Happy 10th Birthday, WAGNH!

Welcome to We Ain’t Got No History, SBN’s new Chelsea blog. When it becomes an old Chelsea blog, I suppose I’ll have to change the name, but we’ll burn that bridge when we come to it.

Those were the first words uttered by this blog on August 9, 2010, written by the incomparable Graham MacAree (who still watches over us behind the scenes).

I’m not sure what counts as old, but in internet terms, 10 years is a very, very long time. But don’t worry, the site’s name is not changing. That tongue-in-cheek reference is now even more fitting.

I happened upon Graham’s new blog a few months later, and haven’t left yet. Like many after me, I started out in the comments — I think my first words were to declare everlasting love for Salomon Kalou — was elevated to a contributor, and eventually took over the running of the blog itself. I’m quite proud of having been able to perpetuate that model for most of our contributors since, some of whom have a few words of their own to share below (and some of whom have gone on to bigger and better and greater things).

We’ve had our ups and downs, good days and bad, big debates and angry diatribes. We’ve written some fantastic posts and plenty of worthless ones as well. I’d list a few, but inevitably would forget something more fitting for the occasion. We’ve celebrated, we’ve cried, we’ve laughed. We’ve felt. Most importantly, we’ve been able to share in all the experiences of following the greatest team in all the lands, and that, I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

It’s no exaggeration to say that this site, if not exactly my life, has been a defining part of my life for the past ten years, almost as much as family, friends, and dogs. If you don’t believe me, ask the wife.

I’m proud of what we’ve built here, as imperfectly perfect as it may be. We couldn’t have done it without all of you, readers, commenters, contributors, so thank you.

Now, let’s sign Kai Havertz, shall we?

P.S.: Many of you might remember Báró, the King of the Mountain, who was born just a few months before WAGNH’s inception. Sadly, he didn’t quite make it to 10, but he was always a wonderful blogging companion.

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FELLIPE MIRANDA (a.k.a. trOOly)

The day I sent my “application” to begin writing for WAGNH is far from lost in my memories. I was not in a very good place mentally at the time, having just put an early end to my first attempt at a college degree simply because I did not have enough money to pay for it. I had been following the blog for four years at that point, but did not feel confident enough under those circumstances to answer David’s call for contributors.

Luckily the WAGNH community pushed me to do so. I had been a prolific commenter and wrote several FanPosts — and even started my own short-lived blog — but I never imagined that I’d be writing alongside David, Stephen, Graham, Tim, Joe and so many others who had helped me in shaping how I think, talk, and write about football.

Long before then, the WAGNH community had helped me deal with issues I could not discuss with people around me — most of which were regarding Chelsea, who did not have a large fan base here in Brazil at the time, but some of which were not.

Thanks to the blog, I have been able to reach heights in life that my sad self back in 2015 could never imagine.

And it is all because of this community, with names old and new making sure that this blog remains one of the best places there is to talk about Chelsea every day. (Ed.note: ONE OF??) We may step on each other’s toes from time to time, but I love this place just as much as on the first day.

Thank you all,
trOOly

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SHAURYAS SHARMA (a.k.a. TrustMeI’mLying)

I’ve not been a part of this site and this community for all 10 years, but still, its impact has been great.

I’m glad that WAGNH has always tried to create a community rather than just a sports website. We may not agree on everything (like Sarri for instance). We’re definitely not perfect but what we are is enough. “Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.” I‘m grateful for all of you.

Let’s keep this going for another 10 years. Let’s continue to ruin football and hope we don’t get relegated in that time. That would suck. No one wants to play Millwall twice a season.

Thank you all.

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BRIAN YATCO (a.k.a. yatcli)

Ten years is a monumental achievement for any sports blog, so it is with great pleasure we get to celebrate WAGNH’s ten year anniversary. It’s a testament to the hard work by Graham, David, and past contributors, as well as the loyal community that has grown since.

A decade ago, exposure to the Premier League in the USA paled in comparison to today. Quality highlights were scarce, unless you were one to find joy scrolling through pages of YouTube or DailyMotion looking to patchwork all the goals from a match.

Luckily, I found this fantastic blog and community, by way of the defunct The Offside blog, to feed my growing Chelsea FC appetite. Together, we’ve experienced ten different managers/head coaches and one epic Champions League-winning campaign, survived the Torres wars, survived Maurizio Sarri, and watched a young Eden Hazard blossom before our eyes into a world class player.

Contributors and commenters come and go, as does the life cycle of Chelsea’s first team squad. What stays the same, and what brings each of us back to this site, is our love for this West London club.

Cheers to WAGNH and for ten more years!

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Last but not least, a word from our founder.

GRAHAM MacAREE

“Sorry.”

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Okay, one more note as I’m not really in a nostalgic mood, but I figured we should mark this anniversary regardless.

Perhaps the coolest moment in the blog’s history came in 2012, during one of the greatest games ever at Stamford Bridge, the comeback against Napoli in the Round of 16.

In extra time, ITV commentator Clive Tyldesley name-dropped WAGNH. He got the name slightly wrong (missed the ain’t), but we had arrived. And we’ve making history ever since.