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2007/2008 has been an incredible season for
me as a football fan. I have travelled the length and breadth of not only
Scotland, but also the UK - clocking up an amazing number of new grounds
in the process, I have witnessed a record number of goals (so many that I
have lost count) - including 11 in one game
(Portsmouth v Reading), become a part of Premiership history and
missed half of a game for the first time in my life
(if anyone wants a full explanation send me a PM and I'll happily
share the story). Following a trip to Wembley the day before, my 10-month
journey had one final stop, Stamford Bridge for the visit of Bolton to
take on the millionaires of Chelsea.
This was an interesting trip
for me, because although I'm a Sunderland fan at heart, I have a few
Manchester. United fans in my family and have
always had a soft spot for The Reds myself - so, as you can imagine, the
constant winding them up about (1) Me buying a Chelsea top and (2) Being
at Stamford Bridge to see Chelsea lift the Premiership trophy didn't go
down too well in the days before the game. Only one of the above two
things actually happened of course, and I don't think I need to tell you
which one it was!!
I was looking forward to going to a game at
Stamford Bridge because, having always made a point of going there for a
few photos on my previous trips to London, it was always a stadium which
struck me as impressive from the outside, so I was excited at the prospect
of actually getting to see a match at 'The Bridge' - I was, of course, in
with the Bolton fans as it was the only way I could get my hands on a
ticket.
The journey to the ground was easy, because I had done it
on the Underground countless times in the past, and out of all the
Premiership grounds in the capital, Stamford Bridge is by far the easiest
to get to - although West Ham and Spurs are not far behind. For anyone
unsure of how to get to the ground, take a Wimbledon-bound District line
train to Fulham Broadway station then come out the station, turn left and
follow the crowds 100 yards down the road to the ground. Be aware though
that the trains do get very busy on matchdays with fans heading to the
ground and that the shopping centre exit may not be open on match
days (it was closed for this match) - in this
situation there are signs from the platform directing fans towards the car
park exit and subsequently onto the stadium.
Before the game (after leaving my suitcase in the left luggage at
Euston mainline station), I decided to head down to The Oval cricket
ground for a few photos - but there was a game about to start when I was
down there, so I didn't get many photos. I then headed up to the ground
and arrived at Stamford Bridge around 12:45pm. I grabbed a cheeseburger
and Pepsi from one of the many burger vans outside the ground (which for £5.10 at Stamford Bridge was quite decent I
thought!) then bought the obligatory match programme and just mingled with
the Chelsea fans for around about an hour. I also took a number of photos
outside the ground then had a walk around the Chelsea Megastore at the
ground, so that I could get an idea of what shirt to buy after the
game.
Eventually, it came time to head in the ground. I was
extremely lucky, because my ticket was for the Upper Tier of The Shed End
- if you do go to Stamford Bridge as a visiting fan, try to get a ticket
for the upper tier because you get a cracking view. Thankfully, at this
point, I still had my match ticket - because when I got inside the ground
I somehow managed to lose it on the concourse. I climbed the few flights
of stairs that there are up to the top tier and my first impressions on
seeing the ground were, "I've seen better, but it's still very impressive."
I never went to the old
Stamford Bridge, but the current ground is a million miles away from the
look of the old one - the three-tier stand opposite the away end is
particularly striking. I took a few photos inside the ground before the
game then headed back down to the concourse for a beer. The only thing I
have to criticise Chelsea's alcohol for is lack of selection - the only
beer on tap they had was Heineken, but at £3.30 a pint it was a lot
cheaper than I was expecting - certainly compared to the prices I seen at
Wembley the day before. The pint was of good quality as well - it actually
tasted like a decent pint, because there have been plenty grounds I have
been to on my travels where the alcohol on sale tastes like it was taken
from the cubicles in the bogs!!
To the game itself then. It wasn't
a classic to say the least - and I have to be honest, seeing Chelsea play
in person, I was actually quite disappointed - because whenever I watch
them on TV they just seem to play such an arrogant style of football,
against Bolton they played very lethargically - and the game really had
that 'end of the season' feel about it. I did though enjoy the game in the
respect that Chelsea's failure to win sent the league trophy to Old
Trafford (again!!) and the sight of 37,000 Chelsea
fans with sour faces at the end of the game was priceless. Bolton, backed
by a 3,000 strong sell-out travelling support (many of whom were in fancy dress) did what few
teams do when they play away against the 'big four' - they went and gave
it a go. Fair enough, they still only played one upfront for most of the
game, but it frustrated Chelsea for an hour until they took the lead.
