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Premier League: Wigan Athletic 0 - 1 Chelsea
Match reports
Daily Telegraph, Henry Winter: "For Chelsea followers, it was just like watching Germany rather than Brazil this week. After their silky opening-day vanquishing of Portsmouth, Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side showed their steely trait, grinding out victory to frustrate lively opponents in Wigan Athletic."
The Guardian, Dominic Fifield: "Where Pompey had been dismissed with scintillating ease, Wigan were held at arm's bay, though never with any sense of comfort. Deco had conjured the game's decisive goal but that free-kick, curled gloriously in from distance after only four minutes, was as swashbuckling as Chelsea could muster. Thereafter, this became a test of resilience."
The Independent, Sam Wallace: "Gritty, physical, relentless: Scolari got a view of the other side of football in England that was in stark contrast to the opening weekend when Chelsea passed the ball around Portsmouth in the sunshine at Stamford Bridge. Only the marble-hearted would have begrudged Wigan a point from this game, in which they ran themselves silly in the first half closing down the opposition. Wilson Palacios and Amr Zaki were outstanding but it all felt futile against superstars who need just one chance to pick opponents off."
The Times, Martin Samuel: "It was a performance that revived memories of Cech at his best, before misfortune left him vulnerable physically, and perhaps mentally. If uncharacteristic mistakes had blighted his summer tournament, here was a goalkeeper at the top of his game, bravely off his line to any cross that strayed within his range, completely in command on a day when his defence looked surprisingly vulnerable."
Official Chelsea FC Website: "When the story of the season is written, this game won't warrant too many lines. It was however our fifth straight win in this stadium and enough to remain as early leaders."
The goal
3' Deco 0-1The good
- The result. Two games. Two clean sheets. Five goals. Six points. Ultimately these are the statistics that will matter at the end of the season, not how they were achieved. There wasn't a great deal of beautiful football on show today compared to last weekend's demolition of Portsmouth, but it was our fifth straight win at the JJB Stadium. As is always the case at the JJB, it was hard earned - Wigan gave us a good game and once again they were unfortunate to come away with nothing. Deco's fantastic free kick in the third minute probably made it a more entertaining game because it ensured that the Latics had to come out and play. And play they did. We were second best throughout the first half and only some solid goalkeeping from Petr Cech kept us ahead at the break.
- Petr Cech. Second clean sheet in a row and 90th of his career. Kept us in it during a twenty minute period of sustained pressure from Wigan in the first half, and made a brilliant fingertip save from Olivier Kapo at the death. John Terry's reaction after the final whistle said it all.
- Jose Bosingwa and Ashley Cole. Good to see Bosingwa recover from the knock he picked up while on international duty with Portugal in midweek. Both players were given more of a workout defensively than against Pompey. Bosingwa had more success at getting forward.
- Deco's free kick. His second spectacular strike in as many games. While Wigan keeper Mike Pollitt could have done a bit better, there's no denying the quality of Deco's goal. He was our best midfielder even if his overall contribution fell short of last week's Man of the Match performance.
- Wigan. I was impressed with the Latics, especially in the first half. They could have done a Pompey and rolled over after losing goalkeeper Chris Kirkland in the warm-up and a goal in the third minute, but instead they took the game to us and were unlucky to come up against an opposition keeper in imperious form. Wilson Palacios and Luis Antonio Valencia (both of whom are in my Fantasy Football team this season) were particularly impressive. If Steve Bruce can keep players of their quality at the JJB then Wigan should have no problems surviving in the Premier League this season, even if their start to the campaign suggests otherwise.
The bad
- I was a tad disappointed with both Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka. It was their inability to retain the ball that gave Wigan the majority of the possession in the first half. Admittedly they were starved of any meaningful service, but they failed to use what little of the ball they had. Anelka's movement was pretty good, although his dive in the penalty area let him down. It was one of those games where we could have done with the physical presence of Didier Drogba. Question: Is it going to be problematic now that we have just two out-and-out strikers?
- Injury to Ashley Cole. He looked to be holding his right hamstring when replaced by Wayne Bridge in the second half. He's been one of our best players in the opening two games so let's hope it's not too serious.
Player ratings
- Petr Cech: Much busier than his opposite number but also much better. Made a string of vital saves and was the difference between the two teams. Collected every cross he came for and seems to have been instructed not to hoof the ball aimlessly upfield each time he has it in hand - I only counted one instance of this in the 65th minute. My Man of the Match - 8/10.
