Paul’s Soccer Stories
Watching a Game at West Bromwich Albion
I have now had two great times watching games at West Bromwich Albion, and I think I am going to start encouraging more people to go there. It’s such a terrific stadium for one thing, and a tremendous set of fans. My first time there, I was taken in by some locals and turned into…
Me and the Blades: A Sheffield Sensation
There would now appear to be two English clubs where I have come to be known as the Yank with the camera and the blog. All I have ever wanted to do is go to interesting places, have interesting experiences, meet interesting people, and then tell the story. I could add to that, in the…
Lucky Boy: Seeing a Game at AFC Bournemouth
All I wanted for my 51st birthday in 2017 was a ticket to see a game at AFC Bournemouth. You might not think that’s a hard thing to get. In fact, assuming you're American, there’s a decent chance you only recently found out that Bournemouth exists; they spent several years in the Premier League before…
Agony and Ecstasy:
The 2017 Steel City Derby
Perhaps the reason we go to football games is because we just might have an experience people will talk about for generations. We sit through countless forgettable affairs because someday we’re going to see a world-class game-winner, or a stunning upset, or a penalty kick hit a season-saving post, or some seismic shift in the…
Pompey Plays Up:
Seeing a Game at Portsmouth FC
As much as I love seeing soccer games in England, and as much as I love travel, and visiting the old stadiums, what I really love is a club whose supporters stick with it, no matter what. For all these reasons, I confess to admiring the heck out of Portsmouth FC. They’ve played at Fratton…
Match Night in Oxford:
Two Points Dropped, Two Blokes Bantering
If my book accomplishes one thing, I hope it’s that Americans who have only heard of the top six clubs in the Premier League will read it and wind up in places like Oxford United. It isn’t that Oxford is a particularly special club -- you can get to know them a bit here --…
Back on the Road:
Another English Soccer Tour Begins
Getting back on the road for another soccer tour of England: a series of moments, some familiar, some refreshingly new, some worrisome, but all more interesting than the alternative. I look back at my apartment and think, “Well, if I don’t have it now, I’ll have to go without it.” There’s that little rush of…
A Walking Tour of Norwich
As part of a spring 2017 English soccer tour, when I saw five games in five cities over 10 days, I spent a "day off" exploring the beautiful city of Norwich. After spending the previous day at the blistering East Anglian Derby, this was a pleasant way to spend a typically drizzly day seeing the sights…
English Soccer Tour: Spending a Day in Barnsley
After my one-day visit to Barnsley, I can say that it is a charming place with something of an inferiority complex. I spoke to several locals who seemed genuinely shocked that I was visiting from the States, and even when I told them I didn’t come all this way just to see Barnsley, they were still…
“Zombie Day” and a Badge Run to West Bromwich Albion
There are getting to be a few traditions on my English soccer trips. One is the arrival day, which I had yesterday and included a fine version of the Standard Customs Chat. Today it was time for two more: Zombie Day and the Badge Run. Zombie Day is just the day you get to the…
