Premier League: Chelsea 2 - 0 Middlesbrough
Thursday, 29 January 09, 08:28 AM · Comments (121)
Match reports
The Guardian, Dominic Fifield: "The grind goes on. Chelsea's latest league victory chiselled from stubborn opponents has hoisted Luiz Felipe Scolari's above Liverpool and into second, though this occasion's most raucous cheer was reserved for Wigan's equaliser at a distant JJB stadium rather than anything conjured by the hosts."
Daily Telegraph, John Ley: "Chelsea set up an enthralling trip to Anfield on Sunday when, on a nervous, rain-soaked night at Stamford Bridge, Salomon Kalou scored twice to take his side back into second place, thanks in part to Liverpool’s failure to beat Wigan."
The Times, Alyson Rudd: "Although some of the chances spurned by Chelsea were laughable, others pitiful and several plain unlucky, Luiz Felipe Scolari would have been more interested in his first clean sheet in seven games last night and that it leaves his side well prepared psychologically for the visit to Anfield on Sunday. Two second-half goals from Salomon Kalou condemned Middlesbrough to yet more misery at the foot of the Barclays Premier League but livened up the title race - particularly in the light of Liverpool’s draw away to Wigan Athletic."
The Independent, Sam Wallace: "As Luiz Felipe Scolari jabbed his finger in the direction of the Middlesbrough bench and had to be restrained by the fourth official, it looked at one point as if, to paraphrase a famous chant, Big Phil was cracking up. But after the pressure came Salomon Kalou's goals which gave Chelsea victory last night and now a remarkable moment awaits Scolari."
Official Chelsea FC Website: "Chelsea recorded an important victory at home to a defensively set Middlesbrough thanks to two second-half Salomon Kalou goals."
The goals
Never Mind the Quality Feel the Width
I was in the East Upper Row 31 Seat 195. That may mean nothing to you but cast your mind back to one of those films or documentaries featuring Tibet, or some such place near the roof of the world, where the slow moving yak train plods wearily up the narrow twisting path that hangs over an enormous ravine. Every so often the yak driver will gaze upwards to a point in the distance where a ramshackle wooden structure clings perilously to the mountain-side. Thus it was last night for me. This seat is right at the back of the East Stand, two in from the south east corner of the stadium. You can’t see the replay screens and chunks of the game pass you by as you regularly pass out due to the altitude. So forgive me if this report does not coincide with what really happened down there on the grassy plain.
The game followed a familiar pattern. ‘Boro massing in defence with no ambition while the match was scoreless. We were neat and tidy in possession, showing plenty of endeavour but rarely troubling the keeper from open play.
Cole did have a decent chance in the first 15 minutes when heading into the side netting at the far post but the remainder of our few clear chances came from set pieces. We got good contact on a couple of corners and free kicks against a team whose defence against the set piece was appreciably worse than our own in recent weeks.
The crowd were trying to get behind the team early on but as the first half wore on the atmosphere was becalmed, with very little incident to encourage a noisy response from the supporters.
Drogba came on for Malouda in the second half and did look interested, going on a couple of bullocking runs but then shooting tamely when for once we had ‘Boro’s defence out of shape and runners going into the box. He seems to veer between disinterested one game and doing it all on his own the next.
It was no surprise that both goals came from set pieces and Kalou, who I thought had a decent game took them both well, he could have had a couple more but is still a little erratic in front of goal.
It was only when we went one up that ‘Boro came out of their shell and that gave the front three the chance to get some space and run at their defence.
As to our own defence, there was very little threat and when ‘Boro did have any set pieces the delivery was so poor that they didn’t threaten. For the purists among you, I think we are back to a man to man set up.
Cech had everyone on the edge of their seats when he came a long way for a couple of high balls but got there and punched well. However I still sense that we lack organisation at the back. Despite ‘Boro only having a few forays forward there were times when no-one went to the ball carrier, Cole particularly seemed easy to get around and there were gaps and players in free space if their colleagues only had the wit to spot them.
What I came away with from the night's proceedings was the indelible impression that while we are reasonable in possession, seem to have a pattern we want to play to, there is an aversion to getting the ball wide or moving the ball rapidly from one side to the other. So defences are never in two minds, they can see the ball and know the direction it's going to come at them. Even if we have a player out on the touchline, the full back can tuck in knowing that if the ball goes there he will have time to close down and needn’t worry that there’ll be an overload. Because while we do park a player out on the touchline, be it the full back or an attacking player they will never be there together. Even if you lack pacy wide men you can still use width by getting numbers out wide. That’s what Manchester United did in the Beckham era to buy him a yard of space.
Remember the goals against Stoke? Lampard put the ball behind the full back. There were times last night when we could have done the same thing but didn’t. So we don’t put doubt into the minds of defenders.
There were phases last night that cried out for a Lebeouf type figure at the back who could quickly change the angle of attack with an accurate long ball out wide. It never happens now.
To me the patterns seem too set. We ignore the man in space too often for it to be poor vision of the part of the players. Surely we should use the best outlet and change the angle of attack more quickly. That’s my major whinge at the moment. I guess I’m seeing what the regulars have been watching for large parts of the season.
But I did enjoy it, a win is a win and events elsewhere only served to increase the warm feeling that three points brings. There is a spirit in the side and I didn’t feel that anyone played really poorly. I thought Malouda started brightly but got clattered twice and then faded. I wonder if teams know that if they hit him hard early they can take him out of the game? Bosingwa was very subdued I thought. But it’s his first season in the Premier League and perhaps a dip in form is not surprising.
So to player ratings and in honour of our visitors from Teesside, home to a large chunk of what there is of Britain’s chemical industry, I thought I would use the some of the varying densities of Polyethylene. Players will be rated against the following scale with MDPE being the average.
- High Density Polyethylene HDPE
- High Density Cross-Linked Polyethylene HDXLPE
- Cross-Linked Polyethylene XLPE
- Medium Density Polyethylene MDPE
- Low Density Polyethylene LDPE
- Linear Low Density Polyethylene LLDPE
- Very Low Density Polyethylene VLDPE
Thus a load of trash would get you Very Low Density Polyethylene (VLDPE), a stellar performance High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).
Player ratings
- Petr Cech – MDPE – little to do but was secure.
- Jose Bosingwa – LDPE – didn’t deem to get into the game in his usual fashion.
- Alex - MDPE – did nothing silly, helped create the first goal.
- John Terry – MDPE – steady but no more.
- Ashley Cole – XLPE – offered a threat going forward, too easily beaten once or twice.
- John Obi Mikel – MDPE – did a job, but too many touches when the ball needs to move quickly.
- Michael Ballack – XLPE – got about the place in an unspectacular fashion.
- Frank Lampard – XLPE – tried to drive things but didn’t use his full range.
- Salomon Kalou – HDXLPE – tricky, lively, two good finishes.
- Florent Malouda – LDPE – started well and then faded again.
- Nicolas Anelka – MDPE – started to shine when he got space second half.
- Didier Drogba (sub) – XLPE – made an impact, he’s a striker so he’s too selfish sometimes.
- Deco (sub) – MDPE – too little time to tell.
- Miroslav Stoch (sub) – MDPE - too little time to tell.
So it’s all set up for the big game on Sunday. We have to keep eking out the wins. Let's look to the wide open spaces.
Right yak driver let’s go.
And you’re right limetreebower, the man with the mic is a cock.
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121 Comments · Add yours
Hooray it's up!! err can't comment on the game, haven't even seen the goals yet, so will rely on the reporting once I've read it and subsequent comments. :-)
Well, I have seen the game. Went to Sanctum Sanctorum (Stamford Bridge before some of you might ask). Generally there was nothing new. First half M-Boro parked the bus in front of the goal and we struggled to break their defences. In the second half we wasted chances, but thanks to Football God scored from two set-pieces.
Hold me tight there is something new! We actually scored from set pieces!!! This our new trend since Tractors game.
A disclaimer from Chelsea about Kalou's odd goal celebrations:
LINK
Kalou celebrated both goals by crossing his wrists but Chelsea and the player were quick to deny it had political origins.
The gesture was alleged to have been in support of Ivory Coast political activist Antoine Assale Tiemoko.
Tiemoko was released from a one-year prison sentence last month after being convicted of 'libelling the prosecutor's office' and being in 'contempt of court'.
Tiemoko, an occasional contributor to the daily Le Nouveau Reveil, was arrested in December 2007 after the newspaper had published his opinion piece on judicial corruption.
But a spokesperson for Chelsea declared: "Salomon says there was nothing in it. He was just trying out a new celebration and it was a crossing of the arms. He also sometimes puts his hand over his face like a mask.''
