Memories of Munich: The greatest weekend of my life!

It has been two weeks now since the most momentous night in the history of Chelsea Football Club, but it still feels unbelievable.  This is the type high that anyone connected with the club will take a long while to get down from.  Back in early March when we lost that away match at the Hawthorns, who would have thought that our season would end with a historic double and us finally being crowned CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!

After many failures in this elite club competition, you wouldn't be blamed for thinking that Chelsea will never do it. There have been many instances when we have come so close yet have been so far.....think along the lines of the Liverpool ghost goal 2005, Moscow 2008, stoppage time Iniesta goal in 2009 etc and you begin the get the picture! But this year we have finaly done it and no one will be able to take that away from us; not Barca, not UEFA, not Platini and of course not Bayern!  This year was meant to be our year and the experience of being there and to experience Drogba's winning penalty live is something I will be able to look back on years from now and be able to say 'I was there that night in Munich when.....' 

I feel lucky to have been one of the many Chelsea supporters that were fortunate enough to have been in Munich to witness a piece of history being made - We came, We saw and We conquered! 

I am not going to talk too much about the game as I am sure you all have watched it dozens of times by now already, but I will give you all an insight into the greatest weekend of my life! My journey to Munich along with my friend that I was travelling with began on the Friday evening, the day before the match.  The route to Munich was to involve a long stop over in Milan on the Friday night, which would mean that the time me and my Friend arrived in Munich on Saturday morning, we probably would have had no sleep! However we had opted for this cheaper option rather than direct flights and we didn't care as long as we got there.

All packed and ready for the weekend ahead we set of from Heathrow on Friday evening. Once we had checked in and were waiting for our departure we settled down for our quick first pints of the weekend at the airport bar.  After a short wait in the departure lounge we boarded our 18.50 flight to Milan.  Two hour later and we were in Milan, and now we had the whole night ahead of us before we would be flying to Munich our final destination.  However, what I had only discovered a couple days earler was that we would need to change airports once we got to Milan. So not only was there a long stopover but there was an extra leg to the journey to Munich, involving a transfer from Milan Linate airport to Milan Malpensa airport. This transfer for us involved taking two different buses and eventually we got to Malpensa airport and made our way to the Departures.  We had hoped that there would have been some bars/restaurants open at the airport however when we got there the only place open was a small cafe in the far corner of the airport.  As this was our only option we headed there and got ourselves something to eat but unfortunately no beers!  Although the fridge did have some alcoholic drinks, as we went to pick them up and take them to the till we were promptly told in broken English 'Sorry no alcohol this time'. I assume because it was quite late, they were probably not allowed to sell any alcoholic drinks at that time, which was a shame as we had the whole night to get through.  At this stage the airport was virtually empty; it was just us and a few other people there!  We sat down on the seats in departures and after a while did try to get some sleep, however this was of no use. It was uncomfortable and clearly there was no way we were going to get any rest before our flight, so instead we just tried to pass our time in any way possible.

Eventually as it approached 05.30 we were able to check in and before we knew it we were on the 06.30 flight to Munich.  Once we were on the Milan-Munich we took the opportunity to at least attempt to get some rest, but and hour later we were in Munich.  It was 07.30 local time and, at last we were in Munich and although we were slightly tired we were already buzzing for the day ahead.  The first thing we did was jump in a taxi and headed straight to Marienplatz i.e the town centre of Munich.  We didn't bother going to our hotel, because a few days earlier I had spoken with the hotel we were staying at and had been informed that we would not be able to get our rooms till noon at the earliest.  Therefore we saw little point in going to our hotels straight away even if it was just to drop our bags off as our hotel was slightly on the outskirts and out of the centre of town.  We arrived in Marienplatz around 08.30ish and although it was packed at that stage there were already pockets of Bayern Munich fans walking around, singing etc and it looked like a particular group of Bayern fans had been on the booze probably since getting out of bed!  Once we were in the square we chose to go to a cafe directly opposite Marienplatz station; there were a few Chelsea (and Bayern as well) fans there and they were serving beer.  We sat outside in the sun, and for the next few hours we were there drinking beer, singing, talking to other fans and generally just getting our day started nice and early.  As time went on, more and more supporters started to arrive into the town centre and you could really begin to feel the buzz around the place.  The atmosphere was starting to build up and even Sky Sports News were on hand to sample it.  Outside the cafe we were at, a Sky Sports News reporter had decided to interview 3 of the other Chelsea supporters that were sat next to us.  Although me and my friend didn't get interviewed ourselves, we had clearly got on Sky Sports News and it was not long before I recieved a couple of texts from people back home in London along the lines of 'Dude just seen you on Sky Sports News...Come on Chelsea!'. Of course I have not seen this footage myself, but people I know have seen it.

