VOLUME 2, ISSUE 4APRIL 2010

DEEP FROM THE HEART

Notes from the Chairwoman

Hi guys,

WHAT A MONTH! But first things first. Asmany of you know one of our own, DeanKelley, “Eidur” on the message board,has been in a horrible accident, and isstill in ICU in Seattle. We have sent outan email and posted on the board thedetails, and we have set up a donation tohelp him out. We have had anoverwhelming response to the call, andthank you to all that have given sogenerously! But if somehow it hasescaped your notice, or if you haven’thad a chance yet, here is the link todonate: http://www.chelseainamerica.com/ShoppingCarts/DeanKelly.htm andTHANK YOU! If you would like to keepup on Dean’s progress, Jens has beenkeeping us all informed as news breaks,and you can check that out on thebulletin board - just go to the generalchat, then Chelsea Football Club andlook for the thread “One of our own isreally in trouble!!!”. You don’t have toregister to read it, and news will breakthere first. Please, if you could take amoment and send a good thought, aprayer, or whatever method of help youcan, it is needed.

And so that brings me to my thoughtson what this club means. Yes, it is aboutfollowing the team through thick andthin, but it is more about the friendship,camaraderie and care that is abenchmark of who we are. The kindness,loyalty and generosity of all of you is ahallmark of CIA and Chelsea. We aremore than just a team of 11 players, weare a family and when one of our own isin trouble, the cavalry truly is on theway. People might say we are crazy, alittle too passionate or something likethat, but in the end what I love the mostabout this group is the people that makeit up. What ﬁne people they are, alwaysready to lend a hand, always there tohelp and always giving. You doyourselves, our club and Chelsea proud,and I am proud beyond words to bea

liated with such an incredible groupof people. Just this month alone, ourmembers have stepped up andsupported Dean, we helped Steven Rearaise well over $1000 for a children’scancer charity (and helped him beat aSpud!) and continued to supportMonique as she walks for Breast Cancerresearch!! That is a lot of giving, andthank you all!

But now on to other things...

It has been a roller coaster this past fewweeks, bad times and amazing, and Idon’t think I have to remind any of youof the pain or the joy. We have a bigmatch this Saturday, and I know all of you are as anxious and nervous as I am;we must win. So hold onto your hats, getdown to your local, gather the troopsand let's get this thing done!

We have also been having a great time inNorth Dallas supporting our U19 team inthe Dallas Cup! What a privilege it is tonot only watch these young lads inaction but to get to meet them and talkto them. They are an incredible group of young men and do our club proud. Theyare wonderful ambassadors for the gameand for our club, and it is truly a thrill totalk to them and get to know them a bit.We are in the middle of the tournamentnow, so I will save a full report on it untilthe end. But we are having a great time,and there are many, many stories to tell.I know it isn’t the ﬁrst team, buthonestly, if you can ever make it to thisevent, it is well worth the time and thee

ort! It is an experience you will neverforget. And as long as they all go backhome safe and injury free, that will be

Chelsea's Perfect10 by Neil Barnett

Review by JeremyWillard

I would like to start this review bystating this: Everyone’s favorite spy inthe camp is a liar.

Oh don’t worry, headmits he is – it’s one of the ﬁrstthings he writes in the book.

Yousee, to say this book is Chelsea’sPerfect 10 is incorrect; it’s actuallyChelsea’s perfect 8, two halves, andone for the future.

Actually, now thatwe’re in 2010 its Chelsea’s Perfect 9and two halves, as Neil states that bythe time 2010 is here the one for thefuture will be part of the Perfect 10(err, Perfect 9 and two halves I mean).So where do the two halves comefrom?

Well, Neil explains in the bookthat goalkeepers are only half playersanyway, and he had two goalkeepersto include in his perfect 10 –

but who

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•Chelsea's Perfect10 Review•Deep from theHeart•First Trip to theBridge•Tales from theFA Cup Final1970•5 QuestionsFor...

great, no matter the result - after allthey have an FA Youth Cup to win!

