[25th May 2008]
Avram Grant Sacked
I didn't know until this morning that Avram Cant had been sacked last
night. Whilst that is exactly what I've been hoping for the whole
season through, I can't help but feel that Grant has a point when he
claims that he has been betrayed by the Chelsea hierarchy, and in
particular by his erstwhile 'friend', Roman Abramovich. I have at
least been consistent in my opinion of the man, but the Chelsea board
has been disingenuous at best and hypocritical at worst in publicly
supporting him whilst all the time (allegedly) planning to replace him
with a real manager come the end of the season. I believe Grant has
been less than competent, but he at least deserved to be given the
chance to return to his former post as Director of Football. Having
spent 8 months in charge of the team, he would have been better placed
than he used to be to take that post. As it is, he is gone, and I can
look forward to a new manager who can take the club to the next level
(ugh, what a horrible cliché) - Sparky Hughes, anyone?
[21st May 2008]
Champions' League Final: Chelsea 1 Manchester Utd 1 (aet, 5-6 pens)
I still haven't recovered from the total disappointment of losing
this match, especially given the circumstances in which we lost it.
I may comment more tomorrow, but for now, have some sympathy for
John Terry, whose unfortunate penalty miss effectively denied Chelsea
their first European Cup triumph. JT didn't deserve that.
[11th May 2008]
Premiership: Chelsea 1 Bolton Wanderers 1
Bitter, bitter disappointment. Not at the fact that Chelsea did not win
the Premier League - that was always going to be difficult given that
Man Utd had only to win to capture that prize - but at the fact that
Chelsea succumbed to yet another late equaliser and thereby did not at
least finish level on points with the champions. This match summed up
Chelsea'a season in a nutshell. The team did not play with any great
conviction, there was precious little threat up front, and they were
unable to hold on at the end. But let's not forget that, back in September,
the club was ready to fall apart following Jose Mourinho's departure, and
claiming second place with a record points total isn't that bad when looked
at in that context. Avram Grant will probably leave in the summer - I
personally hope he does - but if he can land us the Champions' League
trophy before he goes, then his name will be forever writ large in the
annals of Chelsea Football Club.
[5th May 2008]
Premiership: Newcastle Utd 0 Chelsea 2
Understandably lethargic at first, Chelsea slowly improved through
this vital match, until, for a long period in the second half, they
were totally dominant. Chelsea have traditionally found it hard
to win at St James's park in recent seasons, but nothing less than
a win was required to keep them in the hunt for the Premiership
crown. Back in October, when things were imploding at the club, it
seemed unlikely indeed that Chelsea would be in with a chance of
qualifying for the UEFA Cup, let alone of mugging Arsenal and Man Utd
to take the title. But here we are, and a comfortable 2-0 win over the
Geordies has left Chelsea in with a real chance of securing the most
unlikely of championships. We are still relying on the Mancs slipping
up in their last match, of course, so being realistic, it probably
won't happen. Which team has the biggest cojones, I wonder?
[30th Apr 2008]
Champions' League: Chelsea 3 Liverpool 2 (aet)
One of the best matches it has been my privilege to watch for many a
long year! Not just because the result was right (both in terms of me
being a Chelsea fan, and in terms of the teams' performances), but
because it was high in quality, excitement and goal count. The
final outcome was in the balance right till the very end - if you
were a neutral, you couldn't have asked for better. Rafa Benitez must
be ruing his attempt to get under Didier Drogba's skin by claiming
he has a dossier detailing Drogba's diving (aka cheating) antics. All
it did was to fire Drogba up to put in his best performance of the
season to date. Avram Grant take note - like my ancient alarm clock,
Drogba needs to be wound up to work properly. And as for Frank Lampard,
I have nothing but admiration for the man. I cannot imagine what must
have been going through his head as he prepared to take the crucial
penalty to give Chelsea a deserved extra-time lead. But he put his
personal grief behind him and fired in the penalty in his usual
professional way. Only after he had scored did the emotions surrounding
his mother's untimely death overwhelm him. I am not too proud to admit
that tears welled up in my eyes too. As they did at the final whistle,
when Chelsea had finally booked themselves a place in the Champions'
League final. Bring it on.
[26th Apr 2008]
Premiership: Chelsea 2 Manchester Utd 1
I'm getting the humble pie ready. I may have to eat several large slices
of it in the very near future. Chelsea to win the league? There wasn't
even a remote chance of it not so long ago. Now it could be a real
possibility. If they do win it, Avram Grant will have to be apologised
to by many, many people - me included. What a dilemma for people like
me. Which do I want to see more? The back of Avram Can't, or the title
back at the Bridge?
[22nd Apr 2008]
Champions' League: Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1
At last, Chelsea have had a bit of luck whilst playing Liverpool in
a Champions' League match. And about time too. Thank you, John Arne Riise,
for the best own goal of the season. Certainly the best one for Chelsea.
Maybe the most bizarre one of this crazy season? Who cares? All the fun of
the fair as the Scousers all went strangely silent, and as Benitez blamed
the referee for adding on too much stoppage time!
[17th Apr 2008]
Premiership: Everton 0 Chelsea 1
I'm still feeling a little less than enthusiastic about Chelsea's
chances of winning the Premiership, especially after this pedestrian
performance. Chelsea won the match because Everton were even less
inspiring than Chelsea were. As the TV commentators observed, Chelsea's
build-up play was pretty good, but their final ball was invariably
poor. Still, another Michael Essien goal secured a win and kept Chelsea
on track for second place, so I should be grateful for that.
