My apologies if this has been posted elsewhere.

Tomorrows Game Off

Yep...I see it now posted in the official match thread. I was unable to page 4 in my browser earlier for some reason.

if wilkins was still with us the game would be on. :icon_biggrin:

Will it be re- scheduled as a midweek game ?

i say it will ian no other dates are openwhen i dont know

More bullsh*t from the Mail:

Snow joke: Why was Chelsea v Manchester United called off... but Ipswich managed to beat the freezing conditions?

Chelsea invited fresh controversy by postponing today’s titanic Premier League match with Manchester United more than 24 hours before kick off.

While clubs across the country, from Sunderland to Exeter, managed to stage matches in the Premier League and Championship on Saturday afternoon, Chelsea informed United officials before lunchtime yesterday that the most eagerly-anticipated game of the season would not be played.

Incredibly, Chelsea justified their decision, delivered with unusual haste, by claiming the game had to be called off ‘following consultation with police and the local authority’.

A brief statement on the club’s website read: ‘There has been heavy snow in London on Saturday.’

United fear the postponement will present both clubs with an unwanted fixture pile-up as their expected rivalry for the title enters the critical post-Christmas period.

‘This could give us a real problem,’ said United spokesman Phil Townsend yesterday.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp perhaps captured the mood of most football fans when he expressed his astonishment that Chelsea had acted so swiftly to halt the game with United.

‘Tomorrow’s another day and who knows what the weather will be like in the morning?’ said Redknapp, who learned that Tottenham’s match at Blackpool at lunchtime today had been postponed while he waited with his players for a flight north from Stanstead Airport yesterday.

‘I have to say, I couldn’t believe it when I heard Chelsea against United was already off. You’d have thought the Stamford Bridge pitch, which has under-soil heating, would have been playable, so there must be other reasons for the game to be postponed that we don’t know about.

'At Blackpool, the pitch was frozen because they don’t have under-soil heating and that was always going to be a problem. At Chelsea, they must be worried about the surrounding areas to the ground. Even so, it is still a surprise that the game was called off so early.’

Chelsea’s rush to postpone the match has come when the club are dealing with the fall-out from a poor sequence of results. It also follows a rash of bad publicity and speculation over the future of manager, Carlo Ancelotti.

Chelsea have won only one of their last seven matches and while Frank Lampard was supposed to start his first match in five months against United this afternoon, there remain concerns over his fitness. Star striker Didier Drogba is another doubt after a bout of malaria.

As well as attracting criticism for sacking coach Ray Wilkins against the wishes of Ancelotti, the club have also received the resignation of director of football Frank Arnesen.

Critics of the club will be keen to point these out as they consider Chelsea’s willingness to get the game with United postponed early, rather than waiting until late morning today to inspect the weather and conditions at Stamford Bridge.

Only a fortnight ago, Chelsea publicly argued on their own website: ‘In this day and age, with all the modern technology, it is very rare you get a game called off. The pitch would have to be frozen solid or completely under water to be called off, which shouldn’t happen at Stamford Bridge.’

Head groundsman Jason Griffin said: ‘At Stamford Bridge, we have a water pipe system. It’s like a big radiator pumping hot water under the pitch to keep it warm. You set the temperature to go up and down, depending on the weather forecast. It’s usually between 15 and 20 degrees Centigrade. If the temperature ever gets too high, I get an alert on my phone and I would know there was a problem.’

Across London, Arsenal did not postpone yesterday’s match with Stoke until less than three hours before the game.

An Arsenal statement read: ‘Further to a huge deluge of snow in North London, starting over the Emirates Stadium at 11.38am, match referee Lee Mason made the decision at 12.07pm to postpone today’s match. Approximately three inches of snow fell over this half-hour period and there continues to be heavy snowfall with no apparent let-up.’

In contrast, Manchester United secretary John Alexander informed Sir Alex Ferguson at 12.50pm yesterday that Chelsea had declared the game could not be played today.

Ferguson and his players were at United’s Carrington training ground and had seats booked on the 2.34pm train from Manchester Piccadilly to London.

United and Chelsea must now unravel heavy fixture congestion to try to arrive at a mutually convenient day to rearrange the match ahead of the London club’s visit to Old Trafford on May 7.

Townsend explained the difficulties when he said: ‘We have rearranged our recently postponed match with Blackpool for January 25, but it’s hard to see a new date for Chelsea. Although we have a Carling Cup semi-final date free, on January 11 or 12, I don’t think we will want to play then as we have Liverpool in the FA Cup third round on January 9; and Tottenham away on January 16.

