Finally! We use our squad, give a few of our main players a rest and hey presto – not only have we given our fringe people a chance to shine but come back with a win! Why did you not use this tactic earlier Rafa? Then you would not have to moan about how tired the players are! The downside is that we face Manchester United in the next round of the FA Cup and with morale at such a low I dread to think how we perform. Maybe it is a chance to play our fringe squad at Old Trafford too so that at least we can use that as an excuse should we lose against a side which is only superior to us when it comes to strikers.
Some say we should be happy and grateful for what we have achieved over the past decade but I cannot rest on our laurels – we should be a lot further ahead of our peers than we currently are and mentioned in the same breath as the traditional European giants. In the league it is simply depressing to realise that suddenly we are sharing roughly the same points as Tottenham and Arsenal. On paper (Gareth Bale excluded) the strength of our squad should be putting us well clear of our North London rivals.
There is such a morose atmosphere attending Chelsea matches now. The stands have been hijacked by those who have nothing better to do than direct anger at our club’s management. It was almost comical that Sparta Prague scored in the sixteenth minute just as some Chelsea fans began their minute’s worth of applause for Di Matteo. Although I have not joined in with the anti-Benitez chanting I am firmly becoming disenfranchised with the club and am dreading what my own gut reaction will be when season ticket renewal forms hit my doormat.
The days of simply supporting your club and getting behind your team when the chips are down are firmly gone. Any youngsters attending matches at Stamford Bridge these days must wonder if this is what football matches have always been like! Maybe we have been spoilt but the club does no favours for itself with a lack of a clear strategy when it comes to footballing matters. Do they not realise that if we fail to qualify for the Champions’ League then the Tokyo Chelsea Supporters Association (est. 2012) will cease to exist with fewer lucrative replica shirt sales to follow?
The real fear I have is of losing the considerable talent we have at the end of the season should we finish outside the top four. The club needs a drastic overhaul of policy as soon as humanly possible – I am available and love my club to such an extent that am happy to join the board for free to help!
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Sunday, 27 January 2013
Brentford 2 Chelsea 2
It has not been easy being a Chelsea fan this season. From such highs to such lows. The truth is that football in general just does not feel as fun as it used to be and not just because of so many failings we have on the pitch. Off it, we yet again appear to be the brunt of hatred and are inconsistent with our battles against it. The vitriol against our manager (although sometimes justified - why did we replace one right back with another when behind today?) is not helping the side. While our fans remain so unenamoured with Rafa it is hard to see us going forward as a club and I fear for our long-term future.
It is maybe because I have such high expectations of my football club that draws against Brentford and losses against the likes of Swansea and QPR hurt the most. Sandwiched in between all this was a win against Arsenal which although just about deserved could easily have ended up as a stalemate.
It was a beautiful winter's day today with the sun shining and a light breeze welcoming me into Brentford. It was almost a rugby-like atmosphere with pubs on every corner of the stadium, no petty chants from the home fans (unlike some of our peers in West London who act like schoolchildren) and to top it all - terracing! I only stood for the first half as the away end in Brentford provides one of the many reasons why so many despise standing - awful views, no facilities and a feeling of dread should an emergency evacuation be required. The seats in the upper tier would only have suited a quadriplegic and the hamburgers tasted like they contained not just horse but dog meat.
The first half performance was fairly woeful. I can forgive a side sometimes not being able to play flowing football due to a poor lower division pitch but there were other reasons to feel ire. The backpass that Turnbull picked up was simply embarrassing. Foul throws here and there. And a tendency for the side to want to pass the ball back and forth in our own half near the front of our penalty area where the pitch was at its worst.
I have rarely sat with such an air of resignation as I have done under Benitez. At least Di Matteo had the benefit of my doubt but when such basic footballing formalities cannot be completed then to me it reflects a more general problem. The two goals we scored were quite sublime but were overshadowed by such negative feeling from Chelsea fans that the chant, "Things are so bad, we miss Avram Grant" even had a following. At least the good old Chelsea humour was there with, "I would rather be a wasp than a Bee" making rounds as a song.
You do feel quite helpless. You wonder if Hazard's reaction to the ballboy time wasting earlier on in the week reflected something deeper - or is it too difficult to read so much into football these days? Sad times.
