Chelsea are a top team now - but are these the best days?

[Deanocfc 22]

Chelsea are obviously now a top side and have been consistently since 2003 and the start of the Roman empire if we're honest. We've won league titles, European cups, domestic cups, beaten all our biggest rivals now countless times and have a fantastic squad.

But are these the best days of being a Chelsea fan? I'm 22, from South London and supporting Chelsea since I was 5/6 and am in love with the club as my dad is. We have, and have had, some legends in the last decade due to our money. Players and managers, including one very special returning man, that I'll never forget.

However, I still feel like I miss the days of Gianfranco, Di Matteo, Mark Hughes, Petrescu, Gullit, Vialli, etc. The shocks and jubilation when we ACTUALLY beat United, or possibly Arsenal however rare that was.

Is this just because I was a young kid and these were my idols? Or is being more of an underdog and out of the spotlight a bit more appealing for fans following THEIR club?

What do you all think? Are these the best days? If not, when were they for you?

p.s. Probably a post that has cropped up before, but I'm fairly new and would love to know!

Cheers

Dean

[Muzchap 8,966]

Hey Deano - you're a lucky lad

For me the BEST years as a Chelsea fan (36 now) have been since Glenn Hoddle took over, then we had a succession of great managers, great players and it was an amazing time. I think my most favourite season was when Ediur and Jimmy literally ripped Utd a new asshole - that was amazing - I loved Jimmy and Eidur - just goal machines... I also loved Zola - what an amazing player and I loved Wisey getting his tackles in!

Lebeouf and Desailly were amazing too...

Wow so many memories

I think it will get better still though - the only slight issue is back then, there was no EXPECTATION - it was ALL A BONUS - now fans and the Board are a little less patient - but I'm sure it will be even better in the future, especially if we can start getting some stars coming through the Acadamy

[Rmpr 8,977]

I can't answer as I only started following Chelsea after Roman came...

However, I have lived the Palmeiras incredible success in the 90s and early 00s and after that we have been relegated twice from the shit Brazilian League. And I can tell you, the success is much, much, much better!!!!

[Start 22]

I wish I was around the days Zola, Di Matteo, Hughes etc was around and playing in their prime. For me it's most likely the season/team Jose took over, I didn't know what to expect. When we had the likes of Duff, Robben and Joe Cole. (Duff my favorite player at the time) I remember that night we tore Barcelona apart, or that dribble Joe did past 3-4 United players and slotted away at the end of the season, the likes of Makelele in his prime. Was such an exciting time to be really getting into football.

But for potential and future prospects the team we currently have has to be our best, exciting times ahead. I'm telling ya.

[Strike 7,217]

When you support, say, Norwich, you tend to enjoy the little things. Even a Carling Cup upset is a big deal but once Chelsea have elevated themselves to the top tier of European football, you expect a lot from the club every season. Chelsea go into every season expecting to challenge for the biggest trophies and more often than not end up winning one. In 10 years, trophies and success is better remembered than the little things like cup upsets, so yes, this is one of the glorious times in the club's history

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,919]

May 17th, 1997.

Late 90's in general though....It was a very fun time.

The recent years have been pretty great too. There are things I dont like though, which probably would have went over my head as a younger person in the 90's. A major thing being the treatment of Ray Wilkins. He was a great servant of this club, and to just get rid of him out of the blue without even having the decency to give him a reason is something I will never accept. You dont do that to people, especially not a guy like him. Good have outweighed the bad though. Never in a million years back then would I ever think Robbie would have lead us to European glory as a manager.

Good days indeed.

[Spike 12,049]

Things can look much nicer and grander in retrospective. People tend to block out all the bad things and remember the good. Think back hard enough and you'll remember a lot of things that you wish didn't happen or hope never happen again.

Think of it like this: People nowadays say that modern music is awful when compared to the music of the past. Is it though? We've always complained about modern music while idolising the old. It's because the awful music is slowly forgotten over time while the great music is timeless and remembered for decades. In ten years we will still be complaining about modern music and still be idolising the old, but the catch is that some music today will be catergorised as great.

If that makes any sense.

[edenhazard17 281]

[nono 791]

OP is fond of the bankruptcy days it seems.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Are we as successful as we should be?

In truth - no. The amount we spent last season, should we have just won the Europa League and finished third? Absolutely not - last season was a disappointment (in that sense) - but we do have to realise we are in transition. We are progressing from one great squad to the next and that takes time and patience.

The long-term reward will be another short period of dominance - another 2-4 year-spell of winning titles, cups and European honours will surely come.

We just have to be patient in the meantime, before that comes about again.

But as one of the above posters said, the best is yet to come. The important thing with this club, however, is whilst Fergie had a couple of trophyless seasons in 2004/05 and 2005/06 (okay, I'm excluding the Carling Cup, but I wouldn't class it as a major honour) whilst he rebuilt his United side, we've won three major - nay, massive - trophies during our transition period thus far.

No-one can deny that the 90s was possibly the most exciting period of our history - great football, and the promise of even better things to come... I think as many of us were so young during that time, and we were living the first period of our current hegemony, the 90s has a romantic meaning attached to it.

But would I swap Munich, Amsterdam, or the Reebok on April the 30th, 2005 for any of our "romantic" past glories? Absolutely not!

[Barbara 15,149]

I'm enjoying the ride.

