A persistent and enduring commentator on my blogs-a childhood friend who is a Real Madrid and Chelsea fan-has emailed me complaining about my silence on the outcome of this year’s Champions’s League final.
Rather than be accused –as he has accused me-of self-censorship and Barca bias (others who might know me less but who read my blogs less selectively will notice I am actually quite objective about whoever I write about, be it MI6 or Pep Guardiola), I am jotting this blog down for his benefit and those of any other Chelsea fan who may take occasional interest in my website.
By way of explanation –I had a car crash last week. Not a serious one-well, thank God, it involved no fatalities , nor serious injuries to others although I got a pretty severe knock on my head, hitting the steering wheel, and still don’t know quite what happened other than that I woke up from a temporary loss of consciousness to find my car wrecked by the collision with a vehicle of sterner frame .
While it remains an unsettling mystery to me what exactly happened, I am under medical advice to take it easy for a few days- and I guess that means not thinking about Chelsea, while taking a few days of sun and sea and wine in Spain.
As it is, my first thought on waking up at the crash site was that this was a mental hang-over from watching FC Barcelona beaten by a lesser team in this season’s Champion’s League semi-finals second leg at the Camp Nou , combined with a premonition that I might be proved wrong in my prediction that Bayern Munich would follow up their justified victory over Real Madrid in the other semi-finals (which I watched in a Catalan bar near Barcelona with my best local Brit friend who days earlier had been allowed to put up a poster of the Chelsea team that won the 1970 FA Cup) ) by crushing their opponents in the final.
I am not sure what proved worse for my recovery-watching the final of the Champions League between Chelsea and Bayern Munich or the build-up around it. When I am in London I live surrounded by Chelsea fans –although thankfully not all of them engage me verbally so regularly as my expatriate commentator in Spain. I tend to move around in my South London neighbourhood like a subversive ‘sleeper’ , revealing my true identity only when I go to mass or when attending my favourite cafe where the excellence of the blend and the warm company of similarly minded latinos help fuel my exhilaration every time Chelsea loses.
I was told that many Chelsea fans who got to Munich were so drunk that they could hardly keep themselves standing as they approached the stadium for the match. I also know of a journalist female colleague from Spanish TV who had beer poured all over her when trying to film one group of Chelsea fans along the King’s Road.I know it because she told me how angry she was.
But, for the record, let me congratulate Chelsea for reminding me how good they are at winning with a minimum flair or creativity and how much they enjoy dancing on the grave of beautiful football with the likes of Terry being allowed to take a central role in the celebrations. I want to be generous here and recognise that world football must be big enough to accommodate more than one way of playing football , and Chelsea score goals while a team that Barca can still get lost in their own choreography, and narcissism and lose crucial games.
And yet one of the reasons I didn’t want to devote my debilitated faculties on a Chelsea blog is that my tweets were of such an increasingly negative tone as last Saturday’s final came to its conclusion , that they served as a catharsis by two a.m on the Sunday by which time I went to bed, on my own, and read a book about Hemingway and his boat.
Over the last fourty-eight hours or so I have put the final behind me, and started looking forward to seeing Friday’s King’s Cup final between FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao (two teams forged by true theologians of the modern game-Guardiola and Bielsa). I also live in hope that Del Bosque’s La Roja maybe shows Torres the respect in the Euro2012 championship successive Chelsea managers denied him for most the season .
There, you see, I have mentioned Chelsea again – and simply doing so brings back the other reason why I found it hard to write this blog in response to my disappointed interlocutor. As I told him in an email, trying to fend him off-“tell you the truth I am fed up to the gills with the chortling, boasting and rat-assed drunkenness of Chelsea fans” claiming they are deserving champions. But I didn’t want the existence or absence of my blog to take away from the enjoyment experienced in Munich by one of my best-loved and loyal friends. I am sure it won’t.
The persistent and enduring commentator didn’t expect a blog, let alone such a long one, after he found out that his childhood friend had suffered a car accident. Here I do disagree with that famous Bill Shankly quote; “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more serious than that.” So putting Munich aside for a few seconds, I wish you well and that you recover very soon in Sitges.
It is strange how a single event can be viewed and interpreted in so many different ways. So having travelled to Munich I will give you my version of the Final, an eyewitness account, not one based on heresay or rumours, or prejudices born from sore loosers…
Firstly, the atmosphere there was wonderful, a fiesta with Bayern & Chelsea fans strolling around the town, drinking beer and I saw no drunken fans or any confrontations from Friday afternoon right up to the game. It really annoys me that the media relish the negative side of fans enjoying themselves. Around 25.000 Chelsea fans made it to Munich and I wouldn’t be exaggerating if the Bayern number ran into 10 times that figure, the City was awash with Red & Blue. To just give you an example of the atmosphere there: I went to the Augustiner Beer garden where around 1.000+ fans were drinking, on long tables, under the trees in beautiful spring weather. We were 40 Chelsea fans amidst rows & rows of Bayern fans. We laughed, sang and when the oompah band turned up we asked for a rendition of God Save the Queen. Well everyone cheered and laughed, and sang along…. Sorry Jimmy, no drunks, no fights, just football fans building up to the big game, the Big Game of the Year, which Messi & CR7 were suppossed to grace (but thats football).
