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Come Together
After four wonderful days of celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Her Majesty gave the nation the most moving of finales with a surprise appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
The Queen had been forced to miss the events of the previous two days, but a woman who has never let her country down in 70 years was not about to do so now. Her Majesty stepped out onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace to greet the crowd and listen to the National Anthem which concluded the Platinum Jubilee Pageant. She described the scene in front of her as “fabulous”, telling her family: “Oh my goodness, oh look at this.”
Yet for all the pomp, pageantry and pyrotechnics seen in the capital since Thursday, it would surely have been the pictures of thousands of street parties up and down the nation that gave Her Majesty the most pleasure as they fostered friendships and created bonds that will long outlast the bunting.
More than 85,000 Big Jubilee Lunches were held around the country, on top of thousands more that took place on previous days, including a half-mile-long picnic table along Windsor’s Long Walk, where the Earl and Countess of Wessex joined around 3,000 people braving chilly weather to tuck into sandwiches and cake.
A renewed sense of togetherness
In an address released on the last day of this brilliant, unforgettable and very British four-day-celebration of Her Majesty’s 70 year reign, the monarch said:
“I have been inspired by the kindness, joy and kinship that has been so evident in recent days, and I hope this renewed sense of togetherness will be felt for many years to come.
“I thank you most sincerely for your good wishes and for the part you have all played in these happy celebrations.”
From Trooping the Colour to the Pageant, the “United Kingdom” has really united for a wonderful four day show of respect and warmth towards Her Majesty, coming together to show the nation at its best. “The country has been brought together after a traumatic few years, and it has been great to witness,” concluded political blogger and radio presenter Iain Dale on Sunday evening.
“I genuinely don’t think any other nation on this earth could have pulled off the spectacle of the last four days,“ Dale writes.
“We do pomp well, and let’s just rejoice in that. But it wasn’t all pomp. It was also in large part community circumstance. Communities around the country came together in a way they haven’t been able to for two years.“
So let’s hope that this renewed sense of togetherness will really be something to be “felt for many years to come.“ That would be the perfect way to remember these days of celebrating, and just the way Elizabeth II wanted it.
▶️ Review of four days Platinum Jubilee celebrations (The Telegraph)
The Queen‘s Faith
The Queen’s faith has enabled her to be a constant strength and comfort of the nation
Stephen Cotrell in The Telegraph digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/990/reader/reader.html
Amid all the pomp, pageantry and pleasure the Platinum Jubilee brings, it is easy to forget that at its heart, the Coronation of 69 years ago was a religious event. And while television cameras may have been granted access to Westminster Abbey, one moment was hidden from public view. Her Majesty was anointed with oil and afforded a time of stillness and reflection before God. She was also given a Bible by the Archbishop of Canterbury and reminded that scripture is “the most valuable thing this world affords”.
Geoffrey Fisher was the archbishop at the time. He came alongside Her Majesty as she prepared for the spiritual journey that lay ahead. One of the treasures in the Lambeth Palace library is the book of devotions, which he presented to Her Majesty all those years ago. It includes prayers, passages of scripture and daily meditations.
For Her Majesty, the Coronation was an intimate encounter between a monarch and her God, a moment where the Queen would be called by name and given a lifelong vocation. It marked a moment where her personal relationship with Christ met the national events and public moments that remind us that this country, its laws and customs and culture, is shaped by the Christian faith.
The Queen’s Christmas addresses have long been a powerful and public example of this faith in our national life. They show how faith in Christ informs and sustains the values of duty, service, honour and sacrifice we so rightly commend this Jubilee.
It is the lens through which she has viewed the world.
Invoking the parable of the Good Samaritan in her Christmas address in 1989, she said: “Our neighbours are those of our friends, or complete strangers, who need a helping hand. Do you think they might also be some of the living species threatened by spoiled rivers, or some of the children in places like Ethiopia and Sudan who don’t have enough to eat?” And, referencing the same story in 1985, she concluded her address by saying that “the story of the Good Samaritan reminds us of our duty to our neighbour. We should try to follow Christ’s clear instruction at the end of that story: ‘Go and do thou likewise’.”
As Supreme Governor of the Church of England, when addressing General Synod the Queen has often spoken about the “ministry of reconciliation” to which Christians are called. She has lived that ministry out in a most remarkable way. In 2012, the Queen famously shook hands with Martin McGuinness, despite the long and painful history and her beloved uncle’s death at the hands of the IRA in 1979.
