Our Man In Kharkiv

20 February 2013 16:08
Our NU-Mad reporter - Dennis Taylor - has arrived in the Ukraine, ahead of Newcastle's Europa League match on Thursday.

Dennis set off on Wednesday night (with 11 others) on the train from Newcastle to Peterborough, then they changed train to go to Stansted.

He arrived in Istanbul in Turkey at 5.30am, saying: "It's dragging, couldn't get any kip, and some of the lads - not the ones in our group - are rather pissed and things have already kicked off.

"There was a scuffle with two Turks in a toilet in the airport, and some Toon fans are making a scene.

"It's not good, Some are acting like idiots. The barman has just called security. I just want to get to Kharkiv and get away from these idiots."

That was Wednesday morning - he text at 2.10pm the same day to say they had arrived safely in the Ukraine.

"It's freezing, about -7, and the place is like a throw back to 1970s.

"I've been to some places - Zagreb, Sarajevo, but this place beats the lot of them. There's loads of old Communist buildings.

"Had the worst taxi ride of my life, getting to the hotel. God forbid, no such thing as a highway code here, in an old clapped out Lada car.

"Had difficulty booking my room, even though it had been booked for weeks. The bloke behind the desk could not understand anything, not even my name.

"After 15 minutes, he handed me a phone so I could talk to someone who could translate Taylor into Russian. WTF."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Squad for Metalist Kharkiv tomorrow night.

NEWCASTLE UNITED SQUAD: Krul, Elliot, Perch, Anita, Bigirimana, Yanga-Mbiwa, S Taylor, Tiote, Shola Ameobi, Cabaye, Gosling, Coloccini, Obertan, Haidara, Cisse, Gutierrez, Marveaux, Simpson.

 

Source: Newcastle United Mad

Source: FOOTYMAD