Congratulations must go to our ex-manager, Jose Mourinho, for being the first manager in 27 attempts to win at the Bridge in the Champions League. That’s no small task. As the Inter crowd chanted ‘Jose Mourinho’ and ‘Bye Bye Carlito’ in both homage and hatred respectively, our eyes misted up with memories of our most successful-ever manager. We’ve missed him.

Jose set his team up as we remember him setting up ours – Terminator style – with tough, big men cemented in a well-organised structure. We had no answer to it, just as Fergie and Wenger had no answer to it and we spent most of the game pinging high balls to Drogba which were safely mopped up by Motta and co.

Jose’s an enigma to CFCnet. We can think of 10 fans off the top of our heads who hated his ‘grind ‘em’ down style of football. You could multiply that figure by 2,000 because in Jose’s last game in charge there were 20,000 spare tickets for the Champions League first leg against Rosenborg. We remember sitting in the Shed Upper embarrassed at the empty seats and wondered how our greatest-ever team and manager could be so unloved, even by its own fans. What other answer could there be? Yes, the £50 tickets never helped but didn’t some of our 120,000 members fancy an evening out to see their heroes? Obviously not, even in September.

The elephant in the room with Mourinho, and we whisper it quietly, is that his teams have never been pretty on the eye. Whilst CFCnet would have him back in a flash, we can think of dozens of fans who hated his brand of football especially when he closed a game down once we were one or two nil up. By half-time you could almost go home in the safe knowledge that the score wouldn’t budge and the ball would remain like a pinball in midfield. Jose hated humiliating the opposition with heavy defeats and would slowly strangle the game to death.

This was Mourinho’s big problem and the men upstairs, obviously with one eye on Barcelona and the beautiful game, decided to end his reign in a bid to become the Barca of England. 31 months and four managers later we can see the result. The bottom line is that we’ve only got ourselves to blame – both the stay-away fans & Roman – for his removal and now we’ve made our bed, we’ve got to lie in it. Chin up.

As for Ancelotti, we feel sorry that he’s been left with the dying embers of Jose’s great era. Perhaps that harsh and we mean no disrespect to our players, yet there’s a creeping feeling that our squad is too old and whilst every year we’ve been tweaking it, surely what’s needed now is a wholesale restructuring. It’s time to bury the Mourinho era, just as Fergie had to change the Bruce/Pallister/Ince/Hughes era, and refresh our squad from top to bottom. It’s not for us to say what areas need to be changed but the lack of youth, dynamism and pace is glaring even to our eyes.

Whether Ancelotti gets time is altogether a different matter but we’d politely point out that Wenger’s been given five trophy-less years and counting, whilst Fergie was given three in the mid-noughties. Carlito, as the Inter fans not so affectionately call him, needs to create a team in his own image. Will the fans be patient? CFCnet will. After all we waited 27 years for our first trophy.

As is the case before any major tournament we are currently experiencing the ‘uh-oh zone’, that weird time when any threatening tackle on an England player results in the whole stadium sucking air in through their teeth and tutting “I say hang on a minute old chap, no disrespect to your team’s battle for eleventh place but there’s a world cup coming up don’t you know?” Or words to that effect.

Rooney’s current form is the single solitary thing that puts us in any contention for the World Cup in South Africa. Take that away and we’ve got ‘also ran’ written all over us. No goalkeeper, no left back, a shaky right back, a captain with barely any practice and a first choice striker who’s scored five times in thirty seven league appearances. And now we don’t even have international man of glitz Beckham to schmooze the opposition into letting a few crosses by in exchange for his shirt at the end of the game.

Don’t get me wrong, Lampard and Terry are integral to England success and the loss of Ashley Cole would hurt any nation, but they are not by themselves match changers, and the truth is we don’t stand a chance without Rooney. Hey, I’m not trying to start fights here, I’m just thinking about my summer drinking, okay? Maybe I’m alone in this, but now when I hear news of a Rooney brace and a Man U win I am automatically put in two minds. On the one hand I’m cheesed off because it’s a Man U win which (is intrinsically annoying and) makes our title run-in unnecessarily nerve-wracking. But on the other hand, I think well at least Rooney’s on form for the World Cup. So how do we cope with this dichotomy of thought? I want Man U to lose, but I don’t want Rooney injured. I tell you what, if this were horse racing we’d be able to sort it out no problems. Hang around the changing room, wait for Rooney to trot down the tunnel, spray a little diuretic into his nostril when the cameras are turned and he’ll be pissing so much he’s not even coming in for a place, I don’t care what the going is. That’s how we did it in the old days. On the plus side, at least with three months left on the clock we’ve got plenty of time for Brazil, Spain and Italy to self-destruct too. (Although hats off to Argentina who have stolen a match on us all in that respect).

