COLOGNE: Champions Again! - By 1st Team Manager (Eric Armanazi)

Another year, another world cup victory for this astonishing team, this time doubled up as a third successive Gay Olympic Games victory. Im now getting to the stage that I cant find the words to congratulate my players as the superlatives have run out. That being the case, statistics can do the job for me:

Stonewall FC have now won 4 of the last 5 world cups since 2006, losing the other final, making it 5 world cup finals in a row. We have now reached the final of the last 8 world cups we have entered a truly remarkable run which is unparalleled in sport. We are also the only club to have won 8 IGLFA world cups and 3 Gay Games making this a truly historic week: Stonwall FC continues to march on and on.

If Washington 2009 was a victory of substance over style, of hard work over flair, then Cologne 2010 combined strength and flair. This amazing group of players showed an incredible self-belief to bounce back from 1-0 down 4 times last week and win the tournament.....to bounce back from a shocking opening match defeat to win all 6 subsequent matches scroing 22 goals in the process and laying exquisite football. I cannot begin to express my pride at the level of performance and team spirit that i came across and it is a privilege and honour to be manager and friend to this squad. The camaraderie of the squad was inspirational on and off the field and this lot fought for each other on the pitch and enjoyed each other's company off it. Take note Fabio Capello!! From a personal point of view, to have led Stonewall FC to 4 world cups as manager is a record i shall always treasure and i hope to continue the success that we have achieved.

As usual, I shall do a day by day report of the tournament, a tournament that turned into virtual knockout football very early on after that opening defeat which I will describe in due course. With that defeat we basically had to win every subsequent match to ensure qualification and despite some heart-stopping moments we qualified from the group stage a la Spain and went from strength to strength. But first, some thank yous must be said:

My management team of Paul Finney (assistant) and Doug Edward (captain) were truly inspirational and their constant attention to detail and prowess took pressure off me and allowed me to concentrate on my goalkeeping. Our physio Richard Lewis worked wonders patching players up and how Tom and Mikey made it through the week after their injuries is a testamount to Richard's skills. As usual the wags were great to be around: Wallace, Devlin, Craig and Martin in particular were there for every match and let me tell you, when you are losing and you hear support from the sidelines it really makes a difference. Devlin and Craig were on their first Stonewall tours and made an instant impact with their wit and friendliness. Simon Nella, Pete Shuttleworth and Roger Taylor: 3 Stonewall legends. Your support throughout the week especially given your tournament commitments was hugely appreciated and wont be forgotten. Finally, Daniel Miller: this guy is a fantastic organiser and if it wasnt for him, these tours wouldnt happen so congratulations mate on another successful event and well done.

Now onto the Gay Games 2010 (IGLFA World Cup): Day by Day personal report:

FRI 30 JULY- SUN 1 AUG
Stonewall FC had a traumatic preparation for the tournament with 2 high-profile withdrawals which caused me great concern and i genuinely felt that we might fall short. I must thank Aslie for allowing me to use John Edwards and he performed admirably all week. The opening ceremony was a bit of a let down after Sydney and Chicago but a good time was had by all and Cologne's gay scene was sampled, possibly a little excessively. However, the 2 highlights of the weekend have to be Mikey Kearney's all pink outfit (!) and Dan Miller being bitch-slapped by an oriental transexual outside the hotel despite partner Craig's efforts to intervene....bizarre to say the least!

MON 2 AUG
STONEWALL 2-3 GODADO MILAN (JAMIE, TOM)
A truly shambolic start to the competition for the defending champions. The competition format meant that to qualify we had to finish in the top 2 of a 5-team group and now suddenly the pressure was on. On paper, our draw didnt seem too difficult and as manager I must shoulder the blame for my players underestimating the oppostion and indeed for over-doing it somewhat socially over the previous weekend on the town. I will learn from this in the future. Frankly, we were abysmal and but for some excellent first half saves we could have lost by 6 or 7. I was trying a new formation and the players seemed completely ill-at-ease. At worst, we now had a struggle to qualify, at best, it might prove to be a kick up the backside. Suffice to say, the players received the famous 'hairdrier' after the game which was replicated by captain Doug. Not one player dared have a late night after that debacle!

TUE 3 AUG
STONEWALL 2-0 VORSPIEL BERLIN (TOM, JAMES)
Having reflected on the first defeat, I spent Monday evening sounding out my captain and senior players and it was decided, somewhat similarly to Bobby Robson in Italia 1990, that we needed to change formation. i switched back to a tried and trusted 4-4-1-1 and trusted my players to make it work. (Again, take note Fabio Capello!!) I also had worked out that to ensure group qualification, we had to win our remaining 3 group matches and I used the example of Spain to make the point that this was possible. A nervy first half was followed by an increase in tempo after half-time and our fitness and skills shone through with goals from Tom and a lovely finish from James completing a sound 2-0 victory. We were off the mark and positioned 3rd with 2 games to play.

