The Day We Painted Wembley Blue

A crowd of 43,842 in a stadium with a capacity of 90,000 would at first glance appear to make for quite a subdued atmosphere, but there is an air of excitement in Wembley. The Football League Trophy is a competition frequently denigrated by the football fraternity, a Mickey Mouse cup, or in it’s current guise, the Paint Pot cup. But it’s not everyday as a lower league supporter that you get to follow your team to Wembley.

And so it was that Southend United, the team I have supported since I was 12, found themselves in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Final at Wembley. From an average home attendance of 5,036 Southend would be supported by some 31,000 people in their first ever Wembley final appearance, and in the weeks leading up to the big day it certainly felt like the whole town was going to be there.

After a fun packed, or should I just say packed, train ride up from Rayleigh (thanks Greater Anglia!), we arrived at Wembley Park station, and even from the steps at above Wembley Way the national stadium loomed large ahead of us. After meeting our friend up from Exeter, we joined the river of blue clad Shrimpers making their way up Wembley Way (I refuse to call it 'Olympic Way') with the Stadium growing ever larger in front of us. Once inside, the concourses are easy to navigate and wide so even with thousands of fans it's not too tricky, and after a swift pint and some grub we made our way up the steps into the arena itself. Emerging from the enclosed interior blinking into the daylight, the vastness of the stadium really hits home, especially from the third tier.

From our lofty position we can see a sea of Southend United supporters filling the stands below us and stretching out around the curve of the stadium, this is one of those times that gives you goose bumps. It takes the half hour or so until the teams emerge to really take it all in, and then the teams do run out, to a roar of noise and then line up for the national anthem, something you've seen countless times watching the FA Cup final on TV but it's a truly spine-tingling moment when it's your club, your players, your fans singing it.

The build up to the final had been far from ideal for Southend, with Paul Sturrock the man who had got Southend to their first Wembley final, unceremoniously sacked less than two weeks before the final with former Hull boss Phil Brown installed as his replacement. He doesn't exactly endear himself to the Southend fans with his Wembley team selection, picking left-back Anthony Straker on left wing, and Bilel Mohsni (centreback/striker/winger) in centre midfield. It sets a tone of frustration that will last the rest of the afternoon, and for me much of the coming few days.

Southend start off sleepily and Crewe, Southend vanquishers in last season's play-offs, take a spectacular lead from a well worked corner in just the 5th minute. Then in the sixth minute the much smaller Crewe support break out into applause for their absent no6, Adam Dugdale, whose 10 day old son had died just days before - an applause joined by the vast majority of the Southend support. While Southend have their moments, an ironclad penalty not given in the first half, a goal ruled out for offside & a goal-line clearance in the second half, there is only ever one team likely to win, and Crewe ease to a well deserved 2-0 victory.

And as the Blues dejected players trudge up the Wembley steps to collect their runner's up medals, the stands quickly empty, while we make a point of staying long enough to applaud the players efforts, we leave before we have to see Crewe's on-pitch celebrations. A journey home that is even more stressful than the one coming to the Stadium adds to my sense of frustration, so that by the time we arrive home, irritated and tired, my overwhelming feelings are negative.

It's taken a few days for those feelings to subside before I can look back with wonder at an amazing day in Southend United's history, to fully appreciate the feelings of walking up Wembley Way, walking into the stadium for the first time, singing the national anthem and seeing my team play on the hallowed turf along with an incredible 31,000 others. Those things I will never forget.

 

Wembley, we'll see you in another 106 years - and we'll take the coach.

Listening #4: Tracks Jan '13

As I haven't bought many albums so far this year (not many out yet), I thought instead I'd post some videos of my favourite songs thus far. Admittedly fairly heavily influenced by BBC 6 Music.

Temples ~ Shelter Song. From what I can gather this is the bands first single that was released at the end of 2012, but I only just heard it in January.

I Am Kloot ~ These Days Are Mine. IAK are a band I've known of for a long time but never really listened to but this song has been lodged in my head for virtually the whole month.

Nick Cave ~ We no who u r.

 

 

David Bowie - Where Are We Now. Opinion seems to be divided on Bowie's new track, but I really like it.

 

Suede ~ Barriers. In a month of comebacks I wasn't sure about this song at first but it's really grown on me, anthemic like a true Suede song of old.

Eels ~ Peach Blossoms. Only E could write a stomper about smelling the flowers.

Foals ~ My Number. Foals have been around for a few years now, yet for some unfathomable reason I hadn't got into them, but Inhaler & now My Number have caught my attention.

 

This post should be ending with Pulp's James Murphy produced After You, an absolute funk fueled dancefloor filler but all the video's on YouTube have been taken down. Instead I'll leave you with an old song I've only recently heard. Gang Starr's Jazz Thing...

 

Reading #1

I've just finished reading Bradley Wiggins' 'My Time', which I enjoyed reading alot. Like many people last summer brought me an increased interest in cycling as a sport, so 'My Time' was my first book on the subject. Obviously ghostwritten, it was a bit dry and missing the humour & character that he is known for, however it was a fascinating insight into the preparations & tactics of the world's best cyclist and what it takes to win. I'm sure there are plenty of better books about the sport, but 'My Time' was a great introduction for a novice like me.

