Were you part of the soccer AM generation? No, it was just after. I thought that might be the case. What was your like weekend morning TV? Live and kicking. Live and kicking. Now we're talking. Now we're alive and kicking you. Just. Cannot write scripts like this. Welcome ladies and gentlemen to The Final Countdown, the podcast looking back at great finals within the game of football. I'm Lewis here my Co host. Adam, Hello. It is the 2014 FA Cup final.
As we've discussed last week, the oldest cup competition in the world historic history. 133rd this would be look. At that, let's straight off the top of the Dome memory. That is excellent. Real quick last. Week. Yeah, that's true. We are talking about, in a way, a bit of a similar cup final in terms of we have a heavy favorite and an underdog from the same division. So we are talking about the 2014 FA Cup final between Arsenal and Hull City.
I agree with heavyweight but I wouldn't say it's they're the same level of heavyweight. This. This was the Wenger Out years, wasn't it? I'm so glad you've started with that. So I went in looking like when is the earliest Wenger Out thing? There are a few like spatters of it in 2011, 2012, but it doesn't really pick up steam until this season. So this is the season where people are like, OK, you've done incredible amounts for us and
just skip ahead. Arsenal are on a nine year gold drought so they haven't won a trophy since gold drought. Sarah, this is. Amazing they stayed in the Division every game. Nil. Nil. 40.38 points was just enough. Incredible. So a trophy drought, I should amend that to say 2005 was their last trophy, which was the FA Cup. Yeah, because again, Wenger had a bit of a specialty with the FA Cup. He won it quite a lot early on. But yeah, 2005 S 9 years.
So the criticism was Wenger had overseen the stadium move and had kind of accepted. 2006. Yeah, that's right. So he had overseen it. He had They accepted the kind of shackling of the transfer system during that period, and it worked under those constraints. But people kind of thought, well, we're well and truly in the new stadium now. We've got the extra money. They'd signed Mesut Ozil, who was like a big statement signing for them. And yet they hadn't pushed on in any way.
It was still kind of like, hey, we finished fourth. Hey, we. That was the thing, wasn't it? Is he got accused of just kind of accepting the Champions League qualification and not really doing anything in the tournament was enough. I know they got to the final once, didn't they? To because they lost the Barcelona? Yeah, yeah.
Other than that, they spent a lot of time in the Champions League, losing the Champions League, qualifying again, and they went again, Yeah. And I think Arsenal fans were, well, certain Arsenal fans were certainly getting tired of it. Yeah. And in a way it's a little bit mirrored with Arteta at the moment, which is Arteta has taken them. Well, I'm glad you said that, mate. There we go.
Nothing against Arteta, by the way, but I do feel like I'm the one that brings it up. Yeah, I'm intrigued by why he seems to get a pass. I think in a way it's very similar to Wenger, what the state they were in beforehand, the post Wenger years, Arteta was the first manager that comes in and establishes them as a top two Premier League team, which from where they were, it is progress and it is a yeah and this year. I don't want him out. I just wonder how many goes he gets.
If that's another 10 and so be it. I'm not particularly hungry for him to be. Fired for asking him to be back at the. Top of the I just like Wenger got essentially 8-9 years just really of kind of what mediocrity is such a ridiculous word when you're never in fact but mediocrity in comparison to what they had known in the early Wenger years when they won the league twice and. Yeah, well, they won the league and then obviously he had this romance with the FA Cup, but it
seems inconceivable now. Nine years without a trophy. Yeah, so he didn't even have the FA Cups to cover up. It's like, oh, finishing fourth, but we quite often win a cup. But they did get to Champions League final in 2006. Yeah, 2006, which you are right, that is a feather in the cap and they did lose to a Barcelona team, but even without kind of Messi and Javi and Niesta was still I guess.
You can even argue then like 2006, that's eight years before, Yeah. So even that, even if that's counted as some degree of success, it's still 8 more years of nothingness. Yeah. I didn't. It didn't jump out at me as much. Creating this match report back now that we're discussing it, nine years without a trophy is astonishing. And then he obviously carries on for another three years. I was. Just about to ask that when does he go?
