Premier League: West Ham United 0 - 4 Chelsea
Match reports
Sunday Times: “Three goals up within 22 minutes, reduced to 10 men after 34, Chelsea rose from the ashes of their Carling Cup final defeat to crush a disorganised West Ham.”
The Observer, Duncan Castles: “Grant’s first Premier League victory since January keeps his team nominally in contention for the title and may go some way to easing the concerns of Roman Abramovich as the owner spent the weekend in Russia on electoral duties. Whether it will reassure the Israeli’s players of his abilities as a top-tier manager, however, is a moot point.”
Sunday Telegraph, Roy Collins: “The Carling Cup may have gone, but Chelsea are still in a couple of little cup competitions called the FA Cup and Champions League and, on the basis of this win and another slip-up by Arsenal, they are right back in the title mix. They even looked like Arsenal at times.”
Independent on Sunday, Ronald Atkin: “There had been confident pre-match talk from West Ham sources about deepening Chelsea’s unhappiness but in the end it was simply another Hammer horror show to add to Chelsea’s impressive statistics against them: six wins in a row now, 17 scored and three conceded.”
Official Chelsea FC Website, Andy Jones: “It is to date Grant’s biggest away win in the Premier League, and the perfect answer to those who have doubted the team over the past seven days.”
The goals
17′ Lampard (penalty) 0-1
20′ J. Cole 0-2
22′ Ballack 0-3
64′ A. Cole 0-4
The warm up
Crisis? What crisis?
Was last week or this week the aberration? I think last week and now normal service has been resumed for us and for Spurs. Add to this the joy of Arsenal dropping two points (so nearly three) and my mood improved so much that I rushed back from the pub, where I watched the game, to buy tickets for Barnsley away next week.
Presumably someone will write a post “Why Avram Grant must stay”? I think not. Despite Grant’s newly found street-fighting attitude unfortunately for him he lives in a one way street.
The match
Nicolas Anelka scored after only 90 seconds. Looked like a perfectly good goal but the linesman decided he was offside.
But we didn’t have to wait too long for our opener. Salomon Kalou, who looked sharp and fluid all afternoon, broke clear and was tackled clumsily by the lesser Ferdinand in the penalty area. It looked a bit dubious since it was right on the edge of the box and Kalou had lost control of the ball. Still Frank Lampard wasn’t complaining as he stepped up in front of the home fans, chanting “You fat bastard”, to send the keeper the wrong way for goal 102.
Not long later Joe Cole scored a great goal with a fierce shot across the face of the keep into the far corner.
Could it get any better than this? Only minutes later it did with a great move finished off by a fine strike from Michael Ballack. Five minutes of play provided more attacking and excitement than Liverpool, Olympiakos and Spurs combined.
In the first half Lampard was sent off after a scuffle with Luis Boa Morte. It was all handbags and nothing really happened and even a booking would have been harsh. The problem with the red card system is you can just as easily get a life sentence for shop lifting as murder. Still, even if we went down to eight men we weren’t going to lose this one. Hopefully the club will not appeal for Lampard’s ban to be increased from three games to four.
Second half and Claude Makelele committed a foul that could easily have earned a red. However it helps your case to be short, have a good reputation and go in with a broad smile as you stick your studs into the opponent’s shin.
West Ham did have one chance. A ball floated into our box and it was 70:30 in favour of their forward but this didn’t stop Petr Cech rushing off his line to try and intercept. The ball got chipped over Cech’s head and it looked a certain goal until John Terry flew in and acrobatically cleared off the line.
West Ham tried to get forward which allowed us to counter-attack and we looked the most likely to get the next goal. Eventually another goal arrived from an unlikely source: Ashley Cole. It wasn’t a set piece but open play so it begged the question that Cheryl’s been asking for the last few weeks, “What the hell were you doing up there?”
The warm down
Next time out against the Hammers we should rest the squad and start with only ten men.
With Lampard getting sent off this eases Grant’s selection problems for three games. Bizarrely we may be the first club ever that could benefit from picking up a few suspensions and injuries.
Don’t let this 4-0 win get in your way - back to blogging on why Grant must go.
Related links
- Posted at 11:56 PM · Permalink · Print · 3487 views · Last indexed by Google on the 11th May 2008
- Tags: Ashley Cole, Avram Grant, Chelsea, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Michael Ballack, Premier League, West Ham
Yes AG MUST GO.
So what? WH, next olympiakos, and after Barnsley, all really top opposition,
it does not change my mind at all, any result against these teams, whatever the score.
I still believe Avram Grant should go and SOON.
I just wanted to be the first to comment!
Good result, no doubt….but how much was down to Ag, and how much to pissed off players like Ballack and Cole. Frank’s red card was laughable when you see the fight at Newcastle which only ended up in bookings! And let us not forget, we’ve been doing well against the lesser lights all season…it’s the record aginst teams in the top 8 that looks piss poor.
Off to bed now…the hangover from yesterday has finally gone….I thought Guinness was good for you?
I just wanted to be the first to comment!
Damn you Marco ;-)
Great performance and win. Lampard’s sending off was a joke. It doesn’t change my opinion - Grant is still not good enough.
That fuckwit Duncan Castles in the Guardian is still waging a personal vendetta against the club….
http://football.guardian.co.uk.....43,00.html
I think he should be snapped up by the News of the World. His reporting on Chelsea this season has been nothing short of sensationalist pap. Didn’t the Guardian have to apologise for some of his reports earlier in the season?
Agree…Frank`s red card??? What for exactly??!!! Just hope he gets off with it. I mean, come on, Joey Barton got off with a blatant smacking of Shaun Maloney in the gob in early Febuary, all Frank did was shove Boa Morte in the shoulder. His tackle on Lamps was outrageous, ever likely he got mad…i did!!! Hardly a red card offence!!! Considering the shit Lamps has to put up with every time we visit Upton Park, i`m suprised at how well he puts up with it…i know i couldn`t, and wouldn`t. I commend him. Good on him for scoring the penalty, even if it did only manage to shut the tossers up by 5 minutes!!! Anelka offside??? Yeah, whatever!!!
Very, very sweet goals from Joe, Ballack and Ash…it`s certainly lessened the blow for me from last Sunday….just a little. Fingers crossed for the game against Olypiakos.
