John Terry has made it very public what we have been discussing over the blog for many days now. He says there is heavy competition for every place in the team, including his. It takes a man of great self-confidence to come out and say this. With a band of like-minded people with fighting spirit, he’s surely going to see everyone staking his claim for a starting place.

johnterry-portrait.jpg

Terry says that Jose has made it very clear even to him, on the rush for places:

It’s very exciting when you know you’ve got players behind you always pushing. Every game is vitally important to keeping your place, you can’t let a performance go astray. If you do the manager or the other players behind you are going to be knocking at your door. No-one is safe, no-one at all, the manager made that quite clear to me when he gave me the armband. I certainly know that with Chelsea and England and I definitely won’t be taking that for granted this season.

See, he calls it exciting, when someone’s knocking at his door. That’s what I call a champion mentality and that’s why Jose loves him. Not a very nice thing to say when you give the armband, but you know, Jose is never the man for niceties. You gotta agree that no place in the Chelsea XI, except may be the goalkeeper, can be taken for granted by any player.

Well, if you’re worried about his reportedly broken toe, it is not confirmed by Official Chelsea website. So, that could be a scratch on the toe, zoooomed in by the Press, to be a broken toe.

Also, it’s nice to know that Terry is not losing sleep over his contract. That shows that I ignore those rumours about his agreeing to the contract. I’d wait for the news in the official website. Terry says:

It is very promising and I am hoping things can be done. It has moved a step closer. We have spoken since we have been here and we have moved closer. Aaron is over here, not only for that, but hopefully things can be done before the start of the season. Terry stressed that negotiations over a new deal had not stalled and were just taking time. It has not dragged on. These things take time. I said at the end of the last season that it was important to finish the campaign. We won the FA Cup and I wanted to get away and have a complete break with my family and I’ve done that. I’ve come back and we are speaking again. These things don’t happen overnight. It is a case of minor details that need to be looked over not only by myself but by solicitors from my end, from Chelsea’s end.

Well, if this is the case, he can take his time. I, for one, am not against players taking time for signing their contracts or negotiating with the clubs. I don’t see anything wrong in players asking for more money. I’m not going to accept anything less than what I deserve and I it holds good for you too. They have a right to request/negotiate and the club has the right to accept or refuse. It’s all well within their professional framework. I would not call this as ‘holding the club at ransom’. Another thing is, the contracts are negotiated and dealt with by the agents, who are trained professionals in such matters. They know what they are doing. The club has a big team of people working out on players’ contracts and the player is not supposed to leave such things to the expertise of his agent?

Much to the disappointment of the Press, Avram Grant seems to be at peace with Jose Mourinho. Avram clarified that his and Jose’s roles are entirely different and mutually exclusive:

I have no intention of interfering with his decisions. I don’t have anything to do with determining the team. My role is crystal clear and it is not meant in any way to undermine Mourinho. My relationship with Mourinho is wonderful. He just said he didn’t want anyone interfering with his team and he is right.

I know you’d be interested in Robben news, given that’s the hot Chelsea topic. Telegraph quotes the below from a top Real Madrid source:

Mijatovic spoke with Abramovich but the reply to Robben’s move was very clear. Abramovich said he didn’t care if the offer was £10 million or £50 million. Jose Mourinho has said the player is not for sale.

With such strong intentions from the coach, owner, players and fans, Robben should certainly reconsider his ideas. Agreed, Real Madrid is the mother of all clubs, but he surely has a better understanding of the English league and Chelsea, he has excelled here and he has a bright future at Chelsea, under a great manager.

If you ever believed in stories of Drogba leaving Chelsea, read this. Drogba has been very compassionate of the worrying fans and has issued a statement in the Official Chelsea website, that he’s not going anywhere:

There are incorrect media reports that I am considering leaving Chelsea. These are totally untrue. I have not given any interviews discussing this matter and I signed a new contract with the club last year. I have had a great three years at Chelsea and look forward to several more.

There cannot be more official line than this, about his future at Chelsea.

I’m eagerly waiting for the LA Galaxy match for it would be very competitive in all respects. We could see more realistic substitutions and Jose would have to make his first selection of starting eleven that could send out his real intentions on the composition of the team on the pitch at kick-off.

Finally, if you’re interested in writing for Blue Champions, click here, or there is also a link in the top menu. There are some pre-requisites I’d like you to know, that would save your time time and mine too. Goodluck!

[tags]Chelsea, John Terry, Terry, Jose Mourinho, Mourinho, Roman Abramovich, Abramovich, Arjen Robben, Robben, Arvam Grant[/tags]