‘Then, in February and March, we play our Champions League matches against Marseille in weeks two and four, while Chelsea play theirs against FC Copenhagen in weeks one and three. Of course, the longer both teams are in the FA Cup, the more difficult it will be to rearrange the match.

Yesterday, Premier League matches at Sunderland and Blackburn were played without incident, while games in the Championship at Leeds, Sheffield United, Hull, Nottingham Forest, Coventry, Derby and Ipswich all went ahead as planned, as did Exeter's League One fixture against Sheffield Wednesday.

Sheffield United, relying on the under-soil heating at Bramall Lane, won three vital points with a 1-0 win over Swansea to ease themselves away from the relegation zone.

Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers was unable to explain how more Championship matches than in the Premier League had survived the snowy conditions.

‘I don’t know why more Championship matches have gone ahead maybe we think there are fewer dates that we can fit them back in,’ said Rodgers. ‘When you look at the pitch here, the groundstaff have done a fantastic job.’

Chelsea’s groundstaff were denied the chance to receive any such tributes from Ferguson today, thanks to a decision taken before lunchtime yesterday.

In all that lot, this bit in particular stands out for me:

Incredibly, Chelsea justified their decision, delivered with unusual haste, by claiming the game had to be called off ‘following consultation with police and the local authority’.

Who the hell are the Daily bar steward Mail to imply that the club are lying here? I watched Ipswich v Leicester. Conditions were atrocious, and yes the game went ahead, but it came within a whisker of being abandoned. Chelsea v Man U is a vastly bigger occasion. London SW6 is a very different area to Ipswich. So here we have over 40,000 people wanting to get to one of the biggest games of the season with the weather making roads treacherous and public transport unreliable at best. And all the Mail can do is whine and moan and blame and look another excuse to have for yet another go at the club.

LINK

What a disgraceful excuse for a newspaper they are, and using a quote from Redknapp to justify that garbage just makes it worse.

They list the usual stuff to highlight what an appalling club we are, in the midst of a crisis, and then laughably add:

Critics of the club will be keen to point these out as they consider Chelsea’s willingness to get the game with United postponed early, rather than waiting until late morning today to inspect the weather and conditions at Stamford Bridge.

Which is as close as you'll get to them having 'Critics of Chelsea FC' underneath the backpage 'Sportsmail' title. Not that it would be needed, when every edition of that rag makes it as plain as day that they have an agenda against us.

No, this is good! For once, Chelsea are doing the conspiring!

You would have thought the limited access to the ground would have made snow clearing a piece of piss

Chelsea invited fresh controversy

hahahahahaha

So Mail paper, why was the Arsenal game called off at the up to date, state of the art Emirates then? I believe that's in London too. Oh and why was Brent Cross shopping centre closed early yesterday? I believe that's in London too. Don't see you mentioning that at all.

Here's another, more sensible take on the cancellation of today's game:

Chelsea v Manchester United postponed due to heavy snow

Chelsea's eagerly-awaited clash with Manchester United on Sunday has fallen victim to the snow, as has Blackpool's game against Spurs.

The contest between the double winners and the current Premier League leaders looked set to have a major influence on the outcome of the title, as victory would have seen United open a six-point gap over Carlo Ancelotti's men.

Snow has made travelling to games difficult (PA)

However, heavy snow in London on Saturday forced an early postponement of the match.

The wintry weather also prompted Blackpool to cancel their Sunday fixture against Tottenham, with the combination of snow and sub-zero temperatures leaving the streets around Bloomfield Road in a hazardous condition.

Fans of Manchester United and Spurs can at least console themselves that they did not travel to away games only to discover they were postponed.

That happened to thousands of away fans who had been due to attend the Arsenal v Stoke City, Birmingham City v Newcastle United, Wigan Athletic v Aston Villa and Liverpool v Fulham matches on Saturday.

All four encounters were postponed on safety grounds after severe weather on Friday night and Saturday morning.

LINK

Personally I think the club are to be commended for taking an early decision - following consultation with the police and authorities. Forget the jokes about all Man U supporters living in the South East, there would have been fans travelling from all over the country only to find that the match had been called off.

I also think that the Mail article should be force fed to anyone who continues to believe that this piss-poor excuse for a newspaper doesn't have an agenda in it's reporting of matters concerning Chelsea FC. They even manage to tag on a farcical comment implying that the club acted spitefully in denying the groundsmen the opportunity to bask in the glow of Alex Ferguson's praise for their endeavours.

