• Master
    4 Mar 2013, 12:57 a.m.

    [i]Red Sox vs Yankees

    Real Madrid vs Barcelona

    Duke vs North Carolina

    Dortmund vs Schalke

    Celtics vs Lakers

    Ohio State vs Michigan

    Canadiens vs Maple Leafs[/i]

    Few would argue that the English Football Premiership equivalent in London would be...
    Spurs vs Arsenal.

    Although truth be told for the longest time it’s been more than one-sided with our North London rivals finishing above us in the league for the last, um… 18 years! (It’s like being a pre-2004 Red Sox fan against the Yankees all over again).

    Nevertheless… that’s the fun of sports… eternal optimism!

    *

    Okay so the fussball DFB would be much more appropriate, but here’s his far east cousin (Big Pilot Tribute To Japan)...

    Waiting for the train to cut across town. Sunny blue skies… could this be an omen?

    i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q562/teeveetee9/Big%20Pilot%20White%20Hart%20Lane/843B1AF4-975A-4E05-BEC8-2FABE06596DB-13943-00000A2604B97AE1_zps4100f24a.jpg

    Reading the paper on the train… (indeed after years of pain will this be the year?)

    i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q562/teeveetee9/Big%20Pilot%20White%20Hart%20Lane/76030833-E454-4C5D-B102-106522FE846F-13943-00000A26C61ED0D5_zps45ac4036.jpg

    Arriving at Seven Sisters Tube Station, North-East London

    i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q562/teeveetee9/Big%20Pilot%20White%20Hart%20Lane/939DB194-6A0F-4293-BB2B-DB15A767E5A8-13943-00000A25EF56DC61_zps54788759.jpg

    Train, Tube, Bus…
    yes I think getting to the Airport is quicker!

    i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q562/teeveetee9/Big%20Pilot%20White%20Hart%20Lane/4BEA3999-91FB-420C-ACF8-A33E7FFBC0FB-13943-00000A270E92DCBA_zps1bd015d4.jpg

    Outside the stadium – such a heated rivalry the Arsenal fans have to arrive under armed guard! LOL

    i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q562/teeveetee9/Big%20Pilot%20White%20Hart%20Lane/6660B74E-0BA8-4135-A69D-EA97A12628A7-13943-00000A26F93512AB_zpse7fe22bb.jpg

    And we have arrived at White Hart Lane… home of the Tottenham Hotspurs

    i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q562/teeveetee9/Big%20Pilot%20White%20Hart%20Lane/19E2CE5B-9112-42B4-A1BD-AAEE13BBF5CA-13943-00000A2657F84B0D_zpsccb8f5d0.jpg

    The line-ups
    (keep note of our No 11 Gareth Bale... a potential Jordan/Ronaldo/Ali/Brown/Federer in the making)

    i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q562/teeveetee9/Big%20Pilot%20White%20Hart%20Lane/5D206090-75B6-46F4-9763-D90B3FDD7678-13943-00000A2627FCB040_zps8d44cefc.jpg

    Mind you Language?
    (at a football game? no chance...) =P

    i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q562/teeveetee9/Big%20Pilot%20White%20Hart%20Lane/A0BEE73F-9318-475D-8CA3-07312A701005-13943-00000A25DB3681EF_zps8aa8477e.jpg

    The teams lining up.

    i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q562/teeveetee9/Big%20Pilot%20White%20Hart%20Lane/D1B5AE23-FEA2-40E8-8F9A-818A7CCCD3AC-13943-00000A26A71D8323_zps64f44b92.jpg

    i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q562/teeveetee9/Big%20Pilot%20White%20Hart%20Lane/BE290A6C-F1CC-45EB-B93E-5F5EDB8C4739-13943-00000A2AF817B018_zpsb581e69d.jpg

    And we’re off!

    i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q562/teeveetee9/Big%20Pilot%20White%20Hart%20Lane/ECFEA1BC-6217-42B9-97FB-92054BB471F4-13943-00000A28ACFCAE29_zpsc407bd6b.jpg

    And so what happened?

    Well, let’s just say I’m keeping this programme as a souvenir:

    i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q562/teeveetee9/Big%20Pilot%20White%20Hart%20Lane/655F10A1-05EC-49EA-A0C9-BBF53A209DFF-13943-00000A26E42D0F75_zpsbd1cefda.jpg

    Spurs win 2-1. Bale scores his 9th in 7 games. Spurs are 3rd in the table, top team in London above Chelsea & (7 points above) Arsenal. But still 10 games left… so we’ll see.

    And let’s hope we stay up here, cause if we do you just might have to join me next year on some more Big Pilot adventures against the likes of Barcelona, AC/Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, ParisSG or Real Madrid…

    Thanks for reading,
    Thang
    coys

  • Master
    4 Mar 2013, 5:53 a.m.

    Great report Thang. Thanks for sharing.

    Well, Spurs vs Juventus, that would be a game. I would join you then in a "non-real" competition BP Tribute to Japan vs BP Tribute to Ali;-))

  • Master
    4 Mar 2013, 7:31 a.m.

    Thanks for the report Thang. We toured Chelsea stadium a couple of years ago -- it was very interesting. I think inside an EPL stadium is where you find some of the most manicured lawn in the world. Perhaps surpassed only by the greens on a US championship golf course. Glad to see that Spurs won.

  • Connoisseur
    4 Mar 2013, 7:46 a.m.

    Man City fan here but I'm not disappointed with the Spurs win. They deserve to be in the Champions League again.

    I wish I had had Bale on my fantasy football team beginning seven matches ago.

    To bring it back to IWC, I wish I had a DFB!

    Todd

  • Master
    4 Mar 2013, 11:38 a.m.

    Thank you for the wonderful report and pictures Thang! You make soccer much more interesting to me ;-)

    Kind regards,

    Clemens

  • Connoisseur
    4 Mar 2013, 3:33 p.m.

    Nice Report Thang.

    Vdv is still love sickness and is
    playing real bad.

  • Master
    4 Mar 2013, 4:03 p.m.

    A white Big Pilot is the obvious watch to wear at a Spurs match. A good report.

  • Insider
    4 Mar 2013, 7:46 p.m.

    Great report Thang and congratulations.

    My Aquatimer Fanta is on the 13.00hrs from Euston tomorrow to you know where....

    Only a rubber strap will survive the heat, sweat and tears or shall it be the 5001 07, which is lucky for me.

    Decisions, decisions..........

  • Insider
    4 Mar 2013, 7:58 p.m.

    Watched it last night - score went the wrong way from the Chelsea point of view :-(

    That really is a beautiful watch, the photo at 4:00 is stunning.

    Good luck for the rest of the season.

    Graham

  • Master
    4 Mar 2013, 10 p.m.

    Thang, great report - handsome (and winning) watch!

  • Master
    4 Mar 2013, 10:43 p.m.

    Thang,

    If anyone confronts you about wearing a German football team watch you can honestly say it is not a DFB.
    LOL

  • Master
    5 Mar 2013, 12:12 p.m.

    Thang, this report brought back some memories. It was only 1.5 months ago that I was at White Hart Lane with my wife, at the stands braving the cold, snowy night. It was indeed an experience of a lifetime...

    and what a watch...it does match the colour of your favourite team!

  • Connoisseur
    5 Mar 2013, 11:10 p.m.

    Great report Thang! The dial color is perfect connect with Spurs kit!
    P.s. Premier League is the best league ever!