Harris hopes to turn up the heat

A healthy proportion were from the North-East or central England; one banner read, incongruously, " Birmingham FC Supperters, Ohio branch." "What was there in tonight," asked Sir Bobby Robson, "about 35,000? What? Only 13,000? That is disappointing, although it was live on TV."

With the cheap seats costing less than £4 you would have thought that there would have been more. After all, aren't most Malaysians gagging for Premiership football? Tonight, however, according to Allan Harris, Malaysia coach for nigh on four years and brother of "Chopper", it could be very nearly a full house.

"Normally we get at least 60,000," he said. "We played Manchester United and Brazil and the stadium was full. They really do love their English football in these parts and they are very educated about the game."

That was certainly underlined at my hotel, where the bellboy asked me whom I supported and then looked nonplussed when I trotted out the old homily about a wife and a daughter.

"I was a big fan of Ipswich when I was young," he replied with a broad grin. "John Wark and Paul Mariner were my favourites." It did seem from last night that though the locals may well drool over the Premiership, they prefer to watch it from the comfort of their air-conditioned lounges, rather than in the heat of Kuala Lumpur.

The cab driver was also keen to talk about football. "How much money that David Beckham earn?" he asked, then answered his own question. "Too much, way too much. I used to watch football but too much money now and they don't earn it.

"Why does he need so much?" he inquired. I would have tried to explain had his next fare not arrived.

There is the suspicion that, in some parts of this continent, people's fascination with English football evaporated when Beckham moved to Spain.

In the vast shopping mall in the Golden Triangle of the city, a Manchester United shop seems to give credence to this theory as it stands totally empty for several minutes.

Harris, though, believes this does not apply to Malaysians. "They're very club orientated," he said. "They just can't get enough of the Premiership on TV and Beckham's absence won't make a big difference."

The most immediate problem which faces Chelsea tonight may not be Harris's enthusiastic young national team, but the heat and humidity.

Birmingham manager Steve Bruce said his squad lost a total of 56kg in two training sessions and I can well believe it after ringing out my sopping shirt following a short stroll to the looming Petronas twin towers.

They love a wager here, but the price will surely be prohibitively short on a Chelsea v Newcastle final.

The Chelsea fans who have made the trip may have their first glimpse of the pale, wan figure of Damien Duff and the curly-haired Wayne Bridge during tonight's match, but it will be strange not to see Gianfranco Zola out there in a blue shirt. He's swapped the humidity of Kuala Lumpur for the dry heat of Sardinia, but his absence will take a little getting used to.

In the meantime, though, his former team-mates must sweat it out tonight and surely make it through to the final as expected.

"Ranieri raring to get going" proclaimed another headline and you can read into that anything you like.