The Swan

I am taking my youngest to his first ever Chelsea final. I am really hoping that Chelsea fans will sing consistently and show the world we are not plastic supporters. When we were sh*t we were some of the most passionate fans in the land. The weight of expectation is killing our fans who are unable to relax and say f**k it we are Chelsea and we are best regardless of how things are going on the pitch. Look smart, sing loud and make sure the world knows what it means to be Chelsea.

I think we might just need to accept that our management screwed up and shouldn’t have done what they did. The judgement although not helpful is not the end of the world. I have read the club’s statement and if genuine it just makes management look incompetent. Some other clubs have slipped up on this issue but the extent to which Chelsea have.?

This should make for an exciting game which could be won by either side. I am hoping for a great atmosphere and the Bridge making some noise to drown out the chants of ‘United…we are the pride of all Europe etc…’ Doubt we will lose in open play and if it goes to penalties we have the confidence of beating Spuds recently. Millwall away in the quarter finals. Man City again in the final. Carefree where ever you may be we are the famous CFC…

Nice to think that someone outside of the club likes us even if it is out of pity. After me boasting that we sold out our allocation it looks like we are not shifting these extra tickets. I predict we will beat City 2.1 at Wembley.

It’s not over yet mate. f**king humiliating. At least the ‘where were you when you were sh*t’ song will now have a bit of irony. Perhaps we should start singing the song ourselves.

Sarri is stubborn and wishes to play a system regardless of whether the players are good enough or not. His lack of pragmatism is worrying and so his inability to be a player motivator. Playing Kante where he does reminds me of the emperor without clothes story - the bloke needs a reality check.

Players I hold in great affection Peter Osgood Peter Bonetti Micky Droy Joey Jones Pat Nevin Kerry Dixon Zola Dennis Wise John Terry Drogba Peter Cech Frank Lampard Joe Cole Hazard Kante My favourite and not arguing he is the best has to be Zola. He brought such joy to our club.

Yes , keep fighting Mickey.

Welcome mate, enjoy the Man Utd game.

We used to be known as having some of the most passionate fans in the country now we get people referring to SB as the Kensington Oval. Does success on the field eventually lead to sanitised support?

Not having a pop mate and yes you are perhaps right about not caring.

Yes, would be nice to be in the CL. I am obviously showing my age by displaying enthusiasm for this final. I am not blasé about any of our achievements and being part of the ‘I was there when we were sh** brigade’ still pinch myself when things go well. Perhaps the yawn you provide suggests why the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge is as flat as it is with away fans regularly singing is this a library. Have we become like Arsenal when our support is synonymous with sanitised and sterile passion? I really hope not. But alas it appears we are heading this way. Even when we score the response is often muted and it’s like success has desensitised us to the fundamentals of the game and like success junkies some of our fans only get excited if we are in the CL final. I for one feel that selling out in just over a day shows there is still passion within the fan base and we are not a bunch of arm chair junkies.

Man City have yet to sell out their allocation for the League Cup final despite being on sale for over a week and yet we sold out ours in just under a day. Not many teams who would sell out as quickly as we did and they call us plastics!

I have a good feeling about this one and hopefully the team will be out to make a statement. We could become their bogie team and afterwards they will enter the Wembley game with increased self-doubt.

Chelsea have always been cool. Aligned with English football is a rich history of sub-culture and each club had its own traditions and these traditions relate to songs, dress, life style and behaviour. Even when Chelsea were not successful they were still cool often coming up with original terrace chants. Where others followed Chelsea led. There has always been a hint of style and glamour to Chelsea. Other clubs are jealous of our coolness and this jealousy has been more rife as the silverware has mounted up. The truth is even if we won nothing Chelsea would still be cool. I am in my 50s and not originally from London. Last night I bought some chips from my local chippy near Birmingham. The owner is a Brummie but a hardcore Chelsea fan and took delight in showing me his Chelsea tattoos. Like me he has been a supporter all his life through the bad and the good times. Chelsea have a gift to bring out a deep and loyal passion in its supporters. I could talk to you about how much we have won etc. However, being a Chelsea fan goes beyond this and should Chelsea become crap again you know you will be part of a culture that others can only dream of emulating. Don’t have several clubs mate, choose one and choose Chelsea and then soon you will see how jealous other clubs are of us through their petty put downs which fool no one. Super Chelsea.