Memo to a Chelsea fan

[Craig_H]

I wasnt sure where to post this, so if there's a more apt thread it should go in, then feel free to move it mods...

Anyway, i was having a discussion on facebook with a mate of a mate, who is a chelsea fan. We were debating whether John Terry is a product of Chelsea's youth academy - i've been saying not, because he was on West Ham's books from the age of 11, until chelsea poached him aged 14...

Anyway, he closed his final comment with this:

"I don't get it with you scousers, why don't you all shift your chelsea obsession to a more relevant rival, maybe fulham or bolton."

And i replied with:

"Haha...good one Mark. It may have escaped your attention mate, but every Liverpool fan, to a man, wanted you to win the league this season because - and this is genuinely the reason, it's not a dig at chelsea - in the bigger scheme of things, chelsea are insignificant - they dont really matter or register, if chelsea win their 4th or 5th league title (bless), it really doesnt matter or mean anything. Much as we hate the mancs, them winning the league matters and means something. Whereas chelsea dont matter, we dont hate chelsea and we dont really give them a 2nd thought. We see you winning the title the same as we saw Birmingham winning the Carling Cup - that's how much (or rather, how little) it registers to us. So yes, 'obsession'.....lol."

Followed by this:

"The difference between us as fans and most of your lot, is that, even if we hate a club (eg Man Utd), we still recognise and respect what their club has achieved (and achieved through generating their own money, unlike some i could mention...lol) - and it goes both ways. Whereas you lot have zero respect for anyone, you dont respect achievements of other clubs and this is ironic considering how you're breaking your backs just trying to win ONE european cup - you'd think, given how impossibly hard you've found it, you'd have a bit of respect for the achievements of a club which has done it 5 times. Your lot are gagging to win the european cup and obviously realise what an achievement it is - yet, you dont respect those who have achieved it to the level that Liverpool have. Such irony.

And that's why people find it hard to respect chelsea fans, because you're too small-time to show acknowledgement and respect towards clubs who have been there, done it and achieved your holy grail and dreams 5 whole times - while you're still breaking your backs trying to do it, but not managing it. This isnt meant as a dig, i was actually hoping it might get you thinking. PS - good luck tonight. And i genuinely mean that."



It amazes me how chelsea fans just dont get the irony of it - they're gagging to win the European Cup, yet fail to respect what an achievement it is to have won it 5 times like we have. As much as you try to spell it out to them, they just dont seem to get it. Idiots.

[RichC]

very similar outlook from most of the Chelsea fans I know - they really are the worst kind of supporters IMO, even with the Mancs there is a begrudging respect between the fans of achievements whereas Chelsea fans ignore everything else and actually spend most of their time having pops at us.

I remember having a discussion with a Chelsea fan about 4 years ago asking who'd been the best side in the last decade - my response was the Mancs (hurt to say but true) his response to that was "you're not a proper supporter of your team if you can say that" - took some serious patience to explain I am real fan as I can appreciate what other teams have done and not deluded enough to say it was us.

Obviously this was beyond his comprehension and was unable to understand what I was saying!

[Neil Young]

As much as you try to spell it out to them, they just dont seem to get it. Idiots.

It's pure coincidence that I'm disagreeing with you twice in the space of a few minutes so don't feel persecuted.

I think the reason is they "don't get it" is primarily because they value different things.

Having no real history of success, they tend to discount it - this makes them feel better about themselves.

And having no recent history of success in the league, perhaps we tend to discount it too, for similar reasons.

[Craig_H]

It's pure coincidence that I'm disagreeing with you twice in the space of a few minutes so don't feel persecuted.

I think the reason is they "don't get it" is primarily because they value different things.

Having no real history of success, they tend to discount it - this makes them feel better about themselves.

And having no recent history of success in the league, perhaps we tend to discount it too, for similar reasons.

I can see that point of view and it holds some merit for sure.

I do think it's weird though, if you covet something so badly as they do, and yet still fail to respect and even (though secretly) perhaps admire someone who's managed to do it so seemingly easily too, that they've done it so much. If that makes sense?

It's a bit like a kid who's dream is to be a teacher, getting told off in class and then saying something like "i dont care what you say, you're only a teacher" in response. Isnt 'only a teacher' exactly what you dream of being? You get the analogy, even if it's a dreadfully basic one

[Neil Young]

Sure, I see and indeed share your point of view. It is damned silly of the Chelsea fan. I was merely suggesting, to use your definition of the term, we might be 'idiots' too.

Of course, when I say we, I mean you.

[Craig_H]

[Fernandinho]

I want to see his posts too...

[Red_Polo]

It's pure coincidence that I'm disagreeing with you twice in the space of a few minutes so don't feel persecuted.

I think the reason is they "don't get it" is primarily because they value different things.

Having no real history of success, they tend to discount it - this makes them feel better about themselves.

And having no recent history of success in the league, perhaps we tend to discount it too, for similar reasons.

