercial department, where I am currently employed. There are 8 people in the dept., making it the largest component of the front office for the club. The commercial dept is responsible for a lot of the 'behind-the-scenes' stuff. They renew the signage and advertising space throughout the stadium, they sell the corporate hospitality packages and executive boxes. The team media is also governed by the commercial dept. There are two media directors who oversee the content that goes on the official website (including video, interviews, etc.) The commercial dept also puts together all of the promotional events, like family day and the kids club. And then theres me..

Everyone is really nice in the office and has gone out of their way to make sure that I either feel comfortable or understand whats going on. I even have my own desk and computer, which quickly quelled the ongoing joke in my family that I would be donning the mascot uniform or working out of the storage closet (much to my relief). After a few days of being a near mute, I have started to pick up on office banter and I feel more comfortable speaking up when they are having a go at the American. Its funny because two of the guys in the office are on opposite sides of the fiercest rivalry in English football, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Anthony, a Spurs fan, loves to deride Dean the Arsenal fan and vice versa. Its funny stuff and I am stuck right in the middle because I sit between the two. And I must say that I side with Anthony because I like Spurs and I cannot stand Arsenal. The two will spend the early parts of their morning scouring the news to find something worth mentioning to continue this never-ending feud. Its really entertaining.

As for actual work (thats what I'm here for right?), the club has thrown me right to the wolves. The better part of my first week I spent analyzing the results of an online survey for fans. This survey was created by Anthony to gauge how the fans perceived the club and gave them an avenue to directly express their concerns or suggestions so that the club could better serve them. I think this was a good place for me to start as it gave me an outsider's insight of the club. It also got the ball rolling in my head to start churning out some ideas to make life easier for the fans (like a web-based forum to arrange carpools...the parking lot is a mess!). After analyzing the data I compiled it into an excutive report so that Anthony and I can deliver a presentation to the higher-ups. I wasnt lying when I said they have thrown me to the wolves here. My boss hasnt been here much longer than me, so the department is in a transitional phase. He is full of energy and has really big plans for the club so I think this is an exciting time to be around Southend United. Apparently this club has one of the best data management systems in the country and it has been grossly underutilized. This system keeps track of the data of anyone who comes into contact with the football club, whether it be they buy a ticket for just one game, or they have been to every game for the past 20 years. So now I am working on a project that is helping find all the bugs and glitches in the system so that we can really start putting this to good use.

The work atmosphere from what I've noticed here is much more relaxed than in the US. People work their 40 hours a week and not much more. They appreciate being able to go home and have dinner with their families and enjoy their weekends as well. I got kicked out of the office one day at 5:30, I was told that everyone is forced to go home then. So even if you wanted to work late, you cant. Its kinda nice.

Thursday the Football Association released the schedules for the upcoming season and I will have the chance to see three home matches at Roots Hall before I leave. They open the season at home against Leyton Orient for a local derby (pronounced 'darby'). A derby is a game played against two rivals who play close to one another. Some of the bigger derbies include the aforementioned North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, while the Liverpool derby between Liverpool and Everton is an intense rivalry. The team then hosts a Carling Cup match at home against Cheltenham before taking to the road at Leeds. Which was one of my favorite teams growing up, not sure why. When I showed my eagerness to visit Elland Road, my colleagues didnt share the same fervor. Supposedly, Leeds isnt the nicest place to visit and the Leeds United fans dont take too kindly to away supporters. So I will have to weigh my options on that one. That might be a good weekend for me to go see a Premiership match in London as many of the teams I want to see (namely Chelsea) play when I will be working at the Southend games. I am hoping that I can scoot into London and catch a game. The following weekend Southend is back home to face Millwall another London side and these two hold a grudge against one another, so it should be another entertaining home match. Lastly I can finish up my trip here with a drive down to Brighton on the weekend (anyone catch the reference?). I spent the latter part of my Thursday mapping out which Premiership games I could potentially see. The release of the schedule has me all fired up to see some real football. Also, West Ham United, the closest Premiership side to Southend has agreed to come play a friendly at Roots Hall, so if I dont make it to a Premiership game at least I'll have seen a Premiership team play.


Ok enough about work, lets get to the fun stuff.

Play On:

+ I joined a gym finally. I was getting sick of not doing anything and I joined Fitness First, which is convenient to get to as it is on the bus route. I still havent gotten used to using the metric system and so I find myself guess how much weight I am lifting. Also, its worth noting that this place plays the most depressing music. The last thing I want to listen to while I am on the treadmill or lifting weights is 'When a Man Loves a Woman' by Michael Bolton. Michael Bolton and the gym is like drinking and driving..it just doesnt mix.

