He must come. He must see. He must conquer. That’s what is expected of Guus Hiddink, for that matter, of all Chelsea managers. Guus simply does not have time. His first few matches would be very crucial in each of competitions. The one this weekend against Aston Villa being the most important of all. Chelsea losing to Juventus over two legs or getting eliminated from the cup competitions is not as bad as losing to Aston Villa at Villa park.
Like we always say, for any premier league match, this is a must-win. To be very clear, this is the most must of all must-wins. If we could be third, just one point ahead of Villa. If we don’t win, we run the risk of Arsenal getting closer threatening our champions league spot. Arsenal would be playing Sunderland at the Emigrants. Beyond these numbers, something has changed at Chelsea. The underperforming manager has been sacked. There is some widespread feeling that Chelsea’s top priority is the champions league spot. The renowned magician Guus Hiddink who’s known to be tough guy, has been brought on. So there is hope. Some serious hope. If we get another shotless, heart-thumping draw followed by a ‘this is football’ interview by Guus, many of us would completely lose any faith or hope. That’s why this is the most must of all must-wins.
Couple of weeks back, I was not looking forward to this match. This match had a Chelsea defeat written all over it. Struggling Chelsea would play with no confidence or desire whatsoever. Aston Villa would play with determination knowing that a win here would increase their champions league chances vastly. We might lose lose 2-0 or 2-1. That’s why I was not looking forward to this match. But now, with Hiddink’s appointment, the Chelsea’s approach against Watford, I’m quite confident that we can beat Villa. As I said earlier, Hiddink can just list down Scolari’s blunders and ensure that he does not commit any of them as much as possible. That would be a big step forward.
Guus should do away with the 4-3-3 which is nothing but a 4-5-1 in disguise. The 4-5-1 is what congests our midfield, slows down our attack and make us utterly predictable. If Guus wants to play 4-3-3 then that should be a genuine orthodox 4-3-3 with real wingers. He can play Quaresma and Kalou on either sides or Quaresma and Anelka with Drogba as the striker. I was very impressed with Drogba’s work in the last match. He’s slowly getting back to his form is what I feel. He was injured, then he came back, played well, played like shite, got dropped, got out of touch, lacked match practice, played again, played okay so and so forth. His performance in the last match showed that he can still be the match-winner as we know him.
Anelka is crying out loud that his partnership with Didier might have saved Scolari his job. Anelka has been very vocal about this. Even Didier too. I’ve seen striker pairs not getting along with each other, having cold wars, playing selfish and stuff like that. Here is a pair who want to be paired, who want play together on the pitch and also claim that they can be very successful. That’s half the job done. They’re are confident and self-motivated. They have the required skill, talent and fitness to perform the roles. What are we waiting for? I hope Guus takes notice of this situation.
Also I feel Guus will have to shake up the team a bit. I won’t mind if Mancienne starts ahead of Bosingwa. Mancienne, for a youngster making his debut, played rather well. His debut is over. His nerves must have settled down. He must be ready. What does Bosingwa offer that Mancienne does not? Bosingwa, in attack, has long been castrated. He is no longer an attacking threat for the opponents. He’s one of the best-read right wing backs now. Defensively, of late, he looks like a disaster waiting to happen. Why not Mancienne then? Fergie plays Craig Evans even against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and we can’t play a well-deserved Mancienne against Villa?
Didier Drogba has said this (from The Sun):
We all have to get that amazing feeling of invincibility back again. It’s something that summed up Chelsea. We would be in the dressing room and we knew before a game that we would win. Whatever happened, we just knew that. Call it pride or spirit. We felt well prepared and from that we were confident.
Waiting to see those days back!
Aston Villa are on an unbeaten run of 13 matches. The result of this match is difficult to call, for the neutrals. BBC calls it a 1-1. For me, it’s easy. It could be, would be 2-1 for us. Hiddink’s first official match in charge has gotta be something special. Players must play with some improved determination and hard work.Some of the players have said that it is unfortunate that Scolari was sacked and the players must have played better to keep him in job. If they had really meant it, now is the time to prove. So, 2-1 it is.
During the earlier matches, my stomach always gets tight. I was not confident at all. Every friday night i used to get dreams of scolari swapping hands here and there…. Thats when the stomach gets tight. I’ms sure some of the players also will get some kind of dreams like that.
Then before the match a slight confidence will emerge after seeing Terry, Lamps and the like. But immediately the camera will roll on to Scolari who will be kissing all the opponents team players, manager, assistant manager, scouts, physios, linesmen, goundsmen(each and every one as if he is a politician and others are his followers)
Then the match starts. The first 20 minutes we will be attacking and attacking, even Cech will make a attacking passing. there will be no goals, then one of the 11 player will decide that draw will be a better result and his negative energy will flow all over the other chelsea teammates… It goes on and every body knows what will happen till 90 minutes
Now that Guus in place i want to see some more fresh faces in the pitch as well… Mancienne should start instead of Bosingwa. Let Anelka and Drogba’s love each other in the pitch as well.
Either Ballack or Lampard should boss the midfield not both. I prefer either Ballack or Lampard should field the first 11.
Let mikel play this match with his usual role. We need a DM in this match
Q’resma and kalou fill up the wings and swap with drogba or Anelka
Deco—DeNo—
My real worry is pace of Villans strikers… who is going to stop them from getting to their best pace…
I really dont dream that Terry or Alex can do this because pace is not their strength. Sombody in the wings should take care of this… I really dont know… Hope Guus knows
Lets fire villans back to their position and let Arsenil and Villans fight for their places
KTBFFH
yea i am getting my confidence back!!!!!!!c’mon chelsea and hiddink
This match should be interesting. I hope to see at least one first half goal. What I will be watching closely is Guus’s reaction at half to how we played in the first. If we are down a goal, will he bring someone on? Will he change the formation and channels of attack?
I am wondering if Guus will think of playing 3 defenders in the back like he used with South Korea and Australia. That would be something new for a Prem team to do (not in the last 5mins of course).
I like seeing Ashley Cole far more advanced. Mikel can be used to cover that open spaced behind Cole. I do not think we should play Bosingwa, Mancienne should be given a go after a decent performance against Watford. I am interested to see the likes of Scott Sinclair or Stoch start. They are natural wingers and have been playing better than the first team wingers.
I dare say try this formation:
—————Cech—————-
Manci—–Terry–Ivanovic—-A. Cole
Stoch—-Lamps—-Mikel—–Quaresma
———-Anelka—–Drogba
Subs: Hilario, Belleti, Alex, Ballack, Kalou, Sinclai, Di Santo
I want to see how well Lamps and Mikel can do alone with Lampard being the only attacking midfielder. If the diamond isn’t to Hiddink’s favor, Mikel should be able to venture further but be wary of tracking back if needed. Kalou for Stoch if the little guy gets tired, Ballack for Mikel, and Belleti for Manci seem to be the subs that would sound about right.
—————–Cech——————
–Bosingwa–Terry–Alex–A.Cole—
——Lampard–Mikel–ballack——-
—–Kalou—Drgoba—Quaresma—
SUB:Hilario,Ivanovic,Manci,Deco,Stock,Anelka,Di Santo
Isn’t A Cole suspended and Alex injured?
Anyways my formation:
4-4-2:
Cech; Ivanovic, Mancienne, Terry, Bosingwa; Kalou, Mikel, Lampard, Quaresma; Drogba, Anelka
Bench: Hilario, Belletti, Ferreira, Deco, Ballack, Stoch, Di Santo
Check this out, no more talk of Marseilles or Inter, apparently.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/drogba-wants-new-chelsea-deal-1627429.html
guys i am really getting nervous ahead of this match…..
got a good feeling about tomorrows game. hope we can bring our A-game
By know I was thinkin essien would be back, but damn its not even sure he will make it to the second leg game agains juve. even if he is fit it wouldnt be fair to him or the squad to play him witout any games under his belt.
looking back a few weeks ago, things can only get better. so hopefully wit a lil luck we can turn things around
plus its nice to actually understand what the coach is talkin about for a change…
/K
[quote comment="70965"]
I dare say try this formation:
—————Cech—————-
Manci—–Terry–Ivanovic—-A. Cole
Stoch—-Lamps—-Mikel—–Quaresma
———-Anelka—–Drogba
Subs: Hilario, Belleti, Alex, Ballack, Kalou, Sinclai, Di Santo
[/quote]
I like it! – it shows a new face and I agree with the 4-4-2.
BC. I know you predict 2-1 but do you realize that Chels have not won at Villa park in (I think this stat is right) 13 years!?! Even when Chles were at there best and the Villains were mid-table we still draw there consistently.
I want Chelsea (no “Neeed” Chelsea) to win as much as any die hard fan – but this game has draw written all over it.