World Cup woes aside, tonight is Chelsea’s acid test, not least for Ross ‘Prime Cow’ Turnbull. (I don’t know… ‘Grab Horns’? ‘Open China Shop Door’?) He put in a solid performance on Saturday, keeping vocal with his back four and spending a lot of time high fiving an impressive Paulo Ferreira. Perhaps he didn’t have too many saves to make, but I see that as a good thing, indicating good communication in defence. Much as I recognise the hard work Hilario has put in for us over the last two years, I just don’t like the way our defence plays in front of him. He’s brave and he’ll put his beautiful face in the way of a fast moving object with applaudable disregard for his beautiful face, but he just never inspires confidence in the back four, and most of all he doesn’t have Cech’s vision to ping out a counter attack before the opposition know what’s hit them. After his performance against West Ham, many will say Malouda holds the key, but Inter are a different proposition altogether and knowing Jose as we do I think we can expect a closed shop at the Bridge. If this is the case it looks like being a nervous night where the final result may boil down to a bit of muscle up front and most critically, behind the solid pairing of Terry and Alex, the rise of the Turnbullator.

Hopefully we get off to a better start then three weeks ago, in which Milito fired the Nerazurri into a third minute lead, the stats were on our side but the score told a different story, as for all the pressure we exerted couldn’t find a second away goal. Kalou was denied a stonewall penalty near the end of the first half but in the second half his curling long ranger found it’s way into the corner of the net thus giving us a vital away goal. The scores stayed level for just four minutes, before Ivanovic’s clearance fell to Cambiasso who found the back of the net with his own long shot. For all our efforts, the truth is a lot were from outside the box and most never looked to trouble the keeper, the best of the lot being Drogba’s free kick that came back off the bar, and Ballacks long ranger that Cesar could only parry.

Since the last encounter we’ve let slip at home to Man City, beaten Stoke in the F.A Cup and most recently destroyed West Ham 4-1, after a lacklustre first half. Florent Malouda was the man all the plaudits warmed to on Saturday, putting in a series of decent crosses and taking his goal well too, hopefully he will turn in a similar display later.

Ancelotti has announced that Petr Cech and Hilario are still out, whether he is being as truthful as Mourinho in Barca ’05 remains to be seen, although such deceit is unlikely. This leaves Ross Turnbull in goal, and should are keeper crisis deepen during the match, Rhys Taylor may find himself between the sticks.

Carvalho is back, giving Ancelotti a centre back selection headache, having the Portugeezer, Terry, Alex and Ivanovic to choose from. At a guess Ivanovic will fill in the right back slot and Zhirkov will replace the ineligible Ferriera at left back, with Malouda being allowed to play his preferred midfield role he was partly deprived of in the first leg.

In midfield Mikel has often been preferred to start in the holding midfield role, with Lampard sure to start in the middle of the diamond, whether it’s alongside Malouda or Ballack is the bigger question, perhaps Carlo start them both, with Ballack at the top of the diamond. Or perhaps Ballack will play at the bottom and Mikel will be rested, but with Joey Cole seemingly out of favour this option doesn’t seem likely.

The attack writes itself, Drogba and Anelka. Drogba grabbed another two goals on the weekend and the Ivorian will be fired up for a clash against one of his biggest admirers. Sturridge and Kalou are sure to be waiting in the wings.

Inter’s league form has also been patchy, they have recently let slip in the league, with their lead at the top reduced to just one point. A 3-1 loss away to Catania was their latest slip up, drawing 0-0 with Genoa at the start of March and ending February with a 3-2 away win against Udinese. Inter are reportedly without Balotteli, Motta and Arnautovic.

Mourinho decided to decline the offer of being able to train on the Stamford Bridge turf, reportedly to stop anyone spying on him, something he used to allegedly do whilst in the Stamford Bridge hotseat.

There’ll be mixed feelings at Stamford Bridge this evening, Jose was the man who delivered us our first league titles in half a century and was loved by the Chelsea faithful, he has been surprisingly quiet in the build up to the match, possibly out of respect for his former club, a more likely reason then out of any respect for the man in the opposite dugout. His only real words ahead of it were pointing out that he doesn’t lose at Stamford Bridge, his only defeat being at home to Barcelona in the Champions League in the 05/06 season. Hopefully, his next defeat at Stamford Bridge will also come in the Champions League.

Predicted team: Turnbull, Zhirkov, Terry, Carvalho, Ivanovic, Mikel, Malouda, Lampard, Ballack, Drogba, Anelka.

Predicted score: A Jose special, 1-0 to Chelsea – Carvalho with the goal.

Tuesday promises to be an epic Champions league encounter for many reasons. Of course the Bridge will be welcoming back a former hero and our most successful manager in history. Jose will deserve all of the applause and rightful recognition of his work at Chelsea before kickoff. From then on though they’ll be no mistake from the players or the fans were our loyalties lie. Inter looked a mediocre team for much of the first tie and a more ruthless approach in front of goal will see us through. For all of the media’s talk about the return of the special one the truth is that Chelsea are a far stronger outfit and should progress. The main reason for that? Experience.

For all of the pain we’ve had to endure in the past few seasons in this competition it pales in comparison to the mental strength shown by the current squad. They too have had to take disappointment on the chin, brush themselves off and then come back stronger each year. The desire in the squad to lift the European Cup is huge and, when two sides are evenly matched, could make all the difference. JT apparently still keeps his shirt from that final in full view, he has to walk by it as painful reminder to himself about what’s missing from Chelsea’s history. Drogba has talked about the obsession in the dressing room for winning the elusive tin pot. The players aren’t interested in having a good run in the completion, they’ve done that and are bored by it. They want to kick on, show their quality and lift the trophy in Madrid come May, nothing else will do. The likes of Lampard, Ballack, Carvalho, Anelka – they’ve all played in huge games and have the medals to prove it. A one goal deficit at this stage of the competition won’t cause many sleepless nights and we should be full of confidence to overcome Inter.

Inter will want to keep things tight and sneak a goal on the break. What Chelsea need is patience and to move the ball quickly. If the likes of Anelka and Malouda can commit players and create space for others that will help us find the back of the net. Carlo will not want to be hit on the counter but at the same time we have to be focused on producing a vibrant attacking display. Defences won’t come much more stubborn in the competition and quick, one touch passing could be key. The slick triangles involving the midfield and attack that we’ve seen many a time at the Bridge this season can cause serious damage. For cameos it might suit the trickery of Joe Cole and Deco rather than the pace of Kalou or Sturridge.

There are some great match-ups all over the pitch, it should be an exciting tactical battle but this game won’t be reliant on the managers. The pre-match focus and media frenzy will be on the dugout. No one in this Chelsea side will be interested in that. Once the players cross the white line it is all about who has the best quality and the most desire to succeed. Regardless of the first leg score line it is the experience of the Chelsea players that can give us the advantage.

Asked about press interest in footballers’ private lives in the Times on Saturday he said: “Of course, it’s normal that people are interested, but in England you are killing the national team with the level of intrusion. You are doing this to the team [he stamps his foot on the floor]. Everyone wants England to become world champions, but you are destroying them at the same time. Give it a few more weeks and they will put a camera in a footballer’s pants in order to get a story. I think you should leave your stars alone and give them the freedom to be human.”

The Arsenal striker is clearly a thoughtful and eloquent footballer. Putting the lie to those who waffle about footballers’ responsibilities he said: “All through my career I have heard people say, ‘You must set an example. Don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t swear, otherwise the children will copy you. They want you to be like a monk. But this is impossible. Everybody has a right to live in the way they want to. That is what it is to be human.”

“Of course, I understand we have responsibilities. But it is no good doing something because you are scared of what people will say. You should do it because that is what you want to do. The problem is not fame and money, because if you have a good education and good parents, these things will not corrupt you. It is about having the right values.”

Arshavin grew up in St Petersburg when it was still Leningrad and, like Michael Ballack, his grounded behaviour and opinions might stem from his experience of a different regime. Until the mid 80s sport in soviet states was encouraged for the benefit of the community and footballers were regarded far less as superstars and far more as ordinary workers. It encouraged the same feeling of connection that many here complain has been missing since the days when players got the same bus to the ground as the fans and earned the same wage.