[14th Apr 2008]
Premiership: Chelsea 1 Wigan 1
Not happy. Not happy at all. What the f*ck is the point of playing
this match with the second team when it's imperative to win in order
to have any chance of catching Man Utd? And then, what is the point
of trying to protect a 1-0 lead instead of trying to kill off the
opposition by scoring more goals? Chelsea have at last fallen foul
of their stupidity - holding 1-0 and believing they can play it out
to win by that scoreline is nothing short of foolish. With this draw,
Chelsea have thrown away any chance of taking the title. Only a
miracle will help them now ... and it won't be forthcoming. Avram
Grant - dead man walking. Pass me the (euphemistic) rifle ...
[8th Apr 2008]
Champions' League: Chelsea 2 Fenerbahce 0
More by luck than judgement, Chelsea made it through to a 4th
Champions' League semi-final in five years, courtesy of a glancing
header early on by Michael Ballack, and a tap-in from Lampard
late on. In the intervening period, Chelsea were rarely in trouble,
but really didn't play that well. Losing first Cech to a freak
training ground accident, and then Cudicini to an as yet unknown
injury early on in the match, it was up to Hilario to keep the
Turkish side from scoring. He wasn't called upon to do anything
much until the last 10 minutes or so, when suddenly Fenerbahce
found a second wind and started making inroads. Two scrambling,
but effective, saves from Hilario were more instrumental in
winning this tie than anything that the rest of the team did
over the two legs. Say what you will about Hilario, but he's
never let us down when called upon.
[5th Apr 2008]
Premiership: Manchester City 0 Chelsea 2
Just good enough to beat a Manchester City side that are currently
short on confidence. Chelsea are still stuttering, but seem to be on
some sort of semi-inspired run-in that may yet see them win the
Premiership. With Arsenal only managing to draw against Liverpool,
and Man Utd facing a difficult away match at Middlesbrough, who's to
say it can't happen? If it does, Chelsea will be the first team to
win it from way behind playing half-paced and half-arsed football.
Here's hoping.
[2nd Apr 2008]
Champions' League: Fenerbahce 2 Chelsea 1
Avram Grant has got to go. He managed to turn a team that had taken
an early advantage through a fortuitous own goal and that had then
dominated their opposition for 60 minutes, into one hanging on for
dear life and only a one-goal deficit to take back to Stamford Bridge
next week. Quite what Grant had said at half-time is (of course) not
known, but it didn't appear to have been terribly inspirational.
In addition, his reaction to conceding the first goal was slow, and
when it came, it was to take off Frank Lampard and replace him with
John Obi Mikel - hardly a move designed to promote attacking football.
Okay, so things wouldn't have been so bad had Drogba taken his chances
or played more like a team man (passing to a better-placed colleague
rather than taking on stupid shots that had no chance of succeeding,
for example). Now Chelsea need to produce a far better performance
next Tuesday when the 2nd leg is played at Stamford Bridge. It will
be important not to concede at all - and still score 2 goals. It can
be done, but it will be very difficult.
[30th Mar 2008]
Premiership: Chelsea 1 Middlesbrough 0
The old Chelsea from 10 years ago have come out to play recently.
Superb against the big boys one week, and then shaky and uncertain
against an also-ran team from the lower reaches. Chelsea were lucky
to win this one. Middlesbrough hit the woodwork on several occasions,
and with a bit more luck would have ended Chelsea's long unbeaten
run at home in the Premiership, and Chelsea's faint hopes of taking
the title this season.
[23rd Mar 2008]
Premiership: Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1
At last, Avram Grant has got something right. Not that the 35000
or so fans actually at the match thought so as it was happening.
I am referring to the two substitutions made after 70 minutes,
when Ballack and Makelele were taken off and replaced by Belletti
and Anelka, at a time when Chelsea were a goal down, and looking
to both lose their long unbeaten home record and any realistic
chance to challenge for the title. The crowd bayed in disbelief,
chanting "you don't know what you're doing" and "Jose Mourinho".
I have to admit that, at the time, I agreed with them. But just
two minutes later, we were all eating our words, as Drogba scored
his first goal for Chelsea for ages. Whether the goal was due to
the substitutions is a moot point, as the crowd (and I) didn't
care. Less than ten minutes after that, Drogba scored again to
give Chelsea the lead - a lead that they never relinquished. This
was not a fatal blow to Arsenal's chances of taking the title
themselves, but they have been badly wounded. Neither was it a
filip for Chelsea's chances, but it was the least they needed to
do to stay in the hunt. As for Avram Grant - did he get it right,
or did he just get lucky? Only time will tell. But I still think
he'll be out of the door at the end of the season.
[19th Mar 2008]
Premiership: Tottenham 4 Chelsea 4
I bet the neutrals found this an excellent match to watch, and it
probably was. It had its fair share of controversy (Ashley Cole's
foul on Hutton was poor - to put it mildly - and his reaction to
getting booked for it was at best childish and at worst disrepectful),
but it also had eight goals. As a Chelsea supporter, I was appalled
at the way the match was thrown away from winning positions, and I
don't expect Avram Grant to be staying the Bridge much longer. His
tactical nous is non-existent. I think we can wave goodbye to any
chance of picking up the Premiership title this year, although 2nd
place and automatic qualification for next season's Champions'
League is still up for grabs.
