The sheer joy of taking the lead twice, followed by the agony of Liverpool’s last-minute equaliser, then defeat at the hands of a penalty shoot-out. 2006’s FA Cup Final was a wonder to watch, and no doubt a great advertisement for English football, but the emptiness of finishing the game with nothing is no war badge. West Ham’s form this season has been a delight, and it’s great to see them collect some of the credit they deserve after their rise from 6th in the Championship to 9th in the Premiership.

I’ve often pondered football – people’s lives, money, emotions ride on the efforts and successes of eleven players. It is a funny old game, for it is ‘only a game’, something we can’t control, affect, input, and yet it controls us, affects us, whipping us up into frenzy’s and carrying us down into aching pits… bring on the World Cup!

Burst Bubbles