Pre-season: Guangzhou Pharmaceutical v. Chelsea - live
Wednesday, 23 July 08, 06:34 AM · Comments (79)
End Of Match: Goals: 19' Kalou, 50' Lampard, 78' Di Santo, 87' Wright-Phillips.
90': Final whistle. A comfortable victory and good workout. Lots of possession and substitutions. Poor opposition. Lampard was my Man of the Match. Now back to work.
87': 4-0 Right-footed half-volley by Wright-Phillips, beats the Guangzhou keeper at the near post. Good build-up play.
86': Chelsea slowing the game and keeping possession.
83': Out-swinging corner by Malouda. Cleared. Di Santo looks useful.
81': Right-footed shot by Wright-Phillips from right side of penalty area. Pretty good save by the Guangzhou keeper.
78': 3-0 Malouda left-footed across the face of goal. Di Santo taps in.
76': Guangzhou break, earn a corner. Cudicini punches and nearly gets caught out. Tips ball behind for another corner.
75': Another out-swinging corner by Malouda, Ivanovic nods the ball towards goal. Easy save.
73': Poor corner by Malouda results in Guangzhou attacking Chelsea's goal.
70': Bridge miss hits a cross from out wide, good save by the Guangzhou keeper. Di Santo hits another shot wide, this time from the right.
68': Another defence splitting pass by Lampard. Di Santo hits outside of left-hand post with a rasping shot.
67': We're back! Fine length-of-the-pitch pass by Lampard, good control and shot on turn by Wright-Phillips. Just wide.
65': Shot from Malouda. Well wide. Well I think it was Malouda - picture break-up is getting worse. Chelsea TV handed back to the studio. End of commentary from me for now.
61': Good in-swinging cross by Bridge, cleared by Guangzhou. Deco off, Ivanovic on! Now I know what he looks like.
58': Short corner. Good ball in by Deco. Malouda fails to get his head to the ball at the far post.
57': More good play by Lampard. Malouda crosses, Guangzhou player clears. Chelsea corner. Wright-Phillips on in place of Kalou.
51': Chelsea TV suffering from technical problems. Lots of picture break-up.
50': 2-0 Chelsea. Wonderful chip over the keeper from 20 yards by Lampard. Give him that five-year contract!
48': Bridge hits post from 25 yards.
46': Malouda on. Cudicini replaces Cech. Di Santo on. Bridge on in place of A. Cole.
Half Time: Wholesale changes expected in second half.
44': Wonderful save by Cech from Guangzhou free kick, palmed on to post, across goal line and clear. 1-0 at half time.
43': Great play from Anelka, fine left-footed strike, rebounds off post.
41': Guangzhou shot from distance. Weak and wide. Long kicked clearance by Cech, Anelka flicks on for Lampard, who can't get a shot in.
39': More good work from Kalou down the right of Guangzhou's penalty area. Pulls the ball back for Lampard, Guangzhou defender clears.
38': Deco looks classy, but Guangzhou are giving the Chelsea midfield lots of space.
36': Low, hard Lampard free kick from left-hand side of penalty area, saved by the right foot of the Guangzhou keeper.
36': Anelka's pace causing Guangzhou a few problems. Free kick for Chelsea on the edge of the penalty area.
32': Comfortable save by the Guangzhou keeper from a low, skidding Essien shot.
30': Good effort on the volley by a Guangzhou player (who would be a commentator?!). Kalou caught offside one minute later.
28': Good distribution from the corner by Cech. Essien goes on a powerful run, Kalou has another shot. High and wide.
27': Into the wall. Corner.
26': Good attacking move by Guangzhou. Free-kick a yard outside Chelsea's penalty area.
23': Kalou should have made it 2-0. Pretty good save by the Chinese keeper.
22': Bosingwa substituted. Ferreira on in his place. Hopefully just precautionary.
19': Great right-footed finish from Kalou, made by a fine pass from Lampard. Cech tested just 90 seconds later.
18': Scolari already quite animated on the sideline. Good to see. Avram who?
13': Carvalho header from a corner loops wide. Long distance effort from Essien just over the crossbar.
11': Portuguese contingent look good. Lampard just had another shot... well wide.
6': Weak Anelka shot saved by the keeper. We're knocking it about well.
