I have supported Chelsea for nearly 20 years now. It started for me when on a weekend out in London with some mates we went and watched Chelsea V Everton at Stamford Bridge. We sat in the shed end way before it was redeveloped and watched Chelsea lose 1-0 to, if memory serves, a Paul Rideout goal.
At this point i adopted Chelsea as my team. It was the first premier league game i had been to. All my mates supported teams (Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and er Norwich) and i didn't. I loved footbal and watching games but had no loyalty. Growing up my dad never expressed a loyalty to a team so it never rubbed off on me.
Anyway looking back, when i adopted Chelsea we weren't very good. Mid-table, a good cup run and some exciting players. Since then it has been an upward trajectory, Hoddle, Gullit, Vialli and Zola have all come and gone. The title has been won, retained and then lost. Champions league finals lost, league and cup doubles won. It's all been pointing up.
Until recently. When Chelsea have proven fallible. Results are no longer certain, or as certain as they can be. Losses in the league and champions league where normally you'd expect a victory. From top of the league to 5th. Not even in the Champions League places and currently below Tottenham!
Don't misunderstand me - i'd prefer that we were top and winning games or at least performing. But now that we aren't games are more interesting, more watchable and, for me, more entertaining. The draw at the weekend point in case a real rollercoaster of a game that left nerves ragged ending in a 3-3 draw. Brilliant emotionally engaging entertainment. Watching Chelsea is now exciting, the fallibility making the endeavour of the team more pertinent. They have to try to win and try their hardest.
They say that on any given day any team can beat another, those days used to be few but no longer. It makes sport more engaging, competitive and fun. Fans experienceing every kick and tackle rather than waiting for the inevitable glut of goals and getting impatient when it doesn't arrive. Teams having to perform to get a result, any result.
More competitive teams makes the whole spectacle interesting. The rise of Man City and Tottenham has made the top 4 a top 5 (Liverpools demise is a brilliant sub-plot to this season). Manchester United are top but not playing brilliantly or tearing teams apart (beating Blackburn 9-1 aside).
Competition like this has to be good for sport. Sure we all want to win but we want to win with effort and not at a canter. If you want that watch the Harlem Globetrotters.
