CHELSEA TALK

Celebrating Stateside

May 1, 2008

New York -- Chelsea supporters cheering on their favorite football team at Nevada Smith's bar were not singing the blues Wednesday.

Instead, they were singing for their Blues.

And did they sing, before, during and after the Champions League semifinal. In fact, if you didn't know any better, part of Stamford Bridge was transported across the Atlantic to the lower east side of Manhattan as several hundred fans celebrated Chelsea's advancement into the final against archrival Manchester United on May 21.

Unless you have been hiding under a rock or stumbled into this blog by accident, you obviously know that the Blues reached the Champions League final for the very first time, besting Liverpool in the two-leg series. For the record, Chelsea won, 4-3, after securing a 3-2 home win in extratime.

Like their London compatriots, many fans celebrated into the night.

"A lot of people have been waiting a long time for success," long-time Chelsea fan Jonathan Montgomery said.

Indeed.

"I'm speechless," said another supporter, Chopper Harris. "You have to understand Chelsea has never been anywhere. It's a whole new experience for all of us."

The extratime period had the Chelsea faithful oohing, ahhing and becoming deathly silent when a key call went against them and for Liverpool, and eventually cheering with both arms raised high into the air in triumph after the Blues secured their historic victory.

The Blues supporters for a good half hour, jumping in the air and toasting their heroes several thousand miles away.

"It was pretty much an eruption of emotions after four years of heartbreak," said Mike Neat, president of the New York Blues, an official supporters club of Chelsea. "This season keeps motoring along with no logic and only dogged determination by the players to keep us in the hunt for an incredible double."

Nevada Smith's is situated on the lower east side of Manhattan. It markets itself as the city’s only soccer bar; that’s football for the rest of the world. The bar serves as home to almost 20 supporters clubs, including Arsenal, Aston Villa, Hamburg, Manchester United and AS Roma, and of course, Chelsea. Nevada Smith's motto? Where Football is Religion.

Some fans took the day or afternoon off or took a very long lunch break to watch the historic match at their favorite house of worship.

Montgomery, a historian, was able to attend because he can be flexible hours. "There are things I should be doing," Montgomery said. "I have three hours where my head should be somewhere else, so I figured I should be here."

As it turned out, he made the right choice.

At 2:45 ET, the shades in the bar's window were lowered to keep out the sunlight as the fans watched the match on nine TV screens on the first floor.

The bar, whose walls are adorned with shirts, pictures and autographs of some of the most famous footballers in the world, can hold up to 500 people on two floors. So, it's essentially a non-seater. Everyone stands, so every cheer was a standing ovation. And just about everyone had a drink in his or her hands or one on the counter.

For most of the game, it was difficult to hear yourself think with the cheering, chanting and singing from both sides. Chelsea grabbed a 1-0 halftime lead on Didier Drogba’s 33rd-minute score. Still, supporters were concerned.

"My anxiety is starting to dissipate," Harris said. "We shall see. Another half."

As it turned out, another half and 30 extra minutes were needed as the supporters were forced to go on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

There was deathly silence from Chelsea fans when Liverpool’s Fernando Torres equalized in the 64th minute. “Come on Chelsea!” the faithful implored afterwards.

There was wild cheering when it was thought Michael Essen’s rebound shot was a goal in the 95th minute, but there was more silence and utter disbelief when it was called back. Only three minutes later, there was elation and relief when Frank Lampard, grieving the death of his mother Pat from pneumonia at the age of 58 last week, converted a penalty kick for a 2-1 advantage. There was more jubilation when Drogba found the back of the net again in the 105th minute, but some more apprehension when Ryan Babel closed the gap to a goal in the 117th.

"Extra-time had my thoughts overflowing with the threat of penalties and my heart was pounding and preparing to break," Neat said. "That 30 minutes felt like a lifetime!"’

The supporters' songs and chants varied, from the basic, "Come on Chelsea!" to "Champions League, we're having a laugh," Chelsea Alouette to some R-rated ditties we can't write here. L

iverpool supporters also were packed into the bar, standing next to the Chelsea fans. While there were chants and songs putting down the opposition on both sides, no ill-will or violence ever broke out. Many of these fans are friends and many support the New York Red Bulls, the local Major League Soccer club.

"You don't want to ruin a good thing," Montgomery said.

Both sides did agree on one thing, heartily booing ManU manager Sir Alex Ferguson in unison when he was shown on TV.

The Chelsea supporters have to save their energy for some more key matches. The Blues are tied with United for the Premiership lead with the season winding down to a pair of precious matches. And of course, another confrontation with ManU looms in the Champions League final in Moscow May 21.

But they'll worry about that another day.

On Wednesday, they wanted to relish the Blues’ special, historic moment.

Michael Lewis covers football for the New York Daily News and is editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com