This past May I was lucky enough to spend the final weekend of the Premier League season in London. I say I was “lucky” because of all the business travel I have made to Europe over the last four years I have either traveled during the summer months, or have had only a single week in Europe and been unable to fly in early or stay late to catch a weekend game. Last May, however, I bucked both trends and was able to catch the Chelsea/Everton match at Stamford Bridge through the generosity of a friend. The stadium atmosphere was electric as it was Rafael Benitez’s final match as manager, the Everton supporters were out in force for David Moyes’ last match, and Frank Lampard was being honored pre-game for becoming Chelsea’s leading goal scorer. It wasn’t just the finality of a season, but also the finality of a number of club mainstays that I was able to appreciate from the Shed End. There was a perfect view of Juan Mata’s opening goal, the equally perfect view of the Everton supporters’ reaction to their equalizer, and in the end a joyous 2-1 win for the home side to cap a season of transition for a club pining for the familiarity of an old manager looking to leave Spain.
Reported by Forbes.com 12 hours ago.
↧