Well tonights the night. Hope its a decent match.

The match will be broadcast on the internet via Radio Ulster : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/5167862.stm

Sky sports may also have camera's there and brief highlights may be shown on that station after the game.

Finally, hope to meet up with your supporters tonight.

Good luck.....

Quote from: "mobli"Which pubs would you recommend going to in Belfast?
Preferrably some with a few decent ales.

Try Robinson's and the crown bar in the city centre. http://www.crownbar.com/webcam.asp

Or try The Park Avenue hotel or the Westbourne Glentoran supporters Club before the match.

Quote from: "C@Bøe_79"

Quote from: "Glentoran FC"

Quote from: "Oppreist"What to do in Bergen

Glentorian - you are most welcome to Bergen.  I hope you come to enjoy some days in Bergen before the game.  People in Bergen are very proud of their city and for a reason. It is beautifully located by the fjord and with mountains all around.  

Restaurants and pubs abound in the rather concentrated city centre, and there are several football pubs.  Fotballpuben is the place to go before a game to meet other supporters,  but if you want to watch Norwegian or international football on big screens you might as well go to Scotsman or Champions.  

I recommend Dyveke bar (downstairs) or Altonakjelleren for medieval atmosphere and a glass of wine or beer. If you want to enjoy a nice meal you should try one of our very good (but expensive) fish restaurants (e.g. Enhjørningen).  There is also something for the slimmer pocket (e.g Chinese and Thai restaurants).  

I recommend a walk along Fjellveien or a trip with the funicular to the Fløien mountain.  There is also a cable car going to the top of Ulriken, Bergen's tallest mountain.  Both places offer spectacular view over the city and the sourrounding areas.  

A walk in the residential areas of Nordnes (downtown) or Sandviken is also recommended (pittoresque old houses, paved road and a quiet atmosphere).  

Bryggen (the old trade area along the harbour) is on the UNESCO cultural heritage list, and is definitely worth a visit.  

You should also check out the cultural part of Bergen - in summer there are numerous festivals and concerts.

If you want to go outside the city there are also numerous activities - like hiking, fishing, catching crabs etc.

Thanks for the tips. We only have a few hours sightseeing, the rest will be taken up by the football and pubs :-)

What would you suggest is the number one thing to do in Bergen when we are there?

If there`s one thing you have to do when sightseeing in Bergen, is either Ulriken or Fløyen. And I will recommend Ulriken, it`s the tallest of the seven mountains surrounding Bergen. From Ulriken you will see must of Bergen, and also have a clear view of Brann Stadion..
But first of all you have to try the Hansa-beer, the numero uno beer in Norway..

Thanks for the info. some good tips there. Hansa beer will certainly be sampled as will the fish market, the mountain and Altonakjelleren :D

Quote from: "BRANN gutten fra Os!"Football match between Brann fans and Glentoran fans??

I certainly won't be playing but I'll put it on a Glentoran forum and see how it goes. I'm sure a few would be interested.

Quote from: "Lurkin"Just for the record, the city is built between seven mountains, so Mount Fløyen is actually a 2 minutes walk from downtown.

You should also visit the Aquarium, which is also near downtown. Just PM me if you want guidance to the pub or anything, I've got nothing to do anyway.

Thanks. We are only in the city for 2 days. I think a trip up the mountain is a must but I'd rather be eating the fish than looking at them :lol:

We'd be more into bars and nightlife though. I'm sure we'll all meet up in Fotballpuben before the game.

Some of us are concerned that The Oval will be sold out at the Brann game. (Because of the all-seater rule, of course). But 5,000 seats should be more than enough, shouldn't it?

The game will definitely not be sold out but to put your mind at rest email the secretary@glentoran.net . All away fans have to be guaranteed a certain number of seats anyway. Its unlikely there will be any segregation but you will be made most welcome.


Where in Belfast can I see those famous murals? All over, or in certain areas?

They are all over the city, except neutral area's like the city centre. You will see plenty on your way to the Oval. A city bus tour will bring you around a lot of them.

Remember, the 12th and 13th are public holiday's in N. Ireland. Nearly everywhere will be closed. There will be a reduced bus service and no tourist buses on these day's. Taxi's will also be more expensive as well.

On the plus side, there is a very large parade on the 12th which passes through the city centre and leave at 9.00am. The parade takes around 3 hours to pass any given point and returns again around 7.00pm. Plenty of time to take in a few sights in between.

Quote from: "Oppreist"What to do in Bergen

Glentorian - you are most welcome to Bergen.  I hope you come to enjoy some days in Bergen before the game.  People in Bergen are very proud of their city and for a reason. It is beautifully located by the fjord and with mountains all around.  

Restaurants and pubs abound in the rather concentrated city centre, and there are several football pubs.  Fotballpuben is the place to go before a game to meet other supporters,  but if you want to watch Norwegian or international football on big screens you might as well go to Scotsman or Champions.  

