Wembley Woe

In the last six days, I think I have gone through nearly every emotion going all thanks to Everton Football Club. Who'd have thought a football club could put someone through such an emotional rollercoaster?

Friday started off with bouts of excitement followed by major nerves with a few teary moments thrown in for good measure.

Saturday began with disbelief that I was up at such an ungodly hour to go to a match that was being held in this country, thanks a lot FA, Met Police and ESPN!! Excitement then took hold as I arrived at Lime Street and saw all the fans of both sides milling around the station waiting for their respective trains. Frustration soon kicked in though as being on such an overcrowded train for over two hours isn't a pleasant experience, neither is trying to negotiate Kings Cross and Green Park underground stations in a wheelchair, could they make those places any more confusing? I swear we could have walked to Wembley by the time we'd got around the mazes that is those stations. Excitement got me again once we got out of Wembley Park station and I saw the ground. Mingling around outside the ground and bumping into familiar match day faces including two of the Park End finest stewards, did nothing to dispel my excitement, this was our chance, our big chance, every Evertonian knew that and I think nearly all of us believed it too. Getting to my seat just as "We don't care what the redshite say" came on broke  me a little and I nearly started to cry, but I quickly regained my composure to join in, well you have too, especially at Wembley! An emotion that most people wouldn't expect you to feel at a football match is pride, but that is exactly what I felt when the minutes silence for the 23rd anniversary of Hillsborough was over. I must admit, I was a little apprehensive when I knew that this was going to happen as there's always one or two idiots who I feared would ruin this and also tarnish the reputation of both the club and its fans, but I was so glad I was proved totally wrong as the ground fell silent. I was proud to be an Evertonian and also to be a scouser as we showed the watching world that despite our footballing differences, no city can unite quite like Liverpool in times of tragedy.

The game itself is a bit of blur now, probably because I've chose not to remember it, haven't seen the goals since and didn't read the sports pages of the papers till about Wednesday, but we went from the highest highs with Jelavic's goal, probably made even better by the comical defending by Carragher, to depths of the despair after witnessing one of the most consistent performers not only of this season, but the last couple of seasons too, make such an uncharacteristic, but game changing mistake. Why he did what he did, we'll never know, doubt he even knows, but everything changed from that moment on and my optimism from 60 minutes earlier evaporated and I just knew we weren't going to win now and sadly, I was proven right. Once the winning goal went in (again a goal that could’ve been prevented), the tear floodgates opened, shouldn't cry over a football team, but I've cried many a tear over Everton in the past, and will continue to do so. Its how I am and how they get to me. I've since been told that I was seen on the TV (mightily impressive considering how far back I was sitting) in injury time, so the national probably saw me crying, just to round off a great day!!

The rest of the day I was quite calm and reserved, knew we'd failed to take our chance through our own fault, too many players under performed, simple as, no point going on about it as it was only going to spoil my night out in London and ruin my drinking time!!

But by the much more pleasant train journey home on Sunday afternoon, devastation and disappointment fully hit, it was supposed to be our big day, our big opportunity to prove that the media's view of us being over achievers was wrong, but we failed abysmally and losing to all teams, them, was heartbreaking. They had their 3rd choice goalkeeper playing, yet I think bar a couple of flaps from crosses, I could have played in goal for Liverpool. We really have got some mental block against them, why I don't know, they may have spent more than us, but on our day, we are just as good as them if not better and we should have showed that on the pitch, but after the mistake, the players became inferior. They shouldn't have as they aren't, but they did. I don't like disliking any of ou players, but on Sunday night, I did feel let down by most of them and it's not a nice feeling to have. I felt stupid too for actually believing that we could do it. Moyes also isn't blameless, surely he could see what we all could on the pitch, the lack of support to Jelavic, Fellaini wondering around too much, Osman, Cahill and Gueye being largely ineffective, so why not change things, but it wasn't many options on the bench. The main hope we had previous to the game should an impact sub be needed was Drenthe, but because of his lack of professionalism and downright stupidity he was not available to us, this maybe the last straw for some with the enigmatic Dutchman, I know it is for me. Pienaar being cup tied was a massive miss; I said before the game that his absence would be more of a miss for us than Liverpool having Reina suspended, how right I was.

In my more darker moments of this week, I've thought that we are never going to win anything, but have quickly dismissed those thoughts, if I really started to believe that, what would be the point of going the game, you have to believe in your team and that one day, your time will come, you will get that piece of luck, that referring decision, players and a manager who believe in themselves and their ability, a substitutes bench that will have game changing options on it. It will happen, it HAS to happen.