- Ashley Cole: Got forward when he could but was given a tougher time defensively by the likes of Mario Melchiot and Valencia. Coped well throughout - 7.5/10.
- John Terry: Generally assured but had a couple of iffy moments, including a badly misplaced pass that could have cost us a goal. Not at his best - 6/10.
- Ricardo Carvalho: Had a lot on his plate with Emile Heskey and Amr Zaki in opposition. Solid if unspectacular - 6.5/10.
- Jose Bosingwa: Looks to be the answer to our problem right-back position. Had a lot more defending to do this week and looked dependable. Had more opportunities to get forward than A. Cole - 7.5/10.
- Michael Essien: Played 90 minutes on the back of just two days training. Not as effective as John Obi Mikel (injured) was in this same role against Pompey. His versatility means his talent as an attacking midfielder is often wasted - 6.5/10.
- Michael Ballack: Still recovering from the foot injury he picked up in the opening minutes of last weekend's game. Therefore not at his best - 6/10.
- Deco: Easily the best of the midfielders. Great strike in the third minute. Not as dominant as he was against Pompey though - 7.5/10.
- Frank Lampard: A subdued performance by his usual standards. Didn't make as many runs into the box and was caught on the ball a couple of times. Unfairly targeted by the home fans early on - 6/10.
- Joe Cole: Poor. Failed to reproduce last week's performance, possibly because of a lack of service. Failed to retain the ball when in possession and still has a tendency to fall over too easily - 5.5/10.
- Nicolas Anelka: Good movement for much of the game but again lacked any quality service. Not a single shot on goal and he dived to try to win a penalty - 6/10.
- Salomon Kalou (sub): Came on in place of J. Cole and suffered a similar fate - 5.5/10.
- Wayne Bridge (sub): Replaced A. Cole who looked to have picked up a hamstring injury - 6/10.
- Florent Malouda (sub): Off to Newcastle? Unlikely if the rumours that Shaun Wright-Phillips has moved to Everton turn out to be true - 6/10.
Man of the Match
Petr Cech. Kept us in it after Deco scored. Unflappable at crosses and corners, and more precise with his distribution, which should please Tony.Final thoughts
One beautiful and one ugly win in the first two games of the new Premier League season, and no goals conceded. It bodes well.
Luiz Felipe Scolari said during pre-season that there would be games where the three points would be more important than the performance, and today was one of those.
Overall we were disappointing - lacklustre, laboured and lethargic were the words I heard mentioned most during commentary - but we remain unbeaten and top of the League.
As the old cliché goes, winning ugly is the sign of champions.
All I can say to that is I hope Liverpool start losing ugly.
119 Comments · Add yours
if liverpool had got what they deserved we would have already been rid of all the competition!
not a fun game to watch though, at least maybe other teams are going to stop thinking about liking us, and pundits will stop raving about us. Hopefully spurs midfield doesn't show up next game, then we'll have another beautiful game!
Very good review NICK..
2 games, 2 wins..
Ok, the result today wasn't quite the result i'd hoped for (i think we were spoilt last week) but a win's a win at the end of the day and that's all that matters.
Agree, hope the injury to Ash isn't a bad one but Bridgey's more than capable of holding the fort, so i'm not TOO worried about it.
Apparently, a French paper is reporting (info courtesy of one of my "friends" on Ole Ole) Lamps is unwell, so maybe that's the reason for his lacklustre performance today?
As for Deco and Petr...we are not worthy!!
Well done Chels x
Stayed up to watch the game, and it was a typical grinding result, I think we'll have to face a few of them before the end of the season. The pitch wasn't the best but it's the same for both sides and I think a few of our rivals will struggle there.
I've just had a thought and this could be sacrilege, (so don't kick the crap out of me) and I may well be tempting fate. But perhaps we should add 5 to Deco's shirt number, because I think he could be following in the footsteps of the great man himself.
@ Clive....
Funny, I thought last night he could well become the next Gianfranco....
Performance was pretty lame and Joe Cole and Anelka showed nothing upfront. The midfield was not nearly as fluent as last week, and both Essien and Ballack didn't seem too comfortable in their roles. I guess it is going to take a while to get it right, and Wigan certainly performed well.
Good to see Petr Cech back to something like his old self... Let's hope the blunders of last year are a distant memory....
Looks like the performance against Pompey was abit of a fluke. Our team still lacks some team chemistry and understanding of the new system implemented by Scolari. But im sure as the season goes on, we will be more fluid in our passing and movement. Deco will play a key role in our quest for silverware this season. Only time will tell Scolari's title credentials but im glad that we dint forget how to win ugly though i would prefer champange football week in week out.