Before Kick Off: Line-up: Cech; Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry, A. Cole; Essien, Deco, Obi, Lampard; Anelka, Kalou. Bosingwa in for Di Santo who drops to the bench.
Before Kick Off: Franco di Santo and Deco are in the starting eleven. Joe Cole picked up a knock in training and doesn't make the bench. Full line-up to follow.
Before Kick Off: I'm trying out the 'Live Commentary' functionality during this first game of pre-season against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical.
For those of us watching the game live on Chelsea TV or Chelsea Plus, it'll be a good place to discuss the game as it happens. For those not watching live, I will try to keep you posted of any major incidents etc. - if my net connection holds up (I'm making use of my Chelsea Plus subscription)!
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79 Comments · Add yours
Joe is out injured and our RBs are clearly not fit enough:
Cech
Essien Ricky JT Cole
Deco Mikel Lamps
Di Santo Anelka Kalou
This could be the line up against Pompey except that we won't have Kalou (olympics). We desperately need a new winger.
Now it's time to enjoy lunch in front of Chelsea TV.
I'll go for a 3-0.
Bad reporting from SSN! New team line up:
Cech
Bosingwa Ricky JT Cole
Mikel
Essien Lamps
Deco
Anelka Kalou
Confused.
Which 'before kick off' comment is the most recent?
Is Di Santo starting or not? And if not, why not. Why name him then drop him?
DiSanto (that is the name on his shirt) looks like very promising player with very bright future at Bridge!!! We have to play him more!!! The kid is just good for his 19!!!
O.k, YouTube wil be my friend for the goals later.
I'd be interested to hear what anyone who watched the game thought of Di Santo.
Impressive performance with the realistic chance of playing next season, or nothing more that a token pre-season gesture from TSSO ???
Was Sinclair there or not ??
Oh, and well done SWP. I am in the minority by the sounds of things, but I want him to stay.
Good to hear Di Santo played well, although I recall Pizarro had a good pre-season last year...
During the game the live commentary functionality switches to OleOle's Match Centre. LINK
Lots of us watched the game and loads of comments. It's all JavaScript based so no page refreshes etc. I will try to do the same for the next pre-season game.
Di Santo looked really good. Pacy too. Lampard played 90 minutes and was outstanding.
well i am happy to see disanto hit the net at least and was involved alot
hopefully he will be a great addition for the season to come
Sorry - no comment numbering option on the live commentary posts.
I will add any goal videos etc. when I get home later tonight.
I do like the headline to this story, as he wont be too hard to catch with all that extra weight he's carrying.
LINK
Fifty, agreed on SWP. I've been the only one saying it for a long time now but I think he's a solid part of the team, especially when he gets to play in a central role.
Glad to see Di Santo playing and playing well. We've got to find games for him--Scolari seems to want to bring in some youth players and hopefully he is one that features prominently.
All in all, a very pleasing display for TBO/TSSO's first game in charge (we need to agree on an acronym!). It was interesting to see how we were set out at the start - although TOCWS said we were set out in a 4-2-2-2 formation, the amount of times I saw Essien bombing down the left made me think it was a 4-1-3-2!
Our play, on the whole, was surprisingly fluid, and Deco's contribution in creating that impression can't be underestimated. Bosingwa was impressive for the twenty or so minutes he was on, bothering their left back constantly, tracking back for a few tackles. I hope his injury isn't too serious.
Di Santo was intriguing to watch, showing a few deft touches. Definitely worth a place in the first team. Ivanovic didn't look bad at right back; he didn't have too much to do.
I have a really good feeling that Scolari is our man.
Your 90min comment above summed it up pretty well, Nick. Good to see Anelka and Kalou playing together up front and both positive and Di Santo looked promising but hard to judge given weak quality of opposition [perhaps they all are better chemists].
Not much of an advert for Chelsea TV which had lots of complaints about picture quality/break-ups on the live comments while the internet freebies I tried were fine, though I couldn't find an English commentary one.
yeah it looks like Big Phil is just maing final adjustments and importing some of the youth. Glad for that. so i don't know what Fergie talking about chelsea youth are performing under scolari
Watched the game on Al Jazeera 2.... Lampard outstanding, fantastic pass for Kalou's goal and then an utterly brilliant chip over the goalkeeper's head - we'll really miss him if he goes.
