Just been to the Cottage to watch Fulham/Newcastle this weekend and went to the Golden Lion and they told me to fuck off and refused me entry to the pub. I came all the way from the states to see this match and this is the way I was treated there and will never recommend that pub for a few pre-match pints ever!
Ouch! Although I do prefer the Crab Tree (north of the Cottage), the way to get into the Golden Lion before/after a match is to say the magic words: "American Mike (from Fulham USA) sent me." When this is done with a heavy American accent, it works like a charm.
In all my years of being a fulham fan, I have only been to the Golden Lion once and it would take some serious convincing to go again. To be fair, my visit wasnt on a match day but was instead during the week for a lunchtime pint. I had been working in the area and decided to take the opportunity to pop in. First mistake - don't wear a suit in the Golden Lion... The moment I walked in, the pub stopped.... I half expected to see tumble weed rolling past me... for a second there I thought I had turned into Nelson Mandela who had just accidently walked in on a KKK meeting! This initial interest in me from everyone else in the pub did not relent and for the entire time I was in that pub I was being watched, not even slying, it was direct staring - ie as if to stay get the f out of our pub. Now just to give a bit of background on me.... I am a white male, 30 years old, I do not have long hair, I am not ginger, I was not wearing a T Shirt saying 'It's fun to stay at the YMCA', I do not have 'Chelsea forever' tattoed on my forehead and I do have one leg longer than the other ! (I do not have anything against any of the above - apart from the chelsea bit - but am instead just making it clear that I did not look out of the ordinary - apart from the suit). Even when I decided to walk around the pub looking at all the Fulham pictures on the wall (my subtle hint to everyone watching to me that I was a Fulham fan), the staring did not relent. Now, had this been a West Ham or Millwall pub, I may have understood, but given that FFC and its fans have always been a family orientated, welcoming bunch , I found this very strange. To sum up my (albeit short) visit to the Golden Lion, I have never felt so uncomfortable in a pub in my entire life. This encounter has in no way dampened my spirit or support of the club and I know is no representation of the large percentage of supporters, but at the same time has left me feeling a little let down. So in conclusion, if any UK based Fulham fans who are Golden Lion regulars are reading this, would you please make an effort to make all newcomers to the Golden Lion more welcome. The more welcoming we, as fans, are, will hopefully encourage more people to join us in supporting, what I believe, to be the best football club in the world. The end. :wink:
