‘Local derby’ Cup Final fever grips London

Press, 10 May 1980, Page 60

‘Local derby’ Cup Final fever grips London

By

DERRICK MANSBRIDGE.

who a? a

Londoner has a boot in both camps.

It’s going to be a “Knees Up,” a “Lambeth Walk,” a “knock ’em in the Old Kent Road,” in dear old London Town today. To the niecca of world soccer at Wembley Stadium will come streaming in their excited tens of thousands the bedecked and beribboned Arsenal and West Ham United supporters to the all-Lon-don final of the ninetyeighth English Football Association Challenge Cup. There will be none of that “Going oop (when they, mean down) to t’Cup” of other seasons, w'hen those wild men from “north of ’arrow” swoop down on London once a year. For one of those very rare occasions — only the third this century — home for most of today’s 100,000 spectators will be next door to Wembley, from North 5 where Arsenal plays and East 13 where West Ham performs. Of course, some “foreigners” will.get to Wembley,. but they will be in a minority. And like the

Sassenach who voiced his displeasure at Hampden Park, Glasgow, during a match between Rangers and Celtic, and admitted under pressure that he was a supporter of neither, they will be expected “to mind their own business.” The scenes along the Wembley way will be frenetic, as they are at all F.A. Cup finals- Ticket touts will be doing a roaring trade again, picking up 500 per cent to 600 per cent profit on “bargains” of SSO and more; every kind of vendor will line the streets, from those selling rosettes and dolls in the Arsenal and West Ham colours ...to those promising the “End of the World” — after the final, of course. And which it will be for the losersPickpockets will be as thick as thieves as they ply their ancient trade along the same streets that Charles Dickens sent out Bill Sykes and the Artful Dodger on similar purposes. Publicans will take in enough from one long boozy day to pay for their summer holidays on the

Costa Brava, and cafes will pour out enough lukewarm watery’ “char” to float a battleship and stuff down throats enough “wad” to sink it. Inside the ground it will be organised bedlam as the supporters of each club whip themselves into a frenzy of anticipation tinged with that penetrating fear that one side will be a loser if the other has to be a winner. The players will change in. a flurry of banter and good humour, and then await their gladitorial entrances in personal loneliness. The band w’ill strike up the Cup Final’s traditional “Abide With Me,” the players will move out of the tunnel into the daylight, and Wembley will burst into ear-deafening sound . .. Some 100 minutes later (longer if extra time is needed) it will be all over —-the winners to soak up the glory and the frenzied cheering of their supporters in a lap of honour, the losers to disappear in sorrow, to lick their wounds, to endure their misery in the isolation that envelops those who

finish second at Wembley. The supporters will disperse in similar fashion; those of the winners hoarse and starry-eyed and chest bulging; those of the losers wanting to get as far away as possible from their erstwhile heroes.

Thousands will pour into the heart of the city, to drink in triumph or to drown 'their sorrows, to take showers in the fountains of Leicester Square, to hang their colours on the lamp-posts of Picadilly Circus, to sing away the night, and to stagger away early hours of Sunday to their homes in the morning. Will the winner be Arsenal or will it be West Ham? Will the Gunners carry the Cup through the streets of the northern suburbs on Sunday afternoon or will the Hammers parade it down by the docks of the East End? on the grounds of ex-

perience, it should be Arsenal. The Highbury club has reached the final for a record third successive year. Arsenal lost to Ipswich in 1978 a..d beat Manchester United in 1979. In Jennings, Young, O’Leary, Brady, and Talbot it has players who have

done it all before and will not be unduly overawed by the occasion. The club’s history goes back to 1886, to a world-renowned period in the 19305, to continuing, if not such overwhelming successes, since the Second World War, and to a League and Cup double in 1971. Arsenal has won five and lost five finals. By appearing in its eleventh, the club equals the record held by Newcastle United. West Ham is a seconddivision club which can pont to David-style upsets in recent years performed by other se” id division clubs, Sunderland and Southampton.

It is West Ham's third final, for two wins and one loss. It was successful in the last all-London affair, by 2-0 against Fulham five years ago. West Ham was formed in 1900. and although it may not have such a depth of experience and talent as Arsenal, yet it has players such as Brooking. Devonshire, Pearson. Bonds, and Stewart to press home their challenge on this, the greatest occasion on the English sporting calendar. Some believe that the protracted series played by Arsenal and Liverpool in their seven-hour-long semi-final before Arsenal scored a 1-0 victory at the fourth attempt might have blunted the Gunners’ zest for football and stamina, even their pleasure at being in the final at all. Others believe that the marathon duel, instead, will have kept Arsenal in tip-top shape while West Ham will have become dull and apprehensive In the long wait to the final. It could be one of the classic finals (even though they usually are in previews and rarely are in

fact). Arsenal has a magnificently organised defence which absorbs pressure to such an extent that it infuriates opponents to the point of making rash assaults and leaving themselves open at the back to the counter-at-tacks from which the Gunners score most of their goals. West Ham is far more convincing on attack than in defence, with Brooking its outstanding performer and tactician. If the Hammers accept that they trill have to take the game to Arsenal to win, the contrast in styles will be a profound attraction of the game. To a Londoner not actually a supporter of Arsenal or West Ham, he cannot lose. The Cup is going to stay in the capital; it is not going “up north” — a case of “heads we win, tails you lose.” No wonder Londoners have been chuckling (in a Cockney accent, of course) since Arsenal put out Liverpool and West Ham ousted Everton in the semi-finals The following -are the players and shirt numbers

listed in the official programme for the final: ARSENAL: I Pat Jennings, 2 Pat Rice (captain). 3 .'o.m Devine, 4 Brian Taicot, 5 David O’Leary, 6 Willie Young. 7 Liam Brady, 8 Alan Sunderland, 9 Frank Stapleton. 10 David Price. II Graham Rix. 12 Sammy Nelson (substitute). WEST HAM: 1 Phil . Parkes, 2 Ray Stewart, 3 Frank Lampard, 4 Billy ! Bonds (captain). 5 Alvin ; Martin, 6 Alan Devon- j shire, 7 Paul Allen, 8 I Stuart Pearson. 9 David I Cross. 10 Trevor Brooking. '■ 11 Geoff Pike. 12 Paul , Brush (substitute). The television programme for the F.A. Cup J final tomorrow morning , is.— ( 1 a.m.: Bill McCarthy ; will present highlights ■ from “The Road to Went- ; bley,” showing the trek of the finalists. 1.40 a.m.: Satellite coverage from Wembley, the atmosphere, presentation of players. 2 a.m.: Kick-off. John Motson, of the 8.8. - is the commentator. Full-time: Highlights may be presented.