http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:54:12 +0000 43200 Manage articles http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/concern-mounts-over-phil-dowd%e2%80%99s-ineptitude-r26
Put bluntly, if Phil Dowd isn’t in one moment turning his Nelsonian blind eye on a foul on David Luiz in our opponent’s box, well he’s pretty soon afterwards booking the same player for a non-existent dive in some sort of bamboozling self-justification. If he then turns that same blind one in the direction of a handball incident in OUR box, well it’s not long before someone has to alert him of the fact by bellowing in his hearing aid as a matter of urgency and pretty soon a penalty is awarded. Then again, if a later incident just happens to occur on his good side and he spots a bad Lukaku tackle, somehow he still contrives to book another player in a blue shirt for the offence. Do I exaggerate? Do I heck!

These, dare one point them out to a once equally myopic Mike Riley, the head of a Professional Game Match Official outfit, are dark days indeed for an organisation in desperate need of some semblance of credibility, especially as Mr Dowd has now to be seen as an ever-growing embarrassment who must surely be downgraded for a far longer period than when he and his assistants dropped a division [for a paltry one game] after gifting United two offside goals against us at Old Trafford earlier in the season. Remember too that shortly after return from that demotion he took a further sabbatical following Aston Villa’s appeal against Chris Herd’s red card in their 2-1 defeat by West Brom… because there was simply no sign of the stamp on Jonas Olsson, confirmed as the reason for his dismissal in Dowd’s report. Isn’t it therefore about time someone asked the pertinent question - how much evidence of incident blindness does the PGMO need before this individual is struck off the elite register altogether?

Of course, perish the thought that AVB must suffer at the whistle of this incompetent for longer than is humanly bearable, especially in an environment that’s pressurised to extremes anyway, but you have to begin to worry that, whilst Dowd’s eyesight is undeniably short, his memory could still be grudgingly long and the Boas remark after the United match - “I cannot lose my time organising defensive set-plays for the referee to make a mistake like that” - might well tempt any flawed individual to be a tad vindictive. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting for one moment that Phil Dowd’s character is flawed, just that others might and there is no denying he is becoming increasingly vulnerable to this type of accusation by virtue of his actions. For that reason alone the PGMO should consider standing him down.
..]]> Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:41:11 +0000 069059b7ef840f0c74a814ec9237b6ec http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/could%e2%80%99ve-would%e2%80%99ve-should%e2%80%99ve-r25
I want to believe, but I can’t. Indeed, I also want to believe that Ryan Bertrand was played for a full 90 minutes in the Reserves against Swansea, not because he was ineligible for the CL squad, which he is, but because the plan was always to play him against Wolves at the weekend…but I can’t. I want to believe that Didier got the nod over Torres for no other reason than the Spaniard’s going to be given an extended run in the Premiership with Mata playing just behind him in what is by far and away their best positions… but I can’t. I want to believe that Danny Sturridge might, just might, form part of a three supporting Fernando alongside Mata and a genuine winger, that is if we could find one in time for Saturday… but we can’t and therefore I can’t.

I’d also like to believe David Luiz will be fit for the Wolves game. I think he might, although I’m not entirely sure because Alex could easily have been called upon to replace him whether he was fit or not last night, such are the many comings and goings in our back four. Then again, I’d like to wager a tidy sum that AVB could, finally, ditch the bald Brazilian altogether after he failed to cut out that injury time header… I could wager, but I wont, due to not having a clue over the makeup of our central defence anymore and previously believing that AVB simply didn’t rate Alex whatsoever.

Not that the situation is that much better in the holding midfield role, where Mikel didn’t feature until late on yesterday and Romeu, quite astonishingly, was on the bench and didn’t emerge at all. So, I’d like to think that means the Barca boy gets a full 90 minutes next up, perhaps in partnership with Josh as a holding two, which was why our English Bright Hope didn’t feature in said Reserve game earlier in the week or got a look in last night… but I can’t. Nor can I contemplate with much confidence the prospect of any diversification at all between domestic and European personnel in this campaign until AVB bites the bullet currently zinging past him at speed that’s called ‘significant change‘, as opposed to nibbling at its edge, the prime example of which is his immersing Danny in a wide water drafting and not allowing much more than a toe-dipping for others of his age and ability.

Still, I suppose there is always the next Premiership game for the Boas to concentrate his mind on, tailor-made as it is to provide clarification of that ambiguous post match comment. Looking on the positive side, though, it could all fall into place with a 4-2-3-1 formation embodied in a team selection that read - Cech, Ivanovich, Luiz, Terry, Bertrand, Romeu, McEachran (Ramires), Sturridge, Mata, Meireles (Lampard) and Torres, who could be backed by the designated CL support group of Turnbull, Alex, Bosingwa, Mikel and Drogba, plus the bracketed pair if not selected. That is always assuming there has ever been a truly designated ’last hurrah’ CL group [wasn’t that supposed to have been the Cussed Last Stand when Carlo was around?] and it was at any stage aligned to an actual burning ambition to finally integrate these new young players in, dare I say it, a real show of defiance against adversity. I’d like to think so… but none of us can until we are presented with some crumbs of convincing comfort.]]> Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:13:00 +0000 3def184ad8f4755ff269862ea77393dd http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/thinking-the-unthinkable-r24
Put bluntly, it is now our turn to put in a recovery performance or two and also the moment for AVB to nail some futuristic colours to a mast that’s beginning to bend under the strain of new tactical winds blowing right through a doctrinaire defence. My recommendations would be both immediate (in terms of personnel for that particular area) and preparatory in the form of some blue-sky-thinking during the January transfer window. Whilst I don’t necessarily subscribe to theories currently being bandied about by the press, we can start at the back and should do so by fast-tracking Oriol Romeu into the side as soon as possible. I’ve seen enough of him to want that Barca B boy insurance in front of JT and Luiz on a permanent basis, if only because he has an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time and if ever there was a ‘right time’ it has to be now.

By virtue of this change, together with a final grasping of the nettle that is David Luiz, it almost goes without saying that Branna reverts to RB, thereby ridding us of the right-sided vulnerability on counter-attacks so evident when we’ve had Bosingwa and Sturridge out wide and on the retreat. Indeed, such is the emphasis we place on our full backs in the current system, Ash has to be rotated more with Bertrand on the other flank and by so doing we will get more out of both players. Strange though it may seem, in view of his recent goals, I’ve come to the conclusion that the same policy must apply to Frank, even though he insists that any lengthy period out of the first team damages his form - I think I might say that as well, in his position and at this stage of his career. My personal choice would be to play Mata deeper, although I’m sure many would prefer Meireles or a leap of faith with Josh, but freeing-up the attacking role allows final throws of the dice for Malouda and Kalou before the decision-making starts in earnest in January.

And now we move on to our real problem area, the forward line, where there has been a marked failure to convert chances for weeks on end and the principles behind pressing escapes everyone. Danny has a lot to learn on either count, but he clearly has the talent to improve and will do so, whereas Didier and Fernando have both been sent off for what can only be described as somewhat reckless practice of the art. To add to our woes, Anelka appears unable to grasp the concept at all, although in his defence and due to circumstance he has often been used as the sole attacker - just wish, before he goes, he could score one important goal when the pressure is on. That said, this failing at the sharp end of proceedings is becoming contagious, so much so that AVB has to be considering replacing Anelka with anything but a like-for-like talent. It is here, in the department that really matters, that the blue sky thoughts must flood the mind and I’ve got one that might even blow it for sheer audacity and the courting of controversy…

Nobody presses better up front than Carlos Tevez. Nobody, when on the pitch and contented, gives more than he does for 90 minutes non-stop. No team is better equipped than Chelsea to embrace his tarnished image, for no matter how we perform we are universally regarded as the pariah club in the Premiership and one more player joining the bad boys, funded by the rouble rather than the almighty dollar, will make little difference to a skewed Media perception that has existed since Roman’s arrival. At 27 years of age Tevez should be at the peak of his career, not embroiled in a running battle to play on a regular basis, and he would probably cost no more than Darren Bent. Also, a quick look at the zonal marking board, featured on another thread, only serves to highlight our attacking deficiencies as the Villas-Boas style is imprinted on our play and Tevez ticks boxes that at present only feature crosses for Malouda, Kalou, Anelka, even Didier, in the current campaign.


