Premier League: Fulham 1 - 2 Chelsea

Just wanted to agree-Ballack was really great!

Yes, we started the new year with a win. We deserved the win. Fulham were poor weren't they? The commentators kept saying that they are a first half team. I feel sorry for them. The first half was a little bit weird. It was not so much that Fulham were really good but we were a bit poor. But the second half we were a lot better. After we scored the two goals which were inevitable, Fulham were just defending.
Dear poor old Sidwell. He was really bad wasn't he? If it was not because of he's ginger hair, I would not have noticed him. I wonder how long he's gonna stay as a Chelsea player. I thought we should have started the game with Mikel. What a difference he made in the second half. He really should be a regular starter for us now. Just keep impressing me every time he plays.

Go Chelsea!!!!

Nick lovely article and agree with you entirely.

I have said this before that Lampard is not a midfielder and many have sought to have my head but watching Ballack makes you realize what a midfielder is meant to do create create create and occassionally score one or the other.

Sidwell does not deserve to wear a Chelsea shirt and I feel that we should give him away...How he came tot he bridge baffles me...same goes to Tal Ben Haim... These two should be on the out list for sure...and we will make a profit no matter we sell them at...

Just waiting for Tony's posting on Kalou-less... Man eat your words eat your words...

Awful first half, terrific second half. Grant made up for his Villa/Newcastle rickets with his half-time switch - the first time he's done something positive to affect the outcome of a game I think.

Admittedly, this was a bit of a Ranieresque tinker - making good his own obvious mistake of playing Essien as the holder - but I'll read it as a good sign.

Think Kalou deserves more credit than you give him - playing up front in a three is a thankless task (see Drogba's first two seasons for evidence) and he did a very good job of it. Can't help noticing that all three Africans seem to be getting better and better as their National Cup approaches... But we are really going to miss Mikel. Let's hope Nigeria crash and burn.

And well done Ballack. I always felt he did okay last season, not brilliant but much better than Shevchenko, and we clearly missed him when he was injured.

Alex also is getting better every game. And all this with a third-choice goalkeeper. Beginning to feel fairly confident that we'll have Champions League football again next season.

First half performance was really poor.With Mikel and Essein leaving now,and Lampard and Makalele injured Sidwell will have to play which causes a bit of concern.Ballack seems to getting his old form back and when are the african players coming back?

Happy New Year to all.

On MOTD last night the appointed experts stated that Arsenal’s 10 points from 12 during the Christmas campaign was the stuff of champions. Our beleaguered squad achieved the same but our profile is a little lower, which is probably best to keep off any pressure.

Talking of Arsenal you have to admit that when it comes to spotting, developing and nurturing young talent they’re up there with the best. Is it therefore surprising that they let Sidwell go at an early age? He’s had the odd chance and done nothing and in the first half he was particularly hopeless.

Ben Haim doesn’t instil confidence in me either. Well he does for about 70 minutes but there’s always 20 minutes when he seems to lose his nerve and just hits panic clearances. One really poor pass yesterday had Avram berating him from the sidelines.

Ballack has gone from zero to hero in just one and a half games. Disappointing for his first season, injured for 6 months and yet now walking off to chants of “there’s only one Michael Ballack ..”. It’s now easy to see why the Germans have him as their captain. It’ll be interesting to see hope Avram copes with a looming Lampard/Gerrard scenario.

Think Hilario deserves a mention. He’s stepped in and hasn’t let us down.

The match day program had some interesting snippets. I hadn’t realised that Avram’s wife is a TV celebrity, so whilst most think that Avram is rather boring, you could have spiced up your New Years Eve party by inviting this celebrity couple with Avram smashing up the furniture and his wife quietly sat on the sofa supping her own urine.

One more point. Do you think Belletti could spend a couple of hours this week showing our hapless forwards the technique for taking a corner?

Against another team and after the performance of the first half CFC may have been dead and buried, awful 1st half, second half much better but against a team that capitulates always aftr the break, so I am not yet convinced that we are on our way, want to watch this team against REAL opposition. Anyway Ballack another good game, what's going to happen when Frank returns??? about the AV histeria in the dressing room it is more hot air than real,is mistake was corrected when,maybe, he was told to change Essien position in the team.Anyway AV can say I did better than JM did last year what is absolutelly remarkable for a a man of his talent LOL. For the first time his commnents after the match he didnt have a jibe at JM.
Lets see and wait.

Ben Haim is a fourth choice centre back. He's as good as you would expect for that position. How many times have any of the other big four had to use their fourth choice CB this season? I'm not even sure who Liverpool and Man U have in that department (Hobbs? Pique?), while Arsenal lent their's to Birmingham! My only quibble is that we don[t have a younger player to bring through for that spot in the squad: there are loads of young chelsea CB's on loan in the League - are they all that shit?

@ Jose - comments on Kalou-less - I will quote Aristotle here

"One swallow does not make a summer, neither does one fine day; similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy."

He scored an illegal goal against Newcastle and got one yesterday so he has been OK, but really Jose, stop making out that he's the main man for us in the striking or winger department because his return in both areas is still average at best. As I've said before he may be one for the future but despite having ability he is a long way off acquiring the "football" intelligence that marks out great players like Thierry Henry, Figo, Kaka, Drogba, and Sheva in his prime. Compare Kalou-less to Adebayor, and their respective impacts on their teams and you might get the picture.

@ Mark - I hope Belletti does dish out a tutorial - his corners always beat the first man and always get into a danger area around the 6 yard box. Joe Cole and SWP wasted at least 2 corners each yesterday by scuffing them low. If it was intentional then they are stupid, if not then they are incompetent.

Overall a good Xmas period with a severely depleted side. I watch with interest to see who we collect during the transfer window. I'd be happy with Anelka but I'm not so sure about Berbatov as his work rate seems decidedly low when things aren't going his way. I belive Modric has decided to stay where he is but as usual most of the activity will be in darkened smoke filled rooms and 90% of it will be press speculation. I would be happy to see Pizzaro go and maybe Ferreira and Sidwell but we need to do as Peter says and promote some of the youngsters like Mancienne into the full squad.

My player ratings for yesterday

Hilario - 7/10 - after the penalty had barely anything to do
Belletti - 8.5/10 - first choice right back surely from now on
Alex - 8/10 - a bit tardy when tracking back but a towering presence in any box
Ben Haim - 7/10 - did nothing wrong yesterday and as 4th choice did a good job
Bridge - 7/10 - an OK game but maybe it's just me - he seems to lack Ashley Cole's bite at the moment - disillusioned?
Essien - 8/10 - wasted first half, magnificent second half
Sidwell - 5/10 - disappointing in light of this being his chance to show why Reading valued him so much
Joey Cole - 7.5/10 ran a lot, created a bit, lost the ball a bit, gave away the penalty - typical Joe Cole
Ballack - 9.5/10 - Is he a Rolls Royce player? Perhaps he's a high end Merc, either way the big German was magnificent yesterday. Did you ever doubt he would score from the spot? He's a German ....they know how to take penalties!
SWP - 8/10 - has looked bright in the last couple of games and has done enough surely to be a first choice
Kalou - 7.5/10 - scored a good goal and missed an early opportunity which he took well but frustratingly didn't really make a mark in a game against opposition he should have been taunting
Obi (sub) - 8/10 - really shored up midfield when he came on and allowed Esiien to cause havoc in the Fulham defence
Pizzaro (sub) - 5/10 - had a glorious chance to score but fucked it up. Did nothing else to show me he's worth a place inm our squad
Ferreira - 6/10 - wasn't on long enought to gain anything more or less than the default mark.

The whole point of the likes of Sidwell and Ben Haim is that they are merely cover; not top class but in terms of Bosman / cheap signings you're rarely going to pick up the very best. As Peter says, the only disappointment is the lack of homegrown options; given the lack of investment over previous years, it isn't a huge surprise to see anyone coming through just yet. One hopes Mr. Arnesen is working wonders behind the scenes...

Good second half performance; presume Sidwell was given a run out as he will be playing more over the next month or so, but Mikel made a huge difference. And Kalou did a decent job on his own - certainly not his ideal role but a good performance. Pleased for Ballack too - he took far too much stick last season having actually done a reasonable job. Class player.

QPR could be interesting - we'll be below strength, they're playing well at present; should be a good game.

Mark - I believe that youtube had some interesting footage of Avram's other half and her own unique brand of thirst-quenching. Quite some party piece...!

Thanks Jonathan - just found a video although to be honest I couldn't work out which was Mrs Grant.

One of the comments was from a Leeds fan I'm a Leeds fan! Grant's wife my be drinking piss, but I'd still rather be doing that than watching shit, which is what Ken Bates has brought us for the last few years!

Whilst I agree we've done well over the festive period with those players who are available, I can't help but think we've been helped a little by who we've played. Blackburn away was a hard-fought victory, Villa was tough and we got what we deserved, and thankfully Fulham and Newcastle are in as poor form as anyone in the league (save for Derby).

We're not likely to be playing good football at the moment with so many absentees, but it looks like it will be ages before we see any of them return, maybe a full-strength squad wont be available again this season.

With a rejuvinated Sheva also injured, we're so toothless up front it scares me. Kalou is not the answer to our lone striker problem, and Pizarro is most definitely not the answer to anything. Apart from the question of 'Name the useless, lazy, overpaid Peruvian oft seen waddling round Stamford Bridge in the last 5 minutes of a match'.

Makes me wonder how different things would have been had we signed Santa Cruz from Bayern instead.

On the potential signings front, it seems apparent a striker is first choice. I nearly choked on my turkey sarnie when I heard Tony Gale suggest we may be interested in Kenwyne Jones !!! Anelka's going to be a sulker as soon as he doesnt play; Berbatov is class but looks lazy.

David Villa would most definitely be my choice, maybe Huntelaar instead / as well.

There's also been mention of Rafael Van der Vaart who would be a great signing, but it's hard to see where he'd fit into our 4-3-3 formation.

January's going to be an interesting month, lets hope we get past QPR on Saturday - defeat is almost unthinkable.

QPR I can handle, it's the thought of losing in the league the following week against YOU KNOW WHO that brings me out in the cold cold sweats.

Not sure Avram would survive the fall-out if that happened.

Given the generally comedic nature of the Spurs defence of late, I'm not too worried, although there is that nagging doubt at the back of the mind...

Can't we buy Berbatov the day before, just to annoy them?

Agree with most of the comments regarding the good
Ballack, Belletti, Essien, SWP and Alex
the bad
Sidwell and Pizarro
..but it's the ugly one that I'm still unsure about. I think the second half substitution was more recognition of something that should have been done in the first place, rather than an inspirational tactical response. Maybe it was an attempt to prepare for the Africans' departure, and the experiment served a greater purpose, in which case he did know what he was doing. The comparisons with the same period for us last year, and the Arse's haul of points this year are fairly convincing arguments for AG's ability to get results and keep us in the mix, I just have this doubt that will only be dispelled when the silverware is in the trophy cabinet in May. It's been great watching Ballack come good at just the right time though, I agree with JD that he too seemed to get too much stick and was tarred with the 'burned-out-galactico' brush by many. Can he play with Lampsy in midfield? Hmm.. haven't Rooney/Tevez shown that players with a similar style can work together?

Agree about the substitution David; you'd have to say that Mikel should really have been there in the first place (albeit also agreed that Sidwell was picked as he will be playing more over the next month or so, perish the thought).

The two 'galacticos' we signed were generally on a hiding to nothing, Ballack less so than Sheva due to the lack of a huge transfer fee. Ballack did a good job last season; and while playing well against Fulham is one thing, he needs to take control of the big games against our closest rivals and when things are tight in the CL (which I'm sure he's still very capable of doing). Sheva's unenviable task was to do that times ten; when you pay 30m for a striker, you do so in the belief that he will make the difference; i.e. quiet for 85 minutes at Old Trafford / Nou Camp or wherever and then popping up with the crucial goal that nicks three points or puts you through to the next round. Thus far he's made very little difference on that front and as the years tick by, he's less likely to do so. Reinvention as some sort of deeper lying second striker may be the way forward, but there will always be that nagging feeling of what might have been with him. Whatever anyone thinks of Drogba, when you look at the expectation that came with him (again mainly due to the fee) and how well he adapted to English football despite some fairly tough times, he deserves huge credit for doing so.

@ Tony

You said"As I’ve said before he may be one for the future but despite having ability he is a long way off acquiring the “football” intelligence that marks out great players like Thierry Henry, Figo, Kaka, Drogba, and Sheva in his prime. Compare Kalou-less to Adebayor, and their respective impacts on their teams and you might get the picture".

All these players mentioned save for Kaka who should not be on this list for reasons we all know are at least 7 years older than Kalou. All hit top form when they turned 27 which is about 5 years away from Kalou...comparing apples to oranges are we?

I thought we'd have signed someone by now. Be good if the club could issue a timetable so I can stop wasting time checking sports headlines and actually get on with some work!

"@ Tony

You said”As I’ve said before he may be one for the future but despite having ability he is a long way off acquiring the “football” intelligence that marks out great players like Thierry Henry, Figo, Kaka, Drogba, and Sheva in his prime. Compare Kalou-less to Adebayor, and their respective impacts on their teams and you might get the picture”.

All these players mentioned save for Kaka who should not be on this list for reasons we all know are at least 7 years older than Kalou. All hit top form when they turned 27 which is about 5 years away from Kalou…comparing apples to oranges are we?"

Don't bite Tony it will only raise your blood pressure ;-)

Thanks Clive...can't resist!

@ Jose

"All these players mentioned save for Kaka who should not be on this list for reasons we all know are at least 7 years older than Kalou. All hit top form when they turned 27 which is about 5 years away from Kalou…comparing apples to oranges are we?"

Which underlines my argument perfectly about him being a long way off acquiring the "football" intelligence I spoke about. I've never denied he may well end up in that class, all I've said is he is a long way off at the moment.....say 5 years...which would have him at his peak when he's......27 perhaps. Thanks jose, you just made the point even better for me!

You are welcome Tony always willing to help clarify on things.

I am willing to bet a decent amount of money that Kalou would not match the calibre of Figo, Kaka, Henry or Drogba if he played till he was 127.

I like the kid, he has decent potential and is a useful squad player, but he's never going to be world class and it'll take a lot more than five years to change that.

If Kalou plays anything like Henry when he's 27 I will eat my seat at the Bridge. Cannot see it happening I'm afraid.

Thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's trip down the road. The glum looks on the Fulham fans' faces after the game suggested that they feel they are doomed this season. Hodgson's certainly got his work cut out.

Were we talking about the Henry that was banging in about 30 goals a season from the tender age of 22 for Arsenal? He didn't hit top form at 27 - he'd been there for some time.

Adebayor is 23.

