Date: 7th November 2014 at 4:46pm
Written by:

Well loved and idiosyncratic Chelsea supporter and author Walter Otton reminisces about last season’s win at Anfield and pays homage to the man they call Demba Ba!…

 I have just this minute strolled in (strollin’ just strollin’) from the boozer after watching Chelsea draw away to Maribor. Anfield is up next. Ah, Liverpool away. One could write for hours about matches between these two clubs. Sod that, I’m going to write about singing.

Well, Jose came out after QPR and put a rocket up supporters. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t go to games that often. I pick and choose. When I do go, I have a drink and I have a sing, and I mostly travel away. To be honest, Jose’s comments don’t personally affect me. Now, I am a Twitter addict. I’m on it quite a lot. Twitter is funny, because some people moan about the lack of atmosphere, and at the same time others comment that the supporters should be singing about the team and the players on the pitch, and not (for the fourth time) about Willian when he’s not even in the squad, or about a Liverpool player who slipped over the last time Chelsea went to Anfield.

Demba BaThe thing is, Gerrard didn’t even slip on his arse. He fell on his face. Oh well, whatever, the song spontaneously erupted from the Chelsea faithful on that brilliant day at Anfield. The press would have us believe that “every neutral fan wanted Liverpool to win the league” last season. Firstly – what is a “neutral” fan? I’m not sure. I don’t follow tennis, but if it was a Murray versus Federer final at Wimbledon would the national media assume I was a “neutral” and would want me to opt for one player to win over the other? Err – don’t tell me who I should or shouldn’t be backing, thanks – I can make my own mind up.

So – the Gerrard slipping song caught on across the country. This season it has been sung by numerous teams…. I make the assumption, then, that actually most fans were quite happy that David Brent’s Liverpool did not win the league, and laugh about it in a chant that mocks the fact that they ballsed it right up. Jose spoilt the party. Good old, Jose. Come on, Chelsea.

Back in July this year, as one warm English summer night rolled once more into a stunning English summer morning, I wrote an article for the August edition of the Chelsea fanzine CFCUK. With our game with Liverpool coming up on Saturday, it is time to enjoy a flashback and take a look at the Chelsea career of Demba Ba – our striker who laughed in the face of our hated opponents that day and put us on our way to a quite beautiful three points that ultimately ripped the heart and soul out of the scousers. This was the turning point in them losing and Manchester City winning the league. I’ve included a few links to YouTube clips, including one showing City fans before their match at Palace on the same day.

They were the later kick-off and the footage shows them on the concourse watching Willian (He saw the Light) on the TV score the second at Anfield to clinch the game for Chelsea and put them in the driving seat for the title.

Another clip shows Chelsea fans singing the Demba Ba song up at Old Trafford (when the Fat Spanish Waiter was ‘managing’ Chelsea) at half-time on the concourse when we were two nil down. 

Walter leading the singing at Old Trafford

Incidentally, at the game at Old Trafford, I sold 72 ‘RAFA OUT’ badges at £3 a pop. Only 300 of these badges were ever made and they sold out in about a six weeks. If you’ve got one of the badges then keep it, there aren’t many around! Anyway – hope you enjoy the article:

rafa out

“The name’s Ba. Demba Ba.”

First name Demba; Surname Ba. That’s it – his full name really is Demba Ba. He was born in Paris, in May 1985. (“I am a Parisian, I come from Francais…”) He signed for Chelsea in January 2013 and left in mid-July 2014 to join Besiktas. He scored 14 goals in his time at Chelsea including, as you well know, some right classics.

Legend? Nah. Don’t be daft.

Cult status? Absolutely. We can’t manage to get a song going for Petr Cech, yet Demba Ba ended up with three chants. One of which is sure to stand the test of time.

In January 2013, Chelsea played away to Brentford in the FA Cup 4th Round. It was the first time I heard the Demba Ba chant (“I am an African, I come from far away and I can play! What can you play? I play football!”) which caught quickly on across the terraces, thanks to @DMANUTC. At half-time on the concourse at Old Trafford when we were 2-0 down in the FA Cup, the whole place was bouncing to the chant. However, a whole year earlier (while playing for Newcastle United), Geoff Shreeves interviewed Ba. To be honest, I hadn’t heard of Demba Ba’s addiction to Strawberry Syrup until he signed for Chelsea. Here is a transcript of he interview:

 Geoff Shreeves: “Tell me a secret about you?”

