just found this on vitalfootball, apparently written by guillem balague in spanish paper AS.

"A friend of mine, who is a well known journalist in the UK, says Chelsea are a ghost club with a ghost following. It doesn`t exist, if it disappeared no one would notice. He must know what he is on about, he`s been a season ticket holder for 20 years. It`s been a club of trends which went from having a following happy with its mediocrity, harking back to a brief moment of glory back in the sixties to having a new kind of following, capable of paying the excessive price of tickets, who go to the ground to be seen, well dressed but silent. The terraces at Stamford Bridge sing songs that aren`t theirs and an anthem that sounds like the theme tune to a TV programme. It was the first of the big stadiums to start to empty out, even with Mourinho (maybe because of him) and it must be the only one in recent history to not sell its entire away allocation for a semi final.

You won`t hear much from them in the Nou Camp (even though the majority that travel will be the classic shaven-headed tattooed types that prefer paying for a trip like this rather than a season ticket) partly because they fear Barcelona. The Valencia-Barcelona game was shown in England, and we suspect Chelsea will play like Valencia did, but the fans don`t have confidence in their team. Some brave souls (Tony Cascarino in The Times) have dared to say that Barcelona are overrated, he just did this to provoke. In general, in the British Isles people know Barca are making history."

unbelievable, what a disgraceful, vitriolical attack. i always thought he was a decent one but what an utter w**ker. anyone know if we can email chelsea FC and make sure this c**t isnt allowed anywhere near the bridge for the second leg?

ive been on his official site to tell him exactly how disgusted i am in his article and how vitalfootball are going to get a pettition to make sure he gets nowhere near the bridge. i think we should get chopper to have a word....

Edited April 29, 200916 yr by ethicalstrategy

It was the first of the big stadiums to start to empty out, even with Mourinho (maybe because of him) and it must be the only one in recent history to not sell its entire away allocation for a semi final.

This doesnt make sense. What game is he talking about ? Why would we have an away allocation at Stamford Bridge ?

Proof its written by a Spurs or Liverpool fan, possibly aged 9.

Theres more to life than getting wound up by sh*t like this.

"he must know what hes on about, hes been a season ticket holder for 20 years!"

Yes, i am sure a season ticket holder for twenty years decided to spout his gob to this tached twat joke of a journalist.

Isnt this the same c**t who charges people to read his illogical rumors and starts the "Ronaldo to Madrid" media circus every summer?

If his opinion were actually worth a damn, I might care, but to me this guy is at Alan Green's level. Devoid of any substance and a universally recognized arsehole.

And I hope this blows up in his face like it did when Barca ran their mouths 4 years ago.

He must know what he is on about, he`s been a season ticket holder for 20 years.

A season ticket holder at Liverpool, or perhaps Utd?

unbelievable, what a disgraceful, vitriolical attack. i always thought he was a decent one but what an utter w**ker. anyone know if we can email chelsea FC and make sure this c**t isnt allowed anywhere near the bridge for the second leg?

No, let him come to the 2nd leg and he'll see just how "quite" the Chelsea supporters are.

This sorry excuse for a human being as so full of that he probably leaves a trail of stench behind him wherever he goes.

Now, he's partly right about the "excessive price of tickets", but that is true about almost ever team and unless I'm wrong it's not like the majority of the people in the stands are the "following, capable of paying the excessive price of tickets, who go to the ground to be seen, well dressed but silent."

I haven't been to a game in England so of course I might be wrong but I seem to recall that exact problem being discussed here before.

Still, Chelsea do still have a very good following and to even mention that "Chelsea are a ghost club with a ghost following" is just idiocy. The club might have changed since Roman came along (I guess it's all about Roman and his money...again ) but it's nowhere near to being a ghost club. The club is still proud and strong and still have an excellent following.

Ghost my a*se.

Guillem Balague can suck my hairy gonads!

i'm a shaven headed tattooed type, maybe i should stomp on his head

Did we manage to sell out our allocation for the away game last night?