I love these kind of Chelsea performances. A tight 1-0 brings me back to the 2004/5 season where Cech seemed invincible and we only conceded 13 goals in a whole campaign. We were able to grind out great away performances and littered the season with many 4 goal performances: Fulham away, Charlton away, Newcastle at home... It may only be 2 games in but i think it's important that we've seen both sides of Chelsea. The flamboyant home performances and the watertight away games and the fact that we haven't conceded yet should give the team and the defence confidence that if we can score 1, we SHOULD win the game.
As for the game, there were positives and negatives:
POSITIVES:
1. Cech. Back to his best and maybe he's finally got used to the helmet. Has never really been the same since the first two, non-cracked skull/slashed face, seasons.
2. Full-backs. Bosingwa and Cole are showing how a world class full back should play and i hope Ashley's right when he says he wants to come back to play against Spurs as Bridge is not in the same league.
3. Deco. He's a magician and his talent may make him the rightful heir to Zola. Finally we have someone who can tell Didier to fuck off when we get a free kick.
4. Still no red cards!
NEGATIVES:
1. Joe Cole. Seemed off the pace and should be worried by Robinho's arrival.
2. Anelka. He may rely on service but in a tight game, he doesn't have the bulk of Didier to bully defenders and hold up the ball, giving the rest of the team a rest.
3. Midfield balance. Mikel's absence was a problem as it seems Essien is wasted there. Ballack proved ineffectual and it seems a toss up between Ballack and Essien for the final midfield spot. My vote is for the Bison.
4. Still no attacking plan B without Robinho. Hurry up Kenyon.
5. Wigan fans for booing Lamps. Utter twats who'll see what they're missing when Lamps finally retires from England.
Overall a 'champion's' performance and Spurs should be worried.
Its funny that Mourniho wins his first trophy for Inter via a penalty shootout. Why? Because Chelsea have NEVER won in a shootout when he was manager. I hope our players will eventually overcome this penalty taking phobia under LFS real soon.
Long time Chelsea target Vincent Kompany now with Citeh had a stormer of a debut arriving just days before the match.
..and who wants to play with Tal Ben Haim?
First Cech's face and now Micah's head!
OOooh. You dont mess with the Ben Haim.
Decent enough game, but I was more impressed with Fulham than almost anything else. I love it when teams show Arsenal's impotence.
I feel like TBH is having a very decent start to the season, Mr. Richard's head notwithstanding. I don't want him back, but I have to say I'm proud of the guys confidence and his ability to bounce back after a somewhat demoralizing season with us.
Last week caviar, this week fish and chips, but good to see that the steel is there when it's time to grind it out, I think the 3-games-in-8-days for some of the players was also a reason for there not being a lot of sparkle.
Glad to see that Deco has hit the ground running, I'd always hoped that Sheva would come good, and hoped that the same change in League wouldn't have a similar effect on Deco, but he looks to be adapting well and I agree with those who can see him becoming a legend.
Heres a question: Would Deco have done even better if he arrived here when he was younger(26-27 years old)? Or his pedigree and experience at 31 made him better equipped to adapt to the Premier League? I always had my doubts with Art but he is proving me wrong for 14 days already.
We probably didnae deserve to win, but who cares? If the Scousers can scrape together a win, so can we. And anyway, it serves the Wigan fans right for booing JT and Lampsy. As if Emile Heskey's been some great servant for England.
I think that, even though Cech had to make 2-3 good saves, we were never really that bothered. And had wigan scored, we would have switched gears. It reminded me of the efficient and determined times of TSO.
I agree with haberdashers, that joe cole and anelka were poor, and in my opinion they were the main reason for our toothless attack. I was pleased when Kalou replaced Cole. He's the only one in our squad who consistently dribbles past defenders.
@ 7 (Haberdashers)
Your words about Cech 'getting used to the helmet', along with Martin Samuel's review of the game yesterday, have provided me with an interesting thought.
As you said, there's a large agreement within supporters that he has been frail in the two seasons since suffering Stephen Hunt's assault. The helmet itself will have surely affected Cech psychologically; as a symbol of weakness and convalescence he has definitely been less confident than he was before the accident, leading to the errors against Arsenal at the Emirates, Turkey at the Euros, etc.
I think with yesterday's performance, he may be starting to have emerged from that. The helmet has now become his trademark, an element that no other goalkeeper has and something he will undoubtedly be known for long after his career ends. He has recovered from an injury that would understandably end the career of any footballer, never mind a goalkeeper who needs to face heads and feet flying at him twice every week. Let's hope that the helmet becomes a symbol of resilience and individuality, and in that Cech will return to his imperious best.
The only plus points I took from yesterday were:
1) The real Petr Cech seems to have escaped from that attic he was sharing with Michael Essien for a while last season
2) If Roman was delighted by last week's performance he can't have been thrilled to see a return to 3rd season TSO grind-it-out 1-0 wins - and will stick as many noughts as necessary on the cheque to make Robinho happen.
On that, does anyone know where we are now with Madrid's attitude - I've seen "we will not stand in his way" type capitulation with £30m will clinch it comments contrasted with "he can breach his contract and be dragged through the courts for months to sort a contract buy-out price but we won't sell him"?
@16
Calderon that piece of shit is just trying to fool around. I dont think he wants Robinho to leave and thus playing with around with his words and mind games. Whether we get our man remains to be seen.
I think we need to prioritise when to play football and when to wun ugly. There has to be a balance. Whats the point of going gung ho when we had our midfield trio with niggly injuries. They cannot play football on that rugby pitch in the best possible conditions. Games that we can go on and score, we will do so unlike Grant and Mourinho. But that game against Wigan was a typical result of title winning teams. 3 points was the priority.
I agree that Calderon is a piece of shit and a hypocrite. After all he said about Ronaldo and why Utd should let him go then he puts Robinho through a load of s*it when he could just accept a bid and make the player and us happy and get a huge bundle of cash at the same time. No doubt hes compicating it so the move doesnt happen. Some good news that Milan have signed Senderos on loan so we should be keeping Ivanovic.
It's a nice irony the way that Calderon tried to woo Ronaldo away from Manu and now the boot is on the other foot and it's come back to bite him in the arse he's having to mince words and try to save face, what an odious turd. I so hope Robinho comes, Paim may be an excellent prospect for the future, but there doesn't seem to be anybody else lined up at the moment and there's a week left now.
We were off the pace from start to finish. One freekick and that must've been the only meaningful effort we had in the full 90 mins. It was a veeeery poor performace but we got the points and a clean sheet.
Wigan did look a decent side, but our midfielders never broke out of a jog.
Essien and Ballack looked half asleep, Lamps was nowhere to be seen for most of the game and Joe Cole was dreadful.
They looked a lot hungrier than us right through the match. Hopefully this performace had a lot to do with internationals and unfit players, because if we have another game like that, we might not be so lucky.
Even though Cech did look better, he still seems to be palming shots back into dangererous areas - the way he did when he first arrived.
As I previously mentioned, utter and total respect for the man, regardless of some of the vitriol against him, he wore blue and tried his best. LINK
@20
So where were you expecting him to palm all the shots to? I thought he was brilliant last night. That was Cech at his best.
Hi all,
I agree with a few of you guys on here but is it just me and a few on this blog or were we overun through the midfield nearly all the game? Is it just me or did we have absolutly nil wing play and were far too tight in the middle? Was frank's passing atrocious most through the game or was i watching another match. Also, grinding out results means keeping a tight midfield, creating few but great goal chances, not being overun throughout the game and letting the opponent have more chances on goal (stat fact) than we did? We were lucky and this nonense of the fullback's running up the field to the opponents goal may work once in a while but it won't against most teams, especially those with fast wingers/strikers who will be in our penalty area wile Ashley and Boswinga are still talking to the opponents goalkeeper about what club they will be going to that evening! Also, how many long balls did I count? Can any body enlighten me because it sure felt I saw plenty! Kalou, still useless so let's be honest about it! it's only the second game so let's see but at the moment as much as I would like to, I would say the glass is half empty than half full unless we improve the midfield immediatley. I mean, John Terry seemd to have a lot of saves to do against Wigan! Maybe I'm totally wrong and I would like to be because on this evidence, it is going to be a long season with many ups and down and a whole world away from the Mourinho machine which made clubs feel like going home after 1-0 down against us, not continue to fight us to the death in the 2nd game of the season only!!!
LINK
The first one he pushes away for a corner.
The second one he stops with his legs bounces right back, but the third one?
We could easily concede if he keeps doing that. That was something he improved on during the first season, but he's been doing that more and more often.