+ Speaking of crime, I found myself in a conversation at school discussing the whereabouts of McGruff the Crime Dog. I thought he had been kicked to the curb but I am happy to report that he is currently leading a campaign to fight cyber crime. Its good to have him back.


Welcome Back.

+ Chips (read: French fries) come with just about every meal you could possibly think of. Really strange combos too. I had a chicken caesar salad the other day and it came with a side of chips. People really like their potatoes over here I guess.

+ The crisps (or potato chips as I like to call them) come in some really really weird flavors. Why go through the hassle of waiting for the chef to prepare a leg of lamb when you can just have lamb and mint flavored crisps? Why pay market price for some prawns when you can get the same flavor in a bag of prawn cocktail crisps? In the words of some anonymous philosopher, some questions are better left unanswered.

+ I found out that the best player on Southend United, Freddy Eastwood, is a gypsy. He lives in a caravan on land that he and his 'tribe' took for themselves on the outskirts of town. Interesting.

+ Remember that minaret I told you about on my train ride to London? Well it turns out that it is remnants of a castle built in the 13th century. I took a bike ride last Sunday to visit the ruins known as Hadleigh Castle. My trek took me down the coast into Leigh-on-Sea, which is a very old fishing town, complete with narrow cobble stone roads. It was very rustic and just reeked of history. I then had to cut up north and biked through these vast fields until I came across the castle. I found myself feeling like I was on hollowed ground as I reached this towering tribute to a long-forgotten era. The best part about it was how it was open to the public. It was a beautiful day and many families enjoyed a nice picnic in the company of ancient royalty.


I looked for Excalibur, but it wasnt here.

+ I have yet to see Gatorade over here. I did see one store that had some alternate version of Powerade, but that’s about it. Most places carry Lucozade, which is the official energy drink of the Premier League. It comes in two flavors, lemon-lime and orange. I haven’t had the lemon-lime one, but the orange Lucozade tastes eerily similar to Sunny Delight. Now I know that Sunny D was the beverage of choice back when I was a hyperactive 7 year-old (it sure beat soda and the purple stuff), but I’m not convinced that this is what a world class football player would need after running around for 90+ minutes.

+ Also to the few of you who are keeping track from school, I had apple JUICE DRINK. Yes, you read that correctly, it was juice and drink.

+ I am just starting to catch on to some of the slang and common terminology used around here. The phrase I had the most difficulty with was “Are you alright?”, which to me sounds like that person thinks theres something wrong with me and that maybe I need to see a doctor. But it actuality it’s another way of asking “How are you?”. Just thought I’d let you know.

+ Now for the triumphant return of Weird Car of the Week! This week there is a double dose. Please Note: I stopped taking real photographs because I don’t want to run the risk of the owner watching me photograph their car. It would be a really awkward moment.

+ The Ford Ka: For all the alleged financial troubles Ford Motor Company is having, you wouldn’t know that over here. I see Fords everywhere. This car most especially, it might actually be the most common car I see when I’m out and about.


The egg on wheels.

There is so much going on with this car that I don’t even know where to begin. First of all, the name. Ka? That’s the best the Ford marketing team could come up with? Its like one of the geniuses was like, ‘I really like the Boston accent’ and someone else chimes in with, ‘yeah, me too, lets call it Kah!’ and the accountant in the meeting interrupts their excitement and says, ‘if we drop the ‘h’ it will save us x amount of dollars when we manufacture the name plates’ and then everyone at the meeting in unison, ‘BRILLIANT!’.. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been waiting to write that. Anyways, the car looks like a deformed egg. The thing that really bugs me the most is how the rear axle looks. You cant really tell from the picture but in person, it looks like the rear axle is angled outwards. Although I think its like an optical illusion due to the lack of a definitive rear bumper and the curvy nature of the car. Lastly, the two-tone cars need to go, I really feel like Ford was trying to be frugal here and just took leftovers from other cars and put this together. With all of that said, the people over here love this car. Crazy Europeans.

+ The Nissan Micra:


Is this what the Beetle sees when it looks at itself in the mirror?

I don’t think Nissan got the memo, this car was already invented, its called a Volkswagen Beetle. The first time I saw one of these, I did a double-take. I thought it might have been a new version of the Beetle; that’s why I was shocked when I saw the Nissan logo. I suppose its not really that bad of a car, it’s a bit tiny though. However, it scores negative points on the originality scale in a huge way.







It merits mentioning that theres nothing better than listening to the tide coming and going. I’m not rubbing it in, I promise!

Come On England!

