Dorset Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 It’s a jungle out there, in the midst of a Champions League semi-final, but at last Chelsea had enough big beasts on display to win over a worldwide captive audience, if not all of the critics within our own ground, but more of that later. For now it is time to celebrate distinction [not extinction] on a great night in our own little safari park, a patch that has become something of an elephants graveyard for Premiership teams in the past four years, although one of that group [known as the Big Four] always managed to survive unscathed on European semi-finals nights. Not any more. Our big beasts felled the complete herd of Whining Scousers last night and at this rate it is they who will soon be the endangered species, incapable as they already are of living in the rarefied atmosphere at the top of the Premiership. What’s more, certain members of the Media who have persisted in portraying our club as being somehow alone in having big, big beasts, who get paid big, big bucks and do bad, bad things, will soon be forced into a massive rethink. This may be difficult to believe, but here are a couple of blatantly obvious examples to be going on with… 1. Frank has had to put up with a terrible press coverage since joining us, culminating in constant, mindless and unfavourable comparison with the saintly Stevie G. Not any more. You don’t get any braver response to personal tragedy than that shown by Lamps last night, not only in playing the day before his mother’s funeral, but also in taking responsibility for a penalty [no ordinary penalty at that] in circumstances when others could have saved him the added stress and strain. Not for him the shirking of duty or the quiet anonymity of a subdued performance. Had had reasons aplenty to hide behind both, but he didn’t and, whatever his future at our club or elsewhere, he proved himself to be a great man as well as a great Chelsea legend. I am tempted to say ‘Top that, Gerrard’ - so I will - and I did. 2. Likewise, Avram has been taken to the cleaners by the Media and also to task by us on numerous occasions this season. In the safari analogy he may still prove to be the Little Game Hunter thrust into the dugout, like a novice shot encouraged by a wealthy benefactor into the back of a Land Rover and journeying to a far from private shooting expedition. His tactics and substitutions may even compare, in a Colonel Blimpish sort of way, with the same novice being handed a blunderbuss and told to fire at anything that’s large and moving towards him at pace. I found myself thinking along these lines last night as I listened to the nauseating drivel Andy Gray came up with as a forerunner to the ’Pool equaliser. He could sense it coming, of course, and anticipated it with such relish that I would have loved Ten Cate to have handed said blunderbuss to Avram to use [like substitutions] as he thinks fit and for the scattergun approach to take out the so called Sky expert pundit and send him spiralling from his gantry. Sadly, it didn’t happen and all I got was Gray giving me and countless other viewers a smug ’I told you it was going to happen’. Such is life, I guess, but you live in hope. However, I digress and so back to our manager and to the ever increasing respect I have for him as he wades through the vicious jungle that is top level football management at Chelsea these days. He’s no Tarzan, that’s for sure, and he’ll never look as good as Jose in a dugout or a loincloth, but he strikes me as being an honest man who has always talked to his animals and they may well start appreciating that fact rather than [allegedly] ridiculing it. So, could it be that we have before us a Dr Doolittle, by both name and deed, and that the Bison, a German schnauzer, several British lions, even a want away Drogs, have grown to respect the man for who he is instead of clinging to the memory of who he has replaced. Dropping to his knees at the end of last night’s game was both a symbolic reaction to the pressure he is under and to family circumstances that few of us can truly comprehend. Rightly or wrongly, we have added to the stress piled upon him by the Media, but, whilst the debate over his qualities and qualifications may well rage on, the sheer relentlessness of it all is now answered by three little words. Not any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkw Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 great post as usual dorset. and the bit about gray is bang on. how he gets voted a sthe best comentator is beyond me. everyone could see that goal coming. and his "wow, thats all i can say. wow" moments were embarassing. so your paid a fortune to comentate on massive games and thats the best you can come up with? hardly "and they think its all over" now was it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar24rat Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Rightly or wrongly, we have added to the stress piled upon him by the Media, but, whilst the debate over his qualities and qualifications may well rage on, the sheer relentlessness of it all is now answered by three little words. Not any more. I wish I could subscribe completely to your three word conclusion .Alas, for the media and for a large majority of the blue faithful, I feel there are still ambitions AG has to fulfill . Unless last night's success is followed by ultimate victory then the doubters may well remain out in force. Nothing would give me more pleasure than Chelsea winning the CL- having been around SB in the days of the FA advising we did not enter the inaugural European Cup in 1955/56.However we are all aware that reaching the summit of a mountain is a hard task, falling back before you get there is relatively easy. Whatever the outcome , the dignified man deserves his glory. There are 18 premiership managers and chairmen who would dearly love to be where the other 2 are today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliott Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Top notch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 as I listened to the nauseating drivel Andy Gray came up with as a forerunner to the ’Pool equaliser. He could sense it coming, of course, and anticipated it with such relish that I would have loved Ten Cate to have handed said blunderbuss to Avram to use [like substitutions] as he thinks fit and for the scattergun approach to take out the so called Sky expert pundit and send him spiralling from his gantry. Sadly, it didn’t happen and all I got was Gray giving me and countless other viewers a smug ’I told you it was going to happen’. Such is life, I guess, but you live in hope. Glad you raised the Gray comments. I was almost sick last night listening to him, usually i would put 5live commentary on, but i was out watching it and didnt have any choice but to listen to his pathetic one sided commentary. Time for Gray to move over and let a modern day ex footballer who is more clued up with todays football take over. Who the hell would miss him ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mod Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Who the hell would miss him ? Liverpool ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLUENUT Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Nice post Dorset. Three Little Words Choose any of the following. ''WE DID IT!'' ''WE BEAT LIVERPOOL!!'' ''SCOUSERS LEAVE EARLY'' ''STAMFORD BRIDGE ROCKS'' ''WELL DONE FRANK'' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 as I listened to the nauseating drivel Andy Gray came up with as a forerunner to the ’Pool equaliser. He could sense it coming, of course, and anticipated it with such relish that I would have loved Ten Cate to have handed said blunderbuss to Avram to use [like substitutions] as he thinks fit and for the scattergun approach to take out the so called Sky expert pundit and send him spiralling from his gantry. Sadly, it didn’t happen and all I got was Gray giving me and countless other viewers a smug ’I told you it was going to happen’. Such is life, I guess, but you live in hope. Glad you raised the Gray comments. I was almost sick last night listening to him, usually i would put 5live commentary on, but i was out watching it and didnt have any choice but to listen to his pathetic one sided commentary. Time for Gray to move over and let a modern day ex footballer who is more clued up with todays football take over. Who the hell would miss him ? I really couldn't believe his comments. The fact that he kept on referring to Liverpool as "we" throughout, everytime they scored he was so smug and then at the end I think he must have been in tears. Surely they must supposed to be unbiased, when they're commentating? I accept that they can show their bias when they're asked their opinion, but not when they're commentating. You would think we were watching a different game in the first half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quizgod Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 On Sky Sports News last night, Old Big Nose was shouting Penalty every 5 minutes, and when the 3rd goal went in, Tony Cascarino was trying not to laugh, cos Big Nose was ranting.......priceless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maksimov Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 ...when the 3rd goal went in, Tony Cascarino was trying not to laugh, cos Big Nose was ranting.......priceless Any chance of a video of this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts