h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm not a Christian but I love Christmas. Well I love twinkly decorations and fairy lights (white only) and having special things that only come out once a year (which is why I love Halloween and Easter and birthdays).

And while I'm not overly keen on the cost and commercialisation of it, I do like the specialness. And for me, especially as a child, Christmas coming meant my birthday was coming too (December baby) so on one hand I had to wait all year for the 2 big ones but on the other hand: fairy lights!

I really like things like home made biscuits, stollen, cakes and so on so we really do get all German about the first Sunday in advent and start eating the Christmas goodies then. has baked Stollen already, we've made the mincemeat and I'm hoping he doesn't forget that I love . We also have some fantastic recipies for biscuits that we make only at this time (Ginger Florentines, cardomom shortbread etc).

Recently I've started to make advent calenders for the Gruesome Twosome and my mum so they get useful stuff (travel toothbrushes, hand warmers etc) and sweets and things that I don't ususally get them. Inexpensive stuff.

I wanted to make one for but I ran out of ideas and time and as I'd already arranged a ticket for yesterdays footie match I decided to doctor his advent calender (a Boroussia Moenchengladback one with chocolates in) and managed to squish a ticket behind door number one. I'd been in the fan-shop the day before and got some lollies in the team colours, some face paint (in a handy 3 coloured stick) and a father christmas hat (black with the team logo on the white band - complete with bell in the pom-pom).

Actually I bought two tickets because I'd previously promised that I'd go with him sometime.

Anyway - he was really excited about it, just like a kid at Christmas so it was worth blowing the entire budget for his calender in one go.

And football matches here are something else. reckons they're way better (as an event) than in the UK. So here is how it was.

We went with 6 others, some people from my office and one of them brought 2 friends (who were totally cute). When we booked the tickets online first of all there was a big message on the screen that we were booking tickets in the Nordkurve which is the Home Fan Area with knobs on. No other football club insignia allowed (and actually, going in without some form of Borussia fan-item would also mark you out as "too neutral" according to my friends. Luckily and I both have scarves and as it's been a bit chilly I also bought myself a bobble-hat.)

We started in the Christmas market (along with loads of other game-goers) and had a couple of Gluehweins. Then we piled onto one of the buses going to the stadium and eventually got there (30 minutes squashed in a bus for what is usually a 5 minute drive) and headed off to our allocated seats (it's not all seater, the home fan area behind the goal is standing room only). We collected a beer each on the way - yes, beer is sold in German stadiums*, in returnable plastic beakers, as well as Bretzel and Sausages.

The place was packed - not to the rafters because there were some empty seats - attendance was 50,084. It's going to be even fuller than that when Borussia play Schalke 04 on Saturday.

The mascot (a black horse) was prancing around the pitch doing his thing. The hardcore fans (no jackets!) were waving their flags and singing, the atmosphere was great. Then the team was announced - I'm not sure how they do it in the UK but here the announcer shouted their first name, and around 50 thousand voices shout the surname. For each team member, the substitutes and the trainer. There were about 200 Freiburg fans* but we didn't hear a peep out of them.

Then there is the club song. 50 thousand people (minus and I as we don't know the words) sing the song which is very rousing, the mascot children go off the pitch, the players do the handshaking thing and off it goes.

The match itself was really nothing special which was disappointing because they're a good team ( told me that Freiburg came hoping only not to lose) but eventually, in the 2nd half, Borussia scored and the whole place went bananas. Brilliant atmosphere.

I have to say that for me the best part were the fans behind the goal. They sang, waved their flags and made a noise for the whole 90 minutes of the game. Amazing. I'm a little bit in love with each and every one of them.

At half-time the Horse Mascot had a bit of a dribbling-goal-scoring thing with some guy from some fan club or other. After the match finished some young fellows (and one or two of the players) kicked about 30 balls (from the sponsor: Postbank) into the crowd which looked like hard work.

It's a long time since I've actually been to a match. It was probably 26 years ago I went to Ayresome (sp?) Park with to watch Boro lose (i think) to Bournemouth. Previously to that I used to go to watch the Mighty Sheffield Wednesday with my grandad (who worked on the turnstiles). I'm not sure what happened at the half-time in either of those places, I've forgotten all details of the Boro match and when I was at Hillsborough with my Grandad we used to get Bovril at half time and talk about the football pools with his mates.

But it was great fun and I'll be going again, I hope.

*i know. But stadia when writing in English just seems wrong
** At the Nordpark stadium the away fans get a tiny corner, no matter who they are. I know Schalke fans though, and I know they will make a lot of noise even if there are only a few of them.

" I'm not sure what happened at the half-time in either of those places, I've forgotten all details of the Boro match"

Ooh, I know this one. At the half time at Boro matches, everyone counts to 12 on their fingers, then cries about how bad it is living in Middlesbrough.

Who is the least popular man at the Boroussia Moenchengladback stadium?

The bloke who goes "Give us a B......"



FB

There is a special place in my for clubs who have employed Danish players (so it's a good thing I have a big ) but of course Gladbach's niche is extra large


Off the top of my head I can mention nationals Ulrik le Fevre, Henning Jensen and Allan Simonsen as former Gladbach stars. All went on to star in other great clubs like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Ajax Amsterdam.

Simonsen is the only footballer to have scored in the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners' Cup finals.
Simonsen was named 1977 European Footballer of the Year with Mönchengladbach (1977).