The difference between greatness & mediocrity is in the incremental benefit. Nobody will remember that Chelsea lost 2 semi-finals in 4 seasons in the Champion's League, or Liverpool & Arsenal as beaten finalist in the same competition.

All true Chelsea fans know that a champion like Mourinho won the Carling Cup twice in less than 3 seasons, so Avram Grant has a mammoth task to emulate. Realistically, the Carling Cup is the only hope that Chelsea can have, considering that many other teams are filling second fiddle teams. It irked me to no end to see the idiotic Scouser winning 4-2 with a Torres' hat-trick ( He could have been ours, not the "mercurial" Ukranian), or a Arsenal reserves' triumph over the Magpies with gaols provided for by their reserves.

Hull is no Aston Villa, Manure, Blackburn or Rosenborg so RA/PK/AG should be shot should Chelsea falter ( again).

Toothless in 3 games out of 4, Phil Brown's Hull City will be looking to give no favours. Veteran Jay Jay Okocha, 34-yr-old playmaker of ex-Bolton fame, holds the key. Hull does have other Premiership qualities :

Boaz Myhill, ex-Villa

former England and Leeds midfielder, Nicky Barmby

Henrik Pederson, 31-yr-old Danish international

So the Tigers are more than capable of giving Chelsea a game on the back of Chelsea's worst streak since the arrival/departure of Mourinho.

Stilll, i expect no less than a convincing win. 3-0 will be nice :0

Cudicini ;

Bridge (if not injured), Alex, Terry, Belletti,

SWP, Sidwell, Essien, Joey

Pizarro, Sinclair

Sheva deserves to be benched !

Nicky Barmby. I'd forgotten about him. Didn't he score the first goal in Sven's England reign? He must be about 65 by now.

I thought he'd be dead by now.