Bovis Messroom

Honestly when it comes to issues like this, I don't think internet forums are that representative of the overall feeling. Poyet made a half time appearance at The Bridge last season and though a few boos could be heard, he got a very good ovation from the vast majority. In fact far from wanting to go to Spuds Poyet has consistently stated that he never wanted to leave Chelsea and that he was bitter that Ranieri squeezed himself and Wise out. And since retiring from playing always calls Chelsea "his club". In his case I tend to put aside any indiscretion in the heat of the moment (I've yet to meet anyone who actually witnessed this famous badge kissing btw) and remember the plethora of great and vital goals he scored for us.

One of my favourite european trips. Minibus load of us left from outside Ealing Common tube on the Thursday morning and by 10pn that night we'd arrived in Lyon for our overnighter. Four crates of beer and various wines on board and the next day our driver decides to forgo the motorway and take the scenic route through the mountains to Nice. Farking hell, hangovers and hairpins don't go well together. Like many other blues, we decided to pub it in Nice then get the short train ride to Monte Carlo. Bizarre stadium which is actually built above a multi storey car park, shops and offices. So you go through the turnstiles, go up a load of stairs and come out barely above pitch level. Was a decent turnout by both clubs fans but most in the neutral seats looked like Uefa suits. Think the crowd was more like 11,000 (ground holds about 20k). Was funny outside the ground after the match. There was a mob of Real Madrid skinheads. the Ultra Sur lot, standing next to their coach and all they got in return for their posing and stares were wolf whistles and blown kisses from the happy pishheads heading back to the dtation, The programme is in the same style as for the ECWC final one and was 20 francs on the night. Suprised it's already so hard to find copies. As for the journey back, messy, very messy, :)

Two that bring a smile. Pat Nevins mazy dribble against Newcastle in 83/84. Such a pity that although the tv cameras were there, a technician dispute meant that the game didn't get filmed. But as I remember it, a one two with Joey Jones just outside our own penalty box and away he went, outside one challenge, inside another. Not beating players by searing pace but brilliant footwork, feint, change of direction and accelaration. I recall us in The Benches actually laughing at the impudence of it all, Newcastle players flailing about, tackling thin air. Lost count of how many he went by. At the end he even passed up the opportunity to shoot and went to beat another opponent before crossing to the back post. But like us, Dixon and Speedo were just standing in wonderment. The other is Spackman clumping Keown near the end of a very satisfying win over the gooners in 1996. It was so out of character, I think Spackman was actually in tears walking off after getting the red card. Everyone else though was chuckling away at 'missing link' Keown (who wasn't adverse to dishing out an elbow) poleaxed after getting some long overdue retribution

I'm certainly not sterotyping any clubs supporters as a whole. It was more directed at the original poster who wqs suggesting Chelsea fans not to travel if they wern't into the blues brothers link. What's to supposed from that then? That some of the stuff being sung or chanted in the pubs and ground may be offensive to them? Just found that a weird thing to come out with.

That's a slightly strange statement if I'm honest. Akin to telling Chelsea fans not to travel and support their team if they don't also support the home club too. I'm friendly to any fan of another club who is friendly to me so no doubt me and my mates who have already booked our travel will be getting along fine just as we did when we went there in 1986. Saying that we're all 100% Cheksea fans with no time for affinity with other clubs apart from our local non-league outfit (and only then when supporting them doesnn't clash with a blues game). So yeah, we well understand the blues brothers connection but don't go expecting everyone who travels to go along with any of the religious / political guff.

Fans naturally look at other similar sized clubs as rivals so the hatred Fulham and QPR fans feel towards Chelsea is never going to be returned as it stands. This supposed 'hatred' is also a little hard to fathom too since the two clubs have for the most part of their histories played in different divisions. It's also well known that many fans of both clubs in the past went to watch "the lot down the road" when their own team was away. I woulld have thought the modern, young Fulham fan would feel more antagonism towards QPR to be honest. I don't mind Fulham at all but I guess that would wind them up further.

