Jose Mourinho’s frustration at what he perceives to be a lack of atmosphere generated at Stamford Bridge has prompted the Chelsea manager to suggest his side gains “less support” there than at rival grounds.
The Portuguese emerged from Saturday’s west London derby success against Queens Park Rangers, witnessed by 41,486 spectators, to claim it had been “like playing in an empty stadium” with the mood around the arena having apparently affected his players. Mourinho aired similar criticisms last season in a bid to provoke a reaction, though he could offer no explanation as to why the atmosphere felt flat.
Question the passion
“When comparing to my previous time at the club, I think it’s getting worse,” said the Chelsea manager. “I don’t question the passion and the love. Chelsea fans show us their passion for this club every day, but there is a certain ‘line of living’ [way of behaving] at matches at Stamford Bridge. I can clearly say we are the team to get less support in home matches.”
A number of potential explanations were put to Mourinho, from high ticket prices to the increased number of corporate fans in the ground, and even if a level of complacency had set in when struggling teams arrive at Stamford Bridge. Yet he could offer no reason for the apparent malaise and his comments, provoked extreme reactions – both in agreement and in disgust – from the club’s fans on social media over the weekend.
“The manager’s criticisms were slightly ill-advised because the fans pay good money to watch highly paid footballers,” said Tim Rolls of the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust.
“But the reality is, while I’d rather the ground was a bearpit, that’s not what the Premier League is like these days. It’s around £50 (€64) a game, so an awful lot of young people can’t afford to go very often. That’s a problem across the Premier League.
Cleverly taken
There is support within the trust and other fan groups for the introduction of singing sections within the arena, where younger fans might congregate together and ticket prices could be subsidised accordingly. Certainly, QPR’s travelling support were raucous in celebrating Charlie Austin’s cleverly taken equaliser, a back-heeled goal, which was a reward for the team’s new-found resilience away from home and the inroads they made on the break after the interval. Yet Eden Hazard’s penalty, awarded for Eduardo Vargas’s clumsy contact, maintained the leaders’ four-point advantage at the top.
Oscar’s wonderful opening goal, dispatched with the outside of his right foot, illuminated the occasion even if Mourinho, perhaps conscious of complacency creeping in both on and off the pitch after an unbeaten start to the campaign, felt compelled to deliver his criticisms post-match to ensure everyone, from players to fans, remains on their toes.
(Guardian Service)
