Nearly 27,000 at Elland Road to see Leeds play Hartlepool in League One. 2,000 more than can be bothered to see Chelsea play in the Champions League. That's real fans - not glory seekers dazzled by Roman's purchased success.

Alex Thornton, Sydney, Australia

Interesting that the two views posted should come from readers not even in this country. But the fact of the matter is that "I went to see Chelsea play Rosenborg" doesn't have the same cachet as "I went to see Chelsea play Barcelona". Or Man Utd, etc. I know there are people out there with huge mortgages and families, but unfortunately there are also far too many plastic members who can't be bothered when it's not a "big" game. Anyone who is a CFC member and lives in the London area who wasn't there last night and didn't have a valid excuse, i.e. they were broke and couldn't afford a ticket, or some other really pressing engagement, is not a genuine fan. But I'm sure the next time we play a big team in Europe, they'll be the ones whinging and can't get a ticket and insisting we increase the capacity.

Blue Baby, London, England

John Vikan, Barcelona, Spain:

It's one thing to post ill-informed speculation about the heritage of the current Chelsea squad, but anothing entirely to just make it up as you go along, don't you think?

Grahame Fendle, Hampshire, England

I agree 100% with the comment above.
As well as the money side of things, being a successful team (winning almost every match) means the fickle fans stay away when playing small fry european clubs such as Rosenborg.

Does "the crowd of 24,973 people" include the away supporters as well? If that is the case and we assume the away allocation was 3,000 tickets then Stamford Bridge was literally only HALF full with Blues supporters.
(Capacity is 42,055)

Shocking stuff!

Luckily I support Spurs, so it's extremly unlikely that we'll become super-rich, and very successful, and only be supported by caviar munching toffs.
Therefore our stadium will always be full with loyal, and constantly dissapointed fans.

Ben Morgan, Hartley Wintney, Hampshire

Sorry 'not so well informed of Barcelona'.Terry, Lampard, Wright-Philips, A Cole, J Cole and Sidwell are all 'local' players. Prob more english first team players than most in the premiership.

'Money can't buy me a train that gets me back home after an mid-week, evening game'.

Yes, not thrilled at our current form but..we'll get over it. Would have loved to be there to support whatever.

Marie, Tonbridge,

It just goes to show that even in the continent,Chelsea have lost it. The Premiership and Europe is not for a mediocre team that Chelsea is currently parading. The ultimatum the Russian owner gave on "entertaining" football, or two Champions League trophies in ten years, is nothing, but a pipe dream. Not with the current morale at Stamford Bridge. The fans sensed the Europe lethargy and they stayed away. Good decision.

samora, Ikeja, Nigeria, Lagos

No local players? How about Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, John Terry, Wayne Bridge, all key England players. Lets not also forget Steve Sidewell and Scott Sinclair.

Wake up and smell the coffee hombre. As for Barcelona, I seem to recall that most of their team is from overseas!

paul wood, manchester, uk

Why you let people with only hatred on their mind, like John an Michael, comment on a match report I don't understand. I'd rather see people comment on the game. For my part I thought Chelsea actually didn't play that bad at all but the finishing was abysmal. Are Chelsea this years Arsenal?

William Bohman, Stockholm, Sweden

Don't know what game you were at guys,Shevchenko the best player? Think you need to book anappointment with your optician. He missed or messed up countless attempts to play him in and only scored because his marker momentarily lost him.
Maybe he has 60 goals in Europe, but like an old battleship, he is too old, too slow, too expensive to maintain and frankly obsolete. If that is the best Chelsea can get out of him - against a rather ordinary Rosenborg, they are better off without him.
If Abramovich wants to win anything he should stop tinkering with player selection and let the manager get on with the job he was hired to do.

Dan V, london, UK

Adding a pinch of salt to the wound:

Rosenborg is currently number five in the Norwegian series, and lost their last match against Start, ranking third from the bottom.

Séretur, Bergen, Norway

Good to read the opinions of two local lads. Red gloryhunters by any chance?

Windy MIller, Camberwick Green, Trumptonshire

I've been a Chelsea fan since1968 so have seen many ups and downs. We might be in a mini crisis at the moment but you can't be expected to win every game. The new signings are doing ok, Belletti, in particular, is rapidly improving and Malouda is looking good, although i do have my doubts about Sidwell. I hope he proves me wrong......i hate slagging team members off. Anyway, if you think the present situation is bad then I'm sure some of you will remember a home defeat in the eighties in the league against Shrewsbury by 4-2..........now that was a crisis!!!!!.....COME ON YOU BLUES.

simon stewart, reading,

JT & co demand £130,000.00 per week and its the fans that pay for it...boycot the ground and put a stop to these astonomical salaries. If it doesn't stop now then who will be the first 200k a week player and how much will the tickets be to see him...too much for the true supporter.

Dave, Manchester, Cheshire

I'm certainly not a Chelsea fan but as usually happens when any club has a (supposed) low crowd, the emphasis is on the stay away fans being allegedly disloyal. Should not some mention be made and gratitude shown for the 24,973 fans who did turn up and pay to see the game.

As for the stay away fans, supporting football clubs (and not just premiership clubs) is an expensive hobby. Sometimes people have to pick their cup games to enable funds to be found for quarter/semi finals and finals. Something Chelsea fans have to do more than most.

Even a trendy club like Chelsea still has a lot of traditional working class fans, they can't all be middle class stockbrokers.

Vince, North East,

The term 'small club from Fulham' springs to mind. People talk about the 'big four'. It should really be the 'big 3 and the subsidised 1'.

Roger Moore, London,

I understand that people find better things to spend their time and money on than Chelsea. Not only is it a team with no local players, it is also a team that have cowards like Essien, who has no concept of fair play, running around as a wild animal on the field. If I lived in West-London I would have supported just about any other team.

John Vikan, Barcelona, Spain

" I don't care too much for money cos' money can't buy me love...I guess Paul and John were right, "Money can't buy you love", money buys fair weather fans and Chelsea fans are there for the parades only..... I'm sure all the Chelsea players will have been demoralized before the first ball was kicked.

Michael Aston, Los angeles, California, USA

chelsea seems to have problems with norwegian teams, before they've lost to viking and tromsø in the uefa cup, i could sence that rosenborg would do it well in London. i am wondering how they will tacle the norwegian winter.
ps as you might know the vikings lost the battle of england at stamford brige, so this was cind of a revange

HÃ¥var, Stavanger, Norway

chelsea seem to have a problem against norwegian teams.
before they have lost to Tromsø and viking in the uefa cup.
i felt rosenborg could do well. and i am wondering how chelsea will tackle the norwegian winter

HÃ¥var, Stavanger, Norway