Of course, City would not want us to have him, just as they did not want us to have Luka Modric and were therefore more than happy to loan Adebayor to Spurs to alleviate any problems they might have had paying for the striker. Nevertheless, the Abu Dhabi boys are not stupid, they realise few clubs can pay Tevez’s wages and others, like Corinthians, will get nowhere near a realistic fee for a player of his talent. So you don’t want all the baggage? - then tell me who would be better or more proven in the Premiership than the little Argentinean. Remember, with Financial Fair Play about to hit the fan, the extent of City‘s loss on a Tevez transfer has much greater relevance than would otherwise have been the case. There could be a deal to be done. We should be the club that does it.]]> Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:15:44 +0000 c8ffe9a587b126f152ed3d89a146b445 http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/matthew-harding-1953-1996-r22
Written by Loz in August 2007

Elland Road, November 1993. Deep into the second half and Chelsea are getting hammered 4-1 by the scum of the North. Chelsea's travelling support are doing us proud, in fact the last quarter of the match saw the home support totally out sung despite the comprehensive beating of one of their biggest rivals, a rival that had form to match a nag with a wonky leg and a blind eye. 'What has this to do with Matthew Harding?' some may ask. Well legend has it that Matthew was right in the middle of that away support and he was as loud and proud as any other blue in the away end that day.

That may, or may not, be factually correct although based on what we discovered about Harding before his tragic death on October 22nd, 1996 there is no reason to dispute this version of events which has been reported on a number of occasions by a number of independent sources.

However what is factually correct is that once the rumours circulated as far as Ken Bates that standing in the terraces week in week out was a man with more money then Chelsea could dream of at that point in their history it didn't take long before a phone call or two was made and Harding was brought into the Chelsea board room. Harding was actually formally introduced to the club by Janet Rainbow, who was a Chelsea Pitch Owners executive.

One of Harding's first promises was to finance the completion of the North Stand, a promise that was to set him back a cool £5 million.

After that he effectively bank rolled the signing of Ruud Gullit and Luca Vialli however whilst doing so he looked to protect the interests of the 'common fan' with great fervour by fighting against plans to turn the company into a public limited company.

This, in Harding's opinion, would expose the club he loved to people with a purely profit orientated outlook and no real compassion for the club itself. This was not the only way that Harding was easily differentiated from the majority of board members (not just at Chelsea). When Harding was in the Directors' box he behaved just as he did when he was standing on the terraces, not always something that sat comfortably with other members of the Chelsea board, or the visiting directors for that matter. One in particular possibly being Man Utd chairman Martin Edwards who, whilst in the director's toilet at Old Trafford stood next to Matthew Harding and listened to him whistling along to 'Who the f**K are Man Utd!'

For a while this continued investment and love for the club resulted in a strong and healthy relationship between Matthew Harding and Ken Bates however that was to turn sour as a power struggle between them developed and Bates eventually banned Harding from the Director’s box. This banning, coupled with Bates seeming lack of compassion not long after Harding’s death when he described him as ‘evil’ is something that many Chelsea fans have never, and probably will never, forgive Bates for.

Matthew Harding's sporting hero, just like for many of us, was Ossie however get him talking about Cooke, Tambling, Hudson, Gullit, Wisey or one of many Chelsea players and you could be forgiven for believing that the one you had chosen to discuss was his favourite, such was his knowledge of each and every one of them.

It was after a Coca Cola cup tie away at Bolton in October 1996 that Matthew Harding's helicopter ran into difficulties, difficulties which culminated in the accident that took the lives of Harding, and the four friends travelling with him.

Matthew Harding was only 42 when he died, on board with him were the pilot Michael Goss, 38; Harding’s school friend Raymond Deane, 43; businessman Tony Burridge, 39; and magazine journalist John Bauldie, 47 (Bauldie was considered to be an expert on Bob Dylan and it was Harding and Bauldie’s shared passion for Dylan that had made them friends). A terrible tragedy that devastated not just the family of Matthew Harding but also the family of all five passengers. as Chelsea fans we mourn the loss of Harding but our loss is negligible in comparison to that suffered by the families of all five of the people who died that day.

After his death the club decided to rename the new north stand after him, and despite Ken Bates later efforts to reverse the decision the stand is there to this day (and hopefully forevermore) as a fitting tribute to what he did for our club.

As always in these circumstances there were many tributes paid to Harding by the great and the good however I think the one paid by Ruud Gullit was the most fitting. Gullit spoke of his depression at hearing the news and said 'I will remember him for his laughs, happiness after a game and his enthusiasm about the club," he said. "He was really a fan, and this is something I would like to treasure."

And as ever, and deservedly, the fans paid their own tribute at the Bridge where scarves, shirts, flowers, scarves and personal messages were left in what turned into an outpouring of affection for a man who, to all extents and purposes, was no different from you and I. A dyed in blue Chelsea fan.

His name was sung in the game against Tottenham when Dennis Wise, Gianfranco Zola and Kevin Hitchcock laid a wreath spelling ‘MATTHEW R.I.P’ on the centre circle, his name was sung at the cup final the following May, his name was sung when we beat Bolton to clinch the title in 2005 and his name is still sung today. The next time you take your seat in the Matthew Harding stand give him a moment in your thoughts for he gave our club many many moments in his.]]> Sat, 22 Oct 2011 11:59:56 +0000 a0a080f42e6f13b3a2df133f073095dd http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/would-smokin%e2%80%99-oriol-put-all-our-fires-out-r21
For that, in essence, is what Oriol’s performance gave us from the time the Chels went a man down, a calming presence in a crisis, intensifying the belief that we will never need to ask the question, in Shakespearian tones, “Romeu, Romeu, wherefore art thou, Romeu?” because the reply - “No worries mate, I‘m here” was etched in every covering tackle and prompting pass. Moreover, maybe next time Josh will be alongside him for longer than a fifty-minute cameo of creative promise. Yet it would be wrong for me to ponder in too greater detail on their future being paired together, even though I am looking forward to it immensely, because this piece is all about paying early homage to a talented driving force that already looks capable of holding down a regular first team place.

Funny how a sending-off can cause an unfavourable imbalance which serves to highlight ability rather than to curb it, but that’s what happened here for the holding midfielder. Going a man down does destabilise and even though some Shed-Enders seem to have a penchant for picking holes in certain Chelsea players, despite such misfortune hardly providing a level playing field upon which to be critical of any of them, in this instance it did offer us an insight into which ones within the present crop are more ’hands to the pump’ than others and Romeu passed his test with flying colours in my book. Of course, JT’s arrival and contribution was a given and Lukaku’s self-sacrifice a bonus, but it was evident that AVB knew exactly what he wanted in terms of midfield orchestration when the chips were down and numbers reduced - a 19-year old Barca B boy who revelled in his fire-fighting role.

Perhaps it might also be claimed that this clear sign of AVB trust, a natural follow-up to backing his own judgement on the player in the transfer market, implies it wont be too long before Romeu becomes a permanent fixture in the side, or at least as much of one as you can possibly have in this modern day rotational football world. I believe the Boas must be tempted after this display and the against-the-odds nature of it all will have appealed to his own underdog instincts, albeit that Fulham are no great movers or Premiership shakers. Indeed, he looked as though he thoroughly enjoyed solving the conundrum on Wednesday night and appeared in his element when Alex left the pitch, scribbling away and directing operations with such alacrity he made Martin Jol look positively negative by comparison. To me, these two coaches seemed poles apart in approach once the sending-off occurred and our combative reaction got the moral boost it deserved.