>> if he played till he was 127.

he'd still be quicker than Sheva though...

Van Der Vaart for Lampard. Benzema to come in for Drogba in the long term. Ben Arfa/Quaresma to replace SWP. Ivanovic for Ben Haim who can also cover at right back. Dani Alves for the ageing Belletti. Ballack can retire here as a legend. Right now we can make good use of Anelka/Berbatov. If im Grant, i would make the above changes. Easier said than done. =)

Poor old Foo. The thing I find about them is that you can never be too patronising.

I saw Fulham fan a week or two after they beat us at the Cottage a couple of years ago; he had a T-shirt on commemorating the momentous event of victory in the West London derby. My kidneys still ache from the laughter...

I also recall the amusing pre-season friendly at QPR when they beat us a few years back Pete; nicking the corner flags, invading the pitch etc. Farking funny.

A QPR colleague of mine had the newspaper report from that friendly match pinned on the wall above her desk for the next two seasons.

I think it's still the high point of their last ten years.

Benzema - in our dreams. We'd never pull off that sort of far-sighted, potentially CL-clinching signing as long as there are capable moneygrabbers like Anelka around.

Slightly off topic but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

JD, in response to your musing "One hopes Mr. Arnesen is working wonders behind the scenes…". Sky Sports News had a feature from Cobham yesterday or Monday where they interviewed Arnesen, Neil Bath and some other youth team coach (apologies for not remembering his name).

It focussed on youth development at Chelsea and actually surprised me. Somewhere in the region of 75% of the youngsters at Chelsea from about 13 - 18 are English, which is around the highest in the country. Arnesen was saying how in the past season we'd had 4 play for England U16, 3 for the U17's and 4 for the U18's (or figures similar to this). He mentioned those that are / were out on loan, and how happy they are that the likes of Sinclair, Sahar and Woods have made their debuts recently.

The aim of the academy is to have at least one home-grown youngster as a regular in the first team by 2010, and at least one per year each year after that.

The club is currently having a separate academy building constructed at the Cobham site, with pitches just for the youth teams.

How good any of the kids Arnesen has been involved in signing is something we wont know yet, but the set up they have looks incredible.

I just hope it's all worth it.

@Fifty - I saw the Sky Sports Academy article and I was also impressed

Cheers Clive; good to know things are at least moving along and that investment is being made - you'd guess that it will take a couple more years before we see anything concrete in terms of success though. The target of one per year is probably about right but still a big ask; so few will make it that far but the set-up may at least fund itself if we're able to sell some of the players on in the future.

It's always interesting to go back 5 years or so and look at England U-16,U-18 team sheets; you'd be surprised at how often there are very few names you recognise as players plying their trade at the top level now.

You have to think that with the facilities on offer and the coaching network we can afford, it is inconceivable that we won't produce at least one first teamer by 2010. But what we really need is a handful of squad players now like Brown, Fletcher and O'Shea at Man Utd - so-so players who never let you down, are happy to sit on the bench 75 per cent of the time and are given an easier time by the fans than so-so players signed from elsewhere (like Sidwell and Ben Haim). If we had that last season, we'd have won the league.

We also need to show the courage to stick these players in the first team for a number of games to see if they're up to it and then the patience to let them make mistakes and let them learn. Loaning Sinclair to QPR won't answer the question as to whether he's good enough for top four of the Premier League.

'It’s always interesting to go back 5 years or so and look at England U-16,U-18 team sheets; you’d be surprised at how often there are very few names you recognise as players plying their trade at the top level now.'

Too true. Look at this squad for U18's in 2002. Where are they now? (Scott Carson the notable exception.)


BIGGINS James Nottingham Forest FC
BORROWDALE Gary Crystal Palace FC
BROWN Scott Everton FC
CARSON Scott Leeds United FC
DOHERTY Sean Fulham FC
ECKERSLEY Adam Manchester United FC
GARDNER Ross Newcastle United FC
GROVES Tom Nottingham Forest FC
GUY Lewis Newcastle United FC
HOGG Chris Ipswich Town FC
LONG Stacy Charlton Athletic FC
MCDERMOTT Neale Newcastle United FC
PROFFITT Dorryl Manchester City FC
SAMBA Cherno Millwall FC
SANKOFA Osei Charlton Athletic FC
YOUNG Jamie Reading FC

Excellent post.

LINK

Aaahhh, the memories.

Cherno Samba : LINK

Destined to become an enigma, and remembered as being amazing for thousands of Championship Manager players.

Still 132 in 32 matches is pretty handy, even as a 13 year old.

I'm tempted to wonder how many (if any) Kalou scored at the same age, but I'll merely be opening a further can of worms.....

Agree - great post.

I too am underwhelmed by the prospect of Anelka or Berbatov joining us. I prefer Berbatov, but neither fits the bill and both come with baggage.

I was most excited by the Modric rumours. I can't claim to know much about him, having only seen him play a small number of times. What excited me most was reading and hearing him compared to Zola. He certainly seems to have something of the Zola about him:

LINK

I'm quite looking forward to the next four weeks.

I think Chelsea should get mischievous and bid £50 million for Torres. Hicks and Gillet appear to have money worries at the moment, it may well tempt them to make a "quick buck"

But I'm a bit wary about the possible prima donnas that are Anelka and Berbatov, I think Benni Mcarthy might be a better option, but there's no doubting we need somebody.

That article says he's having a medical today - I thought it was nothing more than paper-talk we were interested but maybe it's a bit more.

Anyone working near a London airport happen to see David Villa in the arrivals lounge today ??? Please ???

I think whomever we buy will cost over the odds due to the number of decent players disappearing overseas for the african nations competition!

We bidded $34m for David Villa and were turned down, seem to have given up on him now!
In : Di Santo
Anelka
Albelda (Who is leaving Valencia on a free transfer get him please)
Ivanovic

That is a good post (over on cfcnet). The point about Kalou is well made: he appears to have a very good attitude and a very even keel. You can't imagine him flipping out like the Arse kids did in last year's Carling Cup final (WAHH!! WE LOST!!! WAAHHH IT'S NOT FAIR!!!) Which suggests he should keep on getting better.

Agree with David and JD that you can't really say AG is a tactical genius for replacing Sidwell with Obi. Most of us could have figured that one out all by ourselves.

It's a shame Sidwell hasn't made himself into a useful option. Bringing in talented English players is a nice idea, but they have to be Chelsea talented, not Reading talented.