How about this. Both clubs had to play league games the day before. I think I recall Chelsea were away to Southampton. But me and some mates instead went up to Glasgow to see the old firm game at Ibrox. We'd been up there some weeks earlier for the return Bradford Fire fundraiser game and got invited back. Rangers v Celtic was incrredible on and off the pitch and in the pishing rain it finished 4-4. Staggered from the pub later to get the nightrider train back to London and another amazing match. 17 goals in two days. Phew.

Yeah, He's one I find loads of blues forget. Funny since he was part of the '98 ECWC winning team. Guess it's because we seemed to go through a plethora of guys who could also play left back during that era. Barness, Barnard, Le Saux, Sinclair, Minto, Harley, etc. Didn't we also have a georgian Alesidze (sp?) play a game or two for us some years back? I only wish I could erase from the memory banks Dave Mitchells contibution to CFC.

Wealdstone. Started following them back in the 80's because many of my Rayners Lane / Harrow based Chelsea mates also supported them. They've had a bit of a nomadic existence since then after a previous chairman did the dirty on them and sold their old Lower Mead ground to developers. Edgware, Hendon, Northwood and Watford have all hosted home games over the years but now they've finally settled into a pemanent home of their own and blow me, it's only a few minutes walk from me in Ruislip. Plenty of old school blues are to be found at their games and they can still pull some numbers for big away games. Still remember them embarrassing Qprhaha and Reading at their own grounds in the past.

Funnily enough I don't recall feeling threatened or even worried about our visits to WHL from the mid '80's to the all seater age. Possibly because the numbers we were bringing there back then. There were even loads of us milling around the ground when we didn't get an away allocation (building work) in 89/90. Millwall in '85 was nasty though. Me and three other Chelsea fans went to the old firm game in 1986 (day before the Full Members Cup Final) and the atmosphere was unreal with 15,000 Celtic fans in Ibrox. Plod had it pretty well sussed out around the stadium though. Had some fairly hairy moments up at places like Maine Road and Ayresome Park but I've never seen pure 'out for our blood' hatred like Newcastle away in 1982, I think. The geordies had got ambushed down in London earlier in the season and it seemed the whole bloody town was out to get us. Few geordies managed to get in our away section. They got pasted but a bigger worry was when the Gallowgate End invaded the pitch at the finish even though their team won. Coppers up there are never a cockneys mate when it's coming down on you either. Oh yeah, Upton Park in '81. Thousands of fans from both clubs locked out. Rival mobs wandering the area and it was bad luck if you crossed the path of the wrong one.

1. Tottenham 2. Wet Sham 3. Leeds 4. Liverpool

For our recent home game against FC Kobenhavn 5Live had Alan Green commentating, Mark Lawrenson summarising with Colm Murray anchoring the show, Talksport featured Stan Collymore and on the telly we had Jim Beglin. Can you imagine so many Chelsea supporters and ex players covering a scouse match?!!! On the Torres sniping, the Kop just don't understand players who don't love them and much as they love themselves.

I think what people have to take on board is that the Football Supporters Federation campaign and petition is calling for is "Safe Standing", not a reintroduction of terraces as we remembered them. The standing areas in Germany have full length barriers in front of each and every row. The South Stand at Dortmund can easily be convereted to all seated for Champions League games. The system I think the authorities may look most favourably on is the one used at Werder Bremen and others where they have simple bucket seated areas with the aforementioned barriers. In effect supporters stand in theses areas and can still sit at half time to read their programme / eat their currywurst. The system allows fans to stand, the seats and barriers on each row stop any kind of surge and keeping the seats as well complies with the current regulations and Uefa. This campaign is about choice as much as anything. The provision of somewhere for those who want to stand to watch their football and the choice of those who prefer to remain seated to be able to do so without having to shout "siddahn" all the time. Please sign the online petition.