The speculation that it was a political gesture was heightened when Ivory Coast team-mate Didier Drogba also appeared to cross his wrists.
Afternoon all,
Well put, Blue Bayou. I bumped into fellow blogger PeteW on the way home last night and we agreed that we're not paying heed to one of football's oldest maxims; make the pitch as small as possible when you don't have the ball and make it as big as possible when you are in possession. We do the first part to reasonably good effect, but not the second - it should be noted that for all the stick he's had recently (most of it justified) this actually changed to a degree during what little time Deco was on the pitch for. Part of the problem is Mikel and Scolari's use of him; good as he has been, he tends to end up as a third centre half - very Brazilian so I'm guessing it is Phil who wants him to do this - which is fine if the full backs are a) getting foward and b) able to receive the ball with a bit of space in front of them. All makes the manifesto of visiting teams this season - 10 behind the ball, press from the front (especially the centre halves and Mikel) and allow the full backs as little room as possible and you're half way there.
Second half was encouraging; adding Drogba creates options as he can bring more players into the game than Anelka can. Good to see a couple of set pieces bringing the goals; might need a few more at home given that many of our remaining home games are against teams who will come with a similar plan to Boro.
Interesting to look at the rest of the top 4 and their home records; United streets ahead just by virtue that their defence is tightest and they have so many forward options, but Villa and Liverpool are like us in the number of draws they've had (simplifying things a little, but the premise is fairly sound). Our form at home hasn't been good, but I do think it is part of a wider syndrome of clubs in the bottom half whose sole aim is survival - 2 points away from home at Anfield, the Bridge etc. could be critical come May.
And so to Sunday - will be a 'crazy' game, in the words of Rafa the mad...
Statement on behalf of Blue Bayou by his legal representatives Messrs Getemoff & Withonlyacaution.
"Our client would like to make it known, that while some persons within the blogosphere feel entitled to a report by the morning after the game at the latest, at no point was our client in breach of his undertaking with chelseablog inc.
During what were at times tough but always cordial negotiations over the finer points of contract and remuneration it was always understood that the report would be available at lunchtime today. Our client has delivered on his obligations despite a heavy workload and other personal commitments.
Barbed comments about "tardiness" and related idle speculation are likely to end with the perpetrators facing costly legal proceedings."
Thank you there will be no questions..... (much pushing and shoving, noise of camera shutters, flashlights, shadowy figures behind dark glass of fast moving limousine...
Not much to add - during the first hour or so of ineffectual passing the ball across the pitch at plodding speed it was hard not to sympathise with the bloke a few rows behind me in the West Upper who treated us to one of his current favourites from his limited repertoire of retorts, bellowed with a particularly snearing tone, "What do you do with them all day Scolari?" - not practise any variations on our increasingly predictable approach to breaking down 10-men defences it seems.
Still a win is a win as BB states and doubly welcome when others in the top five dropped points - and though some still sneer I say again the "Kalou for Player of the Year" campaign is gathering impetus - a "traditional" Chelsea player ;-)
Those ratings aren't helpful at all mate. `.-(
Here are the ratings accord. to sun, goal.com, mail, mirror respectively.
cech 5, 6.5, 6, 6
bos. 5. 6.5, 7, 5
alex 5, 7, 6, 5
ter 6, 7, 7, 6
cole 6, 7, 6, 7
obi 5, 6.5, 8, 5
ball 5, 6.5, 6, 6
olamp 7, 7.5, 7, 6
kalou 8, 8, 9, 6
malouda 4, 6,5, 4
anelka 6, 6.5, 6, 6
-------
drog
deco
-------
Its much easier and understandable when ratings are done on a scale/range of 1-10. Was Obi that bad(5)?
"Its much easier and understandable when ratings are done on a scale/range of 1-10"
Yes, for the single celled beings amongst us.
@BBD
I had a a bit of a chuckle when I read that remark with regard our build up play to break down defences. Why you might ask? well, on my continued scouting of Liverpool blogs prior to our game Sunday (am I becoming addicted to all things Poo? I hope not, and if you guys say stay away from them I will) this remark caught my eye, and it all sounds soooo familiar.....
"What I WANT to see is the kind of urgency we showed for the first 5-10 minutes of the game, for the WHOLE game, especially when we need the 2nd goal. I don’t think Wigan strung 2 passes together until about the 13th minute. But then the game “settled down” and we went back to our famous old slow, ponderous build-up. 1 pass forward, 1 pass backward, 2 passes sideways, 1 pass back, 1 pass forward, 1 pass backward… AARGH!"
@Clive
Reading your post I had experienced strong Deja Vu feeling like I have been brought into Matrix. Yes, it is all very familiar.
Great report from BB and you present a good insight into our problems at the moment. We may be winning and slowly gathering momentum but our lack of width and slow tempo will again cost us in the big matches. Your point about how we never have two wide options is a great one. Whenever some Chelsea fans comment about our lack of width you always hear the same response on the phone ins: "Well we've got Bosingwa and Cole bombing forward, so of course we've got wide options." But as you say, we may have one wide man out there but without a second Chelsea player supporting him, defences don't see any threat. And when combined with our ridiculously slow tempo when playing at home, teams find it easy to defend against us. I sometimes wonder why teams no longer play the very simple tactics Utd employed in that successful Beckham team. Have two wingers (yep we've got that) but at the same time have your two full backs overlap them to provide support. The Beckham-Neville double act used to terrorise opposition LBs and we should be able to do the same with Kalou and Bosingwa working together. But on numerous occasions we see our full back in the opposition box whilst our winger has to try and beat his man or our winger in the middle of the pitch whilst our full back remains isloted on the touchline. Ashley has been one of our best players this season but he seems to be doing all the work himself on the left wing. Maybe this is because Malouda isn't a winger and seems to drift all over the place but it may also be because of Phil's tactics. We seem to play a very narrow version of 3-4-3 with Mikel dropping in as our 3rd CB and our attacking trio sticking close together near their box. These are only minor issues as we're gradually grinding out the victories but we do need to alter things slightly in order to beat the best sides.
Rafa may seem like an idiot when playing the small sides but in the big Chess-like matches he can look like a genius. He'll know about our...
...weaknesses and will exploit them. He proved to be a thorn in Jose's side in the one off games so he should have no problem in orking out how to bat Phil's tactic. He'll set out his side to frustrate us and then to grab a 1-0 win and we need to think of a way to beat these big teams. I've gone into mst of these Big 4 matches with optimism, telling myself tht surely Phil and Ray would have thought up something to change the way we play. I put the 1-1 with Utd down to an off day, then the Liverpool defeat at home started to raise alarm bells that we couldn't beat a big side, this was all but confirmed against Arsenal and then we had the abysmal performance at Old Trafford. Every time i told myself that we must have changed something but every time we just did the same thing of playing slow, side-to-side football and struggling to create chances. I'll probably go into this game at Anfield thinking that we could come away with a win, knowing that we've somehow regained second place and that a defeat for us will all but confirm Utd as Champions. And i do think Didier will be the key for us getting the win we need. He loves playing Liverpool and i think we need him at Anfield. Anelka has never played well against the big teams and we'll definitely need the direct option at Anfield. If we can somehow get that first goal then i really think we can get the win which will turn this Utd procession into a 2 horse race. But i think we'll need Didier up front an Malouda and Kalou supporting him. Malouda may not have done much recently but having a left footed option provides balance to the side and is certainly a more useful option than sticking Deco or Anelka out there.
So i look forward with optimism to Sunday thinking we can get a 1-0 win. But in the end it'll probably be another defeat and more question marks on Monday morning against Phil's record. 1/12 points so far in the Big 4 mini league is awful and that's why i think we really should go for the win on Sunday.
Being able to comment purely on what MOTD shows me, I am able to ascertain that:
- Ashley Cole has a head shaped like a 50p. How did he miss that header.
- Kalou has a head shaped like a rotating semi-circle. The flat bit caught the first chance, and ballooned the effort over the bar from a matter of millimetres. The semi-circle caught the chance from the corner, though where Boro's keeper was off to is anyones guess.
- Drogba has a foot shaped like a 20p. Brilliant take once he'd entered the pitch (suspicion of handball aside), he then proceeded to pick out not the far corner, or the far post, but the far corner flag. Nice one, Dids.
It seems we are now officially known as Below Par Chelsea Football Club. Most papers have used this terminology numerous times in recent weeks to describe us.
I have no problems with it. Isn't the best golfer the person who's always below par?
Coat. Anorak. Cagoul. Macintosh. Anything, just send it my way as I exit....