I think it's three or four years in the future, but spoiler alert, there are a few more FA Cup wins on the horizon for Arsenal. So there is kind of rejuvenation and we'll talk about that in this match report. So Arsenal Shock Horrid finished fourth in the Premier League this year. Olivier Giroud was a top scorer with 16 league goals. So again, it's again not a very not a bad Arsenal team by any stretch of the imagination. But when Giroud is your And I do think Giroud's having a hell of
a career and still is playing. I wouldn't call it. No. And when he, yeah, when he is, you know, you don't have a Ormri or a Van Persie or anyone to hang your hat on. But they had been eliminated from the fourth round of the League Cup. They'd exited the Champions League in the round of 16. So it was pretty, again, mediocre in terms of a club that should have had more ambition. Hull, on the other hand, managed to finish 16th in the Premier League this year.
And it's worth saying this is the pinnacle of Hull City as a football club this final this season. Finding this a little bit, aren't we with these minnows that kind of peak in a cup final, yeah. Yeah, and it's kind of like they have their one moment in the sun and then unfortunately the sunsets and they're not really seen off again at the. Highest cancer table.
Yeah, so to talk about that, this was the best ever points total in the Premier League, 37 points, which was enough to finish 16th back then, which again does away with the myth of 40 points being survival. 40 points has made you finish about 14th, 15th, 16th in recent Premier League, not even recent over the last decade or so. 40 points, a bit of a myth. You basically will almost always survive on about 3536 points,
which is interesting. But as I said, this was their first season back in the Premier League after promotion and this was the first ever final in 110 years for whole City as a football club. So it's it really is the peak of anything the whole City fan can hope for. They've managed to get some efficate funnel. They're in the top division in England, They've managed to
avoid relegation. And the question is, is this going to be a catalyst for them, you know, taking it up a notch or establishing themselves as a a mid table Premier League team Spoiler that doesn't happen. So to talk about Arsenal's root in this FA Cup final, they enter the third round as all Premier League sides do. They beat Tottenham 2 nil at
home in the third round. So a little North London Derby on the way, they battered Coventry City 4 nil and then they managed to beat in the 5th and the 6th round. Two scouts teams. So Liverpool and Everton went by the wayside. So it was a it was a tricky cup run for Arsenal, Tottenham obviously Northland Derby not easy. Liverpool. Everton was probably a Gimme let's be honest. Hey, this is under. Who was after Moist? Was it Martinez, who we spoke about, had taken over?
Yeah, promised much, delivered a little. Yeah, exactly. The semi final, this is where Arsenal struggled somewhat surprisingly against Wigan Athletic. So it's. The big dogs, That's it. Yeah, the the Latics with their their taste of FA Cup glory, they managed to take Arsenal to extra time, which Arsenal eventually won 41 penalties. So we can really took them to the wire and a little bit of kind of like, oh, here we go again for Arsenal where you know, we're going to fall short yet again.
Is this another Wenger moment? But they did manage to get past FA Cup holders. Wigan Athletic won all in the semi finals. It's worth knowing this was Arsenal's 18th FA Cup final in their history, which matched the record for appearances held by do you know which club? Chelsea. No United. Yes, Manchester United had until this point held the record for the most FA Cup final appearances whole. However, their route was very, very different.
I think we touched on this last episode so I'm not going to talk about too much, but had a considerably easier route to the final. So they beat Middlesbrough 2 nil, they beat Southend United 2 nil, they beat Brighton, won all and then it went to a replay. Beat them. Beat the model. Beat the model. Beat the model. Strong result? Yeah, exactly. Which gave the momentum to them.
Beat them a second time 2-1 in the replay they beat Sunderland three nil and then in the semi final they had an absolute Ding Dong against Sheffield United 5 three so they were given the neutrals what they wanted. So incredible stuff. But as I've mentioned, Whole City's first ever pants in FA Cup final and in their path four of the opponents were from lower divisions, so not Premier League, which is really why finding. That a little bit, aren't we?
When these minnows make it, do any of them beat anybody? So not to make this an England pod, but we always do. Exactly where we can, we will. This is my hesitancy about this golden era that we've lived through under Southgate is are we in 10 years time going to look back and go? Not only like should we have won, but generally speaking our routes to the finals or semi finals have been pretty generous compared to what we could have. Drawn when we met a heavyweight. We Yeah. We failed.
And is it what I'm going to say? Well, it's more of will it ever be this good for us because we might have better England teams, we might have better managers in Southgate, but the draw might just screw us over for the next 4 tournaments. We might just get really tricky. And I know the argument is, you know if you want to be the best you've got to beat the best.
