A Party Worth Waiting For: Chelsea's Victory-Bus Parade

There he was; decked from head to toe in brilliant, deep blue; perched atop a set of traffic lights, which flashed angrily from green to red. From his makeshift throne, he surveyed the swaying sea of blue and white around him, quivering with excitement. Triumphantly, he raised his arms aloft and roared. This man had procured a prime location on the King’s Road to watch Chelsea’s Champions League victory-bus parade.

It was party time for the blue of London, and it was to be a celebration not seen before in these parts. Chelsea, the much troubled football club of West London, had won the Uefa Champions league - a Herculean feat which has rocked football to its core – and today was the day when the spoils were presented to the baying masses; and the rest of England was to look on in unadulterated envy.


Click here for a slideshow of pictures from Chelsea's amazing day!

I scarpered down on that Saturday, the 20th of May, the day after their epic victory, with my obliging girlfriend to watch the show. Our target was Eel Brook Common in Parsons Green, where the player’s buses were due to stop. Children ran to and fro like little blue flashes, the elderly tottered through the throng, avoiding Chelsea celery that hurtled proudly across the mid-afternoon sky. Fans chanted the names of their heroes as the tens of thousands waited for the appearance of the players, and the enormous trophy along with them.

Helicopter cameras gave us a bird’s eye view of the buses’ progress on giant screens, and a slow swelling of anticipation filtered through. A firecracker was unleashed, flags began to wave, and a huge cheer was flung out as the glinting trophy appeared round the corner. Held proudly aloft, ‘Big Ears’ looked right at home in Chelsea blue, and the grins of the players were visible even from our distant spot.

One by one, West London’s eternal heroes were introduced, and sang songs. My personal favorite was David Luiz’ rendition of ‘We are the Champions’, belted out in a manner befitting the eccentric Brazilian. Frank Lampard, John Terry and birthday boy Petr Cech all thanked their fans for turning out in such numbers; “Chelsea, the best club in the world, easy” exclaimed an ecstatic Lampard. And, at the back, like a dominant lion gazing over his kingdom, the magnificent Didier Drogba. Whether he extends his contract which ran out this season, or not, he has played his way into the hearts of Chelsea fans the world over with the winning penalty that saw the trophy claimed for the first time.

And interim boss, Di Matteo…what to make of his achievements? The players want him to stay, the fans want him to stay; it is now up to the omnipotent Russian, Roman Abramovich to decide. The quiet Chelsea owner rules with an iron fist – but surely not even he could deny Di Matteo the chance as the permanent manager...
 
Could he?

Regardless, it was a day of celebration, not of deliberation. And as the bus slowly moved on to the last stretch of its journey, I turned to see a young boy of five wearing a full Cech goalkeeper kit, topped by the famous scrum hat on his little head. Days like these are where allegiances are born, and future fans made. Certainly, it is a day not one Chelsea fan past, present or future will ever forget.