When Andrei Shevchenko came on at
half-time for Chelsea I said to myself, "I just know he's gonna score" -
and 16 minutes into the second half that's exactly what he did. A ball
skidded across the box was missed by everyone, with the exception of
Shevchenko - who nipped in at the back post to put Chelsea in front - the
goal counted for nothing though, as news had already came through that Man
U were also beating Wigan 1-0.
Despite going a goal down, Bolton
still didn't give up, and their performance was rewarded in stoppage time
at the end of the game when Kevin Davies took advantage of poor Chelsea
defending to send the ball under Petr Cech and into the net. At that
point, the Bolton fans went nuts - despite the fact that it still meant
the title was heading to Manchester. When news reached Stamford Bridge
that Man. U had won 2-0 at Wigan, the atmosphere from the home support
went totally flat - not that it was much else other than that for most of
the game anyway.
A further point to add about the away end is that
a large number of travelling fans at Chelsea can make a great noise.
Bolton fans really got behind their team, and for almost the whole
afternoon, outsang the 37,000 Chelsea fans.
Food-wise, I didn't
sample any of the culinary delights at 'The Bridge', but I did have a
quick glance at the kiosk - which was doing a good trade in hot dogs, pies
and hot drinks - all at fairly reasonable prices.
I also have to say
that the policing at Stamford Bridge was a lot more relaxed than I was
expecting. I think that the Met. Police get an unfair reputation for being
a bit heavy-handed, because I have to commend them for being so friendly
and helpful. As it happened, my ticket was up in the corner right next to
the divide between police and Chelsea fans, and the guys were really
helpful sorting out the situation when I lost my ticket and I also shared
a laugh and a joke with them about the scores from the other games that
day. I should point out though that the Police are quite strict about
persistent standing in the away end - they are lenient to a point, but
don't be surprised if you get a bobbie asking you to sit down, the toilets
in the away end are about average for the majority of top-flight grounds
also.
Getting away from the ground after the game was fine. I spent
a little bit of time in the Chelsea Megastore after the game and bought an
adult XL third (the white one) kit - which, when I
went in to work on the Tuesday after the game didn't go down too well with
my boss and half the guys in my team... all of them Manchester United fans
of course!! Having bought the shirt, I headed into Sainsbury's at the
Fulham Broadway shopping centre for a juice, allowing time for the
majority of the crowds to disperse - but even then, it was still quite
busy on the tube heading back to central London.
Once I was back in
Central London, I seen out the last hour of my epic weekend at Euston
station - before boarding the 8pm Sleeper service for the journey back up
north. I left London with a massive smile on my face having had a
memorable weekend, but I felt I went home at the right time because I
couldn't have stayed in London any longer this time round.
My
overall thoughts of the day were that I really enjoyed it, but I think
it's important to bear in mind that Chelsea fans are extremely passionate
about their team - and have a well-documented history of 'hardcore' fans,
so it's worth keeping colours covered if you're going with a 'big team'.
Before and after the game was ok with a team like Bolton, but I could
imagine the situation when Arsenal, Man. U, Liverpool, Spurs or West Ham
are visitors to Chelsea. It's also advisable to be on your best behaviour
in the ground as well, because Chelsea fans aren't scared to open their
mouths when prompted to by an over-zealous visiting supporter.
I
won't go on about Chelsea fans for too long, because I disliked them before the game anyway. If they weren't
such arrogant 'you know whats' then I might like them, but seeing them for
myself made it ten times worse - their heads are so far up their own backsides.
Before anyone asks, 'well, why did you buy a
Chelsea top if you don't like them then?' My answer is because I like
their shirts, it's like someone who buys a Barcelona shirt in Glasgow -
you don't buy the shirt because you support the team, you buy the shirt
because it looks good and the team are a marketable brand. Which was why I
parted with £35 (which again I thought was decent
considering it's Chelsea) of my hard-earned wages to buy the
top.
Stamford Bridge is one of those grounds which, as a visiting
fan, you make what you make of it - either it's a good day or it's not. I
had a great day out at Chelsea because I went for the experience more than
anything else. It is perhaps surprising then that, given the opportunity
again, I wouldn't go back to Chelsea. It is one of those grounds which,
when you've been, you walk away saying 'once is enough for me' - or that's
just the way I felt anyway, but all in all, I had a better day out at
Chelsea than I was expecting - and it was also a nice way to end an
unbelievable season for me as a football fan.
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