One - Wembley Eve
It’s 9.28am. I haven’t slept. Saturday’s have become an oddity for me since I’ve been working these filthy night shifts. I get back to the Bakery by 6am, I go to sleep, wake up and Saturday’s all but gone. But enough is enough. I’ve had it with my body clock this time. I’ve been up playing ridiculous facebook Texas Hold ‘Em and drinking single malt whiskey since I’ve been in. I intend to charge through the day without sleep and enjoy my weekend.
LB’s off in Ireland, Kerry I think. If you find yourself in Kerry and meet four noisy and attractive London girls, then don’t touch the blonde, she’s mine. All I know of that part of the world is that’s where the butter in my fridge is from. Well, it’s actually from Tesco’s but apparently that’s where it started its life.
What all of this adds up to, apart from good toast, is that I’m going to get very drunk tonight. Not sure where or with whom - people tend to get booked up very quickly these days - but even if I’m to crack a six pack of Special Brew with the down-and-outs down my road, it’ll still be a piss up. I will of course be drinking tomorrow, although only lightly before the game. The game.
The game.
It’s tomorrow. Bugger me. It’s here. You know, I don’t think I could sleep even if I wanted to. Tomorrow actually feels like it’s Christmas around the corner. Actually, it’s better. I’ve been to Christmas quite a few times. It happens every year. This will be my first ever Christmas, except I’ll be old enough to remember it. I’m looking forward to walking down Wembley Way; thousands of fans in team colours singing their way to the ground, flags waving, spirits high. I want that part to last forever. I’ve seen the old girl before but never Wembley on matchday and never with the Spurs.
I know a few of you mentioned you won’t be able to pick it up on TV where you are. If anyone knows of any websites out there, then please tell the crew at the bottom of this post. If not, The Bagel will most certainly be writing his report, come rain or shine.
I’ve looked at the press this morning but it’s fairly meaningless; players bad mouthing one another, talking up their chances, identifying weaknesses, saying how much it means to them, promising the win. It’s irrelevant. Talk is cheap today. hat do we expect them to say, “Actually I can’t see us getting it. I’m just not really in the mood”? It’s like scratching around an itch. It makes you aware that the feeling is there but does nothing to satisfy the urge. 3 o’clock tomorrow is the only salve, the only relief, the only answer.
It’s so quiet outside. 9.45am and I can’t even here a car; in London. It’s like the whole world is waiting, preparing, staying home and saving themselves for the tomorrow. Not me. I can’t sit about and do nothing. I’d feel love sick with nothing else to occupy my thoughts but what I need to make me feel better. I need tomorrow. And I don’t need tomorrow. I don’t want it to be gone. How can any man hope to hold onto all those dreams at once? How can you take it in? It wont feel real until we’re on the tube home.
I wonder what we’ll sing? Will it be the usual chorus or is there to be a special Wembley song, one never sung before, or the one that tells the story of the day: a hat-trick for JJ and at last his name in music, a song against Chelsea or even this…
…probably too complex for the terraces but great all the same. Imagine that one echoing round at 5-1.
This is The Bagel signing out. Fingers crossed one and all. See you on the other side.
Come on lads, one more time.
The Bagel.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Its here, the big game, we have to win this..prove to everyone Spurs are back.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Nothing to say but coys!
February 24th, 2008 at 12:20 am
I know how you feel, mate. I have had something burning in my chest for a couple of days now - WEMBLEY. Spurs at Wembley. It’s like a dream coming true and yet I don’t want to let it go tomorrow. I don’t want to turn the hopes of tomorrow into sweet memories…or terrible nightmares.
So so scared. And excited. And nostalgic.
All those supporters who have tickets for the game are truly blessed. YOU are blessed. Hopefully all fans will sing their hearts out tomorrow and will show the lads the love and pride we, the international supporters, all feel for them.
As for me, I will watch the final in my small flat in Sofia, Bulgaria, 2000 miles away. Yet that won’t stop me from chanting, pretending that my voice can travel all the way to London. Because I love ‘em, Tottenham Hotspur.
COYS.
February 24th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
It’s here! Le jour de gloire est arrivé (and I hope that’s gonna be le jour for Steeeeeeeeve, Chimbo, Kab & any other Frogs we may have, and zippo for Anelka, Malouda, etc).
I just hope all of you lucky enough to have a ticket are fighting fit & sobre enough to do your stuff for the rest of us.
As for the remainder who’ll be checking in to their favourite fireside armchair or pub to watch on TV live, I envy you.