Agree with your point in general. However, I don't remember this holding true when we won our most European Cup. For obvious reasons they had absolutely no respect for it bless them

[Mostar]

"Haha...good one Mark. It may have escaped your attention mate, but every Liverpool fan, to a man, wanted you to win the league this season because - and this is genuinely the reason, it's not a dig at chelsea - in the bigger scheme of things, chelsea are insignificant - they dont really matter or register, if chelsea win their 4th or 5th league title (bless), it really doesnt matter or mean anything. Much as we hate the mancs, them winning the league matters and means something. Whereas chelsea dont matter, we dont hate chelsea and we dont really give them a 2nd thought. We see you winning the title the same as we saw Birmingham winning the Carling Cup - that's how much (or rather, how little) it registers to us. So yes, 'obsession'.....lol."

Good post.

[Norbs]

I wasnt sure where to post this, so if there's a more apt thread it should go in, then feel free to move it mods...

Anyway, i was having a discussion on facebook with a mate of a mate, who is a chelsea fan. We were debating whether John Terry is a product of Chelsea's youth academy - i've been saying not, because he was on West Ham's books from the age of 11, until chelsea poached him aged 14...

Anyway, he closed his final comment with this:

"I don't get it with you scousers, why don't you all shift your chelsea obsession to a more relevant rival, maybe fulham or bolton."

And i replied with:

"Haha...good one Mark. It may have escaped your attention mate, but every Liverpool fan, to a man, wanted you to win the league this season because - and this is genuinely the reason, it's not a dig at chelsea - in the bigger scheme of things, chelsea are insignificant - they dont really matter or register, if chelsea win their 4th or 5th league title (bless), it really doesnt matter or mean anything. Much as we hate the mancs, them winning the league matters and means something. Whereas chelsea dont matter, we dont hate chelsea and we dont really give them a 2nd thought. We see you winning the title the same as we saw Birmingham winning the Carling Cup - that's how much (or rather, how little) it registers to us. So yes, 'obsession'.....lol."

Followed by this:

"The difference between us as fans and most of your lot, is that, even if we hate a club (eg Man Utd), we still recognise and respect what their club has achieved (and achieved through generating their own money, unlike some i could mention...lol) - and it goes both ways. Whereas you lot have zero respect for anyone, you dont respect achievements of other clubs and this is ironic considering how you're breaking your backs just trying to win ONE european cup - you'd think, given how impossibly hard you've found it, you'd have a bit of respect for the achievements of a club which has done it 5 times. Your lot are gagging to win the european cup and obviously realise what an achievement it is - yet, you dont respect those who have achieved it to the level that Liverpool have. Such irony.

And that's why people find it hard to respect chelsea fans, because you're too small-time to show acknowledgement and respect towards clubs who have been there, done it and achieved your holy grail and dreams 5 whole times - while you're still breaking your backs trying to do it, but not managing it. This isnt meant as a dig, i was actually hoping it might get you thinking. PS - good luck tonight. And i genuinely mean that."

I'd swap Chelsea's success over the last 10 years for ours, even though that would mean dropping from 5 to 4 European wins. Delving back to achievements from the 1950s to use as a tool to measure success/history is a bit irrelevant 60 years after the event when almost all the personnel involved are dead. You don't hear anyone other than us an the mancs talk at such length about our honours lists which plays a part in why we, along with the mancs, are hated by so many other teams fans.

As for respect, I'm uneasy about that word and what it projects. Why should anyone respect something that we've achieved in the past? It's for our own fans to cherish and nothing more. Respect implies that they should hold us and our achievements in awe, which IMO is wrong. I don't respect the mancs and their achievements, I'm sickened by everything they win and wish it was us instead. I certainly don't think that Chelsea owe us respect any more than we do them.

[Neil Young]

Agree with your point in general. However, I don't remember this holding true when we won our most European Cup. For obvious reasons they had absolutely no respect for it bless them

I'm sure that's right. What I'm really saying, as I'm sure you get, is that people easily adopt self-serving rationalisations to make themselves feel good about their prejudices and Liverpool fans are no more immune to it than anyone else.

[Vermilion]

Loved the way you politely, factually and succinctly; put that Chav in his place Craig, very well done i must say, very well put across, not that it will make an iota of difference to the dim witted fools.

But really well written.

[Fernandinho]

This reminds me of my trip to London.

While Sir Craig was chaperoning me and my old man to White Hart Lane via the tube we were talking about how much we wanted Roy to get the sack for a number of reasons. In the middle of the conversation an Irish Tottenham fan decided to throw his two cents in saying that we were being a bit harsh on Roy.

In comes Craig who as you may or may not know enjoys a "discussion". This Irish guy literally say there for 10 minutes on the tube being put into his place by craig, barely getting 10 words in the whole time.

My old man put it perfectly when he said it was like craig told him that he was an idiot and could **** off, without raising his voice or swearing. I couldn't help but smile the whole time as the Irish guy squirmed.

True Story.