Who Dairies Wins – Musing on the Human Kind of Milkiness
Tuesday, 02 June 09, 05:50 AM · Comments (81)
The Diary of a Dorset Dairy (well a holiday near a dairy farm actually)
The Rural Idyll
My soul enervated by the stresses and disappointments of our Champions League campaign, I was driven to seek solace and spiritual rejuvenation in the Deep South.
Yes, a week in the bucolic loveliness that is the county of Dorset. What better tonic for the flagging spirits than the mythical Wessex of Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), one of England’s great men of letters.
Hardy always considered himself a poet first and foremost. Indeed following the hostile reception from a conservative middle England to his last two great novels, Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure, he concentrated on his poetry which, while considered decent enough and championed by some, never reached the heights of his best prose.
Surely, there is something instructive here for those who would react to the hostility that greeted two fine, compelling League titles, by hankering for recognition through the very different form of the Champions League?
How best to summarise the work of Thomas Hardy? The Oxford Companion to English Literature is a good place to start.
“The underlying theme of many of the novels, the short poems, and the epic drama The Dynasts is, in Binyon’s words, ‘the implanted crookedness of things’; the struggle of man against the indifferent force that rules the world and inflicts on him the sufferings and ironies of life and love.” [my italics]
Oh to be blessed with such fine a sense of the footballing condition, without first enduring the pain of watching Chelsea!
Hardy Country it was then. What better place to contemplate another season spent supporting Chelsea Football Club? A place to take pause before the Cup Final. Indeed, a place from where to observe the final weekend of the Premier League, the demise of the Geordie nation and, in mid-week, everybody’s “Dream Final” [sic].
Appropriate too that I should take to a rural setting just as Chelsea prepared to bid farewell to a Dutchman, who in his youth expected to become a “Stront Boer” (a farmer who makes a living from selling his livestock’s manure), and made ready to welcome an Italian who grew up on a pig farm.
Surely it is only a question of time before the team starts running out to the theme tune from the Archers (a long running BBC Radio 4 soap detailing the everyday lives of country folk). What with the media damning our approach as “agricultural” when compared to the suave, slick urbanity of Barcelona, we might as well plough on and go the whole hog.
A Dutchman Flying High
And what a great farewell to Guus it proved to be on Saturday. The day’s events were ably summarised by Nick in his match report and I have little to add. At one and the same time I sat choking back a tear while asking myself the age-old question of why we invest so much emotion (not to mention hard earned wedge) into 22 blokes chasing a ball around a pitch? Needless to say no immediate answer presented itself.
It was a good team performance and once more demonstrated the inner strength and cohesion that has become a trademark of Chelsea in recent years. Irrespective of tactics and injuries, it was his inability to foster this aspect of the group that damned Scolari’s regime in many fans' eyes, I believe.
Well done to Everton and their fans. That is not said in a patronising “pat on the head” tone but in recognition that losing hurts whether you are the underdog or not. I would certainly have been gutted to lose but can honestly say I would not have begrudged them a day in the sun. Would I have stayed to applaud them? I’d hope so, but am equally glad not to have my resolve tested.
See See Rider
A quick word on the ITV coverage. So as not to be reduced to a jellied wreck, I didn’t watch the build up and only tuned in some 25 minutes before kick-off. It was just in time to hear Steve Rider refer to “The all Blues Final”, or some such, before we were treated to a bit of film featuring Seasick Steve with his singular take on the Delta Blues tradition.
Back live, the cameras lighted on his somewhat bemused looking self, standing by a stairway. I couldn’t make out who he might be supporting.
Continuing the distinctly “Southern” tinge we were then treated to the traditional singing of Abide With Me led in Gospel stylee by the London Community Gospel Choir, before the spell was broken when the expected Bluegrass treatment of the National Anthem failed to materialise. Still, can’t blame ITV for that.
On the commentary front, I was thankful they partnered Tyldsley with Jim Beglin (ex-Liverpool and rumoured to be a Chelsea fan) so we were guaranteed some semblance of good sense and fair play.
The whole shebang signed off with Bruce Springsteen’s version of the old American folk song “Keep Your Eyes on The Prize”.
So for a fan of Americana like myself it wasn’t a bad day at all. Fair play to ITV. The play on the “Blues” may have been a little heavy handed but it made a change from the usual arias, rock anthems and Mariah Carey nonsense they usually choose for these occasions or, as was the case with the use of Elbow’s “Beautiful Day” over a montage of Manure winning the Prem a few weeks ago, wilful spoiling of a wonderful song for the rest of us (though I don’t begrudge the band the royalties - they’ve paid their dues).