I recommend Dyveke bar (downstairs) or Altonakjelleren for medieval atmosphere and a glass of wine or beer. If you want to enjoy a nice meal you should try one of our very good (but expensive) fish restaurants (e.g. Enhjørningen).  There is also something for the slimmer pocket (e.g Chinese and Thai restaurants).  

I recommend a walk along Fjellveien or a trip with the funicular to the Fløien mountain.  There is also a cable car going to the top of Ulriken, Bergen's tallest mountain.  Both places offer spectacular view over the city and the sourrounding areas.  

A walk in the residential areas of Nordnes (downtown) or Sandviken is also recommended (pittoresque old houses, paved road and a quiet atmosphere).  

Bryggen (the old trade area along the harbour) is on the UNESCO cultural heritage list, and is definitely worth a visit.  

You should also check out the cultural part of Bergen - in summer there are numerous festivals and concerts.

If you want to go outside the city there are also numerous activities - like hiking, fishing, catching crabs etc.

Thanks for the tips. We only have a few hours sightseeing, the rest will be taken up by the football and pubs :-)

What would you suggest is the number one thing to do in Bergen when we are there?

Quote from: "Alexåsane"I am in London that day, Is there eny pubs who maby will show this match?

Sky Sports News will have frequent updates on the match but unfortunately no live coverage.

BBC Radio Ulster - http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/radioulster/index.shtml

may cover the game which can be picked up in London. They may also do an internet broadcast. If enough email them and they're covering the game they might just do it.

Will the game be televised in Norway?

Sorry for the late reply guys.

Quote from: "krøvel vellevold"It is impossible to find any attendance figures from the (Northern) Irish League. But I've read that these are rare. Do you know how many spectators there are on your matches?

This season (we play april - november) we've got just below 16,000 in average on our home games in the league so far. But of one or other reason early UEFA Cup rounds are not that popular in Bergen. The Glentoran game will probably only attract 2 or 3,000 to Brann Stadion. And that's no more than we will draw against 3rd division side Levanger in the 3rd round of the Norwegian Cup! It might be because of the loss of different ticket price levels on those european cup games. The tickets will be unnumbered, and all seats will cost 150 or 200 kroner (13 - 17 punds). And of course there are no standing tickets avaliable.

Brann have played 13 times in one of the European Cups. On 44 games we have won 15, drawn 10 and lost 19. The goal difference is 64-70. According to uefa.com your record is 31 times, 72 games, 8 wins, 19 draws, 45 lost, 53-155 in goal difference.

Here is Branns European Record:
Branns score mentioned first.

Cup Winners Cup 73/74: Gzira (Malta), (a) 2-0, (h) 7-0. Agg: 9-0.
Glentoran (N.Ireland), (h) 1-1, (a) 1-3. Agg: 2-4.
UEFA Cup 76/77: Queens Park Rangers (England), (a) 0-4, (H) 0-7. Agg: 0-11.
Cup Winners Cup 77/78: Akranes (Iceland), (h) 1-0, (a) 4-0. Agg: 5-0.
Twente Enschede (Holland), (a) 0-2, (h) 1-2. Agg: 1-4.
Cup Winners Cup 82/83: NEC Nijmegen (Holland), (a) 1-1, (h) 0-1. Agg: 1-2.
Cup Winners Cup 89/90: Sampdoria (Italy), (h) 0-2, (a) 0-1. Agg: 0-3.
Cup Winners Cup 96/97: Shelbourne (Ireland), (a) 3-1, (h) 2-1. Agg: 5-2.
Cercle Brügge (Belgium), (a) 2-3, (h) 4-0. Agg: 6-3.
PSV Eindhoven (Holland), (h) 2-1, (a) 2-2. Agg: 4-3(!)
Liverpool (England), (h) 1-1, (a) 0-3. Agg: 1-4.
UEFA Cup 97/98: Neftochimik Burgas (Bulgaria), (h) 2-1, (a) 2-3. Agg: 4-4. Brann won on away goals.
Grasshoppers (Switzerland), (a) 0-3, (h) 2-0. Agg: 2-3.
UEFA Cup 98/99: Zalgiris (Lithuania), (h) 1-0, (a) 0-0. Agg: 1-0.  
Werder Bremen (Germany), (h) 2-0, (a) 0-4 aet. Agg: 2-4.
Intertoto Cup 99/00: Varteks (Croatia), (h) 3-0, (a) 0-3. Agg: 3-3. Varteks won 5-4 on penalties.
UEFA Cup 00/01: Liepajas Metallurgs (Latvia), (a) 1-1, (h) 1-0. Agg: 2-1.
Basel (Switzerland), (a) 2-3, (h) 4-4. Agg: 6-7.
Champions League qualifying 01/02: Levski Sofia (Bulgaria), (a) 0-0, (h) 1-1. Agg: 1-1. Levski won on away goals.
UEFA Cup 02/03: Suduva (Lithuania), (h) 2-3, (a) 2-3. Agg: 4-6.
UEFA Cup 05/06:Allianssi (Finland), (h) 0-0, (a) 2-0. Agg: 2-0.
Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia), (h) 1-2, (a) 2-3. Agg: 3-5. Brann got one man off in the away game after 30 minutes at 0-0, but took the lead twice with ten men!

