very interesting indeed. Its time people find out indeed how hospitable and warm people we are, unlike they have thought it to be for decades!
Out of date but interesting (from the Liverpool games)
I accidently came across this while searching for pictures (for THAT avatar 
)
It's from the Official Liverpool site and I thought it was important to give credit to both sets of fans:
01 March 2002 : by Paul Rogers
A big thank-you to the Turkish people
Despite a lot of negative hype in the media in the build up to Tuesday night's match against Galatasaray,Liverpool Football Club's trip to Istanbul didn't just pass without incident - it actually helped cement a great bond between not just both clubs but also both sets of supporters.
Liverpoolfc.tv caught up with LFC Stadium Manager Ged Poynton as he arrived back into John Lennon Airport to talk about what he saw in Turkey this week.
A successful trip for both the team and the fans...
"I think the only thing that could be deemed not successful was that we didn't come back with a win! A lot of people expected possibly a hostile reception but if anything it was the opposite. It was actually a very successful trip for the fans. Past trips to Galatasaray for certain clubs have been greeted with a hostile reception but our fans arrived there and were very, very pleased with what they saw and experienced in Turkey. There were no arrests, no ejections from the stadium - no situations whatsoever. In fact, I think they've built up a great credit with the Turkish authorities, the police and the administrators. Fans were saying on the last night of their trip how warm the Turkish people were throughout their stay. There was lots of police on duty - which is the norm for European grounds - but even though there was plenty of police, they were very friendly and jovial with our fans. A good time was had by all our fans and I think some bridges have been built between the two clubs."
Do you think Liverpool's great reception in Istanbul had anything to do with the warm welcome the Turkish fans had when they came to Anfield last week?
"I think so. A lot of the fans that came to Anfield were from this country - possibly students or fans living and working in London, Manchester and Liverpool - but they were all Turkish fans and I think the message went back to Galatasaray that they were received very warmly by Liverpool Football Club and the fans. You could seea t the beginning of the game last week that the Galatasaray fans were waving their flags and singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' and both sets of fans were clapping each other at the end of the game. I think the message went back to Turkey that Liverpool is a very warm place to come to.
"I think a lot of Galatasaray fans who had never been to Liverpool before might have had their own perceptions about Anfield - Is it hostile or is it not? Is it warm? Is it friendly? Well, I'd like to think that it's know as a very friendly stadium and if their fans didn't know that before the first leg, they knew it by the end of the match.
"Over there, I felt our fans had been well received in the city and speaking to them confirmed that. They were talking and joking and putting scarves around police officers necks at the ground. There were no incidents. Most of the fans we spoke to said they were treated exceptionally well by the Turkish people. I think our fans have come back with a totally different perception of Istanbul than what they had before they went."
)It's from the Official Liverpool site and I thought it was important to give credit to both sets of fans:
01 March 2002 : by Paul Rogers
A big thank-you to the Turkish people
Despite a lot of negative hype in the media in the build up to Tuesday night's match against Galatasaray,Liverpool Football Club's trip to Istanbul didn't just pass without incident - it actually helped cement a great bond between not just both clubs but also both sets of supporters.
Liverpoolfc.tv caught up with LFC Stadium Manager Ged Poynton as he arrived back into John Lennon Airport to talk about what he saw in Turkey this week.
A successful trip for both the team and the fans...
"I think the only thing that could be deemed not successful was that we didn't come back with a win! A lot of people expected possibly a hostile reception but if anything it was the opposite. It was actually a very successful trip for the fans. Past trips to Galatasaray for certain clubs have been greeted with a hostile reception but our fans arrived there and were very, very pleased with what they saw and experienced in Turkey. There were no arrests, no ejections from the stadium - no situations whatsoever. In fact, I think they've built up a great credit with the Turkish authorities, the police and the administrators. Fans were saying on the last night of their trip how warm the Turkish people were throughout their stay. There was lots of police on duty - which is the norm for European grounds - but even though there was plenty of police, they were very friendly and jovial with our fans. A good time was had by all our fans and I think some bridges have been built between the two clubs."
Do you think Liverpool's great reception in Istanbul had anything to do with the warm welcome the Turkish fans had when they came to Anfield last week?
"I think so. A lot of the fans that came to Anfield were from this country - possibly students or fans living and working in London, Manchester and Liverpool - but they were all Turkish fans and I think the message went back to Galatasaray that they were received very warmly by Liverpool Football Club and the fans. You could seea t the beginning of the game last week that the Galatasaray fans were waving their flags and singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' and both sets of fans were clapping each other at the end of the game. I think the message went back to Turkey that Liverpool is a very warm place to come to.
"I think a lot of Galatasaray fans who had never been to Liverpool before might have had their own perceptions about Anfield - Is it hostile or is it not? Is it warm? Is it friendly? Well, I'd like to think that it's know as a very friendly stadium and if their fans didn't know that before the first leg, they knew it by the end of the match.
"Over there, I felt our fans had been well received in the city and speaking to them confirmed that. They were talking and joking and putting scarves around police officers necks at the ground. There were no incidents. Most of the fans we spoke to said they were treated exceptionally well by the Turkish people. I think our fans have come back with a totally different perception of Istanbul than what they had before they went."
