Diary of a Dub
Six words I need to hear from
you…There are only Six words I need to hear from you…..’I have a ticket for you’.
All that matters right now and in the coming
days is the quest to be one of the 82,400 souls in Croke Park on Sunday week.
Willy Wonka and his golden ticket. If only there were tickets in Chocolate
bars eh? Surely some Marketing genius has at least considered it? Hens Teeth, Scotch
mist, call it what you may. The joy of reaching an All-Ireland, brings with it,
the, by now, well known, ‘Ticket Scramble’. Calling friends
you haven’t spoken to since last September, calling in favors from 1997,
selling your soul, and ready to drop everything to go when called upon in
search of said ticket. Drive to the four corners of the country at a minutes notice,
fly around the world twice over if a ticket was at the end, we would. These are
the things we do, and will do.
And occupy the mind it does. Officially, we are
in countdown mode. 9 sleeps remain. 9 not-so great sleeps until said ticket is secured,
but 9 it is. Whatsapp will announce next week there was an 8.4 million% increase
in messages sent in Dublin starting with the sentence ‘Any word on a ticket bud…?’ People (apparently) following, liking,
retweeting, tagging friends - all kinds of quare stuff across social media have
been and will be, engaged, so to speak, and all are delivered by those who dangle ‘the tickets shall be won’ carrot, only
to be un-followed, un-liked, and most definitely blocked by September 18th…..a necessary
means to an end for many.
But this week is about much more than a ticket.
Que-Sera, Sera. Whatever will be, will be. I’ve not missed one yet, and we have
9 days to go. No panic shall set in, yet.
This is a truly special week that lies ahead. You
now have permission to get excited. To get beside yourself with giddiness, to
start your own countdown clock, rituals, superstitions and whatever takes your
fancy. 5th in the last 7 years we have had an All-Ireland final week to
look forward and everyone of them is absolutely special. This will be no different,
except, a little bit of history is in the making. 3. In. A. Row.
This is a week to
cherish, not to hide from. Not to be nervous. Embrace the madness. Go with it.
Don’t resist it. Think of those years you had no final week to enjoy. 1996 to
2010. Remember them? No, neither do I, Dublin weren’t there so, they have been
filed in the memory banks under Meaningless
and Regret. Not now though. Special times for us and a great time to be a
Dub. Chasing History. Drowning out the Sentiment of 31 counties who want a Mayo
win. Sorry. In football there is no room for Sentiment, only room for greatness,
and we are witnessing both the evolution and the coming of the greatest Dublin
football team ever. More of this next week.
Start planning your
week. Your routine, your superstition. Do it now. Lucky socks, Lucky jocks
et-al. Bring out the best OCD in yourself. Have fun with it. Don’t hold back. We
haven’t done a three in a row in nearly 100 years, you’re surely not going to
rain on your own parade this week, of all weeks?
Medical advice tells us
Alcohol will calm the nerves. It will. Embrace it. Drink responsibly, Drink
copiously. Whatever works for you, I say. We may never see this again. Test out
the liver. Dress rehearse as you may. Do a dry run of your Final day boozers,
even if it just to check the tap quality. Research is important, you’ll want everything
to be perfect come Sunday week. Don’t turn into Dicey Reilly, but do keep those
nerves in check in the week ahead. Get off that Detox, it won’t end well come
Sunday week, simply worth it this week. It is about conditioning and abstinence
will not help your conditioning one bit. As a Fan, you have a responsibility to
be ready for Sunday 17th. Do what is required of you.
Now it’s not all about
the porter. There are other important, time-filling tasks to complete in the
coming days. Really?
Joking…. It’s only
about getting a ticket and having a few beers, and both are intrinsically
linked. Have a few beers to calm the worries of where the ticket is coming
from. Celebrate with a few beers when said ticket is secured. This is the life
of a Dub in the build up to the game. So enjoy the build-up. If Anyone tells
you different, they are an alien. Avoid said people. This is your week, let it
be yours, and make it count (Heard
that somewhere today…..lol)
And of the week ahead, the forecast is for Hurricane strength
sentiment for Mayo, coming from everywhere but Dublin. Remember, Radio Silence advice still applies in
the coming week. Former players will be out from their graves to tell all and
sundry who they think will win and why. Talking points will be created, but
unlike previous years, we carry no drama into this final. Remember, its only
talk, paper ne never refuses ink, and a radio mic will take a voice, regardless
of the bullshit pedaled.
Be confident. I am. This is the coming of this team, this
is History in the making. The signs have been there, have you being seeing
them?
Believe. Emer does. If you
haven’t seen this yet, you need to (click link). 3.
In. A. Row.
In this truly special week that is almost upon us. Do your
bit. Finish all your conversations with ‘Up
the Dubs’, greet randomers with it. Smile it, say it, think it, wear it. Have
that look about you. The one that knows. History is in the making.
Until then, there are only…….Six
Words I need to hear from you…
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