Another Villa innovation

[dave.woodhall]

from John 'who else' Russell:

Fred Rinder’s greatest contribution to football, apart from running English football for the better part of sixty years and helping to make Aston Villa the ‘Greatest Football Club in the World’, is the singing of Abide with Me at the F.A. Cup Final. Credit for this is usually given to Sir Frederick Wall, but as the F.A. Secretary he was merely the person who made the official announcement. Trust me, it was ‘our’ Fred who actually came up with the idea. 

Ironically Cardiff City who, after beating us in the third round of the cup, proved it was no fluke by making it all the way to the twin towers. They then found themselves having to play on St. Georges Day, 1927.

Community Singing was already in vogue partly as a way of calming the crowd down at big games and especially at the Cup Final after the debacle four years earlier.  Besides, standing around two or three hours before the kick off hurling abuse at the opposition was otherwise a fairly soul destroying activity so best to give the crowd something to try to keep them cheerful, anything. 

The Welsh contingent had already been conceded Land of My Fathers. The Welsh Guards did not get invited to perform it though. The Grenadier and Irish Guards had long since been booked to dig their heels into the hallowed turf.

King George V, one time Prince of Wales of course, actually enjoyed attending the Cup Final, so let us give him something he would like to hear, and a century old hymn, Abide with Me, was something he really liked. Mr. Rinder's inspired suggestion was greeted enthusiastically by the rest of the F.A. Committee and agreed upon unanimously.

The King took his seat after the singing of Pack up Your Troubles and Tipperary, the song which thirty years later inspired us to glory and has never been replaced since as a Villa anthem. 

Abide with Me had been popular with the troops in the trenches. It had been sung at games on Good Friday, perhaps as a sop to the fact that games were being played at all on such a sacred day. Anyone who objected to playing on Good Friday was be excused.

Everyone sang from the same hymn sheet but there may have been no need of a hymn sheet because everyone knew the words, at least of the first verse. With over 90,000 at Wembley it became the largest congregation ever to sing a hymn and because it was a hymn everyone stood reverently and removed their hats. Back then most wore hats, or rather flat caps. 

Perhaps nothing has ever been able to recapture the emotion of that first occasion but it is not hard to understand why the singing of Abide with Me became a tradition. Those who later scoffed at its inclusion at the Cup Final were scoffing at that tradition – and, perhaps without realising it, the memory of Fred Rinder. 

What a pity Fred never got to hear it sung at a Villa final. He must have been devastated more than anybody when we got relegated in 1936 but he at least had the consolation of seeing us back in the top flight just before he died suddenly at Christmas 1938.

[arnie66]

I love the tradition of abide with me on cup final day.

I remember in 2000 planning for the day out and hoping that the 'last rendition' of abide with me at the twin towers would be one to remember......sadly I was wrong it was a total anti climax.

Just like the game itself !

[SirSteveUK]

It IS a magnificent hymn - and the singing of it at The Olympics was magical, I thought

[Pat McMahon]

What was the Tipperary link to 1957? Team song or sung by fans?

[Ron Manager]

When I was young and the Cup Final was the special event of the year I used to think the singing of Abide with Me was magical. In fact everything about the Cup Final was magical. The BBC coverage, the coaches making their way slowly up Wembley Way,the game itself.

Last season for the first time in 56yrs I didnt even watch it.  The 3 O'Clock kick off being changed finally took away any magic that had lingered on.

It just doesnt mean anything anymore.

I sometimes think Pete Townshend got the lyrics to My Generation absolutely right.

[Damo70]

Abide with me is a wonderful tradition which always sends a tingle down my spine. Although it always makes me think of Elton in '84. Was he crying at the emotion of Watford being in the final or because they didn't let him sing it or because he had to go to bed with a woman that night?

[cheltenhamlion]

It is a great hymn but upsets me. When my Uncle died, he had football related music at his funeral from start to finish. That was his chosen religious piece.

Bit of a miserable thing to say I know but there you go.

[Chico Hamilton III]

It is a great hymn but upsets me. When my Uncle died, he had football related music at his funeral from start to finish. That was his chosen religious piece.

Bit of a miserable thing to say I know but there you go.

Played at my Grandad's funeral too.

It was probably the only hymn he knew, apart from Christmas carols.

[dave.woodhall]

What was the Tipperary link to 1957? Team song or sung by fans?

The fans sang it in response to some dirge the previous year about walking down some long road.

[Dr Butler]

It is a great hymn but upsets me. When my Uncle died, he had football related music at his funeral from start to finish. That was his chosen religious piece.

Bit of a miserable thing to say I know but there you go.

Played at my Grandad's funeral too.

It was probably the only hymn he knew, apart from Christmas carols.

was also played at my Grandad's funeral, I remember reading somewhere that it is also the Sailors Hymn ??
(might have to check that)

[Dave Clark Five]

Tipperary was sung at some Wembley games in the sixties. I remember singing it at an England Schoolboys game. The bloke in a white coat used to climb up onto that platform and lead the singing from a song sheet with the Union Jack on the back.