Deco looks very good, although that could have been the opposition flattering him.
I still can't get over quite how fast Anelka is. Had a good game, made the most of his time.
Di Santo is really quite tall, much more than his baby face would lead you to believe. He's also got a good positional sense too.
I had no idea what Ivanovic looked like until he came on. Won't remember his face if I see him again (really, not a comment on his ability) but he looked capable.
I also thought JT looked a little out of sorts at the beginning.
What was really 'king annoying was that the commentator kept calling Malouda "Fronk Moolooda".
Nick,
Have to admit I got completely and utterly lost while the game was going on, couldnt find any posts or comments on the Match Centre, until I realised you had to pick a 'channel'. It could have been clearer. Or I'm just an idiot.
Would be great of you could add links to the goals, although I'm sure I'll be able to find them on YouTube. Hell, even Murdochs lot might be showing them later on.
Interested about Di Santo now, hope to see and hear more of him. Although challenging for a place in the squad against Pizarro and Sheva can't be that hard. Even I'd manage it.
Just get Lamps to confirm that 5 year deal, get another bod in through the door and it's all rosy. Hell, even Ivanovic played and thus proved he wasn't fictional.
Football and, more importantly Chelsea, are back. Happy Days.
@Fifty - I too got a bit confused and I was updating it! :-) It all worked pretty well once I got the hang of it.
I've just added the goal videos.
@ NICK
Just read your running commentary on the game. Thanks for posting that, as i missed the game with being at work..sounds like it was a good day out for the Chels!!
Pleased to see my boy on the scoresheet..also glad Di Santo had a run out with the first team..maybe we'll be seeing more of him from now on in our starting XI?
@ FIFTY & STOWE
I'm also with both of you on the subject of SWP. He's come good for us a few times in the past and i've never really understood people's disdain for him....even my Ma has a soft spot for him!
Well done Chels xxx
Nick,
Some good strikes in there (and the picture quality is very good as well).
Thanks very much for posting the goals (well, and the whole match report).
Hell, thanks for everything, certainly very much appreciated. I feel suitably spoiled by how closely I've been able to follow the game at work with a mere internet connection - your commitment to the whole thing is admirable.
@ NICK
Just watched the goals..FAB!!
I'm gonna echo FIFTY..Thanks so much for posting them. You're a star! x
Pleased that BPS won his first game. Just saw the highlights, They couldve won that by 7 or 8-0. I cant believe some of the crap ive been hearing from McFergie.
Apparently hes "not concerned about us" and that our "old" squad cant cope with his "great youngsters". Lets hope he isnt concerned, The red nosed prune obviously forgot us peppering his team at Stamford Bridge. They have players who have been past it for years such as Van Der Sar, Neville, Giggs and Scholes. Ballack is a late bloomer and finished last season in the form of his life. Lamps scored 20 goals last season even though he missed over 2 months of action.
Scholes and Giggs scored a grand total of 6 goals last season. Senile idiot needs to think before he yaps to the media.
Di Santo looked good, Hes definetly going to be in the frame next term. Lamps must stay no matter what. Kenyon and co are obviously too stupid to realise just how important he is to this team. Surely some of our strikers must leave this summer. We have 6 forwards at the moment.
I watched the game at the bookie Coral whcih had live TV.
What a goal from Lampard! What does it matter if he's 30 or 35, he can still score goals like that!
@ SIMONT
Well said..
Does it really matter how old you are?! I'm 35 and can still score..
OOPS!! Sorry!!..
wrong subject!!
:D
@ Nick
......During the game the live commentary functionality switches to OleOle's Match Centre. LINK
Lots of us watched the game and loads of comments. It's all JavaScript based so no page refreshes etc. I will try to do the same for the next pre-season game.
Di Santo looked really good. Pacy too. Lampard played 90 minutes and was outstanding......
Yeah, that was quite fun! lots of new names to boot!!!
Lolli, looked for you there darling as you'll see from the comments. You cheeky thing (above!).
Nick, huge thank you from me as well for all you do for the blog and all of us.
@ CELERY
Did you sweetie? Awww! Bless ya!