And speaking of the FA Youth Cup, it isnearly time for the Spring Trip. Not ahuge number going this year, but thosethat will be there will be all together andin the Shed End for the Stoke match, sokeep an eye out for us! We have a fewthings planned, like a dinner and meet-up, a tour of the Bridge and some otherevents that are happening that match,like a legends match, the FA Youth Cupﬁnal and a Star on a Stool. It is reallyturning out to be a great trip! This morethan any other year we have had moremembers go to more matches than everbefore. That is amazing, and there havebeen more “ﬁrst timers” than everbefore, which is great. Remember thatgoing to the Bridge can happen for you -a little dosh, a CIA membership and aTrue Blue membership will assure youtickets!

And so as the season ends, that meanswe are getting ready for next season.CIA and Chelsea membership will startup soon, so get ready! We will bestarting membership as soon as thisseason ends, and we will be sendingemail and board messages (andFacebook too) to let everyone know howto sign up. We don’t feel any need toraise the membership dues, so it lookslike $8 will get you your individualmembership. We have used that moneywisely; we got shirts for all the U19 boysas a memento of their trip to the US, weare nearly done with the DVD and willhave that out to everyone soon, and wemade a donation to Dean. We haveprinted new pass-out cards (so if youneed them, let me know) and have acommittee making handmade cards forall the boys for their birthdays and such.We are looking into some softwareupgrades to make the membership andoperations of the club easier andupgrading the board. We have beenworking ever closer with the U.S.Megastore to bring more and bettermerchandise here to the U.S. Andspeaking of the DVD, I am so excitedabout that. I know it has taken longerthan I thought, but I know the end resultwill be worth it. Bill, our video editor,has spent so much time taking 28 hoursof footage down to a normal size DVD. Ithas been a HUGE task, and I know youwill all love the results. It might not beOscar material, but it will be so muchfun reliving the fun we had last summer!

I also want to thank Jeremy for all hise

orts on the weekly podcast! If youdon’t listen, you should, and if you don’tparticipate, you should! Danny hasstarted a new series of Legend podcastsas well, so check that on the website aswe upload them. Mo has been ourtireless and intrepid Twitter girl, keepingus all up-to-date on contests and infofrom Chelsea, but you don’t know unlessyou sign up. Just follow CFCinAmericafor all the news updates. And of coursethere is Raciel, who puts up with meconstantly wanting to get this or thatmade; her skills and talents will be onview when you see the DVD! Jamie hasdone a remarkable job on the newsletterand has actually been able to keep metied down to do these articles along witha few of you! Julie is heading up the cardcommittee, and I wish you could see thewonderful cards they are making theboys! We also have a number of peopleposting on Facebook. I can’t even beginto remember all the Facebook pages thatare out there and who is doing what, sothank you all! And then there is yourboard - Andy, Chris, Paul, Bill - who putin so many hours to sort out a millionand one things to make everythinghappen like membership, tickets and allof that - we all owe them a lot! Andthere is still more to come. No matterthe results this season, we have had agreat season at CIA, things havehappened, we have grown and we havebecome stronger and closer all becauseof you.

CAREFREE!

Beth

Our very own Gill of the Kent Blues took this photo of the big screen at Stamford Bridge when this flashed across during the 7-1 thrashing of Aston Villa - Super Frank, continuingto rewrite the Chelsea history books!

CONTRIBUTORS:

A big thanks to everyone whohelps make the CIA Bluesletterpossible!Editor: Jamie EdwardsChairwoman: Beth WildLogo and Graphics: Raciel DiazDates to Remember: Tel StevensProofreaders: Dorothy Cooperand Sarah DrakeCIA Crest done in collaborationwith Who Are Ya Designs -www.whoareyadesigns.comWant to contribute or make asuggestion? Send Jamie anemail at newsletter@chelseainamerica.com!

