audere,

judging from Hamburg's Champions League match against Arsenal (I know it hurts - and taking the result into account, me too), there is a good chance that they will pour non-alcoholic beer only.

" do not deny that some English clubs have hooligan elements "

I saw a fascinating French "fly on the wall documentary" about hooligans a few days ago. It was probably 20 years old, and would never have been allowed to be aired in the UK for fear of "fanning the fire" of hooliganism.

The thing that struck me was that every single hooligan stately bluntly that the violence had nothing to do with football, and that they didn't even care about the results of the games. It was more about local identity, adrenaline and out-fighting the opposing "team".

It appears that these people call the "enemy" to organise the time and location of the scrap, and will go for a drink together afterwards, and stay in each others' houses, both before and after the event.

>this sprawling industrial blight adds a certain flavor to town.

Whenever you pop an aspirin pill for your headaches, thank this "industrial blight" :-)

Nov 23 - Tottenham Hotspur's bark is worse than their bite NOT! Bayer Aspirins could come in handy.

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'

It's great to be alive on this most marvellous of days.

Mickey Droy! Peter Osgood! David Badiel! Can you hear us? Can you hear us? Russian Wrong'uns, david mellor, john major! Your boys took a hell of a beating!

Shouldn't they be called the Tottenham Shieks?

We have got a nickname, and it's not one that would appeal to the average arab!

Well what the Heck is a Hotspur anyway? Some charriot spur that gets hot when it turns? Seems like a silly name to me and suggest it be changed to someone a bit more, let's say, more 'cosmopolitan' reflecting the area i presume they play in. But, i won't go there.

Harry Hotspur was the Duke of Northumberland and his family owned the area that is now Tottenham (hence Northumberland Park). That's where the "Hotspur" comes from.

Our nickname gives an idea of the cosmopolitan area that Tottenham has always been.

The idea of Tottenham shieks made me laugh - you could be more wrong I suppose, but not easily.

I would guess that posting one of the nicknames that the fans call themselves would see me thrown off the board very quickly, Let us just say that you are more likely to see a Star of David at White Heart Lane than at most UK football grounds.

Great victory for them yesterday.

Does the soccer (sic) season go on all year?

No, sometimes there are whole months without a game :-( .

It obviously varies from country to country, but in the UK the season generally starts in mid August, and will finish in mid May. Every two years there is a major international tournament - either the World cup, or the European championship. This will normally be in June.

If a team qualifies for the European club championship, but has to play in the preliminary rounds, then the games may start in July.

For an International footballer playing for a top club, there may be virtually no break during the year.

Most European leagues break for several weeks over Christmas and January.

I have been to Leverkusen for business. There is a hotel Lindner Hotel right next to the stadium. Nothing fancy but I would say 4-star.
City is quite smallish (really dominated by Bayer), accessible by either Dusseldorf or Cologne.
Air Berlin flies from Stanstead to Dusseldorf (which can be quite charming), easyjet flies to Cologne (didn't find the place that charming).

I think a 4-star hotel would be about four stars too much for a Hotspur!

Not only do you think we're arabs, but you also seem to think we're paupers.

Completely wrong on both fronts old boy. Stick to rounders and netball.

Sorry bout that - but thought Tottenham was a down-at-its-heels type place, didn't realize it was so toni - or maybe the majority of Hotspur fans don't live in the Greater Tottenham area, but have fled to greener pastures?

Spurs have the most affluent fans of any team. Needless to say they don't live in the area.

<The town of Leverkusen is the next stop on the Tottenham Hotspur European tour>

Just curious - the Hotspur tour - is this something the club just sets up or is it a part of some challenge - or tournement.

What do these matches count for? Prestige? rankings?

How many matches are on the tour? 1? or several?

Is it a 'friendly' match, if Hotspurs are even capable of that - what the heck is a friendly match i've heard of?

What is the Hotspur's track record - are the a mediocre UK team or up there with the likes of Manchester United?

Just curious to learn more about UK soccer. Thanks and go Spurs (i guess, biting my tongue!)

???

I don't think David is going to bite.

The Leverkeusen game is part of the UEFA cup. A European competition for sides that finished high up in the league, but didn't win it (The league winners would play in the European champions league). It is actually more complicated than that - there is a feeling that it is now the European championship and bring a rich friend cup.

As to Tottenham Hotspurs relative merits, they are an old, established club (1882) with a good record of winning the FA cup (8 times), but have only won the main English title twice - the last in 1961.

English football has been very distorted over the last decade by television money. Four clubs dominate everything thanks to either huge income from Europe or from a Russian billionaire. Spurs is not one of them, although but for a dodgy lasagne ......... (Yes I know, but it makes a better story)