English Football (soccer) Live & In Person

As I sit here and unashamedly yell at my TV in the hopes that it will assist Tottenham Hotspurs in a victory over Manchester United, I reflect on a few of the live football (soccer here in North America) matches I've been lucky to see.
Arsenal is my team, and last fall, I had the opportunity to watch 2 games from a rather high up seat in the Emirates Stadium...

Emerging from Arsenal tube station, we see that Match Day atmosphere permeates into the nearby neighborhood, where roadside stalls arise, selling all manner of Arsenal memorabilia and snacks. The local pub spills out with fans of both sides as they jeer and jokingly taunt each other while sipping their favorite ale or cider.

Police are out in force, with a strong contingent on horseback, keeping a watchful eye on those who might be slightly more empassioned about the game than is deemed appropriate.

I've chosen to wear my new Arsenal shirt, recently purchased from the team's store after a tour of the stadium. Unfortunately, the shirt is yellow (bright yellow) and the opposing team, Hull, is wearing those colors, so I'm given a few odd glances until people spot the big Arsenal insignia on the front.

The crowds build and there is a steady stream of fans moving into the stadium. Inside, the main foyers are packed in all snack & drink areas, with kids everywhere munching on hot dogs and adults everywhere sipping on beers or wine as everyone anxiously awaits the beginning of the game.

TVs broadcast some pre-game insights and give those who haven't taken their seats a watchful eye on what's happening in the field below (no alcoholic drinks are allowed in the stands - probably a quite wise decision!).

The crowd begins to move to the stands to take their seats and the teams finally wander on to the pitch. The announcer begins reading the list of players - first names only are required for the home team as the crowd readily shouts out the last names.

Finally the referee blows his whistle to begin the game and the tension is palpable as we watch in angst, willing our team to be the first to score (and for it to be the first of many goals). After some great plays, some near misses and some strong defending, it seems no goal is forthcoming in the first half.

The half time whistle blows and we make a mad dash for the nearest washroom. Within seconds, lines snake this way and that, with people lined up for the washrooms, more food, and of course, more drinks. The concourse is packed with people and it takes 10 minutes to navigate my way back to my seat.

The second half begins and things are more stressed than ever. This team (Hull) have only just come up from the division below...there is no reason why we shouldn't be trouncing them. Sure, our team has suffered some rather lengthly injuries from key players, but we can still recall all too clearly, the years of the doubles (we won the league and we won the FA Cup in 2002 & 1998).

Every minute ticks by slowly and naturally, many of the ref's decisions that aren't in our favour are in question. Finally, we unleash the first goal of the match and the crowd goes wild. Things are looking up for our team, but the day's still young. Sadly, Hull strikes back with a goal just 11 minutes later, and to our shock and growing dismay, repeats this action just 4 minutes later, to put them in the lead.

The rest of the game is great to watch, with a lot of great plays and some close shots, but the Arsenal fail to recover from that second goal against. The match ends with a loss for us and all 60,000 of us dejectedly leave the stadium.
We wander up to the Arsenal Pub (about 3 blocks away) for a drink to drown our sorrows, and everyone's feeling low.

A few days later, we return to the Emirates Stadium for a Champions League match against FC Porto, and appropriately thrash them 4-0. A significantly better result on a cold and drizzly day.

The league is very competitive and any team can surprise us with a win. Hull has since sunk lower in the division, but still look to have enough strength to maintain a place in the Premier League.

In the meantime, Man U is leading Tottenham 2 - 1 in the second half, and I'm hoping for a late victory by Spurs. I'll keep yelling at the TV, but it's not nearly as fun as being in the stadium!