Many regrets but the boys did us proud

COME the final whistle those of us in the front few rows at the Stade de France looked like a load of drowned Gooner rats, all our hopes and high expectations having disappeared down the stadium drains along with the torrent of rain which soaked us in the second half.

The yellow and grey hues of our end of this vast arena might not have looked anywhere near as colourful as the garish blues, reds and fluorescent yellows behind Barca’s goal. Yet as I turned to survey the impressive scenery for the last time, I was pleased to see that the vast majority of the Arsenal faithful had lingered long enough to exalt their heroes with a final loud and proud show of appreciation for all their efforts.

In fact I got the sense that the team were so wrapped up in their own massive disappointment that they were all about to trudge straight off the pitch, until our raucous serenade pierced their consciousness, reminding them that there were still some dues to be paid to their vast army of travelling fans.