Guillem Balague is a self-confessed Liverpool fan when it comes to English football and the Premiership, so we have already hurt him over several seasons, plus the last two Champions League campaigns - and seemingly to such an extent that he can’t take much more. The jibe regarding support is a classic giveaway from this Scouse loving Spaniard, although I have to say I’m surprised that he isn’t a little more professional than this concocted nonsense would have us all believe. Working for the Spanish rag AS has clearly affected his nerve as well as his journalistic ability. Get a grip man! - that’s really the only advice you can give someone who is clearly letting his disappointments in life affect what little good sense and judgement he might have had in the earlier part of his career.

Did we manage to sell out our allocation for the away game last night?

Apparently not. I heard we returned 1,600. I'm oddly disappointed about that. I can't really talk as I never go to the away matches.

Apparently not. I heard we returned 1,600. I'm oddly disappointed about that. I can't really talk as I never go to the away matches.

Chelsea are a ghost club with a ghost following.

I think he has a point. How can we not sell your allocation for the Nou Camp in a semi final of the European cup? Embarassing really.

Well I missed it.. and I tell you why.. I am no money bags, a flight was 400 and ticket was 100. This month I had to find 120 for tickets to the emerirates. 2,000 to renew my season tickets a semi at Wembely and final at Wembley and hopefully a final in Rome... I mean this is going to cost me the best part fo 5,000 I reckon following Chelsea.. I have been to Barcalona a few times in recent years and you are so far in the gods you can't see the pitch, plus I work for a living.. something had to give I am afraid..... I fing that far from embarrassing, it is realistic.

Well I missed it.. and I tell you why.. I am no money bags, a flight was 400 and ticket was 100. This month I had to find 120 for tickets to the emerirates. 2,000 to renew my season tickets a semi at Wembely and final at Wembley and hopefully a final in Rome... I mean this is going to cost me the best part fo 5,000 I reckon following Chelsea.. I have been to Barcalona a few times in recent years and you are so far in the gods you can't see the pitch, plus I work for a living.. something had to give I am afraid..... I fing that far from embarrassing, it is realistic.

I know what you mean mate, I'm in the same boat - would still have loved to be at the home game though if the club hadn't sold my ticket without informing me about it!

Perhaps the club should consider their mentality that ''if you don't go someonebody else will,'' because if we can't sell out our allocation for 5 thousand or so tickets in a European cup semi-final, then we'll be in sh*t street if we ever have a bad patch.

They've f*cked off so many of their core supporters over the years due to mistreating them, the ticket prices and the way they're sold, that I think ghost club and ghost following are a pretty decent summation. We have gone from a football club to a PLC or a brand, all in the hope of world domination, and pissed off our core following, the one's here before the champagne charlies, who'll continue blow in and out when it suits them.

i like balague, mainly for the way he says barcelona and real madrid.

In general, in the British Isles people know Barca are making history

i'm sure not the easiest thing in the world to write, he is an espanyol fan. don't agree with his article here but i certainly wouldn't condem him to being a horrible little sh*t on the basis of 1 article/opinion

i like balague, mainly for the way he says barcelona and real madrid.

i'm sure not the easiest thing in the world to write, he is an espanyol fan. don't agree with his article here but i certainly wouldn't condem him to being a horrible little sh*t on the basis of 1 article/opinion

Chelsea are a ghost club with a ghost following. It doesn`t exist, if it disappeared no one would notice

for that alone i can easily decide hes a horrible little sh*t. its a disgraceful and disriepectful thing to say about any club.

to be fair though, it wasn’t him said that

to be fair though, it wasn’t him said that

but he did say.............