WED 4 AUG
STONEWALL 2-1 COPENHAGEN (IAIN, JOHN S)
D day had arrived. We had to play 2nd place Copenhagen knowing that defeat would mean almost certain elimination and I was doing my best to calm the nerves pre-match. Copenhagen are a very direct team, similar to Stoke City with an extra-ordinary throw in routine where the player somersaults and throws the ball into the box from virtually anywhere in the attacking half. As was the theme of the week, we got off to an awful start when a simple ball through the middle led to their striker rounding me and scoring. Frankly, I should've come out and cleared the ball but it was up to my players to save me now. Surely, we weren't going out thanks to my error. Half time came and my comments were not to panic. Keep playing down the flanks and on the ground and they will tire. Gradually we edged our way into the game and our skill and flair shone through as we turned around the deficit through goals from Iain and John S. I was redeemed. Now we had to withstand a late onslaught including a free-kick which led to an extremley funny moment from Nigel and Raphael who couldnt work out left from right while i was lining up a wall. Suffice to say, a load of verbals ensued from me which caused hilarity on the sidelines!! We managed to see the game out and gain a deserved victory. Finally, destiny was in our own hand with one game to go.
STONEWALL 5-0 KARLSRUHE (DOUG 2, JAMIE, IAIN, MICHAEL)
With 1 match remaining, vs the weakest team in our group, I had to remind my players of what happend on Monday and not to under-estimate the opposition. We received a pre-match boost with the news that Godado had drawn their final game vs Berlin meaning that we could now win the group. This seemed to have the desired effect and we put in a very decent performance full of flair and the goals were fully deserved.

After a tough start, we had won our group but now the real work began. Knockout football just how we like it. Would we have the legs given the 2 withdrawals or would we fall short? There were lots of questions going through my head but the answers that came would delight me. That evening, a Gay Games football celebration was planned by the pitches but my players decided that a team meal would be more beneficial and I have to say that was a moment of great pride for me that my players agreed with me on this and for the first time I began to wonder about victory. I have to say over the whole week, all the players got on so well and I really think this made a huge difference as tiredness came into play in the latter rounds and we needed to encourage each other as a squad.

THU 5 AUG
STONEWALL 7-0 FLORIDA STORM (JAMIE 3, IAIN 3,DOUG)
Wow, what can I say about this. A truly fantastic performance against the team we beat in the final in Chicago 4 years previously. I told my players that Florida would fight hard but might tire and that we had to wear them down and then let our flair work its magic and that is precisely what happened. After 60mins, the score was 1-0 but they were tiring and we went on to score 6 goals in 30 glorious second half minutes including 2 fantastic hat-tricks. We also didnt rise to some 'suspect' tackling but kept our nerve to reach yet another semi-final. However, there were 2 problems to deal with: Raphael and Tom were now 1 yellow card away from missing the final and Tom was carried off with an ankle injury which I have to say at the time looked like it would end his tournament. I didnt account for Richard's healing hands!!

FRI 6 AUG
STONEWALL 2-1 KINGKICKERS ITALIA (DOUG, JOHN S)
Undoubtably the match of the tournament so far, played in a great spirit with some breathtaking football by both sides. With Raphael and Tom close to suspension and Tom's injury I gambled and left him on the bench but we were over-run in the first 25mins and couldnt get off the blocks. A truly horrific error from me led to the Italians taking the lead when I inexplicably allowed a tame cross to elude me and go into the net. Luckily I have a great team and they got my head up quickly. It was clear that Tom had to come on and we needed more oomph up from so I brought Michael on for Iain in the hope that Iain would get second-wind in the second half. This worked well and we took control of midfield, thus nullifying their excellent no8 and Michael played like a man possessed up front. We equalised with a neat finish from Doug and i ran the length of the pitch to thank him for sparing my blushes. Game on! Just before half time, the move of the match from left to right led to a brilliant goal from John S and we got to half time 2-1 up when 1-1 would probably have been fairer. I had a decision to make. Tom and Michael had turned the game in our favour but Iain was waiting to come back on. To his utmost credit, and further evidence of the exceptional spirit of my team, Iain approached me and advised me not to change things and he was right. We were 45mins from the final so I had to compose myself before speaking. It was obvious to me that the Italians were stronger down the middle and weaker out wide so i drummed it into my players to attack very wide and defend narrow and to their credit they responded. I reminded them that no-one ever remembers the team that loses in the semi and that their destiny was in their own hands now. And boy did they respond. We kept the ball extremely well in the second half and even though we couldnt add a 3rd goal, we were fairly comfortable. Finally the final whistle went. YES!!! We had done it again!! Stonewall were in the final. I was so proud of the players and they celebrated with dignity and happiness. We always step it up when we need to and we had done it again. Another final and out opponents would be United FC of Florida in a repeat of last year's tempestous affair. Paul Finney brilliantly hosted the official team dinner that evening and it was a lovely evening. I sensed a mood of anticipation and calmness. We had been here before many times. Time to deliver again....

