Go On Ya’ Blues!

After lunch spent in a pub that was for Chelsea fans only (yes there was a bloke standing at the door turning Tottenham supporters away), learning a few Chelsea chants, a little bit of haggling, and a cheery fellow directing us to our seats with his battle cry “GO ON YA BLUES”, myself and two other gents found ourselves sitting amongst a passionate and lively crowd with nothing but blue coursing through their veins.

It would be impossible for me to truly explain the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge, but the game on the pitch was magnificent.  With the sounds of “If you hate Tottenham stand up!” and “Go on CHELSEA, Go on CHELSEA” ringing in the players ears the entire Chelsea team ran circles around the lackluster Tottenham squad.

I was not quite sure what to expect at the beginning of my little adventure, with the likes of John Terry, Andre Shevchenko, and Didier Drogba all out with injury, but with Michael Ballack sporting the captains badge and Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips reeking havoc on the wings and with Peter Cech lurking in the back (though he only had to make one true save it was nothing short of thievery) Tottenham had no real chance of getting themselves into the game.  Even new $15 million man Nikolas Anelka got into the act as he nearly put in a low drive just minutes upon his entrance and just before the whistle he banged one of the crossbars.  Even though Anelka never got on the score sheet he was welcomed by the home crowd with a standing ovation and the chant “GO ON YOU BLUE!”

The highlight of the game was without a doubt the 30 yard curling strike that Juliano Belletti sent smoldering into the back of the net far out of reach of the keeper’s hands.  Try as they might, Robbie Keane, Dimitar Berbatov, and the late sub Jermaine Defoe were never really able to get themselves involved and then Tottenham fans were sent home with a clear “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” as Shaun Wright-Phillips drilled home the last nail with a cool finish from just inside the box.

All in all, my first football game in London was almost a complete success.  I say almost because the only thing that could have possibly made this moment any better would have been if I was sitting in the stand at old Trafford singing “GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED!” and watching the Red Devils, with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, and Rio Ferdinand, see off plummeting Newcastle United in a shattering 6-0 victory.

Cheers!