It`s been a club of trends which went from having a following happy with its mediocrity, harking back to a brief moment of glory back in the sixties to having a new kind of following, capable of paying the excessive price of tickets, who go to the ground to be seen, well dressed but silent.

which is fairly accurate if you've ever been in the East or West stand

cheapeat ticket there I think was £66, we've got cup final tickets to try and get, plus season ticket renewals. also, we'd have to have gambled to get cheap airline tickets (i.e. before we were actually through against liverpool), and the tickets were only available for a relatively short time.

it's true, we didn't fill our allocation, but following chelsea is HUGELY costly.

i'm sure not the easiest thing in the world to write, he is an espanyol fan. don't agree with his article here but i certainly wouldn't condem him to being a horrible little sh*t on the basis of 1 article/opinion

He is a rumor monger and hack. He gets people to pay attention to him by making sh*t up about transfers.

Its obvious he is just trying to big up Spanish football and, all at once, take a pop at us with the standard line of Scouse logic. "Plastic club, no history" blah f**king blah. Second time in as many years we sent them home packing

I love how Barca are making history before they have won anything. All they have done is had a crazy amount of offensive output. That is commendable. To imply it means we, or another English club they might meet in the final are running scared of them is just plain stupid, and last night just showed why. Their history making side looked frustrated and out of ideas against us

Oh, and I will add, its unreal the arrogance Spanish clubs exhibit through the sporting presses there. Rags like the Daily Mail, Sunday Express, Sun, etc, are all awful, but generally its becuase they are just full of shoddy journalism.

I dont know what it is, but Marca and AS are forever printing quotes real or imagined about how Spanish clubs are going to steamroll all before them in Europe. I remember the buildup against Barcelona on both occasions a few years ago. This year, I saved a picture from the front page of Marca with Real Madrid practicing in Anfield (before their 4-0 drubbing) with the words "Esto es Anfield. Y QUE?" ("This is Anfield. AND SO WHAT?"). Its almost like these propaganda outlets want to build the hype to impossible levels and motivate the opposition.

In north american sports parlance, this kind of stuff is known as "Bulletin board material"

"Esto es Anfield. Y QUE?" ("This is Anfield. AND SO WHAT?")

that's a good headline in my book

It was clever and made me laugh no doubt, but I only saw it after the fact! And despite it being Scumpool that put them to the sword, I had to have a chuckle at Madrid's arrogance

to be fair though, it wasn’t him said that

so you believe that he has a "friend" whos a 20 year season ticket holder who said it? not a chance in hell did any chelsea fan say this. its the same as when a reporter says he has an "insider". its just a pathetic excuse to have a go at us, and now i find out hes a dipper the it suddenly all makes sense. hes just another bitter know nothing dipper.

I think he has a point. How can we not sell your allocation for the Nou Camp in a semi final of the European cup? Embarassing really.

not really Spain midweek

who as that kind of money??

Guillem Balague is a self-confessed Liverpool fan when it comes to English football and the Premiership, so we have already hurt him over several seasons, plus the last two Champions League campaigns - and seemingly to such an extent that he can’t take much more. The jibe regarding support is a classic giveaway from this Scouse loving Spaniard, although I have to say I’m surprised that he isn’t a little more professional than this concocted nonsense would have us all believe. Working for the Spanish rag AS has clearly affected his nerve as well as his journalistic ability. Get a grip man! - that’s really the only advice you can give someone who is clearly letting his disappointments in life affect what little good sense and judgement he might have had in the earlier part of his career.

Is he really ? Always had him down as a closet Chelsea fan due to his friendship with our Albert when he moved over from Barca ? Always talks about us as the team he watched the most under Vialli when he first moved over to the UK

Edited May 1, 200916 yr by Tea Bar Boy

Is he really ? Always had him down as a closet Chelsea fan due to his friendship with our Albert when he moved over from Barca ? Always talks about us as the team he watched the most under Vialli when he first moved over to the UK

Yes he is, TBB, as evidenced on the old Times Online Podcast (before Phil Jupitus arrived) when he was co-presenter with Marcotti. He’s not heard on there now, but back then he always professed his support for the Scousers when it came to Premiership matters.