Getting The Boot
Our last Premier League game was a curious affair. Thousands of Sunderland fans going mental, (a friend of mine says it was the loudest noise he had heard in a football ground) as their team lost but Newcastle disappeared through the trap door.
Anelka scored a beautiful goal that went largely unremarked as did his earning of the Golden Boot. Indeed we saw more of Phil “The Tan” Brown’s execrable rendition of “Sloop John B” at the end of Hull’s great escape. (Any watching Manc fans probably thought that was the worst thing they were likely to see on a football pitch that week. It wasn’t.)
Inflation v Deflation
There was no time for the media to reflect on Anelka’s “Goal of the Season” contender (except it wasn’t; Match of the Day didn’t consider any of Chelsea’s 68 goals worthy of inclusion) because by then the enormous bouncy castle of media driven Mancunian expectation was already being slowly inflated culminating on Wednesday with the likes of Henry Winter driving away like a piston at the footpump of overblown puffery.
Pity the Manc fans who saw this as an invitation for the swinging leg of fate to boot them firmly in the bracket.
I did not wish to disturb my regenerative commune with nature by torturing myself through the build up to the “Dream Final”. I was dreading but expecting a Manure victory. I restricted myself to a few minutes during the first half and a few Teletext updates (a service that was still showing the score 1-0 when the game had been over for five minutes). I passed the time reading about the exploits of the legendary Fausto Coppi (1919-1960), a great, if not the greatest, racing cyclist, who encapsulated both the light and dark which are intrinsic to that, and indeed any, sport. A man who seemed to carry with him a melancholia borne of the knowledge that to struggle against his fate was indeed futile and no longer seemed to have the will to quit when years of competition had destroyed his physical condition. Malaria made the decision for him in 1960. Sobering reading indeed.
But it didn’t take too long for my mood to lighten when I found out the result. I also then understood where the annoying hissing sound, like a slowly deflating balloon came from.
I Knock ‘Enry Down
It wasn’t until the following day that my sister passed me Henry Winter’s article from Wednesday’s Daily Telegraph. Take a moment to savour this. Be careful though, have a medical professional in attendance, as you will be in danger of dying with laughter. Yes Henry, by all means nail your colours to the mast but don’t hit your hand with the hammer.
The phrase that stood out, among many, was this:
“Yet Barcelona allow opponents to breathe, to express themselves”.
No Henry they don’t. If they have the ball you can’t get it back and if you do they try to dispossess you as close to your 18 yard line as they can.
With Iniesta and Xavi they play a possession game of real quality, but the other side of the coin is that they are equally as good at pressing to deny you space and time. You need to defend well, move the ball quickly and accurately past the midfield and get at their back four. It means they usually have more possession than you, but you might just beat them. Man United didn’t do this well enough, apparently.
From what I can tell Barcelona were impressive but United disappeared for large parts of the game. I get the feeling this game won't feature in the top 10 European Dream Finals of all time when the lists are compiled in years to come.
But He Gets Up Again
Having given our ‘Enry (Winter that is) a bit of a pasting, I must now warmly embrace his pummelled torso and kiss his bruised face. For he went on to write the following finely crafted piece of sports journalism.
Irrespective of talent, you win nothing unless you get a group of players who want to play for each other and the club. They don’t have to be friends, they don’t even have to particularly like each other. They do, however have to have that indefinable quality founded in mutual respect that means they will function as a group and sublimate the personal for the good of the team. Careful, skilled man management is central to building this. Another period in Chelsea’s recent history clearly highlights the importance of these elements, which I was reminded of by another book I read during my country convalescence.
We Got Knocked Down
Instead of burying myself in the works of Thomas Hardy, centred as they are in a pastoral England on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution, an England soon to change forever, I looked to the world of the vegetable and immersed myself in Celery – Representing Chelsea in the 1980s by Kelvin Barker. A book centred on a club on the eve of a financial revolution and soon to change, perhaps forever but certainly for the better, in terms of achievement.
Now I should declare an interest here. Kelvin used to work with my partner and I have spoken to him on the telephone on one or two occasions. Knowing I was a fan, he gave her a copy to pass on to me when it first came out a couple of years ago. I must confess that it has taken me some time to get around to reading it. As someone who didn’t get more than half way through Harry Harris’ turgid All the Way Jose, I have fought shy of football books.
So it was a pleasant surprise to read an entertaining account of the ongoing madhouse that is our beloved CFC, as we trampolined between divisions and regularly imploded just when things were going in the right direction. The whole tale is leavened with often humorous, at times thought provoking anecdotes of a dedicated fan following his team through a difficult period for British society (when isn’t) and League football, let alone Chelsea FC.
It is the authenticity of personal experience that makes the first part of the book distinctive. The second part frames the memories of some of the main characters in the drama. Figures such as Colin Pates, John Bumstead, Micky Thomas, Pat Nevin, David Speedie, Kerry Dixon and John Neal to name quite a few of them. Freed from the usual media interview speak, their thoughts seem imbued with a refreshing honesty while a love for the club and its fans shines through.
For those who were there, I’m sure there will be much that chimes with your own memories. I myself was too busy to have seen much live football in the 80s. Too busy battling back through the following cars in one last desperate bid to stay in touch with the peloton before the next big hill, on yet another windswept day somewhere in Essex (or Hertfordshire, Surrey, Bucks, Berks, it’s all one painful blur), only returning to the Bridge in time for the joys of the Porterfield years. So it was enjoyable to piece together my own disparate memories while filling in the gaps left by being a part time lightweight.
But We Got Up Again
For me, the theme that resonates through the book and through the memories of the players is both the success of John Neal’s team and the wasted potential once he was forced to retire (by whom or what seems a matter for debate). The key ingredients were his man management skills and Ian McNeill’s scouting ability combined with the players attributes of commitment and drive (and no little skill) that meant a willingness to go the extra mile: to train and play harder. There was an innate understanding amongst them, which, in combination with Neal’s ability to get the best out of those players, promised so much. Sadly it all leeched away under the stewardship of John Hollins and Ernie Walley.
To my mind that same heady mix has come together again. I think Ranieri went some way to concocting the brew, Mourinho of course ignited it, before the flame was very nearly doused by his successors. But Hiddink has primed the wick and the flame is strong again. Can Ancelotti keep it alive? We shall see.
I would certainly recommend the book as a worthwhile read. Don’t dismiss it as being some sort of geeky trainspotter type nonsense because it isn’t backed by a big publisher and written by a name. It was a labour of love and is well worth the time and effort in my opinion. I’d lend all of you my copy but hey, Kelvin deserves some financial reward and what’s a tenner to us blinged up chavs, for 400 hundred pages, an index and some photos, if it buys you a bit of history (as some of those so called “neutrals” might put it).
And I So Nearly Got Locked Up Again
Kelvin’s book doesn’t shy away from the more unsavoury aspects of following Chelsea in the 80s and he recounts many tales of the good and bad apples in some of Britain’s constabularies. I myself am in debt to the generosity of the Dorsetshire Constabulary, who dissuaded the local RSPCA representative from pressing charges of cruelty to a defenceless animal through the irresponsible use of a musical instrument.
Being football men themselves, they understood how a city dweller rarely gets the opportunity to find out just how easy it is to hit a cow’s arse with a banjo. (It’s actually not too difficult provided the animal is tethered, as they can move at a fair lick if you have to chase them round a field.)
We’d Herd It On the Grapevine
So it only remains to bid welcome to our latest managerial recruit. My father was raised on the subsistence farms round the hills and bogs above Kilgarvan in County Kerry and would often wish you well with the saying “May your hand kill a pig, and the pig be your own”.
Carlo will understand I’m sure, being a pig man himself and something of a personality, if those excerpts from his book are to be believed. He seems to have the respect and affection of his players at Milan and we’ve seen how important that can be.
[Safety notice: No animals were harmed in the composing of this bloggery]
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81 Comments · Add yours
I was about to post a missive inquiring as to whether anyone had knowledge of the Bard of the Blog's whereabouts. Whilst obviously far from the madding crowd, he is thankfully alive and indeed very well...
Afternoon BB, splendid stuff as always.
Marvellous stuff. Being a Dorset gentleman myself (I was born in Bournemouth) it's nice to see a Wessex tale on the blog.
Afternoon BB
Once again, my Industrial Revolution working class trademark cap is duly doffed in your direction.
Tyhe Bi-Polar Express can wait a while as this post deserves a damn good airing.
BB- my parentage is also County Kerry based and a common phrase within my Mums family is most applicable here
Good man yerself!
Another truly excellent set of musings, BB.
Personally I was raised in allegedly rural Ayrshire, famed for its cows rather than pigs.
Indeed, I could see farms inland from my parents' 11-storey towerblock home, and the coastline looked beautiful as long as you ignored the ICI explosives factory in one direction and the Shell offices in the other - and thankfully the nuclear power plant at Hunterston was too far away to be visible. Was this the beginning of the bi-polar existence that led me to my beloved blues?
Your thoughts on the wasted legacy of John Neal reminds me that we had even less excuse a decade earlier when Eddie McCreadie got his young side back in the top division only to be allowed to storm off to the former colonies over a contract dispute that must have involved sums that would seem laughably trivial by our current standards.
Who knows if Ancelotti can build on where we currently are - at least he was making encouraging noises in his interview about working with the strengths of the players he has.
