Derby County are the team that are part Demolition Derby, part Kentucky Derby, and part Tess of…read morethe D'erbyvilles. They play in white, and they play football (as in soccer... derrr). First-Hand Experience: I've seen Derby play live, in person, more times than you can imagine. I saw Torres rip them to shreds. I saw them battling with Oxford even while they had several Oxford players on their books back when I was a kid. I've seen them recently at Pride Park. I always love Derby as a city and as a team and will look forward to seeing them again in the future, too. They're one of the great provincial clubs in British history, with a close affinity with managerial great Brian Clough as well as goalkeeping legend Peter Shilton. The town of Derby was wonderful to me when I played a concert there on my tour. They were one of the 12 original British clubs, as well, formed in 1884, and now playing to 33k at a beautiful new stadium known as Pride Park. Their nickname is the Rams, and even though I'm a Bull (and a Stud) I love Rams. A lot. Especially a certain Ram, she knows who she is, hi sweetie! (waves) Their current manager is Steve McLaren and I wish them the best because he's a great and underrated manager. They have probably been in the top division more than not over the years which is a great record since they're provincial. Not too much in the Prem era though. Brian Clough and Peter Taylor led them to unprecedented British League wins in 1972 and 1975 which was incredible for a provincial club to do. Clough later went on to do it at rival Forest too, which is why he's one of the legends of the game. They were also FA Cup winners in 1946, so they have a real pedigree. They once reached the Semi Finals of European Cup and lost to Juventus, again under Clough. Their badge is really cool.

Villa, Villa, Villa. This was on my husbands bucket list, so we made the trip to Villa Park…read more Located in Birmingham England, this iconic stadium holds about 45000 fans. The Villa store is located on the Trinity side and opens an hour before the stadium opens. Here you will find all your fan gear. Not like the US, everything here is actually affordable. The sold out stadium was energizing and loud. I felt like I was in a real live episode of Ted Lasso. The fans scream , yell, sing the chants...best experience ever.

I once walked into this stadium and Aston important question, but I was Villafied for it. And for…read morethat reason I don't like this club. First-Hand Experience: Most recently I saw Villa play (in person) at Anfield in late 2014. Sadly, I saw them beat Liverpool 1-0 in that game. They played very well and Agbonlahor and Benteke terrorized us. The sad thing is that most days, Villa played awfully, but on that particular day, they decided to ruin our season (lol). So be it. I've seen Villa play live 3 or 4 times at their huge, but ageing, home. And maybe 4 or 5 times away (in either Oxford or Liverpool). I've always respected them, but I don't like their kit nor their current level of ambition. And they've always underachieved considering they're the biggest team in the second biggest city in the country. Especially when you consider what the teams in the 3rd (Manchester) and 5th (Liverpool) cities have done. The fans have a bit of a connection to fascism in the past (along with Chelsea and my hometown Oxford among others), and while they're a more interesting team than Birmingham City, I also think sometimes that I like them less. They play in awful maroon and blue kits, and they haven't been good for a long time. They were one of the original football league members in England, having been formed in 1874. They are currently lots of fun under Tim Sherwood, helping them avoid relegation and getting them to the FA Cup Final. They are currently for sale for 200 mil. The Royal Family support this club which is an extra reason to hate them. David Cameron does too. Ew. Also Ozzy Osbourne, Tom Hanks, Al Saunders the NFL coach, and Roger Taylor of Duran Duran. As does Daniel Sturridge of LFC. Villa have spent 103 seasons in the top division, only Everton have been in the top division for more seasons. They have won the Premier League 7 times, four of those were in the 1890s, and one was in 1900, then again in 1910, and then amazingly they came out of nowhere and won it in 1981 which is an amazing achievement. They've won the FA Cup 7 times, including three in the 1800s, but haven't won it since 1957 and are hoping to change that this year. They have also won 5 League Cups, in 61, 75, 77, 1994 and 1996. Very impressive. Most impressive of all is that they are one of the few British clubs who have won the European Cup, which they did, miraculously, in 1982. For all these glories I have to give them a 4 instead of the 3 I want to give them. By the way, when in Birmingham, try a Chicken Madras from Akbars and a Mixed Kebab from Lahore on Ladypool Rd.

I had the pleasure of attending an event here, the club was very well set out, a good atmosphere,…read morefriendly staff and the prices of drinks were very reasonable

Come on you spireites! Come on you spireites! Come on you spireites! Come on you spireites! Come on…read moreyou spireites!

I wanted to review my lunch instead, but then I realized that it was untouched in front of me, with…read moreNuneaton, and since I didn't eat any of it, I can't review it. First-Hand Experience: I stopped in while driving from Leic to Ox to see the last part of a Nuneaton game. The stadium did nothing for me but the team was battling hard and I enjoyed being there. This was in 2011. I probably won't return to see them but you never know. A solid 3 star team. Nuneaton is a pretty nondescript team, I've never met a Nuneaton fan, they have one of the smallest teams ever, they're in a region of the country I'm not crazy about (although the county of Warwickshire is very pretty and contains some great historical cities), and they've never really accomplished much as a club despite being in existence since the 1800s. So I'll give them a 3 and hope that they can put themselves on the map in future. The town does have a fun name though. They play in white and blue and have never progressed to the FA Cup proper.

