REPORT: Our Miracle of Istanbul

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:25 pm

PWBFC's thoughts on his trip to Istanbul

See link
http://www.uptheclarets.com/our-miracle-of-istanbul" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Burnleyareback2 · Post by **Burnleyareback2** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:28 pm

Great report, sounds like a real adventure.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:29 pm

Burnleyareback2 wrote:Great report, sounds like a real adventure.

My thoughts too. He offered to do a match report for me when he learned I wouldn't be there, but what he's written is much better.

Burnleyareback2 · Post by **Burnleyareback2** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:34 pm

Bitter sweet being on holiday when we made it through. If you thought transport there from Manchester would be tricky, it wasn’t much easier from Asia.
Then there was the issue with gaining domestic approval, even more tricky.

ewanrob · Post by **ewanrob** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:40 pm

What a fantastically well written piece, like reading and extract from a John Buchan novel...take a bow.

DAVETHEVICAR · Post by **DAVETHEVICAR** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:41 pm

Brilliant report a great read on the train to Lincoln from holiday at Lyme Regis
Thanks PWBFC

SalisburyClaret · Post by **SalisburyClaret** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:46 pm

Top report - a great read with a touch of Ernest Heningway

Silkyskills1 · Post by **Silkyskills1** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:49 pm

Enjoyable report. Nothing but admiration for you and the others that travelled. We came, we saw and although we didn't conquer we did enough for at least one more chapter to the story.

claretblue · Post by **claretblue** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:01 pm

Burnleyareback2 wrote:domestic approval

Rodleydave · Post by **Rodleydave** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:07 pm

superb piece of writing.

Indecisive · Post by **Indecisive** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:08 pm

Great to make the trip out there. Incredible atmosphere before and during the match, even if the actual performance was lacking a bit of excitement.

Amazing times to be a Burnley fan, and that’s regardless of whether you had the time or funds to make that one particular journey. Hopefully there will be more opportunities.

Anyone tentatively looked up flights and accommodation in Azerbaijan?

claretblue · Post by **claretblue** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:08 pm

great article...stirring!

mkmel · Post by **mkmel** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:15 pm

I really enjoyed reading this report

Excellent and Thanks

Ashingtonclaret46 · Post by **Ashingtonclaret46** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:23 pm

Smashing report of a great adventure which continues, at least until next Thursday and further if things go in our favour. Hope that all went well on the journey home.

dpinsussex · Post by **dpinsussex** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:38 pm

Top report Pete.
Ready for your next one in Athens.... here's hoping

mkmel · Post by **mkmel** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:42 pm

dpinsussex wrote:Top report Pete.
Ready for your next one in Athens.... here's hoping

Don't jump the gun..........his next one may be in Lucerne

PWBFC · Post by **PWBFC** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 5:55 pm

Thanks all for the kind comments. Let’s hope we can finish the job next week and continue the adventure.

NickBFC · Post by **NickBFC** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:01 pm

Well done Pete. Not quite as good as your brother's reporting skills, but not bad

boatshed bill · Post by **boatshed bill** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:01 pm

Great stuff.

DavidEyresLeftFoot · Post by **DavidEyresLeftFoot** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:06 pm

dpinsussex wrote:Top report Pete.
Ready for your next one in Athens.... here's hoping

He’s not allowed!!!

Quicknick · Post by **Quicknick** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:21 pm

The best article you have written in a while, Tony. Sounds like an amazing experience.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:26 pm

Quicknick wrote:The best article you have written in a while, Tony. Sounds like an amazing experience.

Cheeky sod

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:26 pm

NickBFC wrote:Well done Pete. Not quite as good as your brother's reporting skills, but not bad

That looks like a challenge

jdrobbo · Post by **jdrobbo** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:39 pm

Great report and kind of you to offer to help Tony out. This website is helped by people coming forward to help Tony with his own daily contributions Hope you had a nice trip.

Quicknick · Post by **Quicknick** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:41 pm

ClaretTony wrote:Cheeky sod

Your passion for the trip came through loud and clear. It was a compliment.

