There’s a joke going around on social media about how easy it’s going to be for Manchester City to complete the double when they face Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday, it goes a little something like this …
The City players turn up at Wembly for the game but can’t get motivated to face their neighbours, Erling Haaland sees this and tells his teammates not to worry, they can head to the pub, he’ll face United alone.
So, City's players and staff don’t think twice and off they go.
After a drink or two they check the score and see that they are two up, Haaland having scored in the fifth and 10th minutes, so they relax and enjoy themselves.
As the game ends, they check the score again and find that they’ve won 2-1.
They celebrate while heading back to the stadium to collect their medals.
When they get into the changeroom, they see Haaland sitting with his head in his hands crying, they ask what’s wrong? He won the game on his own.
He looks up at them and says, “sorry lads, I messed up, I got sent off before half-time.”
That’s how easy it appears to be for the blue side of Manchester to take home the trophy.
Even the Red Devils fans that I’m friends with couldn’t be bothered to watch the game, they are all playing golf on Saturday afternoon.
One of them doesn’t even play golf but he’d rather spend the day duffing a ball around Kempton Park Golf Course than watch the last game of the English season.
This apathy toward the Cup is growing.
Some say it lost its luster when Sir Alex Ferguson pulled United out of the competition so he could focus on the World Club Cup in the 1999/2000 season.
Others believe the magic is gone because the small clubs simply can’t compete with the big boys in terms of squad depth and money, there are no more Cinderella stories of David slaying Goliath.
I’ve watched every FA Cup final since the 1984/85 season (when Norman Whiteside scored the only goal of the game as United beat Everton), I’ve laughed, screamed, yell and cried, even as a neutral.
I’ve watched with my family, I’ve watched with friends, I’ve watched alone, but I’ve always watched.
I've watch great finals and poor finals.
I've watched players crumble under the pressure and I've watched some stand tall on the biggest stage.
I've watched players win the final with their last kick at a club (Patrick Viera for Arsenal in 2004/05).
I've even watch predictable finals (Arsenal 4, Aston Villa 0; Manchester City 6, Watford 0).
I even cared about the fancy suits they were going to wear before kick-off ...
Winning the double in England used to be something special.
From the first time it was done in 1888 by Preston North End followed by Villa a decade later, Tottenham Hotspur (can you believe it?) in 1961, United has won the double three times: in 1993/94, 1995/96 and 1998/99 seasons, Arsenal shares the same record, having also won the double three times: in 1970/71, 1997/98 and 2001/02, Man City has achieved the double twice: in 2018/19 and 2022/23, Chelsea in the 2009/10 season and the amazing Liverpool side on the 80s won it in the 1985/86 season (the fact that this team only won it once should tell you how hard it was), it's been seen as the pinnacle of English football.
City are trying to become the first side to win back-to-back doubles and it doesn't matter.
They are about to join the Gunners and United with three doubles and it doesn't matter.
Maybe it's the 115 charges they are facing, maybe it's because they are so damn good, maybe, maybe, maybe ... all I know is that I'm skipping the final this year.
I think I’ll hit the golf course on Saturday afternoon myself (and I'm a morning only player, so that should tell you something) and maybe watch the highlights on Sunday, maybe.
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