Friday 30th June

Chelsea's opening televised fixtures announced

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No less than twelve of Chelsea's league games between the start of the season and Boxing Day have been rescheduled for TV. The opening fixture against Manchester City has been moved to 4pm on Sunday August 20th. Other changes include the home games against Liverpool and Arsenal, now on Sunday September 17th and Sunday December 10th respectively, and the away game at Old Trafford which will now take place on Sunday November 26th. There are also three pay-per-view games on PremPlus. For more details, read the full article on the official website here.

Wednesday 28th June

Johnson joins Portsmouth

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Glen Johnson has joined Portsmouth on loan for the whole of next season.

The 21 year-old England international right-back will be reunited with Harry Redknapp, the manager who was in charge of Johnson's former club West Ham.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth have signed Chelsea's former youth and reserve team captain Danny Hollands. The 20 year-old will pen a two-year deal at Dean Court on Saturday 1st July.

Wednesday 28th June

World Cup news - days 19 and 20...

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Four years ago Guus Hiddink led South Korea to the semi-finals of the World Cup. On that fairytale run they benefited from several appallingly inept refereeing decisions, not least when they played Italy in the second round. Prior to Ahn Jung-Hwan's golden goal for South Korea in extra-time Giovanni Trapattoni's team had a perfectly legitimate goal ruled out for offside, a player sent off for diving instead of being awarded a penalty, and a variety of other bad calls go against them.

On Monday Italy had their revenge with a 1-0 win over Hiddink's Australia. Once again Hiddink's side were handed an unfair advantage by a poor refereeing decision when early in the second half Italy and ex-Everton defender Marco Materazzi was red carded for a tackle on Marco...

Tuesday 27th June

Cech undergoes shoulder surgery

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Petr Cech has undergone a routine operation on his shoulder following the Czech Republic's exit from the World Cup, according to the official club website.

Monday 26th June

Feyenoord in loan move for Glen Johnson

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Dutch Eredivisie side Feyenoord have completed the loan signing of Chelsea right back Glen Johnson, Sky Sports are reporting. The 21 year-old had been the subject of interest from both PSV Eindhoven and Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth, but Feyenoord director Chris Woerts claims that the player is currently in Rotterdam having met with Erwin Koeman, the club's first team coach.

Monday 26th June

World Cup news - day 18...

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David Beckham became the first England player to score in three World Cups as his free kick guided Eriksson's team past Ecuador into the last eight of the tournament.

In another tepid performance by England, there were again plus and minus points in equal measure. They swung between looking comfortable and passing the ball well with Carrick in the holding role, to spells where possession was conceded cheaply or the ball simply pumped forward for Rooney to chase with little support to speak of. John Terry and Rio Ferdinand endured a few uncomfortable moments against Carlos Tenorio and Agustin Delgado, but ultimately kept their third clean sheet in four games.

It was Terry who gifted Ecuador the first chance of the game when his botched clearance fell to Tenorio, whose shot deflected off Ashley Cole...

Saturday 24th June

Downtime

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Sincere apologies for today's lengthy downtime. Our web host failed to fix a database server problem in a timely manner. In fact it took them 6 hours.

Right, back to watching Germany hammer Sweden.

Saturday 24th June

World Cup: The Last Sixteen

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The sparring is over; the business is on — Germany v Sweden, England v Ecuador, Argentina v Mexico, Holland v Portugal, Italy v Australia, Switzerland v Ukraine, Brazil v Ghana and Spain v France. So, who’s getting knocked out and who’s staying?

Germany v Sweden: The Dutch-Indian, Leo Beenhakker did not leave Germany without disbursing a little of his famed wisdom. Lagerback, he told us, has the intelligence of a shrimp. Whatever the Swede did to upset the white-haired one, it’s quite clear that too much seafood may not be good for the latter. Lagerback has had respectable success with the Swedish team and Germany would be disgraced if they take them lightly. However, in this tournament, the Swedes have only been chugging along through determination, but this is as far as it would take them. You don’t do determination better than the Germans! With their countrymen roaring them on, Stockholm rather than the quarter-finals is...

Friday 23rd June

World Cup news - day 15...

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Australia and Ghana both reached the knockout phase on a day which saw the Czech Republic depart, Brazil and Italy top their groups and plenty of drama, incident and superb football thrown in for good measure.

