I was part of the 84,000 plus people at Wembley last night to watch the Patriots square off against the Buccaneers. Witht he Patriots coming off a 59-0 thrashing of the Titans, and the Bucs 0-6, this looked like a horrendous mismatch, and in many circumstances it was. It is hard to blame the NFL for this as when the match-up was probably finalised, the Patriots were a strong team with their talisman quarterback due to come back, and the Bucs were a decent team, with a decent coach and a not too distant superbowl win in their locker.
Photos are going to follow (inevitably) but some observations;
- I have been to all three games now and last night’s had the best atmosphere. I felt the first year was an “event” and those who like being at “events” may have supplanted those that would have loved to be there. The second year had two teams to which the UK has little affiliation as they were not high profile in the zenith for the NFL in the UK (the 1980s). However, they provided a cracking game. Last night we had the Rock Star New England Patriots, the most supported team in the UK according to most, and also probably the one most loathed. The sound of the Patriots being booed was excellent…. as a Dolphins fan I approve of this message.
- Because it was a blow-out at least we got home earlier. When Brady left the game, so did we, and although WembleyPark was crowded, we weren’t held up. Indeed, if we hadn’t missed the Victoria train by four minutes, I’d have been home earlier this year than the time we got into Wembley Park last year.
- The Wembley sound system was appalling. I could not hear what the announcer was saying.
- £4 for a pint of watered-down Carlsberg is piss-taking in more ways than one. £10 for a programme too….
- They really should stick at one game at Wembley if they know what they are doing. It would be sad if they tried another and it wasn’t well attended. So far the NFL have dipped their toe in the water and like the temperature, but they are confusing the enormity of one event a year with two or more games all attracting the same interest. You want to guarantee a sell-out next season, you’ll have to send the big boys over. If Dallas, Chicago, Washington, Oakland, Pittsburgh or San Francisco aren’t on the list, you will need to sell hard. (I leave Miami, Giants and Jets out of this as they have been over before and I doubt will be back soon).
- Despite everything, it was a great night out, as always, and I’ll certainly be looking to get tickets for next year’s game.
As an aside, I saw this thread on the NFLUK Forum. A fan is upset because people left early. Oh diddums. When are people going to get over themselves. Just because you wanted to stay until the bitter end, to see the last rites of a game which had been determined, had no tension and was all over, including replacing Tom Brady, then why should we. The teams were going through the motions. As they were (and are perfectly entitled to do so) those of us who would rather beat the queues of those who would like to stay, on the way up to Wembley Park, left early and got home earlier rather than shuffle up Wembley Way for an hour in a human crush. I wouldn’t have a go at those that stay, as that is their choice, but don’t have a pop at the likes of me who would rather miss out on practice sessions and beat the crowds. It doesn’t mean I’m less of a fan than you.
And then, when I thought this forum had had its fill of knobheads, I read this…
“Wembley – National Stadium – National Disappointment”
“I know it has been debated elsewhere, but with all the talk of the prospect of two NFL games in 2010 surely the time has come to think about using a different stadium?
I paid £140 plus booking fees for a seat in club Wembley and while the view was reasonable it did not justify the price. But more importantly Wembley failed for me because of its shoddy attitude towards its paying customers.
When I arrived at my seat some thoughtless individual had doused it in beer. I approached the steward and asked for it to be cleaned and he had to go an speak to someone else as he could do nothing. The individual he spoke to was also unable to do anything as they were not permitted to leave their station. The upshot being I had to wait in the hope of a cleaner passing the section. After 15 minutes one cleaner appeared, but was reluctant to do anything so they went off to find another cleaner. By the time a cleaner willing to do the job they were paid for arrived 20 minutes had passed. The cleaner then proceeded to mop the floor where the beer had been spilt but ignored my comments about the need to clean the seat. They then disappeared and I had to return to the steward and tell him that the problem was not resolved and asked to speak to a supervisor. After wandering around the stadium a supervisor was found and finally the seat was cleaned. However, as a result of Wembley’s shoddy treatment I missed the players warming-up.
I have visited many stadiums in the UK and I can confirm that they are all miles better than Wembley. I now know that the Wembley experience is about making money and not giving two hoots for the paying customer.”
Now I’ve been to all but Twickenham in Wembley’s rivals as the best stadium in England. I’ve heard the cries that the Emirates is better, but they are just being contrary, and more importantly for the NFL, it holds 25000 less people. Old Trafford may hold 75000, but Ferguson freaks that it is used for Rugby League, so what the NFL would do to it would be good only if you could catch the look on the Snide’s face. And I was there in 2004 and while it is a great stadium, I am sorry, it doesn’t lace Wembley’s boots. Wembley does have that “wow” factor in my eyes. It is enormous, it has great sight lines, and the “cheap” seats are certainly all I would want. Some have a jaundiced view of American venues. All five NFL stadia I’ve seen from the outside – Miami, Tampa, Baltimore, Giants/Jets and Philadelphia – would have this bloke pissing his knickers if there were a drop of rain – there is no cover. None.
I could not have put it better than the final poster on this thread…
When I arrived at my seat some thoughtless individual had doused it in beer.
Heard of paper napkins?
It’s football not the opera!
Except it is NFL, or American Football in this country. We have the proper game which entails using your feet as the predominant way of moving the ball.
