Wednesday, April 5th, Roughly 21:50 GMT. The entirety of Stamford Bridge is ringing with "An-ton-i-oooooo" as Chelsea, leading Manchester City 2-1, is attempting to see out the conclusion of the match and get a desperately needed 3 points to maintain the 7 point gap over Sp*rs. It's roaring, the stand is shaking, people are shouting at the top of their lungs. City are pressing for that equalizer and Chelsea are holding firm. Antonio is raging on the touchline, jumping up and down, waving his arms at the crows to increase the noise - we respond in kind...
Its moments like those that fuel us Chelsea supporters, and more importantly, provide insight as to why 10 of us would choose to fly 4000 miles for almost two weeks to (surprisingly) sunny London to see Chelsea live and in living color.
There's so many fantastic moments from the past two weeks it's almost impossible to recount them all. Beers with Chidge, Tony Glover, Rick Glanvill and Tim Rolls at the Cock pre-Palace. Dinner and drinks with Bobby Tambling and Spy before the kickoff vs Manchester City. Heading out to Brentford with the NY Blues to see them win 2-0 over Leeds, who couldn't help themselves but have a swipe at us in song. Driving 200 miles to Bournemouth with Dan Silver to stare into the endless sun while singing "We Shall Not Be Moved."
For most of our supporters, like any group or club, they've probably never been. We're lucky that the summer tours give a taste of what the culture is like, of how fast the players really are up close, of the great people that live and breathe this every day 4000 miles away on the east side of the Atlantic. Heading over for a match, particularly your first, is a big step in committing yourself to a life of endless weekend anxiety, but hopefully lifelong friendships as well. It's our hope that all of our members will in time be given such an opportunity to do what we did.
There will be photos added here and to Facebook in time, detailing our amazing journey and the people we met and re-met along the way. But for now, we recognize 4 people who brilliant people but also dear friends, for all of their hospitality, help and love they continually show us and the support they give us in continuing to build our group season after season. Richard Weeks. Steven Lawrence. Dan Silver. Spy. The four of you are legends, and we can't wait to see you again soon.
We Shall Not Be Moved