Tired, hungry, and bored, the two minutes I took to stop and smell the roses turned out to be the best decision I made in recent history. I walked out of the gates of the park and saw a group of England fans headed my way (my detective skills told me so due to everyone wearing an England national jersey). My map didnt have Wembley on it and it looked like these guys knew where they were going. So I asked them how to get to Wembley and one of them (wearing a yankees hat of all things) started to point out the directions. Noticing that Wembley was off the map and I clearly was from out of town he extended an invitation to have a beer and enjoy the pregame atmosphere with him and his friends. I duly obliged. It was a no-brainer. I was looking for some company and these guys seemed like diehards I had always envisioned England being full of. After being down in the doldrums my spirits were given just the boost they needed. I started small talk with a few of them on my way to whatever pub they had in mind. All six of them were from a town called Wolverhampton, which is a fair distance north of London, closer to Manchester than London, I believe. All but one was a lifelong Wolverhampton Wanderers fan, a team that plays in the Championship and narrowly missed out on a promotion to the Premiership. I found out through conversation that Wolves overachieved last season and really didnt have much of a chance to move up. The one anomaly was an Aston Villa fan. His grandfather was a Villa fan and so it was just ingrained into his head as a young child. The pledge of allegiance to a team has always been intriguing, but I've always enjoyed knowing why someone likes a particular team. We walked about a half-mile or so before we reached our pregame destination, The Globe. It was your basic London pub and it was on a corner. This place had the ability to take advantage of nice days with its sidewalk patio, and Friday was no exception. Fans were all over the place, I am sure that you are sick of the Red Sox references but its the only way I can compare the two: Imagine Yawkey Way before the first pitch but on a main road in London. Fans spilled out onto the street and there was no chance of you rounding the corner on the sidewalk. The place was really buzzing. It was the first full international match for England back at Wembley, world favorites Brazil were in town, and a certain David Beckham was back in the lineup. It was going to be the first match for Becks since being dropped from the team after another disappointing World Cup run in 2006. The focus of the conversation with my newfound friends often turned to David Beckham and what kind of impact he would have on the MLS. I told them that I really think he could help the MLS turn the corner, I gave a few reasons and they seemed to buy it. I took a moment and realized that I just convinced a handful of English football fans that David Beckham belongs in the US. I was fairly proud of myself. As we sipped our beers and talked about travels, what sights I should see, and more importantly football, the topic of how I got my ticket and what I paid for it came up. When I told them the amount I paid, they all grimaced and laughed, but they were impressed with my efforts. Due to the fact that it was my first real football match and my financial loss they bought me a beer, a nice consolation prize. The time was beginning to grow short so we finished our beer and headed towards the closest tube station, baker street (I wonder if that was the baker street that Gerry Raferty referred to?). We managed to catch the tube that was just about to leave. I all my years of using public transportation I can say that without a doubt that was the most God awful experience I ever had. I barely had enough room for my lungs to expand in order to accommodate the incoming oxygen. If I had a genie at that moment in time, I would have wished for him to temporarily suspend my sense of smell. Thats how bad it reeked, not to mention it was about 138 degrees (Fahrenheit, I have no clue what the conversion is for Centigrade) inside the subway car. In order to pass the time, one of the guys attempted to explain cricket to me. I just smiled and nodded. We finally reached our stop and walked out to Olympic Way (Wembley is the focal point of the London 2012 Olympics) and there loomed the most awe-inspiring structure I had ever laid my eyes on.


Finally!

I had never seen such an imposing stadium before, nothing in the US rivals this modern day Colosseum, nothing. We and 90,000 others made our way down the street, it was still about a quarter-mile ahead. There were people everywhere, all you could was just walk behind the person in front of you. The fans were very lively, singing all types of songs and chants. Although I applaud their candor, the songs were very unoriginal. They were basically just saying 'England' repeatedly to the tunes of different songs, like the 'Ole, Ole, Ole' song. My personal favorite was 'I'm England til I Die!'. It was interesting to hear some people singing 'Ring of Fire' by Johnny Cash. Apparently this is an unofficial theme song for Liverpool (think Sweet Caroline). I made my way to the top of the ramp and parted ways with the guys from Wolverhampton as they were sitting on the opposite side of the stadium. Before I went inside I took a second to soak it all in. I looked behind me and there was just wave after wave of people entering Wembley. I never went to the Million Man March, but I have a feeling it looked something similar to what I was seeing.


The thousands of faithfuls are returning to the 'Cathedral of Football' according to Pele.

