MY OH MY

(i) Bet most of you had forgotten about Oxford’s pathetic attempt to purloin Slade’s grating ‘My Oh My’ as the Official Cup Final Song. Remember the even more pathetic attempts to get us to join in by handing out song sheets at games prior to the Final? The sad bastard that chose the song should be condemned to Purgatory or a season ticket at Cambridge (given the option I know what I’d choose). Altogether now, we re Oxford United, my oh my….’

(ii) The video itself is fairly good and the atmosphere captured in all its glory (I still can’t help but smile at Shotts grinning and dancing like a gormless drunk after receiving the Cup), but one thing irritates the shit out of me, namely the irritating Commentary presence of Ian St Superleague.

Whilst ‘The Saint”s Comments may seem fairly inoffensive they merely highlight his inability to watch a game not involving Man Utd, Liverpool, Leeds, Arsenal or Tottenham. At one stage he comments that the game needs ‘a Robson or a Souness’, why not a Pele, a Maradona or even a Tchiakovsky? (His football may have been shit but he wrote a blinding symphony.)

When Trev scores the first goal Saint is merely reminded of a Steve Heighway strike in a previous Wembley final. Personally it evoked memories of a splendid Paul Beasley goal in a Peterborough church hall in ’77 but that’s another story. His condescending ‘little Oxford’ Comments really grate at the end of the game and only the sight of an inanely smiling Jim Rosenthal resplendent in one of those ridiculous bull hats stops me kicking the T.V.

On reflection the video highlights St John’s consistency: he thought the Superleague existed in ’86 and that interlopers like Oxford should merely be humoured, not praised, when winning a trophy.

Comedian Frank Skinner said of ‘The Saint And Greavsie’ – ‘One drank himself stupid whilst the other already was’. Ain’t no arguing with that, the sad part is that these two excuses for pond life constitute the full extent of weekly T.V. footballing debate. Now that is sad.

Pete Gardiner