Chelsea win the European Cup

I write this the morning after our victory in Munich against Bayern from my hotel room near the city centre. Whether it is wise to do so or not remains to be seen but it feels right to put pen to paper as soon as possible after such an historic moment and while feelings are fresh.

Despite mine and many fellow Chelsea supporters' grievances about the team for the bulk of this season, the main thing that we have had in abundance during the latter stages of the footballing year has been luck. It was as if all the disappointments and rulings against us from previous seasons were negated in the space of a month.

It is hard to describe the feeling I had inside. The game followed a predictable pattern with Chelsea creating little up front until we scored. The team worked hard, rode their fortunes and Bayern must be ruing their many missed opportunities in front of goal.

The pessimist inside me was singing for the team but deep inside all I could think was, "Bayern - just put me out of my misery". Extra-time for a team that has been branded too old to play? Penalties against a German side on their home turf taken in front of their own fans? A referee who awarded Bayern a penalty when a minute earlier Chelsea missed out on one for exactly the same challenge against Torres? Flashbacks to the name 'David Elleray' crossed the mind.

But there was something that felt right last night. Di Matteo has brought feng shui to the side as well as resolve and a fighting spirit. Even when Bayern players fell as if they had been shot we kept a cool head, stayed professional and offered our hand sympathetically and apologetically with no sarcasm.

Quite why Bayern saw any upside to Robben taking their penalty against us awarded in extra time is a mystery and perhaps now nullifies our arrogant decision to play Torres against the club he had just left in his first game for us. After that penalty miss sonething changed.

I have rarely had this feeling at matches but I knew Mata would miss... And I knew Bayern would miss penalties when they did. However, I did not expect Didier to score his - instead expecting it more likely for a spacecraft to land on the goalline where he was aiming his shot and for us to go to sudden death and then inevitably lose.

When the ball went into the back of the net I cried with such joy. This win changes so much for the club and will enable us to attract the best young prospects to our club. It is well deserved for a side that has had to contend with so much. A press that salivates in anticipation of any possible failure; official decisions that have gone against the club with little luck the other way; brilliant players who were barely mentioned at awards ceremonies during our peak.

We are now among the elite and you can almost feel UEFA's disappointment that we actually won the European Cup instead of one of their favoured show ponies.

Well done to the team and in particular Roberto di Matteo who has carried out his job with such dignity and professionalism. Even now when hearing him speak about his Chelsea future the manner in which he conducts himself makes me feel that he is the right man for the job. If I can respect him despite all the cynicism I hold for football in general in these days then the players should too.

All I can think of now is planning a trip to Japan to see us try to win the Club World Cup - does that make me even more of a nerd or a real Chelsea fan? Thankyou Chelsea and my apologies for ever doubting you. From now on instead of trying to be an expert on tactics and formations I will simply try to cheer the team on whether we win or lose as this season has proved how little I really know about football despite having watched Chelsea play for 25 years!

Chelsea 2 Blackburn 1

So not long to go now until the European Cup Final. The domestic season ended on a positive note although realistically if Chelsea do not come away with the trophy this Saturday we may struggle on many fronts next season. No Champions’ League and therefore a harder time to attract players; Tottenham sullying the name of the competition; and less exotic places to travel to on away trips in the Europa League where the likelihood of being beaten up by knuckle-dragging locals increases.

It is time for change at the club – not just on the pitch but on the terraces. It was noticeable to see how many empty seats there were in the Chelsea end following two weeks of endless begging from Chelsea fans for tickets for the European Cup Final. This was the final game of our season and it seems many of us have forgotten how to support our club. There are many reasons why fans are cynical and negative these days but we really have to get behind our players even if we may not agree with many of the decisions made behind the scenes or players' behaviour off the pitch.

There were a few positives to take from the game though and the future for our youngsters looks quite bright. Winners of the FA Youth Cup again and fairly solid performances when they have been called upon (Bertrand in particular) for the first team bode well for the future. In a time of austerity and financial fair play we may have to suffer for a little while longer on the pitch to see the full results of our Academy’s success. Lukaku deserved more playing time but perhaps Di Matteo wanted to see who between Torres and Drogba looked hungrier for a place against Bayern this weekend.

Manchester City won the league – a team I have often said is similar to Chelsea in so many ways. I am glad for their fans who were there in the less successful days (who can forget them singing about Alan Ball to the tune of Wonderwall at the Bridge?) and it was noticeable that Ferguson could only retort to their league victory by noting how much injury time was played at the City of Manchester stadium (pot/kettle) and how it would take another century for them to emanate Man Ure’s history. The only shame is that the likes Balotelli and Tevez are rewarded with a medal despite being utter scumbags.

I am one of the few who did not mind QPR staying up. Frankly, I find the away trips up to the North-West a hard slog and will not miss Bolton or Blackburn despite the many good memories of our first Premier League trophy win up at the Reebok. Both stadia are not close to the train station and both clubs have fans who rarely fill out more than a fifth of their away allocation at the Bridge.