Ghana took advantage of Italy's win over the Czech Republic to pip Karel Bruckner's side to the runner-up slot in Group E by beating the U.S.A. 2-1 in Nuremburg. The African side opened the scoring midway through the first half when Haminu Dramani picked Claudio Reyna's pocket and curled a low shot past Kasey Keller. The U.S.A. responded just before half time with a well-taken goal by Clint Dempsey, but the Ghanaians clawed their way back through FIFA Man of the Match Stephen Appiah's controversial penalty awarded by Markus Merk for Oguchi Onyewu's innocuous looking challenge on Razak Pimpong.

Despite a good deal of...

Thursday 22nd June

Chelsea's Premiership fixture list - 2006/7 season...

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Chelsea kick off their campaign for a third consecutive Premiership title at home on August 19 when Stuart Pearce's Manchester City visit Stamford Bridge. For the full fixture list, complete with details of domestic cup and Champions League dates along with international weekends, click here.

Thursday 22nd June

World Cup news - day 14...

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Hernan Crespo and Arjen Robben watched from their respective benches as Argentina and Holland fought out an absorbing 0-0 draw in Frankfurt last night.

Both sides rested players at risk of picking up a further yellow card which would see them suspended in the second round, and while the game was hardly short on star quality it failed to live up to the pre-match hype. Marco van Basten's side acquitted themselves well against the likes of Tevez, Messi and Riquelme, but offered relatively little up front with a tactical plan that looked more about containment than winning the game. Argentina were afforded little space and time and were unable to find the kind of rhythm that led to the 6-0 rout of Serbia and Montenegro, but even without four or five key players the two-time winners looked to be playing...

Wednesday 21st June

World Cup news - day 13...

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England's thirty-eight year drought against Sweden continued last night at the RheinEnergieStadion. Twice they took the lead but an increasingly shaky defence couldn't prevent Lars Lagerback's side from equalising. Sven-Goran Eriksson decided to rest Steven Gerrard and Peter Crouch, both of whom were one yellow card away from missing the first knock-out game. Frank Lampard, another of England's players one booking from a suspension, was partnered in central midfield by Owen Hargreaves, a favourite of Eriksson's but much maligned by England fans. Wayne Rooney started his first...

Tuesday 20th June

World Cup news - day 12...

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Andriy Shevchenko scored his first World Cup goal yesterday as the Ukraine put their nightmare performance against Spain behind them with a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia. Chelsea's record signing headed in the third goal and made the fourth in an impressive performance considering he is still some way short of full fitness. Former Tottenham forward Serhiy Rebrov was also on the scoresheet with a superb strike from thirty plus yards, while Andriy Rusol and Maxim Kalinichenko also scored for the Ukraine. A win over Tunisia in Berlin on Friday will put Shevchenko's men through to the last sixteen.

Spain overcame Tunisia 3-1 in Stuttgart with an impressive second half performance, but only after suffering an attack of nerves when they went behind to a goal from Joahar Mnari with less than ten minutes on the clock. ...

Tuesday 20th June

Millwall sign Portuguese winger Morais

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Millwall have signed Chelsea's twenty-year old Portuguese winger Filipe Morais, their second capture from Stamford Bridge this month. Morais, who has not appeared for the first team in four years with the Blues joins the South-East London club on a two-year deal, according to BBC Sport.

Monday 19th June

Jarosik joins Celtic

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Celtic have completed the signing of Chelsea midfielder Jiri Jarosik. The 28 year-old, who spent last season on loan with Birmingham City, will join the Glasgow club on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. The former CSKA Moscow player could appear for Gordon Strachan's side when they visit Stamford Bridge for a pre-season friendly on August 9th.

Monday 19th June

World Cup news - day 11...

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William Gallas and Claude Makelele face the prospect of an early exit from the World Cup after South Korea snatched a late equaliser to draw 1-1 with the 1998 champions last night in Leipzig.

France dominated the game but failed to make their superiority count after Thierry Henry scored France's first World Cup goal since ex Chelsea midfielder Manu Petit finished off Brazil in Paris eight years ago. Patrick Vieira had a goal incorrectly ruled out after his 31st minute header had clearly crossed the line before being scooped away by Korea keeper Lee Woon-jae, while several other good chances were spurned. With less than ten minutes remaining, Fabien Barthez confirmed why many French football fans believe that Gregory Coupet should be first choice between the posts when he flapped at Ji-Sung Park's bundled attempt which crept over the line past a furious Gallas. Zinedine Zidane was booked...