[15th Mar 2008]
Premiership: Sunderland 0 Chelsea 1
I really have no idea how this match went, as I was en route from
Edinburgh back to home at the time it took place, and for some reason
Radio Five Live was broadcasting a rugby match at the time. Plus the
Match of the Day highlights were paltry, to say the least. On the face
of it, a 1-0 win to Chelsea at Sunderland is a good result for the
Blues. As the 10th win on the road this season, it means Chelsea are
the best team away from home in the Premiership. And given that the
Arse dropped two more points at the Emirates, this was a good win
to secure. The top of the Premiership is now looking very tight indeed,
and Chelsea's chances of securing another title have suddenly started
to look much much brighter. Ho hum, if all those eggs hatch out, I'll
have a lot of chickens ...
[12th Mar 2008]
Premiership: Chelsea 6 Derby Co 1
With no highlights reel to watch on this match, it's hard to say how
Chelsea played, but it sounds like they did rather well - especially
a certain Frank Lampard, who scored 4 of the 6 goals. That was his
first hat-trick for Chelsea (apparently) and the first time he's ever
scored 4 in a match. Derby, according to their own manager, were awful,
looking like a bunch of Sunday amateurs compared to the mighty Blues.
The practical upshot of this win is that Chelsea are now just 5 points
behind the Arse, and 3 behind the Scum. The chase for the Premiership
title is now rejoined!
[8th Mar 2008]
FA Cup: Barnsley 1 Chelsea 0
I'm having some difficulty coming to terms with this result. There have
been some FA Cup disasters in the past, but this is one of the worst of
all time. Barnsley deserved to win, and that's the most galling thing
of all. Barnsley were good - they played exactly the right game, and I
must congratulate them for that - but Chelsea were awful. There seemed
to be little or no team spirit, and the reaction to going one down was
tantamount to panic. Avram Grant, as usual, had no Plan B. If you ask me,
he screwed up Plan A by leaving his two top goalscorers off the teamsheet
altogether. Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba have between them scored one
third of this season's Chelsea goals, yet they did not get picked for
this vital game. Barnsley away was always going to be a difficult match,
it needed the fighting qualities of Drogba and the guile of Lampard.
Without them, Chelsea were toothless and devoid of any creativity. Frankly,
we got what we deserved. Good luck to Barnsley in the rest of the
competition.
[5th Mar 2008]
Champions' League: Chelsea 3 Olympiakos 0
This was such a one-sided match that you sometimes had to check to see if
Olympiakos had arrived with their full complement of players. Indeed, the
visitors only mustered their first shot at goal in the 61st minute, by
which time their lacklustre defence had leaked three Chelsea goals (Ballack,
Lampard and Kalou). Chelsea were superb, but Olympiakos were awful. If I had
been a neutral, I'd have gone elsewhere for some proper competition. Watching
Granny try to fill out the Sun Quickie crossword, for example. No complaints
from me though, because this result means that Chelsea are the third English
team into the Champions' League Quarter-Finals, and with Liverpool well set
to progress in their tie next week, there could well be four English teams
there. Which means, of course, that the likelihood of Chelsea drawing an
English club in the Quarter-Finals must be quite high. What's the betting
it will be Liverpool again?
[2nd 2008]
Comment: Chelsea in Turmoil?
The hacks are at it again. If we are to believe everything that the
written and broadcast media write and say, then Chelsea are imploding
once again. They should report the facts and not tout their opinions
as facts, if you ask me. I was particularly upset by the appalling
Phil Thompson, he of the big nose who sits on Sky Sports' panel of
experts on a Saturday afternoon. I knew he hated Chelsea, but the
vitriol he came out with this weekend was something else. According
to him, Chelsea are guilty of buying two titles, have a bunch of
players with no team spirit, and a bunch of fans that have done
nothing but gloat about how rich the club is now that the Abramovich
billions are on board. Oh, and how West Ham would beat Chelsea with
some ease given the turmoil going on behind the scenes at Stamford
Bridge. Thompson was proven wrong on the outcome of the match - the
Hammers were taken apart by the "imploding" Chelsea. He should also be
aware that we - the Chelsea fans - are not gloating about the
riches. We are simply enjoying the success that the riches have, in
part, been able to bring the club. A situation that clearly does not
pertain at Liverpool, despite the injection of American funds. No
doubt Thompson will continue to go on about how Liverpool have a long
and distinguished history, with plenty of European Cups and
Championships to their name. Yes they do, and I'm sure they're all
very proud of it. Chelsea have a long history too, if not quite as
successful as Liverpool's. And we are proud of our history too.
We have revelled in the past in our flamboyant mediocrity, in our
enjoyment of a club that should have done better more often. Now we
are revelling in having some success at last. Are we wrong to do that?
[1st Mar 2008]
Premiership: West Ham Utd 0 Chelsea 4
A far better performance from Chelsea, who took West Ham apart
early in the first half (Lampard, Joe Cole and Ballack all scoring
in the space of just six minutes). Despite Chelsea being reduced to
ten men when Lampard was sent off (wrongly, IMHO), the Hammers
could not find enough guile to get back into the game, and succumbed
to a fourth goal, scored by Ashley Cole - his first for the club -
following up a shot by Joe Cole. This is clearly not a team in crisis,
no matter what the press may think. Avram Grant picked the right
players this time, and he got the result we all craved as a consequence.
Perhaps he should take note, and pick the form players every time in
future. Hopefully he will do that on Wednesday, when Olympiakos come
to town.
[24th Feb 2008]
League Cup: Tottenham 2 Chelsea 1
I watched this match through a haze of migraine-induced visual
fireworks. Those of you who suffer from migraines will know what
I mean when I say that I was more concerned with not allowing
my head to explode than with the outcome of a football match.
I tried my best, but I just couldn't concentrate, and off I went
to a dark room to moan and groan and wait for the pain and the
misery to subside. When I eventually emerged from the torture,
I discovered that Chelsea had somehow managed to succumb to
Spurs, albeit after extra time. The highlights program didn't do
the match much justice, but it was plain to see that Avram Grant
had no Plan B prepared, so that, unlike the god-like Mourinho,
he was unable to react to Spurs taking a well-deserved, if lucky,
lead just into extra-time. I have given Grant the benefit of the
doubt so far, and, along with a whole raft of pundits, was
prepared to believe that he has something about him, given his
record so far. But in this final, his true worth has shown through.
Tuppence-ha'penny. If that.
[19th Feb 2008]
Champions' League: Olympiakos 0 Chelsea 0
A highly professional, if uninspiring, performance by Chelsea.
Preventing Olympiakos from scoring was clearly aim number one, but
I would have thought that aim number two would have been to get
at least one away goal. This was never forthcoming, sadly. In fact,
neither team got even remotely close to a goal. If I had been a
neutral watching this match, then I would have changed channel to
one showing a wall of wet paint, so that I could watch it dry.
[16th Feb 2008]
FA Cup: Chelsea 3 Huddersfield 1
On the day that Liverpool went out to Barnsley at Anfield, and that
Man Utd thrashed Arsenal at Old Trafford, Chelsea did just enough to
beat Huddersfield and progress to the quarter-finals. The way things
have turned out so far, there will be at least four
non-Premiership sides in the last eight of this famous competition.
[10th Feb 2008]
Premiership: Chelsea 0 Liverpool 0
What an appalling performance - by both teams! If this is the sort
of fare that will be doled up when Premiership teams go abroad to
play Game 39, then the foreigners won't like it, and Game 39 will
soon be scrapped. This was probably the dullest match it has been
my misfortune to watch - thank goodness I hadn't bought a ticket
to see it in the flesh, and had instead opted to take my son (albeit
the day before) to watch Wolves play Stoke City instead. The fare on
show at Molineux was not of the highest quality, but at least there
was excitement and controversy - six goals in the match, and two
penalties for the home side turned down by an official who was not
having his best day. At Stamford Bridge, the only thing I found
interesting was counting the number of times Claude Makalele and
Frank Lampard gave the ball away, compared to the number of times
they completed their passes. I have never seen Makalele and Lampard
do so badly in that respect. In truth, not one of the Chelsea players
did themselves any favours. Somehow or other, the Daily Telegraph
reporter managed to award Man of the Match to Ashley Cole; I don't
know how he did that, he must have been watching a different match
to me.
[8th Feb 2008]
Premiership: Playing Away?
The Premier League have just announced that they are considering
adding an extra match day to the Premiership calendar - meaning
that every team will play 39 matches in a season rather than 38.
Furthermore, the extra matches will be played abroad, with the
Premier League "awarding" the 10 matches to the 5 highest bidding
cities, which could be anywhere in the world. Three things spring
to my mind straight away. Firstly, playing 39 matches in a season
would lead to an unbalanced competition - the championship itself,
and the various European qualification berths, could all be
decided on the luck of the draw for this extra 39th match. How
would you feel if your club got relegated because they drew
Arsenal while their relegation rivals survived because they drew
Fulham, Derby, etc? Secondly, if these extra matches are played
(as suggested) in January, the already congested fixture list
would get even more congested - and at what cost to the players?
And thirdly, how will they stop the inherent unfairness of jetting
one set of teams out to the Far East, and another set to Paris (as
is almost bound to happen)? Those going to the Far East would need
considerably more rest afterwards than those going to Paris - and
this will give the latter set of teams an unfair advantage over
the former set in the next round of matches (be they Premiership
matches or FA Cup matches). IMHO, this proposal should be abandoned
immediately. The motivation of the Premier League in making this
proposal is to earn more money for itself at the expense of turning
the Premiership into a farce. Grass roots fans already feel as if
they have been alienated by the Premier League, because of the vast
sums of money involved in the professional game - implementing this
proposal will be the last straw.
[2nd Feb 2008]
Premiership: Portsmouth 1 Chelsea 1
Ricardo Carvalho was serving a one-match ban under the yellow
card totting-up rule ... and it showed. The defence, with central
defenders Alex and Tal Ben-Haim, faltered, looking much weaker
than the defence has looked for a while. The result was that
Portsmouth gained themselves a deserved draw, and could arguably
have won the match. As it was, Nicolas Anelka scored his second
goal for Chelsea to give the Blues the lead, before Pompey new boy
Jermain Defoe popped up to equalise. I cannot wait for Terry,
Lampard, Shevchenko, Drogba, Kalou, Mikel and Essien to return
to the fold. Now that Nigeria have been knocked out of the African
Cup of Nations, we should at least get Mikel back by the weekend.
