Elliott

His work is being noticed... http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNod...&pNodeId=133182

Being that all the press are saying Tevez is a goner after this season, does anyone else still think he could do a job for us? A have to say, i am still firmly in the YES category.

Good luck, TT.

And what if Porto score?

(Whats the Story? Morning Glory) Soz, it was actually ''D'you know what i mean?''

More on Veron: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/6418585.stm

http://www.thefa.com/England/U18s/NewsAndF...llandYeovil.htm

Not winning the title does not make this season a failure, but if we do not win another cup to accompany the CC, then it almost certainly will be.

One of my very first happy Chelsea moments was this one: http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACommuni...Liverpool97.htm I just remembered feeling so low, and distraught at half-time. We had some friends round at the time, who were'nt really 'Football fans', but were interested in knowing what Chelsea were about, as me and my dad have followed them. I remember feeling so embarresed at half-time, and so very proud after the final whistle. Almost had tears of joy. 26 January 1997 Chelsea 4-2 Liverpool Liverpool raced into an early two-goal lead, but thanks to goals from Hughes, Zola and a Vialli brace it was to be a Blue day. With Liverpool travelling south to Stamford Bridge in this Fourth Round tie nine years ago, expectations were high from two teams playing with absolute attacking intent. No one quite expected what was to happen next however, with six incredible goals confirming this meeting amongst the classic FA Cup encounters of recent memory. Who else but Robbie Fowler opened the scoring and when Stan Collymore doubled the advantage shortly after, it looked like mission impossible for Ruud Gullit and his team. The Dutch master proved his tactical mettle with devastating effect, bringing on Mark Hughes with an immediate return. Sparky got Chelsea back into the game with a typically defiant strike, before the diminuitive Italian Gianfranco Zola scored one of the all-time great goals to level the scores. It was the Blues' other Italian striker, Gianluca Vialli, who completed the victory with two cooly taken goals and send Chelsea through and on course to lift the trophy with victory over Middlesbrough. I have to say though, the Barca 4-2 match was the best game i have ever seen a Chelsea side involved in. Both teams were amazingly good on the night, and the first 15mins were breathtaking. No other word could describe it.

I love him more for the joyous scream at our fans, after scoring the winner at Everton this season: ''Come on Chelseeee!'' What a bloke.

Bollox. We were all over em'.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2024787,00.html

Terry is being rested for tomorrow's game at Portsmouth. I still think however that we will get three points; The team will be brimming with confidence after the CC win. The only match that might cause us a problem this month may be City away, i think. I remember us losing there to an Anelka penalty a couple of seasons back after Paulo wrestled him to the deck. That was their only shot on target, and we struck the woodwork twice. Stuart Pearce is no mug. We'll need Terry for that one.

At the expense of a title?

That'll teach the scum! Sendoros was nowhere to be seen for the goal. What a little gem of a player he is? Arsene, you spotted some real talent there.

Just another word on Terry. According to all the press this morning, he has been suffering with headaches and Chelsea were worried that there may have been some complications after the initial injury, but he has been for final scans, and been given the all clear. Now, if this is the case, and normal advice would be for him to 'take it easy' for two weeks, then will he be playing this weekend? Knowing JT, he will probably say that he's fit to play however, if he takes another whack to the head, it could be fatal. How do we think this is going to pan out?

Excellent news. If that's the case, how much further would Sinclair be behind Sahar? Do we realistically think that either will get their chance, whilst we are spending ?30 million on 30 year old players?

lucid debate? Is'nt he a rapper?

My views in short were: Cech - Praise the lord he is back. Carlo or Hilario would have conceded 2 or 3 on that day. We take for granted how good this bloke is. Bridge - Deserved his starting spot, and played well again. Only really got caught out by Walcott once, and did not need an invitation to bomb forward. Diarra - The boy is going from strength to strength. He was beaten by Traore on one occasion, but is so strong for someone so small! His pace is also quite decieving, and close control? Superb. Terry - Looked really uncomfortable on his ankle. Whenever he had to turn quickly and run, he was struggling. I am glad that he played because of the presence that he brings to the rest, and made 2 or 3 excellent blocks. Sickening injury (i thought he was dead!). Only JT could recover so quickly, and return to celebrate with the other lads. Carvalho - Get's some stick for being a bit shaky from time to time, but the last three or four games, he has been a giant. Made at least 5 excellent tackles, winning the ball hard, but fair. Baptista took a right battering from him. Well done Riccy. Maka - Had one of his more quiet games, but what an important player is is for us? I remember him playing a diagonal pass through the centre of the field around the 15 mins mark that had me reaching to pick my jaw off the floor. He caresses the ball around the pitch. It's a joy to watch, and was only subbed for Robbie as we lacked a little 'oomph' up front. Ballack - The obvious player to blame again, but in all fairness, didnt do alot wrong. Defensively, he did alot of hard work, and i thought the way he jogged forward and then picked out Drogba with his left boot was beautiful. Needs to create more of the same, and get some shots on target! Lampard - Very quiet. Made alot of important tackles, but he was a little bit off the boil on the day. Had his 35 yarder gone in, it would have been a whole different story. That's how thin the line is, between a good and a bad game. Essien - Another top notch game, but a bit of a spectator in the first 45mins. I thought his performance improved, and was much more of an influence once he had moved in to the deep lying holding role. Having an amazing season. Sheva - Back to slightly below par again im afraid. Worked hard. Slipped all over the place. Never really got into it. I found myself holding my breath everytime the ball came near him, as on the day, he never really seemed to have it under control quick enough. His snapshot when hitting the angle was really unlucky, and he really couldnt have done anymore. Top marks for effort, but ultimately his quality lacked. Drogba - A piss poor effort again. Very lucky. - No, really, what can be said that hasnt already? 28 goals this season and still going. What an achievement, and what a leader. He was geeing us up all the time. Didier didnt actually have the best of games, some of his touches were laughable, but didnt he take his goals well? There was a time where any sentence containing the name 'Drogba', and the words 'Lethal', 'Composure' or 'Magnificent' would have been joked about. Robben - The only sub that i could comment on. We desperately lacked any penetration or width in the first half, and he definately gave Le Arse something to think about. Made a few good jinking runs, and delivered a beauty for the winner. Hit the deck quite easily a couple of times? Not like him is it? I also have to mention, Diaby was awesome for them. He looks a real talent, and was the obvious outstanding player.

