Frank Lampard is the latest player to update e-members with a personal letter to subscribers, who are now offered even more with their membership.

This week will also see Chelsea launch a new monthly competition in the form of our Goal of the Month contest.

Lampard speaks about Chelsea's fantastic start to the season, beating both Portsmouth and Wigan, and his joy at signing a new contract prior to those games.

'It has always been a pleasure and a privilege to represent this football club, especially after everything everybody has done for me, not just in recent months but in the entire seven years I have been here,' writes our number 8.

And at the Uefa Champions League group draw last Thursday, Chelsea's vice captain was given the prestigious Uefa Midfielder of the Year Award.

'It's something that I have been nominated for before but never won, so to take the title this year was a real honour, especially when you consider some of the world class players I was up against,' explains Lampard.

The midfielder also elaborates on a recent bonding session between the players and staff and much more in the letter only available to e-members.

Our other e-membership benefits include a monthly column written by Blues legend Graeme Le Saux, as well as weekly competitions where e-members have won a range Chelsea prizes from signed balls to Megastore vouchers.

Choose your favourite goal from a selection put together by Chelsea TV, and if our panel of experts agree then you'll be entered into a draw for a fantastic Chelsea prize. This month's winner will be watching the Sunderland game from the comfort of our hospitality seats with three friends.

So not only will you get the chance to win these prizes and a personal player's letter, but with the added extras of wallpapers, games and player chats, e-membership is a unique opportunity for any True Blue to interact with their favourite club.

As usual in recent years, there are more Chelsea players heading off than remaining behind when international duty calls.

Chelsea quintet Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Wayne Bridge and captain John Terry head off for England duty as Fabio Capello's side face trips away to Andorra and Croatia.

Having been dumped out of Euro 2008 qualification by Croatia in Steve McClaren's last game in charge, Terry and colleagues will be looking for a place at the top of Group 6 with victories in Barcelona and Zagreb on Saturday September 6 and Wednesday 10 respectively. Trips away to Belarus and former Blue Andriy Shevchenko's home territory of Ukraine await England in a group that is by no means a formality.

Chelsea will be well represented when Portugal turn out in their first two World Cup qualification games away to Malta and then at home to Denmark as Ricardo Carvalho, José Bosingwa, Paulo Ferreira and playmaker Deco have been called up.

Whilst three points should be a formality first up, Deco and co. must be at their best to see off a Danish side currently ranked at 36^th in the world. A good start is a must in a tough group that also includes potential slip-ups in the form of Hungary and Sweden.

Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka aim to set France up for qualification when they take on Austria and Serbia in Group 7's first two set of fixtures. Kicking off in Vienna, the Chelsea players will be looking for a win to set up a tricky encounter against fellow Blue Branislav Ivanovic's Serbia in Paris. Lithuania, the Faroe Islands and Romania, a country listed above France in the latest Fifa rankings, fill in the rest of the group.

The Czech Republic has included Petr Cech in its squad to face Northern Ireland on September 10. Cech, recently named by Uefa as the best goalkeeper in last season's Champions League, will seek to keep out a resurgent Northern Ireland, a side which has seen off both England and Spain in Belfast in recent times.

Qualification, however, is expected from the Czechs in a group featuring Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Northern Ireland and whipping boys San Marino.

In the African qualification section, which has already completed four rounds of matches, Salomon Kalou has been selected for the Ivory Coast for their trip away to Mozambique on September 5 whilst Michael Essien has made the Ghana squad for their match against Libya in Tripoli.

Ghana top Group 5 with 9 points from 4 games, the Ivory Coast leading Group 7 after 2 wins and 2 draws in their opening fixtures.

Alex is Chelsea's only representative in the South American qualifying section, as the five-times World Cup winners face an uphill struggle to make the Finals in South Africa in 2010. Currently fifth in the table, Brazil travel to Chile on the September 6 before hosting Bolivia on the 10^th as they try to force themselves into fourth and an automatic qualification spot.

Chelsea striker Ben Sahar, currently on loan at Portsmouth, has been named in Israel's 23-man squad for the forthcoming fixtures at home to Switzerland and away to Moldova as they kick-off their Group 2 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Reserve goalkeeper Rhys Taylor has been picked by Wales U-21 boss Brian Flynn for the upcoming Uefa U-21 qualifying match against Romania in Iasi on Tuesday September 9. He is expected to feature following the promotion of Wayne Hennessey to the full squad last week.

Michael Mancienne will look to win his sixth England U-21 cap when the young Three Lions take on their Portuguese counterparts at Wembley in their Uefa U-21 European Championship Group 3 qualifier on the Friday September 5. Michael is joined by Ryan Bertrand, currently on loan at Norwich, in his first call-up for the Under 21s.

Miroslav Stoch has been named in the Slovakia U-21 squad for the Uefa U-21 Championship qualifiers against Belgium and Iceland. Slovakia lie second in the group headed by Austria and may have to settle for a play-off berth.

Premier League sponsors Barclays are running a free match ticket competition for the entire 2008/09 season.

Barclays are giving away a pair of Barclays Premier League match tickets every 90 minutes, every day, throughout the season.