Sadly, it is the very nature of Oriol’s role in the side that works against him as he waits to see if he has done enough to make his breakthrough. Mikel and Meireles are seemingly well ahead of him in the pecking order and almost by definition both Ramires and Frank offer more going forward. That’s a lot by way of competition, but my contention remains - none of them could have performed any better than the Spaniard when faced with a situation where the lesser-numbered team normally slides into a default defensive mode. In short, he may not be Maka, but he has made a mighty big impression on me and my subconscious and next time anybody approaches with a pack of cards, trickery intent, and saying “Think of a number” you will know which one is going to spring to mind instantly.]]> Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:03:17 +0000 4c56ff4ce4aaf9573aa5dff913df997a http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/man-utd-away-by-plokoon13-r20
I'm trying to wean myself off blaming refereeing decisions for poor results, so I'll say now that Phil Dowd should be taken out back and shot and that can be the end of that.
This was an up-and-down game for us. We were spectacular in places and awful in others, including various individuals' areas of performance. One thing that bugged me is that we were hauntingly reminiscent of Arsenal a couple of years ago. Good in possession, with nice, fluid football being played, but bafflingly poor with our end product and full of telling individual mistakes which let Man Utd slaughter us on the counter and from set pieces.

I'm not entirely sure why we've been so poor at diagonal crosses into the box this season, considering that was a great strength of ours under Ancelotti. I'm aware that AVB has sacrificed height in favour of pace at the back (where we were weak) so we can play a higher line, but with Ivanovic and JT's power in the air coupled with the excellent movement of Cole in the box we should be able to defend a free kick without having an opposing centre-back completely unmarked in the box. Credit to Smalling for an excellent header, but it seems to be that we've taken steps backward in terms of our defensive prowess this season, something which I hope will be rectified.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of our full-backs' performances. Bosingwa tended to sit off his man and used his pace to play catchup, which worked surprisingly often, but does still somehow run the risk of him getting skinned, something which we cannot risk really. He has improved after a season of being dogsh*t (let's be honest here...) and I'm willing to give him another chance, but I feel we need a proper right back rather than shaky Bosingwa or the idea of shoehorning the defensively excellent but offensively poor Ivanovic in there. Neither of them are really worthy successors to Ferreira as a first-choice right back (sorry BlueBeard) who we can fully rely on in both sides of his game. I'd be more than happy to have Bossie as our second-choice to put in against the likes of Newcastle and Everton, but against a pacy, tricky winger who can even take Ashley Cole to school on his day? Sadly not...
Cole did what he could, but with Man Utd having such an effective system of wing play, sometimes all he could do was force Nani inside. He pressed well and sometimes slowed the play down or won a throw-in, but there's only so much one man can do, especially with Mata being so poor at tracking back, at least until the second half.
It's interesting how different his and Bosingwa's approaches are, despite being compared often and having similar physical attributes. Cole sits close and presses whereas Bosingwa sits off his man. This is shown in the number of successful interceptions (Cole's 4 to Bosingwa's 1) and the number of successful tackles (Bosingwa's 4 to Cole's 1). Cole may have benefited from Malouda's defensive presence today, but there is no comparing Malouda's attacking attributes to Mata's, and that is clearly the priority for Villas-Boas. When Malouda and Mata played together against Leverkusen I thought they linked up excellently, so perhaps Malouda will get a few more games at centre mid. However, I can't promise that this isn't my personal affection for Malouda coming into play where it might not benefit the team.
Cole's method seemed to be more effective though. While Young and Nani got an assist each, Young's pass completion rate was 46/56 whereas Nani's was an inferior 38/55. Perhaps individual crossing ability comes into play somewhat here, but it's not as if Nani has been assist-shy in the past.

Our pressing wasn't spectacular either. I thought Meireles did an excellent job marking Rooney out of the first half (he essentially had to drop so deep to get the ball that he was behind Anderson a lot of the time, or was forced wide), but it left the rest of the midfield isolated (something of a 4-1-2-3 rather than a classic 4-3-3) and they seemed unwilling to press the opposing midfield without a spare man, which enabled them to thread balls out to Nani and Young which were used to devastating effect. I am a huge Lampard fan, and as such I've defended his disappointing form this season, but he's starting to look a bit out of place in our new system. I still think his decline has been overstated and that he is still a capable player, but yesterday for the first time I felt that we may have to leave him out (not necessarily all the time, but still) in order to progress as a team. I admire that he has modified his game in order to fit into the team better (fewer of his trademark runs from midfield which might leave us open, for example), but the decision to take him off at half-time was ultimately a good one and to the team's benefit.

Ramires is an interesting albeit frustrating one. He is a 9/10 player off the ball and a 6/10 player on it, and yesterday was a perfect example of that. His energy and work rate are top-rate, but his pass completion rate was only 74% yesterday (In contrast, Lampard's was 96%). A capable player, but he is no Essien and still has a lot to learn. The number of times he gave the ball away under stupid circumstances when Lampard or even Anelka could have played it through for a goalscoring chance made me particularly annoyed. G4 made a point a couple of weeks back that he didn't think Ramires was [yet] good enough to compete at the highest level, and there was little today which made me disagree with that. Let's not mention that chance he took from Sturridge's feet...

I'm scared at how much our midfield has regressed since the days of Makelele. Clearly our system is completely different to the days of Mourinho/Avram and there is more of an emphasis on possession as opposed to destroying from deep and countering, but it seems now that our midfield is our weak link when it was once arguably our greatest strength. If capability on the ball and clever and slight as opposed to spectacular and big movement is the way forward then I look forward to seeing the midfield setup of McEachran-Mikel-Meireles tested sooner rather than later.

Torres fit into the 'hit-and-miss' mould perfectly yesterday. His goal was spectacular and reminiscent of classic Torres, and he bothered Evans and Jones (who in particular was very impressive yesterday) with his movement on and off the ball, but the two sitters he missed were absolutely atrocious. Things got broken after the second one. His run for the first sitter was fantastic; he turned Evans and Jones inside out with it. Without those two chances missed, he would probably have been my shout for Man of the Match (although to be fair if he'd put them in it would have been a hat trick and he would have won us a point...) but with finishing that atrocious he clearly still has work to do. My second reaction (after throwing things and swearing a lot) was of utter despair and fear that he would have lost the confidence he managed to regain over the last two games in that one f**kup. I can only hope he uses the progress he made in this game as a stepping stone to further brilliance as opposed to letting the mistakes he made get him back into a slump.

All of that said, he was still much better than Danny Sturridge, who is probably only just finding his way out of Evra's pocket now. Would almost certainly have had a goal if not for Ramires' baffling interception which went straight into De Gea's arms, but other than that he was poor. Ran down blind alleys almost all game and still has Gronkjaer-levels of work to do in the crossing department. I wasn't sure about his selection and might have opted for the more experienced (although not quite as on-song but still on form to some extent) Anelka.
However, one thing that did impress me about Sturridge was the extent to which he tracked back, which I was not expecting. He certainly impressed me more than Mata in that department and worked hard defensively. The actual efficacy of his defending is not necessarily fantastic (1 successful tackle from 7 attempted), but he was pressing Evra and Jones as well as getting back to assist Bosingwa, and his effort can only lead to good things.

Mata hardly tracked back at all until the second half (only attempted one tackle all game), but I suppose that isn't his game. He was arguably at fault for Nani's screamer; you would have thought after watching Man Utd's forwards not being pressed at the edge of Arsenal's box and firing in long range goal after long range goal would have taught us a lesson there, but apparently not. Of course it was an impressive goal, but simply trying to close him down would have forced him into another option. However he was excellent going forward yet again, and despite having more trouble from the opposition defence than against any other side so far he still made himself a presence, which makes me love him more than Robben already.