Platinum Jubilee Concert
Performers eclipsed by the real star of Party at the Palace: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61691432
Bowen debut against Hungary
Jarrod Bowen is set to be given his England debut in Saturday’s Nations League clash against Hungary.
He trained in an attack alongside Harry Kane in Gareth Southgate’s final training sessions before the squad flew to Budapest for their Group Three opener.
Wer hätte das gedacht?
Unerwarteter Auswärtserfolg für Österreich im ersten Spiel des neuen Teamchefs: 3:0 (1:0) gewann Österreich gegen Vize-Weltmeister Kroatien in Osijek! Ralf Rangnick, zuletzt Interimstrainer bei Manchester United – wo er die Champions League verpasste und nur wegen West Ham’s Niederlage gegen Brighton in der letzten Runde sich nicht bloß mit dem Trostpreis Conference League zufrieden geben musste – konnte seinem Team nach dem Ausscheiden aus dem WM-Play-off (unter Franco Foda) neuen Mut einhauchen und einen überraschend hohen Sieg feiern.
Vor allem aufgrund der guten Leistung in Hälfte 2 ist dieser auch vollkommen verdient! Ein Einstand nach Maß für den Teamchef, der mittlerweile seinen kritisierten Berater-Nebenjob bei ManUtd aufgegeben hat: er hat es, nachdem er aus England nach Österreich gekommen ist, in nur vier Tagen geschafft, seinen Spielern ein neues System mitzugeben, das diese erfolgreich umsetzen konnten.
Besonders interessant: im sechsten Länderspiel gegen Kroatien der erste Sieg für Österreich und gleichzeitig der erste Sieg gegen eine im FIFA-Ranking besser platzierte Nation seit 2008.
Tore: Arnautovic, Gregoritsch, Sabitzer
Match report ▶️ BBC
West Ham could again play Rapid in Europe
West Ham and Rapid Vienna could again meet in the European Conference League this season. Rapid have only qualified via the Austrian qualification playoff and will therefore have to start into the Conference League as early as in the second qualification round. For West Ham it will be sufficient to succeed in the two legged play-offs in August to make the group stage.
Rapid Vienna is going to be seeded when the draw for its first qualifying game (to be played on 21 July) will be made on 15 June 2022. Rapid has to commence its European journey as early as in qualifying round 2. To reach the play-offs of the Conference League (18/25 August) and then get into the group stage (starting from 8 September), Rapid have to be victorious in the second and the third qualification round. The third qualification round is going to be played on 4/11 August.
West Ham will play their first European game of the next season in the play-offs on 18 August, for which the draw will be made on 2 August.
The Final is scheduled for 7 June 2023 and will take place in Prague’s Eden Arena (Sinobo Stadium), the home of Soucek’s and Coufal’s former club, Slavia, with a capacity of only 20,000.
Let’s hope that Rapid as well as West Ham make the group stage again , and let’s also hope for a final pairing next year that will be as interesting as this year’s final of AS Roma vs. Feyenoord Rotterdam – and that West Ham will be one of the clubs playing in this match.
The Premier League is going to start earlier than last year because of the World Cup in Qatar with its first fixtures scheduled for 6 August. The fixtures are expected to be released by the Premier League on June 16, 2022 at 9 a.m. BST.
Real Madrid 1 LFC 0
Thibaut Courtois makes unbelievable nine sensational saves against the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and the other Liverpool forwards, Vinicius Junior scores for Real in the second half, and David Alaba wins his third Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti his 4th, and Jürgen Klopp still has 1.
Ten Years Ago: My Match of a Lifetime
This Sunday the Championship Play-off Final is played at Wembley. Huddersfield and Nottingham Forest are battling out which Club will follow already promoted Fulham and Bournemouth and play in the Premier League next season. It was ten years ago, on 19 May 2012, when West Ham have won their latest play-off final at Wembley to secure being back to the best football league in the world.
That was my first visit to New Wembley and it is one of the games I have been to which I will never forget – and not just for one reason.