Total in Europe:
Home games: 22  11-5-6  38-27
Away games: 22  4-5-13  26-43
Total: 44  15-10-10  64-70

Glentoran have average gates of around 2,000. Against Linfield we would attract 7,000 but against lesser opposition a lot less. We print attenfdnaces on www.glentoran.net but unfortunately I can't find the archives from last season.

Our best progress in Europe came the year we beat yourselves. We eventually went out in the 1/4 finals to Borrussia Munchen Glabach.

Our best result however came in the 1967/ 68 season when we drew with the then unstoppable Benfica 1-1 and 0-0 and went out on away goals.

We have usually played well in Europe but the big stage scares us and we usually go down by the odd goal or so.

Quote from: "K1980"It's actually the other way around, I am a guy from Norway in Cork.I am not from Bergen myself but I am a Brann supporter!
I might try to make it to Bergen on the 27th as I will be in Norway around that date...:)

Hope you can make the Belfast leg, its only a 5 hours journey by car :-)

Quote from: "Lurkin"You're not going to like the prices up here, haha.

Anyway, Brann is undefeated the first 10 rounds of the Norwegian Premier League and has a comfortabe league position, so you're not leaving Norway with a win, that's for sure. :)

But you're welcome, indeed.

We played Lillestrom a few years ago and stayed in Oslo. Over 100 Glentoran fans made the trip.... and it didn't stop us getting pissed every night.....

Glentoran play to the East of the city but I would stay in the city centre  where all the sights, bars and shops are. Take a city tour bus in the afternoon. You will cram in most of Belfast, its history, sights and trouble spots.

Have a pint in the Crown bar or Robinsons. There's live "diddly dee" Irish music in the back of Robinsons every night (as far as I know). There are loads of bars/ clubs and disco's to go to, just ask around to find out whats best for you.

Go to the Westbourne Glentoran Supporters Club on the Newtownards road before the match. A taxi from the city centre should cost you around£3.50. You'll get a decent pint and only £2 :-) Food is served until 4.00pm but there are quite a few Chip shops, Kebab and curry houses around so you won't starve. The ground is a 10 minute walk from here.

Don't go to the match too early. There's nothing around the ground and no alcohol will be served until after the game. Our ground is very basic. We only have 4500 seats but it won't be full so you won't struggle for a ticket. Like yourselves we have plans for a 10,000 seater stadium but nothing has happened in nearly 10 years of planning.

Stay for a while after the match. As I said, the bar will be open and you will be able to mix with all the players and our support. There's a club shop inside the ground that is open before the match, half time and for 10 minutes after the game. You be able to buy your souvineers here.

If your arriving on the 12th of July, remember this is a public holiday. Taxi fares will be doubled and all of the shops will be closed. There is a large parade on this day. You'll be able to enjoy this spectacle in the city centre. It would be wise to buy a city map as the city centre will be closed off so you may struggle getting to your hotel.

Enjoy your trip. You will be made most welcome in Belfast and at the Oval (Glentoran's home ground).

Quote from: "Brannmus"http://www.brann.no/index.php?mapping=12

This link might also provide you with some information.

http://fotballpuben.no/

This is a link to our local pub, here the supporters get together before the game. You will be more than welcome to join us.

Thanks Brannmus, we are a friendly bunch and enjoy the "craic" with other supporters. I'm sure we will definitely meet there for a pint beofre the game.

Do you know what time the game will kick off at?

You can checkout www.ballymacgsc.com for starters

and then the wonderful

www.irishleagueforums.net and go to the Glentoran section.

The latter unfortunately only allows you 15 free messages per month before subscription but there is a lot of action on this group.

There are others which I'm sure fellow Glentoran supporters will point out to you when they eventually find this group.

Can I ask, what a guy from Cork is doing in Bergen?

Hi and good luck in the forthcoming UEFA cup game (although not too much). This is the second time the teams have met, I was only a child when the first game was played, Glentoran coming out on top and reaching the Quarter Finals of the Cup Winners Cup.

Anyway, there should be a good crowd of around 150 Glentoran supporters arriving in Bergen for the forthcoming tie. Perhaps you could tell me a little about your Club and City?

Where is the ground?

Where are the best bars?

Do you have a supporters bar?

We are staying for 2 days, what are the highlights of the city in the 2 days (besides the £5 pints)

How many of your supporters will be travelling to Belfast?

I'm sure I can think of more.

If you need any information about Glentoran or Belfast, please feel free to ask, I will answer as best as I can.