bar24rat

Myles 91. 2005 wasn't exactly a miracle but having lived through the 1967 cup defeat to Spurs, the 1970 final v Leeds, being at the final for the 4-0 hammering by Utd and then watching on television the 4 victories in the past decade, the cup seemed to be our sole chance of success. Inconsistency through the 70s and onwards always seemed to be costly. Even after having won in 1955 with the lowest points total ever at the time, Chelsea finished mid-table the following season. Season 2004- 2005 with Morinho's arrival came new hope and so it proved to be. A great feeling and I was at the game v Charlton for THE goal by Makalele and the subsequent presentation. Once the euphoria of the afternoon was over,It didn't feel strange. More needing to quietly enjoy the moment to its maximum and to recollect later that day as I returned home to IOW, where we were living at the time, that it was 50 years since I was in the crowd and on the pitch as an 11 year old. Somewhere in the attic there may be a copy of the programme of the 3-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday that secured the title. Eric Parsons scored two-I wrote about "Rabbit" for the forum's legends section. It was not to be a one off this time but the two subsequent titles have not had the same feel about them although still delighted about the successes. Best wishes

Re Myles 91. I could bore you at length with the changes at SB. A couple will do as photos tell a better tale. However photos cannot relate standing on an open terrace where the Matthew Harding stand is now and being battered by wind and rain from over the railway- it wasn't always a full house- or under the shed (basically a large tin hut) either leaning against a barrier or as often or not standing in the open with no fellow supporters within a few yards. Arriving at 10 to 3, you could walk around the back of the terraces from where the shed end entrance is now to behind where is now the MH stand. You couldn't avoid the stench of the toilets as you passed . And so on........! Yes I was in the crowd with my dad( Loz's granddad- he never knew him) in 1955 as the trophy was handed to Bentley and his teammates. After the game most of the players caught buses or trains home. I was also at the easter 1-0 victory over Wolves; Peter Sillet's penalty never to be rubbed from the memory. Real nostalgia. Apologies if it's too much.

We lived 10 mins stroll from Stamford bridge. Every saturday there was a game Loz's grandfather and I would hurry down North End Rd passing the barrows of the the daily market towards Fulham Broadway( it was called Walham Green in those far off days) and go to the first entrance- now The Shed End. Very little overhead cover and it could be wet and miserable. Generations of players have passed by, many no longer alive, but allegiance rarely dies. It only dims at times. I can't claim to remember anything of season 1949-50, but I do remember as if it was yesterday 1955 Less frequent are visits now but membership continues. I'll be at the Swansea game with all the enthusiasm that 50 years of support ,tears and ectasy can bring.

A worthwhile idea which I have made use of as both a "donor" and " receiver" of others membership details under the friends and family scheme. I did make sure, through a 3rd party, that all would be above board first. I have 3 others on my F and F list and therefore need no further additions but I do recommend the idea provided all is verified first. No disrespect intended but you have to be sure.

sorry, made a pig's ear of adding to Coombsie's post. I was 5 when Loz's grandfather first hoisted me on his shoulders at Stamford Bridge. To say that this is one of Chelsea's sadder occasions would be an understatement. The club (or perhaps Abram alone) has hit rock bottom this time. Not living in the UK anymore means I have only been to SB once or twice a year. Season 2010-11, not one trip as my ill- feelings towards the club increased as the time for the increasingly obvious denouement approached. Carlo has gone! There is clearly no place for one off success even though it was the highest in CFC history. SAF won nothing in 2010 but he didn't appear at the job centre. One thing is for certain, there will be many approaches for Carlo's services. Will he also return to haunt us? I have renewed my membership for next season however , for the princely sum of £25 . Loyalty never dies , it's only occasionally tarnished .

Bruma is still young. We must remember that Terry was on loan to Notts Forest amongst others when younger. At chelsea he learnt from Desailly and Leboeuf- a formidable pairing, good enough to appear in the WCF against Brazil. However Bruma may not quite match up. Ivanovic is a better all round bet than Alex; as good in the air and better on the ground although both can be prone to errors. Luiz will be there for speed and Brazilian skills of ball usage. Alex could prove to be surplus as could JT very soon. Once against Sunderland he looked very slow to turn. A sad but inevitable day may not be too far ahead.

