VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
THANKS, GUUS!
On behalf of Chelsea in America
- thank you Guus and Ray!
• Tales from the Spring
Trip
• Notes from the
Chairwoman
• FA Cup Returns to the
Bridge
• Chelsea Player
Chronicles
• June Dates to
Remember
• 5 Questions For....
• Match Report from the
Emirates
• Season Summary
• News from Sky Sports
and the Chelsea
Website
JUNE 2009
TALES FROM THE SPRING TRIP
Story and photos by Texas Blues member Sam Peterson
This year was my fourth in a row making
it to the Bridge for a live Chelsea match,
and I have to say there has never been
any danger of this annual event
becoming less of a thrill than it was the
first time.  No matter how many games I
watch on telly or via online score
trackers while I'm stuck at work, there is
just no comparison to the real thing.  and I say, 'Allez, Monsieur Ananas!'
Standing in the Shed Upper, watching as
the seats fill up or joining
the cheers as the boys
come out for their
warmup, I get
goosebumps every single
time.  It's a horrible
cliche, but being at the
Bridge really is magic.  I
feel so incredibly
fortunate to have had
these experiences, and
even if I never make it to
another Chelsea match
(Zola forbid!), I'll always
have some truly brilliant
memories.  I owe the
Texas Blues/Chelsea in America a
massive thank you for introducing me to
the Spring Trip five years ago--you've
changed my life!
This year my match was the Fulham
game on May 2nd.  Everyone knows how
that turned out, so I'll only highlight the
types of things you don't see in match
reports -Florent Malouda's new hairstyle,
for instance.  I love the lad, and
apparently his changing 'do is positively
correlated with renewed goalscoring, but
really, Flo, what's with the topknot?  You
looked like a pineapple.  Or as they say
across the Channel, ananas.  I had an
excellent view of this style faux pas
courtesy of my binoculars, so everyone
in our area had a good laugh.   But
seriously, Flo can wear his fro in neon
green corkscrews for all I care if he
keeps playing the way he has since he's
been fit, which, incidentally, has been
the subject of much debate.  For those
who aren't aware, Flo had some teeth
surgery issues on top of recurring
muscle problems that kept him from
being at his best for large parts of his
time at the club.  Now that he's finally
feeling good we're seeing a return to the
promise he showed when he first came,
Another thing that was
very apparent at this
game was the fantastic
connection among our
three French-speakers
on the front line.  Flo
and Didi are long-time
mates and it shows, but
they seem to have
embraced Nico as well
and we're reaping the
benefits on the pitch. 
They do shout at each
other in French, which
must be confusing to
opposition defenders.  It
was really nice to see them all score
(though Didi's first was incorrectly
disallowed for offside--stupid linesman!)
and celebrate the birth of Didi's fourth
child together.  It stinks that television
match coverage usually misses that sort
of thing, which really highlights the
spirit and togetherness of this group of
players.  Journalists have questioned it
at times this season and last but I knew
better because I've seen how these boys
interact for four years.  They are a
Chelsea family, and that's probably why
they've been able to do well even when
the club itself is in turmoil.
Apart from some slick football, nice
goals, and our blossoming French
Connection, this match was special for
the occasion of our Captain Fantastic's
400th appearance for the Club.  They
Continued on Page 3

DEEP FROM THE HEART
NOTES FROM THE CHAIRWOMAN
WHEN JOHN WENT UP TO LIFT THE FA
CUP, WE WERE THERE, WE WERE THERE!
Okay, maybe not really there, but in our
hearts I know each of us was sure
wishing we were, and if we weren’t I
know most of us were with fellow Blues
singing and cheering our team on to
victory yesterday and wasn't it brilliant! I
hope everyone had as wonderful a Cup
day as I did!
 
So with John and the team lifting the
cup, that marks the end of the season,
which always makes me a bit sad. A time
to look back at all we have done and
maybe didn’t do, the good and the bad,
and the memories shared with Blue
friends. This one had some real
benchmarks for me personally, and
though it offered all of us some trials
and celebrations, it wasn’t a bad season
over all. So what does a hardcore Blues
supporter do when the summer season
hits? Well, if you want a list tune into the
podcast from May 25th as it is one of
the many categories of thoughts Danny
and I went over, so maybe it will give
you some ideas. And what a great way to
fill that “missing” two hours in the
summer, listening to a podcast or two.
There are so many out there, including
the legends ones.
 
But for me, and many others, the
summer will be filled with planning for
the summer tour . . . and what will you
be doing in the days between the 18th
and 26th of July? I hope you are joining
us! For all information on tickets, when,
where, what else we are doing, how to
get there, where to stay and loads more,
follow the Summer Tour link on
www.chelseainamerica.com We have so
much up our sleeve it is just going to be
the best summer tour ever!!!!
 
