Not beautiful game but we’ve earned our place

LAST Wednesday was one of those special Stamford Bridge nights. The Liverpool fans were virtually silent throughout — they knew what was coming and it seemed that the Chelsea crowd knew too as we roared the team to Moscow.

I have to admit that I was as nervous as hell — especially when I saw Frank Lampard’s name on the team sheet. You’d have thought I’d have learnt by now wouldn’t you? One thing that man does not lack is mental fortitude. Perhaps now the moron public who boo him when he plays for England can see what he is made of. Credit too to some of the Liverpool players who I thought were fair in their assessment of the game and also acknowledged Lampard’s loss in a dignified manner. I’ve even have a few e-mails from the non-myopic Scousers who admitted we deserved to win.

I am booked up for my Russian adventure but the pinch is being felt by many who are having to choose between a once in a lifetime trip and a season ticket. With Chelsea renewals due back on May 15 and the final six days later many are having to make some painful decisions.

With United having a 24 hour advantage, the “cheap” indirect flights that were around the £400 (€507) mark prior to their game with Barcelona jumped to £800 (€1015) as their final whistle went — and so by the time our position was guaranteed many of us were having to pay through the nose for an organised trip, or look at more inventive ways of getting there.

It’s good news that they have waived the visa requirements but couldn’t they have decided that before now? They’ve known Moscow were hosting the final for over two years. You now have the situation where some fans have paid out for the visas, some fans are in the process of getting them so don’t have their passports and others who have been able to benefit for holding on.

It does make you wonder about the rest of the organisation for the final.....but hey, I am not going to let anything spoil the moment.

The added bonus is the squeaky bum that many United fans seem to be suffering.

Of course we all expected the West Ham to roll over at the very glimpse of the United, and Curbishley’s surrender monkey statements hardly encouraged any hope of an upset, but even the most cynical fans didn’t expect such a gutless capitulation.

If the Hammers trooped onto the Old Trafford pitch, dropped their shorts to reveal frilly knickers it would have been less humiliating.

And what was even more embarrassing than the Hammers performance was the “support” — searching out any Sky camera to inanely grin while telling the world that they would like to lose the game to stop Chelsea winning the league. Perhaps rather than bastardise our blue flag song and tell us where to stick it, they should dream up a new tune which talks of their own support and the white flag. Still we’ve got the grand-stand finish all the “neutrals” wanted eh?

I don’t think anyone, including ourselves expected us to be in this position league wise so the pressure is not on us — its United’s title to lose rather than ours to win. That Emile Heskey 93rd minute goal rankles more than ever and you can bet he won’t be repeating his party trick against Fergie’s boys. The Newcastle game showed our determination and we worked hard for that result.

This team of ours may not be the prettiest to watch and we may not have a player as tippy tappy as Ronaldo but we grind out results and we have earned our position both in the table and in the final.

This talented team of ours is making history, breaking records and pushing the boundaries of Chelsea FC and of football as a whole.

Beautiful football isn’t everything — just ask Barcelona and Arsenal — or Kevin Keegan.

As I have mentioned before, Bolton has been interwoven in the history of our club for decades so there may be one more throw of the dice in this title — unlikely though it is and as unpopular though it may be for people like Curbishley to swallow.

But we’re like that — we like upsetting the status quo and we’ll carry on doing it — so you’d all better get used to it.

* Trizia Fiorellino