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To summarize my trip into a write-upfor the newsletter would not be justified;however, I will give it an honest try. Of the ten days I was in London, nine of them were spent around StamfordBridge. The first day there I headed forFulham Broadway on the tube from Earl’sCourt. With a short walk out of thestation, a left turn and a city block, Ifound myself standing at the Bridge.What a feeling, to stand outside thestadium for the first time. Truthfully, Inever imagined the feeling I would get.Chills ran up my arms, and a strangefeeling of “I made it” came over me. I dida lap around the outside, trying to takein everything. It’s strange being on thegrounds as a Chelsea fan. I felt asthough you walk with a little more prideand belongingness while at the Bridge. Itwas a good feeling being around otherswho could relate to what I felt.After a quick walk around, I headed forKing’s Road. I recommend walking andshopping, there is a lot to do. Afterspending the afternoon on King’s Road, Iheaded back to Earl’s Court to changeand get ready for Star on a Stool. Carloand Ray would be answering questionsand chatting with the fans. Theatmosphere was light, and there weregood amounts of laughter betweenmanager and assistant manager. Theyreally seem to have a good relationship.After a great dinner and drinks it wasback to the youth hostel for the night.Staying at the hostel really saved moneyand it was nice. It had a bed to sleep in,place to keep my stu

, and a shower;everything I was looking for in a place tostay, since I wasn’t planning onspending much time in the room.Friday before the West Ham game I tooka tour of the Bridge - what a stadium.The press conference room, the lockerroom, running out the tunnel to thepitch, seeing the dug out, and sitting inthe stands, all was a necessaryexperience for ﬁrst-time Chelsea goers.At the end of the tour, spending time inthe museum is a good idea as well. Theamount of history that comes with thisclub is fascinating to brush up on. Laterthat evening I met up with some of theAustin Blues (Jens, Scott, Lalo) fordinner. Neil Barnett joined us, which wasa treat beyond anything I could express.What a trip so far and it hadn't evenbeen game day yet.Saturday ﬁnally arrived. It was game day,and I was over-the-top excited. I was setto meet up with Chris at 11 for pregamerituals that included the possibility of meeting Ron Harris. Chris took me up tothe hotel for a drink and a hello. There Iwas introduced to Mick, who does all theautographed photos of players. What agreat man. Friendly, funny, andknowledgeable, he was a joy to spendsome time with. While being introducedto a handful of people, including apicture and autograph from Ron Harrisand Peter Bonetti, I was told to tag alongwith Mick’s friend Paul. Paul showed mewhere to wait for the players to walk byas they headed into the stadium toprepare for the game. Standing therewide-eyed, I waited. First to walkthrough were John Terry and Mikel. Weasked if they might come over and signsome things, and they obliged. I couldn’tbelieve it; I was standing inches awayfrom John Terry and Mikel. As the rest of the team trickled in, we called for themto come over. Most of them just headedstraight in, but Joe Cole did come overto do autographs; he’s so shy. One of the last ones to come through was FrankLampard. He was a class act and cameover to sign some things. I handed himmy Lampard jersey for him to sign. Atthis point I was on cloud nine and a littledumbfounded. After he walked away, Iremembered I had had my camera on myshoulder the whole time. I took not onepicture the whole time all this was goingon. Once all the players walked through,Carlo headed in and also came over forsignatures.After all was said and done with theplayers, I rejoined my new friendsupstairs. Chris was ready to take Timand I over to the Goose, I told him Ineeded to sit a minute and gathermyself. This was by far the highlight of my trip. Once at the Goose, I met Gilland Graeme, along with Lord Parky andother fellow Chelsea supporters. Twopints knocked back, and it was time tohead back to the Bridge. My seats were6th row of the Lower Shed in the westcorner. What a view of the game! Aftercrushing West Ham with a solid 4-1victory, I met back up with Chris. Thegroup went for pints and Italian. We ategood food, sang songs and madememories.This was by far the high point of my trip.I still had a Wembley Stadium tourscheduled and the Champions Leaguegame to attend. Wembley was good tosee, even though it was trek to get there.I’m happy to say I went. With Monday

FIRST TRIP TO THE BRIDGE: WILL IT EVER BE MATCHED?

Story and photos by Danielle Shank

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