Clearly things have changed but Arshavin appears to have a sensible and balanced view of the current situation he said that there is nothing to be ashamed of in earning money from their sport: “If you are not involved in professional football, it is easy to say it is crazy that we get paid so much for just kicking a ball around a pitch. But I say to the critics, ‘Put on some boots, take a shot and show us something.’ If you think it is easy, come and have a go.”

“It is not our fault we earn big money. We should not be made to feel like criminals. If the clubs pay us, it is because they know that they will earn more money because we are there. Sometimes I get it in the neck from other sportsmen. You know, an Olympic champion skier will complain that he is earning half as much as a footballer who is only rated 30th in the world.”

“But what can we do? Football is the best and most competitive sport in the world. Sometimes it is better to be the tenth best player in the biggest sport than the very best in a smaller sport. Football pays well because everyone is interested in our game.”

Arshavin is probably pissing in the wind because many will continue to criticise the perceived excess in footballers’ lives without really understanding them as people. Footballers will always be fair game for opposition supporters, you wouldn’t have it any other way. John Terry will have to live with boos for a while and put up with songs about his private life, Beckham put up with chants about his wife’s anal predilections for years with barely a murmur, but as fans and especially as consumers of newspapers perhaps we should stand up for footballers’ rights a little more.

As someone once wrote in the Chelsea Independent: “if 42,000 people turned up to watch you at your work, you’d expect a cut of the gate.” Underneath footballers are all people just like me and you and a handful of West Ham supporters.

The details of his involvement came out during a Law Society case against Timothy Drukker, the solicitor ostensibly dealing with the transfer and Chelsea’s defence will be that they thought they were dealing with Drukker alone. Earlier in life Mr Drukker choose, wisely, against a career in secondary education.
Rumours also that Nicolas Anelka will be getting contract extension soon and that Ashley Cole is back from his holi… recuperation in France to work on his ankle at Cobham.

Wednesday 10 March
Chelsea reserves 3:0 Stoke City reserves
For once the men against boys analogy worked the other way round as a strong Chelsea reserve side whopped a Stoke academy team. Goals came from Daniel Sturridge could have scored five but settled with just two (he’ll boast about the one that bounced in off his backside) and Gael Kakuta.
Any explanation as to why the reserves are still playing at Cobham gratefully received. Any suggestion that Griffin Park is too expensive should be rejected out of hand.
Our FA Cup trip to Wembley will be on Saturday 10 April, with a five o’clock kick-off.
This diary rarely pays any attention to gossip but Britain’s most successful newspaper, (the Daily Star, if you have to ask) is suggesting that Joe Cole will be leaving in the summer because the pay deal he was offered was a one-year extension and a 40% pay salary cut. It cannot be true.
Finally, Ryan Bertrand scored his first goal in professional football, as the Reading loaned, left-back lashed in a right foot shot in against the Derby ’keeper Robbie Savage. It would take too long to explain how Savage ended up in sticks but a goal is a goal.

Thursday 11 March
Congratulations to Didier Drogba who is 32 today and African player of the year on his birthday. It is his second, or third, victory in the Caf award. In 2008 he won only to be stripped of the title because he couldn’t attend the award ceremony. Things have clearly changed, a spokesman said back then: “Any player who is absent at its award ceremony will not be taken into consideration in placements of African footballer of the year”. None of the players on the short list will be attending this year’s ceremony.
Drogba is not feeling his age mind: “If you put in your head that you are 32 and you are old it is going to be difficult. I still feel like a kid when I am on the pitch so sometimes Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has to pull me back.”
Didier also said his injury free season was down to putting his knee right last season: “I can say that I am lucky or I can say that the few months that I took out last year to get my knee well are now paying off.”
Petr Cech could be back for the Blackburn game, if the season isn’t shot by then, as optimistic noises waft out of Cobham.

Friday 12 March
Bugger, wouldn’t you know it, just as one jittery, unreliable goalkeeper pulls up with a hamstring another steps unto the breach. Yes, Hilario will be missing tomorrow and Ross Turnbull will be between the sticks and probably stay in for Inter’s visit next Tuesday.
Thankfully Rhys Taylor, who is confident and reliable, is on the bench.
Yuri Zhirkov returns.
Talking of Internazionale, they lost this evening in Sicily to perennial strugglers Catania.

