Thought I would start a thread for all going to Marseille next summer. In Brazil it worked really well. Intended for everything to do with eating, drinking, dancing, sleeping, travel to/from/in Marseille. To organise meet ups. and as a face value ticket exchange. Karen & I will be arriving in Marseille on the 11th June, staying in Roucas Blanc for a week and then heading out of the city to Niolon, to get a bit of sea air. We will be with my mate Adam, an OM fan who grew up in Cannes and knows the city really well, so expect some good off piste recommendations. @Stuckin1au and his missus will also be there for the first few days. Have tickets for match 4, 15 (thanks to the Aussie), 29 & 45. Will probably be looking for 23 to swap, depending on the draw. We will see. Whatever it would be good to see some old faces, and meet new people.
I'll be there with Bells on mate think I'll even bring an A league shirt for you and make you an honorary Adelaide United fan.
Gonna be in Marseille with my girlfriend from June 26 to July 2 for match 45. Looking forward to hearing recommendations for activities!!
Think this going to be our song it's from the Oz band the "Angels" a classic track from back in the day........enjoy @jamfactoryken
I will be there for the semi Ken, hopefully see you then. We are staying at the Oceania next to the Port.
Absolutely have to visit the stadium. Question is if I take a TGV after the game to another city or stay with my ex gf lol
Been checking out drinking in Marseille, better than watching Spuds/Chavski, and while obviously pastis and rose will be on the menu there comes a time when every body from the islands needs a beer. There is a Provencal beer festival each June. Details of this years here http://www.biere-passion.com/festival-biere-gout-pernes-les-fonaines-contact.php And a good guide to the areas beer scene here http://www.marvellous-provence.com/gastronomy/drink/beer My mate Adam says that the Biere de la Plaine is excellent and the bar and area is fabulous.
The last time I went to Marseille was the World Cup semi final and the stadium looks completely different now. Hopefully it hasn't lost any of its atmosphere and the backdrop with the mountains was stunning. Really looking forward to it.
Hate to burst bubbles here but Marseille may not be the welcoming place you are expecting. In 1998 it was a nightmare with hordes of locals patrolling the streets looking to have a go at every English person they found. I seriously doubt the locals (most of north African heritage) have got any friendlier considering the current political situation. There's serious problems down there with poverty and crime and I'll be spending least time there possible. Shame cos loads of decent ppl especially those at the Marseille Supporters club, but what can you do!?. The stadium was awesome tho.
Can we hold off the scare stories for a while. Please!! I was there in 1998 as well, and have six stiches on the old bonce to show for it. Still had a marvellous time, and it is a wonderful, wonderful city. drink and eat outside the Vieux Port, get the metro to the ground, and I am pretty sure everything will be fine.
HAHA I know what you guys are doing! Back handed compliments to scare people away from the most fun town in Southern France! No way baby I'm there!
Not really mate. I think you're spinning it the wrong way. I was in S Africa and Ukraine and was happily laughing off the ridiculous scare stories and putting ppl straight. But I am telling you for a fact, it was f**ing carnage in 1998. That is a fact (as Benitez would say), not my opinion. And I have no reason to believe it's improved. If fellow forum visitors wish to post reasons why it will not be a f**ing nightmare again, I am happy to receive them. But considering the current political/Muslim issues, I have no reason to believe it will be better. Why would it be? On a positive note the police may actually make an effort to protect visiting fans this time around, considering now they are being killed themselves by Muslim terrorists and may have changed their original anti-English opinion somewhat. I would not count on it though. I have no idea how you can be "pretty sure" it will be ok. What are you basing that on? I would rather our friends on the forum and naive fans on here from America and Australia (no offence meant) are aware of what they are walking into. Imo it will be far worse than anything in South Africa which was hyped in the media relentlessly.
Yeah I hear from fellow French friends that Marseille is shit because of the people, which is why I won't be staying for more than a night there(or maybe just a day).
I work with a guy from Marseille. He has mates that are all OM season ticket holders. He told me to get a place in Roucas Blanc, a slightly upscale but laid back area. I did. He is coming with me, and Karen, to the game. We will drink & eat in his mates bar beforehand. I would not dream of going to the Vieux Port on an English match day, I agree it was carnage in 98, and probably will be next June, but a km or so away it was, and will be again, a real laugh. I got my stiches from a stray bottle walking back to the hotel, because the police did not give a shit about the safety of England fans in the Vieux Port area - they did a good job outside the stadium from what I saw, but not in town. And this time England are not playing a North African team, and people have other things to do. There will be twats, there always are, but there will not be the reason for so many North Africans to be on the streets. The world is a different place from 1998, and England fans are different as well. Like any big city, and at any England game, take care, but enjoy it and the city, otherwise what the f""" is the point in going???
They said Rio was dangerous, Fortaleza was dangerous, Salvador was dangerous lols... then again every corner had dudes with machine guns
Yeah I too was worried walking into Brazil last year and it was fine. However....it's good to know these things and be alert. Would there likely be problems caused by locals for all Marseille games, or just the England vs Russia game? For what it's worth the worst thing I saw in Brazil was an Argentine breaking an English guy's nose :lol: Seems as though they're not liked anywhere they go?
I've got a couple of Argie mates which are top lads off the pitch but on it fcuk me they can be dirty. They've clipped and kicked me plenty in a one on one and very late even though I'm a goalkeeper......Reckon white line fever runs deep into the culture. For those who may have never have heard of white line fever. It's a term in Australia describing players who become nutcases once they cross the line onto a football pitch.