When you’re struggling with form, confidence and the loss of a popular manager, a trip to a club ‘oop north’ to face a team filled with journeymen, ex top level players and an outhouse called Windass (although we were spared he and Barmby) – in midweek and still without a major part of the spine [...]
So we win a game 4-0 after a turbulent few weeks and all our troubles just drift away. Oh hang on, no they don’t. We have a manager with no badges and no support and a sum total of zero goals in our last three league games. Two out of three of those problems can, [...]
Continue reading …Chelsea notched their first win under new manager Avram Grant, defeating Hull City 4-0 at the KC Stadium, to advance to the next round of the Carling Cup. It was a convincing and dominant win for the Blues, with a number of fringe players looking to force their way into the new coach’s plans. Carlo [...]
Continue reading …One week ago the news arrived to my phone from a friend of mine saying succinctly, “José has gone, it’s official”. After finding out he hadn’t been drinking copiously and was in fact telling the unbelievable truth, I stayed up watching Sky Sports News until I could almost recite parrot-fashion the various statements and features [...]
Continue reading …Chelsea’s defence of the Carling Cup kicks off this evening with a trip up to Hull for Avram’s first game in the competition. Even with players such as Drogba and Lampard still on the missing list, those who will take to the field should still have enough quality to dispatch a team not performing overly [...]
Continue reading …Chelsea’s first match sans The Special One and his team of coaches was at Old Trafford against arch rivals Manchester United. A series of contentious refereeing decisions conspired against Chelsea, with the goal thirty seconds after half time should have been blown, Mikel’s dubious sending off and the penalty won by a tumbling Saha to [...]
Continue reading …As a little disclaimer before this rant-ette begins, would readers please be advised that the writer is aware a) of the minimal likelihood of anything “true” surfacing through a football gossip site calling itself Soccerthing or FootballForever, and b) the utter impossibility of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich reading this. Still, I live in hope. The [...]
Continue reading …The word that has been preying on my mind in recent days: mediocre. Well, it’s not the only word, but the others are just synonyms thereof. Bland. Unimaginative. One-dimensional. Dull. This weekend, Chelsea were well beaten by a better team. Before my fellow fans gather around my front door to harangue me for my lack [...]
Continue reading …“I can’t believe the news today. I want to close my eyes and make it go away.” Okay, perhaps Bono’s lyrics addressed something a little more sinister than the news that radiates from the Ceefax screen in front of me now, but these things are relative, and besides, for surprise value I’d say the lyrics [...]
Continue reading …Chelsea travel to Old Trafford this weekend, still reeling from the sensational news of José Mourinho’s departure as manager of the Blues. The timing of his departure could not have been worse, just days out from the match against the side that stole our Premiership crown, Manchester United. With Avram Grant and Steve Clarke named [...]
Continue reading …So farewell, José, soi-disant Special One and the man who will always be remembered for his efforts to bring a little southern European style to the dour English game.Not from a footballing point of view, of course. No, it’s a dress sense thing. Who could forget the Armani (or was it Matalan) 3/4-length coat of [...]
Continue reading …Waking up early this morning to the news that Jose Mourinho and Chelsea Football Club had parted company in gloriously unpredictable fashion I set about my ritualistic ablutions with some gusto, razor keen to understand more whilst accompanied by the hysterical chatter of Talk Sport’s breakfast crew and the incessant bleeping of my mobile phone [...]
Continue reading …For the third game in a row, Chelsea came away without victory, after drawing 1-1 with Norwegian side Rosenborg in our opening Champions League tie for the season. Almost as disappointing was the crowd at Stamford Bridge, a mediocre 24,973. José Mourinho made two changes from the side that drew with Blackburn in the league [...]
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