Sunday 18th June

World Cup news - day 10...

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Ghana and the U.S.A. ripped up the form book and shocked the Czech Republic and Italy respectively as Group E was blown wide open after two dramatic and controversial games yesterday in Germany.

Michael Essien produced another towering performance in midfield and was named FIFA Man of the Match as Ghana became the first African nation to record a win at the tournament, defeating the world's (official) second best team 2-0 in Cologne. Asamoah Gyan drove a low shot past Petr Cech after just seventy-five seconds to rock the Czechs who failed to respond with any real purpose, missing the influence of injured striker Jan Koller up front. Cech produced a series of...

Saturday 17th June

Gudjohnsen regrets Chelsea departure

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Having successfully completed his move to Barcelona this week, Eidur Gudjohnsen has spoken to the Icelandic media about his respect for Jose Mourinho and sadness at leaving Chelsea after six years at Stamford Bridge. Read the full interview here.

Saturday 17th June

World Cup news - day 9...

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Argentina made clear their intention to take the World Cup from neighbours Brazil as they destroyed Serbia and Montenegro 6-0 in Gelsenkirchen yesterday afternoon.

The two-time winners gave a masterclass in passing and movement, with the highlight being a goal which should be mentioned in the same reverent tones as Brazil's fourth in the 1970 final against Italy. After 23 passes with Serbia unable to get near the ball, Hernan Crespo flicked a sublime backheel to Esteban Cambiasso who netted Argentina's second.

Two goals from Maxi Rodriguez either side of Cambiasso's wonder goal made it 3-0 before the break. Crespo put his own name on the scoresheet in the second half after former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman was dismissed for a late tackle. Serbia's humilation was complete when...

Friday 16th June

World Cup news - day 8...

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The nation gnawed at its fingernails for eighty three minutes yesterday evening before Peter Crouch and Steven Gerrard finally broke down Trinidad & Tobago's eleven man defence to send England through to the second phase. In another relatively lacklustre performance, Sven's men flattered to deceive as they dominated possession without ever really looking in command of the game. Lampard uncharacteristically missed a number of chances, spending much of the game shackled by Chris Burchill and generally looked below par. Joe Cole saw a good deal of possession without creating much of a threat before being replaced by Stewart Downing, but pick of the Chelsea trio was John Terry who marshalled the defence superbly and finally put in the kind of performance for England that the Blue faithful expect to see as standard.

Thursday 15th June

World Cup news - day 7...

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Andriy Shevchenko had a disastrous start to the World Cup as his Ukraine side were thumped 4-0 by a rampant Spain yesterday in Leipzig. Ukraine played much of the second half with 10 men after the dismissal of Vladislav Vashchuk for a foul on Fernando Torres and were unlucky in terms of the decisions against them, but Spain were impressive and with games against Saudi Arabia and Tunisia to come, should qualify for the second phase with ease.

Germany snatched a late winner against Poland in Dortmund last night in a thrilling encounter which saw Juergen Klinsmann's side take control of Group A.

Substitutes David Odonkor and Oliver Neuville combined to grab a vital three points in stoppage time after Michael...

Wednesday 14th June

Eidur agrees Barca move

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Barcelona have agreed terms with Chelsea and Eidur Gudjohnsen that will see the Icelandic international move to the Nou Camp on a four year deal, the BBC are reporting. The Champions League winners will pay around £8 million for Gudjohnsen, who moved to Chelsea from Bolton six years ago.

Wednesday 14th June

World Cup news - day 6...

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Despite good individual performances, William Gallas and Claude Makelele made a disappointing start to Germany 2006 as an out-of-sorts France drew 0-0 with Switzerland. South Korea top Group G ahead of the 1998 winners after coming from a goal down to beat Togo in Frankfurt.

Brazil edged past Croatia 1-0 in Berlin, but their performance failed to live up to the pre-match hype with Ronaldo in particular looking a shadow of his former self. A spectacular goal from AC Milan's Kaka was the highlight of a game which saw Croatia create several chances but fail to convert them.