Yes, so QPR fans have brains the size of peanuts – but so do many of our jealous rivals’ supporters. The only hope is that Joey Barton (who declared himself a pacifist on his Twitter account only a few months ago) is sacked from football… what a disgrace that player is to his club and the game.

We go into the Final at Munich with a Bayern side that has many similarities to us… with some players who blow hot and cold but on their day could fit into any side. I will reserve judgment until after the game but it is just too close a call. Remembering how Liverpool fluked the trophy a few years back anything can happen… and for once this season luck seems to be marginally in our favour. Good luck Chelsea!

QPha and Bareclonha

It is not too often that I chuckle throughout many games. One of those was the home game against Barcelona this season where I could not fathom how we won and rode so much luck. The other was the QPR game yesterday. If there was a definition of comic timing then this game was it. Having the young QPR mascot provocatively kiss the QPR badge on his shirt in front of the Chelsea fans as he was lead off to the away end only to see his team concede inside the opening 30 seconds was one example. Hearing the away end sing, “loyal supporters” and finding no hypocrisy in the fact that some of their fans left the stadium at half-time was another. I am a Londoner and I would always prefer a local team to stay up. It is easier to get to games and there is more meaning to certain derbies (although I do recall Capital Gold arguing that it was better for there to be fewer teams from the same city in one division as it lead to too many points being dropped). In this case QPR's small club mentality shone through with the opposition fans spending more time throwing insults at Chelsea rather than getting behind their own side. And how fitting it was to see John Terry score a goal against them (although if he is found guilty of racially insulting Anton Ferdinand he should be sacked). This fantastic victory against a poor side capped a remarkable week. It was difficult to express the feelings I had following the magnificent performance in Barcelona. Most of those were of disappointment for selfish reasons - that of all the times I have been to the Camp Nou I missed the greatest performance of them all. Not only did we get through but you can imagine the gnashing teeth from journalists who I am sure were rubbing their hands with glee that our captain would cause our downfall. The victory in Europe was no mean feat – the Catalans won 7-0 away from home yesterday and Tuesday's victory to get us to the Champions' League Final was the definition of teamwork. There is a reason I never bet on Chelsea or play fantasy football – and that is because you end up in situations where you begin to cheer on other sides. This time there was an exception for me as I was so adamant that we would be knocked out by hook or by crook that I saw little downside putting £30 on at 12-1 for the home side to win 2-1. Although I cheered from my sofa when Torres scored at the back of my mind I thought, “that bastard just cost me £360!”. He marked a fine week though with a brilliantly taken hat trick against the ars (I think that's what their fans call them - 'Come on You Ars' - sounds like a porn film name). It is hard to come to terms with the fact that I am unlikely to make the Champions’ League Final. I have always been one of those who has no sympathy with those who moan about not getting tickets for the big games when they do not attend regularly. Earlier on in the season I was even secretly congratulating myself for not renewing my season ticket (nothing to do with Chelsea really – more because I have two young daughters to look after!) when we went through our bad run. I have not felt like this since we were in the Cup Winners Cup Final and I could not make it due to exams at University… if I get a ticket I will go. The only thing that makes me fume is how it is acceptable on the continent to tout your tickets (Chelsea’s own Viagogo is doing so from the US!) and with a pitiful allocation of 17,000 there will be many disappointed fans out there. It is fantastic that Roberto Di Matteo has achieved so much in so little time. He has made sensible decisions on the pitch and if anything the general feel at the club is better – we are all into feng shui now with all the luck he has brought us. No pressure now – let’s try to win all our remaining games this season and I will be happy! Come on Chelsea!

Well done Chelsea!

The win was tempered by John Terry's silly decision that lead to his red card but the resilience and experience of the team shone through.
Well done to all the players who worked hard as a team and the wonder strike from Ramires.
It is also the last time I bet on a match as Torres scoring cost me £300 I could have won if we had lost 2-1!
Having followed Chelsea for so long it feels hollow not to have been there and know that due to family commitments it will be unlikely for me to get to the final.
Well done Di Matteo and the fans who went out there!

Enemies of football 4 Napoli 1

A quality night of tension, frustration and elation which must rank as one of the most memorable Chelsea nights on the European stage. The result was well deserved and hopefully has poked a huge v-sign towards those who would have preferred no English teams left in Europe if it meant Chelsea reaching the quarter final stage. It was interesting to hear that the ITV commentator shouted, “take that!” when Napoli pulled a goal back.

The opening twenty minutes were pretty woeful and worrying. Chelsea missed a glorious opportunity to open the scoring and then Petr Cech kept us in the game with some stunning saves.

We scored against the run of play but it only reinforced a view I have had for a while – we still have quality in the side but have simply lacked direction and confidence.

Although the comeback was fantastic this really was a team who we should have (on paper at least) not have struggled against so it is hard to put it on a par with previous famous nights against Arsenal, Barcelona and Liverpool… but this was chalk and cheese compared to some of the dross that was served up earlier on in the season.

Drogba, Lampard, Terry, Cech and Cole in particular were outstanding. Substitutions were perfectly made too with Torres coming on for the hapless Sturridge well timed. The ball seemed to stick to his feet like glue (although he still appears timid in front of goal). And as per usual as soon as I started moaning at how ineffective Ivanovic had been he popped up with a stunning winner!

