EPL FANTASY: One man's dream in England
by Bill Neil, FOXSports.com
Still, it was a tough time to travel. Before a great adventure you are supposed to feel joy, excitement, anticipation. The terrorists took that from us Sept. 11. Instead we felt suspicion, anxiety and apprehension. But once our plane arrived safely at Gatwick we were going to do our best to put tragedy behind us, if only for a few days.
Increased airport security helped put us at ease and when we got to our hotel, I could see we were going to have the fantastic trip we had hoped for. We were staying at Chelsea Village, which is actually connected to the Blues stadium at Stamford Bridge!
We landed in London early on a Thursday and spent part of that day and all of Friday exploring England's capital. The sentiment toward us, as Americans, was wonderful throughout London. We rubbed elbows in a half dozen or so pubs, and found the response tremendous. Still, there was part of us that just wanted to blend in and not be reminded of the tragedies at home.
That opportunity came Saturday as we lost ourselves in the crowd at White Hart Lane. For the next two hours we were indistinguishable from the lifelong Spurs supporters. We sang "Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur" and cheered for Sheri to put one past his old mates from United. The Champs were in town, and we newly Christened Londoners of three whole days pulled to send the Red Devils home to Manchester pointless.
The experience of being at an EPL match is everything you'd expect and more. Supporters are seriously serious about their clubs. The home crowd chanted "Glen Hod-dle's blue boy ar-my" over and over throughout the match. The United fans were truly amazing, though. They sang from start to finish, never once using their seats. Even as their team trailed 3-0 at halftime, they were undeterred. I couldn't make out all the words, but their chorus amounted to "if you're up by three, it's not enough."
Boy, were they ever right! Deflated Spurs supporters sat in disbelief as the visitors showed why they are champions. The secret of my past devotion to Man United that was hidden under my brand new Tottenham jersey meant that I couldn't lose either way. This was always going to be my first time at an EPL match, and as good as the fixture had looked on paper, it had turned out to be incredible on the pitch.
Home in the States now, I've thought a lot about how lucky I had been last season in the EPL Fantasy Challenge. Ray Parlour finds it hard to earn a regular shift at Highbury these days. Last year he delivered me a hat trick. Tim Flowers can't hold a steady job behind the league's most generous defense. For me he kept multiple clean sheets. So, if you are trying to win the EPL Fantasy Challenge this year, that's the real secret. Just be incredibly lucky week after week.
Even if you can't guarantee yourself the grand prize, you can still claim the trip. Just go to UltimateSportsDreams.com. They can put you in a seat at any EPL game and make all your travel arrangements. That is who Fox trusted to handle our entire trip and they did a fantastic job. If you love this sport, you owe it to yourself to go over and see a match. There is nothing like it.
One last thought. In coordinating this prize I dealt with a few people at Fox Sports and Stats, Inc. I learned they are just fans like you and me. They love soccer. They want folks to be able to enjoy the game and if the rules didn't prohibit it, they'd be trying like heck to win this contest themselves. I am incredibly grateful for all they have done for me and the first-class way I've been treated. Now, if they could just do something to bring back the weekly EPL show ... .
Thank You Fox Sports World. We had a terrific time.
Editor's note: Bill Neil was the grand prize winner of last season's Fox Sports' EPL Fantasy Challenge. He recently attended his first EPL match, Man U's stunning 5-3 win over Totenham at White Hart Lane on Sept. 29. He sent us his thoughts on the experience.
To play this year's EPL Fantasy Challenge log on to foxsportsworld.com
advertisement
