Champions on parade

Just 19 hours after the lifting of the Barclays Premier League trophy inside a packed Stamford Bridge, many more thousands of fans lined the streets all the way from the stadium to Parson’s Green as the team paraded our cups.
It was the chance for players, staff and fans to thank each other and simply have a lot of fun, and there was an addition to the traditional open-top bus carrying the first team squad and another following behind for their families. With Chelsea’s Academy also double trophy winners in 2014/15, they had their own bus in the middle with images of their silverware on the sides.
The route was the now traditional one followed on each victory parade held since 2005. Many of those who watched the buses leave Stamford Bridge and set off east down Fulham Road were able to take advantage of the short cut through to New King’s Road to greet them again as they came back west.

Eel Brook Common where the vehicles stopped for a time was rammed, with the blue-flag waving throng having started to grow in the very early hours of the morning.

Chelsea TV broadcasted fantastic shots from a helicopter high above during their live coverage and although the channel’s presenter, Jason Cundy, was the official master of ceremonies on the top deck of the first-team bus, he gave way for long spells to Didier Drogba who enthusiastically continued on from when he addressed the Stamford Bridge crowd after yesterday’s game.
With a scarf tied around his head, the striker led the singing with a baritone ‘Blue is the Colour’, ‘Bounce in a Minute’ and ‘Champions of England, we know what we are’.

John Terry took the microphone and told the supporters he thinks this has been his best season for personal form, adding:
‘We have waited five years for this, to see everyone out on the streets again after lifting the Premier League which is what it is all about. Thank you because you are the best fans and we love you!
‘We have this trophy back and we will look to win it again next season. It is down to these boys to keep winning it again for these fans.’
Petr Cech described the support and those on the bus as like his family and passed on some words from Diego Costa.
‘He wants to promise that next year he will score 30 goals but he doesn’t know how to say it in English!’ was the message.

‘We did a great job and I hope we can continue like this,’ said Nemanja Matic, ‘because this parade is amazing, you can see a lot of people here on the streets. This is why we win this and this is for them of course.’
‘This is one of the best feelings you can have in your career,’ added his compatriot Branislav Ivanovic.
‘Every trophy you win is special and after five years, it is a great feeling to have this trophy again. We know how hard we worked for it and that is why we are really enjoying this.’
For Cesc Fabregas, who led the Eel Brook Common gathering into a rendition of his ‘Magic Hat’ song, it was a chance to soak up his first Premier League title.
‘It is a great first season for me, and for the club it has been very successful. Now it is time to enjoy it. It is nice to feel loved and important and I do feel that. I really appreciated all the support through the season.
‘I am used to it,’ he said of the accompanying celery, ‘because when we were at Arsenal we played the Carling Cup final against Chelsea and I was in the corner and they were throwing it. I didn’t really understand it but now it has been explained to me and it all makes sense.’

The players and staff, who were accompanied by Roman Abramovich, had boarded the buses after a reception in the Under the Bridge venue at the stadium, where local MP Greg Hands said it was good day for the local area, whether you supported Chelsea or not.
‘The people will enjoy themselves, it is a Bank Holiday Monday as well and I’ve been checking with the club and the cleaning up afterwards is going to be good,’ he said.
‘I have done quite a lot of work with what Chelsea does in the community and the club has become a lot better neighbour over the last 20 years I have been involved in local politics. It is something of a model for other clubs around the country.’
Ron Harris, as captain of the Chelsea side that won the FA Cup in 1970 and the Cup Winners’ Cup a year later, is a veteran of the team’s first open-top bus parades.
‘In 1970 we came into Euston and went all the way to Stamford Bridge on the bus,’ he said before waving the current generation off.
‘Even at Euston there were lots of people to meet us and there were loads until we got here. After Athens we got the bus all the way from airport.
‘It has been a terrific season and Jose is a master at organising the players, and John Terry deserves every accolade he gets, he has been outstanding.
‘These are fantastic days and for these young lads from the Academy, it is a fantastic experience for them. Hopefully they will be doing it with the first team in years to come.’
On the Academy bus, the FA Youth Cup-winning captain Charlie Colkett confirmed they were enjoying the day, as they had when parading their trophies at half-time in the Sunderland game.
‘It is great to be a part of it,’ said the midfielder. ‘Days like yesterday and today are great moments you wish for.’

Jose Mourinho was the last to speak from the bus before it headed towards Parson’s Green at the end of the parade route.
‘Thank you for all your support,’ he said.
‘The players deserve so much. Book for the parade next season. I hope we can give you that.’