The James Ramsden Column

Wednesday 28 May, 20032

The wedding speech

This is the second time this week I have sat down and put my thoughts on paper. You see, I'm getting married this weekend and I have just written my wedding speech. According to the various wedding websites, you have to follow a strict guideline of writing so that you don't miss anyone out and offend anyone. You start off by saying how delighted you are to be marrying your true love and proud she makes you.

Then you thank everyone who has contributed over the year and on the day (bring out bouquet of flowers for the key people) and wish thanks to absent friends. Next you reminisce, and say how you met and how your love developed. You follow this by a few funny stories that you shared together and then you talk about future hopes and dreams. To finish, you reiterate how much your love has grown and continues to do so, and how much you will be there, like a rock, standing by through thick and thin. After this, you relax, sit down and wish you could eat your expensive meal that you paid for, but instead pushed it around the plate for an hour, nervous about making your speech. Take off jacket (the signal that everyone else in the room may now do so) and take a huge gulp of wine and repeat until drunk. So dear readers, I thought I'd let you be the first people to read my speech for the big day.....

'I'd like to say how proud I am . Standing up here today and looking back over the year, I thought it would never happen. All the trials and tribulations that went on in the past are now forgotten, and I can look forward to the future with great hope. I am a very thankful man. I'd like to express my thanks to all the key people that have contributed and made everything today possible. My first and most important thanks go to Gordon Gibb. Without you and your financial backing, we would certainly not made it to where we are today. Secondly, my gratitude goes to Nicky. When you first joined 'the family' I was abit unsure if we'd get on. But now I have got to know you, I realise that our love has grown stronger over the year, and that with limited resources and no cash, we have bonded to become one. Because of this, you have a place in my heart. I'd like to thank all the players who have helped out over the season. We may have not seen eye to eye all the time, but the majority of you, and you know who you are, have pulled your socks up and battled hard for a good cause. You have done yourselves and me proud. (bouquet of claret and amber roses brought out to Nicky Law and Gordon Gibb). I'd also like to say thanks to an absent friend.

Someone who I will always look up to. Stuart, you are sadly missed, but I believe that someday you will return.

I'd like to take you back in time to how our love started. I was about 10 years old and looking for a club to support. My dad, being a Wetherby lad, supported Leeds and I have to admit, I went along to games with him. But I was 10 years old, and I started to develop a mind of my own. My grandad took me down to the City clubshop - if thats what you called it, it was basically just a shed selling dodgy home made video of matches and Mark 'Mega ' Ellis t shirts. Anyway, I bought a full Bukta kit for just £20 - wouldn't even buy you a pair of shorts now! And thats how our love affair started. It was cemented by trips to games and nervous nights in front of the teletext.

A few funny stories have sprung to mind over the years that we have known each other, but the best one is when I remember the time, when at Valley Parade just before kick off, the club decided to have a sponsored balloon race. Basically, you paid £1 to have your name and phone number attached onto a helium balloon, and the winner was the person whose balloon ended up in France or whatever. Well, it was 2.50pm and the pitch was covered in balloons all held down by a net - there must have been 5000 balloons. Out came a VIP to remove the net and release the balloons - which he did with great dignity and gusto. Unfortunately, the bright spark that had attached the slips of paper with the addresses, had not realised that the paper was too heavy to make the balloons float. So instead of them all flying up in the air and off to France, they didn't move an inch, they just remained on the pitch! 5000 balloons and the game is due to kick off in 5 mins!! In the end, the refs, the linesmen, the crowd, the players and even the VIPs had to spend a frantic 5 mins jumping and bursting every balloon so the match could start. This could only happen at City!!

So that was then, and this is now. I am very proud to be with City. This year has been a very traumatic one, and we almost split up. But we staid together and managed to get a few positives from it. I honestly believe that next year, we will grow stronger and really challenge for the ultimate goal - the Premiership.

So one and all, please stand and raise your glasses in a toast - Bradford City, we love you, and will continue this love affair through thick and thin.

Do you think the Mrs will like it?

Seriously though, thank you Nicola for putting up with sometimes being the 'other woman', whilst I'm either away all Saturday at the match, away all Saturday in the study listening to Pulse Sport on t'internet, or away most evenings trying to get Bradford promoted in CM4. I'm looking forward to taking you with me to matches as my wife when the new season arrives.

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