There are rumours that Mourinho is seeking a return to the Chelsea managerial post. Fernando Torres is being written off after a 1000 minutes without a goal. John Terry is once again being treated incredibly poorly by the FA and the sensationalistic English media. The transfer window has slammed shut. And we welcome Man United to Stamford Bridge. A reckoning is upon all the blue faithful.

A reckoning is a bill for an amount due, and this reckoning will be decided upon what we owe. Shakespeare was wrong the question isn’t to be or not be, but rather what do Chelsea owe? Can our Captain Fantastic once again show tremendous character under the crushing weight of judgement from the peanut gallery? Will Andre’ Villas-Boas prove he is the man to lead our beloved club forward? Can Ryan Bertrand be given an opportunity to show his worth and then seize it with both hands? Will we see the best English centre-back pairing start?

Can Fernando Torres be a decisive factor in the game, be it through an assist or (dare I say it) a goal? Will Stamford Bridge be quieter than a library or will we see boisterous support? Can the squad repay the trust of AVB in his not dipping heavily into the transfer market? Are we unbeaten this year? Or are we winless in two? Is the glass half full? Or is the glass half empty? It is in these questions that the answers for our blue reckoning will be found.

After Mourinho left he said we would miss him even more after we started losing games at home. I hope this Sunday’s game doesn’t see us missing our “Special One”. Andre’ Villas-Boas is faced with a challenge which I’m sure he can overcome, even if I’m not sure exactly how. He probably will persist with Torres leading the line, instead of gambling on the promising Lukaku, in the continued absence of Drogba on African Cup of Nations duty. A year on after his much maligned move from mersyeside could mean Torres has paid enough for the massive transfer fee he didn’t set? Sturridge and Mata either side of Torres have a big ask. Mata will find much of the burden for creativity upon his shoulders again, and I’m sure more will be expected of Sturridge than he showed in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

In midfield it is anyone guess, but Chelsea will definitely be without Ramires through injury, who has arguably been our best player so far this season. In defence we are without the suspended Ashley Cole, but our recent defensive record has been good. Cahill appears unlikely to make his Chelsea debut. I wonder if Bertrand will deputise for Cole at left-back or if in a pessimistic move Bosingwa will be moved to the left. AVB faces a daunting task in his team selection and a true tactical test against the experienced Sir Alex. Expect many condescending remarks about AVB’s age, despite the fact that he has placed the onus on the group and not individuals since the start of his Chelsea reign.

The continued persecution of John Terry is baffling, and I think the English FA will have no one to blame but themselves when they fail once again at a major tournament in the summer. John Terry is not a racist and I think everyone at Chelsea knows this as surely as I do. Just once I’d like to see John Terry decide not to shake someone’s hand, but the English leader is too decent to contemplate such a thing. It is sad that his international career has been the subject of bureaucratic meddling, stupidity and the attention whoring of journeyman strikers who need not be named.

When, not if, JT is acquitted of these racism charges, a certain F(erdinand) is going to owe him an apology. Instead of being celebrated as the finest defender of his generation Terry has fallen victim to the twitter age and the twats or tweets that come with it. Is the older Ferdinand going to shake Terry’s hand the press will scream between now and Sunday’s kickoff.

A blue reckoning is upon all the blue faithful, but I believe Chelsea are capable of providing what is due. What do you think the outcome will be this Sunday? Sunday may traditionally be the day of rest, but this Sunday sees AVB’s Chelsea meet it’s greatest test. In Chelsea we trust…

When discussing youth and reserve team football and player development, everything comes back to this single word. Opportunity. It might arise through merit, or it may be through fate, but without it, a player cannot prove himself worthy.

Opportunity is, at times unfortunately, at the behest of circumstance. Rarely in the upper echelons of the game is there room for a manager to blood some of his next generation whilst simultaneously chasing trophies and/or attempting to hold onto his job. It requires a patient club with a vision which goes beyond the now and into the tomorrow.

Development is far from an exact science, but even to the most experienced and well-trained eye it can be hard to gauge the level at which someone is operating whilst playing with and against inferior talent. He may not even stand out in that particular group, but begin to blossom when he gets the call. The recent case of Barcelona’s Isaac Cuenca is an oustanding example of this very phenomenon.

As is patently clear and has been for some time, all of the above is relevant to Chelsea Football Club and then some. There is undeniably good work being done by many in the academy, but you can still count those who have made the grade on one hand.

In a week where a former Blue in Scott Sinclair scored against his previous employers (despite playing rather poorly overall), it once again raises the question as to whether he was cast aside too early without having been given a chance to prove himself.

Maybe, just maybe, these boys can play a bit.

Last summer, Frank Arnesen departed Cobham after a controversial five years and headed to Hamburg, where he was swiftly followed by five of his proteges. Jeffrey Bruma only made the journey on loan, but Gokhan Tore, Slobodan Rajkovic, Michael Mancienne and Jacopo Sala left permanently and for a combined fee of little more than £2m.

At Hertha Berlin last Saturday, Italian Under-21 international Sala made his first start in senior football and ensured that all five have now started a Bundesliga match this season. The quintet combined for just two career league starts in England.

Tore leads all players in Europe in successful dribble attempts per match and has been a near ever-present in Germany, whilst emerging as a regular Turkish international to boot. Rajkovic may have struggled for a work permit in England but he and Mancienne have seen plenty of playing time in and around their injuries, whilst Sala is to be entrusted with a start against Bayern Munich this coming weekend.

