48 Hours in Bochum

Tyrone James on a big trip to the The Ruhrpott.

Tyrone James

I haven’t checked, but I’d guess I’ve probably done about four hundred United away games by now. And despite all the new grounds, stadiums, cities, towns, pubs and people I’ve encountered along the way, they all have one thing in common: they’ve all been set in jolly old England (and maybe just a few in Wales).

Yes, despite my gargantuan effort of following Sheffield United FC here, there and everywhere, I’d never set foot off this sceptred isle to watch them abroad. Until now.

Bochum. Twinned with my hometown of Sheffield, and home to our opponents for the trip, VfL Bochum 1848. A football club I’d always admired thanks to my occasional love affair with the Bundesliga and my annual tradition of starting a Football Manager save with one of its clubs before inevitably getting bored with the spreadsheet simulator after about three months. (That said, FM27 is just around the corner and, yes, I will absolutely be buying it again.)

So, with match tickets secured, flights sorted, a hire car booked, and a generic copy-and-paste hotel reserved, my first foray into watching United on the European continent was a go.

“This had better be worth it.”

There is always something incredibly weird about getting up in the middle of the night to go to the airport. I’m never sure whether it’s nerves, excitement, or that lingering fuck-me-why-didn’t-I-go-to-bed-that-bit-earlier feeling. Sleeping in your socks is the key. It’s the universal sign that these are no ordinary mornings. Smart.

Anyway, I was picked up at about the same time the birds decided to start their daily bellyaching and, bleary-eyed and armed with a GCSE-level understanding of German, the four of us set off on the long journey to our final destination.

Our first stop was Stansted Airport. I’m not sure what it is about airports that turns perfectly reasonable human beings into absolute nightmares once they enter the terminal buildings, but there was definitely a feeling of misanthropy by the time we got into the departure lounge.

We eventually boarded the Ryanair flight and for those of you like me amongst us that like to know; the equipment we were flying on was a Boeing 737-8. Pretty much the beige cardigan of aviation.

After a very short, uneventful flight, we landed in our second stop, Eindhoven (a cunning plan to avoid the more expensive German airports). The drive into Westphalia was stunning, punctuated by a Steely Dan/Oasis soundtrack whilst I lived my best passenger princess life. We arrived in Bochum safely, and once checked in, we went out to explore what the city had to offer.

After about an hour in Germany, I sort of wished I’d done that extra level on Duolingo. Nonetheless, the social establishments of Bochum were very decent, the mixture of cafe culture and pub culture was very pleasant, and I even had a couple of beers. The evening ended with a bratwurst, some piano jazz, and a very good (but relatively easy) people-watching game of ‘British or German?’

“I’m just saying, the world looks pretty flat from up here.”

Waking up on match day in the tired but undeniably charming post-industrial German city, the morning began with a trip to see the Sheffield Ring. It was another nice little link with home, returning the favour for the aptly named Bochum Parkway back in Sheffield.

From there, we visited the local mining museum before making full use of the brilliant free public transport network and finally making our way to the Vonovia Ruhrstadion. A visit to the fantastic fan park adjacent to the brutalist-inspired stadium ensued, and then it was finally time for the main event.

“The roof of this mine could’ve done with being a little bit higher.”

I was relieved to see Gus Hamer warming up but slightly disappointed not to spot Harry Souttar knocking about somewhere pitch-side. United lined up with a very strong starting eleven, and then the usual mix of players with very little chance of ever pulling on the shirt competitively for us, and, of course, the future wonderkids.

Backed by nearly 2,000 Blades in the away end, the pre-match atmosphere from the travelling support was outstanding, and the game started at a frenetic pace, with Bochum pressing aggressively and quickly proving that a desire to keep the ball moving could cause us all sorts of problems.

United struggled to meet, and then live with, the tempo at times, all the while with the hosts knocking it around confidently. Bochum’s number 10, Berkan Taz, probably should’ve scored, and young winger Alessandro Crimaldi had been a real handful throughout the opening half.

It was somehow 0-0 at half-time, and Bochum had come close again right on the stroke of the interval. No luck for Die Blauen though.

“It’s okay; I’m British!”

Wilder 3.0 had obviously had a few choice words during the break, because United came out all guns blazing after half-time. The Blades’ best chance of the opening 15 minutes came after a neat one-two between Callum O’Hare and Sydie Peck. Sam McCallum was found out wide, and his deflected cross dropped kindly for loanee Romelle Donovan, who somehow managed to scuff it wide when it was probably easier to score.

A raft of substitutions from both sides followed, and some nice link-up play between Hamer and substitute Joe Rothwell almost resulted in the opener, with the former going close, seeing his shot saved by home ‘keeper Timo Horn.

There was then a beautiful moment from the away end when, after the attendance was announced, the Blades supporters broke into a chorus of “You’ve only come to see United!” Superb stuff.

Back on the pitch, United substitute Tom Cannon then finally spurned a couple of decent opportunities, but in the end neither side could find a breakthrough. 0-0. Not that it mattered in the slightest. Either team could’ve won it, but this one was never really about the result.

The continued incredible support from the Blades saw a lovely moment with both United’s players and then with the home team as they were leaving the pitch. Bochum and their supporters had been absolutely first-class.

As we drifted away from the stadium, it was obvious that a genuine bond had formed between the two clubs and their respective sets of supporters, and there will have definitely been a few Blades leaving the away end with VfL Bochum as their new second favourite team.

“Do you have Facebook?”

The evening was then spent enjoying a few more local refreshments and continuing to bond with our German hosts (mostly through the international sport of table tennis).

By the time we packed up and headed home the following morning, it had been a successful trip for everyone. And while it would’ve been nice to celebrate a goal or two, it had still been an excellent few days in the Ruhrpott.”