Coat. Anorak. Cagoul. Macintosh. Anything, just send it my way as I exit....
Macintosh Fiftee!! would that be a new computer you're after, or something for a night out in a dimly lit park in Norwich.
Ok I'll get mine now...
Scoring first at Anfield (not too early, mind) at Anfield would be a big boost. The pressure is on Benitez now - seems like he's starting to tinker and 'overthink' a bit too much.
Habs - principle of the full back and winger working together and overlapping is fine, but it works better in a 4-4-2 (a la Beckham and Neville) if both centre halves are occupied by forwards, especially if one is dropping off. One forward against two centre halves often leaves the defending team with what is basically a man over, especially if they are packing the midfield out too - makes it much easier to isolate the supply out to the wide men.
(This is also one of the reasons it is fairly questionable as to why we need Mikel faffing about holding / playing third centre half against teams like Boro and Newcastle who come with bugger all ambition other than to stick one forward (usually unsuitable for the role) up front, sit resolutely behind the ball and not concede.)
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'I bumped into fellow blogger PeteW on the way home last night and we agreed that we're not paying heed to one of football's oldest maxims'
This isn't strictly true, yes we bumped into each other, but nothing was agreed because I was about to miss my train and had to scarper.
I'm a passionate Cheslea fan, but today's performance was rubbish..... I can't understand why we are playing so poorly, with so many "super stars". First half was not EPL standard. We are playing against a team who hasn't won in weeks and are fighting for relegation. I don't accept the explanation that teams come to Stamford Bridge and park the bus in front of goals. Where is the creativity? We have to come up with somnething different. Barca and Man Utd are doing it....... why can't we.
With Mikel in games like last night, you just want him to take the ball and push forward with it, breaking the two banks of nine Boro kept all game. We had nobody disrupting the lines until DD came on. (That said, Mikel was fantastic, as was Ashley.)
That said, the MOTD highlights were staggeringly misleading, because we were miles better in the second half and always likely to score. However, the Beeb had clearly picked this 'Chelsea can't create anything from open play' narrative, which meant they had to exclude our two best moves: the one-two between Anelka and Drogba and the box-to-box break that ended with Lampard missing a tap in. Very disappointing editorialising I thought.
Yes, it wasn't the most fluid performance you're ever going to see, but every win is crucial and people seem to have already forgotten that 90 per cent of United's wins this season have come from performances just as underwhelming but undeniably effective as that.
You could also see the lack of confidence that is still in the team. When we were 1-0 up the team was too frightened to break in numbers - a result of the number of silly goals we've conceded and the lack of clean sheets we've kept. So, in the latter respect, yesterday was very important.
As for Sunday, we'll have more confidence, but they have home advantage. Either way, it won't be pretty. Just hope Everton give United a game rather than keep their powder dry for the replay.
Evening Pete,
Ah, I thought we were there or thereabouts on the small / big pitch when defending / attacking thing. I'll stand by it - we keep virtually the same formation whether we have the ball or not.
Sadly I was left with the assorted drunks and strays at Victoria for 25 minutes. Most of them being Chelsea fans, it has to be said.
'Barca and Man Utd are doing it....... why can't we.'
LINK
Hi mate
yes, for me it was the completely static nature of the front three in the first half that got me. Boro were well set up, but there was very little serious attempt made to disrupt them. It was interesting how much more mobile Anelka became when Drogba was on, he was all over the right flank, dropping back, switching with DD - exactly the sort of liveliness we needed.
I'm done now, will check back in the morning. Toodle-pip.
@5. BlueBayou
No need to defend yourself, No Rush seems to be the Chelsea maxim nowadays.
A few observations, having now watched the whole game......
1) As previously discussed, Mikel is not required in games such as Boro at home, and should be played in games where the defence needs to be kept tight against top opposition.
2)Kalou had a good game throughout. Bit harsh to accuse him of a miss, when trying to convert a point blank header that has been played at you with your back to goal.
3)My first thought with the celebration is that they were taking the p*ss out of Mikel after his drink driving escapades of this week.
4) Scolari's removal of Kalou after the second goal was bizarre. Surely the best way to improve a forward that is low on confidence is to assist him to get a hat-trick.
5) Is Stoch modelling himself on Jodi Morris? They look very alike!
6)If Chelsea and Liverpool both pass backwards and forwards , ad infinitum, on Sunday, I am going to have great difficulty staying awake for the 3AM Kickoff!
Its my own fault, I should never have gone there but recent discussions about the beefing up of the Mail's sports department made me curious.
Who let this bile encrusted loon out?
LINK
A not very thinly disguised assualt on our beloved club.
And the much vaunted Martin Samuel gives us the usual "lets take the piss out of the Belgians" schtick and manages to talk about famous Belgians without mentioning Eddy Merckx. Pause for a moment and name an English sportsman who can rank alongside him?.
LINK
A little research as to why Belgium is in the forefront of issues over random drug testing would have thrown up this story:
" BRUSSELS, March 15, 2008 (AFP) - Belgian cyclist Kevin van Impe was taken for a routine drug test just as he was at the crematorium filling in administrative formalities following the death of his baby son, media reported Saturday.
The Quick Step rider was at Lochristi crematorium when a drugs tester turned up and demanded he provide a sample, warning that otherwise he could face a two-year suspension.
“He wouldn’t even come back later in the day. It was either do it right on the spot or it would be taken as if I had refused,” van Impe told website www.sport.be.
Van Impe was arranging the funeral of son Jayden, born prematurely on Monday and who died just six hours later.
Couldn't be bothered with the coloumn after that.
I wont be going back in a hurry.
I think Drogba and Kalou may have discovered Adam and the Ants. I'm sure someone will come up with the appropriate video.
@ Mark25 #24
Cut me and I will bleed. I will let you know the blood loss on a clear scale of 1-10.
As someone pointed out in the other thread: is Miroslav Stoch the next Kalou?
Given the ball and some space to run into, he went bombing at the defence, head down, charged into two defenders, fell over, left the ball behind, and lost possession.
Before anyone thinks I'm mocking him, remember how far Kalou's come since those days. He's really beginning to look like a decent Premiership wing-forward. It was interesting to see Lawrenson on MOTD going through the video and highlighting his movement. The clips really suggested that he does actually have a brain, much to everyone's surprise.
Anyway ... we were, it has to be said, not good last night. But I think one of the distinctive things about this season is that the gap between the good teams and the rest has narrowed hugely. There have been lots of surprising results, and the bottom-half teams seem much better organised and competent than they were last season -- which is why so few points separate 9th and 19th, and no one apart from (much as I hate to say it) the Mancs really look like they're a cut above the division.
Thanks for the excellent report BB, and I agree with you, Habs and others: it's very noticeable how the fullbacks don't loop around the outside when the wingers cut in. There's very rarely a wide outlet for a pass, except when we have possession near the halfway line and Frank can send one of his wonderful diagonal passes across to whomever is standing on the touchlines. (But then they always slow down and come inside.)
I don't agree with those who think Obi shouldn't play against the ultra defensive teams. He's our player of the year so far for me, and I think he's absolutely crucial to the balance and rhythm of the team. it's not his fault that everything slows down in front of him. His job is to keep possession, turn it forwards and find an attacking midfielder in space. He does it with incredible consistency.
I'm coming round to the view that Drogs should start instead of Anelka.
@ LTB....."I'm coming round to the view that Drogs should start instead of Anelka."
Dropping Obi gives you a free man, allowing you to play both Drogba and Anelka (if he can get them playing well together). I don't disagree that Mikel has been a star performer so far, but Boro barely crossed the halfway line so to effectively play five at the back is unnecessary in my opinion.
Encouraging transfer story for this summer:
LINK
"Chelsea and Manchester City will join Real Madrid in the scramble for the services of Carlos Tévez if the Manchester United forward prices himself out of a long-term contract at Old Trafford.
United are in negotiations to sign Tévez on a permanent basis once their two-year lease arrangement expires in June, but progress has been awkward, with Kia Joorabchian, head of the companies that own the player’s economic rights, maintaining that they must pay a fee of £22 million in addition to the downpayments of about £10 million that have already been made and a salary well in excess of £100,000 a week.
Other clubs have been alerted to the impasse and while Real’s interest is well known, Chelsea and City have also made clear their desire to be kept informed of developments.
The Argentina forward has expressed a preference to stay with United but, as well as the financial complications, he has been frustrated at times this season by his demotion to third choice behind Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney. Madrid would be his preferred destination if he were to leave United, but Chelsea and City would offer further options.
