Yesterday, I travelled to the Emirates stadium to what the home game against Watford. It was a trip I have been looking forward to and have planned two months in advance. As soon as I got my match tickets, I had to make sure the trip was as comfortable and convenient for me and my Personal Assistant. As I have never been to the Emirates game played in the night and on a week day, it was more of a challenge to get it all planned, having had some difficulties in the previous day time home games I went to.
I bought our train tickets on time and luckily got the first class reservation. I then reserved our hotel room which luckily had disabled facilities. It seemed everything was going too well. I arranged taxi pick up from Nottingham which was the easiest part but couldn’t do same for London trip. For some reason, arranging London disabled taxis was too expensive for me so I decided to gamble… go with whatever I see on the day. London experiences are a matter for next time.
As usual, as the day drew closer, I got more and more excited. I was going to do something I am passionate about… watching Arsenal play at home. The best part was it would be in the night. I was buzzing.
From previous experiences of stress accompanying long distance travel at odd hours, I decided to have enough rest before and after the game. I took time off work for the travel and return day. I didn’t want to be very tired before embarking on the journey. So I was well rested and ready for the game
The previous home games I attended were all victories for Arsenal so I figured I must have some good luck charm with me. My excitement heightened. I took my time to get dressed and look fabulous, wearing my make-up. I smiled knowing that we had the game in the bag… or so I thought.
With bags packed for the overnight stay, my PA and I left Nottingham for London. Our luggage’s were quite big, more like a weekend trip rather than one night stay. I wasn’t bothered because I made sure I had all grounds covered. For this one night trip, my PA’s helped me pack it more than three times. I kept changing my mind on what to take with me. I guess the fact I haven’t been to a holiday for a long time got me confused (laughs).
Anyway, as we left Nottingham, we posted departure selfies on Facebook. Despite the weather looking gloomy, it didn’t take away the excitement I was feeling. We got into London in good time and headed straight to taxi bay. By this time, it was starting to shower a little and we had no umbrella or raincoat. But I wasn’t bothered because I was heading to Emirates. I was in high spirits.
A Spurs taxi driver picked us up (lol, Spurs fan picking up Arsenal fan). Well, he had a job to do and we put our differences aside to get to our destination (lol). We had good conversation about Mesut Ozil, Sanchez etc. We finally got to Emirates and alighted from the taxi. We made our way through security checks where our luggage’s were checked and tagged. Our tickets were checked and we proceeded to the match area to find our seats. Unfortunately, the lift we were supposed to use was broken so we were guided by the official through a different entrance. While waiting for the lift, we met two blind people who were together but unaccompanied by assistant. We talked a bit before our lift arrived and we all went in. My PA guided them inside the lift and stayed with them till we got to the floor we were headed to. Luckily they were on the same floor with us but different section. The security with the couple handed their tickets to my PA to look after. I wasn’t sure why, but I guess he saw she was very capable and trusted her.
The couple asked if we could guide them through the crowded entrance to their seating area and my PA was more than willing to do so. So while she took them along, I navigated my way through the crowd (I am actually a good driver by not knocking anyone over, lol). My PA kept looking out for me but I told not to worry, that I was fine driving my wheelchair through the crowd. We finally found the couple’s seating area and handed them over to the guard there. Meanwhile, the couple had requested my PA to come back for them at half time for toilet break and she obliged them. I was very impressed with her kind heartedness.
We finally found our own seats just before kick-off. Hmmm! Arsenal vs. Watford was below my expectation. First half was painful to watch. Having watched the beautiful display against Southampton few days before, I was overwhelmed by the poor performance. My heartbeat was racing, adrenaline pumping, I was screaming (but not swearing) like I have never done at the Emirates. Arsenal conceded two goals in less than fifteen minutes. Unbelievable! Crazy! I had to pinch myself to come back to reality. Even though it was freezing at the stadium, my body was not feeling the cold as I was so engrossed by what was happening. I remembered my PA’s asking me on several occasions to use my blanket to cover but I wasn’t interested. I was so crushed and hurt by the two goals in quick succession. I felt worse when Ramsey was substituted for injury in seventeenth minute. It couldn’t get any worse. I prayed for the end of first half so Arsenal can get a break. They needed to come out with a bang in the second half.
Despite the bizarre performance so far, I was still hopeful when the second half began. It was intense and we got one goal back. But that was all. I was almost in tears to see the lacklustre display, inability to score a goal, make accurate passes. Few of the players like Sanchez, Theo, Oxlade worked hard but we just didn’t turn up for the game. The outstanding performance against Southampton seemed like a mirage. I just could not understand how badly we were playing. It was a big shame it ended Arsenal 1 – 2 Watford. I wished the result was different. It would have made my trip more memorable.
This became my first defeat at a home game and I was gutted. I remembered a friend who asked me how I would feel if we lost. My answer was that I have watched Arsenal lose so many times on television and only get a bit upset, but don’t miss a meal or lose sleep about it. I told him it was just a game and that’s how I see it. I thought since I would be at the live game relishing the live experience, I would still enjoy it regardless of the outcome.
But, that was not the case. It was the direct opposite. The emotions I felt within me was unexpected. Don’t get me wrong, I am also emotional when I watch football on television but not to this extent. It broke my heart. I was so upset, sad and almost in tears. I kept telling myself to cheer up and enjoy the rest of my stay, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t feel the freezing cold while trying to get a taxi. The showers from the rain did not bother me. I lost appetite for food. I just wanted to get back to my hotel room and sleep. And I just wondered how the players felt having lost that game. They must be very bitter, embarrassed, disappointed etc. for any passionate player (some of them are very passionate). But guess what, regardless on how they felt, these players have no time to get over it as they have more games coming up. I am sure that while I am typing away, safely back to Nottingham, they would be on the training ground. They another game coming up and must be prepared physically, mentally and emotionally to face their next opponent. Tough.
What I love about football is the fact that it is not just a game as people often tell me. It is more of a lesson in life. Over the years, I have learnt many life lessons by watching football – trust, faith, belief, confidence, strength, you name it. This experience put things in perspective once more. Life is like a game (as people say) we have to play. We make all the preparations and things look like we will win this one more battle. But we get hit by defeat. The disappointment, sadness, bitterness, anger and all the horrible feelings do not change the fact that we lost that one game. Instead of moaning or dwelling so much on the defeat which we can no longer do anything about, we should rather focus on our next challenge, opponent or mountain. Everyone faces one challenge or the other from time to time. We win some, we lose some. Losing does not necessarily mean you have failed. Failure is when you fall down and remain on the ground. To all Arsenal fans and players, let’s keep going on to win the next opponent. For anyone going through defeat, you have more challenges coming and no time to waste. So, let us go back to the training ground and make that necessary preparation for the next battle.