I must admit I can't understand why the match was called off so early. I'm sure the pitch wouldn't have been a problem. Whilst it might well have been difficult to get to the ground and possibly dodgy underfoot, that didn't stop a host of Championship games going ahead, or most of the rugby matches.

I'm not suggesting for a minute that there was anything untoward going on, but it did seem a little precipitous to call it off yesterday.

I must admit I can't understand why the match was called off so early. I'm sure the pitch wouldn't have been a problem. Whilst it might well have been difficult to get to the ground and possibly dodgy underfoot, that didn't stop a host of Championship games going ahead, or most of the rugby matches.

I'm not suggesting for a minute that there was anything untoward going on, but it did seem a little precipitous to call it off yesterday.

Nothing to do with the pitch though, it was called off after consultation with the local police and council. The surrounding area and roads were dangerous and as more snow was expected the police and council felt they couldnt guarantee fans safety.

Here's another, more sensible take on the cancellation of today's game:

LINK

Personally I think the club are to be commended for taking an early decision - following consultation with the police and authorities. Forget the jokes about all Man U supporters living in the South East, there would have been fans travelling from all over the country only to find that the match had been called off.

I also think that the Mail article should be force fed to anyone who continues to believe that this piss-poor excuse for a newspaper doesn't have an agenda in it's reporting of matters concerning Chelsea FC. They even manage to tag on a farcical comment implying that the club acted spitefully in denying the groundsmen the opportunity to bask in the glow of Alex Ferguson's praise for their endeavours.

Couldn't agree more. I can't see why more clubs can't make early decisions like this to save the fans travelling to the game before they hear the news. The fans should come first and if anything Chelsea should be commended for making the early decision. Nobody wants to see games postponed and rearranged fixtures pile up. But perhaps this bad weather is another reminder about why we should consider a winter break in football. Why cram 4 games in 10 days over the winter holiday period when we could have a 3-4 week shutdown and extend the season into June?

But Chelsea vs United game is the kind of game that invites fans from all over the Europe and maybe even world. It would have been unfair for them to travel all the way here to find out that the game is off. Or even if the game would have been on, they would have missed this due to the closure of the main airports. You have to consider the impact that it is probably the most watched Premier League game in the world and not Ipswich vs Leicester. So I think the club made a right decision and all the international fans that heard the news before they got to London will suely appreciate that it was announced a day before.

Some of the comments are laughable. What a sad bunch of idiots.

http://therepublikofmancunia.com/can-chelsea-justify-postponement/

WasThe Shankill Skinhead says:

Ken bates tried to put an electric fence up in the 80`s to contain their own fans so nothing should surprise you with this classless shower of west london sh*t. But most chelsea fans won`t know who bates is, let alone remember the ground before it had seats. Most chelsea fans do not remember B.D – before dennis (wise), one of their heroes, along with Zola, who is their `all time legend`. Must be fun being them, sure as hell funny watching them trying to be a big club.

December 19, 2010 at 16:51

Cantona_Is_King says:

It’s things like this that make the BPL feel like a garage league…it’s obvious what Chelsea are up to: they don’t want to play us right now so they had the game cancelled for no good reason at all…and will they be punished? Will the BPL look into the matter? Of course not. Garage league!!!!

What the f**k's a garage league?

December 19, 2010 at 18:24

GoatinaUnitedShirt says:

My opinion is that any team that cancels a fixture regardless of reason gets an automatic 3 point reduction. The game could go ahead at a latter date, and if they win, can reclaim their points (=0). It just goes to show the russians are in charge of football at the moment, they bought the world cup and now they bought the premier league.

December 19, 2010 at 18:54

MyCowIsTheBest says:

simple.

Abramovich paid the Premier League. He also paid the Police and the Local Authority to conspire.

Instead of getting angry, I find myself laughing at how thick these idiots really are.

More idiotic comments at....

http://www.caughtoffside.com/2010/12/19/was-chelsea-vs-manchester-united-postponement-a-conspiracy/

Now I like a good conspiracy, but even though I was a little surprised that it was called off when it was, this is the biggest load of straw clutching I've ever seen. You just know that if we beat them when it's rearranged, they'll bring up this postponement. Typical mancs, bitter till the errr, bitter end.

There a sad bunch those United fans, I'd like to let a comment from the Daily Mirror's "10 funny things we learned from football's big freeze" be my response.

4) A lot of controversy about Chelsea v Man United being postponed early. With both sets of fans travelling from so close, surely the decision could have waited until Sunday lunchtime?

