Sunday 30th September

Premier League: Chelsea 0 - 0 Fulham

111 Comments

Match reports

The Observer, Duncan Castles: "You pay off your manager, you make your choice. Grant appears a less intelligent selection by the match. Comprehensively outplayed by Manchester United six days previously, Chelsea contrived to draw with Fulham - a team who had triumphed just once in the Premier League this season and had not won a capital derby in 10 attempts."

Sunday Telegraph, Julian Bennetts: "[T]he fare on offer was dire. If Abramovich sacked Mourinho for not providing attractive football, then Grant has a long way to go before his employer can be satisfied."

Thursday 27th September

League Cup: Hull City 0 - 4 Chelsea

80 Comments

Match reports

The Guardian, Louise Taylor: "Jose who? Admittedly it was against a Championship side in the Carling Cup but a vibrant Chelsea performance suffused with goals and improvisational attacking suggested that there just might be a life for the Blues post Mr Mourinho after all."

The Times, Matt Hughes: "Avram Grant must have feared being fed to the sharks in the nearby aquarium after sitting through 36 scoreless minutes, but to his intense relief Chelsea’s misfiring players finally showed that they, too, possess teeth. Scott Sinclair, Salomon Kalou and Steve Sidwell all scored their first goals of the season be

Wednesday 26th September

Avram Grant: The Embarrassment Factor

35 Comments

In life, it sometimes happens that those we love deeply embarrass us in ways that we find absolutely impossible to defend their actions. But while in almost every other aspect of life you can make the conscious decision to withdraw your love or affection (depending on the nature of the slight), in football it’s not quite that easy. It is actually wired into the DNA of every true fan to have that unrestrained tendency to rise above all sorts of human-induced disappointment in support of their beloved football club. Yet, supporting your beloved club and supporting idiotic policies by those in charge of running your beloved club are two different things. Any discerning fan knows that in spite of the fact that Roman Abramovich owns Chelsea, he does not own their soul. In other words, paying for Chelsea does not mean he’s bought your independence of thought or power of good judgement.

Monday 24th September

Premier League: Manchester United 2 - 0 Chelsea

76 Comments

Match reports

The Guardian, Kevin McCarra: "Once United had scored, with Carlos Tevez notching his first goal for the club, Chelsea enjoyed no more than a meaningless rally. Sir Alex Ferguson's side remembered to keep ample numbers behind the ball and spirited breaks by the visitors petered out, with no genuine saves required of Edwin van der Sar. Those seeking to have their emotions stirred were best advised to keep their eyes on the referee."

The Times, Martin Samuel: "Mike Dean had some big calls to make at Old Trafford yesterday. It really would have spoilt it had he got one right. He gave a penalty that was n

Saturday 22nd September

A Rich Man's Fart!

57 Comments

A rich man’s fart can be expensive; Roman Abramovich has proved this with his latest gambit. In a pique, he let José Mourinho walk out the Stamford Bridge gates and left others to carry the can of such monumental mess. Indeed, I watched Avram Grant’s so-called first press conference as Chelsea manager and it was nothing but a bad dream. In historical terms, it’s like being thrown back into the Middle Ages after lapping up the Renaissance. Bruce Buck, Peter Kenyon and the new manager all looked every bit like men facing a bone-breaking ordeal and, somehow, you can’t help pitying them. They kept talking about José and “the club” reaching a breakdown in their relationship and how they mutually agreed to go their separate ways, but it was just too obvious that by “the club”, they meant Abramovich.

Friday 21st September

Apres moi le deluge

31 Comments

So said Marie-Antoinette a little over 200 years ago from the tumbril on the way to her appointment with the guillotine, and her foresight was spot on. Within three years, not only had many, many aristocrats and bourgeois been likewise executed, but also so had all those who were responsible for sentencing her to death, the Robespierre, Danton, Saint-Just and the like. Thus it is with the passing of The Special One, one can wonder who, if any, is likely to follow.

Thursday 20th September

The King is Dead...

45 Comments

Long live the King. In the words of Lloyd Bridges as Steve McCroskey in Airplane, it looks like I picked a bad week to give up smoking.

Let’s face it, it was never likely to end in a triumphant victory lap of the Stamford Bridge pitch with a handful of trophies and bear hugs from Roman and his retinue.

Whilst Uncle Ken may have upped sticks and moved to Yorkshire, his ghost clearly still stalks the corridors of Chelsea Football Club. And even he might be envious at the manner of Roman’s axe-wielding.

The recent sight of our benefactor leaving Villa Park, pausing briefly to shake the hand of Doug Ellis (no stranger himself to the managerial machete) on his way out was, with hindsight, not just that of a man in a hurry to make his flight home.