I want to remind everyone if you have
NOT ordered your tickets in our special
area, you need to hurry up! We have to
release those unsold tickets back to the
promoters soon, so if you haven’t
ordered your tickets and don’t do so
soon, they will be gone. Also if you are
traveling and need accommodations,
please check out the great hotel deals
we got. We are sharing these deals with
non-members as well. We again only
have a limited time to run the promotion
the Sheraton has offered us on hotels at
PAGE 2
all four venues, and honestly they are
very good value! Do not delay in booking
your rooms! If you are worried about
them charging your card, they don’t. The
reservation only holds the room until
you check in and then they will charge
your card. So please support this
initiative. For every 50 rooms we book
we get a free room, which we will use to
house a legend, and that cuts our
expenses down. Just go to the CIA
website, click the Summer Tour banner,
find the venue you need and click Hotel
Information.
 
One of the biggest parts of our summer
tour plans is our sponsoring of two
Chelsea legends, Tommy Langley and
Clive Walker, along with ChelseaTV
personality Neil Barnett to join us at all
four dates! It should be great fun, and
they are looking forward to the tour as
well, more than you know. As our guests
they will be around and involved in all
our activities! But it isn’t free to bring
them over. To that end we have our
“armies” - one being the PCB and the
other being the TXBlues - working hard
raising funds to cover this expense. We
are selling extra tickets in the Chelsea
end (not in our section) to football loving
folks in their area. And I want to
personally thank everyone for their
efforts that has raised their hand and
got stuck in selling tickets. They have
been getting to bars, arenas, soccer
shops and youth soccer organizations CONTRIBUTORS:
throughout their area and getting the
word out. I want to especially mention
Taylor and Taylor in North Texas who A big thanks to everyone who
yesterday, after the Cup final, started a helps make the CIA Bluesletter
massive texting campaign to every youth possible.
player they knew, whether they played
with them or against them, and Editor: Jamie Edwards
managed to sell 150 tickets yesterday Chairwoman: Beth Wild
alone! So many are getting involved here Logo and Graphics: Raciel Diaz
in North Texas. Charles spent the day Dates to Remember: Tel Stevens
and into the night texting friends and
friends of friends and sold over 50
CIA Crest done in collaboration
tickets. Tel and Amy did the hard job of
with Who Are Ya Designs -
leaving the Storm Cellar and heading
back to Decatur, stopping at every pub www.whoareyadesigns.com
between here and there to make sure a
poster was up. I heard it was thirsty Want to contribute or make a
work, and their efforts were arduous and suggestion? Send Jamie an
I am sure will pay off! Kelley from OK is email at newsletter@
chelseainamerica.com!
Continued on Page 4

Spring Trip, continued
from Page 1
did a little presentation before the game
that I sadly failed to capture on camera
for cheering, and then after the match JT
clapped all the fans and gave his shirt to
some lucky child in the stands.  I hope
he feels as proud to see the "Captain,
Leader, Legend" banner up in Matthew
Harding every game as we all are to have
him as our skipper.   Fantastic defender,
fantastic champion for Chelsea, and
fantastic bloke.  We're so fortunate to
have him.
Speaking of fortunate, I can't stress
enough what a privilege it is to watch a
live match in the company of fellow
Chelsea lovers.  It's such a pleasant
change from having to share a pub with
poxy plastic ManU, Liverpool, and
Arsenal "supporters" who only turn up
for big games and possess the
footballing knowledge of a wet noodle.  wall by the stadium entrance and get my
Nothing beats shouting at the
incompetent official and cheering at the
boys when they can actually hear you,
and of course the best part is the songs.  look like they've been photoshopped
Obviously we had Liquidator and Blue is
the Colour before kickoff, then during
the match I remember Super Frank, JT's
song, Didier Drogba Lalalalala, We're the
West Stand/Middle/East Stand of the
Shed, Ten Men Went to Mow, Carefree,
Chelsea Chelsea Chelsea, Blue Flag, digs
at our neighbors with You're Only Here
for the Chelsea and There's Only One
Team in Fulham, Que Sera Sera, and
even We're Going to Rome (ill-advised,
in my superstitious opinion!).  The
topper, however, was Zigger Zagger.  A
young bloke several rows down from us
was leading it, and he was so drunk that
by the end he could barely stand and
was slurring out something more akin to
Ziiiiihhhhhhhhl Zaaaaaahhhhhjfhkajhkl!  off to avoid souring the report.  Besides,
It was hilarious, and credit to him for
PAGE 3
keeping it up all match.  I don't know
how he managed to sustain that volume The San Antonio Blues
when he looked like he should be flag does some
passed out under his seat!  In any case
it's very impressive hearing that many
sightseeing....
people belting out Oi Oi Oi and the rest
of the chorus in unison.  I'd like to think
it helped the boys put on such a good
performance. 
The match was my last bit of Chelsea for
this trip, but earlier in the week the
group had a nice dinner at the Butcher's
Hook, where it all began, and of course I
had to visit the Megastore.  Budget
issues kept me from buying anything,
but I caught up on all the magazines and
programmes and learned that Salomon
Kalou is a wrestling fan (what???), JT's
team won the latest paintball excursion
(in which Guus participated as well!),
and Michael Essien is superhuman.  Wait,
I already knew that last one...After the
Megastore I went to check out the photo
picture taken in the chair as part of the
squad.  I have to say that up close that
photo is terrible!  Guus and Ray's heads
Sam shows off the flag during
over Scolari and co., and the whole thing her trip to Paris!
is really grainy, but it was fun anyway. 
Plus I had a good laugh at a group of
Italian fans taking "action shots" with the
single life-size photos of their favourite
players.  They'd bought a ball and were
taking turns posing with it as if they
were contesting headers with Riccy or
slide tackling Joey.  A couple of them
had some decent skills, too, even if their
designer jeans and croc-skin shoes were
rather letting them down!
All in all it was another amazing Chelsea
trip, and really the only thing that would
have made it better was getting justice
in the Barca game.  I'm leaving that night JUST A REMINDER....
I don't want to risk UEFA fining Chelsea Saturday, July 18 - Seattle vs.
some more.  Apparently it's a heinous Chelsea at Qwest Field (Seattle,
crime to speak out against corruption Wa.)
and incompetence even when it's the
blatant truth, so I won't share my Tuesday, July 21 - Chelsea vs.
thoughts on the disgusting farce that Inter at the Rose Bowl (Pasadena,
the Champions League has become.  Calif.)
Oh...
Friday, July 24 -AC Milan vs.
Ultimately it doesn't matter.  We Chelsea Chelsea at M&T Bank Stadium
supporters know we follow the best (Baltimore, Md.)
team in the world, right?  So until next
spring, chins up, sing up, be proud, and Sunday, July 26 - Chelsea vs. Club
CAREFREE!!! America at Cowboy Stadium
(Arlington, Texas)