I got a laugh out of that. However they also burned us nicely with this one:

5) In fact, there are rumours that Chelsea have asked for the game to be replayed in 2005 instead.

I would've settled for it being replayed last year to be honest, but 2005 would do just as well. :P

Rest of them are pretty rubbish but the article is here:

Full Article

They're not bad actually.

2) Poor old Avram Grant, though. He can't even win a postponement

Oh and this one made me chuckle slightly :lol:

No arguments about the Emirates call-off though. The last time there was that much white powder at Arsenal was when Paul Merson sneezed in 1994.

They're not bad actually.

2) Poor old Avram Grant, though. He can't even win a postponement

Oh and this one made me chuckle slightly :lol:

No arguments about the Emirates call-off though. The last time there was that much white powder at Arsenal was when Paul Merson sneezed in 1994.

December 19, 2010 at 18:24

GoatinaUnitedShirt says:

My opinion is that any team that cancels a fixture regardless of reason gets an automatic 3 point reduction. The game could go ahead at a latter date, and if they win, can reclaim their points (=0). It just goes to show the russians are in charge of football at the moment, they bought the world cup and now they bought the premier league.

Surely that comment must win the "Most Stupid Comment of the Year" award?

I can't even get mad at people making comments like that. It just makes me laugh. I wonder if their parents have invented fire yet...

f**king hilarious episode. Seven fixtures cancelled, the busiest airport in the world is paralyzed, transport links down, and people are pointing at Chelsea and going "BUT BUT BUT they have UNDERSOIL HEATING." 90% of football fans must really be thick thick bar stewards no matter where they come from.

If the game had gone on, and someone had been killed or paralyzed on the way there or back there would have been an crucifixion in the press. And god help the club if it had actually happened at SB. The mail would have led the charge, telling us that JT then ran over their body in his bentley because he was getting tossed off by some 17 year old he found at the gas station.

Forget the mail. Its already established that they are twats of the highest order. The Republik of Manc**tia can join them. I knew this before that garbage article, but I am sick of bad blogs who just scream and shout like idiot fans. Thats what forums or the rags are for. And look at the comments these things attract. Lol, 3 point automatic deduction. Literally, for morons, by morons.

Roman should buy the mail, and then fire everyone just for laughs.

Right on cue, the Mail publishes another article questioning the decision to call the match off. This time they drag superbrain Rio Ferdinand into the "discussion":

Did any1 see the Ipswich game yesterday? Pitch covered in snow... so how was that game played and ours (premier league) is postponed?

So far every single comment on the new article is from a Man U fan condemning the club, claiming we should forfeit the points, and of course that the match was only postponed because we were afraid to play them. Funny how yesterday they wouldn't publish my comment in defence of the club, which if I say so myself was well reasoned and logical, citing travel conditions, differences between Ipswich and SW6, larger crowds and so on.

And the funniest thing about this latest article? Is that these muppets didn't even read the article. Here are a few examples:

The decision to postpone the eagerly-awaited clash between Chelsea and Manchester United was taken by the Metropolitan Police and Hammersmith and Fulham Council.

A Chelsea spokesman said: 'The match was postponed on health and safety grounds. The decision was taken between the local authority, the club and the police.

'With the downpour of snow on Saturday morning, it wasn't just conditions around the stadium but the whole Fulham area. There were concerns about people getting to the ground, as well as staffing at the game and police staffing.'

There would have been no problems with the pitch. Stamford Bridge has a water pipe system, which acts like a radiator as hot water is pumped under the pitch. A police spokesman said: 'There were concerns over public safety. Clubs generally do a very good job of getting the stadium fit for use, but travel to and from the game would have been difficult.

Confusingly the Mail state that "'Clubs liaise with the police in the run-up to a game and are in regular contact. The final decision is made by the club."

But then go on to add:

In fact, this is not the case. Under Premier League rule E13, a match can be postponed or abandoned only if it clashes with a Champions League, Europa League or FA Cup fixture; by 'order of the police or any other authority exercising its statutory powers', with the approval or on the instruction of the referee or with the 'prior written consent' of the Premier League board.

The home club cannot make the decision. The Premier League was satisfied the match should be postponed, but United were happy to travel. They planned to take the 2.34pm train from Manchester Piccadilly on Saturday. But at 12.50pm, manager Sir Alex Ferguson learned the game was off.

LINK

I don't understand why anyone reads the Mail. It should be sent straight from the publisher's to be recycled into toilet paper, thus saving time and money by missing out the unnecessary steps in between.