• Premier League

Chelsea's home support among the worst, says Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has added to his criticism of Chelsea's fans, saying his team receive less support than their Premier League rivals when they play at home and that the situation is "getting worse".

Mourinho surprised many when he suggested after Chelsea's 2-1 win against Queens Park Rangers at Stamford Bridge on Saturday that it was like watching his side play "in an empty stadium".

He later told daily newspaper journalists: "I can clearly say we are the team to get less support in home matches. It's getting worse. When comparing to my previous time, I think it's getting worse.

Jose Mourinho wants more vocal support from the home fans at Stamford Bridge © Getty Images

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"I don't question the passion and the love. I'm nobody to question that and I know clearly that's not true. Chelsea fans show us their passion for this club every day, but there is a certain line of living [way of behaving] at the matches at Stamford Bridge."

It might not help Mourinho's cause that Stamford Bridge provides alternatives to watching the action on the pitch. Video game consoles are left on at the back of the family stand and are generally filled with children playing games rather than watching the match.

However, the chairman of the Chelsea Supporters' Trust has suggested Mourinho's comments were misguided, as he argued large sections of potentially more vocal fans are being priced out of attending games at Stamford Bridge.

"I think the manager's criticisms were slightly ill-advised because the fans pay good money to watch highly paid footballers," said Tim Rolls.

"While I'd rather the ground was like a bear-pit, that's not what the Premier League is like these days with the changed demographic of spectators coming to games, not least because there are an ever increasing number of tourists in the ground.

"On pricing, it's £50 a game, give or take. So an awful lot of young people can't afford to go very often, clearly. That's a problem across the Premier League. In fact, the atmosphere issue is not just a Chelsea issue, either. We were at Old Trafford the previous week and the atmosphere wasn't what it was, just as it isn't at Liverpool, either.

"Home fans are made to sit down, but away fans can stand up. Home fans who do stand up and sing at the Bridge have received letters from the club saying a repetition could mean their season ticket or membership being revoked. That doesn't help.

"The average age of Chelsea supporters attending home games these days is over 40 - it's nearer 50 where I sit - and that is the case at a lot of Premier League grounds.

"We need to somehow be encouraging the 16-25s to come and the only way we can do that is price tickets accordingly, and allow them to congregate together in a 'singing section'."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd