Nigel Spackman has always been realistic about where he ranks among the list of all-time greats at Chelsea, but he never thought the club would decide to put his name in the rubbish.
When Chelsea resumed their Premier League campaign at home to Southampton, the ground looked a little different. During the international break, a sign displaying the “Spackman Entrance” at one corner of the West Stand had been removed.
Until receiving a brief message from the club informing him of the decision, the former midfielder had no idea it was a possibility. The initial news stung a little bit, but finding out the words had been put in the trash made him feel a lot worse.
He tells The Athletic: “I had an email from Chelsea telling me what was going on and that’s it. There was no consultation, no phone call, nothing. I would have loved to have had the sign as a memento. Some of my mates are Chelsea supporters and said they would go and get the sign for me. But apparently, when they went down there, they’d already taken the letters off the sign and thrown them in the bin. That was it.”
Younger Chelsea fans may wonder what the fuss is all about. After all, this isn’t involving one of the stars of the Roman Abramovich era such as Didier Drogba or Eden Hazard.
But Spackman was a good performer for Chelsea over two spells (1983-87, 1992-96) making a healthy 267 appearances in all. He was part of the side that won promotion from the old Division Two (now known as the Championship) to Division One (the Premier League) in 1984 and a minor piece of silverware — the Full Members’ Cup in 1986.
Spackman played a part in Chelsea’s renaissance in the 1990s too, helping them reach a European Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final in 1995 at the time Glenn Hoddle was player-manager.
As a sign of appreciation for his efforts, former chairman Ken Bates decided to name one of the entrances in the new West Stand, which was officially opened in 2001, after him.
But this season, Chelsea decided to remove it and replace it with “Club Chelsea — West Middle South” instead.
The explanation given? Spackman received read an email, which read: “These changes to more directional and wayfinding stadium signage will assist in the flow of supporters when we can welcome fans back to the stadium in whatever restricted numbers government and Premier League guidance allows.
“We will also be considering renaming other entry and exit points with more specific and instructional names. We hope that the new signage will improve the flow of supporters around the stadium as and when we can implement a plan for the safe return of fans to football.”
It should be pointed out one of Spackman’s former team-mates, David Speedie, has also had a sign placed in his honour at the other end of the West Stand signalling the “Speedie entrance” taken down.
Speedie, who scored 64 times in 205 appearances from 1982-87, has been accused of allegedly making racist comments in the past, so perhaps that isn’t too surprising. However, it is believed that like with Spackman, his name was removed (changed to Club Chelsea — West Middle North) simply to help supporters find their way around easier when the ground is reopened to the public.
But Spackman is still wondering what he has done wrong to be treated so discourteously. Chelsea did sell him to Liverpool, where he won a league title in 1988 and, 20 years later, Spackman admitted he wanted the Merseyside club to win a Champions League semi-final between the two clubs. But as far as any negative fallout with the club, that’s it.
Spackman is certainly non-plussed. He adds: “The excuse for taking it down — to help the movement of spectators — is ridiculous. No one is going to the games right now and won’t be for a while. I don’t understand it. What can I do? It’s sad but they’re not going to change their minds.
“It was a real honour for me and my family to have the sign in the first place. People I know would send me pictures whenever they were at games and met outside the entrance. I still felt a connection with a club I loved playing for and made my name at. It was always a privilege to see it there when I worked at games doing punditry or went along to a game with some friends.
“I don’t want this to sound like sour grapes, but the way I was informed it had been removed was rather cold. It is really disappointing. I’d understand it completely if it was a new Stamford Bridge and it was a Zola Entrance, a Vialli Entrance, a Terry Entrance or Lampard. What top players they all were.
“But I was part of the club’s history too and I’ve been put in the bin. It’s down to the club. If that’s the way they treat you, what can you say?”
It is understood that no slight was intended regarding the decision itself or what happened to the sign. Due to the use of vinyl lettering, each letter had to be scraped off and by the time the process was finished, they were too damaged to be recognisable and were thrown away. New vinyl lettering has been used to spell out Club Chelsea — West Middle South.
In the communication Spackman received last week, Chelsea did make it clear: “We look forward to welcoming you back to Stamford Bridge along with fans in the hopefully not too distant future.”
But the 59-year-old, who didn’t respond to the email sent to him by the club, feels those sentiments ring rather hollow given the way the situation has been handled.
He concludes: “I wasn’t sure about saying anything because people may think I’m just moaning. But then others may think, ‘Yes, he’s got a point there’.
“We are all adults. There is no one bigger than Chelsea, not even Roman Abramovich. He is the most important though and I’m sure he is too busy to be worrying about issues as small as this so I’m not sure who made the decision. I understand every club’s need to progress. That’s life. It’s the communication around the whole thing I have an issue with.”