Looks like he is on his way
LINK

@Tony
Who was Thierry Henry when he was bought by AW? a young player that showed a great deal of promisse but then came under a great mentor and made him develop into an extraordinary footballer, when he was in assnal always one of the top players in the world, he left and look at what he is doing now in Barca, the difference between arsene Wenger and Frank Rijiark, just to mention TH forget Cesc, flamini, etc etc.
look at Alex Ferg.(MU) bought Ronaldo, rooney, nani, anderson to mention the latest acquisitions he nurtures players, AF makes them jump that extra 10% to brilliancy.
Look at TSO when he arrived at chelsea, made JT and FL from good to exceptional, DD the amount of stick he got in his 1st season, just to mention a few within the chelsea palyers he inherited, bingo bi-champion, not to mention essein a far better player then when he arrived amongst others.
Now what i mean is arsene Wenger, Alex Fergusson, and jose Mourinho they are not only tactically brilliant they are also fantastic mentors, and man to man manegement they are probably unique, I would put in Bernt Schuster in as well is proving a hell of a manager,very similar to JM, if you read italian, and spanish press.
Now that what i call real managers, men that know about football, know how to treat players that are good to become exceptional, in another words they make stars.
Now i can not help to think that kalou, obi, mikel are not feeling the need to be nurtured, but unfortunetly they have a guy as manager now (AV) that apparently tries to break chairs LOL when things do not go right.
C'mon there is a HUGE difference between "the clown" as someone called him (AV) and those 3, I could also mention another italian that is the same as AW,AF,JM.
Now I am going to watch that "you tube" and be right back.
CYS

Back, can not find that you tube about AG, pity I wanted to comment since I luv da guy to bits lol.
Anyway now we have QPR a real force in UK fottball, so we may bring the best squad available as I am trembling with such strong opposition, also olympiakos in CL damn it are we the chosen people or aren't we??? also a real match for the NEW mentor well so far he has done ok with JM players, lets see what he can convince RA to buy in order to be in touch with the exceptionals, i bet RA must be shi****g himseld thinking i brought this geezer thinking he knows about football and he si going to cost me another £10 million to get rid of this plonker, well RA nowadays at the cost of living wank**rs cost a hell of alot.
anyway gona find that you tube, coz I bet if she drinks her own piss, must be lack of man management lol
sheerrriiiiooooo

Well let me say that I agree with Marco, he analogy is very right.
However we should give some time "chairs breaker" it sounds a damn good way of motivation .
bye

> Marco...
Like you'r still sore that fulham didnt beat us as you wished...in the course of your analogies i thot you'd mention the beautiful transformation JM brought to SWP's game (after 2years)!...of course you conveniently forgot that...The guy is finding his feet now...even his notorious crosses are getting better

Rather than whinging about his depleted squad...the mossad general is looking for ways out of the problem by trying players in the squad for possible, faster integration...

Because he tries to get everybody to play at some point, the squad is better for it...and thats the secret to thriving well in adversity...

Like i mentioned before, the guy should be respected for his BOLDNESS...

Would anyone argue that the best games the team has played this season so far were the ones with AG in charge?...Give the guy some credit and stop slating him when he has not had enough time to prove himself...

And for those taking cheap shots at kalou...please check his goals ratio and compare same to other forwards in the squad (including SWP and JC)...and dont come telling me that the others are wingers, else be prepared to explain what ronaldo and agbonlahor are...

Kalou in my opinion delivers far much more than our other forwards save for DD and should be accorded some respect, appreciated...

> Fifty...
Why are you trying so hard to sell villa to chelsea?...almost swearing here that there's a commission involved...

Happy new year to all...

Always Blue!

If you're getting bored with big Avram big Sam should be available soon - lol

I reckon we could solve our striking problems up front by signing Titus Bramble ;-)

Not sure if he'll be out the door before Rafa... Awful result.

'Rather than whinging about his depleted squad…the mossad general is looking for ways out of the problem by trying players in the squad for possible, faster integration

Grant is in a much better position that we were last season simply because we now have two capable (one very capable) back up centre-backs whereas last season we only had Bouhlarouz. And even he was injured half the time, which is why we ended up having to play our right back and best midfielder at centre-back and our understudy defensive midfielder at right back. Now that's BOLDNESS and 'looking for ways out of the problem by trying players in the squad for possible, faster integration.'

And thanks to that failed experiment - blame shared equally among Kenyon and Mourinho I think - we've a much more sensible squad this time, so we can deal with the problems without having to play people out of position - a major, major handicap when we play such a tactically disciplined system.

Grant has done well precisely because of his aversion to boldness. He is playing the players in their right positions, playing the same style of football and playing the same tactics. He doesn't even have any selection dilemmas cos half the squad is injured! He's done superbly in the situation and really does deserve credit (even if I don't think he's cut out to win anything long term), but he's certainly not shown any boldness.

Belated Happy New Year to all and congrats to our blue boys, we've done a very good job in coming back 2-1 and a win! Cheers.

First half was a poor display and as Grant suggested, they were all sleepy and didn't know what they were doing. Typical of JCole to concede the penalty, he was running all over the place and maybe overdone it. 1 nil up for Fulham in first half, maybe that boosted up the blue boys.

I'm sure most of us agreed that Sidwell wasn't performing decently as a midfielder role. That turned out to be another better choice, Mikel. He was superb and class. He held the possession, kept the ball, that made way for Ballack and Essien to do the attacking.

Ballack- MoTM for sure. He's not only displaying some of his best performance, given had been out for 8 months. I'd love to see a few more of his free kicks, and his penalties, so this might hinder the future of Lamps in SB. I for one hugely admire Frank Lampard, but if he's to be fit again, will Ballack be able to cooperate well with Lamps? By the way, quite anticipate the partnership between Ballack and Sheva, IMO, they are like the duo of Lamps + Drogs. So how many weeks Sheva's out?

Belletti has quality corner kicks, way better than Joey and SWP. He set up the equalizing goal for Kalou, of course with Big Alex's beautiful header, the whole set-piece was a beauty. Ferreira, still doubts on him. But as a sub, he's doing a fine job.

Ben-haim is the only free transfer I'm not tooo disappointed from. Look at Pizarro. If he's like 21 or 22, I'd say give him some time, but after several fantastic years in Bayern Munich, and afterall he's already 28, I'd see he doesn't have a bright future here, when he's only a 4th choice striker. Too bad, there's always no free lunch in this world.

Is Anelka rumour an air one? I'm not saying I have high hopes on this rather "matured" guy, but he was not wanted from two big fours already, we might turn into the third one. I doubt it. I'd like to see Berbatov, but everyone seems to see him as a Manure player.

KTBFFH!

The one thing I'll say in the defence of Avram.... is that he doesn't mess around too much with our previous template of formations and player positions. His decision to bring on Mikel at halftime mirrored a similar thing JM did at Reading. If I recall correctly he took Sidwell off and replaced him with Mikel which resulted in us scoring two goals to take the lead.

I suppose compare that to the our new Premier League tinkerman in Rafa who doesn't seem to know his best team or their best positions, Gerard playing in the hole behind the striker doesn't appear to work, you only after to look at some of the rants from the screaming scousers this morning.

So I suppose things could be worse we could have Senor Benitez in charge!

And I'm not softening my view on AG, I still think he doesn't quite have what it takes.

alex,

'Why are you trying so hard to sell villa to chelsea?…almost swearing here that there’s a commission involved'

I'm not his agent. I'm a Chelsea fan, and of all the strikers we could feasibly buy in January, he is the best by miles.

I'm sure Anelka, Berbatov and the others we're linked with could do a job, but I'm convinced he'd do the best job.

Avram Grant tries to be Mourinho. But he ain't. How people could not see that. Pathetic! He tries to make same formations, same substitutions, and so on... Perhaps he gets those pieces of advice from S.Clarke. But we have been lucky so far. Now Abrahamovic will splash out cash. But if we dont win anything come May. Please the big russian, if you love Chelsea as do we, Give a boot to Grant. PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We dont like nepotism in UK!

Here you go Fifty, just for you.

LINK;jsessionid=NQPBTIRUNIATHQFIQMFSFF4AVCBQ0IV0?xml=/sport/2008/01/03/ufnchelsea103.xml

LINK

I have to agree with Fifty - if we're looking for a longer term bet in light of Drogba's seemingly imminent departure during the summer then Villa is the man. As JD once said (about Petr Cech) "form is temporary, class is permanent". Villa may not be setting things alight in Valencia right now, but he is playing in a poor team under a new coach who seems to be tinkering with the team trying to find the right formula - I think now is a good time to strike even if all it does is unsettle Villa and turn his head our way.

Anyway, I would much rather Villa came to us than went to Liverpool or ....god forbid...Spurs.

Peter,

Thanks.

It's in the (gospel that is) todays Sun as well. I was tempted to mention it, but it's January and anyone with any money to spend is being linked with just about everyone so I refrained.

I can't (unfortunately) see it happening myself. Even in today's football where the players are by-and-large mercenaries and will play for as much money as possible, I can't see Villa wanting to play for AG as much as he would Benitez or Ramos, or even AW or AF (not that they've been linked).

Would be amazing if we did sign him though.

I recommend everyone read the link Peter posted.

As if being a Newcastle fan wasn't depressing enough, now they're being linked with Tal Ben Haim. As they say : it never rains but it pours.

Happy new year to everyone!!! hallelujah!!! Liverpool made my year already last night!! Rafa has been shown up for what he is! A clown who got lucky against THE BEST TEAM in europe with that ghost goal against us in the CL!! and once more this year I can see them at least 15 to 30 points off the top depending on how this result affects the liverpool players from now on knowing the title is lost in December..... already...again!!! if it was'nt for Gerrards goal against West Ham in the FA cup and the Ghost goal as mentioned, he would have won nothing in Four years....or even been in contention for the Prem either. Also, has anyone noticed that Barca are way off the league in Spain too? and they both have the same manager!!! At least we have an excuse in Grant and the Owner mucking things up, but what do they have as an excuse?! I am almost delirious...Now we see what a great manager we had and lost!!! However, although I am a critic of Roman and Grant, on this occasion, well done anyway to Grant for the win against Fulham. At least he did something right in the game! and did'nt snipe at JM afterwards.

This is getting hilarious.

Why would we be comparing JM to AG???/

Avram has done things that JM failed to do and there are quite a number of things that JM did that Avram has not yet done.

About improving players..JM improved some and failed with some.

Improved lot... Lampard, Obi(would be even better is actually improving more under Avram), JT, DD(was already world class - price tag???), Duff (came good), Essien??? (anyone watch him play in Lyon...actually declined under JM...price tag????)

Failed Robben, Kezman, Kalou, (interesting that the fore mentioned came from the dutch league), SWP, Gud, Shevy, Crespo, Glen Johnson

I could have left out a few but get the picture...

And this thing about Avram playing the same formation like JM...that is a load of bollocks...If you were given square shapes would you try fitting them in a circles??? JM bought these players to fit his formation and it would really be stupid for AVram to alter the formation that was most formidable with the given players...Let him buy his own then we can comment

Another thing here is AVram has not lasted a season yet...it would only be fair that we do our analysis when the harvest is in...

On Kalou, please do remember what you have stated from the start...I do remember that a number here were trashing DD in the beginning are the same stating that we are doomed without him now...how confusing...

When we play well it is either the players, JM's spirit living on or Ten Cate and when we play badly it is Avram Grant...Hypocrisy I say

Great news...
LINK

Although I dare say it's going to upset some on this blog ;-)

happy new year to all, here, and hallo from a long time chelsea supporter.

i agree with jose musumba on Avram Grant. just let it go, and give him the chance. All this venom spillled against the man to me smells of snobbery, because he is not a big name in football. well, rafa benitez is...;) this is not to say that i see people on this blog as such, and woul'd not like to start an argument in that direction. just my 2 pennies. and he's done good, so far, whether you like to admit it, or not.

personally, i am quite enjoying the current situation in the club - for it made me excited again before every match. to some it may sound ridiculous, but since we can't be sure anymore of winning any match, i am once again feeling the buzz before games, getting all fired up when we score, and am biting my nails in the last 10 minutes ;)

we may not win trophies this year, but the fun and uncertainty in watching football is back, and... me likes it.

No offence Jose Musamba, but what is the point in a post that does not add anything to a debate that you don't even think should be taking place?

Irrespective of whether you like it or not Jose, Grant will be compared to Mourinho; only natural until such time as he can (or indeed if) exceed his predecessor's achievements. And it's good to see that you've revised your position and stated that we should wait until the 'harvest is in' after stating that Grant had 'passed the test' some months ago. i.e., wait and see, which is what most people have been saying from day one, really.

Failed Robben, Kezman, Kalou, (interesting that the fore mentioned came from the dutch league), SWP, Gud, Shevy, Crespo, Glen Johnson

Hmm, a point or two of correction needed as there are some interesting takes on the definition of 'failed' there. Crespo returned to the club under JM after a fairly average season under Claudio and a spell on loan and picked up a PL medal, chipping in with a few crucial goals on the way; hardly Mourinho's fault that Hernan's wife wasn't keen on London, was it?

Eidur played a pretty sizeable part in the first title win (and played well in a deeper role for the second). Robben's body failed him as much as anything else but he made a major impact when he managed to stay fit (and, I'm told has just scored his first for Real, finally). Glen Johnson was a Claudio signing and never good enough anyway. Kalou - did OK in his first season given that he was very much a player for the future and ultimately third choice; Sheva - well, he and JM certainly didn't hit it off, no question there - another manager may have done better. Avram may improve him and if he gets the Milan Sheva back, he deserves a knighthood and the Nobel Prize, but I can't see it. Kezman, SWP - neither really good enough, along with Boulahrouz, Del Horno - those can be laid at Mourinho's door, but you have to break a few eggs to make a decent omlette. Look at some of the players that have been through Arsenal and Man U over the years - Djemba Djemba, Wreh etc. Good managers sometimes buy sh*te players - it is more pronounced at Chelsea as we usually pay over the odds; not something that can be blamed upon the manager (and that of course goes for Grant too) really.

Avram is doing very well; he's kept us in the hunt under difficult circumstances but the fact remains that he is untested at this level. Does he have that extra 10% to make us into title winners again? Nobody knows that, but Roman and co. should be very aware that while he can be given all the time and money in the world to do things his way, Ferguson and Wenger have reacted superbly to Chelsea's 'raising of the bar' over the two title winning seasons and have stolen back the initiative very successfully. Secondly, the chasing pack is getting larger and hungrier; Liverpool are therabouts and with a better manager could make a proper title challenge. Man City and Villa are well financed enough to start making a serious push for the top 4. Even Spurs might - no, actually that's just silly...

If we've genuinely got the right manager to deal with all of the above and move us forward, fantastic - but if we haven't, we risk falling further behind; especially if any subsequent managerial departure is as protracted and handled as badly as Mourinho's. But it's not about him now, it's about whether Grant is good enough or not - until he proves that he is, comparisons, favourable or otherwise are inevitable.

And yes, it is a slow day in the office... :-)

However the Saint Jose vs Avram debate is getting a little tedious. Could we agree to put it to one side and have a one off heated debate at the end of the season?

Long may the slow days continue JD... great post, and I totally agree!

@ Mark

Spot on!

@ JD

Can't fault your debate! But on Liverpool hmmm I do not think the manager is the problem...it is just that they have failed to stop living in the past, the song, the belief and their attitude...

Hope your days are all slow this year...;)

Liverpool's problem isn't their attachment to their past, which is a fine and noble thing, it's their unthinking, arrogant belief that because they were great in the past they always will be, without considering the things they got there in the first place and what is needed to return them there in the future.

Cheers Jose... there's actually a good article on the Guardian website by Scott Murray about Liverpool's current situation. Worth a read (I shan't attempt to post the link as a tech luddite...) but it is very interesting.

LINK

that'll be the one - cheers Nick...!

Thanks Jonathan. That's a great one. I agree except for that Boulahrouz part because JM did not want him but was given to him by a certain Dutch director at Chelsea. Kezman wasn't his signing and I thought SWP improved towards the end of last season and the beginning of this season. But all these are irrelevent now because JM's departure was not because of footballing matters. Yes face it. That's the truth. Anyway I think Chelsea will be fine this season and by that I mean at least we are not managed by Mr. Rafa who are now managing apparently the only club in this country that has history.
Go Bramble (Just don't score against us).

Cheers Fariza - I wasn't sure whether Kezman was already on the way to us when JM got here; don't know about Boulahrouz though - I thought he was JM's pick ahead of Alex who was Arnesen's signing? So much was written about it at the time I can't quite remember.

The reference to Pako leaving is interesting with regard Liverpool's slump, the same could be said for Rijkaard and Barca with Ten Cate leaving there. But there is no doubting he's bought a lot of fairly ordinary players that seem to be mainly good squad players.
I suppose he's of the belief that he won La Liga with cautious football and squad rotation, he feels the same rules should apply here.

I can fully understand his reasons for squad rotation especially in the last 12 months... it's to keep those rascally burglars guessing what players are at home ;-)

I'm still not convinced Droggles (used to call him didier, but seeing as though we're on nickname basis now...) is going to leave during January like some claim. I think he will hang about till the end of this season, especially with the prospect of Champions league glory. winning that in may would be the perfect way for him to leave.

being cup tied doesnt exactly make him as desirable nor pricey as he otherwise would be..

despite my poor diet, lack of fitness (does 3 rounds of golf a week count as fitness?) and lack of experience, i think Chelsea should take a punt on me as a dashing winger/striker. i sure as hell don't need 130,000 pound per week. 55,000 will do nicely!

The staggering thing about Liverpool isn't that they haven't won the league for 19 years, it's that they've not even put in a challenge. We at least had a decent pop at it in 1999.

Plastic Scouse mate of mine reckons that Benetiz getting to the CL final last year bought him another two years - I'm not so sure.

That is brilliant !!!

Also the comments are pretty good, specifically the ones from Liverpool 'fans' who dont appear to have a great fondness for Pennant or Kuyt : "Dirk Kuyt - unquestionably the most underrated performer in the Premier League in that he is worse, much, much worse than anyone gives him credit for". (Lord knows what this bloke would make of Pizarro)

In addition, as it's my part of the world the following comment has cheered up my Canary mates who've been mailing Titus pictures to Liverpool fans today already : "Look at it another way. Since 1990, as far as proper shots at the title go, that's only one more than Norwich City have mustered."

I'm tempted to say it would be nice to see City back in the Premier League having a crack at the title (unlikely!!) but it would be better to see Liverpool a couple of places off the Championship relegation places.

But they'd still be jabbering on about 'one night in Istanbul'.

@Alex
Pls dont talk rubbish I never wish any team to beat CFC, I had a feeling that Fulham with a new manager (BTW with a much better CV that AG) would cause a surprise, and they were 45 minutes to do it, but Fulham is really a very very poor team. Regarding SWP last year he had some very good games and so he did the beginning of this season.
About comparing JM to AG is like comparing a rainy day and a sunshine day, and I am not going to dwell and wast my time on these comparisons.
AG is convincing RA to spend like a lunatic because AG, after looking at the calender, if we do not lose any more points when Arsenal and MU comer to ST.Bridge maybe we can beat them and still be champions LOL.
Thats all, I still do not believe that AG is comparable to AW, AF, Juand Ramos and ........ yes Rafa Benitez, and i go by CVs, and by the short time that AG has been in charge.

I am a brazilian living and playing football in Germany, and since my friend moved to Chelsea I read everything about the comments regarding Chelsea only because I think my friend is a very good player. But would like to say that I speak a lot with various players and no one yet reckons Avran Grant,and most reckon that he is a man not to be trusted, something like you say in England, an "asslicker".

Yes Jonathan, Boulahrouz was Arnesen's signing. While Alex was Chelsea's signing prior JM's arrival at Chelsea, but he was loaned to PSV for whatever permit work/visa issue that I don't understand. And Kezman was also not JM's signing. But having said all that, I begin to understand that in football, if the player doesn't play well and he's not the manager's signing,the fact that he's not the manager's signing should not be the reason why he is playing bad. But the manager must know how to help him improves and when to play him. Remember how reluctant JM last season to play Boulahrouz? I think we all can see now why. I don't know how is he doing at Sevilla but I wouldn't pick him to solve our defences problem.
And by the way I read today that Chelsea might sell Wayne Bridge to Liverpool. What do you think of that? I love Bridge and I think he is better than Ashley. In fact, I think he should have played at Arsenal the other day.

Is the QPR game being televised?

No it's not Beef

@Wilson

It's great to have your inside track on the thoughts of the professionals so I'm hoping you'll keep us all updated with your insights.

Your English is very good for a Brazilian, for a footballer it's bloody brilliant. What's the Portuguese for "bullsh*tting w*nker"?

Now why don't you run along and team up with Marco to wave your anti Avra duvet cover!

"What’s the Portuguese for “bullsh*tting w*nker”? Avram Grant I think... sorry Mark couldn't resist. ;-)

Can anyone enlighten me on the rumours I've read here about the Dubai consortium in negotiations with Abromovich to buy Chelsea? Please someone tell me it's true! The dark clouds could be lifting soon!!!! maybe they are in negotiations with JM! Images of "The return of the Jedi" against the evil emperor and his sidekick Avram grant..ooops sorry meant Darth Vader!! wait a minute.. now I think about it, there does seem to be a similarity....LOL!!!!!!

People will say just about anything at this time of year. The sportswriters know that fans are sweating with expectation, so we get finely crafted stories such as yesterday's "Either Anelka Is Going To Another Club Or He Is Staying At Bolton" gem. I'm actually surprised, given our obvious Drogba-sized hole up front, that we haven't already been "linked" with the usual suspects (Eto'o et. al.)

In fact, so far, things seem suspiciously quiet. I'm not putting too much faith in the Telegraph story about us getting the Serbian kid, since when I googled his name I turned up another Telegraph story (date indeterminate) saying that he was on his way to Man U.

I liked it best when we were buying every player in Europe and then loaning them all over the place and refusing to let them play against us. Now that's strategy.

@ Dio

I suggest you read this thread from CFCNet

LINK

Now ask yourself these questions

1.) Does it read like a man about to sell it to someone else having just paid off the final Bates-inflicted Eurobond?

or...

2.) Does this seem to be the action of a very astute business man pouring yet more money into a venture he truly loves and wants to support, even if the side effect is one of credibility and a safe haven against Russian politics?

I might have my doubts about AG, but I have none about RA, Kenyon and Buck. These are all very astute, hard-nosed businessmen who have had to be ruthless in pursuit of their goals. They must have a long term plan, whether involving AG or not. I think we are in safe hands....and if everything went tits up tomorrow I've seen two Premierships I never expected to see when Bates was there, an FA Cup (again..yawn) and 2 Cups in 3 years.

Frankly any consortium from Dubai can jump back on their camels and bugger off.

This might be something of a tangent in this particular comment section, and it is slightly old, but has anyone not yet read the article about Didier Drogba in Vanity Fair?