[30th Jan 2008]
Premiership: Chelsea 1 Reading 0
Chelsea dominated this match from start to finish (the official
statistics show Chelsea having 74% of the possession), but could
score only one goal (a header from Ballack in the first half).
Reading were better in the second half, but didn't pose any
threat at all. Chelsea had 11 shots on target, Reading only 2 -
a measure of Chelsea's dominance, and a measure of how much Chelsea
are missing Didier Drogba and (dare I say it) Andriy Shevchenko.
Nicolas Anelka may turn out to be a fine acquisition in the end,
but he's hardly a prolific goal-scorer. But when Drogba gets back
from Ghana with an African Cup of Nations winner's medal and joins
up with Anelka - that should be worth watching.
[26th Jan 2008]
FA Cup: Wigan 1 Chelsea 2
Chelsea did what they do best, especially in these times of
absent first-team players. They let their opponents wear
themselves out with outstanding defending, then hit them with
a couple of well-taken goals (Anelka and Wright-Phillips) to
take the spoils. Wigan did get a goal back towards the end
with a superb strike from Sibierski, giving them a faint
glimmer of hope that they could equalise and force an
ill-deserved replay at Stamford Bridge. Despite a few nervy
moments in defence, Chelsea held out to progress comfortably
into the 5th round of this famous competition.
[23rd Jan 2008]
League Cup: Everton 0 Chelsea 1
And so Chelsea ease their way into yet another Cup Final, this
time against Spurs. This was a potentially tricky match, what
with Chelsea having only a one goal advantage, and with Everton
having scored an away goal in the first leg at the Bridge. But
Everton didn't really find their form, and Chelsea held them
at bay with some comfort. The tie as a whole was settled when
Joe Cole scored halfway through the second half. An already
misfiring Everton team seemed to lose all hope, and the match
ambled its way to its inevitable conclusion.
[19th Jan 2008]
Premiership: Birmingham City 0 Chelsea 1
Please see the match report (click the link above) for my comments.
[12th Jan 2008]
Premiership: Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0
Highlights on MotD were somewhat sparse, so it's hard to say
what really went on in this match. But by general concensus, it
seems to have been a regulation win for Chelsea over a team that
they have the Indian sign over. That having been said, Juliano
Belletti's opening goal was an absolute belter, and new boy
Nicolas Anelka was unlucky not to cap his brief debut with at
least one goal. And talking of Anelka ... I am wondering if that
was a good buy or not. Probably it was. We'll see by the end of
the season (if not sooner), I guess. In the meantime, anybody who
accuses Chelsea of being the greedy ones should take a look at
the way Bolton inflated Anelka's price once they realised that
Chelsea were interested. IMHO, they wouldn't have got much more
than £8 million for him had it been any other club they
were selling to.
[8th Jan 2008]
League Cup: Chelsea 2 Everton 1
This was a tremendous match to watch, whether you were a partisan
supporter of either side, or a neutral. Both teams went at it hammer
and tongs, the pace never letting up for an instant. The first half
was all Chelsea. Shaun Wright-Phillips scored a brilliant opening
goal, curling a shot past the keeper and in off the far post. Ballack
smashed a free kick literally millimetres wide of the target. Everton
had no answer to the Blues' movement - but sadly Chelsea had no recognised
striker to take advantage of Everton's discomfort. The second half
was going much the same way as the first, until Mikel got himself
controversially sent off for an alleged dangerous tackle on Phil
Neville. Replays showed that the referee - in common with many of
them recently - had over-reacted to a perfectly safe (though ill-timed)
tackle by showing a very hasty red card. Despite denials from the FA,
it's clear that the Premiership referees have been instructed to clamp
down heavily on "dangerous tackles" - and it's all going wrong because
the referees are seeing danger even when there is none. Pretty soon,
football will become a non-contact sport. Following Mikel's dismissal,
Everton took the upper hand, and eventually, Yakubu scored an equaliser.
That served only to fire Chelsea into renewed efforts; even with only
ten men, Chelsea were clearly the better side. And their efforts were
rewarded when Lescott headed a speculative Ballack cross into his own
goal, albeit under pressure from Shaun Wright-Phillips. All in all,
this was an excellent performance from Chelsea, boding well for the
next 6 weeks or so, during which time our key African players are
involved in the African Cup of Nations.
[5th Jan 2008]
FA Cup: Chelsea 1 QPR 0
Very short highlights on MotD means that I don't have a clue how
this game went. A 1-0 scoreline against QPR isn't good, on the
face of it, but it's a whole lot better than 0-1!
[1st Jan 2008]
Premiership: Fulham 1 Chelsea 2
Chelsea were awful in the first half. It was almost as if they were
all suffering terrible hangovers from celebrating the New Year the
night before. Fulham took a deserved lead early on from the penalty
spot, and looked the better team throughout that dire first half.