The fee for Tévez would be £32 million, but Chelsea appear to be willing to match that valuation in the summer while also bidding to sign Luis Fabiano, the Brazil forward, from Seville."
They may only be unconfirmed rumours but it's nice to see more and more stories that point to a major overhaul of squad this summer. Many journos have been writing about how this summer may be the end of the Jose squad and we may see some high profile exits (Didier, Malouda?). They've also said that we'll be targeting players for the long term (Tevez, Di Maria, Fabiano...) which certainly makes change from regularly buying the 30+ players. It's also nice to see that we'll still be competing for world class players with City.
Habs,
Encouraging? Hmmm, not sure.
He's done little of note for them when he's had the chance - I think the £20m transfer fee and £100k a week wages could be spent better elsewhere.
Ribery has stated a few times he doubt's he'll see out his time with Bayern, I'd plump for him as I think we need creative wide men more than down the middle forwards at the moment. Maybe Di Santo getting a proper run will help us see if he's a the long term solution. Or just adding to the problem....
Do one of you kind peeps have the link to the goals on Wednesday? I've yet to see them, or find them, yes sloppy on my part I know.
Mikel should play because he gives the team vital balance, he should just be encourage to step up with the ball more. At the moment, opposition teams know he's just going to sit on halfway playing short passes, but he has the talent to step forward and make an extra man in attack through Ballack or Lampard.
As for Man U being a cut above, only up to a point. The interesting thing about this season is that the title looks like it won't be decided in games against the top four (United's record isn't much better than ours, they were very poor in CL qualifying and have only produced two memorable performances all season), but in the fact they are beating all the dross, usually by no more than 1-0, but they are beating them all the same. Whereas Liverpool can't even score against Stoke, and we have wobbled defensively in recent games. So, if that gets sorted, I still think there's something in it for us, especially as United are going to come into the mother of all fixture logjams when the CL starts again. If we're sharking around in their slipstream, who knows what might happen?
In that context, I'll be perfectly content if every single remaining home game is like Wednesday night... (remember chaps, free-scoring [ahem] United, only beat Boro 1-0).
I certainly agree that Utd have been far from convincing against some of the so called lesser teams. They were hardly convincing against us, the 3-0 scoreline flattered them. I don't recall Cech having to make too many saves that day, it was as we all know an utterly crap performance on our part.
Do we think that a loss on Sunday will be the final nail in our PL aspirations? Or should we not be too worried if Poo wins?, as it will only give them a 3 point advantage. Although Utd winning might pose more of a problem to extend their lead.
We know Arse will be consistently inconsistent, and probably/hopefully Villa will hit s rough patch, and Liverpool well.... Rafa still tinkers too much with selections, and they've hardly played any decent free flowing football this season either.
You Can't Get The Staff Pt. 26 - I'm almost used to the garbled or ambiguous excuse for English that ends up in the Beeb's Football Gossip column summaries regularly but this one today deserves some sort of prize:
"Chelsea are closing in on the transfer of Fiorentina defender Branislav Ivanovic. (The Times)"
@31 Clive - err, try "the Goals" links near the top of this report?
I think you have a point there PeteW. If we have 2 marking 1 then Mikel should step up allowing L & B th epossibility of rotating to wider areas and supporting the wide men. Perhaps our lack of pace in central defence worries LGF and he wants insurance.
Saw this and while its like shooting fish in a barrel it was vaguely amusing.
LINK
But to say:
"Football is one of the greatest things in the world but it’s not perfect. It used to be perfect."
is surely smearing just a little too much vaseline on the lens of nostalgia's camera.
I see Chelsea are in there (what a shock)at 36 as the "New Manchester United". So applying a little cold logic that means United are in the list. But strangely they are not.
Ho hum
@ FIFTEE
Ribery is definitely the wide man to go for! I watch him play every weekend here in Germany and he´s by far the league´s best player - technically brilliant while fast as Usain Bolt, excellent passing and scoring. And he´s only 25 years old. Also he won´t stay in Munich for too long. But we need to strengthen the squad to lure him away because he just said that he´s going to chose a team that is capable of winning the CL (which unfortunately we´re not at the moment). Ribery´s flaw: He is quite a bit eccentric and crazy. (Two weeks ago he decided that it would be funny to drive the 250.000 € team bus although he doesn´t have the required driver´s licence. With his colleagues sitting in the back he knocked over an information sign. Uli Hoeneß wasn´t amused...).
"Do we think that a loss on Sunday will be the final nail in our PL aspirations?"
In a word, yes.
It's Utds to lose this season. 2 points ahead of us, with a game in hand - it's 5 points however you look at it.
If we lose and they win, you're looking at 8 points between them and us, who are the most likely challengers. Tubby Benitez is fit to explode at any moment, as are his team. They've had their chance, and they failed to do anything with it. Arsenal are lurking, but will have too many performances like Wednesday that will cost them. Villa have been a credit and real highlight this season, but they come undone too much against the 'lesser' sides. No doubt they'll give us what for next weekend though.
I'm not sure even a draw is good enough. Utd just dont look like cocking up at home like us. If they do, it's an off-day and is usually put right next time with a resounding thumping of someone. We just limp from one uninspiring, yawn-fest at the Bridge to the next.
And the strength of the squads will have a big impact, particularly with the European mid-week games. We're looking weaker than Man U and Liverpool, and not much better off than Arsenal. And yet we're doing nothing about it. Not buying players if fine if you want to promote from within but we've seen 3 FA Cup ties against lower opposition to field some of our youngsters and, barring a handful of minutes for Stoch, have not done it. Even against the likes of West Brom and Middlesbrough - as close to 'gimmes' as we're going to get at the Bridge - we've not seen anyone different.
It seems to me that the philosophy at the club now is to win everything with just 11 players. Which is madness...
@31 Clive - err, try "the Goals" links near the top of this report?
Thanks BBD.... I'm just on the way out to Specsavers, like most things in life, I tend to look in all the wrong places.
@38 Clive - You're welcome - this could be proof that spending too much time on Liverpoo blogs makes you go blind ;-)
Definitely not advocating leaving Mikel out, but there is no point in having someone with his ability lurking around as part of a back 5 against teams like Boro. More advanced role for him and, slightly offbeam though it may sound, get Carvalho to bring the ball out more and play in a libero / sweeper type role if we're up against teams with one up front and little ambition to push forward - he's one of the few players we have with the ability to do so.
'Get Carvalho to bring the ball out more and play in a libero / sweeper type role if we're up against teams with one up front and little ambition to push forward - he's one of the few players we have with the ability to do so.'
Terry did this on Wednesday and forced a corner, raising the tempo of the game and contributing to our goal.
BB26 - Well spotted, I had kinda wondered why the Sprouts were taking this stand. Good luck to them.
This was always going to be a tricky match and I'm glad it's safely out of the way.
The comments on how close this season is are spot on. There are only 2 teams (Wig and Wham) who can remotely be described as mid-table i.e., everyone else is already either chasing Europe or fighting the drop.
This means that the comfort of previous seasons, where a great chunk of teams could afford to lose with dignity against the top teams, no longer applies. And I agree, this is probably where the title will be won or lost.
Neither should we criticize teams who defend in depth when playing for their survival, much better to learn to deal with it (and hope they have more success against others).
Call me old fashioned, but I really think that this season has a long way to go. Last year Manu were on fire by comparison and we still should've pipped them, even with A. Plant in charge. As Wednesday night proved; a couple of results can quickly turn things around.
So I don't think that winning or losing on Sunday means the title is on or off for us, it really is one game at a time from here on in.
As for Sunday, now is where Phil's lack of PL experience may be crucial.
Does he know that Anfield is a surprisingly tight ground, and that the poo will probably attack us like crazy for the first 15/20 minutes hoping to catch us cold?
And if they do get in front, they will feel no remorse at driving their own bus on the pitch, no matter what their groundsman says.
Go on RayW, earn your money.
'So I don't think that winning or losing on Sunday means the title is on or off for us, it really is one game at a time from here on in.'
Yep, agree with this totally.
Ivanovic looks like he's off. Much rather keep him and flog Alex.
Does he know that Anfield is a surprisingly tight ground, and that the poo will probably attack us like crazy for the first 15/20 minutes hoping to catch us cold?
@FSTS
That might not be strictly accurate, people may be slightly criitical of us playing one holding midfielder in Mikel. But Liverpool play two holding midfielders regardless of the opposition, which their fans have been highly critical of. And Rafa by nature has to be one of the most cautious managers in the PL, so I don't think he's going to change now, I'm sure he'll set them out not to lose, rather than be reckless going for the win.