As for the game, well it was similar to the one at Camp Nou. Against incredible odds, Chelsea punished the home team in a dramatic fashion. Give me a shot against the woodwork, a disallowed goal, a so called winning goal in the 83rd minute, a stunning equalizer, a penalty miss and trailing 2-0 in the penalty shoot out to the boring ticky-tacky of 70%+ possession, yes the numbing sterility of Barça.
Chelsea played to their possibilities with 4 first team members cruelly disqualified and the 2 central defenders carrying injuries and far from match fit.
This is what makes football so great. I have said it many times here and will say it again: football is not just about “beauty”, if you call total possession beautiful, which seems to be the only yard stick you measure the game by. It is about many other things, such as; courage against the odds (playing in Bayern’s stadium with 70% of the ground Red), belief in oneself (Bayern score with 7 minutes left on the clock), carrying on even if loosing (April 24th – 0-2 with 10 men), mental strength (2-0 down in the penalty shoot out), belief in your objective and not succumbing to pressure (in this “neutral” stadium Platini & his EUFA cronies allowed the Bayern fans to roll out a vast effige of the Europena Cup with the words, “Our City, Our Stadium, Our Cup” as the players came onto the pitch), etc.
It was an Epic victory against all the odds.
It was drama at its best, nerve racking for both sets of supporters and knowledgeable football fans would appreciate the tactical subtleties of this grand final.
It was a remarkable journey for the Blues, from loosing 3-1 to Napoli, to defeating the best team in the world ever (sic), to overcoming the all powerful Bayern in their own stadium in front of their fans after falling behind in the 83rd minute and saving a penalty. Any team that overcome tose odds deserves to win the ultimate prize.
And you think it was with no creativity or flair?! The defence was magnificent, Cole a mastered Robben, Ribery was checked, Cahill & Luis blocked shots and fought till the last second. After returning from Munich I have watched the game twice on the box and it was a fabulous duel. So again Jimmy look at the stats as the Chelsea attack had 3 shots on goal to Bayern’s 6 (the other 18 German shots were launched into the stadium, way off target), and Chelsea had 45% possession to Bayern’s 55%, these facts buried by those jealous of Chelsea’s successes claiming that there was only one team playing.
And luck playing its part? Well you probably don’t know, so I will enlighten you (again), Cech had studied all the Bayern penalties taken in the last few years on DVD before the game, hours of mental concentration, so now you know why he dived exactly the right way on each of the 6 penalties taken by Bayern, saving 3 and touching 2 of the other 3…
So thank you for writing a piece on the final, though far more about your prejudices than any objective journalism. I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, totally unforgettable and the match and result was, as you must imagine, beyond words! I was sitting with 2 Rastafarians and my great friend from Sweden, high up in the top tier and the 17.500 Chelsea fans were magnificent in their support and enabled the team from West London to win the ultimate prize in football.
Right now I am watching the final kick of the game on Gol TV as the awesome Drogba sends Neuer the wrong way and the European Cup goes to London for the first time……
As well written as your response is Captain Terry, it seems no less bitter or jealous than than the views of Barça fans. It smacks of a desire for approval from the masses which simply will not be afforded to a club that behaves with such little class or a club that is led by and actively supports and likes John Terry. The greatest victory this summer will be if Mr Terry is locked up.
Bradley, thanks for your response, I do like debates and communication, so its well appreciated. You are right, I admit it, I am prejudiced. After 47 years of following Chelsea (first game in 1965, loosing against Blackpool) and having been born and brought up in Chelsea, I am biased and yes, a bit bitter at the false / half true accusations aimed at Chelsea. Lets take 2 of your points: little class? that Drogba went to comfort Robben soon after the final whistle, the players applauding Bayern as they went up the stairs, Di Matteo shaking hands with the Bayern technical staff before celebrating with his players……I call that real class. And Terry? Just because he dated an EX girlfriend of an EX team player(I repeat EX, twice), just because he swore in the heat of the moment after 2 Chelsea players were sent off (come on does PC correct England now criminalize verbal banter at games??), just because he is a tough leader of a team you dont like? Yes, I am biased and support a Captain who in his long and distinguished playing career has done much to make Chelsea the Best Team in Europe, now offical!
“… to make Chelsea the Best Team in Europe, no official” LMAOL Any team can win the champions league and Chelsea has clearly proved it this year. Chelsea 2012 and Madrid 1997 are the most undeserved champion league winners.
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