But there is an element we've spoken like this, an element in cup runs that is just down to luck and you think some of the runs we've had, some of the opponents, you think that was going to be our moment. Yeah. I mean, I assume you're talking mostly about Croatia in 2018. But that run in particular, yeah, was very soft, really. But then Netherlands was a tough game, but historically they are a heavyweight national. Team but, but are they?
Historically, as in the they've won major titles, they've got to finals major more so than Croatia. Yes, yeah, they've. Got to one final, yeah. Definitely more so than Croatia. I know history doesn't really count for much. Really like a team in the 70s. Germany, right? They they know what they're doing. Well, I mean, that's national mentality thing, I think. Yeah, true. Yeah. I don't know. I don't. It's it's a tricky one in it because with football, everything comes down to such
small margins. And I don't know if you can generalize it so simply like the game we lost doing Bappy and Co, they missed the penalty. Yeah, yeah. Scores the penalty. Who knows? Yeah. Like, you don't know, do you? That's the sport. Yeah. No, you're right. And every time you talk about some margins, all I think about is the shootout. And I just think when Rashford's penalty hit the post, yeah, if that was one inch to the right, that's going in one inch.
That's you relive that if you don't. I don't know why that one bothers me, because he's, I think it's because it's so stark, because he sends the keeper completely the wrong way. He does all the hard work so the goal looks enormous. When you go back and watch it, you're like. How did you miss? Yeah, you've got 80% of the goal because you've sold the keeper so well or the keepers die the wrong way, whichever way it is. And I'm just like just one inch to the right Rashford and you're
you're a national hero. But anyway, back away from England. We'll be able to talk about that plenty with the World Cup this summer, but we will head back to the FA Cup final and actually talk about the match itself. Beat. The. Culture Club made on the 17th of May 2014 at Wembley with 89,000 people in attendance. Arsenal took to the the hallowed turf of Wembley very much firm favourites against Hull City.
As we discussed Arsenal, whilst not being the the juggernaut of Man City that we'd spoken about previously, they are still very much front and centre expected to win this one. So Arsenal had a team that lined up with still relatively established names. They had Fabianski as their number one goalkeeper, they had Sagna, Mertzacker, Koscielny, Kieran Gibbs. That was a faint moment. I know someone that went schooled him, said he was a knob. So I'll just, you know, leave
that hanging in there. Your mate was a knob. That is also very, very likely. Shout out to Jacob if you're if you're here. Mikhail Arteta was captain and starting centre midfielder for Arsenal. So there's a lovely little bit of, I've not seen symmetry, that's not the right word, but just a little bit of foreshadowing. Foreshadowing. Yeah, next to Aaron Ramsay, the assassin who would claim another victim. The killer.
Yeah, exactly. Then Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil, Lucas Podolski, the German, Wayne Rooney and Olivier. You call him that. He when he first burst onto the scene, it looks equally as exciting. But yeah, Santi Cazorla. So you've got some kind of really iconic Arsenal players here. So you've got Ramsey, Arteta, Cazorla, Ozil, Koscielny, who obviously eventually pissed off the fans for posing the wrong. Are they? Iconic for being underachievers.
I mean, you say iconic, but I mean ultimately for me, that list of players just reminds me of a team that promised much and didn't deliver a lot. No, I, I think you are. I think you're on the side of the facts there. I'm on the side of the oh, I remember them. Yeah, but you like the individual player. Yeah, I do. And interestingly, I guess someone like Mesut Ozil, who was a massive coup when they signed him from Real Madrid, it was a real statement signed.
He then eventually became emblematic of the vendor. Years, he's just like. You're promising so much, but actually you're not delivering. He was nowhere near as bad as people were saying towards the end of his career, but it was kind of like, this is what will take us to the next level. And yet nothing really changed. And because of the way Ozil would move around the pitch, a lot of people.
Yeah, Exactly. Yeah, Arsenal looked as usual to kind of play with patience, play with possession, which is what they did. Arteta would sit deep and Ramsey was really in his kind of like box to box midfielder era. Aaron Ramsey, again, a midfielder that I don't think gets a lot of credit for, for probably 3 or 4 years he was up there as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. I think up there maybe with Gerard Lampard, not not for as long, but I do think he was.
