Emirates Stadium. The home of my favourite team. The home of football. As I enter this sacred ground I can already feel the atmosphere pumping me up. My heart beats rapidly in anticipation for the upcoming match. One section of the stadium fills with a vibrant, stunning red and the other side, the colour white sits in the stands. 60,000 people in one stadium to experience one of the most anticipated matches of the football season and 57,000 of them believe in the same thing I do, Arsenal.
Why is this game different to any other? Why is this game so important? First of all, this game is the North London Derby which is one of the most talked about football matches of the season. Second of all, I was there to witness all of the action.
The game goes on, the Arsenal team playing with such class as they dominate the possession. Creating chances left, right and centre. The opportunities go begging. Shots firing over the cross-bar and around the post get the Arsenal fans to the edge of their seats. The home fans eagerly wait for Arsenal to kick the ball into the back of the net. Minutes go by as the supporters of the red army start to bite their finger nails. And then…
The first goal goes in! Arsenal get the goal they deserve. Theo Walcott sets up Olivier Giroud with a beautiful, weighted pass which the French striker slots home with the outside of his boot. The ball blasts past the Tottenham goalkeeper into the bottom right corner of the goal. The roar of the crowd is deafening and the passion for my team surges right through my body almost forcing me to thunderously roar with them as euphoria and ecstasy are felt all around the stands of the stadium. An armada of waving hands is all that I can see. The opposition’s fans are all silent. I can see disbelief, shock and distress are written all over their faces.
Banal. That’s pretty much the atmosphere most of you would feel at the Emirates stadium. One of the worst football grounds in the world. No excitement, no enthusiasm and certainly no energy. The boring Arsenal fans sitting in their red seats show no passion for their so-called ‘Gunners’. Is this what they call the home of the famous and historic Arsenal football club or is this the biggest library in the world? As the Tottenham supporters make all the noise, we silence the Arsenal fans. They lack passion.
Why is this game different to any other? Why is this game so important? First of all, it’s the North London Derby. Second of all, I’m here to witness Arsenal get humiliated and thrashed by Tottenham at Arsenal’s own back yard.
Us Tottenham fans were cheering on our team. The boys in white were defending well. Ruthless aggression was the motto every Tottenham player seemed to go by. Perfect tackles going in from every corner of the stadium. Arsenal can’t do anything to break down this strong defence and score the goal they are desperate for. And then…
The first goal goes in. Unbelievably, the lucky goal goes to Arsenal. We are all mute. I can’t believe what I have just witnessed. Looking at the players and fans celebrating like they’ve never scored before, sickens me. I am shocked. I have lost the belief for this club. How are we losing to such a vile team who cannot even play football properly! Seeing the Tottenham team kick off for the play to continue makes me feel nothing other than pain and agony.
January 22, 2016 at 12:32 pm
I like some of the ideas expressed in your second paragraph, but I’m curious about your use of tense. Why have you chosen to use modal verbs such as ‘would’, the same can e true of the phrase ‘Eventually, the Sun retreated and paved the way for the rain to be the catalyst in ruining our mood and creating a quite banal…’ This shows that you are trying to impress us woth your use of vocabulary, but it can actually be quite confusing for your reader. Stick to one tense (past or present) and then maybe focus on using first person to make your meaning clearer.
THis is also 200 words short of your minimum word limit.
February 9, 2016 at 4:10 pm
Hello Mushrak,
This is really very different to the ideas discussed in your Saturday sessions. As I read this, I want to focus most on the selection of your vocabulary and how you have used symbols to help create the tone of your piece.
I’m also unsure about the purpose of your piece and which audience it is for. Your task, was to describe one place in two separate voices or times.
If you want to focus on a place in Chile, focus on one setting and focus clearly on how you will describe it. Try to avoid using idioms for now and focus on what you want your reader to see.