Blue is the Color!

Note to self: When inside of a Chelsea Pub filled with singing fans before a match, don't try to take a picture.  The song will quickly become about you, and a glass will be thrown in your direction.

That is one of many great memories I made (and learned) tonight as I attended my second English Premier League soccer match, this time Chelsea vs. Reading.

ABOVE: The last picture in the pub.  You can almost see a guy in the background start to give me the finger.  Brilliant.

BELOW: Glad to be alive outside!  And I was ONE OF THEM!

If yesterday's match at Arsenal was like watching the Dallas Cowboys, with the huge, pristine stadium and Nike contract, then Chelsea (located on the other side of London) would be similar to the Green Bay Packers -- a very successful franchise with a much more hardcore / blue-collar fanbase (or more like the Cleveland Browns if they ever won.)  Always a solid club, Chelsea was bought by a Russian Billionaire a few years back, who began pouring money (and superstar players) into the club, quickly making them one of Europe's best teams.

The pub I happened to be in -- called "SO BAR" -- just so (coincidentally) happens to be the birthplace of the club.  The fans taught me many other lessons before the game as well, most specifically that EVERYONE hates Tottenham.  They hate Tottenham (another English team) so bad, that half the songs were about Tottenham - and they weren't even playing them that night!  I don't know WHY they hate them, I just know that they do.  Ironically, many of Arsenal's songs the night before were also anti-Tottenham.  (During both games, the fans would start to stand and cheer, "if you're not with Tottenham stand up!")  But my favorite, as quoted by my good friend Jake Riddell (who became a Chelsea supporter in that very pub about 5 years ago):

"If I had the wings of a sparrow... If I had the arse of a crow... I'd fly over Tottenham tomorrow... and (bleep) on Tottenham below!"

I wish I could play what it sounded like, about 300 grown men singing song after song in perfect union, declaring their love for the club and its players... featuring such hits as:  "Que Sera, Sera... Whatever will be will be... We're going to Wim-ba-ley..."

As for the game itself, Chelsea -- despite missing 5 of its best players due to injuries and the African Cup -- played dominant, winning the game 1-0 and having about 10 solid chances to score.  The stadium was loud, and situated perfectly in the tidy neighborhood of Chelsea.

If finding "your" team is like trying on shoes, I'd definitely say that Chelsea fit better than Arsenal... and whether 'The Blues" are my team forever, I'm not sure.  However I do know that this is one experience I will not quickly forget!

~ J. Twice