Questions may be raised about the quality of the Bundesliga compared to the Premier League but they’re largely besides the point. In any event, it’s a top tier European league where the likes of Edin Dzeko, Demba Ba and Per Mertesacker played last season and many of the oustanding German national team continue to ply their trade. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough period.

Fabio Borini was another who failed to make a single league start for Chelsea but is now being picked on merit by Luis Enrique for AS Roma ahead of expensive signings such as Bojan Krkic. He has four goals in Serie A this season and was in the starting eleven against both Inter and Milan, the former at the San Siro.

The story goes on with the likes of Miroslav Stoch (scoring at a rate of one in three for Fenerbahce and approaching 30 international caps) and Sergio Tejera (a solid squad rotation option at Real Mallorca), and even outside of the top flight in some cases.

After a starring role against Newcastle in their FA Cup victory live on ESPN, Liam Bridcutt was described by The Daily Telegraph as “surely the finest holding midfielder in the football league”. Amongst those who would rival him for such a crown is Jack Cork, currently having an exceptional season for promotion-chasing Southampton.

Both are accomplished in the sort of football Andre Villas-Boas wishes his team to play regardless of the level at which they’re currently playing. Indeed, Bridcutt was the subject of interest from Norwich and Swansea in the transfer window which has just closed.

Again though, neither played a single minute in Chelsea blue despite being at the club since their primary school days until their early twenties. Instead, Oriol Romeu has been the preferred choice, but he spent his entire pre-Chelsea career playing outside of the top flight as well, simply arriving with more professional experience.

It doesn’t matter so much if these players are good enough to start for Chelsea right now. What matters is that having been given the chance to play regularly, they’re proving themselves capable footballers for good clubs at good standards of football. That much at least would render them rotation options at the very least back at Stamford Bridge.

Villas-Boas has been tasked with overhauling an ageing squad short on unpredictability and dynamism. It’s no easy task, and one which is immediately greeted with a flurry of high-profile, expensive names from overseas.

Indulge this author in a pipe dream for a moment though, and consider the likes of Ryan Bertrand, Nathaniel Chalobah, Milan Lalkovic, Todd Kane and others becoming a part of that overhaul.

Does Raul Meireles offer much that Bridcutt or Cork couldn’t? Would Todd Kane be any more inconsistent than the vastly more experienced Jose Bosingwa? Would Fabio Borini offer the instinctiveness in front of goal than £50m of Fernando Torres currently lacks so badly?

These are all questions we can prognosticate over until we’re blue in the face, but will never have an answer for until opportunities are granted.

Maybe, just maybe, these boys can play a bit?

The Under-21 international revealed on his personal Twitter account earlier in the afternoon that he would be heading out on loan and reports in the Netherlands this evening, most notably from reputable outlet Voetbal International, state that his destination is The Hague.

It will be Lalkovic’s second loan spell of the season, after spending a month at Doncaster Rovers earlier in the campaign, but it represents top flight football at a club which was in the Europa League at the start of the season.

They have struggled to reach the highs of last season and are currently in the bottom half but remain a competitive team. Initial reports suggest they were interested in bringing in Fulham’s Dutch forward Danny Hoesen but were unable to get the player released from his stay at Fortuna Sittard and instead have moved for Lalkovic.

He will be joined by Nigerian centre-half Kenneth Omeruo in the political capital of Europe, as Chelsea intend to station their new player there after aquiring him from Standard Liege. He lacks a UK work permit but is in the final stages of securing a Dutch one and is set to spend the next eighteen months there.

Sporting Director Michael Emenalo has struck up a working relationship with ADO and appears to favour working in the low countries, with a trio of Blues in Ulises Dávila, Patrick van Aanholt and Tomas Kalas at fellwo Dutch top flight team Vitesse. Additionally, Chelsea have spent heavily on Belgians Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku and today Kevin De Bruyne as they focus their energies and attentions on the region.

Lalkovic will be hoping to follow in the successful footsteps of compatriot Miroslav Stoch, who went from reserve teamer at Chelsea to a double-digits goalscorer and senior international after spending a season on loan at FC Twente.

You can keep right up to date on how Milan and all of Chelsea’s loanees do throughout the rest of the season here at TheChels.net and on Twitter by following @chelseayouth.

Patrick van Aanholt’s maiden Eredivisie experience was all the sweeter as it came away to PSV Eindhoven, the club at which he spent his formative years before moving to England. Gael Kakuta, meanwhile, made his Ligue Une bow away to Lyon as a second half substitute after a goalscoring debut in the Cup last weekend.

Van Aanholt started as a substitute for Vitesse’s trip to Eindhoven on Friday night but came on with a little more than fifteen minutes remaining on the clock, replacing Jan-Arie van der Heijden. His team were 1-0 down at the time and he came on to offer attacking impetus, but Vitesse soon went 2-1 down before losing by a final margin of 3-1.

He was his usual attacking self and whilst he was partly at fault for one of PSV’s goals, it was as part of a unit caught short on the break, and fellow Blues loanee Tomas Kalas was also involved in the goal conceded. Kalas, as ever, played from the start and the full 90 minutes, displaying his usual brand of decisive play mixed in with remarkable pace to make up for any mistakes.

Van Aanholt is likely to start in the KNVB Cup match this Tuesday due to injury and suspension, and should be able to force his way into a regular starting place within the next few games.

