Group E
Estonia v England
A. Le Coq Arena
Tallinn, Estonia
12 October 2014
England went into this European Qualifier for France in pole position after wins against the Swiss away in Basel (2:0) and at Wembley, against the minnows of San Marino (5:0)
England played Estonia here at the A. Le Coq Arena, in 2007, on that day we won 3:0 with goals from Cole, Crouch and Owen. To date the complete record v Estonia is: P3 W3 L0. The return fixture is Oct next year
A.Le Coq Arena has been the home of Estonia since 2001 and has a capacity of 10340. The south stand is the traditional home end and the England fans were located in the North stand. We were in the bottom tier which seemed fairly temporary, but we did have a bird's eye view of the goal mouth action (the little that there was).
For this European Qualifier in Tallinn, tickets were at an absolute premium. England had been allocated just 1250 and with 3000 registered, it boiled down to the fact that you needed 21 + caps to secure a ticket and avoid the dreaded ballet. With 34 caps I had no real problems, but Sue got lucky scraping in with 24, Happy Days.
Danny Welbeck deservedly makes the front cover after scoring both goals against the Swiss in Basel, getting England off to a flying start in the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign
Tallinn is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea about 8o miles south of Helsinki and 200 miles west of St Petersburg. The old town is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe.
Estonia 0 England 1
Attendance: 10195
After dumping our bags at the Merchant's House Hotel we step out down the town
Our hotel in the very heart of Tallin's Old Town, just around the corner from the town square
Room 103
The first bar we find is the Depeche Mode Bar located down the cobbled streets from our hotel. All it played was Depeche Mode, it was an instant hit with the English.
"Reach out and touch me"
After a few beers we end up leading a group to the
Pepper Sack for a fabulous medieval meal.
We end up in the Hell Hunt on our first night and
Sue gets tagged by the Cider Army and then Andrew Tinker
turns up with a bottle of red.
Day 2 and it is time to walk up the hill to Toompea.
Feeling like shit
The first site we see is the impressive Aleksander Nevski Cathedral. It was built by Tallinn's Russian rulers in 1894 to mirror the Muscovite churches of the 17th C.
A short walk away, we visit the Cathedral of St Mary (Dome Church) which is the oldest church in Tallinn - built by the Danes in 1219 and apparently the most prestigious to be buried in. The belfry has great views over Tallinn.
Eye spy the Aleksander Nevski Cathedral
St Olav's Church in the distance
Toompea (Castle Hill) is full of viewing points,
this one is complete with horse chestnut seller
The Danish King's Garden which is believed to mark the spot where the invading Danes defeated the local Estonian tribes in 1219. According to Danish lore, it was here that the Dannebrog (Danish flag) fell from the sky to inspire the Christian Danes to defeat the Estonian pagans.
The Estonian War of Independence Victory Column on Freedom Square. It was built in 2009 to commemorate the 4000 who died.
On the other side of Freedom square is St John's Church built between 1862-67
We stumble into a rally that has gathered to support the declining welfare standards for disabled people.
'Kiek in de Kok' (Peek into the Kitchen) and the Bastion Tunnels'. 'Kiek in de Kok' doubles up as a museum covering several levels, but was originally built in the 16thC as a platform for heavy cannon defending the city.
The Bastion tunnels were built in the 1670s, but hardly used until the 20th century when they were renovated into bomb shelters in time for World War II. During the Soviet period they were further modernized to add electricity, running water, ventilation and phones.
The Soviet style nuclear war tunnel
We leave Toompea in the afternoon and now
the street artists have their wares on the wall.
The Three Lions team who were located just off the Town Square and it was here that we found out that Graham Bleanch had sadly passed away just before the Estonia trip. 'Bleanchy' was a staunch supporter of England and a long term member of the Free Lions team. Note the book of condolences.
This was the entry in the Free Lions for the Scotland (A) game, but Bleanchy passed way just before he was due to come out to Tallin with the Free Lions team.
The start of Pikk Street (Long Street). The maritime museum is just on the right located within 'Fat Margaret'
'Fat Margaret' is a barrel shaped bastion built in the 16th C which was used as a cannon platform
and an ammunition depot.
We take a brisk walk to the Seaplane Harbour, a huge museum displaying an impressive array of nautical exhibits, located just to the west of the port of Tallinn.
Sue by the Torpedo tubes on the bow of the Lembit.
Lembit is a Kalev class submarine which was
built in Barrow-in- Furness and launched in 1936.
It was still in the water in 2011!
Kommander Hesketh taking aim
The Suur Tõll is a 1914 steam powered ice breaker which was originally built for the Russian Tsar 'Peter the Great', but was captured many times and served in the Finnish, Soviet Union and Estonian fleets.
Sue has found her horn
Last orders with with Pete, Obi and Sue
Day 3 is matchday and ticket collection from Hotel Viru, then we venture by taxi to Le Coq Arena in the south of the city.
The early match Fans match between England Fans and Estonia Fans is in progress but I just wanted a nosey.
Main entrance
A marquee for for the main entrance
The stadium shop
Section dedicated to FC Flora
Trepp 8
Trepp 7 and Luus 4 in the North Stand - the England end.
Spot the 4 Porta-loos, yes that is it!
The Main Stand
The two Estonian stewards are standing guard and successfully block my cheeky attempt to gain access to the stadium, nevertheless they are quite happy to pose for photos!
One final look, as we head back to town on the 'Parnu Maantee' footpath as we couldn't get a taxi.
Bronze statue of a happy chimney sweep
Soprus Movie Theatre is a place to go to see 'underground' films and it also doubles up as a famous night club.
We arrive in the town square to find it has been
transformed by the travelling English hordes
London loyal (Rangers and Spurs) ??
Mickleover Rams
Charlton (Maidstone) and Southampton
Tranmere Rovers struggling with their flag
The England Band
I will sit next to this gent at Celtic Parkin Glasgow a month later . Spooky or just alphabetic order?
Craig Mac and Mrs H
Upper tier of the England end
The South Stand in front
First half action was limited in this very dull game
Back in our favourite watering hole, the Hell Hunt.
The Brotherhood of Blackheads were an association of local unmarried merchants, ship owners, and foreigners from the mid 14th century till 1940. It was founded as a military organization, however, the non-military aspects of the association gradually became more pronounced until the Brotherhood became a predominantly social organization after the end of the Great Northern war.
The House of the Brotherhood of Blackheads. The Guardian Newspaper would have a fit
Estonia's oldest pub and in my opinion its best
The Peppersack' in the town square is one of the oldest restaurants in Tallinn dating back to 1370 when it was a storehouse for grain, herbs and spices
The Town Hall. The height of the tower is 64 metres. Tallinn Town Hall is located on the Town Hall Square.
Old Thomas (Vana Toomas) is the name of the weather vane on the top of the Town Hall's tower, that has been there since 1530, which is now one of the symbols of Tallinn.
Another cracking medieval pub
Old Town Square
It is with great sadness that we leave Tallinn,
as it was just brilliant. Must visit again in the summer.
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