SAT 7 AUG
STONEWALL 2-1 UNITED FC FLORIDA (IAIN 2)
The drama began at 0630. My hotel phone rang and i could see it was Mikey. He told me he couldnt walk and was in bits. Once again he went straight to Richard but the diagnosis was 10% likely to play, he had damaged his ankle ligaments. This was a huge blow. When I took him to Doug and Nigel's room for a chat he broke down in my arms and I have to admit I couldnt stop my tears from flowing. Arguably one of our best ever full-backs and my good mate would have to miss the final. I was gutted for him and for my team but in my head I knew how to change the team. As the game got closer, the painkillers took effect and not only did he miraculously play through the pain barrier, he ended up putting in an astonishing performance, one which I will never forget. A giant in that defence.

Considering we had lost the opening game and 2 players before a ball had been kicked, I told my players that reaching the final was a great achievement but that they were on the verge of history against a team that would play direct football but also try to goad them into reacting. United are a good team and they play on the edge. We had to match the desire and add our extra skill. The final last year was a game between 2 very tired squads. This year, the match was a classic and Stonewall FC played out one of our finest ever performances. It may have been 2-1 but it could have been 4 or 5 after an awesome first half performance.

My team talk concentrated on playing the match, not the occasion; playing the Stonewall game, not rising to the oppositions wind-ups which began pre-match. I named Mikey in the line-up but named an alternate line-up should he not get through early stages....oh me of little faith! We came out onto the pitch, over 500 spectators, 95% supporting Stonewall, which shows we play good football and we are respected and liked by our opponents as players and people. Players from Cologne, Kingkickers, Titans, Manchester, Copenhagen and our fantastic Apprentices squad all came to support us. The national anthen was played, a huge pride overcame me. Would my players be overawed by all this, would it be a game too far for my fantastic players? The answer was an emphatic NO! We were amazing during that first half. We destroyed them down the wings and created chance after chance after chance but we just couldnt get that goal. United had little in resonse other than set pieces and high balls through the middle. Then disaster struck. An innocous ball through the middle, a defensive slip and 8 yards out a tap-in. 0-1, completely against the run of play. This couldnt be happening, we were all over them, I was distraught. I noticed that United were completely over-the-top with their goal celebration, causing a reaction from our bench.

The half time whistle was blown and I wondered whether fate had dealt us a cruel hand. Maybe it wasnt our day, it can happen in football, we had missed so many chances maybe it wasnt meant to be. As I was walking to the dressing room a noticed a scuffle by the dug-outs and i raced to see what was occuring. It became apparent that their player had struck Doug. This was completely out of order but had been unseen by the officials. It seemed to me that even though they were winning, they were riled. I launched into some verbal altercations fully aware that they would be talking about it in their dressing room and be distracted, whereas my lads would concentrate on the game and felt that my Fergie mind games might work. All I had to say in the dressing room was that we had to play the same way but be more composed in front of goal. I told them to listen to the crowd, they were all supporting us so dont let them down. With that said, we got onto the pitch early, another psychological ploy so that they would come out and see we were ready. Both my ploys worked. When the opposition emerged it seemed that they were still affected by the half-time events and had lost concentration.

The second half started more evenly. It became obvious to me that we needed an early reply and it came from a move down the left and a finish from Iain Drain. WE'VE EQUALISED!!!!The stadium erupted. We were level and all you could hear was the crowd chanting STONEWALL....STONEWALL!! It sent a shiver down the spine. Surely the tide had turned. To their credit United held firm and it was a much more even second half. Both teams had good possession but few clear cut chances. Ten minutes to go and I could see players on both sides tiring. I was already preparing for extra time when we got a free kick on the right hand side. Up went Lance, up went Darren. Come on Doug, one good delivery. The kick came in and a header from Stonewall ITS IN THE TOP CORNER!!!!!! YES, WE'VE SCORED. Who was it? IAIN DRAIN WITH A BULLET HEADER!!! We were ten minutes away from history. Keep it tight Stonewall. Tom and Mikey were both suffering but I said no they cant come off. With minutes to go United had a corner.....good delivery and a flicked header seems to have beaten me but somehow I managed to pull off a miraculous one handed save when the ball had seemingly gone beyond me. It was undoubtably the save of my life and it knocked the stuffing out of them. The announcement came up: 2 minutes injury time and it seemd like an hour. Eventually, the whistle went and pandemonium ensued. WE HAD DONE IT AGAIN!!! CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!!! What a performance. The stadium rose as one to salute my players and i instruced them to aplaud the fantastic crowd. To their credit United were gracious losers. Personally, i jumped into the crowd to find Roger Taylor, without who I may not have joined the club in 2001 and we shared an emotional moment.

Stonewall Football Club.....the stuff of legends. Time and time again we were behind and we played some wonderful football and had incredible self-belief. 8 times world champions, yes 8 times!! What a team and what a group of young men, a privilege to manage and a privilege to be friends with. As the trophy was being presented Doug tried to make me lift it with him, a typically fantastic gesture, but this was his moment, this was the players' moment. My job was done.....til next time!


eric - click here for pics