1-1 with a solid Chelsea performance is my call and realistically a good result.
————cech————–
bos–terry-ivanovic–ferreira
————–mikel————
quaresma—balack—lampard
———-anelka—————–
——————drogba——–
subs: belletti, deco, stoch, manci, hilario, di santo, kalou.
its a 4-4-2/ diamond formation. with anelka and drogba as strikers and mikel as holding midfielder. some of u have put mancini and stoch bouth on the same side, that formation would kill chelseas leftside as gareth barry would kill the two youngsters. that is a weak left side.
Guys don’t you think we are starting to pile the pressure on Hiddinks already, I mean he’s been in charge less than a week and his ideas and style of play will take some time to settle down with the team. Im sure he will not repeat the same mistakes as LFS but we shouldn’t judge him if we do lose or draw tomorrow because you can’t change the style of play week in and week out. Also most of you are putting A.Cole in the formation for tomorrow, he is suspended if you don’t know already so Paulo will be starting in his position, we won’t have Carvalho either and Alex is carrying a knock so we might be starting with Manciene and that sits perfectly fine with me because a game like this will certainly boost up his confidense and it’s about time our youngsters are given the opputunity to shine. Im sure we will see something different from Chelsea tomorrow but don’t expect a miracle because it takes time to adapt to a completely different style of football than we have been playing as of late. I think a genuine 4-3-3 would prove best because we do need a holding midfeilder against Villa and if Kalou and Quaresma are playing out wide then Lampard with his vision can get into dangerous positions to feed Anelka and Drogba, and our defense will be convered for counter attacks at all time. I hope by the time Hiddinks leaves he gives enough oppurtunity to Manceince, Stoch, Di Santo, Woods and Sinclair (although he’s on loan to Birmingham till the end of the season). None the less I hope by next season we have atleast 3 youngsters that can feature regularly in the first team. This will also help us with our ambition to be self-sufficient and will save us some quality money along with the departures of some prehistoric players at the end of the season. The money generated can than be used to bring in much needed fresh blood to the bridge, i.e. Zhirkov, Di Maria, Adriano + Ribbery (hopefully lol) and maybe a permanent move for Quaresma if he impresses.
According to Finans, a Russian business magazine, Abramovich’s total wealth has fallen from $23 billion to $13.9 billion.
However, Abramovich was still voted “the most interesting billionaire” by Finans readers, with 49 per cent of the vote. The financial crisis has also significantly affected Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov, whose wealth is said to have fallen from $13.3 billion to $4.5 billion.
Chelsea have consistently denied any correlation between Roman Abramovich’s financial situation and Peter Kenyon has described as a “line by line” review of the club’s business. However, Chelsea have set themselves the target of becoming financially self-sufficient on an annual basis from July.
In a move that was regarded as a demonstration of his commitment, Roman Abramovich converted more than half of that investment, some £369.9 million, into equity, with £339.8 million remaining as an interest-free loan.
The club’s most recent financial figures, published on Friday, show that Roman Abramovich has ploughed more than £700 million into the club since 2003 and that Chelsea lost £66 million last year.
written by Jeremy Wilson
KTBFFH
Don’t expect Chelsea’s new manager to be a messiah
There is one thing still mystifying me about the arrival of Guus Hiddink at Chelsea. Not his name, because the commentators have decided we are calling him Goose, as in the bird, not Hoose, as in the Scottish for house.
Roman Abramovich will always remain a delicious enigma. Does the club’s owner speak English yet? We don’t know. He doesn’t appear vain, in it for ego, but if it were all just a toy he would have got fed up by now, thrown it out of his cradle. He’s obviously weird. At Watford last weekend, he didn’t know what to do with his hands or his feelings, clapping and shaking at all the wrong moments while Goose sat impassively.
Abramovich looked like a Big Issue seller, taken pity on outside McDonald’s and treated to his first-ever game.
I could run on the pitch and mop his brow.
If asked, I could say I was Harry Davies, ex-Stoke star, new deputy assistant sponge technician but he’s brilliant for football, old Roman, bringing us so much entertainment, amusement and food for thought. We now know money can’t buy success or happiness, not in football, as we once assumed. But I do feel a bit sorry for him – all that loot unloaded, and all he’s got is grief.
He’s now given us so much to look forward to. Another messiah, hailed by all, will slowly deflate, become oh so horribly human before our very eyes, while Man United run away with the League.
Any road up, the bit that really baffled me was when Goose turned up for his first training session. You could clearly see that on his Puffa jacket, as worn by all training staff, were the initials G H. How did they do that?
Down in the bowels of Stamford Bridge, elves fresh from Siberia must have been up all night sewing G H on to every conceivable article he might wear during the few months, perhaps just days, he remains as Chelsea gaffer.
It never used to be like this. I have no memory of Bill Nicholson at Spurs’ training ground having his initials on his tracksuit top – mainly because he seemed to live in his demob suit. Nor did his assistant Eddie Bailey, the physio Cecil Poynton or the kit man Johnny Wallis. That was the total extent of the training and background staff: four elderly-ish blokes, at a club that won the Double. Now most Prem clubs have about 30 thrusting specialists from a vast array of disciplines: video managers, boffins who measure body water, blokes who park the Ferraris.
No wonder they need their initials on their kit. They wouldn’t be able to find them otherwise. Initials also tell them who’s who. Must be difficult with all the constant changes.
Remember that joker a few years ago who came out of the crowd wearing the full Man United kit and joined the team in the pre-match photo? I have this fantasy every time I’m at White Hart Lane of buying a club jacket, adding the initials H D, then sitting down on the bench. They have a row of benches these days, to accommodate all the experts. I’d get a brilliant view, hear all the secrets, offer the odd bit of advice. When some big bully had felled Modric, I’d run on the pitch with a sponge and mop his poor brow. No one would notice, not if I had a club jacket with my initials, as long as I wasn’t tempted to wave to my wife and children watching on the telly. If asked, I could say I was Harry Davies, ex-Stoke star, new assistant deputy sponge technician.
Hold on; I’ve got it. I should have thought of it before. We know Abramovich has now started an economy drive. It wasn’t elves on the night shift. They’re reusing the kit worn by Glenn Hoddle, in charge of Chelsea quite recently. Well, eight months ago…
KTBFFH
During the week, Chelsea announced club losses to the tune of £67.5m in the year of 2007 to 2008.
And as Roman Abramovich looks to rein in the serious debt that the club have incurred over his reign, it is now guaranteed that there will be an end of season sale at Stamford Bridge.
After pledging that the club will be operating on zero losses in a single year by 2010, Peter Kenyon has all but confirmed that sales will take place in the summer.
Chelsea have been cutting their costs over the last four seasons without impacting upon the wage bill, but it now looks like that is the next target as the club looks to reduce its losses.
In 2005, the club recorded record losses of £140m, and since then, there has been a steady reduction in these figures. 2006 saw a dramatic reduction to -£80.2m which was followed up in 2007 and 2008 with -£74.8m and -£67.5, respectively.
The club had actually managed to reduce its losses last year to -£44.5 but had to pay out some £23m in compensation to ex-managers Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant after they and their staff were sacked by the club.
Luiz Felipe Scolari will also receive compensation of £9m, but that figure will come out of next year’s accounts.
As the club look to reduce the Premiership’s highest wage bill of £130m a year, star names like Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba, Deco, Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka, and Joe Cole could all make their exit from Stamford Bridge.
All of the above players are amongst the highest paid in the Premiership and all can claim a weekly wage of six figures with the exception of Joe Cole.
Removing even one of these players from the wage bill would have an instant reduction of £5 to £6m. Move all six on and the club could save some £30m.
Moving these players on is easier said than done, though. And to do so Chelsea may have to agree to pay part of the players’ wages and face losing some key players.
Stars like Frank Lampard, John Terry, Ashley Cole, and Ricardo Carvalho will all be coveted by other clubs and with Chelsea sending the message out that they need to sell players, these stars are the most likely transfer targets.
And already stories have begun to emanate from the Eastlands about the proposed transfer of John Terry to Manchester City.
But Kenyon and Abrahmovich are adamant that these losses need to be tackled, so it looks likely that Chelsea will have to part with one or more of its sons.
“Any squad restructuring in the summer will be funded prominently by sales, as we have consistently reduced our net transfer spend over the last five years and will attempt to continue this trend,” said Peter Kenyon after the figures were released.
He added “We have ambitious targets…to require zero cash funding from the owner (Roman Abrahmovich) from the beginning of the financial year 2009/2010″
[continue]
[continued]
Since Roman Abramovich took over in 2003, the club has recorded combined losses of £448.5m. And the current wage bill of £130m accounts for 70 percent of their turnover. In comparison, Manchester United’s wage bill of £97m is 43 percent of their turnover.