I think I am just about over the disappointment that was last Saturday now, it still hurts, but not like it did and I've gotten over all the other times they've let me down, so I will get there with this. I survived work and most of the reds in our place tried their best not to mention it to me. I will be there on Sunday at Old Trafford, just the trip we want when trying to put a FA Cup semi final defeat by your major rivals behind you, not!! I doubt this will be our day either, but won't stop me from believing that it may be and have the hope that it will be, but as they say it's the hope that kills you as a football fan and definitely as an Evertonian!!

Semi Final Day Then and Now

Sunday 19th, April 2009 was quite simply, the best day of my Evertonian life. Sounds dramatic, I know, but it is the truth. I always said I'd never get to see Everton at Wembley. I wasn't old enough to remember the Wembley trips of the 80's, let alone go to them. 1995 is still a sore point with me as I couldn't get a ticket for the final, but both brothers went (watching on TV with my mum who was moaning at me for picking at my tea isn't the best memory to have of that day). Whether you agree with the semi finals being held at the national stadium or not, it gave me the chance that I thought I would never have and the excitement I felt as soon as the whistle went in against Middlesbrough in the quarter final only grew and grew as the day approached.


The whole day was just amazing, even writing about it now is making me smile and cry (happy tears). Being a novice at this Wembley with Everton lark, I didn't really know what to expect from the trip, but everything about it was just brilliant. From seeing hundreds of blues queuing for trains at Lime Street, most of them wearing Felliani wigs and waving flags to coming out of Wembley Park station and seeing Wembley Way literally full of blue shirted fans, I'm sure there were some Manchester United fans on there, there had to have been, I just don't remember seeing them as there was just a sea of blue. I made my brother walk all around the ground, so I could experience everything, the fans were in fine form, making the most of the glorious weather, the sight of four middle aged Evertonians in Fellaini wigs running back and forth through the fountain outside the ground while singing "We're on the march" as loud as they possible could is something I won't forget.


I'd been to the new Wembley a couple of times before to watch England and I had always said what that ground needs is thousands of Everton fans to be in it and I was right. Entering the ground again was a sight to behold, there was just blue and white everywhere, flags hung up, everything. One of the special memories that I will always treasure is a I was shown to my wheelchair space (incidentally, I am in the same block and row this time around, a sign maybe?), I realised that Take That's Greatest Day was being played, could there have been a more fitting song being played and even now I can't hear that song without seeing Jags penalty in my head. Next thing I knew who did I see being interviewed on the pitch side, but the best little, but injured Spaniard we know. You would have thought that I'd not seen him in years by my reaction, not a few weeks. I was phoning my mate who was another member of the Mikel Arteta Appreciation from our work to tell her to hurry up and get it so she can see him, like we were never going to see him again. I don't know why but seeing Mikel made me confident that it was going to be our day. Then came crowning moment before the game, Z-Cars being played, I don't think anyone knew that was going to happen, but hearing 30 odd thousand blues all humming along to that was immense.


The game itself wasn't a classic; I struggle to remember anything that happened in the 120 minutes of play, apart from getting the only decision ever to go our way off Mike Riley which sent Sir Alex into a child like stomp. As the last few seconds of extra time approached, the nerves got too much for me and I cried, I couldn't face the thought of losing on penalties, and when Tim Cahill of all players, missed the first one, the tears fell even more. My brother decided not to look at the first United penalty, yet through my tears, I managed to watch it and scream "he's missed it" while jumping on top of our Brian. Never thought Bainesy would miss his and he didn't and then came Howard's moment, yes, he saved Berbatov's, but it was hardly the best penalty in the world, at least Ferdinand got a bit of power behind it. Cue pandemonium in our end, apart from me, who cried even more. Neville stepping up, scared the s**t out of me, could see the headlines ex United player put old team through etc, but how wrong I was, he coolly slotted to put us ahead. I don't really remember United's next penalty, apart from it went in. Then up came Vaughan, the one player from the club who deserved something to go right for once, the thought of him missing made me cry a little bit more, but he was possibly the calmest man in the ground and put us within reach of the final. Anderson stepped up and as much as our willed him to miss, he took the best of United's pens and heaped all the pressure back on to us. I had no idea who was left to take our pen, but after his unfortunate and heartbreaking miss against Fiorentina, Jags was the last person I thought would step up. Well, if it was possible, I cried even more, prayed to anyone that was listening and hoped that his courage to take the vital kick would be rewarded and oh how it was. Our end just went mental, except for me, who once again, sobbed uncontrollably. The old fella in front of me seemed a little worried for me as he rather perplexed he asked why I was crying as we had won. I eventually regained some sort of composure to join in with Z Cars yet again and Hi Ho Silver Lining (no idea why that was played, but it was brilliant). The rest of those minutes and hours after the game consisting of me smiling like a loon, texting all or phoning my bluenose mates and family and still not quite believing we'd actually done it and done it after a penalty shoot-out. I think only after watching the penalties in the pub later than night did it sink in and singing "Tell Me Ma" down Southampton Row at gone midnight, just me and our Brian really did make it real. Sadly, the final never really lived up to the semi final.


