The Premier League has released the results of the Behavior of the Public Fair Play League for the 2007/2008 season and Chelsea fans have been voted the worst.During each Premier League match, delegates from the Premier League score fans based on the following criteria: (1) verbal support in acceptable form and (2) recognition of outstanding play by opponents.
Club’s supporters can get a maximum 10 pts per match. The top 20 best behaved clubs for the entire 07/08 season are:
- Fulham, 319 points, 8.40 average
- Newcastle United, 313, 8.24
- Arsenal, 312, 8.21
- Portsmouth, 310, 8.16
- Sunderland, 308, 8.11
- Wigan Athletic, 306, 8.05
- Manchester United, 305, 8.03
- Tottenham Hotspur, 304, 8.00
- West Ham United, 304, 8.00
- Blackburn Rovers, 304, 8.00
- Liverpool, 304, 8.00
- Derby County 303, 7.97
- Everton, 303, 7.87
- Manchester City, 299, 7.87
- Reading, 297, 7.82
- Middlesbrough, 296, 7.79
- Bolton Wanderers, 295, 7.76
- Birmingham City, 294, 7.74
- Aston Villa, 290, 7.63
- Chelsea, 285, 7.50
Watching Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge this season, you can always see how confrontational they are especially when opposing teams take corners in front of the Matthew Harding Stand. The supporters have also been quite vocal in their abuse of even their own manager this season, Avram Grant.
Fulham, meanwhile, came in first place. While their supporters are very sporting, the noise level at Craven Cottage is barely audible at times and it’s usually the away supporters that are more vocal.
Does anyone actually believe this nonsense, or have any interest in it at all? Beats me why any news outlet would bother to publish it.
Does anyone give credence to anything emanating from the Premier League????????
what a load of bollox.
Any football supporters who visit Chelsky know what poor supporters they have. Most are johny come latelys who do not understand the rules, money can buy you everything but brains. When The Arsenal played at Stanford Bridge this season I had to explain to a lady that Chelsky were the team playing in blue!! that says everything about there Supporters.
who gives a crap to this!!!
A ridiculous table, look at the criteria FFS. “recognition of outstanding play by opponents”.
I’m glad we’re second bottom and hope we can beat Chelsea next season.
Perhaps the level of Anti-Semitic abuse has finally caught up with them. One of Chelsea fans favourite songs is “Spurs are on their way to Austwitz” and can be heard every time they play Tottenham.
I am very suprised however to see Villa so low, their fans are some of the best behaved I;ve ever come across.
Villa have had a great season on the road, we’ve sold out our allocation at every game. During the games we’re loud, boisterous, love to take the piss and we do tend to swear a bit in our songs. We’re a bit old fashioned and there’s not an awful lot of “recognition of outstanding play by opponents”.
Before and after matches we’re as good as gold. I’m not aware of one single serious incident involving Villa fans on the road and I doubt there is a much safer ground to visit in the country than Villa Park.
this just proves that there is nothing but class surrounding arsenal
Hmmm, from the famously ‘shopped’ photo at the head of the article, through the embarrasing table, to the commments at the foot, this is typical poor ‘journalism’. Think about it, the quietest ground in the country being ranked as the best behaved?! Who wants to be ranked high in that table? And as for Bahrain Gooner, were you in the home sections? In which case their fans can’t be that evil for allowing you there. Or was the lady in question in the away end with you? In which case I would guess she would also be a gooner or a tourist.
At least most of the comments are just a bit cringeworthy (not you, Villain, you made me smile, spot on!). But Paul Bethall, you are disgusting. I have been to most grounds several times, and have been to the Bridge to see CFC v Spurs, and at WHL to see the reverse. Never hear this song, and never heard any reference to it by any Chelsea fan. Spreading that sort of bullshit is pitiful, I just hope the taste of your own bile puts you off this crap before much longer.
I have heard this song at Stamford Bridge and at Wembley this season, two of my best friends are Chelsea season ticket holders and were genuinely horrified to hear it. I have absolutely no axe to grind with Chelsea, but it needs stamping out. Ignoring the problem and saying it doesn’t exist is laughable. It’s a minority, but a very vocal one. PS, it’s Bestall.
Bahrain Gooner, had you ever been to STAMFORD BRIDGE you might spell it right, also you might find that Chelsea have some of the oldest longest serving fans around (which is a bit of a problem, as there is a lack of ‘new blood”) they are hardcore oldschool fans, unlike some Prawn sandwich munchers…Yes there are dodgy songs, but all clubs have there problems…ever been anfield, where they sing nice songs about the Munich air crash, and mathew hardings death…they also like to throw bags of urine at you…GET REAL this is the usual load of crap from some tired hacks.
tell me what are the problems with arsenal fans mark russell.
