Loxley Owl

If you arrive early enough, yes. But we usually leave the Barrack Tavern at 2:30 and it’s not uncommon for the sellers on Penistone Road to have run out by the time we get there, even before this season’s shenanigans. There were none left for the Oxford match, but I did get one for Norwich. When I went online the other day to order all the back issues from this season, even the supplier didn’t have any Coventry or Oxford programmes left, so I’ll have to scour eBay for them.

I used to live nearby and went in a couple of times on non-match days and we were literally the only people there. It astounded me that there was nothing advertising it on Parkside Road or near the bridge. It’s hidden away under the South Stand and no one would know it was there.

I completely get that- that’s why I opened my comment by saying football isn’t all about logic. Speaking purely from a personal point of view, it’s unlikely that I will ever spend a significant amount of time and money in the stadium, even if the facilities are vastly improved. I had a couple of pints in the North concourse before kick off the other night and I will occasionally go to the fanzone on a nice day but that’s it. And if the stadium moved to the other end of Sheffield, I would spend even less because then I’d have to drive and wouldn’t be able to have a beer.

There are obvious logical arguments for a new stadium. But football is not purely about logic. Even when we’re rubbish, there’s something very special about a match day for me. I leave our house at 11:30 and set off walking through Crookes. Nip in to Beres for a jumbo with stuffing and crackling, and eat that on my way down the hill. Eventually I come around the corner opposite Whitehouse Lane on Walkley Lane and I can see right across Hillsborough to the Park and the stadium in the distance. I then cross the road and head down the little gennel to Hammerton Close, and follow Hammerton Road all the way down to opposite the Morrisons entrance. Cross over Langsett Road and then head down Swamp Walk and Capel Street to the Barrack Tavern, where my mate and I sit in exactly the same spot we’ve sat for years, and we see all the other regulars too. At about 2:30, we eventually head out and along Penistone Road to the stadium, and by that time it’s really busy with other people going the same way and there’s a buzz of anticipation. If we were to move from Hillsborough, it would be as Roy Batty said in Blade Runner: ”All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.”

I keep seeing comment ms about him undermining Heckingbottom. What did he actually do? I can’t remember.

I know it’s been almost a week now, but every time I read or hear the name Begbies, I can’t help but think of this scene in Trainspotting that begins with him throwing the glass over his shoulder and off the mezzanine.

Yep, Madri has definitely never pretended to be Spanish.

I only ever went in the Beehive once, when I was a kid. The one positive about it being a Tesco now is that at least the old building is still there. I don’t want to see pubs close, but when they sadly do, at least if they’re converted to shops or flats, the building has been preserved to some degree. It’s better than them being flattened and replaced by some modern box.

I’ve seen that before, it’s very interesting but they are definitely back. I almost exclusively drink stouts and porters (but not Guinness, I’ve never been bothered about that, even when I’ve been to Dublin) and good ones are readily available in most decent pubs- on a match day the New Barrack Tavern always has one on.

“El alma de Madrid” translates as “The soul of Madrid”. Of course it’s pretending to be Spanish. And it absolutely does matter where a beer is brewed. The local water makes a massive difference to how a beer tastes. All the “world lagers” in me can buy in the supermarket that are brewed under license taste nothing like the imported versions.

Madri pretends to be Spanish but is made in Burton on Trent. It’s never been anywhere near Spain. I believe Aldi’s knock-off of Madri is actually brewed in Spain and imported.

You must be visiting the wrong pubs.

That should say lime and soda. Bloody autocorrect.

I can’t say exactly. I bought the pint and a lime and side for my colleague and it came to £5.30 in total.

Just around the corner from my office so I snuck in for a pint of Market Porter. The pub and the beer were both excellent. I liked the look of the food menu too.