In an effort to further reduce the club’s debt, Roman Abramovich has agreed to become the sole shareholder at the club. And the monies that the club owe him has been reduced from £609m to £339.8m as a result of him taking up the shares option.
Add all Abramovich’s monies at Chelsea together, and you come to a staggering investment of £710m since 2003.
The main reason for the Oligarch taking up this share option was two-fold. In becoming sole owner of the club, Abramovich has moved to insulate himself from the current global financial downturn.
With sterling reducing in value greatly over the last year, the Russian billionaire has seen billions wiped from his fortune. This share option insulates at least some of his wealth.
The other reason for Abramovich wiping some £300m from Chelsea’s debt is that it reduces the club’s tax liability.
Michel Platini and Lord Triesman have spoken about the game’s debt in recent times and it is believed that tax liability is a battleground where UEFA can make progress against clubs who put themselves into serious debt to win trophies.
Another area that UEFA are looking at is club turnover and as recently as last week they put a proposal to Premier League clubs that was rejected. UEFA had wanted the clubs to agree to a points penalization system if clubs spent more that 50 percent of turnover on wages.
On the plus side, Chelsea remain one of the world’s leading franchises and with Stamford Bridge being a guaranteed to sell out every week, it comes as no surprise to see the clubs turnover rising by 12 percent to £213m. If the club can reduce it’s costs by £67m, it will record a profit for the first time in almost a decade.
The club have tackled debt all over the club in order to reduce it’s outgoings. All staff now pay for meals in the canteen instead of them being complimentary. Frank Arnesen’s scouting network has been all but demolished as Abramovich reduces the wage bill.
One member of staff that Chelsea will do everything in it’s power to hold on to is Peter Kenyon. The Manchester City fan is currently being sounded out from afar to become the new Chief Executive at the Manchester based club after the owners became unhappy with current chief Gary Cook and his botched handling of the proposed Kaka transfer.
The next step is the wages of the squad and with the Chelsea ship currently rudderless with a part time captain in Guus Hiddink, the club will have to shell out and bring in a manager who can bring success on limited funding.
KTBBFH
Guus Hiddink- a Band-Aid when a triple bypass is needed
Most new managers see a spike after taking over and Hiddink’s healing powers may even be able to salvage something from their season.
The players seem pleased to have a gaffer they can at least understand. But the harsh truth is that even if he were to bang a few recalcitrant heads together and land an unlikely pot of gold, his appointment is no more than a Band-Aid when a triple bypass is needed. To successfully perform such major surgery, Hiddink, for all his skill with the scalpel, needs both time and money – neither of which he is likely to get.
He is but a locum, there only until the end of the season as he has said he can’t be away from his day job of coaching Russia for any longer.
The Russians have said the same and not just the man in the Moscow street – the Kremlin have said so and you argue with them at your peril.
Even if Roman Abramovich could somehow sweet-talk Vladimir Putin into letting Hiddink stay on longer, the Dutchman has decided to call it quits after the World Cup and ride his Harley-Davidson.
So even a best-case scenario is still going to leave Chelsea fans contemplating a sixth manager in seven years in the middle of 2010.
A trophy – the FA Cup looks their best bet – at the end of this season would be scant consolation for the mess the club finds itself in.
A fading, weary team that’s not motivated and can’t get along. No youngsters coming through. No money to spend on new players. At least Abramovich – after a season or two of kicking the proverbial cat – appears to have rekindled his interest.
Five and a half years into his Chelsea project, the Champions League should have been theirs, a new stadium should have been built and, in the words of Peter Kenyon, the race for the EPL reduced to “a bunch of one” and much of “the world turned blue”.
And even if some of the players were aging, new ones from Frank Arnesen’s global scouting empire, would have emerged to take their places. As Kenyon is excruciatingly aware, the way Manchester United do it.
Sadly for the Blues, as the team badly needs rejuvenating, the cupboard of new talent is alarmingly bare.
Abramovich may question why, despite a multi-million pound operation with talent spotters scattered far and wide, none of the precocious teens who have arrived at Chelsea have emerged as first-team regulars.
Indeed, it must have him tearing his hair out when the likes of Manchester City, Middlesbrough and West Ham seem to able to pick from a never-ending production line while United could deem someone of the calibre of Gerard Pique, now Spain’s centre-half, surplus to requirements.
The more you look at it, the more the owner needs to dip into those shrunken pockets.
The passengers are well known – Michael Ballack, whom one commentator described as “the only export from BMW land to have just one gear”; Deco, who came to top up his EPF, the Florent Malouda namesake who bears little resemblance to the guy who was lethal at Lyon; and Didier Drogba, the man whom Jose Mourinho would go to war with but who has now joined the peace movement.
And worryingly for Chelsea fans, even some of their warriors look as if their wounds have taken a heavy toll. Peter Cech is not the same world-class keeper since his horrific skull fracture; Ricardo Carvalho isn’t the same after all his niggles. Nor is the battle-worn John Terry, for whom the strain of years of playing when unfit is showing. Long-term casualties Joe Cole and especially Michael Essien are sorely missed.
Whilst it is true that they were only a penalty kick away from being crowned kings of Europe last May, that can now be regarded as a last hurrah for Mourinho’s great side, one that Avram Grant managed to keep going in the Special One’s slipstream.
As the Red Adair of his trade, Hiddink may be able to quell the flames of insurrection.
However, for Abramovich the best his friend can do for him will not be good enough. After all these years and some £700 million spent, the Russian has long since kicked the cat to death.
As one who has lost billions on the stock market, you would hope for his and Chelsea’s sake that he won’t be fooled by a short-term rally – for all it will be is a dead-cat bounce.
KTBFFH
However, Abramovich was still voted “the most interesting billionaire” by Finans readers, with 49 per cent of the vote.
The main reason for the Oligarch taking up this share option was two-fold. In becoming sole owner of the club, Abramovich has moved to insulate himself from the current global financial downturn.
With sterling reducing in value greatly over the last year, the Russian billionaire has seen billions wiped from his fortune. This share option insulates at least some of his wealth.
The other reason for Abramovich wiping some £300m from Chelsea’s debt is that it reduces the club’s tax liability.
Michel Platini and Lord Triesman have spoken about the game’s debt in recent times and it is believed that tax liability is a battleground where UEFA can make progress against clubs who put themselves into serious debt to win trophies.
KTBFFH
Drogba and Anelka should definitely start paired together up front, and play all 90 minutes this way. Kalou should definitely start, and I would like to see Stoch and Di Santo come on later in the match. I have no idea what Hiddink will do with Ballack, Deco and Quaresma.. nor what he will do with the left back position, because I don’t want Ferreira to start. Mancienne should also start in the back with Terry and Ivanovic. Win, lose or draw… I just want them to play like the old Chelsea, with a relentless fighting spirit.
michael, far too much to read through lol
anelka and drogba should start together in a diamond
i expect mikel to hold, lampard at the top and we should use quaresma and kalou on the wings
we are missing ashley and thanks to scolari there is no bridge
i dont know how many people watched euro 2008, but ferreira did not do well on the left
we need speed at the back, mancienne and bosingwa need to play as i dont think belletti would cut it
i believe heskey and milner are injured so that leaves aghbonlahor and young to deal with
this match is set to be a thriller, technical and tactical ability will prevail. I’d say we can come away with a 3-2 win but it will take perfection from the back, any slip ups will cost us dearly
Replying to Michael Mariens:
quite an interesting article. my congratulations to you for writing something longer than what BC has. Althought it looked like being cut and pasted from various article sources (was it from our rival newspaper The Sun?), i´d consider it came from your heart, all i gotta tell you is shut the fcuk up. Why don´t you simply try to sum up what Chelsea has achieved under RA rather than what he hasn´t. You´ll feel a lot better.
And you suggest to sell our 6 players to save 30 million. well in other words you are suggesting to invest atleat 50 million to find their replacements, so that means you want to increase our expense by 20 million? thank you, you may keep that idea to yourself.
And its clear that you haven´t really followed Chelsea that closely in past few years. Even if AG had won CL, he would have been termed extremely lucky and not a genius, not a hero, and he´d still be fired. Mate don´t buy the story from outsiders, learn the facts from insiders who are breathing chelsea.
Regarding LFS press told him he was a master at the start of the season, our rival managers hailed him, may be Chelsea board hailed him. But if you look at the views of fans, more than half of them were skeptical about him. Most of them said he was old and may not be able to cope with the rush of Premier league. If you read my earlier posts in the start of this season, i had pointed out reasons why LFS would fail. He was never a tactical coach, and the only thing why he won world cup was he had brazil, who can run like horses and shoot balls like cannons fullstop. I´d say he actually drowned Portugal in Euro 2008 from becoming champions, reason? portugese were not brazilians and he couldn´t use the best of what they actually were.