NickBFC · Post by **NickBFC** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:55 pm

ClaretTony wrote:That looks like a challenge

Trust me, I would have drunk far too much to be able to produce a legible report this side of the January transfer window!

Hibsclaret · Post by **Hibsclaret** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 8:46 pm

Great Report.

Tbh the off the field stuff was memorable from this trip.

The coach journey back from the stadium with 2 coaches racing each other down a hill and then stopping, all the drivers getting out and then almost starting brawling.....can’t say I’ve seen that before....mad.

I was then in an Uber later on and he started racing someone back to the airport hotel with a Turkish disco going on. No seatbelts and not sure how we got there in 1 piece.

How loud was that bloody tannoy at the ground too....We also have a new signing called Sam Voke and I think there’s only one...

Mental place where the people are either really sound or ripping u off with nothing much in between...

Great trip

dpinsussex · Post by **dpinsussex** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 8:46 pm

NickBFC wrote:Trust me, I would have drunk far too much to be able to produce a legible report this side of the January transfer window!

Don't we know it Nick

scouseclaret · Post by **scouseclaret** » Fri Aug 10, 2018 9:15 pm

Sums the whole experience up perfectly.

Quicknick · Post by **Quicknick** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 1:48 am

Quicknick wrote:Your passion for the trip came through loud and clear. It was a compliment.

Haha! I'e just noticed it wasn't you who wrote it. Honest, I wasn't taking the ****.

Suratclaret · Post by **Suratclaret** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 3:50 am

The best, by far, match report I've read on here. I never thought I would read about the Clarets traveling into Europe again so to read such a brilliantly descriptive account makes me a very happy Claret!

HiroshimaClaret · Post by **HiroshimaClaret** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:07 am

Jeff Hendrick looks like one of Marty McFly`s disappearing family from `Back to the Future`

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 7:28 am

Suratclaret wrote:The best, by far, match report I've read on here.

I might not bother in future then - thanks for your support.

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 8:12 am

Hibsclaret wrote:Great Report.

Tbh the off the field stuff was memorable from this trip.

The coach journey back from the stadium with 2 coaches racing each other down a hill and then stopping, all the drivers getting out and then almost starting brawling.....can’t say I’ve seen that before....mad.

I was then in an Uber later on and he started racing someone back to the airport hotel with a Turkish disco going on. No seatbelts and not sure how we got there in 1 piece.

How loud was that bloody tannoy at the ground too....We also have a new signing called Sam Voke and I think there’s only one...

Mental place where the people are either really sound or ripping u off with nothing much in between...

Great trip

Sounds about right. An absolutely crazy place. But a real experience. Just about to leave istanbul on the bus back to Greece. Hopefully it's a smoother and less eventful journey than our last two buses. The one to the stadium the wheel blew up on the motorway, the one from Greece toTurkey less said to better

Arrived in istanbul tried, groggy, hungry, dirty and thirsty. After 3 hours sleep in 72. First impressions were awful. Ive stayed in some shitholes all over the world before now. But after all that the dead rat outside the hotel tipped me over the edge.

We are leaving absolutely loving the place and wanting more.

Here's to besiktas un the groups...

Suratclaret · Post by **Suratclaret** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 8:56 am

ClaretTony wrote:I might not bother in future then - thanks for your support.

What a pathetic comment.

Loyalclaret · Post by **Loyalclaret** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 9:59 am

Great read Pete

How my adventure panned out
Wednesday could not bear to see anymore pictures of friends en route to Istanbul, promised my long suffering wife the world to allow me to go (night feeds, days out- you name It- I promised it).

After checking the potential cost and rubbish flights for an in/out to Athens decided to book at 4:30am Thursday, family member’s credit card refused payment and blocked the card. Good start

Managed to book the 10:40 to Istanbul at 6:15am and left the house at 6:25 for a lift to Manchester, train to airport.
Went through security got a beer with no Visa, transfer, ticket, hotel or return flight.

More confidence I would make the game as I boarded when speaking to Barry Kilby and his son, guessed they’d have planned the trip with more precision than me.