Afterall most of our games have been utter borefests in recent years,with the odd goal (if we're lucky to see any) deciding a tight affair.
Yes, Pete. Ivanovic has looked a really good defender and i don't know what the reasoning is but there could be something going that we don't know about.
Clive. That is my point. Poo always catch us sleeping at Anfield.
The boredom sets in after they get ahead and shut up shop. If they don't get that early lead then it often drifts to 0-0. I know that there are exceptions to this, but that seems to be their strategy.
It's also such a pokey little ground (ehm, same size as ours), but if you've only seen it via the TV camera's wide-angle lens it's easy to go there with the wrong game plan and over-hit passes. They can also pressure from mid-field very quickly without necessarily being exposed at the back, especially early on, when they're all fit and full of running.
Anyway, that's my 2p.
Forgot to add.
If we don't get caught early on, then our accurate passing game could easily produce something of real note, though one of our winger's having a good game would also help.
Salomon Kalou: 8 goals + 7 assists in 16 starts in the 2008/09 season.
@47 TrueBlue - good to see you working on the "Kalou for Player of the Year" campaign too, but fairness requires me to point out Wednesday was actually his 17th start of the season - and he has had 10 sub appearances, according to my programme, including his goal against ManUre at home.
If we win this weekend and Aston Villa win, they will go 3rd at the expense of the Poo. If we draw and Villa win (against Wigan), we go 3rd and Poo 4th. If we *cough* lose, we'll be in 4th place.
I never really looked over our collective shoulder at the rest - does anyone else find that worrying?
Anybody know anything about this kid?
LINK
From Sky Sports:Chelsea have snapped up Turkish youth international Gokhan Tore.
The 17-year-old German-born winger arrived from Bayer Leverkusen, where he has been since the age of five.
Tore has agreed a three-and-half-year deal at Stamford Bridge and joins the Chelsea academy with immediate affect.
Meanwhile, another youngster Vincenzo Camilleri has left the club.
Chelsea caused uproar in Italy when they lured the central defender away from Reggina at the age of just 15.
Reggina reported the English side to Fifa and Uefa, but there was little they could do to prevent the move last year,
However, after less than a year the club have allowed Camilleri to depart and he is heading back to Reggina.
Shit. The. Bed.
We've signed someone. Roll out the bunting, get your party frocks on, pull the cords of the party poppers 'cos we're blasting off big style at the Bridge (sorry to go a bit Tim Westwood on you. Radio 1 DJ? Thinks he's a 'gangsta'? No? I digress...)
All I can say is if Frank Arnesen so much as looked at this kid, we may as well write him off now.
Still, gives the club a bit of 'at least we were active in bringing someone in the transfer window' ammunition to chuck at us once Ivanovic becomes the 316th player to leave in January.
Whoop-de-fucking-do.
The 17-year-old German-born winger arrived from Bayer Leverkusen, where he has been since the age of five.
FIVE? Who signed him, the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?
Fiftee - don't knock Westwood; he's the big dawg, you know... :-)
"FIVE? Who signed him, the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?"
Umm, not sure what you call him, but I've always referred to him as Arsene, or Mr Wenger ;-)
Anyone else seen this from a Chelsea fan called Tony? LINK
You want answers?
I want the truth.
You can't handle the truth...
Sorry, went all retro-movie-crazy then. Seems a bit much to be questioning the main man, but each to their own.
@53 Agree with most of the commenters on that page.
It would be nice to have more players, it's true, but what we need is for the players we've got to show some purpose and belief.
I'm far more disappointed by who we've sold than by who we haven't bought, but even as it stands, we can do really well with what's left of this season.
Also: the way some of our 'big' signings have performed, it's no wonder that RA's cautious about bringing more in.
Against scousers this
'cech;bos,ter,alex,cole;obi,FRANK,ballack;deco,anelka,kalou' is not goign to work.
i know rafa is going to play both mascherano&alonso( or lucas) and that'll leave us with no ball play with.
er. and frank's only role is going to be taking setpieces. i'll happily eat a humble pie if he proves me wrong. i know what to expect from him.
@Fiftee #53
I suppose if Henry Winter had received a letter from Bert praising Chelsea and RA's sensible and level headed approach and pointing out that while yes, further injuries would certainly cause problems, it wouldn't be "meltdown" and weren't people like HW talking about the depth of our squad earlier in the season, do you suppose he'd write an article around it?
We are in full "Chelsea and Liverpool in crisis of confidence while Manure sail away" mode ahead of Sunday's game. They're stoking it up so they can build a story whatever happens Sunday.
I assume Tony was round mending his fridge, mentioned he was a Chelsea fan and Henry said " I say Tony you wouldn't mind penning a short letter along the lines of........."
Oh yes and the article has the benefit of making Chelsea fans seem like ungrateful glory hunters
"You would do well to remember that whilst you might own the club legally, morally it belongs to the fans, who are its heart and soul. You should definitely not be playing fast and loose with our emotions or indeed insulting our intelligence."
Tony I've news for you. He owns the club. Moral doesn't pay the bills. End of.
And the 2nd part looks cribbed from a letter he wrote aged 15 to his then girlfriend when she dumped him.
I wonder if young Gokhan will be available to play for our yoof team against the Junior 'Poo in the FA Yoof Cup next week? It would be entertaining if he scored the winner and left the rascals spluttering about ringers.
Every week the title is over if we lose, and on again if we win. Logic says that this is all emotional rubbish and nothing can possibly be decided with only a few points separating teams and 15 games to play. But form counts: and although it's too easy to forget that our form has been fantastic at one point this season, I think all the signs point to the hateful Mancs being the only team in the top 5 that can be confident of getting results if they play their own game well.
Incidentally, is anyone else slightly depressed by the fact that Kalou insists his goal celebration refers to WWF rather than a political prisoner? I mean, we know the boy's not the brightest, but come on.
@LTB #58
"Incidentally, is anyone else slightly depressed by the fact that Kalou insists his goal celebration refers to WWF rather than a political prisoner? I mean, we know the boy's not the brightest, but come on."
You have a point there. But conversly, and unlike recent incidents involving certain players and their incarcerated brothers and mates, how many of us in Stamford Bridge on a Wednesday night would be sufficiently up to speed on the political situation in the Ivory Coast to have instantly realised the significance of the gesture were it a political statement? Its a "if a tree falls in the forest where no one hears it does it still make a noise?" kind of scenario.
I had to smile at all the papers reporting it as though it was something we were all familiar with. I wonder who came up with the theory?
I've searched my memory and no I didn't overhear the following conversation in the pub before the game.
"Do you think Drogba and Kalou will make any sort of statment on the Antoine Assale Tiemoko situation tonight then?"
"Er maybe"
And the FA were going to look into it once one of the blazers popped home and got the Times effing Atlas so they could all find out were the eff the Ivory Coast is in the first place. What a laugh.
Sadly the WWE (the WWF hug pandas while the WWE involves men grappling with each other I believe) explanation is all too plausible.
Incidentally, is anyone else slightly depressed by the fact that Kalou insists his goal celebration refers to WWF rather than a political prisoner?
@LTB
What WWF are we discussing here, is it the animal or the wrestling kind?, could be important as to how big a fine he gets from the FA. ;-)
[blush]
Kevin Nolan thinks a transfer to Newcastle is a wise move and then Real Madrid sign Julian Faubert! What is going on to this transfer window? We decide to get rid of Carlo, Bridge and possibly Ivanovic whilst bringing in Gokhan? This transfer window just gets stranger by the day. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we pulled off a major signing in the next few days.
Starting to get excited already for Anfield. I know i've felt like this before every Big 4 game but we can't play any worse than we did at Old Trafford and with only 1 point out of 12 in the Big 4 mini-league, the only way is up. It's destined to be a tight, ultra boring game, as it always is against the Big 4 and it'll probably be decided by the first goal. It'll be 1-0 either way and with Lamps in our side, we've always got a chance. Looking back over our recent form and for basically the whole season, i was wondering where we'd be if we took Inter's £8m and sold Lamps! That was a scary thought.
#58 LTB
I do not want to add to what other have said above. However, next time before calling somebody "not bright" try to sit down and carefully count your own marbles. Arrogant prick!!!
Anyone still up?
Does this sound a bit like what is going on at the Bridge?
LINK
Opponents utilise Real Madrid boo-boys - Sunday, January 25
Following Real Madrid's 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna, a match described by Marca as "unbeatable boredom", one of the opposition players let slip that Depor had actually utilised the almost clockwork booing of the Madridistas as part of their game plan.
If Madrid are not winning comfortably after 15-20 minutes the impatient fans invariably turn against their own team and rival teams now play on this "weakness" and do their best to stifle the game and get the crowd on Real's back during the opening part of the match.