Regarding Guus Hiddink, i have very regards for him. I don´t expect him to win each and every game, and like someone said above, we may actually lost to villains, but you´ll see Chelsea fighting till the final whistle. We may not win any trophies in the end, but we´ll win our spirits back. And we indeed be very proud in the end of the season that such a great man managed our club, even if he was just a temporary replacement. This short period would indeed be a golden period in Chelsea history after JM era. I´ll guarentee that to you.
BC and Bluechampions
I’ve been supporting Chelsea football club since 1997. I never ever thought that my club would win the EPL. Thanks Roman.
The club’s most recent financial figures, published on Friday, show that Roman Abramovich has ploughed more than £700 million into the club since 2003 and that Chelsea lost £66 million last year.
“Any squad restructuring in the summer will be funded prominently by sales, as we have consistently reduced our net transfer spend over the last five years and will attempt to continue this trend,” said Peter Kenyon after the figures were released.
Stars like Frank Lampard, John Terry, Ashley Cole, and Ricardo Carvalho will all be coveted by other clubs and with Chelsea sending the message out that they need to sell players, these stars are the most likely transfer targets
A fading, weary team that’s not motivated and can’t get along. No youngsters coming through. No money to spend on new players.
Frank Arnesen’s scouting network has been all but demolished as Abramovich reduces the wage bill.
The club have tackled debt all over the club in order to reduce it’s outgoings. All staff now pay for meals in the canteen instead of them being complimentary.
In a move that was regarded as a demonstration of his commitment, Roman Abramovich converted more than half of that investment, some £369.9 million, into equity, with £339.8 million remaining as an interest-free loan.
The main reason for the Oligarch taking up this share option was two-fold.
1) In becoming sole owner of the club, Abramovich has moved to insulate himself from the current global financial downturn.
With sterling reducing in value greatly over the last year, the Russian billionaire has seen billions wiped from his fortune. This share option insulates at least some of his wealth.
2) The other reason for Abramovich wiping some £300m from Chelsea’s debt is that it reduces the club’s tax liability.
Michel Platini and Lord Triesman have spoken about the game’s debt in recent times and it is believed that tax liability is a battleground where UEFA can make progress against clubs who put themselves into serious debt to win trophies.
However, Abramovich was still voted “the most interesting billionaire” by Finans [a Russian business magazine] readers, with 49 per cent of the vote.
KTBFFH
And I think he’s (Roman) the best possible thing that could have happened to Chelsea. When you meet him, most people would not recognise him or believe he is what he is. He’s thoughtful, he’s strong. He’s been a very, very successful businessman so never underestimate him. But he’s very different to how anybody would portray him because nobody knows him. The press (about Roman) is pure speculation, because actually nobody knows him. Certainly none of the press know him.
Can anyone make any sense of this quote by Peter Kenyon?
I think PK is a funny guy.
KTBFFH
And Hiddink wants Blues owner Abramovich to be in no doubt about who picks the team and decides tactics.
Hiddink, 62, said: “I don’t talk with Roman a lot about specific tactics or strategy. We talk generally about football and he loves it.
“Ten years ago, though, I was in charge of Real Madrid and there was a clash with me and the president about playing some players who he liked to play.
“I knew the consequences. But with Roman we don’t go into details and he doesn’t ask either. He can enjoy it when he is watching.”
Abramovich has been at the Dutchman’s side constantly since he accepted the job as caretaker boss.
Yet Hiddink insisted: “He is not just showing off. He genuinely loves football. Yes, of course, he likes to see results. But there was no demand to ‘Do this’ or ‘Do that’.”
Hiddink also had words for the Chelsea stars who Phil Scolari blamed for getting him the sack. Hardline Hiddink admitted he welcomes strong personalities in his team but he expects them to get results.
He added: “In any group there is a hierarchy. That’s how it should be. With the right attitude you can challenge those players to take responsibility.”
“Wall Street is the only place people ride to in a Rolls-Royce to get advice from people who take the subway.”
Warren Buffett (1930 – )
KTBFFH
exactly and someone said greed is good.
‘Abramovich looked like a Big Issue seller, taken pity on outside McDonald’s and treated to his first-ever game.’
LMAO BRILLIANT!!! its EXACTLY what he looked like!
Michael Mariens – You wondered how they got ‘GH’ on his jacket so fast, lol I wondered that too, they had it ready for him the day after he was officially announced… Well on Blues News Gigi said that they actually have some other guy in Chelsea whos initials were also GH, so that guy gave Goos his jacket… apparently.
what the hell are u guys writing about? speak fotball please. dont worry abramovic wont get poor.
[quote comment="70972"][
BC. I know you predict 2-1 but do you realize that Chels have not won at Villa park in (I think this stat is right) 13 years!?! [/quote]
It is 10 years since a win at villa park . Vialli team won there 3.0
Michael Mariens
although I like the idea of restructure, and i am certain one is coming, i would not be happy to sell all of those players
the situation brings a factor of the fans, we love our players, and unless they retire, we don’t want to see them go
the whole idea of breaking even and self sustinance comes from the idea that the academy will provide all that we need
TruePlatinum
New executives and a new manager and new administrators and definately get rid of the the under performing players.
Hold ‘em or Fold ‘em”, which is an obvious reference to the fine game of Texas Hold ‘Em Poker. And also what happens when you have to decide between say, something like the lesser of two evils!
ps. chelsea’s administrators can sleep easily knowing that Frank Arsenan is on the job!
KTBFFH
KTBFFH
This is the season where records are meant to be broken:
Our unbeaten home streak in PL ending
New record for longest away winning streak
Heaviest CL defeat (3-1)
New record for longest clean sheets streak (MU)
And most importantly,
Us beating the Villians 2-0 for the first time in 7 league games last year.
We will give the high-flying Villians a reality check and send them crashing down to 4th place, just like we did to Hull (0-3) this season and Manchester City (6-0) last season. We’re going to end our 13-year drought at Villa Park.
[quote comment="70992"][quote comment="70972"][
BC. I know you predict 2-1 but do you realize that Chels have not won at Villa park in (I think this stat is right) 13 years!?! [/quote]
It is 10 years since a win at villa park . Vialli team won there 3.0[/quote]
Thank you for doing the research – I knew I was close. =)
Replying to GamingTheSystem:
Gotta love the 430am start time for us on the West Coast huh? lol
A quick glance through the recent history books suggests that Chelsea are the most intense, pressurised club at which to work in the Barclays Premier League, with Roman Abramovich casting off managers as a Roman emperor would his concubines, but these circumstances are the exception that proves the rule. Until the end of the season, Hiddink is in a win-win situation.
When Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in July 2003, he said: “We have no plans to change the management here at the moment.” This is what Guus Hiddink’s four predecessors had to say.
Claudio Ranieri (September 2000 to June 2004)
“I don’t know Mr Abramovich and I would like to speak to him. To be honest, I don’t know anything about these rumours regarding the new owners and another manager. But I do know the rules of the game, and that when control of a club passes from one man to another anything can happen.” — July 4, 2003
José Mourinho (June 2004 to September 2007)
“Please don’t call me arrogant. What I am saying is true because I’m a European champion. I’m not one from the bottle, I’m a special one.” — June 2, 2004:
Avram Grant (September 2007 to May 2008)
“I am not a special one, I am a normal person. I did not get the job because I am a friend of Roman Abramovich. I remember when Arsène Wenger came here, people said, ’Arsène who?’ and he did a great job.” — September 21, 2007
Luiz Felipe Scolari (July 2008 to February 2009)
“I’m special for my friends, family and country — as a manager I’m so-so. I’ve always been a fighter. Until now, everything I have fought for and tried to achieve I have done. Even when it was very difficult, I got there. My team will be the same.” — July 8, 2008
Guus Hiddink (February 2009 -)
“At the end of the season, I cannot be sacked,” he said. “Before? Maybe. But not at the end of the season, because our working relationship ends at the end of the season.” As for his ambitions for the rest of the season, the job description is very simple — qualify for the Champions League next season and anything else is a bonus.
These guys are really chraracters.
KTBFFH
Guus Hiddink: I cannot lose as Chelsea manager
written by Matt Hughes (February 20, 2009)
A quick glance through the recent history books suggests that Chelsea are the most intense, pressurised club at which to work in the Barclays Premier League, with Roman Abramovich casting off managers as a Roman emperor would his concubines, but these circumstances are the exception that proves the rule. Until the end of the season, Hiddink is in a win-win situation.
When Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in July 2003, he said: “We have no plans to change the management here at the moment.” This is what Guus Hiddink’s four predecessors had to say.