Would've loved to of seen the game live like everyone else. Even considered faking an illness to take the day off!! Lol
Glad that NICK posted all of the details for us who weren't able to watch though. It really does make a difference!!
*Very naughty of me, i know ;))
I watched 50% of it on Chelsea TV. The other 50% I watched the black screen with "Apologies for the problems with the picture".
Apparently to get 100% viewing I need to subscribe to a 5 year Sky+ contract.
Despite Fergie's comments about the age of our squad I thought Deco looked good; Not bad for an ageing has-been.
I hear that Robinho has sent his agent to find him a house in London. As everybody knows by now hes sick of being used as a "make weight" in a possible deal for Cristiano Ronaldo. They also refused to give him permission to play in the olympics. Something that his agent Wagner Ribeiro claims reduced him to tears. Lets hope the deal is tied up soon. Real think Ronaldo should be able to become a part of their squad because he wants to. So they would be hypocrites not to let Robinho join us.
I'm getting hacked off hearing about Horse Face..
SSN were reporting this morning on the "ongoing saga" involving him and ManU..and "so and so (can't remember who they said. It WAS 6.15am after all!!) will be saying where he thinks Ronaldo will be playing in the new season"
Oh really?? Why didn't they ask the World and his Wife the same question? At the end of the day, the d***head has got 4 years remaining on his current contract..I'd say it's pretty bloody obvious where he'll be playing!!
Note to SSN;
Enough already!!! Report on something interesting for a bloody change!
Well Frank showed the board and Roman what we'd be missing if he left,what happened to all those rumours he'd been offered the 5 year deal?
It looks like yet another worthless,rumour that we have been putting up with for weeks,I'm sick and tired of it and can't wait until the end of the transfer window and all this crap will stop,until January at least.
Malouda looks like he had a decent game. Anyone think we should keep him?
Not me, He was soooo bad last season it was incredible. But if we cant sign Robinho or Arshavin then we may have no choice but to give him another season.
found this. reliability? dunno but it makes me feel better
LINK
Chelsea have offered Frank Lampard a new £40 million contract to stay in London.
The Daily Express says Lampard has been offered a record-breaking £39million, five-year-deal by Chelsea which will make him Britain's highest-paid footballer.
Lampard, after weeks of wrangling, has finally been offered the deal he wants at about £150,000 a week and is poised to commit himself to Stamford Bridge for the rest of his career.
A Chelsea source said: "The club are desperate to keep hold of Frank. They had talks with him just before the China tour which they hope will finally convince him to stay long term. I know Frank is very tempted by the offer as it means he could potentially see the rest of his career out at Chelsea, and there is every chance he could sign.
"However, a lot of bad feeling was created when details of the contract negotiations were being publicly discussed by the club and there are still some issues to iron out."
whole article
LINK
sorry if it's old hat but i've been away from the blog for a while. just hope it's all true.
Thanks @Lolli, @Fifty, @Celery et al. It's all done out of a passion for Chelsea FC.
@Joe - One of the pundits on Times Online's football podcast picked Malouda to be his star import, to make the biggest impact last season. Obviously not a good choice. But many players struggle in their first season in the Premier League e.g. Makelele, Drogba. Give him one more year to prove himself, Scolari might bring out the best in him. Unless we sign Robinho, then shove him through the door marked exit. ;-)
Re SWP. There was a period last season when he played in a central role for a few games and was outstanding. Trouble is we have lots of central midfielders. What I don't understand is why he can't learn to cross. Scolari should make him stay behind after school and work on nothing but crossing the ball. He might pick it up eventually (crossing, not the ball).
@Bluetone - @PeteW broke the news about Lampard's five-year deal - comment 81 on the previous post LINK#comments. There have been stories in the Express and Telegraph newspapers since, but nothing from the club. Don't get your hopes up just yet. That goes for you too, Lolli. :-)
So, I'm watching the John Stewart show *right now* (daily political satire comedy talk shshow thing in the US, where I'm in exile for the summer), and one of the guests on the show is an American comic actor who I think I should recognise, but never mind who he is -- he's wearing a Chelsea shirt!
Ah yes, the season has truly begun. Okay, so the team is playing against a dubious-sounding Chinese factory outfit, and the Chelsea shirt is on oddball American telly, but it's a start!
