Welcome to the latest instalment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.
For this edition of the blog, we went to Wembley Stadium, the home of English football and one of the world's largest football stadiums. The Three Lions are coming off a second-place finish at Euro 2020 and are currently ranked as one of the best teams in the world. With a plethora of young talent and seasoned professionals, it is safe to say that England has a lot to offer the world of football. Wembley Stadium, located in the heart of London, is one of the world's most aesthetically pleasing football stadiums.
Wembley Stadium in London is a five-minute walk from Wembley Park Station. London, as the capital of England, has a plethora of landmarks, shops, and attractions for visitors to explore, including the London Eye, The Tower of London, and many more. We went to Camden Town and looked at some market stalls, went into a strange glow-in-the-dark shop, and ate some street food. I had naan bread with Paneer Tikka Masala and a mango lassi. We also went to the Emirates Stadium, which was shockingly run down and in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint. After indulging in the many delights that London has to offer and stuffing our faces with far too much food, we headed to the stadium.
It’s All In The Name
The Three Lions is the nickname given to England. When William The Conqueror became King of England, he used two lions as his coat of arms. Henry I added a third lion to his coat of arms after marrying Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Exotic animals had been imported into Britain since Roman times. Claudius is credited with bringing an elephant as part of his invasion force, though this is the subject of much debate. The wild beasts for the animal fights that were popular in Rome were also imported into Britain, to “entertain” bored troops on a night out at the local amphitheatre after a tour of duty.
The credit for the first true menageries, however, goes to the Norman and Plantagenet kings. At Woodstock, Henry I established a park within a secure wall to keep the foreign animals he acquired from continental and Scandinavian rulers. These are said to have included lions, leopards, lynxes, a camel and, most famously, a porcupine. Part menagerie, part hunting domain, part love-nest, Woodstock was the country retreat of choice for Henries I and II.
King John both relocated the existing menagerie to the Tower and expanded it by importing three cratefuls of new exotic animals. The official date of the start of the Tower Menagerie is usually taken as 1235 however, with the gift of three lions (described as leopards) from Emperor Frederick II to Henry III. The beasts were symbolic of the three lions on the crest of the king of England.
The three lions can now be seen on the English national team's crest, hence the nickname.
Some Notable People From Wembley:
Charlie Watts- Drummer for the Rolling Stones
Riz Ahmed- Actor
Keith Moon- Drummer for The Who
John Barnard- Inventor of the First Semi Automatic Gear Box
Harvey Shield- Musician
A History Lesson With AFC Finners England, along with Scotland, has the world's oldest national football team. Although the two teams played the first international match in 1870, the first match recognised by FIFA was a 0-0 draw two years later. Over the next 40 years, England mostly played against other home nations, with the occasional tour to Europe. England did not compete in the first three World Cups due to a dispute with FIFA, but would return for the 1950 edition in Brazil. Despite being one of the favourites, they were eliminated from the tournament at the group stage after a 1-0 loss to the United States. Three years later, they were humiliated in their own backyard by a legendary Hungarian team, which defeated them 6-3 to demonstrate how far behind the three lions were tactically. England lost 7-1 in the second leg, their biggest defeat to date. England advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals in 1954, but were defeated by Uruguay. The Munich Air Disaster dashed England's hopes for the 1958 World Cup, and they were eliminated by the Soviet Union. England began to catch up with other nations' tactics in the 1960s, and after reaching the