Claudio Ranieri (September 2000 to June 2004)
“I don’t know Mr Abramovich and I would like to speak to him. To be honest, I don’t know anything about these rumours regarding the new owners and another manager. But I do know the rules of the game, and that when control of a club passes from one man to another anything can happen.” — July 4, 2003
José Mourinho (June 2004 to September 2007)
“Please don’t call me arrogant. What I am saying is true because I’m a European champion. I’m not one from the bottle, I’m a special one.” — June 2, 2004:
Avram Grant (September 2007 to May 2008)
“I am not a special one, I am a normal person. I did not get the job because I am a friend of Roman Abramovich. I remember when Arsène Wenger came here, people said, ’Arsène who?’ and he did a great job.” — September 21, 2007
Luiz Felipe Scolari (July 2008 to February 2009)
“I’m special for my friends, family and country — as a manager I’m so-so. I’ve always been a fighter. Until now, everything I have fought for and tried to achieve I have done. Even when it was very difficult, I got there. My team will be the same.” — July 8, 2008
Guus Hiddink (February 2009 -)
“At the end of the season, I cannot be sacked,” he said. “Before? Maybe. But not at the end of the season, because our working relationship ends at the end of the season.” As for his ambitions for the rest of the season, the job description is very simple — qualify for the Champions League next season and anything else is a bonus.
These guys are really chraracters.
KTBFFH
@ 29 TruePlatinum
Chelsea: Platini’s plan are not mad
Timesonline [18 Februry 2009]
There’s much to admire in Michel Platini’s recent – and clearly heartfelt – appeal to the European Parliament. For those that haven’t had time to look over it, the two issues that stuck out for me were:
A ban on international transfers of players under the age of 18.
An exemption from European competition law for football clubs, effectively allowing the long-mooted idea of salary and transfer fee caps to be implemented.
Now, the former seems to me to be fair enough. There have been a number of harrumphs on the subject of large clubs trying to ring-fence promising young players. Current European law, as I understand it, defines a “child” (in a working context) as someone under the age of 16. Platini, however, rightly points out that in many European countries the school-leaving age has been raised to 18. And, from a purely common sense point of view, you must remember the maturity and eye for your own future that you had when you were 17.
Blinding a fledgling superstar and his family with the offer of a nice 4-bedroom in Surrey or Warrington so you can fast-track him into the reserves… well, it isn’t a very pleasant idea at the best of times. Asking him to travel a thousand miles to do so, uprooting him from his culture and his language at arguably the most impressionable time of his life, is even more repellent. I’m not saying the idea is a no-brainer, but I’m sure most of us can agree that there’s plenty of merit to it. One to watch.
But…. da da daaaaaaa… cometh the salary cap issue once more. On the face of it, this one has got to please Real Madrid more than anyone. After all, when they finally get their hands on a certain gel-slathered Madeiran winger, it might mean them paying rather less than they were resigning themselves to.
KTBFFH
@ 29 TruePlatinum
CHELSEA: PLANTIN’S PLANS ARE NOT MAD
Timesonline [18 Februry 2009]
There’s much to admire in Michel Platini’s recent – and clearly heartfelt – appeal to the European Parliament. For those that haven’t had time to look over it, the two issues that stuck out for me were:
A ban on international transfers of players under the age of 18.
ANSWER-Frank Arnesen’s scouting network has been all but demolished as Abramovich reduces the wage bill.
An exemption from European competition law for football clubs, effectively allowing the long-mooted idea of salary and transfer fee caps to be implemented.
ANSWER-Since Roman Abramovich took over in 2003, the club has recorded combined losses of £448.5m. And the current wage bill of £130m accounts for 70 percent of their turnover.
Now, the former seems to me to be fair enough. There have been a number of harrumphs on the subject of large clubs trying to ring-fence promising young players. Current European law, as I understand it, defines a “child” (in a working context) as someone under the age of 16. Platini, however, rightly points out that in many European countries the school-leaving age has been raised to 18. And, from a purely common sense point of view, you must remember the maturity and eye for your own future that you had when you were 17.
Blinding a fledgling superstar and his family with the offer of a nice 4-bedroom in Surrey or Warrington so you can fast-track him into the reserves… well, it isn’t a very pleasant idea at the best of times. Asking him to travel a thousand miles to do so, uprooting him from his culture and his language at arguably the most impressionable time of his life, is even more repellent. I’m not saying the idea is a no-brainer, but I’m sure most of us can agree that there’s plenty of merit to it. One to watch.
But…. da da daaaaaaa… cometh the salary cap issue once more. On the face of it, this one has got to please Real Madrid more than anyone. After all, when they finally get their hands on a certain gel-slathered Madeiran winger, it might mean them paying rather less than they were resigning themselves to.
Do you know what I think is funny. Frank Arsenan can’t even convince teenagers to come to lovely posh London, but he can..
KTBFFH
Guys!
I won’t be watching today’s match. I’m recording it though. Enjoy the match. Be there at BC Shout.
what the fuck are you writing this shit for mariens, so much useless information that is just being double posted over and over again. Also last time i checked chelsea’s youth beat manU at old trafford and some of the them are seen as very promising players(mancienne, stoch, di santo, kakuta, nouble, rajkovic, borini, tejera, bertrand, jack cork are just a few) alot of these players were scouted by arnesen’s group and many of them look to be quite decent already in Championship level competition. The problem is chelsea didnt need to bring in youth since the size of the squad was so large that even with injuries it didnt matter that much in the long run. Of the top 4 liverpool and chelsea had the most rounded team in the prem league over the last 4-5 years, many of the players were mid 20s and in their prime, now that many are getting old and most likely getting sold the youth are finally getting a decent shot. Of the arsenal youth i have seen the only one who looks half decent is wilshire and the manU youth still dont look anything special either. Pique was stolen from barcelona much like fabregas was, most of the best players for all the top sides were pinched by english sides since english sides allows kids to sign pro contracts earlier then other countries. If you want to see how good chelsea youth is you need to actually wait around 5 more years so they actually get a chance to perform, wenger is the manager who actually plays the most youth but nearly his entire team was bought from other teams where they were playing 1st team football. Walcott the only english player in the side was bought for 10million, not exactly cheap.
GO CHELSEA =]
Good game – I was on my seat for the last 15 plus stoppage. I was sure AV was gonna nick something in the end but I’m giggle happy with the result.
Any of you get a chance to watch that Ballack shot in slow mo? – wheeew.. what a screamer.
now if LFS were watching this game, he would learn why tactics are so important in big games. He started with 3 strikers, but played 4-1-2-1-2 instead of 4-3-3. He then pulled kalou back and brought Deco in, to make game static, and brought in final moments belleti to give late scare to villains!
Great start for new chelsea and good defending at all,but more way to improve.After 3 months it is a blue day for me,nice job GUUS.
The only reason LFS didnt get chels going is coz he found out you cant play exciting brazilian soccer with Lame euro players. Its funny to hear novices commenting on how he can learn from gus about tactics…cmon, get a dose of reality. LFS was a world cup winner….talk to me a bout him learning from gus when gus wins a world cup. Chelsea have a stupid coach and stupid fans. Watch man united sweep it all, again.
Replying to mike:
yea exactly, and i really want him to go back to Brazil. What I´m just worried is, what is the poor fella gonna do if he get kicked out from there as well. I suggest he should retire.
Chelsea back to their boring ways:) I think gus is perfect for chels….keep him – that way we wont have anything to wrry about for a couple of seasons…CMON UNITED!
@44 mike – guus is a champions league winner
Well, i think scolari should stay on and show chelsea what they are missing by going to CIty. After all, chelsea are not even the richest club any more, their only real claim to fame…scolari is probaly so happy to be out of that loser club.
@46 what do you mean by boring ?
is it 1-0 result . do you know how much 1-0 result man u have this season
Dont u understand boring? chelsea fans ARE stupid. but hey ill help you out man. BORING IS = to chelsea, which is what they always have and will be.
now that big phils gone, we have nothing to fear. Sure gus is a good coach but like jose , predictable. Scolari had that bit of mrazil flair about him. united to win for the next three years!!!
Now i am really getting excited by comments like that from mike and josesucks.
Rivals are sneaking into our blog and are writing these things. They are starting to criticize us. It shows one thing, that they are scared. I´m loving it. Blue fellas, gotta say we are back on track.
