tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72440344667167396662024-02-07T10:31:28.542+00:00Valky's Chelsea FC BlogChelsea Football Club match reports, thoughts, rants and photos!Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-64993298746334102292021-04-20T12:09:00.005+01:002021-04-20T12:23:31.380+01:00ESL - Chelsea Raiding FootballThe early 90s were my favourite period for music. The peak for hard rock, the beginning of grunge and the greatest acts in hip-hop and rap history. As a young teenager I would watch music videos by Dr Dre, Wu-Tang Clan and Cypress Hill wishing I could be as cool as them. The closest I could get was buying baseball caps including the baddest of them all – The Raiders.<br />
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The Raiders has had a history that is quite alien to Chelsea fans. Formed in 1960, it currently plays in Las Vegas, Nevada. Originally, however it held its matches in Oakland, California and despite tremendous success its owner decided twenty years later to move the franchise 350 miles away to Los Angeles despite the LA Rams already residing in the city. The equivalent would be for Chelsea to move from London to Paris. <br />
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They then returned to Oakland in the mid-1990s thus pleasing a fan base that had been hugely irritated by its initial move (which had been actually been blocked as it was not backed by a single member of its league before being overturned in the law courts). It then succumbed to the dollar sign by moving to a brand new air-conditioned stadium with an artificial pitch in Las Vegas that could combine American Football with huge tourism demand. Even Tom Hanks was outraged. <br />
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With wages at top soccer sides in Europe approaching those of top US sports, the history of the Raiders may signal the direction we are heading in with the announcement of the European Super League. Liverpool and Manchester United are run by American owners who recognise that with the largest global fan base of any UK side they can make a huge amount of money selling TV rights to matches involving their teams against any of the other big sides in Western Europe. <br />
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Chelsea and Manchester City have “reluctantly” joined this league knowing that a deal promising to bring up to three times as much revenue as the current Champions League format is hard to turn down. We have also known for years that matchdays only bring in around 15% of total revenue. Cash from broadcasting and commercial deals make up the rest – those of us attending are simply irritants as are our domestic competitions. <br />
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The backlash is inevitable and this disgraceful decision by the club will hit diehards the most who actually enjoy trips to Baku, Maribor and Prague. Such matches provide a great chance to explore new cities as well witness different footballing cultures whereas the ESL format will see us play the same teams over and over again. Those boycotting the competition know that their seat will be easily filled when Chelsea play Barcelona. <br />
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With the club so brazenly announcing partaking in the ESL, why not hike ticket prices too? <br />
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It feels inevitable that as with the NFL, the odd match will be played abroad. According to statistics, Chelsea is the second highest searched football team in China. <br />
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This is by no means an attack on tourists who wish to watch Chelsea. Having been at the Bridge when the stadium was half full any visitors would have been welcome. Unfortunately, the hardcore who deem Chelsea as one of most important things in their lives may reluctantly throw their season tickets in the bin and the atmosphere at our stadium will diminish even further. <br />
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The Juventus chairman made it clear that clubs are adapting to a different world and basing potential revenue on who is watching his club on TV and discussing incidents on social networks. There was no shame in claiming that globally one third of Juve fans also support another side and these are the ones they wish to target. These fans are those that follow American Football like I do - ones who have baseball caps of both the LA Rams and the Raiders.<br />
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Please stop the ESL while there is still a small amount of heart left in football.
Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-40617620991744670932020-04-06T09:15:00.000+01:002020-04-06T09:15:12.396+01:00Late 80s to early noughtiesListening to the excellent Chelsea Fancast with Stamford Chidge triggered thoughts of my first game at Chelsea back in 1987. Watching an attacking lineup of Dixon, Durie and Nevin felt like yesterday when it was in fact 33 years ago. At the time, those old war stories my father described of watching Osgood, Baldin, Harris and Cooke among many other Chelsea legends took place roughly 20 years before my first Chelsea match. He had a more romantic time of it and was even lucky enough to see a couple of matches where Jimmy Greaves played.<br />
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I look back at the lineup of both the home and away sides and the first thought that comes to mind is that they were very 1980s. The team in blue had the likes of Godden in goal; Dublin and Pates in defence; McLaughlin and Spackman in midfield. Meanwhile, the visitors had the big Norman Whiteside up front with two Gibsons in the side along with the excellent Strachan and Bryan Robson. It was also noticeable that the attendance was only 26,500 during a period when many decided to reduce the number of matches they attended due to hooliganism - with Chelsea one of the main culprits.<br />
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The difference in the acceleration of quality of both sides is astounding. We jump to the season of the ‘94 FA Cup Final. We lost 4-0 but that does not tell the whole story. The first half saw Gavin Peacock hit the bar and had that gone in we may well have had a shock on our hands. The much reviled David Elleray who also taught at Harrow allowed a Manchester United goal that seemed to not cross the line. It was one of those games where an unoriginal commentator would have argued that Manchester United deserved the victory - it was near impossible for Chelsea to get back into the game after that second goal. But what really catches the eye is which players shared that hallowed turf.<br />
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Chelsea began the match with Dmitri Kharine in goal (his name was never consistently spelt the same) and the solid pairing of Erland Johnson and Jakob Kjeldberg at the back. The brilliantly consistent Steve Clarke joined them in the back 4. With them was Frank Sinclair - one of those players who we loved for his pace and hard work - but who unfortunately lacked coordination at key moments. Burley, Newton, Wisey and God-botherer Peacock shared the midfield. The shortest front line in the 1990s in Johnny Spencer and Mark Stein meant that long balls were out of the questions. With Hoddle as manager, that style of football was assigned to the dustbin.<br />
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What shocked me was looking back at the team we faced at the time. Every single player in the Manchester United side was a household name: Schmeichel; Parker, Bruce, Pallister, Irwin; Giggs, Ince, Kanchelskis, Keane; Cantona and Hughes. Nearly 80,000 attended at Wembley while for the league fixtures in which we boasted double 1-0 victories our home attendance had nearly caught up to that at Old Trafford: 37k vs 44k.<br />
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Fast forward another 10 years and roles were arguably reversed. Man Utd names will still have been well known among the football fan community due to the saturation of coverage for that club in red, but the Chelsea side was simply magnificent. A year into his reign as club owner, Roman Abramovich could attend Stamford Bridge with nearly every player boasting world class status. Cech in goal; Ferreira, Gallas, Terry, Bridge; Lampard, Makelele; Gudjohnsen and Drogba among excellent names that would walk into virtually any side. The visitors on the other hand had players one could easily leave on the bench with the starting lineup including O’Shea, Silvestre, Djemba-Djemba, Fortune, Miller and Alan Smith.<br />
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The high quality of the side we had a decade ago makes the squad of the early- to mid-90s appear mediocre at best. But the difference has been in my attitude when attending games. Under Hoddle there was strong hope rather than realistic belief of winning a title. The noughties saw us catch up with the big boys. In an interesting turn the next wave of Chelsea is bringing fans closer together. Half of the side is boasting youthful players who have a chance to be great.Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-44313507252126534732018-12-27T20:02:00.000+00:002018-12-27T20:02:12.277+00:00It's Just Bantz, Isn't It?Not too long ago my work colleague asked to attend a Chelsea match with me. Chelsea ticket exchange enabled me to sort out a couple of plum first row seats in the Upper Tier of the West Stand. I remembered he was Jewish but assumed as the match was not a crowd puller there would be no silly chants. There weren't of course. It was the usual Ten Men Went to Mow, Carefree and The Sh*t from Tottenham Hotspur. It was at the end of the last song that he turned to me and asked if he had correctly heard the fans singing that Tottenham "are a load of y*ds" with his mouth aghast. Time almost stood still as I realised that what I had seen as simply short-handed banter against our North London rivals was seen as nothing of the sort to him. He was also the global head of the company I worked for.<br />
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It is a catchy tune in no doubt, but the recent highlighting of Chelsea fans' behaviour warrants attention. There is a reticence for me to bring my young daughter to Chelsea matches due to fearing her hear what on the whole are some of the worst chants in the league. Even when she was lucky enough to be a mascot at a recent game, there were people in the family section not averse to joining in chants that they had no shame in singing in front of their kids. <br />
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In a recent conversation with another senior manager, he said that he had stopped going to Chelsea football matches as he simply found the behaviour of too large a minority intolerable. There are many Chelsea fans who are more patient and see their strongest act of defiance being to simply not join in - it is difficult to have a go at fans inside a stadium where you may have a season ticket and have your cards marked. I remember when I once said what I felt to another fan and hey presto at the next away match he had a small gathering of his neanderthal mates to make sure I knew I was being watched.<br />
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The problem with the misbehaviour of a minority (and let's face it, it is not a tiny fraction of support) is that it spoils it for the rest of us. Since away fans have brought the club into disrepute during our travels to Europe, we now have to collect tickets on the day of games. There has not been one away European match where I have not heard some form of chanting that fans believe they can get away with on the assumption that they won't get caught as they are never forced to sit in their own seats. Perhaps they think that the home fans understand their lyrics? At some stage we shall have draconian measures in place for our domestic aways where an id will have to be produced to match the name on a ticket (on the plus side this will weed out those on away season ticket schemes who just buy tickets for the loyalty points).<br />
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I remember when I attended my first Chelsea match over 30 years ago. On the Monday morning at school I was effing and blinding words that I had learnt from the terraces. Normalising chants that involve the "Y" word gives a poor example to kids and brings a bad name for a club that is already on the radar of the media's most hated for not playing in red. <br />