I made my way to the gate and officially entered Wembley. The architects of Wembley were smart ones. In most stadiums, if you have a seat in the south side of the stadium, you went over there and entered through the same gate as everyone else who was sitting in the south end, regardless of what level. At Wembley, not only do they take into account what end you are sitting in, but what level as well. So each level has its own entrance. I was in the west end on level 5 so I entered through Gate E with only other people in the west end level 5. Common sense goes a long way. It was a breeze to get to my seat. I just had to go up a few flights of escalators and I was at my seat. It was just about time for the players to come out and everyone was hurrying to find their seats. I read the rules and regulations on one of the postings and I found reason number 235 why I love football: prolonged use of a mobile phone is grounds for ejection from the stadium. I was thrilled to read that; there is nothing worse than sitting near a person at a game who is more interested in the he said/she said on the phone than whats happening on the field. Reason number 236: excessive and unneccessary standing is also cause for removal. So theres a chance that 'that guy' doesnt exist in England (at least at Wembley anyway). In what seemed like hours, the teams finally took the pitch, my first real match was underway.


The teams taking the pitch.

The English national anthem gave me goosebumps, everyone was just so excited to be back at Wembley after the 8-year absence. It would be like losing Madison Square Garden for 8 years.


This needs to be incorporated in more US sporting events.



Thank You.

At the start of the match everyone was glued to the action, it was filled with singing and chanting from all parts of the stadium. I figured that this was just people getting all of the energy out of them in one fell swoop and that it would quiet as the game went along. This was far from the case. Every person in that stadium, old and young, did not lose their focus nor their intensity towards the game. Reason number 14 for my love of football: football seems to be the only sport where fans applaud something that could have happened. A player might make a nifty move to get past a defender and then send a pass that happens to be just a bit too high above the jumping teammate looking for a header into the net. In most cases the fans will clap for the fact that the player had the skill and speed to beat a defender and the vision to find an open teammate across the field. Its a wonderful example of how fans just truly appreciate and understand the game and the talent necessary to play it. Although there are surely casual fans, I couldnt spot any at Wembley during the game.

The game was deadlocked at half 0-0 with both teams having a few chances to put one on the scoreboard. Knowing that this was my only chance to use the restroom without missing any action, I made my way down. To be honest I was curious to see what the bathrooms looked like because as I had mentioned in previous posts I had did some research on the stadium and one of the boasts was that it had more toilets than any other facility on the planet. I was expecting to walk into a porcelain palace with hardly any wait. What I got was a ten minute wait only to share a trough with about 20 other guys. I find the whole 'most toilets' claim a bit debateable.

I returned to my seat for the second half and the fans picked up right where they left off. To be fair, the Brazilian fans deserve acknowledgment as well. They were vastly outnumbered but there were a few times where their chants echoed louder than any English chant. Not to mention there was constant Samba music; brass horns accompanied with drums. It was really fun watching them enjoy the game. Its like one big party to them. Not to mention they were hard to miss. They were a yellow and green blob in a sea of red.


The Brazilians always know how to have fun.

Back to the action on the pitch, England finally broke the deadlock when Captain John Terry headed home a free kick from none other than Mr. Beckham himself. The place went nuts. I think it reached decibel levels where if it was a factory it would be illegal not to wear ear plugs. Shortly after, Beckham was replaced and walked off the field to a standing ovation from the fans, its neat to see how much he meant to his country firsthand. When he was walking off, I heard the most creative song all night, David Beckham has his own song and everyone was singing it, but I couldnt quite make out the words. Fans seemed happy with the result, beating a Brazil squad featuring Ronaldinho and Kaka. But just as I was thinking that England played a great game, a costly lapse in concentration allowed Brazil to score a last-gasp equalizer. The Brazilian contingency went nuts. The final whistle blew and England fans walked out like they had just left a funeral. It was quite depressing to see that after all the excitement surrounding the homecoming before the game and up until the last minute of the game. In all truth, it was a fair result as Brazil were unlucky to capitalize on earlier chances in the game. I had to wait about 30 minutes just to get on a tube train in equally unpleasant conditions as when I arrived. And as tired as I was I really didnt mind, I just witnessed two of the greatest teams of my time play in the greatest stadium in the world (FINALLY!).


(Note from the ref: If you were hoping to get weird car of the week and other information (seeing how I started my internship this week), its going to have to wait until this weekend as Wembley is more than worthy of its own blog post.)

London Calling

Friday I made my first foray into the capital of the Olde Empire and what a place it is. My day started bright and early as I had to catch a train from Southend to the city. I caught the 8 am C2C which is pretty much the commuter rail. So all the business type were rumbling and bumbling about on the same commute they have been making for god knows how long now. The train ride was extremely smooth and very quiet, I was really impressed. I took a window seat to make sure that I saw what we were traveling through. It was mostly cowfields and pastures, but it was all new to me so I didnt mind. There was one particular field we went through that seemed to have an old minaret tower that just stood alone, I'm not sure what it was but it looked very cool but it just came and went along with the rest of the scenery. I had to stop off in Upminster which--from the 5 minutes I was in the town--seems very well-to-do. A place where you would find proper Englishmen and Englishwomen. Perhaps the most important exchange of the day happened during my brief encounter with Upminster, I got my ticket for the match later on at Wembley!