Did you just say that? I do. Up there with Gerard Lampard for about three seasons. Why would you say Aaron Ramsey was the Bournemouth of that era? No, I think he's much more a Newcastle trying to break into the top 4. On their day, they can win a bit of silverware. On that day, first time in 72 years. Yeah, good point. Moving on to Hull, however, they played five at the back, depending on how you view it, but they basically have men behind the ball. They had a few interesting
players. I'd like to point out. Tom Huddleston, Jake Livermore. Yeah, yeah, once, once England future prospects. They never actually counted too much, but in particular I want to highlight Alex Bruce is. That Bruce's son it. Is Bruce's son. Do you know who's manager of Hull City at this point? It's Steve Bruce. Nepotism alive and well. Alex Bruce. Starting centre back for his for his dad's team. Sold them at like 1212 year old kids club energy isn't it? Steve Bruce?
Man of the match goes to Alex Bruce. Oh, that's convenient, isn't it? Steve Bruce has just become a figure of fun in my head because of the amount of times I've sent you that. Beam me, you say? A lot of people at parties. Just not then. I'm sure everyone listening knows. Just look up Steve Bruce meme, you'll find it. Yeah, exactly the thing. He's probably most famous. So Hull decided to do what most London underdog teams do, just keep it as tight as they can at the back and try and make
something from set pieces. Huddleston in particular basically was Huddleston and Arteta that was sat in those quarterback roles trying to dictate things for their teams. But interestingly enough, and we've spoken about this in the past, normally FA Cup finals or any cup final tend to be tentative. They tend to be let's you know, feel each other out. Let's see what's going to happen. Hull decide to RIP up the
script. So 4 minutes into the game, go on Hull City take a shock one nil lead over Arsenal from James Chester. There's a set piece taken by Stephen Quinn and it is a real like scolds the edge of the box. Huddleston is waiting on. Everyone is is piling into the air expecting the ball to be chucked in the mixer. Huddleston's waiting on the edge of the area. This great set piece gets floated in.
Huddleston lines up and you're like go on son, absolutely smash it. It's really, really inviting and you're like, this is going to be on the FA wake up. Grace unfortunately scuffs his shot somewhat. It drills. It is teammate James Chester who, for a centre back, sorts his feet out really, really well and manages to kind of divert the ball towards the Arsenal goal and it's finishing to the bottom corners and absolutely impeach. Yeah, you've set me up.
Here I know it's it's amazing, but 4 minutes in I'll take the lead. Stunned Arsenal's defence before and they'd even really got started, so an incredible moment. And then shock turns to absolute chaos. So minutes later, minute 9. I think I'm beginning to remember this final. Minute 9 The cat is amongst the pigeons. Whole City have turned up to Wembley smelling blood and they've gone after Arsenal again, another set piece.
So how good? You know that Tom Huddleston deep free kick he floats into was the far post who should be there? Alex Bruce doing his dad proud saying dad look at me, look at me. And he headers the ball powerfully against the post as it as it comes back out. Whole captain Curtis Davies reacts quickest, smashing the rebound in from quite a tight angle and Hull, incredibly, despite being massive underdogs,
go 2 nil up within 10 minutes. It's another cross in the queuing up again, Fabiowski makes the save, Hull has scored it's two nil, Curtis Davis has bundled the ball in and Arsenal all over the place. Well, it's just going from bad to worse now. We're not winning first headers, we're not stopping crosses, we're just not picking up in the box. Absolutely amazing stuff. So Hull scored twice from their three first three shots on goal, Hull have come out and they have absolutely slaughtered.
That's gonna be a heartbreaker. It's gonna be a heartbreaker. I know it is. I don't remember what happened. Yeah, so Wenger shock horror, just demanded calm and patience and after the second goal goes in it flicks him in his dugout and he's just doing the universal gesture for calm down hands just patting an imaginary dog. Just calm down. But to be fair to Finger, Arsenal calm down, they start to regain their composure and only 6 minutes later they start to get back in the game through a
moment of pure magic. This one, the FA Cup final goals that I've forgotten about until I rewatched the highlights and it is an astonishing free kick from Santi Cazorla. Oh yeah, yeah. So absolutely amazing stuff. So I love Cazorla for two reasons. One, because recently he's gone back to his hometown club, the Rail Oviedo got them promoted to La Liga for the first time in years, scoring a winning goal in like the semi final. Great kind of Cinderella story going back home and rising up,
however. Cinderella did that, yeah. You know, she went back and she was like. She played for. Her own time and. He had one boot though, yeah. Nice one footed player in the generation. Which is actually a segue into the second reason I love Santi Gazola. It's just he was one of those footballers that didn't know which was the stronger foot. So he would take corners, left footed and right foot. He would take penalties, left footed, right foot and he didn't know which was the strongest.