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I had to apologise to the Jewish fan and made a mental note not to join in such chants when they can easily offend. He did return to see another Chelsea match - Leicester away two seasons ago. I dread to think what he thought of the chanting he witnessed in the away end but he has not spoken to me about the game since. Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-49189144536917115072017-03-14T02:06:00.001+00:002017-03-14T02:06:14.055+00:00Chelsea 1 Man Utd 0Just like those armchair experts who never saw Brexit or Trump coming, we who slated our beloved club for decisions made over the past year have had to admit that we were wrong. Jose Mourinho was not the God we thought he was. He is just as culpable of making mistakes as we all are: although admitting them is a different matter. The questionable signing of Pogba for a world-record sum must be one of them. This Manchester United squad looks barren without Ibrahimovic who will very soon be way past his prime. One less competition for them to play in though so surely a positive result for their leader.<br />
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From the outset, the tactic from the visitors was clear. To lob the ball to the right wing where Rashford was meant to torment our defence. This was a mistake – against five men at the back he stood no chance and instead cut a lonely figure. He only looked dangerous once throughout the whole game when through one-on-one during the second half but his inexperience showed at what was a key moment. <br />
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Chelsea were strong throughout with crisp, neat passing from front to back. As always, Hazard could only be stopped by continuous fouling throughout the match which deservedly led to a needless second yellow and a red card for Herrera. Costa then embarrassed us with his diving antics like a schoolchild who wishes he was bullied as much as our Belgian talisman in order earn more punishment for the opposition. In truth, we never stepped out of second gear and did not need to.<br />
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Kante resembles a hybrid of Essien and Makelele. He tidies up in defence and easily but fairly shoulder barges any midfielder who tries to dribble past him. Even his goal was perfectly placed. What a signing and what a strange decision by the Leicester board of directors to allow him to leave. They should take a note of how Chelsea has progressed and built on our success by never letting our most influential players go during prosperous times. <br />
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Manchester United’s continuous mockery of John Terry was easily drowned out by reminders of which team was top of league and salutes to Antonio. After ninety minutes, Mourinho was quite deliberate in his support for their club’s fans and in doing so validated their chants. It was not long ago that he so disapproved Chelsea’s fans of singing a similar song about Gerrard. Now that he is no longer with us, it is clear how he seeks and successfully receives adulation like the leader of a cult. When Porto fans visited Stamford Bridge last campaign, they sang his name still over a decade after he had left their club.<br />
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The large minority of us who supported Mourinho to the last; those of us who mocked Emenalo and the signings of Luiz, Alonso and Moses have had to eat our words. There is no downside for us – if we are wrong, then the worst-case scenario is to see the club we love succeed. Jose must feel that he has no such luxury. To admit that he has lost the edge would be an admittance of failure and could have a big impact for his career in the short-term. In the long-term, such a mea culpa would earn him respect among many Chelsea fans who no longer hold him in such high esteem as they once did. <br />
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I am glad to have moved on and see my club succeed in competitions that count. A win against the in-form Tottenham would be a strong validation of how far we have come this season.<br />
Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-67112594677562572312016-05-03T14:26:00.001+01:002016-05-03T15:02:24.749+01:00That's the way to do it: Chelsea 2 Spurs 2Never during my Chelsea-supporting and sports-loving lifetime had I seen a club so happily confirm the handing over of a title to a rival. Although preferring billionaire-owned Leicester to win the league by a long way, I respected Tottenham's steady progress over the years to reach the top two. Yes, their fans are scum – try wearing your colours on the walk from Seven Sisters to White Hart Lane - but why hold a grudge against their players and manager? But that opinion could not have changed more swiftly when the away side showed their true colours. <br />
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Chelsea has been a side that has been much maligned for many decades. Ken Bates was loathed by the media (and many Chelsea fans – but not me) for having the guts to fight for the club. From newspapers not reporting on Chelsea matches to television companies secretly trying to agree deals so that clubs like ours would be locked out of TV revenues, he made sure that we were not left behind. <br />
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So it was at matches last night where one wondered whether the bias was there again. Perhaps those generous plaudits in public by senior 'neutral' officials were masking shaking of heads behind closed doors. Would a small club like Leicester who spent as much on their first team as we did solely on Baba Rahman pull in the same interest as Chelsea when playing the likes of Dynamo Kiev, Porto or Hapoel Tel-Aviv? The leniency of refereeing from Clattenburg towards their only title challengers certainly raised eyebrows and caused much ire in the home end. <br />
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Tottenham should have been down to ten men well before scoring. A childish kick by England’s (yes… England’s…) Kyle Walker on Pedro was not even flagged by the assistant referee standing right in front of the incident. Even being generous, the booking he received on 27 minutes would have been his second yellow. Chelsea should nevertheless have taken the lead before Tottenham took control. But our offside trap failed yet again this season for Kane to open the scoring and another woeful error by Ivanovic allowed the visitors to extend their lead. Cue a “2-0 in your cup final” and “You’re f*cking sh*t” chorus from the visitors.<br />
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It was the introduction of Eden Hazard that changed the match. Oh, how we miss him when he is in this form. He lit up the side and even made Fabregas take the form of an attacking midfielder for the first time in the game. Suddenly, Willian actually looked dangerous and Costa had room to manoeuvre. It was the nutty Spaniard whose intelligent play led to the winning of the corner from which we pulled a goal back.<br />
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The match then descended into chaos as the visitors’ indiscipline reflected their lack of experience when under pressure. Disgraceful tackles throughout the match led to nine bookings and twenty fouls just for Pochettino’s side. Alli’s suspension now seems not to have been a one-off. Let’s see if there is more focus on their behaviour as it would be if a bigger and more successful club like Chelsea was involved. Ironically, Costa did not receive a yellow card despite his reaction to having his eye gouged by Dembele during the game.<br />
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The denouement. A stunning equaliser from Hazard producing a reaction from the home support not seen for a very, very long time. The awful behaviour of Spurs’ players and the faux superiority of the away support singing songs lacking any awareness of hypocrisy culminated in successfully firing up Chelsea fans to create a joyous celebration during a match that seemed over by half time. <br />
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2-2 in Spurs’ Cup Final. Will Leicester City now forgive the Erland Johnsen incident? We shall see… We welcome back Claudio Ranieri with open arms… and let us hope he puts Robert Huth up front.Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-59002061695583343252016-01-25T11:31:00.003+00:002016-01-25T11:31:58.823+00:00Arsenal 0 Chelsea 1It is supposed to be Arsenal fans who are magnanimous in defeat. Chelsea fans who apparently behave disgracefully in the stands by voicing displeasure at their own team’s performances. Arsenal coaches who show how football should be played. Chelsea managers who try to deflect attention away from deserved losses. Magnificent, new stadia that show the future of football which have the atmosphere to match. Yesterday showed quite the opposite.<br />
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It was the Chelsea fans who applauded Petr Cech while the home side’s supporters who booed Fabregas incessantly. The team in red who could only stop us from scoring when in full flight by illegitimate means. Their manager who blamed his side’s loss on Diego Costa for having the temerity to be the one who was fouled when clear through on goal. Another quiet day from the home fans who seem to treat attendances of home matches as an inconvenience when not leading to victory.<br />
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This was despite the performance of Clattenburg who after the sending off did his best to favour Arsenal. Whether it was playing advantage for such a long period for the home side that it would have been more appropriate to belong to the rugby field. Or amazingly not award one of the most blatant penalties in the second half that would have ended what was already virtually a dead rubber once Chelsea went ahead. <br />
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Man of the match has to have been Fabregas. This was the kind of performance that has been missing for quite a while and resembled Mata at his peak for us. Costa ran his absolute socks off and had he been able to hold the line better would have cause far more damage. His value for the side yesterday was best contrasted with the ineffective contribution from Remy when he replaced him. It was also welcome to see Hazard back on the pitch who seemed assured in possession and helped us wind down the clock during injury time. <br />
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Before we assume a march to a Champions’ League place, we need to face the stark reality that despite looking quite potent in attack, our defence was caught on numerous occasions by the speed of the home side. We were lucky on several occasions that their woeful finishing did not lead to an equaliser. Courtois’ distribution was simply appalling. We lack pace at the back and that has to be addressed. <br />
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This victory was not quite as sweet as it has been in the past – this time we have little to fight for and realistically it is still more likely that Arsenal or Man City will win the league than Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City side (however sweet that might be should they be eventual victors). Guus is still undefeated. Luck is on our side. Let’s just get some points on the board – I don’t really care how now. Then the performances will come. Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-58842956861765603242016-01-17T12:06:00.002+00:002016-01-17T12:06:54.530+00:00Chelsea 3 Everton 3This was a very important match. The one where decisions went our way. Where players who had underperformed all season for Chelsea played well (and vice-versa). An opposition player who we had been reminded on numerous occasions was one we could not buy had a shocker. A major refereeing decision that actually went in our favour. Is this the symbolically pivotal moment in our season that we have been waiting for?<br />
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Everton arrived with a very simple tactic. Play three at the back when in possession and revert to a four when defending. Ours was a strange one - when they had the ball we would chase them down and hope they would succumb to unforced errors. This left us exposed in midfield and also meant the first half was a tedious affair. <br />
