Yesterday Chelsea FC beat Dynamo Kiev 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League match at Stamford Bridge.
The players performance was best described as solid with some flashes of individual brilliance in particular by Willian, but considering the recent fragile form of those very same players it was a massive step forward.
The outstanding performers on the night however weren’t on the pitch.
They weren’t even assembled on the bench or in the technical area.
They were US, the Chelsea FC Family.
The fans on all four sides of Stamford Bridge were simply sensational, AGAIN!
From the first minute to the very last kick of the match they were united. United in their support for OUR Special One, and for every one of OUR players.
There were no boos, no shouts of “what the f*** was that”, no whistles, just complete support for everyone connected with OUR club.
The ovation in the 87th minute for Jose Mourinho was exceptional and a true goosebumps moment which appeared to bring Jose Mourinho close to tears.
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The unity displayed by everyone at Stamford Bridge has been echoed across the world from the CFC Family throughout this troubled period, from letters to Roman Abramovich to messages of support across every aspect of social media.
This unity makes a mockery of a claim by the BBC’s Gary Richardson who on a radio show claimed there was a first team player for Chelsea FC who allegedly said he would rather lose than win under Jose Mourinho.
Former Chelsea FC Ladies manager Tony Farmer has challenged Garry Richardson to either name his “source” or name the player, a piece he has allowed The Pride Of London to reproduce in it’s entirety.
“After tonight’s Chelsea victory over Dynamo Kiev I have a question for BBC’s Radio Garry Richardson. Which of those 14 first team players would ‘rather lose than win’?
Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t a vintage Chelsea performance. It wasn’t the performance of a team full of confidence. It wasn’t a commanding performance. It wasn’t a performance that said Chelsea are back. But it was a performance of 14 players totally committed, giving 100% to try and get the win. If there was a player in blue on the pitch at the Bridge this evening that would rather lose then I didn’t see him. Perhaps he should be nominated for Best Actor award because he carried off the part of player determined to win brilliantly.
What I saw was a team working for each other, working together as a team not a divided dressing room. What I saw was Hazard in his 15 minutes look like the Hazard of last season, Willian play his heart out, Fabregas covered more ground than any other player and ran himself into the ground, Oscar and Matic working hard and Ramires doing what Ramires does. run for 90 minutes for the cause. What I saw was a team that despite losing confidence this season and yet again being pegged back, unlike against Liverpool and Southampton where we suddenly looked scared and unsure, tonight we probably played our best football after conceding.
I have heard the ridiculous rumours / allegations that the team will perform in the Champions League because Mourinho won’t be there by the time the knockout stages commence. What drivel. How many times do you hear ex pros and pundits say a team cannot just turn on a good performance like turning on a tap. But if that allegation is to be believed then we have a far more talented group of players than even we thought.
So come on Garry Richardson your silence is deafening. Has your perceived “attempt to destabilise” Chelsea backfired? Have you forgotten who the player was? Has your ‘reliable source’ done you up like a kipper? Please do let us know, after all you are a ‘respectable’ journalist, and a ‘respectable’ journalist would always check their sources. A ‘respectable’ journalist would never report an unsubstantiated story. A ‘respectable’ journalist would never mislead the public. So now after tonight’s performance making your story look very unlikely surely to maintain any credibility you have left, if you won’t name the player name the source. Your silence is deafening.
It surely cannot be right that a journalist working for the BBC, the same BBC that survives on tax payers money, yes my money and the money of 1000’s of other tax paying Chelsea supporters can make unsubstantiated claims and then pretend nothing happened. You have to be accountable.
Maybe, just maybe, we should be thanking you,. Although nothing can be counted on this season, just maybe your attempt to totally divide, destabilise and destroy morale in the dressing room has had the opposite effect and actually brought the group even closer and more determined than ever to shut up ‘respectable’ journalists like yourself.
So Garry, enjoy your next visit to the Bridge, I’m sure you will be given a very warm welcome by 40,000 True Blues. And who knows, if your story turns out to be untrue, which unless you name the player or source is going to be hard for you to prove, they may even sing you a song……
“Sacked in the morning
You’re getting sacked in the morning”
Oh and by the way Garry I heard that from a very reliable source and I’ll name them.
Jose Mourinho’s Blue and White Army”
Next: Chelsea Defeat Dynamo Kiev With Late Winner
Hear Hear Tony, the board are hearing us, let’s hope the vultures in the media are too.