I do worry that he will feel pressured to produce instant success rather than long-term building to avoid Roman dumping him next summer and bringing back Guus after the World Cup.
What a delightful and unusual treat to read an articulate, literate Chelsea blog. Now that we have an Italian manager I look foward to musings on Dante's La Commedia Divina...
More prosaically, be good to have Johnson back and that Pato looks a bit tasty (if the Sun is to be believed.)
Afternoon each.
All in all an enjoyable week on some many levels.
@KJII
Deeply touched by your concern. Carlo may fancy himself as 007 but only us pros no how to disappear off the grid in deep deep cover ;-)
btw the "sta" combination of keys on your computational machine appear to be sticking.
@BBD
You're absolutely right about McCreadie. Some sources have it that it was over not giving him a company car.
If Chelsea had a foot it would look like a gouda cheese.
Glad you all enjoyed the piece. It was one of the pleasures of returning to catch up on all the posts and comments. Nice to see an old stager (purely in bloggage time of course) like Lolli popping in.
Years ago you would have looked through all your letters with the same anticipation, but now its all just bills and junk mail.
Speaking of junk James Lawton is at it again.
LINK
Will we never have peace? Any ideas on what the 3rd comment down is referring to(only non scurrilous and non libellous suggestions please)?
I am intrigued.
Did anyone see Ancelotti on Chelsea TV last night.
I rate his English at about 3 compared to Scolari 1 and Guus 8.5.
But I'm worried that if he's interviewed by a reporter from Dorset he'll think he's landed on Mars.
That should read "so many levels" or is it "some levels" no maybe it was "some many levels" after all.
Blue Bayou, you are always operating on so many levels, and not all of them detectable by man.
Fine prose, I have never read Hardy (save a few pages of 'The Woodlander') and being a London lad had never seen a pig till I was 25, so this was educational as well as hugely entertaining.
I am now off to delve into the depths of senility that is James Lawton.
Ah, BB, this is very apposite as I believe that the comment in question is referring to the rumour that Mr Lawton is not wholly enamoured by men who choose to forego pork because of their religious beliefs.
Reply to PeteW:
I saw a pig in Morden the other day. It's a long story.
Favourite porcine related anecdote - opening sequence of The Simpson, Bart's blackboard lines:
"Pork is not a verb."
Eloquent stuff as ever BB, and I hope it'll inspire all those connected with CFC to renew their interest in Hardy. Cycling past the ground the other day I thought I saw our all-action muscular number 5 with a Penguin Classics paperback sticking out of his back pocket -- presumably _Ess of the D'Urbervilles_.
Funnily enough Hardy turns out to have been a prescient fan of 1970s Dutch football, so perhaps your musings caught something of the spirit of his longing for the coming of one of Ajax and Holland's most feted exponents of the beautiful game? As Hardy puts it in the final lines of "Before Life and After":
"Ere Neeskens shall be reaffirmed
How long, how long?"
Nice to see the silly season in full swing already -- no not on the blog, I mean on poor starved Sky Sports News. Any guesses as to who will be most implausibly linked with Chelsea in the next seven days?
@Geoff F #5
Thanks for the comments.
Do forgive me but by inserting one vowel and changing another, your last comment sounds like something a friend of mine said the other day when I asked about the sex change reversal while we were at buffet lunch:
"be good to have (a) Johnson back and that Pate looks a bit tasty"
Reply to Geoff F:
You might not believe this, but Dante's La Commedia Divine and the uncanny resemblance to a life with Chelsea (even prior to our newest Italian Papa) was one of my planned blog posts for the summer.
Guess I'll have to pull my finger out and get it done!
Actually, taking of Mr Essien and his possible artistic interests, did anybody see this in Monday's Times?
LINK
Reply to PeteW:
eeek better tiptoe out of the minefield then
but thanks
Okay, so my head has exploded. Richard Williams used to have a season ticket at Chelsea.
LINK
Reply to PeteW:
Perhaps he turned against us for flogging his hero, Wilkins, to ManUre?
As the West Stand was closer to vying with the old North Stand for which would crumble and fall first in those 2 seasons rather than being "then new" perhaps he didn't actually sit in that often.
Would agree with his sentiments on Wilkins' very positive contribution in those seasons, though.
Reply to PeteW:
Did perplex me somewhat, that one.
Silly season is officially upon us:
LINK
£12 million for a 28 year old available on a free next season. £100k a week.
Can we sell them Deco?
Reply to PeteW:
"I saw Wilkins in one of his early first‑team appearances, before McCreadie made him captain, and what I saw persuaded me that it was worth making a special effort to watch him regularly. With no allegiance – prior or subsequent – to Chelsea I bought a Stamford Bridge season ticket for those two seasons in the Second Division and got value for my money (£50, all told, for a good seat in the then‑new West Stand) from his performances alone."