Truly an amphibious player. Enjoyable. But this free kick is amazing. He's about 2528 yards out towards the kind of slight left of the goal and it's just an outrageous free kick. He's got one thing on his mind. He curls it an absolute Peach into the far corner and Alan McGregor holds. Goalkeeper has no chance of getting there. It's just so aesthetically pleasing to watch. On the replay, you do see McGregor gets fingertips to it, which is amazing, but can't keep
it out. And then, but really I think that is the story of the cup final in as much as I think if it goes on longer, Arsenal get nervy, they get a bit light off, we falling short again. But the fact that 6 minutes after going 2 nil down, they pull goal back I think allows them to then almost reset and go, OK, we've got a lot of the game left, we can still go and do something about this.
So the next kind of 20 minutes or so, Arsenal dominate possession, Erzil starts getting involved, Cazorla and Podolski send some long range shots against McGregor to keep him busy, and Hull eventually kind of revert to type and start sitting further and further back, getting deeper and deeper and deeper. Half an hour in, Giroud gets a really good header on a Santi Cazorla cross, but McGregor manages to tip it wide. However, the last chance really
for Hull comes in 36 minutes. Alex Bruce again. He's heading. He is, and it's a diving clearance from Kieran Gibbs, that man on the line which manages to keep Arsenal within the game rather than making a hole. It's a really good goal line clearance. But Alex Bruce again. But Dad. How can I do? You frown. Oh, just a little. Just a little short, a little bit. You just think it's going to be awkward around the the dinner table for a big Sunday. I'll write you.
I'll write you into the next book. Yeah. So Arsenal were fully in control heading into the second-half, but they hadn't managed to get that equalizer. So in the second-half, normal services resumed. Arsenal starts to turn the screw. They dominate possession. They are camped in holes half and hole drop to a 541 and basically it this is kind of. They were just trying to hold on then, yeah. It's unfortunately it's almost like hole we're beginning to believe at the start.
Is beginning. And then they kind of realize, oh, actually the odds are against us. And I think it's one of those things when you start to panic, don't you? Because when you don't have the ball for 5 minutes at a time, when you do get it, you think we have to do something with it. And your kind of decision making goes out the window. And the hull can't even manage any kind of established attacks. There's no quick breaks, there's
no counter attacking. They just kind of get the ball, punt it away and just are starting to panic. So 68 minutes in, this is an equalizer that comes from Lauren Koscielny. So as a controversial corner that was actually awarded, replay showed that it should have been a goal kick. So Stevie Bruce at the end of the game would highlight this as one of the turning points. And I'm kind of like, I I get it.
But the goal probably would have came anyway if it hadn't been this quarter, it probably would have been something else. Sanya's header is rebounded off of the goal scorer James Chester for Hull and it falls to Lauren Koscielny, who manages to turn and score from six yards. Because all this corner and he's turned in from very close range by Laurent Koscielny, he's the one the Arsenal players jump on. It's another defender and Arsene Wenger's team have come back from 2 nil down at Wembley.
Gregor rushes out to try and block it and absolutely annihilates I. Just want to get injured. Yeah, that's right. But nevertheless, Arsenal managed to score. Whole players protested, but the goal stood. And now it's kind of right, handing over to Arsenal. They've come back from 2 nil down, it's 2. All big. MO is with her, is with them. Sorry. We're gonna bring us on Big MO. Big MO She's.
Summer signing the. 12th man and then in the kind of last 10 minutes or so of the game there is a few more chaotic moments. So 78th minute there is a penalty appeal, Arsenal claiming for handball against Curtis Davies. It does hit his hand, but it's one of those where it's like he hasn't done it intentionally. Given neither, wouldn't it? Well. It would, yeah, absolutely would, but nevertheless it's waved away in this one.
Kieran Gibbs gets a chance. He goes for A12 with Ozil but blasts over from 10 yards with the goal is mercy. Could have happened to a nicer bloke from reports. I I have no no idea Jacob. Yeah, I have no idea if Kieran Gibbs is actually. Could be, absolutely. Yeah, he could be could be the nice guy in the world, but when he was a 15 year old kid, he was apparently just arrogant and.
