It`s time to feature another regular and valued Vital Chelsea member – Hazzabee
It`s time to feature another regular and valued Vital Chelsea member – Hazzabee
1 – Your Vital Chelsea user name?
Hazzabee
2 – When did you first start supporting Chelsea?
My family are split, my dad’s side being Spurs fans and my Mum’s side being Chelsea fans. My elder brother became a Spurs fan but for whatever reason, I didn’t follow him and my Father. It was in fact my Chelsea supporting cousins (on my Mother’s side) who inspired me to become a Chelsea fan. I don’t quite remember when that was exactly. 1998 I think. I went to my first Chelsea match in 1999.
3 – How old are you?
I’m 19 years old.
4 – Where do you live?
I currently but temporarily live in the delightful and sunny city of Preston (sarcasm very much intended). I’m not from there though, I’ve lived all over the place, London, Devon, Nottingham, Newcastle, Chester and Hong Kong. My brother is living literally a stone’s throw away from the Bridge so it makes it easy for me to travel down and go to games. In fact, as I write this, I’m sitting in his living room. (Having just seen Chelsea ease past Wigan)
5 – Your occupation is?
I’m a student. Currently at university studying journalism. I started in September. If the course wasn’t so appealing there’s no way I’d happily be situated anywhere that has both Manchester and Liverpool so bleedin’ close! Thank God for the British Rail service.
6 – Your favourite Chelsea memory is?
The 19th of May 2012. The day we made history, the day we became Champions of Europe. 9 months on I still find myself smiling and even welling up just thinking about that incredible night. It was the ultimate culmination to the ultimate 3 months of football. I don’t think we’ll ever see a better climax to a season than that ever again. But the memory of the night of the Champions League final in particular will be with me forever. Words don’t quite do justice to the emotions I experienced that night.
7 – Your worst Chelsea memory is?
I would probably say the Champions League final in 2008 in Moscow. Just for the sheer intensity of sadness and disbelief I experienced that night. I struggled to even be able to think about that night for a good few months. I still shudder when I see JT taking that penalty. I’m just so glad all that (and much more) was avenged in 2012.
8 – Your favourite all-time Chelsea player is?
Super Frank! As I was living out in Hong Kong until 2003, as a boy I saw very little of Chelsea, I followed results but only saw 1 or 2 matches a season. The matches were very rarely on TV and when they were they were on past my bedtime! So I never really saw much of Chelsea until I came back to England in 2003. I was gutted that Zola had left before I had a chance to watch him play (although I did see him in one pre-season game) but Frank stepped in nicely and quickly became my idol. I’ve grown up with Lampard at the centre of everything that is football in my life. He’s guided and propelled Chelsea to their greatest era in their history and he’s also been the main-man for England too. This ‘end of an era’ really saddens me as it’s not just the end of a great era for us, it’s also the end of the first real era I’ve experienced and grown up with. As much as I’m looking forward to watching the likes of Luiz, Oscar, Mata, Hazard, Courtois and McEachran, I will shed a tear when the likes of Super Frank, JT, ash and Big Pete no longer roam the grasses of Stamford Bridge. They are legends. And Frank has been my biggest idol throughout.
9 – Your best ever Chelsea goal is?
It’s tough to say. I will narrow it down to 3. Fernando Torres’ goal v Barcelona. Simply because what that goal meant. We were in the final. We had beaten the best team in the world with 10 men. There was also the sheer relief of the goal too as I’m sure you were all crouched behind your sofas as I was for the entirety of the second half. Then there was Drogba’s swiveled volley against Liverpool in 2006/07 at the Bridge. It summed up Didier incredibly well. He demonstrated his power, pace, technique, finesse and never to pull that off. A strike as quick as lightening, on the turn, on the volley with his back to goal with pace to match. Incredible. Then there was Lampard’s second goal against Bolton in 2005. After that goal there was this incredible release of 50 years of waiting (me having only experienced 11 of those). it was the realization that we were champions and we were the best in the world.
10 – Your thoughts on Vital Chelsea?
I love this site. I found this site because I was looking for a place to talk football and Chelsea. I found it. But now things are different. You get to know certain members and you build ‘friendships’, and I find myself coming back to VC everyday not just because it’s a place where I can talk about my footballing opinions, but to catch up with my friends and see what their take is on things.
The one negative about the site really is what’s happened to the front page (comments-wise) in the last 6-12 months or so. I used to enjoy commenting and writing articles on a regular basis but the audience has changed so much that I find it hard to relate to the fans who are mainstays there. So I tend to stay away these days. But that’s fine. The site is run extremely well and I have to give credit to Merlin for that, in particular during times of crisis when the topics of insults and free-speech arise, the site stays in good nick. I thoroughly enjoy it here and so long as my good friends at VC stay on (you know who you are) I’ll be inclined to keep coming back every day as I do now.
If you`d like to be immortalised in the Vital Chelsea Hall of Fame then simply e-mail your 10 answers to JUVENILED40@HOTMAIL.COM