quarter-finals of the 1962 World Cup, they hosted and won the tournament in 1966, under the management of Alf Ramsey, after a Geoff Hurst hat-trick in the final saw England defeat West Germany 4-2. In 1968, they reached the semi-finals of the European Championship, and in 1970, they reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup. They did not qualify for the 1974 tournament, which resulted in Ramsey's departure, and they did not play in a major tournament again until 1982. They reached the World Cup and European Championship semi-finals in the 1990s, and despite what many referred to as a "golden generation" of talent in the 2000s, they failed to advance beyond the quarter-finals of any tournament, and even failed to qualify for Euro 2008. Gareth Southgate was appointed manager after England were eliminated from Euro 2016 by Iceland. In his first tournament, he led England to the World Cup semi-finals, their best tournament result in 22 years, and then to their first European Championship final since 1966. England would lose the final on penalties to Italy, but with a slew of young talent emerging across the country, the future looks bright for the three lions as they look to make up for years of disappointment. They have won one World Cup and fifty-four domestic championships in total. Also, despite the fact that England played with eight forwards and Scotland with six, England's first recognised match against Scotland ended in a 0-0 draw. Honours
🏆FIFA World Cup (Champions: 1966) 🏆UEFA European Championship (Runners-Up: 2020) (Third Place: 1968, 1996) 🏆UEFA Nations League (Third Place: 2018-2019) 🏆British Home Championship (Winners: x 54) 🏆Rous Cup (Winners: 1986, 1988, 1989) 🏆FIFA Fairplay Trophy (Winners: 1990, 1998) 🏆England Challenge Cup (Winners: 1991) 🏆Tournament Of France (Winners: 1997) 🏆FA Summer Tournament (Winners: 2004)
Matchday: England 3-0 Ivory Coast
The ground is located in the heart of London and is easily accessible. Wembley Park tube station is about a five-minute walk from the ground, but there is also parking directly adjacent to the ground. If you want to spend the night, there are many hotels close to the stadium. We, on the other hand, parked for £7 (for the day) at Hillingdon Station and then took the tube into Wembley.
When we arrived at Wembley Stadium, we walked up the famous Wembley Way, where there were many people selling merchandise and programmes. The atmosphere was building from the moment we arrived, and it was incredible to see so many fans from both sides taking photographs, videos, and other forms of media. There was a moment of reflection for myself, who had been standing in the same spot two years earlier during the Covid-19 pandemic and there was not a soul to be seen; it's amazing how far we've come. AFC Finners and I decided to talk to some Ivory Coast fans outside the stadium about the game, the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), which they will host next year, and their journey to Wembley Stadium. We spoke with a fan named Olivier, who had arrived in London from the Ivory Coast that morning, and he spoke openly about how important the AFCON was to his country, as well as his high expectations for the game ahead. I then had my picture taken with another Ivory Coast supporter. They were truly lovely.
We then performed our standard ground circuit. Outside the stadium, there are statues of the Challenge Cup final (ew rugby) and Bobby Moore, the football God. There are plenty of stools selling merchandise like half-and-half scarves, pin badges, and replica kits. There are also plenty of food stalls, but I nearly passed out when I saw the prices: £7 for cheesy chips! I understand it's a national football stadium, but unless the cheese comes from the Pope's pet goat, it'll never be worth £7! The stadium also has a large store that sells merchandise such as retro t-shirts, puzzles, posters, and footballs. We entered the stadium after looking around the store and Finners purchasing a replica 1966 World Cup shirt.
At times, the atmosphere was toxic, with a lot of booing and people getting on the players' backs. With high-profile supporters like Thogdad, Paul Merson, and Ray Parlour in attendance, you'd think the atmosphere would be more upbeat, but nope.
