BlueBeard

Apart from being almost constantly injured, the man's a part-time eunuch - when the going gets tough he's got no balls. Let some other club try and sort him out

Our best team, IMO, playing an attacking 4-4-2 - none of this 4-3-3 b*llocks which invariably turns into 4-5-1 ...................Cech.................. Belletti....Carvalho...Terry...Bridge SWP.......Ballack.....Essien...J.Cole ...........Anelka....Drogba............ Subs: - Cudicini, Alex, Mikel, Lampard, Kalou

Someone should arrest those bar stewards they're always starting trouble and besides I hate Sting So true, you wouldn't believe the amount of times I saw the old bill wading into the Shed to nick someone for 'being in possession of offensive eyebrows' or something. As for the Wolves game, both Chelsea and Wolves fans ran onto the pitch after the match as the result meant that both clubs had been promoted. Rival fans were shaking hands and celebrating together, not a hint of trouble....and then the old bill decided that all this merriment must cease forthwith, and got very heavy-handed. Before you could say 'it weren't me guv!' people were getting arrested and dragged off just for being happy....and so of course, the inevitable happened - both sets of fans turned on the police, and then on each other - happy days! Having said that though, we had one hell of a ruck when we first arrived in Wolverhampton - about 20 of us in a Ford Transit - and walked through the pedestrian subway on the way to the ground. A group of heavily outnumbered Chelsea fans had been ambushed by the locals down there, but our arrival evened things up a bit and we soon had the Wolves fans on their toes. And then there was the mass bundle in the bar at half-time! The police had carefully segregated the fans on the terraces, but somehow overlooked the fact that the bar below was accessible from both sets of supporters. The resulting row made the famous bar-fight scene from "Dodge City" seem like a Morris Dancers convention. So maybe.......just maybe, the old bill were right to keep us apart after the game after all? Naah, they were all total b*stards, especially Sting!

So many to choose from, but if I had to opt for just one it would be the FA Cup Final replay against Leeds at Old Trafford in 1970. Brilliant atmosphere, great game, great team, and we won the Cup for the first time! Got to agree with John (Fansince65) regarding the Bruges match in 1971 - best atmosphere I've ever witnessed at a game.....and what a game! Another great game with an atmosphere to match was Wolves away in 1977. Thousands of Chelsea fans were packed into the South Stand at Molineux, the noise was amazing. We needed just a point for promotion, and got it thanks to a Tommy Langley goal. Cue mass celebrations, dancing on the pitch, fighting on the pitch (thanks to the police who started it), absolute mayhem everywhere - f*ckin' brilliant! Some more contenders: - 1977/78 - Liverpool home in the FA Cup, won 4-2 with Flasher taking a starring role. 1983/84 - Leeds home, won 5-0, fun and games all round 1983/84 - Man.City away, won 2-0, probably the best away support the 2nd Division has ever seen 1983/84 - Grimsby away, won 1-0 to win the 2nd.Division title - Chelsea here, Chelsea there, Chelsea every-f*ckin'-where! 1996/97 - Liverpool home in the FA Cup, won 4-2 (again!) 2-0 down at H-T, what a comeback! I'm sure there are plenty more, but I can't think of 'em right now.....

Great stuff, cheers Loz!

I remember Mickey Thomas scoring the winner in the last minute - think it was normal time, but I may be wrong.

All the hard work done, on the verge of something, then we blow it! Supporting Chelsea - epitomised in one moment! Never mind, we won the replay!

Thanks for that Loz, much appreciated

I feel sorry for Sidwell - he might not be world class, but he's a decent enough player. Considering how few games he's played, has it crossed any of his detractors minds that he's nowhere near match fit?

I voted SWP, probably the best game he's had for Chelsea. As for the red card - I watched it 3 or 4 times on my stream, and it looked to me as though Mikel went in with one foot up, studs showing - a straight yellow card. Red cards have been given far too often recently for two-footed challenges, but this wasn't two-footed, just a bit reckless. In my opinion the ref gave the red card purely because of Mikel's growing reputation for reckless challenges, targetting him simply because of who he was. If another player had made that challenge I'm sure they'd have got a yellow card - reminds me a bit of when Essien was targetted by refs - strange it doesn't happen to players from other clubs. The ref was obviously a total w*nker, and tried everything within his power to give Everton an advantage - two of their players could easily have been given red cards, but what a surprise, they didn't get given them.

I'd regard very few players from recent years as Chelsea 'legends'. I think one of the main reasons a lot of players from years ago are given legendary status by so many fans is down to the length of time the players spent at Chelsea, and the amount of appearances they made for the club. From the late 60's/early 70's period alone, I'd regard Peter Osgood, Charlie Cooke, Peter Bonetti, Ron Harris, Johnny Hollins, Eddie McCreadie and Bobby Tambling as Chelsea legends. And I found it difficult to leave out the likes of Alan Hudson, Dave Webb, John Dempsey, Johnny Boyle, Tommy Baldwin and Peter Houseman from that list! Later in the 70's we had Ray Wilkins & Micky Droy, then in the early 80's, Kerry Dixon, David Speedie, Eddie Niedzwiecki, Pat Nevin & Johnny Bumstead. Late 80's onwards gave us Steve Clarke, Dennis Wise & Erland Johnsen. I'm not sure about players from the last ten years, as the game has changed so much in regard to wages and transfer fees that most players rarely show any loyalty to their club, they're happy to go to the highest bidder. However, sometimes a player doesn't have to spent years at the club to become a legend, or at least a semi-legend - ie - Ian Hutchinson, Kenny Swain, Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones & Paul Elliott. And of course, a lot of it's down to personal choice. Some people might regard a certain player a legend because he scored a very important goal for the club - on the other hand, some people may deem a player undeserving of legendary status merely because of the club he came from or went to. Or because he once threw his Chelsea shirt on the floor in a temper tantrum (step up Graeme Le Saux!) No doubt everyone will disagree with at least one of my choices for Chelsea Legend, and also possibly point out players that I omitted. That's what makes this topic so interesting - no two people will agree on a list of legends! .......oh, and although Jimmy Greaves was before even my time, he was unquestionably a Chelsea legend. He spent six years at the club after signing as a youth player in 1955 and his goal scoring record is there for all to see. What happened when he left was more down to the directors of the club than down to Greaves.

