Are We Really In The Champions League Final?
By Since66
May 19 2008
What are you like as a fan of your club at the start of each new season? What do you expect your club to acheive from the forthcomng months and do you expect to win a trophy, get promoted or simply avoid relegation? Answers on a postcard please!!!
For me and for as long as I can remember especially when we were really really s**t, it was a case of 'we ain't gonna do nothing,' but lets enjoy the season regardless - anything but relegation would be a bonus. Relegation in the eighties for Chelsea was synonymous with a yo-yo and there was even a time when Chelsea were almost dumped into the old Division Three. 1982-83 season could have been the worse season in the history of Chelsea FC (believe others and they will tell you we have no history). Only goal difference saved us from the dreaded drop to the Third Division. We drew the final game of the season at home to Middlesbrough 0-0, in front of a crowd of less than 20,000. Manager John Neal said at the time, "We've got to be prepared to provide exciting and attacking football as well as go for promotion. I think, with everyone pulling in the right direction and giving all they got, we have a very good chance of acheiving that goal." Perhaps John said the above a season too early, because season 1983-84 saw us gain promotion back to Division One as Champions with 88 points and scoring 90 goals where we stayed until 1987-88 then we lost the play-offs to Middlesbrough and went back down to Division Two again. Bobby Campbell took over from John Hollins and we bounced straight back as Champions and Chelsea have remained in the top flight ever since. Then came Hoddle, then Gullit, Vialli, Ranieri, Mourinho and finally Avram Grant and under Grant Chelsea are less than 48 hours away from the BIGGEST game in the Club's history. Trophies were won and Chelsea won their first Premiership title in 50 years under Mourinho and then retained the title the following season, after that the FA Cup and Carling Cup were won and this season nothing...... so far. My expectations at the start of this season was simply - GIMME THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - and I will be extremely happy. I didn't expect to Chelsea to be in the Final without Mourinho. I would never had guessed that Chelsea would be in the Champions League Final with Avram Grant in charge. I still think that it will be a MIRACLE if Chelsea win a trophy this season and I am confident that MIRACLES will and can happen. I am warming to Grant. I started to warm to the man after his 'knee-job' at the end of the Liverpool semi-final 2nd leg. I have warmed to him even more since he finally shook off his 'shy shackles,' and started to berate everyone around him - from the media to SAF. I am expecting Grant to go Ranieriesque after Wednesday night, although if you believe the recent press, Grant is going to 'walk' anyway. But whatever happens between now and the end of Wednesday evening, ARE WE REALLY IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL? ARE WE? ARE WE? ARE WE REALLY IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL? ARE WE? ARE WE?
We´ve waited so long for our club to scale such dizzy heights that it does seem a bit surreal.
Still, we had quite a bit of success during the 10 years pre-Abramovich - we actually won more silverware than the likes of Newcastle, Spurs, Everton and Villa combined during that period.
I do fondly remember the old days though.
Even though I first started going to the Bridge in the 70´s, I was a very young boy when the bug first bit and I used to get annoyed when my Grandad used to drag my Uncle and I before the final whistle off to Parsons Green where he always parked the car!...but at least I was lucky enough to see the likes of Osgood, Hudson, Hutch, Chopper...
My main match going days were in the 80´s - section E of the Shed - heady, glorious days! We´d beat Liverpool then lose to Leyton Orient! Typical Chelsea! ("Glorious unpredictability!" as you say Since 66!).
Strangely enough, I was ALWAYS optimistic about our title chances!!!! (I was obviously quite mad!).
Being an older.....er hem...more "mature" Chelsea fan and going through the tough apprenticeship of being a Chelsea fan in the old days, will stop me from becoming too spoilt.
I love the new Chelsea - and I still haven´t fallen out of love with the old - Golden days! The reality is though that there was an old Chelsea - a new Chelsea now BUT also a pretty good Chelsea with the likes of Gullit and Vialli sandwiched in the middle.
We´re quite lucky really, as football fans we´ve almost seen it all!
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"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.
From the 3 years of finals - Leeds, Real Madird and Stoke - to the almost collapse of the club when the East Stand was built - the three day working week - the cost of the stand from £1m to £5m - the sudden run of managers when Sexton left, after the club got rid of Ossie and Hudson.
Blanchflower, Shellito, Hurst in no particular order
The arrival of Bates, the electric fence, the alienation by Bates of all the ex-players.. its endless and remorseless and oppo fans say we have no history.
I wouldn't wanna support any other club in the land.
spit spit spit spit LOL
GLORIOUS UNPREDICTABILITY!!!!
