Tomorrow is Christmas Day. Tomorriw is Hanukkah. Tomorrow is Diwali. Tomorrow is Eid. Tomorrow is Guru Nanak’s birthday. Tomorrow is your birthday. The FA Cup Final is every celebration, and more. It is the most important day in the English football calender. It is the day hero’s are made. And I am absolutely buzzing.
It has been 9 years since our last trophy. 9 painful years. 9 years filled with near misses and not so near misses. To say it has been tough to have been an Arsenal fan is an understatement. And the 9 trophyless have led to divisions within the fanbase, fights on the terraces, disagreements between friends. But all that is forgotten tomorrow. As the most important thing is the Red & White. The Arsenal.
The FA Cup Final has a massive place in the heart of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. As fans will know, the blog is based on the Arsenal song of the same name. The name of the blog came about by an agreement by the message board users at the time when they were forced to move network due to Sky. And how we have grown since then – thanks to all the readers / contributors.
Anyway, back to tomorrow. Buzzing. Yes, the magic of the cup has been lost a bit. I miss the days when the entire week leading up to the cup focused on the two teams involved. The TV coverage starting early on a Saturday, interview players by the pool of whatever sunny destination they went to for a pre-cup training camp. Following the players from their hotel, onto the coach to the ground. The ‘Road to the FA Cup Final’ montage. Red and white flags, balloons, bunting, on almost every house in Islington. 3pm KICK OFF. Sadly things change.
The press – unsurprisingly – are already digging Arsenal out. Having a go at us for organising the bus parade on the Sunday. Yes, it might look cringey, but the fact is, due to red tape, you must organise road closures in advance and warn residents. I work in Twickenham, and the yellow signs indicating road closures before a rugby international go up about 10 days before.
Hull City also have plans for an FA Cup Final parade. There signs are also up, but where is the press commenting on them? They aren’t, because in reality, Hull City are not a story, they do not sell papers.
It is not just Arsenal though, the press have previously ran similar stories on Chelsea and Manchester City. The fact is, if you are a successful club, a club worth writing about, the press will write about you. So ignore it.
As for the bus, that is an indication of the world we live in, where everyone with a smart phone is now a private investigator. A journalist. The bus would have always had to have been prepared in advance. Only now, it is easy to take a picture and stick it up on twitter.
As for everyone wanting Hull to win (bar Arsenal fans), this is normal. It is not a bias against Arsenal. Last year, we all wanted Wigan Athletic to win. When it comes to football, the neutral will always supports the underdog, so do not fret about it.
Rant over. Let’s focus on tomorrow. Enjoy yourself, have a few beers before, and hopefully have a part after. Back the team for 90 minutes (or 120 minutes and penalties if that’s whats needed) and remember, we are The Arsenal. Back the boys in red and white.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 