Call me strange, but there is a part of me – a lifelong Chelsea fan – that’s enjoying our current poor run of form.
I’ve come to realise that all this losing and inconsistency helps to keep things interesting,
It used to be the case that I would glance at upcoming fixtures, take note of the level of opposition, and reasonably assume that we would come away with three points.
Not so much these days however.
Chelsea have lost to Manchester City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Southampton, West Ham and Liverpool, and have failed to beat Swansea and Newcastle this season.
Jose Mourinho once boasted one of the finest home records in Europe, unbeaten in 78 matches at Stamford Bridge until Sunderland won there 2-1 in 2014.
Crystal Palace’s 2-1 win earlier this season was Mourinho’s second home loss in 100 games, and after defeats to Southampton and Liverpool it would seem fortress Stamford Bridge has started to crumble.
But losing is exciting. Not knowing how Chelsea are going to perform at the weekend adds unpredictability, fuels debate and means victories are savoured more than before.
Success has become so frequent for Chelsea in recent years that fans of a certain age have grown accustomed to it.
The club’s younger generation have only known success since Roman Abramovich landed his chopper in west London and bought the club from Ken Bates.
Those that have been around a little longer have experienced failure, Division Two, and abject performances, but you don’t hear them complain.
The thing about football and sport in general is that an individual or a team cannot simply win all the time.
No one has a given right to win, yet this seems to have been forgotten by a section of the Chelsea support so used to victories and trophies.
As a result, the poor performances have offered a welcome dose of perspective, a reminder that a win is something you earn through hard work and collective effort.
Unfortunately some members of the Chelsea squad and fans appear to have forgotten this.
Some supporters chose to leave after Southampton’s third goal in the 72nd minute last month, turning their backs on the team and opting out of offering support to a group of players that needed it.
Some players meanwhile appear to have lost the ability to perform to the level they are capable of, putting in poor performance after poor performance, resulting in the club’s lowly league position and one of the worst title defences in history.
Sadly all roads look to lead to the sacking of Mourinho, if the rumours are true he’ll be sacked after the Stoke match on Saturday regardless of the result.
This news will cause frustration and dismay among Chelsea fans, and potential delight to some of the players.
One unnamed member of the first team who, as reported by Garry Richardson on the BBC, allegedly said that he would rather lose a match than win for Mourinho.
Refusing to win for your manager is thoroughly unprofessional, a statement such as that is unwelcome and ranks as one of the worst thing a player could say.
But for now perspective and belief should be maintained, as should the manager.
Sunshine would be nothing without rain, and I hope that Mourinho can make November a sunny month, if he is afforded the chance.
Feature image courtesy of Chelsea TV, via YouTube, with thanks