Over in France, Kakuta saw more ample time to make an impact for Dijon away to perennial title contenders Lyon, replacing Benjamin Corgnet shortly before the hour. His team too were 1-0 down when he entered the fray and they also fell to a 3-1 final score, with the attacking midfielder struggling to make an impact.

Remaining in continental Europe but heading to Germany, Jeffrey Bruma and Hamburg returned to winning ways with a 2-1 win away to Hertha Berlin on Saturday.

A very much first choice at centre-back these days, Bruma was quietly efficient as HSV played well, securing three points to shoot them up to eleventh in the Bundesliga standings whilst consigning their defeated foes to 15th, just a place outside of the relegation zone.

In the same match, former Chelsea youngster Jacopo Sala made his full senior debut, making a perfect five-for-five on players Frank Arnesen took with him last summer. Gokhan Tore, Slobodan Rajkovic, and Michael Mancienne have each started league matches in Germany since their move, alongside Bruma and now Sala.

Thibaut Courtois’s 2012 has been proficient in Spain, where he kept a fourth consecutive clean sheet and remains perfect since returning from the winter break in a 1-0 win over Osasuna.

Osasuna offered more than many of Atléti’s recent opponents but Courtois was on hand to keep them out and affirm his status as perhaps the finest young goalkeeper in La Liga.

Ben Gordon, meanwhile, continues to experience the good times at Kilmarmock and is now set to play in a first career cup final after helping the Ayrshire side past local rivals Ayr United in the Semi Finals of the Scottish Communities League Cup on Saturday.

As he was in his first spell north of the border, Gordon has become an immediate regular in the blue and white stripes and is very much amongst the fans favourites at Rugby Park. Killie now face Celtic in the Final next month.

Back on domestic shores in England, the FA Cup afforded Josh McEachran a chance for a first start in Swansea colours, and he duly completed his first ninety minutes in some months in an eventual 2-1 defeat away to Bolton.

The Swans played an almost entirely backup team and it certainly showed in their below-par performance. McEachran had a quiet first half but came into his own in the second, but the team lacked a killer instinct in front of goal which may have been more evident with their usual, potent attacking options.

In League One, Sam Walker’s home debut for Yeovil came with a win as the Glovers defeated Preston North End 2-1 at Huish Park. Walker had almost nothing to do as Preston were reduced to ten men after just three minutes and scored with their only shot on target.

Two second-half own goals were Rhys Taylor’s undoing for Rotherham as the Millers were upset 3-2 away to Dagenham & Redbridge in League Two action on the same day. The Welshman appears to have played well enough but, as has been the case for much of his professional career, was let down by some terrible defending (as is self evident in two own goals).

Finally, whilst Matej Delac remains on a winter break with Ceske Budejovice, the Czech club have been playing their fair share of friendlies to remain match fit. They’ve afforded the Croatian custodian a chance to get some much-needed playing time and he’s duly impressed.

A week after keeping a first-half clean sheet (before being replaced and watching his teammates lose 4-2) he played a full 90 minutes in a 3-0 defeat to Dynamo Drážďany before sitting out a 4-1 loss to Erzgebirge Aue. At the very least, he’s showing that he should be in consideration for some league starts instead of sitting on the bench.

Prosenik, the son of former international Christian, has been with the Blues since 2009 but has managed just 25 total appearances for the youth and reserves teams (and just five goals) in a career heavily upset by injuries.

After suffering a concussion and memory loss in his first season in England, he then damaged his knee and missed some six months, only returning at the very end of the 2009-10 season. After a strong start to 10-11, he once again fell foul of knee problems and missed another lengthy period of time.

Now, with the apparent end of his two-year professional contract on the horizon, Milan have swooped to seal the free transfer signature of a player they were highly interested in as a 16 year-old looking to leave Rapid Vienna to take his career to the next step.

Shortly after moving to London, Prosenik revealed that the decision to choose Chelsea over clubs like Milan or Bayern Munich ultimately came down to off-field aspects of life as much as his footballing education. In Milan, he would’ve been housed and schooled some 90 minutes away from the club, whilst things were much more stable at Cobham and with Chelsea.

Now nearly 19, those are no longer concerns for the grown-up Austrian and he will look to get back on his feet and take the next step in his thus-far injury-ravaged career. It is not known whether he will leave now or at the end of the season but having made just four appearances and one start all season it would not be a surprise if he departed this month.

He would become the third reserve team member to leave on a permanent basis if so, joining Carl Magnay, who has signed for Gateshead after his Chelsea contract ended at the turn of the year; and Portuguese midfielder Kaby, who has moved to AEL Limassol in Cyprus in similar circumstances to Prosenik.

Everyone at TheChels would like to thank Prosenik for his role in the successes of the youth and reserve teams in recent seasons and wishes him the best for the future.

The Guinea-Bissau born teenager, who will turn 20 next month, is out of contract at the end of the season and is therefore eligible to agree a Bosman free transfer move to any club outside of the UK.

It remains to be 100% confirmed whether the move to Cyprus is a loan or a permanent deal but given the state of affairs and the player’s comments on his Twitter account over the last week, it very much appears that he is departing for good and joining on a free transfer before the end of his contract.

Kaby, real name Aliu Djalo, arrived at Chelsea back in 2007 in a high-profile transfer from Portuguese club side Boavista. The son of a legendary top-flight striker Bobo Djalo and brother of Portugal international Yannick, he made 44 youth team appearanced over two seasons before progressing into the reserve ranks at Stamford Bridge.

He made a further 30 appearances at the next level but never progressed into senior football, either at the club or out on loan. He was a part of both the FA Youth Cup and Premier Reserve League title winning sides.

AEL Limassol are currently enjoying a fine season in the Cypriot top flight, sitting third after seventeen games, a place above Champions League side APOEL Nicosia. They have a Portuguese Director of Football and five Portuguese players in their squad, as well as an additional seven players of Portuguese heritage via Africa or South America.

Former Charlton, Gillingham, and Bristol Rovers striker Chris Dickson is also on their books.

It therefore appears to be a good choice for Kaby in terms of acclimatising, although there are some reports that the club’s ownership structure is rather volatile and the team lacks stability. In any event, everyone at TheChels wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.

Kaby is one of four reserve team players who are due to see the end of their contracts come June, with Rhys Taylor, Sam Walker and Marko Mitrovic the others yet to put pen to paper on an extension. Taylor has already spoken of potentially turning his loan spell at Rotherham United into a permanent deal whilst Swedish club Malmo have made overtures towards bringing former player Mitrovic home.

Whatever the news on their futures, you can keep up with it first and fastest by following @chelseayouth on Twitter.

Andre Villas-Boas has twice this season added his name to a series of high-profile names who have called for a restructuring of the way young talent is developed in this country.

Naturally, the issue causes some consternation, and perhaps quite rightly. There are many valid points to be made both sides of the argument, and there are appropriate forums in which to discuss them.

However, one thing everybody appears to agree on is that something must be done. The introduction of the much-vaunted and equally controversial Elite Player Performance Plan ahead of the 2012/13 season has the intention of solving many of the well-documented problems.

Whilst the focus on schoolboy and ‘grass-roots’ football is laudable, the chasm which currently exists for players aged roughly between 18 and 22 is as important an area to address as any. The EPPP looks to do this, in the form of a national Under-21 development league which will replace the current reserve league structure.

Many a rumour has done the rounds as to quite what this will entail, as there has been precious little made public about what is a major change to youth development in England. Fortunately, here at TheChels, we occasionally have information fall into our laps, and can reveal some of the lesser-known details (all of which are pending final ratification, of course).

Currently, a handful of Premier League clubs have opted not to take part in the reserve league, deciding instead to schedule their own fixtures and play on their own terms. From 12/13 onwards, membership in the ‘Premier Development League’ will be mandatory for Premier League clubs, and indeed a requirement for any club which has ambitions of achieving Category One status.

There will NOT, however, be an age limit on player eligibility, which taken at face value renders the term ‘Development League’ useless. The people behind the EPPP note that the average age of a current reserve league player is 21 and therefore anticipate that “it will serve those players in transition from youth to professional football”.

It continues by indicating that a selection of matches may be played at first-team stadia and that there will be opportunities for Category One and Two clubs to play matches against overseas outfits.

Unfortunately, everything documented is currently possible in the existing structure. A presumptive home-and-away fixture list against some twenty other teams (nineteen other Premier League reserve teams plus Southampton, the only non-PL team set for Category One status) increases the number of fixtures to a suitable level, but it misses a series of other areas by a wide margin.

Unless there is some form of competitive element to reserve league matches, it is highly likely we’ll still end up with stale affairs between groups of players who would rather be playing elsewhere in front of healthy crowds and for tangible reward at full time.

All too often, second-string fixtures are played out before a sparse crowd (or behind closed doors) on a weekday afternoon or evening with limited reward at the end of it. When some of these players then go out on loan to play in the football league, they all speak of the same thing; how happy they are to be taking the next step in their careers, playing regular football for ‘three points’.

This brings the discussion back around to B teams and the football league. Realistically, this is never going to happen, not least because of the vehement and staunch opposition to the notion by what appears to be a vast majority in the game.

It’s not for me or anyone else to convince others of the many valid reasons for their inclusion, but what is important is to have an open mind about change rather than clinging onto some ill-formed notion of tradition.

Tradition is a wonderful thing. However, it can equally be a terrible hindrance. The bi-annual summer navel-gazing period which occurs when England are knocked out of a major tournament usually calls for an overhaul of youth development and an improvement in the way we develop players.

When plans are drawn up and published, many of the same people who complained with their England hat on remember that they’re a club supporter too and find issue with such proposals.

Ultimately, something has to change. Undoubtedly, allowing clubs to operate a B team at some level of the pyramid would be one of the most fundamental changes to the game in this country perhaps ever, but let’s take a look back at the last major change; the introduction of the Premier League.

The past twenty years have been amongst the most successful in this country’s long and illustrious history in the sport, with the game becoming a multi-billion pound industry marketed to near enough every country around the world and the leading lights making waves at the highest level of club football.

Supporters of lower-league clubs will undoubtedly tell you that whilst the rich have gotten richer, the poorer have been left behind and the difference between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ has never been bigger.

Is this really the case though? A cursory glance of historical attendances reveals that the average number attending games in England has steadily risen since 1992 across all four divisions.

The likes of Blackpool, Burnley, Fulham, Hull City, Norwich City, Stoke City and Swansea have been able to make their way up from much lower down the ladder to become respectable Premier League outfits, pouring a certain degree of scorn on arguments that it’s impossible to break through that ‘glass ceiling’.

Yes, there are some serious financial problems, but whilst there have been over 30 cases of football league clubs entering administration in the last decade, not one of them have ceased to exist. In the latter days of the pre-Premier League era, the likes of Aldershot and Maidenhead went to the wall whilst still in the league.

The point is that whilst the Premier League may be looked upon as the big bad boys in English football, taking all of the glory and money for themselves at the expense of their lesser neighbours, it isn’t quite so simple. A healthy chunk of football league income comes from Premier League handouts (something which is rarely mentioned), and the game in England is so far ahead of where it was 20 years ago that it’s not even a fair comparison.

People are naturally afraid of change. Familiarity breeds comfort, but it can also breed complacency. Fundamental change goes a stage further, and a fear of the known can lead to the reactions we’ve seen in response to Andre Villas-Boas this week.

For the sake of the game, it would be churlish not to approach ideas with an open mind. At the very least, you’re back where you started, holding the same opinion. However, you might just end up with a revolutionary idea which takes English football into a new, successful era.

Wouldn’t that be nice?

The CPO AGM took place in the Harris Suite of Stamford Bridge at 11am on Friday 20 January 2012.

Having established a quorum, the new Chairman, Steve Frankham, declared proceedings open. A meeting which was always lively and occasionally boiled over into hostility against the board took questions from the floor right from the start.

The first speaker, David Sadler, wanted to know how ordinary shareholders could put forward resolutions for the AGM. This was born of his attempts to obtain an answer by both phone and e-mail. Bob Sewell had not known the answer and Mr Sadler complained that he had received no further response.

Bob Sewell responded to Mr Sadler’s question from the floor by referring the question to Andrew Edge of Stephen Harwood, CPO’s new lawyers, who was present at the meeting, to give his views. Mr Edge advised that to assist a shareholder in property was contrary to a duty of a director and that Mr Sadler should consult the 2006 Companies Act.

Steve Frankham asked CPO director Gray Smith to give an opinion on the technical legal position and Gray promised Mr Sadler that he would contact him with the correct representation, and called for greater transparency from the board as a whole on this issue. Mr Sadler stated that he considered the AGM just as important as the EGM, and Steve Frankham again promised the matter would be addressed.

Mr Sadler asked if it had occurred to the board that shareholders would wish to put resolutions from the floor and requested that in the absence of this occurring, the meeting should be voided. Mr Frankham advised that a further EGM would be called in which resolutions could be put forward by shareholders.

The second speaker wanted to know what the board of CPO was going to do in the next year, and if they were going to make “sensible” decisions. Steve Frankham stated that the company had been formed to sell shares, pay off the debt and look after the assets. At this point, Dennis Wise took the opportunity to promise honesty and that he had previously been on the board as Ken Bates hadn’t wanted the club to be sold to property developers. Mr Wise stressed that he was independent from the club and stated that he wanted all shareholders to put their views across.

Phil Roland addressed the issue of Resolution 9, relating to reinstatement of share sales and queried why this was an Ordinary Resolution rather than a Special Resolution. Hot on the heels of this, Dave Spring raised the issue of the disputed shares sold to shareholders believed to have an affinity with Chelsea FC. Mr Spring said he believed that any resolutions voted on would be nullified by these shares and accused Mr Frankham of not having dealt with the issue. Mr Spring proposed an adjustment and called for further clarification of the identity of the owners of said shares.

Steve Frankham advised that he had tasked Gray Smith with finding solutions to this issue, however Dave Spring stated that Gray Smith had already provided these answers, but the board had not acted on them.

The next speaker, Colin Simmonds asked if the board saw their responsibility as the selling of shares and paying off of the debt, which Steve Frankham said it was.

The meeting then moved on to the issue of developing Stamford Bridge. Gray Smith said the board were trying to keep Chelsea Pitch Owners separate from the football club, and the board of CPO had no right to be consulted by Chelsea FC. However, Steve Frankham added that the board were about to enter into dialogue with the club on the issue.

Tom Broderick stated that he had e-mailed Hammersmith & Fulham Council regarding the issue of ground expansion and that the Council were willing to explore all opportunities for redevelopment. Their feeling was that the club had sought to demonstrate that they were not able to expand the ground, but H&F were not convinced and needed to carry out further investigations to see if there were any viable propositions.

A major development in the meeting occurred when a speaker asked Bob Sewell, as one of only two members of the previous board present, why the previous board had exceeded the authority to sell no more than £100,000 of shares as agreed at the previous AGM in December 2010. Amidst some uproar, Mr Sewell responded that this was a “mistake” resulting from “human error”.

Rick Glanvill cited the difficulties in monitoring volumes of shares sold, and stated he felt that, given the fundamental issues that October’s EGM had presented, as many people as possible should have been given the opportunity to purchase shares. He added that he had not been aware of the limit [NB Rick Glanvill was not on the board of CPO at the time of the 2010 AGM], and that the issues surrounding this had given him sleepless nights.

Dave Spring asked if the issue of the exceeded share sale authority would now be dealt with by the board, and he was advised that a meeting had taken place on 30 November in which ways to make amends were discussed.

Former SNCPO stalwart James Greenbury rose to say that he looked forward to the report on the extra shares, and called for voting rights to be limited to one per shareholder. He suggested, to general applause and laughter, that if the board were unable to identify those recent bulk purchasers, Chelsea FC chairman Bruce Buck might be able to help them.

Clint Steele of SNCPO then initiated a discussion regarding the value of the shares themselves. Whilst the financial cost of a share remains £100, Clint called for an independent valuation to establish the “market value” of the share. Some speakers suggested that this might run into tens of thousands of pounds. Clint Steele stated he felt most shareholders there wouldn’t want their money back as CPO was set up to prevent the ground from being sold. As Roman Abramovich is the first new owner of the club since the founding of CPO, he felt a realistic assessment needed to be made of the market value.

Clint added that the additional sales over the authority in the autumn had made a farce of the meeting as if the bulk sold shares had registered their proxy votes, these would nullify the say of everyone else. Mr Steele also considered that if, had the proposal gone through in October, would these shareholders might have received their money back? If so, there might be a case to answer in respect of money laundering.

Rick Glanvill’s status as a director was once more called into question, and it emerged that former chairman Richard King had promised a vote on a resolution requiring all CPO board members to be shareholders, and although this proposal was voted through, it was never adopted. Steve Frankham advised he couldn’t comment on a matter which occurred in 2006. At this point, Dennis Wise provided laughter as he pulled a wad of banknotes from his pocket and handed them across the table to Mr Glanvill.

Rick Glanvill went on to clarify his position by stating that when he was appointed to the board of CPO in February 2011, he advised Richard King that he didn’t own a share, but was told it didn’t matter. He was sufficiently concerned about the issue that he had been going to purchase a share, but then as a result of Chelsea FC’s approach to the CPO board with their proposal forming the basis of the EGM, decided that purchasing a share at that stage would be perceived as opportunistic and look bad.

The meeting threatened to spiral into chaos, with calls for an open meeting to be held with Hammersmith & Fulham Council, and for an adjournment in the meantime. Paul Todd requested a straw poll for the latter and was refused. The board went on to state its opinion that voting rights should be limited to 10 per shareholder, however, as failing to pay off the loan would be a dereliction of duty, it would be wrong to stop people from buying shares.

Mr Gordon Isaacs was another speaker who called for an adjournment, stating that the only thing proven was the incompetence of the board. Steve Frankham advised that all share sold were legal, and the validity of this had been resolved. Concerns were raised regarding the poor maintenance of the share register and the need for a new class of share holding fewer voting rights.

Gray Smith reiterated his belief in the need for an EGM stating that many shareholders weren’t present at the AGM and that their views also needed to be represented.

Adil Pastakia made an impassioned speech saying that CPO was not about money, but if the proposal had been accepted at the EGM in October, CPO would have gone out of existence and the assets been handed over for a song. Mr Pastakia had looked at recent local property deals where land had been sold for in excess of £75 Million per acre. He also spoke in respect of the political situation in Russia and the problems which that might cause Roman Abramovich going forward.

Steve Frankham responded by saying that as a Chelsea fan, he would do everything possible to protect the asset and he was there to do his best for CPO. He was also in favour of CPO continuing at any new ground. Clint Steele asked if the board members were aware of the potential damage to their reputation should the safeguards provided by CPO be lost. Gray Smith said that CPO should be a wonderful asset available to the club, whoever owns it. However, at the present time, the board were not aware of any proposal to sell the ground and nothing to say that we would have to.

Rick Glanvill pointed out that as the board had not yet been re-elected, they were not in a position to discuss issues such as a further EGM. Steve Frankham made a further commitment to discuss the share issue, and Gray Smith opined that no further shares should be issued until after an EGM. Dennis Wise described himself as being “relaxed” about holding an EGM.

Roy Hinchcliffe of the Chelsea Supporters Club asked for minutes of board meetings to be published. Gray Smith commented the board would be unable to give a blanket commitment, but that he broadly agreed. From the floor, Julian East asked how could the board not make a commitment to transparency, to which Mr Smith responded that people had to have the chance to speak to the board confidentially.

Martin Knight called for Resolutions 9, 10 and 11 to be “knocked out” due to the bulk shareholders not being in attendance at the meeting.

Dan King of The Sun newspaper, who had carried stories relating to the identities of the bulk shareholders in the run-up to the meeting rose to ask if the board accepted the articles raised questions which needed to be addressed by CPO and CFC. Steve Frankham simply reiterated that Gray Smith would look into the matter, but eventually agreed that no shares would be sold until after the EGM.

Kim Holdaway, who had been a speaker at October’s EGM, asked if proxy voters had already cast their votes or whether they were at the chairman’s discretion. She called for Mr Frankham to either have the resolutions withdrawn, or to use his discretionary powers to try and have them voted down.

At this point – approximately 1.15pm – the debate concluded and the vote taken. The meeting was adjourned for the count, with many shareholders leaving. The vote was conducted under the auspices of the Electoral Reform Society and the results were returned as follows:


Resolution 1 (Accounts approval) For 3723 Against 279 Passed

Resolution 11 (Increase in directors to 7) For 2102 Against 1930 Rejected (needed 75%)


Gray Smith explained that as Resolution 10 was defeated, it had the effect of nullifying Resolution 9, in that shares could only now be sold to existing shareholders. As a result, shares sales would remain suspended pending an EGM, and Steve Frankham declared the meeting closed.

The Opinion

I always heave a huge sigh of relief when I’ve finished the bit above and turn to my impressions of the event. Firstly, it was great to see that the momentum of shareholder interest carried over from the EGM. To have 150 – 170 people turn up on a working day is no mean feat and demonstrates how much the issues surrounding CPO have now come to mean to people.

I’m reliably informed that the biscuits, although reduced in quantity from the last AGM, were excellent, however I can’t personally vouch for this (although the man *coughtimrollscough* who ate most of them can). It was also good to see many familiar faces in attendance.