OK - it's own up time - which of the dedicated Villa fan club members on here has been spreading their fantasies to the Daily Mail:
LINK
@BBD
That's one hell of an accusation aimed at Fiftee I hope legal action follows soon to put a stop to these slurs and rumours. :-)
I was surprised by how much freedom and verve there was to Wigan's game. Do you think that was down to Wigan's improvement or is Scolari's Chelsea going to allow teams to play a little more - at this point? And yes - you're right - not nearly as convincing a performance as the one against Portsmouth.
Funnily enough, Clive, my sister and I were watching MOTD last night and she said the exact same thing (Re; Clive @ 4).............. he even has the build of God ....... could we really be that lucky to have another God????
Just seen on SSN that one paper today is reporting that Robinho is set to join Chelsea this week for £28million..
I would say another plus point was the supporter turnout. 4000 plus on a bank holiday weekend, early kick off, no trains, live on TV, is a good showing.
Good result, although the performance smacked of the JM days a bit - not that that's a bad thing.
With Sheva 100% officially gone forever and Pizarro loaned out, we're really starting to see the shortcomings of having only one out-and-out striker. With DD still weeks off, I'd like to see us get another one however I can categorically deny the rumours in the Mail that have so slanderously been attributed to me. My solicitors - Ripoff Cowboy & Sons - will be in touch BBD......
@31 Fiftee - my own shysters, Messrs Sue, Grabbit and Runne, will vigorously point out I merely referred to "which of the dedicated Villa fan club members on here". I believe he has a number of enthusiastic advocates on this site and it is Clive who made the scurrilous connection while I, it goes without saying, would never impugn your unimpeachable integrity.
I see according to the Telegraph Madrid have now made 2 bids in 24 for your hero as replacement for Robinho with a back up bid for someone else - so looks like we might get Robinho yet:
LINK
Robinho's arrival is as certain as us beating Spurs at home on Sunday - almost inevitable. He might even be in the team that beats Juande Ramos' underachievers. :-)
Nick,
I was actually about to post how ominous Sunday is looking. Us with a 100% record (albeit from just 2 games), no goals conceded; and them without a point and looking impotent up-front.
It's all pointing to a draw at the very least, if not a shock away win I'm afraid. And that is regardless of whether or not Robinho-od signs.
Which he wont.
BBD,
My apologies. Although anything mentioning said Spaniard usually ends up at my door, so to speak.
Yep, looks like it's only a matter of time before this diminutive Brazilian chappie pitches up in SW6 (interesting article on F365 today about how Robben of all people may have helped smooth the way for Robinho's exit with his performance in the Spanish Super Cup over the weekend).
We're overpaying for Robinho though, no question; one decent season does not a great player make (hello Florent...), but hopefully Phil will get the best out of him.
5 days 'til Tottenham, there's only 5 days 'til Tottenham...
@32 BBD
I categorically deny making any scurrilous connections to the afore mentioned Mr Fiftee. It may read that way on post no.26 but I will eventually get proof that my computer was hacked and hijacked.
hello to evrybody..a question from an ac milan fan..why shevchenko don't played ever???
@ 37
Injuries, inability to fit into the 433 formation (not that it stopped Grant with Anelka)...
Can we have our £30 million back, please?
And don't forget that surprised/wounded/resigned expression on his face every time some troglodyte Premier League fullback actually dared to close him down and tackle him. Hey! Where'd the ball go?
Poor old Sheva. Good luck to him. He never griped, the fans recognised that he was trying (although failing) and always sang his name. Fingers crossed that defenders in Italy let him rumble around and take his shots without getting in his way, so he can be happy again.
(P.S. Failing the 30 million, we'll take Kaka.)
@ chelseablog/Fiftee/ KaiserJonny_II - I tend more to the Sod's Law ominous signs re Spurs on Sunday - as well as the already mentioned facts there's also of course them not having won at the Bridge since Gary Lineker was a lad - but looks like their fans don't fancy it anyway:
LINK
hey - I hope everyone is well. I have to say that I am loving the new revolution. Deco has been a breath of fresh air - plus he seems to be an honest player so hopefully will assist in winning us some fans!
Robinho should be here by the time the Spurs coach pulls in and I cant wait to watch him get stuck in.
We will have many skillful options and a lot of pace - hopefully DD will come back with a point to prove and we wont revert to the long ball every 20 seconds!
Only dilemma - Ballack, deco or robinho to go on the back of my new away shirt? or will Kaka grace us with his presence!
BBD,
Good work (although slightly concerning you are spending time on the Spurs site nonetheless).
