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23 03 2008 Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1
Well I don't really know why I can't get into Chelsea matches these days. I don't mean entering through the turnstiles
(despite my girth) but getting that excited feeling the night before a match, or even on the day of game. Even worse, I
had this feeling against the team that I detest the most - the club that can do no wrong, the teacher's pet of English
football - Arsenal.
It did not help that kick off was put on Easter Sunday, a traditional family occasion for myself. What next - matches on
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Now, I am no bible basher, and certainly am cynical of the fact that there was once a
talking snake in the Garden of Eden, but such ridiculous rescheduling of matches is yet another nail in the coffin for me
and a large minority of fans who are fed up with their social and family lives being messed up because some random
numpty in China singing, "Careflee", wants to watch Chelsea on the box rather than go and support his local club....
Having said all this, the game was enjoyable. The first half was almost end to end, and really Chelsea should have been
ahead by half time. Drogba screwed up when he had a one on one, and a scramble in the box fell to Kalou who missed
the ball and kicked the air instead. Throughout the first half, there was incessant chanting about Gallas and Adebayor -
now I am all for having a partizan crowd getting behind their team, but after the fifth time the Gallas chant was sung, it
was getting a bit tedious. We were stooping to Arsenal fans' level, who enjoy bringing inflatable mobile phones and
releasing songs on cd about Ashley Cole - and we know what a bunch of c*nts they look like when they do that.
Arsenal went ahead undeservedly in the second half when lax marking on the near post allowed them to score from the
corner. Grant made two excellent substitutions - replacing the slow Ballack (although Lampard probably should have
been the one to be taken off) and Maka, and replacing them with the more attacking Belletti, pushing Essien into
attacking midfield, allowing Anelka to partner Drogba up front. Cue the, "you don't know what you're doing" chants.
Personally, I must have been one of the few who agreed with the subs, but the majority of Chelsea fans didn't think so.
Maybe it was more a build up of frustration towards Grant, rather than this one instance of substitutions that lead to the
protest. Luckily, the subs worked, and Drogba saved the day with two well placed strikes having had a pretty lacklustre
game up until that point.
It was joyous to see Arsenal slump to their fifth game without a win. It was amazing that at one point they had three
players injured at the same time - when they were 1-0 up! After they were losing 2-1, I could not believe that any of their
players managed to get injured again! How bizarre.... There are few fans more smug than those from The Emirates
(TM) and there are few things more joyous than seeing them suffer...
So Avram earned a stay of execution. Let's hope he has learned his lesson from Sunday. With United needing to still
travel to The Emirates and Stamford Bridge, against all odds we may have a chance of winning the league, providing
our manager does not lose the plot in forthcoming games.
(despite my girth) but getting that excited feeling the night before a match, or even on the day of game. Even worse, I
had this feeling against the team that I detest the most - the club that can do no wrong, the teacher's pet of English
football - Arsenal.
It did not help that kick off was put on Easter Sunday, a traditional family occasion for myself. What next - matches on
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Now, I am no bible basher, and certainly am cynical of the fact that there was once a
talking snake in the Garden of Eden, but such ridiculous rescheduling of matches is yet another nail in the coffin for me
and a large minority of fans who are fed up with their social and family lives being messed up because some random
numpty in China singing, "Careflee", wants to watch Chelsea on the box rather than go and support his local club....
Having said all this, the game was enjoyable. The first half was almost end to end, and really Chelsea should have been
ahead by half time. Drogba screwed up when he had a one on one, and a scramble in the box fell to Kalou who missed
the ball and kicked the air instead. Throughout the first half, there was incessant chanting about Gallas and Adebayor -
now I am all for having a partizan crowd getting behind their team, but after the fifth time the Gallas chant was sung, it
was getting a bit tedious. We were stooping to Arsenal fans' level, who enjoy bringing inflatable mobile phones and
releasing songs on cd about Ashley Cole - and we know what a bunch of c*nts they look like when they do that.
Arsenal went ahead undeservedly in the second half when lax marking on the near post allowed them to score from the
corner. Grant made two excellent substitutions - replacing the slow Ballack (although Lampard probably should have
been the one to be taken off) and Maka, and replacing them with the more attacking Belletti, pushing Essien into
attacking midfield, allowing Anelka to partner Drogba up front. Cue the, "you don't know what you're doing" chants.
Personally, I must have been one of the few who agreed with the subs, but the majority of Chelsea fans didn't think so.
Maybe it was more a build up of frustration towards Grant, rather than this one instance of substitutions that lead to the
protest. Luckily, the subs worked, and Drogba saved the day with two well placed strikes having had a pretty lacklustre
game up until that point.
It was joyous to see Arsenal slump to their fifth game without a win. It was amazing that at one point they had three
players injured at the same time - when they were 1-0 up! After they were losing 2-1, I could not believe that any of their
players managed to get injured again! How bizarre.... There are few fans more smug than those from The Emirates
(TM) and there are few things more joyous than seeing them suffer...
So Avram earned a stay of execution. Let's hope he has learned his lesson from Sunday. With United needing to still
travel to The Emirates and Stamford Bridge, against all odds we may have a chance of winning the league, providing
our manager does not lose the plot in forthcoming games.