Obviously Anelka's greatest contribution was the spectacular assist after 30 seconds of being on the field, but I suppose that is credit to Villas-Boas for having a firm gameplan. He has been great this season and despite recent reports of his impending departure is looking worthy of a contract extension as well as a spot in the starting XI. I suppose we'll have to wait and see if his form lasts, but thus far I'm more than impressed.

Now for the main man. Overall I was happy with Villas-Boas today. We started with a particularly offensive lineup which I may have made a couple of alterations to (that said, I was happy at the beginning of the game and am speaking with the benefit of hindsight, although without AVB's rugged good looks). I can only give him credit for having the balls to haul off Lampard for Anelka at half-time (which had an immediate impact in the best way possible) and switching formation to what was essentially a 4-2-4 (maybe a 4-2-1-3 with Anelka slightly behind the front three). Even at 3-0 down at half-time to a title rival I doubt Ancelotti would have pulled something like that. Even though it didn't quite work out for us, we did [arguably] dominate play and it led to 45 minutes of thrilling football.
In terms of individual problems he did reasonably well. Rooney is going to cause anybody problems, but giving Meireles an extreme marking job on him stopped his movement between the lines and restricted him to knocking it out wide from deep. This was still a problem, but as we weren't really closing down their midfield anyway it was fairly irrelevant. Rooney was far more of a threat down the middle in the second half, which was credit to Meireles, who could no longer man-mark as part of a two-man midfield.
It could be argued that he made a mistake in not starting David Luiz. Meireles did well with Rooney, but it left Ramires and Lampard isolated and we weren't able to cut off the supply of passes to their wingers, which was ultimately our downfall. Luiz has the pace and the ability to man-mark Rooney out of a game, although we would then have had more problems with Hernandez who was kept reasonably quiet. Ancelotti tried that last season and was actually fairly successful as we won 2-1 with our narrow 4-4-2. Man Utd fans will argue that Luiz should have been sent off that day, but that was entirely Rooney's own fault. If he hadn't gone down so easily all day perhaps the ref would have been more likely to believe the fouls. But never mind, I have no intention to bitch or whine about referees in this post.

His subs were good. Anelka for Lampard I have already discussed and Sturridge was becoming less and less effective as the game went on. I was eager to see Lukaku have a go in order for us to be more competitive from corners and to have more of a foothold in the opposition half, but he drifted wide far too often and doesn't really have the pace or technique to make that work. I can only assume that Meireles was removed due to fatigue as there can be no other reason you would introduce Mikel into your midfield when you're chasing a game, but to be perfectly honest I would probably have risked Luiz at that point.
Ultimately losing the spare man in midfield came back to haunt us as when Ferguson brought on Michael Carrick there wasn't a great deal we could do to win the ball back off them. Meireles/Mikel and Ramires can press all they want against a cautious three-man midfield bent on keeping possession, but it will just lead to us getting slaughtered down the middle. I'm really quite astounded that Man Utd didn't score again in the second half...

Sorry that this became so long; I didn't notice and had a lot of thoughts to get off my chest which I wasn't able to vent in match chat (although I did spend the last five minutes shouting "SHOOT" at Mikel, mad_mac).
I suppose there are a few conclusions we can take from this. The first is that I feel like saying we were really quite unlucky. However I sound like an Arsenal fan saying that we dominated possession (stats say 50-50, although I'd imagine that was slightly skewed due to the last few minutes) and 'deserved' to win, but ultimately we didn't take our chances and that is what matters. If Torres/Ramires etc had put away chance x or chance y things could have been different, but there are always going to be instances where luck deserts us, and if we want to be great we shouldn't need to rely on it to win.
Maybe Man Utd didn't need to be spectacular. While we were good they largely could take everything we threw at them and tore us apart with three goals where our defence was absolutely nowhere. At the moment Man Utd are better than us, although not to the level that we can't compete with them. We simply need to work hard and get some gameplans beaten into the new-look squad and we can be up there again in the next couple of seasons. Villas-Boas is a good one and we need to hang onto him for as long as we can. It's entirely possible that we won't win anything or come close to winning anything this season, but if we give AVB the time and support he needs we can become as great as any of them. Today we were good, and we certainly have made improvements on last season already, but we can and will become better.]]> Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:42:32 +0000 da4fb5c6e93e74d3df8527599fa62642 http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/butchs-view-on-man-united-away-r19
First, I was happy with the starting 11 AVB picked. I predicted wrongly that he may have gone with Ivan at RB to counter United's attacking width (i.e. Young) and stuck Luiz in at CB, but to be honest I totally understand his decision. I also felt Bossa offered quite a bit for us going forward, so while a more solid defense may have helped us (who really knows), it would also likely have taken away an important attacking outlet that has worked for us in our first few games of the season so far.

I felt we started brightly and pegged United back quite a bit. The early going was maybe more threat for United but much more possession for Chelsea. It was a tad disappointing that our best chances were falling to Ramires, but you certainly cannot fault his movement and willingness to put in the effort. De Gea made one good save with his legs, while the second good chance was rather fluffed.

While United are in kind of an advanced rebuilding phase themselves, their young players were running circles around our lot, and Frank Lampard in particular was looking a bit off the pace. I am one of his biggest fans but that much I had to accept. It was not really surprising when AVB replaced him at the half. For some reason, our closing down was leaving something to be desired (just a tad slow).

United's first goal was offside, no two ways about it. For our part however, we are certainly putting a lot of faith in referees and linesmen with our "high line" when defending these set pieces. Still, I suppose you live by the sword, you die by the sword. I do have to say though, while the Chelsea players were slowly lumbering back into place to defend the set piece, all the United players were ready. That told me something.

The second goal was down to individual brilliance, and as much as I hate the sight of the wee devil, Nani did strike a heck of a goal. Mata still has a lot to learn about the EPL, particularly putting in the defensive leg work.

From then on, the heads dropped a little, and the defending became a bit diabolical, resulting in a bit of ping pong in our PK area and who would be there but Rooney to slip home the third. I was dazed at the half, and cannot imagine what AVB and the players were feeling. We bossed the match for large parts, and United scored with really their 3 only chances. We had at least 2 chances where we really should have scored (Torres from the defensive mish*t that sent him through only to drag a tame shot hopelessly wide with the goal at his mercy, and then Ramires who got in Studge's way when Torres selflessly squared, from a good position, for what he thought must have been an easy third assist in two games). The other Ramires shot which De Gea saved with his legs was another good half chance. At this point, the 8-2 capitulation of Arsenal was looming large, but honestly, I felt if we scored an early goal, we could yet turn this round.

And what a start we had in the second. Anelka was brought on for Lampard, and with almost his first touch, he sprang Torres free of the United backline, and with the Chelsea fans holding their breath for fear of somehow affecting any mistake on the Spaniard's part, he scooped the ball over De Gea and into the net to bring the Blues back into the game. What a strike that was, and what a relief.

We went for it, as we obviously had to if we wanted to get something from the game, and of course United had their chances to score. Nani was a constant danger and with both Ash and Bossa pushing forth at every opportunity it was very understandable they would be leaving space behind. I did feel, though, that on the balance of play we played quite well. Again, you can't expect to go toe-to-toe with United at OT without them finding space and score opportunities.

While United could have scored more goals, so could Chelsea, especially through Torres who looked to be back to his best; one shot just over the bar and then the opportunity at the end for which no more will be said.

Let me end with this: how many times have we traveled to the likes of OT and while the game may have been tight with few scoring chances at either end, we just didn't seem likely to score at all? You know how at the end of he game you get the feeling that it was all a bit hopeless and pointless to have shown up (hoping that we'd come away with a draw, but ultimately being beaten by a flash of brilliance or some refereeing decision)? Well, I certainly didn't feel that way this time. We created more than 20 opportunities, maybe 5 of them of the "we really should have scored" variety. How many times has that happened? We were just a bit unlucky, and a bit hopeless with some of our chances, but on another day we really could have come away with a win. You can see that AVB set us up to go and do more than get a point, and you can see a lot of difference in the way we try to create. I think this is a big positive. AVB is also not afraid to make changes, which is another positive. The manager needs to be brave and I look at this as something we can build on as we move forward.

