Back to Winning Ways!! Match Report: Chelsea 3 Wolves 0

A relatively comfortable 3-0 win ensured that the recent pressure piled upon Andre-Villas Boas was eased, having prevented another home defeat which quite frankly would have led to the media hanging AVB out to dry.

Chelsea went into the weekend’s match knowing that only a win would be sufficient enough to boost confidence levels having suffered a recent dip in form with back to back defeats.  The opponents came in the shape of a Wolves side, who themselves have not enjoyed a particularly good start to the season, having picked up only 11 points from the first 13 games of the season so far.

AVB made a few changes to the side that had lost to Liverpool the previous weekend. Mikel, Lampard and Malouda all dropped to the bench and in their place, in came Romeu, Merieles and Sturridge.  Dropping Lampard to the bench was a bold move by AVB, but one must not be drawn into assuming that Frank is no longer a guaranteed starter.  The good thing about AVB’s approach to managing Chelsea is that he is not afraid to make changes when deemed necessary for the team to get the right results!  As with the Liverpool match there was again no place for Torres in the starting line up, with the manager instead opting for a front line of Mata, Drogba and an in form Sturridge.  Ashley Cole was also back in the side, having been out for the trip to Leverkusen in the Champions League.  Anelka was not even in the squad, and it now looks increasingly likely that he may be seeking pastures new sooner rather than later, with the January transfer window in sight!

With Chelsea determined to put their recent ‘bad moment’ behind them, the signs were good from early on in the game.  Chelsea pushed forward, with Ramires showing signs of the quality player that he has been for us this season.  An attack by Ramires a.k.a. the Duracell Bunny was blocked by the Wolves keeper and led to a corner kick being awarded to Chelsea.  This subsequently led to Chelsea’s first goal, with none other than Mr Chelsea, John Terry heading home in the bottom corner of Hennessey’s goal just 7 minutes into the match.  With the home side already 1-0 up, early on in the game, it had an arousing effect on the crowd.  This early goal certainly opened it up for Chelsea to build from there and seek more goals.  Just one goal was not going to be enough for the home side to settle down.  In recent outings, against Bayer Leverkusen and the home defeat to Liverpool, the downfall had been sloppy defending leading to late goals for the opposition.  It seemed that on Saturday, the defence was a bit more solid, perhaps with the change in personnel proving to be of benefit, with Romeu sitting comfortably in his position in front of the back four.  However, Chelsea were not going to just sit back and defend, and were determined to push forward as much as possible.

The choice of Mata, Drogba and Sturridge seemed to be a good choice, with the men up front constantly causing problems for Wolves’ defence. Mata has been a good addition to the team, while Sturridge has come back to us, with a beneficial period on loan at Bolton at the end of last season certainly having helped him to develop his game.  Ramires, Merieles and Mata were all key to causing Wolves problems on Saturday afternoon, and it was not long before the Chelsea faithful saw the ball go into the back of the net again for the second goal. It was in the 29^th minute when Juan Mata went past Zubar, and then set up Daniel Sturridge to neatly finish off and give the blues a 2-0 lead.  Following on from that, although Wolves made a change as a reaction to conceding a second goal, this was no prevail as shortly before half time Mata neatly finished off a cross from the fit again Ashley Cole to make it 3-0.  As half time arrived the game already seemed to be done and dusted!!

After half time, although Chelsea did push forward and did have a fair few chances to increase the lead, the ball did not find the back of the net.  Wolves did keep a tighter defence for the second half, however, going forward Wolves were not creating the chances that Chelsea were.  With the last quarter of an hour to go AVB brought on both Lampard and Torres.  Just like the match with Liverpool, Torres was brought on too late to make much of an impact, however with the score at 3-0 in Chelsea’s favour it did not matter much.  With Torres, however, personally I would have liked to have seen him get some more time on the pitch, as he can only improve and gain confidence simply my playing more.  If he had come on shortly after half time, with the score already at 3-0, perhaps it would have given him more of an opportunity to shine.  Saying that however, I have complete faith in AVB, and as long as we get the results, I don’t care who is on the pitch, as long as they have the blue shirt on and are performing.

In the end, the second half did not see any more goals to add to the first half goals, and the final score was 3-0 to Chelsea.  When the final whistle went, and once the 3 points as well as a clean sheet had been secured there was a sense of relief all around Stamford Bridge, for each and every individual inside the stadium, except of course the visiting side and travelling supporters.  The day was made even better in the knowledge that Manchester United had dropped points with a home draw against Newcastle. Unfortunately however, Spurs did not drop any points away to Wigan, but with our win we took one step to closing the gap on the teams above us.  The season is yet to reach the half way stage, and if we continue to build on the confident win on Saturday we can pile pressure on those above us in the league.

Roll on Liverpool in the Carling Cup on Tuesday, followed by the long trip up to Newcastle next weekend!

Win or lose, up the blues!!

Team Line ups:
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic (Bosingwa), Luiz, Terry, Cole; Romeu, Ramires, Meireles (Lampard); Mata, Drogba (Torres), Sturridge

Wolves (4-5-1): Hennessey; Zubar (Forde), Johnson, Berra, Elokobi; Jarvis, Edwards, Henry, Milijas (Ebanks-Blake), Ward; Fletcher (Guedioura).

Attendence: 41, 648

My Man of the Match: Daniel Sturridge – He was lively throughout the 90 minutes and he is in good form at the moment!!