Notes, continued from
Page 2
working hard up there as well and his
tickets are in the post as he knows folks
wanting to come down from OK to go to
the match and has found them ready to
trade money for tickets. Simon in
Houston is doing the same. Andy Wray
called yesterday from someplace other
than the Olde Ship to tell me he has
gotten stuck in selling tickets and that
the Olde Ship was willing to help out.
And I am sure there are other stories
from SoCal to come. Thanks to all of
you! If I have forgotten you, my
apologies, but I am keeping a log and I
owe you all a beer at least (OK, a Coke
for Taylor and Taylor!). If any of you can
help, let me know if it is about the Dallas
match, and let Chris Cruz know about
the LA match. Remember there are folks
that will be willing to go the couple
hundred miles from wherever to either
location to see a team as great as
Chelsea! Don’t some of us fly halfway
around the world to see the team? So if
you know a soccer group, a youth soccer
group, a football friendly pub, a soccer
store or any place that is friendly to
those of us that love the beautiful game
and you think might be able to sell or
BLUE DAY - THE FA CUP RETURNS TO THE BRIDGE!
Story by SE Blues member Jamie Edwards
When we went down 1-0 after 30
seconds, I was stunned, but I told my
entourage (a Man United fan, a Palace
fan and a West Ham fan) that we
certainly weren't out of it. I pointed out
we had conceded against Arsenal in the
semi-final and both times against
Liverpool in the Champions League but
fought back to reclaim victory.
I can't say I wasn't a little bit nervous,
but sometimes conceding the first goal
is what it takes for our team to really
wake up. And wake up we did!
This was my second trip down to Penny
Lane Pub, and I was surrounded by a
very sparse amount of Chelsea fans and
even a few Everton fans. This was also
my first time watching the Blues in the
FA Cup - I didn't have the cable sports
package two years ago when we were in
the final.
Everton were a worthy adversary. They
buy tickets, let us know! We want to
make sure no one goes without. We
need the help! The goal is to sell 2000
additional tickets above our allocation
for these two games, and we have paid
for the legends and Neil to come over! If
you have any questions about selling
tickets or ticketing in general, please
feel free to contact tickets@
ChelseainAmerica.com.
 
Along with that there are so many other
things we are working on. It is not too
late to be involved, so if you want to
volunteer (and we will need volunteers
during the tour) get to the forum and
speak out or contact your regional head
or board member to find out how your
services can best be used. And stay
tuned to the forum and the website as
we announce more events during the
tour.
 
But that isn’t all that is going on. We are
in the middle of wrapping up the end of
the season, and your board is working
hard to get all of our final paperwork
into the club. We have also been working
hard on some changes for next season
that we think folks will really like! More
about that in dedicated member emails.
We also have a Player of the Year award
came to play, which is more than United
did in the Champions League final!
When Drogba scored, at first I didn't
realize the ball had hit the back of the
net. After that, I started willing Frank to
score. "Come on Frank - get number
20!"
The match seemed to be going by both
too quickly and in slow motion, if that
seems possible. When Frank stumbled,
then shot, and that ball zoomed past
PAGE 4
to finalize and should have those details
soon to members. And of course the
finalization of our club flag, again in an
email to members. Thanks to Raciel and
Chris from Who are Ya Design, the
coolest, best, most wonderful design for
our club crest and t-shirts will be
announced very soon. We will be
revealing the New Chelsea Chick shirt
designs as well, so look for that
announcement, as we will be allowing
members to pre-order merchandise at a
discount very soon!!!
 
