I suspect though that after the foreign media saw the headlines about the West Ham rumble a while back and then chose this fixture for the wrong reasons.   Less for the romance of the cup and more for what could happen in the streets outside.

If you haven’t guessed already we are going back to 2004 and an even bigger predictable final than the one last year with Pompey and Cardiff.

I know I am being down on Millwall even before it all kicks off… ahem… It is the (non-league) AFC and not the old (now franchised) Wimbledon. But I am still concerned about some brainless so-called fans who will still see this, because of the relative short distance, as a local rivalry and want to have some.

The club itself did their best to stamp out…ah I’m not helping… this reputation by (in 2003) appointing one Dennis Wise as their player manager.       Oh.

That cheeky chappy or reckless headcase (depending on who you support) once described by Lord Ferge of Trafford as somebody who could start a fight in an empty room, had been sent off 13 times in a 20-year career and has had more than his share of off-field troubles. He escaped a three-month prison sentence for assault in 1995 after being acquitted on appeal. He was sacked by his previous club Leicester for breaking a team-mate’s jaw… I don’t know what it is with football league chairmen, don’t they ever read the newspapers ? But Theo Paphitis (the then chairman) struck.. *ack* lucky with this one and little Dennis steered the club to this FA Cup Final appearance.

As for the match itself – not much to say about it. As mentioned above pretty much a foregone conclusion, the bookies gave some long odds on even a Millwall player scoring.

- For their first time in their history Millwall got to the final so for their first time in history they also released a cup final song – a re-worded familiar tune originally crooned by a certain Italian-American.

It actually bothered the charts – breaking into the UK top 75 at number 41, where it stayed for 1 week before disappearing again.

The track: “Oh Millwall” is described as “unique in being the first official FA Cup song by any club to include both players and fans singing”. Sample lyrics: “Oh Millwall, wo oh, la la la la, from the Den right down the M4″  [final was at the Millenium Stadium] “Oi, Oi, We’ll see our Lions score.”

[See post to listen to audio] » Millwall FC 2004 – Oh Millwall

…and the original upon which it was based:

[See post to listen to audio]» Dean Martin – Volare

 … ah I can resist:

[See post to listen to audio]» Dean Martin – Ain’t That A Kick In The Head

Be’ave yerselves now.

Sadly it wasn’t left on the street and some displayed their idiocracy inside the ground:

We should try to find out the name of this bloater so we can name and shame him. I’m sure he’s been banned for life but the world need to know he is so that we can point and laugh.

A spokesman for Millwall was shocked, SHOCKED ! that charges brought against them.
They are blaming the fact that their ticket allocation was small thus many ticketless fans turned up. But don’t you get it mister Millwall spokesman – these so called “fans” were not interested in going into the match, all they wanted to do was show the rest of us how stupid they all are.

Some of it did spill inside but none of the Millwall supporters actually stepped onto the pitch. They did however do their share of damage by ripping up some seats and wrecking the bogs.

Both clubs are moaning about the charges but until there is a way of identifying every individual involved (I.D card ? Pah ! As I said the fighting was outside the ground and they not interested in watching the match) and then banning them, it will mean that every fan will have to suffer.

Talking of which I spotted this via the Beeb, originally reported on the scummy Sun about one bloke who will suffer :

Burnley fan Jason Taylor is being forced to travel 50 miles to watch his team play Blackburn next month, despite living round the corner from Rovers’ Ewood Park ground. Clarets fans have been told that they must report to Turf Moor four hours before kick-off and travel the 13 miles to Blackburn by coach. After the game, the transport then returns them to Turf Moor. The move comes in the wake of recent crowd trouble at the derby game between West Ham and Millwall at Upton Park.

Stupidity I know, but until people learn (they never will) this sort of thing is going to keep happening.

I’ll get off me soapbox now.

[See post to listen to audio] » Libertines – Campaign Of Hate

[See post to listen to audio] » Sultans Of Ping – Football Hooligan (Live)
Actually it mentions Chelsea

- or -

[See post to listen to audio] » Beautiful South – Hooligans Don’t Fall In Love

And beat them.