It is maybe because I have such high expectations of my football club that draws against Brentford and losses against the likes of Swansea and QPR hurt the most. Sandwiched in between all this was a win against Arsenal which although just about deserved could easily have ended up as a stalemate.
It was a beautiful winter's day today with the sun shining and a light breeze welcoming me into Brentford. It was almost a rugby-like atmosphere with pubs on every corner of the stadium, no petty chants from the home fans (unlike some of our peers in West London who act like schoolchildren) and to top it all - terracing! I only stood for the first half as the away end in Brentford provides one of the many reasons why so many despise standing - awful views, no facilities and a feeling of dread should an emergency evacuation be required. The seats in the upper tier would only have suited a quadriplegic and the hamburgers tasted like they contained not just horse but dog meat.
The first half performance was fairly woeful. I can forgive a side sometimes not being able to play flowing football due to a poor lower division pitch but there were other reasons to feel ire. The backpass that Turnbull picked up was simply embarrassing. Foul throws here and there. And a tendency for the side to want to pass the ball back and forth in our own half near the front of our penalty area where the pitch was at its worst.
I have rarely sat with such an air of resignation as I have done under Benitez. At least Di Matteo had the benefit of my doubt but when such basic footballing formalities cannot be completed then to me it reflects a more general problem. The two goals we scored were quite sublime but were overshadowed by such negative feeling from Chelsea fans that the chant, "Things are so bad, we miss Avram Grant" even had a following. At least the good old Chelsea humour was there with, "I would rather be a wasp than a Bee" making rounds as a song.
You do feel quite helpless. You wonder if Hazard's reaction to the ballboy time wasting earlier on in the week reflected something deeper - or is it too difficult to read so much into football these days? Sad times.
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Chelsea 0 QPR 1
Alarm bells rang yesterday morning when a newspaper article wrote of squad rotation at Chelsea and interviewed our manager. Benitez was quite open to the idea and stated that sometimes players needed to be rested. Five key players did not start (admittedly Cech was absent through injury). To leave Cole, Mata, Hazard and Ramires on the bench was quite baffling. If key players need to rest then they should not be in the squad at all. Peripheral participants should not start in an important league match and instead they should show their worth during forthcoming fixtures in the FA and League Cup.
To be fair we do have a light squad – no Mikel and Romeu does not help and up front Torres has no player to complement or pressure him. Although many lament the boos he receives from some of the crowd it was hardly his fault that Chelsea lost last night. Commentators will however argue that he should have done better when his only one-on-one was blasted straight at the ‘keeper.
We have dropped five points against QPR this season and it is simply not good enough. There were excuses at the away game with politics dominating, but at home last night the first half was one of the worst I have ever witnessed. Some of the shots from outside the box were simply embarrassing with Ivanovic one of the worst offenders.
The feng shui that we had under di Matteo is missing and the way Chelsea appear to be procrastinating on contract negotiations with arguably our greatest ever midfielder in Frank Lampard makes me feel uncomfortable. The Ba signing is baffling when we have Lukaku in reserve although I will not miss Sturridge and his general arrogance. Moses works hard but produces little.
It was a big victory for our rivals who mention our name in almost every song they sing – but Chelsea fans did not rise to the occasion with the atmosphere muted and return banter lacking. It is after games like yesterday that you question what difference Benitez will make compared to di Matteo over the course of the season. Odd player selections, players visibly angry on the pitch (Lampard in particular when substituted) and Marin lucky not to have received a red card in the opening minutes as the QPR player he fouled stood up sportingly and did not roll over five times as our rivals in the World Club Championship Final did.
It is absolutely vital that this club finishes in a Champions League position at the end of the season. Our priority should be the league but last night was the first time where the Spaniard’s experiments truly failed. Something is not right in the heart of the club at the moment and compared to our Manchester peers (who we still have to play away from home this season) we appear much weaker. Even worse, the defeat was mostly met by a passionless shrug of the shoulders and a slow shuffle home.