After a few hours of drinking beer in Marienplatz square, we decided to head off to our hotel at around 11am.  We got on the train from Marienplatz to Dachau, and from there we had to take a taxi for 10km to our hotel.  The hotel we had for the Saturday night wasn't an ideal location as we would have preferred something more central, but with the limited availability of affordable hotels in Munich, we took whatever we could get. We arrived at the hotel shortly after noon, and checked in but our room was still not ready for us.  We went down to the hotel bar while we waited and took in a few more beers.  While we were at the hotel bar, we we bumped into a few other Chelsea supporters who were also staying there. We decided to join them for some beers and they told us tales from the night before in Munich, however they did not have tickets to the match like we did but they had decided to make the trip anyway like thousands of others.  They did however have tickets to the screening at the Olympic stadium and had planned to watch the match there.  This particular group of guys had been in Munich the previous day and by the looks of it they had a pretty messy one on the Friday night, while we were killing time at Milan Malpensa airport!  After a few more beers and chat with the other Chelsea lads, we could finally get the keys to our room.  After a quick shower, Chelsea shirt on, match ticket in wallet we departed the hotel with the other guys we had met earlier at the hotel bar and headed back into town at around 2pm.  By the time we got back into the centre of town, the area was all packed out with a sea of blue and red.  Chelsea and Bayern fans all over the place, although it is fair to say that we were outnumbered by Bayern, after all it was their own city!

German Beer- Loved it!

I can't remember the name of the bar we went to, but it was mixed with both sets of supporters both inside and outside.  We quickly ordered a few large German beers (Absolutely loved the German beer!) and started to take in the pints.  What followed was few hours of endless drinking and singing and just having a good time.  It was not until around 4.30/5pm when we decided to move from that bar.  We just walked a bit further down the square and went to another bar which was largely full of Chelsea. Had another beer or two here before we decided to head to the nearest train station at around quarter to 6.  Although it was still quite a while left before the match, we had figured it would be busy and that it would be a good idea to make a move early. Just as well that we left for the stadium when we did because the journey there (and on the way back as well for that matter) is one that makes TFL look amazing!  Not only were all the platforms overcrowded when we got into the station at Odenoplatz or Marienplatz (Can't remember which one), but there was no management of the crowd at all and there was a lot of pushing, lot of people trying to squeeze into already full trains etc. Although there were a lot of Bayern fans at the station, there were a group of Chelsea fans there as well. We went where the Chelsea fans were, and before I knew it here was lot of singing, bouncing etc all on the platform, while we waited to get on a train.  Eventually we did get on the train but it was as expected a very overcrowded train.  However, the unbearable train journey to the stadium, which involved us changing trains due to a lot of Bayern fans on the train heading to the Olympic stadium for the screening rather than the Allianz Arena, was made slightly better by the banter singing on the train.  We chatted to some Bayern fans on route, some of them asked to have photos with us, and at one point along the route I remember bursting out into a 'ZIGGER ZAGGER ZIGGER ZAGGER' ......to which the other Chelsea on the train followed up with the 'OI OI OI'. Other than this, there were many other songs on the train journey and given that we had been on the German beer all day from 8.30 in the morning, you can imagine that we were in very good spirits ahead of the game.

By the time we arrived near the stadium there was about an hour and a half left to go before kick off. As we still had some time we decided to stay outside, and got some food and drink (non-alcoholic beer) from the kiosks outside and stayed there till for a while before going in about 45 minutes before kick off.  We went in, made our way to our seats in the upper tier right behind the goal.  Although we were high up, the view we had from our seats was tremendous and I have got to say the stadium is very well designed as it allows you to stand safely as well.  As kick off approached atmosphere was building up, seat were filling up and now this was it; this was the time for us to shine, and to paint the Allianz Arena blue.  After all the pre-match build up in the stadium, the match had started and now Bayern Munich were all that stood in the way from us and the famous Champions League trophy.