Andiry Shevchenko has declared himself fit for

Tuesday 13th June

Gudjohnsen in Barcelona talks

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Chelsea has given permission for Eidur Gudjohnsen to travel to Spain for talks with Barcelona. An agreement between all parties is still pending, according to the the official club website.

Tuesday 13th June

World Cup news - day 5...

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It was a day of mixed fortunes for the Chelsea players in action at the World Cup yesterday. Petr Cech had a relatively quiet afternoon in goal for the Czech Republic, keeping a clean sheet as they swept past a poor USA side 3-0. Jan Koller, later substituted with a hamstring problem, and Arsenal new boy Tomas Rosicky were on target for the Czechs.

Michael Essien turned in a magnificent performance for Ghana but couldn't prevent defeat on the Black Stars' World Cup debut as they lost 2-0 to a confident Italy side, with man of the match Andrea Pirlo and Vincenzo Iaquinta scoring for Marcello Lippi's men.

Chelsea's French contingent start their campaign today when the 1998 winners take on Switzerland in Stuttgart, with...

Monday 12th June

Cole signs new four-year contract

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Joe Cole has signed a new four-year contract. Cole's previous deal was due to run out at the end of next season but he finalised new terms while with the England World Cup squad in Germany.

Monday 12th June

World Cup news - day 4...

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Arjen Robben and Ricardo Carvalho made successful starts to their World Cup campaigns yesterday. Robben put in a man-of-the-match performance and was on target for the Netherlands, scoring the only goal of the game as they beat Serbia and Montenegro 1-0. Mateja Kezman appeared for the opposition. Carvalho helped Portugal to keep a clean sheet against Angola, with Pauleta's fourth minute strike separating the two sides. Former Chelsea midfielders Tiago and Maniche both appeared for Scolari's side, while Paulo Ferreira was an unused substitute.

Two more Chelsea players are in action today. Petr Cech will appear for the Czech Republic against the USA in Gelsenkirchen, while

Sunday 11th June

Huth agrees to join Middlesbrough

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Robert Huth will join Middlesbrough after agreeing terms on a five-year deal which he expects to sign after the World Cup.

Chelsea and Boro agreed a fee last week and Huth announced today: “I have spoken with the manager, Gareth Southgate, and have promised him I will join Middlesbrough for the new season. The paperwork hasn’t been completed as yet but I have told [him] that I will sign the contract when it is ready.”

Sunday 11th June

World Cup news - day 3...

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England laboured to a 1-0 win over Paraguay in their first Group B game, the victory secured in the third minute when Paraguay captain Carlos Gamarra nodded a trademark David Beckham freekick into his own net. From that point on the England players wilted, blaming the heat for yet another weak and ineffectual second-half display. Sven-Goran Eriksson declared himself satisfied but again proved he is incapable of making effective substitutions; his negativity and tactical ineptitude were major factors in England's lacklustre showing. Fortunately for Eriksson a very poor Paraguay side rarely...

Saturday 10th June

World Cup news - day 2...

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England have no new injury worries as they start their World Cup campaign against Paraguay in Frankfurt this afternoon. Steven Gerrard is expected to play having trained yesterday despite a minor back problem while Blues trio John Terry, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole will all start. Wayne Bridge is likely to be on the bench. Trinidad and Tobago take on Sweden in Dortmund in Group B's other fixture.

The first game in Group C provides an interesting contest for Chelsea fans this evening as Didier Drogba and Hernan Crespo go head-to-head when tournament debutants Ivory Coast take on two-time winners Argentina in Hamburg. Crespo's men will mindful that Argentina lost their opening match to Cameroon in 1990 as defending champions and...

Friday 9th June

Pidgeley leaves for Millwall

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Chelsea 'keeper Lenny Pidgeley has joined Millwall on a three year deal, according to the club's official website. He made his final appearance in the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle on the final day of last season, but found his first team opportunities limited behind Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini. He joins other Chelsea old boys Nigel Spackman, Ray Wilkins and Jody Morris at the South East London club.

Friday 9th June

World Cup news - day 1...

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Andriy Shevchenko scored on his comeback from a knee injury last night as Ukraine beat Luxembourg 3-0 in their final warm-up match before the tournament. Chelsea's record signing came on for the last 30 minutes of the game and looked to have suffered no ill effects from the injury that kept him out of the end of the Serie A season with former club AC Milan.

