Was the Cup Final such a big affair before the first Wembley event – the 1923 final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham , better remembered as The White Horse Final? That move to Wembley seems to have reflected or created a growing national obsession with the match. With all due respect to the Scottish version the English or more accurately English and Welsh cup final is the stuff of legend, beamed live to countless millions around the globe.
Stanley Matthews turning the game around for Blackpool in 1953 to win the cup finally at the age of 38; a rare Trevor Brooking header grabbing the cup for West Ham; Sunderland defeating Leeds in Don Revie ’s pomp; Southampton doing the same to Manchester United ; “Smith must score”; Ricky Villa’s stunning run and goal (in the replay) to defeat Manchester City in 1981. Images burned into the national retina.
With the rise of The Champions’ League the cup final may have lost a tiny bit of its gloss; we may not start watching the box – though happily it’s still something Rupert Murdoch doesn’t control - before midday anymore (what are the players’ wives wearing? what was the route to Wembley? what is the name of the vicar who is a fanatical supporter of one of the finalists and how big are his teeth?) but millions of us still regard it as one of the year’s greatest milestones.
The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff did a great job between Wembleys old and new, but it never felt right; it was never the proper home of the cup final. “We’re on our way to Cardiff” just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Abide with Me; a marching military band; some bloke dressed as John Bull ; a bored royal guest shaking the players’ hands; and masses of scarves. At the Wembley Cup Final. That is an institution.
More British Institutions
Afternoon Tea
Allotments
April Fools Day
Big Ben
Binge Drinking
Black Cabs
Bonfire Night
British Sense of Humour
Brown Windsor Soup
Burns Night
Cadburys
Castles
Changing the Guard
City of London
Coronation Street
Cowes Week
Cricket
Crufts
Dad’s Army
E-Type Jag
Eccentricity
English Country Garden
Fish and Chips
Fish Fingers
Fox Hunting
Full English Breakfast
Gin and Tonic
Glastonbury
Glorious Goodwood
Grand National
Grouse Shooting
Harrods
Highland Games
Hogmanay
James Bond
John Bull
King Arthur
Land Rover
Lloyds of London
London to Brighton Veteran Car Rally
Marks and Spencer
Monty Python
Morecambe and Wise
Old School Tie
Oxbridge
Panto
Picnics
Pimms
Point-to-Point
Punch and Judy
Queueing
Real Ale
Red Arrows
Red Telephone Boxes
Remembrance Poppies
Robin Hood
Rolls Royce
Royal Ascot
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Savile Row Suits
School Discos
School Sports Day
Seaside Piers
Speakers’ Corner
Stag Nights
Stiff Upper Lip
Strawberries and Cream
Street Markets
Summer Festivals
Sunday Roasts
The Archers
The BBC
The Beano
The Boat Race
The Brass Band
The British Bobby
The Bulldog
The Church of England
The Cup Final
The Curry House
The English Rose
The Garden Shed
The Honours System
The Kilt
The Last Night at the Proms
The London Bus
The Mini
The National Trust
The NHS
The Oak
The Pub
The Queen’s Speech
The Rolling Stones
The Royal Christmas Message
The Spitfire
The V Sign
The Village Fete
The Weather
Travelling Fairs
Trooping the Colour
Village Greens
Wedgwood
Wellington Boots
Wimbledon
Wine Gums
Yeomen of the Guard
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