Russian Blades

[2ndtenorblade]

During my Euro2012 trip I was in Donetsk for the Spain Portugal Semi-Final. I chose to wear my Blades shirt that day and on two separate occasions some Russian bloke (two different blokes) wanted to have a photo with me in that shirt. They both mentioned their team as if I should know their fans had some affinity with us. Does this mean anything to anyone here?

 

[jockdodds]

During my Euro2012 trip I was in Donetsk for the Spain Portugal Semi-Final. I chose to wear my Blades shirt that day and on two separate occasions some Russian bloke (two different blokes) wanted to have a photo with me in that shirt. They both mentioned their team as if I should know their fans had some affinity with us. Does this mean anything to anyone here?

Because Sheffield is twinned with Donetsk?

 

[2ndtenorblade]

Because Sheffield is twinned with Donetsk?

I knew that and it's quite complicated, the Donbas region of Ukraine is very Russian, but I'm pretty sure these were Russians and not Ukrainians.

 

[metalblade]

Maybe they mistook the shirt for an Athletic Madrid jobbie ?

 

[SwissBlade]

While working in Kazakhstan in 2006, I met a guy from the Ukraine. Donetsk to be precise. He spoke no English, I no Russian. But through the translator at the company I found some things out and made some connections.

The whole conversation sparked off when he used the word 'shaktyr' when referring to a guy with his colleague with big hands during a joke. He meant that he has shovel hands, but used the word 'shaktyr' as it means miner/ digger ( or similar). I immediately asked if this is the meaning of 'shaktyr Donetsk' - they are the mining team. Metalurg Donetsk are the steel makers team

Donetsk is indeed twinned with Sheffield, hence the road "donetsk way" in sheffield. It is a mining and steel making city.

The river in Donetsk is called the Don, I think it was a Norsk word for river and there are a few rivers in Britain and Northern Europe named the don.

So most probably through the links, a Sheffield delegation has been there.

I found it interesting, even if nobody else does

 

[2ndtenorblade]

I did not know that about the meaning of Shaktar. The whole Ukraine visit was an experience, but Donetsk itself was a bit scary. Not helped by a mix-up ending with us having no hotel room for two nights. The 1st night we slummed it in the Shaktar Plaza, the second night was a bit of a brothel, even had it's own pole dancing room. Girlfriend was well impressed.

 

[SwissBlade]

2ndtenorblade Digressing slightly based on your post.

A lot of hotels in Russia and the former Soviet Union have “facilities” which you don’t normally see in Western hotels, so the Ukraine doesn’t surprise me. If you book, book into a western chain, but this is no guarantee you will avoid these things. Look on it as culture. Most big hotels in Moscow for example, tend to have Disco’s and the entertainment in Discos and nightclubs can often include Dancers, but dancers that end up getting their wabs out at some point. We had a nightclub in Kazakhstan which did this. It wasn’t a strip club, normal nightclub with Male and female customers, just the female dancers exposed themselves. Different

From my experience, the hotel foyers of almost all Russian, Kazakh and Polish hotels will be full of ladies awaiting company. I’ve stayed in crappy mozzy infected hotels on the Baltic coast and 5 star luxurious hotels in Moscow and St Petersburg, its the same, except the standards are often much different.

I think you just have to accept that this is the way life is in the former eastern bloc. It is changing in many ways, but I think these parts are set to stay as the rich get richer and they want to flaunt their cash, one way is with girls.

 

[2ndtenorblade]

The Donetsk hotel thing was a result of a mixup. But, back to the point, I'm pretty sure these guys both said they were fans of a Russian team, but had some kind of affinity with us.

 

[broomhillblade]

In my younger days, when I travelled to a few dodgy places on business, I found that even up-market hotels - that would chase away any hookers from the public bars - tended to allow one or two high-class ladies in the residents bar/lounge areas.

In contrast, I stayed at the Durbah Hotel, Kaduna, Nigeria in 1981. There were security guards on every floor. I was returning to my room when one of the guards stopped me. "Do you have a woman in your room, sir?" he asked. "No, of course not", I replied.

"Would you like one?" he asked.

