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CHELSEA FC: Look at it this way - José's fans outburst

Neil Barnett has been writing, editing and broadcasting for Chelsea for over 20 years. Today he responds to José Mourinho, the fans, Didier Drogba and the goals.

/noticias.info/ José Mourinho has questioned just one Chelsea performance over the last two games — the fans! In his Chelsea TV post-match interview, which you can see tonight, he lays his feelings on the line.

‘Let’s start with a song I heard in two consecutive matches at home. “Four-nil, and you still don’t sing!”


‘Aston Villa fans: “Four-nil, and you still don’t sing!” Watford fans: “Four-nil, and you still don’t sing!”


‘Why you “don’t sing”?!’

It’s true that the atmosphere generated at home games since Barcelona has been less than average. Maybe there’s been a reaction off the pitch if not on it.

But the long-running debate over home atmosphere needs putting in perspective. Until the redevelopment to an all-seater Stamford Bridge, the ground was rarely full, the old dog track meant that sound disappeared into thin air, and although in the maelstrom of the Shed the atmosphere may have been special in a way which is hard to measure up to now, around the ground overall it was worse than today. And that includes the 1960s and ‘70s as well as the smaller crowds of the ‘80s.

What there was in those days were more original songs and chants and, particularly in the 1980s, more diehard fans travelling away. The game has become more gentrified, more corporate, more expensive — but it’s also become more popular. We’re averaging higher gates with a smaller capacity.

And, almost by definition, the larger the average crowd the smaller percentage of them will be hardcore. When there were gates of 10,000 and less all too often in the early 1980s, you could bet almost everyone was hardcore. But there’s no way we want to return to those days.

The biggest difference now to many eras of the past is that we’re the biggest attraction to opposition. Opposing home fans set their top standards against us when we are away, and set their top away standards at Stamford Bridge — like Villa and Watford did.

Chelsea fans showed what we could do against Barcelona. That was as good an atmosphere as can be generated anywhere in the world.

We could not have built this 50 home League games undefeated run without good support. But José is right, it has been below par in the last two sold out matches.

High expectations may have dimmed out noise at times. Last season, for the first time since the 1960s, the Old Trafford crowd performed outstandingly against us. Manchester United had become the underdogs. Expect that again in two weeks.

Before then, we host West Ham. We’ve had our pep talk from our manager. We’d better respond.

* * * * *

It’s not enough, surely, to describe Didier Drogba at present as the best striker in the world. People didn’t say that about Ronaldinho.

Since the beginning of this season he has been the best player in the world.

* * * * *

All eight goals in our two consecutive 4-0 wins have come from nearer the goal than the penalty spot. There have been no outstanding individual efforts, although there have been some wonderful finishes.

Chelsea has out-passed, out-run and out-moved the opposition until their shape has been lost. We have got behind them in a way we haven’t managed since the unstoppable play of the early months of Mourinho’s 4-3-3 with Duff and Robben.

We have found a balance again which suits us. And the 4-3-3 balance is still there for the using.

We have 28 points after 12 matches. Last season we had 31 after 12. Manchester United has that now and they are to be congratulated and respected for their improvement.

In our first season under Mourinho we had 29 points after 12 games, just one more than this season, and had just hit the top of the table, overtaking Arsenal. We had paired Duff and Robben for two League games.

The next two weeks are clear. We must beat West Ham, qualify for the knockout stage of the Champions League at Werder Bremen (who lost at home to Borussia Dortmund on Friday, watched by our Opposition Scout André Villas, and have lost the leadership of the Bundesliga), and then we should be in great shape for the match at Old Trafford.

United might well be in great shape too. I can’t wait! You can bet our fans will be in outstanding form there.

by Neil Barnett notas_de_prensa_archivo