stokeriño

I was there! Got a seat about three rows back in the West Stand Lower (south side, near the corner flag), because I wanted to be as close to the pitch as possible. Great for Zola's lap of honour, though I think most (if not all) of the goals happened down the MH end, so not such a great view in that regard... I remember pulling out one of my old 'Autoglass' shirts with ZOLA 25 on the back for the match, then being surprised that I didn't see more fans doing something similar...

I get so apprenhensive before big games like this. Even if we go 3-0 up and are cruising, I likely won't accept that victory is ours until the final whistle is blown. Maybe not even for a couple of minutes after that. >_>

Indeed. We can hardly say that we've proven ourselves away from home this season, with only the likes of Sunderland, Fulham and Stoke dispatched thus far (and of course the slip ups at Villa and Wigan...). If we come away with at least 4 points from Arsenal and City then I think we will have done well, and should have the confidence to push through the winter months where we faltered a bit last year. The Blackburn game is arguably less important, of course, but the aforementioned matter of confidence/momentum remains. Not to mention that winning the Carling Cup in February would provide the usual boost heading into the crucial Champions League/later Premier League fixtures. All in all: one down, three to go!