The Golden Ticket.

After that brief hiatus my trip got back on track and I got back on a C2C train. Shortly thereafter arrived at Fenchurch Street, London. If I had known any better I would have stretched because I walked all over the place. My first order of business took me to BUNAC on Bowling Green Lane. BUNAC is responsible for producing my student visa which allows me to work over here in the UK. So I bought a day pass on the Underground (Tube) which would be my primary mode of transportation for the day (or so I thought). Once at BUNAC I had to go to a mandatory meeting about the basics of living in England, like the taxes, health care and so forth. To be honest though, I really wasnt all that attentive and I probably should have been. I just wanted to get out and see the city. What I did learn from the session was that London is divided into different zones, with start with Zone 1 (the center of the city) and Zones 2-5 form rings around the center with 5 being the farthest away, like a bullseye. After finishing up at the BUNAC headquarters I had the rest of the day to myself and decided to walk to the US embassy to register as an American in the UK. I wanted to walk rather than taking the tube because I would miss much of the city. So me, my ipod, and map were left to our own devices. The layout of the city is very similar to Boston with the random one-way streets as well as streets that just defy logic or common sense everyway possible. So I felt confident that I could take London head-on. I made sure take in my surroundings and it was amazing to see all of these old buildings, like at the Tower Hill tube station, which features London Tower as well as a wall dating back to when the Romans were conquering Celtic and Saxon tribes. My trek to the embassy led me from the east side of Zone 1 to the west side and it was very much a stop-and-go affair for various reasons. Either I was double checking my map, browsing a store or taking pictures. The first store that caught my eye was a small shop called signedsports.com, which was a football memorabilia shop owned by an enthusiastic Scotsman. He had wall to wall covered with framed jerseys or photos signed by various players. Needless to say, I couldnt afford anything in that store but they were fun to peruse. I made small talk with the owner about how I was going to watch my first football match at the new Wembley and his demeanor quickly changed. He went from the terse Scotsman owner to the fellow football fan in the blink of an eye. He told me how his business partner's son played for the England national U-16 squad and how he watched them play at Wembley a week before. He then told me how amazing the stadium was and how I was lucky that I managed to find a ticket. He then went on for about 10 minutes about how I should travel to the stadium. I appreciated his fervor; I kept the post-it note with his directions as a memento even though I didnt end up going to the stadium his way. After I left his store I made a more concerted effort to make it to the US Embassy. It was fairly straightforward on the map, but once I started walking things just didnt match up with the map. For one thing, streets in London have a habit of changing names depending on where you are, which is nothing new coming from Boston. But one major difference is that there are no street signs on the corners of blocks. Rather there are little signs that are attached to the sides of the buildings on the corner of the block and face the street. So if you want to know what intersection you are at, you have to stop and play a quick little game of 'Wheres Waldo'. And just when you thought you were getting the hang of it, some of the newer buildings dont have signs on them at all.


Oh there you are.

So I finally caught on and was making good time to the embassy (or at least I thought I was doin ok) and I couldnt help but notice all the people holding signs on the sidewalks telling passers-by to visit a store. There had to be at least 5-10 people per block holding a sign telling me to visit some back alley gift shop or visit Subway for the 'Friday Mint Lamb special'. Talk about aggressive adverstising, each shop basically had a full time marketer on every street I walked by. So I made it to the embassy and they were doing construction on the building. Therefore in typical American fashion I was made to walk very far out of the way to finally get to the entrance. Continuing in typical American fashion, I waited in line for about 15 minutes until someone came up to me and told me that I did not even need to register with the embassy and pointed out some small print in the back of my passport. American Government-42023 Me-0. So feeling defeated and hunger quickly setting in I needed to find a place to eat. I noticed on my map that there was a discount for an Italian restaurant that I passed a few blocks back on the edge of Soho. So I put an extra hop in my step back to the restaurant and the extra distance was worth it for the discount. London is an expensive city. Feeling revitalized after my chicken caesar salad I noticed that it was only 3 o'clock, meaning only one thing. I still had 5 hours to kill before kickoff. Browsing my map I found meerkats telling me to get off at the Camden Town tube stop and visit them at the London Zoo. I figured what the hell, I'm going to visit some meerkats. So I took the tube to Camden Town (which is in Northern London in Zone 2) and headed to Regent's Park, home of the London Zoo, with every intention of seeing some meerkats and their animal friends. When I got there I must say I was mildly unimpressed with the Zoo. There wasn't a whole lot to see or do and frankly the habitats left a lot to be desired. I can only imagine how the giraffe feels with his sprawling 20 yards of serengeti (sorry I'm a bit biased, I spent a large portion of my childhood at the world famous San Diego Zoo). But it was a zoo and there are always entertaining animals like the gorillas to make it worthwhile.