My Journey started out at 9.30am. Drove to Newport in about 3 hrs. Left the car in Newport, and opted to get a train into Cardiff, which as already stated on here, takes roughly 15 mins. By the time we got there after the nightmare of queing for a train that may never come, and being on it for an hour, i just had enough time to take a whizz and get into my seat in time for the kick off! No beer, No food, and just about managed to empty the bladder! The Stadium is great (apart from whoever designed the mens toilets), and the city seems a wicked place to go out on the lash, but the overall journey more than spoils it. We tried to get back afterwards after about 1hr 30mins in a pub, and Cardiff Station resembled something like a third world country. Bodies queing everywhere, no-one moving, police not knowing what is going on. Chelsea fans : ''Look mate, we've been waiting in this queue for a train for the last hour and a half, when's one coming?'' Policeman : ''To be honest mate, we havent gotta clue''. Could be one here in 5 mins, or you may be here all night. We just dont know''... Yeah. Exactly. Well that's just great. Managed to finally get home about midnight. It is the first time i have been, and thank god it will be the last. The transport services acted as though 70,000 people had just 'crept up on them unannounced'. You have to laugh. I just felt sorry for all of those that had to turn back, and could'nt get there. If you're on the end of a defeat, then it's not just a long way home, but A BLOODY LONG WAY HOME. Thanks Didier.

My close MOM as well. Another accomplished performance. The Sun's ratings are always way off the mark. I think the only things they do get right in that paper are the dates, and page numbers. (Page 3 is normally spot on too).

