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Cheerio from London

Posted Oct 22, 2009 by Beth Gaddis

Updated Oct 22, 2009 at 05:29 AM

You can include Rich Mahoney and Ryan Larson of Tampa among those who will go just about anywhere to watch their beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers play football.

Decked out in Bucs gear that drew a few odd stares, a bleary-eyed Mahoney, 47, and a very weary Larson, 26, arrived in London early Thursday morning, eager to see the sights and even more eager to see the Bucs on Sunday.

“This is a place we’ve never been before, and it’s a place the Bucs have never been before, so we decided we had to come,” Mahoney said of his decision to catch the Bucs-Patriots game in London.

“You’ve got to be a true fan, whether they’re 0-16 or 16-0; you’ve got to stick with ‘em,” said Larson, whose trip to London is his first out of the United States. “Hopefully, we can get a good surprise [on Sunday].”

Mahoney and Larson each came with three friends and were greeted by typical London weather – heavy overcast, a little fog, temperatures in the mid to upper 50s (Fahrenheit).

Aside from the few fans like Mahoney and Larson walking the streets of London, there’s little to suggest an “American football” game is about to be played at storied Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

During an hourlong train and taxi trip in from the airport, in the city there were no signs promoting the game, and few of the locals who were asked about the game seemed to even know it was going to happen.

“Bloody hate the sport,” said one taxi driver. “I’m a real football fan. Fulham’s my team.”

The newspapers are giving the event scant coverage at this time. The Times of London had one short on the game, and that was a story about Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on Page 91 of Thursday’s edition.