THREE finals will be played out over the ultimate super-Saturday today.
In Glasgow, the bragging rights of Edinburgh will be determined; in Munich, the kings of Europe will be crowned; and in London, one club will walk away with a £90m prize and a return to the land of milk and honey.
The tens of thousands of supporters who will converge on Hampden, the Allianz Arena and Wembley will all lay claim to their game being the most important but, in terms of what is on the line, there isn't really a contest. It may be disputed by some that Blackpool v West Ham United somehow overshadows the end of the European season showpiece that is the Champions League final but, given that the Barclays Premier League play-off is now labelled the richest game of football on earth, it's easy to justify that claim.
"It's massive really, isn't it?," says Blackpool midfielder Barry Ferguson as he prepared for the match which he hopes will provide him with the platform to play in the Premier League for the third time in his career, with a third club. "There are obviously some big games on today in the shape of the Hearts v Hibernian Scottish Cup final, which I believe will be an excellent contest, and the Champions League final between Bayern and Chelsea which, on paper, could be a superb.
"That said, where else would you get a game worth £90m? It's massive stakes for both teams, given what playing in the Premier League is worth to clubs now. To be honest, that kind of pressure is something I'd rather have. The last few days I've started to get the butterflies that only appear when it's a really, really big match, you know you are edging closer to something hugely significant.
"You play 46 matches in the Championship; then you have to get through a play-off semi-final. It comes down to one 90 minutes for us now, and we have 30,000 fans heading for Wembley. In terms of my career, I've played a lot of big games. But I don't think anything where the stakes have been as high as this."
Many thought Ferguson, now 34 years old, would be destined to see out his career in the Championship when he made the decision to leave Birmingham City, after their Premier League relegation a year ago, to join Blackpool, who had also just dropped out of the top flight. But after his first face-to-face meeting with Ian Holloway, the enigmatic manager of the Bloomfield Road club, he was convinced that there was an opportunity to create history and become the first club to rebound back into the top flight at the first time of asking.
"The manager played a huge part in my decision, he's a pretty infectious guy," said the former Rangers captain, smiling. "The funny thing is people keep asking me 'what's he really like, is he as up front and honest as he is when he does TV interviews?' Thing is, he is. We sat down and he said to me 'Listen, Barry, people think we will slip down to mid-table and we've had one season with the big-boys. But I am determined to get the club back there."
Of course, it came close to seriously backfiring when Blackpool battled through an arduous season, in which Reading and Southampton clinched the automatic promotion places, to face-off against former club Birmingham in the semis.
"I still have a lot of good friends there, and it was at the back of my mind that people might have a laugh at my expense if Birmingham had gone through instead of us but, thankfully, we got over the line in the two games as we deserved to win," he said. "They were very, very tense matches. As I say, 46 games and then if you turn in maybe one bad performances over the two legs and 'bang', it's all over, Premier League door slammed shut and another season in the dogfight."
And there is no doubt that's exactly what the Championship has become as a host of big clubs scratch and bite to try and get into the big-boys playground. "You take heart when you see how well Norwich and Swansea have done after going up, but they are bigger clubs than us," Ferguson pointed out. "The Championship is as tough as anything I've ever experienced. Everyone wants out of it to get a piece of the pie.
"West Ham are big favourites as they still operate on a Premier League budget with guys of wages of £35,000 and £40,000 a week. But the gaffer has said to us every day this week that the plan is to go out at Wembley and have a right go at the them. It's a big pitch, and it will suit us."
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