Yeah, I bought it at the time and still have my copy. I found it a very interesting read and Batesy typically didn't hold back on his dealings with the press. Think he had some harsh words for Alan Hudson in there too. Some great pictures and still haven't spotted myself in the crowd on the cover. I have mixed feelings about him. Sure he fought a brilliant battle with the property developers, stood up for the fans against the press and rightly opposed Lutons ban on away support. However he had a very cold attitude to the fanzines or the idea of any independent supporter representation, the fallout with Matthew Harding was unpleasant and the Chelsea Village scheme ultimately was a millstone rather than a benefit of the club. Yep, send it to him for signing but make sure you enclose the return postage. He's an adopted Yorkshireman now afterall. :)

Ah yes, One year we had a minibus and a couple of our boys ran a small group of young Sheffield Utd fans (who had been less than respectful) over the bridge only to find they were a part of a coach party. Next thing we saw was the dynamic duo charging back accross the bridge then car park with about thirty irate yorkies in hot pursuit. We were already doing 20mph when the two boarded via the sliding door. Christ we laughed when we got to the safety of the slip road. :D

Haha, Chelsea have pulled some strokes in the past but even they wouldn't abandon fans oop north after an away match. Unless of course you were ridiculously late, wanted to stay there or got yourself nicked. Yes, the price of the official Chelsea coachesi includes the return journey. For long trips, eg Blackpool, they normally have a short stop at motorway services.

Has to be Luiz. Early days but reckon this guy will be a cult hero. Crazy hair, crazy guy but what a player.

I'm thinking we're gonna go on a unstoppable run-in alla last season. Crazier things have happened. 1. 07 MAR Blackpool (A) W 1-2 2. 20 MAR Man City (H) W 2-0 3. 02 APR Stoke City (A) W 0-2 4. 09 APR Wigan (H) W 4-0 5. 16 APR W.B.A. (A) W 1-3 6. 20 APR Birmingham (H) W 2-0 7. 23 APR West Ham (H) W 3-0 8. 30 APR Tottenham (H) W 1-0 9. 07 MAY Man Utd (A) W 1-2 10. 14 MAY Newcastle (H) W 3-0 11. 22 MAY Everton (A) W 0-2

Yep, Nico. Brilliant run to set up Kalou when he hit both posts. Great skill to evade the tackles. Glad he wasn't the makeweight in the Torres deal. Deserves to start Sunday on that showing.

Another fine showing from Ramires but gotta be Cech for me. Without his saves, Kalou's goal would have been negligible in securing a point.

For us to be champs the title would have to be won with no more than than the 86 points we gathered last season. And right now we would have to win every one of our remaining fixtures to reach that total. I reckon it'll be won with about 81-83 points this season so we've got very little margin for error. But it can be done.

Gray sacked ? Tika P45, son. :D

It's supposed to be up and running again this afternoon after three days "maintenance". It'll be llike the film 'Demon Seed' for the regulars logging in and watching through gaps in the fingers at what Jax and his minions have now spawned. :)

Well one things for sure, Tottenham moving there, demolishing then rebuilding their own stadium is wrong on so many levels. On the other hand the Athletics people are surely being unreasonable to expect the fans of a resident club to watch their football from great distances from the pitch. And for what? This so called 'legacy'. Listening to them they seem to be deluded in thinking that the OLympic Stadium can be maintained like some museum piece with a few athletics meetings to help pay the bills. It aint gonna happen. Athletics simply does not have a great spectator base and indeed struggles to fill 18,000 Crystal Palace on the few summer meetings staged. So like or not for them, this stadium IS going to need most likely a football club to take it over or it'll simply become a costly white elephant ala The Dome before it was converted. Of course promises have been made to retain a track and surely with modern technology a solution could be to re-profile the lower tiers and install movable seating similar to that of the Parc de France in Paris. Then everyone would be happy. P.s. As this in Non-Chelsea I think you've put this in the wrong forum :)

Tough one as you could make a case for four or five of the team. Gone for Drogs. Great goal to send us on our way, led the line very well on top of his usual chasing back and defensive work. Onwards and upwards.