SUPER...SUPER FRANK!

'Lampard is finished'.....'Lampard is no longer first team material for Chelsea or England'......' Fat Frank has lost it'.....'Lampard storms off after Swansea snub'.......These are just some of the b******t things that you may have been fed from the dimwits in the media as well as many individuals that have done nothing but criticise Frank for far too long, most notably after his recent exclusion in the home match against Swansea last week. However, the fact of the matter is Frank is a hard working individual, always giving 100% for the team, and when he has been faced with the harsh criticism, like recent times, how does he shut his critics up??.......The answer is by doing all the talking on the pitch and scoring 4 goals in the two games!! Yes thats right- the same Frank Lampard that is supposedly past his best and apparently cannot score, has just shown why critics do so at their own peril!!

His performance at Bolton, was certainly a top class performance, and by scoring a hat-trick along with his performance, he has simply put all his doubters in place and hopefully shut them up. However, be under no illusion, due to the bias nature of the media, it is very likely that the morning papers will focus more on how poor Bolton were rather than the performance by Lampard and the rest of the team in securing a 5-1 win. Lampard has, and in my opinion continue to be and integral part of the Chelsea team.  One can never forget the momentous day on 30th April 2005 (click here for clip of epic day in 2005), when he was responsible for sealing the first title win for us in 50 years.  For many, like myself who were not born in our previous title win in 1955, this title in 2005 will always hold fond memories.  Of course as Chelsea supporters, it is a day that we will cherish for years to come, and will always remember the part super Frank played in it. Yes, whilst it is true,that everyone ages, and with age performance can drop in many players, however there is no one as hard working as Frank, and he has without a doubt been the fittest and most consistent player in the team for the past decade.  Personally I think too much has been made about his exclusion last week against Swansea.  With games coming in thick and fast, AVB is wise enough to rotate the squad to keep the players fresh and ensure a top level performance.  Lampard isn't one to sulk and give up.  His answer is to work hard and fight for his place.  His hard work has certainly paid off and was evident at the Reebok Stadium.      

Super Frank celebrates the goal that sealed his hat-trick at the Reebok Stadium

Aside from Frank, the performance of the team in general has been improving over the past few games, and AVB's side seem to be gelling together.  I am not going to talk too much about the Bolton match, but one thing to take home from the game is the fact that another player that seems to be doing particularly well is Sturridge.  His loan spell at the Reebok stadium has done him good, and the young English striker is now stepping up to the mark.  With so many members of the squad improving as the games go on including Sturridge, healthy competition for places can only be a positive thing.  Danny has certainly been improving and it was good to see him get a couple of goals this weekend to add to the one he had up at Sunderland last month.  The only disappointment, is that astonishingly 'Crapello' has opted for Andy Carrol instead of Sturridge for the upcoming England game.  I would have thought that Danny has done enough to be in the England side but obviously Fabio Capello does not see that.  Nevermind, I am sure he will get a place in the England senior side very soon.    Anyway coming back to Chelsea, there are definitely promising things to come from this side, and without a doubt Sturridge and Lampard will have big parts to play this season.

So until next time keep the blue flag flying high! UTC!!!!

     

Taking the positives out of defeat

Well, so just as we had done in our previous two visits to Old Trafford at the tail end of last season we came away with defeat.  However, despite losing 3-1 it certainly does not feel like we have lost.  Whilst we may have fallen on the wrong side of the scoreline, our overall performance was decent. Perhaps we deserved to come away with at least a point, but the key factor in our defeat has to lie in the inability of us capitalising on the numerous chances we had while United finished off with the few chances they had to get their 3 goals.Football is a game that often relies on luck, and it is something we just didn't have today. 

I thought that we played reasonably well today and if we forget the result and just look at are overall performance we certainly will have a lot to look forward to for the rest of this season.  The only complaints that you can have is the fact that we failed to finish off good chances to find the back of the net, most notably the chance Ramires had in the first half and of course the sitter that Fernando missed in the second half that would have made the score 3-2 at that point in the game.  However, despite the shocker of a miss that is sure to make the back page headlines tommorow morning, I thought Torres had a good game and over the last few games he seems to be recapturing the form that promted Roman to part with £50 m back in January.  It was an interesting change that AVB made at half time when Anelka was brought on for Lampard, but this worked almost immediately as we increased the presence in attack, leading to Fernando's goal just after HT. On another day Fernando would have got a few goals, but it is good to see that he is improving and finding his form now, and I think that the new look squad with the likes of Merieles and Mata have a part to play in that.

I must say the feeling of defeat at Old Trafford is rather different from last season as there is a sense of optimism.  I have complete faith in what AVB is doing and judging by performance alone we should have a lot more to look forward to this season as we are still improving day by day.  Therefore, the overall picture does seem positive and we shouldn't worry too much about the loss.....after all it is still early days.  We will see who has the last laugh in May.....

Until then just keep the blue flag flying high!

Win or lose ....up the blues!

Who the f*** are man united??!