J.T was MOTM today i thought
Well done boys….i`m proud of you all
Up the Chels xxx
loved the reply following the carling cup, especially ashley’s first goal! I trust those lucky enough to get tickets were in voice with the ’shaggin everywhere’ song after that!
on another note can anyone suggest some good pubs to go to that have satelliite in the general sw1 area…? would love to have been there today but only a member and our tickets sold out in literally two seconds!
y on earth was cole and ballack played on sunday.may be this performance has showed the way for AG.poor selection he picked the best team today instead of sunday. lampard ,red good at least ballacck will play the next three matches and if his magic starts weaving there will no one remembering lampard
I think Avram still needs to go. But now, I also think that the yellow away shirts need to go. Any coincidence that the last few games spent in yellow have been clunkers while this game in white was pretty decent? I think not.
Chelsea were very good. West Sham were abysmal. All this totalled up to = an excellent 4-0 win, that could have and should have been more.
The “offside” goal should have been allowed -replays showed that Anelka was ONside. He should have gotten another goal to his Chelsea tally.
Lampard took his penalty very well. There was no need for Ferdinand to make that foul, but he’s always given away cheap fouls. Haha.
Joe Cole’s goal was sublime, as was Ballack’s.
And Ashley Cole on the scoresheet! Who woulda thunk it?
Lampard’s sending off was absolute poop, but luckily Sham failed to capitalize. ‘Tis annoying though, Boa Morte (biggest waste of space ever, after Dirk Kuyt, methinks) and Lampard should both have been booked and that should have been the end of it. The sending off gave the West sham fans more to cheer about than the rest of the afternoon put together, which sums them up in total.
Is annoying though, I would have liked to see Chelsea go on a 6-0 rampage ala Man City.
Agreed with everyone who says Avram should go. Never during the match, when we were 3-0 up, did he look like motivating the players, or calming them down, sharing tactics, or even cracking a smile. I’ve watched educational videos that offer more entertainment, and are more use, than him.
As for Tottenham’s reverse fortune to Chelsea, all I can say is…. hubris is a dangerous thing. That 2-day binge drink party they went on doesn’t seem so clever now, does it?
All I an say it was definitely a red card for Frank, Boa Morte came close to serious injury… that could so easily have been a dislocated shoulder. Those sort of pushes should be stamped out from the game, and players should be more controlled in those situations and not react in that way.
I just hope the FA don’t ask for further video evidence because we could see the three match ban extended, just take the ban as it is, and no appeals, because I can see Sky Sports News run that horror push for the best part of a week to try and influence the FA to come down even harder!!!
@ Karl:
Duncan Castles is shit, end of. I mean, he didn’t even bother properly with his match report, just cos Chelsea won. What the fuck is this?
“and Joe Cole might have won a penalty as Ricardo Carvalho grabbed handfuls of his shirt”
So Carvalho fouled a member of his own team. Right. I think he meant Carlton Cole.
But honestly. The “reportage” coming from The Guardian regarding Chelsea matches nowdays are completely and utter pat.
I enjoyed reading the report, as always, but what about the player ratings and MoM?
Well I still back the Blog from JD „Avram must go…â€
Mark, from you article one can assume that a win against a disorganised team that clearly is at an inferior level than us will make up for a lousy defeat against a team (Tottenham) that is more in our league.
The million expensive Ferrari that Chelsea has assembled should now be happy by racing against some FiATs or OPELs and winning from them. That should compensate us from loosing against MU, Tottenham and the likes.
Well I don’t think so, and even feel it’s almost dishonest trying here so sell such ideas. We should think like winners and be compared to MU, Barcelona …. And so on, not to a 2nd teams (no offence to the fans from WH).
I am dissapointed not to see Anelka and Drogba play as a pair upfront in a 4-4-2 formation with Ballack and Essien in midfield flanked by J.Cole and Kalou. I think that is our best attacking formation.
@Deep Blue from your article one can assume that a win against a disorganised team that clearly is at an inferior level than us will make up for a lousy defeat against a team (Tottenham) that is more in our league.
Not at all , last week was bitterly disappointing. However there’s no point in carping on about it and I just want to concentrate on the football for the remainder of the season. Despite fans spending £1,000 plus per season Roman spends a lot more and will do what he wants. I’m happy to leave it for the Scousers wanting DIC and Toon fans wishing they hadn’t got what they wished for.
@ Mark: brilliant review of a brilliant game, hillarious! last week was the aberation that will spur us 2 greatness. no more complacency, stage fright,… watch this space.
In regards to the Guardian Article - not sure how much of that is untrue. I would have to agree that it is the players themselves who now motivate themselves and AG does not look like having their respect. I can also totally understand why J.Cole is upset about being left out of the Carling Cup team - was it too rest him for the West Ham game???? Come on.
I see the logic in resting Drogs during the West Ham game in order for the CL and same for Essien. Although he did have a shocker against the Spuds - he is a quality player and every player is entitled to a bad day every now and again. Remember he was voted player of the year last season by this BLOG!!!
So I think we should acknowledge the turmoil at the bridge right now and I am putting my faith in JT, Lamps, Ballack and Steve Clark to keep the team together and pumped for the rest of the season. Then we bring in Ancelotti in the summer!!
I do still love Roman for all he has done for us - I can only hope his Advisors start giving him good advice - leave the team alone and focus on making money through oil so we can start buying the best talent in the world and dominating the football arena.
Well done lads against WH - they ain’t blowing bubbles now!!
Great result, and a half decent performance, which has taken the spotlight off two awful, and potentially match changing decisions.
A pefectly good goal disallowed, and then having to play three quarters of the game with ten men.
All three officials were utter cocks!
Reports in today`s “mail” that Sheva is hoping to return to AC Milan. Oh dear, that would(nt) be a shame!…
Lolli - see fat frank gets himself sent off!!!! ;) lol
No seriously that was a great game, ballack looks so damn good he is going on the back of my new shirt! I just love Ze German - so much better than frank. <:)
Anelka linked play well and should have not been given offside.
J Cole was great. cashley has obviously got his spring back now the fine mrs cole is back in their mansion.
Riccy and JT were warriors again. Love em both.
This half changes my view of Grant - if he sticks with this, has DD on the bench with essien that is 2 great players to change a game and will put the early performances down to a learning curve. If he reverts back then he has to go still as he has no idea.