So on to tomorrow, we all know form goes out of the window in derbies, but especially in cup games. All I can hope for is that the players go out there with no fear, like we seem to have at Anfield and play like I know they are capable of, like they did up at Sunderland. If we get that level of performance from them, we stand a very good chance of progressing. As for our fans, sing like you have never sung before, but sing for Everton and our boys. Support the lads and the manager, don't be distracted by what Liverpool are doing, singing. We are there to help get Everton through, I really believe that having 7nearly 7,000 fans up at the Stadium of Light helped us to win up there; don't think I've been in a better away end. Surely having over four times there tomorrow of us can make our end even louder and passionate that at Sunderland. However, the one time I was us to be quiet, is when the minutes silence is on. I don't expect any Evertonian will not be silent as Hillsborough affected blues as well as they had family and friends who were there that day and will know someone who lost their lives on the sad, fateful day nearly 23 years ago. We will show the victims’ families that we are with them in their ongoing battle to get justice and that nowhere like the city of Liverpool unites in times of tragedy.


Hopefully by around 2.30pm tomorrow afternoon, if all the above has happened we will all be dancing around Wembley to Z Cars again and planning yet another trip to Wembley in three weeks time, which wouldn't be a bad return for a girl who thought she'd never get to Wembley with her club!!


COYB

Sunderland...the best midweek away ever!!

"But why do you want to go all the way to Sunderland on a Tuesday night?" That was the question I got asked by so many people when I answered their first question of "Are you going to go the replay" with a yes. After being part of an amazing travelling army of well over 6000 fans and witnessing a display of near total dominance from the team, how could I have not gone up to Sunderland?!?!

Quite simply, it was easily the best midweek away game in this country I've been to.

From start to finish everything about the day was brilliant. Leaving work at 1.30pm after being in since 7am and ending up getting a taxi that had Everton memorabilia all over it to take me to Goodison. This was surely a sign that it was going to be our day?

I met with the lovely ladies, Sandra and Lynne outside Everton One and it was like a match day around there, blues everywhere. Turning into Priory Road was a sight to behold, 50 plus coaches, all laid on by the club for free (a fantastic gesture by Everton) lined up down the whole length of the road waiting to transport hundreds of Evertonians up to the North East. I don't know if it was the gloriously sunny and warm weather (felt more like the opening day of the season than late March) but the atmosphere was happy, jovial and full of confidence, I felt like I was off to the Cup final itself and not just the quarter final. Fans were decked out in blue shirts, Fellaini wigs and carrying flags. Typical Evertonian wit was also in force with funny wise cracks aplenty as fans started to board the coaches. My particular favourite being from the fella who was on Coach 54, upon realising how far down Priory Road this coach was parked (practically by the entrance of the Stanley Park Car Park) remarked "you'd think the club would have put on a free bus to take us down this road to the coach, I'll be frigged by the time I walk down there and what's with them putting me on a coach parked so near to Anfield"

Coach one (the best coach of all 50 plus coaches) set off bang on half two and within minutes of departing we were being entertained by a DVD of Everton's greatest FA Cup goals (once again I saw this as being another "sign").

We arrived at the Stadium of Light just before 6pm, so me and the girls decided to wait for the team bus arrive. After managing to worm our way to the front of the gathering crowd (thanks to Sandra) and waiting for nearly an hour, the team coach arrived and me and the girls and the odd few Everton greeted Moyes and the players with cheers. Not sure why we burst out singing to Tony Hibbert when he got off the coach, but we did, we also did a rousing rendition of "he's got red hair but we don't care" when Moyes alighted the coach!! Kind of wish I didn't record this on my phone as playing it back and hearing my awful singing voice was somewhat embarrassing.

Once we'd finished our sing song at the players entrance we decided to enter the ground, we walked around the stadium, the noise levels increased as we approached our end, as "We're on the march with Moyes' army" resonated into the Sunderland sunset sky, even from the outside the noise from our fans was amazing. It was so loud, that it made me go shivery.