It has been a while since my last blog post, but here I am writing ahead of our trip to Old Trafford on Sunday.  It is a trip to the same ground which effectively ended our season in terms of both the Champions League and the Premier League, at the tail end of last season.  However this time we  face them 5 games into the new campaign, which I believe is good for us in the long run.  It is always an advantage to get a challengeing away day out of the way early on in the season, but one must not give in the the mass media hype over the 'exceptional' start that United have made to the season.  It seems as though we have already been classed as underdogs this season, with an awful lot of fuss being made over both Manchester teams. Yes, although it seems that they have started like a house on fire this season, one must not draw conclusions for the rest of the season purely from the first couple of games. Take for example the start of last season; we started with exceptional 6-0 and 4-0 wins, and some people were confident that the title was already headed to Stamford Bridge.  However, we all know that it wasn't to last long, as in spectacular fashion we faltered so badly with poor mid-season form that it effectively handed the title to United.  In other words only he who is a fool would already start drawing conclusions on how the season will end.  

So, whilst it is true that United, and also Citeh for that matter have made a good start to the season and may seem favourites in the eyes of the biased media, we will happily take the underdogs tag for this season's title race.  Ok, so far our start to the season hasn't been amazing, especially in comparison to last season's start, however, we have been getting the result and that's what matters.  Whilst United have been causing the media to get off on their large wins over the likes of mediocre opponents such as 5-0 against Bolton and a pathetic Arsenal side 8-2, we have been quietly grinding out our wins, with the exception of our opponing day draw at Stoke. At the end of the day, it is just getting the results that counts, and believe me we will improve as the season goes on as we are still finding out feet with a new look squad under AVB.  United on the other hand, may possibly run out of steam too early just as we did last year.  I think that whilst United are favourites, our squad definatley has the depth to challenge United and come Sunday at Old Trafford we are more than capable of getting a result.  AVB will ensure that the team are full of confidence ahead of the encounter and I have full faith that he will go all out to ensure we go for nothing but a win.  On Sunday we will see whether we come away with the 3 points or not, but one thing is for sure, we shouldn't fear them because we can definately match them and are capable.  A good start to the game will be key, and hopefully we will have that.

COME ON CHELSEA!

KTBFFH

Kunal Sapat (Chelsea Boy @SW17ChelseaSG) 

 

Welcome back Di Matteo!!

This morning Andre Villas Boas was officially unveiled as Chelsea's manager in a press conference, in which he also revealed his backroom staff.  The most notable addition to coaching staff is that of Roberto Di Matteo.  The former West Brom manager, a Chelsea legend will be returning to the club as AVB's assistant.  On hearing this news, I was quite pleased and I am sure that this will be the start of an exciting era for Chelsea. 

Di Matteo, spent a six year period playing in the blue shirt, before his early retirement due to injury in 2002 at the age of just 31.  He is most notably remembered from his playing career at Chelsea for his cup final goals.  As Chelsea supporters we can never forget his record breaking goal in just 43 seconds at the old Wembley in the 1997 FA Cup final, which helped us win our first trophy after many years.  Follwing on from that he also scored in the 1998 Coca-Cola Cup final (League cup) and scored the last ever cup final goal at the old wembley in the 2000 FA Cup final.  Unfortunately he had to retire early due to injury, but since then he has tried his hand at coaching and football management. 

Di Matteo started his managerial career at MK Dons, and after doing a decent job for them he was appointed West Brom's manager in 2009.  He led them to promotion to the premier league in just his first season in charge after finishing second place in the Championship.  However, he was sacked from as West Brom manager halfway through the 2010/2011 season, as the club were not happy with the performances.  However, in my view I think he did a very good job at West Brom by getting them promoted and by putting on decent performances in their first season back in the Premier League.  It is in my view that perhaps his sacking as West Brom manager was not justifiable.  However, what's done is done, and everything happens for a reason, and it is for this reason that we can welcome him back to Stamford Bridge!

In August 2010, when he returned to Stamford Bridge as West Brom's manager we would never have even imaged that he would reurn to work at Chelsea within a year.  At that time, we were still on top of the world after our double winning season and we wouldnt have even thought Carlo would be gone come what May, let alone Di Matteo returning as coach.  I believe that he will prove pivotal for success in the AVB era, and we can look forward to a promising season at Chelsea.  I for one was glad Di Matteo being given assistant role, rather than Emenalo being given that title.  However, I have a feeling Emenalo will still stay at the club under some capacity.  Additonaly, Steve Holland, the successful reserve team coach has been promoted to first team coach at Chelsea.

AVB has reinterated that it will not be a one man show, and it will be a group effort to bring success at Chelsea, and he is certianly right about that.  We have got the right people now in charge of the team, and I am certainly looking forward to the new season!

UP THE CHELS!

The Andre Villas Boas era begins!

After much speculation over the last few weeks, and after Andre-Villas Boas's resignation as Porto manager yesterday, he has been appointed as Chelsea's new manager.  This morning, an official club statement on the website said the following:

"Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce that Andre Villas-Boas will be the club's new manager.

He has signed a three-year contract and will start work immediately.

Andre was the outstanding candidate for the job. He is one of the most talented young managers in football today and has already achieved much in a relatively short space of time. His ambition, drive and determination matches that of Chelsea and we are confident Andre's leadership of the team will result in greater successes in major domestic and European competitions.

Andre will bring his coaching experience back to a club he is already very familiar with, having previously worked here for three years. He has always been highly regarded at Chelsea and everyone here looks forward to welcoming him back and working with him."