You hear the so-called journalists and pundits saying Chelsea had to win at OT if we wanted to win the league but that is all just dramatic cow dung. It is way too early to be falling into that trap. Of course, who wouldn't want to be sitting pretty at the top, but so much can, and will, happen between now and the end of the season. This was always going to be one of the toughest, if not the toughest, fixture on our EPL calendar. United rode their luck at times, and maybe so did we, but I like the way we are metamorphosing at the moment. It bodes well.

Cheers,

Butch]]> Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:56:51 +0000 07e1cd7dca89a1678042477183b7ac3f http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/sky-sports-coverage-of-chelsea-a-disgrace-r18
If spoiling the enjoyment of the game for the English home team’s viewing public, as opposed to overseas subscribers in Germany, was the intention then Sky achieved their objective from the moment they majored on Michael Ballack’s return, giving him the sort of over-the-top praise and recognition that was sadly lacking during his time with us - unless, of course, they were referring to his midfield tackling whilst in a blue shirt. Indeed, Ray Wilkins, now fully recovered from a bout of Chels-itis contracted on his initial return to Sky punditry, couldn’t help but single out the German for a post match enthusing session that went over, above and at the expense of, his eulogising on any Chelsea player. However, I’m rather jumping the gun on the comments front, as pride of place must go to Rob Hawthorne and Alan Smith because, heaven knows why, they were our match commentators yet again.

I suppose it must be the Chelsea fan’s lot in life to have to listen to these two every time the Champions League comes around, but if they truly are the best Sky can offer us in terms of commentators displaying unity of purpose [let’s all get together and hope Chelsea win, especially against foreign opposition] we might as well have all sung the Deutschlandlied official national anthem from the word go in this match and be done with it. Hawthorne couldn’t wait to get started with his usual Chels negatives, strung together like the links in a depressing choker chain placed around our open-mindedness, periodically pulling against any optimistic momentum, the pessimistic knots tightening at every turn or lull in the play. He is becoming almost as bad as Clive Tyldesley and that, in anyone’s language, surely has to be a concern for his employers. Given a sidekick with Alan Smith’s undoubted open apathy towards us, the partnership should have been strangled at birth, but Sky allowed it to fester last season and now it’s become a plague on our house, even when we are at home.

Torres, naturally enough, took the brunt of the criticism last night and didn’t help his own cause that much by sliding into an early tackle that missed everything except the Sky cameraman’s attention to overkill and Alan Smith’s description of it that had it bordering on attempted road kill. In his eyes, this was a yellow card offence at the very least, but Alan’s peepers had let him down moments before, when he displayed a certain amount of desperation trying to rule out the Torres ‘goal’ by seeing a Meireles back heel touch where none existed. Back then, the forensic slow-mo search for some sign of touching proof failed, leaving poor Smithy no alternative but to dig out the officials behind the goal for missing something he’d totally misjudged only moments earlier. Of course, no atonement from him that we were, with hindsight, unlucky and no acknowledgement of our superiority throughout the first half from either of them - according to Glum and Glummer, halftime arrived as an oasis of calm amidst AVB’s mounting sea of troubles, whilst Bayer Leverkusen’s boss was bound to be the happier - such fun for them, not much for us.

Nor did the studio threesome of Wilkins, Hoddle and Souness offer much by way of encouragement, as they soon meandered [predictably] into Torres-trashing territory too, the most ridiculous remark falling from the sneering lips of Souness who, in somewhat cryptic fashion, described the ex-Liverpool striker as someone who is ’a good player, or was a good player’ - as Shakespeare might have said, parting has clearly been such sweet and sour sorrow for Souey. Anyway, on to the second half and back to an eagle-eyed old Smudger, who must have been listening in to the studio conversation because it wasn’t long before he was highlighting bad Chelsea tackles once again, this time a David Luiz lunge that brought immediate Hawthorne recall of the Brazilian’s past misdemeanours and repeated playbacks of the tackle.

I have to say that I found this particularly galling, especially when Phil Bardsley can apparently stamp away on Mata’s back to his heart’s content without Sky showing the slightest interest (the BBC can even ignore it altogether on MoTD), whereas, if it had been one of our own with similar intent (Michael Essien springs to mind) the incident would have been on our screens on the hour, every hour, until a governing authority was forced into action. Full marks to the FA for taking Bardsley to task and shame on the Media as a whole for turning a blind eye, for reasons known only to themselves and to Chelsea fans well-versed in this type of selective outrage. I suppose it is best summed up by Sky’s handling of the Luiz substitution, accompanied as it was by a repeat showing of his goal AND ‘that’ tackle they found so offensive, just so we knew he was lucky to have stayed on the pitch to score it.

Perish the thought that someone should look for positives, but perhaps we can take some comfort from AVB’s post match interview with Geoff Shreeves and the fact that his opening question virtually accused the Boas of gambling with his team selection. Understandably miffed at the implication, he dismissed it by saying that he couldn't understand why Shreeves should begin his questioning with negativity after a match full of positives for his team. He then went on at length to cover each and every one of them, knowing full well that, unlike every other club manager in the country, he wasn’t going to be offered the sops Shreeves usually dishes out to the likes of Ferguson and Co after a heartening 2-0 win at home in the Champions League. Back in the studio Jeff Stelling seemed genuinely affronted by Andre’s attitude - well he shouldn’t be and once he steps back and looks at the bigger picture that is Sky’s coverage of our games perhaps he will appreciate why AVB had every right to mark their card and why I have every right to describe their coverage as I do in the title of this piece.]]> Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:55:23 +0000 5ef059938ba799aaa845e1c2e8a762bd http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/bjd-torres-vent-r17
I also keep hearing that he is 'making the runs'. Well I'm sorry but I don't see it. Either I'm watching football from very different perspective or I'm actually watching different matches altogether, because if anything i don't see ANY runs at all. I see a player standing there often statuesque waiting for the ball to be played to him , and like on a couple of occasions yesterday throwing his hands up in the air if he doesn't get it.

I watch Hernandez at Utd, Suraez at Liverpool and see those players buzzing around, finding space. Hell, if you go down a level and watch someone like Dempsey at Fulham you get similar. I see nothing like that from Torres, and i just don't know what player people are watching at times.

The excuses have got to stop and he has to start scoring. Just one goal will do, forget basic elements of his play like i stated above. Just one goal, as a starter and lets take it from there.

For what seems forever I've been on the back of Salomon Kalou because most of his play is so poor. Touch, control, runs, movement, hell everything. But i tell you what- at least that lad comes up with 10-12 goals a season for us. What does this currently say about Torres ?

He is getting slaughtered in the media and buy opposing fans and rightfully so. He cost £50 million!!!!! Imagine our delight and fun we'd have if he'd have signed for Arsenal or City and was playing for them like he is currently for us. Lets not get precious, he is the biggest transfer in British football history and so he's fair game and its open season.

I want him to do well, i really do but I'm not making excuses any more because it just makes me look silly when its so clear he is so utterly out of form and cannot even do basic things properly. So all i want is one goal now, just one and we can take it from there.

But I'm not hopeful at all.]]> Sun, 11 Sep 2011 16:39:36 +0000 eb160de1de89d9058fcb0b968dbbbd68 http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/so-wheres-all-this-leading-us-r16
The press assume, and this is supported by experience over the period of Roman's tenure of the club, that AVB is under pressure to secure immediate trophies or else face the sack. However, is this supported by the club's activity in the transfer window since AVB arrived? Mata and Meireles are obviously signings for this season, but the others, Lukaku, Romeu, Courtois and Davila are all very much signings for the future. Is Roman suddenly taking a longer term view, whilst still obviously wanting the club to be competitive this season?