In my dreams, DiSanto turns out to be the great revelation of the season, we don't sign any more galacticos, our "too-old" squad is anchored by Essien, Obi, Kalou and DiSanto, Man U are relegated by Xmas, and Imogen Stubbs rings the front doorbell wearing black ... oh wait, sorry, different dream.
@LTB - I'm intrigued to know who the bloke in the Chelsea t-shirt is!
limetree-
It was Will Ferrell. I saw it last night and was pleased--you don't see too many football shirts on American TV and it's always great to see a smiling Chelsea face.
I too am hopeful about Di Santo--seems to have the size and partnering with Didier (god willing) could be good experience for the boy.
@Stowe - In that case: LINK - The Landlord. Makes me laugh every time.
Watched the goals looked like a tidy workout for the team. The defending was pedestrian to say the least but maybe that shows the huge different in class. I don't think anyone can doubt Franks professionalism and like others (particularly Lolli) I am convinced if the story is true the club should do everything they can to get him to sign. We shall need Frank, Ballack and Essien to control the midfield and cover each other when one is injured or requires a rest.
@ ChelseaBlog re: Malouda/SWP
Well said.
I have never understood why Malouda is such a pariah. Adapting to the English game is not easy and for all his talent in previous years and his transfer fee I wonder why so many fans are unwilling to give him more than one season to prove himself.
SWP I find harder to defend, he's very hot and cold, but he's still worlds ahead of many wingers. He's young and motivated, and having SWP as a 2nd string is a pretty good thing in my opinion.
I'm in the boat that our squad is terrific, the only thing that held us back last season was epic injuries and massive unsettlement in the manager's position. Given how squeaking close we came in spite of those massive setbacks, do we really need to mess with the squad any further?
Goals were well taken and the 20 odd players that got a run out seemed to have gelled quite nicely - albeit against a team of lab professors in white coats!
On a more serious note, roughly how many players are we in danger of losing to the Olympic Games tournament? Does anyone know how many of our players have been picked to go?
Just seen on TV that Bosingwa's going for a scan today on a thigh injury he picked up during yesterday's game..
Morning Lolli......
I saw he got injured... They don't think it is too serious though and the substitution was said to just be a precautionary measure.
The impeccably reliable source of all things football LINK has Robinko's agent in London house hunting and meeting with Chelsea's top brass.... I somehow think he won't be personally house hunting but if this 'story' is true then the 'final' piece in our puzzle may be not far away
Assuming Frank does sign on to becoming the best paid footballer in England or is that the world ?.
KTBFFH
@Greenlight,
Dont know exactly, other than Kalou is going (no great loss IMO) - I guess why Di Santo has been given a chance (unless he's off as well).
I think the footy squads are all have to be under23, with 2 or 3 'senior' players allowed. And there's me thinking ageism is another form of discrimination.
I think we'll emerge largely unscathed - some teams / squads have met up already (Jo from Man City has already gone to meet up with the Brazilians. Footballers, not what you're all thinking ;-) )
A 4-0 win, some clever goals...just what the doctor ordered
(Although it was a bitter pill for the locals)
I'll get my lab coat
Good game for chelsea although against local chinese super league outfit. It is good to build up confidence. I hope Scolari can stick with 4-2-2-2 formation as in first half as it is really flowing from left and right back.
On 29/7/08, chelsea will against my country team Malaysia and I'll be there to chants both teams :)
For more info on Chelsea vs Malaysia on 29/7/08, pls visit my blog...
LINK
Will Ferrell in a Chelsea shirt. That is almost as good as Raquel Welch in a Chelsea shirt.
Will Ferrell in a Chelsea shirt
Top notch. Any silverware this season would be an added bonus now.
LINK
video evidence of will spreading the chelsea love!
(didn't see this posted i don't think)
Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention.
I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story.
I need all of you, to stop what you're doing and listen.
CANNONBALL!!
Will Ferrell is a comedic legend. I could chat for hours about sketches from his films.
Oh Ferrell is a god. I've read before he was a Chelsea fan but for him to show his support in public and on one of the coolest goddamn shows ever made – this is beyond my wildest dreams.
My dreams aren't very wild, as you can tell.
His kit was the Umbro (v neck) Fly Emirates one, so presumably he's had it and/or been a fan for a fair few years.
