Glory Glory

Glory Glory Man United, Glory Glory Man United, Glory Glory Man United  oops, well err Sunderland.

After a week of Seb telling me ALL about how REALLY important the Man United V Sunderland match we were going to see is and how EXCITED he was for us, I still couldn't really share his enthusiasm for our little trip out. I saw this picture on Facebook and thought it completely summed up my feelings about football.

I had never been to a football match before and could have quite happily remained in that state. I have no real passion for football, in case you haven't already noticed? We were going with one of Seb's work friends (Sam) and his wife (Tanya) and I knew that Tanya really was as excited as me, which was actually very little... Of course, I was excited to hang out with Seb and some friends and to do something I knew meant a lot to Seb but just not really for the match itself. So anyway, the day finally arrived and off we went to Manchester. When we arrived in Manchester, I did start to get a little more in the spirit of it as everywhere you looked there were 'fellow' supporters having fun and getting excited for the game, the atmosphere was really good. It was interesting to see how one sport can bring so many different types of people together. Anyway, getting a little more excited by this point, we headed for the stadium arriving in our seats just as the game kicked off.

It was actually pretty cool watching the match, we were right by the away fans and they were making a lot of noise, with their loud chants and songs it was hard to stop your hands and feet from following suit. It was rather educational going to see Man U play, I learnt the off side rule, rules about the points (like why they won the match but actually lost...!?!) and even that Ronaldo hasn't played for Man U for 7 years now...woops! I also learnt that actually going to watch a match is better than watching it on TV purely because there is no commentator, you can just sit back and watch the ball be passed from player to player rather than hearing somebody tell you everything you are seeing. Besides, Tanya's commentating was much better than what you hear on the TV, "Why didn't that one with green shoes just kick it the other one with green shoes?" "what was he thinking, why did he just pass it to the other team?" We were definitely on the same level.

The first  half of the game was good, Man U scored, this is when I learnt that when YOUR team scores, you have to jump up and look really happy and excited, I mean as happy and as excited as you could ever possibly be, you look at the person next to you, a complete stranger if that be the case and gaze into one another eyes whilst smiling and jumping up and down, really it is quite nice, you feel like you could hug everyone there. Its like what you would imagine the Utah bubble to be like. ;) However, this all changed quite dramatically in the second half when Sunderland started to dominate a little more and the game got 'tense'.  Now its like sitting with a the grumpiest men in the world that if you dare look at or speak to, you will just get the frowning eyebrows cast upon you... that's when you know the match is getting serious, real serious.

So the whistle is blown, 1 - 0 to Man U, I thought that was the end, we could go home content that WE had WON until I looked around and saw that the tense, angry, frowning men were back and the game was starting again...they had won 1 - 0 but this meant they were drawing because of a previous match... so 30 minutes later and the mood was getting tenser and tenser and tenser and tenser. Then, in the final half of extra time, Sunderland score! MINUTES before the end of the game. If the game ends now, United are out! The Sunderland fans were ecstatic and were not afraid to let us know about it. I kept hearing from Seb "if we don't score now, then we are out, out for good, it will all be over!!"  The angry Man U supporters were loosing hope until in the final minute....about 10 seconds before the whistle went.... they scored! SCORE! Phew! Peace and happiness restored once more to the fans. Sort of.....because...

....penalties started and eventually Sunderland won. What an anticlimax that was. Upon leaving Seb said, "If only we had won, I could have been so happy right now." I really didn't know how much the game had meant to him or the other thousands of men who, on the way back to the car park all became Alex Ferguson, the MAN himself, with their wise words and their 'if only's'. Suddenly everyone knew how to manage football teams and "could have squeezed a win out of the players, because that's what Ferguson would have done."...Poor guys. I did actually really feel for them. I wanted Man U to win just because everyone was so happy and then so...unhappy. It was like witnessing a mother buying a child an ice-cream, the child receiving the ice-cream in the happiest, most grateful way possible, only for the dog walking beside him take one big slobbery bite, taking the whole ice-cream and just leaving the cone for the deflated little one.

Little by little the boys' moods started to lift and we could enjoy the journey home together. It is a shame, it was such a good night out and really did change my perspective of football. Yes, yes, OK I would go again...but no Seb, "we can't buy a season ticket.....yes, even if they're 'only' £534..."

Thanks for a really great night out guys, it was fun, so sorry for your loss but hey, you win some you lose some eh?