Peter Osgood statue unveiled to mixed reception
By dixon9
October 2 2010
The ultimate tribute to the “King of Stamford Bridge” was revealed in the form of a bronze statue by Philip Jackson outside the ground yesterday. At last, we have permanent recognition of one of our great heroes. The statue is something that Chelsea fans and supporters have requested for some time yet opinions differed on the selected pose and the site location on which Ossie has been placed.
Classic Diving Header
The obvious favourite was the diving header goal for the 1970 FA Cup Final Replay although it was recognised that this “shot” would have been very difficult for the sculptor to achieve unless it was in the form of a relief.
Next up was the “on his knees in the net with arms spread” - facing the Shed End - after scoring a fortuitous goal against Manchester United.
Finally, a 3rd choice seemed to have been “hands on hips” - a pose which many associate with Ossie. The resulting statue is pretty much this choice – with the difference being that he has a football under one arm.
Mixed Reception
Some fans and supporters have expressed extreme disappointment with the final choice and said that the pose is “cliché” and bland – not fit enough for a player of Ossie´s stature, whilst others are very pleased with the result and satisfied that at last Ossie has been honoured and has a great tribute.
The Best Place?
The site of the statue is another bone of contention; the logical choice would have been the Shed End or the main gate say many – not outside the west stand.
Personally, I’m very happy with the pose. For me it’s the logical choice given that the “diving header” would have been almost impossible and “on his knees, arms spread out" wasn’t really “football” enough (I was at that game, and I seem to remember the crowd reaction being a mixture of elation and laughter at Ossie´s posture of "What can I say? I was lucky!" after scoring). What we should also bear in mind is that the design was chosen by Ossie´s wife, Lynn.
The actual location where Ossie is situated is where a huge chunk of those attending matches will see it and is placed where there is a lot of surrounding space, that said, I think it is a shame that Ossie isn’t at the main gate and therefore at least partially visible from the Fulham Road.
Gratitude and Recognition
Still, I, like many others am extremely pleased with the fact that at last one of our greatest players has a tribute of this magnitude and that older and younger supporters have a symbol of our history at the Bridge.
I also believe that the Fans Forum deserve some recognition for giving supporters a voice to the club and as does the club and Peter Kenyon, for their willingness to help establish a piece of our history.
What do you think?
Older Story:
Ossie Statue on it´s way
http://www.thefootballnetwork.net/main/s379/st154490.htm
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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2010:11:03:19:47:56 by dixon9.
"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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The pose though sums up Ossie - a great, giant of a man - a legend, the KING
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