Heading to Heathrow I didn’t feel nervous or scared at all.. the warnings from the FA, the
Government and media were all there and painted Russia (incorrectly) in a bad light. Heading to the
bar to catch the second half of Serbia Switzerland I got talking to a Russian on my flight who
happened to work for Roman Abramavich’s son. During my stop-over in Moscow (4 hours) he even
offered to take me in his taxi to the city centre so I could have a walk around and see the sights
(albeit at 6am)!
First stop for me was picturesque Nizhny Novgorod on the banks of two joining rivers (the Oka and
the Volga). On arrival I wasted no time in heading down to the city centre kitted out in neutral non-
football colours as advised by the English media. I soon realised there was no need for this and there
was already a carnival, laid back party atmosphere in full swing. Luckily I had brought a wolves top
and an England flag in my bag so changed at the first opportunity.
The city centre was beautiful as was the Kremlin, however after all the walking in the 30 degree heat
I needed some refreshments so headed to the FIFA FanFest for the customary Budweiser.. everyone
was clustered under the umbrellas trying to find what little shade they could! Here I met loads of
friendly people from all over the world, including many Russians who wanted their photos with me
and my England flag.
Later I decided now would be a wise time to check out the Chkalo Staircase.. the staircase runs from
the banks of the Volga up some 400 steps to the Kremlin and the FanFest, the views once again out
across the Volga were beautiful! The walk down was fine (as expected), I wrongly assumed the
temperature had dropped enough to climb the steps at speed.. I set off at an aggressive pace and by
the time I reached the top my head was throbbing and I was sweating buckets, I don’t normally but
had to take my top off with the hope of drying a little in the breeze.
After the final game of the day I headed back to bar street where the England fans had now
congregated, the atmosphere was electric, they were in full voice belting out all the classics! Here I
had my one and only vodka of my whole time in Russia, swiftly chased with a few gulps of local beer!
Hailing a taxi I paid the equivalent of £10 for the driver to take me to a take away.. this involved
crossing the Volga (for some great night time views) and finding the one and only 24hr McDonalds!
Never has such junk food tasted so good at 3am after an amazing (but long) first day in Russia!
In keeping with tradition I missed breakfast, I can’t remember the last time I made breakfast on such
a trip! Passing through the centre of the city I stopped for a couple of beers unable to find any of my
friends from the night before I headed down to the shuttle buses in plenty of time to reach the
ground. The atmosphere was building nicely and after passing through the strict but efficient airport
style security I made it in to the outer areas of the ground, where I wandered having a few casual
drinks whilst posing for photos with the flag.. I must have been in over 100 photos at one point there
was a queue of people waiting to be photographed with the England flag! (sample gallery of just a handful of the flag photos is at the bottom of this page.. there were a lot)
The atmosphere in the stadium was good but we were outnumbered by Panama fans maybe 2 to 1!
The game went well with England cruising to victory! One of the highlights was seeing Panama score
their first World Cup goal! Despite already being 6-0 down when that goal went in I don’t think I
have heard noise like it or seen such celebrations! It was incredible! We celebrated in the stadium for some time before moving the celebrations outside the ground, as we danced and sang a TV crew
was thrust in front of us saying “ITV, do you mind if we film?”. Of course we had no issues and
crowded in around the camera thinking nothing of it until a few days later when my mobile phone
went off the hook in the space of 2 minutes… messages from loads of people saying they had seen
me on ITV, then the videos came – it was a great moment!
Most of the England fans returned to the city to carry on the celebrations in and around the
FanFest. Unbeknown to me at the time after the final game of the day was over and the music and
laser show was cranked up a notch and we were treated to Russian popstars followed by the
legendary DJ Paul Oakenfold! The night was spent dancing with a group of Russian girls until the
early hours!
Feeling worse for wear I woke and headed to the airport where I could pass out on some bean bags
next to Gabby Logan before my flight to Moscow. Next stop Moscow airport lounge where I had the
pleasure of having breakfast with none other than Arsene Wenger – the lounge was so busy that the
only two free seats were on my table so Arsene and his associate joined.
Highlights
Best Drink: whatever the beer was they sold us by the gallon on the highstreet!
Best Experience: the locals!! and the noise made by the Panama fans when they scored their first ever World Cup goal, the noise and atmosphere will live with me forever!
Best Food: the only open McDonalds on the other side of the river at 4am, the taxi ride and the views there were fantastic! A beautiful city!