Unfortunately for Madrid the trouble doesn't end there as the Bernabeu boo-boys have also stepped-up their goading of individual players. Dutch youngster Royston Drenthe was giving a dressing down before even setting foot on the pitch as a replacement for goalscorer Raul and revealed after the match that his confidence had been shattered.
"It's tough when you go out to play and they boo you before you even touch the ball," Drenthe said. "I'm very down."
I think what FST60's has said is spot on. The league is exceptionally tight, and accordingly the lower 12 are going to be fighting for every away draw until the few teams that are really in jeopardy of the drop sort themselves out.
This whole year appears to be a slog for everyone involved. I don't think it helps that we are in the middle of our samba revolution.
I'm rather torn- after seeing the MOTD highlights, I agree that we don't look like we are often playing incisive stuff. I also don't necessarily agree, but don't totally disagree, that we should be playing ManU's old 4-4-2 with overlapping wingers and fullbacks. I don't think the talent on the team works that way. As an example, Mourinho wanted to play the 4-3-3 at Inter and it just wouldn't work, and he had to move away. Formation and players are chicken and egg...
That said, this past game makes me confused. We absolutely bundled a few good chances. It isn't like we can't score, as we are have the most goals and the best goal differential. So we put those chances in, and we in 5-0 or more. Would we all still be complaining that we aren't still dispatching everyone below us, even if we played exactly the same way?
I think if we beat liverpool, especially if we really kill them at Anfield, that the entire mentality of the season turns around. I also think we couldn't have a better big win... as Juve just had an awful loss.
So- is a win here essential? No, a tie would work. A loss could be quite bad, but a big win could cause a 'pool implosion, more Rafa insanity, and a huge upswing to our season...
Not sure who's reported as deceased at SW6?
@BC Previous was a ref. to your link.
FST60's- what are you talking about? I'm not seeing anything on the news.
Also- I realized that the Juve match is a few weeks away. Sorry.
I guess my point was merely the booing. Obviously the Bridge isn't as bad as the Bernabeu, but I don't feel that going into half time nil-nil is worthy of booing. Going into halftime 0-4 down to Boro is worthy of booing.
I know we've won a few trophies recently, and I know we have a bunch of money. But it seems in the eyes of prospective players that we aren't as exciting of a destination as places like Man U, Real, etc. Having a hostile crowd doesn't help. I guess it is better than having an apathetic crowd...
The Drenthe quote I think is what I'm getting at. These players make tons of money, but they are still men, they still play in front of a crowd. Why harangue the players? Does anyone really believe the team doesn't care about winning? Will booing fix that? The carrot works much better than the stick...
About our tactics:
Attacking wing-backs work when they surprise the opposition and make that most sought after 'extra man'.
But when they are used to replace legitimate wingers then they're easily dealt with (they need to run the length of the pitch which doesn't leave much to the imagination of even the dumbest defenders).
It looks to me like Felipe's trying to manufacture Cafu and Carlos out of Ash and Bos, but this is the EPL and 90 minutes running up and down the wings, twice a week, is too much to ask.
I can't believe that Luis would sell Bridge and expect Ashley to bo our left wing width for the remaining season. He must have more faith in Malouda then most on this blog.
Unless of course we are on the brink of another left-sided player like Silva hopefully! If that's not the case and Luis or PK or RA have decided that we are to play the rest of this season with only Drogs, Nic and Di Santo as our forwards and Ashley as our only left back and as if to complete the tragedy ... contemplate selling Ivanovic while Riccy is having an injury prone season is quite frankly, CRIMINAL.
Although I agree with the strategy of investing in youth with the acquisition of Gorkhan ... leaving the 1st team so light in terms of cover is pathetic planning and poor management. Kenyon - if no other players come in for the 1st team as cover then you should be removed from your position.
GET IT SORTED CHELSEA!!!!
And as for Sunday .. is it a must win for us? To be quite honest I just hope we don't get played of the park like we did when we capitulated to ManUSA.
I wonder what the general view is on this story in the Times that Man City tried to buy John Terry? On the basis that the bid was probably in excess of £30m, would it not have been prudent to accept it? (whether he would have agreed to move is another matter). He is a legend at the club and there is doubting the magnificent contribution he has made, especially in the 2 championship winning years. He is still a great leader. But he is evidently on the wane. More and more time is spent on the sidelines, his back injury seems to be a recurring one, and he is slower than he used to be (and was never known for his pace anyway). If he doesn't seem to be as positionally aware as before, that might also be down to his not being able to get into the necessary positions quickly enough. Ivanovic is a good player, I think. We also still have Carvalho and Michael Mancienne is obviously a player of great potential. Is this a time to be radically re-thinking our defence?. In managing a football team you also have to know when to sell a player. And sometimes you have to be ruthless.
Re @65
Of course opponents utilise our crowd and it's pathetic that our crowd play into their hands. All managers know that to silence the home crowd and get them on their team's back is a mighty weapon. Has been for decades. Our support at the Bridge is now spoiled, unlike before when we didn't have such over-reaching expectations. This is because of two main factors. One, the introduction of new fans who, unlike fans years ago, pay their money in the expectation of having an experience of feeling superior by association with a trophy winning club. Before, fans simply associated with their team through thick and thin and enjoyed the resulting camaraderie of a community. Secondly, all fans, longstanding and more recent fans seeking glory, became used to winning under Jose and now can't get used to the fact that we don't knock over teams like we used to. Simple as that.
On another tack. When I began contributing to this blog (easily the most intelligent of all Blues sites) it was because I felt incensed that our team was always being depicted as ugly functional cloggers by the press in comparison to Arsenal especially, who they praised unreservedly. I tried to counteract the lazy reporting that ignored the aesthetic qualities of intelligent teamwork and defensive constancy. Now the Arsenal bubble has burst they are seen for that they are: show ponies with no grit. And at the start of the season, we were installed as the new show ponies. Unfortunately, our bubble burst after a couple of months and now we play like a team of inhibited crabs (in a shell, all sideways movement). So I think it is worth saying and I want to say it very loudly, so excuse the capitals: WE PLAYED MORE ATTRACTIVE FOOTBALL UNDER JOSE!
Now lets grind out a win at Liverpool and get our rightful place as second best team in England back. With a fair wind and a bit of luck, we might challenge in the Champions League again this year.
@Danny
I've pointed on a few occassions over the past few years with regard us as being the long ball specialists under JM as simply nonsense. The Opta stats showed we played less long passes (as they put it) than Liverpool and Utd, only Arsenal played less. But of course it was a stick the press loved to beat us with, and if you say it enough times and people begin to believe it.
Anyway... yes lets return the favour to those rascally scousers tomorrow, a Stevie Me or a Carra own goal would be great for a streaky 1-0 win for us.
For those of you still not up to surfing the Daily Mail to find Martin Samuel's articles here's a link straight to today's long interview with Lamps:
LINK
Bridgey not having a great start to his Citeh career is he - at fault again for Stoke's goal just before half time.
... and here's another article from the same rag today confirming what we're all beginning to realise more and more - what a loss Steve Clarke was for us:
LINK
- and by the way isn't it time we sent all those scrounging asylum seekers back where they came from [starts to foam at mouth - nurse, the screens, quickly]...
@BBD
The apprenticeship is coming along nicely at Wet Spam, lets hope the prodigal sons will return one day.
@77 Haven't read the article yet, but had to ask: Was Frank's pic taken on the same nite out that saw Robinho in the slammer? At least they air-brushed his prison number out.
Man Kitty lose to 10 man Stoke!
Looking more and more like not getting Kaka could be the highlight of this season.
LINK
Read that Daily Mail article on Steve Clarke and weep. It says it all. We need to create a mugs gallery of every dickhead who had the ear of a not very bright owner back at the beginning of last season just so we know who was responsible for destroying what we had.
Clive, absolutely right about the stats. Our style, Jose's style, was built on the legacy of teams like the great German sides skippered by Beckenbauer, and the great AC Milan of Ruud, Rikaard and Van Basten. They controlled games from the back, hunted and chased down the ball when not in possession and when in possession kept it close and simple, suddenly bursting into life with exhilarating power to score.
We're seeing something of it with Wet Sham now. I'm actually warming to them and their play, obviously wanting Franco and Steve to do well anyway, but hoping it is an apprenticeship that will mature with their beloved Blues. Man Utd haven't sorted out their legacy yet. When RedNose retires expect a huge slump in fortune. Our day might come yet.