(although my brain says mike and josesucks both are the same person, hehe)
and that goes to jimbo as well. (that was what we used to called a red nosed circus monkey then when we were kids. no offense mate, thats just a coincidence)
and that goes to jimbo as well. (jimbo? that was what we used to called a red nosed circus monkey then when we were kids. no offense mate, thats just a coincidence)
hey guys this is not the blog for ur stupid comments against chels and for the fcuking manure…fuck off in ur own blog
bluechampions
Well done to the team it’s a good start
With the 4-4-2 formation the wing backs are now having a supporting role instead of overlapping their team-mates
Goose put the fire back into the belly of the players
During a match usually two or three players who contribute to the teams victory but you seldom see the whole team make an impact
It was nice to see Frank Lampard call the players over, it shows that the spirit is there and that the players believe that they can beat any team on their day
KTBBFH
Last time I checked, this was a Chelsea blog, so why are Man U fans leaving their comments here and to begin with how do you know about a CHELSEA blog lol. Call us boring or whatever man but its this boring style of play that made Chelsea beat you to the title 2 seasons running, lol calling Mourinho boring mate?? Well I guess if his boring style out-fukcin-played your scot week in and week out and won chelsea trophies then im more than happy with Mourinho. Talking crap about him when deep inside every scum and manure fan wants Jose to be their next manager because you know he is that DAMMMM good and can outsmack your dinosaur chewing gum ball machine of a manager. Now would you please piss off and raid your own blogs and gloat about man u and bum rape each other.
Guys the game was incredible, good tempo and heart pumping action throughout, Drogba, Ballack, Lampard, Terry, Anelka all played amazing and hopefully we can capatalise on this win and take the momentum into the game against Juve, well done to all our blues!!
come we deserved a 1 nil victory i cant even count no of 1nil win 4 united
I was not able to watch the match tonight but text messages kept flying in from friends (Man Utd fans) and updated me on the score and how Chelsea got that spirit and belief back… for some reason, even knowing that this might be the most important game for us to concrete our ChampsLeague spot, I was confident of a win. And 1-0 win was all we needed, it is a good start for Guus in EPL.
In response to the suspected “MU fans” comments in our favorite blog, it has once again proven that we were and still is, the most threatening team for them. I don’t think they can ever admit it but we know… we know for sure. KTBFFH!!!
[quote comment="71012"]Well, i think scolari should stay on and show chelsea what they are missing by going to CIty. After all, chelsea are not even the richest club any more, their only real claim to fame…scolari is probaly so happy to be out of that loser club.[/quote]
That is my dream . Scolari going to Manceshter City. So we will make around 15 MM for deco , another 5 MM for miniero ( whom we have no option other than a free transfer but no club will also want him )..
Please Luis Fellipe Scolari to Manchester City in Summer..
[quote comment="71015"]Dont u understand boring? chelsea fans ARE stupid. but hey ill help you out man. BORING IS = to chelsea, which is what they always have and will be.[/quote]
Chelsea boring oh .. Man U diving .. Premier chip Diver of 2008 – Ronaldo ….
Its very easy for the blue blooded fans to crash in Manures blog and beat the shit out of them regarding countless issues on which u could only be a mere spectator but thats where we differ from u guys. A win at villa and you still come up with criticizing comments!..wow u have some sense of humour!..
talk abt neville gettin a new contract just coz he is soo good at sucking …. while tevez after all his uncountable performances to save ur asses at the last moments of the matches still hangs in the balance!..
Im being very patient here so plz dont mess with us and let us enjoy r win..i was not that excited by lampards turn coz i know he is a magician and its a walk in the park for him..
really impressed with the first half performance although i believe ballack replacing Quresma in the first 11 will bring alot more charisma.
Job well done hiddink..Im impressed
Finally our old Chelsea is back, just like Chelsea under TSO JOSE, boring but unbeatable …. we scored one goal and defend till the END. This is our chelsea , I dont want my Chelsea to play sexy football and loose the game. Chelsea’s style is to PLAY BORING FOOTBALL ,long balls ,tight defense and finally the win the game. But we need to play Quaresma in starting 11 because he is good replacement of Arjen robben.
During JOSE as Chelsea manager even though we played boring football ,our wingers Arjen Roben , joe cole and Duff made our game more attractive …Now we lacks speed in Counter Attacking, Huddnik should give more chance to Quaresma and stoch.
Tax fraud
In February 2007 Hiddink was given a six-month suspended jail sentence and fined €45,000 after being found guilty of tax fraud by a Dutch court. Prosecutors had demanded a nine-month prison sentence for Hiddink, who was accused of evading €1.4 million in Dutch taxes by claiming to be a resident of Belgium from 2002 to 2003.
KTBFFH
[quote comment="71029"]Tax fraud
In February 2007 Hiddink was given a six-month suspended jail sentence and fined €45,000 after being found guilty of tax fraud by a Dutch court. Prosecutors had demanded a nine-month prison sentence for Hiddink, who was accused of evading €1.4 million in Dutch taxes by claiming to be a resident of Belgium from 2002 to 2003. [/quote]
That just tells me Gus hates to lose – wether that is his football games or his money… =)
What I’ve made out of today’s Chelsea performance is that we are starting to see the real Chelsea which we haven’t seen for months now. Before this game, everyone was talking about how great Villa have been this season and Villa would beat Chelsea easily. The answer is right there. The spirit is back. You can see it from the player’s celebration on the pitch after the game. Let’s admit it, we did not beat relegation battler or ordinary PL team. We defeated serious CL contender & in-form team on their own home ground which Chelsea haven’t achieved for a decade even the Special One could not do it. There are certainly improvements all over the pitch from the coach to the goalkeeper. Tactically, Guus is much, much better than the world cup winner Mr.Scolari is. What pleased me the most was that everyone was fighting and playing as a team. Cech made a few crucial saves, Bosingwa was always dangerous in attack on the right hand and defensively he got the better out of Ashley Young who is Villa’s only threat. The Ballack-Mikel-Lampard outplayed the Villa mid-field. Lampard’s movements were outstanding as usual. We have been criticizing Anelka ever since he made his debut in Chelsea shirt. But today’s goal was his most important goar for the team and the finishing was absolutely top,top class. I bet he was already celebrating the goal even before he receives the pass from Lampard. The Frenchman has scored 21 goals for us in all competition this season. He will score plenty if he plays in his favorite and natural position, that is for sure. Chelsea plays better when Drogba plays better. He has that X-Factor which lifts Chelsea’s spirit and play. He is back. I’ll put my money on him scoring against Juventus in CL on Wednesday night.
Most of the credit should go to Guus. He had a week of time to prepare the team for our defining game of the season. The team looked very organized today, the players seemed like they really understood the game plan. Guus came up with 2 different game plans which worked effectively. But much more work yet to be done. It is to early to judge him based on what we’ve seen today.
Real tests yet to come. Go the Blues!
Winning is not everything it’s the only thing!!! Ppl love winners and we all love Guus today!!!
Having said that, I was very optimist before the game and the first half was really nice. We could easily have gone 2 goals up. Second half they had their little run and had more possession then in the first half. I didn’t like the fact that we tried to slow down the game so much, that it made it easy for villa to defend easily and even steal the boll from us. Mikel gave me headache all game along. Ballack disappears from the game. Some many say he wasn’t that bad but when he is dominant compared to the way he is playing now..Well enough said. Cech was good today. He made some important saves. Their GK did some nice saves as well to keep them in the game. Nic did what he gets paid to do, bang goals for cfc.
I got to give it to Ferriera, he hasn’t had much action on the pitch but he did decent job. JT and Alex did decent job as well as the rest of the team. DD got to work even harder but he is in the right direction. Deco came in and did some superb things in the end that almost gave us a 2-0 lead.
All this fuzz about Villa I wasn’t that impressed and I don’t think they are good enough yet to overtake one of the big fours place. Even thought they are in top four for the moment, the gooners are a better team.
Like IwasMissingJose said all man u- and gooner funs for that matter are actually showing us love by taking their time to come here and bash us. Its funny though that when we win we are “boring” and when we lose we suck and are a pathetic team! But I guess that’s what opposite funs say and write about their biggest rival. So keep it coming, which means we are doing something right.
Coach GH has got to do his “thing” and prepare the team for the big game against Juve. Let’s show the world that we have slipped but we aren’t dead. You guys think Juventus are happy that we are getting our swagger back???
/K
[quote comment="71016"]now that big phils gone, we have nothing to fear. Sure gus is a good coach but like jose , predictable. Scolari had that bit of mrazil flair about him. united to win for the next three years!!![/quote]
Hey moron, if Jose was so predictable, why hasn’t Ferguson ever defeated him? Mourinho has never lost to Man Utd, he even knocked out Ferguson in the Champions League when he was with Porto. Fuck off loser
[quote comment="71025"][quote comment="71012"]Well, i think scolari should stay on and show chelsea what they are missing by going to CIty. After all, chelsea are not even the richest club any more, their only real claim to fame…scolari is probaly so happy to be out of that loser club.[/quote]
That is my dream . Scolari going to Manceshter City. So we will make around 15 MM for deco , another 5 MM for miniero ( whom we have no option other than a free transfer but no club will also want him )..