The general consensus was that Hiddink was Chelsea's next manager, when suddenly AVB appeared. A young manager building his career. Is this an acknowledgement that at some point the club needed to select a manager and back him for the long term? I hope so.

I am sure that there is pressure for AVB to get the best out of the current squad and challenge for the two big trophies (EPL and CL), but maybe he has also been selected to be the man to see the team through the transition from the successful 'Mourinho' team to a new team that will win trophies over the years ahead? His links to JM will help smooth his relationship with the more experienced players (Drogba, Lamps, Terry) and ensure some continuity, but I really do hope that his appointment is one that is based on transitioning the current team to the future team of McEachran, Romeu, Bertrand, Lukaku, Van Aanholt, Courtois, Bruma, Davila, Sturridge and Kakuta (maybe - hopfully Bolton will do him good)]]> Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:23:09 +0000 c45147dee729311ef5b5c3003946c48f http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/his-name-is-luka-he-wasn%e2%80%99t-allowed-to-live-on-r15 Written by Dorset

Well, what a wasted effort that was! Never knew how difficult it could be to try [unsuccessfully] to lug such a little fellah up so many stairs. Still, there’s no doubting he would have been worth it (at around £30m) and also much lighter than a freestanding sofa-sized Tom Huddlestone, or a chaise longue Crouch who, fair play to him, was more easily hauled up by rope and pulley through the stairwell and into a penthouse flat in Stoke, probably without even touching the sides. That said, we‘re not really comparing like-with-like here are we, because the Modric Quality Midfielder Model sits neatly in the middle of any ‘fine furnishings’ brochure and therefore would never, ever be knowingly undersold to a fashionable football club under the guise of a ‘a big unit’ for fear of breaching the Trades Description Act - much in the same way as you would always fall foul of authority if you ever advertised Heurelho Gomes as ‘a safe pair of hands’, despite the matching Queen Anne legs.

Such a pity, then, that deliberate connivance and delay should blight this whole buying process, with responsibility for failure resting squarely on the drooping shoulders of a club desperate to dispel a growing reputation as market leader in ‘the feeder to the gentry‘ category. What‘s more, not content to blatantly encourage barter by heaping derision on an opening bid and then having old Aitch, its cockney mouthpiece, suggest we try offers way in excess of those made [and subsequently accepted] for the likes of Sanchez, Fabregas and, for that matter, Mata, an affronted Daniel Levy even had the gall to revel in a kind of media-conducted good cock/bad cock pastiche with his willing baggagehandler for weeks on end, doubtless with the sole intention of painting the bidder in such a bad light there was bound to be a moral obligation on the club concerned to either offer an extortionate amount or shop elsewhere. As it happens, we [allegedly] chose the former and were rejected for reasons known only to Daniel Levy, but which are nonetheless well worth discussing in this sorry aftermath.

Let me start by saying that Chelsea have emerged from all the dilatory dogma cast firmly in the role of a discerning customer that’s always been right [on the ball] from the start of the process, apart maybe from that late bid if it existed, yet nevertheless one entitled to ask the burning question of the day on behalf of every club in the country - in view of all the hassle, is there really much point shopping on Levy-Bay anymore? I’m sure many a window-gazer would have had instant recall of Spurs disastrous no-sale pitch for the far from ubiquitous Lazy Boy Berbie (launched in Manchester only a few years ago) and a high percentage of those with long memories would have thought twice about going on-Lane for goods, bad or indifferent, from that very moment of hypermarket madness. However, back then, little did anyone think that Spurs business matters could sink quite so low and to such a level of discourteousness merely to obtain an ego massage.

Nor, I would suggest, could anyone have foreseen the insidious emergence of the Redknapp factor, epitomised by brazen attempts to drum up custom by acquiescing to a daily dose of free Sky advertising. Masquerading on the box [most of the time] as the Nation’s leading exponent of Old London Town cheeky-chappery is one thing, but such is the current high voltage of ‘Arry pro-mo you can virtually guarantee that the wheeler-dealing Pearly King will be in the altogether undignified position of pursuing naked ambition somewhere on Murdochian TV well before the watershed every night until hell freezes over…or at the very least until someone has the good sense to drag him away from the cameras, like as not by making a citizens arrest. Loitering with two spoons, bent knees and serious discordant intent is the likeliest charge made to stick if he carries on at this rate and quite frankly such rampant exposure can’t be a pretty sight for the viewing public in general, let alone the Tottenham hierarchy, or their embittered and embarrassed fans. What they must think of him is anyone’s guess, but what Levy now thinks of him is probably more to the point when searching for the real reason for Luka being forced to stay put.

Just imagine for one moment what was going through Levy’s mind as, if true, news filtered through we had offered £40m for Luka and he mulls over the pros and cons of the situation. On the one hand, he views Bentley, Jenas, Bassong, Keane, Palacios, Hutton, et al as the remnants of a pretty ramshackle past brigade, whether they represent Arry faux pas or not, and they highlight for him a Spurs emporium bursting at the seams with laughingstock desperate to fly off the shelves voluntarily. Replenishment could easily result in more of the same [quality?] with the wheeler-dealer having £40m burning a hole in his pocket. On the other, keeping an unlikely-to-strike Modric until the next window and striking a principled pose oneself could easily appear a much better option - Arry gets a few months to prove his Parker-led capabilities and repeat his relegation zone escape of a bygone era or, failing that, preside over a string of defeats, then he’s given the elbow and someone else has the immediate benefit of the potential sale proceeds in the January window.

Of course, all this presupposes our retained interest, a risk Levy is obviously prepared to take, together with the prospect of a complete demolition job on his own brightly burnished character by an outraged Media should he choose to rid himself of a garrulous and hack-friendly stooge. At this point, bearing in mind we are broad church ourselves, perhaps we should all offer up the standard Sky Sports News mantra in supplication and in the hope that Daniel Levy will, for once, make the right decision. Let us pray…

Our Arry
Who art at Spurs Lodge
With car window rolled down
Hallowed be your game
Your transfers done

Give us each day your daily quote
Forgive us our transfer bids
As we forgive those that have been made against us
And lead us not up the garden path
But deliver us from drivel

For thine is the story
And you like the lad
So you hope he comes
For ever and ever
Triffic]]> Mon, 05 Sep 2011 20:56:55 +0000 2b44928ae11fb9384c4cf38708677c48 http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/champions-league-aftermath-not-before-time-r14 Written By Dorset

Okay, the title of this topic may be a little cryptic, but if the Champions League has any marked level of importance in my world it is more as a yardstick than a fixation and as such our inevitable exit, at whatever stage, always engenders review rather than massive disappoint. So let’s get last night’s game over with quickly - we lost, deservedly so - and live with that short summary whilst considering for a moment just why things have turned sour in a season that started so promisingly. Others will see this differently, yet there is no doubt in my mind that our troubles started as early as last summer…

Fresh from a double success, the opportunity was there for the club to euphemistically ’kick-on’ and to some extent we did so with the purchase of Ramires, even though his signing did not directly address the major problem identified in the CL campaign gone by, namely the dire need for a creative midfield player and a make-things-happen wide man. Back then I’ve no doubt a hierarchical meeting took place to discuss matters and can only guess that the need to bring the overall age of the squad down was an overriding factor in targeting the likes of Neymar and Sanchez. All too predictably, nothing came of either attempt after [allegedly] protracted talks and the emphasis suddenly shifted with the purchase of Benayoun, a conduit for the next stage in the summer saga…

For Roman Abramovich [we are constantly told by hacks aplenty] our annual CL ‘outing’ is far from being the non-event it always turns into and is ‘an obsession’ with major repercussions attached, once failure to win it registers on the usual Richter scale. This is held up to the general public as the prime reason for Chelsea coach dismissals over the years and fans the flames rising from the media’s burning desire to see him either lose interest in, or interfere unnecessarily with, a club that [from their duopolistic viewpoint] has caused unwelcome upheaval in the Premiership’s ’Great Scheme of Things’. In reality, those who believe Roman’s bored need only look at his antics on the sidelines and compare his passion to the Glazers’ motivation - greed, epitomised in £40 million siphoned out of profits to service £700 million of debt incurred in buying the club in the first place.