We still have so much to plan for the
summer tour and so much to try and
cram in those few precious days. Please,
if you can donate an hour of your time
during the tour or some additional time
before the tour to help out, we need
you! Remember all of this happens
because of the dedication of our
members that volunteer their time and
effort for the growth of our club. Without
all of them, nothing happens.
 
Okay, that is about it for now. I have a
date with my pool for a couple of hours
before I get stuck in for the evening
working on club stuff. I hope all of you
had a fantastic FA Cup weekend, and
look forward to seeing you all soon!
Tim Howard, I jumped to my feet
shouting and nearly knocked over my
friend. The final minutes seemed to last
forever - 4 minutes injury time! - but
finally, we were the winners. It was
amazing watching the celebrations. This
meant a lot to the boys and to Guus.
Some people say the FA Cup doesn't
matter much anymore. I personally love
it and treasure every trophy Chelsea
claim, whether it be the Carling Cup or
the Premiership. We may not have the
trophy haul of certain other clubs, but
we are making our own history right
now. To think of where we were and
where we are now, I am so proud of our
team. We have perservered through
difficult times, the musical chairs of
managers, the injuries, and we have
reclaimed the FA Cup.
That's just the beginning - we will come
out fighting next season, and I am
looking forward to the ride!

Kenyon Eyes Swift
Appointment
Article from Sky Sports
Guus Hiddink ended his brief spell in
charge of the Stamford Bridge club on
Saturday with victory over Everton in the
FA Cup final at Wembley.
AC Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti has been
widely touted as the expected successor
to Hiddink, who is returning to his role
as Russia national coach, but Kenyon
would not be drawn on who will be
appointed by the Premier League side.
He told Sky Sports News: "Now the cup is
over we'll be getting in to that
(appointing the new manager) and
hopefully we'll make an announcement
soon and then we can start planning for
next season.
"That will be good for everybody and we
will be moving on from where we've
finished off with our great end to the
season."
Kenyon also paid tribute to Hiddink after
he stepped into the breach following
Luiz Felipe Scolari's departure earlier in
the season.
The respected Dutchman only suffered
one defeat during his time at the helm
and came within seconds of taking the
club to the UEFA Champions League final
before lifting the FA Cup.
Kenyon said: "He's made a huge impact
on the team and the club in general.
Everyone wants to win the FA Cup but I
think even more so because it was his
last game."
The Blues have been linked with a
summer swoop for Manchester United
striker Carlos Tevez, who looks set for a
move away from Old Trafford at the end
of his two-year loan spell.
Kenyon confirmed that Chelsea would be
looking to bring in new faces during the
summer, but played down the
speculation over the Argentina
international.
He said: "I think we are in that season
now where Chelsea will be linked with
Continued on Page 6
5 QUESTIONS FOR...
TEXAS BLUES MEMBER TEL STEVENS
How did you become Chelsea, and
when?
I suppose I was destined to be a Chelsea
fan as my mum was born in Edith Grove,
just along from the Bridge and my Dad
was a big Chelsea fan. He even went to
school with Peter Houseman. My first
real memory of Chelsea was the 1967 FA
Cup Final - even then I knew blue was
the color.
How do you watch the matches?
I used to have a season ticket in the
MHU tier but now that I'm living in Texas
I tend to watch most games on FSC and
Setanta. Every now and then I'll try and
get down to The Storm Cellar but that's
a 120-mile round trip and, as much as I
would love to be around fellow fans,
sometimes it's just not doable.
Have you ever been to Stamford
Bridge, and do you have a favorite
memory?
My favorite memories from the Bridge?
Wow, there's tons - where do I start?
Seeing Gullit in a Chelsea shirt for the
first time meant to me that finally we
were going places; the Liverpool 4-2 cup
game; the 5-0 versus the Mancs; Vialli's
first game in charge; the come-from-
behind win in the ECWC semifinal;
seeing AC Milan at the Bridge was
unbelieveable for me; the first Barcelona
game; 3 goals in no time; and I can't
forget taking my wife Amy to her first
game in 2002. She totally loved it and
has been following the boys in blue
since.
Who is your favorite past or current
player?
I guess Charlie Cooke will always be
number 1, but he's closely followed by
Franco Zola. I'm also a big King Kerry
fan; love Carlo and Maka. Butch would
have to be there, and Poyet was another
I enjoyed watching. Of the current
PAGE 5
players - of course the English boys
Joey, JT and Lamps. I would also have to
say Essien, Alex and Riccy. One player
who I think should also get a mention is
Steve Clarke, one of our most consistent
defenders ever.
What is your favorite Chelsea
memory?
It would be easy to say winning Cups, so
it  has to be the away trip to Feyenoord
in Holland. This trip had it all: getting
chased by a bunch of Feyenoord fans;
being "babysat" by the Dutch police (one
was very kind in giving me his police
badge, which I still have); going to the
ground to find they are selling beer
inside; watching a 3-1 Chelsea win;
singing "American Pie" at halftime which
completely amused the Feyenoord fans;
having to stay in the ground for an hour
after the game, but we did get to see the
team warm-down, and Dennis Wise
came over for a rendition of "Ten Men
Went to Mow". To top it all off, a couple
of months later in the Chelsea magazine
there was a spread on that trip and all
that I have said was in there. There's
even a photo of me on the scoreboard
with all the flares going off behind me.
Great trip. I highly recommend a
European away game. I would also like
to answer the same as Andy did in the
last newsletter (winning the Prem for the
first time) but if I'm truthful I was so
drunk I really can't remember that much
after the final whistle... best ask the wife
what I got up to!

CHELSEA PLAYER CHRONICLES:
JIMMY GREAVES
by Pacific Coast Blues member Dave Tingey
The Chelsea Chronicles are going to outline some of the key players from this
great club's history in no particular order. The purpose it to enlighten some of
our fan base as to the history and foundation of the club and provide some of
our older, nay, wiser folks a little trip down memory lane - I hope you will enjoy
reading some poorly hashed out, but from-the-heart, bios of some of our
greatest characters and why I'm writing about them.  team in 1955. After his death his
A player from before my time, the first I
knew of Jimmy was in his days as the
fatter jolly English one of a double act
"Saint and Greavsie" with Ian St John (the
Scottish Liverpool stalwart of the 70's). I
knew Greavsie as a funny guy and a
former Tottenham Hotspur player. He
was also on the Saturday afternoon show
that followed on ITV from BBC's Football
Focus (on Grandstand) and, with Final
Score, The Big Match and Match of the
Day highlights, was one of my 5 football
fixes of the weekend. 
Imagine my surprise then, when I was
given a Chelsea book one Christmas and
I stumbled upon a Chelsea great, Jimmy
Greaves. Surely not the same guy as the
funny guy on the telly with the funny
tash? The very same, said my Dad. Cool,
I thought - during the 80's I was hungry
for any Chelsea links on the tv and had
to settle for the live match once or twice
a year (when we weren't plying our trade
in the second division - League One for
you young 'uns). 
So what did I read in that book? Well,
young James Peter Greaves was a goal
scoring debutant for the Blues in 1957 -
a trend that was to follow throughout his
career with Milan, primarily Spurs, West
Ham and England. A slight and tricky
player he knew where the goal was and
Continued from Page 5
every single player.
"We are going to be doing some work
PAGE 6
JUNE DATES TO
REMEMBER
June 13, 1980 - Florent Malouda's
birthday
June 15, 1984 - Ken Armstrong
passed away. He was a member of our
Division One Championship winning
ashes were returned to England and
wasn't afraid of showing older and wiser scattered over the Stamford Bridge
defenders up with his turn of pace.  pitch.
Before his 21st birthday he had netted June 17, 1982 - Alex's birthday
over 100 times for Chelsea, the fastest
player ever to 100 goals in terms of age. June 18, 1966 - Bobby Tambling gets
By the time Chelsea had sold him to cut from the final World Cup squad of
Milan (during a time of strike talk amidst 22. He had been a replacement for
huge reform led by the spectacularly be- Barry Bridges. Hollins, Hinton,
chinned Jimmy Hill) he had scored 124 Venables and Osgood had already
times in 157 matches, an astonishing been cut from the squad of 40 earlier
79% strike rate. Any fan from that era in the month.
will tell you that few players recall the
same emotions of wonder than the June 20, 1976 - Juliano Belletti's
young Greavsie who could disappear for birthday
large portions of the match only to pop
up at the crucial time and punish lax June 20, 1978 - Super Frank
defending.  Lampard's birthday
Of course it cannot be overlooked that
he was a Spurs great more than anything
(two time FA cup winner- the second
against his old club - us, one time UEFA
cup winner with the Cockerels) and set
numerous scoring records there (220
goals in 321 games). The sort of bloke
who you could have a beer with (and
who had more than he should have in
his time). The sort of bloke who would
laugh at the smallest joke and break any
tension in the room. The sort of bloke
who, when confronted with a runaway COMINGS AND GOINGS:
dog on the pitch would get down on all
fours and entice the dog ito his arms for John Hollins left for QPR in June 1975
safe escort from the field, all the time for 80k GBP and came back in June
the dog peeing over Jimmy (a true story 1983 as player coach.
that happened in the 1962 World Cup
finals in Chile against Brazil - a dog that Our first great goalscorer George
the legendary Garrincha took home as a "Gatling Gun" Hilsdon left us after 164
result of the amusement caused).  apps and 107 goals to join West Ham
  in June 1912.
Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your
glasses of non-alcoholic beverage to the Chelsea bought Celestine Babayaro
one, the only, Jimmy Greaves.   from Anderlecht for 2.25 million GBP
in 1997.
on the squad for next season and taking
Alan Birchenall was signed from
it from where it is and I'm sure there will
be lots more speculation over the next Sheffield Utd for 100k GBP in June
few weeks." 1967, and he left for Crystal Palace in
www.skysports.com June 1970 for the same amount.

