Nov 18,2024
Back in the late 19th century, Edward Watkin took a trip to Paris to visit the magnificent Eiffel Tower; the Victorian magnate proceeded to plan for something similar, yet grander, as the star attraction of his London pleasure ground, Wembley Park.
A sprawling estate of manicured gardens, sports facilities, a music hall and bandstands, and a boating lake, designed to woo the workers out of London, allowing them to live among the splendour, while commuting along the newly built Metropolitan Railway.
Watkin's Tower began in earnest, and by 1896, the first section, complete with viewing platform 47 metres above the hilltop, opened for the public.
Alas, soon after, its foundations started to sink, the money ran out, and Watkin’s Folly, as it was now known, was demolished in 1904, and completely eradicated in 1907 when the foundations were blown out of the ground with dynamite.
The British Government stepped in and by 1923 the new Empire Stadium – later to become Wembley Stadium – complete with iconic twin towers, opened in time for the 1923 FA Cup final.
Wembley Park would then host the 1948 Olympic Games when the Flying Dutch Woman Fanny Blankers-Koen famously won four gold medals, and while the venue welcomed the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, it reached its peak in 1966 when England hosted and won the World Cup.
In the 1980s, Wembley Stadium was centre of the world for the famous Live Aid concert, when Freddie Mercury stole the show in his famous white singlet, with U2 taking an admirable silver for their stirring performance.
But for football fans, the stadium was all about one Saturday every May when the FA Cup final would dominate the airwaves, as television viewers followed the two teams from breakfast at the hotel, on the coach to the ground and all the way out the tunnel onto the hallowed turf, stopping for an always rousing edition of Abide With Me just before kick-off.
The FA Cup final is not what it used to be, and neither Wembley Stadium, as the old ground was ripped down and replaced by a modern arena in 2007.
And the Ireland team arrived at the venue late on Saturday evening for a pitch walk having trained in Dublin in the morning before taking flight to London for their final UEFA Nations League game, which wraps up the 2024 calendar.
Conor Coventry was in attendance with the squad having just been called in to replace Jason Knight, while Heimir Hallgrimsson and Josh Cullen attended the obligatory pre-match press conference.
Hallgrimsson appeared relaxed and upbeat, happy to be coming off a victory on Thursday night and content to put the pressure on the host side who have to win to secure promotion back to the top flight.
And perhaps there is a similar Wembley Watkin story in recent Irish football history, as Stephen Kenny began building on shaky foundations as a result of, not the former manager's, but the federation’s folly, following years neglecting the game back home.
Kenny’s project may not have reached the footballing equivalent of 47 metres, however, the current manager is certainly intent on rebuilding from scratch, as he attempts to create a team that can qualify for major tournaments once more.
Hallgrimsson has been very generous with his time since becoming Ireland manager, and again on Saturday obliged with an extra press conference for the written press where he gave a quite detailed outline of what he is trying to achieve with this team.
"Controlling the game out of possession" are, perhaps, not the words that many Irish fans want to hear, however, there is a logic to it having witnessed his side get taken apart by England in September.
Aside from the poor results, Kenny’s era is likely to be remembered for the work he did with the young generation and overseeing a changing of the guard with the national team, while Hallgrimsson hopes he will be the man to bring back the buzz of summer tournaments, by any means necessary.
Early on matchday, the sun is shining in London, yet all is currently quiet on Wembley Way as the hawkers start to set up their stalls along the pedestrian stretch to the stadium.
For the fans, it offers the ultimate experience as they will pile out of the train from the city and spill onto Wembley Way, before taking the short stroll up to the stadium.
The iconic twin towers were not kept, nor reimagined for the revamp, but rather an arch was incorporated into the design, which works both aesthetically and for engineering purposes.
Back in 1923, those twin towers were built as part of England’s aim to turn outwards and welcome the world; one hundred years later, that particular debate is still being played out on the streets of Albion.
But when it comes to football, England has been among the world leaders and purveyors of the beautiful game throughout that century, and the modern cathedral on the hill is far from folly, as it welcomes former foes for a battle of a sporting nature to see out this international season.
