[Archived] The Official ''help Owen Watch The Rovers !'' Thread

[Mafioso]

I'm going to be travelling to the UK in January and Im going to be watching Rovers for the second and third time (awsome !!)

One of those matches is Fulham - Blackburn. What is the proccess with regards to buying an away ticket ?? Can I book online and pick up from the (Fulham) stadium like I did for the home game I watched ?

Later on in my holiday I will be travelling to Blackburn to watch Rovers - Newcastle. Whats the best (cheapest and fastest) way to get from central London to Blackburn ?

Also ...

...are any of these faces familiar ? or maybe members of the board ??

My friend (home shirt) and I (away shirt) had the pleasure of meeting these guys at a pub, really friendly and made us feel right at home in an otherwise unknown place to us. It would be great to meet again and maybe have a beer after the newcastle game hehe.

thanks Owen from Malta

[cn174]

Don't be worrying about getting a ticket for Fulham, there's always plenty of room. I think I'm right in saying that you will be able to buy away tickets when the new website is launched. If not an email/phone call to the ticket office explaining your situation should sort you out

The train is certainly the quickest way up here. If you are travelling midweek then you should be able to get Virgin Value tickets between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly between £3-£9 single. A standard return between those two is £60ish, but the earlier you buy the better really.

[American]

How much did you increase the GDP of Malta last year?

Last time we went to Fulham, we were able to buy tickets the day of the match at the Fulham ticket office, but could have also bought them from Rovers when they went on general sale.

As for London to Blackburn, I found the train convenient, but wouldn't be surprised if the bus was cheaper. (http://www.nationalexpress.com/ for either). If you really want to cheap out, do an overnight bus and skip a night of hotel.

[Amo]

Also ...

...are any of these faces familiar ? or maybe members of the board ??

I just so happen to be the yellow ball near the left corner pocket.

[Mafioso]

how long would a train take ?? and is 3 - 9 pounds the price of the entire journey or have i misunderstood ?

[American]

Think I remember the train being about 4 hours in total.

[stuwilky]

The train is about 2 1/2 hours to either Preston or Manchester - both have good cheap hotels, and then around another 30 mins for the rest of the journey (but with connecting times and the like is about 4hrs on a good run).

American had some great travelling ideas when he was over here not too long ago! Overnight travel and plane times to fit in! Only surpassed by Tris and his London - Blackburn via Inverness trips!

[American]

I must say that the 24 hour whirlwind for the semi was suggested by Tris!

[cn174]

The train is about 2 1/2 hours to either Preston or Manchester -

Unless you are travelling on a sunday, when it's in the hands of the gods as to how long it takes!! (normally between 3-4 hours)

[Mafioso]

i should be travelling on a friday. is a taxi from manchester or preston a bad idea ?

[Paul]

and is 3 - 9 pounds the price of the entire journey or have i misunderstood ?

I think it's a typo as I can't imagine the price being £3-9, she probably means £39. Train ticket prices are a complete minefield in this country, there a great prices to be had but you have to work on it. For example yesterday we took 5 people to the Test match in Birmingham - train ticket price, with every discount you can imagine was £35 return for the WHOLE group, i.e £7 each!!!! That was Manchester - Birmingham.

For travel to the north-west from London you need to:

travel mid-week

outside of 06.30 - 09.00 and 16.00 - 18.30 (approximately)

second class

two singles are often cheaper than a return

The cheap tickets are released about 12 weeks prior to the journey, in small numbers. Look on www.thetrainline.com or www.virgintrains.co.uk. If there is a major event on at around the same time, certainly on the same day, you may find it impossible to get reasonably priced tickets. When we went to Wimbledon this year it was cheaper to fly!!!!

[S15]

Unless you are travelling on a sunday, when it's in the hands of the gods as to how long it takes!! (normally between 3-4 hours)

Indeed.

Last Sunday it took me over 5 hours to get from Preston to Euston.

[cn174]

I think it's a typo as I can't imagine the price being £3-9, she probably means £39.

