Vital Chelsea legend Merlin takes the hot-seat for the latest in our series of rival fan’s interviews with VMC’s Skoorb…
1. What brought you to follow Chelsea?
‘It’s a long story but one you might enjoy! I’m a Lutonian, a veteran of that historic day at Maine Road when Raddy Antic kept Luton up and, unfortunately for you, sent Manchester City down. But I had strong objections about talks that were going on about a move to Milton Keynes for my local club. So when a fellow Lutonian, who I had work connections to, Kerry Dixon, joined Chelsea from Reading, I thought I’d take a look at is debut. It was like discovering religion, I was hooked and have been ever since.’
2. Who is your favourite Chelsea player of all time and why?
‘It’s a close run thing this one. Watching Kerry Dixon’s goals propelling Chelsea back into the top-flight, not once but twice, has him slightly edging out the legends that are Gianfranco Zola and Frank Lampard. Plus there was the local connection of course.’
3. The Rafa question. Where do you stand on your interim manager & do you think he’ll stay after the end of the season?
‘I’ll start with the latter part of the question – I damn well hope not! As for the former, he’s a square peg in a round hole. Us Chelsea supporters have long memories and we’ll not forget, or forgive, those remarks he made about us Chelsea supporters, ahead of a Champions League tie, against Liverpool. Plastic, we’ll gve him friggin plastic.’
4. If there was one player in the Chelsea squad that you would want to keep above all others who would it be and why?
‘Oscar – This lad may only have joined us in the summer but he’s got so much potential and for someone so slight he is able, despite people suggesting otherwise, able to cope with the physical nature of the Premier League. If he continues to progress as he is, he is going to be a star on the world stage.’
5. If you could pick one player from the Manchester City squad who would it be and why?
‘Sergio Aguero – He was, reputedly, on our radar a season or two before you signed him. If we’d gotten him we might have saved ourselves a few million on a certain Fernando Torres!’
6. The Time machine. If there was one thing that you could go back and change in Chelsea’s past what would it be?
‘Whilst going through this list of eight questions, I was mulling over this one and leaving it until last. I’m one of these that reckon everything happens for a reason. I thought about the sacking of Jose Mourinho but then would we have ended up where we did last May with Roberto Di Matteo? I thought about the other managerial changes and all those false dawns in the Champions League, but one thing I ended up selecting is the sale of Arjen Robben. When fit he was the bees-knees and just perhaps, some of those disappointing nights on the greatest European stage of all, the Champions League might have seen us lift that Holy Grail earlier.’
7. Frank Lampard. Should he stay or should he go?
‘A no-brainer here – of course he should stay! If he’s not offered a new contract you just watch the clamour for his services next season from Europe’s finest clubs.’
8. There has been a Zombie Apocalypse but you have made it to the airfield and get on the last plane out of the country. There is only room for one more person on the plane and as the engines start you see two other survivors running towards the aircraft steps desperate to be saved. One is the most detestable, low life, Chelsea-hating journalist in the British media and the other is Sir Alex Ferguson. Who do you let on board?
‘I had to think about this one! But I’d go for the journo, I’d be able to give him the evil eye and threaten to toss him overboard, plus I could engage in conversation, a bit hard when I don’t understand a word Sir Alex says but then again he might bring a decent bottle of wine with him, so that might just change my mind!’
– Many thanks and respect going out to Merlin and the Vital Chelsea team.
UPCOMING FIXTURES:
all times East Manchester
Su 24Feb 13h30 Chelsea, The Etihad, PL
Mo 04Mar 20h00 Aston Villa, Villa Park, PL
Sa 09Mar 17h30 Barnsley, The Etihad, FACQF
Sa 16Mar 12h45 Everton, Goodison Park, PL
Sa 30Mar 15h00 Newcastle, The Etihad, PL
Mo 08Apr 20h00 The Rags, The Swamp, PL
Mo 15 Apr 20h00 West Brom, The Etihad, PL
Su 21 Apr 13h30 Spurs, White Hart Lane, PL
Sa 27 Apr 12h45 West Ham United, The Etihad, PL
Sa 04 May 15h00 Swansea, The Liberty Stadium, PL
Su 12 May 15h00 Reading, The Madejski Stadium, PL
Su 19 May 16h00 Norwich City, The Etihad, PL
City vs Wigan To Be Rearranged
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