A staunch defence of the nation's most hated team

by John Naldrett

So, I get the chance to write an Editors blog.

I’ve been asked to be opinionated and provoke argument so this is my opportunity to put out a slightly biased, but staunch defence of the most widely despised team in the country, my beloved Chelsea FC.

Full of characters I will politely describe as ‘colourful’, Chelsea are never far away from the spotlight.

Whether it is the affairs of John Terry, or the saucy text flirt, Ashley Cole, someone in the blue corner of London is always being slated by the tabloids and sometimes deservedly so.

But if the gutter press seek to destroy the players off the pitch, in reality, they only make them stronger.

Chelsea play with a chip on their shoulder.

Their steely determination, enormous will to win and unflinching ruthlessness have characterised them for years and I believe that it is in no small part down to their constant villification in the newspapers.

It is not only the press who don’t like them, it seems to be their fellow professionals as well.

It is staggering that Frank Lampard can score 22 Premier League goals from midfield and not be nominated for the PFA player of the year award nor even be selected for the PFA team of the year.

So why are Chelsea so disliked? I’ve already mentioned the questionable morals of their playing staff but I think it is more than just that.

Chelsea are often percieved as lucky to have been plucked out of financial uncertainty and into the hands of a billionaire owner.

Luck played its part but Abramovich didn’t just close his eyes and pick Chelsea from a hat.

The season before the rich Russian arrived, Chelsea put in a monumental effort to qualify for the Champions League at the expense of, at the time, much bigger clubs like Liverpool.

Added to that, under the stewardship of Ken Bates, Stamford Bridge had been converted from a ramshackle two-bob ground into a state of the art, 42,000-capacity, modern Premier League Stadium. Chelsea put themselves in an ideal position to be invested in.

What else contributes to Chelsea being so hated then?

Well, we had one of the most arrogant, bigoted and, most importantly, successful managers the Premier League has seen.

Of course I’m talking about the one and only Jose Mourinho.

Arrogance, nurtured under the Mourinho era, is a critism of Chelsea that still stands and is justified.

Being a boring and defensive team, also qualities nurtured by Mourinho, is a criticism that Ancelotti’s Chelsea has convincingly rebuffed.

On the way to winning the League title, Chelsea have broken the record for goal difference and goals scored outright.

We have played a brand of attacking football normally associated with Manchester United and Arsenal with results like 7-2, 7-1, 7-0 and 8-0 along the way.

I hope, probably in vain, the reputations of the past can finally be banished.

And with that I declare the Chelsea love-fest over.