To be fair we do have a light squad – no Mikel and Romeu does not help and up front Torres has no player to complement or pressure him. Although many lament the boos he receives from some of the crowd it was hardly his fault that Chelsea lost last night. Commentators will however argue that he should have done better when his only one-on-one was blasted straight at the ‘keeper.
We have dropped five points against QPR this season and it is simply not good enough. There were excuses at the away game with politics dominating, but at home last night the first half was one of the worst I have ever witnessed. Some of the shots from outside the box were simply embarrassing with Ivanovic one of the worst offenders.
The feng shui that we had under di Matteo is missing and the way Chelsea appear to be procrastinating on contract negotiations with arguably our greatest ever midfielder in Frank Lampard makes me feel uncomfortable. The Ba signing is baffling when we have Lukaku in reserve although I will not miss Sturridge and his general arrogance. Moses works hard but produces little.
It was a big victory for our rivals who mention our name in almost every song they sing – but Chelsea fans did not rise to the occasion with the atmosphere muted and return banter lacking. It is after games like yesterday that you question what difference Benitez will make compared to di Matteo over the course of the season. Odd player selections, players visibly angry on the pitch (Lampard in particular when substituted) and Marin lucky not to have received a red card in the opening minutes as the QPR player he fouled stood up sportingly and did not roll over five times as our rivals in the World Club Championship Final did.
It is absolutely vital that this club finishes in a Champions League position at the end of the season. Our priority should be the league but last night was the first time where the Spaniard’s experiments truly failed. Something is not right in the heart of the club at the moment and compared to our Manchester peers (who we still have to play away from home this season) we appear much weaker. Even worse, the defeat was mostly met by a passionless shrug of the shoulders and a slow shuffle home.
Friday, 28 December 2012
Chelsea 8 Aston Villa 0
Having seen the Aston Villa line-up and not recognising a single player that started anything other than a win would have provided more ammunition for the anti-Benitez brigade. This was a match that apart from a 15-minute spell of sloppiness in the first half could easily have ended up as a record score in the top flight. Every attack looked dangerous and the balance of the side was excellent.
Some could argue that Rafa's hand was forced with no Mikel and no Romeu available. Luiz was pushed up into midfield and complemented Lampard well against an admittedly weak side. Up front Torres shone and his brilliantly headed goal was the highlight of the game for me.
It capped a decent week domestically following a lively encounter up at Leeds where as many blue smoke bombs were let off in the Chelsea end as goals scored – and a firecracker that nearly blew my leg off. It was not an easy first half though with Leeds taking the lead and after the loss to Corinthians there was much huffing and puffing from the away end. Mata and Hazard changed the game in the second half and it was nice to end up with a comfortable victory.
There has been much made of the World Club Championship. As a Chelsea fan I want the team to win every game and was of course disappointed to lose. But if a team that has players who roll over five times when barely fouled is rewarded – and if their fans are proud of that kind of play – then you can keep this trophy. The television analysis of our display by so-called experts was a disgrace. Chelsea missed two sitters in a tight game which we could easily have won.
We have now played in three minor ‘cup finals’ this season that we have all lost but I have not felt that hurt. Perhaps we are being spoilt as Chelsea fans. A decade ago a Charity Shield win against the likes of Manchester United would have been seen as a coup (and a decade before that a run to the sixth round of the FA Cup would have provided similar delight). That is why it is hard to seriously moan about the team when you think where we were twenty years ago.
We approach a hard game against Everton now. One of those away trips you do not relish apart from being in a proper old-school ground with a team that has a manager in David Moyes who I genuinely respect – a true “squeeze blood out of a stone” type. We need three points to keep pressure on the leaders and although realistically I am not looking for us to test Manchester United for the league it would be nice to give them a push.
As we come to the end of 2012 we have to ask what we would like as Chelsea fans. Benitez has conducted himself very well but divides opinion as much as John Obi Mikel – perhaps we should construct a see-saw with Rafa sitting on one side and the Nigerian on the other to reflect our moods. I felt at the beginning of the season that a top three finish along with an FA Cup or League Cup win and a good run in Europe would suffice as long as we saw progress on the pitch. The Champions League exit was unlucky but we now have more exotic away trips to come. Ultimately it is the same message as always – as much as I have disliked our manager in the past, singing anti-Benitez songs will in no way help the team. And as much as I respect Roberto di Matteo, the gesture to applaud him in the 16th minute of every game is wearing a tad thin and seems almost childish.