Well I read the report too, I do not see anything that, after all, has not been mentioned in this blog.
I agree there is discontent amongst the players, after all no player likes to lose,regarding players motivating themselves this is another proof that they do not reckon the manager, this is common knowledge, that AG is a clueless wannabe.
Besides journalists usually have their own sources in the teams, i am not so sure if there is a lot of exageration about the article. It is normal that the club always denies any discontent, remember JM situation prior to his sacking?
Well i think the article only reiterates what the fans already know and knew.
So i am still convinced that AV, should be given the manager’s job at synchronised swimmimng at chelsea, if they have a department of that sport.
No No No even after beating olympiakos, and barnsley I will not be convinced that AG should remain as the manager, so I am joining the “petition of why AV must go”
The sooner the better.
Off to bed now…the hangover from yesterday has finally gone….I thought Guinness was good for you?
It’s only good for you Tony if you don’t drink it with that Magners rubbish that pretends to be cider! Now come down to my part of the world and I’ll show you what cider should be like.
Apparently Essien,Riccy,Lamps and DD will all leave the club at the end of the season of Grant is still in charge!
Well,
i’m one of Grant’s biggest opponents, BUT whatever the problems, when credit is due, it must also be said and given as well as the criticism, so weather Grant helped to win the match or not, the whole team deserve credit for a very good game and excellent play. The balance was better, the play was better and yes, it was west Ham not Barca, but it was still a good selection, whoever picked it and we did well all the same. So well done all!. Alos, it syas at lot really how supposedly good Tottenham are (not!!) that they lost and we won. Also, Arsenal are not going to win the league, I still think it will be Man-U or an outside bet us…well, I can at least dream guys!!!
What was the single biggest event this weekend?
Ballacks well taken goal?
Joe Cole’s superbly struck shot?
Ashley Cole scoring again ;-) (even Lineker joked about that on MOTD)
Frank’s calm penalty
Frank’s ridiculous sending off that even the blinkered old FA goats must see was wrong
No….none of these
It was me getting an “eagle” on the 11th at my local golf club. scoring a 2 on a par 4 with a 3-wood in from 210 yards! After that I didn’t care what happened..but as the texts came in with the score after the eagle, added to the fact that my playing partner was a Happy Hammer…maybe you can understand why Guinness and Magners got a bit mixed up!
Bufoons like Kalou and Malouda get in the team ahead of Sheva, words fail me, the guy has every right to be furious! Grant out Guus Hiddink in!
@Evan
In terms of Feng Shui, the ‘electric yellow’ has too much yang, but it’s a matter of getting a good balance between yin and yang for a positive result. Yesterday our players had white shirts and that overwhelmingly smoothened the ill effect of Grant’s black shirt!
In any case, Grant in his usual black shirt is clearly a symbol of ‘dead man walking’! :-)
good…
you just don’t like grant because he’s lets say funny or a bit irritating like mourinho was…
i wanted to say ”not ”funny” or irritating if you ask me like mourinho was”
@ MUNKEYFEET
Ballack so much better than Lampard??!!!
You having a laugh or trying to wind me up?
Ballack, though a great player, has ONLY been a great player since last Christmas AFTER he`d had his op, before that…well…he was pretty naff really wasn`t he?
Now Frank on the other hand….has been a conistently great player and for the record, his name is on the back of ALL my t-shirts, even the England ones.
FAT?!!! Munkeyfeet, take yourself into a corner and have a word with yourself!!!
Was anyone else’s reaction to Frank’s sending off that “At least AG doesn’t have to decide between Frank and Ballack for three games”? Because mine certainly was. The selections continue to be strange and I hope Avram is smart enough to set some sort of squad so we don’t end up like old Rafa. Hope that we can see SWP find a place for the next few games (perhaps in the center?). And, just to echo Mark, a good game for Kalou–one of his best in blue in my opinion.
Seven points back with a game in hand and both teams ahead of us have to come to the Bridge. Could be a whole hell of a lot worse. Always blue.
“Was anyone else’s reaction to Frank’s sending off that “At least AG doesn’t have to decide between Frank and Ballack for three gamesâ€?”
Too right.
Top draw pass from Lampardinho for Ballacks’ goal. Quality finish too of course.
No question though we need a proper manager soon. Westham away is regulation stuff for title contenders.
Cashif: “No question though we need a proper manager soon. Westham away is regulation stuff for title contenders.”
So that’s why Manure and Liverpool both lost at Upton Park this season?
Credit to AG, he got the lineup right and the players were motivated. Do that every game and he’ll be the best manager in the world.
After the dismal display against the spuds last week,I think the players motivated themselves for this game, old Boris had very little to do with it, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was pressured from above on the team selection either.
Until Frank was sent off I thought the team were playing well enough to score 5 or 6 goals so maybe Frank and the Kaiser can play together.
It looks like Arse Whingers side is starting to get the staggers all we need is Man Ure to do the same and we’d be in with a chance on yesterdays performance, but I cant see old red nose letting that happen.
Always optimistic and always Blue
Despite hammering the Hammers, Grant has to go.
Are JCole, Drogba, Lamp, Essien and Carvalho all threatening Roman (for leaving)to sack Grant as soon as possible? Dear hope so, wouldn’t like to see them all gone by the end of the season.
This would be the end of the world.
just been on sky sports news that it`s looking more and more likely that Didier is on his way out of the door to Barca. Apparently, there will be a swap for either Eto`o, Ronnie or Henry. Chelsea have already ruled Ronnie out weeks ago haven`t they? Henry`s quite a prolific goal scorer since he moved there, so can`t see them letting him go, so that leaves Eto`o. Hmmmmm…..don`t know about anyone else here but i can`t see that one becoming a reality either. Really hope Drogs stays though. It will be a dark day for the Chels if we let that one get away. Only time will tell i suppose…
Do that every game and he’ll be the best manager in the world.
I probably think you’ve been drinking too much Carlsberg!