Thursday 20th September

Breaking news: Mourinho leaves Chelsea

93 Comments

00:34 - BBC Radio 5live is reporting that Jose Mourinho has left Chelsea. It is not yet clear if he resigned or was sacked.

There has been no official confirmation so far from the club.

00:50 - Unconfirmed reports suggest that Mourinho said he would quit a few days ago and Chelsea couldn't get him to change his mind. This would certainly explain Roman Abramovich's demeanour during Tuesday's Champions League game at Stamford Bridge.

01:23 - First mention of Sven-Goran Eriksson's name in the Sun newspaper. God help us.

01:33 - "Jose Mourinho's expected exit from Chelsea is down to his summer transfer dealings, according to a club insider

Wednesday 19th September

Champions League: Chelsea 1 - 1 Rosenborg

50 Comments

Match reports

The Guardian, Dominic Fifield: "Chelsea must feel further away than ever from a first European Cup. Their owner, Roman Abramovich, may have his heart set on triumphing in this competition twice in the next six years but there was humiliation to endure here. Rosenborg, seasoned campaigners at this level but too often just to make up the numbers in the group stage, achieved arguably their greatest ever Champions League result last night. Those in blue shirts departed with red faces."

Daily Telegraph, Henry Winter: "If you don't make an omelette right, you end up with egg on your face. Chelsea keep talking about wanting to become

Monday 17th September

Premier League: Chelsea 0 - 0 Blackburn Rovers

22 Comments

Match reports

The Observer, Stuart Barnes: "Jose Mourinho has enjoyed the luxury of free-scoring performances in three home league games against Blackburn during his stewardship at Stamford Bridge. Not so this time. The Chelsea manager was left frustrated by his side's failure to win a game they dominated for long spells and angry that what he felt was a perfectly good goal by Salomon Kalou was ruled out by a linesman."

Independent on Sunday, Nick Townsend: "Mark Hughes, celebrating his third anniversary as Blackburn Rovers manager since he relinquished the Wales job and succeeded Graeme

Saturday 15th September

The top 50 managers of all time

6 Comments

Matt Dickinson and the football people at The Times should be congratulated for taking football journalism to a new low with their senseless series on “The world’s top 50 footballers”, “The worst 50 footballers”, “50 top football transfers”, “The 50 worst transfers”, “50 most important goals” and “Football’s 50 hardest men”. Now, their latest assault on our senses is the “

Monday 10th September

Premier League: Chelsea v. Blackburn Rovers

33 Comments

The recent defeat to Aston Villa has added extra spice to our next Premier League game against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, kick-off 5:15pm.

Much was made of our lack of creativity at Villa Park - as it was of Roman Abramovich's early departure from the directors' box. With a home record of sixty-six games unbeaten to defend and an owner to please, the pressure will be on Jose Mourinho to put right our offensive shortcomings.

Rovers are in great form and have yet to lose this season. However their recent record at Stamford Bridge isn't good - we've put eleven past them in the last three games. Prior to Mourinho's arrival they were unbeaten at the Bridge since the 1987/1988 old Division 2 play-offs.

Fans not going to the game can

Wednesday 5th September

Departuregate: Man in hurry to leave Birmingham shocker!

18 Comments

Question: What’s the difference between Bob Crow and Roman Abramovich?

Answer: One is a twat whose delight in walking out pointlessly irritated thousands, the other is a man whose walkout delighted thousands of irritating, pointless twats.

No - don’t leave yet, I haven’t finished. Alright, maybe I shouldn’t quit the day job.

Tuesday 4th September

Oh, Get a Grip!

17 Comments

I’m not surprised that normal service has resumed in the press over Chelsea as Roman Abramovich’s public show of disaffection with the Villa Park result has seemingly given the rowdy rotters something to bleat about. The muted whispers that greeted the match-day Guardian report that there’s trouble at the club (because Abramovich reportedly chased after Ronaldinho without José Mourinho’s consent) have now ballooned into loud celebratory guffaws. And the bookmakers, no slouches in reading the tell-tale signs, have shortened the odds against Mourinho facing the chop.

Monday 3rd September

Premier League: Aston Villa 2 - 0 Chelsea

24 Comments

Match reports

The Independent, Sam Wallace: "Fourth place was not exactly what Roman Abramovich had in mind when he agreed with Jose Mourinho that Chelsea needed to reinvent themselves as the Premier League's most entertaining side. Beaten by Aston Villa yesterday, and with a team struggling to score goals, Mourinho has a lonely week ahead to contemplate just how his side are to re-launch a season that went badly awry yesterday."