At just 33, Andre Villas Boas becomes one of our youngest ever managers, and at the start of the season he will be the same age as both Drogba and Lampard.  In what is his second spell at the club, having previously worked under Mourinho as a scout, he joins after a hugely successful season with Porto, having won the treble in his first full year of management.  AVB is one of the brightest  prospects in football management, and hopefully he will be the right man to lead us to success both domestically and in Europe!

Comparisons have been made between AVB and Mourinho, which is hardly suprising as AVB learnt his trade under the guidence of Jose before taking his own posts in mangement.  However, Andre has been successfull in his own right, and despite him being dubbed the new Mourinho, we should move away from that as I am sure AVB will bring his own style of play and success which was evident at Porto.    


Could he be our 'new special one' ?.....who knows, but it is sure to be an exciting season!

Now that we finally have a manager in place, we need to get active in the transfer market and start preparing for next season, which pre season only 3 weeks away.  Roll on next season!


Welcome back to Chelsea Andre Villas Boas!!   

It all begins at the Britannia Stadium!

This morning the fixture list for the 2011/2012 season was released, and the countdown to next season begins now!  JT and the boys begin the season with a tough match away to Stoke on the opening day on 13th August.  This is followed by two home games against West Brom and newly promoted Norwich.  With our first few home games we will be looking to gain maximum points and will be hoping for a repeat of last season's opening day win over West Brom when we put six goals past the Baggies.

Our first big test of the season comes early on, with a trip to Old Trafford in September and this time round we will be looking to avenge our defeats at the tail end of last season, with the return fixture at Stamford Bridge in February.  Trips to newly promoted Norwich and Swansea come back to back in January, and personally I am looking forward to these as they will be new away trips for this season.    

The season comes to an end at home to Blackburn, when we will be hoping to see JT lift the title again, following on from a trip to Anfield in the penultimate game of the season.  This  has echos of the 2009/2010 when we all but won the title in the historic double winning season with a victory at Anfield in the second last game of the season.  If we do the same in May 2012, it will certainly be a good end to the season.

Our managerial situation may still not have been resolved, but with the release of the fixtures, we can safely say that the excitement for next season has begun.  Regardless of whatever outcome there is to next season, we are all eager for it to get started, and it is safe to say that in two months time we will be back in our blue shirts, in our usual pre-match boozers down the Fulham Road and in our seats at Stamford Bridge!

Roll on next season :)

For those of you that want to look the part for next season, the SW17 Chelsea Supporters Group T-Shirts will be available soon, for more information visit our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SW17ChelseaSG

Surprise...Surprise...Carlo is gone -

To no surprise at all, after our last game of the season, Roman has yet again pulled the trigger and sacked another manager! As Chelsea fans we have seen this time and time again, and since the Russian Billionaire took control in 2003, we have seen 7 different managers come and go in just 8 seasons.  The sacking of managers has become a common feature at Chelsea, and it seems that the policy that is in place is ' Win a trophy or your out!'

I mean I am all for the changing of management of the team, if it is the right decision, and it helps the club progress forwards.  However, I do not agree that changing managers is the answer each time.  It was only 12 months ago that Carlo Ancelotti, in his first season in charge brought us the double for the first time in our history, and now after a trophy less season, he finds himself out of a job.  Yes, I do agree that this season has been poor, and Carlo has made mistakes as well, but we have to bare in mind that some of the circumstances were not ideal for him at times.  Last summer, the club decided that it needed to trim the wage bill and decided to let 5 experienced players go, to instead rely on the younger up and coming players.  This did not matter as the season started just as we had ended the previous season, with nothing but goals galore and wins.  However, after a few injuries to key players, it became clear that our depleted squad could not handle it, as ultimately a mid-season dip in form cost us significantly.  Furthermore, Ray Wilkins was axed as Carlo's assistant as the board decided that he was no longer needed.  This is not something that Carlo had wanted, Carlo was very happy working with Ray and this was not his decision.  The departure of Ray and also injuries to key players all coincided with the poor run of games that ruined our season.  

However, OK fair enough Carlo did make mistakes, and a lot of the time this season it did seem like he had no plan B when things didn't go as expected, but given that this is the same man that made history with us, I believe the manner in which he has been sacked is disgraceful.  Although Carlo is partly to blame for the short comings this season, I think he should at least be given credit for turning the season around, because it was only few months ago that we were struggling to even get into the top 4 in a Champions League place, let alone challenging for the title, with Spuds and City both above us.  Therefore, to finish the season in 2nd place is actually a good achievement.  Yes, OK we didn't win any trophies, but it is not always about winning silverware, and it was Carlo who kept the team going and believing, otherwise we probably would have finished outside the top 4 and would have been stuck with Thursday night Europa League on channel 5. 

It is my belief that the club should have kept Carlo and let him rebuild the team for next season.  They should have kept him till the end of his contract in 2012, and given him the finances to restructure the squad in the summer.  The fact is that the below par season has not only been down to management decisions but also the fact that the current squad of players is reaching the end of its natural cycle and needs a revamp.  Some members of the squad need to move on and be replaced by fresh new talent.  That is why I believe that Carlo should have been kept and been allowed to reshape the squad, as well as been given another chance with regards to Roman Abramovich's obsession - the Champions League.  I mean yes Roman has pumped in billions into the club and we are all very grateful for that, but clearly whoever advises him does not know an awful lot about football.  Money does not buy everything, and Roman should see that it is not his playground where he can instantly get what he wants.  Long term success is built on solid foundations and constant changes in the manager every other year does not help the cause. 