Quite what Avram Grant said in the dressing room at half-time is
anybody's guess - he doesn't come across as a thrower of tea-cups -
but it must been worth listening to. In the second half, Chelsea
were a team transformed. Two quick goals secured the lead, and after
that, Fulham wilted. More goals should have followed, but the makeshift
Chelsea front-line are yet to show any kind of consistent goal-scoring
prowess. Considering the damage done to the Chelsea squad with injuries
and absences due to the African Cup of Nations, 10 points out of 12
over the Christmas period is not a bad return.
[29th Dec 2007]
Premiership: Chelsea 2 Newcastle Utd 1
I have no comment to make on this match, as I wasn't able to watch
the match itself or any highlights.
[26th Dec 2007]
Premiership: Chelsea 4 Aston Villa 4
It's a cliché, I suppose, but I'll say it anyway. If you are
a neutral, then you will be considering this match as one of the best
and most eventful of the season to date. Eight goals, three sendings
off, a last-minute equaliser from Villa - it had just about everything.
As a Chelsea fan, I'm gutted that, having been 2-0 down at one point
and then fighting back to lead 3-2 and then 4-3, Chelsea managed to
throw away two points by not concentrating right to the very end.
And I'm equally gutted that Carvalho managed to get himself justifiably
sent off for an awful two-footed challenge; this is not the sort of
behaviour that I want to see associated with a Chelsea player.
[23rd Dec 2007]
Premiership: Blackburn Rovers 0 Chelsea 1
This was always going to be a tough match - there is no love lost
between these two teams - and so it proved. The match was won by the
one moment of brilliance that Chelsea managed to fashion during the
whole match, Joe Cole smashing in a pin-point pass from Kalou past
the otherwise inspired Brad Friedel. But for the brilliance of Petr
Cech and (later) Hilario, Blackburn would have scored a couple of goals
of their own, and taken all the points. Indeed, had they had a bit
more luck and not had good shots rattle the woodwork, they might have
scored two more than that. As it was, it was a fascinating game to
watch; not exciting, not the highest quality, but you couldn't take
your eyes off it. Worryingly, Cech is injured again, and could be
out over the whole Christmas period. And with Cudicini injured too,
Hilario could be the first choice keeper once again. If that is the
case, he needs to improve quite rapidly; his one brilliant save aside,
he looked distinctly nervous throughout the time he was on the pitch.
[19th Dec 2007]
League Cup: Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0
Shevchenko's injury-time strike put a gloss on the result that
was barely deserved. True, after Crouch was sent off in the 60th
minute for a two-footed lunge, there was little threat from
Liverpool, but Chelsea managed to waste their possession on
numerous occasions. Passes went astray far too often for my
liking, and the striking options were limited indeed. When you
consider that Chelsea's first goal was rather lucky (Lampard's
shot took a wicked deflection off Carragher), this win was not
as good as the scoreline suggests. Maybe I am being a little
harsh, but I don't see Chelsea winning too many matches while
Drogba is out of the team. Roll on the January transfer window.
[16th Dec 2007]
Premiership: Arsenal 1 Chelsea 0
This was a full-blooded derby in which Arsenal got lucky (a very
rare mistake by Petr Cech gifted a goal to old-boy William Gallas)
and John Terry got very unlucky. Eboue's foot went over the top of
the ball during an abortive tackle and JT's foot duly made contact
with Eboue's studs on the follow-through to a robust clearance.
The result is that JT has three broken bones in his foot, and he'll
be out of action for at least six weeks during the most crucial
part of the season. Not funny at all. And by losing, Chelsea drop
out of the reckoning for the Premiership title, at least for the
time being.
[11th Dec 2007]
Champions' League: Chelsea 0 Valencia 0
But for the form of veteran goalkeeper Canizares, and the width of
the woodwork, Chelsea would have won this match at a canter. You
could call it profligacy in front of goal (and predictably, Sky
Sports - who hate Chelsea - have done just that), but I prefer to
see this as a training match ahead of the upcoming weekend clash
with Arsenal. A good workout, a good match full of good football
from the Blues, and a quite entertaining 90 minutes.
[8th Dec 2007]
Premiership: Chelsea 2 Sunderland 0
Fairly run-of-the-mill stuff from Chelsea, against a Sunderland side
that came for the draw, played like it, and ultimately paid the penalty
for their lack of ambition. Shevchenko was unmarked 5 yards from goal
when he scored the first after 23 minutes, and Frank Lampard's 75th minute
penalty eased Chelsea's nerves. If these two keep on scoring over the
next 6 or 7 weeks, it will more than make up for the absence of Didier
Drogba, whose is now out of action following a knee operation, and
who will be away in Africa once he is fit. Next up - Arsenal at their
place. Should be interesting.
[1st Dec 2007]
Premiership: Chelsea 1 West Ham Utd 0
A truly dire first half saw Chelsea grab most the possession, but do
nothing with it. West Ham came to spoil, and spoil they did. They
gave Chelsea no space at all, and Chelsea were unable to make any
chances worth speaking of. Many of the Blues' players were well below
par (Kalou and Sidwell spring to mind in this respect), and I was
personally surprised when Avram Grant made no changes at half-time.
Never mind though, because after the break, Chelsea came out and
played much better football. Suddenly they were finding the space,
making the passes and looking dangerous. But it wasn't pretty
football that led to the 75th minute goal. Cuducini took the
route-one option, clearing long, and, following a couple of knock-on
headers, Joe Cole burst into space behind the Hammers' defence,
rounded the keeper and buried his shot high into the empty goal.
