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Simon Cox: 1988 F.A. Cup Final

You win the Semi Final, now sing!

I grew up loving the game from all angles, I clearly remember the Ian Rush/Kenny Dalglish partnership leading Liverpool to the double in '86, the Keith "Roy of the Rovers" Houchen diving header against Spurs in the '87 Cup Final and, of course, the Dave Beasant save against Liverpool in '88, but what happened to those Cup Final songs ?

There was "Hot Shot Tottenham" for Tottenham in 1987, the fabulous "Anfield Rap" for Liverpool in 1998, "Glad All Over" for Crystal Palace in 1990, "It's Lucky For Spurs When the Year End's in One" for Tottenham in 1991 (not that it's helped them since) and, of course, "Blue Day" for Chelsea in 1997. But what's happened since ?

Has the singing and camaraderie been lost over the years ? Has the tight dietary controls taken over our wannabe pop stars, or has the influx of players from abroad now requiring interpreters thrown spanners in the works ?

Whatever you say about those songs, you can't beat the buzz they used to create before any Cup Final. I remember the release dates of the club song filled every fan's heart with excitement, a bit like the opening day fixtures being announced or the First Round proper dates of the F.A. Cup Draw when the painters and decorators test their skills against the aging limbs of former top flight professionals.

For me, the Anfield Rap will always stand out in my mind as one of the finest Cup Final "songs". Kicking off with the two Liverpool lads Steve McMahon and John Aldridge rapping the lyrics before John "just South of the Watford Gap" Barnes and the Australian twang of Craig Johnston found themselves as solo rappers amongst a group of successful and united footballers enjoying and celebrating their appearance in the Cup Final donned in shell suits and back to front baseball caps. Of course, their quietly spoken manager Kenny Dalglish couldn't be left out as he played his part at the end of the 3 minute track - something which probably took him out his comfort zone of that famous manager's jacket and Number 7 shirt. A classic performance from one of the best football teams in the late 80's.
The Anfield Rap, for me, showed the togetherness of the squad, showed some classic Bruce Grobbelaar antics and the character of Steve Nicol - a player I always rated and used to idolise in the school playground as a kid.

So what about these days ? Will we ever see a better Cup Final song ? The fans loved it, seeing their favourite seasoned professional demonstrating their acting and singing skills and, of course, adding that extra bit of fun to an F.A. Cup Final.
Let's see if anyone can recreate a more magical F.A. Cup Final song.

Simon Cox

Follow on Twitter @SimonCox73

 


Memory added on June 30, 2013

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