Sadly, because at the time there was zero interest by the American media (or the public) there are no reports to be found on the match. But it was a… I wouldn’t say a historic match but it was a noteworthy one because only a few months later Brazil went on to appear and lose in the World Cup Final.
(you remember it. Before the match Ronaldo had an “illness”)

Noteworthy too because of the outstanding performances of two journeyman American footballers who appeared in the Premier League. In fact one of them is still there.

The only and winning goal was scored by Preki, who Everton fans will fondly remember from his time with them in the early ’90′s. Also spent a season with Pompey before going back to the USA.

What a shot it was. Outside of the area, on his left peg, keeper didn’t get near it.
- Hey do you know what he’s doing now ? He’s the head coach of Chivas USA.

But this match was remembered more for the goalkeeping heroics of one Kasey Keller. After going a goal down and time running out the Brazilians took up target practice at the USA goal, none of them got in.

After their defeat Romario remarked: “That is the best performance by a goalkeeper I have ever seen. It was an honour to be on the pitch with him.”

– As mentioned I can’t find any reports on this game, but you can watch Preki’s goal here and some highlights here.

The members of the now defunct American band Barcelona (also known as Barcelonadc) watched this match, saw Kasey’s outstanding performance and were inspired to write a song about it…

[See post to listen to audio] » Barcelona – Kasey Keller

I’ve been pondering for a while about what to do about certain songs I’ve found, certain teams and things associated with them. What I want to do with F & M is to post items which give a positive view of football, about the teams and their fans. My policy is to try and find any footie-musical items that sing about the love of a certain team and about the game itself. I am not and I will not post anything that ones set have fans have composed about another set or an opposing side. I’ve found already quite a few done by Man USA fans, some by Rangers fans which are not good natured ribbing but border on hateful.

As mentioned there are teams which when you hear or read their name you immediately know of their reputation. This particular team which gives me a pisspoor excuse to post today’s track is Millwall.

See. You’ve already thought it.

When you hear about them it is nearly always about their fans and about violence.

Side story: In the mid-90's I was in this hotel and one of the guests was somebody sent there by his company for some training thing/seminar or something. He wasn't a suited and booted bloke, but somebody who worked elsewhere in that company, again I don't know where, but obviously not in the offices. What made this obvious was the skinheaded haircut, the tattoo's and the cut-off denim jacket he always wore with Millwall FC patches all over it.
This bloke... I say bloke but he was only a youngish kid really, wasn't the stereotypical footie hooligan. In fact when we talked to him he was the friendliest, nicest guy you could meet. But he wasn't exactly the brightest.

When the hotel bar closed our boy wanted to keep drinking and the only place still open at that time in the early hours of the morning was a dodgy bar not far away. Even though it was obvious he'd get into a bit of bother with the locals he still wanted to go and went he did.

Didn't stay there very long obviously. He sat there quietly and had a few drinks but a few in the bar didn't care for his presence and after slapping him around (nothing serious) they chucked him out. The kid came back to the hotel and told us this story and yes... he was puzzled as to why they objected to his being there. He genuinely didn't or couldn't understand.

So it doesn’t matter if you are a pacifist. If you decide to dress to look like a skinhead to fit in with your culture or surroundings you have to accept the consequences.

I’ve wandered off from my main point… Oh yes, the sort of songs posted here.

I found a band who have recorded a couple of footie-related songs, but this band’s type of music is associated with Oi!
Because there is a possibility that this band is neo-nazi, but so far I haven’t found any solid evidence of such, I’ve been asking myself if I should post their song or not. I need a 2nd opinion on this, so if anyone wants to volunteer and read about what I’ve found then please contact me.

Finally we are back to the beginning subject and the team associated with the song.
I am posting this one because despite their public image of them, this song isn’t about any form of hatred against anybody. It sings about the pride in their team and about being a Londoner.

Despite all this though… when I went searching for more info about the track I found via Google’s new book search excerpts from two books : One is The Changing Face of Football: Racism, Multiculturalism and Identity in the English Game and the other is: No One Likes Us, We Don’t Care: The Myth and Reality of Millwall Fandom. Both which quote the lyrics to this song to demonstrate (as far as I can tell) that Millwall are not as biased as you think.
That saying though there always going to be that hooligan element associated with the club. Unfortunately it will never go away.

» Roy Green – Let ‘Em Come

A sequel to this will be posted next week