Punters drinking in the Football Transfer Tavern this evening are talking about the rather strange issue of heart rates and whose was put through the ringer the most during the 2014/15 campaign.
The majority of punters are claiming that Chelsea supporters’ heart rates only suffered positive emotions; I mean they were top from day one and remained at the top of the pile all the way until the end of the season, claiming their fourth Premier League title triumph in the process.
Nevertheless, our resident Blues supporters are claiming that they still did suffer their fair share of heartache on several occasions this term, largely pointing towards that cup shock the century against Bradford City back in January.
While there is no sympathy for our Blues fans in the tavern given the fact they managed to win not only the Premier League but the Capital One Cup in Jose Mourinho’s second season back in England, our Chelsea contingent have a little something for everybody to look at.
This little something is entitled the ‘five most outrageous moments of Chelsea’s season’ proving that it wasn’t entirely plan sailing for the Stamford Bridge outfit in the 2014/15 campaign.
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Click on Jose Mourinho below to reveal the 5 most outrageous moments of Chelsea’s season.
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Cesc’s bizarre sending off against West Brom
Nobody could have expected what eventually came to pass for Chelsea away at West Bromwich Albion and Cesc Fabregas only last month.
In a classic case of the Blues having already wrapped up the league with the players’ heads away on the beach already, the Baggies wrapped up a famous 3-0 victory and only the third defeat inflicted on Chelsea all season.
A contributing factor towards the Baggies’ emphatic victory however was the fact that on the 29th minute following Saido Berahino’s opener, Cesc Fabregas received a bizarre red card and his marching orders for kicking the ball at Chris Brunt from afar following a scuffle between Diego Costa and Albion pair Craig Dawson and Gareth McAuley.
Whether he was simply frustrated at the game being held up by Costa or whether he was simply kicking the ball back towards the referee to restart play, we’ll never know but his perfectly executed shot hit Northern Irishman Brunt clean on the head in a crazy incident.
The red card was later rescinded with Fabregas’ three game ban being reduced to just one, served against Sunderland in the Blues’ final league fixture.
Lets get ready to rumble!
Although they have always been London rivals, there has never really been an intense feeling of hate between both Chelsea and Arsenal; that was until Jose Mourinho came along back in 2004.
Over the years since, there has been a real souring in relations between the clubs however, notably when Ashley Cole made his controversial switch to Stamford Bridge, when Mourinho called Wenger a ‘voyeur’ and more recently a ‘specialist in failure’.
With all of these tensions bubbling under the surface and exacerbated by the media of course, it was Wenger who finally snapped after all the sniping back in the Gunners’ 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge in October 2014.
Following a heavy challenge from Gary Cahill on Alexis Sanchez that could’ve quite easily been a red card at 0-0, the failure to brand the tackle as such by Martin Atkinson led to Wenger gesticulating towards the officials only for Mourinho to fight his corner and well, a fight – or delicate Wenger shove more appropriately – ensuing between the best of enemies.
After the final whistle, Mourinho claimed he told Wenger to go back to his technical area and away from his.
Playground stuff really from two grown men, wasn’t it? Entertaining nonetheless!
No marching orders for Burnley’s Ashley Barnes
For Chelsea fans, when you consider that Cesc Fabregas received a red card away at West Bromwich Albion as mentioned in our first slide but Burnley’s Ashley Barnes escaped unpunished for his crude tackle on Nemanja Matic back in February, you could excuse Blues supporters for thinking that the game has gone mad!
In a game whereby the Clarets snatched an unlikely point courtesy of a late Ben Mee leveller, the major talking point was about Barnes’ ill attempt to win the ball back from Matic, plunging his foot half way up the Serbian international’s leg in a potential leg breaker for the Blues midfielder.
Sparking an immediate reaction from Matic who then shoved Barnes to the floor, such was his anger at the challenge, it was the Serb who received his marching orders while the Clarets striker walked scot-free in a classic case of incompetent refereeing.
It’s safe to say that Chelsea fans walked away from Stamford Bridge in an irate mood following that Spring fixture.
Mourinho’s subsequent unscheduled appearance on Goals on Sunday
We’ve mentioned how Blues supporters were irate following Matic and Barnes gate but that was nothing compared to the absolutely livid Jose Mourinho who then went onto make an unscheduled appearance on Sky Sports’ Goals on Sunday programme the very next morning after the 1-1 draw.
As box office television goes, this was an absolute must watch for not only Blues fans but football supporters at large with Mourinho taking his #CampaignAgainstChelsea to the next level – upon mainstream television!
Absolutely stumping presenters Ben Shephard and Chris Kamara on how to effectively question the Blues boss, this was prime time Mourinho who was effectively lamenting the referees’ below par performances in Chelsea fixtures up until that date.
With the Blues having experienced some truly unjust calls from the officials with the Barnes incident proving the final straw, you could understand Mourinho’s frustrations but to appear on a show that was ultimately two-and-a-bit hours of Chelsea propaganda, this was outrageous in every sense of the word.
How could he!?
The lowest moment suffered by Chelsea fans in an otherwise imperious 2014/15 campaign?
For Blues fans everywhere, the decision of Frank Lampard to join up with Chelsea’s direct competition for the Premier League title in the form of Manchester City prior to the beginning of the campaign sparked outrage amidst Blues supporters.
In order to feel better about this shock move, Chelsea supporters kept on telling themselves that Lampard’s powers were waning; I mean after all he is now 36 and should have been over in Major League Soccer with New York City, not embarrassing himself in the Premier League after his ‘Judas’ switch.
But in the earlier weeks of the season, Lampard’s powers were not waning; he was actually scoring crucial goals for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, keeping them in with a sniff of catching Chelsea at the Premier League summit.
Upon September 21st 2014, something truly incredible happened. Chelsea’s record goalscorer of all-time scored AGAINST the Blues and what a crucial late equaliser it was in a 1-1 draw between the Citizens and Blues at the Etihad Stadium.
Simply walking away with no hint of a celebration out of respect to the club in which he served with such distinction, Blues supporters may have wanted to cry when that goal went in.
Being bigger than the situation, the majority of Blues fans clapped him off of the pitch following the final whistle but this was a moment that rocked football, let alone Chelsea supporters.