After that, Chelsea simply kept West Ham at bay, and eventually
ran out deserved winners. Not a spectacular match, but effective
enough.
[29th Nov 2007]
Champions' League: Rosenborg 0 Chelsea 4
Can you fathom it? Back in September, Chelsea played this lot at
home and were very lucky not to lose. They played so badly it was
embarrassing. Okay, it wasn't helped by having a spartan crowd
(ticket prices were stupidly extortionate), but a side like Chelsea
should have been up for it and steam-rollered Rosenborg. Last night,
the real Chelsea turned up and turned on the style. The match was
over after just 20 minutes, by which time Drogba had scored two
excellent goals. Two more goals followed (Alex and Joe Cole) to
bring the scoreline to 4-0. With Valencia and Schalke drawing 0-0,
this means that Chelsea have already qualified for the knockout
stages as group winners. As I said earlier - can you fathom it?
[25th Nov 2007]
Premiership: Derby County 0 Chelsea 2
No comment on this match, as I was away at the family Christmas
get-together, where all talk of football is banned. Shame on me, I
shouldn't allow this rule to stop me sneaking off to watch MotD on
Sunday morning.
[12th Nov 2007]
Premiership: Chelsea 1 Everton 1
Didn't see any of the highlight reels on this match, so can't
really comment. Apparently Everton's equalising goal was very
late and very good. Oh well, shit happens.
[6th Nov 2007]
Champions' League: Schalke 0 Chelsea 0
If you were a neutral watching this match, then let me apologise on
behalf of Chelsea Football Club for the poor fare that was served up
tonight. Schalke did well considering their on-pitch and off-pitch
problems, but none of what they did was particularly exciting to
watch. And Chelsea spent the entire match sleep-walking. To label
their performance as "pedestrian" would be to exaggerate how well
they played. They were awful. The defence was pretty much non-existent
(Carvalho excepted). Belletti spent much of the time standing still
wondering where the man he was supposed to be marking had gone to.
Almost everybody in the team had as poor a match as I've seen any
of them have over the last 3 years. And yet Chelsea got away with
a draw, when a 2-0 loss would have been a fairer result.
[3rd Nov 2007]
Premiership: Wigan 0 Chelsea 2
I can't really comment on this match, as I didn't manage to see any
of the highlights programs over the weekend. I did catch the two
goals, and good ones they were too. Judging by the reports in the
press, Chelsea reverted to type, snatching two quick goals to ensure
a victory, and then strangling the match to death. Expansive football
seems to have been a temporary feature of the Grant era.
[31st Oct 2007]
League Cup: Chelsea 4 Leicester City 3
Chelsea very nearly threw this match away with lax defending and a
degree of profligacy in front of goal. But to say that is to do a
disservice to Leicester, who took their chances well and, with a bit
more luck, would have been 4-2 up with just a few minutes left. As it
was, Shevchenko rifled in an impressive equaliser with 3 minutes to
go (3-3), and then Frank Lampard completed his hat-trick with a messy
goal in injury time. Exciting stuff for the neutral.
[28th Oct 2007]
Premiership: Chelsea 6 Manchester City 0
I shall resist the temptation to jump on to the passing bandwagon. Yes,
I would like to think that this 6-0 hammering of Manchester City is an
indication that "Chelsea are back, Chelsea are back". But I shall remain
sceptical until Chelsea have played three or four matches at that level,
if you don't mind - I've been a Chelsea fan too long to get carried away
with one good performance. That having been said, this was one very good
performance, aided in no small way by City's ineptitude. Frank Lampard
was outstanding, and Didier Drogba seems to have fallen back in love with
the Blues. Even Andriy Shevchenko got on to the scoresheet, for goodness
sake! The most refreshing aspect - and I apologise for expressing this
opinion, given that every hack in the country has already expressed it
at some length - was the fact that Chelsea did not sit back on a comfortable
2-0 lead and play out for the win. Instead, they went for the jugular and
a big win. If that constitutes the sort of exciting football that Abramovich
and Avram-ovich are espousing, then I for one am willing to put up with
Grant's appointment. (If I had a hat to eat, then I'd be chewing on it
right now).
[25th Oct 2007]
Champions' League: Chelsea 2 Schalke 0
Still not convinced. Chelsea's first goal came courtesy of a mistake
by the goalkeeper - Malouda's "shot" wouldn't have beaten a 10-year-old
in any other match - and their second came at the start of the second
half when Schalke were mentally still in the changing room. For the
rest of the match, Chelsea just "flicked about", not really creating
much, and showing precious little of the exciting football we've all
been promised by the new manager. But a 2-0 win is okay, and was
probably deserved overall, so I won't complain too much. And with
Valencia going down 2-0 in Rosenborg, that means that Chelsea top the
group, leading by 3 points. Which nobody would have predicted just after
Jose left with an Abramovich-shaped boot mark on the back of his trousers.