It's about him, quite literally, uniting the Ivory Coast and if not ending then certainly stalling their five-year-long Civil War.

Somewhat old, but one of the best and most beautiful articles I've read this year:

LINK

I think there's one thing that we can all agree on and Tony is right, we're all very grateful to Roman and what he's done for Chelsea. The accusations of us being a "rich boys plaything" appear to be well off the mark. The new facilities at Cobham are testament to that, and they're probably the best facilities bar none in football today.

I also saw the Sky Sports report about youth development and the emphasis put on producing new talent. Roman knows what it takes in the long term to sustain success and perhaps he will get things wrong from time to time. But whatever opinions we all have about how we achieve it, we all want the same thing, success and trophies.

'I liked it best when we were buying every player in Europe and then loaning them all over the place and refusing to let them play against us. Now that’s strategy.'

Ha ha. If Uncle Av is given an open chequebook in the summer, we could see this happen again if we're very lucky.

Interesting piece in The Mirror about half-time at the Cottage. Still hard to see how the three managers co-operate, but they're clearly getting something right.

LINK

Gents what are your thoughts on the fact Mr Clarke gave the rollocking at Fulham - it worries me slightly that grant didnt do it - almost hiding behind his sidekicks to do the hard work! I have read the above posts and agree - esp fifty and dyer - i like avram but do worry as to whether he can give that high morale factor - napolean said morale was on a 3-1 ratio meaning if your morale is high (which includes respect) then you will play at times up to 3 times your skill level! Something Wenger and Fergie can clearly do - hence as Mr Dyer mentioned they replied so well to us railroading the premier league and raising the bar.

If the reports are true with Steve giving them the hairdryer treatment, then it's good to see his passion back... because he has been looking somewhat subdued on the bench in recent months.

LINK

He likes telling porkies our Avram, doesn't he?

Why doesn't he just get on with his job rather than making up things about the past - it does him no favours at all.

A little disingenuous of him, I have to say. Rather inevitable that the fans will keep making comparisons with the past if the manager keeps doing so.

Michael, re the Drogba article - it is excellent; shame it didn't register too well with the UK media - doesn't fit with the whining / diving label that they've hung upon him. We're very lucky to have him, in my opinion.

The odd thing is that when Saint Jose lied (virtually every time he opened his mouth to the press) you all seemed lap it up.

On the Drogba article.. perhaps some have been too quick in criticizing him wanting to play for his country more so than his club.
It's quite obvious playing for his national team is something that means more to him than people realise, perhaps a few English players should follow his lead.

Mark

Jose wound up the opposition and the press - which is entirely legit. Plus, he was funny.

Grant prefers to lie about his trophy-winning predeccessor while licking the arse of Wenger and Roman. It's one of the reasons that made JM feel like 'one of us' and Grant a clueless twat, a liar and a lackey.

But whether it's hypocrisy on our part or not is irrelevent: the real problem is that it is immensely stupid of Grant because it just makes him even more unpopular with those of us who have fond memories of winning back-to-back league titles (including some of the players). The fact that a lot of people feel the same way can be gauged by the reaction of the fans v Newcastle - despite his results, Grant is not accepted yet and it's going to take him even longer if he keeps talking like this.

I don't see how that can be disputed.

Mark stop patronising us with the "Saint Jose" jibe, he had his faults and was no angel. But I don't recall any snide remarks he made to his predecessor.

Ok - if you're that sensitive I won't refer to Mr Mourinho by that means again. I'm only trying to offer a bit of balance to counter all the Avram knockers. He's now getting criticised for not delivering the half-time bollocking himself. A counter view would be that top managers (in all walks of life) make sure they've got good people around them and know how to delegate - depends which way you want to spin it.

I wish I was as talentless as Avram yet managed to get into the inner circle (not literally) of one of the worlds wealthiest men and land a multi-million pound contract, with my wife constantly taking the p*ss!

I'm not sensitive Mark I just find the tone patronising. I also admire your attempt to play Devils Advocate, most of us on here will give credit to AG if he succeeds,I'll be one of the first in the queue.

'He’s now getting criticised for not delivering the half-time bollocking himself. '

If he is getting criticised - and I haven't seen it - it's for volubly taking credit for this himself in the post-match interview. Taking credit for other's achievements is certainly one way to 'get into the inner circle of one of the world's wealthiest men'!

If we're doing devil's advocate then I'm given to wondering; if Ten Cate was bought in to deal with the tactical side of things and Stevie Clarke is delivering team talks / b*llockings, then exactly what is Uncle Avi actually doing other than delegating...?!

His job appears to be the voice of reason to our media, and damn good at it as well!

... and if we win some trophies and it's due entirely to Ten Cate and Steve Clarke, yet meanwhile we don't offend anyone by delivering vanilla press conferences, then I'm delighted. If Avram gets 2 million per year so what, it's not our money. We're the only club not in debt.

I think this is just another case of the media stirring, and an assumption on our part that it was Grant who delivered the half time bollocking.

From the official site:

"With Michael Ballack admitting in a post-match interview that the dressing room had been a noisy place as the Chelsea staff attempted to rectify the first-half wrongs, the manager was asked as he reflected on the eventual 2-1 win whether he was the type to break the odd tea cup or two when motivating his players.

'If I need to, yes. If it helps to win, I can break chairs,' Grant smiled in response. [emphasis added]"

Grant never said that it was him who delivered the actual rollicking, just that he's capable of doing so if called upon.

I must admit that I'm beginning to warm to him, but I do wish he'd quit with the disparaging of our most successful manager; it's very unlikely that he'll ever emulate Mourinho's achievements, no matter how much money Roman gives him.

Well said Nick. AG should try to better on the pitch and let his work speak for it self instead of attacking some one that meant so much to the club.

Mark, you are stating to sound a bit boring and annoying with you comments referring to our former coach. I liked and still like JM, for once he not only delivered results he also spoke his mind without avoiding the Press Questions so much. I personally don’t like AG because of his ass licking kind, but I’m and will be fair to him if the results are there.

Can we start talking about the FA Cup tie.
What do u reckon Johnathan and Nick?

Please do Stefan... rather looking forward to this one actually.

Go by train, go by car, go and laugh at QPR. Should be fun.

Am waiting for the 6,500 away fans to sing 'Where were you when you were shit' and think they are being original. (The correct answer is obviously 'in your end, taking the piss'.)

QPR are just trying to buy success - I can't stand that - lol

I reckon Bernie and Flavio have got Mr Mosley working on some legal angle to get them through to the next round. You only have to add the letter I to the FA and then you know we're in trouble.

Not entirely sure how QPR think they're going to become the biggest club in West London; their bloody ground is about the size of a Portakabin...

Portakabins are quite spacious these days JD.. ask any West Ham fan

@ Deep Blue

"Mark, you are starting to sound a bit boring and annoying with your comments referring to our former coach

Sorry about that. I accept I'm in a small minority because I'm not upset over JM's departure. If you want you can ban me and others, like Jose Musamba, if you don't want posts contrary to your view, although getting all posters to post a uniform view sounds a bit like ass licking to which you're opposed.

They plan to dig out their basement to give them more space - a very popular concept in west London these days.

'Portakabins are quite spacious these days JD.. ask any West Ham fan'

Arf!

Somebody on the official site just reminded me of the time they upped the cover price on their programme by 10p because 'Chelsea fans will be in the majority and they'll have the correct change at hand'. Classy!

I think QPR is an emerging power and we are likely to face a very complicated task. They'd wanna make giant-killing.
I reckon 2.0
goals from kalou and joe cole
What do you say of my prognostic?