TALES FROM... THE SINGING 3,000
Story and Photos by Away Season Ticket Holder Chris Axon
On Saturday, I went with a few
Chelsea regulars – with our wives
and girlfriends – down for a fiftieth
birthday near Southampton. The
theme of the evening was ska /
two tone and we presumed that a
local ska band had been booked.
There were about twenty skinhead
types milling around…the main
man, Alan ( from The Goose ), was
wearing a Ben Sherman, jeans,
braces and DMs. He looked a
picture. Imagine our surprise when
a trio of guys in their sixties
appeared on stage…the original
band couldn’t make it and so
replacements were sought. The lead
guitarist and singer introduced himself
as Beaky from the sixties band Dave
Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich…and
the music they played was just a total
mismatch for the evening. Nobody was
dancing! We excused ourselves and
headed back to pub where “Tony Two-
Tone” was halfway through a Ska /
Northern Soul set.
PD, Glenn and myself lit up the dance
floor ( stop sniggering at the back!) as
the ladies watched dumbfounded and
aghast from the sidelines.
I was in a quandary though – I was
headed up to London the next morning,
so had to watch my beer intake. The last
thing I wanted was to be driving up the
M4, with alcohol seeping out of every
pore. I also needed to protect my
unbroken league stretch going for this
season…for the first time ever, I am
honing in on Game 38 and I had to make
sure I wouldn’t fail on Game 36. Funny
the priorities at this stage of the
season…with just a few games left, I am
sure we turn up out of habit, punch
drunk from all of the travels and
games…on any other year, I could so
easily have given this one a swerve.
Glenn drove back to Frome and I,
thankfully, wasn’t hung over at all. After
a quick change into game gear, I set off
and collected Lord Parky from his place
at 11.45am. This was therefore going to
be a bit of a strange one with a
truncated “pre-match.” I hit a bit of
traffic nearing London, but was parked
up at West Brompton at 1.45pm. It was a
hot and sunny day and we were soon on
the tube to Holborn.
For every game at Arsenal since about
2002, we have met at “The
Shakespeare’s Head,” handily placed a
few stops away from Arsenal on the
Picadilly Line.
We haven’t had a great record at Arsenal
over the years. My first trip to Highbury
was the iconic 1984-85 opener and I
suppose I have visited Highbury seven or
eight times in total, plus two visits to
The Emirates. I had yet to see a Chelsea
win. Since 1990, we have only won there
three times…the first one was the 5-0
League Cup demolition job in 1998, the
second one was the Wayne Bridge game
in 2004 and the other one was the
Robben / Cole 2-0 game in 2005-2006.
I was really miffed that I couldn’t get a
ticket for that last one. I used to love
going to Highbury as I am a big art deco
fan and, of course, this was Chelsea’s
last ever visit to Arsenal’s grand thirties’
masterpiece. Since that season, I have
been an away season ticket holder – I’m
therefore guaranteed tickets for all of
our games.
Anyway, enough history for now.
I had decided to stay off the beer, so
Parky got me a Coke. I headed out
towards the rear of the pub and there
they all were…a fine turn out from The
Bing after Wednesday’s sadness…Parky
and myself joined eight other close
friends, plus Burger and Julie, visitors
once again to our shores. I got the
impression that I had missed a good
PAGE 7
pre-match, but I soon felt at home,
with updates from the party in
Southampton. We had a pretty heated
discussion about the state of the club
and the way forward. Suffice to say,
we doubted that the club was in good
hands. We need a long term plan and
a manager to stay for more than six
months! Hiddink was our choice, but
we were not sure if he would stay, for
various reasons. Daryl called our
current team “Mourinho’s Third Or
Fourth Best Team” and we all nodded.
I said that Mourinho still haunts us
all.
Lacoste Watch -
Ed - Chocolate
Parky - Lemon
Rob - Blue
Myself - Lavender
At 3.20pm, Parky and myself set off and
our timings were impeccable. Gary, Alan
and Whitey had left before us, but we
still got there before them…we had left
Simon, Milo, Daryl, Ed and Rob with
Burger and Julie – just finishing off their
drinks / ordering new ones!
Out from the rabbit warren of Arsenal
tube and into the bright sunlight. As we
walked the five minutes around to the
new stadium, I glimpsed the old West
Stand on Highbury Hill, now housing
apartments. The usual hubbub of match
day colours, sights and smells…
fanzines, T-shirts, touts and burgers.
Into the concrete coolness of the
stadium at 3.55pm – perfect timing. All
of us away season ticket holders, all 500
of us, were along the side and I was four
rows from the rear, thankfully shaded
from the sun. The Gooners were about
ten seats to my right. Parky was a few
rows in front and there was Les from
Melksham, too. Rob and Daryl were fifty
yards away, right behind the goal and
adjacent to The Goons.
Pre-match, I had predicted that we
would be more “up” for it than Arsenal,
but the opening exchanges disproved
this. We were second best in all areas
Continued on Page 8