Have been a fan since about 2002 and had seen not very promising days, promising days and good days when it comes to glory.

But what I do like is enjoying my team. I can't create two categories to winning against ManUtd then and now, beating Arsenal then and now because at the end of the day both made me happy.

I consider last season a failure, just like @ here. A team with our investment to not make it out of UCL group stage? Sorry, mates, that's failure.

But while we didn't succeeded as much as I would have wanted it was an amazing season as a fan. To see Eden arriving to the team and playing like a guy out of this world for the first rounds, to see how much the supporters made me proud when they didn't settle and stand to the spanish waiter, to have a manager like Mourinho to say everything he's said about us, to watch Oscar scoring his first goal with this shirt, in an UCL match, and see it be an amazing goal.

To see someone like David Luiz embracing those colors, this team as well as others.

Those feelings are great and we had some of those in the past. My memory sucks, but I remember good plays, amazing goals, bitter losses, refreshing victories. I don't eulogize past days by dismissing the present.

Football is about passion, and even if you team sucks for a period and your mates mock you about it all the time, it still gives you a lot of pleasure. The passion isn't fueled by success - the joy is - but even when things suck, you find joy because there's always some silver lining.

Also, I'm a firmer believe that the best time is always today, so the best days for me? Are now, as this team continue to fuel my passion and give me great amounts of joys - although a lot of frustration comes along as well, but why mention that?

[Hutcho 8,443]

Well i started properly supporting chelsea from around 98 and i would say imo we are, because we have come along way from then. That doesn't belittle that because i very much enjoyed what we were, but as others have said i wouldn't swap munich for any other moment. Older fans may have a different opinion, but yes. Right now, we have quality young talent, the greatest manager i could want at the helm. And a great Forum to enjoy following our boys even better. So yes.

[Fulham Broadway 16,855]

No question the success on the pitch in the last 10 years is the best of Chelseas history.

However the fans experience home and away now is far and away eclipsed by the experience of the 80s and 90s. The camaraderie, humour, and sheer numbers made it totally memorable, even if we were shit.

[The only place to be 11,313]

It's different. There's more pressure than there used to be because the expectation is higher, and the little things you used to take pleasure in simply aren't there anymore. Mostly the pleasures are different and the club is different and some of these are for the better, and some of them aren't.

I think I'd prefer to look on it more as a journey rather than a then and now. I think you've also got to remember that the world has changed now - as soon as we're linked with a player then it's off to whoscored, youtube, FIFA and FM to scout him so that by the time he's signed you know his shoe size. I remember turning up to the Bridge one day and discovering we'd signed some bloke called Laurent Charvet....that doesn't happen anymore.

I honestly don't know....there's a thousand changes at this club in my time supporting Chelsea. I don't miss the wooden seats in the West Stand but I do miss the old Shed. I don't miss some aspects of our support but I really miss others.

It depends how nostalgic you want to be. I honestly miss the smell of beer and cigarettes because that's what I associate with my early days of going to the Bridge, but I'm sure the kids who go nowadays have got better lungs and less fag-burns. Still that smell takes me right back....I suppose that's a bit like Chelsea. Everything's cleaner, shinier and in HD, but I wouldn't swap the old days for anything and it's nigh-on impossible to compare the two.

Fuck this....I'm digging out the VHS and watching the 93/94 season review again.

Spoiler Alert

Ellery's a cunt.

[Beepu 1,714]

Im pretty sure you use the troll face in 90% of your posts

Im enjoying the period chelsea is at, i wasnt there during the difficult period since i only started following chelsea and english football since 2001/2.

But i truly believe that the best is yet to come for Chelsea as a club and brand.

[dave30 728]

I just genuinely prefer rooting for the underdog. Can you imagine being a United fan. Going to every single game virtually knowing you were going to win. The roman empire was epic at first, i remember the summer Roman first came getting my dad to buy me a newspaper every day to scan the pages for transfer rumours, it was like Christmas. However, I can honestly say that the feeling of beating Liverpool to get 4th in 2003 was far better than lifting the champions league. I'd give up the success in an instant.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

Whilst there were some terrific memories before Abrmaovich came, I won't forget how we were constantly being discussed in regards to our future financial stability under Ken Bates. Year after year there was always and underlying feeling, of it's going to be when not if, we were heading into a financial meltdown. That was never a good feeling, because no matter how well we were doing, those consolation victories against United and Arsenal.. Getting a constant win at 3-point Lane against Supers.. It was all irrelevant in the bigger picture.

I always remember that that game was marked the £1bn game. Not just because of the the financial backing we received from Roman to build the Chelsea of today, but because without it we might not be in existence today. So while I miss the trivial things like the atmosphere, being able to afford to go to Stamford Bridge, seeing the magic of Zola with Eidur and JFH, I'll never wish we had those day back. Never.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I just genuinely prefer rooting for the underdog. Can you imagine being a United fan. Going to every single game virtually knowing you were going to win. The roman empire was epic at first, i remember the summer Roman first came getting my dad to buy me a newspaper every day to scan the pages for transfer rumours, it was like Christmas. However, I can honestly say that the feeling of beating Liverpool to get 4th in 2003 was far better than lifting the champions league. I'd give up the success in an instant.

Never in a million years. That moment eclipses everything else in the 108-year-history of our club.