[21st Oct 2007]
Premiership: Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea 2
Didier Drogba needs to do more than score one goal against Middlesbrough
to get back onside with this particular Chelsea fan. His admission that
he is unhappy at Chelsea and wants to leave at the earliest opportunity
has, in turn, made me very unhappy. I'm not naive enough to believe that
the foreign players at Chelsea (or any other club, for that matter) are
there because they have a love affair with the club, but for goodness'
sake, when you're being paid that much by your employer and you have
signed a long contract, the least you can do is keep your mouth shut and
pretend that everything's okay. It takes me three years to earn what he
earns in a week, and I hate my job with a passion, but I have to stay there
and pretend I'm enjoying it because the pay is adequate, and I need the
money to keep my family in food and clothes. Angry? You bet I am. His
outburst in the French press has effectively insulted the fans who (at
least in part) pay his wages.
Oh, by the way, Chelsea won the match, and did reasonably well into the
bargain.
[8th Oct 2007]
Premiership: Bolton Wanderers 0 Chelsea 1
Still not playing well, I'm afraid, but better than in recent Premiership
games, so I guess that's an improvement. Look at the "goals scored" column,
though, and the reason for Chelsea's poor showing in the Premiership thus
far becomes abundantly clear. Eight goals in nine matches is poor return
for the gazillions of pounds worth of talent in the team.
[4th Oct 2007]
Champions' League: Valencia 1 Chelsea 2
Crisis - what crisis? Tremendous stuff, from start to finish. Chelsea
weathered the inevitable early storm to slowly stamp their authority on a
match that everyone had tipped them to lose - and to lose heavily. Joe
Cole had a storming match, scoring one and laying on another with a
delightful pass that Didier Drogba - back to his imperious best - put away
with no little style. John Terry, playing in a face mask to protect his
newly-repaired cheekbone, was awesome in defence, no doubt feeling more
confident in his defensive partner for the night (the returning Carvalho).
All in all, an excellent result that sees Chelsea topping the Group B
table. Now perhaps the circling vultures of the media will stop insisting
that Chelsea are a club in disarray. I admit that I have been caught up in
the raw emotions of the last two weeks, and even started to believe what the
hacks were saying. I apologise most humbly. It was clear from tonight's
performance that all reports of the team disintegrating following Jose's
departure are false. I still think Avram Grant shouldn't be the manager,
but maybe now I'll think about giving him a chance. And maybe he's just
lucky to have inherited a group of players that can look after their own
motivation.
[30th Sep 2007]
Premiership: Chelsea 0 Fulham 0
The natives are getting restless, and I'm not surprised. The constant booing
of Shevchenko whilst he was on the pitch gives a clue as to who many of the
fans blame for getting Jose Mourinho the boot, and the equally constant chant
of "Jose Mourinho" should tell the owner and the board exactly what the fans
think of the joker Avram Grant. Chelsea are self-destructing, and I know who
to blame for that. Nonetheless, the performance was nothing short of shite.
To have that much possession and fashion so few chances on target is disgraceful.
And nothing is going right for Chelsea on the pitch either, what with John
Terry breaking his cheekbone and Didier Drogba getting himself sent off.
[27th Sep 2007]
League Cup: Hull City 0 Chelsea 4
Don't read too much into this result. Four goals against Hull City is no more
than I would have expected from a team of alleged superstars. I'm still very
unhappy about the situation at Chelsea, and I'm finding it hard to be bothered
about watching the games at the moment. Give me time, 40 years of following
Chelsea is still in my blood, so I'll regain my enthusiasm again in a few days.
[24th Sep 2007]
Premiership: Manchester Utd 2 Chelsea 0
Shit refereeing ruined this match. Mikel should never have been sent off,
the first goal was scored in the half-time interval, and Saha should have
been booked for an outrageous dive while winning a (perfectly valid) last
minute penalty. In return, it's probably true that the Scum should have been
awarded a penalty in the first half and that Joe Cole should have been sent
off for a dubious tackle. Oh, and Chelsea were basically not operating as
a united team.
[21st Sep 2007]
Farewell Jose
I should have expected it, I suppose. Chelsea have finally booted Jose
Mourinho out of Stamford Bridge. All the official news bulletins coming
from the club are predictably diplomatic, but the likely truth is that
Roman Abramovich and his cohorts have finally had enough. The real reasons
behind Jose's sacking (mutual consent, my arse) will remain shrouded in
confidentiality clauses, at least for a few months. But don't be too
surprised if it has been due to an internal power struggle between Jose
and recently employed Avram Grant (who seems set to take over as caretaker
manager). In a battle between Roman's friend and Jose, there was only ever
going to be one winner, and so it has proved. My fear now is that there
will be a mass exodus of players from the club; don't stand too close to
the club's gates, you may get trampled in the stampede.
For the record, I have thoroughly enjoyed the time Jose spent at
Chelsea's helm, and I'd like to thank him for the success that he has
brought to the club. Six trophies in three years is not a bad record, is
it? The best memory for me was being at the Bridge when Chelsea lifted
the Premiership trophy in 2005. I had waited so long to see Chelsea as
champions of England, and it was a day I will never forget.
Once the dust has settled, and the anger I am feeling towards the
club has subsided, I will probably take a more balanced view of events.
I just hope that Chelsea don't leave Avram Grant in charge for too long,
it strikes me that he has no record worth speaking of, and that he'd be
out of his depth from the word go. Plus, there is likely to be a whole
bunch of players who will distrust him from the outset. There are going
to be troubled times ahead for Chelsea, I hope it doesn't lead to an
implosion at the club. I can already hear the followers of rival clubs
gloating and tittering in the shadows.
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