Chelsea Supporters Trust chairman responds to Mourinho's atmosphere comments

The story around Chelsea for the next little while (at least until the Maribor game) is going to focus on Jose Mourinho's comments about the lack of atmosphere at Stamford Bridge. Here's what the Chelsea Supporters' Trust chair, Tim Rolls, has to say about the issue:

It's unrealistic to expect eighteen, nineteen-year-old kids on the minimum wage to come to Stamford Bridge or any other Premier League ground - this isn't just an issue at Chelsea, it's an issue across the board.

(Mourinho) is very calculating - he didn't just say it off the cuff I'm sure. He's doing a fantastic job in terms of where we are and the season we're having, but it's difficult with the demographic we have to get people to show the same vocal passion than if you had a lot more people in their teens and in their early to mid-20s (attending matches).

-Source: Standard.

We've been fortunate enough to host Tim Rolls' work on the site before -- if you missed his piece on how the price of football at Stamford Bridge has changed over the last two generations, you should definitely check it out -- and he's always got a lot of good things to say in regards to the home support. Do read the rest of his comments, because the excerpt above probably doesn't do it all justice.

My big takeaway from this conversation is that everyone who (for me) really matters is in alignment. The supporters want a better atmosphere. The managers want a better atmosphere. The players want a better atmosphere. This shouldn't be a battle, and Mourinho shouldn't have treated it like one. Instead, it's an issue that everyone wants solved. So let's solve it.