If the club really felt that Carlo was not the right man for the job, I sincerely hope that the next man in charge is there for the long term and not just one or two seasons.  However, too be honest, after getting used to Roman's habit of sacking managers hastily, I won't be surprised if the next manager doesn't last long either.  Furthermore, the manner in which the club decided to relieve Carlo of his duties is disgusting to say the least.  After the final game of the season, where we lost to Everton, Carlo was sacked within an hour of the end of the match.  If he was to be sacked, he should have been at least given the dignity of having a meeting with the board properly rather than simply being told that he no longer has a job straight after a match.  A week earlier when West Ham had sacked Avram Grant in the same way, I thought that was disrespectful, but I did not for one second think that our club would treat Carlo in the same way as those pikeys.  However, throughout the last few weeks, hats of to Carlo for being professional and gaining the respect of many people for the way he has handled the whole situation, because he probably knew that he was a dead man walking ever since our defeats to Man- United.  What is clear is that second best simply is not good enough for Roman Abramovichpre-Abramovich days without the billions, just so that club is more 'ours' and without the same old bollocks of trophy obsession and instant success.  

THANKS FOR THE DOUBLE CARLO AND GOOD LUCK!

However, whether we think Carlo sacking is right or wrong we need to move on from here just continue to follow our team! The club need to get a adequate replacement for Carlo, which certainly won't be easy as there are not many better managers out there, and the club needs to instill some stability from now on with the right manager.  

As Chelsea supporters we need to remember, players come and go, managers come and go but the club will remain no matter who is wearing the blue shirt and who is in charge, and we will always be there following our team through the good and bad!
 

CTID

KTBFFH

 

Onwards and upwards - taking positives from defeat

Just as we had done about 3 weeks ago, we went to Old Trafford and left with a 2-1 defeat.  First of all credit where it is due, United were the better side and they deserved to win the game and they have deserved the title this season.  So congratulations to them, we simply did not put a good enough performance on. 

Before the match at Old Trafford today, we had hoped that we would avenge last month's champions league defeat, with a victory this time round.  However, the start could not have been any worse, as we were sloppy and seemed to be asleep.  United went ahead inside the first minute, due to our poor defending when Hernandez put the ball into the back of the net.  As the first half went on, the possession was with United, and although Carlo had decided to go with the tried and tested 4-3-3 formation, with Kalou and Malouda on either side of Drogba up front, it was not working.  

Enough chances were not being created in the first half, and instead what we were seeing was sloppy play from Chelsea.  Even David Luiz, who has been a breath of fresh air since joiing in the transfer window seemed to be off the ball, however Carlo did reveal later that he had not been fully fit and that is probably why he was not up to standards, when the goal was conceded.  Chelsea were punished for poor play in the 22nd minute when Vidic put the home side 2-0 up.  If there had been a late season title challenge from the blues, it was now looking over.

Carlo made some changes at half time, with Alex and Ramires coming on to replace Luiz and Mikel.  The second half started brighter for Chelsea, and more chance were now being created.  The half time changes did seem to have an effect, as Chelsea had more fight in them.  Ultimately Lampard did give some hope when he pulled a goal back with just over 20 minutes still to play.  However, soon after the goal, Chelsea almost conceded another goal, but Alex was there to stop it.  Despite the glimmer of hope, a further two goals would still be needed to win and that was looking unlikely to occur.  

We were simply were outplayed on the day, and United were worthy winners.  The win put them six points clear of us and barring miraculous wins by both Blackburn and Blackpool, United are within touching distance of the title.  However, we should not be too disappointed, we should instead be proud of the courage that Chelsea have shown over the last month.  Everyone thought our season was over after our champions league exit, and given that were were flirting with the Europa League positions only few months ago, credit must be given to Carlo for picking the team up and instilling belief in them.  Had we just given up on our season when it appeared when the odds were against us, then we would not be in 2nd place right now, we would instead be where the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool currently find themselves in the league.

All in all, this season hasn't been how we would have hoped, but coming 2nd and ensuring champions league football is still a decent season.  Yes, we will not see any silverware this season, but we have to remember as Chelsea fans we have seen a lot worse, and as I said we should be proud that we came back from what looked like the end of our season to push United and give them a run for their money till now.  

We have two matches left and the best way to end the season would be to secure second place by getting two victories.  Roll on Newcastle at home next week!

So remember: 'Don't worry about a thing, because every little thing is going to be alright' 

Don't worry about a thing.....


KEEP THE BLUE FLAG FLYING HIGH

UP THE CHELS!

They thought it was all over..........not any more!

So where shall we start, basically a few months ago if any of us had said the words 'title' and 'Chelsea' in the same sentence we would have been laughed at........BUT after a run of games that have produced 25 points out of a possible 27, we are back in the title race now with it all to play for!

