KIRK BROADFOOT

The 24 hours before the UEFA Cup final are torture. There is no other word to describe it. Yet I only have to think of the guys who have helped us get here but can't play to realise that I am one of the lucky ones.

Allan McGregor carried us through some of the earlier rounds and injury has robbed him of what might have been one of the biggest games of his career. There are others - Chris Burke, Steven Naismith and Daniel Cousin - who have all made a contribution but have come down here knowing that they will be spectators. The important thing is they feel part of the experience and have been included in everything we have done. It will not take away the sense of dejection when the team is named and the players take to the field, but we have come this far with a sense of togetherness and we are not about to stop now.

We trained at the City of Manchester Stadium last night.

It is a lovely stadium, but it is just a pity the allocation of 14,000 is around 90,000 less than needed to accommodate everyone who has come down here to give us their support; whether it is inside the stadium, in the fan zones or the bars that will be packed before, during and after kick-off.

I know it is for the best for us to be out the way, so we can relax in peace, but it is equally good to be reminded why we are here: for our fans and for our club. The journey into Manchester was great. There were fans everywhere, not least at the stadium where we were greeted by hundreds of well-wishers.

It makes you realise what it means to people; the older generation who never thought they would see another European final after Barcelona in 1972 and the younger guys who have listened to the old stories and never expected to experience it for themselves.

It was just what we needed because, to be honest, we were starting to feel detached from the UEFA Cup buzz. We walked around the grounds of Mottram Hall after breakfast yesterday and, aside from our club tracksuits, you would never guess we were there for a UEFA Cup final.

We have no Scottish papers and all we could do was look at how impressive the houses in Chester are. There is serious money here. In fact, the house across from the hotel made it on to MTV Cribs.

It belongs to Ashley Ward, the former Sheffield United player, and it is unbelievable. I think he married a multi-millionaire, so that helps the mortgage. Just down the road is where the Beckham family home is, too. It's been like Through the Keyhole talking about the houses and cars that are all around us here.

The real thing is getting closer but not quickly enough, if I'm being honest. I am a disciplined character and have heeded the advice of my captain. When we arrived at Mottram Hall, Barry Ferguson took me aside and said, No messing about the hotel, no staying up late. Get your sleep, get your rest'.

He has never taken his responsibilities lightly but he is in overdrive this week. He wants this badly and so do the rest of us.

I had my usual, healthy breakfast of Bran Flakes followed by scrambled egg. Tomorrow is when the beans come out, as part of my pre-match routine. We continued our competition on Pro Evolution Soccer IV and it cannot be taken lightly. Let's just say there is an incentive for the winner. I'm still in the hunt, even though I ended up with Real Madrid, who aren't very good on this version, and was beaten by Nacho Novo, who went with Barcelona.

After that, it was back to my favourite pastime, sleeping, and managed an impressive two and a half hours before being told to get down for dinner by Boydy. Since we were training at night, it was pasta and chicken on the menu to top up on carbs and protein. We need plenty of energy, especially with the weather, and we will have to up our intake of fluid as well.

We have quite a sadistic ritual in that we will probably not know the team until an hour before kick-off.

It keeps everyone on their toes and there are no clues from training. Sometimes you would prefer to know in advance and prepare for playing or not but I understand why we do not: sometimes, especially games of this importance, you can let things prey on your mind too much and get too excited or too despondent. The bottom line is I don't know if I am playing in the UEFA Cup final or not yet. As you have discovered by now, I won't let it affect my sleep.

I would like to finish with a message to our fans, one that the rest of the squad will echo. We cannot thank you enough for the support you have shown us this season and will do our best for every one of you, wherever you are watching the game.

We appreciate the encouragement that has helped us get this far and will do everything we can to make you proud tonight.