Saturday 13 March
Chelsea 4:1 West Ham United
Florent Malouda tore West Ham to bits and sent their fans back East to think of some more original John Terry songs. The Frenchman crossed 16 times in the game, created two headed goals and scored with a shot of his own.
Malouda didn’t start looking like a left wing terrorist, his first involvement was to lash the ball hopelessly wide and West Ham could/should then have taken the lead. Mido, of all people, was allowed to muscle aside Ferreira, stand in left back, to pick out Ilan, who could only wallop the ball into the Harding upper
Malouda then tore forward to force a corner and when his kick came back to him via JT, he crossed for Alex to head home unopposed. 1-0.
Malouda crossed again for Matthew Upson to deflect the ball onto the bar, Green scrambled it clear with Didier breathing down his neck.
Given the number of chances at the start nobody expected what came next: old boy and persistent irritant, Scott Parker lashed one goalward on the turn and remarkably it went in. 1-1. Ross Turnbull looked extremely pissed off to lose his clean sheet to an impossible shot.
We kept pressing and Lampard had a shot turned round well by Green but things felt flat at half-time.
The restart felt a little flat too until John Terry got frustrated and burst forward found Drogba at the edge of the box who fed Malouda, who else, who crossed for Didier to head into an unguarded net. 2-1.
Robert Green then did his Gordon Banks impression, launching himself sideways to keep out another Alex header, just before Joe Cole came on to the usual warm and appreciative reception from the away fans.
Malouda tired of setting up team mates for the goals chose to score the next himself, taking Drogba’s knockdown 30 yards out he cut inside Danny Gabbidon and reversed the ball past Robert Green. 3-1.
It was all the fun of the fair after that: Joe Cole tried to make up for lost games in the half hour he was given; Lampard hit the post as he tried to steer in yet another Malouda cross; finally, Didier Drogba reacted fastest when Lampard’s shot was deflected by Green. 4-1.
Not the best performance of the season but Gianfranco Zola obviously took pity on us by leaving Carlton Cole on the bench and playing dumb and dumber up front. Turnbull didn’t have a shot to save until injury time and that was straight at him.

Chelsea youth 2:0 Birmingham City youth
This was the usual Saturday Cobham fare but in warm-ish sunshine for a change. Birmingham had a few players out and Chelsea were warming up before the FA Youth Cup game against Blackburn on Wednesday so the game lacked real bite and goals from Milan Lalkovic and Jacopo Sala in each half settled things.
Budding wing-maestro Gokhan Tore came off as a precaution in the second-half but he should be fine for Blackburn.

God’s chosen time for football – 3.00 pm Saturday – puts the boys in good heart this week, although West Ham are not the only ones hammered, as Dr Mart has one or two Guinness too many!

A good team performance highlighted by Malouda’s man of the match performance and Joe Cole’s dazzling cameo, has both the Stamford Bridge faithful and the FanCast crew in full singing voices. Even the proliferation of horse manure along the Fulham Road is discussed as well as Martin’s encounter with Wink Ball!

Joe Cole wins the plaudits in the Guinness moment, Drogba and the MHL combine well for the Celery moment, and there can be only one chant of the match against the caravan dwellers from the East!

We work out the game plan to beat Inter Milan on Tuesday including a non-biased Uefa Ref, an early goal and the crowd getting behind the team, as we look forward to chanting stand up for the special one at the start of the match and you’re not special any more at the end of it!

Chidge holds ‘clear the air’ talks on the most debated issue of the week – and makes a passionate defence and case for keeping Joe Cole and ends with a plea to his favourite player to keep the blue flag flying high.

One of Chelsea’s most proper Chels terrace songs is given an airing in “We’re out to show the world the way to Sing”. Not for the feint hearted, but West Ham get a name check…and all the rest!

Finally Dr Mart answers the questions of the week in “Dear Mart” and Chidge reads out some of the best posts from the week in “You’re on CFFC”

The Chelsea Football FanCast: God’s chosen time for football!

Download the show from http://podcasts.footballfancast.com/chelsea_fancast/ today!