I'll stand by my hesitant prediction, though I have no idea why. Maybe the usual pessimistic part of me has returned. There's just something about all the signs pointing towards a definitive home win that makes me think it wont be.
Probably because Berbatov will either be playing in the Euro Super Cup for Man U or 'rotting in the reserves' which means their only striker is Darren 'Hatful in pre-season, hapless in the real season' Bent. And so they'll sneak one in the 93rd minute off his arse or something.
So glad that the season is underway and we can once again continue the ritual that is 3 p.m kick-offs on a Saturday afternoon. Oh, wait........
Will Sheva get many games? Football Weekly made the point in this week's episode that Ancelotti prefers to play with one striker (apparently he was against re-signing Sheva), so with Pato and new, younger signing Borriello (19 goals in Serie A last season) in the squad will Sheva get a look in? If he does he's going to be keeping the likes of Pato out of the starting eleven. What do Milan fans think about that?
Sheva and Senderos. Good grief. Is this what happens when you don't qualify for the Champions League?
@Fiftee and @BlueBoyDave - I'm often optimistic this far ahead of games. Come Sunday morning I'm sure I will be my usual unsociable, pessimistic self (I'm not the best company prior to kick-off).
Interesting little snippet regarding Sheva from Martin Samuel in the Times yesterday (some very good points about Gerrard as well). Hope the link works...
LINK
"José Mourinho had a private theory on why Andriy Shevchenko flopped at Chelsea. He would not voice it publicly and, if you had heard it, you would know why. It will be interesting to see if the Ukraine striker now regains his form after his return to AC Milan."
We know that Jose likes a dig and that there may be a degree of sour grapes about it, but it doesn't take a genius to work out what he might be suggesting.
Also worth noting that in all of the Sheva to-ing and fro-ing that went on over the summer, it was Galliani doing all the talking; I didn't see Ancelotti's name mentioned once.
MOTD highlights online aren't going to cut it for much longer... i need setanta in my new apartment!
i must say i was skeptical of the deco signing, but he has been the missing piece of flair in the midfield. that free kick was delish. he is proving to be a bargain, a rarity for the RA chelsea. anelka being our lone striker bothers me, im hoping for a 2 striker formation when drogba returns. until then, i think villa deserves a boatload of money over robinho, because he is filling a position we already have too much depth in. florent has been poor, and joe cole has not been good as of late, but throwing more money at the winger position is not going to help up front.
cech was immense, that blinding orange jersey must make him look huge to opponents or something. its good to see that LGP is capable of grinding out wins when the chips aren't really falling chelsea's way. now its on to tottenham, and we 'ate Tott'num.
@43 Fiftee - can I just clarify I was, so to speak, a Spurs website virgin - drawn there by a news headline summary website link firmly set to filter on /Sport/Football/Chelsea.
There again I guess there can be a perverse pleasure in trawling other clubs websites/blogs to see the distorted worldview peddled there - I recall someone entertaining us earlier in the summer with excerpts from a whiney, Liverpoo blog - so unlike our own version of sweet reasonableness.....
@47 BBD
I totally agree with you with regard the perverse pleasure in the trawling of other clubs blogs, my particular fetish towards that particular Liverpoo site was there for all to see. I think it shows this site in good light, we may have blue tinted glasses, but we're certainly not bitter, twisted, or deluded.
And just to add, perhaps Nick should allocate some of us to a scouting system on other fans blogs, so we can search out the stuff that will give us all a chuckle.
I will certainly volunteer for that Looserpoo site and BBD you're obviously leaning towards a Tottenham fetish, and we know Tony likes to wind them up on Arseblog.
Sign up sign up! :-)
@45
"José Mourinho had a private theory on why Andriy Shevchenko flopped at Chelsea. He would not voice it publicly and, if you had heard it, you would know why. It will be interesting to see if the Ukraine striker now regains his form after his return to AC Milan."
I feel like I'm being thick, but what might this theory be?
You cant beat the master! I just thought you would all like to know that in "A Bola" the Portuguese sports paper in an interview one day ago, Mourinho talked about Sheva and at the end of the interview he said, " I hope Sheva is very happy and i am sure he will score lots of goals in the UEFA cup"!! I mean, the guy played more golf than football while he was here and of course this move just proves JM was right and we lost the prem the last two years because of the board. Yeah good luck I say, live it up in the UEFA cup Shevie and good riddance quite frankly. I think this explains finally that Sheva was one of the reason for the breakdown with the board or more specifically with Roman 100%!!
Speaking of other club'smessage boards, I found this on an Arsenal site....
