I am a Chelsea fan. There you go I have said it, you probably realise my motivation for the article already. For those of you that are still reading I shall continue.
It isn’t as easy as you would imagine being a fan of Chelsea, everybody realises that supporting a team is a labour of love with its ups and downs and although I see us at the top of the league and into the finals of the FA cup I also know the toxic taste of defeat. Mourinho, our once fearless leader returned to our house this year, only to boot us out of the competition that he couldn’t help us win. “Jose, don’t come back unless you are looking for a job and then...... we can talk!”.
I digress, on the whole I am very happy with Chelsea at the moment but who can I share my happiness with ? As you know, the world and their dogs are Manchester united fans, but did you hear any of them talking football over the weekend? I think not and they are second in the league!
Arsenal fans seem to be cautiously poking their heads above the parapet at the moment, buoyed by recent, very narrow victories. I can’t say that I missed them much in the last five years whilst they stalked the deserts of football underachievement.
In my experience they are the most fleeting of fans, their bellows ringing in your ears when they are winning (as far as I can remember) and dropping like a stone when they go even a goal behind. They seem more interested in discussing cricket lately. Do you think my Villa supporting friends are answering my calls for post-game digests at the moment? I don’t blame them really.
Still, it is good to be in the position where I am initiating football conversations and I am making the most of it before we too are muted by defeat. Let’s hope that soon we can all talk football together, united by an English success in the world cup! Until then, give your Chelsea supporting friends a call and congratulate them. Hey, if I knew a West Ham fan I would wish them luck, if only because Zola is a legend!
(ED: And now Chelsea will face Avram Grant's Portsmouth in the FA Cup final, let the championing of the underdogs commence!)