Why Wembley is special, for FA Cup semi-finals too

Sporseverleri yakından ilgilendiren önemli bir haber var. Why Wembley is special, for FA Cup semi-finals too Published 13 minutes ago 6 Comments This weekend sees the semi-finals of the FA Cup taking place between Manchester City and Southampton, and Leeds against Chelsea, both at Wembley Stadium. Getting to Wembley is not just very special for any manager, it's still hugely important for the players, fans and all the staff at every club too. There is always a debate about where the semi-finals should be played, but I know how much it will mean to be there this time, for everyone involved.

Whether it was the iconic Twin Towers or the famous arch, Wembley was the place I wanted to be - first as a player, and then as a manager - but It's a magic place for everyone involved. When I took Gillingham to the old Division Two play-off final in 1999, the whole town was there. That was the old Wembley, though, which was crumbling by then.

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I remember me and my staff just being sat on two old wooden benches on the touchline. By the time I came back, for the 2011 FA Cup semi-final with Stoke, it was a totally different stadium and the modern arena it is today - but getting there still had the same effect on our fans - and me. I have always been a traditionalist and absolutely loved the FA Cup semi-final matches at places like Villa Park, Stamford Bridge, Highbury or Old Trafford.

All of those grounds created a fantastic atmosphere when divided into two different sections for each club's supporters. Being Welsh, I have to add that the Millennium Stadium was the same when it was used for semi-finals or finals while Wembley was being rebuilt. But having finally reached the semi-final that year, in my 34th attempt as a player or manager, I was never going to complain about having Wembley on the horizon instead.

The same feeling applied to our fans, and it all meant the magic of the FA Cup really struck me leading up to our semi-final weekend. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Pulis (front right) leads his Gillingham side out at Wembley for the 1999 Second Division (now League One) play-off final. They lost to Manchester City on penalties A rousing speech by Gordon Banks Over the years I spent at the club, I was always very keen to invite older Stoke favourites in to watch training on a Thursday, and then have lunch with the players.

The week before our win over West Ham in the quarter-finals that sent us to Wembley, I'd asked Gordon Banks, a Stoke legend and a World Cup winner, who had won at Wembley with the club in the 1972 League Cup final, if he would be prepared to do a speech. He was delighted to be asked and gave a rousing speech about how wonderful it would be for all the players if they made it to Wembley, because he knew a lot of them had never played there before. Stoke had only made it back to Wembley twice since 1972, for the Football League Trophy in 1992 and 2000, and Gordon also spoke about what it would mean for all our fans, young and old, to experience a trip down to the home of football.

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