Relax Pierre, he's making it up. The West Stand was 10 years old by then. He'd have been in the East Stand. Unless he doesn't know East from West or his arse from his elbow? Shurely not.
If you recruited someone purely on the basis that they can say "yes" LINK wouldn't it make more sense to recruit someone who could actually say "yes".
Sì
Reply to Mark25:
You wonder how they overlooked the "Man From Del Monte". Ideal for the role I would have thought.
Reply to PeteW:
That's just great!
Reply to BlueBayou:
Great stuff BB.
You do realize that Pato doesn't even need a vowel change- that in Spanish it means "duck" (as in the tasty bird)?
If true, where has the money come from?, this from a club up to it's eyeballs in debt.. LINK
Flicked over to SSN tonight to see an update on the Kaka deal from Guillem Balague. He says both Chelsea and Real are willing to pay Milan's £55m asking price but that Real are in all liklihood going to tie up personal terms before we've had a chance to sabotage the deal. Let's hope Kenyon comes through for us and Real feel the pain of missing out on a key brazilian transfer target due to the interest of a rich rival. That scenario sounds strangely familiar.
And how priceless is the Gareth-Barry-to-Citeh story? So, Gareth, you were sorry to leave Villa but you felt you'd reached the stage in your career where you wanted to experience the Champions League?
Can't wait to watch him saying "It was never about the money".
My Arse-supporting brother says he wants Wenger to sign Drogba as it's the only way to stop Drogs scoring against them.
Reply to PeteW:
Really? I'm amazed.
Though, that said, it does explain absolutely everything to my complete satisfaction, which also makes it quite a compelling explanation.
I shall bear it in mind, while trying to investigate if it can possibly be true.
Not a Blues fan (though I do play 'blues harp' from time to time), but I have to say, Blue Bayou, that is an excellent piece of the written word. Most envious of your abilities. Hat's off to you, sir.
I fondly remember the Summer when John Neal and Ian McNeill completely revitalised our abysmal team with, Dixon, Nevin, McLaughlin, Niedzwiecki and later Mickey Thomas.
Was there ever a team of 'Galacticos' put together so cheaply!
Having watched Chelsea the previous season it was almost a mirage to see our overhauled team come out and win (5-0 I think) on the opening home game of the new season.
buy robben he is the answer to alot of our problems
LINK
Looks like we have picked up Daniel Sturridge on a Free Transfer.
On the plus side: He's young (19) and English, and free.
On the down side: He won't be good enough and is likely to be moved on without getting a real crack at it. 4 goals in 16 games for Citeh isn't world beating material.
Still rumours of Pato look more promising.
If we do hijack the Kaka deal, I suppose there would be some sort of poetic justice to the way Real jerked us around with Robinho. But to be honest, I think Pato would be the better option.
He's just 19?
"England Under 20 striker Sturridge has become the first signing of the new regime on a free after City refused to meet his £55,000-aweek wage demands. He made 16 Premier League appearances last season and scored four goals but Chelsea sporting director Frank Arnesen has been after him for three years."
£55,000 a week after 16 appearances. How fucking stupid do we look? I guess when he makes a first team appearance Arnesen will feel it's job done for him.....
Reply to Fiftee:
Not a huge fan of Mr. Arnesen, but Sturridge does look to be a bit special; very quick, has that game-changing ability we lack at the moment - check out the pass he makes to Robinho (I think) for his goal in the game against Blackburn if you can find it online - extraordinary stuff; had it been Gerrard etc. etc.
That said, he appears to have behaved like a bit of a tosseur re his new Citeh deal, but given the lunacy up there at the moment, I think I'd probably hold out for a bigger slice of the pie. (Not sure they will be top 4 next season as they still have a lot of gaps to fill, but Ireland and Barry in midfield is a decent place to start. And Mark Hughes is still there - who'd have thought?)
Fiftee - Real's finances are baffling; Perez is worth a bob or two, but this might explain a lot :-)
LINK
Sorry, last comment about Real's finances was for Clive...
Reply to KaiserJonny_II:
It is if you "pork " someone hehe LOL! i just had toget that in...so to speak!!!
Having just read the Mail stroy about Sturridge (likely) and Pato (no chance) it also mentions Carlo wants the club to give Drogs a 3 year contract. He's 31 and injuries are catching up with him (that, and his shoddy discipline). What use will he be when he's 34? It'll be the Sheva situation all over again, we'll punt him out on loan somewhere and continue paying tens of thousands of punds a week in his wages. I'd offer him an extra year, then pay-as-you-play on top of that.