Got a taxi to the deserted ground by 18:45, wow the most un-football like build up to a game ever. Very few people about, saw 3 Clarets. Tried in vain to find some life (alcohol), a hotel or restaurant but it was clearly a conservative area with guarded schools and gated communities, lots of bored police with water cannons and plastic shields. Families or middle class Turkish were all fine.

Third time I visited the official ticket office overheard a Burnley accent, thankfully we were directed to the ticket pick up point (where we’d already been previously) as the coaches full of clarets rolled in.

Great experience with a vocal and well oiled Claret following. Some things very Turkish, make you empty all your change into cardboxes, then sell water at 2 lira which you have no chance to paying with anything less than a 5! Bag search led to my Walkers crisp nearly being taken but not my phone charger!

After the match getting a look at the Blue Mosque before settling in a bar which housed many familiar faces from Rocky, Earby Clarets, the Prinny Clarets, fans who flown in from Oz, young and old all to a back drop of classic tunes from oasis/smiths/courteeners/Neil diamond etc well into the early hours.

Flight back to Dalaman with a number of hungover Clarets, 3 hour delay, the Manchester bound plane arriving and as we start to board some poor chap had a heart attack.

Back to Burnley in time for tea.

#HadToBeThere

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 10:02 am

Some good news. Pete’s report will be published in Thursday’s match programme.

levraiclaret · Post by **levraiclaret** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 10:44 am

ClaretTony wrote:Some good news. Pete’s report will be published in Thursday’s match programme.

That's good, I was thinking that the report deserved a wider audience. It beautifully captures more than the humdrum match details to convey the experience of the journey and the wider context for Burnley supporters. It was a joyous few days for those able to make the trip.

claretblue · Post by **claretblue** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 11:39 am

cricketfieldclarets wrote:But after all that the dead rat outside the hotel tipped me over the edge.

it obviously still had some life left in it...init!

glad you enjoyed the trip!

PWBFC · Post by **PWBFC** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 5:12 pm

Loyalclaret wrote:Great read Pete

How my adventure panned out
Wednesday could not bear to see anymore pictures of friends en route to Istanbul, promised my long suffering wife the world to allow me to go (night feeds, days out- you name It- I promised it).

After checking the potential cost and rubbish flights for an in/out to Athens decided to book at 4:30am Thursday, family member’s credit card refused payment and blocked the card. Good start

Managed to book the 10:40 to Istanbul at 6:15am and left the house at 6:25 for a lift to Manchester, train to airport.
Went through security got a beer with no Visa, transfer, ticket, hotel or return flight.

More confidence I would make the game as I boarded when speaking to Barry Kilby and his son, guessed they’d have planned the trip with more precision than me.

Got a taxi to the deserted ground by 18:45, wow the most un-football like build up to a game ever. Very few people about, saw 3 Clarets. Tried in vain to find some life (alcohol), a hotel or restaurant but it was clearly a conservative area with guarded schools and gated communities, lots of bored police with water cannons and plastic shields. Families or middle class Turkish were all fine.

Third time I visited the official ticket office overheard a Burnley accent, thankfully we were directed to the ticket pick up point (where we’d already been previously) as the coaches full of clarets rolled in.

Great experience with a vocal and well oiled Claret following. Some things very Turkish, make you empty all your change into cardboxes, then sell water at 2 lira which you have no chance to paying with anything less than a 5! Bag search led to my Walkers crisp nearly being taken but not my phone charger!

After the match getting a look at the Blue Mosque before settling in a bar which housed many familiar faces from Rocky, Earby Clarets, the Prinny Clarets, fans who flown in from Oz, young and old all to a back drop of classic tunes from oasis/smiths/courteeners/Neil diamond etc well into the early hours.

Flight back to Dalaman with a number of hungover Clarets, 3 hour delay, the Manchester bound plane arriving and as we start to board some poor chap had a heart attack.

Back to Burnley in time for tea.

#HadToBeThere

That’s a cracking effort.

Buxtonclaret · Post by **Buxtonclaret** » Sat Aug 11, 2018 6:14 pm

Superbly written piece and, a great read!
Many thanks.