One of our past greats played for them Mats Møller Dæhli
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You can't keep the politics out of a documentary on St Pauli and I'm sure the Al-Jazeera programme I was sent this morning is not for some on here, but I find them a fascinating club - it's well worth a watch;-
https://youtu.be/HTwrCEN2L5w
One of our past greats played for them Mats Møller Dæhli
Must give the article a proper read.
I was in Hamburg last March at language school for a couple of weeks. I was determined to get to a St. Pauli match while there, but their game was sold out (most are, I gather). There was nothing available online and everyone I asked said they were like gold-dust.
In the end I decided to go to the ground itself. The girl in the ticket office said that they did have a return but that it was in their main stand and really expensive. When I found out that really expensive meant 50 Euros I snapped it up!
Then the game went behind closed doors anyway because of Covid!
So I still haven't seen them. However, the visit to the ground was interesting in itself.
I've been following them for about 10 years. Well worth a trip to Hamburg which for any fans of music - Beatles to Punk, worth it alone. They are very much in the shadow of HSV but hold their own very well. Their 30,000 stadium is sold out every home game.
Ex City, Guido Burgstaller and Welsh International James Lawrence both currently playing for them.
I've got a Schwinkendorf story....
Years ago, my wife was friendly with the wife of a City director, Phil Jardine, and as a result, I knew him quite well. For my 40th birthday, my wife asked Phil if I could go to a home game as his guest. As I was 40, this must have been 1999. He told me to dress smartly, and on the day, he picked me up, and we spent an hour or so before the game in the Boardroom, chatting to all and sundry. At some point, Schwinkendorf came into the room (ducking to avoid the weird sloping ceiling), and Phil introduced us. We had a brief chat (he didn't speak much English) and I got him to sign my programme.
At half time, there was a buffet meal (pasta and salad), and while I was eating I put my programme down on the table, but when I went to pick it up, it was gone. I don't think anyone took it on purpose - there were piles of free programmes around the room, and someone had picked up my signed one by mistake. But it was gone forever. Here today, gone tomorrow - a bit like Jorn, I suppose.
Last edited by tforturton; 28-04-21 at 18:44. Reason: spelling
He was about 6ft 8ins and never would head the ball.
The Bundesliga seems to have got it right in so many ways and I really enjoy attending games in Germany.
What a pity it is that one team is so very dominant though.
I used to love to go to St Pauli games. I went to uni in germany and one of my mates was a St Pauli fan. We were based in Bavaria so it was mostly away games we went to, but did about 3 or 4 trips to Hamburg that year too. I've just realised that this was 20 years ago.... blimey. And for about 10 years after that we went once a season, although generally to away games. It must be 7 or 8 years since I last went to a home game. The Gegengerade has turnstiles now, rather than a man with a rope. And it has seats! So maybe some of the 1980s feel will have gone which would be a pity, but it is a pretty unique experience in any case because of the fans.
But what an amazing club. As regards tickets: their supporters club used to hold back some specifically for foreign fans - we always contacted them and sorted it that way if it was a home game. What a brilliant, welcoming scheme. Away games were generally easy enough. No idea if that still works.
Fun fact: Hamburg is the coldest place on earth.
When I used to write TBL, and not long after Schwinkendorf arrived, I had a fanzine from St Pauli through the post. The guy who produced it thought I might be interested, though the bulk of it was in German. I sent one back, and we did that back and forth for a couple of issues. Then one day an envelope arrived with loads of St Pauli stickers, and a little enamel badge. I did keep them for a while, but God knows where they are now...
Apparently Big Schwinky is now managing FC Pobneck (Poesseneck) in the lower reaches of the German League set-up. Looks like they're in the eighth or ninth teir?
Speak to Fanladen.
They keep tickets for foreign fans for the home games.
It is great.
The Other Bob Wilson I am sure if you explain you've wanted to see them I'm sure they will look after you home or away.
I think you're right, but I'll finally be able to save some money from February next year when I start getting the state pension and the house I moved into three years ago has needed a few grand spent on it which I've had to put off until then. It's a question of me being old, boring, but sensible and getting the house done or spending my pension on things like football games in Germany and I think the latter can, hopefully, wait a few years until I sort the house out - trouble is, there's always something that crops up which keeps things like watching St Pauli play pie in the sky isn't there.