A blog of two halves

Exchanging vows

It was the kind of day we Brits do so well. The sun shone, the horses looked magnificent, the crowds (waiting patiently in the heat) cheered and waved flags.

22 May 2018
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Antonio Conte (right) celebrates Chelsea's 2018 FA Cup Final victory, while the grumpy Special One looks on. PICTURE: GETTY IMAGES

It was the kind of day we Brits do so well. The sun shone, the horses looked magnificent, the crowds (waiting patiently in the heat) cheered and waved flags.

As the brass band played, everyone agreed that all the hard work which had been put into making the big day so special had been worth it.

Watched by a vast worldwide television audience, and in front of tens of thousands of spectators, all the focus was on two people, filled with passion, standing alongside each other and exchanging vows.

Tony Conte vowed to get one over his old rival Jose Mourinho, and the Special One, in turn, vowed to crush the man he regards as an excitable little Italian upstart.

Against the odds, Chelsea triumphed, leaving a grumpy United manager claiming the best team had lost.

The Blues produced an unexpectedly concerted performance after the previous weekend's debacle at Newcastle, with Eden Hazard's successful penalty kick representing the margin of victory.

It means Chelsea have achieved three FA Cups in a single season – a rare treble indeed.

The FA Cup, the Women's FA Cup and the FA Youth Cup now gleam in the Stamford Bridge trophy cabinet as weary Blues fans watch yet another manager being shown the exit.

Supporters have grown to accept the revolving door policy, even if no one is able to explain its logic or long-term benefit.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

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Tim Harrison

Tim is our Chelsea FC blogger.

He also writes our Shepherds Bush Cricket Club match reports during the football close season.

Tim has been writing Chelsea match reports since the late 1980s for newspapers and, more recently, websites.

When he first reported on the Blues, the press box was a metal cage suspended over the lip of the old west stand - and you reached it via a precarious walkway over the heads of the fans.

But he has been a Chelsea fan since his father took an excited seven-year-old to watch Chelsea v Manchester United in the mid 1960s... and covered his ears every time the chanting got too ripe.

In July 2005 he wrote The Rough Guide to Chelsea, published by Penguin, which sold 15,000 copies.

His favourite player of all time is Charlie Cooke, the mazy winger who lit up Chelsea's left wing in the 60s and 70s.

When he isn't watching the Blues, Tim acts, paints, writes and researches local history.

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