Chelsea Here Chelsea There: Läs om Harri och CSS
I den nya boken "Chelsea Here Chelsea There" finns ett kapitel om den förre CSS-ordföranden Harri Hemmi. Författarna har låtit oss publicera kapitlet på vår hemsida.
Mark Worrall kontaktade mig för ett år sedan och ville ha lite bidrag till en bok som han planerade att publicera under 2009, så det kändes självklart att bistå honom med detta. En del skrivet material och lite foton från 80-talet skickades över till London.
”Chelsea Here, Chelsea There”, skriven av Mark Worrall, Kelvin Barker och David Johnstone utgavs inför hemmamatchen mot Burnley i slutet av augusti, och till min förvåning kunde jag konstatera att undertecknad fanns med på ett hörn, med både text och foton, i kapitlet ”The Class of 84, The Fans”.
Jag måste säga att det känns mycket hedrande och bli omnämnd tillsammans med alla dessa tunga Chelseanamn som figurerar i boken. Att bli uppmärksammad av den innersta kärnan av gamla lojala Chelseasupportrar värmer ett gammalt Chelseahjärta, och som sagt, det känns hedrande. Klubben har inte mycket till koll på vilka som är deras ”lojalaste” fans, därför känns det speciellt och veta att supportrarna har det. Det som känns extra roligt är det faktum att min systerson Oscar Karlström finns med på en gemensam bild i boken på Copthorne Hotel vid Stamford Bridge i maj 2009 då jag lämnar över driften av CSS till honom (samt Mattias Büman och Peter Tjärnström), med Kerry Dixons välsignelse, eftersom det är Oscar som nu tar över arvet efter undertecknad i Chelseahistorien framöver. Han kommer att förvalta det mycket väl. För övrigt har han redan trampat gasen i botten genom att finnas med som skribent i fanzinet, cfcuk. Kör hårt Oscar.
Måste ju bara nämna Monty, eller Graham Montague som han heter, och som även han finns omnämnd under ”The Class of 84, The Fans”. Under en period på 80-talet lärde jag känna en långhårig yngling i Västerås som höll på Chelsea, och vi spelade fotboll ihop i division sex-laget Hammarby FC. Han flyttade ifrån Västerås till London och vi tappade kontakten. 25 år senare kommer han nedför trapporna på Fox & Pheasant och skakar hand med mig då CSS har uppladdning ute på baksidan inför matchen mot Fulham i maj 2009. Vilken grej! Mark Worrall hade skickat dit honom eftersom han visste att svenskarna var där och Monty och han tillhör samma kompisgäng, Chelsea Gate 17. I oktober ska vi prata gamla minnen och Chelsea, Monty och jag. Helkväll i baren.
Ett par avslutande ord om David Johnstone, drivkraften bakom cfcuk. Det bör komma till alla Chelsea anhängares kännedom att det faktiskt var mycket av Davids outtröttliga arbete bakom kulisserna som gav oss klubbmärket med lejonet tillbaka efter Romans övertagande. Bara det är värt en egen staty utanför arenan.
UPPDATERAD 16/9: Ni som är intresserade av och köpa boken, som förövrigt kostar £12.99, kan kontakta Mark via epost så ordnar han att ni kan få den signerad av Kerry Dixon. Skriv bara det ni vill att Kerry skall skriva och i samband med vilken match ni hämtar boken, så fixar han det. gate17chelsea@hotmail.co.uk
Mark har redan två nya bok projekt inplanerade, Först "The best of cfcuk" och därefter "We were there when we were shit". Trevligt!
Utdrag ur Chelsea Here Chelsea There av Mark Worrall, Kelvin Barker och David Johnstone:
Harri Hemmi’s love for Chelsea Football Club could be said to verge on the obsessive, nothing unusual there you might think until you take into account the fact that Harri is from Sweden and has always lived and worked in his homeland. For the best part of 40 years he has been preaching the Stamford Bridge gospel to his Scandinavian brethren with fervent endeavour, and the fruits of his labours in the shape of the Swedish Blues are probably the most committed, passionate and vocal of the overseas supporters clubs affiliated to Chelsea.
Harri och Peter Kemp som var föreståndare i Chelsea Souvenir Shop, 347 Fulham Road.