 

[georgebernardshaw]

In my younger days, when I travelled to a few dodgy places on business, I found that even up-market hotels - that would chase away any hookers from the public bars - tended to allow one or two high-class ladies in the residents bar/lounge areas.

In contrast, I stayed at the Durbah Hotel, Kaduna, Nigeria in 1981. There were security guards on every floor. I was returning to my room when one of the guards stopped me. "Do you have a woman in your room, sir?" he asked. "No, of course not", I replied.

"Would you like one?" he asked.

"No, of course not", I replied.

Old George Mack would have been proud of you, Broomhill...

George

 

[SwissBlade]

The Donetsk hotel thing was a result of a mixup. But, back to the point, I'm pretty sure these guys both said they were fans of a Russian team, but had some kind of affinity with us.

I've never personally heard of any link up in Russia, but if other Blades are like me when they travel, they may take shirts, pendants etc so it could be something as simple as that. Pity you don't know which team they supported, I could've done some research with my Russian colleagues here.

 

[SheepdipBlade]

On a variation of this - a few years ago I visited a few parts of Portugal and chose to wear our stripes. I was surprised when quite a few people came up and instantly recognised the kit. It turns out that for many Portuguese (of a certain age) English red and white stripes automatically = Sheff Utd due to the contribution of Jimmy Hagan to Portuguese football (Sporting, Benfica) - and we are still the English team of choice for many of these people.

 

[boo radley]

Luba across the road. Good old Ukrainian lady with a Yorkshire accent mixed in with her own, sounds ace.

 

[broomhillblade]

"No, of course not", I replied.

Old George Mack would have been proud of you, Broomhill...

George

It would have made a better story if I had spent the rest of the night with a couple of dusky Nigerian nymphomaniacs, but sadly this was not the case.

 

[Bladesway]

Luba across the road.

Sounds more like a rude request than a person.

 

[georgebernardshaw]

On a variation of this - a few years ago I visited a few parts of Portugal and chose to wear our stripes. I was surprised when quite a few people came up and instantly recognised the kit. It turns out that for many Portuguese (of a certain age) English red and white stripes automatically = Sheff Utd due to the contribution of Jimmy Hagan to Portuguese football (Sporting, Benfica) - and we are still the English team of choice for many of these people.

That chimes in with my experience, because I used to do a lot of business with a company with factories in Lisbon and Porto - they were all football mad, and Hagan is still a well-known name over there.

After we we had the friendly with Benfica, I went down to the Lane to see if I could pick up a programme for one of the Benfica fans - Derek Dooley was in the front office, and when I asked him if a programme was still available, he said "No, but Rooks may have one, let's go and see".

Mick thought he might have one, and set about searching the most chaotic desk I've ever seen - paper, cold cups of tea, books, all went flying until he triumphantly held up his prize and handed it to me without a thought for any form of payment.

When I got to Lisbon, I showed the programme to the Benfica fan, and you'd have thought I'd given him the keys to Heaven. There followed one of the best meals and boozy evenings I've ever had and I can still feel the hangover on the flight back to this day.

George.

 

[SwissBlade]

Italian football fans i've worked with in the past have always been over the moon when I take them Football Programmes.

I worked with a big Inter fan and when he received the Sheffield FC v Inter Programme he was taken a back. It was like I was handing him the holy grail. He knew nothing of Sheffield FC or indeed the game. But I explained the significance and it blew his mind.

Football has a strange knack of doing this

 

[JohnDenver]

In contrast, I stayed at the Durbah Hotel, Kaduna, Nigeria in 1981. There were security guards on every floor. I was returning to my room when one of the guards stopped me. "Do you have a woman in your room, sir?" he asked. "No, of course not", I replied.

"Would you like one?" he asked.

Walking through Manilla on my travels last year a random bloke sidled up alongside and said:

"Hash?"
"No thank you"
"Coke?"
"No thank you"
"H?"
"No thank you".
"Ok then... Woman? You want woman?"
"Err... Not just now thanks."
"Ahhh! Big boobies! You want big boobies!"

If I hadn't have arrived at my hostel at exactly that moment just think what I could have won.

 

[SwissBlade]

I think his pitch was wrong....

"Pictures of you, Stephen Quinn and 'that' diplodocus.... $20"

There we go....