Full of himself. Well, if you're if you're 15 year old and you play for a Premier League club, I probably would be a little bit full of myself too, yeah. I mean, when you were 15 you were full of yourself. Exactly. Premier League club. No I did not, but I was probably the fittest player on my under sixteens pitch so. Fittest as in best looking?
I'll let the There's a reason this is an audio media, ladies and gentlemen, in the 83rd minute, Sanogo, which he's a kind of a player that's lost to Arsenal folklore because he did absolutely nothing for his entire time there. But yeah, yeah. Sanogo replaces Lucas Podolski, the German Wayne Rooney and it. But to be fair, it's Sanogo's energy that starts creating loads of chaos amongst the whole back line and that's my memory of Yaya Sanogo. He's just a striker that just ran a lot I.
Had no memory of him. No, it's because he doesn't score goals, which as a striker is something that you would. Kind of selling is. It no, but he's buzzing around like a family and that's, to be fair, what brings about the kind of exhaustion of holds back line which creates the chaos that
allows Arsenal to take the lead. So the game itself does head into extra time right at this point, Hull are they're they're blowing, they are out on their feet and yet again, Arsenal just relentless pressure camping out in holes. Half Giroud Manchester get his massive head on the ball 105 minutes in, but it goes against the crossbar and she's really putting himself about whole hanging on by willpower alone.
But the decisive moment comes just 4 minutes late. 109 minutes in, Arsenal finally get the breakthrough and what would turn out to be winning goal. And it was that man, Aaron Ramsey. Celebrities everywhere started writing their wills hearing Aaron Ramsey scoring. But it's a really, really good goal. So yeah, yeah. So no go creating a load of confusion with his running buzzing around like a family. Bull gets played through to Giroud, who's running away from
the goal. Ramsey starts charging into the box and it's Giroud's like presence of mind. It's a really, really classy assist.
He back heels the ball perfectly into Ramsey's path, who kind of stabs with the outside of his foot to score at the near post is a really good finish from Ramsey, very inventive, really great precision with it. But it's all about Giroud's assist, he's going away from goal, notices Ramsey running over behind his shoulder, there's a great back heel and to be fair, it's a it's a goal worthy of winning an FA Cup
final. But Hull go through heartache, Arsenal are jubilant and Arsenal lift the FA Cup trophy for a record time. Well, you have just witnessed 90 of the most terrific minutes of European football you'll ever, ever see. The good. News is there's more to come, so the final went to extra time and it's our extra time now. The wing gave Arsenal a joint record 11th FA Cup title with Manchester United. Arsenal would go on to win a few more and take that title
outright in the future. Arsenal would already qualified for the Champions League, so we spoke about with their league position, which meant that Hull qualified for the Europa League and it was on the 1st on the last time. Sorry that that rule would be in place where if you were the runner up in the Cup final you would make your way into Europe. It would go down a league position. Exactly, exactly. It's. Much more fitting. I think that's more correct
because you've done. More Yeah, exactly. Yeah, you have earned it over. But it does mean less romance and moments like this where the underdog can find themselves, however. Get the job done, then Hull. Well, yeah, Hull, unfortunately, we'll talk about that in a second. But Curtis Davies, the Hull captain and one of the goal scorers, was quoted afterwards just saying when Arsenal lifted the cup I started to crime eyes out. We were that close. Which that's when you feel for it.
Like you just think is the pinnacle not just of this guys career but of the club, of the town. You're kind of like you've got so much. And they were to go 2 nil up against Arsenal, but unfortunately, it had been thrown away. A little bit of trivia here. A new version of the FA Cup trophy was present for the first time in this final. It was made of sterling silver, was heavier and more. Yeah. So apparently it's more robust. People were worried about the old FA Cup literally getting
crumpled and kind of bashed. It was bigger. That's correct. Yeah. So they'd kind of gone to the new one. It's a little bit of nostalgia for you. Leona Lewis sang Abide With Me in the national anthem. Bleeding Love. Yeah. Just keep Bleeding, Love. I always thought it was funny that her video for that song was her up against loads of radiators. Is that right? It's just doing that for plumbing. She loves plumbing that girl. Keep bleeding rats.