When I first moved to the manor in the mid ‘80’s and was supporting the Chels from the pub (we didn’t have armchairs and Sky Sports in those days!), I was enticed and finally drawn to the Bridge by one thing. It was a sound. A loud almost primeval sound. Repeated over and over again like some tribal mantra, reaching an almost frenzied crescendo. You could hear it clearly as I stumbled out of the Chelsea Ram or Ferret and Firkin after a hangover busting pint or three most Saturdays…

As terrace songs go, they don’t get much simpler than the repeated Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea! Simple it may be, but when a packed Stamford Bridge or our ever faithful away following are belting it out, it still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, especially in the days when the chant would seemingly last an entire half. It also had a menacing and defiant air to it – intimidating to opposition fans and players alike. Perfect in it’s simplicity and execution!

But don’t forget, Chelsea has a far bigger repertoire of terrace chants and songs than most clubs. It’s very much part of our culture, humour and yes, history, no matter what the hubcap thieves would have people believe. These songs are what define our character and personality as a group of supporters and I think, a club. As a student of history and someone who needs no excuse to excercise the larynx, loudly, I was keen to learn as many of the songs as I could. But where do they come from? Who takes on the mantle of the Chelsea songsmith?

For the first 50 years of Chelsea’s history, we were known as the Pensioners, and according to the excellent book “The Special Ones – Chelsea by the Fans” our vocal support had about as much energy as your average pensioner! Due to our location, rather than attracting the traditional working class fan base, we had a large floating support from visitors to the capital and migrants from other parts of the country and overseas (not much seems to have changed there then!). Our first title winning Manager, Mr Ted Drake, encouraged a more partisan approach by imploring the crowd to become supporters not merely spectators. He turned us into the Blues and there was no looking back.

It wasn’t until the mid sixties though that our ‘supporters’ found their voice. An early song was the Bud Flanagan song “Strolling”. I am delighted to say that thanks to Phil Norman and his boys, I belted this out in a pub in Bath the night before we beat Liverpool in the Carling Cup Final and in the Blackbird pub, avoiding a bombardment of celery, after we beat the Mancs in the 2007 Cup Final. Happy Days! By the mid sixties, and precipitated by a Mr C Webb of Ockendon, the Fulham Road End became the Shed, at that time armed with a mission to be louder than Kop! On the back of the Beatles and other Liverpool bands success in the charts, the Scousers were gaining a reputation as the loudest supporters. Chelsea supporters were now mounting a challenge. By the end of the decade, via the Tommy Baldwin song, we proudly proclaimed this to have been achieved!

It seems that faced with a blank song sheet, the boys in the Shed took as their inspiration the obvious targets! A whole songbook sprang forth regarding our rivalry with Tottenham, Arsenal and more interestingly Wolves. These were the days when the taking of ends was all the rage, and victories in this area were celebrated in song more readily than the more usual footballing kind. More sinister songs evolved as the 70’s became more violent, but with the clubs on field success our heroes were celebrated in great style too, Peter Osgood’s Born is the King of Stamford Bridge being the most famous example. Many of our deep seated rivalries were established in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s and it’s great to hear some of the songs from that era still sung loudly and proudly today.

In the late ‘70’s and ‘80’s it was a badge of honour to out sing the opposition even if we couldn’t beat them on the pitch. Many of the songs were ‘penned’ on the football specials – trains ferrying our huge away support to and from games. One man stands proud as arguably Chelsea’s greatest songsmith. Legend has it that many of Chelsea’s most famous songs originated from the strangely creative mind of one Mick Greenaway. Mick would often get things going with a blood curdling yell of Zigger, Zagger, Zigger Zagger, with his cohorts responding with an Oi Oi Oi. He is also credited with the infamous Celery song – one of my all time favourites.

With his missionary like zeal to get the boys singing, Mick would often distribute song sheets or as we say on the Chelsea Football FanCast “if you don’t know the words write them down!” But, it seems that Mick Greenaway’s good works are in danger of being undermined. There is no doubt that the singing at Stamford Bridge is not what it used to be. There are many reasons (or excuses) as to why. The average age of a season ticket holder these days is supposed to be early ‘40’s. But hang on. These are the guys who were going in the ‘80’s who should know all the songs. Apparently many of them feel they’ve done their singing and it’s now up to the young ones. But the young ones are being priced out of Stamford Bridge aren’t they? Who does that leave. Well there’s always the Johnny Come Lately’s and the “floating support from visitors to the capital”. Ah, but they either don’t like singing or don’t know the words.