Hello.

I took my time and made sure to see everything before the 5:30 closing time. I walked through the rest of Regent's Park, which looks absolutely gorgeous with well-cared for gardens and big oak trees. I wish I took more time to enjoy the park but I was growing weary and I just wanted to fast forward to kickoff at Wembley to be honest. I was running out of gas and I reached the point where the idea of actually getting to Wembley, nowhere near where I was at the time (I know good planning on my part), was starting to detract from my excitement of attending the game. I reached the end of Regent's Park and I took a moment to stop and smell the roses, literally. And you know what? Life has a funny way of working sometimes. Im glad that I took that moment and I'll tell you why tomorrow...Wembley gets its own blog article.

Sitting on a Parkbench Older than My Country

Well I finally made it and I can thank British Airways for getting me here in one piece. I would definitely recommend flying with them to anyone. The flights are a little on the expensive side but worth the extra money. The seats are comfortable, the food is decent and the service is helpful. You also get a little tv screen to watch movies and the like. My favorite channel showed you exactly where the plane was at all time. If they had this when I was younger I would have been the best behaved child on the planet. I was picked up by a worker at the club named Brian Dear. He reminded me of 'Brick Top' from the movie 'Snatch'. He was just as foul-mouthed, wore glasses and even looked a bit like him. Needless to say, we hit it off great and found plenty to talk about during our travels through the rolling hills and green pastures, namely football (soccer). I came to find out that Brian played for the East London side West Ham United back in the 60's and holds a few records as well. He scored 5 goals in 20 minutes in a game in 1965 vs. West Bromwich Albion and also has a European Cup Winner's Medal, which predated today's Champions League. It was interesting to hear him talk about his days as a football pro. He even traveled with his team to the US to take on teams in the North American Soccer League. He mentioned the names of Clive Toye and Phil Woosnam, two Englishmen who helped sign Pele to the New York Cosmos and also the subject of the excellent book I'm reading, "Once in a Lifetime" by Gavin Newsham. I spent a majority of my transatlantic flight reading about these two and the man driving me home knew them personally, amazing.

When we arrived in Southend, Brian stopped at Pizza Hut and I got some pizza, but it was nothing like the pizza I know and love back home. It tasted like flavored cardboard with plastic pepperoni on it. I should have known better. We soon arrived at my destination, The Waverley. A quaint bed and breakfast right on the River Thames. Quaint is a funny word, the only two instances I have ever heard it used is describing either a town or a house. Anyways, Cherryl the owner seems very nice and helped me to my room, which is just a tad smaller than a single dorm room. What it lacks in size it more than makes up for in the beautiful view I have. I have a balcony that overlooks the beaches and river. Its really nice, have a look yourself:


Ok ok, It was low tide and cloudy, but as the day passed it became beautiful out. 65 and sunny..and I cant wait to see a sunset.

This morning I enjoyed an early homemade English breakfast with two local cricket players who had a match in Southend today. For some reason the English love tomatoes. Having walked around town, every breakfast menu includes tomatoes has part of the meal, very strange. Even stranger is the bacon, its not the thin strips that Michael Scott wakes up to every morning on his George Forman but rather more akin to a slice of ham that tastes like bacon. Like a man on a mission I set out to take on Southend after breakfast. I had plenty to do. I walked along the waterfront towards the longest pier in the world. The waterfront reminds me a lot of either Hampton Beach or Nantasket minus the decay. There are little waterfront arcades, restaurants and even Adventure Island, a small theme park. I then made my way up the hill inland towards High Street, the downtown crossing of Southend. The first shop I entered was Poundland--essentially a dollar store. I bought some necessities and tolietries. After that out of the way I made my next purchase a UK mobile phone. I went to a place called O2 and if you didnt know any better you would have thought you were walking into an armani store that just happened to display cell phones. They had these exotic displays for the phones, like in grass and in water and whatnot. It was intense. Even the packaging that my phone came in was exquisite:


Not your average box.

That was pretty much it for what I needed to do for the day so I just wandered around aimlessly just taking in the sights and sounds. I made plenty of mental notes that I saved to share.

Observations:

+ There is no 1 pound note, its a coin. So a few times I have gone through my wallet looking for a note and it doesnt exist. Thankfully for me I have years of experience of paying with coins. I spent four years of high school paying for lunch using quarters from my mom's coin jar. Thanks mom.

