"90 Minutes from Wembley!"

OK, so I got this email from FFC, with the same title as this thread, advertising that tickets for the FA Cup match against Bolton or Spurs (I'd just say Spurs, but I assumed Wigan would beat Notts too and look how that turned out) are now on general sale. The body of the email included the following:

And so this got me thinking: from an English fan's point of view, is playing at Wembley, in and of itself, a significant achievement? Because the way I see it, there's still a long way to go, through some good teams, before we've actually won any hardware. Wembley is cool and all that, and I'm sure it's a thrill for players and supporters alike, but it seems to me that winning at Wembley is the goal, not just playing there.

 

I would be stoked just to play there, but yeah - you want to win of course.

They have really touted Wembley as being the 'national stadium' and tried to make it a golden ring (even tho it has been a crap pitch for the most part).

We are such a huge country I dont know that we can have a national stadium, but it would be pretty cool if we did. Create some tradition and give us as supporters a home so we can start gobbling up all the tickets and kicking the non-US supporters out.

I wouldnt mind RSL's stadium as it has some elevation, is small enough that we can fill it, and is close enough that I could go.

 

Theres nothing like Wembley the whole day is what it's all about, went in 1975 would love to go again in 2010, not the same having the semi's there tho dont like that idea takes something away from the F.A cup but Wembley is what it's all about.

 

"Refurbished" they knocked the whole place down and rebuilt a whole new staduim Don is that what you call refurbished????

 

OK, but again, this is sort of what I'm getting at. I don't see how merely playing at Wembley (e.g., "watch[ing] your captain leading out the troops") is an "ultimate triumph" or really any kind of triumph at all. Winning at Wembley (in a final, not a semifinal) is the "ultimate triumph". I just find it interesting that I see it framed the way Don just said it, or in a similar manner, rather than seeing it framed in terms of actually winning the Cup.

 

jmh. In its own way, playing "at Wembley" is like playing "at the World Cup." Just as, for some nations, just getting to play at the World Cup is a huge accomplishment, so it is for many teams to be able to play at Wembley. It's not a perfect analogy, but it's pretty close.

 

Maybe it's an American thing, but I like the semis at Wembeley. We're more conditioned to that sort of thing with the Final Four, etc.

Plus the gates from two semis in the same day at a stadium with that much more capacity has got to be a boon.

To jmh's point, if you're a lower division club, you're perspective on that may vary. Even for a Fulham who never make the FA finals, could be a moral victory of sorts.

 

Meh, there's really nothing special about just making it to the semis and playing at wembley. Yeah its the national stadium and all, but I wouldn't care if we won the cup at Old Trafford as long as we won the thing.

 

FFC24. I was just giving the English perspective; the American half of me, conditioned by neutral site Superbowls, Bowl Games, and NCAA tournaments doesn't care either, but the English half of me understands the prestige, at some level.

 

I think to fully understand the FA cup and Getting to Wembley, you would have to be born and brought up the British way, in 1975 when Fulham made it to Wembley, Fulham came alive, houses adorned Black and White, people were excited you would have to see it and to live it to fully understand it, biggest disapointment of course was losing and conceding the goals we did, but it's a day I will always remember.

 

Your right jmh it is all about winning it, but you have to get there first before you can.

 

1975...that says it all.

For the fans who were born and bred fans (Martin, LBno11, Gary Barnett Fan Club, etc) a trip to Wembley from where the club was would be a moment to be savored.

The only thing I can relate to is being a Seahawks from their first year of existence (1976) and it took 30 years of mediocrity to get to the Super Bowl, and they lost. Frankly, one part of the fan in me is still pissed off the Hawks didn't get it done...I might not be alive in another 30 years!! The other part of me chooses to think of how great a ride it was just getting there.

Winning is the ultimate goal, but not to take in the experience of watching the team walk out that tunnel when it could be another 3+ decades seems a little shortsighted.

 

Bolton not helping...

Tottenham 1, Bolton 0 after 24"

C'mon Wanderers, act like you have a pulse

 

Sorry for poor Marv and Bills fans...it was 4 in row. :cry:

 

Thanks for the different perspectives, everyone. Regardless of how the match pans out, I'm sure it will be a thrill if we get to see the boys beat Spurs (they're up 3-0 with less than half an hour left now thanks to TWO Bolton own goals in addition to one by Pavlyuchenko, so I think that's safe to say) and meet whoever it might be at Wembley.