AS Reds Nation anxiously awaits Saturday’s 2012 FA Cup Final, the parallels between new money vs. old tradition set the tone for the match.
Liverpool FC, more than a century in the making with millions of long-time fans worldwide faces off against Chelsea FC, transformed over the last decade by a billionaire Russian and arguably a strong contingent of fair-weather fans.
In this age of high-stakes results football, does it really matter?
Breaking news on that front is that it has been announced that not all of Chelsea FC’s ticket allocation for Wembley has been sold. Even in the midst of train closures and limited availability, Liverpool fans are making their way on the >200 mile journey from Liverpool to London. Chelsea to Wembley is 7 miles. Chock one up for the power of “Old Tradition”.
Being based in the US, I have had the extreme pleasure of visiting Anfield on two occasions. The first gave me absolute goosebumps. Walking through the Museum and seeing the trophy room, photographs, shirts, pennants, and more reminded me that this club was just as proud as where it had been compared to where it was going. As I rounded the corner in the Museum there was Big Ears himself, the 2005 Champions League trophy. I had a mate take a picture of me standing next it. Coincidentally during that visit I was also able to tour Stamford Bridge (I was based in London). It was during Jose Mourinho’s peak. They too had a museum but it wasn’t much to look at. They had a Premier League trophy that you could take a picture with, for a fee (I declined).
The second time I visited I was able to meet the President of the Scandinavian Supporter’s Group. His Official LFC Supporter’s group counts approximately 20,000 members. Think about that for a second. If that crew wanted to come over on match-days it would fill half of Anfield! Fathers and sons were members, mother and daughters. Conversely, I wonder what percentage of CFC fans have been with them for more than 10 years or had merely jumped on the bandwagon once they started tasting success.
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On the other hand it’s hard to judge the passion of any supporter. Does following a team for 20 years mean more than one who has only supported for 5 months? If so, to whom? Arguably, the true measure of a fan is one who stands with the team through thick AND thin. With regards to bandwagon fans, was Liverpool guilty of the same thing back in their dominance of the 1970-80’s? Unfortunately, having been born in 1982, I’m unable to provide any input on the matter. But if that is the case, is this merely history repeating itself? If Chelsea wins the Champions League and the FA Cup, will this be a new era for the team and their fans? Will new money lead to new tradition?
Many eyes on Saturday will be looking at Fernando Torres. He of the armband who spurned potential Liverpool legend status in favor of a ‘greater chance of success’. In a sense he epitomizes the old tradition vs. new money. Will he rise to the occasion or be left minimized by the sounds of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” echoing through Wembley?
My hope is that none of this maters. Liverpool lift the FA Cup. Bayern lift the European Cup trophy and Chelsea spend another £100 million in the offseason in hopes of strengthening its squad. For next season, I can only hope that we also achieve a new double: the ability to combine old tradition and FSG’s new money to become unstoppable.
Darren Taylor is also the Resident Blogger at AnfieldShop.com
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