I dont know about you chaps, but after we suffered our 2-0 defeat at the hands of liverpool, our very own Jose Mourinho cut a very sad figure indeed. He looked a beaten man. Low on defenders, losing key players to injury, and losing ground on Manchester United all compounded to sap the soul of The Special One. We were no longer hearing the witty post match retorts, or seeing the fight, but seeing a manager somewhat resigned to defeat and with no answer to give his critics. Not anymore. Over the last two or three weeks, the 'spring in his step' has returned. The pre and post match comments are as amusing as ever, the fight has resumed, and if anything, he seems to be taking the bull by the horns. I thought this article summed it up well, and echoed my recent thoughts; http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/co...icle2296770.ece I wondered if any of you lot had noticed the same? Please, let's never take the great man for granted! FULL ARTICLE: James Lawton: Mourinho delights with grace of old in moment of anguish Gone was the rancid self-pity, the ego-stroking and the dubious put-downs Published: 23 February 2007 Something astonishing happened in Europe this week. So amazing, in some ways, it surpassed even Rafa Benitez's intelligent and hugely rewarded handling of Liverpool's supposedly benighted approach to the Nou Camp. It was Jose Mourinho taking his latest body blow, the new injury crisis of John Terry, and then producing a masterclass of post-match football analysis. This, quite simply, was the best of Mourinho: bright and hard as a diamond, expressive, impassioned and - sing it to the heavens - exceedingly generous to his old Porto team. Gone was the rancid self-pity, the gratuitous ego-stroking, the snide and dubious put-down of the opposition. In its place: a detailed, and notably unpatronising, report on the difficulties of his night from the moment Terry went down. Mourinho said it ravaged his gameplan but he was delighted with the response of his players, notably Andrei Shevchenko, who scored the equalising goal in the 1-1 draw so sweetly he looked again one of Europe's top assassins, and Arjen Robben, who Mourinho pointed out picked up his hamstring injury because he had no time to warm up before rushing into a radically changed formation - one in which the power of Michael Essien in midfield was again surrendered in favour of fire-chasing duties in the middle of defence. No doubt there was a sub-text, but that was part of the service - and the fun - of a Mourinho who was reminding some of us of the enthusiasm he created when he first arrived here from his triumph in Porto. This was someone who would challenge the iron grip of the Ferguson-Wenger duopoly. He had youth, style and outrageous ambition. He was amusing, too. This week Mourinho didn't skirt the fact that Chelsea's recent reluctance to return to the market has again left him critically exposed in central defence. But none of the points were laboured, not even the central one that despite the lack of anything like an appropriate replacement for his most important player, Chelsea had just had a successful night in Europe, were in the final of the Carling Cup, the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and still within striking distance of Manchester United at the top of the Premiership. Can Mourinho, as a parting gift to his disaffected patron Roman Abramovich, deliver an unprecedented four trophies? The possibility has softened in United and Arsenal hearts with Terry's latest mishap, but, interestingly, some bookmakers have been slow to react. Chelsea remained 7-2 favourites for the Champions League yesterday morning, the same as before Terry's scream of anguish in Oporto, compared to, respectively, 5-1 and 9-1 against this week's European winners, United and Liverpool. They are plainly good value, though whether they remain so over the next few weeks as Terry starts another fitness race, is now the most critical question of the season. What seemed clear enough on Wednesday night was that Mourinho had plainly recovered his composure - and his edge - after what had seemed to be a draining breakdown in relations with the oligarch. Compared to the man who in recent years had most challenged his self-belief - and his professional integrity - Bar?a's Frank Rijkaard, Mourinho looked still a master of his trade. The Dutchman, by comparison, appeared at his wits end as Liverpool, much inferior technically but operating on an entirely different level of professional honesty, exposed all the flaws that have accumulated this season in the approach of the reigning European champions. Long before the end, Rijkaard was simply throwing talent on to the field and hoping that something positive - or fortunate - might just emerge. Because of that level of talent - and the possibility that Samuel Eto'o will be re-embraced before the second leg at Anfield, Rijkaard and Bar?a cannot be entirely discounted. Certainly, given the number of times Liverpool surrendered the ball while under little pressure, they can scarcely afford to see "scissors feet" Momo Sissoko lose his fight to recover from a late injury. Understandably, Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise won all the headlines with their remarkable transformation from karaoke squabblers to comrades impressively armed, but without Sissoko even their best efforts would probably have come to not so much. Sissoko hounded Barcelona a little further down the road to the ruin that can only follow the collapse of professional standards that has plainly come to the Nou Camp after their defeat of Arsenal in the final last spring. Ronaldinho was a grave disappointment in last summer's World Cup and, as we feared, against Liverpool he could only provide new evidence of a badly faltering will - or, if not that, a cynical desire to make his rumoured departure at the end of the season something less than a cause for universal mourning along the broad avenues of a city that once embraced him so warmly. Ronaldinho's performance was so impoverished he appeared to have lost even the remnants of his old, puckish street-urchin charm. What it all added up to was a most encouraging week for Premiership ambitions on the big European stage. Until recently hopelessly under-represented, despite the wealth of the league, English football is finally promising to consistently punch its weight in Europe for the first time since the prime of Liverpool's Bob Paisley. For one week, at least, Arsenal's Ars?ne Wenger found himself outside the circle of Benitez, Sir Alex Ferguson and Mourinho but he too should recover his composure in the second leg against PSV, who despite their 1-0 victory remain at 40-1 to win the prize, a ranking at the betting window 26 points below the team they defeated in Eindhoven. Certainly Benitez, Ferguson and Mourinho had reason to celebrate their progress, though the United manager was no doubt less than exhilarated by his team's showing in Lille. Ferguson handled the outrageous behaviour of the French bench with impeccable authority, not least when he commanded his captain Gary Neville to disentangle himself from a crisis inanely initiated by Lille's goalkeeping coach, but he cannot have been excessively encouraged by a team performance which lacked even one notable effort. Of particular concern, surely, was Cristiano Ronaldo's disbelieving retreat from the field when a halt was called on his futile night's work. The most alarming thought was that he is beginning to believe some of his most outrageous publicity. Meanwhile, Mourinho works to remind even his heaviest critics that however much he has besieged it from within, an outstanding football mind is still on the job. For his English-based rivals, nothing as remotely disturbing was encountered on foreign fields.

a personal favourite, that. all in about the last month. G4, Everyone at any given time has been disappointed with him. (Except for maybe you! ) Sure there are varying degrees of criticism, some of it quite fair, alot else, way off the mark. I will be the first to admit, that after watching him play in December / January, i was worried. The effort was improving (albeit very slowly) but he still looked scared, and slightly lost on the pitch. Now, (not just because he scored against Porto) i feel very optimistic about his future. The last 3/4 games, you can see a dramatic improvement. The sharpness seems to be returning, and his all round game is unrecognisable. Credit to him. He get's a doff' of the cap from me, as im sure he will do now from many others if he continues. If there is one thing that can't be questioned, it's his professionalism and conduct with the media, which quite frankly, was impeccable considering some of the embarrasing tripe he's had to listen to.

Yep. SS1.

BACK IN A WEEK! http://www.chelseafc.com/page/NewsHomePage...~986654,00.html