After last weekends matches, we now find ourselves 3 point behind United, with a trip to Old Trafford to come this Sunday, albeit with a bit of good fortune and a little help from Arsenal.  Last weekend, we beats spurs 2-1, and despite the bit of luck we got with regards to the goals, we were still the better team on the day and therefore it was perhaps a bit of deserved luck.  Despite starting of well and producing chances, it was Tottenham that took the lead when Sandro fired in the top corner past Petr Cech.  However, despite this setback, we were pushing forward and a goal for us was imminent.  Just before half time, an effort from Lampard went past the Spurs keeper Gomes, to bring us level. However, this was somewhat a controversial goal, as Gomes had scrambled to retrieve the ball, and there it is debatable whether the ball was fully over the line.  Whatever the case, the linesman gave the goal, and we were level going into the break, and even if it was a bit of luck for us it doesn't really matter because not even Spurs fans can argue with the fact that we were the better side and that Gomes has floppy hands.  The second half began as the first with Chelsea dominating and pushing forward.  However, the blues frustratingly failed to find the net despite being the dominant side, and it was not until the 88th minute that there was more to smile about when Kalou grabbed the late winner!  

 

 

If the win against Spurs on Saturday wasn't good enough, the weekend got even better when Arsenal beats the mancs on Sunday!  For this I say thank you Arsenal, and I must admit I was an Arsenal fan for 90 minutes last sunday!

We are now only 3 points behind United, and a win at Old Trafford on Sunday will see us back at the top of the league for the first time since November, albeit on goal difference.  It is simple, if we win our remaining 3 games we can retain the title, but we will need to grab a fair few goals to make sure our goal difference is ahead of theirs, should the title be decided on the last day on GD.  

A month ago, no one would have thought we would be in this position right now, as everyone thought our season was over after the crushing exit from the champions league.  However, it was not the end for us, despite all the set backs we continued to believe and we have fought back and come back to now be in with a real chance to end the season with some glory.  Sunday will be like a cup final, and we are certainly up for it, as the outcome of that match will have a large bearing on the eventual champions this season.  

Over the last few games we have been playing well and have been back to our old selves prior to our mid-season slump in form.  I believe that we have been most effective when we have played with the tried and tested 4-3-3, and it is in my view that we should start with this formation with either Drogba or Torres leading the front line at OT.  However, even if we start with 4-4-2 and start with two in the front line attack, this could also work, as long as Carlo makes appropriate changes early on, as and when required. What is clear is that whoever is in the starting line up and whichever formation is used, the players will all be up for it and will put in a good fight.  

The time is now, so lets beat the mancs on their own turf and let go back to where we belong - the top of the league! We are together in this and we can do this by continuing the fighting spirit we have shown over recent weeks! 

On a final note, must congratulate Carlo Ancelotti, who has deservedly won the second Barclays Manager of the Month Award after our impressive winning run!

UP THE CHELS! KTBFFH

Watch the match promo video here 

Blue boys make a splash of the pikey boys!

Early Saturday evening, we went into the London derby match against West Ham, knowing that only a win would do, having already heard the result from the earlier United - Everton match, in which United had snatched a late winner, courtesy of Hernandez.  Knowing, that United had won, to stand any chance of retaining the title and to keep pressure on at the top, a win was a must for us, whereas for West Ham a win was also a must, but for different reasons.  At the time of kick off in our game on Saturday, West Ham were at the foot of the premier league table, and they find themselves in a very tough relegation battle this season. 

 The conditions on Saturday were not ideal, as despite the earlier glorious sunshine, the clouds had come over SW6 and the heavens had opened.  It had not only started to rain, but it had started to pour down and the pitch had suffered the consequences.  However, despite the conditions, both teams were determined to give a good performance.  Carlo, as he had done against Birmingham started with a 4-3-3 formation, with Kalou and Malouda alongside Drogba up front.  Torres was again placed on the bench, along with Nicolas Anelka. 

Although there were numerous efforts, with both teams pushing forwards, the first goal of the match did not come until just before half time.  Despite West Ham's efforts, Frank Lampard netted the first goal against his former club from 7 yards out and Chelsea went into the half time break with a 1-0 lead.  As the second half started, the rain had also reappeared, however, this did not stop goal scoring chanced from being created.  Chelsea had a number of chances to make it 2-0, most notably a David Luiz shot that just hit the crossbar!  However, it was not until the final 10 minutes of the match when the further goals were scored.  

Carlo Ancelloti had made some changes in the final period of the game, bringing on Torres and Anelka to replace Drogba and Kalou.  As soon as the Spaniard entered the pitch, he made a deteremined effort, and you could sense that perhaps that Saturday was finally going to be his day.....and believe it or not, in the 83rd minute Torres struck a beautifully crafted goal that led to wild celebrations at Stamford bridge.  The crowd went wild and the entire team jumped on top of him!  Everyone was delighted for Fernando, and he had deserved it. Despite his goal drought since signing in the January transfer window, we had all kept faith and his first goal had been coming, getting closer and closer in recent games.  Now that he has the first goal under his belt, I believe that it will be a huge weight of his shoulders and now the goals will just follow on from here.

After Fernando's goal the atmosphere was amazing and as there was not many minutes left in the game, the 3 points were secure for Chelsea.  However, that was not all Chelsea had to offer, as in the closing minutes Malouda struck home to make the score 3-0 to Chelsea, as the final score. West Ham find themselves in a lot of trouble at the moment, but for us it was a good win!

After the weekends matches, we find ourselves 3 points clear of Arsenal, as they lost to Bolton, and 6 points behind United, with 4 games to play.  Although it is in United's hands, we are not out of the title race just yet and if we keep on winning it is possible that we can finish the season where we started - at the top! However, United play Arsenal next week, and we need the Gunners to do us a favour by beating them after which it will be our turn to visit Old Trafford again.  So if we continue to play as we are at the moment, and if the Gunners manage to do us a small favour next week...who knows.  But one thing is for sure, although it may not be entirely in our hands, we still believe!