So much for Kenyons 'self sufficient' plan in the next few years if we're just chucking money away like this - wouldn't DD's potential wages be better spent on a younger player (read : also Deco, Ballack, Sheva, Pizarro etc.)?
Only on Day 3 of Transfer Window Madness and I think it's time to up my estimate to 99.9% made-up bollocks.
How many more times are the papers going to get away with filling pages with Milan allegedly dangling Kaka in front of teams only to snatch him off again?
I see today that the "Zhirkov signs for Chelsea" story has changed to "Zhirkov denies any contact from Chelsea" and "Sheva to be paid off" has become "Sheva wanted back at Bridge".
I'll believe Sturridge, Pato, etc when they appear on the official website - so far Ballack's 1-year extension seems to be the only real [semi]story.
Sheva wanted back at the Bridge? What the fuck as, a very expensive ornamental doorstop?
The round up of transfer news on the BBC site is amusing - more contradictions and false statements than a politician's expenses claim.
Reply to KaiserJonny_II:
.. and now with not only mangled grammar and misleading summaries of stories but also hyper-links to the correct story in a different paper or entirely the wrong story - see their Sturridge and Pato items today as examples.
Why? LINK
Unless of course we have some payback outstanding with a certain No.10 ;-)
Reply to Clive:
Why exactly.
Lets go and let that nasty little *unt break a few more of our best players shall we? Why not let him jump on JT or Lamps' head and really stuff us up for next season.
And what's with playing pre-season games a) on another continent and b) away from home in England? Would be one of the few times I could actually make it down to the Bridge, and pre-season games never, ever, seem to be at home now.
Bonkers. Absolutely bonkers.
38. Fiftee
I couldn't agree more...
Real bought Kaka ...the deal is 90 % finalized...Wesley Sneijder and Van Der Vaart are transfer listed. I think it would be reallly idiotic if we don't try to buy one of the two.
Sneijder is absolutely amazing and Van Der Vaart is young and talented.
No comment.
[It's taken a couple of hours just to catch-up on all that's been posted and I've gotta do some stuff.
Oh well, just one:
Why has nobody enquired more about the incident with the banjo and the cow's behind or are we just so unsurprised by BBs behaviour that such activities could go unchallenged?
Maybe two:
A big welcome to Carlo.
Or three:
Congrats to the team on Saturday's display of proper football, beautiful at times too, in the eyes of this beholder, anyway.
Cheers.
Not that it at all sounds suspicious, but apparently with Perez at the helm, Madrid are going to release all their Dutch players :
LINK
Sneijder, Van der Vaart, Robben, Huntelaar - those 4 would be a good start (yeah, I know we've had Robben once but, when fit, he's dynamite. So he'll be good for 4 games a season) to our 'restructure'.
Looks like Roman is throwing all his money at Milan in a bid to hijack the Kaka deal. Revenge on Real for Robinho?
It's not gonna happen, is it.
please somebody tell me this is not true!! utter madness if it is. Where is our scouting for general good/very good young players with some record. surely for this money we can get half a squad who are hungry etc etc LINK
Reply to PeteW:
Does rather give the impression we're just trying to piss them off, doesn't it? Carry on, I say.
Reply to PeteW:
The club have sent an official text out denying any bid for Kaka or any contact with him.
Like you said Pete, it aint gonna happen....
Reply to ChelseaTony:
Keep winding the fuckers up, though - do I hear 85 million, 90...? :-)
I'm loving this Robinho revenge mission from Roman. We won't get Kaka but if his actions result in Madrid having to pay a higher transfer fee, more wages to Kaka or a larger cut to Kaka's dad then mission accomplished. But if Kenyon looks at it realistically for £75m we could get one Kaka or Villa, Pato and Silva put together. There's only one logical decision with regards to the transfer but Chelsea and logical don't usually go together so i'm looking forward to Monday when Milan announce where Kaka will be going.
Reply to haberdashers:
As long as it's not SW6
Also just found that Ricky's off:
LINK
He's been great for us but it's time for him to leave and probably head off to Inter with Deco. With Mancienne and Ivanovic looking like our defensive stars of the future and Alex liking his recent run in the first team, an injury prone Ricky isn't needed. Thanks for the memories Ricky, especially your crazy darts upfield like at Bolton when we won the title and against Utd a year later but your time is up.
Yes, Ricky's one of those players who wouldn't settle for the bench, even if he needs to move on for a regular first team place.
Best of luck.
A thought on the Kaka story, his name's dos Santos Leite which I think has something to do with 'milk saints'...maybe the Dorset Dairy's what's making him think twice about Real?
The amusing prospect of winding Real up aside, the club's denial of any bid for Kaka is interesting.