Like I just wrote to the caveman, I want to share this with you, to let you know about the trials and tribulations of being a Yiddo Abroad on this hopefully glorious day.
(Just a Yid Abroad
An island lost at sea-o” etc.etc).
Will I see it? Won’t I?
I spent every spare moment on Thursday night & Friday morning, trawling on the www, signs of the Portuguese sports cable channel relenting, live online sites, anything.
Then, over my Friday lunchtime sandwiches, something makes me go and take a look at Juande’s own website, get any pre-match thoughts from the “Silent One” (if we win, will he finally do a post-match inteview on telly? And will we understand him, ‘cos he probably sounds like most Spaniards speaking any language - like they have a mud brick in their mouths. A bit harsh, I know, a bit zenophobic. But then I live in Portugal, where the Spans are (falsely) regarded (with the subconscious envy of the inferiority complex) as lower than the gutter.
Anyway, in the Spanish language version, the first thing that looms into my eyes is the news that Spanish TV channel TVE will be showing the whole game LIVE!!!!!!!!!!! Like with Mourinho here, the nación is extremely proud of their hombre being the first Span to lead out a team in a final at Veghghghmnnmblé, in Inlan’. We didn’t need the 2005 Carling final to be on cable here, it was mainstream.
I explode with joy! I have TVE on my cable package!!! So, it’s straight into the TVE website to make sure. This turns out to be a long, complex process. They can’t just have pages with the daily/weekly listings at on easy click. No matter, I won’t be defeated. I find it. I find that it will be included in the weekly Sunday afternoon 5-hour sports prgramme.
On TVE 2.
We only get TVE 1.
I turn on every TV set in the house, searching for a miracle that TVE 2 is in there hiding somewhere. Niente.
I throw the remains of the grilled sardine sarnie out of the balcony window, which flies to earth followed by an a stream of ugly, guttural, middle-English expletives for relief.
Game off again.
I start thinking with envy of all you thousands of my brother & sister Yiddos back in the old country.
I get an e-mail confirming that, of course, my cousins have their places booked at Wemberley.
Desparate. Desolate. Wretched. Fucked.
Can you imagine how it feels?
Next Chapter:
Friday, mid-afternoon, in the bar I pick up one of the Portuguese Sports Dailies to see if they have anything to say on the game. Sure they do. Report & interview solely and exclusively with Ricardo Carvalho - naturally. It seems there’s only one team playing in the final, according to their perspective. Spurs don’t exist. Is that what I call biased?
I get listless, so I can only idle on through to the TV page.
And there it is………………the NEWS! The only news I want to get!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sportv cable channel has finally woken up and announced with a snore & a yawn that it will show the final of the Carling Cup/Taça da Liga Inglesa on Sunday on its main channel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!……!!!!!
Wait for it guys, this story still has legs for you.
It concerns the time.
They do this thing called “Em diferido”. And that’s what it says in the paper. Exclusive, OK. In its entirety, tick that box.
Sportv’s exclusive kick-off time is:
5.45 pm.
You see the implications?
You get the picture? I won’t get any picture until about an hour after you lot will know what happened, if it ends in 90 minutes.
I know what I have to do. I last did it for the 1999 final. I’m groomed and fully experienced. Back then, it was worse. Spurs v Leicester was shown at 2.30 pm the next afternoon. I had to go 25 years in total radio/TV/press silence. Went to my office for the morning, everyone respectfully obeying the order from Friday afternoon to say nothing at all, not a wink, a nod, a smile or tear in my direction. I went home for an extended lunch hour of 3 hours, turned on my TV and bit my hands off until Nielsen’s goal in , what? the 82nd minute. It went in the net for me about 23 & a half hours after you’d all seen it. No matter, the reaction was identical to yours.
So, today will be similar, but only 2 & a half hours’ delay.
In a while…well, 3 hours from now, I enter into full communications lock-down. Back in ‘99, I had no internet at home, so it was esier to ignore temptation.
Today, it will be none of the usual glances for score updates on “Guardian Unlimited”, BBC.co.uk, Swiss Spurs Supporters, Topspurs. No e-mail, no chats, no skype, no mobile phone, no text sms, no cafés, no radio, no TV. I won’t even look at my wife’s face - not that I don’t like it, but because she’ll be listening to the radio, hoping to hear that Benfica are getting a mauling. And as they always give international score updates, I can’t be near her.
Total abstinence. What would YOU do, I ask you?