Unless he just bought it on Ebay on the cheap!! ;-)
Anyone seen this? Peter Shilton backing JT for England Captaincy.
LINK
@ BlueBayou (# ack, they took the numbers away again): chortle.
Having forced the mighty Pharmaceuticals to swallow a dose of their own medicine, we must hope that Saturday's game against the Chengdu Blades doesn't end up being a close shave.
Who needs Will Ferrell?
Right, it is undoubtedly still silly season.
Inter, having given up on signing Lamps till next summer at least, are about to sign Sulley Muntari from Pompey. They are after an attacking midfielder and he's apparently second choise behind Frank.
Am I missing something? I wouldn't have him in my top 10 AM's behind Lamps.
Has JM finally lost it?
Could I ask any more questions?
How is everyone today?
@Fifty
You appear to be like a curious child asking the why, and how does everything work questions.
And quite frankly as per usual from me I have no answers.
@ Fifty - Muntari may not be in the worlds top 10, but he can on his day turn a game. The other aspect to this is that it would fund a £10m bid for SWP, a player that Harry has publicly stated he's like to acquire.
It could be good business for us.
I think Muntari's a pretty good player. He's only 23 (looks a lot older). Mourinho's probably thinking long-term what with Lampard being 30 - 31 by the time he joins Inter. ;-)
Right, I've had a go at creating an account.
Cunningly, now named 'Fiftee'.
See what I did there?
Bloody hell, another question. I'm going to leave my job working for this mob that sounds like a bus company and host MasterMind instead.
@LTB
Your so sharp you'll cut yourself
Razor sharp in fact
Which isn't a bad thing in a cut throat world
@ FIFTY
You've created an account! About time!
Question; on your fave players..who's the guy next to JT? Can't say i've ever heard of him! ;D
@ NICK
I've got my eye on you Mister!!
Have to say Muntari made little impression on me last season and seems no kind of alternative to Frank. On checking the stats he scored 4 goals plus 3 assists from 38 League games last season, and even that geekiest of stat overkill fantasy football games, The Times "Play The Game" in their Top 200 Players based on last season's multitude of stats rates him at No. 129 compared to Frank's No 28....
@Fiftee - don't you feel like you really belong now - will you be posting the video of your badge-kissing/ pen-poised unveiling ceremony as you completed your profile soon?
@Lolli,
No idea Missus, just a photo of some bloke. Maybe ;-)
@BBD,
I can't say too much about the deal I've signed without my agent present or until I'm officially unveiled at the blog press conference. Let's just say the terms I agreed with ChelseaBlog are more than favourable when compared to the deal on the table for Lamps (that deal actually was on the table at the Bridge when I signed, you wouldn't believe some of the add-ons in the contract ;-) ).
I'll have to trawl through the family photo archives to see if me signing on at any of the 4 clubs I've ever played for is in any shots.
I'm guessing at no.
Hey guys, just change the subject, I met Rooney and Giggs today ( at my Brothers High School) and I have to Say that Rooney has Put on LOADS of weight.
@ MIKE12
God help him then...he was a fat f***er before!!!!
Muntari is a good player and under Jose i wouldn't be surprised if he was nurtured into the next Michael Essien! It's good news for us though. With them having found a young central midfielder, it could mean that they've finally givenup on Frank.
And as i said a few days ago..."Roll up, roll up if you want a new 5 year deal." And guess what, the queue appears to be growing:
LINK
That could mean 5 year deals for basically our whole first XI. And as the headline points out, how are we going to break even? If we think that only taking £150m a year on wages isn't increasing our debt because we have an £11billion surplus in the shape of Roman, then yes, Peter Kenyon can say that we are officially out of debt. But to everyone else spending £150m on ages at the Bridge whilst Utd are only spending £90m, may seem excessive especially as we haven't signed a Kaka who is the world's highest paid player. I remember watching Newsround years ago when Roy Keane signed his new £50k/wk contract and it was huge news with clubs saying that his contract would never be surpassed. Now we have the likes of Wayne Bridge and John Obi Mikel on £80k/wk. Hopefully we've saved a spare £39m for Lamps' new deal.
