As anybody who follows The Pride of London on Twitter will know, August 31 marks the end of an era for the site. The sun will rise on September 1 and the Chelsea fan page will have new leadership on the way, as I—Gabe Henderson—am stepping down from my role of Site Expert. While the change may be gradual, I can assure you that the site is in great hands with my soon-to-be former Co-Site Expert, Tom Alderman.
It’s been an incredible two-and-a-half years covering one of the teams I love most, during one of the most hectic periods in the club’s history. Together, we’ve watched as the Blues have reached unimaginable heights in the Champions League, and we’ve successfully navigated an ownership takeover in the process, as well. It’s been the joy of a lifetime getting to write about Chelsea every day; I cannot thank the individuals who gave me this opportunity (namely George Perry, Travis Tyler and FanSided in general) enough. However, it’s now time for something new.
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The Pride of London Site Expert Gabe Henderson sends a farewell message
Recently, I took over as the Site Expert of another FanSided affiliate site, Death Valley Voice. There, I am getting the chance to cover my alma mater, Louisiana State University, and take on a new challenge. I feel as if after writing 700+ articles and gaining nearly 10,000 new Twitter followers with The Pride of London, I have done everything I set out to do and then some. This decision was not an easy one by any means.
While it’s not always been fun and games covering Chelsea, I’ve learned a lot and improved as both a writer and editor over the last 30 months. None of it would’ve been possible without my fantastic co-workers, who I cannot thank enough for their amazing contributions to The Pride of London over the last few years. They’ve stepped up to the plate time after time, and their hard work has not gone unnoticed. The site has seen some of the very best of the Blues’ fanbase publish articles during the last couple of years—it’s truly been an honor working alongside them.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the readers. The Pride of London‘s loyal fans have made this job such a blast. I have thoroughly enjoyed interacting with each and every one of you, be it on social media or in the comments from time to time. The readers really are a special part of the PoL community, that won’t change when I depart either.
As for those of you who enjoy my work, you can still find it over at Death Valley Voice. I understand if LSU sports aren’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea (the amount of fans who support both Chelsea and the Tigers is very scarce), but fret not. I will still be talking about the Blues regularly on my personal Twitter account (@GabeHSports), including some matchday analysis and news reactions. Please follow me there so that we can continue to interact—that’s been such a special part of my time with The Pride of London. Seriously, I cannot thank our readers enough for the overwhelming support they’ve given us over the last couple of years.
If you’ve made it this far, you’re only reenforcing my point about being a special bunch. Thank you. I hope to hear from each of you soon on social media. Remember to stay in touch, and always, Keep the Blue Flag Flying High!