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The goading from the visiting supporters about money not being able to buy us Stones was one I hoped would come back to haunt them. Would it not be ironic if he scored an own goal? That way of thinking came back to haunt in the worst way imaginable when we conceded the first. By the time the second goal went in it was almost a welcome relief that it would put us out of our misery with the drabness of the performance up to that point. Even the usual dependable Willian was having an absolute shocker.<br />
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Oscar coming on raised a chuckle but it was more than a relief to see the awful Matic leave the pitch. A brilliant ball to Costa from the excellent Fabregas saw this defender that is so rated (63 senior appearances, remember) have an embarrassing mixup with his 'keeper that led to us pulling one back. John Terry was then spurred into action, grabbed the bull by the horns and began to attack. The equaliser came right on time and derived from Costa's extreme hard work that was demonstrated all match. If Everton had not had a player injured for so long after the second goal we would have had the momentum to obtain a third. Instead, Everton took advantage in the 90th minuste after more awful defending on the far post.<br />
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It is very difficult to admit this. But having been the critic of so many Chelsea players it is only fair to confess leaving early. Approximately thirty seconds before the equaliser even though it did not feel right to do so. To hear it was John Terry made me purr with pride - especially when Stones had been the focus of attention. To hear Martinez squeal about the extra injury time was a delight. But the final goal is one piece of justice that claws back the umpteen match-changing decisions that have gone against us over the past few seasons. So what? Bring on Arsenal.Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-24476697367912414862016-01-14T11:15:00.001+00:002016-01-14T11:53:23.537+00:00Chelsea 2 WBA 2We should start off by thanking West Brom for the bellended nature of their time-wasting tactics adopted to secure a point. This, twinned with the frankly pointless attendance of the referee roused our home support which was otherwise anonymous. If we had won the game it would have felt like a moral victory; one that would have glossed over an otherwise mediocre performance where we were once again exposed at the back and would have been destroyed by a more capable side in attack.<br />
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It is difficult to criticise without still sounding bitter about Mourinho’s sacking. But when he blamed his employees out loud for failing to carry out their work diligently he was not wrong. The theory was that once he left we would see the real Chelsea re-emerge. Those players who might have deliberately or subconsciously played below-par would be reinvigorated. Some did… at first Oscar and Mikel shone for the first time in years. That honeymoon period is now over. <br />
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The player who earned my partisan support when he joined, Diego Costa was Mourinho’s equivalent on the pitch. He would distract the opposition. Wind them up. But still manage to score goals. This worked brilliantly when we were winning. It was even entertaining. When you struggle this creates an unneeded distraction. At one stage he was even pushed away by his own players when he bickered with the referee while we wished to take a quick free-kick. To cap it all, with only a few minutes to go he brainlessly asked for a quick ball to be released to him from Courtois so he could go on the attack on his own. Him against five WBA players. He lost and didn’t even try to hold it in the corner when he had no support. From the resulting counter, the visitors were awarded a free-kick (one of many set pieces we failed to defend) from which they equalised. <br />
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He was not alone:<br />
Pedro. There is a reason why you were not wanted by Barca. The abysmal position on the pitch where you gave away the ball that lead to the visitors’ first equaliser was unforgivable;<br />
Fabs. Through balls need to go to a player. Not straight out for goal kicks;<br />
Kurt Zouma. Simply hoofing the ball as hard as possible hoping it goes to a Chelsea player is Sunday League football. Look up the word, “finesse”… it is not just used in a game of Bridge;<br />
Thibaut. Those gloves you wear are supposed to hold the ball. You are making me miss Petr Cech more and more by the day. <br />
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One wonders what many of these players take in on the training pitch when it comes to defending – or what, if any intelligence they hold when it comes to trying to squeeze results out during trying times. One of the most annoying characteristics of our team has been the poor marking in the box. There was always at least one visiting player unmarked on the far post from crosses. <br />
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There are some positives. We are unbeaten since Guus took over. Kenedy looks an exciting prospect even if his speed means that he has to one-two against the opposition’s legs rather than his own team-mates. Ivanovic actually did a brilliant cross. Twice. Yes, twice. And Willian… I must apologise for this team that you have to play with in which you are our only consistently good player. <br />
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If we had the misfortune to play any of the big sides we would be shredded apart because of the vulnerability in our defence. In the old days, teams would pray that they would be awarded the odd free-kick to try to score against us. Currently, we are allowing sides to have umpteen chances in and around the box which used to be unheard of. This squad needed a major injection of investment but now it is too late. Nevertheless, many individuals cannot lose: financially, they are sorted; poor performances can be blamed on the preceding manager; legitimate excuses can be used for jumping ship should we not qualify for the Champions' League. It is us fans who are left powerless. Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-55670738342488899932015-12-26T20:55:00.002+00:002015-12-26T21:43:45.887+00:00Chelsea 2 Watford 2It felt the same as the last time Mourinho was jettisoned from my beloved club. Personal anger in the immediate aftermath turned to a laissez-faire attitude towards matters on the pitch - especially with Avram Grant appointed as his successor. This time, I questioned my way of thinking - was my loyalty to Jose blurring my allegiances towards my club? This time we faced a fight to stave off relegation rather than a place in Europe. It certainly felt blurred against Inter when he was boss. When the Milan side knocked us out I was neither disappointed nor saddened – the final whistle was greeted with a shrugging of my shoulders and a wry smile in the knowledge that he would at some stage have come back to haunt us. <br>
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The booing that greeted some of our players last week was absent. It may have been down to conspiracy theories of who was to blame for Jose's sacking - but really it was more letting certain players know how disgusting their performances have been perceived this season.<br>
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The match began well. Yet again, for the first fifteen minutes we created numerous chances to score which we again did not take advantage of. As our momentum waned, Watford (who were excellent) grew in confidence and exposed our shaky back four which again failed to work in unison to work the offside trap (no names Ivanovic). Before Costa's brilliant instinctive whack into the roof of the net from a set-piece, Watford's Ighalo should have helped his side take the lead when he snatched at a shot - not realising how much time he had on his hands when we had played him onside. <br>
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What should not have been forgotten was that the lead up to the equaliser came from a needless foul outside the box. This turned into a corner being conceded from the resulting free-kick. The stupid handball from Matic complemented the whole episode and Guus needs to stamp out some of the idiotic decision-making from our players that results in unnecessary risks being taken in dangerous places on the pitch.<br>
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The second half brought an important change. Mikel's introduction to support the shaky back four made a world of difference and allowed Matic to probe further forward. But just as we were on the up, Watford took advantage of silly play from Pedro who decided to cross the ball from the left-back position straight out of play onto the right side of the pitch (is it not basic training to avoid doing this?) Our defenders were annoyingly asleep and although Ighalo's goal was assisted by a lucky deflection, they had no right to be even close to our penalty area as we had needlessly lost possession in the build-up.<br>
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We only kick-started into life after going behind to this goal. The sense of urgency and importance of this game was made clear by the fans who generously got behind the team while I crossed my arms in frustration at the stupidity of the goals we had conceded. But we started to play brilliantly. It even naturally stirred me into life. When the equaliser came, there is no shame in admitting that tears welled up in my eyes. This goal brought out the same emotion in me as an equaliser against the Manchester United of old did when I was a child. The manner of the build-up play and finally seeing a sense of urgency from my team touched me. It proved to me that the side does have what it takes to climb back up the table. <br>
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We could not end the game perfectly. The emergence of such nonchalance from Oscar who suddenly believes he is Messi since his nemesis Mourinho's departure annoys immensely. This was typified last week with the rabona he carried out that went to noone. This week he was nearly caught in possession when Watford had five in attack against three and he was fortunate to win a free-kick. He is someone who hopefully will lose his place until he realises that guitar solos are so passé. That penalty would have kept us out of reach of the bottom three for at least a week. He should have passed the responsibility to Costa who at least could have faced his boo-boys with a hat-trick.<br>
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This has been the strangest of seasons. It is difficult to know if the large points tally of weaker teams is them catching up with their peers or whether the more successful sides are ailing. The maths, though does not lie. We are still two points off a relegation place. A loss today would have been too much to bear. We can look forward to Manchester United and Crystal Palace knowing we have the capacity to earn points as long as we can iron out stupid mistakes. Please rise back up, Chelsea. Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-3428177380822425552015-12-20T12:02:00.001+00:002015-12-20T12:41:40.627+00:00Chelsea 3 Sunderland 1Clever timing. Wait to sack Jose until either Chelsea is knocked out of the European Cup to his former club Porto or we lose to ex-manager Claudio Ranieri's Leicester City side. Then 'easy' home games against Sunderland and Watford follow which should provide a buffer to let the booboys’ feelings cool off. Technical Director Emenalo (whose CV includes Enugu Rangers and Lleida – no, me neither) then exonerates players from any blame for bad displays in the knowledge that it is unheard of to sack those who underperform on the pitch. If Chelsea lose their next game then you can blame it on Mourinho’s legacy.<br>
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Walking from West Brompton before the game to suck in the atmosphere was a choice well-made. Chants of “Jose Mourinho” were already emanating from the direction of the ground at 2pm. Before kick-off as the players warmed up there was no hint of what was to come. It was only as players’ names were read out that fans let rip. You could not disagree with which players they voiced their displeasure with the most. Ivanovic – a normally solid stalwart who has had his worst season to date; Oscar – a lightweight midfielder who rarely makes any impact and is deservedly a squad player; Fabregas – whose clumsiness on the field is almost comical this year; and finally Costa – who returned from holiday overweight and whose attitude has stunk. Hazard was lucky to have been injured. <br>
<br>