A win against Everton would show that we have solidity in the side as well as flair – and a game where I would happily take a 1-0 win as we did against Norwich. Come on Chelsea!
Some could argue that Rafa's hand was forced with no Mikel and no Romeu available. Luiz was pushed up into midfield and complemented Lampard well against an admittedly weak side. Up front Torres shone and his brilliantly headed goal was the highlight of the game for me.
It capped a decent week domestically following a lively encounter up at Leeds where as many blue smoke bombs were let off in the Chelsea end as goals scored – and a firecracker that nearly blew my leg off. It was not an easy first half though with Leeds taking the lead and after the loss to Corinthians there was much huffing and puffing from the away end. Mata and Hazard changed the game in the second half and it was nice to end up with a comfortable victory.
There has been much made of the World Club Championship. As a Chelsea fan I want the team to win every game and was of course disappointed to lose. But if a team that has players who roll over five times when barely fouled is rewarded – and if their fans are proud of that kind of play – then you can keep this trophy. The television analysis of our display by so-called experts was a disgrace. Chelsea missed two sitters in a tight game which we could easily have won.
We have now played in three minor ‘cup finals’ this season that we have all lost but I have not felt that hurt. Perhaps we are being spoilt as Chelsea fans. A decade ago a Charity Shield win against the likes of Manchester United would have been seen as a coup (and a decade before that a run to the sixth round of the FA Cup would have provided similar delight). That is why it is hard to seriously moan about the team when you think where we were twenty years ago.
We approach a hard game against Everton now. One of those away trips you do not relish apart from being in a proper old-school ground with a team that has a manager in David Moyes who I genuinely respect – a true “squeeze blood out of a stone” type. We need three points to keep pressure on the leaders and although realistically I am not looking for us to test Manchester United for the league it would be nice to give them a push.
As we come to the end of 2012 we have to ask what we would like as Chelsea fans. Benitez has conducted himself very well but divides opinion as much as John Obi Mikel – perhaps we should construct a see-saw with Rafa sitting on one side and the Nigerian on the other to reflect our moods. I felt at the beginning of the season that a top three finish along with an FA Cup or League Cup win and a good run in Europe would suffice as long as we saw progress on the pitch. The Champions League exit was unlucky but we now have more exotic away trips to come. Ultimately it is the same message as always – as much as I have disliked our manager in the past, singing anti-Benitez songs will in no way help the team. And as much as I respect Roberto di Matteo, the gesture to applaud him in the 16th minute of every game is wearing a tad thin and seems almost childish.
A win against Everton would show that we have solidity in the side as well as flair – and a game where I would happily take a 1-0 win as we did against Norwich. Come on Chelsea!
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Chelsea 6 Nordjajeeelallllalllannd 1
It was an exhibition performance last night against a poor side and a game that had another eccentric official in charge who seemed to be more married to Brylcreem than the rulebook. Fouls inside the penalty area did not result in penalties but accidental handballs did… oh, the joys of European competition. We cannot take too much from the game but to sit in the front row of the East Middle you could really see how much individual skill and elegance our team possesses. If only every game could be like this.
Despite not being Benitez’s biggest fan (I do not think Roberto di Matteo would have fared worse if he was still in charge) he has conducted himself very professionally since becoming Chelsea manager – I even chuckled when he brushed off boos from our fans before kick-off by touching his managerial chair in the dugout for luck while grinning and shrugging his shoulders. Fair play to the bloke (although the cynics would say that anyone would smile on his wages!)
The formation last night was a good one and Mikel was rested despite signing a fresh 5-year contract. Romeu actually had a good game and the commitment of the side in general was world-class. I do not want to dwell too much on the game but Chelsea could have easily scored ten – the shots that counted as being on target for the visitors in the statistics were made up of a missed penalty, one goal and two feeble shots from way outside the penalty area.
