Well, I really can’t claim to be much of a football fan, but I guess the Champion’s League Final has become a must-see event with English teams appearing so often in the last few years. Last year saw an unprecedented four English teams reach the closing stages, with the losers only being knocked out by a fellow English team. This year, it was looking like the same thing might happen again, and that Manchester United could lift the cup for a second time, but let’s face it - as an Englishman who doesn’t really care too much for any team (supporting Coventry City is just a one way ticket to despair), I’d still have to admin that this scenario would just be too good to be true. And of course, most things that look so good end up disappointing, just like so much of the game last night.
So, as I was saying yesterday, I knew the ‘team that sings to the tune of Gaudi’ would win, it was just a question of which team that would be, because depending on your knowledge of Architecture (Gaudi is the Architect of Sagrada Familia, Barcelona’s famous un-built cathedral) or Mancunian music (as opposed to stadium chants - Gaudi is an obscure album track by the band James), that phrase might mean anything or nothing, just like any other attempt at predicting the future. Which is why I like talking about bookies’ odds so much more, since they can calculate the chances of something happening mathematically. Speaking of which, I had a small bet on Barcelona winning the game outright, so I could have a few drinks to drown any sorrows about Manchester losing tonight. Not that I’m really that bothered - so I think the money is going in the juke box.
And what better than Manchester music to celebrate the joys of glorious failure (made even better because many of the artists mentioned below are City fans)?
- Don’t Look Back In Anger - Oasis.
- Super(t)onic - Oasis.
- Come Home - James.
- Ball (Born) of Frustration
- (Not) Getting Away With It All Mess(i)d Up - James.
- How Was(n’t) It For You - James.
- Pleased To Beat (Meet) You - James.
- Dragging Me Down - Inspiral Carpets.
- This Is How It Feels - Inspiral Carpets.
- I Wanna Be Adored (But Everyone Hates Us) - Stone Roses.
- (Cup Aspirations) Ruined In A Day - New Order.
- Cuplifters of The World (United Didn’t Take Over) - The Smiths.
- We Hate It When Our Enemies Become Successful - Morrissey.
Anyway, I could go on, but I breakfast is calling…. But if you want a corny airport reference for Man-U fans, then it has to be ‘Veni, Vidi, left empty handed from Da Vinci’.
Enough!