So there's no way to go from that jovial to this. Some somber news with a good segue. So I'll just say it as it was. At Wembley, spectators observed a 56 minute applause to commemorate the 56 victims of the 1985 Bradford City Stadium fire. It was the 29th anniversary just five days beforehand. No, six days beforehand. Sorry. So it was just to commemorate the people that had lost their
lives. So I thought it was a nice touch for the fans and for the FA to obviously have made the announcement that there would be, I mean, it's applause to kind of remember those victims. Arsenal fans at the end of the game would spill onto the pitch during the final whistle really. So pitch invasion for their first trophy in nine years at Wembley. Then they could do that. Well, I guess no one's going to stop you, are they? But it was kind of a bit of half hearted pitch invasion.
A lot of fans got onto the pitch, but also you can see a lot of fans in the stands. Like really a little bit. Kind of like small. Club mentality it's a bit Arsenal as well and you don't quite get the job done. Looks nice though. Yeah, I mean like struggling to an extra time win against Hull and then like storming the pictures and quite the same if it was the other way around. You can imagine the whole fans doing it, and quite.
Right, doesn't fit. Does. It no, it's a little bit tin pot and I don't mind saying that. So we mentioned that Hull as runners up would get to appear in European competition the next season. However, it does not go to plan. So they did have to go through a Europa League playoff round. They beat AS Trensin, who I actually don't know where they're from, let's say some Romanian teams. The name looks Romanian but I
have no idea. They managed to beat them, but they were knocked down the next round by Lochran on away goals. So they drew 2 all over 2 legs and unfortunately they didn't even make it into the Europa League proper, which, and we've seen this with clubs like Leicester and stuff that
overstretched themselves. It meant that Hull, even though they didn't get into Europe, clearly the emotion, the pinnacle, whatever it was, meant that they couldn't repeat the glory that they had next season and got relegated. I think sometimes it might be different with Leicester because they obviously we're in the Champions League, but I think there's something where with Hull, Europe surely would have just been the final was the day, yeah.
And Europe's the novelty, yeah. The kind of like cool bit that you get to do, but you're not really as bothered surely? I guess so, but then you kind of think for a lot of these Hull City players, when are they gonna play? For not they wouldn't want to, but just they'll look back and they'll remember the final. Yeah, more than playing AS Trent in deepest Bucharest. Yeah, no, no, you are quite
right. And yeah, whether it was just that, like you say, that they had achieved the pinnacle of their careers and and realistically probably like, well, it doesn't really get better than this for Hull. And yeah, they were relegated that season and same. Season as they got to the final. No, sorry. The season after Yeah, the the the. Wish you could argue extra games in Europe. Well, yeah, it was, it was only four extra games, but yeah, I, I just think your head's turned, isn't it you?
Kind of think. Well, that's as good as it gets. And they wouldn't have the squad to cope with that kind of demand. No, exactly. So unfortunately that was as good as it got for whole in 110 years. The only other bit of trivia that I have is that ITV were hosting the FA Cup final on domestic television this year and they had 10 million viewers, which realistically that's like one in six people, one in seven people watching the FA Cup final.
So even in the mid 2000s it's still an enormous event. And I just think often we talk about how the FA Cup final isn't what it used to be, but there there is still some appeal to this. I know this is a decade ago now, but 10 million people watching the live the FA Cup final was kind of. I think people have an eye on the FA Cup final. I don't think it's what it was in the 80s where it's like sit down on occasion for for whoever's in it. But I still think it's a it's
difficult. You can't compare it with the Champions League because like Champions League has got the pull of AI mean you could argue the world that alone the continent. But I think when it's your Nations Cup final, I do think if you're a football fan, you, you will know what's going on. Yeah. And if you you know, you can watch it. You will watch it if you're free. Like I don't, I don't think people like I cannot be asked
with the. FA no, Final no, although you do get that attitude with people with the international break and that that makes me sick to my stomach. People this week have been complaining on my group chat. So you're like, oh it's bloody international week and then yeah, it's international week. Get beyond your country, Stop going on Tommy Robinson marches and get yourself to Wembley. Start supporting our nation. Get behind you better flag making sure everybody saw you. Yeah, exactly.
I was wearing my England top. Terry Butcher with the Band of Drama. Gary Neville's coming for you, mate. I'm with that ominous sentence. Join us next week to find out who wins 2015 FA Cup.