The Return to the Shed campaign should be applauded, and any effort to allow like minded supporters to sit together and even safe standing areas would help and should be encouraged. On the Chelsea Football FanCast, we’re doing our bit. Every week on the show we have a feature called “We’re out to show the world the way to sing!” and in many ways we are, since the show has a global audience thanks to Chelsea’s worldwide popularity and the internet. Fuelled by a few pints of Guinness and the post match pub banter that typifies the show, we sing a terrace classic with the aim of passing on a little bit of history, knowledge and culture. And if you don’t know the words, don’t worry – we’ve written them down on our Facebook group! I guarantee that a Chelsea fan in America, India, Africa or Australia and even London may well be belting out Chelsea Alouette, Chelsea Ranger or In Your Liverpool Slums as a result! If only we can all do the same at the Bridge every week! All together now…We all follow the Chelsea….

“The Chelsea Football FanCast is a half hour internet radio show presented by Chidge, Martin, Chel Tel and the Blues Brothers.

Expect banter, biased opinion, special guests and downright nonsense all in the Blue cause. Also featuring reviews of every match from the only opinions that matter – the fans!

Download the show from http://podcasts.footballfancast.com/chelsea_fancast/ every Monday or by searching for Chelsea Football Fancast in Itunes.

Keep it Blue, keep it Carefree and keep it Chels. Up the Chels!”

1. Dave Beasant
‘Lurch’ dropped a few clangers during his time at the Bridge in the early 1990s but always performed well when facing the Blues for his later clubs, Southampton and Nottingham Forest.

2. Jim McCalliog
The Scot only made a handful of appearances for Chelsea and left for Sheffield Wednesday in 1965. The following year he scored for the Owls when they beat us in the FA Cup semi-final and was also on target in a 6-1 mauling of the Blues at Hillsborough.

3. Peter Rhoades-Brown
After joining Oxford in 1983 left-winger Rhoades-Brown scored three goals in six games against the Blues. He had been somewhat less prolific at the Bridge, netting just five times in 109 appearances.

4. Alan Hudson
A classy performer who was sold far too early, Huddy returned to the Bridge with Stoke in April 1974 and, inevitably, scored the winning goal. Indeed in eight games against us for the Potters and Arsenal, he never lost once.

5. Ken Monkou
Chelsea Player of the Year in 1990, Monkou returned to the Bridge with Huddersfield in 1999 and helped the Terriers pull off a shock 1-0 win in the League Cup.

6. Eidur Gudjohnsen
Is it just a coincidence that the Blues have failed to win the league since selling ‘the white Maradona’ to Barcelona in 2006? Whatever, the goal he scored against us at the Nou Camp later that year was a sharp reminder of his finishing prowess.

7. Tommy Langley
In August 1980, the same month that he moved to QPR, Shed favourite Tommy Langley returned to the Bridge to score for the Rs in a 1-1 draw. As if that wasn’t hard enough to swallow, he grabbed the winner at Loftus Road later that season.

8. Clive Allen
A regular scorer against us for QPR, Tottenham and Manchester City in the 1980s, Clive Allen had a short spell with the Blues in the 1991/92 season before moving on deadline day to West Ham. By a twist of fate his debut for the Hammers was back at the Bridge, and he marked it with a cracking goal in a 2-1 defeat.

9. Bobby Smith
As a teenage striker with Chelsea, Bobby Smith made little impact at the Bridge but it was a different story once he moved to Tottenham in 1955. Among the ten goals he scored against us was a hat-trick in a 3-1 win at the Bridge in April 1960, the year before he won the ‘Double’ with Spurs.

10. Tony Hateley
Hateley had notched a remarkable eight goals against Chelsea for Aston Villa before joining the Blues in 1966. After failing to live up to expectations at the Bridge he moved on to Liverpool the following year, and promptly banged in a couple more against us at Anfield in one of his first games for the Reds.

11. Clive Walker
A pacy winger who was a big favourite with the Chelsea crowd, Walker was sold to Sunderland in 1984. The following year his two goals in the League Cup semi-final ended our Wembley hopes and sparked a mini-riot among disappointed Blues fans at the Bridge.

Clive Batty’s latest book is The Pocket Book of Chelsea. For more details click here:

It was with some dismay that I read the following quote in my newspaper some time ago: “The rules from Uefa on home-grown players and Fifa’s proposal for 6+5 puts a real onus on clubs to develop their own talent much more fully. With that comes a lot of benefits, and so we looked at our scouting programme to be more focused.”

