Where are the true Chelsea supporters?

[Big Boy]

Just watching the Community Shield on TV - only 13,000 Chelsea supporters have made the journey to Wales to watch their team compete in what could be their first piece of silverware this season. With support at such low levels, Chelsea will be lucky to be invited to compete in this pre-season showpiece (if they can qualify) again - it is a charity event after all.

How many proud Chelsea supporters who wear the Samsung emblem on their chest as a fashion statement are tucked up warmly in their arm chairs, or is somebody going to tell me that they're all church goers, and can't make Sunday matches?

This display of support just goes to show Chelsea supporters in their true colours.

Before I press submit, Fat Man Riise has just put the ball past a pathetic Chelsea goalkeeper to go 1 - 0 up.

[caller]

Contrary to the myth, most CFC fans are ordinary working guys and gals and Chels are not the cheapest team to support.

For important home matches, the ground will be sold out well in advance, for others, its still an effort to get tickets.

We will continue to be one of the best supoorted away teams, as we always have been, and then theres the cost of going to europe, plus the expectation of another long haul in various cups.

That accounts for the numbers today.

[Big Boy]

Caller,

Its not the ordinary working guy who goes to as many matches that he/she can afford that I was really commenting on. Throughout England, whereever you go, if you start talking about football, there's probably a high chance that you're talking to a so-called Chelsea supporter. The nearest most of these people have been to Stamford Bridge is their own armchair watching Match of the Day. Yet if you mention this to them, they usually hide behind the 'sell-out' emblem.

I'll be honest, if the match had been advertised as having thousands of spare seats available, I'd have probably taken my son along. I just feel a bit peeved that there weren't enough Chelsea supporters willing to spend the money, yet nobody made it public knowledge that so many seats were unsold.

In my past, I used to go to every FA Cup Final at Wembly. During the Manchester United vs Southampton final (the first one), I just looked around me when Southampton scored and wondered what I was doing there. There were hundreds of Manchester United supporters sat on the ground, crying. It was at that point that I realised that whenever I attended a FA Cup Final (unless Plymouth were playing - 5555), I was depriving a true supporter a place. I vowed the only time I would go to such an event in the future was either when Plymouth were playing, or if the event was not sold out - no chance, or so I thought. I was just a bit upset that the new season's curtain raiser was undersubscribed.

[Onlyme]

I vowed the only time I would go to such an event in the future was either when Plymouth were playing,

You wouldn't be visiting much.
LIVERPOOL won! Come on the reds.

Bet you a pint of beer that they don't win the leauge this year.
Onlyme

[Big Boy]

Onlyme,

The only time I went to Wembly after that cup final was to watch Plymouth's only appearance there - they beat Darlington in the 4th Division (or whatever it was called then) play off final 1 - 0. A proud day indeed - I could actually understand why all of those Manchester United supporters sat down and cried when their team was being beat.

Not sure if you mean Plymouth or Liverpool won't win the league. I've posted many times before that being a Plymouth supporter, I'm a realist, and very used to disappointment. However, I don't think Liverpool have enough armoury in their locker to stop the wealth of Chelsea either.

This is Ian Holloway's first season in charge at Plymouth - survival will make me happy.

[bubbly]

I don't blame the chelsea fans for not going. It takes forever to get into Cardiff and even longer to get out. The parking is awful and remember,its only the charity shield.Its a bigger trophy to a liverpool fan.If it was the FA cup final i'm sure there would have been a few more Chelsea fans attending.

[Jaime]

There are never the same traffic problems surrounding any of the sell-out international and European Cup rugby matches staged in Cardiff but you have just highlighted the main difference between the cultures of rugby and football followers. The football fans want to get in and out and for some reason have to come by car and always leave it late thereby adding to the congestion. The police put out the same message to leave plenty of time for travel each year and each year they are ignored. Conversely, the rugby followers will usually leave the car at home, come at least a day (usually more) early, go on the pop for three or four days straight whilst fitting the match in somewhere in between. Considering the amount of alcohol consumed there is very little trouble - just typical Saturday night stuff.

[Toni]

It takes forever to get into Cardiff and even longer to get out. The parking is awful

Come on the train then. Walk out of Cardiff Central and what's that building staring you in the face? Oh, that'll be the Millennium Stadium. It must be one of the most easily accessible sporting arenas around.

[Jaime]

I forgot to mention that!

[bubbly]

Not being a rugby fan,i can't really comment on the egg chasing fans way of doing things.I must admit,i have never been to a match as a spectator at the millenium but i've worked in and around the stadium at 2 or 3 footballing events and its always pandamonium. Being as my team dosen't really have a chance of getting there anyway, maybe i should see what the fuss is about with this rugby thing!!!!

[bubbly]

I once went on a train when i was 12!!!!

[caller]

Its a Sunday and a 3pm kick off. Its a hassle to get the train from London, even where I live in SW London / Surrey borders. I wouldn't do the train journeys anymore unless on the lash.

The rugby fans will traditonally be there for an international, every 2nd year, they make an occassion of it.

Different culture - club v country.

Been there myself, culture and footie wise, to Cardiff and elsewhere where we did make an occassion of it - great memories of a pub in Eccles after a Manc-Chelsea night game many moons ago and I'm still not really sure why I ended up in Eccles!!! It wasn't for the cake!

[chelsea]

It was at that point that I realised that whenever I attended a FA Cup Final (unless Plymouth were playing - 5555), I was depriving a true supporter a place. I vowed the only time I would go to such an event in the future was either when Plymouth were playing,

Big Boy, now you have to be having a larf, or have had to much scrumpy this afternoon to have made that statement (Plymouth in the Final).

In relation to tickets sold by the clubs and people buying tickets on the day (I Think that is a thing of the past).
I was watching a replay of the Chelsea v Celtic friendly game yesterday and the commentator stated that the attendance was about 22,000, but could have been larger had they sold tickets on the day. Apparently they only sold tickets to both home season ticket holders,
Chelsea members and an allocation to the Celtic Club. Had they sold them on the night no doubt the crowd would have been a lot bigger

I would imagine that the same thing happened at Cardiff, and that you cannot buy tickets on the gate there.

If they held the game on a Saturday, perhaps people would have made a weekend of it, but on a Sunday when people have to work the next day, would be a major reason for that not happening.

Even when the Charity Shield was held at Wembly, most times, there was not a 100,000 attendance.
The timing of the game is such that it falls during most peoples annual holidays so that will keep people away as well.

I have been to heaps of Chelsea away games where we have outnumbered the home team support and you only have to look when we play in Europe at the level of support that we get.
Just because for once in our lifetime we do not have the majority of away support, all of a sudden we are not good supporters (I do not Think So).

Before the days of club memberships and all seater stadiums, you would get between 5,000 and 20,000 regularly to away games, these days that is imposible to have, because most teams will only give allocations of between 1,000 and 5,000 per team, so a lot of people that may want to go to away games, are unable to attend due to that fact.

Anyway Big Boy, if you do ever get to Wembly (Its Near London) and don't know the way, send me a PM and will gladly give you directions (been there heaps of times).

[Norseman]

No Community Shield Trophy for Chelsea but Liverpool.
1 week to kick-off in Premier League.

[JD]

The only time I went to Wembly after that cup final was to watch Plymouth's only appearance there - they beat Darlington in the 4th Division (or whatever it was called then) play off final 1 - 0. A proud day indeed - I could actually understand why all of those Manchester United supporters sat down and cried when their team was being beat.

Not sure if you mean Plymouth or Liverpool won't win the league. I've posted many times before that being a Plymouth supporter, I'm a realist, and very used to disappointment. However, I don't think Liverpool have enough armoury in their locker to stop the wealth of Chelsea either.

This is Ian Holloway's first season in charge at Plymouth - survival will make me happy.

Big Boy, I was at that Cup Final as well, only 14 at the time. I can tell you I wasn’t sat crying, the whole of Southampton was singing and celebrating for almost a year after that.

Don’t be so unsure about Plymouth this season, just look at what Reading did last time. Plymouth are always the second score I look for after Southampton, there has always been a very friendly association between the clubs, pre-season friendly’s, player loans etc.. One the main reasons for Plymouth having such a good name around other teams is the support it gets, they always bring coach loads of supporters to away games, who are always friendly, sing along and join in. I hope they continue with their current run and finish only second to Saints by one goal difference.