The Grant must go toss is getting to a state of boring…
@Tony
I am going to be straight and state you are NOT a football fan…Lampard kicked out at Boa Morte…induced by Boa Morte but come on people a kick out is a kick out…how one could try to cover this up with…oh How did Lampard get sent off??? Makes me wonder what shade of blue your glasses must be tinted…
I believe in honesty…which am sorry to say many on this blog lack…call a spade a spade…and not a big spoon…Viera had a kick out a Van Nistelroy and got sent off…Lampard actually kicked out twice at Boa Morte…But since Lampard is our “darling” he can do no wrong…you guys make me laugh…
I was just begining to appreciate the Lampard Ballack link up and what does Lampard do? Gets sent off for a teenagers reaction…
I was not amused to by our tendency to complain about small things…We tend to act like a small team when our character is put to test…I think big clubs do not lower themselves to petty reactions of oh ref you are being bad to us etc etc…get on with the bloody game…Maka most times plays well for me but his persistent complaing puts me off…add Terry, Drogba, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole to this list…get on with it…
The ref was not bad…his assistants were the ones that seemed to be championship league material…how they managed to call Anelka offside for his goal in the 2nd minute defeats me…
Lovely reaction save by Cech…lovely reactions and as always Carlvalho stoof out at the back…
Grant did not come off clean as his playing Alex in the Midfield baffled me…okay he has got height but is too slow…play sidwell in the holding role…
Now the fans on this site…the Avram thing should wait till the close of the season..you will have two-three months to put forward you arguments backed with the results…It would look silly if AG came off with the Premiership and Champions League and we are the same people crying AG out…with all due respect to TSO…he did not get us the Champions league and AG would have gone one better making him the Greatest Chelsea Coach…
Patience is a virtue…do please show some for AG…
One for all and all for one…I hope!!!!
As hard as this is to admit…… I actually agree with some ( not the bit about Tony not being a football fan, obviously, cos that is just bloody stupid!) but the stuff about Terry, Ash, Drogba and Maka going over the top with the complaining is ABSOLUTELY spot on!
Just get on with the bloody game… It doesn’t do us any favours with either the refs or media, so why bother.
Strangely enough he is also right about Fank…. WHilst unlucky to get sent off for the shove, he did kick out a couple of times and my initial reaction was that he was over the top in his reaction. Boa Morte is a wanker and winds players up, but why do we fall into it.
I am however going to change my opinion of las week on Terry, having read that the fight with Ten Cats was him actually standing up for Mikel when he was being singled out for grief. That is the role of the skipper…. If the coach is out of order, it is upto the captain to make his opinions known.
I don’t for one moment think all of those players will move on in the summer…. I think DD needs to be brought into line…. We won’t get Ronnie, Eto’o or Henry in the summer and I don’t think we should be chasing them.
As for the stuff about giving Grant a chance…. Well that is just Jose being Jose…. He is fine against the crap teams, but clearly well out of his depth when playing against the big boys, as the up-coming games against Arse and Utd will show.
As previously stated, we will stay in all comps until we play anyone half decent, and then we will not manage to win. I am also really worried about the game against the greeks and think we may go out…. Which would really up the ante on Avram.
Enough for now……
JD
Activate “Avram Must Go ” now, so it we can send the signatures to RA.
> Jose…
Thank for making the salient points above…the regards i held for some persons up here is dissipating fast, seeing the way they reason…
If the manager had a ‘name’…they’d have blamed the players for being lackadiasical last week, and praised him for ‘knocking’ some sense into their heads this week…but cos AG has no ‘pedigree’…he carries the can for last week’s defeat, while the players are given kudos this week for ‘motivating themselves’…as if the sight of a filled stadium and the carling cup itself would not have served as enough motivation for the ’self-motivated’ players…rubbish!
Such a shame that others envy us for where we are and what we can still achieve, while our very own are playing the cords of despair…
Looking forward to a win against Olympiacos…
Always Blue!
Imagine if it were AG that dropped points against Villa (lost grounds on the lead) the way wenger did…what do you think woulda happened?
Just thinking aloud cos i remember the noise that came up here after we drew that Villa match…
@ Jose
You really are a knob.
Boa Morte also clearly kicked Frank in the replays…so shouldn’t he retrospectively be carded.
And it seems clear that Frank was sent off for an alleged slap……the asst refs and refs wording, heard by several players, including West ham ones.
Alongside the whole of the football pundit community, including the press, and ex-players, including the Sky panel. Which puts you very much in the minority pal, and to my mind makes you wrong.
I stood up for your right to say stuff on here, but you’ve fucked me off and insulted me, so here’s my advice. Censored…obviously……
Go away.
@Tony
I don’t read his posts, but I suppose I don’t have to because I can tell by the replies he gets that he’s a tw*t. I think to avoid things getting personal with any exchanges you’d be better off ignoring whatever he writes.
Winning the CL won’t earn “The Greatest Chelsea Coach” for Grant. If and only if (which is unlikely up till this moment) we won it, it could have been the quality of individual talented lads in the team PLUS the team spirits that could have motivated all the 24 lads playing. Players have been neglecting Grant lately (and rumors never start out of nowhere), isolating him out of their own meeting etc.. I don’t really think Grant gets the respect that TSO did before, and in sports, this is no team spirit at all.
We won the games to make it up for losing TSO. They have little to do with those “Grant’s tactics”, btw. Yeah, problem of plenty, but he got handful of talented players, he could have not got wrong playing 11 of them each match (except for Carling Cup final).
I think Grant is an average guy, but certainly no Chelsea type of manager material.
Jose (Musumba) must stay! I was looking forward to his particular spin on Frank’s sending off. And he didn’t disappoint. He let himself down a bit by talking something approaching sense about our tendency to harrass referees, but plenty of nonsense at the end about AG possibly turning out to be our “greatest ever manager” — reverting to form at the business end of his post, when it counts!
[Just to clear that up -- in the inconceivably unlikely event that we win the Champions League this year it will not make AG our greatest manager, any more than Mad Rafa is a great manager because his team once played 45 incredible minutes and then won a penalty shoot-out. The only accurate measure of a team's success is the league, because, by definition, the best team in the country wins the league. To be able to win the Champions League is a great coup -- and to win it with a team like Porto does suggest something like genius -- but it's not the most important measure.]
Can we please forget the “Grant Must Stay/Go” stuff? There’s nothing more shallow than saying everything’s a disaster and calling for the manager’s head after one loss, and saying he’s a genius and we’re going to win the league after one win.
