Pre-match with The Koelsch in Leverkusen
I totally subscribe to the Steven Gerrard’s point of view. The gaffer said yesterday that he and the team miss the vocal support at Ibrox and from the travelling support. And we, the ones who create the noise miss being loud, doing the bouncy bouncy and simply having a nice day oot.
Weeks ago, when the draw vs Bayer04 made us all look forward to another trip to Cologne and neighbouring Leverkusen, I started to arrange accommodation for a few of my Glaswegian friends. Together with the great guys from Bochum Loyal RSC we discussed the best possible pubs to meet for some local refreshments and we all looked forward to another memorable away trip.
Many of you will remember that 1998/99 game in Leverkusen with Giovanni Van Bronckhorst and Johansson giving us a 2:1 away win. Next to the result it was probably one of the best trips ever. The pre game sash-up in Colognes Old Town district was a happy gathering of Blue Noses, the banter and our famous battle songs echoed around the Old Market Square for hours before we took off to the BayArena. A full stand was occupied by the No 1 Platoon and we all sang our hearts out for 90 plus minutes. You can find some nice German TV clips on YouTube, still giving me goose bumps.
What made the night even more remarkable for me was the way back to the Kölsch-Beer bars in Cologne. Only minutes before midnight I’ve been walking with a group of a few hundred happy Bears through the pedestrian tunnel leading from Cologne Central to the Old Market area. At 12 it was my good wife’s birthday so grabbed my mobile, rang my wife and started to sing “Happy Birthday“ to her. Seconds later everybody joined in, creating a wee copy of the famous walk under the bridge atmosphere right in the middle of Cologne.
Today will be totally different. No fans, no banners, no banter. And definitely no frantic atmosphere inside the ground. Yesterdays saw Steven Gerrard in an optimistic mood. “We know it will not be easy, it will be tough but we will do the best we can” he said. We will do likewise and support you. Noise or no noise. Let’s join the White Knuckles Supporters Club and follow follow on TV, on Facebook or mobiles.
Come on the Gers!