Given that we don't usually comment on speculation, it might be that there is no bid - just mischief making from the press or whoever - and we're a touch sensitive about our name being linked with such daft sums of money.
If we're haggling with someone else - Aguero or whoever - for a lower sum, it isn't going to help or case seeing fantasy football figures and CFC's name being thrown around, is it?
Reply to KaiserJonny_II:
That's a good point, it could well be that we're negotiating somewhere with someone and this speculation is getting in the way.
If that speculation idea is right, then it would surely rule out Pato...
Don't think I can take three months of this transfer stuff, better find myself a hobby or something.
Trying hopelessly to sign Kaka and trying to sell our best defender. Thats our foolish board for you
Reply to 13Joe13:
As good a defender Riccy is, we have more than adequate cover in that area. Alex has come on leaps and bounds in the last few months and Branislav Ivanovic is just pure class. Riccy has had numerous injuries this season, and that trend may well continue with his age.
There is nothing foolish about attempting to get a few quid in the bank for a player, who just might be sitting on the bench more often than playing.
Re our denial of Kaka it could be true or false.
Ancelotti was denying that he met Chelsea or signed a deal up until Sunday so anything's possible.
The club statement read "We have never made an offer to AC Milan for Kaka and therefore not one at this extraordinary level. As a consequence we have not discussed a salary with the player either. Any reports to the contrary are totally untrue."
But it's quite possible we've been in negotiation with Kaka's dad and the above statement still holds true.
Personally I'd prefer to stick with Lampard. I can't see Kaka scoring 20 goals per season and remaining injury free to play every game in the hurly burly of the Premiership.
Oh joy.
Just read that the ACN takes place in January next year - so that's Drogs, Mikel and Essien missing for 4 weeks.
We'll be left with a big hole up-front, but maybe a bigger hole in the 'holding role'.
Morning all,
So who are we spunking billions on today then? Kaka, Villa, Ribery, all three?
Gotta love that silly season; much of the rest of the world hasn't got two brass farthings to rub together whilst the football world indulges itself in a bout of fairly vulgar willy-waving.
Love it.
Reply to Fiftee:
This could have played a part in Ze German getting that 1-year extension and clearly needs to be considered when squad changes are agreed.
Worth remembering though that despite how worried we all were in 2008 we actually won 7 games on the trot and drew 2 [incl v 'Poo] while ACN was happening - that Sidwell chappy did a sterling job, perhaps we should set up a yo-yo agreement for him like Glen Johnson ;-)
Reply to blueboydave:
Very true - fixture list was quite kind though, as I recall. Hopefully Carlo will ensure plenty of cover is available.
I remember that period as the time when the club finally realised what we all knew. That SWP was a great attacking midfielder rather than the winger we tried to convert him into. He was brilliant in that role with Ze German tucked in behind him. Of course, he lost his place as soon as the Africans came back :-)
A good article in the Times by Gabriele Marcotti that goes some way to explaining how Madrid can afford to do what they do :
LINK
Reply to Fiftee:
Interesting article that; this sentence sums it up...
Whatever debt they hold (and detail here is murky) is with local banks, many of whom are under political and social pressure not to tighten the screws.
Murky isn't the half of it. And then you get dear old Monsiuer Platini pulling the "Real's pursuit of Ronaldo is 'normal' behaviour" card last summer after some of the most shameless attempts to tap up, unsettle or whatever you choose to call it - it's not exactly a level playing field out there, is it?
KJII,
Quite right. It seems Platini has worked really hard to be as anti-English as he is. Not a word from him / Blatter / UEFA or FIFA now Perez is back in charge, yet Kaka's signed, Ronaldo is next and we're supposed to accept it's part and parcel.
No doubt if the rumoured signing of Sturridge goes through we'll be culpable for destroying youth development / poaching another clubs talent etc.
Oh the irony.
Interesting how Pirlo is the latest to come out in one way or another and say he doesnt want to play for Chelsea. So that's him, Kaka, Pato and Ribery in the space of 3 days. To redress the balance, I'd like to go on record to say how much I'd love to play for Chelsea.
I'm 29 in a fortnight, so approaching my prime (or youth material to Carlo) and whilst I'm carrying a little bit of close-season timber (it's good living, honest) I feel I could do a decent job at right-back, or sitting on the bench every week. I'd only want £20k a week as well - pocket money in modern football.
My current club have informed me they'd want nothing more than 3 brand new match-balls and a set of water-bottles in lieu of a transfer fee so, if you're reading Roman / Peter / Carlo, get in touch. No agent fees to pay either (well, except to my fellow bloggers) so it's a win-win deal.
Interesting set of stats from the Beeb website....
