Fulham troll Chelsea’s Reece James Twitter post after Blues unveil huge banners at Stamford Bridge in support of right-back’s return from injury
Chelsea celebrated the return of ‘one of their own’ Reece James from injury on Friday night, but Fulham made sure they had the last word after the west London derby.
The right-back played an hour of action, with the 23-year-old hoping he has overcome the knee problems that have plagued his campaign so far.
It was his first appearance since December, having missed 16 games this season so far due to his fitness issues.
His recurring knee injury also meant he was left out of the England squad for the World Cup, which hit the Blues youngster hard with James recently opening up about his recent struggles following his Qatar 2022 absence.
Chelsea, therefore, made a big deal about his return with two huge tifo banners to welcome the defender - who has been a big miss for Graham Potter - back to action.
A large yellow banner featuring the likeness of James thumping the Chelsea badge and the phrase ‘built different’ was unfurled at Stamford Bridge’s shed end, while a banner reading ‘Reece James, one of our own’ was strewn across the Matthew Harding stand.
It was a show of support the player appreciated, as he posted on Twitter: “It’s good to be back, but time to get to work! Appreciate the love.”
But it was another post that perhaps took their gesture a bit too far, with Fulham wasting no time in trolling their rivals after holding Chelsea to a 0-0 draw despite the Blues team featuring a number of their big-money January signings.
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Chelsea post read: “Reply with a better RB.”
After the match, the Cottagers simply replied with a picture of their right-back Kenny Tete and his Man-of the-Match reward - earning praise and replies of ‘W admin’ from supporters.
That will matter little to James, though, who will hope he has put his injury woes behind him and can help Chelsea climb the Premier League table from their lowly current position of ninth place.
The Blues need all the help they can get after another drab performance.
But talkSPORT pundit and former Blues striker Carlton Cole has urged fans to get behind the team and have patience with manager Graham Potter, after the phrase #PotterOut was trending on social media after the stalemate.
“He needs time,” Cole said on the Sports Bar about Potter.
“Look at Arsenal right now… Arsenal and Mikel Arteta were struggling, but they’ve given him time and now he’s top of the league geez!
“Give this guy [Potter] time because he’s got a lot of players he’s going to have to try and find the best system for, so he’s going to need time.
“Fans are talking about the tactics, but I don’t think he knows what these players are even capable of yet.
“It’s a brand new team. It’s hard for Potter to just come in and make it happen, it’s not going to happen overnight.
“I think he’s going to need this season and then a great pre-season to really get the boys gelled in.”
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