I was quite philosophical following the West Ham game but disappointed that Chelsea fans were singing anti-Benitez songs even when we were 1-0 up. Whatever our misgivings about the way our club is managed, it seems obvious to me that such vociferous negativity will not help our side in the slightest. Better to sit in your seats and fold your arms in silence rather than imitate spoilt Arsenal fans. At Upton Park we could have easily been up by two or three before they equalised – after their first goal our confidence fell.
Am looking forward to the Europa League and hoping to draw some teams from more exotic locations in order to see different stadia and countries. Young Boys or Anzhi Makhachkala would be nice for novelty value but I hope the recurring nightmare I have of meeting Tottenham in the competition and seeing us lose to Andre Villas-Boas does not come true.
It is time for us to give the Benitez bashing a rest – there is nothing we can do about it now and we need to concentrate on getting behind our team so that we finish in a Champions’ League qualifying place again this season. We have been unlucky in the European competition this year on many counts. Hopefully we win against Sunderland and Leeds – and then the holiday at the World Club Championship may mark a watershed in our season and we can start from scratch upon our return.
Despite not being Benitez’s biggest fan (I do not think Roberto di Matteo would have fared worse if he was still in charge) he has conducted himself very professionally since becoming Chelsea manager – I even chuckled when he brushed off boos from our fans before kick-off by touching his managerial chair in the dugout for luck while grinning and shrugging his shoulders. Fair play to the bloke (although the cynics would say that anyone would smile on his wages!)
The formation last night was a good one and Mikel was rested despite signing a fresh 5-year contract. Romeu actually had a good game and the commitment of the side in general was world-class. I do not want to dwell too much on the game but Chelsea could have easily scored ten – the shots that counted as being on target for the visitors in the statistics were made up of a missed penalty, one goal and two feeble shots from way outside the penalty area.
I was quite philosophical following the West Ham game but disappointed that Chelsea fans were singing anti-Benitez songs even when we were 1-0 up. Whatever our misgivings about the way our club is managed, it seems obvious to me that such vociferous negativity will not help our side in the slightest. Better to sit in your seats and fold your arms in silence rather than imitate spoilt Arsenal fans. At Upton Park we could have easily been up by two or three before they equalised – after their first goal our confidence fell.
Am looking forward to the Europa League and hoping to draw some teams from more exotic locations in order to see different stadia and countries. Young Boys or Anzhi Makhachkala would be nice for novelty value but I hope the recurring nightmare I have of meeting Tottenham in the competition and seeing us lose to Andre Villas-Boas does not come true.
It is time for us to give the Benitez bashing a rest – there is nothing we can do about it now and we need to concentrate on getting behind our team so that we finish in a Champions’ League qualifying place again this season. We have been unlucky in the European competition this year on many counts. Hopefully we win against Sunderland and Leeds – and then the holiday at the World Club Championship may mark a watershed in our season and we can start from scratch upon our return.
Thursday, 29 November 2012
Chelsea 0 Fulham 0
It was quite an eerie atmosphere at Stamford Bridge while a full moon hovered above Chelsea Football Club last night. It felt as if many fans had simply turned up because they had already spent their money on their ticket and had nothing better to do. Fans sitting with their arms folded, constantly sighing was about as loud as it got.
I was hoping to find some clues about Chelsea’s plans going forward in the match programme. But not a word from our board and only some pictures of Luiz trying to jiggle hoops around his waist – crazy name, crazy hair, crazy guy! But at least our under-18s are doing well… Communist propaganda at its finest and not a word about the negative reaction of our fans towards our new manager.
We played a dire side. This was best reflected when at one stage during the second half while Fulham had possession of the ball in their own half, Diarra simply kicked the ball out of play when put under light pressure. And yet they still had the best opportunity to score while counter attacking with Riise fluffing a golden opportunity to win bragging rights in South-West London for his side. Berbatov held the ball with such ease – maybe he could have fitted better up front for us than the lacklustre Torres (although being over the age of thirty probably rules him out of joining our club!)
The formation of our team was textbook. The usual back four; two defensive midfielders; two wide men and then a roaming midfielder to supply Torres. Quite why the left-footed Mata was not on the pitch instead of Bertrand is a matter of debate although the Spaniard has not quite been the same since being forced to play against Manchester United in the League Cup. Hazard was anonymous although Oscar shows some signs of promise. Marin came on for a few minutes and put in the most dangerous cross of the whole game for us but with no positive consequences.
“Wherefore art thou Romeu” spun round my head several times. Although Mikel will rarely excite, he is a solid defensive midfielder and a much preferable option to his replacement yesterday who lost the ball numerous times in dangerous areas. Perhaps Benitez wishes to field as many Spanish speakers as possible?
Luiz was lucky to stay on the pitch being the last man in one tackle and his attacking forays left our defence exposed. Only Ivanovic’s runs forward looked dangerous. Our attacking players ran out of ideas as soon as they reached the opposition’s penalty area with some laughably bad decision making.
It is normally at Craven Cottage where the home fans are quiet but the strange silence that prevailed at Stamford Bridge looks a sign of things to come. Not a terrible performance but one which is chalk and cheese compared to some of our games earlier on in the season which at least had some tempo and excitement.
West Ham away suddenly looks a daunting prospect whereas a month or so ago the only pondering I would have done ahead of a match at Upton Park would be how many goals we might score and whether to leave the stadium early to avoid the queues for the tube. Chelsea have erred so woefully on so many fronts. There is no point looking back now as nothing can be corrected - but as a fan this is a pretty depressing period in our history even if it is short-term.
I was hoping to find some clues about Chelsea’s plans going forward in the match programme. But not a word from our board and only some pictures of Luiz trying to jiggle hoops around his waist – crazy name, crazy hair, crazy guy! But at least our under-18s are doing well… Communist propaganda at its finest and not a word about the negative reaction of our fans towards our new manager.
We played a dire side. This was best reflected when at one stage during the second half while Fulham had possession of the ball in their own half, Diarra simply kicked the ball out of play when put under light pressure. And yet they still had the best opportunity to score while counter attacking with Riise fluffing a golden opportunity to win bragging rights in South-West London for his side. Berbatov held the ball with such ease – maybe he could have fitted better up front for us than the lacklustre Torres (although being over the age of thirty probably rules him out of joining our club!)
The formation of our team was textbook. The usual back four; two defensive midfielders; two wide men and then a roaming midfielder to supply Torres. Quite why the left-footed Mata was not on the pitch instead of Bertrand is a matter of debate although the Spaniard has not quite been the same since being forced to play against Manchester United in the League Cup. Hazard was anonymous although Oscar shows some signs of promise. Marin came on for a few minutes and put in the most dangerous cross of the whole game for us but with no positive consequences.
“Wherefore art thou Romeu” spun round my head several times. Although Mikel will rarely excite, he is a solid defensive midfielder and a much preferable option to his replacement yesterday who lost the ball numerous times in dangerous areas. Perhaps Benitez wishes to field as many Spanish speakers as possible?
Luiz was lucky to stay on the pitch being the last man in one tackle and his attacking forays left our defence exposed. Only Ivanovic’s runs forward looked dangerous. Our attacking players ran out of ideas as soon as they reached the opposition’s penalty area with some laughably bad decision making.
It is normally at Craven Cottage where the home fans are quiet but the strange silence that prevailed at Stamford Bridge looks a sign of things to come. Not a terrible performance but one which is chalk and cheese compared to some of our games earlier on in the season which at least had some tempo and excitement.
West Ham away suddenly looks a daunting prospect whereas a month or so ago the only pondering I would have done ahead of a match at Upton Park would be how many goals we might score and whether to leave the stadium early to avoid the queues for the tube. Chelsea have erred so woefully on so many fronts. There is no point looking back now as nothing can be corrected - but as a fan this is a pretty depressing period in our history even if it is short-term.
Sunday, 25 November 2012
Chelsea 0 Manchester City 0
Normally I try to avoid writing during the heat of the moment and give it from sunset to sunrise after a match before being putting fingers to keyboard. This time the problem is that I feel little passion or heat at all and feel sober enough to give judgement only hours after leaving the Bridge.
Although I am not one of the many who booed our new manager today, here is a man who justified slagging off our fans and one who said he would never wish to coach our club now claiming he did so to because it was to provide support for his own team at the time. That for me is an odd way to spur your own team on. Luckily he is slotting into a position where he personally cannot lose. Two years out of the game and he can waltz (or Twist) in to manage my club!
