Just reading Gary Imlach's superb book "My Family and Other Working Class Heroes" and have come up with a brilliant solution for the next time we're short of tickets for a big game.
Forget all this 'ticket stubs', 'season ticket holders first', 'people with Albion tattoos get priority' stuff. Just follow Nottingham Forest's example for the 1959 FA Cup Final....
"Yesterday three anonymous blind men drew from a 75 gallon red-painted barrel the letters of about 8000 fortunate fans...."
It's perfect. Well, the barrel would be better if it was blue. But imagine the drama. We could do it on the pier. And the fact that they're letters just increases the tension - not only do you have to be drawn out in the lottery, you also need to argue an eloquent case for approval. Maybe Meridian could televise it live, and we could have a vote...
"So just one ticket left.. press your red button now. Should our final winner be the eight year old leper from Shoreham who's been promised just one day out of his isolation ward to watch his first ever football match....the porky businessman from Shoreham who stood on the Wembley terraces in '83 but is a bit busy to go these days... or the 97 year old terminally ill grandad from Hove who says he'll die happy if he can see his team play in a proper stadium just one last time. You decide!"
It's briliant. Now all we need are the phone numbers of David Blunkett, Graham Poll and Arsene Wenger to put them on standby for the draw....
Forget all this 'ticket stubs', 'season ticket holders first', 'people with Albion tattoos get priority' stuff. Just follow Nottingham Forest's example for the 1959 FA Cup Final....
"Yesterday three anonymous blind men drew from a 75 gallon red-painted barrel the letters of about 8000 fortunate fans...."
It's perfect. Well, the barrel would be better if it was blue. But imagine the drama. We could do it on the pier. And the fact that they're letters just increases the tension - not only do you have to be drawn out in the lottery, you also need to argue an eloquent case for approval. Maybe Meridian could televise it live, and we could have a vote...
"So just one ticket left.. press your red button now. Should our final winner be the eight year old leper from Shoreham who's been promised just one day out of his isolation ward to watch his first ever football match....the porky businessman from Shoreham who stood on the Wembley terraces in '83 but is a bit busy to go these days... or the 97 year old terminally ill grandad from Hove who says he'll die happy if he can see his team play in a proper stadium just one last time. You decide!"
It's briliant. Now all we need are the phone numbers of David Blunkett, Graham Poll and Arsene Wenger to put them on standby for the draw....