Me inside the Allianz Arena

The large part of the match passed without any goals until the 82nd minute when Muller scored for Bayern. The way they celebrated, it was as if they thought they had already won it, and given that there were only 8 minutes of normal time left it was hardly surprising.  I was gutted, I slumped into my seat, but after a brief moment of being disappointed I got right back up.  We still believed and us Chelsea faithful did not give up on it.  We were to be rewarded a few minutes from the end when the man for the big occasion Didier Drogba produced an equaliser.  At that point we were all joyous and relived....we were back in it!  Extra time came and passed without any further goals and to add to hope Robben had missed a penalty for Bayern in the first period of extra time.  The winner of he match was to be decided with a penalty shootout and this took our minds back to the heartache of Moscow 2008 still in the back of our minds and with it being an English side against a German side, surely the odds were against us???!!

Fast forward to the last few penalties of the shoot out. Despite Mata having missed the first penalty for Chelsea, we were back in it. Bayern had just missed another penalty and now it was left to Drogba for the final penalty kick for us that could win us the Champions League.  It had been absolutely nerve racking watching the shoot-out but with this last kick left we were actually starting to believe that we could do it!  I remember thinking to myself...'Come on Didier...you can do this...just one more goal and we are done....come on', and up stepped Drogba and quite calmly hit the ball in the back of the net!  For a few minutes then my whole world stopped, it was unbelievable feeling....just pure elation.  Of course it could have all gone pear shaped a.k.a Moscow 2008, but this was our year and we have fully deserved it with the journey we have had getting here.  As we found out few days later that was to be Drogba's last kick for us, and that will certainly be remembered as one of the greatest moments at Chelsea.  We had waited so long for this, and we had finally done it, but it was almost as if was unreal.  There were hugs all round, everyone jumping and bouncing, waving flags, congratulating each other and I am quite sure that at one point I even jumped a few rows in front from where I was sitting! 

The emotions experienced that night at the Allianz Arena, and the feelings of pure euphoria and joy is something that I will remember for the rest of my life.  No matter what happens, this night will be something that will never be matched as arguably the best night of my life. We had done it, it was just an amazing feeling.  It is a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life. On 19th May 2012, against all odds, Chelsea made history and we were there that night to witness it.

We stayed back for quite a while to enjoy the celebrations and cherish the moment.  After we finally left the stadium and made our way to the train station what was to to follow was another unbearable journey back into town.  Again, as it was with our journey to the stadium, trains were overcrowded, and for some odd reason the train was stopping randomly not moving without the driver announcing any reason for this.  After a while, some of us on the train just gave up and got off after a few stops. It was taking too long and we were just not moving.  It was too hot and we could not take it any longer so we decided to walk out and try to find a taxi.  However, when we got off we found that we were in the middle of no where and also it was impossible to get a taxi.  We walked around for about 2 hours, unable to get a taxi. We stopped off at a bar while we were trying to get a taxi, and we weren't the only ones trying either.  I'm not going to go too much into how bad the transport system was in Munich, as that is the only complaint I have from the trip. But eventually we did get a taxi, and at the end of the night by the time we got back to our hotel after having to pay 75 euros for the taxi it was nearly 4.30am. As soon as we got in, we just collapsed onto our beds having not slept since leaving London early on Friday evening. However, before I went to sleep one thing I did was plug my phone into the charger and I went on YouTube.  We just had to re-watch the highlights of the match, as we just could not believe what had happened that night.  Having seeing Drogba's penalty kick it the back of the net again, this time on YouTube on my phone we went to sleep happily in the knowledge that we were European Champions and we were not just dreaming it!

THEIR CITY
THEIR STADIUM
BUT OUR TROPHY!

Outside of the Allianz Arena

The next day was to be spent continuing the celebrations with a chilled out day enjoying the German beer halls of Munich.  We missed he parade back in SW6 as we were not back till the Monday but main thing was that we were there for that historical night for Chelsea.

Sometimes things in life are just meant to be, and this was meant to be our year....