I genuinely don’t believe the atmosphere in the room was quite as bad as it was at the EGM, but that could be due to the fact that we now have some breathing space in which all parties can come together and take matters forward ahead of any future proposals made by the club.

Rick Glanvill, to my mind, provided a totally reasonable explanation as to why he didn’t buy a CPO share. But I just wish to heaven that he had been able to come out and state the precise reason prior to the EGM in October. I honestly believe he was hamstrung by the edict that no director would speak publicly about CPO, and that if he’d been able to publicly clarify his position he would not have received so much of the (in any case unreasonable and unjustifiable) abuse that he was subject to.

One of the really pleasing aspects were the suggestions that were put forward from the floor. In particular, when share sales re-open, it would be hugely beneficial to our younger and less well-off fans if they could purchase shares and pay by Direct Debit/Standing Order. This will give the opportunity for even more supporters to become shareholders.

However, I am concerned that the issue of the “market value” of the shares is starting to raise its ugly head. Whilst there is no getting away from the fact that if last October’s proposal had succeeded Chelsea FC would have come into possession of the assets (i.e. the lease) of CPO at a fraction of the true market value, if too much emphasis is placed on what a share is worth, shareholders may well start to lose sight of what the share represents.

A share in CPO should represent what you feel in your heart about the club. When people get engaged, surely they don’t’ see the ring as “hmm, that’s gonna be worth a few quid in 20 years’ time, we’ll be able to flog it”. They think “that’s a pledge of love and commitment”. The same should be true of a CPO share. It should be a pledge of the love and commitment you feel toward Chelsea FC. The fact you want to protect it, not just now, but always.

Whilst many of the speakers on Friday could reasonably be described as the usual suspects (in my case, guilty as charged), it was good to see so many participants recognised by the chair. In particular, Adil Pastakia’s contribution was outstanding.

It is of interest that only one speaker, Michael Volpe, gave 100% support to the board of CPO, and the voting figures suggest that a large number of voting shareholders have misgivings about all board members. Indeed, one shareholder said to me afterwards, “how Bob Sewell is still on the board after this is unbelievable”.

Well, all the board have been re-elected, and they now need to sit down and decide exactly how they are going to take CPO forward, and prepare for another EGM in the spring at which another attempt at thrashing out outstanding matters will be made.

It will be interesting to see in the light of the rejection of Resolution 11 whether an ad hoc decision will be taken to expand the board, as it was in November, or whether Steve Frankham will decide to stick with what he’s got. It is arguable that in Gray Smith, whose performance on Friday was outstanding, the Say No lobby have sufficient representation on the board for the time being. One thing is certain, if a proposal to extend the board is put forward again at the EGM, this time prospective candidates will be ready and waiting.

As usual, apologies to anyone whose name I’ve misspelt; any errors of fact are mine and unintentional.

I’d like to thank Tim Rolls for keeping a better record of the results, which I have used above, than I did. His own splendid take on the meeting is at plainsofalmeria.com, and you can find his brilliant Pythonesque-parody of the CPO factions there too.

Follow me on Twitter @BlueBaby67; the SNCPO campaign team are @SayNoCPO; the delightfully named cerebral blog is @plainsofalmeria; and @CFCTruth provides an alternative view of CPO issues.

The French Under-21 international swapped the Reebok Stadium in Bolton for Stade Gaston Gérard and wasted little time in making an impression for his new club, grabbing a debut goal en route to beating Istres 2-1 in the French Cup.

Kakuta grabbed a first-half goal to help his new team back into the tie, which they eventually won and secured a Quarter Final clash with PSG. His strike was a sublime free kick which dipped and bent over the wall, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance.

It stands him in good stead for his Ligue Une debut next weekend, away to Lyon.

Kakuta is one of six Chelsea players who have found new homes in the month of January, and one of two to don new colours this weekend. The other was Sam Walker, who started his first game in goal for Yeovil Town in League One on Saturday afternoon.

Walker joined the Glovers in midweek and joined up with new manager Gary Johnson, who signed the giant custodian back in August when he was at Northampton Town. Johnson signalled his confidence in his new man by terminating the temporary contract of Watford ‘keeper Rene Gilmartin, making Walker the undisputed number one.

Unfortunately, it was a losing start in the West Country, as the trip to Bury resulted in a 3-2 defeat, but the initial reaction to Sam’s performance was a strong one:

Overall thought he did ok. He could not do anything about the 3 goals. What he did do he did well. Made a couple of really good one on one saves when the score was 3-1, which kept us in the game. I trust GJ’s judgement with this signing as he has worked with him before and so knows what he is about. My biggest concern was the way we defended. Bury did not have to work hard for the 3 goals as they were gifted to them by poor and inept defending with most of their attacks in the first half coming down our left side.

(courtesy The Green Room forums)

Whilst Walker and Kakuta featured from the start, Patrick van Aanholt and Josh McEachran were less fortunate, both starting their weekend matches on the bench.

McEachran received roughly half an hour for Swansea in a losing cause away to Sunderland, and played in his usual confident style, using the ball well and earning the trust of his teammates quickly and often.

Van Aanholt was unused in defeat however, as Vitesse went down to a surprising 0-1 home defeat against NEC Nijmegen. Czech teenager Tomas Kalas did play the full match, however, and is arguably the most important part of their back line with the more experienced Guram Kashia now sidelined through injury.

Ulises Dávila was not involved and is likely to spend the majority of the rest of this season with the club’s reserve team, Jong Vitesse.