So guys, around the time you’ll all be in 7th Heaven (you’d better be!!!), try sparing a thought for me & Lord knows how many others around the globe who’ll have to endure however long it takes before they can watch.
The alternatives were there, a 90-mile round trip to the Beefeater pub in Cascais, where they have Sky Sports & all the rest, where I used to go before I moved out of Lisbon. It was only a 30-minute drive away, a pleasant outing by the Atlantic. And I did have a car, which I don’t often have anymore. Not on today. THFC tv online are doing a live radio broadcast, but I’m too spoilt now.
So, there you have it. That’s my tale reported. It had to take this long to tell it, Bagel.
I just read Nev’s comment that came in while I was typing this. Second all your words, mate. Exactly how I feel. But are you saying that even in Bulgaria, it’s live, in real time? WOW!!! A civilised European country, rather than one that only looks like it is Europe, because that’s what the map says (I’m talking about Portuguay, which is, in reality, much closer to Morocco, re.what goes on here).
Now, Over the top you go, Yiddos!
See you on the other side.
COYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 24th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Congrats Bagels and Bagellesses.
A famous victory.
Well done.
February 24th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Stewie we even have it in south africa! Great win boys!now for the wafer cup.mwah love ya. Love ya yidos!!!
February 24th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Well done, I welcome any team that beats Chelski…..
Nice to see Spurs back and winning at Wembley
February 24th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
…Drogba…
…Kalou…
Firstly Drogba is just scum, although he did manage to waste some stoppage time arguing with the ref.
Kalou (was it Kalou, I couldn’t even see?) right at the death… i didn’t even hear the whistle sound, all I could pick out were what I thought to be misguided cheers as Kalou pounced into our area…. I was standing there, block 143, seat 270 gaping as the ball scooted past Robbo and hit the post. It didn’t matter though; while Kalou was advancing, the whistle had actually been blown and half of the stadium erupted.
February 24th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Excellent! Very pleasing indeed, and I shall wake up tomorrow with a smile on my face…
However little the League Cup is regarded, no-one can argue with a cup run including Man City at Eastlands where they were unbeaten until then, a thumping of Arsenal, and Chelsea.
February 24th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
WOW!! coming from behind against a squad including Lampard, Terry, Drogba, Essien, Cech, Belleti, DID THAT JUST HAPPEN OR AM I FUCKING DREAMING!?!?!
COYS!
February 24th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
1992yido there is a collective term for those lot. Its scum
February 24th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Back from the time warp, 3 hours after the rest of the world, but HEAVEN IS HEAVEN, whatever the time!
We beat scum 1 5-1!!!!
We beat scum 2 2-1!!!!
Apart from the utter shite & I’ve just read on some of the websites, Arse, Scouse and naturally, the flat champagne/sour grapes brigade who call themselves Chelski fans, I’m too drained to say anymore.
Oh, just this:
For every Yiddo who was there at Wembley today, you made me SO PROUD, once again. Now thats’ how to support your team!!! Well done & mazel tov & thanks, all of you!
A cup for little clubs? Didn’t hear Chelsea saying that when they won it 3 times in 4 years.
Ramos, eres dios personificado!!
Y já eres un Yiddo for life!!
February 24th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
I know,our fans and players did us proud, it sounded like a home game!
February 25th, 2008 at 7:00 am
Game ended at 2am and I’ve been high on adrenaline since… was that bloody amazing or what?? And the fans, OH THE FANS!!!!!! Bagel, write about it quick! Every single moment of it!
February 25th, 2008 at 10:35 am
oh my god….. i still haven’t came down…..that was amazing, and to doo the chelski rent boys made it sooo much better!!
It seemed like we where the only fans singing….. Lets start it off , MY old man , said be an arsenal Fan…I said ….
ARHG STILL IN DREAM LAND also rumor of a transfer put in for Taylor of city?!!?!
:) 
February 25th, 2008 at 10:56 am
FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC!! Just got goosebumps again reading all of the comments - can’t wait for your report, Bagel.
Am proud as can be of our boys.
February 25th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Yeah bagel… hurry up.
Just off to buy ALL the newspapers. And then realise I’ve already read them all on the internet, probably.
Very glad I booked today off! If the bagel is anything like me, he’ll be feeling like he’s been baked a little too long today.
February 25th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Will there be a victory parade down the High Road? if so im there!!!
February 25th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
it is now nearly 3 o’clock MONDAY and no unbiased report!!
what are you waiting for?
booker prize
hope its as good as the last one…
COYS