By way of contrast, those who choose the alternate barb might care to ask themselves just how a man who supposedly meddles incessantly can have achieved so much, both trophy and academy-wise, in such a short space of time. Wow, he really must know the game inside out! However, sarcasm aside, the point to be made here is one that Ray Wilkins emphasised last night on Sky when he stated that Carlo had wanted to get Torres in for the start of this season and he categorically denied any undue influence on the owner’s part over the purchase. This would tie in with Benayoun’s signing and suggest that there was universal agreement on the pursuit of Torres, regardless of how long it took. His cost was obviously not prohibitive, but his delayed arrival upset the applecart in terms of preparation for the season ahead and, for all we know, arrangements regarding players who might otherwise have been on their way out then, rather than a further nine months down the line.

Clearly, the hardest hit by these missed transfer targets and rearrangements has been Carlo Ancelotti and his situation was not helped by the subsequent departure of Ray Wilkins. Yet doubts still exist over his season-long performance [in the main tactically] and they are not assuaged by any comparison with our major rival. Of course, we cannot legislate for the integration of other players into other teams, but Hernandez and Smalling have enhanced United, whereas Ramires has taken time to settle into our system, albeit a ramshackle one on occasions. By no stretch of the imagination did I think their signings would affect the Premiership pecking order as much as they have and as a result any defence of Carlo’s failure to get even close to repeating his feat of last season has to place greater emphasis on the fact that he has still to bring in all the players he wants, thereby putting a personal stamp on the team. Ironically, this still-not-found-what-I’m-looking-for argument only serves to put the personal achievement of a year ago into clearer context.

The conclusion is almost self-evident, in that in the last ten months we have gone backwards when there was every opportunity to advance, and, if preoccupation with the Champions League exists, it has become an unnatural hindrance towards our natural development. Whilst the return of Sturridge, Kakuta, Bruma and van Aanholt, the eligibility of Luiz, the steady improvement of Ramires, the promise of McEachran, the signing of width, creativity and additional attacking stealth to partner Torres, will ease the pain for fans finding it hard to bear at present, Sunday’s Youth Cup game gave us the real defining glimpse of the future. Manchester United’s kids looked every inch a Premiership team in the roll-up-your-sleeves making, whereas we passed it around like a continental outfit anxious only to show its finery. Which style will prevail in five years time and, perhaps more importantly, who will be watching over the proceedings? Your guess is as good as mine and this season, sadly, leaves us none the wiser.]]> Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:26:49 +0000 5fd0b37cd7dbbb00f97ba6ce92bf5add http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/neymar-heading-to-premier-league-r13 Written By Dorset

News travels fast these days and when some of it isn’t to your liking there is always a tendency to lose the unpalatable parts, either in the translation of it, or in the nearest bin. For a classic example of what I’m on about look no further than Neymar’s recent explosive arrival in the UK and the resultant timeline reaction to what is becoming a good news story in every sense, Chels-wise that is. Naturally enough, should the young Brazilian end up playing over here, as opposed to experiencing the standard embryonic state in La Liga or Serie A, it would be a massive coup for the Premier League and something for fans in general in this country to cheer about. After all, who wouldn’t want to pay good money to see this kid tear defenders apart? Hmmmm…

Sad to say, just posing this question turns it into a rhetorical one and as soon as Neymar expressed his desire to come to Stamford Bridge in dreamlike terms the souring process really began in earnest. Not that it didn’t exist already in some quarters, namely amidst a British media and press pack determined to take advantage of the youngster’s naivety regarding two of the Premiership’s pet diversionary topics, racism and diving. Neymar scored three goals on Sunday, the last being an own one and an absolute godsend to every muddy-watering hack who saw the need to stick an early performance-devaluing boot in, just in case the lad fancies an easy ride into SW6. He’ll learn though, probably quicker than most, should he join us and team-up with his compatriots rather than give the remotest thought to Middle Eastlands or the slightest nod in the direction of Old Trafford.

Not that the Mancunian fans in red want him anymore, nor, it would seem, ever wanted him in the first place. Reading some of the e-mails into SSNews, they distrust his dreams of playing in the blue of Chelsea, with this disbelief alone proving sufficient to cast him adrift of any wanted list, so adamant are they over the telling of truths up there in Mind Gamesville. Indeed, how could it be that he dreamt of Chelsea when we’ve ’hardly any history and been around for about five minutes’ - the sheer cheek of us, really!! Of course, money raises its ugly head at this point, as it does and has to because otherwise United would have snapped him up [much in the same way as we saw with their Bebe snatch] and Roman’s roubles are once again cited as an overriding factor. Two hits below the belt, then, but neither of them a knockout blow in the current environment and here’s why…

Firstly, other than the ’istory-obsessed Scousers, I don’t see anybody regularly singing the praises of past glory boys and their teams so, unless United fans are prepared to big-up their archrivals over the issue, they should stay mute on the subject. Secondly, to suggest that money is a major influence on matters simply doesn’t wash since the Abu Dhabi boys rode into town and turned it into a proper city, providing a home club for local supporters as opposed to the bussed-in variety from Guildford. Small wonder Neymar compares himself to the ‘Little Bird’ Garrincha [brilliant winger btw] and in the modern world is a fledgling superstar over here flying south in search of his nest at the top of the tree. Potentially higher ground in London is an obvious attraction, not money, nor fading glory, and I’m guessing a decision made without a moment’s thought for [last decade] Fergie fliers, let alone those burnished Busby Babes that ceased being memorable deal-clinchers long ago.

This may be jumping the gun, with crucial games against them just round the corner, yet surely it is time for a reality check up North on the red side of Manchester, just as it will be for those messengers of gloom who still hedge their bets over acknowledgement of our transfer target pulling-power and over which Mancunian side prevails in the future. This summer’s news could possibly say it all, couched in its own special terms by the bringers and consumers of it, but there’s no doubting the continuance of one stark and enduring contrast next season - Roman will still be overseeing as anxiously as ever, while Malcolm Glazer will be conspicuous only by his absence from the scene. Whether that scene features Neymar in Chelsea’s colours is anyone’s guess, but the odds are on the guy who wants to see him play forking out for the pleasure and the other chap not giving a damn. Happy days.]]> Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:30:10 +0000 73278a4a86960eeb576a8fd4c9ec6997 http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/the-liverpool-way-a-long-and-whiney-road-r11 Written By Dorset

There was a time when MOTD was compulsive viewing for football fans of every colour and creed, but not any longer, especially for those of us in Blue. No siree, not since the invasion and ultimate sofa occupation of a dying breed of old soldier, namely the ex-Liverpool pro Alan Hansen, ably assisted by Colin Murray, the seriously dumbed-up and bespectacled young admirer of all things Scouse. Throw in Mark Lawrenson for further Anfield flavouring and you could, if you were so inclined towards a few fun-filled lugubrious evenings-in, wallow around to your heart’s content in a weekly pool of ‘Pool propaganda. Only most of us don’t want to do that for any longer than is necessary, which usually equates to as long as it takes us to see the Chels highlights, or those of teams still in contention for titles, before getting the hell outta there in order to avoid the inevitable brickbats, sadly a now natural consequence of a certain Fernando Torres straying from the one and only true path otherwise known as ‘The Liverpool Way‘...

Not that you can ignore this Ay, Ay, Ay, gyratory system for too long these days, because arterial roads stretch from 5Live, where you can take a massive toll on your integrity and listen to regular Anfield b****x dished up by Alan Green, or travel right across the highbrow spectrum to TalkSport and catch John Aldridge telling it like it isn’t when it comes to making beds and lying in them. Clearly, even if he knew what it meant, analogy is not an Aldridge strongpoint, but no matter the merits of still being in a comfy Champions League or Premiership bed, as opposed to being perennially potless and sleeping rough, the notion of a ’Liverpool Way’ getting you to a Promised Land has enough disciples in the Media and old pro ranks to suggest that it would be along some sort of Damascene Road.