+ It seems as though everyone smokes here, I cant turn anywhere without seeing someone ripping a rod. Even youngsters. You can smoke in restuarants too, but that going to change on July 1st (with a minor uproar Im sure).

+The Waverley has a tap of Carlsberg and I couldnt be happier. However, I had a Carling today and it was everything I dreamt it was. It may surpass Carlsberg as my favorite beer by the end of the Summer. If you sponsor a football trophy (The Carling Cup) it clearly has to be a cut above the rest.

+ 70% of the eating establishments are take-out kitchens that are nothing but the kitchen. Theres no room to eat inside. You walk in the door and theres a tiny lobby with an menu over the ordering window and the kitchen in the back and thats it. The Pizza Hut I went to last night was like that.

+ I saw more rugbys than I did soccer balls, which was somewhat surprising. I did see a group of kids playing in a nearby park however. The jersey of choice around here is definitely an England National team jersey, with Manchester United the next most popular. I saw a few Chelsea jerseys so I'm safe around here I think. I thought that was interesting because the closest Premiership team to here is West Ham United and I only saw one jersey, maybe it was laundry day.

+ Bad News: I still havent gotten used to how people drive on the opposite side of the road so Im a likely target for a hit-and-run.

+ Good News: These cars are so small that if I do in fact get hit, the injuries would amount to no more than a charlie horse.

+ Parking lots/garages are called 'car parks' and they have this genius meter in front of the entrance to the lot that calculates how many spaces are open based on how many times the gates had opened for those who are either coming or going. The US needs these. Theres nothing worse than seeing a sign out front of a parking lot that says 'full' when you can clearly see a handful of open spots.

+ As aformentioned the cars here are extremely small and economical. If the gas prices in the US ever reached the heights they are here, there will be a mutiny, I bet my 9th child's life on it. Aside from freight trucks or work vans, the largest personal car I've seen is a Toyota Rav-4. No SUVs, and its kinda nice.

+ Speaking of cars, its time for the debut of:

WEIRD CAR OF THE WEEK!

I have seen so many strange automobiles that I thought it would be fun to keep tabs on all of the hottest rides in the UK. Without further ado, here is the inaugural entry.



This Vauxhall is part station wagon/part paddy wagon. It is closely related to the mullet with its business in the front/party in the back attitude. The racing stripe is optional. I have seen a few of these around town today and I am sure they are pratical for local repairmen and the like, but damn those things are ugly.


Alright I'm off to find a nice pub, sit down and have myself a meal. Tomorrow is the match at Wembley (finally!) and I'll let you know how that went later on this weekend. Cheers!

P.S. If anyone notices me typing with 's' rather than 'z' like materialise rather than materialize please stop me. The letter 'z' gets little love as it is.

I Dream of Napoleon in Aquamarine

Kele from Bloc Party had one hell of a dream; it’s one that would make even Jerry Garcia envious. While Kele has been reminiscing of European history in Technicolor, I have been dreaming of the ultimate stadium, Wembley. I have seen this mecca of a stadium on television. It is the cathedral for the world religion of soccer. It has been closed for the past seven years in order to receive the proper refurbishing (I read up on the stadium history so that I would feel worthy enough to enter the gates of England’s version of Graceland). As a result, I have made it a mission to visit London’s 90,000-seater when I'm overseas. Whether it is on a tour or actually watch a match with my own two eyes as long as I get to step inside this piece of heaven on earth. As luck would have it England is playing Brazil in an international friendly next Friday (June 1st). Two of world’s greats on the same pitch; I have been scrounging for tickets all week. I finally hit jackpot on Thursday. One ticket in section 503 (read: nosebleeds!) costing me an arm and a leg. But you know what? I really don’t mind. I’m going to the greatest stadium in the world and seeing the likes of Ronaldinho, Robinho, Kaka’, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, and the return of David Beckham. Wembley is sold out and the English fans are going to give the England squad a proper welcome home. My first foray into the beautiful game is going to be a baptism by unwavering passion and intensity accompanied by Brazilian Samba music and I could not be more excited.

Play on:

I watched the Champions League Final on Wednesday and it was a highly entertaining match. It was a back and forth affair but the end result was a disappointment. It made me cringe to watch another Italian side win a major trophy. I’m no soccer genius but I think that Liverpool should have taken Bolo Zenden off after he showed futility on the left flank. Once AC Milan scored that fluke goal, Rafa Benitez should have put Harry Kewell on. He really didn’t have much time to put his mark on the game. Adding to Liverpool’s woes was the fact that Steven Gerrard’s world class ability eluded him. He seemed very ordinary as he miffed a chance to equalize after creating a dangerous turnover in Milan’s end. Liverpool often relies on Gerrard and his talent to win games. Unfortunately for the Reds, Gerrard did not find the back of the net. Milan put another one in the net and the game seemed out of reach. Peter Crouch came on too late to make an impact and although Dirk “the Gargoyle” Kuyt’s late consolation made things interesting, but it was too little too late.

