
We welcomed Paul Canoville back to Stamford Bridge last Saturday. Our former left-winger did a book-signing in Borders in the morning, which was so well attended that the shop sold out of copies of his autobiography within an hour. He then spent some time on the cfcuk stall, where he was again well […]

We buried my nan this week. She passed away a couple of weeks ago and on Tuesday we gave her a much deserved final send-off. Naturally it was a sad occasion for those of us present, but in reality, this was no occasion for self-pity, rather an opportunity to celebrate a life very much fulfilled […]

After so many years in the doldrums, it strikes me that the League/Carling Cup has regained some of its lustre this year. With teams like Leicester City and Tranmere Rovers contesting recent finals, the competition was clearly in danger of becoming as important to some of the country’s top clubs as our old favourite of […]

There are few more exhilarating sights, on a football pitch at least, than that of a speedy, skilful winger tearing past his marker at will. Shaun Wright-Phillips’ stellar performance at Wigan last weekend – albeit aided in no small part by the fact that he was being marked by a second-rate left-winger converted, it would […]

If you’ve been anywhere near a radio over the past few weeks, you can’t fail to have heard that The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. Whether that particular album fully warrants the acclaim it tends to receive is a matter for debate (I personally […]

I’ve just looked out of the window and the sky is dark grey, the rain is teeming down and the wife’s plant pots are being toppled by the howling wind (nature’s, not mine). The only thing keeping me warm is the radiator behind me. That’s right: summer’s here and the time is right for dancing […]

In just a couple of weeks’ time, Chelsea will be celebrating a landmark anniversary, as on 12th April 2007 it will be 25 years since the Blues fielded a black player for the very first time. The events of that sunny, Easter Bank Holiday Monday at Selhurst Park are well documented, but even now, […]

In the days when Chelsea’s policy makers were significantly more circumspect in their transfer dealings, the signing of Celtic’s Paul Elliott for £1.4 million in the summer of 1991 was a clear statement that the club meant business. Certainly his capture was enough to excite the fans, as it was rare at the time for […]