West Ham United vs. Blackpool, New Wembley (2012)
The current season of 2021/22 will without doubt be one to be remembered as a “massive season” by the West Ham faithful. With wins over FC Sevilla and Olympique Lyon, the Hammers have reached a European semifinal only for the third time in their history, and they will qualify for Europe via their Premier League position for the second year running. But as this year also marks the tenth anniversary of the latest final West Ham have played in, the 2012 Championship play-off final at Wembley, I’d like to take a look back at this game: West Ham vs. Blackpool fighting for promotion to the Premier League on 19 May 2012. When it comes to my best West Ham experience, this match is one which stands out of the Hammers games I have been to.
After relegation in 2010/11, West Ham had vowed to fight for immediate promotion to the Premier League. But there was also a different kind of fight around the corner: shortly before West Ham set up the play-off final against Blackpool, my doctor had told me about his concerns and urged me to undergo some tests. However, I would not have thought that my first trip to New Wembley was going to be the last visit to a football ground for some time.
Being a long-time Hammers supporter, it was out of question that I had to try to get a ticket and be present in person when the club played at Wembley, regardless that a “footy trip“ on this date did not quite fit into the current situation and the diet plan I had to stick to. However, when I planned the trip, I didn’t know that my future health condition would keep me from travelling and attending large crowds for some time, and would make it impossible to use the tickets I had got for the Summer Olympics in London 2012.
Then, with a Wembley ticket from West Ham’s allocation in hand, I defied all objections and booked a flight. Different from other trips, I made this one all by myself and cut my stay short. As I had made up my mind on such a short notice, I even hadn’t been able to schedule any meet-up with London based friends before the match. However, with all the pubs close to the stadium being completely overcrowded, we would hardly have found each other there anyway.
Therefore I skipped the pre-match drink, and quite early found myself passing the huge statue of Bobby Moore in front of the stadium. Of course the great man wore a West Ham scarf as did the majority of supporters. Then into the stadium and up to the stands – surprisingly with an escalator, reminding me of my arrival at Heathrow earlier that day!
Before the kick-off, when “God Save the Queen” was played, everyone got up from their seats and here, in the “West Ham End” behind the goal, nobody folded them back down again, cheering on the team in claret and blue every minute of the match.
And we really had something to cheer about in the first half: West Ham took the lead, thanks to Carlton Cole, one of the players who had stayed with the club despite relegation. But then, almost immediately after the break, Blackpool was level. Now it was a typical “cup game“ with a lot of end-to-end stuff and chances for both sides.
In the 80th minute Kevin Nolan tried a spectacular one touch shot, but it only rattled the crossbar in front of the West Ham supporters. However, only three minutes later redemption for the “claret and blue army” was near: again Nolan was involved, with the West Ham skipper receiving the ball on the left of Blackpool’s half and crossing it into the box where Carlton Cole got his boot on the ball. However, he could not direct a shot on goal due to a joint intervention of Blackpool‘s keeper and a defender. But out of this scramble in the five yard box the ball rolled to Ricardo Vaz Te who finally hammered it into the net from close range to make it 2-1. With this result West Ham were back to the Premier League and the cheers almost lifted the roof off Wembley Stadium.
What a joy that was, making me forget all the doubts around the trip and the upcoming medical tests. It was so good to celebrate this victory and to sing with all the Irons around me, regardless of not knowing anyone of them. 
However, watching the play-off trophy being lifted by the players and again and again singing “Bubbles“ and other songs together with all the West Ham faithful, while the squad was celebrating on the pitch, wasn’t the end of this story…
When I got onto the tube on the way back from Wembley I suddenly bumped into my mate Sam. What a coincidence and what a joy to meet one of my oldest friends in London among tens of thousands of fans, without having made any appointment!
However, I believe there’s nothing to happen entirely by chance, God makes everything work together for those who know and love him. Learning about the extent of my illness when I had got home, the things that had happened on that Saturday afternoon at Wembley – having been able to celebrate West Ham’s victory before my personal “match of a lifetime” was about to begin, and meeting up with a special friend, entirely by chance – became a sign for me that I could start my own fight with confidence and optimism.
It was the help of my doctors, the support and love of my family, as well as the lasting joy of this West Ham experience at Wembley, and my faith that God meant well for me, which made another victory possible. Not only West Ham had won its most important match of 2012; by the end of the year, I knew that I had only missed the Olympic Games, and would be able to cheer on the Hammers in London once again.
And that’s what I‘m doing to this day. Come on you Irons!
This post has first been published here ▶️www.westhamtillidie.com/posts/ten-years-ago-match-of-a-lifetime. It was included in the shortlist of the “Up the Writers!” football writing award.
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