Another fans view from VNL Day

http://www.glory-glory.co.uk/blogs/plps_blog/archive/2008/01/24/a-night-to-remember.aspx

A Night To Remember



You know its been one hell of a night when you wake up the following morning with a huge smile on your face, a smile that doesnt go away for the rest of the day and gets even bigger when you see certain people, certain people who have been able to give you dogs abuse for the previous 8 years.

Tuesday the 22nd of January will be forever etched in Spurs fans mind and some arsenal fans aswell but for totally different reasons. It will be remember By Spurs fans as one of our greatest victories in years, bigger then beating chelsea for the first time in the league for decades, bigger then better chelsea 5-1 in the same cup a few years ago.

The biggest result in my eyes because it means we get to go to Wembley and challenge for the first Carling cup to be held at the new Wembley stadium. This game will have extra special significance for me as it will be my last Spurs game for a year at least as i am off traveling, and what a way to go out.

I wasnt really nervous before the game, I was managing to take everything in my stride, but as soon as Howard Webb blow the whistle to start the game I was bricking it. I knew this would be our best chance in years to beat our traveling neighbours, but still there was an element of doubt that we would some how fuck it up just like I had seen us do so many times before. I was at the Man utd game when we lead 3 nil at half time only for us to conceaded 5 goals in the second half with no reply, i was also at the Man city game when we again threw away a 3 goal lead at half time even though they only had 10 men for all of the second half.

so you could understand my feelings towards this game against our bitter rivals.

Now I'm quite a superstious person, i have used the same turnstyle for 6 years now, i used to have a pre-match ritual of having a fag 2 minutes before the game started and I would never sing any songs before the start of the game. I would also never sing a song about going to Wembley before we had actually booked our ticket.

When JJ opened the scoring after just 2 minutes I thought to myself this is going to be the longest night of my life, and I was right. It got a bit easier when Bentner lost his bearing and forgot what way he was supposed to be shooting and decided to plant an unstoppable header into the top corner of his own net, but then last years semi final came flashing back, two nil up in the first half one of them an own goal and remember how we threw away our two goal lead. the simularities were just to much for me.

the half time whistle could have come soon enough for me, but it was then i realsied that i needed to take a piss, but just like any poker player on a winning streak, i thought i'd rather piss my pants then head down to the pisser and relieve myself and change the luck that we were having tonight.

The second half began and i managed to get my mind off my full bladder, by just wondering how we were going to screw it up this time. During the away leg my friend Tim text me saying" The C**ting is immenant, and then 30 seconds later Walnut scored, so i threatened to punch him if he even mentioned the words c**ting and immenant. then much to my relief the goal that pretty much sealed our passage down the north circular Keane raced on to a glorious ball from Lennon and smashed home on the half volley. i went mad, ending up in the row infront of me with my mate Tom on top of me my leg bending a way that doesnt seem possible but do you think I cared, not in the slightest.

Still there was the element of doubt in my mind, one goal from Arsenal and the tie could turn quicker then I could say "shit". when we broke from an arsenal corner and Keane played in Lennon, everything seemed to slow down, like I was in the matrix it seemed to take an eternity for that ball to hit the back of the net. but when it did, my god did we celebrate, this is where i recived my second injury of the night, when Chris decided that he would jump up in the air just as i was moving forward, i took a elbow right to the cheek, again it hurt like hell but when you have so much adrenalin pumping through your body, pain just seems to vanish.

Wegner then decided to send in the big guns, I think most people in the stadium thought to little to late, but there were still doubt running through my head. then the inevitable happened, the sum scored.

Could we really fuck up again with just 20 minutes to, surley even we couldnt manage that. still I refused to join in with the wembley songs.

the last twenty minutes seemed to go alot quicker the the rest of the game, thankfully. and at 89 minutes I finally gave in to temptation and joined in with the rousing rendition of que sera sera. My god what a feeling that was, standing on my seat arms around the people next to me swaying back and fourth singing with so much pride hoping that some of that pride would rub off on my heros who were just yards away from me.

Then the icing on the cake, With arsenal pretty much throwing the kitchen sink at us we hit them on the break Jenas Skipped inside Gilberto and put it on a plate for Steed to tap home and make it the perfect evening.

Finally I could relax, off came the shirt swinging it around my head, knowing that i was going to wembley. the game restarted for all of 2 seconds and Webb blew the whistle to end arsenals torment, on a night that that im sure all their player will want to forget in a hurry.

8 yars, 22 games of agony and pain were erradicated by one the greatest showings of football ever.

I couldnt belive that we had fianlly done it and in such style. never in my wildest dreams could i see us tanking the scum in such a manner, be it their "kids" or the 3/4 of the team that wouldnt look out of place playing week in week out in the premier league.

smiles everywhere as far as the eye could see, White Hart Lane was rocking, the Tottenham team basically giving the local constabulary the night of because there were no goons left come 90 minutes, some of them had probably made it home in time to see the fifth goal go in.

I got outside the ground and it was like i had been teleported to New Orleans, it was like a carnival in the street, a resident had their stereo on the window seal of his house blaring out "Spurs are on their way to Wembley" everyone was dancing, hugging each other high fiving, people who I had never met before, tonight we were one big happy family and nothing was ever going to ruin the party.

I made it back to my car, still grinning with delight, and I found an alley way to finally have a piss, i didnt care if i got nicked for public urination, nothing was going to bring me down off cloud nine.

I got in and watch the highlights on itv, then turned over to Sky Sports News and watched them again, then just for good measures and to make sure i wasnt dreaming, i watched the highlights on Sky Sports again this morning.

I dont care that we will be playing chelsea, bring em on, if we play with the same passion and spirit that we showed on Tuesday night then come quarter to five on the 24th of february, the engraver will be carving "Tottenham Hotspur 2007-2008" into the trophy and then the real party will begin.