Group E
Switzerland v England
Stadion St Jakob Park
Basel, Switzerland
8 September 2014
England arrive in Basel fresh after a Rooney penalty sealed a Wembley victory over Norway, prior to embarking on the qualifying competition for Euro 16. At least it draws a line under the WC campaign in Brazil and the disappointment of our early exit without winning a game
Wayne Rooney made the front cover of the Free Lions in the last edition for scoring his first goal in the WC finals, this time he is on because he is the new captain of England
Basel is a city in north-west Switzerland on the river Rhine at the tripoint of France, Germany and Switzerland. It is considered the cultural capital of the country. The stadium itself is in the southeast of the city and is a tram ride from the centre
St Jakob Park, Basel. The stadium was commissioned for the FIFA WC hosted by Switzerland in 1954 and hosted six games in total, 4 group games, a QF and SF. England have played here 8 times, 6 times against the Swiss and 2 games at FIFA WC 1954, against Belgium and Uruguay:
England's record at St Jakobs: P8, W5, D1, L2
17 Jun 1954, FIFA WC 54, Group 4, Belgium v England (4-4)
26 Jun 1954, FIFA WC 54, QF, Uruguay v England (4-2)
5 Jun 1963, Friendly, Switzerland v England (1-8)
13 Oct 1971, Euro 72 Qualifiers, Switzerland v England (2-3)
3 Sep 1975, Friendly, Switzerland v England (1-2)
30 May 1981, WC 1982 Qualifiers, Switzerland v England (2-1)
7 Sep 2010, Euro 2012 Qualifiers, Switzerland v England (1-3)
8 Sep 2014, Euro 2016 Qualifiers, Switzerland v England (0-2)
FIFA WC 1954
17 Jun 1954, Group 4, Belgium v England (4-4)
19 Jun 1954, Group 3, Uruguay v Scotland (7-0)
20 Jun 1954, Group 2, Hungary v West Germany (8-3)
23 Jun 1954, Play Off, Switzerland v Italy (4-1)
26 Jun 1954, QF, Uruguay v England (4-2)
30 Jun 1954, SF, West Germany v Austria (6-1)
The England end at St Jakob Park for tonight's game
Switzerland 0 England 2
Attendance: 35500
We arrive at the Euro Airport (Basel, Mulhouse and Freiburg) following a direct flight from Gatwick. The airport is located in France, but it only 6 Km from Basel's city centre. The only small detail that you need to be aware of is that you must exit the airport at the correct country.
After checking in, it's time for an evening stroll over the Rhein
Basel's old town is full of fountains. Note the city's crest;
it is quite hard to work it out as it is actually the
top of a Bishop's staff
Day 2 - Our hotel was co-located with an Evangelical church mission (mission 21). Hotel Bildungszentrum 21 is not far from the centre of Basel. It boasts its own park and a rose garden; we had breakfast in the gardens.
Barfusserplatz, the popular location for the majority
of old town pubs and also a major tram junction
Basel Cathedral (Munster) dominates the Basel skyline and is an imposing red sandstone building built between 1019 -1500.
Mittlere Brücke from the top of the cathedral. It is one of the oldest Rhein bridge, built in 1226. The first bridge had to be re-built in 1905 following the introduction of electronic trams
The Wettsteinbrücke facing East from the cathedral is the second Basel bridge to span the Rhein, it was first built in 1879 to cope with the cities growing traffic problem.
Posing on the ramparts of the 2nd tower
In the Bell Tower
The Spalen Gate is situated to the west of the University of Basel and marks the
end of the city's medieval sector. Built in the early 15th century, it's one of
the best preserved gates standing in Switzerland, featuring a pointed roof and twin
towers with battlements. The gate was restored significantly during the 19th
century.
This ancient gateway still has its large wooden door and the heavy paling that was lowered in times of danger to bar the entrance to the city. The St. Alban-Tor, known locally as the “Dalbedoor” is now the gateway to the St. Alban quarter famous for its narrow winding streets and historical buildings.
St Alban
The 500 year old Paper Mill, St Alban district
There are four ferries that take passengers from Grossbasel to Kleinbasel. We decide to travel on all four starting with the St Alban Ferry 'Wild Maa' which takes passengers from Kleinbasel to the historical Dabeloch and the Paper Mill.
'Wild Maa'
Swimming in the Rhein on the Kleinbasel side...just let the current take you!
Sue follows me down by foot, all the way
to the next ferry at Mittlere Rheinbrucke
Getting on the Klingental Ferry 'Vogel Gryff'. Once on the Gross Basel side we walk up the riverside to St Johann Park
Today this former gateway is home to Basel's police force, who occupy the rooms at the top of the tower. The gateway is the landmark of the St. Johann quarter, which is one of the districts undergoing architectural transformation of the cityscape
After a beer in the restaurant we jump on the St Johann Ferry 'Ueli' to the Horburg quarter
Boarding 'Ueli'. In the background is the 'Dreirosenbrucke' which was completed in 1934 causing the traditional ferry service to be stopped, only to be re-opened in 1989.
After crossing the Rhein again we walk down a disused rail track - Sue has been watching too many Westerns'.
After a long walk, we get a tram to the centre
Day 3 and we head out to find the elusive 'Dreilandereck Sculpture', the point where Germany, Switzerland and France meet. It is bang in the middle of the Rhein at Kleinhuningen.
Then back to the Rathaus (Town Hall) on Marktplatz
Parts of the Town Hall are over 500 years old. It is constructed of red sandstone and is known as the 'Roothus'
The internal Frescos depict scenes of justice
We have a fabulous meal at the 'Restaurant Lowenzorn'
We managed to get our 4th and final Rhein Ferry trip in. This one is the Munster Ferry (Cathedral crossing) known as 'Leu' and serves the public in the crossing near to the Wettsteinbrucke leading to a staircase to the cathedral.
Its been a good day
Watching swimmers at the top of Mittlere Rheinbrucke gives me an idea for tomorrow
Swimmers changing into clothes from a dry bag
After a quick turn around it is pre-match drinks with the boys
at a bar in Barfusserplatz
Mark, Tommy, Gary, Obi (RiP), Joe,
Pete and me.... and a load of beer & crisps
After a mental tram ride we end up in the England end
Not a bad view
England are everywhere
Tommy, Obi (RiP) and me
Sue is on form
A colourful reception for the Three Lions
England Loyal
The match finishes with an English victory
The main stand emptying
The tram back to Barfusser platz nearly got rocked off the rails " Roy Hodgson, Roy Hodgson, Roy Hodgson is taking us to Paris, to Paris, to Paris....."
The video
Day 4 and the morning after the game I take a pilgrimage to the St Jakob Stadium to take photos and see if I can find a match programme. Unbelievably, I find a huge stack just behind a skip to the right of the photo above.
St Jakob Park is a multi activity centre with a
huge shopping centre underneath the stadium.
FC Basel's fanshop and museum
Old stairs leading to the home end
Ticket Booths
Graffiti 1
Graffiti 2
Graffiti 3
Subway greeting
Entrance to the away end
The 'Tinguely Fountain', sculptured by Jean Tinguely is located at the site of the Old City Theatre. The Swiss artist had black asphalt poured into a shallow basin before placing these low power-operated, water-spouting objects in it. These nine iron objects are in constant motion and “talk” to each other just as did the mimers, actors and dancers who once performed at this very spot.
We finish off the tour with culture. The Kunstmuseum houses the most significant public art collection in Switzerland and is our last attraction before getting the tram/bus to the airport.
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