Emirates, continued
from Page 7
and I lost count of the number of
chances which Arsenal squandered…at
times it was laughable, but beneath the
smiles and cheers, there was deep
concern for us. Gary, alongside me, was
especially worried. Mind you, he always
is – he always seems to have the
troubles of the World on his shoulders,
bless him.
“Come on Chels, wake up.”
“Chels” – our own little word of
encouragement to our heroes, which we
only ever use at actual games…it really
winds me up to see this special little
word used out of context so often these
days.
I have known Alan for twenty five years
and not once has he talked about
Chelsea as “Chels” outside of the
stadium…ditto Daryl, Gary, Glenn,
Walnuts, Rob, Blowmonkey and all. It’s
usually only used to tease out a better
performance from the team…never as a
word to be used to express joy…
Never –“Oh, well done Chels!”
But rather - “Get into them, Chels!”
“Come on, Chels!”
“We’re better than this Chels!”
“Keep going Chels!”
Midway though the first half, we got a
free-kick and I saw Drogba setting
himself. A shot? No – a deep cross for
Alex to head home! Get in! Virtually our
first real effort on goal – beautiful. Soon
after, Anelka broke from deep and
guided a superb shot in at the far post –
easily his best goal for us. Lovely that it
was against his old team.
2-0 up and in control – totally against
the run of play, even better! Up until this
point, Alan and Gary were eyeballing two
Goons in our row, about fifteen yards
away. Gary was winding one of them up
constantly and the Gooner was doing the
“outside, I’ll cut your throat” move…of
course, at two-nil, the two Goons
disappeared from view…never to be
seen again!
There was so much laughter coming
from our section – and the funniest
selection of songs this season…
“Here for the sunshine, you’re only here
for the sunshine!”
“Ooh to - ooh to be – ooh to be a Loser!”
“We’re surprised, we’re surprised, we’re
surprised that you’re still here, we’re
surprised that you’re still here!”
“You’d might as well go home!”
“Let them out, let them out, let them
out!”
And – throughout the game – our song
of the moment…
“We’re staying at home, we’re staying at
home, F UEFA, we’re staying at home.”
Only Chelsea fans could get a song
going about missing out on the CL Final
– I love this club!
I took a few snaps of Ed, Simon and Milo
giving me the “thumbs up” at half-time.
For a period in the second, it got a bit
surreal, with the singing from our
section taking precedence of the action
on the pitch. An Arsenal substitution,
gave the Chelsea choir another
opportunity to get singing. On came
Nicholas Bendtner…
“Where’s yer trousers gone, where’s yer
trousers gone?”
And mine – “Down with yer trousers,
you’re going down with yer trousers!”
The third goal came and it got even
better.
“One team in London, there’s only one
team in London!”
PAGE 8
“Ash is going to Wembley, Ash is going
to Wembley, tra, la, la, la, tra, la, la, la.”
Only when did Bendtner score did we
hear anything from Arsenal – their
support was truly pitiful. The last goal
from Malouda resulted in even more
home supporters leaving for the exits
and it was a joyous sight.
Alan – who really despises Arsenal – was
in heaven. I’ve never seen so many
grinning faces. Still Arsenal kept missing
their goal-scoring chances.
How we laughed.
By the time I met up with Parky, we were
right at the back of the stampede out…it
took forever to get back to west London
– not helped by closures on a few tube
lines.
Never mind. We called in for a pizza at
our favourite Italian at West Brompton –
and sat back and savoured a great away
day. I always remember my first visit –
with Beth – to The Emirates in May 2007,
when a 1-1 draw resulted in us
relinquishing our title to United…the day
of the “chins up” from Jose. Despite
losing the title that day, the support we
gave the boys made me so proud to be a
Chelsea fan.
In defeat, strength.
Fast forward to 2009 and our revenge
was complete…
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 4.
My first ever win at Arsenal – just
fantastic. I put Depeche Mode on the CD
player on the drive home – we were
singing aloud, loving it.
“All I ever wanted, all I ever needed, was
here in my arms.”