Well done RdM – so far the romantic vision of hoping you succeed is working a treat which obviously means we will now fail to beat Leicester (only kidding!)

As long as we steer clear of the Spanish sides we should have a good chance of progressing to the semis which is where the real action begins. We are behind you Chelsea – come on you Blues!

Chelsea 1 Stoke City 0

The romantic in me would love nothing more than to see Roberto di Matteo succeed at Chelsea Football Club and the managerial rhetoric from him since he took the role of caretaker manager has been exactly right. The team needs wins at the moment and that is the objective we should aim for. Pretty football for the “neutrals” who would realistically rather see us relegated than succeed can come later.

On the pitch Chelsea were extremely unlucky not to have scored a hatful on Saturday having hit the post and bar three times. The confidence is not quite there yet and in the first half I counted at least five “unforced errors”. This is where you have to draw the line at how much blame can be apportioned to a manager when mistakes occur. A few stray passes here and there plus a silly offside from a throw-in broke up the tempo of the side after a very bright start. We then had to grind out a win but the main thing was to obtain the three points.

The trouble with playing teams like Stoke is that their main aim away from home is to escape without a loss – so going down to ten men did little to change their tactics. I was very pleased to see Roberto change to a more attacking formation after this.

Am looking forward to the Napoli game and I believe that we can turn it around. We need the Chelsea fans to get behind the team and despite all the negatives behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge on the pitch the players need our support. Against all odds we may displease those who want us to fail. It’s us against them. Noone like us and we don’t care.

Come on Chelsea!

Valky's Rant Part 2

Timing, as they say is everything. If someone could find a football club that was worse at this special skill then they should show me the evidence. Whether it was the building of the East Stand which nearly bankrupted the club just when we were in the middle of one of our most successful phases on the pitch in the early 1970s to implementing price hikes for tickets during our current poor run of form (£70 to watch Napoli at home!) the list seems long and endless.

Just as Gavrilo Princip’s assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was seen as the symbolic watershed incident that caused the First World War to break out, so the turning point on the pitch this season was the QPR away game. In both instances fundamental long-term problems that had been bubbling under the surface came to a head and lead to hugely negative consequences.

Chelsea had been on a decent run up until that point – but the red cards for the Chelsea players seemed to drain the energy out of the side in subsequent games despite a valiant effort on the pitch at Loftus Road (and yet again a match which contained more dubious decisions against our club). Even worse, the John Terry incident with Anton Ferdinand has overshadowed our season (no pun intended) and cast doubt on the decision making of our players.

It is also hard to fathom why we are announcing a stadium move when the club is moving backwards and struggling to fill out Stamford Bridge for our less lucrative matches. Also, why even discuss such a matter when the season is well under way which only causes unnecessary distractions? The murky wording of each statement from the club regarding the CPO not only makes the administrators sound like they do not trust the fans but increases the apathy of those regulars who love Chelsea towards those running our off-the-field affairs. To say that the club promises not to move outside a three-mile radius from Stamford Bridge before 2020 immediately only makes one think that the club actually wants to move further than three miles away from Stamford Bridge after 2020!

Although it seems the club wants to start adhering to the Financial Fair Play rules (whatever that means in this day and age) it is difficult to understand how this will possibly work when we keep spending money on average players who are unlikely to recoup their worth in shirt sales. Torres has become an embarrassment – probably not his fault (last season for instance I found it quite obnoxious of us to play him against Liverpool on his debut – he has not recovered since and there was little upside for him to be in the side against his old club) and one really has to question what the long-term aim of the club is.

And this brings us on to another dilemma – do those who run the club really understand enough about footballing matters? What are our long-term aims on the pitch? We seem to have lost our way and part of the problem is the secret shroud that seems to surround our owner who says little in public. I still have images in my mind of Bobby Campbell continuously sitting near Roman Abramovich in his box and dread that we have relied on his advice – it would be akin to my grandmother advising me which computer I should be investing in (and most likely being told to use a pen and a piece of paper instead).

I strongly feel that if the club stopped this policy of always looking for the big name signing and looked closer to home; developed our youth team and gave youngsters more of a chance in our first team then fans would accept the odd failure. (Speaking of which – why are our reserves and youth team doing so badly?) In fact, if we announced that we would not be making any major signings for the next few seasons and aimed to grow organically then moving one step backwards to go two steps forwards could be a popular decision. If we do have to sign new players then we should not be aiming for big names (look how Real Madrid failed in their hunt for trophies five years ago despite having the players such as Beckham and Zidane capable of selling thousands of shirts on their books) but should be concentrating more on men who are team players and have potential (and pace!)

The moral of the story is this – don’t try to make big plans for expanding your stadium when the club is going backwards; don’t try to find short-term solutions to long-term problems; when working at a football club have the majority of those in charge have some idea about footballing matters; and finally have a long-term strategy in place that focuses more on what we need to do to be successful on the pitch! (Oh, and don’t get rid of managers like Jose Mourinho!)