Did you read Blaster's comment on Wenger in his programme notes for the Leeds/Arsenal replay? Wenger needs a visit to Specsavers , whereas the winger, whatever his name, has at last realised that diving is part of swimming. Nothing changes when Blaster has you in his sights.

Living in France I see him regularly on french tv equivalent of MoD and some cup games. Although not quite so sprightly now he remains a class above the majority of players in league 1. Still a pleasure to watch and he has lost none of his skills of fooling the majority of referees even though they are accustomed to his particular talent in that direction. For those of Chopper Harris supporting vintage, Makalele was and is the "master or the professional foul" , a height reached by Chopper and only attempted by the likes of Norman Hunter, Billy Bremner, Paddy Crerand, and many others.

Whatever the reasons, speculation will be rife and the media will be enjoying a field day. For those who are suggesting the return of either Clarke or Zola , consider that ex- players have not always been successful as managers or assistants. Chelsea have been badly served once or twice in the past. Zola and Clarke were short lived at West Ham as a management pairing, surprisingly WH let in goals galore under their tutelage. Similarly Newcastle when Clarke was there before he returned to Chelsea. Perhaps under Carlo either would succeed. However a better bet could be Dan the Man who, a while ago, hinted he'd like to return.

Ivanovic should be first choice centre back alongside JT. His recent performances have been excellent. He is reliable, far less prone to error than Alex on the ground, is quicker than Alex, and is certainly as tough as teak.Full back is not his natural position. Now that Bosingwa is working his way back to full fitness, he should be the first choice right back as he gives the extra pace on that side. Too often lately we've attacked on the left only using Cole. Malouda, Zhirkov with Anelka cutting in onto his right side.

Ivanovic has shown in every recent game that he is a top-class centre back. leave him there now that Bosingwa is working his way back to form. He is as strong as both JT and Alex, more reliable than Alex on the ground , gets to a covering position well and is not a full back compared to Bosingwa in terms of attacking speed. At present one of our most consistent performers

In 1891 a scoure engineer called John Alexander Brodie "invented" the concept of a goalkeeping net to avoid disputes over whether a goal had been scored. Apparently this was after he witnessed a near riot at Goodison when nobody could decide if the ball had gone in or not. This is the official story, given that this was in Liverpool it is also a possobility that the net was designed to reduce the number of balls stolen by the crowd. Any other similar stories out there?

Still laying claim to be the youngest of our beloved administrator's senior family members to go to Stamford Bridge at the age of 5 in 1949. Loz's grandfather took me at the age of 5. Obviously memories are non - existent. However I do remember being behind the goal ,on the grass with loads of other kids, when Peter Sillett scored the penalty past Bert Williams for a 1-0 win at Easter 1955. A double over Wolves, Billy Wright and all, and the title nearly won. Final home game of the season too, a 3-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday- Eric "rabbit" Parsons scored two, even one with a header. Not bad for a 5ft 4ins midget. Those really were the days. A few survive-Bentley, Blunstone.

At the present time Chelsea is supposedly "debt-free" with a capacity of 42000 whereas Man U have debts publicised at over 700 million with a capacity of 70000. The reason is simple-Abramovich. He has cleared all Chelsea's debts by accepting more and more shares. It's highly unlikely the situation will continue indefinitely. We have to be realistic. For now Roman enjoys leaping around in his box like a demented chimp when things are going well-we all saw him in the 8-0 victory over Wigan- but until when! How long is "the duration" to quote an often used phrase. 42000 plus other income sources will not meet total expenditure unless costs i.e. mainly wages and transfers are substantially reduced. Real Madrid is regularly bailed out from the city coffers, Barca is owned predominantly by the people of Catalone so their "debts" are covered in other ways. So what is the solution? There is no problem for Bruce Buck personally as he would probably move on if Roman left anyway, an increase in capacity is essential. Research is needed to ascertain the balance between.... 1. moving to a new home-unlikely and unpopular 2. increasing capacity- the best option perhaps what figure would be supported sufficiently by ticket sales-extra 10000 would bring in additional revenue of half million every 2 weeks 3. the status quo- insupportable outlays to stay at the top Others will have their input and ideas, surely now is the time to put it on the agenda

Ban surrounding and harrassing the referee-----YES Heavier punishments on diving----------------------YES Extended bans on extreme violence----------------YES (Cantona received 9 months) I agree Spain's style of play may appear to be atypical of the Premier League and not what you'd want to see weekly but they were very near on a number of occasions in the WC to scoring well-constructed goals. Have we become the nation that over appreciates the counter- attack goal and not the goal achieved by a series of pin point passes. I hope not!