My farewell tour led me to Boston earlier this week with a trip to the ICA. This building might look like a giant storage facility on the waterfront, but its full of awesome and equally bizarre artwork. Thanks to my tour guide I was able to see the best of what this place had to offer. On a nice day I recommend taking a few moments and just watching the busy Boston Harbor; I’ve always been a sucker for the salt air. The best part about this place is that its pretty cheap, $10 for students and its free on Thursday’s from 5 pm- 9 pm. I capped off my night with a dinner at Brown Sugar, a great Thai place on Comm Ave near BU. The service is good, nauseatingly good. Just expect a ton of water refills. If you like Thai food then I highly suggest you visit, but I have just one caveat, don’t get the Thai Tea. Not only does it taste terrible, but it will never quench your thirst. The weather was warm, the T was bumping and the 'R's were nonexistant; I’m going to miss Boston.

And now we play the waitin' game...

After many many emails, I finally got the one I was looking for. Southend United has made a lifelong dream come true. I'll finally have a chance to see the beautiful game in all its glory while working for Southend. ARRIVING IN ENGLAND CANNOT COME SOON ENOUGH.

I have spent countless hours becoming a student of the game, preparing for barstool debates with passionate locals. I am proactively working to fight the stigma of an American football fan. Youtube, ESPN's Soccernet, and fifa.com have become second nature to me. I watch gamecasts and less than legal transmissions of games, not to mention Fox Soccer Channel at home (FSC to those in the know).

With a trip to England not yet secured I planned on following the English leagues as much as possible for that extra motivation to get overseas. This past season had started off with a bang, both my Chelsea Home Kit and my Liverpool scarf arrived on the same day. Seems like a bit of a contradiction I know, but you cant go wrong with a scarf that says "You'll never walk alone". I wore my new Drogba jersey almost everyday eagerly anticipating the new season and finally felt like a true fan. Then the games actually started. Chelsea lost its first (albeit quite meaningless) match when it played Liverpool in the Community Shield. Looking back on it, that was a taste of what was to come, as Chelsea lost to Liverpool twice and more importantly, ruined a chance at a Champions League final (AGAIN). A season full of promise left Chelsea with just the Carling Cup at one point, but the season was salvaged by an extra time goal from Didier this past weekend to win the FA Cup over Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. Being the eternal optomist that the Red Sox have taught me to become, there is always next year to see the Blues lift the Champions League Trophy. Perhaps my planned visit to Stamford Bridge will ignite a dormant fire in the players and spur them on to long-awaited European glory. Hey, it could happen (McWORRRRRRRLD!!)

Other disappointments from this season:
- Cristiano Ronaldo becoming FA player of the year over the Ref's favorite, Didier Drogba. He's basically the A-Rod of the EPL; theres no doubting his talents and he's more clutch than A-Rod will ever be, but he is flamboyant, whiny, plays for the wealthiest team and oftentimes his sexuality is called into question just like his American counterpart. Brothers from a different mother, you heard it here first.



- Seeing Michael Carrick sell his soul and sign with Man Utd. He was a likeable favorite at Spurs (another favorite of the Ref), now hes just left with no dignity and more money than I will ever see in my life.

- Man Utd winning Premiership Title, this is probably the last team that I would want to see win, with Arsenal being a close second.

- Most importantly it was unfortunate to see Southend United unable to avoid the drop. I was looking forward to the chance of seeing them in the Championship, but alas it was not meant to be. League One here we come.

All was not lost. As much as I make it seem that way. During that span Bloc Party came out with a new album 'A Weekend in the City' and also tore the lid off the Orpheum in Boston. Clive Tyldesley and Andy Gray burst onto the scene and tirelessly provided hours and hours of commentary in the tightest of matches and the biggest of blowouts in FIFA 07. The two guided my friends Chris, Tebo, and I through heartache and ectasy and I probably would not have made it through a school year without them. Turning 21 also had its benefits and as a result The Harp became a great place to watch a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon kickoff for the knockout stages of the Champions League. If you are ever in the Amherst, MA area I highly recommend (don't be fooled into thinking The Pub is actually a pub).

Last but not least I will finally be venturing out of the North American continent. It's something I've always wanted to do but I never actually thought it would happen. The chance to work for Southend United and the thought seeing a football match in person gives me chills, I wish I could describe it better than that. May 30th is sandbagging worse than me.

Now if you'll excuse me I have to go watch the FA Cup highlight show on FSC for the umpteenth time.