LINK
Talking of stats Google have launched a new type of search engine called Squared LINK which builds columns of data. I built a square LINK "Premiership Clubs" and added 2 custom columns "Color" and "Manager".
Either Google Squared needs a bit longer in the oven or Ancelotti is only temporary and I need to start saving for another replica shirt.
I've just added 2 more columns. Oh how I wish under "History" the "No value found" was against Liverpoo
Looking at the comments by KPMG on Liverpool's accounts they seem to think that if the refinancing doesn't get sorted it is a case of "no value" to be found and "you're history"
(though it is the parent company and not the club - I suppose they will find someone to buy it)
This is just bizarre :
LINK
Rijkaard to Galatasaray as Technical Director. That's a bit out of left-field, and then some.
And the transfer thing has got me thinking. It seems general consensus that we want to by a 'superstar', yet they all say they dont want to come. We'll end up buying someone we really dont want or need...
Frank says we need more of an "edge"
LINK
If we were to sign Ribery and or Villa then Malouda and Anelka/Drogba would have to go. Personally id forget about Villa as he doesnt want to come anyway. As for Ribery......Well to sign somebody for £50m when we already have a player that plays in his position (and playing very well) seems a little pointless to me because if Ribery did well and relegated Malouda to the bench then we would just be wasting money having F.M on the bench.
Reply to Clive:
You make a good point that Alex has improved but to me he is the too simular to JT. Riccy gets about quicker AND is a brilliant tackler. Remember JT wasnt half as good as he is now before JM signed Riccy. Imagine how much he could help Mancienne develop?
As for the ongoing Kaka saga, Our board have already said we arent arent going to sign him and everybody knows hes going to Madrid so that proves my point that their attempts were a complete waste of time.
Reply to Fiftee:
Slightly odd. Was always convinced that he was holding out for the AC Milan job; the fact that he's taken something so quickly after Leonardo was appointed might be relevant (or not as the case may be!)
Drogba and Villa might be an interesting combo. My only query about the latest gossip (and it is just that at the moment) is the slightly worrying policy of looking to sign 'established' stars in their mid-late 20's; Villa is 27 - huge outlay in terms of transfer fee and wages with a drastically reduced resale value at the end of a 3-4 year deal. Similar situation with Kaka (still not convinced we're in for him, though). Ribery, who is at least a bit younger, might attract a decent fee if he stays for 2-3 years but still looks massively overpriced. Sure, if they deliver the big prizes we crave and improve the profile of the club (as well as their own reputations), all well and good, but it's a big risk for players who, whilst exceptional talents, are ultimately unproven in the Premier League and unexposed to the country's very different culture and way of life off the pitch.
At least if we spend similar prices on the likes of Benzema or Aguero, for example, and you have potential stars of the future who could stay for 3-4 years and, if they wanted to leave then, would be in their mid 20's and the prime of their careers.
Talk of getting the likes of Sturridge and Turnbull in is encouraging, but the need to buy huge names (interesting how the scramble for them in the year before a World Cup has increased) rather than create them ourselves suggests that we've not really learned some of the harsh lessons of Roman's early wad-waving days.
It's round about now that I really wish we'd seen more of our youngsters towards the end of the season.
With our defence fairly sound and not too ancient, we probably only need to look at a developing midfielder and one forward for cover (neither Nic nor Didier can expect to play a whole season without mishap, plus there's the ACN).
It would be great to think that one or more of our existing players could move into the first team the way that Ivanovic (and also Mancienne) have.
The figures that are being talked about for players untried in the PL is crazy, and Adebayor looks likely to be the best buy available - I also think he'd suit us very well.
There could still be an issue with the ACN of course.
Adebayor........God No!!!
Reply to 13Joe13:
Why not?
@KJ2 no. 77 --
I couldn't agree more. Everyone's talking about Roman's rediscovered enthusiasm as if it's unambiguously good news for us. But to me things look depressingly similar to last summer. The new manager comes in with the clear expectation that he'll win the CL (Carlo's intrductory interview was even more explicit about this than Scolari's was). The ageing superstars with no experience of Premiership football are pursued (Deco then, Pirlo now). The redevelopment of the squad goes to the very back of the rearmost burner.
I don't think Roman getting overexcited is necessarily a good sign at all. The wrong players get bought, the pressure for immediate success builds week by week, we have a bad run and -- pop. Balloon deflates, panic sets in, new manager is fired and we are back to square one.
The only reasons for being more optimistic are:
1) everyone, and especially Guus, is saying that stability is now absolutely essential, and saying it often enough that even Roman may be listening;
2) the footy calendar for next season is so absurdly crowded that an oversized squad may actually turn out to be necessary.