LINK
Dos anyone know if it is true, that Roman has put a trust fund in place with his son as the head, if ever anything was to happen to him?
I have to say that my biggest fear with Roman, is what happens after he dies, so this would certainly be good news if true.
Dio.....
Bit harsh on Sheva....... Whilst he didn't set the world alight, and cost us a fortune, he didn't complain about being a bit-part player and just got on with it. I believe he gave his best, it just wasn't good enough anymore.
Then again, why should he on $100K + a week!
I also might feel differently if we knew the real reasons behind Jose's departure and whether he was actively involved in stirring the pot with Roman.
Jose seems to be releasing small insights into the failure of Sheva:
"Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, has told Ford's FeelFootball.com that signing Andrei Shevchenko was not his first choice. "I had a first option and a second option that were not possible," he said. "When I was faced with the possibility of Shevchenko, I said yes. But he was like a prince in Milan – and in Chelsea our philosophy was different. We had no princes. Everybody is the same."
Anyway, with a few days left of the window, the transfer news seems to have concluded 2 things. Robinho should join for £30m once Real have bought either Villa or Huntelaar as a replacement. And secondly, Roman's dream signing may be arriving sooner than we thought:
LINK
The report doesn't provide any new details but what was interesting is that we can still sign him in January as he's only in the Uefa Cup. By then he should realise that the prospect of leading Chelsea to CL glory whilst on £200k/wk is much more attractive than having to carry a side comprised of Donkeys (Senderos), Pensioners (Maldini and Inzaghi) and fatties (ronaldinho).
Talking of the CL, the draw is on Thursday where Kenyon will meet Galliani according to the Mail. But with the draw, we'll avoid Jose in the group stage but some have already drawn up a group of death:
Chelsea
Bayern
Juventus
Fenerbahce
Don't be surprised if we get this group despite us being top seeds.
Add to those rumours that we want Luis Fabiano:
LINK
"The report doesn't provide any new details but what was interesting is that we can still sign him in January as he's only in the Uefa Cup. By then he should realise that the prospect of leading Chelsea to CL glory whilst on £200k/wk is much more attractive than having to carry a side comprised of Donkeys (Senderos), Pensioners (Maldini and Inzaghi) and fatties (ronaldinho)."
That report is total nonsense. Galliani said this week that they never talked about Kaka and that they wont ever sign him. Robinho is coming nobody else. Real arent going to sign Huntelaar to replace Robinho on the left wing. They are going to get Santi Cazorla from Villareal and thats on almost every website.
Kaka has said over and over again that he will never leave Milan and why would the arrival of Sheva (One of his best friends) make him want to leave? Kenyon has said that he will only bid for Kaka if Milan make it clear they want to sell and Galliani has made it clear that they WONT sell.
So why people are speculating I do not know. I guess some people like these fantasy stories.
they wont ever SELL him.
I can only see Robinho being our last signing of the summer and no one else. Drogba will be back hopefully before the big games so we will be fine with Anelka and Kalou at the moment. And why will we spend 80 million pounds in January for Kaka? Absolute rubbish from the Mail or whoever wrote it. This has to stop. It can potentially cause unrest in the dressing room.
If Kaka comes, we have to sell one of our star midfield trio. Make no mistake about that. We are over crowded in that area. Milan wont sell and we dont need Kaka. But its rocket science to those reporters.
Habs,
The UEFA Cup draw is the day after the Champs League one, so unless Kenyon has the Robinho deal wrapped up by then, I can't see him staying overnight this close to the window closing just to chat about Kaka.
Besides, if you read the Daily Mail story, it claims he'd move because he doesn't approve of Ronaldinho's lifestyle. Not really as if we have a squad of saints is it............
senderos will be just the substitute of nesta..he will be not a titular. kaka will go never to chelsea because he is happy in italy and berlusconi don't want to sell him. shevchenko? he must play like second striker in 4-3-1-2 or like central striker in 4-3-2-1..he cant play like left or right striker in 4-3-3. ac milan formation titular is this year: abbiati, zambrotta nesta kaladze jankulovski, flamini pirlo ambrosini, kaka ronaldinho, pato. shevchenko is just the substitute of pato. we pay shevchenko next year 8 millions euro..the acmilan fans are happy that he returns to us but just because berlusconi has buyed before ronaldinho. shevchenko said that he thanks the chelsea fans for the affect that have had always for him.
@ ACMilan1899........
I think instead of 'titular', I think the word you may be looking for is regular!