 

I don't often make New Year's resolutions but this year I decided that I should try to read more female authors as all of my favourite writers are men. Unsure where to begin, I asked on twitter and Waterstone's retweeted my question, and I got more responses than I knew what to do with! After a bit of research I made a shortlist as a starting place these include Evie Wyld, Yoko Ogawa, Lauren Beukes, Katherine Dunn, Scarlett Thomas, Sarah Hall and Jennifer Egan. But I am kicking off with Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale', a science fiction novel that I actually picked up for 50p in a charity shop last year.

Last year when I went to the International Press Festival one of the comics I picked up was Spandex, 6 issues of Martin Eden's gay superhero adventure which was alot of fun, and having read the first 6 issues I couldn't miss the final chapter. So having ordered issue #7 online (which was dead easy) it duly arrived with a note from the writer/artist (one of the advantages of ordering direct from people), and it wasn't a disappointment. Without wishing to spoil the story, #7 continues from the revelations of #6 and answers the questions of whether Spandex will win or even survive to fight another day, and ends with the welcome news of a final special later in 2013.


To finish with I'll leave you with a couple of articles from the web that I enjoyed reading. First off is Neil Kulkarni's piece on HMV's plight and why it makes people like me feel like we're losing something.

And secondly this Vice article called 'Things That Need To Die Before British Culture can Move Forward', which made me chuckle.

My Top 10 Albums Of 2012

10. Beach House - Bloom (Sub Pop)

9. Godspeed You! Black Emporer - 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! (Constellation)

8. Coasting - You're Never Going Back (M'lady's)

 

7. Dan Deacon - America (Domino)

 



6. The Lovely Eggs - Wildlife (Egg Records)

5. Patrick Wolf - Sundark & Riverlight (Bloody Chamber Music)

 

4. Akira The Don - ATD28: The Unkillable Thunderchrist (www.akirathedon.com)

 

 



3. Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra - Theatre Is Evil (8ft Records)

2. Teeth - The Strain (bandcamp)

RIP John Grabski III. Rock vs Cancer. Rock Wins.

 

1. Dinosaur Jr - I Bet On Sky (Jagjaguwar)

 

 

Goodbye Mr Brubeck

I like Jazz but I'm not going to pretend to be an expert, Dave Brubeck is one of the artists I like most though, so I was saddened to hear of his death yesterday. Here's a fantastic video of the Dave Brubeck Quartet from 1964, it's half an hour long so get a cup of tea (or coffee if you're so inclined) and settle in.

RIP Dave Brubeck 6 Dec 1920- 5 Dec 2012

Me & My Mo'

 

 Finally this year (after 2 years of wanting to but not having an internet connection at our flat) I signed up for Movember - the annual moustache growing event to raise money & awareness for men’s health issues such as Prostate & Testicular cancer, Depression and other issues. When you sign up you are asked for your motivations for doing it, which made me stop and think. Why did I want to do this?

 

Well primarily because it’s an excellent cause and it always sounded like FUN to me. But also because my mum suffers from depression so raising money for depression, albeit male depression, is a cause close to my heart especially as at the time she was in hospital due to mental health issues. And lastly in memory of my Dad who died 2 years ago on 9th November of a heart attack, I didn’t know him very well as he left when I was 7 and moved to Germany, but in the image in my memory he will forever have a moustache.

 

 

Undoubtedly when starting Movember every man dreams of growing an Abe van de Ban or a General Melchett, but Mo’s as in life often fall short of our ambitions. And so it was a week and a half into Movember I found myself starring into the mirror wondering if I would ever get past the Michael Cera stage. Now I’m never normally cleanshaven (and haven’t been for several years), usually residing somewhere between stubble and a short beard, so it had slipped my mind how long it takes me to grow from scratch. Presumably this is why Movember also raises money for depression, for those of us that are not as follicly endowed as we would like.

 

The Michael Cera Period

 

 

 Look, No Zoom!

 

As we entered the last week of the month I finally acheived respectability ie. the ‘tash finally shows up in photographs without the need for the zoom or the macro function. Which was just in time for Debra & I to host our Movember Party at the flat, which was definately the highlight of my ‘tash enhanced November, although I did nearly have to throw out one guest for having a better Mo than me despite having one and a half weeks LESS growth. The MoQuiz went well despite my fiendishly hard questions and was won at a canter by team Hairy Poppins aka Tash for Questions, and Debra’s Mo themed Cookies & Cupcakes helped raise another £35 and put me over the £100 target I secretly had in my head. Having lived with my Mo’ for a month now I can confirm that the average moustachioed man touching his upper lip foliage 760 times a day isn’t unrealistic.