All you have to do is use any Barclays ATM, like the one at Stamford Bridge's Millennium entrance, and request a receipt for a cash withdrawal, a balance or mini statement from the machine.

On the back of the receipt you will find a unique code, you can then either text this code along with CFC to 68887 or visit the Barclays website to enter (there will be full instructions on the back of your Barclays ATM receipt).

You can enter the draw once every 90 minutes and you will find out instantly if you have won.

Didier Drogba successfully completed just under an hour's football on what was a good opening to the reserve team season.

After four months of recuperation on a knee problem, it was an understandably steady rather than spectacular start to his 2008/09 campaign - but there was a sure sign of the real Drogba in creating Chelsea's first-half equaliser, providing a platform for his younger colleagues to accelerate away for an admirable win.

There was plenty of entertainment throughout a game full of pace and attacking attention from both sides.

There was an opening within a minute for Chelsea, Scott Sinclair running clear with the offside flag staying down but a well-timed covering tackle saved the home side.

From the corner that followed, Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny mis-read Miroslav Stoch's shot totally and was fortunate indeed to see his half-save loop up and over the goal.

Chelsea were kicking down the Barnet slope, a significant advantage on this ground, but it was not enough to prevent Arsenal taking a 10th minute lead. Following on from a couple of threatening shots, Chelsea were slow to clear the ball and from the edge of the six-yard box, Mark Randall poked the ball home.

After the early set-back, Chelsea will be pleased not have fallen further behind as Arsenal maintained the pressure.

Jack Wilshere scooped over when well-placed and with the Blues defence looking stretched, Rui Fonte was able to cut in and fire across Taylor, the Chelsea keeper relieved to see the ball strike the far post and fall kindly.

Arsenal winger Fran Merida tried his luck from further out and Taylor tipped over.

After 20 minutes of pressure, Stoch began the Chelsea retaliation with a trick past his marker and a low drive that was saved.

Where Brendan Rodgers's side were having joy was with the ball behind and the well-timed run and one such dash from Sinclair was followed by a low cross in Drogba's direction. It was cut out with the striker poised to score.

The clearance only went as far as Sinclair whose follow-up shot looked on its way in before Wilshere did well to clear off the line.

That was on 25 minutes and the crowd saw the best of Sinclair three minutes later as he dribbled through and shot, only for Szczesnyto pull off a commendable one-handed save with next to no reaction time.

Arsenal attacked once more when the speedy Jay Simpson worked his way past Nana Ofori-Twumasi but Taylor saved.

Drogba was finding possession hard to find but on 31 minutes came his best moment yet and the pas of the game. He picked out Sinclair from a position out on the touch line, only for the England Under 19 winger to shoot over.

Chelsea's midfielder Sergio Tejera was booked for an off-the-ball push before the Chelsea equaliser came three minutes before the break.

It was all about Drogba. Out on the left, full-back Ogogo was out-foxed and out muscled Senderos-style before Drogba waited his moment to set up Tejera from a yard out.

The first chance of the second half fell Stoch's way but went wide. Arsenal then struck the woodwork for a second time when a free-kick deflected up off the Chelsea wall and looped beyond the reach of Taylor.

On 58 minutes, Drogba was withdrawn and replaced by Fabio Paim, the new loan signing from Sporting Lisbon who took up position on the left of the front three, Sinclair moving central. At the same moment, Michael Woods came on for Tejera.

Within four minutes, the subs made a massive impact. Paim, from midway inside the Arsenal half picked out Stoch with a great diagonal ball. The Slovakian spotted a burst into the box by Woods and found him for a finish from eight yards.

Scaling the Underhill slope was proving no deterrent to the Chelsea side as a third was added on 70 minutes. Sinclair registered the goal he had been threatening when a Mellis shot was charged down but fell to the edge of the area for his colleague to slam it in under the bar.

Chelsea went post rattling just two minutes later when a Stoch free-kick was curled past the wall to make it two woodwork strikes to one in the home side's favour.

Arsenal reduced the real deficit to 3-2 and set-up a nerve-jangling finish with a free-kick into the top corner by Fonte after Magnay had fouled Simpson right on the edge of the area, a tackle for which he was booked.

The closing minutes saw Arsenal throw bodies and passes down the slope and Chelsea survived a ball across the face of goal by Simpson which evaded a forest of feet.

Then Taylor punched over well from Wilshere, a save he had to repeat before the whistle went and the reserves were able to claim their first three points from their first game of the campaign.

Chelsea Rhys Taylor; Nana Ofori-Twumasi, Jeffrey Bruma, Carl Magnay, Patrick van Aanholt; Sergio Tejera (Michael Woods 58), Liam Bridcutt, Jacob Mellis; Scott Sinclair, Didier Drogba (Fabio Paim 58), Miroslav Stoch (Ricardo Fernandes 86).

Arsenal Wojciech Szczesny; Abu Ogogo, Gavin Hoyte, Kyle Bartley, Kieran Gibbs; Jack Wilshere, Francis Coquelin (James Dunne 59), Mark Randall (Rhys Murphy), Fran Merida; Jay Simpson, Rui Fonte.