Gilliver's Travels
Peripatetic
The power and emotion of Abide With Me is supposed to come from massed ranks of fans all singing it together. Not from some operatic diva whose totally inappropriate, horribly overamplified trillings just ruin the atmosphere and stun the crowd into embarrassed silence.
It looked as if neither team's fans knew or even cared about the song or its significance. No one was singing it. Given the fact these clubs are both famous for their singing, that was staggering. And so very different from the emotional rendition by most of the crowd at Wembley in 1983... Anyone remember that?
Today, it was just an embarrassment. If the FA really can't get into their blazered heads that Abide With Me is about real fans' emotions rather than takeaway Glyndebourne, then they should just drop it. As they did the little fat man in the white suit with his podium on wheels and cringe-inducing 'community singing'.
After today's debacle, Abide with Me should be returned to the fans. Otherwise, abandoned. Anyone agree?

It looked as if neither team's fans knew or even cared about the song or its significance. No one was singing it. Given the fact these clubs are both famous for their singing, that was staggering. And so very different from the emotional rendition by most of the crowd at Wembley in 1983... Anyone remember that?
Today, it was just an embarrassment. If the FA really can't get into their blazered heads that Abide With Me is about real fans' emotions rather than takeaway Glyndebourne, then they should just drop it. As they did the little fat man in the white suit with his podium on wheels and cringe-inducing 'community singing'.
After today's debacle, Abide with Me should be returned to the fans. Otherwise, abandoned. Anyone agree?