I'd say "where were you when we were SH*T"

Where were you when you were GOOD? might be more appropriate...!

@ Mark

"Sorry about that. I accept I’m in a small minority because I’m not upset over JM’s departure. If you want you can ban me and others, like Jose Musamba, if you don’t want posts contrary to your view, although getting all posters to post a uniform view sounds a bit like ass licking to which you’re opposed."

Mark, you annoy me as well, but sometimes I agree with you. That makes you the perfect person to have a pint with after a game, a bit like my mate ChelseaBob (who once threatened to throw me out of the car on Putney bridge because i called Eidur a carthorse!). Because of that I don't want you or your views to go elsewhere. This blog is all about opinion and rational arguments (well maybe I'm stretching the rational bit there!) and all views are welcomed provided they're half decently written and thought out. Hell...I even miss Henry (see posts passim) who really was an annoying pillock of the highest order.

As for tomorrow...well I can't be there so I'm hoping that Nick will find a feed so I can watch it from my sick bed. It is our first derby for some time against them and no doubt they'll be up for it. I think we'll win 2-1 and then we should sell Ben Haim to Big Fat Sam and bring Mancienne back to our squad and prepare him for a big future.

One of my fondest memories is going to Loftus Road some years ago and we went and scored. Unfortunately to get a ticket I had to sit with a mate in the "home" end. However, when we scored i reckon at least a third of the "home" end stood and cheered as the true number of Chelsea "interlopers" made themselves known. After that we freely sang our songs in with the admittedly rather bewildered QPR fans. Aaaah...the good old days.

QPR have a got half a squad's worth of new signings to pick from but I can't really see any of them testing us especially with us being at home but they'll still be fired up for this tie.
Hopefully Mancienne will get a run out but no doubt AG will start with Ben Haim from the off and it's a real shame that Sinclair and Sahar are both on loan at Rangers too.
What does everyone reckon to Lamps recent 'commitment' to the club?

Think we should see QPR off, but they will be up for it, no question.

OBK - pleased that Lamps wants to stay; not so sure I'd be too keen on us offering him a long term deal on 130k a week though.

@ Mark

I agree with the other fans comments, reagrding your digs at JM, are you being paid by AG, Mark?
Take note that it is inevitable that for the time being and future seasons AG will always be compared to JM, unless he brings back 6 troffies in 2 1/2 years. I even have my doubts that AG will be managing the games in Europe next season if AG doesnt take his qualifications, though I think Israel Federation will show some papers saying the he took them ages ago but forgot LOL.
C'mon Mark wise up to the fact that AG is an arse licker, and tries to convince his boss that verything good is due to him, the digs, the comparisons with the past, geeeeeeeeee the man is a very insecured person, has not got the character or the talent to be in the position he is in. I would not be too surprised if Steve Clarck gave the bollocking at half time, but I will find out fron the mouth of some players.
Just wait when i meet a few in La Movida Mark get some DVD about his managerial time as Israel National team, he never lsot a game of qualification but the most defensive system I ever seen. yes he won I believe 2x the israel championship, but then again they still play with a square ball. All the comments against him are deserved the man looks and acts as a very sly geezer.He needs to show that he is capable and deliver what he promised flait, sexy attacking football and winning.
I am here to see.

...and for the game against QPR, I pity them even our youth team will slaughter them, though I quite like Ecclestone and Briattore.

"Passion isn't always neatly constrained by reason."

I came across this line in a biography of Lester Bangs. I think it sums up perfectly the nature of football debate.

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I've been reading more about the early 1970s team in recent times. They're the reason I support Chelsea, even though I wasn't born until late '71. Years of listening to older fans telling me about Peter Bonetti, Charlie Cooke, Peter Osgood, Bobby Tambling, Ron Harris, Alan Hudson et al mean I'm fascinated with this era. I would have loved to have seen them play.

Anyway, we beat QPR 4-2 in the quarter-finals on the way to winning the FA Cup in 1970, and apparently it was Hudson, at 18 years of age, who inspired us that day. I'd like to see Grant give our current youngsters like Sahar and Sinclair a chance to shine in the cup games against QPR and Everton. They're probably not in the same class as Hudson, but with so many first team players missing it's the perfect opportunity to give them some playing time, particularly at home against lower league opposition.

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None of the Chelsea bloggers will be at the QPR game so if anybody wants to do a report, let me know. I'll do my best to find a live internet stream of the game, but I don't fancy my chances.

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On an unrelated note, I finally got around to reading Adrian Chiles' book, "We Don't Know What We're Doing", over the New Year. Loved it. Even though it's about West Brom and their supporters, it's a great read, hilarious in places, and you'll see yourself in many of the fans.

Hey guys just read in a sport newspaper.
Apparently Bayern Munich is interested in JM, and Franz Bekanbauer said that Mourinho has all the Summer to learn German, now I should know german is a damn hard language, specially the grammar.
Anyway JM cam to the press and said the invitation is a honour since BM is one of the classics in euorpean football, however if they want me , the players have all summer to learn portuguese, LOL LOL .
I found it typical JM.

Looks like his confidence hasn’t been affected. I’m living in Germany and for once would be very happy if he would come here, although I find it very unlikely. If you can not express your self in German, it can be a bit hard…and learning German in such short period it’s not realistic.

That question mark, was suppose to be a " :-)"

Sigh. AG is occasionally mildly witty, but he's nowhere near as funny as José was. And how seriously everyyone took him too. Drove the pompous sportswriters mad, and wound up the humourless managers till they went purple.

Maybe we should get Martin "Mad Dog" Allen in as manager.

I noticed this little piece on the BBC website football gossip section....

A QPR fans' group has warned R's fans not to taunt Chelsea fans about their new wealth yet - "save it for when we thrash them in the Premier League," said a spokesman (Times).

You have to love their confidence.

@Nick Benfield

I went to that match against QPR in 1970. I was 12 years old and don't really remember much about it, but Alan Hudson didn't just inspire that victory, he inspired the team for virtually the whole season. He is the best player, barring Gianfranco Zola, who I have ever seen play for Chelsea. So I think it is unlikely any of our current youngsters will be as good as him. It was such a tragedy that he got injured (by Asa Hartford) and had to miss the final against Leeds. There was a very good article written somewhere recently where the question was asked whether England deserved to have talented footballers. The point was made that whereas Carlton Palmer won 18 England caps, Alan Hudson only got 2.

There was a goal he scored in that same season against, I think, Sheffield Wednesday where he ran with the ball from inside his own half. Does anyone else remember that goal? would it, by the remotest of chances, be on video anywhere?

@ The good Doctor - I had a hunt for Alan hudson goals around the net but they would appear to be like rocking horse shit, so here is a nice one I found from 1972 in amatch against Orient - just look at the pitch...proper football!

LINK

@Doctor

I also went to the 1970 game. Its the only time I've ever had to pay a tout for a ticket. Alan Hudson was simply awesome in those first few months of 1970 up to the point he got injured. In a team containing a lot of talented players (Osgood, Cooke, Hutchinson. Hollins, etc) he was Man of the Match game after game. An extraordinary sequence of assertive brilliance from an 18 year old. I remember the goal against Sheffield Wednesday and a very similar one at Coventry; both scored carrying the ball from inside his own half, and scored not so much by beating defenders with his dribbling, but by using the forward runners and shaping to pass while keeping space open ahead of him and then accelerating into the space crea