Oh, crap, I have to go check the oven, I think my ham is burning. Yep, I thought I smelled…read moreBurningham. Now the whole City smells like it. When it gets cold around here, it becomes Brrrrr mingham. First-Hand Experience: I never saw them play until 2011, and I was shocked at how loud the fans were and how amazing the stadium and stewards were too. I did get picked on a little bit for wearing a Liverpool shirt, including a couple of threats of violence, so that makes me want to dock them 1 star because I was very friendly with them and have no problem with BCFC. I was purely there as a tourist. "Brum" as this area is known, has some lovely food. Go and try a Chicken Madras from Akbars west of the city, then try a Mixed Kebab from Lahore on Ladypool Road in the Balti Triangle. Trust me. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, this is one of the great teams of the UK. They're not the most famous team in Birmingham, but they're the friendliest and least racist (lol). Their excellent stadium holds up to 30k. They play in boring blue and tragically have never managed to win the big thing... the Prem or the top division. They've won the second many times, and been promoted many times, but no, never the big thing. They've won the FA Cup zero times, but were runners up once in the 30s and once in the 50s. Their recent moment of glory came under McLeish (I think?) who also got them relegated... when they beat Arsenal in the League Cup final. Well done to them! Their choice of managers though, has been utterly awful. Steve Bruce? Ew. McLeish? Ew. And boo to Alec too for defecting to Aston Villa. Awful show from him and from Villa for that matter. You just don't do that to your rival. I like Brum better than Villa even though I don't really like either team but I have to give mad props to this club and give them a nice solid 4/5 even though they've never been one of my faves.

Okay I didn't go to watch football or play football! But my company arranged a course at the…read morestadium. I got lost, even with a satnav and kicked myself for following it instead of the signs!! Lol there was adequate parking at 8.30am so no need to find some where to leave the merc ha ha We were in two rooms, one for refreshments and the other - the jasper carrot room was where we had our course. The jasper carrot room was spacious and reasonably good temperature. It had projector screen and no glitches so the course was fine. The lunch- we went into the other room on time, and found the sandwiches covered with cling film so people started uncovering it and we helped ourselves. Half way though people taking food, two staff walked in with more food lamb burgers, salad etc that were hardly touched. We were only give 30 mins break. It would been nicer to have a juice rather than just water, coffee & tea. Traffic was crazy trying to get out of the place and round the roundabout at 5pm!!But I made it home phew!! It's a good location for meeting / course/ conference but the food could have been arranged on time.

So when I was setting up my tour, obviously I played Leeds on Monday, Bradford on Tuesday, and…read more.. duh... Sheffield Wednesday. A She-Field is basically a female version of a He-Field, and it's way better in every way than a He-Field. So now you know. Bell Biv Devoe. First-Hand Experience: I'm lucky enough to have seen Sheffield Wednesday live on 6 or 7 occasions, including in the very old days down in Oxford, and of course at their home stadium more recently. Which was very sad for me. This team is a brilliant team that is a giant of the English game. I have to separate them from their stadium which was a death trap and a heartbreaking place for any Liverpool fan. They were formed in 1867 and so are one of the oldest teams in the world. They're currently in the second tier but are a fallen giant, along with Sheffield United, and belong back in the big time as soon as possible. They were originally a cricket club which is kind of boring. The club played only on Wednesdays, hence the name of the team now. They play in boring blue and white. The Arctic Monkeys, Gary Cahill, Paul Carrack, Jarvis Cocker, Michael Palin, Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead and Def Leppard all supposedly support the Owls. Yes they're nicknamed the Owls, how adorable. They have won the Premier League 4 times, in 1903, 1904, 1929 and 1930, so some really amazing pedigree there. They won the League Cup as recently as 1991 when they were still a top team, and they won the FA Cup in 1896, 1907 and 1935, so their trophy cabinet is definitely full and impressive. They've spent 66 seasons in the top division, but not since the year 2000, so hopefully they'll be back soon. The reviews here that are for the stadium need to be moved to the new stadium listing. They once beat Geri Halliwell 12-0. I'd rather join her than beat her. Chris Waddle, Des Walker, Marc Degryse, Paolo Di Canio, David Hirst, were a few of the legends here. Sheridan, Harkes, Wegerle too. Americans before Americans were cool. Just don't ever go and watch them on a Tuesday or a Thursday. It'll end badly.

Traditional old English groundread more

Yes, beef and chicken are okay, but I'd rather have ham. And this preference is reflected in the…read morename of this team: Ratherham United. First-Hand Experience: I've seen them play live only once, and that was at home at the Don Valley Stadium, which was their interim stadium before their excellent new one was built. I should have seen them at their previous ground too but a girl distracted me and I didn't go in. So to speak. I'm not a huge fan or anything, but I do respect the team and how well they've been doing so they get a solid three stars. It's been awhile since I saw them live so I'll have to rectify that soon. They were formed in 1925 but their roots go back to the late 19th century. They won the first ever League Cup which has to go down as a huge win because for a team the size of Rotherham (small town just outside Sheffield) to win a major trophy is huge. Their stadium only holds 12k for example. It's amazing that they're in the second tier right now, punching above their weight. They came up to the division as play off winners in 2014. They play in red and have never been in the top division but have often been in the second tier. Despite being the first team ever to win the League Cup, I can't give them more than a 3 because they are such a small team with a small fan base, but their presence in the upper divisions is a real fairy tale.