Please Luis Fellipe Scolari to Manchester City in Summer..[/quote]
Wow…. I burst out laughing hearing that. That is a piece of genius. I hope it happens!!! Btw Deco went on a stunning run today to set up Ballack for a great shot. I checked the replays about 5 times to check if it really was Deco. But I saw the no.20 so it must be him. Lol
hey guys will quaresma be eligible for champions league?
[quote comment="71035"]hey guys will quaresma be eligible for champions league?[/quote]
no quaresma cant play cause he played for inter. But still, last nights game (im australian) was very entertaining. Im very pleased with the result and even more pleased that arsenal drew with sunderland. The only two bad things to come out of the game was Boswinga picking up his fifth yellow of the season and the fact that Petr Cech looked shaky at the start. But still, good result and hopefully Guus will get us back to winning ways. :)
The ManUre fans are appearing on the blog co they are AFRAID !
Yes,like the phrase that BC once had up on the title of the blog : BE AFRAID, BE VERY VERY AFRAID !
Ha ha ha LOLOLOLOLOL my ribs hurt ! One match where Chelsea went up only a gear and they’re already AFRAID !
Great game. Not too quick to heap massive praise on Hiddink, though his impact was clear. We finally have a tactician again, making the strategic choices necessary instead of going for flare or simply making ambiguous arm gestures on the touchline. New Manager Syndrome is always great, and players are out to prove something.
We’re seeing a new Anelka lately, one who can score goals that actually matter as opposed to needless goal padding. The goals against Watford were absolutely critical, and his today was top drawer: smooth, clever, well executed. Lampard, who gets the most ridiculous criticisms week in and week out from BBC and other teams, proves yet again that he’s a maestro in the midfield and absolutely irreplaceable. Who still thinks he wasn’t worth a huge pay increase? He not only makes things happen on his own, he improves everyone around him. On top of that, he’s pure class. Ballack played much, much better than he has lately. It would be easy to attribute this to be out from underneath Scolari, who, despite denials to the press, he may have had some type of problem with.
Kalou is improving into a standard starter, and while he is still a bit raw in places, he is young and is benefiting from experience during Joey Cole’s injury. I like that Guus is trying out Deco in some odd places, but he’s really, really fallen off this season, hasn’t he? Some argued Stoch should have come on, but the game was far from sealed and putting on a small, young, attacking player would have been poor tactics.
Our physicality won us this game as much as anything else, and I think that will be critical versus Juventus this week. Juventus are a scary, aggressive team, but we can’t forget the differences between the Serie A and the Premiership. Chelsea will shove them around and I think Ballack, Lampard, and Mikel (love this kid) in midfield will gobble them up, while Drogba and Anelka can tear through their back four with their tenacity and pace, respectively. Their strikers are scary, but what must they think about Terry and the mutant Alex back there?
Confidence restored. I can feel it as I’m sure the team can. We are hungry to prove that we’re still the force we once were.
bring on juve i am looking forward to juve now
I thank all the ManU fans, from my heart. thank U for having spared time to visit THE TEAM’s FAN BLOG, and lament and confess your fear that U all have, at the very utterance of the name, CHELSEA. Thank U for the confidence U ppl have in our TEAM. Ur confidence in OUR TEAM seems to be greater than that of ours. Keep The BLUE Flag flying high.
To sum it up, BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID!!!!!!!!!!!!!
big deal if bosingwa isnt featured in the end game, its more important that a.cole is because ferreira struggled against miller. Also mancienne and ivanovic can play as very competent right backs. The game was decent, considering we were playing away. First half chelsea just plain dominated the game, villa’s midfield just couldnt cope and drogba provided some great power and the centrebacks barely handled him. The second half villa started to control the game more, they stopped going down the middle and played the wings more, they had some shots that cech barely saved and alot of it came because ferreira couldnt cope with the speed of miller. Young was completely sealed by bosingwa and at one point bosingwa was able to attack very high up the field because chelsea were controlling the right and centre so well. When ashton was brought on they resorted to some scrappy long play but it nearly worked. The team looked much narrower then previous outing and i think thats because chelsea were essentially playing a 442 diamond with kalou playing just behind the strikers. Drogba thought came back much further then anelka did. I think the lack of true wingers is hurting drogba goal tally and more then likely if chelsea dont start playing with more width expect drogba to not score anytime soon. Lampards corners were all over the place and never really felt dangerous off a set peice.
Against juventus i fully expect chelsea to go through, they a decent side but they have very weak wide players and i doubt their central players could handle ballack/lampard/mikel and their CB’s will struggle against the power of drogba. That said del piero/amauri/trezeguet are world class forwards and if we give away too many set pieces we will pay.
They are afraid of we got rid off SCOLARI.coz they know there will not be an easier Chelsea than that of SCOLARIs..ronaldo dived all over the park..12 th man saved the day for manure..
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Sent on a phone using T9space.com
Well hello there ManUres, i see you guys have entered rather scared into our online Blues territory…afraid already ? Haha
Man i can not believe the hypocritical response of you guys… ’1-0 wins are the symbols of boring chelsea’.. how many times have ManU done that dipshits ? Strange you guys come her PMSing days before CL action resumes; scared you’ll be humbled by our Special One ? Lets see wht goes down on Tuesday, I surely hope Mourinho trumps Fergie and makes him look like a nutless monkey ! Haha
Guus Hiddink has gotten confidence into me guys, I think we definitely have a good chance against Juve…I just hope we stay strong in defense, open up the play, contain their attacks. If we do that then we’re def. in a good position !
KTBFFH !!
we should be wary of del piero not give him free space at all 4 free kick
[quote comment="71044"]we should be wary of del piero not give him free space at all 4 free kick[/quote]
It is going to be great game. I hope Richardo Carvalo will be available for the second leg at turin. They have a good team – Amauri and David Trezeguet in attack . Sissoko, Nedved, Camoronessi ( is he injured) , chiellini, buffon..
But it is all about motivation to win. Liverpool has done in 04 and Arsenal in 05 against better juve teams, so I think it is not impossible, but it will be tough game.. They also very motivated to win after calipoli scandal.
guys second look possible…. pool had a draw.. so we are just 3 points off them.. hopefully boro beat them next weekend…. and we win…. we will be in second.. and then start chasing manure!!
ish……thankyou
as for the two man united fans, idiocity and arrogance
remind me what man united’s goal difference was before they beat chelsea? what was that? lower place chelsea with more goals?
wait till fergie retires and your team falls apart
the fact our team played poorly last season and could still have won the title alarms you
can’t be bothered with man utd, much like liverpool, dead in water
As I understand, the scouting network had been greatly reduced because of roman cutbacks but nontheless, we have shining youth stars, waiting to come through on a much better level than the other top four, in fact, youth players of tomorrow tend to come up through lesser teams like west ham, villa, everton
I was very adament that whoever got the better deal out of chelsea vs man utd would win, Man utd still aren’t on form, we could push them but I do not expect a close finish although 2nd place is a guarantee
I want the attention to turn to the champions league, im expecting liverpool, arsenal and man united to crash out horribly, chelsea on the other hand, i believe have the upper hand on paper, but the fact we are unsettled will make us beatable, if we are after a trophy, the fa cup is the one
44 | mike
As far as I know, even The Sir hasn’t won World Championship yet. So – should LFS go to Old Trafford to learn him tactics? God, please let this happen and the title is ours! :)))
Scolari was (and maybe still is) a good coach for national teams and short-time tournaments like WC or EC. But when it comes to manage a team, it is quite a different job – you have to run a club, take care of the players you have, work with them and try to get the best out of them in the long run. Not just to choose 25 players from what your country offers (and if it is Brasil, your options are really good) and to play 6 or 7 games with them. Got it, man?
Chelsea vs Juventus:
————-Cech————–
-Bosingwa-Terry-Carvalho(?)-A.Cole
–Lampard–Mikel–Ballack–QUARESMA(?)
————-Anelka—Kalou————–
NICE or BAD Formation :P
[quote comment="71049"]Chelsea vs Juventus:
————-Cech————–
-Bosingwa-Terry-Carvalho(?)-A.Cole
–Lampard–Mikel–Ballack–QUARESMA(?)
————-Anelka—Kalou————–
NICE or BAD Formation :P[/quote]
I like this line up , may be swap Kalou with Drogba because their center defenders are strong ( rember mourinho playing adriano ) . We can’t play Quaresma as he is cup tied with Inter . It may be between Maluoda or Kalou. Another combination that could be tried is play belleti as right back and bosingwa as right winger, but this match is not the one for adventure.
