Halifax at home

[Harry J Allstars]

Your right, Chelsea don't need me anymore, Gravesend do. Chelsea can afford to let all their fans in for free and still wouldn't go out of business. However the recent reported £88m loss issue is going to be tackled appearently, so with that in mind Chelsea do need their fans as they are taking steps into making a profit. So thats something that I should be involved with, wouldn't you say?

 

However when I first started going to Chelsea it was because you'd see a game of football and sing for as loud and as long you can. One of our songs is called Carefree.... Carefree sums up what it means to be a Chelsea fan. Win, Draw or lose we didn't care and sang all the same.

 

However as expected success brings with it new fans, fans who don't know about a clubs history and only to turn up to see us win. They don't sing that don't cheer they don't care. They are worse than Hitler. They drive up ticket prices so that good honest fans that have followed the club through all the [Censored] of the early (bankrupt) eighties and now because of these glory hunters, true fans can't afford to go.

 

I went to Chelsea v Birmingham lst week and sat next to a few city traders. The didn't cheer, nor did they clap when we scored. I was singing loudly on sunday against Man City only to over hear some bloke say to the woman next to him "He's not going to be like that for the entire time is he? I've turned up to watch the match not listen to him."

 

A thought that crossed my mind the other day was if Chelsea managed to keep these people out and only let hardcore chelsea fans in would I still go therefore dessert Gravesned? No, I wouldn't. It's like going back to the sixties and saying to some Chelsea fan Spurs and The Arsenal sing louder then you, you should go down there. He'd simply reply we are Chelsea and we are Carefree. The fact is Chelsea have lost me as a fan now and so instead I will still go but only as a Customer.

 

The trouble is that Barca ticket cost me £50 and yeah okay I've gone to Gravesend instead of Chelsea thus making my season ticket (in thoery and not that it wasn't already) a waste of money But had I have had the choice. Watch Chelsea v Barca or Gravesend v Halifax then there would have been only one winner.

 

And not a single glory hunter in sight.

[jc]

Great to hear, Harry - let's hope such a tale is matched by those of many more Fleet converts disillusioned with football's upper echelons.

[Bernard]

Cheers Harry, I thought that may have been your motive. It's just a shame a football club can be watered down so quickly in the search for money. Needless to say your entrance fee each week will be far more crucial to our success that it would be for Chelsea's...

[Harry J Allstars]

Cheers for your kind words guys but I'm not the one who should be congaratulated or thanked. Its the people that have been going all their lives that need thanking. I'm in theory going to the fleet for selfish reasons. Because I want to watch a game of football and I want to watch in place which has character. Not a place that fleec's you for money every chance you get.

 

Also I don't want Chelsea fans or any fans dessert their club just because I have done. Okay if your (big) team plays on a sunday you can go and watch your local team on the Saturday, but I don't want people saying that fans of big clubs should give up watching their teams.

 

I've said for many years why can't the big teams play on a Sunday and the little teams play on a Saturday? Fans of big clubs will say but the Saturday 3:00pm kick off is tradition. Well I'm sorry but you said goodbye to tradition when you said hello to sponsorship, sky tv, big money wages and transfers (Transfers have always been part of our game but the gap between what the big clubs spend versus the little clubs is now far greater).

 

If you want tradition (like I do) you go and watch you local team. If you want superstardom you go and watch your big club, or take the simpler option and watch it on the tele.

 

Anyway we have now passed into the realms of off topic so I appoligise for that.

[Guest]

Am 45 been a member at Chelsea and attended regularly since early seventies. Leeds last game of last season was my last. Fleet season ticket holder now been to all home games and several away.

Why ? never liked sitting down, no atmosphere and 43 quid mimimum for the the privilige at Chels no thanks. Still watch or listen to every minute of every Chelsea game but will only pay to watch Northfleet or Gianfranco Zola.

note. have brought away shirt, will never be comfortable with red

[FleetFanatic]

Excellent stuff.

 

Now if you and Harry could convince another 2,000 of you to do the same then we'd be able to go full-time.

[Alan W (GNFC)]

Far be it from me to suggest something untoward , Harry, but could you not loan youtr Chelsea season ticket out for a small charge? Or is it a photocard season ticket where you couldnt get away with that?

[Harry J Allstars]

Quote:

Far be it from me to suggest something untoward , Harry, but could you not loan youtr Chelsea season ticket out for a small charge? Or is it a photocard season ticket where you couldnt get away with that?

I think I see what your getting at (other people are allowed to use it) but first and foremost I'd never give to some bloke I've just met in the pub. If he starts chanting racist comments or turns out to do a one man pitch invasion then he would be kicked out and I'd be banned for life.

The only person that I have let use my ticket was my mum who went to Everton and Portsmouth while I watched the Fleet lose 3-1 to both Carlisle and Aldershot. My dad lent his ticket out twice this season, once to my cousin and the other my sisters boyfriend who came with me on Sunday.

The trouble with that Barca game is now that I have the ticket I want to go. I could let my mum use it but I just don't want to do that. Since I've been going to watch Gravesend I can honestly say I'm more proud to tell people that I support Gravesend then I have ever been able to say that I support Chelsea. Theres a dignity affiliated with what we do every week.

Anyway next season my mum will take up the ticket, who is Chelsea mad. She wouldn't think of going to Gravesend and I have to say credit to her. She wants to go and watch Chelsea. She wouldn't have got a season in the old days, although she once went to Chelsea v Man City in the Cup winners cup. All I can say about that is the last time she went to a game we were succesful in europe. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Anyway it's about what I was saying ealier about if you want tradition go and watch lower leagues. If you want to watch megabucks football go to Chelsea. We now have two games, one is for the ellite the other is for the minows. The trouble we have is the two games try to be the same, their not their different. The game is run by the ellite why can't they break away, the sooner the better as far as I'm concerned.

[FleetFanatic]

Quote:

The game is run by the ellite why can't they break away, the sooner the better as far as I'm concerned.

Why? What do you want to happen? FA Cup scrapped as the little clubs aren't fit the grace the same pitch as the bigger ones? Locked door to The Premiership so no club will 'do a Wimbledon' ever again?

It wasn't THAT long ago that Wigan were non-league - they're knocking on the door of the top flight nowadays!

Let the little clubs dream please.

[jc]

Quote:

Since I've been going to watch Gravesend I can honestly say I'm more proud to tell people that I support Gravesend then I have ever been able to say that I support Chelsea. Theres a dignity affiliated with what we do every week.

This seems to be the crux of it - there's something much more satisfying about supporting smaller teams than being one of the faceless thousands.

And as for the anonymous poster above saying he'll never be comfortable with red - you'll just have to learn. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />