Que Sera, Sera - Whatever Will Be, Will Be - I've just completed number 11

I did it. Number 11 - done.

"Que Sera, Sera - Whatever Will Be, Will Be, I really wish I'd put this at number 23"

Instead - at number 11 on my '30 things to do before I'm 30 list' is watch a football match at Wembley. And last night, I did just that.

Wednesday 29th May 2013 will stay with me for a long time. England vs the Republic of Ireland - and I was there. Ok, the match had all the flair, excitement and atmosphere of a wake - but that aside, I managed to go to the world's most famous football stadium; something I've wanted to do since I was about 5.

As a footy-mad child, Wembley was the pinnacle. Games were rarely played there - it was something mystical. The FA Cup Final (which was played after the season finished and kicked-off at 3pm on a Saturday!), the (insert sponsor name depending on your age) League Cup and the odd England game were played there - and that was it. Now they seem to play every month and it seems to have lost its mystique.

My first Wembley memory is vivid. It was watching a VHS (that's the thing before DVDs for you younger readers) of England beating Czechoslovakia 4-2 - and two goals were scored by my hero: Wolves' Number 9, Steve Bull.

It was from 1990 - just before the Italia '90 World Cup. Gazza got all the plaudits for his pass (which was exquisite) but Bully's finish was pretty damn good too.

The old Wembley was of course iconic. It was where Sir Bobby Moore lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in '66. It's where we saw Rene Higuita's scorpion kick, Stuart Pearce's fist thumping penalty in Euro '96 and where the whole country cried as the Germans robbed us of what we all thought was our destiny in the Euro '96 semi-finals. It saw Wimbledon lift the FA Cup, Gazza's free-kick for Spurs in '91 - then his career defining injury in the final of that year against Notts Forest.

There's something about the new Wembley which feels like it will never recapture that glory - that passion. The iconic twin towers are gone - even the goalposts, which were themselves distinctive and unique, have been replaced by the usual standard variety. Where Bobby Robson and Sir Alf Ramsey once stood - we've had a wally with a brolly and a grumpy Italian. 

Was it how I'd always imagined it would be? No, not really. The new Wembley is a bit of an odd place. I wouldn't say it was soul-less, that would be unfair. But from the outside I really didn't get the wow factor I thought I'd feel. It's quite drab actually - too much concrete and despite only having opened in 2007, parts of it are looking pretty weathered already. But inside, when you climb the steps an enter the arena itself  - that's the wow factor. It's a splendid sight. I simply could never imagine what it must be like to step out on to that pitch in front of 85,000 fans.

But there's something about the new Wembley that symbolises what's wrong with the modern game. There's a feeling of everything being a bit too corporate. It's almost too nice. Bordy and I ordered a pint of lager and a pie. Aside from that fact it cost almost £10 each, we were then accosted by a lady collecting customer feedback about the service we'd received that day. 'Did they say welcome to Wembley?', 'Did they have sufficient knowledge of the product?' Sufficient knowledge of the product!! It took all my willpower not to reply - 'it's a pint of lager and a balti pie - what knowledge does she need?!' Perhaps a GCSE in pasties is called for? I'm normally one for good customer service - but quite frankly I'd rather pay £3 less and have some grumpy, spotty teen serve me a lukewarm, soggy-bottomed pie which has been kept warm for a fortnight...that's proper football.


Still, it was great to simply be there - at the home of the beautiful game. I had a great day out with my mate and it threw up a few pertinent questions in my mind:
 

1. Whatever happened to Des Lynam?
2. Has there ever been a footballer so universally disliked as Ashley Cole?
3. Can you ever buy a Cadbury's Boost without the caramel having already leaked and being welded to the wrapper?
4. Why don't they do FA Cup final songs anymore?

There were a few contenders for this outro - 'Ossie's Dream' from Tottenham Hotspur came a close second but this, for me, is bloody brilliant. Still not quite sure how they managed to get Barnes to rhyme with bananas though...