Some of the grievances have been based on hearsay and in the modern litigious environment it is unlikely that we will ever find out what really happened – whether it relates to which players leaked information to the press or bedroom antics between staff. Players know that telling the truth will not serve them well.<br>
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One of those who was targeted from the terraces – Oscar – had the game of his life. This annoyed. Was it because Hazard was missing that he chose his time to shine? His cockiness on the field was in marked contrast to his last home performance where he slipped every time he changed direction. Costa did not have any fights for once either. Fabregas only made one error. Ivanovic actually crossed the ball to create a goal. Is the message from the terraces working? Sunderland were woeful in contrast and parked the bus in the first half. In the second half, however they exposed our leaky defence and should have easily scored at least another goal. <br>
<br>
The split between the most vociferous, well-known, individual fans who speak to the media seems clear. Those who back the board and players against those who believe footballing matters should be left to the direction of coaches such as Jose. The former group argues that we should move on and that no manager is bigger than the club. They seem to forget that no Chelsea player or member of the administrative hierarchy is either.<br>
<br>
Manchester United v Chelsea is coming up. LVG is on the brink of losing his job. One dreads to think what happens if Jose joins the Old Trafford club before that game and Chelsea loses. Guardiola seems the most obvious choice for next full-time manager. Someone who is media-friendly and described as a genius despite only working at football clubs that already have a world-class first XI who even Scolari could win trophies with. <br>
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There was no other alternative than for Jose to leave. Not because it was the best option. But because it was the easiest. The majority of fans are more vexed with the players than Mourinho. His CV says it all. Especially when compared to those who direct the footballing side of our club. <br>
Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-63177755156427299312015-12-18T10:30:00.002+00:002016-08-13T14:12:56.881+01:00Jose’s Exit - A Season Ticket Holder's ViewTo see Mourinho understandably leave for a second time and know that realistically he will never return is a hard moment to endure – arguably the hardest since attending my first Chelsea match in the late 1980s – especially with Chelsea having hit the peak of its success. I respect his determination and ambition. When watching Chelsea abroad, whether by accident or design I have made pilgrimages to clubs where he plied his trade. Belenenses is one - a club whose stadium has an unroofed stand which allows spectators a beautiful view over Lisbon harbour. There he failed to make it as a professional as his father did but had the drive and ambition to become a coach instead. Porto – where he has a statue commemorating how this historic club somehow won the European Cup under his tenure and is now hidden in relative obscurity. Inter Milan, where he outfoxed the big guns and won a treble. A club that ever since has crept back into its shell. This, before taking the reins at Real Madrid where player power killed him. <br />
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Whereas others build on their success by bolstering their squad, we appear to pray that our first team remains injury-free. Flashbacks to 2007 when we had to play Joe Cole up front during our Community Shield match as our main strikers were injured and our manager’s “class one, two or class three eggs” diatribe that most probably irked the owner. Then the match against Rosenborg in a barely half-full stadium with Drogba and Lampard missing, injured with only the hapless (if likeable) Shevchenko to rely upon up front. <br />
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Today, we are missing leaders in key areas of the pitch. Whereas we had a decent spine before – Drogba, Lampard, JT and Cech who you felt would fight when the going got tough – you now only have JT to rely upon who is not even guaranteed a start as he ages. Costa and Ivanovic are fighters but only in the most immature of senses. When we have to buy squad players from Barcelona you wonder why they let them leave without a fight? Players who we have let go have rarely prospered. <br />
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The most irksome aspect is seeing the majority of those players who walked the league last season and should have proceeded to the next round of the Champions League against PSG performing so badly this season. The mistakes they have made on the pitch – from Fabregas not being able to pass the ball to a fellow player to Costa missing easy chances in front of goal – are not down to tactics but individual reliability. Chelsea has somewhat naively not tried to lay the blame on the 1st XI. But the club knows it is easier to rid the club of its manager than players who cannot be sacked because financially it makes no sense when you can lose a potential transfer fee. The sooner we have performance related pay making up at least half of an individual’s wages the better. <br />
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I have to trust the manager to run the squad. It would annoy me to hear outsiders tell me how to do a job that I started nearly forty years ago. Compare Jose’s CV to Emenalo’s who somehow is our technical director. Can you really trust those in the higher echelons of power at the club we love? <br />
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Jose Mourinho was the person who I could trust and always assumed a method to his madness as it brought results. Psychologists admire him. When the team failed, he managed to divert the attention elsewhere. The physio incident was one that admittedly backfired. He was correct, however to note how many decisions have been ruled against Chelsea Football Club compared to our peers. How could Mourinho be fined for criticising referees while his peers be left unpunished for similar remarks for instance? Against Bournemouth, however one had to properly question his judgement for the first time when players who had underperformed more often than not were still selected in the side. Then you looked at the bench and wondered who he could play instead – there was a complete lack of quality. <br />
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There have been theories that players have deliberately underperformed to aid a speedier exit of the manager. If this is the case then their careers will be forever tainted. Can there also really be players in the squad who leak what is going on in our club from personality clashes down to formations externally? There has been a minority of fans who have been vexed at his diatribes against our support… and yet during our worst run in modern memory Stamford Bridge has never been more vociferous in its support for Mourinho when eight years ago it booed the team off when we drew against Rosenborg. Fans can see that the circumstances surrounding the manager are not normal.<br />
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The timing of our club’s demise could not have been in more typical Chelsea style. A season where we formally announced our plans for a new stadium which we are unlikely to fill at the current rate. Was this why we spent so little in the transfer market or was it a spiteful way of testing our cocksure manager’s ability?<br />
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It has also been a season where the hardcore fans who follow Chelsea in Europe have had to pick up their tickets from random venues in the country we visit adding stress to what is already an unhappy experience because of the way we are treated. One where players fail to acknowledge blind and faithful support after ninety minutes. A time when relations with those on the terraces are at the lowest they have been for a while as we seek the tourist Dollar. A season when FIFA has formally been found out and a club ambassador who we were so proud to be associated with in Sebastian Coe embarrassed. <br />
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We are most likely to look for such an ambassador to take charge of the club. Guardiola would seem to be the most obvious choice when his contract ends at Bayern this season so that we have an acceptable face for the media. But which manager would have the strength to take over a side that is more likely to be relegated than finish in a European place? We will still be here but at times such as this the relationship between the club and its real fans are the most stretched they have been in modern memory.<br />
Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-9758071589519446852015-12-10T13:27:00.001+00:002015-12-10T13:36:00.551+00:00Chelsea 2 Porto 0The Bournemouth match nearly broke me. The side needed to return to the pitch as soon as possible after the disgraceful home performance on Saturday. There is only so much goodwill one can have for a squad no matter how much you love your club. For the first time I was prepared to sit with my arms crossed and wait for the team to trigger my enthusiasm rather than oblige them with my blind allegiance. <br />
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Dropping Fabregas was long overdue. Leaving out Dave over the weekend seemed a harsh decision – but one would expect Baba Rahman to have filled the void. He did not. Dropping him was no shock. The squad needed respected leadership in the side that JT brought too. The team appeared more balanced.<br />
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Porto began well. It is an obviously skilful side. But being able to do keepy-uppies and clever flicks does not a team make. Hazard and Willian gave the best example of how possessing magical talent leads to concrete results and they were on fire yesterday. When Willian scored it brought tears to my eyes – these are the kind of goals that make our team special. Matic was imperious and easily man-of-the-match. He intercepted ball after ball which seemed to stick to his boots time after time - he was in the right place at the right time and was the conductor of most of our attacks. Having Ramires accepting his more defensive role helped Matic too and he did not shirk his duties. Oscar again annoyed as he was brushed off the ball and fell over as if he was not wearing studs far too often.<br />
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For his lack of subtlety, Zouma was imperious in defence alongside warhorse JT. Yes, it is obvious that our captain has lost some pace. But yesterday’s brave decision to have him on from the start gave the side a credible leader during a period of duress. Ivanovic finally had a good game.<br />
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Finally, we turn to Chelsea’s nemesis – Diego. The pattern is pretty clear. We can forgive him his trespasses when we are playing well, but not when we fail. He was his usual stupid self yesterday. Falling over when barely touched in promising positions; stupidly fouling Casillas which could have led to a red; straying needlessly offside on many occasions; and finally the gravest off sins for a striker – not scoring. But would you have confidence in any other striker in our squad up front? Unfortunately the answer is “no”. <br />
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Porto fans seemed to turn on their manager during the second half – pathetically waving their white hankies in ire at some substitutions made. Watching their behaviour reminded me how futile it is to publicly turn against your club. There is no upside. <br />
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The weight of some of our passing really impressed… in particular when attacking. We did not always go for the obvious through-ball and played our best football this season. The question is… why did this only happen now? Where has this been this calendar year? Were we playing deliberately badly to fool our opponents into a false sense of security? <br />
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Well done the lads for not only getting through to the next round but also finishing top of the group. That performance has restored my faith in the side just as my support had almost turned to apathy.Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-75366334980161889462015-12-05T20:56:00.001+00:002015-12-05T20:56:18.908+00:00Chelsea 0 Bournemouth 1The top story in tomorrow's 'papers should have been Man City dropping three points so embarrassingly to a Stoke side Chelsea had been so chastised for losing to earlier on this season. Man Utd's boring 0-0 draw should have earnt the second highest scathing reviews, just as Chelsea did when we were rebuked for being boring. Instead, my beloved club will be top of the pile again for deservedly failing to even gain a point against a side which has fewer home fans than we used to take to aways. <br />
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Jose continues to pick players who play consistently poorly. The last few kicks of both the first and second halves exemplified two of our worst performers in Fabregas (who bizarrely chose a through ball that went straight out for a goal kick when he was in the six yard box) and Ivanovic (an attempt at a shot from 40 yards out towards the end of the match which nearly hit the corner flag). We understand that players have to be given a chance - we are not thick - and sometimes a player has the odd bad match but come on Jose... you have nothing to lose now so drop these guys.<br />
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In the box we are utterly clueless. Rahman. What the f**k are you doing in my Chelsea squad? That thing on the end of your leg is a foot. That thing on the end of your teammates' necks is called a head. Programme your brain so that your foot understands that the ball has to lift more than one centimetre off the ground in order to connect with a player's forehead - even if you have the misfortune to only have players who are 5 foot 8 to aim for. Or even worse, diddymen like Oscar who appear to have never gone down the gym apart from using the sauna. What have our scouts been paid to get such utter drivel into our squad? This isn’t strengthening it – we have become weaker!<br />
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Jose. When it comes to your training sessions please could you include the following drills:<br />
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1. The person who tries to stop a goal is called a "goalkeeper". He is allowed to catch the ball with his hands. I know this rule is unfair. But in order to stop this from happening instruct your players to try and stand in front of the aforementioned player (he usually wears number 1 and has a different coloured shirt which should make him easy to spot) when taking set pieces. This will make it more difficult for him to catch the ball and more likely for us to score a goal.<br />
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2. When spending all that energy trying to score, please instruct your attackers to understand that sometimes the ball may go to what we in England call the “near post". Please tell one of your attackers to take a gamble and towards this "near post" area and try to score. <br />
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3. If the ball is actually crossed more than 1cm above the ground it has a better chance of reaching an area in England we call the “far post". Please tell another attacker to run towards this area - and preferably one who has some height in order to do what we in England call "scoring a goal". <br />
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4. We have a rule in England (used by many nations) called "offside". If many players are in an offside position and the ball is kicked in their direction, the referee will stop the game and award a free-kick to the opposition. Please could they practice running back from these "offside" positions as quickly as their petite arses can go so that we can try to "score a goal".<br />
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This was supposed to be our easy run. Our players appear to be treating it as their easy run too. It felt such a drab performance that for the first time this season I could have snoozed the first half away. It was more exciting watching the stewards in the Shed Upper trying to stop a supporter from creating some atmosphere by blowing his trumpet (glad to see they have their priorities) than the actual match.<br />
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Leicester away is coming up and looks a daunting prospect. This season's league performances could not have come at a worse time... just when our peers are performing woefully too. We have the talent in the squad. Many who have this talent have not shown it this season. It is time to give others a chance. If we go out of the European Cup this season, it is unfortunate that for the first time ever I will call for our manager to go... having been in tears when he was fired the first time. Because if he cannot see the obvious problems in our play and players who should be left in the stands (and not even deserve a place on the bench) then he should not be our manager.<br />
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Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-40811357294647768882015-11-07T09:43:00.001+00:002015-11-07T09:43:05.784+00:00RIP Bobby Campbell<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Bobby Campbell sadly passed away yesterday at the age of 78. When in charge of Chelsea during the late 80s and early 90s he helped us bounce back from relegation and even finish an amazing 5th the following season in the top division. That season was where I had my first away game outside of London and we went top of the league after beating Everton 1-0 and did not win again for an absolute age.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfehvh0umwCsuzfljU-FVNlJP-H1Mn33kCq3UdJ7c8m_9xq28S4vNNdOC69qbDnkhgF1xxV-7gUvhvwGKRrNsEULChI8ALtxoj2o0T_T0ENGo77gzhrJ20XdC-ErW4wvE018PQbtKivkw/s640/blogger-image-1125044106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfehvh0umwCsuzfljU-FVNlJP-H1Mn33kCq3UdJ7c8m_9xq28S4vNNdOC69qbDnkhgF1xxV-7gUvhvwGKRrNsEULChI8ALtxoj2o0T_T0ENGo77gzhrJ20XdC-ErW4wvE018PQbtKivkw/s640/blogger-image-1125044106.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">He was constantly seen at the Bridge in recent years occupying a prime seat in the ground. I had an occasional chat with him from the West Upper and he described our defending as "shocking" after the deserved loss to Bradford last year in the FA Cup.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7JTBYTgNEs5cRHJSeWLHvlmwEo7xSxuvB1xRAmvFxwyuqaDsq4xM6uPr6Ry-8eTcPVYWljDXCC0lvaWiJD3APskFAAX9F_gBUrQynx_SU8B8ro3SO1kPoVo71atwPyDWaxGsYM6P-BY/s640/blogger-image--1469689840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7JTBYTgNEs5cRHJSeWLHvlmwEo7xSxuvB1xRAmvFxwyuqaDsq4xM6uPr6Ry-8eTcPVYWljDXCC0lvaWiJD3APskFAAX9F_gBUrQynx_SU8B8ro3SO1kPoVo71atwPyDWaxGsYM6P-BY/s640/blogger-image--1469689840.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">He always found time to sign autographs for fans when we were in the East Lower back then and that is why I have fond memories of him. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-r3UUvkPHRnBXy0-h9wL3uBNkWSudORaw0cjsI7XKi5YRJmMWgyKUxFBYTUENwDuc2ILEcqGhuAbJ8AnJy5ddcbB7ekDPLi_ab-VsqtRCO5pNMrip0-3P18hf5VpDR7JpvoLVIEjNbgg/s640/blogger-image--60203805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-r3UUvkPHRnBXy0-h9wL3uBNkWSudORaw0cjsI7XKi5YRJmMWgyKUxFBYTUENwDuc2ILEcqGhuAbJ8AnJy5ddcbB7ekDPLi_ab-VsqtRCO5pNMrip0-3P18hf5VpDR7JpvoLVIEjNbgg/s640/blogger-image--60203805.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My condolences to his family.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-42720144086491855422015-10-31T16:55:00.000+00:002015-11-01T08:13:33.394+00:00Chelsea 1 Liverpool 3Facing a mediocre Liverpool side brought no fear out in me. The bigger worry was what kind of performance Chelsea would put in today individually and collectively - something that has been as consistently inconsistent as the treatment of our football club by the authorities and match officials for years. What would Mark "Boyband" Clattenburg do to us today? The usual game where he is too afraid to make big decisions, but be good at awarding throw-ins correctly (and that sort of thing) so that he can earn praise for "letting the game flow"?<br>
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Chelsea began the game at full speed and deservedly took the lead with a fantastic cross from Azpilicueta headed in by the impressive Ramires. Our passing in tight spaces was intricate and there was a good feeling on the pitch and in the stands. <br>
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Then the horror show began. Mikel lost the ball in front of his penalty area. And again. Heads dipped. Chelsea toned down their ambition in attack. Clattenburg did not yellow card Lucas for a series of fouls. Can was not booked either for a foul similar to one last week which led to Matic being sent off. Both these players were booked in the second half and the visitors should have been down to ten - if not nine men. Noone really wants to beat a team purely because they have had players sent off - you wish to annihilate them at full strength. But last Saturday we had Matic sent off for a tackle that this week went unpunished for a far worse offence. Matic's dismissal had a significant impact on the result of that game. These decisions worked against our confidence. I crossed my arms in resignation and did not unfold them until the final whistle when collecting my "With You Jose" banner.<br>
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To cap the first half off, the visitors equalised in the third minute of stoppage time when only two had been allocated. The goal initially came about as a result of a reckless clearance by Zouma who looked out of his depth at right-back and lacked the finesse required in that position. The amount of space granted to Coutinho for both of his goals was simply embarrassing as was the amount of space Liverpool were given on the wings.<br>
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The second half started as the first - Chelsea playing brightly. But again, mistake after mistake was made. And apart from Oscar's ambitious chip over the 'keeper, it was difficult to remember any clearcut chances for us. Passes went astray, poor choices were made with runs. Recycling of the ball has been too slow. It is more obvious than ever that the strength in depth is not there. It is making me so angry to see players who should be giving it their all not doing so. Hazard again gave the impression of a player who has been told by his agent to play poorly so that he can have a cut-price move from the Bridge this summer. He was deservedly subbed. Mikel too. Kenedy initially looked impressive with his pace but added little else - although I would like to see him take Hazard's place. <br>
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Jose Mourinho cannot squeeze anything more out of this poorly-performing team. We are breaking the point of elasticity that was holding this side together. Ironically, the only part of the jigsaw that does not make sense is the fact that Chelsea fans are still taking these continual losses in good heart. Renditions of "Jose Mourinho" and "Mourinho's right, the refs are shite" reverberated around the Bridge today and at the final whistle there was no booing. Simply an acceptance that this is how things are. Although I still believe in Jose - he is the only one who really fights for this club at senior level - I do not believe that he can change anything by this late a stage. If a large minority of players are not giving it their all because they have their own vested interests in mind then it will impact not just our football club but also their careers. Not only that, but without enough "class one" eggs in our squad one feels that some players are not being challenged enough. <br>
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Writing this only a few hours after the game, my instinct is to say that the best thing our manager can do is resign and seek challenges elsewhere. We do not deserve him. Neither does this league if it (even subconsciously) wishes to drive him out. Some of our players will face the backlash that they warrant and English football will lose its most exciting asset.Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-40346920504450712432015-10-21T12:08:00.001+01:002015-10-21T12:24:23.570+01:00Dynamo Kyiv 0 Chelsea 0<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifnX5cCnCqLQu-ieP5rRibK4IDGLz8jF8P6pEfkW6TQfZ6m4bzB_7ZZArhtpseUM0oiQaNjdL0vHxCjZrl1qh8CadC6kxJOB3WbFylwnZNJLM84y02uPXYYx9Ihm7J1DSdpCoLUKgcZ4/s640/blogger-image--1001730790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifnX5cCnCqLQu-ieP5rRibK4IDGLz8jF8P6pEfkW6TQfZ6m4bzB_7ZZArhtpseUM0oiQaNjdL0vHxCjZrl1qh8CadC6kxJOB3WbFylwnZNJLM84y02uPXYYx9Ihm7J1DSdpCoLUKgcZ4/s640/blogger-image--1001730790.jpg"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Don't go to the Ukraine was the warning. With two countries in the news for the wrong reasons in our Champions League group there was some apprehension before flying. Travel websites advised caution about scams carried out on tourists. Friends worried that Putin might shoot my plane down. But Kyiv is like any Eastern European city - one of the most beautiful I have ever visited.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOChFgjCL6QR9BJhFw_kft25Q4B_xvJHoJJrZ3zRLwM-p-dkfySTvUZKhXbTlt6bdJpA7kDvF3exFsVaEgH5xYAgsmuF6KA-grGl-cJTbPxz9RCqzWe4GSfnGN98DDxUJb3dPUCgwcV4/s640/blogger-image--2080264306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOChFgjCL6QR9BJhFw_kft25Q4B_xvJHoJJrZ3zRLwM-p-dkfySTvUZKhXbTlt6bdJpA7kDvF3exFsVaEgH5xYAgsmuF6KA-grGl-cJTbPxz9RCqzWe4GSfnGN98DDxUJb3dPUCgwcV4/s640/blogger-image--2080264306.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The city is quaint and has more cathedrals than McDonald's restaurants. Having spent the bulk of it rambling about to get to know the city better including a visit to the Chernobyl Museum I turned back to football. The U19s played in Dynamo's normal home "Lobanovsky" stadium used<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> for lesser matches rather than the National Olympic Stadium. And what a throwback to the traditional Eastern European stadia of old it was. No roof on any part of the ground despite the weather being damp and drizzly. The work rate and discipline of our youngsters impressed, but with the dreary weather I left at half-time knowing one more stadium was knocked off the list.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-5ci05dajNH7E2PuSJeCCRvvVQXuyNLQEQJu08fr6hL_ucwHH3WRfHCXLIcn95ISWoiKwfMvYHA1uTnBEWoBCCXOpJo_MbJCI0gOs_FizR71EbafaBtgaNVBW_ilfEDc1Mp5Yx7P2_8/s640/blogger-image--647150435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-5ci05dajNH7E2PuSJeCCRvvVQXuyNLQEQJu08fr6hL_ucwHH3WRfHCXLIcn95ISWoiKwfMvYHA1uTnBEWoBCCXOpJo_MbJCI0gOs_FizR71EbafaBtgaNVBW_ilfEDc1Mp5Yx7P2_8/s640/blogger-image--647150435.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The organisation for the main event was woeful with stewards having no idea where fans should go. Chelsea were let in with home fans which did not seem a wise idea following news that some of our followers had been ambushed on Monday evening. The atmosphere was a strange one. Dynamo's ultras took one small corner of the ground. The majority of fans in our end were from the local Ukraine/Chelsea supporters club. Singing, "Blue Is The Colour" incessantly is cringeworthingly naive but quite sweet. Estimates were that of the 1,100 away tickets sold, less than half were those who had the guts to fly over from the UK.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjws5w0kzbPOdryGwtQE0yP071e5M8bjyBROlxO9EvUxlUK9-wmBmwbEQ8IwHtVdRdRZCNj1tl0JYquRQjEQHiSstHov9S8km0HLg8vKywLN7AbODtIjBqwf_yLIwJJWFTucMNjFmSjXDg/s640/blogger-image--490065751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjws5w0kzbPOdryGwtQE0yP071e5M8bjyBROlxO9EvUxlUK9-wmBmwbEQ8IwHtVdRdRZCNj1tl0JYquRQjEQHiSstHov9S8km0HLg8vKywLN7AbODtIjBqwf_yLIwJJWFTucMNjFmSjXDg/s640/blogger-image--490065751.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We dominated the first 20 minutes and on another day would have scored at least three. Hazard looked on fire with his boots on turbo boost. Fabregas was having his best game of the season. I questioned my own sanity when he was brought down in the box and not awarded a penalty. Surely one of the most obvious fouls ever? How many more decisions that go against us do we have to swallow? Well done Jose for your "naive" comment which raised a smile amongst our fans. Matic made a brilliant run too that could have resulted in one of our best goals this season. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoUjQGD9efZtC8g9uE3sCh-QSuwsdl_rqCYKIqmzAWjyGv8oad7U-AqGYmz5dlr9bLg86naSgupATBrb2DzqHJUFTM6cxpaSAI5FcqLYOlIFUzZAYFQlAn4-NzqnFvKUas8Zg5amFTJk/s640/blogger-image-1723934947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoUjQGD9efZtC8g9uE3sCh-QSuwsdl_rqCYKIqmzAWjyGv8oad7U-AqGYmz5dlr9bLg86naSgupATBrb2DzqHJUFTM6cxpaSAI5FcqLYOlIFUzZAYFQlAn4-NzqnFvKUas8Zg5amFTJk/s640/blogger-image-1723934947.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Then attention turned to shenanigans in the home end. During his legendary commentaries on Capital Gold, Jonathan Pearce used to have a policy of not mentioning issues on the terraces as he felt that giving publicity to fighting morons would exacerbate issues. But I cannot as this was uncomfortable to witness as home fans fought amongst themselves in violence I had not seen for years. Even worse was realising that there was nothing being done to stop them. Two stewards in a group of a few hundred is a waste of time. One fan was getting beaten with a crutch. The police stood at the back of the Chelsea end and did nothing. I left at half-time not wanting to take any risks. Others left way before full time. What a sour way of ending an otherwise fantastic trip. Yet again, attending the actual match when journeying abroad is the worst aspect of European aways.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAujFMIK5WwVSwMYWAG7dTce-gCTmKKPj85GLTsEv-3pL1BXR2Qxo6WDxYf3Y85LjebjXb7CK7X4DT9TqCIw6NcttAhMaEK4liWpv88QtqwoGwnRJwRI3GStHXMMR-lUrb4MgRRdhnTSU/s640/blogger-image-1913869746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAujFMIK5WwVSwMYWAG7dTce-gCTmKKPj85GLTsEv-3pL1BXR2Qxo6WDxYf3Y85LjebjXb7CK7X4DT9TqCIw6NcttAhMaEK4liWpv88QtqwoGwnRJwRI3GStHXMMR-lUrb4MgRRdhnTSU/s640/blogger-image-1913869746.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-34330357708241648492015-10-18T19:07:00.002+01:002015-10-19T07:51:18.802+01:00Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 0Well thank the lord the District Line was working so badly so that I missed the opening few minutes of this match. The three points were welcome but boy - were we lucky. As against West Brom, we were blessed more by the visitors' ineptitude than our prowess. Up until we scored we looked vulnerable in defence even without Ivanovic spoiling things. At one stage during the first half with Villa on the attack, we had no midfield between the back four of our defence on the edge of our area and the half way line (having decided to play with no defensive midfielders). <br>
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Then came the half-time announcements. Our peers who bought during the summer (and I was one who derided them for overspending) were thrashing opponents that they should be thrashing. Even Sterling had scored a hat-trick. In contrast, our new signing, Baba Rahman looked like he had never played left-back before in his life. Yes, yes... let's give players a chance *yawn*, but there have been plenty of his predecessors who have impressed off the bat. This £15-£20 mio bracket of signings is nothing more than squad players. This lack of competition and ambition is taking its toll. Yes Jose, the reason you won't get fired is because the cost of sacking you is more than we can afford to spend on transfers.<br>
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An article in the newspaper that day noted Joe Cole was on a 35-day loan deal at Coventry City. Is Hazard going down the same route? Dropped to the bench and with his first touch when coming on as sub mis-cued the ball. The last twenty minutes were a pain to witness with the only entertainment being the banter between the home and away fans. <br>
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Kiev next. Tickets under £4. We have a string of games coming up which we need to win by hook or by crook to get the confidence back which we lack so much at the moment. Thanks for the three points, but how drab this was.Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-10944938227074971782015-10-03T21:51:00.001+01:002015-10-03T22:02:24.998+01:00Chelsea 1 So'ton 3<div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">We played brightly for the first half hour. It looked effortless. Willian scored a brilliant free kick despite Falcao deciding he would try his best to have it overruled by being 5 yards offside. Then the warning signs began. Ivanovic exploited at the back again. So'ton began to win free kicks and corners. They suddenly realised, "hang on - there are only 3 players in this side above 5 foot 2" and killed us on dead balls. We looked vulnerable from every attack. </span></div><div><br></div>The last time Jose lost his job at Chelsea he had complained of the lack of quality eggs his squad contained. It was notable that he kept schtum about no decent signings this season. We are now struggling badly when missing any 1st XI first choice footballer and the initial guffawing we made of the Manchesters overpaying for certain players shows in fact that it is ultimately worth investing. We have begun plans for a new ground at too late a stage - when our side is in obvious decline. Falcao makes Robert Fleck look a bargain. And Falcao was a freebie. There is no motivation for the team to perform. <div><br></div><div>The biggest disappointment is regarding our manager. He really needs to drop players who are letting the side down. The tactics are becoming stranger by the hour. Ramires, Oscar and Fabregas intertwining is fine in attack. But they are useless at defending. Mikel or Matic should have started or at least been put on as subs after we went 1-0 up just to lock-in a victory. Then starting JT. Why? How will that help? What is Pedro adding to the party/funeral? What the hell is Hazard doing? What did Willian do to deserve being subbed? </div><div><br></div><div>As for our fans... Well, thank the Lord so many can take this spell - the worst in years - in relatively good spirit. When the visitors sang "you're effing sh*t", the MHL joined in! Sure, about 20% of the stadium left after the third goal was conceded (down to Hazard's error btw) but how long can this goodwill last? Chelsea's relationship with its real fans has never been fantastic as they try to purify our crowd. </div><div><br></div><div>Jose is right about one thing. Decisions have not gone our way for a very, very long time. But his expertise at deflecting the real issues are now far too well known... Even more than opposing sides knowing how weak we are at right-back. We were already struggling by the time Falcao fell in the penalty area and received some very generous decisions from the referee up until that point. It is the first time I am looking over my shoulder at the sides below us rather than having any realistic expectations of even qualifying for Europe.</div><div><br></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As a fan, our eggs too are often reliant on the chicken being of good quality. In this case we are a cock in a pen with no hens. And now our egg chasers are out of the World Cup. What a terrible sporting day.</span></div>Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-55154618112164552122015-09-30T07:35:00.001+01:002015-09-30T07:39:26.515+01:00Porto 2 Chelsea 1<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDDjt_nNWwePVDPhy-o0g9TEpci-EV32ubY5yOpFnZ-afdpi48W2FcCS3YaQafRUpcv2i76-LAqIDWFpGxf1fYCI6WeBm_GUu57Rso-Z702zEqyPqpPccvjquw6WyoDgBncHCJSGdvXA/s640/blogger-image--963353113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDDjt_nNWwePVDPhy-o0g9TEpci-EV32ubY5yOpFnZ-afdpi48W2FcCS3YaQafRUpcv2i76-LAqIDWFpGxf1fYCI6WeBm_GUu57Rso-Z702zEqyPqpPccvjquw6WyoDgBncHCJSGdvXA/s640/blogger-image--963353113.jpg"></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">In Polish, Bolhao would mean "it hurt". This is the part of Porto where Chelsea fans had to pick up their match tickets from. A place nowhere near where the game was taking place. Another away match where despite new collection measures in place to combat the minority of idiots who taint our club's image - we were still treated like utter shit. A net obscuring the pitch (here's an idea... get fans to sit in their proper seats and then you can identify coin throwers!) Having spoken to local police though, it is Manchester Utd fans who they have the biggest gripe with.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNS9_j8sPItFMBejdwCtBK8lXI8UBZjPyDeK1v9o65sIqHVimWYdsH7A-Peu6MFDBPF_Cy4b0XOAyJ5mMt_NNCL5zumq0J7_ZjqErM0y7TN-zt-nUH2eUlAn1vwEofvg-Au235U7SVjrw/s640/blogger-image-1588927942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNS9_j8sPItFMBejdwCtBK8lXI8UBZjPyDeK1v9o65sIqHVimWYdsH7A-Peu6MFDBPF_Cy4b0XOAyJ5mMt_NNCL5zumq0J7_ZjqErM0y7TN-zt-nUH2eUlAn1vwEofvg-Au235U7SVjrw/s640/blogger-image-1588927942.jpg"></a></div></div><div>Even more frustrating is to lose a match against such mediocre opposition. Mourinho did the right thing to drop Hazard and Matic - but why not Ivanovic too who was at fault for both the goals conceded? I would rather risk Kenedy in that position. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9nsH699MBFypEp3eSYG0akI_WC73Xx9FkAkVv-AIGncIpXZqNla49y3O-XuQpCbF4lnRIBiPypEtVRXjehm1Zt1_H6UPRy1iX2u73avKeT6-AIk_SAX4qpsTy_FlyA30W-s1rbyW1kI/s640/blogger-image--1678828596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9nsH699MBFypEp3eSYG0akI_WC73Xx9FkAkVv-AIGncIpXZqNla49y3O-XuQpCbF4lnRIBiPypEtVRXjehm1Zt1_H6UPRy1iX2u73avKeT6-AIk_SAX4qpsTy_FlyA30W-s1rbyW1kI/s640/blogger-image--1678828596.jpg"></a></div></div><div>We controlled the game completely and their goal was against the run of play. Fans were in good voice for all of the first half and Willian's brilliant goal was perfectly timed. But as a result of our errors, Jose was forced to make changes that he probably didn't want to after their second goal thus leaving our defence vulnerable in search of an equaliser.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ipbEBuxc-4Wa1k6tJWPSduda84A2Ewp-un7f6pT_vI80TT8q6fnPkRtMpjqMGHOUQpp5H3qqq_WAirHsd2T8p4KjbHXVpHrPe7dCZ0b33eQy_TSXO3823fOgt_uVldKzXJ_6B4awg7o/s640/blogger-image-1969248766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ipbEBuxc-4Wa1k6tJWPSduda84A2Ewp-un7f6pT_vI80TT8q6fnPkRtMpjqMGHOUQpp5H3qqq_WAirHsd2T8p4KjbHXVpHrPe7dCZ0b33eQy_TSXO3823fOgt_uVldKzXJ_6B4awg7o/s640/blogger-image-1969248766.jpg"></a></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">For the second week in a row, Pedro squandered a one on one opportunity for us to take the lead. On the positive side, Costa looked back to his best and even a late spat that could have escalated was dealt with in a mature manner. Mikel again had a good game. It is Begovic I feel most sorry for who has done nothing wrong. Most frustrating was to have a blatant penalty turned down; Hazard deciding to shoot from an acute angle rather than win a penalty and then another one on one squandered with the last kick of the game.</span></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hsQXEi1hFSV594SI_nxor-MaPErkQseqMjwLnKCrVKLJ3tJvoNvIudItSl6vdKUtbl1ATN72aI7ng7FrjfdxGOJNYgCeRzHOzhbrZUulZRrN6k4o3JKsjKzc7lKRy2SIBDlFYv2QiOc/s640/blogger-image-1575531306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hsQXEi1hFSV594SI_nxor-MaPErkQseqMjwLnKCrVKLJ3tJvoNvIudItSl6vdKUtbl1ATN72aI7ng7FrjfdxGOJNYgCeRzHOzhbrZUulZRrN6k4o3JKsjKzc7lKRy2SIBDlFYv2QiOc/s640/blogger-image-1575531306.jpg"></a></div></div><div>After being kept in for the usual half an hour following the final whistle, fans had to leave the stadium by a certain exit towards the Metro. This did not suit as my hotel was a stone's throw away from the ground in a completely different direction. When I asked if they could let me through, the police said only Portuguese people could leave via a shortcut. That did it for me and I snapped. "Have you asked these fans if they are Portuguese?" He replied in the negative. But fans who were English and had been in corporate hospitality had no issues getting through. My argument won, they were forced to let me through. That small victory resulted in the biggest applause of the day... Even more than hearing Arsenal had lost against a tier IV side (which I am sure Wenger will successfully overturn when appealing to UEFA).<br><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4z6uelXYrrzp8suRLRjv8zNwwfXRt9eH_kmI4R4pSpNy0aZ17iZPMkcNS2sWIA9gZKOKwhROGRrIpPkpvtvuT0_dFPdBZPEACR4_vo4owHfFCmedUbygrzP2r1FFvYXwrCwH3WlRnDHg/s640/blogger-image--1037327531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4z6uelXYrrzp8suRLRjv8zNwwfXRt9eH_kmI4R4pSpNy0aZ17iZPMkcNS2sWIA9gZKOKwhROGRrIpPkpvtvuT0_dFPdBZPEACR4_vo4owHfFCmedUbygrzP2r1FFvYXwrCwH3WlRnDHg/s640/blogger-image--1037327531.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><div><br></div></div>Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0Vila Nova da Telha Vila Nova da Telha41.236507 -8.671901tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-51983124545898805952015-09-26T21:27:00.000+01:002015-09-26T21:27:50.681+01:00Newcastle Utd 2 Chelsea 2The most important aspect of this match was the way Chelsea battled back to rescue a point. Ramires' goal following a well chosen substitution by Jose of Oscar and Remy gave me flashbacks of last year's 2-1 loss. This time, with confidence resumed we finished fantastically despite some truly inexcusable ineptness in defence on a day when we should have cut the lead of 'Manchester' to six points instead of eight. Although we shall have to wait and see if Arsene "Tartuffe" Wenger can try to persuade the FA not to count the last 20 minutes of the match towards the final result.<br />
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You cannot blame the absence of Diego Costa for the two goals conceded today. Such abysmal marking is the stuff of relegation candidates rather than a team looking to fight back to win the league. Quite why Remy is seen as an adequate replacement for our angry Spaniard either is beyond me too. He plays like a winger who has been reluctantly thrust up front and when in promising positions to score makes terrible choices. The constant jeers towards him at St James's where there were sadly many empty seats seemed to affect him. Why not risk Falcao instead?<br />
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The marking for our first goal showed a clear lack of communication between Zouma and Ivanovic. The words they were looking for should have been either "I've lost it, you take control" or "let me take the ball". Then to have Fabregas so lazily not mark his man from a set piece must drive the manager and Begovic - who otherwise had an excellent game again - livid. <br />
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Porto is our next stop and after Barcelona is the away ground I have visited the most in Europe. Realistically, I do not believe that this season may be our last run in the European Cup for a while. Zouma is still learning so I can forgive the odd mistake. It is more the decision making of our more experienced players when defending that gives me the shivers which is why I am attempting to treat every away trip as a gift from heaven. And for once there is a story that will overshadow this embarrassing result and for this we must thank Sepp Blatter.Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-79103628040549878952015-09-21T12:03:00.002+01:002015-09-21T20:29:53.246+01:00Chelsea 2 Arsenal 0<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikRVG3C7nEnBzovxYpEZk8d7K_I05fFJDeUp0eloSjMfUbX9RYWRfydrOa0fQuWmQoiQO-blxOsEgfS4XgB1SLdpTOBjJaum2OD2_IU2nf-NpQNOxze5ZD0QPxjdBIyX-FacefiJrAwI/s1600/Costa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikRVG3C7nEnBzovxYpEZk8d7K_I05fFJDeUp0eloSjMfUbX9RYWRfydrOa0fQuWmQoiQO-blxOsEgfS4XgB1SLdpTOBjJaum2OD2_IU2nf-NpQNOxze5ZD0QPxjdBIyX-FacefiJrAwI/s320/Costa.png" /></a></div>The humorous way with which Chelsea fans have dealt with our recent poor run would have certainly ended if we had lost at home on Saturday. Luckily, we beat the club of chai tea latte sippers and deservedly so. A game where Chelsea was back to its normal self was overshadowed by Arsenal moaning that yet again, things did not go their way. Of course, there was no close analysis of the Hazard foul that should have resulted in a penalty. Can someone please clear up the difference between a shoulder barge and obstruction? Why are so many fouls that would result in free-kicks anywhere else on the pitch not treated as such when committed in the penalty area? <br />
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There was no sense of hypocrisy from a club that has never had its share of saints either. You only have to Google "Keown Van Nistelrooy" and see how Wenger celebrates the in-yer-face jumping of his defender by citing it as his most memorable moment of the rivalry between the two red sides. That, along with Cantona's kung-fu kick, Vieira and Keane's consistent red cards seem to be glorified in the media. No anti-heroes are allowed for any team that plays in blue and yet when Costa succeeds in winding up the opposition (having been yet again consistently fouled throughout the first half as defenders cannot cope with his speed or skill) it is easier to cite him as a villain. <br />
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This is the first time this season Chelsea has played anywhere close to how they were last year. Having not been Oscar's greatest fan in the past due to his minute frame, I have now realised how important he is not only with regards to deft touches helping our link up play - but also the amount of effort he puts in to track back and pressure attackers. This allows Fabregas to exploit more space. Hazard and Costa looked their most dangerous in months, and Zouma was simply magnificent. Conversely to Oscar, Zouma in the past struck me as a big lump - but how he shone in this game. One perfectly timed tackle in the first half has increased my confidence in him. Begovic looks an extremely good value second keeper. Even Ivanovic had a tremendous game.<br />
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The second half was a drab affair after Zouma's goal (thanks for playing him onside Arsenal). It was obvious that three points was all we wanted. Even Fabregas motioned to the ball boy not to be too hasty retrieving the ball. I understand the rationale behind this - so why did Costa then risk a second booking for a silly challenge on Oxlade-Chamberlain? This is inexcusable and he needs to know the time and place when to show his aggression. I cannot have a go at Arsenal's sordid past if I excuse Diego of every indiscretion without appearing hypocritical.<br />
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Wenger must be seething - but more strangely are the tactics he used. Walcott on his own up front? Thank you! Quite why he does not wish to risk Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right and have Giroud up front is beyond me. Thankfully their frugality worked in our favour and they never looked anywhere as dangerous as they did at Wembley. I did not even notice Sanchez was playing.<br />
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So back to playground spats between the two sides. Martinez found it amusing that Mourinho swore for not being allowed to talk to the press first so that the team could hurry back to Cobham - now, Jose passed the buck back to the media - he could not understand why Arsene was only a nice man when his team managed to actually win against Chelsea. The newswires will be happy though - something to write about apart from Liverpool's demise. Finally a win for Chelsea, and these last few days feel like a turning point in our season. And for all the decisions that have gone Arsenal's way in the past, it is time to end this piece in a very mature manner: Arsenal...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeU1gHLbqmnfcHLyO8rThGNkYVJ1V0KW7YuJB4ksb0XIdco1_Bro3qQQfoFUDOt6tzKsdVgJkdrWsEKk7NhWvmaloJxrO83dfST0b98uUy9m5JbCU6LPHdUhCGb-4Ihkn5XvbTINqFCQ/s1600/Nelson_Ha-Ha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAeU1gHLbqmnfcHLyO8rThGNkYVJ1V0KW7YuJB4ksb0XIdco1_Bro3qQQfoFUDOt6tzKsdVgJkdrWsEKk7NhWvmaloJxrO83dfST0b98uUy9m5JbCU6LPHdUhCGb-4Ihkn5XvbTINqFCQ/s200/Nelson_Ha-Ha.jpg" /></a></div>Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-88030487501142501222015-09-13T11:19:00.002+01:002015-09-13T11:23:03.519+01:00Everton 3 Chelsea 1Not often has one wished to have been put out of one's misery at a football match when only a goal behind and with still a quarter of the game to go. This Chelsea side is in free fall and has more correlation with the Shanghai stock market than rational footballing thought. <br />
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We began well and my initial fears subsided. That was until Everton scored with their first chance of the game. Chelsea's confidence and concentration immediately dropped. As against Manchester City, we could have conceded another three goals during the next ten minutes and were lucky to only be two-down before Matic's stunner. Gaps opened up all over the pitch. Players were caught out of position. We tried to walk the ball into the net. No pace. No power. No ambition.<br />
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Goodison Park means a lot to me. It was the first away ground I had visited as a child outside of London back in 1989 when Steve Clarke sent us top of the league for the first time in my lifetime before in typical Chelsea style, we went on a 6 league game winless streak. This included a string of defeats where we conceded 14 goals in 3 games and even lost 5-2 at home to Wimbledon. Chelsea finished 5th that season and even this seems an unlikely ambition this year.<br />