It was written in the stars!
 
So it is with this I bid you all a farewell. See you all next season and until then keep it blue and keep it carefree because after all we are the CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!!!

p.s. check out my vid I compiled from Munich:

19th May 2012 - We were there that night Chelsea became Champions of Europe

KTBFFH

UP THE CHELS!

Dropped points and bad results......Where has it all gone wrong?

So where shall I start?  As I write this after having just watched the extended highlights on Sky from our dismal display at Goodison Park this weekend, it is fair to say that things have not exactly been too positive with Chelsea recently.  In a season, which back in August we thought would bring a title challenge in an exciting new era under the guidance of AVB, we now find ourselves at present lying in 5th position, trying to fight out for a top 4 finish this season. 

Now if we were to rewind the clock back to the 2002/2003 season (pre- Abramovic), fighting for a top 4 finish to get into the Champions League was precisely what we were doing, and needless to say that was considered a largely successful season, and I can remember exactly how elated I felt at the full time whistle on the last day of that season! That season, we finished 4th after a dramatic last day encounter with the bin dippers to qualify  for the Champions League, whilst much to our pleasure the Scousers had to settle for a place in the UEFA Cup (or Europa League as it is known as now).  It was a match that marked the start of what was to become a drastic change in SW6.  It was said that the club were under severe financial difficulties at the time, and had we not qualified for the Champions League that season, one can only imagine what would have become of the club we all love and adore.  With that last day of the season victory against Liverpool, not only did we qualify for Europe's elite club competition for the second time in our history, after having endured a few seasons of unsuccessful spells in the UEFA cup, but it brought in the much needed added income that the club were in desperate need of at the time. For this reason, qualifying for the Champions League then was perhaps slightly more significant than our first spell in the competition under Vialli in the 1999/2000 season.  Of course, it was not long after that a certain Mr Abramovic bought the club, and with his Russian Billions, started what has been the club's most successful period.  But the point is, that season when we finished 4th, it was considered a successful season, where as if we come back to the present time, finishing 4th is considered a minimal requirement! No disrespect to the Europa League, but having been in the Champions League each year since 2003, it would certainly be a big blow for a club of our standing.

Fast forward back to the present and this season, it can safely be said that we have been below par and AVB has certainly not brought to Chelsea what we had hoped he would.  Last Summer, when AVB was named as the successor to Ancelloti, he was dubbed as the Special One- version 2! Now we all know Mourinho was something unique, and did in fact bring something special to the club, but trying to compare anyone else to compare anyone else to Mourinho by anyone's standards was a dangerous line to take.  AVB, although he did learn his trade working under Mourinho as a scout, he has been successful prior to coming to Chelsea in his own right at Porto.  AVB is his own man, with his own ideas and ways of doing things.  One thing that should be noted is that AVB lacks managerial experience as he hasn't been in the trade long, and at his age is in fact younger than some of our senior players.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, as he is a man with hunger and drive for success.  But when we look at this season so far, with way we have been playing and the results that we have been getting, one has to question who is to blame for our poor performances. Is the manager to blame, or is the players...or even both?

The reality at the moment is that we simply cannot beat anyone. We are dropping far too many points, especially at places where we should be getting all three points!   At the rate we are going, the chant of 'THURSDAY NIGHTS CHANNEL 5.......THURSDAY NIGHTS CHANNEL 5!', which we have given to both Man City and Man United fans recently, may indeed come back to haunt us.  Imagine this, we finish 5th, fail to qualify for the Champions League, and both sets of Manc fans as well as potentially the scum from North London (S**rs and Le Arse) have the pleasure of directing this chant back at us! The harsh reality is that this may well be the case come the start of next season.  Although this is not all we have to worry about, the form we have been in of late is more resembling of a team in the bottom half of the league table, and what if we finish outside the top five, let alone the top four?!  This season, aside from Man city and Man United, who are leading the chase for the title, it is quite a competitive chase for the remaining Champions League places.  Aside from us, there is S**rs, Arsenal, Newcastle, and the bin dippers competing for the two remaining Champions League places, once the top two places are taken out of the equation.  Now, with the fixtures remaining, and given that we still have to play Man City, Newcastle, Arsenal, Sp**rs and the Scousers, we do have the capability to finish in the top four.  But the problem lies in the fact that overall there seems to be a lack of passion within the squad.