That is indeed a tough one. To include Anelka, I'd leave out Drogba, as he definitely seems to want to leave the club, and I'd be concerned about his hunger and attitude as the season draws to a close. To include Ballack is far more difficult - and let's face it, Ballack must be included. I'd probably go along with your choice of Ben Haim, though I'd also be tempted to leave out Malouda or maybe even Maka. Naah, got to be Ben Haim - he's a bleedin' liability anyway

Best League Cup semi-finals I can think of would be the 1971/72 games against Spuds. 22 December 1971. First leg at the Bridge, 43,000 crowd, atmosphere electric. We won 3-2 with goals coming from Chris Garland, Peter Osgood, and a Johnny Hollins penalty. All set up for an exciting second leg at WHL! 5 January 1971. Chris Garland scored for us, but Spuds were winning 2-1 with about a minute to go when we got a free-kick over by the left corner flag at the Paxton End - which was packed with thousands of us Chelsea fans. The penalty box was heaving with bodies as Chelsea threw everyone forward for one last effort. Alan Hudson strode up to take the free-kick but totally mis-hit it, and the ball miraculously rolled through the penalty area without a soul touching it........and trickled into the net. 2-2! Cue mayhem on the terraces as we all went totally mental - we were in the League Cup Final and on our way to Wembley! Having missed out on the 1970 FA Cup Final at Wembley, I was relishing the thought of my first visit to the stadium. As we made our way out of the ground and onto the scummy streets we still didn't know who our opponents would be, West Ham or Stoke City. We were all chanting "We want Stoke", as they definitely seemed the easier option - and we got our wish On a plus point, we chased the Spuds fans all over the place after the match

How about seeing two Chelsea hat-tricks in the same game? 71/72, Chelsea 13 Jeunesse Hautcharage 0, Peter Osgood got 5, Tommy Baldwin 3. Mind you the opposition were from the Luxembourg 3rd.Division, and we beat them 8-0 away in the first leg, so maybe not so much of an achievement The first hat-trick I ever saw scored was in only the second game I ever went to - unfortunately it was Ron Davies who got four goals when Southampton beat us 6-2 at the Bridge in 1967, with future y*d Martin Chivers getting the other two. At least I got to see my first goals by Peter Osgood in the same game though I had to wait until the following season before I saw my first Chelsea hat-trick - in February 1969 when Bobby Tambling hit four against Sunderland

I think that was Trevor Brooking showing his total impartiality again - the man's a w*nker

Tempting though it was to go with Veron, Ben-Haim & Malouda, I finally opted for Cech, Carvalho & Makelele.

Who the f*ck said make all the changes at the same f*cking time??? Speaking for myself, I'd like the changes I suggested to take place over a period of 12 to 18 months - but then, this is all just wishful thinking.

Yeah, because Lumpy had a poor(ish) last game and Ballack was good, it automatically means Lampard is crap and Ballack world class. Get with the program dude.......... Lampard hasn't just "had a poor(ish) last game", he's had a poorish last two seasons, compared with the way he performed before. Players should be picked on their current form, not their past reputation - this is where both Chelsea and England have gone wrong over the last few years.

nobody in matchchat?

Scarborough? Fair enough, I thought it might have been Notts.County or Huddersfield - I lose track, old age isn't agreeing with me

Wasn't that Notts.County?

I remember saying in MatchChat that Clarkey had obviously thrown a wobbler at half-time - nice to be right for once

My observations on QPR were based on their fans (or severe lack of them), not the team. Having said that, my first memories of QPR go back to the 60's, when they were in the 3rd.Division. First time I saw QPR was in the 68/69 season, when we beat them 4-0 away. That was also the day the Chelsea fans captured the 'drum', though at 11, I was too young to be involved (of course)

He's snubbed the scum? My estimation of Hutton has multiplied ten-fold! Maybe he's heard a rumour that Chelsea have come in for him in a swap deal involving Ferreira? Loz, have you heard of a young right-back at Rangers called Alan Lowing? I just wondered if he's anywhere near ready to take over from Hutton, should he leave.

IN RUUD GULLIT or similar Right back - Lahm or Alves Left back - Chiellini Def.Midfield - Vanden Borre Att.Midfield - Diego Wingers - Ribery & Vicente (I want to see us play an attacking 4-4-2 with real wingers) Strikers - Huntelaar & Klose OUT AVRAM GRANT Ferreira - no surprises there Ben Haim - ditto Ashley Cole - never liked him, Bridgey far better Boulahrouz - like his attitude, just not good enough Sidwell - nothing against the guy at all, but we need better Malouda - cuts inside too much to be considered a genuine winger Joey* - he's getting more selfish every game, his tricks seem to be more important to him than the team is Lampard* - not the player he was, his passing has got a lot worse, & his set pieces are a nightmare. On the plus side, he can run around a lot and wants to stay with Chelsea forever (so long as they pay him ridiculous wages) Drogba - I'd love him to stay, but I don't think anything Chelsea say or do will change his mind about leaving * = if Joey and/or Lamps get back to their best, then obviously they should stay