Last week and this week, the soap opera that is Chelsea FC dominated the Sports News. It just gets worse for them……and for Football.
History is a major part of Football. All clubs have a history. A few months ago, I was in a specialist Football bookshop in Carnaby Street, London. Most football fans have the History of their club in book or even DVD form. And of course older football fans carry around more of the history than the younger ones. It is passed on fater to son…….to grandson. Thus I recall getting the autographs of Bobby Charlton, Dennis Law, Paddy Crerand, Tony Dunne, George Best. My sons got the 1990s team (with the single exception of Lee Sharpe………..and Bryan Robson autographed my grandsons shirt.
Its how it is. Football rivalry and banter is one thing but serious Manchester United fans know that pre-Munich, the club’s earliest European nights were facilitated by the floodlights at Maine Road, home of Manchester City. And we know that two clubs were exceptionally quick to offer help to Manchester United after the Munich Air Crash….Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
So History is important to a football club and we recognise that all football clubs have an honourable History……except of course Rangers (deceased). So beyond the banter and spoofery about what is happening at Chelsea….Chelski….Chavski……….we should acknowledge the fact that the fans at Chelsea are now starting to weigh short term success against the reputation of the club and even the History of the Club.
That Roman Abramovich’s money has led to near unprecedented success is obvious. Equally obvious is that fans from under-achieving clubs are envious. ……until as in the case of Manchester City, they get some Arab billions. There is a different kind of jealousy at Manchester United, owned by the Glaziers but at least the revenue Manchester United generates is a consequence of on-field success, merchandising and a fan base.
Of course all clubs are entitled to a blip in their History……….Liverpool called the Saurez Affair wrong. Manchester United called the Rio Ferdinand “drug test” wrong and Manchester City called the Carlos Tevez Affair wrong.
And Chelsea……..call things wrong far too often and most of it revolves around John Terry, who they backed at least once too often. The fact that he is perceived as “Mr Chelsea” really tells me all I need to know about Chelsea.
So three things. Mark Clattenburg is innocent. Proven so. And just like everyone outside Stamford Bridge. The football authorities gave Chelsea a life line that they have a duty of care to employees to report incidents of abuse while simultaneously pointing out the weakness in Chelsea’s case. Yet Mark Clattenburg deserves an apology not the expression of regret which his peers acceot as “tantamount to an apology”. Increasingly the entire incident looks related to the sending off of two Chelsea players (not nearly as controversial as Chelsea think) and the awarding of an offside goal to Manchester United (Chelsea have a case here……but Ive seen some Chelsea goals also).
Of course in the tribal nature of Football, Chesea fans rallied to their club in the Clattenburg Affair…..but frankly with not much conviction. They were unconvincing victims of injustice, especially as their case unravelled……….with journalists (initially gobsmacked by the seriousness of the charges made against Clattenburg) distanced themselves from the Chelsea “case”.
Rather than let the bad publicity of last week simply die down, Chelsea managed to make matters worse by sacking Roberto Di Matteo. …at 4am after a poor performance by the team against Juventus. Yet the case against Di Matteo was not the performance itself but rather the decision to drop Fernando Torres, the £50 million striker……alleged striker…..who just happens to be the favourite of Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea fans are in a difficult position. Abramovich’s money means he cannot be challenged. Yet his summary dismissal of yet another manager……and a much loved one…….the ninth sacked manager in as many years was uncomfortable. What Abramovich gives, Abramovich can take away. …Success has come at a high price to Chelsea’s History.
The sheer power that Abramovich holds was further emphasised by the decision to appoint Rafa Benitez as replacement for Di Matteo. A proven track record is however undermined by the fact that he is loathed by Chelsea fans which might not matter if he was not replacing a Chelsea legend.
Signs protesting his appoinment were waved before a ball was kicked in his first Chelsea game on Saturday and in two (home) matches Chelsea has dropped four points and failed to score a goal………and Torres has played in both games.
Increasingly it looks like Rafa cannot stay at Chelsea……not that Abramovich sees him as longer term than seven months. But Rafa who compromised his self respect to take a (very well paid) job for just seven months……….but the hostile reaction of Chelsea fans, a demoralised team and the seemingly compulsory selection of a luckless striker might make Rafa reconsider the value of his self-respect.
And yet Chelsea fans are interesting to watch. At one level they seem to have discovered that the present ownership, coaching staff, players AND FANS have a debt to the Club’s History…..but seem to be hedging their bets. The attacks on Beitez (and they ARE genuine) seem proxy attacks on Abramovich himself. It will be interesting to see how the fans react to (say) a good day where Torres scores a hat-trick and to (say) a run of continued poor team displays.
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