Chanting at Chelsea Seems a Chore

I sat watching the Uefa Cup clash between Portsmouth and A.C. Milan with great admiration. This wasn't just because the 2-2 thriller was a fantastic game of football, but it was the cacophony of constant noise from the Fratton Park faithful.

The chanting, the banter, the unrequited passion—call me old fashioned but for me that's what being a spectator at a football match is all about. It left me thinking, why can't Stamford Bridge be like this?

Why is it that when I attend most games I feel like I am at a funeral wake? I find it bizarre that if I make an enthusisatic utterance of support towards my team the usual outcome is to be met with passive disdain from my fellow Chelsea 'supporters'.

Granted, this was Pompey's biggest match in their entire history so it was never going to be a damp squib, but it seems to me that Portsmouth fans always seem to make much more of a noise than the home crowd at Chelsea matches.

An outsider who knows nothing of Chelsea may presume that the Blues imperious record breaking (but now defunct) home record may have had something to do with a partisan crowd who in essence acted as that famous and overly used cliche, the "twelfth man".

Well, if they came down to the Bridge today they would be in for a big surprise, as they will hear abusive chants from away supporters about how vocally challenged our support is. The response to such accusations is usually minimal, thus reinforcing such accusations about being "****".

It seems that affluency plays a part. Ticket prices at Chelsea are very high compared to most clubs and therefore this has attracted a more middle class crowd who have a different and much quieter mindset to football match ettiquette. The rich West London area of Fulham is also attractive to tourists who come to a game as part of their trip to the U.K..

Of course they are not accustomed to the club in terms of chants and so have merely come to be entertained for a one-off occasion. Referring back to the impressive Pompey faithful, the people who go to watch them are less transient in regard to their interest in the side.

These are fans who are primarily working class and with the roots of football originally stemming from working class culture, Pompey supporters still interact with the game in this tradition, ergo they shout and sing as it is inherently normal to them.

Sure, people have paid for their ticket and can do what they want when in the ground, but for me getting behind your team and making a noise helps gain a real identity and affinity with your side. Call me a footballing snob, but if people want to be entertained in silence maybe they should go to the theatre?

Maybe for some it is hard to get excited over the likes of Newcastle who recently visited 'The Bridge'. This match ended in a frustrating draw, perhaps if the majority of fans had given a positive vocal support instead of expecting Chelsea to score and thus getting agitated in the process, the pressure may have been greater on Newcastle to hold on for their hard earned point.

Who knows?

You may feel I am being too romantic with too much emphasis on the affect supporters have on players. After all, footballers are well paid professionals who are in theory more likely to be swayed by the tactical aspects of a game than anything else.

This of course is logical, but I sincerely believe that players will on some occasions perform to a better level if they are being strongly supported rather than being subjected to derison and ennui.

Having said all this it should be acknowledged that there are some fantastic Chelsea supporters. There are a numerous amount who have been Blue well before Mr. Abramovich arrived and in some cases well before Mr. Bates bought the club for One Hundred English Pennies (some profit he made eh?), they are very vocal and loyally follow the team home and away.

I would confidently wager that some supporters would watch Chelsea play absolutely anywhere, even if it was on an oil rig in the North Sea (which in actual fact would be better than a trip to Upton Park).

It is certainly exciting times to be a Chelsea supporter. Stamford Bridge, with its stands very close to the pitch, has the potential to be one of the most electrifying and intimidating grounds in the country, if not Europe.

On special occasions in the big game clashes it has reached its deafening potential, the 4-2 epic against Barcelona being a prime example.

Without doubt it would be very satisfying to witness and feel this energy and vivacity much more often.