4 matches remain for us and we want to see 4 wins out of 4! Lets have a good finish to the season....UP THE CHELS!

Also just for those that were mocking Fernando:

 

http://hasfernandotorresscoredforchelsea.com/

Overtaking Arsenal and still believing!

After the 3-1 win at the Hawthorns, it was fittingly followed up by another 3-1 victory against Birmingham on Wednesday night, which also saw us overtake the Gunners after their 3-3 draw at WHL, albeit only on goal difference.

On Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge, Carlo Ancelotti again chose to leave Torres on the bench, and started with Drogba up front, in a 4-3-3 formation, along with Kalou and Malouda on either side.  This is something that has been tried and tested at Chelsea and has proved to be successful for the last few seasons.  It seems that Chelsea are now coming out of a 'bad moment' as Carlo would say, and  after last 2 games, we can safely say there has been some good football from the team.  Yes, Fernando Torres has been reduced to appearances from the bench, but I think at this stage of the season if our old front guard is working well, it is best to stick with it.  As the saying goes 'if it ain't broke...don't fix it'.  Fernando will get goals, but for now it is important to let him settle in the team, which I don't think will happen fully until he has pre-season under his belt.  But I am optimistic,that he can grab at least a couple of goals before the end of this season, and as he showed last weekend at West Brom, he is getting closer.  

On Wednesday night, the team proved that they have still got it, and many doubters of players such as Malouda and Kalou will have perhaps changed their opinions after their fantastic efforts.  Furthermore, Drogba was also in fine form on Wednesday, and although he didn't score, he is getting back to his best, and playing at the same level he was before suffering from malaria earlier in the season.  Just as he had done against West Brom, Didier gave the Birmingham defenders a tough time.  

Malouda, who had been struggling to form lately, scored an early first goal, which was followed by a fantastic second goal from Solomon Kalou.  Chelsea took a 2-0 lead into half time, and in second half continued to press Birmingham, and it was not long before Malouda added a third goal, his second of the night, to make it 3-0 on the hour mark.  It was pretty much game over and 3 point in the bag at this point.  The only negative aspect to take from this game was when Luiz gave away a penalty with a rash challenge.  Larsson stepped up and scored for Birmingham, but it did not matter as the point were secure.  

Kalou celebrates after his goal

With the Gunners faltering that night at Tottenham, we have now managed to overtake them into second place.  We are now level on points with Arsenal, with a superior goal difference and only 6 point adrift of the leaders Man United.  Although we should take it one game at a time and just concentrate on winning our remaining games, with United still to play us and the Gunners, the title race may not be over after all.  Our aim is to finish as high as we can and end the season on a positive note.  Where we finish at the end.....we will see. 


Whether we can mount a late challenge to retain our Premier League title or not, one thing is for sure there is still life in us yet and WE BELIEVE!


Win, Lose or draw up the chels, and bring on the Hammers on Saturday!


KTBFFH

Bouncing back at Hawthorns!

After the dismal exit from the champions league last Tuesday at Old Trafford, Chelsea went into the weekend game against West Brom needing nothing but a win to restore some pride.  At the Hawthorns on Saturday, Chelsea were back in business and showed that all is not lost with this season and we will continue to fight even if there is no trophy waiting for us at the end!  

The match had a slow start and it seemed that the team was still nursing a hangover from the champions league exit and it was to no surprise that West Brom took the lead on 17 minutes courtesy of Odemwingie.  The defence was sloppy and West Brom deservedly took the lead.  However, this was not to deter the traveling Chelsea faithful, who were in fine voice all afternoon and they were to be rewarded shortly after when Drogba, neatly finished to equalise for Chelsea, again showing that he has still got it in him! 

 

 The goal from Drogba proved to be exactly what was needed to reignite the spirits and it was not long before a second goal for Chelsea came, from Didier's fellow countryman Soloman Kalou.  Chelsea were no 2-1 up, playing some good football and it makes you wonder why Carlo Ancelloti did not start with Drogba in the champions league encounter!   

A third goal was then scored for Chelsea by super Frankie Lampard and it was safe to say at this stage that the game was Chelsea's and you could sense a smile back on the face of Carlo's team.  Although Ancelloti had decided to stick with Torres as opposed to Drogba for the CL match, against West Brom he was merely just a bench warmer for the majority of the match.  It was only late on, in the last 8 minutes of normal time that Fernando came onto the field of play.  He even came close to scoring believe it or not...infact he did get the ball into the back of the net! Finally, the £50m investment in the January transfer window had produced what he had been bought for - scoring goals!.......But oh no...it wasn't to be....it was ruled offside unfortunately! But a good effort regardless, from Fernando.

The win was exactly what the boys had needed after the crushing defeat and at the end of the weekend's premier league football, we are now positioned in 3rd place, 2 points behind Arsenal, who missed the chance to close the gap on United, and 8 points behind united. While it is too far fetched to say we can catch up on United, all we can do is keep winning and aim for the best possible finish to the season.  On Wednesday night we host Birmingham and we could possibly go into 2nd place, depending on Arsenal's result at WHL on the same night.  

After some disappointing times this season, we can only look up from here, and as always keep the blue flag flying high!