Demba Ba: “A secret?”

GS: “Tell me a secret.”

(Demba Ba pauses, furrows his brow, concentrates, looks serious, puffs out his cheeks and lips.)

DB: “In football? In my life?”

GS: “It can be anything… it can be that you don’t like brussell sprouts. It can be that you sleep with your teddy bear. It can be that you always put your left sock on first. Tell me a secret.”

DB: “Errr… I love syrup.”

GS: (High-pitched) “Syrup?”

DB: “Yes. You know what is syrup?”

GS: “Yes. Why?”

DB: “Strawberry syrup. (Shrugs shoulders) It’s just like that.”

GS: “How often do you have it?”

DB: “Every day. I need it. Always. When I drink water, I put syrup in it.”

GS: “Is it good for you?

DB: “I guess?”

GS: “How long have you been doing this?”

DB: (Puffs out cheeks) “Ten years. This is something I can’t live without. It’s like an addiction. I swear. Every time my family come over, the first thing I’m asking them: bring me syrup. That’s my secret!”

 So – there we have it. A Senegal international, born in Paris, who plays football and is addicted to Strawberry Syrup. Ridiculous, isn’t it?

As you all know, Ba is a practising Muslim. After scoring, he would bow on his knees, an act known as Sajud – to praise and glorify Allah. It wasn’t long before another chant was born:

“Demba Ba, superstar, hates T*ttenham, loves Allah.”

Somewhat ironically, this is sung to the tune of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ – keeping up the tradition of football songs based in the origins of hymns, carols or other Jesus Christ related songs.

Significant Goals:

Demba BaBa scored twice on his debut at Saint Mary’s in the FA Cup third round in January 2013, and then got a memorable winner in the Quarter Final replay at home to Man United. This period in Chelsea history will be forever overshadowed because of Rafa ‘managing’ the team. In April 2014, with 3 minutes to go, Ba bundled home the winner against PSG when we needed to win 2-0 to progress. In the mayhem that followed I lost my glasses, my Marlboros, my lighter and yet another Oyster Card. After a boozy post-match session with Big Chris and Smiffy, we ended up dancing around Demba Ba’s car as he sat in traffic outside Fulham Broadway tube. He looked at us in a rather bemused fashion while his Doris stared at her phone praying the traffic lights would change from red to green. (Can’t blame either of them, really.) Then of course, there was his goal at Anfield after Gerrard slipped. This was one of the most defining moments in Premier League history. With the media-loving-Liverpool hell bent on glorying Rodgers’ team and propelling them to glory – plus the Scouse fans themselves printing up T-shirts revelling in their ‘it’s-in-the-bag-title-win’ – Mourinho did what he did best and spoiled the party. The rest of the footballing world (other than Liverpool fans) joined in our celebrations too – rejoicing as Gerrard slipped and Demba Ba scored. The title slipped from their horrible grasp. Chelsea fans, on an instantaneous and creative surge of spontaneity, sang a gem of a football chant:

“Steve Gerrard, Gerrard. He slipped on his f*cking arse, and gave it to Demba Ba, Steve Gerrard, Gerrard.”

The song caught on. I have seen footage of Man United fans singing it at home to Hull City, of Man City singing it away to Everton and then at home to Villa and West Ham. Crystal Palace supporters sang it in the 3-3 draw with Liverpool (ha, ha – quality) – I think also Everton supporters sang it when they played Hull.

There have been T-shirts printed up too by Man United supporters. What a crazy end to the season where a Chelsea player scores against Liverpool to ultimately give City the incentive to win the league (which they of course did) and encourage United fans to fall on their knees in gratitude to salute our Demba because their bitter rivals Liverpool failed to win the title. And that is mental – the fact that a lot of United class Liverpool as bigger rivals than City. Anyhow, if Liverpool had won the league, it would have been unbearable, wouldn’t it?

So – a massive thank you to Demba Ba – pretty much most of the footballing world (aside from LFC) come together and duly doff their caps to you, Sir, and raise a glass of Strawberry Syrup to toast your goal at Anfield. Cheers.

Walter Otton

Follow Walter on Twitter @WalterOtton and read his monthly blog in cfcuk Fanzine 

Walter’s ebooks published by GATE17 available at amazon:

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