Give our entire first XI 5 year deals. Thats an idea. I would order new deals for the following players in order of importance...1. Frank Lampard 2. Michael Ballack 3. Joe Cole 4. Jon Obi Mikel 5. Ashley Cole
13Joe13
WTF!?? Ballack?! He is good but 32....
Ok a 3 year deal. Ballack is a late bloomer though heonly started to score 10 or more goals a season when he was like 25 and you cant deny that he was the driving force in the majority of our games march-may. Im also expecting alot of criticizm for not including Drogba (No I didnt forget him). I just dont think the club should bend over backwards to keep a player who wants to leave when they have lots of loyal and great players who still havent been given a real chance to show their potential eg Sheva, Anelka, Di Santo etc
Joe
In agreement over DD And Ze German in March
Im very optimistic about the new season. As alot of you may know I am usually the first to blast Peter Kenyon and his cronies but I think they have done a very solid job. Getting rid of the players who arent needed such as Makelele, Sidwell, Boulahrouz and ive heard that weve agreed a fee to send TBH to Eastlands. I think Lampard HAS been offered the deal he wants and is about to sign it. He definetly hasnt played like somebody who wants to leave or has doubts about his football. I cant wait to hear McFergies explanation when his "young" team of diving cheaters lose out in the title race to a man who "cant win the premier league. Just wait.
Being bored prior to my annual holiday and the start of the footie season, I've been trawling a few opposition sites. It's always this particular Looserpoo site that reminds me that I'm quite sane and not delusional in anyway, along with my fellow bloggers.
Here is a small extract from a particularly long and deluded blog from a Loosrpoo fan, I won't bore you all with the link but just this bit that caught my eye....
"Take Martin O’Neill for example, I heard some Villa fans maintaining that his early rants against Liverpool in the Gareth Barry saga were in fact some kind of clever ploy on his part or that he was in fact nobly making a stand not just for Villa but for all of football, and there are various other theories put forward. But of course this is just total bollocks and the reality is that O’Neill was just pissed off at the prospect of losing one of his best players and went bitching to the press about it. There were no deep and meaningful reasons for his actions, it was just O’Neill having a moan, as he’s often prone to do, nothing more and nothing less.
Another couple of examples of this are Alex Fungusface and Jose Moaninho. The media like to label Fungusface as the “Master of the Mind-Games” when the truth is that most of the time he is just spouting the usual kind of bitter drivel that he has always done but the media just blow up his every utterance out of all proportion. As for Moaninho, his limelight hogging arrogance was painted as some kind of noble act on his part. A selfless attempt to keep the focus on himself while keeping the pressure off his team, what a load of crap! The fact that he continued to try to hog the spotlight long after he’d been sacked by the chavs was ample proof that the “Special Needs One” merely suffers with a severe case of Attention Deficit Disorder and has never met a microphone he didn’t like.
However there are a small number of managers who genuinely do take a more cerebral approach to the game. Arsene Wenger would be one and perhaps Gus Hiddink would be another but surely the king of them all has got to be Rafa Benitez. He’s a tough guy to figure out because there is usually more than one if not several motives behind almost everything that he does and they are not always immediately apparent.
In the early part of last season when he talked about resting players in the early months of the campaign to keep them fresher for the final run in, not many of us were happy with his reasoning but it did give us an example of how his mind works and the fact that he is always planning two or three moves ahead. This is useful because I think when you are trying to get inside the head of Rafa Benitez you can’t just look at what he may doing now but you’ve also have to figure out why he is doing it and what is his long term objective.
@ Clive....
Quite breathtaking in it's stupidity!
To those without Red tinted glasses on, the saving of players for a run-in would be brilliant if they were ever actually involved in the end of season run-in.
As for a 'long term objective'.... surely that would have to be winning something...anything!
As my earlier posts would indicate, I have a deep loathing for the slippery Scousers, partly because they have turned us over on a couple of occasions, but mostly because they are the most objectionable, deluded wankers on the planet! Still, at least They Will Never Wank Alone!
Well there it is, If anyone didnt already know how stupid and delusional Loserpoopoo fans are then we have it written on the blog for all eyes to see.
I hate the scousers more than anything in the world and I would never read their blog. Its overloaded with 12 year old wankers who have never been to a match.
Greenlight "They Will Never Wank Alone!", Hahahaha