Jonny Baker

I've been a Chelsea fan since 1989, back when Kevin Wilson and Kerry Dixon were leading the line. I've also spent five years working at Stamford Bridge as part of the groundstaff. I've survived Winston Bogarde, Jes Høgh, Bernard Lambourde, Jiří Jarošík, Slaviša Jokanović, Steve Sidwell and plenty of others who probably weren't quite good enough to pull on the shirt in the first place. I've experienced the incredible highs, but I've also endured more than my fair share of lows. I've seen where this club has come from, and perhaps that's why I have a slightly different perspective on where we are now. Some of today's Chelsea supporters have been spoiled by success, trophies and an expectation that we're somehow entitled to compete for everything, every season. That expectation is now clouding their judgement. Look at Liverpool. Klopp took almost five years to deliver a Premier League title. Look at Arsenal. Arteta took six years. Yet Alonso has been in charge for just 13 GAMES and we're already hearing calls for his head. It's utterly mental. Of course we should be beating Tottenham and Sunderland. Nobody is suggesting otherwise. But football doesn't work like that. You don't simply assemble a young squad, appoint a new manager and expect everything to click overnight. This is still a team in transition. There are young players learning their trade, combinations to develop, consistency to find and a new manager trying to establish his identity. There will be setbacks. There will be frustrating performances. There will be bumps along the road. And let's not forget, nobody realistically expected us to finish above Arsenal or Manchester City this season. The primary objective was, and remains, securing Champions League qualification and continuing to build towards becoming genuine title contenders. We need to show a little perspective, a little patience and, above all, a little faith. Supporting Chelsea has never meant expecting everything to happen overnight. If you've been around long enough, you'll know exactly what I mean. Back the manager. Back the team. And give this project time. 💙 #chelseafc #cfc