For those about to rock

Only reason is this (and I?m sorry for bringing ?them? up): but I?m convinced that one reason Chelsea have pooed themselves twice now at the pit is because they were intimidated even when they emerged for the kick-around 30 minutes before the start.

Put simply, if the Fiorentina players? first impressions of match night hostilities are formed doing their stretchies listening to ?Teenage Kicks? (serial early attenders will get the gag) amidst a half-empty Goodison, then we?ve already lost a key psychological battle.

Sustainable match-long atmospheres that aren't spontaneously triggered by a bad ref's decision or a goal-line clearance early doors, need to build, in my view, and often it?s impossible to suddenly turn the switch-on at five minutes to kick-off.

Admittedly, it is a bit difficult trying to get some volume going now whilst most of us (me included) just stand gawping at the Alex Young films but I witnessed loads of game Blues (particularly in the Lower Gwladys) prior to the Chelsea semi trying to work-up a bit of intimidation towards Joe Cole and the boys but it was simply impossible due to the lack of numbers in the ground and the drowning-out sounds of ?Spirit of the Blues? (which is well intended but can sometimes have the opposite effect to the desired one).

People go on about the Bayern Munich night - and I?m sure many younger Blues are fed-up of it - but one of the reasons there was such a palpable buzz in the air was that the pay-at-the-gate terraces were chocker from about 6pm (we needed to get there early to ensure you got in) and Matthaus, Augenthaler and most definitely the goalie Pfaff were spooked from the moment they went out to limber-up (yeah, yeah, I remember they went one-up - but you get me drift).

Anyway, it?s now been announced that we?ve got a full-house on our hands so that will help no end.

But I?m reading between the lines regarding what Moyes and Neville have been saying about the need for the crowd to do the bizz for Fiorentina (had your e-mail yet?) and I reckon they want us to ramp it up far more than we did against Chelsea in the Carling.

We did allright that night (despite how the Sky microphones skewed it) but we could have done better.

I?m as guilty as the next Blue for squeezing a last bevvy in at 2.30pm or whatever and I?m not exactly a chant starter when I am in - but I?m easily led.

How about we all lead each other as early as possible, then?

Coz if we treat it like a normal home game and we all do our same old pub or chippy routine (one of the benefits of having a ticket is that we can stroll-up with 5 or 10 minutes to go and be guaranteed a seat) then we?ll have missed a trick.

I?m certain Le Viole will be in there as handy as they can be making their inordinate and disproportionate racket.

So while we need as many of us as possible in there early to counter-act that, we also need to send an implicit ?this is different - we?re up for it - we believe? signal to our lads to pump them up before they return back to the changies for Moyes? last gee-up.

See you at 7.15, then?

Forza Azzurri!

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