Who's the Chopper on the Left?

If it's possible to have an enjoyable afternoon watching your team lose, I suppose I did today. Michael Hintze invited me to join him and his family to watch Chelsea v West Ham in his box at Stamford Bridge. The last time I went to Chelsea was about 8 or 9 years ago and the Hammers won 2-1. I must admit I did not expect a similar result this afternoon, but in the end West Ham put in a very good performance and were possibly unlucky not to get a draw. Etherington and Spector were outstanding.

Before the match started two ex Chelsea players came into the box, Kerry Dixon and Ron 'Chper' Harris, pictured above. Chopper was probably the dirtiest hardest player of his generation, while Kerry Dixon very nearly joined West Ham in the 1980s. Instead, he opted to go to Arsenal. Unfathomable. The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge was weird. A bit like watching a football match in the States - lots of polite clapping. At one point the noisy stand at one end got so frustrated that the rest of the ground refused to join in their singing that they started singing "Only one stand's singing". It kept them amused, I suppose.

I had to make a quick getaway to get to Bishop's Stortford to host another Evening with Ann Widdecombe and just about got there on time. It was held at the Rhodes Arts Centre, a truly fabulous new building, which houses the Cecil Rhodes Museum. Apparently he was born on the site.