As kick off approached, my nerves started to get the better of me, but I still felt quite confident that we'd win. Not like me at all. As the teams came out the atmosphere was so unbelievably loud. Despite being outnumbered, our end was just as loud as the Sunderland ends as we hummed Z Cars to drown the entrance tune of Sunderland. There was such a belief coming from the Everton fans and we really got behind the boys. Each one of the lads acknowledged the away end and what a sight it must have been for them to see the whole end full of Evertonians cheering them on. It must have had an impact on them as we came out of the blocks flying, unlike the original tie at Goodison. We never gave Sunderland chance to get a foothold in the game, quietened down the crowd and created one or two decent chances of our own with the Sunderland hero from the first game Mingolet saving his team yet again. Our dominance was justifiably rewarded after 24 minutes when the impressive Magaye Gueye cut back a great cross for Nikica Jelavic to slot home with a lovely side footed effort. Cue pandemonium in the away end as "Jelavic, Jelavic, Jela, Jelavic" was sung as loudly as could be. It was a lead that we deserved for our near enough total dominance of play. Sunderland started to improve slightly after failing behind, but the ever impressive Johnny Heitinga and Sylvain Distin kept them at bay. When the Mackems did bypass these two, Leighton Baines was there to make an excellent block from Bendtner's shot. There was such a determination about the defence, that they wouldn't be beaten. The fact that Sunderland's best chance came in injury time shows this and even then Howard made the save.

If the first half was good the second was even better, we doubled our lead thanks to a gift of an own goal from the helpless David Vaughan, but praise needs to be given to Marouane Fellaini for pressurising the substitute into giving away possession so easily. If it was mad enough in our end at 1-0, it was beyond crazy once we'd doubled the lead. I was in danger of being swept along on to the pitch with the celebrating fans who made it down to front apron, so I did what I do best celebrated and then hid behind my mate, as she's in a wheelchair too, she wouldn't have been much of a protector for me, but we survived.

Even with just over 30 minutes to go, I really felt it was game over, Sunderland were lucky to be only two down, Jelavic missed an excellent chance to make it 3, Ossie's volley flew only inches wide and Gueye lashed as shot just over. The most danger for me wasn't a Sunderland comeback but from one of my boys. Darron Gibson's powerfully struck shot was flying right towards me; I've never been so relieved to see a ballboy in my life who managed to stop it coming into my face.

The atmosphere that was already excellent, was just unbelievable in the second half, our end just bounced it really did. We sang, we cheered, everything. Was the best away end, I've been in and I've been in a fair few. The best chant of the night came in injury time as we regaled substitute Tony Hibbert with "he scores when he wants, oh Tony Hibbert, he scores when he wants"

As the whistle went, I celebrated with people I've not met before in my life, as well as those mates who I see each week. It was brilliant to see the players celebrating just as much as the fans, led by celebrators in chief Heitinga and Fellaini. It showed that it meant something to them to back at Wembley and not just us fans. Even the posts on Twitter by them afterward showed how important it was to win and how they really wanted to win.

The journey home on the coaches was very long as the nice police force who had already incurred the wrath of Moyes wouldn't let the coaches depart, so it was just gone 11pm when we finally departed. I always tend to fall asleep on the journeys home from away games, but there was no chance of that happening as I was literally buzzing from the whole experience.I was on the phone to my brother who usually comes to the games with me, but because of work couldn't come, singing Jelavic's song to him and making him book train tickets as soon as I got off phone. I was getting texts of mates who watched at home, telling me how proud they were of the fans who went up there and how good it came across on the television and how good we played. Me and the girls were planning our Wembley trips and reading tweets from other fans who were all just as excited as us. How could I have slept while all this was going on?!?!

Priory Road was just as chocka with Blues at 2.30 am as it had been on 12 hours early and the atmosphere was still just as jovial as hundreds of tired, but deliriously happy blues made their way to their cars and got taxis home. As it was, I managed to get another bluenose taxi driver to take me home, it seems that fate was definitely on our side.

Lying wide awake at 6.10am with "oh Johnny Heitinga" "We're on the march" and several other Everton songs going around my head didn't bother me at all. The fact I was so tired and achy the next day (thank the Lord that I'm on flexi in work) didn't matter one bit, I was just so glad that I was able to be at the Stadium of Light to be a part of that. I was so proud of everything to do with Everton on Tuesday - the manager, the players and especially the fans and that is why I wanted to go to Sunderland. Being at home and watching that on ITV wouldn't have been the same and I would have been so pissed off knowing I turned down the chance to go. I'm an Evertonian, I have to go to the match!!