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The positive psychology that Mourinho normally instils is one that fans cherish: even when playing badly, we could somehow grind out a result. Even when the refereeing gods would ignore obvious decisions that would benefit our side, this would motivate the players to fight and win. Chelsea fans cannot see this fight this season. The blind confidence I have in our manager has waned to the lowest ebb ever. Players who have been so reliable in the past and carried the team are all underperforming. Ivanovic, Azpi, Fabs, Diego, Hazard are the main offenders. Costa continues to look a shadow of the player he was since he was injured last season. At least Pedro shows promise.<br />
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The drop in form is hard to explain. Are players not being challenged? Is there something going on behind the scenes that we do not know about? Is the fact that "Manchester" has spent so much on quality players compared to us make some wonder if they are at a club that lacks ambition? The timing of this set of results is ironically poor: we announce plans to build a new stadium and our manager has just signed a new contract. <br />
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There is a bittersweet upside though. The real fans have been through this before and can laugh it off. The JCLs can go back to supporting a team in red. Kids will find it more difficult as we have been trophy-laden since 1997. Games are less predictable as the erratic nature of our play also means I have no idea whether we will score or concede three. Just like 1989 then. Millwall fans jumped on the same train as us as we stopped at Crewe. Windows intact and with decent banter I arrived back at Euston exhausted but having perversely enjoyed the day out after a long week in the office. Please beat Arsenal. Please, Chelsea.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDhZtPNXjDk/VfVNdXLDIOI/AAAAAAAAAis/cYtxXlR2jd8/s1600/15%2B-%2B3" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDhZtPNXjDk/VfVNdXLDIOI/AAAAAAAAAis/cYtxXlR2jd8/s320/15%2B-%2B3" /></a></div>Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-51721301280809166062015-08-30T20:02:00.001+01:002015-10-08T16:43:06.111+01:00Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2Worrying times. Crystal Palace were fastest to the ball, more dangerous in attack and even cocky when in possession. We are a shadow of the side that began last season so brilliantly. The poor second half of last season was psychologically understandable. We did not need to push ourselves and take risks with the title already in the bag. The problem is that this mentality appears to have carried on into the new season.<br />
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Many players have come in for stick. I put this down to a minority of Chelsea fans who believe they should be allowed to be judgemental if they are charged ticket prices that would equate to those at a successful West End play. Now I have become one of those angry fans for the first time under Jose's tenure. <br />
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What exactly has happened to Hazard? He looked disinterested and is making no impact. Willian might as well be playing in defensive midfield with shots that we would normally attribute to Mikel. Ivanovic is no longer making those attacking runs and brilliantly pairing up with Costa when we try to score. Instead, he looked afraid to venture forward, almost worried that he would not be getting the cover he needed from his teammates. Matic is certainly making more mistakes than usual and as a team the amount of unforced errors is becoming embarrassing. A year ago I thought this was a team which would finally provide us with total football. Now I worry if we should even bother trying to challenge Man City for the title. <br />
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Our central defence has rarely been as exposed as it is now. We are the side that normally has a a gluttony of one-on-one chances - yesterday it was our opposition who looked far more dangerous in attack. When we approached their penalty area, they knew how to compress their midfield and limit our creativity to the outside of the box. And as for Fabregas... what is going on there? What exactly is his role in the side? The only positive note is Pedro who has worked his socks off - but is our solution to any crisis buying a £20 million right winger? There are bigger issues here that we do not seem to know about. City are spending left, right and centre having been only a year ago found of breaching FFP. Everyone finds a loophole - surely we can find one too?<br />
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Our win against West Brom was against a side who were extremely poor. They did not try to exploit us when we were down to ten men and we looked more dangerous in their end than they were in ours. I can only echo our manager's comments that this is a difficult league. Swansea have beaten Man Utd today (who appear to have been shopping during a Harrods sale when they could buy the same items half price online) and Arsenal have been extremely lucky to have grabbed all three points at Newcastle yesterday. It is a long season, yes... but for now at least the gap between us and Manchester City is already looking monumental. It makes away trips more fascinating as every game means something now. <br />
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For the first time I welcome the international break. At this stage I would take finishing in the top three of the league.Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-89983167828805637652015-07-23T11:47:00.003+01:002015-07-23T11:53:59.258+01:00New season predictions 2015/2016!Man U will win most of their opening games. The media will gush at how fantastic they are and point two fingers at us for not signing so many "big names". They will then fail in Europe again and fade away towards the end of the season finishing 3rd/4th. Replica "jersey sales" will do well.<br />
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Man City will be solid and then lose a few games against small fry as they always assume they are superior to everyone else. These losses will cost them a chance of winning the league.<br />
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Arsenal will play against us. Despite one of their players carrying a shotgun and shooting Hazard in the kneecaps in their penalty area, the referee will not award a spot kick. Wenger will gush at how great their side are and moan at us parking the bus. They will beat a side like Bournemouth 4-0 and the media will declare that this is the way football should be played. They will then lose to a minnow in the Champions League and (yet again) a large minority fans will chant, "Wenger Out". They will then win the League Cup and those same fans will be conspicuous by their absence.<br />
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Liverpool will have "magnificent nights and atmospheres" in the Europa League as armchair fans watch them sing "You'll Never Walk..." before changing channels to watch Grand Designs. They will draw some team like Genk that they once played in the 1960s in a pre-season friendly and we shall have 23-hour documentaries commemorating this event. There will be no mention of this club causing English sides to be banned from Europe for five years during the 1980s.<br />
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Chelsea will begin the season playing brilliant football. We will defeat most sides by two goals or more. The media will call us boring as we like to win games and not concede goals - not realising the hypocrisy of doing so having praised teams like Liverpool and Arsenal for winning games 1-0 and always passing the ball to the goalie for 89 minutes during the 1980s and 1990s. This successful run will occur until we endure some major injuries caused by persistent fouling that referees will (again) ignore. These same fouls would lead to red cards for the opposition on the continent but we will continue to be classed as divers. <br />
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We shall win the league, have an excellent run in Europe and fight in every competition. Our closest rivals will be Man City with Arsenal or Man Ure behind. <br />
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As for our JCL fans who troll chatsites such as Chelsea Chat...<br />
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They will recycle exactly what the media says under the pretence that it is their own original thought. Every Chelsea loss (which will happen one match in twenty) will lead to ritual suicide on the site. Despite (as you can see from the reaction to an overnight loss in a pre-season friendly where we made eight changes for the second half) not attending a match in person. Instead, they will rely on TV, radio and press commentators' thoughts so that they cannot form their own unbiased opinion.<br />
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This attitude will legitimise those who criticise our team and shore up the absurd idea that teams playing in red are still a dominant force in the British game. Ruud Gullit > Jamie Redknapp.<br />
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Good luck Chelsea!Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244034466716739666.post-69082993643940239312015-05-31T18:41:00.002+01:002015-05-31T18:41:53.676+01:00Go Soccer, Go USA!As a kid the 1980s were great, weren't they? Kerry Dixon was the real-life Roy of the Rovers, in my mind the A-Team actually existed and the greatest album of all time, Appetite for Destruction was released by Guns n' Roses. There was no political correctness about Hannibal smoking a cigar while smashing a building down with a crane built by Mr T. Letting off steam at football matches was the norm. <br />
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Fast forward thirty years. Individual ivory doors kicked in of rooms in a previously impenetrable Swiss Hotel that corrupt FIFA officials were staying in. I imagine the officers had hand guns raised before taking off a trademark pair of sunglasses, holding their badges in the air and screaming, "FBIIIII!!!" The permatanned, poorly coiffured individuals with overly hairy chests and huge moustaches did not have a moment to rise from their beds before a young lady of the night, probably thirty years their junior had to jump out of bed with only a silk duvet to cover her private parts before wailing, "NOOOO! HOW CAN WE PUT THIS ON EXPENSES THIS TIME?"<br />
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Quite why it is down to the US of A to have had the balls to crack their whips is quite embarrassing. We have had official after official decry how awful FIFA is without taking any measured steps to physically do anything. England has a new stadium that it needs to fill to balance its budget - there goes boycotting World Cup qualifiers. Sponsors are 'monitoring the situation closely' so they state. Punchy call. I have no intention of attending either World Cup. Not only was the bidding process a disgrace (and Moscow accidentally set fire to computers with evidence as the aforementioned items were past their sell-by date) but also following political issues in Russia and the deplorable treatment of workers in Qatar I wonder why anyone should feel they want to either. <br />
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We need to join forces with major footballing nations and create a new FIFA that is not based in a secretive tax haven such as Switzerland. You have the feeling, though that there are too many fingers in too many pies at this late a stage to boycott tournaments. Football Associations of countries that provide the biggest draws are cash strapped - that is why Brazil plays so many matches abroad. At the very least you would hope that as a gesture of goodwill, Russia and/or Qatar are stripped of hosting the World Cup and the USA is given the chance to (even though they did host it in 1994). Those in the FA should grow a set. Boycott FIFA. And if UEFA does not put up a strong stance, boycott the Champions League. Realistically, we are more likely to see heads roll as TJ Hooker throws a baton at the villains but without any major consequences.<br />
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Please reallocate where the World Cups are taking place. We would love it if such a plan came together. Then we could press Turbo Boost before Knight Rider brings football towards a fairer playing field.Valkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09310338550722906112noreply@blogger.com0