Personally I agree with those who saw the Carling Cup Final as the tipping point. The man’s had a few months to prove himself and I can’t see that he’s made any discernible difference to the team, or that he’s shown himself capable of managing difficult situations, or that he inspires the players; and it’s now looking like he’s unable to maintain a good atmosphere around the team, despite the fact that his appointment was supposed to restore the harmony lost because of the friction between José and RA. *But* we all know perfectly well there’s no chance of him being fired before the end of the season, so we might as well — as Jose says [!] — wait until May.
@ Stowe — yup — that was my first reaction. Selection sorted, for a bit. Ballack’s a bit combustible too so perhaps he can get himself sent off when Frank’s ready to come back?
“What was the single biggest event this weekend?”
Some scum-of-the-Earth, degenrate, piece of shit scumbag nicked my jacket on Friday night, leaving me sans mobile phone, iPod and (not that importantly) my works ID card.
That was pretty big. Christ, I’ve been angry ever since (don’t particularly think Mrs Fifty had a great Mothers Day !!)
Then we turn Wet Spam over 4 - 0, playing some great football at times. This just topped up my anger.
In a 7 day spell, I dont think it’s possible to perform so differently as we did on Saturday and last Sunday. If ever there was proof AG has no clue, the fact Joe Cole shone like he did shows AG tried - and failed - spectacularly with his tactics.
I just pray for more of the same on Wednesday.
And while I’m limited to what MOTD showed me (and credit to Lineker and / or the script writers for the Ashley Cole pun) we scored some wonderful goals. Ballack’s volley from Lampards outside of the boot pass deserves credit - it was brilliant.
Great result and performance. Listened on the radio and they described the third goal as ‘run-of-the-mill stuff’. What are they talking about? It was a stunning bit of football.
Lampard’s red card was harsh if given for the non-existent slap, but the kick could be held against him. I thought he was just trying to right himself, but it looked a bit petulant.
Interesting to see some stats over the w/e: Wenger was moaning that Arsena; were the most fouled (they’re not); committed the least fouls (true) and had the lowest foul-to-booking ratio - which also isn’t true, that’s us. For every seven Chelsea fouls, a player gets booked - most teams are closer to nine. I do wonder whether our harrassing of referees and generally poorly perceived attitude to officials is causing this - which then creates a spiralling effect, whereby we get more unjustified reds and yellows (largely aimed at Mikel), so complain even more, making the refs angrier so they book more etc.
Sorry to hear about your theft Fifty. Bastards!
lolli - dont forget his german days - Ze German was absolutely awesome for all his clubs and country. The first year is always a hard one but look at him now - DD took a year to get going and cost £26 million more!!
I was trying to wind you up - its easy though.
Do you live in Essex, drive an X5 and want to marry frank!!
<:) - puts on tin hat
But seriously if he changes this formation he is crazy. I thought ballack and lamps played superbly together - just a shame he got sent off, which was obsurd, as i feel they were only going to do more damage. My god son predicted 6 for chels. I laughed, he was nearly right!
Anelka looks great and causes holes in the defence as he peals off wide. His touch to J Cole which was a great finish - did he mean that? - i will go with a yes :) - was just calm - others would have just lumped it in the box.
What was the formation by the way?
Papers say 4-3-3, but it sounded more like a 4-4-2 diamond to me.
http://www.kumb.com/report.php?id=409
It’s always quite entertaining reading other fans’ match reports, but do we EVER sound as bitter as this chap? Poor lamb.
Agree with Limetreebower, and it’s been said before - being measured against 19 of your peers over a season is the toughest test. The CL is prestigious but it’s a mini-league plus knockouts and the winner is not ( necessarily )the best Euro team. It’s nice to be cup specialists but the CC in particular is devalued by several major teams fielding under strength units.
Time to calm down a bit - those more senior of us who followed Chels in the seventies and eighties had serial depressions about player quality / club future etc and the current situation just ain’t no crisis.
Blimey, he’s not a happy camper, is he? Just looking at the actual “style” of the moan, I have a feeling he may have posted on here after the fixture at the Bridge earlier this season.
Great result - the right reaction after a very poor run. Reminded me a bit of the City game in that they simply gave us far too much room in midfield and paid the price. Let’s hope the Olympiakos boys didn’t see it…! Think Peter mentioned last week that starting with the right team is a key point for us these days too.
Interesting point made by the Hammer who reviewed the game for the Observer yesterday; said that they are starting to look a bit like Charlton under Curbishley - just happy to reach 40 points, safe for another season etc. Might have been OK for them a few years ago but I’d imagine the current board have slightly more ambitious plans nowadays.
After the FA’s reaction to the Aliadiere appeal by Boro (correct in the letter of the law, but crazy in the real world), I’d say it’s not worth bothering with appealing the Lampard card, over-zealously daft decision though it was; handbags being the operative word - yellow for both players at best. The games he misses shouldn’t pose a huge problem for us.
peter - what do you mean he got this right!!
“the obnoxious Lampard – who incredibly went into print on the subject of respect this week – no, really – stuck the spot kick away and went on his badge-kissing celebration in that rather sickening way that Chelsea supporters will cringe at when he disappears next season to whichever foreign club is stupid enough to pay for the self-obsessed mummy’s boy.”
I must admit the whole way through he gets it horribly wrong and very fanboy! Cavalho’s tackle was immense - great timing and strength - he says it was a clear penalty - the whole read did brighten up my otherwise slow monday morning!
Joker
Bollocks, Lampard kissed his badge to wind up the Upton Park cave dwellers who hate him for moving to a bigger and more successful club, and proving them all wrong in the process.
Everybody knows that. And guess what? It worked!
Kiss away Frank!
If my memory serves me correctly, wasn’t it the Wet Spam fans that thought he wasn’t good enough to grace their team and was only picked on the basis of nepotism! They used to boo him when he played for them, so at least you can say they’re consistent!
peter i was being sarcastic - i am with you 100%.
I have a love hate relationship with Frank and enjoy winding up the Lampard lovers like Lolli. ;)
it is pure jealousy from West Hams part - nothing more and nothing less.
But then if he went to barca and kissed their badge we would prob feel cheated too such is the way people feel about their club.
But then if he went to barca and kissed their badge we would prob feel cheated too such is the way people feel about their club.
Not at all, I wouldn’t feel and I’m sure the vast majority wouldn’t feel cheated. Good luck to any of our players that move on, whenever they come back to the Bridge to play us I will always give them a round of applause if they’ve left in good and respectful circumstances.
