Strangest place you've watched the Whites

[Montreal Wanderer]

For me, the place wasn't so strange as the situation. I was in boarding school at Glastonbury for the 1958 Cup Final when Nat and the boys beat the scum. I was the only person from Bolton and the only BWFC supporter in a room with 100 odd others all pulling for United (basically a sympathy vote following Munich). When Nat put the ball and goalie in the net and I leaped cheering to my feet, I became aware of an angry silence (there had been bets) and I never felt so alone as at that moment. No revenge was taken at the time, a master being present, but I suffered for it over the ensuing days. Still it was worth it - the bruises healed fairly quickly but the triumph was forever.

[TANGODANCER]

For me, the place wasn't so strange as the situation. I was in boarding school at Glastonbury for the 1958 Cup Final when Nat and the boys beat the scum. I was the only person from Bolton and the only BWFC supporter in a room with 100 odd others all pulling for United (basically a sympathy vote following Munich). When Nat put the ball and goalie in the net and I leaped cheering to my feet, I became aware of an angry silence (there had been bets) and I never felt so alone as at that moment. No revenge was taken at the time, a master being present, but I suffered for it over the ensuing days. Still it was worth it - the bruises healed fairly quickly but the triumph was forever.

I watched that in a room crowded with Bolton supporters, as one should. A Man U shirt in our district was as rare as an Asian BNP supporter.

[farnworth scum]

I watched the 1989 Sherpa Van trophy final from a secret space base on Mars, beat that! A good match but there was a lack of atmosphre!!!

[Lord Kangana]

Isn't that in Slough?

[thebish]

I always watch them from behind the sofa...

[William the White]

I understand this is supposed to be watching live but regardless I remember watching Bolton vs Chelsea in 98 while in an outside bar in Mae Sot on the Burmese border. Back then it was rare to catch a Bolton game in Thailand. The excitement turned into depression though with the result. At that time I felt we would never go up again and the chance to watch Bolton again seemed very remote, a bit like where I was. To top it off it was 7 days later that I came down with dengue.

If we are allowed this - and i don't see why not - I watched the home defeat by wolves at the end of 1977, mentioned by Worthy in another thread, in a house made of mud bricks in Omdurman. It had a camel tied up outside that kept making camel noises (do camels bray, and, if not, what do they do?) which I accompanied by groans of despair as promotion disappeared over the horizon until camel and i were the cacophony twins...

Now that's impressive and during the 70's no less. Were you simply traveling or working?

I was a volunteer teacher in Sudan for two years. But not in Omdurman - a place called Shendi on the Nile about 150 miles north of Khartoum, where I and then partner were only white people for some distance. We were in Omdurman at a Sudanese friends house because of a week's leave and the desire to touch what passed for 'civilisation'. The Sudanese were really hungry for football (and English football especially, as the former colonial power) especially as the military government had just abolished the professional league as a response to a riot between supporters of the main clubs in Khartoum and Omdurman where several had been hospitalised (might even have been fatalities, can't remember). Every game saw people watching in the market, crowded round stalls showing it. Shendi didn't have television until towards the end of our stay there so i was hungry for a glimpse of home as well...

[William the White]

Or option 3 - striking

God only knows what the punishment for that would have been from the sweethearts running the government... Though it would undoubtedly be mild compared to what the current 'Islamic' government routinely dishes out to opponents of any kind...

[CAPSLOCK]

Will...was the game shown live, then?

Didn't think it was even shown live over here

On a Sunday, from memory

[Armchair Wanderer]

I always watch them from behind the sofa...

Me too )

Went to Grimsby away once. Playing football in the middle of the North Sea is pretty strange!

[William the White]

Will...was the game shown live, then?

Didn't think it was even shown live over here

On a Sunday, from memory

This is my memory...

The whole game was shown, definitely, not highlights, and, I'm not quite as sure here, but almost, with an English commentary, not an Arabic one. I can't remember which day of the week, but i was on holiday or wouldn't have been in Omdurman so could have been a Sunday or Saturday or any day. The gob smacker was that I was just told by my friend that there was English football - and it was the Wanderers. It could have been a recording, I guess, but of the whole match, so it unfolded in real time for me.

Those were the days with really poor communications - esp with a country as ramshackle and poor as Sudan then so I was dependent on BBC world service for pretty much all Wanderers news, and the occasional copy of the Buff landing about three weeks later...

[William the White]

You've got me thinking here, CAPS... In those days The Big Match or MotD might well have shown a second div decider's highlights, and did they really do league games on a Sunday back then? Is it poss they sold the whole game for live transmission abroad and in England just showed highlights? Or was Sudan TV tapping into some dubious source (sometimes it seemed that EVERYTHING was dubious, other than the overwhelming friendliness of the people)... Or did they buy a recording? Ah well... camel enjoyed more than I...

[Worthy4England]

Game was played Saturday May 14th...

[seanworth]

William thanks for filling in the gaps. When in situations like that it makes moments like that so much more memorable. I remember around 20 years ago seeing two Thais on my street in Bangkok on a motorbike carrying hockey (ICE) equipment. The must have had 50lbs of equipment including sticks. I didn't even know hockey was played in Bangkok and had never envisioned it even possible. Within a month I was on skates playing hockey. A couple years later a group of westeners started playing and last year a tournement was held with over 36 teams from around the world including an ex NHLer. No I don't play anymore, but that first time I skated around the rink with a stick in my hand and padded up I felt like I was in some dream.

[Aldridge Pryor]

Watched us beat Middlesbrough at Uri Gellars once.

[William the White]

Watched us beat Middlesbrough at Uri Gellars once.

I've heard that game was bent.

[CAPSLOCK]

Game was played Saturday May 14th...

See, that makes sense cos obviously we didn't really do Sunday football then

However, even though I know you've looked it up, I still don't believe you!

I'm convinced it was Sunday...absolutely convinced

[Harry Genshaw]

Game was played Saturday May 14th...

See, that makes sense cos obviously we didn't really do Sunday football then

However, even though I know you've looked it up, I still don't believe you!

I'm convinced it was Sunday...absolutely convinced

That's time playing tricks on you CAPS. Defo was a Saturday. It was on Kick Off with Gerald Sinstadt the following day though.

[Worthy4England]

Game was played Saturday May 14th...

See, that makes sense cos obviously we didn't really do Sunday football then

However, even though I know you've looked it up, I still don't believe you!

I'm convinced it was Sunday...absolutely convinced

We played out last match the following Tuesday lol - which would probably support it being on a Saturday too.

Edit - maybe, that could have been the week after....

[Lord Kangana]

Watched us beat Middlesbrough at Uri Gellars once.

I've heard that game was bent.

Do you remember "Spoon Bender vs Mind Bender"?

(I suspect all those (all, ha!) people who do remember this will right now be going "yes!" whereas most people will be saying "What?".)