[HunterSpar]

Can anyone tell me which hotel the West German team stayed in when they played games at Hillsborough during the 1966 World Cup?

My mum tells me her car (with her and a sister in it) was boxed in by a coach in a hotel car park at the time but, as the coach was loading passengers and luggage, it was unable to move out of the way promptly. Before she knew it her car had been surrounded by a group of cheerful men who proceeded, with a German "heave-ho", to pick the car up (a Hillman Imp) and walk it around to the other side of the coach, whence she drove off. She reckons they were members of the West German squad, but I think they were more likely fans, perhaps on a high following either their 5-0 victory over Switzerland on 12th July, or the 4-0 over Uruguay on 23rd July.

Any ideas?

[longiesta]

wasnt it the Hallam Towers?

[Jeremy Soup]

what a good story!

[HunterSpar]

Originally Posted by bornwinner

wasnt it the Hallam Towers?

Well, that's the hotel she said it happened outside, so maybe she's right about who she says it was. How cool is that?

[Longcol]

The Swiss team were based at the Hallam Towers as they played all their group games at Hillsborough.

The Germans played at Hillsborough twice, as reported in the OP v Switzerland in the group match and v Uruguay in the quarter final (went to that game).

As the other group games were at Villa Park where Germany played twice, and the winner of the Hillsborough match quarter final playing their semi at Goodison there would have been no need for the Germans to use a Sheffield hotel as a base.

[shanes teeth]

I think that the German team stayed at a hotel in the country somewhere near Ashbourne in Derbyshire.This would make sense if they also played games in Birmingham.

[Yerman]

I believe West Germany may have been based at the Maynard Arms, Grindleford prior to the quarter-final.

[CHAIRBOY]

I don't recall West Germany staying at Hallam Towers and agree with the above rationale. Uruguay DID, ahead of the QF and that would suggest the Germans were probably elsewhere. I would guess the 'heavies' were German-speaking Swiss?

[geocol]

I remember watching on as one rather heavy German fan, leapt across the gap from the wall at the back of the recently seated terracing, onto the ledge at the front of the original main south stand behind, over a considerable drop.

A complete nutter!

Also remember about 15,000 of their fans on the kop at their game v Switzerland, making a hell of a noise which invoked sufficient patriotic feelings in my father, to prompt him to take me to the England v Mexico game at Wembley, on the following Saturday!

PS. I note that the previous post, is one of the last made by Chairboy.
Hope he is OK. If anyone is in touch with him, please convey my wishes.

[Asaw]

Prior to going into the game we played a group of West German fans at football in Hillsbrough park we were about 17 at the time. We hammered them they were rubbish.