Man-u winning agian by 1-0 with a penalty! I bet we dont see the papers tomorrow talking about boring 1-0 wins and too defence record or offering money fo rthe first goal to be scored against them!!!! I realy hope Jose smacks them out of the CL just to see the mancs stupid face!!!
The penalty by some accounts was rather soft and dubious, but surely their good luck has to change, how many more one nils are they going to sneak?
To think how we were slaughtered in the press when we were doing exactly this, the propaganda war by journos certainly got to RA.
To be honest I'm probably more pissed off by this result than what might happen tomorrow, on saying that I could change my mind by 6pm.
F**k Off Utd!!!!
Agreed Clive. All the coverage is about the vile Mancs getting the record for clean sheets -- none of the b*llocks about being dull and defensive.
I'd rather we lost than drew tomorrow. We'll still be ahead of Villa either way, and someone has to keep the pressure up on the Mancs, even if it's Mad Rafa.
@ Danny 82 -- it's possible that our day has already come. And gone. But I pray that I'll live long enough to see the Mancs relegated, one of these seasons.
@limetree - "I'd rather we lost than drew tomorrow. We'll still be ahead of Villa either way, and someone has to keep the pressure up on the Mancs, even if it's Mad Rafa."
Really? I would rather ManUSA wins the prem over any team (apart from us of course). Both liverpool and arsenal I find far more vile then Utd. Perhaps it's because I have to respect Fergie for he truly is a great manager and of Arsene, Rafa and Fergie - Jose only went for a bottle of wine with fergie after they played each other!!
I honestly would rather chelsea got relegated then see the smug grin on those scousers after so many years of hurt as the really vile gerrard and tubby lift the prem trophy ... ok maybe relegation is a bit far - but you get what i mean.
I'd rather we lost than drew tomorrow. We'll still be ahead of Villa either way, and someone has to keep the pressure up on the Mancs, even if it's Mad Rafa.
@LTB
That's what some Poo fans are saying, but I would still rather see Utd win than Liverpool, as I think their fans are bit more arrogant than Utd's.
Besides even if Liverpool do win today, I honestly believe that they won't continue to put pressure on Utd to take the title, a lot of their fans are of that opnion now. To be honest some of their blogs have similar comments to ours with regard their performances and abilities to go on and win things.
I still think that we're best placed to push them than any other team in the top 4/5, only time will tell I suppose, and we'll probably have a better idea after today.
Hey, guys, what about a 3-at-the-back with two wing backs in a 3-5-2? We can put immense pressure on other sides if we do things right. If Obi Is over pressured, push Ivanovic/Carvalho forward. If we can't break a side down, sub off Ivanovic, bring on Kalou and play a 4-3-3 again. We can control the midfield by simply packing it and we will have constant defensive security with 3 CB's.
A couple of things, before I head off down to the pub. At least the early game didn't involve another London side so no dopey, half-cut stragglers left behind and still hogging the best seats.
Bit concerned about the extreme views on who should win the title 'til I noticed the times (not sure I'd like to bump into some of you guys after a nite out)!
I still think it's on for us if we just concentrate on winning and forget about everyone else - this season's not getting any easier for any of us.
Watched Manwho and they played far worse than we ever did under Jose, even when at our most defensive. And for once it really was a pen (wtf was Atita doing?), and they could've had a second one later on. Everton surely had on eye on the return with poo.
Incidentally, I enjoyed watching Bolton's third goal against Bottenham on MOTD.
It appears Agent Carlo has made a successful infiltration and is hard at work already.
@ LTB
Harsh, but fair. :-)
First half OK - decent possession, midfields generally on top but (again) not causing the opposition keeper any real problems. Drogba for Malouda again, which we assume Rafa has already got covered...
Why he (Scolari) is not changing Maouluda for Drogba? WHY???? It is 60th minute do it now man!!!!!!
Riley is wanker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is the DAMN WANKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My little boyswho is 4 and not really into football keeps asking why Frank Lampard was sent off when the red one kicked him! Even he can see!
Finally Gerard getting yellow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Frank gets sent off for playing the ball and Gerrard doesnt get a yellow for a bad tackle? Then you see that lanky prick Riley laughing and joking with the Liverpool players afterwards. They have wrecked our chances of getting something out of this game. Absolute disgrace. What does Gerrard have to do to get sent off? kill somebody!
This is preposterous!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is simply FARCICAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I miss Mourinho.
Riley is a wanker and it was not even a foul, never mind a sending off. However let's not lose site of the fact is was another performance of just going through the motions, too many passengers not committed to the cause and players seemingly taking delight in short tentative passes to marked team mates. Plus Cech now makes me nervous, particularly kicking.
Time for a clear-out, starting with Scolari.
Riley may have been a wanker but did we really ver play like potential champions?
The fact that Phil set the team up to get a 0-0 confirmed to me that he's simply not good enough. The simple facts are we're out of the title race, we've got 1/15 points in the Big 4 mini-league, which is frankly abysmal and our first attempt on goal was in the 75th minute. Why go for a 0-0 if you know a draw will send you out of the title race?
We should just enjoy the next few months and look forward to a new manager and squad in the summer. We didn't deserve to win or even get a point today and we shouldn't let Riley mask what was another inept performance against a big team.
Championship material or not I still think we'll finish above Poo, I didn't see anything from them today or recently that will trouble Utd. They're going to drop more points before the end of the season, as they can't keep relying on refereeing decisions to help them.
Sour grapes from me... too fucking right it is!
the problem with this team is that they dont have any player or any zone as an outlet to start an attack. Its always Mikel, short pass, back again to Mikel, Ballack and we lose the ball. In the past, whenever we have won against Liverpool, Lampard was still a marked man, no space for him to mmove around but thats when Essien takes up the mantle. Lofted ball to Drogba, who chests it down, shoots or lays it off..you get the idea.
If we started Stoch this game, it would have been interesting because he is not someone like Kalou who comes inside his own half to collect the ball all the time.
And I agree, its better to switch off for another 4 months..We need just two-three new players really.
Lampard will probably have his red card ban reversed, just like Paul Robinson had his case taken. Boswinga, what madness! he is definitely getting a ban!
Hmm. Mixed feelings; little ambition from us other than leaving with a point (possibly fair given current form), but Riley was supremely awful - I apologise to the sensitive of mind but I sincerely hope the man is wrongly imprisoned and brutally raped by a gang of angry overweight syphilis carriers on a daily basis for the remainder of his days.
I just wonder why is it ALWAYS the same in these big games with Phil. We look alright for 30-45 mins, passing the ball from side to side, generally going nowhere but looking sort of comfortable. And then after half time we always crumble and we never look like scoring or beating any of these big teams.
I looked forward to this game with optimism, telling myself that it couldn't possibly be as bad as Old Trafford, and it wasn't quite that bad, but in terms of attacking threat it was getting pretty close. We looked clueless, had no threat and generally had no ideas. The number of times in the first half we passed it in neat triangles between Alex-JT-Mikel only to run out of ideas and then give it to Cech to hoof upfield was verging on embarrassing. We used to have a belief under Jose and even Avram that we could beat the big teams but now i go into these matches deep down, expecting a defeat. Did anyone hear think we'd win this game and say in the title race?
And then i listen to Phil send out the same old rubbish in his post match interview. "Liverpool were better than us..." "...we didn't deserve to win this game." I heard this after every single defeat to a big 4 side and yet he fails to change anything. It's as if he has already resigned himself to the fact that we won't win anything and that he'll get the sack in a couple of months, so what's the point of trying to change this team? No wonder Roman refuses to give him anymore cash. There's no point. We looked slow, ageing and a little bit past it as if this is going to be the end for this side.
I still think we'll finish 2nd as Liverpool will definitely drop more points, but in the long term i think this defeat will do us some good. It's plain for everyone to see, including Roman, that Phil isn't good enough and that this squad needs a major overhaul so why not accept the inevitable instead of stumbling on, under the illusion that we're still title challengers?
*here
From the telegraph"
LINK
"On the hour mark, Lampard was shown a straight red card for a wild tackle on Alonso. He connected with the ball, but also the Spaniard's ankle, and referee Riley reacted instantly.
John Terry was booked for protesting but in the current climate such tackles are considered dangerous. However, Chelsea will rightly say that Gerrard was only warned for a similar tackle a few minutes earlier."
I honestly can't understand this attitude. Refereeing has been and will continue to be a problem in England. It isn't like the papers are going to be shut out of matches because they rightly scream about poor refereeing.
Honestly, every time there is a loose ball for a 50/50 the players need to worry about getting a red? Meanwhile, Gerrard wantonly commits a foul on Bosingwa in the 5th minute, and doesn't even get a yellow. Bosingwa, of course, gives Benayoun the studs in the lower back later, to no effect.