In truth, as far as anyone travelling on it is concerned, there appears to be no coming off ‘The Way’ without retribution. Poor Fernando made the mistake of heading for pastures new and thereafter Alan Hansen for one [disciple] will never see his terrific movement off the ball again. There is no bright golden haze in Hansen’s meadow once you’ve ploughed a furrow out of Anfield, so almost by ’Liverpool Way’ definition (unless you’re waking up from Aldridge’s proverbial red bed) there will never be a beautiful morning at another club. It is the penance paid for saying you are leaving Liverpool to win trophies. It is the reason why Suarez is ‘a snip’ and Carroll cannot be a one-season-wonder, even if he turns out to be…unless, heaven forbid, he leaves of his own accord a few years down the line.

It took a seasoned campaigner like Clarence Seedorf to expose ‘The Liverpool Way’ as the pernicious path it is on MOTD at the weekend, by the simple expedient of disagreeing with Hansen’s morose mantra on Torres, so crassly teased out of him by Murray’s £50m man remark. Clarence saw it for what it was, a free hit served up by a compliant presenter to a likeminded colleague seemingly above rebuke. To his credit he didn’t let it pass by without exposing the myopia and to his eternal shame, Hansen took umbrage, went ballistic, thereby confirming the worst fears of those who have always sensed a nasty religious zeal inherent in ‘The Liverpool Way’.

No doubt when Torres scores his first goal for Chelsea it will be instantly recognised on MOTD as ’his only one so far’. That is until such time as several go in, when they will be deemed ‘not yet enough to justify his fee‘. Of course, if they then start flying in from all angles it is bound to be heralded as being ’about time too’ and perish the thought if, as a climax to his first season with his new club, the Spaniard ever has the opportunity, nay even the audacity, to parade around a pitch with one of those trophy thingies. In a perfect world, the final sacrilege would be his netting of a winning goal, but don’t expect much of an acknowledgement of the fact on Merseyside should that happen. Aldridge would have already gone straight to his bed, lain in it, and pulled the covers up, while Hansen, bless him, would continue to insist that Chelsea Armageddon was just around the corner - yeh right, then left, before going straight on past ’The Liverpool Way’.]]> Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:07:07 +0000 698d51a19d8a121ce581499d7b701668 http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/leboeuf-and-luiz-the-press-are-so-fickle-r10 Written By Dorset

One thing that has grabbed my attention this morning is the widespread reports in the press, stemmed from
the Alex Ferguson post match interview on Sky.

Let me say firstly, as I said after the Fulham game, Luiz has a lot to learn still, but with JT about he can only
improve, as my mate in Portugal said "Into the best defender in the World."

The fouls on Rooney and Hernandez were cheeky at worst and of a player confident and strong enough to
take on any forward in the game. In both cases he planted his feet and used his bodyweight, Rooney in fact
was pure and simply roughed up by hiim from the moment he scored what was a great finish.

What a stark contrast to Leboeuf when he played against Wimbledon all those years ago, the press were on his
case saying he would never be strong enough for English Football !

Both are cultured footballers with an eye for the pass, but here with Luiz we have a player with a bit of JT
and Paul Elliott mixed in with Carvalho!

This kid is going to be a cult figure on the terraces for certain. The way he celebrated his goal with Drogba,
other players and the fans reminded me of Joey Jones when he first came here.

Luiz has to be careful because ref's will be on the look out for his challenges - Jamie Redknapp calling them
assaults last night will not help ! What a daft statement that was, send him where Andy Gray went Sky !!

We have a right player on our hands here, make no mistake. ]]> Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:30:00 +0000 5f93f983524def3dca464469d2cf9f3e http://www.theshedend.com/page/index.html/_/chelsea-fc-articles/echoes-of-inter-city-and-a-toon-tastic-rollerc-r9 Written By Dorset

There were enough warning signs before Sunday’s rail crash of a match, indeed more than enough to prevent what turned into a complete derailment of our Premiership season. Hindsight is a wonderful thing when you fail to spot leaves on the line or there is a rail-related-type points failure, but football’s different, because unforeseen circumstances are rare and rarefied events, such as the one we’ve just witnessed, are not only planned for, but sometimes even stage-managed.

Take our game against Inter last season, for example, and you’ll recall the hype surrounding Jose’s much-heralded return, the perception that he knew us inside out, followed by the almost ritualistic succumbing of our players under the pressure. Then take the Man City game and the Media’s farcical portrayal of the JT/Bridge handshake as a main event, the build-up to which sapped our confidence and emboldened the likes of Tevez and Bellamy to deliver scandalous blows on behalf of the moral majority, whereupon the team duly caved in under the weight of mass opprobrium.

Now, just as an aside, fast-forward to Newcastle at the weekend and see what a halftime shaming can do to galvanise a side, even when it’s 4-0 adrift. Man down or not, Wenger failed to see that runaway train as it came hurtling down the passion track, blew away their lead, and was seemingly powerless to prevent the catastrophe that followed. Not so in our game against Liverpool which was, if not entirely preventable, at least avoidable due to [what should have been] an appreciation of foreseeable events. What’s more, try as I might, there is no denying that Carlo has been the driver in all the crashes over recent months, let alone those two ’big’ games from last season mentioned above.

These days the facts speak for themselves with regard to our ability to withstand pressure against the top teams, but there really was no need to extenuate circumstances by gift-wrapping a formation for a vengeful opposition’s benefit, let alone have it hamstrung by selecting a midfield that chugged along rather than fire on all cylinders. Firstly, we had a euphemistically-named dummy run [of Anelka playing behind Didier and Kalou] at Sunderland that was so obvious in execution as to be far from beyond their Ken to eagerly pick up and run with during his pre-match tactical preparation. This was almost tantamount to a security firm altering the route for a bullion run to the bank only days before the event, only to issue an updated bulletin to every known robber in town. Little wonder we were ambushed and how appropriate was it that Steve Clarke could easily be ’fingered’ for the job done on our golden strikers throughout the ninety minutes?

Secondly, we need [yet again] to reconsider the deployment of a midfield diamond containing both Mikel and Essien, especially in the light of Ramires current form and his direct, as opposed to lateral, movement. Our one in-form midfielder was reported late-on as being ’not available’ yesterday whilst Liverpool had the good sense to keep their in-form player [Raul Meireles] in situ and put Suarez on the bench, almost as if to accentuate the uncertain newness and accommodating nature of our attack compared with their own risk-free, horses-for-courses approach. Dear me, when you look at this sluggish midfield performance, together with Ramires sudden non-availability, we might just as well have handed Josh the beginnings of an extended Premiership run, especially when you bear in mind the growing need to use Ramires dynamism in the Champions League and also to avoid the midfield coming to a complete standstill in the latter stages of that competition.

So, in the light of what has gone on (both on and off the pitch) for Chelsea in the important games of late, I’m finding it had not to be critical of Carlo and his apparent acceptance of situations. He is the appeaser in our camp, no doubt in Roman’s presence too, but my concern is that performing this role may easily cloud his judgement on team matters to the extent that we are failing to take the sting out of matches anymore, being unduly affected by the turmoil of its expectation and during the game itself. He may also be guilty of accommodating certain players for the wrong reasons and whilst I may not have had the nerve to drop Didier yesterday, I’d like to think that Carlo seriously considered it, even though the evidence suggests otherwise. That’s why Fernando came off, David Luiz jumped in ahead of the midfield queue, and why it will soon be time for some serious, long term decision-making to be made on the selection front.]]> Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:14:25 +0000 1f0e3dad99908345f7439f8ffabdffc4