Very ambivalent to the whole badge kissing thing; getting upset about it these days is the domain of the highly strung and over-emotional (or indeed bitter). Might mean something when a truly ‘one club’ player like Le Tissier or Giggs does (or did) it, but from anyone else it is just a bit cringeworthy for me.
I agree JD but you know that there are many out there that would go crazy over it and the slander of betrayal would be rife.
Not from many on this particular site - well maybe musumba - but then the West Ham site is not even in the same league with regards to its bloggers.
I was merely trying to throw up a half defence for them such was the thrashing - i felt a bit sorry for them - the review was so bitter you can imagine the little faces!
:)
“Chelsea had got the ball in the net from an offside effort by Anelka – this following the first of the day’s dives after only 50 seconds – a new low even for Chelsea. We were holding your own though. However you know what you are going to get with Chelsea and that is a bunch of players who will go down in the lightest of breezes if they think a penalty is in the offing. So what you don’t do is stick a hopeful leg out in the box anywhere near one of the cheats because as sure as eggs is eggs one of them is going to go down. I would say they teach diving in their academy but since their academy exists only to provide Sky with another reality programme rather than actual players it’s difficult to say.”
Not sure why, but I get the impression he thinks we have a diver or two in the team.
“The thankfully former England captain clearing Cole’s lob from under the bar
“
Have I missed something Fabio ??? Or are you letting someone who blows Bubbles decide for you ?
Or are you letting someone who blows Bubbles decide for you ?
There’s no need to bring Michael Jackson into this.
It’s nice out - I won’t stop for my coat…
Props to Kalou, though. He’s the only player we’ve got who can run at people with pace and should be winning more penalties if other defences prove to be as hopelessly clodhopping as Anton ‘Not as good as Rio’ Ferdinand (which is a big ask, admittedly).
Anyway, isn’t it about time their academy coughed up another decent kid for our first team? Some sort of feeder club they’ve turned out to be…
That’s what makes this site one of the best fan blogs about, (and we do have other fans come on here stating that) is that although the reporting does have an expected blue tinge to it they are pretty fair and balanced. I’m sure if the recent game had the reversal of score and performance, we would be stating that they deserved it, and then be turning to our favorite pastime of AG bashing! ;-)
One of the CFC blogs _ I think it’s Matthew Harding’s Blue And White Army - has such hopelessly biased reports it really makes me cringe (much more than any bloody badge-kissing…)
I reckon Chelsea have appealed Lampard’s red just so he gets the extra game and Grant doesn’t have to make the same tricky decision v Spurs.
They have appealed
http://www.skysports.com/story.....28,00.html
This one paragraph is just shoddy journalism, lashing out FFS! looks like they’re hoping for an extra game ban for him.
Lampard saw red for violent conduct after lashing out at Luis Boa Morte after the pair clashed just outside Chelsea’s penalty area
JD,
It was typed in a way that alluded to Jacko’s chimp without me feeling desperate enough to point it out to make it clear. So thanks for picking up on it.
Was a bad joke nonetheless.
LASHING OUT?! Good grief.
Was a bad joke nonetheless.
Not at all - you line ‘em up, I’ll knock ‘em home…!
Remains me of the Guardian report on Cech-Hunt which said they ‘tussled for a loose ball’. Yeah right.
Know compare it to a paragraph from the BBC website and it somewhat puts into perspective.
The tangling to me looked more like an uncoordinated drunken shagging attempt, I had visions and… was going to make a reference to Tony’s Guinness intake, but thought better of it.
“The midfielder tangled with Luis Boa Morte and then pushed the winger after appearing to get caught by a kick.”
We should have kept him as he would have sorted out our selection headaches!
http://www.skysports.com/story.....54,00.html
Lashing out my arse!! He was trying to get up and just caught him. Boa Morte clearly threw a kick and as usual when anything involves Chelsea, got away with it. Lamps is NOT a malicious player in any way, shape or form. Hence only 2 sendings off in his whole career. Christ….if Joey Barton can get away with what he did in Febuary, surely Frank`s got nothing to worry about! Outrageous!!! It was clear at the start of the game though that “official-wise” we were gonna have problems..bunch of tossers!!
MUNKEYFEET- i`m not referring to his German days, what he did there is totally irrelevant. Agree, at Byern he was fantastic but seemed as though as soon as he walked through the gates at Stamford Bridge he developed a different attitude. Almost like he couldn`t be arsed, which resulted in most fans calling for him to be replaced, along with Sheva. As i said earlier, he has only woken up AFTER his op, before that he was shite.
Also, hasn`t Frank been awesome for HIS club and country? My Dad and Bro are both Man-Ure supporters and they always say Lamps is a worry, along with Didier when they see them both in a starting line-up against them.
In response to the other comment, i live nowhere near Essex, miles and miles away in fact, you cheeky sod! Don`t drive an X5 either. Marry Frank? You know the answer to that one..i am a hot blooded girlie after all!!!
Wind me up? Not a chance!! x
Interesting really interesting…knowing I have persons with daggers caressing my back…;-)
Don’t flatter yourself - we wouldn’t waste the steel…
@Lollipop
Lashing out my arse!!
No thanks, but I know someone who’s very obliging.
How Rude!!!
Clive,
Valid point, although Malouda’s doing a pretty good job of trying to be as anonymous, performance-wise, as is possible.
@Fifty
Perhaps we deserve them both, but that would leave Joe and SWP being played most of the time. ;-)
Here’s the deal with AG…..
Good manager 95% of the time but chokes on the big occasion. I have evidence:
Lost to Arsenal, Man Utd and CC Final.
So will do OK but won’t win anything, like Ranieri; and therefore will be sacked, like Ranieri.
Its just a matter of time.
I’m really starting to enjoy Anelka. He’s been quite good. Way better than Drogs was in his first season with us!
He’s slowly convincing me of his quality.
Reserves on Chelsea TV tonight included Sheva, Pizza Boy, Copper Nob, Ben Haim and Hilarios but they still managed to lose 2-1 to Reading.
Sheva looked useless but I guess playing at Brentford in front of 60 people wasn’t quite how he foresaw his future. Amazingly even such a small crowd managed a few chants of “Stand up, if you hate Tottenham …”
Poor old Sheva….. The games I saw when back in the UK over Christmas, he looked quite bright and I really thought he had turned the corner… Then he gets injured and Anelka arrives, relegating him back to the bench.
