No one can explain why we supposedly hate Nottingham Forest. It features in one of the Blues’ oldest continually sung terrace chants, yet half today’s fans weren’t born when Chelsea regularly played them in the league.
The most likely reason the Stamford Bridge ‘creed’ picks Forest (as well as Arsenal, Leicester and West Ham) is because the number of syllables fits perfectly.
Chelsea’s first cup appointment is this weekend, when a club still best known for Brian Clough’s reign bowl up in the FA Cup.
Then there’s part one of the Spurs double-header in the Carabao.
The fixtures are being played against a backdrop of the January transfer window, which will see several big names leave the Bridge and one – possibly two – arrivals.
Looking at the top of the league table, it’s settling down into an intriguing three-horse race, with Liverpool now the clear favourites for a first top-flight title in nearly 30 years.
Back to the days, indeed, when Nottingham Forest were a force to be reckoned with (and therefore disparaged in songs).
Chelsea were walloped 7-0 in the old First Division back in 1991... a very painful journey back down the M1. But even with 5,000 fans baying from the Shed end, history is unlikely to repeat at the Bridge.
Cloughie was the Jose Mourinho of his day, famously claiming that he was in the ‘top one’ of football managers.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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