"It all started in 1970 when we beat Leeds in the FA Cup and I watched the match live on TV in Sweden as a 12-year old. After that I was hooked and I have been Chelsea through and through ever since. My first match was on March 18th 1978, when Chelsea drew 2-2 with Newcastle United at the Bridge. Ron Harris scored the first ever Chelsea goal I saw live making it 1-2 in the 52nd minute. I was in the Shed that day.
Chelsea Football Club has been my main priority in my life for almost 40 yeras. It dictates my everyday life. I got engaged at Stamford Bridge back in 1993 which had to be a great foundation to build a relationship on. Of course my fiancé Inger, Fluffo as I always call her, was already aware that Chelsea would always come before her. I believe in being honest right from the start. So I told her ‘Chelsea where there before you, and they will be there after you’.
During that engagement ceremony at the Bridge I promised to marry Fluffo if we ever won anything. I thought I was safe. I couldn’t see Chelsea winning anything major, not even in my wildest fantasy. I was so starved for success that I travelled over for the Zenith Data Systems Cup Final v Middlesboro in March 1990 just to see the Blues play at Wembley and then I almost went to the Cross Channel Trophy away in Le Havre so I could see Chelsea play in Europe. When Chelsea won the FA Cup in 1997, she wanted marriage. I said I meant a European Trophy. We won the Cup Winners Cup, she wanted marriage. I said it’s the League title. We won the league, she wanted marriage. So now it’s the Champions League which is saving me from marriage. If we ever win that, I will have to think of another excuse. At the end of the day I am already married. I’m married to Chelsea Football Club!
I saw seven Chelsea matches during the 1984-85 season, four wins, one draw and two defeats. I really loved those days. What I remember most was the fact that Blues fans always turned up in good numbers, especially for the away games. The atmosphere was so much different from today, different meaning better. I really loved being part of all that. I wish it could be the same today but sadly things change. Still, I was part of it all back then which gives me a lot of satisfaction just from thinking about it. I remember Peter Kemp and the late Ron Hockings looking after me a lot as these were still early days for me as a supporter travelling from abroad to watch Chelsea. But there were others as well, the ever present Cathy of course. Eamon Tinker, Paul Feeney, Punky Al, Warren Filmer, Bob Cotton, Michael Dodkins (Doddy), Teena Green, Howard Judd and Garry Jones. Garry later moved to Sweden where he still lives. Many of them still go everywhere with Chelsea and it is always nice to see them every now and then and talk about the times from well over twenty years ago.
Kerry Dixon became my Chelsea hero during that season and has remained so ever since. I have always liked good goal scorers and Kerry was prolific for the Blues. He came close to Bobby Tambling`s Club Record. I would have loved to have seen him beat it mainly because Tambling played before I started following Chelsea. Like many other ex-players Kerry is always a pleasure to meet at various Chelsea functions and it was a privilege for him to accept my invitation to come over to Sweden recently to attend a dinner in his honour and speak to the Swedish Chelsea Supporters Club.
Kerry came round to see all us travelling True Blue Swedish fans in the Copthorne Hotel after the home match with Fulham at the back end of last season, and I handed over the running of the Swedish Supporters Club (after 15 years service) to Oscar Karlström (my nephew) with his blessing.
As I am an overseas member I have only managed to attend 195 Chelsea matches so far (in 19 different countries) but I have never missed a live televised match. I am fortunate enough to have a special clause written into my terms and conditions of employment which means that I never have to be at work when Chelsea are playing as they understand the importance of me being able to watch them live. To be honest, sometimes I wish I had chosen something else as my main interest because at times it can be a burden that seriously damages your health. I’m addicted, the Blues are in my system and this will never change. I’m Harri Hemmi from Sweden, Chelsea until I die."
Harri lämnar över CSS-ledarskapet till Oscar med Kerry Dixons välsignelse.
Harri poserar i hallen hemma i Västerås, 1984.
CSS tackar Mark, Kelvin och Dave för att vi fick publicera detta urdrag ur boken. Vi hoppas att så många som möjligt av våra medlemmar stöttar grabbarna genom att köpa en kopia av boken. Keep the blue flag flying high!