Don't Gamble, Bet Risk Free
The East Stand was our undoing and nearly ruined us in the late 70´s and 80´s.
Mears reached for the stars a bit then. We had a great flair team, historically massive crowds (we are still 5th all time average in the land) and situated in the swaggering west end of London! We´d just won the FA Cup and the Cup Winners Cup against Real Madrid.
So Mears started the Stamford Bridge renovaion (remember the programme that had the completed model on the cover - 80,000 capacity!) with the massive East Stand (It was actually, for a long time, the largest single stand in Europe!). Then came the recession and we couldn´t afford to finish it! The debt spiralled and we were FEEECCKED!
For years we could hardly buy any players and we we did construct a great, home-grown, young side...we lost our manager (McCreadie) because the board couldn´t afford a company car for him! Butch Wilkins - captain at 18 and then we eventually lost him to one of the bigger boys (which happened a lot to us then - Spackman to Liverpool was another one).
Results were bad, crowds dropped, Combat 18, Chelsea Headhunters and we were up and down like a yo yo - great days though - and what about our away support!
And THIS IS THE ERA that most fans and the likes of the media use as a reference for us! What about all the other decades in our history? At one point we drew bigger crowds than Man Utd! We´ve even got higher record attendances than all the PL clubs except Man Utd (but even then that was at Maine Road when both sets of Mancs used to watch each others home games while the other was away).
Still, great fun now watching most of them spontaneoulsy combust!
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"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2008:05:19:21:25:05 by dixon9.
What a season (1976/77) Eddie had - noT only was he a legend for that famous League Cup final against Leicester City (when the comp was over 2 legs) - he became a legend for getting us back into the top flight AGAIN!!!
1976/77 will be in the top ten lists of great seasons. Runners up to Wolves - 3,000 Chelsea went to Moulineux that day including me and we were banned. I dont think I missed a game that season and we saw the emergence of Butch, Kenny Swain, Steve Jock Finneston, Ray Lewington, Kenny Swain, Ian Britton.
The Cat played, David Hay (Chelsea's most expensive signing in the day £225,000), Ron Harris, Charlie Cooke, Tommy Langley, Mickey Droy,
Ironically enough I still have the scrapbook of that season, still sitting in my collection.
Don't Gamble, Bet Risk Free
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"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.
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"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.
Orient (a) w1-0
Notts County (h) d1-1
Carlisle United (h) w2-1
Millwall (a) l0-3
Plymouth (a) w3-2
Boltom (h) w2-1
Blackpool (a) w1-0
Cardiff City (h) w2-1
Bristol Rovers (a) l1-2
Oldham Athletic (h) w4-3
Blackburn Rovers (a) w2-0
Southampton (h) w3-1
Hereford United (a) d2-2
Charlton Athletic (h) w2-1
Nottingham Forest (a) d1-1
Burnley (h) w2-1
Sheff Utd (a) l0-1
Southampton (a) d1-1
Wolves (h) d3-3
Hull City (a) d1-1
Fulham (h) w2-1
Luton (a) l0-4
Hereford Utd (h) w5-1
Orient (h) d1-1
Carlisle Utd (a) w1-0
Millwall (h) d1-1
Notts Co (a) l1-2
Plymouth (h) d2-2
Bolton (a) d2-2
Blackpool (h) d2-2
Cardiff City (a) w3-1
Bristol Rovers (h) w2-0
Blackburn Rovers (h) w3-1
Fulham (a) l1-3
Luton (h) w2-0
Charlton (a) l0-4
Nottingham Forest (h) w2-1
Oldham Athletic (a) d0-0
Burnley (a) l0-1
Sheff Utd (h) w4-0
Wolves (a) d1-1
Hull City (h) w4-0
Also that season we played Arsenal in the League Cup at Highbury and Brian Bason broke his leg in a touchline tackle. The crak was so loud I heard it in the Clock End!!
Don't Gamble, Bet Risk Free
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"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.
Something for younger Arsenal fans to ponder!
"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.
I lived in Wandsworth. My grandad was actually a Charlton supporter but lived in Roehampton near Putney/Barnes but fortunately, as we were so close to the Bridge, and my uncle was a Chelsea fan living in Kingston, I was baptised at the Bridge from a young age! (I was actually born in St Stephens on the Fulham Road - about 300 yards from the Bridge).
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"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.
Chose Chelsea cos it was the first game I ever went to. Got the bug at 8 LOL.
Lots of tears, heartache and heartbreak but absolutely no regrets at all!!!
Don't Gamble, Bet Risk Free
.
"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.
.
"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008:05:20:23:28:25 by dixon9.