These words, for those of you drawing a blank, are from Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon speaking at the International Football Arena conference in Zurich last year. They are, in part, a response to the news that Chelsea have drastically downsized – the management term seems rather apt – the scouting network acting under the auspices of the world’s most expensive talent-spotter, Frank Arnesen.

First things first. Arnesen, the subject of a rather grubby tug-of-love some years ago between Chelsea and Tottenham, is a figure of some controversy amongst the fans. There have been rumours that his growing influence with the owners was amongst the catalysts for the departure of José Mourinho from Stamford Bridge.

The only people upset by this, of course, were Chelsea fans and the media, but the mere suggestion carries with it all the negatives that our island race associates with the multi-tiered management structure of continental football. Moving on to his ability to do his job, you may well have heard his name (assuming you’re not a Chelsea fan) in connection with the original discovery , and signing to PSV Eindhoven, of Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima. Or the “real” Ronaldo, if your frame of reference pre-dates the notorious Portuguese stripling playing for Manchester United… sorry, Madrid… no, no, I meant Manchester United all along, greatest club in the world, it’s a privilege, etc.

Thing is, since Frank has been at Chelsea, we’ve all been wondering where the next Ronaldo is coming from, and what time he might show up. Because Chelsea haven’t exactly risked it all when it’s come to promising youth. Investing a few years in Salomon Kalou, sure. But Ben Sahar, or indeed Sergio Tejera, or Miroslav Stoch, or even the oh-so-promising Scott Sinclair… well, they don’t exactly appear to have set the first team alight yet. And yes, they’re young, and time is on their side, and we can of course afford to buy ready-made first-teamers while we give them that time. But that sort of brings me back to my original point.

Peter Kenyon made his latest pronouncement in the context of a conference where the future of football, and particularly its financial future, is a huge talking point. In a way, his comments seem admirable. Which team wouldn’t like to find itself in a position where it’s churning out vast numbers of locally-grown, fully organic, farm-bred young players with the technical skills to match their enthusiasm and fire, all ready for the rigours of the top division or, if that is their lot, a lucrative sale to another club?

Let’s be honest… there are some teams doing it, and when they do, the truly promising ones are cherry-picked or thieved by other clubs (witness the uncomfortable war of words and wallets between Chelsea and Leeds over Tom Taiwo or, dare I say it, Arsenal’s snatch-and-grab of Francesc Fabregas a matter of weeks before he was eligible to sign professional terms with Barcelona).

But no title-challenging English team can sustain the ambition that Kenyon aspires to at this point in time. Manchester United achieve some of the English-foreign balance that Chelsea are lucky enough – or wealthy enough – to have, but Alex Ferguson has shown a recent penchant for high-profile raids on South American or Iberian youngsters like Nani and Anderson, a bargain at £30-odd million the pair.

Chelsea were aiming for the signature of Robinho before City discovered their oil well on the halfway line, which would surely have put an emphatic end to any chance Scott Sinclair ever had of starting a League game for Chelsea barring a glut of injuries.

The player that really inspired this article, though, is England U-21 centreback Michael Mancienne. I’m sure you’ve heard of him, what with his recent recognition by Fabio Capello in the senior England squad. If haven’t, ask a Wolves fan their opinion. The boy’s represented (and captained) England at every level from schoolboy onwards, and made a significant impact within a previously struggling Wolves defence when he spent the earlier part of the season on loan at Molyneux. But will we ever see him break into a Chelsea back line in which John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Alex and now Branislav Ivanovic all stand ahead of him? The lad himself hopes so:

“I think there is still hope for me at Chelsea – I’ve been on the bench a few times but not on the pitch yet. I’ve got top quality centre-halves in front of me (at Chelsea) so it’s a hard decision. I’ve got to see what happens and take things as they come really.”

Staunch words from a really promising talent. It would be a pleasure to think that the club could accommodate his ambitions. Perhaps, given the increasingly crunchy state of the economy, we might find that making the most of the talent we have – and not hankering after the talent we can buy – is about to become the norm. And then the pronouncements we hear from the senior figures in football (and please believe, Mr Kenyon, that I’m not sticking the boot in… I’m just struggling between a cynical disposition and a romantic temperament) might have the satisfying ring of truth.