Apparently he is available for free if anyone is prepared to pay his $130K a week in wages….. Any takers?? I thought not! Brentford could well become a regular feature for Mr Shevchenko over the next few months.
It is really quite sad to see what has happened to Sheva, how he went from being argubably the best striker at his time in Milan to the shit he is now. I don’t feel he’s that horrible still, he’s just had horrible luck and bad timing, oh well, does anyone think he will get another chance?
It’s unusual for it to happen to us, and I’m pretty shocked to have read it, but credit to Mr Walton :
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t.....479454.ece
Saying that, I’m sure the 4 man panel made up of representatives from Anfield, The Emirates and Old Trafford may still feel he deserves to miss a few games…..
It’s ok though, because I am sure we will be roundly slagged off, since Alliadiere was given an extra penalty and that disrespectful Chelsea mob get away with murder!
Still, lets wait and see what happens first….
Perhaps that bloke who did the West Hammaz blog will sit on the panel. I can just imagine his verdict.
“Blah blah blah cheats blah blah whingers blah moaning at the ref blah blah blah foreign money blah blah ruined football blah divers blah blah lucky bastards blah blah miles offside blah blocked toilets blah cold pies blah blah District Line blah fat bastard blah blah sixteen game ban so there”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/spo.....tal104.xml
Henry Winter tells it like it is.
A player is only guilty of violent conduct if he uses excessive force or brutality against an opponent when not challenging for the ball.
Lamps’ red card should not stand.
Completely off-topic, but priceless nonetheless, a gem from the BBC’s ‘Quotes of the Week’ page :
“It was the 95th minute of their usual seven minutes of injury time.”
Sir Alex Ferguson, not bitter about Arsenal’s late-late equaliser against Aston Villa.
Pot, Kettle and Black spring to mind Red Nose.
I think he was joking - actually showing a nice bit of self-awareness. He was pretty much laughing as he said it.
> Peter…
Interesting link you brought up there on Henry Winter’s article…have you noticed that NO ONE here is running trails from that link?…The reason being that ALL the posters who responded to Henry’s thrash saw through the hypocritic, bias-laden comments he made against AG in favor of JM…
Read the posts on that link again my brother, and see that they are far more objective than a lot of comments posted here by our own ‘fans’…
Why am i even bothered?…you’d probably read them already and preferred not to ’see’ them…
Interesting slant on it Alex; having read it, it looked to me like a perfectly reasonable take on the situation by a pretty well-respected football journalist. Given that it’s a pretty hot topic of conversation at the moment (both on here and elsewhere), it makes perfect sense to post it.
When will our players learn? Another kiss of death for those of us who believe in fate!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/h.....275767.stm
Every year one of our players comes out spouting platitudes about doubles/trebles/quadruples and every year it never happens. Why not just keep the mouth shout and let the football do the talking?
So do I want Arse and ManUre to lose tonight and heap untold agony on their supporters or do I want them to win so that they play as many games as possible in the title run in?
I’d settle for them both losing and picking up some injuries. Nothing Eduardo like, just a few hamstrings should suffice.
I just feel sorry for Paulo Maldini; pushing 40 and having to run around after a gang of rowdy indisciplined teenagers all evening. What’s Italian for “it wasn’t like this back in my day…”?
Senderos is playing though - usually gives rise to at least one moment of vintage comedy per game.
YESSSSS!!!!!
Frank`s red hard decision has been overturned!!!!
Get in there!!!
OH!! I mean RED CARD!! OOPS!
Frank`s red hard decision has been overturned!!!!
Get in there!!
A Freudian slip if there ever was one!
@ CLIVE
I think i got a little over excited at the good news!!! Trust me when i say i almost died when i saw what i`d typed!! Ha! Ha!
I’m glad the correction was issued quickly - was about to order Lollipop to take a cold shower…
Good call by the FA - and the referee deserves credit for admitting it was the wrong decision; suppose we should be thankful it didn’t have any bearing on the result really.
I really used to like Sevchenko, thought he was absolutley fab although i did not think it a good idea to come to Chelsea. However, i gave him a lot of respect because he did seem to try earlier on when he first arrived. However, I am starting to dislike him rather a lot it has to be said. Not only did he disrupt the team, help get Mourinho out, has become useless, plays golf more than football, rats to Roman every time he sees him, takes £130K plus a week but now, he is convincing other players not to come to Chelsea!!!!. Now, i’ve said that the great players around at the moment probably wont come while Grant is in charge, however, this is taking the biscuit. I just wish he would get the F*^”*ck out and dont darken our door again. Even Roman surely must be seeing the error of his ways???
“Kaka has revealed how Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko convinced him to sign his new contract with AC Milan last month.
Shevchenko’s disastrous spell in English football has convinced Kaka to concentrate on his career with Milan.
Kaka said: “I’ve seen players like Shevchenko who leave Milan and then regret it. Sheva told me to consider my choices very carefully because this club is so special.”
What KAKA, should have to Shev is “your done, I’m young, and i’ll be a success unlike you, PRATT!!!”
@ JD
There should be an emergency “STOP” button that you can click on these laptops!!
Sorry!!! It won`t happen again..honest!!! If it does, banish me from your blogs..even if it`s just to save my embarassment!! Ha! Ha!
I blame Frank…
Alex - all that proves is that Telegraph readers are not paticularly clued up, which shouldn’t come us any great surprise given that most of them are in their early 90s and many are technically dead.
I bet Avram’s gutted about the appeal: his selection headaches continue!
Most disastrous transfer in he history of football.
We’ve bought from Italy and none of of them have been very succesful. Hope avoid looking to Italy in the future.
Mutu 15 milion - 10 good games at the start, lost form, coked up, left.
Crespo 16 mil - How much money did he drain away on loan at our European rivals.
Shevchenko 30 mil -
Thankfuly we didn’t follow up our interest in Palermo’s Amauri.
Seems like all the Serie A strikers who come over here end up not doing much at all. Maccaroni, Corradi, Grabbi…
You know, there was this little chap called Zola…
Desailly, Di Matteo and Cudicini weren’t all the bad either.
Nobody mention Ambrosetti, the Italian Lee Sharpe.