Back to the bigger picture... what is this club's mandate? I see in today's programme notes (which I rarely read normally) that our board talks of our new manager being signed up to put Chelsea back on track for our "objectives". What are they exactly? If they are to bring young talent forward then this will take time and we have demonstrated that we lack that patience at boardroom level. If it is to build a club that will have to become less reliant on our owner's financial input while remaining successful then we have to get real... this will not happen! If it is to simply qualify for the Champions' League each season in order to build our "global brand" then that is a completely different story altogether.
One thing is for certain - to try and aim to play 'total football' will not be achieved on today's performance. The first half tactic appeared to be to hoof the ball up into the air towards Torres and look for flicks. And that was not the only part of the game which gave me flashbacks to games against City in the 80s and 90s - the stadium was deadly silent throughout with only the odd Manchester City chant placing a grin on my face (the only fans to usually do so - who can forget their "Alan Ball" song to the tune of "Wonderwall"?) Tributes to Di Matteo seemed to fall on deaf ears with Roman unmoved on camera zoom-ins which also always seemed to have Bobby Campbell's head popping up from just below.
We were poor in the first half with only a slight improvement in the second. It has been a terrible week for Chelsea with fans again ignored. Although I will always love my club it is at times like these where my romance for the Blues dwindles. The only positive note was to be able to shake Paulo Ferreira's hand after the game to thank him for his loyal service to our club and the solid performance of Azpilicueta at right-back. We generally kept their forwards silent but they blew a couple of clear-cut chances to score. Luiz had an excellent game for once but our attacking midfield was mute. It was nice to hear fans sing that they want Ashley Cole to stay despite Benitez seemingly happy for the contrary to occur.
We need three points against both Fulham and West Ham. Then we can forget who we have in charge and try to move forward. If our job as a club was to provide column inches for the tabloids then we should be already crowned Club World Cup Champions!
Although I am not one of the many who booed our new manager today, here is a man who justified slagging off our fans and one who said he would never wish to coach our club now claiming he did so to because it was to provide support for his own team at the time. That for me is an odd way to spur your own team on. Luckily he is slotting into a position where he personally cannot lose. Two years out of the game and he can waltz (or Twist) in to manage my club!
Back to the bigger picture... what is this club's mandate? I see in today's programme notes (which I rarely read normally) that our board talks of our new manager being signed up to put Chelsea back on track for our "objectives". What are they exactly? If they are to bring young talent forward then this will take time and we have demonstrated that we lack that patience at boardroom level. If it is to build a club that will have to become less reliant on our owner's financial input while remaining successful then we have to get real... this will not happen! If it is to simply qualify for the Champions' League each season in order to build our "global brand" then that is a completely different story altogether.
One thing is for certain - to try and aim to play 'total football' will not be achieved on today's performance. The first half tactic appeared to be to hoof the ball up into the air towards Torres and look for flicks. And that was not the only part of the game which gave me flashbacks to games against City in the 80s and 90s - the stadium was deadly silent throughout with only the odd Manchester City chant placing a grin on my face (the only fans to usually do so - who can forget their "Alan Ball" song to the tune of "Wonderwall"?) Tributes to Di Matteo seemed to fall on deaf ears with Roman unmoved on camera zoom-ins which also always seemed to have Bobby Campbell's head popping up from just below.
We were poor in the first half with only a slight improvement in the second. It has been a terrible week for Chelsea with fans again ignored. Although I will always love my club it is at times like these where my romance for the Blues dwindles. The only positive note was to be able to shake Paulo Ferreira's hand after the game to thank him for his loyal service to our club and the solid performance of Azpilicueta at right-back. We generally kept their forwards silent but they blew a couple of clear-cut chances to score. Luiz had an excellent game for once but our attacking midfield was mute. It was nice to hear fans sing that they want Ashley Cole to stay despite Benitez seemingly happy for the contrary to occur.
We need three points against both Fulham and West Ham. Then we can forget who we have in charge and try to move forward. If our job as a club was to provide column inches for the tabloids then we should be already crowned Club World Cup Champions!
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