Apropos of the previous comment by Stride. Spain may or may not have used age old tactics of "diving, exagerating contact, complaining" BUT I saw none of the extremes of violence perpetrated by the dutch. Yes Puyol could/ perhaps should have been dismissed for his 2nd foul to deny Robben the goal chance , it was not violent whereas the continuous efforts by Van Bommel(and not just in the final) to reduce the level of play to the gutter together with De Jong's kick on Alonso were . To say that it happened in other games is not in any way an excuse. Banning perpetrators is a must in all circumstances. I repeat my earlier claim-change allegiance if that's what you want rather than appreciate the wonderful skills of Spain's play.

The better side won. Netherlands were an absolute disgrace. It seemed to me they had only one gameplan which was full of negative intent viz to prevent Spain playing the passing game by any means available. Blame the players AND the dutch coach who clearly gave them the instructions to carry it out. Webb inevitably saw some things in a different way at times and msade decisions that did not please everybody. In a game of such violence ( for some exacerbated by spanish theatricals) it was nigh impossible for Webb to" untangle" such a plot to the satisfaction of all. In the circumstances perhaps only Pier Luigi Collina would have done a better job and then I wonder how many players would have been left on the pitch after at most one hour. Webb can be congratulated on trying to continue the game as the spectacle it should have been but clearly wasn't. Football should be a game of beauty, if you want a game of thuggery swap allegiances and follow ice hockey.

The speed and accuracy at which spain move the ball is to be admired. The problem for the majority of UK fans are that they are rarely seen and used skills . If they were then perhaps we'd be in closer contention for international trophies as countries . The majority of leading european and south american sides play in that style and they have produced the majority of the world's top players in recent years. In the UK we enjoy the more frenetic pace which, as nations, has produced no international success . We even struggled in SA against Algeria and the US.

Worth a zero fee to get him off the wage bill, makes benayoun a possible steal

Rumour mills are into overdrive today. Schweinsteiger, Torres, Mueller,.........Roman has flown to SA with money on the table. Of the 3 Schweinsteiger's game could be a replacement for Obi Mikel

Salut M. Woodhogan, Ballack could have stayed but to play where. Mikel Obi is still on course for the holding role ( another debate therein lies), Essien must be released to thunder forward more, Lampard and Malouda hopefully will continue their last season's performances and now augmented by Benayoun. Will another "craft" midfielder arrive?

Joe, Ballack,Belletti ,Deco(very likely) gone and Benayoun in.Four very expensive out and one cheaper in. Is that good busiiness? The answer has to be yes even on purely financial grounds. However on recent performances none of the four merited regular places in the team and that is surely the crucial point. Ballack was a strolling minstrel towards the end, Joe's demands were never merited, Deco inconsistent and Belletti needs no qualification. Benayoun has both energy and skill and will do more than the previous four combined. A good squad player, of far greater application and enthusiasm. A Lampard type for effort who does score and create opportunities. I'm sure the squad player situation has been outlined to him and accepted by him. Ideal for premier and champions leagues

As an elder statesman of the Forum I saw Peter Houseman in his early days when Tony Hateley was brought to Chelsea. Peter's job was to provide crosses (Hateley could only head a ball, feet were for standing on) Other writers have referred to how much Peter did to win the Cup in 1970-his late solo goal in the replay at Burnley and his goal and efforts to assist an Eddie Gray tormented David Webb in the first game of the final. One of my favourite memories is of a testimonial for Peter against Fulham in 1973. A quiet enjoyable occasion with a 4-1 victory. Peter in his gentlemanly style thanked the crowd for coming. Although the fans grew to appreciate Peter, rumours had it that the players did not. He was not one of the "Kings Rd elite" More of a Hutchinson giving all for the club. The last time I saw Peter play was in 1974. He wore the number 9 shirt at White Hart Lane .( Osgood was on his way to Southampton) Some years later a report on a Chelsea game included the lines "instantly crossed a ball of Houseman - like precision into the box". Praise indeed. A true servant to Chelsea and deservedly remembered.

It's surely madness to sell the best left back in european and possibly world football for whatever price