I thought Crespo did OK for us, he scored some important and good goals, a very clever player up front. I think it was unfortunate that family reasons made things difficult for him over here.
http://sport.setanta.com/en/Sp.....influence/
Just who is in charge?
Maybe we should ust have JT as player manager, and Clarke as assistant.
Franco and Marcel, in sheer value for money terms alone, have to be two of our best ever signings. Arguably Carlo too.
@Pete, strikers is what I was referring to realy. Though you’d probably count Zola as one…(?)
Crespo was great when he played. But that was the problem, he was too busy trying get back to Italy to be with his family he ended up playing half a season where he looked as though he was near his top form.
On the tought of Chelsea strikers, Was delighted to see Forssell get a hat trick. Always wanted him to do well, just a shame he’s in the Blue shirt of Birmingham instead of Chelsea.
I’d be glad to see him playing up front for us instead of Sheva. Maybe we could tempt them into a swap.. somehow…
Forssell did look great when he first turned up (must be getting on 10 years ago now?); not sure how long his knees are going to hold out for though.
lolli - we agree on something! I blame frank, there was me enjoying my day waiting for him to get an additional one game ban and then wham they remove it altogether!
;)
seriously though great news, same team tomorrow night that destroyed the east end boys!
3-1 tomorrow. anelka for a brace - he is due it and ze german for man of ze match
It’s quite obvious that Sky have some sort of dislike for Chelsea with their website reporting, with the lashing out comment, and now this… which is a small paragraph from their website!
The England international was dismissed for kicking out at Luis Boa Morte in Chelsea’s 4-0 success at Upton Park on Saturday.
And there’s me thinking it was for an alleged push to Boa Morte’s face!
@ Cashif
I always wanted to see Forssell do well - although I wanted it to be whilst he was with us - even got his name on the back of my home kit in ‘01. I thought that his career was all over when he suffered that injury a few years back but he has come back and is arguably at the same standard now as he was when he left Chelsea.
I wonder whether that hat-trick was just for us after the Carling Cup final last week?
Would be great to see both Arsenal and Man-ure fail tonight…
Having said that, old “Horse face” Ronaldo has just scored just before the end of the first half, i HATE him so much, cheating, diving tosser! No doubt he’ll get a penalty before the end of the match and there will be the usual 4+ minutes extra time added on. My Dad and Bro are both at the game, which makes me want them to lose even more, just because of the inevitable garbage i`m gonna have to listen to otherwise.
Just hope the Chels play tomorrow like they did on Saturday. There’s the advantage of playing at the Bridge.
Agree (again!) MUNKEYFEET, if A.G picks the same team, we shouldn’t have any problems.
@ CASHIF
I’ve said the same thing myself, maybe J.T as player/manager wouldn’t necessarily be a bad idea. OK, he has no experience as such in that role but he’s stated to Chelsea FC when he signed his contract that he wants to eventually be manager of the club anyway. As for everything else, leadership qualities, respect from the rest of the squad (when J.T talks, they all listen, look at him in the CC Final), he certainly ticks all the boxes. He certainly couldn’t be any worse than the one we’ve got there at the moment!!!
One or two have suggested Carlo Ancelotti as our new manager. Presumably his attraction is
1. He’s fat
2. He wears black
3. Got grey hair
4. Tactically capable of setting his team up to be out played by opponents from North London in a game that really counts
But he’s probably Catholic (point aimed specifically at Marco) so that should swing it.
Hmmm…ok…both affore-mentioned teams are through. (begrudging) credit to Arsenal, they played well and deserved it. Fabregas’ goal was fantastic. Can’t stand him but admire him big time as a player, he’s got great talent. He’d look great in a blue shirt!!!
Man-Ure on the other hand didn’t play particular well i thought. That seems to be the norm with them though…play a really bad game, give a collective ,terrible performance but get the desired result on the day. Winds me up!
Glad to see them both through…but surely it’s time for Liverpool to meet one of them….I think both would cane Liverpool and that alone , irrespective of our fate , would make me smile.
It would make me smile too, but I’d still rather not risk it. Come on Inter!
@ LTB……of course that would also be my preferred option!
SEvilla out on penalties, really unbelievable, just shows when a top manager goes, and the players are not to match the manager, what happens.
Unlike Chlesea where we have the players but not the manager, howver tomorow should be a walk over agaionst olympiakos. Arsenal through must admit, deservedly, much better team on the night .
Liver hmmmm have a feeling they will not get thru, with the AG luck on draws he needs Liver out.
Disappointed with MU not really overwelming with the players they have.
But Sevilla out in penalties when they had the game wrapped, well thats football.
tomorow I expect, Chelsea is an obvious conclusion, liver have my doubts, Porto yes to go through.
On fiday the draw for the ECL chelsea v ManU that will be a match.
I would not underestimate the Greeks. They play good football, and their no. 9 Serbian is dangerous: this guy has scored 201 goals!
I hope Sheva can play tomorrow; he often performs very well in European matches under cold weather! :-)
Just read that old Boris and his offsider are considering playing without the Kaiser tonight. It looks as if Boris is going to bugger up again, what a pratt
I think tonight is going to be quite tense, and I should imagine Olympiakos will be parking the team bus as well. I just wonder what formation he’ll use 4-3-3 or the 4-4-2 diamond to accommodate Drogba and Anelka. I’m going to the game tonight and I just hope my long journey home is going to be enjoyable and not miserable.
As far as the next round draw goes, I have a nasty feeling we’re going to get Liverpool again if we both get through, but surely if we do we owe them a beating, law of averages and all that….
Sheva grossly undermined under AG (witch is a surprise for me).
http://www.teamtalk.com/footba.....13,00.html
Player of the world, top goal scorer CL, golden boot, golden ball winner- playing against Reading for the reserves? What a humiliation!
How could have done Milan with him in the team last night! Go back Sheva, where they love you!
@Clive - how far is your long journey home?
If we get through, I’d be thrilled to get Fenerbahce.
Sure the away leg will be a nightmare, but the complete buffoon they have in goal would compensate for that.
@Mark
Taunton I travel up by coach with the Chelsea South West supporters, it’s a 12 hour trip with the game. I’ll be leaving here at 1.30pm and getting home around 2am depending on traffic which always tends to be worse on CL evenings.
Given that it’s been 4-3-3 for every game this year, I doubt it’ll change now. He’ll have to pick the right wingers, though (Joe and Kal