 

 Debra's Moustache Cookies

 

One of the biggest thrills of Movember is getting a sponsorship donation, especially an unexpected one and with just over 24 hours left I’m very pleased to say I’ve managed to raise £125, and I’d like to thank everyone who has sponsored me. I’ve really enjoyed my Mo’ month and would recommend anyone do it, there’s even talk of a few of us doing it as a team next year. But there’s still time to sponsor me this year, whether it’s £1 or £10 all contributions are greatly appreciated, just click here > http://uk.movember.com/mospace/3349233

 

 

 

Knowledge Is Power, Moustache Is King!

Our ‘lympic Summer

Note: I originally wrote this blog about a month ago, and intended to include comments from Debra in it but because of other events that never happened. I forgot all about it until I received my London 2012 dvd through the post yesterday, and figured better late than never.

 

I hadn’t really thought about it before but looking back I guess the Olympics always seemed like something that happened far, far away, another world almost. It wasn’t until we saw the torch come through little ol’ Rayleigh, that it was really brought home to me that the Olympics really were going to be just up the road. I guess I’ve always thought of the torch relay as just part of Olympic furniture, but it really did make London 2012 seem more tangible and it was amazing to see what felt like the whole town out together. Although I will admit I did find the corporate buses nauseating.

 

 The Olympic Torch in Rayleigh High St, just 30 seconds from our flat.

 

 

Once the Olympics were underway, I almost instantly regretted not trying for more tickets, this was once in a lifetime stuff. I’ve always loved watching the Olympics on tv, but the BBC’s wall to wall coverage - 24 extra channels! - quickly got me addicted like never before. So like many others I bought tickets for the Paralympics, not as a runner up prize but as a way of grabbing my own piece of the experience. In the meantime I continued to watch all that I could until the the last weekend of the Olympics came around and our trip to the Hadleigh Mountain Biking event.

 

 Looking back up the hill at Hadleigh Farm.
 

In this case the Olympics really were on our doorstep, just 3 miles from out flat to Hadleigh Farm and the specially constructed course. The excitement of the day was tempered a bit by the fact we were taking my mum aswell, and because of her ill health we’d hired a wheelchair for the day. We needn’t have worried, from the moment our taxi dropped us at the drop-off point we were taken care of, ferried first by another taxi down the country lanes to the Salvation Army buildings, then the Gamesmakers took us down onto the site in disabled friendly golf buggy’s. We were then able to take her onto a viewing platform and took it in turns to stay with her then explore the venue. The weather was glorious and the track quite spectacular with steep climbs, sheer drops and rocky sections. Sadly Britain’s Liam Killeen crashed out on the 2nd lap, but the atmosphere was fantastic with fans from all over the world. The race was eventually won by Czech Jaroslav Kulhavy, who overtook Nino Schurter of Switzerland on the very last bend of the very last lap, a moment I somehow managed to capture on camera.

Jaroslav Kulhavy (blue) overtaking Nino Schurter to win Gold.

 

After an agonising two week wait the Paralympics finally started, and once again we became just as addicted, this time to Channel4’s superb coverage. I have to admit I hadn’t really watched much, if any, coverage of previous paralympics and was unsure how into it I would get - I ended up spending just as much time watching the Paralympics as I had the Olympics. But again we had to wait until the games were almost over before we had our adventure.

 

 

The Aquatics Centre.

 

The swimming heats began at 9.30am which meant we needed to get the train by 7.30 at the latest, happily none of the transport problems we were worried about materialised. Extra trains were still being laid on and when we arrived at the Olympic Park we were in & through security in no time at all, with plenty of time to get our bearings and some breakfast. The Aquatics Centre was a very impressive structure, sleek and modern, when we arrived it was probably only a third full but filled up throughout the early part of the morning. The noise whenever a British athlete raced was quite incredible (and I’ve been to plenty of football matches), and rocketed to another level when Josef Craig broke the World Record in his S7 400m freestyle heat. We also got to see legendary South African Natalie Du Toit win the heat of her last ever event.

 

The green blur about to win is Natalie Du Toit.

 

 

Our day was not over though as we also had tickets to go up the Anish Kapoor designed Orbit which towers over the Olympic Park. The views from the top were superb, as we were able to see over the whole park, london, and beyond. We would have liked to explore the park more, but it was incredibly crowded so we headed home.

 

Orbit.

 

Debra & I outside the Olympic Stadium.

 

The next morning we were still shattered from the day before but got ourselves up anyway, today we were going to the Stadium itself! Thankfully it started an hour later than the previous day so we had a bit of extra time. After another breakfast stop in the park we headed into the Stadium to find our tickets were in the third row which gave us a great view, just a shame we were on the bend of the track and most of the heats were 100 & 200m over the other side of the stadium! We did have a great view of the morning’s two Javelin finals though, and even though the Brits never really challenged, all the athletes got fantastic support. We did get a Gold Medal moment though when Great Britain’s Josie Pearson came first in the F51 Discus, something I was able to see even though it was at the other end thanks to Debra’s inspired decision to take her binoculars! And that was that, our ‘lympic adventures were sadly over, like many we wished they could have continued forever.
 

　

　

 

 

During the Paralympics closing ceremony Debra looked at me and said "Let’s go to Rio in four years..."