Tag: wembley

United’s Big Day Out

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So. Today.
An FA Cup semi-final down at Wembley Stadium in The Big Smoke.

Weirdly, while it’s obviously a big deal to be in the semi-final, it’s not that unusual for us to be there.
In fact, given that we’re not one of the Big 6 (or even the Big 20 right now) and have spent a lot of time down in the third tier of English football of late, you might be surprised to learn that this is our 5th FA Cup semi-final appearance in the last 30 years. And you can add another 3 quarter finals to that, and a couple of League Cup semis in that time, as well.

Probably the best things about this semi-final are the absolutely complete lack of expectation, and the knowledge that whatever happens, and whatever it’s taken to get this far in the competition, this is unlikely to be our biggest achievement of the season. Hopefully, that comes later in the week.

And so, while the management and the players quite rightly won’t describe it as such, I think that most of the supporters see this as a bit of a “free hit”. We’ve got injuries (of course), key players that are ineligible to play, an expectant Dad. We’re 17-1 outsiders (go on, Ant – gooi twenty bucks on us!). No pressure, no expectation. Just an opportunity to go and play arguably(?) the best club side in the world at the moment – literally a billion pounds worth of talent – in front of a sell-out crowd, including 35,000 vocal United fans.

Of course, I’ll be ecstatic if we can win. But I’m completely at peace with any result already. I won’t be disappointed if we lose. Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened, and all that. All I want is us to give a decent – and fair – account of ourselves. Because the players and the fans deserve that. Apart from that one wish: just go out and have a good time amid a party atmosphere.

And hope that it’s just the warm up for an amazing week.

Wembley again

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Big day today, as my beloved Red and White Wizards head down to Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup semi-final against Hull City. My Dad and brother will be there and I’ll try (as before) to guide them safely in. I’ve seen United in 3 FA Cup semi-finals, all of them with us in a far better situation than our current League One position. In fact, if we win today, we’ll the first club in over a century to get to the final while playing in the “third tier”.
However, our record in those semi finals is “less than great”, sitting at 0-3.

Not for want of trying though. Who could forget this amazing moment from our 0-1 defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford in 2003?

That’s how close we were. I was sitting (obviously, I wasn’t actually “sitting” at this point, but the point still stands (pun intended)) looking right along the goalline and I still cannot explain how Seaman kept that out.

But that was then and this is now. Sadly, our recent record in Wembley games is equally poor. The omens, they are not good, but I do like this sentiment from our manager:

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Because given our circumstances and the teams we have had to play (and beat) to get to this point, we should already be proud of what we’ve achieved, but what’s the point of resting on our laurels now? It’s been the way for a while in this cup run that any step further would be something amazing. So why not go for one more?

33,000 Blades fans will be there to cheer them on:

Retail Sales Manager Lisa Crossland said:
“As quick as new merchandise is coming in, it is selling. This morning alone (Tuesday) we have sold more than 800 T-shirts, 600 flags, 300 car flags, 250 foam Wembley hands.”

I’ve long since given up on trying to predict the outcomes of Sheffield United games, save to predict them as being generally unpredictable. In getting this far, the team has already proven that we have the ability, we have the belief. Now we just have to go out and put it all into practice this afternoon.

Hold thumbs.

Don’t throw your lifelines away

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There aren’t many pop videos which begin with a poem written by a king.
In fact, if you can name any at all, I’ll be impressed. And that’s going to leave you high and dry when that “name a pop video which begins with a poem written by a king” question comes up at the next pub quiz you go to.

Instead then – tell them about this video: Lifelines by a-ha, which is prefaced by a poem written in 1977 by King Olav V of Norway :

When I look back
I see the landscapes
That I have walked through
But it is different

All the great trees are gone
It seems there are
Remnants of them

But it is the afterglow
Inside of you

Of all those you met
Who meant something in your life

And then the video, based on the Norwegian short film A Year Along the Abandoned Road and filmed in the abandoned Norwegian fishing village of Børfjord.

…and presented to you this evening not just to assist with future pub quizzing, but also to mark two months before a-ha’s last ever gig in the UK, which will take place on November 27th at Wembley Arena: one of the venues where I saw them perform on their Lifelines tour (on 12th October 2002).
The 27th November 2010 is, incidentally, also the date that I land in the UK for The Last Hurrah tour.

It all seems to fit.