Nup! It is possible!! Only between Manchester and London. You have to book in 2-3 weeks in advance and only from the virgin website. This is the link: http://www.mobitix.thetrainline.com/vt/advancePurchase.aspx which you can get to from their main page http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/default.aspx (middle column at the bottom - e-ticketing and m-ticketing

You have to be quick though, there aren't many at that price

[Sandiway Blue]

i should be travelling on a friday. is a taxi from manchester or preston a bad idea ?

If you are staying in Blackburn you will be able to get a connecting train from Preston.I am not sure if you can get a connecting train from Manchester to Blackburn.By planning ahead on the train timetables though,you should get an idea of whether you can or not.

Either way i wouldn`t advise getting a taxi,it would be too expensive!

P.S I don`t know how you are fixed for accommodation but again if you book early enough i recommend `travelodge`,again if you book early enough sometimes you can get rooms at a cheaper rate.I think prices start at £19 on a supersaver rate per room (not per person) which is ideal if you are travelling with a friend.

[andrew92]

i should be travelling on a friday. is a taxi from manchester or preston a bad idea ?

a taxi from preston wouldent be as bad as from manchester i wouldent think, preston to blackburn about £20-25.

[Mafioso]

P.S I don`t know how you are fixed for accommodation but again if you book early enough i recommend `travelodge`,again if you book early enough sometimes you can get rooms at a cheaper rate.I think prices start at £19 on a supersaver rate per room (not per person) which is ideal if you are travelling with a friend.

I found the Fernhurst to be reasonably priced (and by reasonably priced i mean cheaper than a hotel in central london).

It costs 55 per room per night. I found this ideal because according to the Rovers customercare its quite close to ewood park.

Can i find cheaper ??? 19 per room sounds great, is it close to the stadium though ??

Oh and another (possibly stupid) question : is the training ground close by and is it open to the public ??

[American]

I'm a big fan of the Fernhurst, and if I remember correctly, Tris had a good experience with them for his wedding. If you are visiting from out of town, it is good to stay and drop by the store in the morning, drop the stuff back at the room and go to the pubs then the match.

[Mc Love]

i should be travelling on a friday. is a taxi from manchester or preston a bad idea ?

Just get the train to Bolton and change for Blackburn, its dead easy!

[Hypo-Luxa]

I'm a big fan of the Fernhurst, and if I remember correctly, Tris had a good experience with them for his wedding. If you are visiting from out of town, it is good to stay and drop by the store in the morning, drop the stuff back at the room and go to the pubs then the match.

I liked the Fernhurst as well. Just be ready to vacate the premises day of game as it is the designated Away fans pub. But for the accommodations, 'twas the best hotel the wife and I stayed at on our trip.

[Mafioso]

It seems the train is the best idea, and id love to check that out but all the train companies dont book so much in advance.

About the training ground... is it close by ? and open to the public ?

[Mc Love]

AFAIK its not open t public. And i dont think its close...but why would you want to see training ground?

I wouldnt worry about booking in advance for the train, you should be able to get a ticket no bother

[jodrell]

it's about 10 miles from ewood, but unless you have a car it is hard to get to. You can see the the training pitches from the road. If you want to try and get there.

[Sandiway Blue]

I found the Fernhurst to be reasonably priced (and by reasonably priced i mean cheaper than a hotel in central london).

It costs 55 per room per night. I found this ideal because according to the Rovers customercare its quite close to ewood park.

Can i find cheaper ??? 19 per room sounds great, is it close to the stadium though ??

Oh and another (possibly stupid) question : is the training ground close by and is it open to the public ??

http://www.travelodge.co.uk/search_and_boo...mp;children_4=0

Link to travelodge.

A bit of a lottery to get the cheap rate on exactly the right date but you never know it`s worth a shout.However as you will see the travelodge in Blackburn is at the side of the M65 so would be a bit of a bugger for getting about.

Tbh if you are happy with the Fernhurst`s prices then go with it,you will be as close to the ground as you can get and it does look to be pretty decent,it has been renovated only a couple of years ago.