I am based in the Solihull area of the West Midlands and have only just discovered there is a West Midlands Chelsea supporters club which I have thankfully joined. They appear a good bunch and dedicated to following the Blues. I used to watch Chelsea a lot in the 80s and quite a bit in the 19990s. If I am honest I stopped going for a while when the new ownership kicked in from 2003 onwards.

In the 80s I was part of a small group that travelled up from Oxford for games. Chelsea were not that good at the time.

We tried to get a supporter’s club up and running in Oxford at the time (I say we when I was just a kid) and I had the pleasure of meeting Micky Droy and Joey Jones at the Swan pub in Cowley, Oxford. They were both top blokes, having a few pints and Micky was an avid smoker. I never saw him quite in the same light again, but he remained one of the players I admired. No one could dispute the passion that Jones showed when playing for Chelsea.

In recent years I have started watching Chelsea again and started taking my youngest who is a big Chelsea fan.

I have a great memories of following Chelsea as a youngster. My most mental was West Ham away in 1981. What was I thinking going to that one? Pitch invasions, OB going nuts and West Ham angry that Chelsea had tried to take their end. I was also at Derby in 1983 when they scored late on and Chelsea smashed up the seats.

Football had to change and so did Chelsea and whilst I have been guilty of feeling nostalgic for the past, things have changed for the better. We played Crystal Palace recently and it made me think of the early 80s when I attended a game at the Bridge against them, 0-0 and 15,000 present. The trouble at games put so many people off and was killing the game.

That said, I hope that Chelsea as a club remain close to its fans because we might not always be as good as we are now and have been.

 

7 hours ago, The Swan said:

I am based in the Solihull area of the West Midlands and have only just discovered there is a West Midlands Chelsea supporters club which I have thankfully joined. They appear a good bunch and dedicated to following the Blues. I used to watch Chelsea a lot in the 80s and quite a bit in the 19990s.

Welcome. Tell us, what’s it like in the future? 

 

Thanks for the welcome, be careful what you wish for

@The Swan Welcome and a good introduction.

Cheers mate

Welcome 

Not based far from you just down the road in sunny Nuneaton 

18 hours ago, Cone said:

Welcome 

Not based far from you just down the road in sunny Nuneaton 

Are you a member of the Chelsea West Midlands Supporters Club? Thanks for the Welcome. Yes, you are not too far from me.

22 hours ago, The Swan said:

Are you a member of the Chelsea West Midlands Supporters Club? Thanks for the Welcome. Yes, you are not too far from me.

No I did take a quick look a few years back 

Welcome!

Not too far away either - (nottingham)

On 03/12/2018 at 18:34, Varney4 said:

Welcome!

Not too far away either - (nottingham)

Are you pleased with the cup draw?