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Alesund


pbruce
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I have been working in Alesund for over a year and they are nothing to worry about. The reason they got into Europe was the biggest in justice when they beat Mode in the cup final. Any fair minded person would have said that Mode was robbed. Mode were leading 2-1 and the ref turned down two cast iron penalties which would have won them the game as they were all over Alesund. As it was Alesund scored another to make it 2-2 and took it to penalties which they won and even then their keeper was a mile off his line at every penalty.

Even though they are a fit lot it is in some ways like watching a poor first division game in Scotland as they charge up and down the park a lot. The midfielder from Stoke; Philips can play a bit and tries to put his foot on the ball and the other midfielder Herrera only plays if no one kicks him if you know what I mean. One hard tackle and he disappears. And of course there is that lump of wood at centre; yes he is big but that is it.

The normal route to get there is at least two flights but it is normally 3; Cimber Air only flies on a Monday and Friday but it is the quickest way here; you leave Edinburgh atr 8.35am and after a short stop in Copenhagen lands at Vigra at 1.15pm Scottish time (2.15pm Norwegian time). Don’t know the price as the work pays it sorry.

The park is a very tidy wee park which holds approx 11 thousand and behind the goals they have big TV screens which they play back every incident as it happens and the pitch is artificial. Normally the home games are mostly sold out and they have sold over 6000 already for our game. They have allocated two sections of the ground in one corner behind the goals for the Motherwell fans.

The price of everything here is unreal; from a pizza for 30 quid to just under a pint of beer from anything from 6 quid to a tenner. Don’t go for a curry or a meal unless you have a credit card. Everybody pays for everything here by credit card; if it is a taxi to even buying a pint in the pub. Taxi from the airport to the park is approx 50 quid. If you need to know anything I can probably give you some guidance on it if you want. Fags are just under a tenner a packet. I think we will win both home and away games. The Alesund fans are very passionate about their football and are in general very friendly people who watch UK football all the time. Most pubs have big screens for the football. Should be a good night. Mon the 'well.

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Well it is hard for a Molde fan to accept that Aalesund was the fittest side in the cup final I guess. But if you want to believe that Aalesund is crap and will be an easy win go ahead, the game will still have to be played first.. ;)

 

But useful information. We do not use credit cards much though. It is bank cards. Better that having to have cash in the pocket.. :lol:

 

You can also buy pizza for 15 pounds, beer for 5 and so on. It depends on the places you go. You will not be ruined in a day or two here ! :D

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I am not confident about us getting through to the next round but i base that only on the highlights i have seen on youtube your cf is the type of player we have struggled to contain for years anybody with a bit of presence and muscle we struggle with. on a side note if/when we move from fir park i would love us tobuild a stadium similar 2 tier all the way round and plastic pitch !

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I know the initial poster of this thread and he is a die hard Motherwell fan and a top-notch guy. Anyone considering traveling to Norway should read his post thoroughly because it contains a lot of important information.

 

Mon yeeeeeee 'Well.

B-)

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If it is nice weather then I would suggest The Metz bar which is in the centre of Alesund and is 15-20minutes walk to the ground. The Metz bar has an outside beer garden where you can have a scoop. If it is raining (and when it rains here it chucks it down) I would go to The Post Bar (underneath the Post office) which is affectionately known to the ex-pats as ‘Jakies 1’. Jakes 1 is approx 15minutes to the ground it is also the most football orientated pub with the cheapest beer in Alesund at about 6 quid a pint.

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Think this will be a right hard game for us. The secret is surely not to give away freekicks allowing them to lump the ball to there giant and to keep the ball away from them. Glad the team managed to get a charter as I think the travelling would have mean thtey lost some sharpness. Think this will be the game to see if we have a decent goalie or not.

 

Maybe going off topic slightly there :P

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Just to add my wee bit that i know about our opponents!

 

My wife and I had our honeymoon in Norway, or rather cruising around Norway and stopping at various locations, the first of which if i remember right was Alesund!

 

Don`t remember it as being the most expensive place in Norway but it was a nice place to visit. Can`t really remember much about it tho!

 

What has always stuck in my mind tho is a taxi driver telling us that the most famous footballing son of Alesund was none other than John Arne Riise! - He told us that he started his career there and actually took us past the stadium.

 

Quite a nice wee stadium and from memory it was kind of up a hill at a hairpin bend where instead of turning the bend you go straight on to get to the ground!!

 

Apologies for the vague memories but it was 7 years ago! - It was a nice place to visit!

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Went to the game with a couple of die hard jambos even though it was live on local TV and I know they won 1-nil but it was the worst game I have ever seen (and I have seen a lot in my time) and Alesund stole it in the first minute of injury time when their keeper under no real pressure dropped the ball at the guys feet from a corner and he popped it in. Honestly it was day light robbery as they should have been well beaten. Even the two jambo said that the ‘well will win out here by a couple of goals. It took Alesund until the 57th minute just to get a shot at goal! Alesunds goalie won man of the match and it was deserved as he saved a few but also cause the rest of them was mince with one exception.

The stadium is cracking and everyone goes in more than half an hour before kick off for the pre game wind up of the crowd. You have guys walking over the pitch with giant 12 foot Alesund flags while wee kids do the same with little flags. They have a mascot which looks like a seahorse who walks around the pitch flinging out sweet to all the kids. Then on the big screens as every player’s photo is shown the announcer says his first name and the crowd sing his second. Then the guy leads the crowd in singing and the whole place is jumping; it really is a good feeling. It is really impressive and a great atmosphere. The fans are first class and even when they found out I was a MFC fan they were very friendly; a credit to their club. But then the game started and it was really bad and I am not just saying that, really bad. I would not worry about the big centre in the slightest he is that bad. I don’t want to get everyone’s hopes up but any of the ex-pats (Rangers/Celtic/Hibs fans) I met on the way back to the centre said we will win out the park and I have to say I agree with them. If they play like that on Thursday we will win it is as simple as that.

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I know what you are saying but really they are that bad. They played in a local derby a couple of weeks ago and this was a derby mind you and I thought that was poor with not even a tackle in it. I am only worried about this as they cannot be that bad again. Here is hoping. Just meet a couple of die hard Celtic guys from site who watched the game in the pub and they both say a good junior team would have beat the two of them today which shows I am not watching this through tinted specs.

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