This is madness. Look, I know we played poor- I know we should have done better, I know Malouda needs to be shipped tomorrow so his cancer doesn't spread to the rest of the team. But how can you take the game and the title chase seriously when every decision goes against you?
Once we were hated... and then "nice guy Chelsea" came along, and we seemed to get decisions. Now we don't anymore. What is the point?
If the opposite were true, if Alonso had gone off for that tackle, or perhaps if it was Gerrard, would the press say we won fairly? That when 2 of the 3 best teams play and a refereeing abomination is committed,that somehow an 89th minute goal is a fair result?
Things didn't look good, but going into halftime Liverpool only had 3 shots. It wasn't the post-Lampard blowout that everyone seems to now think it was the whole game.
I've tried to be fair minded about Scolari, even though he was never my choice - I was always a Rijkaard man when the book was open. However, one can't help feeling some deja vu over the no money syndrome - wasn't Jose treated the same way? I think RA and the powers that be thought Scolari would be able to cope with the current players and improve them whilst blooding some kids. But he's done neither to be truthful. Di Santo and Stoch have had cameo appearances at best, Malouda is fucking terrible, Kalou gifted but inconsistent, Drogba disinterested, Deco way past his prime. I think he'll be here to the end of the season but if RA doesn't sell to the mysterious German consortium I think Scolari could well be sitting on the beach in Rio with a very healthy bank balance. If he does sell then I think Scolari's departure may be even quicker. One can't help agreeing with RA that he isn't going to give money to a man who can't get the best from the current team. We do need new blood and so I'll stick with losing 3 or 4 players in the summer - Malouda, Deco, Drogba and Alex, giving Ivanovic a shot alongside JT because he's been excellent every time he's played for us. Give Stoch and Di Santo some more time and bring in a striker alongside Anelka and a couple of shit hot wingers.
In summary Mark25 - Yep, right on Riley and right on Scolari but not until the seasons over.
On another note - Alonso is a fucking disgrace, and even Jamie Redknapp had a nasty taste when mentioning his name and the way he went down. Franks card will be rescinded, but Bosingwa will be retrospectively punished for sure. Watching Bosingwa has made me want to dig out my Carl Douglas collection
*slopes off realising how old this makes him*
I honestly cannot see how Gerrard wasn't booked in the first few minutes for kicking the ball at Bosingwa. The ref had stopped play, it was a 100% yellow.
Lampard wasn't a sending off and it will get rescinded.
Liverpool were the better side and deserved it more.
Did anyone else think that the introduction of Drogba and Deco changed us completely in the final 1/3. We had a shot on target and suddenly looked dangerous. I think Drogba up front leaves space for Frank and Ballack to move into.
Anelka, Kalou deserve to be on the subs bench but not starting.
Malouda and Kalou were useless. They just lose the ball or run into nothingness. It is like playing with 9 players. Which then makes Lampard and Ballack look shit as they have no-one to pass to.
Sell Malouda in the 24 hour period we have left.
Cough up some £££ and sign Ribery (25), he will be 20 million euro less the 6-8 we get for Malouda.
Tell him to sit out the wing and attack the byline everytime he gets the ball. Perfect for him and Chelsea. This will free up the middle and let ze German and Lampard show their class.
Then in the summer spend some money on some early 20 year olds to attack on the wings.
We do have some great young kids, problem is they are defenders and midfielders. Not attackers.
A complete farce of a game from start to finish..i feel sick because i'm so angry!
As for Mike Riley..he needs stringing up by his b***s....providing he's got any of course!!! >:((
"As for Mike Riley..he needs stringing up by his b***s....providing he's got any of course!!! >:(( "
I think we all know the answer to that Lolli!
Habs-
I'm starting to seriously wonder about Scolari. I think at this point you have to give him the run of the season, as long as we don't finish below 4th.
BUT-
Malouda has to go, now.
Drogba needs some playing time. How long does it need to be before we play Drogs and Anelka together?
Why haven't we played a plan B- something like Drogs/Anelka, then Kalou/Lamps/Ballack/Stoch? Punish teams for committing out wide?
I'm at a loss for our tactics. Honestly, I felt like Kalou was the only one seriously trying to score. Am I the only one who thinks he'd be much better as a #10, playing underneath Drogs as a second striker?
@BeChampions
I know it was an awful decision and getting Lamps red reversed on Monday won't do much for the players who are hurting from a loss at Anfield, but we can't really blame the ref for our defeat. We shouldn't let him cover up our problems. Only one side looked like winning that game and only 1 side wanted to win that game. Livepool may not have created many chances but at least they had some shots, exerted some pressure and supported their front man. We never looked like scoring and strangely we didn't look like we wanted to go for the win. We looked happy with a 0-0 right from the kick off. How else can you explain why we had our first shot on target in the 75th minute?
So let's look forward. We'll regain second position with a few more wins against the crap teams and then we'll lose at Villa Park and then win a few games and then lose at the Emirates. We've become pretty average and should look to the CL to provide some more thrills as this league campaign is petering out rather pathetically.
Well if our boy from Brazil is sent packing into early retirement at the end of the season, why not start tapping up on the quiet our apprentices at Wet Spam. Lets be honest Zola may not have a track record, but him and Clarkey have got a bunch of average nobodies well organised and playing with some passion, just think what they could do with some money and superstars.
Did I watch the same game?
We matched the erstwhile league leaders on their home turf.
Not many real threats on goal, but plenty of good possession until utter crap decision by ref.
Alex was immense, and gave some + for the remainder.
This is a tough season for all, and it's not over yet!
This is farcical and completely ridiculous. I refuse to blame whoever for that loss. I am speechless I simply can not contemplate it!!! The league is decided by the Sun newspaper and the stupid mob reading it. Seems to be a majority around here!!! Shame, merely shame!!!! Whatever manager makes more noise in press wins it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh well, i suppose the general feeling is one of no real surprise at any of the points including th esending off, gerrards protection and Scholari!! Just as well i can see jose 7 points clear and enjoying him taling on the italina establishment there!!! something our manager or board seem to have no stomach for hence the situation with the ref today... maybe FA cup?
It is sad, simply sad that our manager has to whine in press in order for us to be judged fairly............
Big Phil's won stuff..our squad's not entirely shabby...there's still some way to go...the fat lady ain't sung yet!
Didn't see the game so can't really comment but you do increasingly get the feeling that the issue raised by Blue_Mikel and others is the key: Stevie Clarke made the team tick. However you spin it, the series of weak performances against good(ish) teams suggests that the team doesn't know how to impose its quality. We get by against the Stokes and Boros because the individual players are just so much better than the opposition, but once you take away that advantage there doesn't seem to be any sense that they know *how* they're going to win.
I've stuck up for Mr Big before, but this has to be a problem at the managerial level.
On the other hand I'm still not convinced that another big convulsion in the summer will help. We may end up having to let him and Franco both come to the end of their contracts.
Although I suppose there's an argument that a front three of Anelka, Kalou and Malouda just isn't enough for this division. Stick it next to Berbatov, Rooney and Ronaldo, and one can't help feel that we shouldn't be expecting to do better than 2nd/3rd.
The concern is that at present we're struggling past the massed mediocrity of the division and have failed to muster more than a shot on target in 180 minutes of football against our two closest rivals. The top four mini league appears to mean less this season thus far, but we still have to go to Villa Park and the Emirates; I'm happy we'll make top four (pending any disasters) but title challengers we ain't, I'm afraid.
Habs, I disagree. I actually agree with FST60's, where I thought we didn't look ascendant, and Malouda was a problem, but that we were well in the game up to half time. Of course, I think that Malouda never should have started, and Drogba should have been on, at a minimum at half-time. I think if he's in before we go a man down that things are different. Maybe we don't win... but it is sensible tactically.
I thought Kalou played fine. I don't understand why anyone would slag him today. He clearly wasn't the problem...
Clive, obviously that one story is just a snapshot, but like under Avram, I wonder if Zola is really pulling the strings. At this point, I just want Steve Clarke as manager if we need a new one. Flat out. That said, I still think we give Scolari the reins until at least the end of the year unless form drops to the point where we won't make the top 4. Again, if that happens- Clarke.
With all of this refereeing nuttiness, it has come to make me think that Chelsea really suffer for not having ravenous fans. It really seems that the referees fear Anfield and Old Trafford- we need a crowd that will be deafening to help us get calls. But unlike what Graham Poll said, today Mike Riley didn't give a second thought to giving a straight red to an England International...