Replying to kirk: your english was so lame, shyte
just on k drogba’s formation
lampard on the right flank is not good, you either play lampard centrally or in an advanced role on the left to make the most of his passing and shooting abilities
you’d be better playing ballack on the right as he has the most speed out of him, lampard and deco
if you are going to switch to a 4-4-2
give mikel a holding role, play ballack in a less defensive role alongside him, preferably on the right, give lampard a wide advanced position and give quaresma or kalou a free role on the right
ballack is really way too slow to played anywhere but centrally, he is just holding essien’s place though.
Against Juventus a 442 diamond will work best because of their lack of quality wide players. Im not 100% on camorenesi and whether he will play but he should be easily handled since he doesnt have the legs for it anymore.
The formation against juventus really should very similar to what chelsea put out against a.villa
The only player that didnt impress me much in the villa game was kalou, i dont think he has the intelligence to really thrive in the AM role. J.cole would have been perfect but injury means now we need to make do with what we have, possibly play anelka behind a pair of drogba/di santo if hiddink wants to be unpredicable or perhaps have lampard playing the slightly withdrawn AM role with ballack being main control tower and belletti and mikel providing defense duties with each allowing a bit of room to go up.
Juventus might struggle physically since many of their players cept for amauri and sissoko are pretty light weight.
does anyone know how long until essien comes back? he’s been out for ages and i think we’re missing him.
as for the formations, i think we should play a 4-3-1-2
————-Cech————–
-Bosingwa-Terry-Carvalho(?)-A.Cole
-Mikel-
–Kalou-Lampard–Quaresma/Malouda
————-Anelka—Drogba————–
Boswinga and A.Cole can provide overlapping runs (as usual) from the back because the wide midfielders are a tad more central but it still gives them freedom down the flanks. And when we do get the cross in, we’ve got anelka and drogba in there with lampard picking up the crumbs.
What do u guys think?
i mean a 4-1-3-2 :p
THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY (2008)
Avram Grant’s Chelsea almost won the treble? Oh… by a tantalizing kick, away in Moscow. This has left many blues fans into temporary state of mental confusion and fluctuating consciousness. It is also characterized either by anxiety or disorientation, hallucinations, and maybe just some delusions.
Also another type of delirium is when you’re put into a state of uncontrolled excitement or emotion, often done to sports fans…
.
So RA, upon given a blessing by the Italian Fabio Capello, the current Engaland manager (who has won countless titles with Juventus and Madrid) hired Luiz Philipe Scolari, the first and only manager upon writing this comment, to have received a world-cup winners medallion. The bravo Brazilian is also often referred to as the man with the “wooden leg” by his friends, admirers and loved-ones.
The master tactician made promises to his fans that he would provide us with some sexy and beautiful and entertaining football. And to be fair, he was a bit ok. Big Phil began his campaign by thumping Pompey, several times, and thus putting the English champion in her place.
Phil wanted to show us some sexy samba football, the way the South-Americans did it in his day and at this present moment in time. Remember this is an elderly-ish bloke, who promised the world that he would make these Englishmen run like horses and shoot like cannon balls.
This macho man was and is oh, so cunning? In the sense that, instead of making use of route one football, he would insist upon having a wing-man. This allowed the men to attack from every possible angle?
But, the men under him lost faith in him. Big Phil thus responded by saying, that there are no special players in his locker-room.
Unfortunately his tactics were limited, he only had one method of attacking, thus leading his fans to suffer from boredom and later chastising him because of his “predictability”.
So this have left RA, the worlds fifteenth richest man to turn to the “no-nonsense” Dutchman.
Will Goose be able to rescue Roman, by lending him a hand in fulfilling his ultimate fantasy… which is to build an european dynasty?
patty that leaves 2 CM’s thats essentially 442. Also kalou plays better off the left since he cant cross to save his life.
——————-cech
mancienne—ivanovic–alex—a.cole
quaresma–mikel—lampard—malouda
———-drogba—-anelka
another option just for fun would be
stoch—belletti–deco—malouda
———-kalou–di santo
We will need to rotate a bit so expect quaresma to feature a little more in the league games. Especially this week
@ Patty trublue
I am South African, bare in mind that Africa is the poorest continent in the world.
Also rugby is south africa’s number one sport.
If memory serves me right it all began in 1992-1993, but stay positive bcause we’ve just won back to back trophies quite recently..
We messed up in 2003, but we hired a new manager with brand new players and look at the result.
So please sweet-heart stay positive.
patty trublue
that formation offers little protection to the wingbacks and with bosingwa being the way he is, i would never use that formation for the risk, it plays to our strengths but will show too much weakness
@93
Africa is not the poorest continent in the world, but rather in terms of other countries dependency on the continent of Africa’s man-labor, natural resources, etc… it is actually the most valuable continent to world economy and is a matter of occupying Western World nations that manipulate the people and properties of the continent as well as the treatment of it’s people by those manipulators and in turn some (minimal) of their own members that make it the state it is!
Just thought I’d throw that in.
@ 95 Vinto Lindo
I think majority of Africa’s problems is because of Africans… and minipulators.
But you’re right about the Western World, take a look at US for an moment. It lends money for food to other African countries. The main reason for these cowboys doing this is two-fold:
1) Africans have to buy food from the US at US prices with only some interest.
2) If they buy their food from another country, then they would have to pay the full interest amount.
But its sad… because all they’re doing is paying back interest.
People ….. Renieri has already announced the team to play Chelsea on wednesday and I must admit it does look quite scary, Hiddinks must be studying alot of Juve tapes over the past few days to see how to exploit their weakness. Remember he went to watch the Villa game vs CSKA Moscow and figured out how to stop Villa, so in that case it is safe to say the man knows what he’s doing. Although Juve atm are short of a few preferred defenders but still with their midfield and strong attack we have to watch our own backs. Quaresma can’t play for all those that keep on asking, he is cup tied with Inter. In a game such as this I don’t think Stoch or Di Santo will feature at all, that means Malouda will drop in at some point and that is exactly what is quite scary because as we all know Malouda can’t play to save his life now. I guess the same formation against Villa will be used again. The positive news is playing Drogba and Anelka has major advantages, the only thing we are missing atm is Essien and J.Cole if we had both or either one of them for this game then I think it’s safe to say we would of won atleast 3-0 at the bridge but I think even a 1-0 win is good at this point. Go You Blues!!
Replying to Jaz:
did scolari every go to watch any rival play??? dumb ass!!
guys do you know that Quaresma can play just behind the striker or strikers…. (for the EPL games that is)
for this game, id play a diamond, id try belletti at right back and give bosingwa the midfield position, could have a nasty backfire though, to be honest, I’m not sure what id do with our current peril
@96
I don’t think a majority of Africa’s problems come from the Africans because if you look at history, Africa was never EVER in this shape before European conquest and intervention! There was never this obsession with diamonds, oil, etc and the like before those with dollar signs in their eyes from Europe and now various other points of interest which include the Arabians came over and abused, manipulated and pretty much lied to the natives of the land. If you ask me, it’s the same thing in most places where the peoples of the native land were ruthlessly conquested by the Europeans whom came there.
But this is no history site, this is about Chelsea so Blues to win 1-0 and if Juventus push if we have the lead to catch them on the break for a 2-0!
guys ill back Roberto mancini to be our next boss, he has experience, the know how, the tactical ability, and the style!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1153082/PICTURE-SPECIAL-Guus-Hiddink-works-magic-Chelsea–recruiting-David-Blaine-wow-Lampard-Terry-Co.html
[quote comment="71062"]People ….. Renieri has already announced the team to play Chelsea on wednesday and I must admit it does look quite scary, Hiddinks must be studying alot of Juve tapes over the past few days to see how to exploit their weakness. Remember he went to watch the Villa game vs CSKA Moscow and figured out how to stop Villa, so in that case it is safe to say the man knows what he’s doing. [/quote]
Ray Wilkins was in Turin last week to watch the Juve game. Not sure how much it will help . They have already named their team and Amauri and Del piero was rested for the weekend serie a. Sissoko scored a good solo goal . My feeling is Juve will be happy for a draw and hoping for a magic moment from Del Piero . As said earlier they lost to Liverpool – 04 and Arsenal – 05 in first leg and went on to lose the round.So it is up to us . looking for that magic moment from Didier to break their defenses and Buffon..
i think chelsea has the best squad for now and i think the best squad for it is
cech
terry ivanovic
bosingwa a.cole
ballack deco
lamps quaresma
anelka
drogba
[quote comment="71074"]i think chelsea has the best squad for now and i think the best squad for it is
cech, terry&ivanovic as CB, bosingwa(RWB), a.cole(LWB) ballack&mikel(CM), lamps&quaresma(CAM), anelka&drogba(ST)