UP THE CHELS!

Post mortem from the Champions League - where do we go from here?

So we sit here today, after last night's defeat at Old Trafford, finding ourselves now out of the Uefa champions league in a season where we have already been knocked of the FA cup and ruled out of the premiership title race....so where where exactly do we go from here? In many ways this season will be considered by many as a disastrous season which had promised so much with a more than satisfying start to the season that seemed to be a perfect follow up from the achievements of the previous season.  However, what we had not expected was our free fall in form that effectively ended any hopes of retaining the title half way through this season.

There are many that believe that Carlo Ancelloti's days at Chelsea are now numbered and he is effectively a dead man walking.  I have to agree somewhat with this as I do not see Carlo here next season. However, do not get me wrong I do not by any means agree that this is the right way to proceed forward, but given Roman's track record in patience with managers, it is almost inevitable that come the start of next season there will be a new man in charge at Stamford Bridge.  

Is changing manager the right way to go about things....?  

Personally, I think we should keep Carlo till the end of his contract at least.  Stability is one thing that Chelsea have never really had and by having frequent changes we cannot build for long term success.  Take a look at Sir Alex Ferguson for example.  No one can deny the amount of consistent success he has had at Man-Ure, but had they not kept faith in him initially when he first became their manager it would never have happened.  Yes, Carlo has made mistakes this season and along with the team he has also, at times under performed.  However, we have to remember that this is the same man that got us the double last season for the first time in our history, and surely that must count for something!   

At Old Trafford last night we were all disappointed, but it had a feeling that it had been coming. Over the two legs, we can't argue that united were the better team. despite our penalty claim in the first leg, we still did not put on performances that would have seen us through.  At Old Trafford last night, I was worried with what Carlo had up his sleeve and was suspecting that it could be a mistake to leave Drogba on the bench and instead favour Torres.  If Carlo wanted to start with Torres, he should have perhaps played him together with Benayoun on the pitch, as the pair of them seem to have an understanding and on Saturday against Wigan they put on a good performance, albeit without any goals.  Indeed Carlo did make changes for the second half and Drogba did score a goal, which gave us a glimmer of hope for a minute, but for this one Carlo did make a mistake in leaving Drogba, a proven goalscorer with us.....on the bench.  

Carlo's mistakes aside, we have been performing under par this season and it may be time to rebuild the team for next season.  What is important now is to finish the season on a high and keep our chins up, and to potentially look into how to rebuild for next season.  If we are to achieve success again next season, both Carlo and the team will need to step up a gear and not be afraid to make drastic changes.  Torres, although costing Mr Abramovich a large sum of money to prise him away from the scousers, he has not been the hit man up front that we would have hoped as yet.  However, the key difference here at Chelsea with his role at Liverpool is that at Anfield he was the main man, where as here he has come in where Drogba has already been the main man for the last few years.  Torres will probably need a good pre-season to fully settle into the team, but if he is to fit in and become a hit up front,  changes will need to be made to the team, otherwise he could end up like another Shevchenco, which we all don't want.

In order to rebuild, I think some major changes will need to be made.  We are currently struggling to find goals up front, whereas Sturridge, on loan at Bolton has been scoring left, right and centre! I think he has a big part to play at Chelsea and should become one of the main men up front.  However is it possible for people like Sturridge and Torres to be prominent goal scoring features in the first team when we already have people like Drogba, Anelka, Kalou and Malouda in the pecking order?? 

I think not. Thatis why I believe that it might be the right time to say goodbye to some of our more experienced players such as Kalou or Malouda in order to perhaps give the others a chance to succeed as a successful team.  Even the most reliable members of the team such as Essien, have been below par this season, and Carlo should really consider what role they have in the team next season, and he should not be afraid to change things for the better!  There are those that think Drogba will be first through the exit door this summer, especially with Torres now in the pecking order.  However, I believe that while we should give people like Strurridge and Torres the chance to form into a rebuilt team for next season, Drogba is and has been a proven goal scorer, as he showed on Tuesday night, and it is in my view that we should keep him around for atleast one more season to ease the transition of the team into a new era.  Drogba and Anelka have found us many goals up front, and I believe that they can continue this next season, even if it is only a bit part in the squad.  Torres, on the other hand, I believe will get the goals once he is settled, and we should judge him by how he does in his first full season, which would be next season.  If by the end of next season Torres, is still not finding his feet, then only would it be time to cut our losses on the £50m man.  However, lets stay optimistic that he will come good, and prove doubters wrong, that is isn't just another Shevchenco. 


Next season, I can see a Brazilian theme to the team, with the boys from Brazil; Alex, Luiz and Ramires playing crucial roles, which could be very exciting.  Also I believe that the younger players such as Kakuta, Mceachran etc should have a larger role in the first team.  Players such as Kakuta, Sturridge, Mceachran have all shown promising sign this season, whether it be at Chelsea or out on loan, and if Carlo can build a successful team around such players along with some experience it could provide the perfect mix for success, and Carlo could leave behind a real legacy at Chelsea, if he does not stay beyond his contract in 2012.  

So for now lets just support the team with loyalty and pride, and lets have a good end to the season!


Whether Carlo stays or goes and whether the team will see a major overhaul in the summer, remains to be seen but one thing is for sure:

We are Chelsea- Don't worry about a thing, coz everything is gonna to be alright!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LanCLS_hIo4