The Season That Was: FA Cup Glory, Guus, and the Golden Boot
by Midwest Blues member Josh Hampton
So, ladies and gentlemen, there we have
it. The 08/09 season has come to an
end—and oh what a season it was.
There’s another Cup in the trophy case.
Anelka netted 25 goals and took home
the illustrious gilded footwear. And
we’ve bid a fond, fond farewell to Guus
Hiddink, a man who’ll go down in the
annals of Chelsea history as the savior of
a season all but destined for post-
December disaster. (He came, he saw, he
kicked our arses into shape.)
All in all, the lads did us proud. They
came out guns a’blazing in August and
ended the season with a run of only one
loss in 22 matches that garnered us
some silverware and an automatic
qualification into next year’s Champion’s
League. If only we hadn’t had that nasty
little spell in between. But so goes the
beautiful game.
It was the good, the bad, and the ugly,
minus Eli Wallach and the whistling.
There was the loss of Essien early on,
and then Joe Cole at midseason.
Drogba’s months-long recovery from
knee surgery. Carvalho’s and Deco’s
FRANK LAMPARD IS THE CHELSEA PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Will he be the CIA POTY? The following article from chelseafc.com
Frank Lampard has become the first to
be named Chelsea Player of the Year
for a third time.
The 2004 and 2005 winner was again
voted the leading performer over the
season by the fans. The trophy was
handed over by Guus Hiddink to a vice-
captain who declared himself 'delighted'.
'It feels great because of the amount of
top quality players who have won this
award,' Lampard told Chelseafc.com.
'When I came here I never expected to
win it three times at all, I just wanted to
establish myself, but getting this award
and the recognition from your own fans
is a huge thing in football. I am
absolutely delighted.'
Michael Essien's thunderous left-foot
volley at home to Barcelona was voted
Chelsea Goal of the Season by the
supporters.
It's the second time in the three years
struggles with fitness. And those are just
the long-term injuries. At one point, I
seem to remember having more of our
starting eleven in the physio room than
on the pitch. But even with all the
adversity, we were a force to be
reckoned with, racking up an impressive
goal tally and the best defensive record
in the league.
We mourned the end of our record-
shattering 86 game home winning
streak. Then we redeemed our early
losses with late season wins against
Liverpool (need I even mention the 7-5
Champ’s league win?) and against
Arsenal—twice if you count the FA Cup
semi-final. We said goodbye to Big Phil
and saw Ray Wilkins end his interim
managerial run with a 100% win record
(even if it was only one game!). We
shouted at the TV as Ovrebo robbed us
of penalty after penalty. And we jumped
around the room when the final whistle
of the final game sounded and we
hoisted the FA Cup high in the air.
And let’s not forget the goals—oh, the
goals! There was Lampard’s last second
this award has been part of the Player of
the Year evening that the Ghanaian has
won the accolade. In 2007 another
rocket at the Bridge, this time at home
to Arsenal, gained the most votes. Last
season Juliano Belletti's strike v
Tottenham was the winner.
'It is always good to win something,'
Essien told Chelseafc.com. 'We put effort
in to win trophies and win personal
trophies, so it is great. I meant to do it
because when I saw the ball coming that
was the only option that came to my
mind, I tried to take it and I had a bit of
luck.
'It is difficult to score those kinds of
goals and you need a bit of luck.'
Ashley Cole won the Samsung Players'
Player of the Year, an accolade
presented by former Player of the Year
Charlie Cooke and decided by the staff
who work with the first team as well as
the squad.
PAGE 9
rocket against Stoke and his game
winner at Wembley. Terry’s Daniel-san
crane kick versus Wigan. Essien’s “Goal
of the Season” bullet at home to Barca.
Alex, Belletti, and Deco (you know the
one’s I’m talking about), and a boatload
more, every one of which had us on our
feet, screaming “Go you, Blues!”
It was a year of plenty of ups, tempered
unfortunately by a generous helping of
downs. But still, it was a season that has
left me with an overwhelming sense of
True Blue pride, not to mention hope for
next season. With just a few tweaks we
should be the ones racking up the triple
(or more) come next May—and we won’t
need that stupid World Club Cup to do
it.
Josh Hampton is a member of the
Midwest Blues and Associate Creative
Director at Quantum Communications
in Louisville, Kentucky
(www.qtheagency.com). He lives in
Lanesville, Indiana, with his wife and
two little Blues fans. Email or
Facebook to
wordnerd1975@yahoo.com
'I'm shocked but it's a great honour and I
am very privileged to have got this
award,' Cole smiled as he cradled the
trophy. 'There are a lot of players who
deserved it, but I am happy to collect
this award.
'It is always nice to get recognition from
anyone but from your players it means a
lot more and I feel this year I could have
done better, I could have scored a few
goals, but I do feel the fittest I have ever
felt and playing as best as I have for
Chelsea.'
The Young Player of the Year award
was in association with adidas and was
selected by coaches Paul Clement and
Ray Wilkins. Michael Mancienne who
turned 21 this season and returned from
loan at Wolves to make his Chelsea first
team debut was the winner.
A Special Commitment award went to JT
for his 10 years of first team service.