Closest I've got is the 3rd.

Lothar is living in a hotel for four weeks.

The contract on his villa expired and his new gaff isn't ready.

Lothar is excited as he can get mobile phone reception in the room. Lothar checks Teletext. Schalke have sacked their manager.

Happy new year to all.

I'll be celebrating by reading my latest flea market find, Lothar Matthäus' diary of the 96/97 season.

Pick a date and I'll let you know what Lothar got up to.

It's just gone 4pm and it's already dark outside.

I really miss those long Euro 2024 summer days.

5-0 home win and a couple of Glühwein's. Lovely Sunday.

Next week: Schalke (a)

Yesterday I went to watch Schwarz Weiss Essen. Their Uhlenkrug stadium is glorious and used to have a capacity of 45,000.

Last night there were just 210 of us watching the game.

The club won the DFB Pokal in 1959 and now play in the regional 5th division.

My kind of pub, this.

11 Freunde Bar in Essen.

They even let me go behind the bar and I've never been happier*.

**Unlike that thirsty Schalke fan sat waiting for a pint.

Here's my latest purchase, a 1992/93 Weymouth away shirt.

Weymouth is my team and I went to every home game that season. The season was a stinker. We got relegated. But at least the kit was glorious.

The sponsor was a local double glazing company and who doesn't love the Beazer Homes League.

Thought I'd join in with #FloodlightFriday.

Here's a couple of lovely floodies at Rot Weiss Oberhausen and KFC Uerdingen.

I'm very happy with my latest Weymouth FC shirt.

It's a matchworn shirt from 1990/91, a season where the team got relegated from the Beazer Homes League.

There's no club badge, the sponsor is a local sports shop (now defunct) and Spall shirts are always great.

Lovely stuff.

Alemannia Aachen 1-1 1860 München

1860 fans like a drink and a pyro display.

Fortuna Köln 1-3 Weidenbrück

It's big coat and Glühwein season.

I've just booked my first Italy trip of 2025.

Raucous fans, great stadiums and tremendous food. What's not to like.

Here's a few more from inside the ground. It's well worth a visit if you're nearby.

The floodlights at Rot Weiss Oberhausen are lovely.

I popped along there this afternoon and saw them beat Wuppertal SV 3-0 in the Niederrhein Pokal.

...and here's some bonus train station #content.

Here are today's flea market finds.

Photos taken on a deserted train station platform.

Found this tremendous 1992 Scotland jacket at a flea market this morning.

I love the 90's.

<taps mic> Hello? Is this thing on?

This will be full of the similar nonsense from that other platform.

Photos from football matches and nonsense I've found at fleamarkets.