Teamsheets
England
Manager: Gareth Southgate
Nick Pope (Burnley) Ben White (Arsenal) Harry Maguire (Manchester United) Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa) ⚽ Tyreek Mitchell (Crystal Palace) Declan Rice (West Ham United) Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund) James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) ⚽ Jack Grealish (Manchester City) Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) ⚽
Substitutes
Fraser Forster (Southampton) Jordan Pickford (Everton) Luke Shaw (Manchester United) Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace) Conor Coady (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Kyle Walker-Peters (Southampton) Connor Gallagher (Crystal Palace) Mason Mount (Chelsea) Phil Foden (Manchester City) Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) Emile Smith-Rowe (Arsenal) Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
Ivory Coast
Manager: Patrice Beaumelle
Badra Ali Sangare (JDR Stars) Simon Deli (Adama Demirspor) Eric Bailly (Manchester United) Hassane Kamara (Watford) Serge Aurier (Villarreal) Max Gradel (Sivasspor) Jean Michael Seri (Fulham) Franck Kessie (AC Milan) Sebastian Haller (Ajax) Maxwell Cornet (Burnley) Nicholas Pepe (Arsenal)
Substitutes
Karim Konate (ASEC Mimosas) Mohamed Kone (FC Tucson) Jean Everard Kouassi (Trabzonspor) Ibrahim Sangare (PSV Eindhoven) Abdoul Karim Cisse (SC Gagnoa) Ismael Diallo (AC Ajaccio) Emmanuel Agbadou (Eupen) Foussemi Koulibaly (Esperence) Paul Akouokou (Real Betis) Yohan Boli (Al-Rayyan) Ghislain Konan (Stade De Reims) Willy Boly (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
When you arrive at the ground, you will be greeted by a plethora of food stalls serving a variety of cuisines from around the world, including Mexican, American, and Indian. I decided to get a double cheeseburger for £8.50, which was absolutely delicious. We returned to our seats after finishing our meals. There has been a lot of media coverage about Harry Maguire being booed by fans. I have to say that, from my vantage point inside the stadium, every player, not just Maguire, was booed from various sections of the stadium. That is not to say that it is acceptable, but I can only assume that those booing were club rivals, such as Birmingham fans booing Conor Coady. The game itself began in England's favour. Declan Rice was dominating the midfield, and Raheem Sterling was easily getting behind the defence. The game's first chance fell to Jude Bellingham, who was played through by Jack Grealish, but his shot was deflected onto the post by Ivorian goalkeeper Sangare. Not long after, Jack Grealish had a chance, cutting in from the right and shooting low, only for the goalkeeper to save it again. Raheem Sterling beat his man on the left and fired in a low cross for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins to tap in, breaking the deadlock. Finners turned to me not long after and said, 'Serge Aurier will be sent off in a minute,' and lo and behold, he was right. I can only assume Aurier said something to the referee that he didn't agree with, because he was shown a red card, perplexing the Wembley crowd (I'm sure it was clearer why he was sent off on TV). It didn't take long for England to capitalise on their man advantage, with Raheem Sterling having a powerful shot saved by the goalkeeper (again), and Jack Grealish crossing the rebounded ball back into the six yard box for Sterling to tap in for a 2-0 lead. As it was, the score at halftime was 2-0.
The second half was dominated by England. As Ivory Coast went into siege mode, they passed the ball around with relative ease. England were awarded a penalty for a trip on Jude Bellingham less than a minute after the game resumed. We were then told that VAR was looking into it, and when you're in the ground, you have no idea what's going on except that VAR is looking into something. I then received a FaceTime from my father, who was watching at home and said, 'no penalty, he got the ball,' which was, in retrospect, the correct decision. However, we had no idea what was going on at the time. So there must be something that can be done there. The penalty was later reversed. James Ward-Prowse then attempted a 35-yard shot, which went just over the top. England then implemented a slew of changes that disrupted the game's flow and rendered it tedious. Here come the Paper-planes. For some reason, England fans decided to construct paper aeroplanes and lay siege to the Wembley Stadium. Only five of the thousands that were made made it to the pitch, proving that England will never win the Origami World Cup. Finners had a go, but he hit the steward on the back of the head—pure hooliganism in my opinion. England didn't do much in the final half-hour, merely passing the ball around the team and maintaining possession. With the final touch of the ball, they made it 3-0. Tyrone Mings met a corner from the left and headed past the Ivorian goalkeeper. The game ended 3-0, but the drama was far from over. Approximately 70,000 people exited the stadium, all aiming for the Wembley Park tube station, causing unprecedented congestion. It took us over 90 minutes—a full football game—to get into the tube station. There has to be a better way to get fans out of the stadium than blasting a message over the tannoy that says, "We understand your frustrations, we will get you to your tube by next Thursday." Overall, England appear to be a good team; they are defensively sound and pass the ball well. With the Qatar World Cup approaching, it's safe to say that England will be one of, if not the, favourites. They will not have a better chance to win it than this year, in my opinion, so they must seize the opportunity while it is still available. Ivory Coast did well as well, and I'm sure they'll do an excellent job hosting the AFCON next year, with a fantastic atmosphere guaranteed. Scores On The Doors
Atmosphere: 7.5/10 Food and Drink: 6/10 Stadium: 9.5/10 Welcome: 5/10 Overall Experience: 8.5/10
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