Chelsea maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 2-1 win over local rivals QPR on Saturday. Jose Mourinho said after the game that he has happy with the result but criticised the performance of his side, before turning his attentions to the home support.
Per TalkSport , Mourinho said “Everyone knows how much I feel connected to this club and the fans. At this moment it’s difficult for us to play at home though, because playing here is like playing in an empty stadium.”
He went on to clarify his position, per Paul Smith at The Independent , saying:
When comparing my previous time I think it’s getting worse. I don’t question the passion and the love – I’m nobody to question that and I know that’s clearly not true. Chelsea fans show us their passion for this club every day, but there is a certain line of living [way of behaving] at the matches at Stamford Bridge. I can clearly say we are a team to get less support in home matches.
This is not the first time that a Chelsea manager has criticised the atmosphere, or lack thereof, at Stamford Bridge. Rafa Benitez famously laid into the supporters during his ill-advised spell as interim manager, and was resoundingly shot down for it. However, Benitez could have promised every fan free beer for life and there would still have been a significant section of the support who would have thrown it back in his face.
The situation with Mourinho is different.
Between his departure in 2007 and return in 2013, Mourinho’s name was sung by the supporters at Stamford Bridge every time the managerial position became vacant. The fans adore the man who brought them back-to-back Premier League titles and built a team that lasted for a decade, winning every trophy possible in that time. If any other manager in the world had waltzed into the job and sold fan favourites Juan Mata and David Luiz, they would have been crucified by the supporters, but the trust and respect that the fans have for Jose stopped that from happening.
By criticising those supporters who pay significant sums of money to see their team play at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho has run the risk of making the problem worse.
Don't stand, don't swear, don't smoke, don't be too drunk - now ffs look as if you're enjoying yourselves!!! oh & that'll be £55
— TerrenceTheCat (@TerrenceTheCat) November 2, 2014
The club could do 101 things to help the atmosphere. What did they come up with? Chequered flags in the cheap seats and scarves for execs.
— Jamie (@NineJamie) November 2, 2014 It is no secret that Stamford Bridge does not have the best atmosphere in the Premier League. The haphazard extensions to the ground have meant than any sound generated by the supporters is more likely to escape into the surrounding streets than to create a cauldron of noise. The ground regulations that enforce seating for long periods of the game see supporters who maximise their lung capacity by standing threatened with bans. The exorbitant cost of going to the games sees tickets pass from people who are there to be the 12th man to spectators who just want to enjoy the show.
The timing of Mourinho’s comments is also questionable. Saturday’s game was the closest home match to Remembrance Sunday, so kick-off was preceded by a solemn two-minute silence rather than the closing bars of The Liquidator. This does not explain why the atmosphere has suffered overall, but it goes some way to explaining the slow start on Saturday.
Rather than slating the supporters, Mourinho should instead use his influence and oratory skills to solve the problem.
In his first spell in charge, he requested that the family area at Stamford Bridge was moved from behind the goal in the Shed End to the East Stand in order to improve the atmosphere. The club granted his request and instead moved the away fans into The Shed, and it is here and in the opposite Matthew Harding stand where the most vocal supporters tend to congregate.
Rather than slating the supporters, Mourinho should be backing the safe-standing campaign, suggesting the away fans are moved from The Shed, and supporting subsidised tickets for 18-25-year-olds to address the issue of an aging fanbase. Attacking the fans who have shelled out significant sums of money to support the team may have been a ploy to draw attention to the issue, but those supporters deserve better than to have their manager berate them in the media.
//from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1o9zJ1o
via IFTTT November 03, 2014 at 03:59AM
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