However, there is a fair chance that you were right the first time,Senderos is indeed a bit of 'tit'!
As for Sheva,I wish him the best, but if Milan's future is built on the likes of Senderos and Sheva, I cannot see much success coming your way.
Terrific start to the season of course. Loving the universal functionality of our midfielders - not sure there's ever been anything like it in the Prem.
Absolutely delighted to see the back of that overpaid oaf Shevchenko. Almost destroyed the team spirit so carefully created by JM. I'm sure Milan will inject a new lease of life into him, nudge nudge.
GREENLIGHT..
senderos comes just in loan and just if you will do good in this season we will buy him. he can be titular till nesta comes back. shevchenko is returned just because berlusconi considers him like a son. our future is pato or borriello.
i'm sorry if i talked about ac milan in a chelsea blog. my favourite team in premier league is chelsea and i wish to chelsea to win the champions league and the premier league. i hope that robinho comes to chelsea.
I think Senderos will be much better suited to Serie A than he is the Prem. He looks a different player at international level and, despite his size, simply isn't cut out for the pace and physical cut-and-thrust of the English game. The way Drogba monstered him time after time was embarrassing.
@56 MR X Wrote - "So why people are speculating I do not know"
Pretty easy really: sports journalists have pages to fill; we have a 4 year proven track record [oops, sorry] of paying silly over-the-odds sums to get players; we have a billionaire owner to whom it's all loose change; we now have a Brazilian manager with Portugese connections - so any story made up in the pub at lunchtime involving mega-millions and/or a Brazilian/Portugese player has more credibility if attached to us than any other club.
@62 PeteW - thanks for the hint as I was struggling like Kian above - I thought Juventus were the team with the alleged reputation for that sort of thing?
Anyone here make a guess. What are the details of Sheva's deal excluding the Kaka option.
1) Transfer fee?
2) Loan deal?
3) Left for free?
4) How much pay cut did he take?
@ greenlight 53......yeah, your'e probbaly right. I dont think he was a bad person or tried to upset anyone necessarily but I just feel after his first year he should have been more honest about things and told Roman his friend to let him go back or cut him from the payroll. Then again, as human greed goes, would I have done any different....probably not!
@50 Kian
Think JM may have been hinting at what Sheva's fitness regime might have involved whilst he was at Milan; use of banned substances far more prevalent in Italy than here, the number of high profile players that have been banned for positive drug tests in recent years in Serie A (Stam, Couto, Davids, one of the De Boer twins), the high-profile trial of the doctor from Juventus etc. - you get the general idea.
That might be extremely harsh on Sheva and I hope it isn't the case, but the number of injuries he suffered here (which he always seemed to struggle to recover from) and his general loss of form does make me wonder.
@ ACMILAN 1899 63
Good on yer mate, supporting Chelsea (in England anyway)! And thanks for your best wishes and right back at you.....Welcome here anytime.
@ PETEW 62
......Absolutely delighted to see the back of that overpaid oaf Shevchenko. Almost destroyed the team spirit so carefully created by JM.........
Couldn't have said it better myself!
@ Fifty 43
.....I'll stand by my hesitant prediction, though I have no idea why. Maybe the usual pessimistic part of me has returned. There's just something about all the signs pointing towards a definitive home win that makes me think it wont be....
You a pessimist, no, not you, never!!! ;-)
skysports.com:
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has confirmed that the club are confident of completing the signing of Robinho.
The Real Madrid forward has been a target of the Stamford Bridge outfit throughout the summer.
Luiz Felipe Scolari's side had already seen one bid for the Brazil international rejected by the Spanish giants, who appeared keen to hold on to the 24-year-old.
But Robinho's agent admitted on Tuesday that a deal was in the offing, and Kenyon has revealed that they are on the brink of an agreement.
The skilful forward is now expected to travel to London to discuss personal terms ahead of a proposed £28million switch.
Confident
Kenyon told Sky Sports News: "The Robinho one is continuing to rumble, we're ever-confident that will get done, but I think we've always said it will go to the wire.
"We keep moving it along and we hope that he would be coming to join us at Chelsea.
"Scolari identified two targets when we appointed him as manager. One was Deco and the other was Robinho. Everyone has seen the impact that Deco has had on the Premier League.
"I think the squad is capable of competing without Robinho but with him will give us an added dimension."
Villa
Kenyon was also quick to categorically dismiss speculation linking Spain international David Villa with a move to Stamford Bridge from Valencia.
He added: "Absolutely not. I'm sure if he is going to move it won't be to Chelsea."