Ich bin ein Sampdoriano ( solo per una notte)

Auf wiedersehn pets, and greetings from Italy, land of the sun!

The weather has been really cold for the past week, and I'm starting to regret leaving my gloves at home. I genuinely never expected it to be that cold here, but to my horror it has been. The knowledge that my gloves are keeping themselves warm in my room in Scotland is cold comfort, literally.

On Thursday I went to see Samp vs. Stuttgart in the UEFA Cup (hence the title). I managed to muddle up the stands in my head, so casually strolled to the wrong end of the ground, realised I was in the wrong place and had to run to the right end. Unfortunately the correct end had big queues, so I missed the first 10 minutes, and the Stuttgart goal. Extremely peeving. The rest of the game was ok, but neither side played particularly well, and it was mighty chilly. It finished 1-1. I was in the Gradinata Sud, which is the hard core fans stand. It was pretty good, although naturally not as good as the grande Genoa matches. There was a bit of a ruck behind me at one point, which was surprising, but in true Italian fighting style, I don't think anyone was actually hurt. Here's a photo of the stand, and also a video. I was thoroughly impressed when they started singing a Samp song to the tune of Flower of Scotland.



Tomorrow I'm going to see Genoa vs Bologna, so hopefully it's a bit warmer, and a good match.

I don't really think I've much else to say, which will come as a blessed relief. I'm back in less than 3 weeks, so will see your cheery faces then, I hope.

Until next time, take care.

Ciao