'A team in transition' is a phrase that has been used by many this season, but at what point do we stop using this as an excuse?  Every manager needs time to make their mark and I agree if any manager, whether it be AVB or anyone else for that matter, needs time to build their own squad and achieve success, then indeed they should be given that time.  Of course we don't want to be an Arsenal and end up with years of no success, at the expense of discovering quality young players that end up leaving for bigger clubs anyway when they reach a peak in the career. But at the same time, there is no point hanging onto any deadwood in the squad either.  The backbone of the current squad has been part of the most successful squad that the club has had and years, and we are not going to deny them that, but as with all things 'all good things come to an end', and perhaps it is now time for a big shake up and a summer clear out. However, before we can even look as far as summer, there is the more pressing issue of the remainder of the season to concentrate on.

Yesterday at Goodison, it was most arguably the worst performance of our season so far.  No passion, no desire and well it pretty much sums up the problematic season we are having.  I won't go back and analyse the whole season so far, but looking at just the matches so far in 2012, it is clear that there is something missing.  Prior to the defeat at Everton on Saturday, we were undefeated so far in 2012, however given that it is only February and also given the opponents we have had, that isn't really saying much.  In January, we went away to Norwich and Swansea, both of which I was at, and from both these games, the only real positives I could draw was the support.  However, on the pitch, we did not perform, and these were places where we should have bagged the points! Drawing away to Norwich and then to Swansea is not ideal, although at Swansea I was happy with the draw, given that we were only few minutes away from defeat. When you are losing, on a cold Tuesday night away from home, a late equaliser is sweet! Not saying that the late equaliser compensates for the dropped two points, but it is something we would be happy to take given our current form.  After all, a draw is better than defeat right?.........er well not quite, it simply just covers the cracks that exist!  

In the January transfer window, we brought in Cahill, which in my view was a good signing, especially given the departure of Alex, and the need to strengthen in defence.  However, what baffles me is why AVB did not use Cahill until the Man United game, which was probably our best performance in a while....although given our bad luck and incapability to hold a lead, meant we were 3-0 up and we f****d it up!!  To not play Cahill, when JT is out injured, and to use Boswinga at RB, when he could instead be using Ivanovic there with a Cahill and Luiz partnership in the centre  is something that makes me think.......why!?!   Aside from this, there have been a number of incidents in matches, where changes have simply just been frustrating.  I'm not going to bore you all and go on and on about things that should have been different/could have been different etc, but all in all it does make you ask a few questions:

Is AVB out of his depth and is he the wrong man for the job?

Has AVB lost the dressing room?

Why are the players not performing?

Have some of the players lost the passion to play in the blue shirt?

Well, all I can say is this, we don't know the answers to these questions, but all we do know is that all is not right with Chelsea.  We are not playing well and we are not getting the results that we need.  Is AVB to blame for this?........maybe.  Are the players to blame?......maybe - in fact some players just simply do not look cut out to play for us anymore, Malouda, Boswinga etc to name a few!

For now, all we can do is back AVB and the team 100% for the remainder of the season, and hope that fortunes change sooner rather than later.  I don't think getting rid of AVB will be beneficial at all.  I know that it looks like he may not be the right man, given the way things are going, but it is not all down to him.  Players and AVB need to come together and save our season.  I can't stress how important it is that we finish in the top four, and if we have any more performances like we did at Everton, the patience of many Chelsea faithful will be tested...but remember just keep the faith and just give your backing week in week out!   Of course, there is also the scenario that we could finish 5th, but then win the Champions League and still qualify for next season a.k.a Liverpool.  Although if this was to happen, I would accept being a 'Liverpool' only for this season, as long as we return to the Chelsea challenging for the title next season. 

Anyway, that's enough of me going on, but just remember it may not be the best of times, but we must stick together, give our support and given all the games left still this season, there is every chance that we will finish in the top four, because WE CAN DO IT!

WIN OR LOSE ....UP THE BLUES!

'DON'T WORRY ABOUT A THING....COZ EVERY LITTLE THING IS GONNA BE ALRIGHT!'