Mr Bestall, it’s so easy to trot out the anti-Semitic line. Which club is it that chants ‘Yids!’ at every match? Oh yes, you’ll say it’s ironic. Loads of non-Jewish fans using an anti-Semitic and abusive word over and lover again.
We’re not hiding away from a problem, we’re pissed off with tossers like you inventing things and spreading lies on the internet for your own agenda. I’m a home and away Chelsea ST-holder with a Jewish wife. I’ve only heard this disgusting Auschwitz song once in around 20 years – and that was from a group of Arsenal fans in the train queue coming back from the Carling Cup final. You do anti-racism no service whatsoever with your dishonesty.
Yes, I have heard Arsenal sing it this season too, ironic as they probably have more Jewish fans. I’ve heard it twice this season, as I said, from a minority of morons.
I’ve got better things to do than make up nonsense about a club I have no animosity towards. Either I just sit near nutters, or people just hear what they want. Either way, Chelsea have made massive steps with their racism campaigns and should be applauded. To say it doesn’t go on is daft. Liverpool, as you quite rightly say, do sing some horrific chants at United fans but quiet why you have to resort to insults to get your point across serves neither of you any kudos at all.
you are imagining things. there is no way any arsenal fans would pick up a chelski song.
Rangers and Chelsea are one in the same. Embarrassing stupid, racist and drunken support from both. It is absolutely abhorrent the way they have treated Avram Grant and typical of their small minds.
Hey, let’s take a break from vaguely misdirected personal attacks and spare a good thought for Fulham, huh? It’s about time their fans were recognized for their gentleness.
4 years un-beaten at home, therefore I don’t care what non Chelsea fans think of us. Winning at the House of Pain is the only thing that matters.
Arsenal fans are one of the best behaved? I don’t believe that…
Ed the Blue, there’s many reasons Chelsea didn’t win the title this year, but one of the most important ones was that unbeaten streak that you’re so proud of.
I’ll tell you something, that streak was more of a boon than a blessing this year. Think about it, you drew at home seven times, which is 14 points dropped. Man United drew only once at home and won 17 of their 19 games at Old Trafford, Arsenal drew five times, and even Liverpool drew six. You had a great road record, yes, but don’t give this unbeaten streak as a source of much pride. It hurt you this season because you were under pressure to keep it rather than be aggressive and play to win games; instead, you’d settle for draws to keep that streak going. I don’t care that you didn’t lose there this season, you just didn’t do well enough at home.
Michael, I think your find mounting injuries, a change of management and the African Nation Cup was the reason we did not win the League. Just think we lost it by 2 points so a decent ref at Old Trafford leaving the blues with 11 players, stopping the first half when time was up and not giving an unjust penalty, a draw there would have won Chelsea the title (QED).
Teams that come to the Bridge shut up shop and are happy with the draw, so therefore an intimidating atmosphere is a bonus, which every team in the League would want. The Blues fans are a some of the best, the House of Pain is a fortress, and we shall win the Title next year, you heard it here first.
You will be lucky to finish in the top four next year, you heard it here first.
The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge is hardly “intimidating” compared to other grounds in the league.
The African Cup of Nations was not a reason at all that you didn’t win the league. Chelsea went 8-2-0 in all competitions from January 1 to February 10, including 4-2-0 in the league with a draw against Liverpool.
Bolton has fans?
Back the train up for a second……..
I think Chelsea deserve this result especially during Jose’s tenure. One hardly differentiate between the Manager and the fans at stamford bridge. But what penalty exists for such acts, publicizing is not enough to stop more arrogance in the future. I may suggest that some mechanism for punishment should be derived for such to promote improvement otherwise we risk continuity of it.
This is an outrageous compliment to Chelsea. Stamford Bridge rarely hears a home chant and let’s be honest there isn’t much outstanding play seen from the opposition most weeks as the home side usually win at a stroll.
English football has its unique flavour because the fans get behind their team and abuse the opponents.
I missed one away game last season and I reckon tne worst fans I saw (or best) were Birmingham ( that wasn’t easy to type) but that was only because they were playing the Villa. Most seasons Man City and Spurs do a decent job. The best (or worst) year in year out are Man Utd. They are only interested in being football fans for a few Champions League matches.
Bestall – I have only ever heard that sung by Arsenal supporters, so let's stick to the truth shall we?
yeh i have heard that auschwitz chant, its done mainly in the pub after about 10 pints. and if this rates away performances then chelsea have some of the best fans in the land. villan ur an idiot
tbh blackburn fans were shockingly bad when they cam to goodison on sunday.
one by one a blackburn fan got chucked out dont know whatt about i think altogether 10 lads got chucked out.
i saw a mob of blackburns before the game outside the ground as well.
blackburns always had thugs but never knew they were that voilent!