Germany will open the tournament this afternoon without captain Michael Ballack. Chelsea's other 'name' signing of the summer suffered a calf injury in the friendly against Colombia last week and has not trained since. Robert Huth, expected to complete his move to Middlesbrough within the next few days, should make the bench for the hosts.

Wednesday 7th June

Boro set to sign Huth

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Robert Huth is close to finalising a move to Middlesboro, according to his agent. The German defender, currently on World Cup duty with the host nation, looks set to move to the Riverside for an undisclosed fee as a replacement for former England international Gareth Southgate who has been appointed as Boro manager.

Monday 5th June

World Cup 2006: Germany - heaven on earth...

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On Friday afternoon months of hype will finally come to an end: Michael Ballack will lead the host nation out into the magnificent Allianz Arena* in Munich to take on Costa Rica in the opening fixture of the 2006 World Cup.

Over the weeks that follow, thirty-two teams will play sixty-four matches in front of a global audience of billions: over eighty percent of the world’s population will have some form of contact with the tournament via the media; radio, TV, press and the web making it the biggest sporting event in history. A marketing man’s wet dream as well as heaven on earth for any football fan.

German football has not been in the greatest of health in recent times, but the arrival of the World Cup has breathed new life into the Bundesliga. Attendances...

Sunday 4th June

Jon Obi Mikel: Football With a Human Face

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While we are yet to still know fully what transpired in the just-exposed Arsenal-Beveren case, no one can deny that even the little we know so far has revealed once again the cruel face of football slave trade. But while we leave the matter to be unscrambled by the authorities, decent people should today be celebrating the opposite. Chelsea have showed once again, with the way they’ve handled and now resolved the Jon Obi Mikel saga, that they are not only a big club, but a thinking club with real people of conscience at its heart.

Mikel was one of four young Nigerians scouted by our own Gwyn Williams at the African Youth Championship in Cairo in February 2003. Chelsea made the decision after assessing them that these were good materials for the future. By the time Mourinho came, he also assessed them and specially picked out Jon Obi Mikel whom he described as "pure gold" if he develops as expected. Chelsea, in line with our image as conscientious operators, did not...

Saturday 3rd June

Chelsea seal Obi Mikel deal

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Chelsea have agreed a deal for 19 year-old Nigerian international midfielder Jon Obi Mikel, bringing an end to a long-running transfer dispute with Manchester United.

Under the terms of the agreement Chelsea will pay United £12m and Lyn Oslo, Mikel's current club, £4m.

Mikel's registration will be transferred from Lyn Oslo to Chelsea as soon as possible. United have agreed to terminate their option agreement with Mikel.

Friday 2nd June

Obi Mikel transfer dispute settled?

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Chelsea are reported to be close to signing John Obi Mikel, the 19-year-old midfielder at the centre of a long-running and much publicised transfer dispute with Manchester United.

The Times newspaper is reporting that the Nigerian international was at Stamford Bridge last night with a resolution imminent in the 13-month dispute, while the Guardian newspaper says that Mikel will sign within 24 hours.

If the reports are to be believed, a compensation package worth more than £10m will be paid to Lyn Oslo, Mikel's current club, and United after he reneged on his contract with them.

Friday 2nd June

Chelsea sign Hilario

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Portuguese goalkeeper Hilario has reached an agreement with Chelsea and will join the club once his contract at Nacional expires this summer.

Jose Mourinho has explained he wishes to add the 30 year-old to the squad to allow current third choice 'keeper Lenny Pidgeley the chance of a loan move to gain more experience.

Friday 2nd June

Arsenal face 'secret payments' investigation

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FIFA has launched an investigation into whether Arsenal have broken regulations which could leave the club exposed to serious penalties - even expulsion from the Champions League.

BBC Newsnight has learnt that a police investigation in Belgium has concluded that Arsenal made secret payments of £1m to take over KSK Beveren, which has brought dozens of players from the Ivory Coast into Europe - including Emmanual Eboue and more than half of the Ivory Coast's world cup squad.

Arsenal have released a statement denying...

Thursday 1st June

Shevchenko signs four-year deal

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Andriy Shevchenko has completed his move to Chelsea from AC Milan for a club record fee of around £30m.

The 29-year-old signed a four-year contract on Wednesday after agreeing personal terms and passing a medical.

“I am going from one big club to another and joining a team of champions,” Shevchenko said.