Although I was looking forward to the football yesterday, I was actually more excited about being part of what I thought would be a moving remembrance ceremony.
Did anyone else notice the shambles around the 1914 Football Truce commemorations at the DW Stadium yesterday? OK it was difficult for any stand out failure around what was a totally inept performance from the team, but the day started off very badly as the club appeared to be shockingly ill prepared for what should have been a very special and sombre event.
The pre game remembrance parade as the two teams entered the pitch had RAF cadets holding aloft flags, whilst the Scots Guards Pipes and Drum band were also pitch side.
The two teams stood facing the West Stand shoulder to shoulder and then over the loudspeaker system came the words ‘Please be upstanding’, no explanation as to what was going to happen next nor why the event was taking place, a cannon rang out a single shot and half the stadium jumped out of their skin, this was followed by a lone bugler playing the last post, which was beautifully done, followed by a minutes silence, which wasn’t announced, another blast from the bugle and then another cannon shot.
Then the real fun began, as the pipe and drum band began playing some muppet at the club decided it would be a great idea to bang on a dance tune whilst the two teams were announced, this drowned out the pipes and drums, who following their first tune, turned and started to march down the touch line in the direction of the South Stand and out of the ground still playing the pipes and drums whilst the club played ‘Believer’ at full blast.
How difficult would it have been to have allowed the marching band to leave the ground, a total of probable 3 minutes, before they started with the pre match hullabaloo, how difficult would it have been to announce over the loudspeaker what was going to happen on the pitch and why, how difficult would it have been to have a rehearsal to ensure that all would go smoothly, but most importantly how difficult would it have been to have shown some respect.
There were quite a few angry people sat around me in the East Stand over the way the club had conducted the event, the 1914 Football Truce is one of the most poignant and significant signs of humanity in our recent history, to be treated this way was an absolute disgrace, ‘Least We Forget’, what a shambles.
