13 04 2006 Chelsea player of the year do - report/photos
Chelsea held their player of the year dinner at the Grosvenor Hotel on Park Lane tonight.
At £85 a ticket it was extremely pricey, but not bad I thought if I got to meet some of my heroes.
The quality of the event was superb. Very good MCs (aight!) and the food was top notch. Before the dinner we were
served aperitifs in the ball room which was all included. I did not realise that no wine was included in the meal though!
Not even half a bottle per couple! But there you go, it is the Grosvenor after all. The third time I've been there and the
service is excellent, but nothing is free.
The player of the year announcement was made very early on - just after starters. The players were surrounded
virtually from the beginning until the end. They all seemed to have time to sign autographs and pose for pictures, but
the crowd around them was just too much and soon fans were being shooed away. After the awards were given (Diarra
for the Young Player of the Year, Maka for the Players' POTY and John Terry for the fans' POTY) the Chelsea table was
surrounded.
Jose Mourinho and his staff had left by then, with obviously better things to do than sign a few autographs! The players
left soon after having already apparently eaten elsewhere.
It is difficult for me to know how to react to this disappointment. Ok, so the players were surrounded all the time; Chelsea
have an early game on Saturday; etcetc but surely Chelsea should have then put this on a Wednesday night? Or at
least just before the last game of the season. I desperately wanted meet Jose and thank him in person for what he has
done. I also wanted my girlfriend to meet him who loves him more than she loves me!
At the end of the day I am just a pleb fan who has been going through thick and thin since my first game in 1987. I can't
play the holier than thou card though: I am now seeing some of the downsides to being in love with one of the greatest
clubs in the world at the moment. In any case I shall vote with my feet and not go again unless we become rubbish and
the hangers on leave.
The irony was that it was former players who gave the most time to the fans: Elliott, Wilkins, Walker, Droy, Langley and
Bonetti. I was very proud to meet these latter men who my Dad waxes lyrically about to this day. Even Kenyon had time
to speak to the fans, although when I mentioned my ire at the issue of hanging flags he cut the conversation short.
Roman wasn't there, but if he was we probably would have all had to enter via a metal detector.
Later there were some quiz games and more banter, but I left early. And when I got home, the dog that I am looking after
for my gran had pissed all over the corridor to my flat. For the third time in 2 days.
So overall, I can't question the quality of the night in terms of food, service and entertainment, but was extremely
disappointed that the players had left so early. With earnings of at least £20,000 a week they should be more generous
to the fans who spend their hard earned cash and time watching the club.
Time to stalk Cobham then.
At £85 a ticket it was extremely pricey, but not bad I thought if I got to meet some of my heroes.
The quality of the event was superb. Very good MCs (aight!) and the food was top notch. Before the dinner we were
served aperitifs in the ball room which was all included. I did not realise that no wine was included in the meal though!
Not even half a bottle per couple! But there you go, it is the Grosvenor after all. The third time I've been there and the
service is excellent, but nothing is free.
The player of the year announcement was made very early on - just after starters. The players were surrounded
virtually from the beginning until the end. They all seemed to have time to sign autographs and pose for pictures, but
the crowd around them was just too much and soon fans were being shooed away. After the awards were given (Diarra
for the Young Player of the Year, Maka for the Players' POTY and John Terry for the fans' POTY) the Chelsea table was
surrounded.
Jose Mourinho and his staff had left by then, with obviously better things to do than sign a few autographs! The players
left soon after having already apparently eaten elsewhere.
It is difficult for me to know how to react to this disappointment. Ok, so the players were surrounded all the time; Chelsea
have an early game on Saturday; etcetc but surely Chelsea should have then put this on a Wednesday night? Or at
least just before the last game of the season. I desperately wanted meet Jose and thank him in person for what he has
done. I also wanted my girlfriend to meet him who loves him more than she loves me!
At the end of the day I am just a pleb fan who has been going through thick and thin since my first game in 1987. I can't
play the holier than thou card though: I am now seeing some of the downsides to being in love with one of the greatest
clubs in the world at the moment. In any case I shall vote with my feet and not go again unless we become rubbish and
the hangers on leave.
The irony was that it was former players who gave the most time to the fans: Elliott, Wilkins, Walker, Droy, Langley and
Bonetti. I was very proud to meet these latter men who my Dad waxes lyrically about to this day. Even Kenyon had time
to speak to the fans, although when I mentioned my ire at the issue of hanging flags he cut the conversation short.
Roman wasn't there, but if he was we probably would have all had to enter via a metal detector.
Later there were some quiz games and more banter, but I left early. And when I got home, the dog that I am looking after
for my gran had pissed all over the corridor to my flat. For the third time in 2 days.
So overall, I can't question the quality of the night in terms of food, service and entertainment, but was extremely
disappointed that the players had left so early. With earnings of at least £20,000 a week they should be more generous
to the fans who spend their hard earned cash and time watching the club.
Time to stalk Cobham then.