Elsewhere in the Netherlands, meanwhile, Nigerian defender Kenneth Omeruo has not quite yet completed his move to ADO Den Haag, but spent the latter part of the week securing documentation towards a Dutch work permit, which will enable him to join up with his new team shortly.

Moving from Holland to Germany but sticking with the Dutch, it was a weekend to forget for Jeffrey Bruma and Hamburg as they suffered an ignominious 5-1 loss at home at the hands of Dortmund on their first match back from the Bundesliga’s winter break.

Nobody in HSV white covered themselves in glory as their more talented foes ran riot. Bruma picked up an early booking and struggled with the rest of his team from start to finish. However, he has been in decent form more often than not and will look to re-find that level as soon as possible.

A side note from the match which may interest some Chelsea fans is that former reserve team winger Jacopo Sala made his senior debut as a second half substitute. Sala joined HSV in the summer but has missed the entire season to date with a muscle injury.

In Scotland, Ben Gordon’s Kilmarnock went down 3-0 at home to Dunfermline and didn’t play well as a team nor as individuals, but even in his two appearances so far in his second spell at Rugby Park the left-back has shown the confidence to make an impact at both ends of the pitch, something he didn’t always do in spells at Tranmere, Scunthorpe and Peterborough (where playing time was harder to come by).

To finish with this week, we’ll drop in on three other goalkeepers the Blues have away on loan. Rhys Taylor and Rotherham lost 1-0 at home to Port Vale courtesy of a second half penalty, and whilst the Welshman went the right way from the spot kick he was unable to add to his impressive record of saving penalties.

Diego Simeone’s buoyant Atlético Madrid has suited Belgian teenager Thibaut Courtois, who recorded a second consecutive clean sheet after a shutout at home to Villarreal last weekend. Atlético have been in fine attacking form since returning to action, scoring seven unanswered, and Courtois has had very little to do in either match.

In perhaps more unlikely news, however, Matej Delac started for Ceske Budejovice this weekend in one of what will be a series of friendlies during the extended Czech winter break. The Croatian, who has not played a competitive league game since leaving Inter Zapresic in 2010, played 45 minutes of a 4-2 defeat to FK Jablonec. He kept a clean sheet, only for his replacement to ship four second-half strikes.

The Gambrinus Liga resumes on February 20th, with Delac aiming to earn a starting place between now and then.

It was an all-Swedish affair in front of goal as a Muamer Tankovic brace led the whites to victory, and despite a late effort from Anjur Osmanovic, Chelsea were unable to take what would have been a deserved share of the spoils back to Cobham.

What with the fixture being a derby affair and there being no competitive reserve match this week, Adie Viveash was able to name a strong starting eleven including Jamal Blackman, Todd Kane, Nathaniel Chalobah and Lucas Piazon. On a pitch littered with international talent, Fulham featured Finnish goalie Jesse Joronen, German midfielder Ronny Minkwitz, and Israeli Omri Altman alongside the Swedish Tankovic and former Chelsea midfielder Mesca, of Portugal via Guinea-Bissau.

The first half was a largely tepid affair with neither side able to get into their groove, perhaps due in part to the unfavourably cold conditions. Fulham held the better of the early possession and territorial advantage, but rarely found a way to worry Blackman.

Conversely, whilst Chelsea struggled to retain the ball, they were able to test Joronen, with Chalobah twice drawing routine stops from outside of the box. The front three of Piazon, Feruz and Kane looked lively and keen to threaten what looked a physically undersized back four.

Small they may have been, but they didn’t want for talent. Josh Passley’s excellent intervention denied Feruz a run on goal after Kane had picked out the diminutive leading scorer.

There were opportunities for Fulham as the half wore on, with midfielder Altman first seeing a long range effort skid wide via a deflection, and then a header sail over despite being in a good position to make better of it.

Captain Minkwitz sliced wide after good play by Banya, but late in the first half it was Chelsea who had the best chances of the match, but neither Feruz nor Kane could find a way through despite having fantastic openings handed to them on a plate.

Viveash made a change at half time, replacing the tidy and effective Lewis Baker with John Swift, who added drive and directness into the heart of the midfield. Indeed, it was a bright start to the second half by the boys in blue with Piazon quickly involved, but within ten minutes they found themselves a goal behind.

Fulham broke away from one of a number of Chelsea attacks, and had numbers over as they took quick advantage of the space they had to play in. An apparent loose pass across the face of goal from the right wasn’t dealt with, allowing Tankovic to slot past Blackman on the far side to make it 1-0.

Briefly, it gave the hosts the impetus to take charge of the match and they had chances to double their lead through Minkwitz and Passley, but Chelsea responded well. Fresh legs were introduced at the back in the form of Alex Davey and Nortei Nortey (making his first appearance of the season after suffering a knee injury in August) and they began to work their way back into things.

The creative flair of Osmanovic and Piazon ensured the ball moved around the middle of the pitch well and with Swift and Chalobah carrying the charge from deeper, whilst Kane worked hard out wide, the threat to Fulham’s goal was great.

Unfortunately, the Blues’ finishing was below par and on the rare occasion they struck with conviction, they found Joronen in good form.

Piazon and Chalobah both side-footed tame efforts straight at the goalkeeper before Feruz drew a full-length diving save. Kane followed that up with two fiercely-hit efforts which missed the target, but there was only one team which looked like scoring as the match ticked into its final quarter.

Which made it all the more surprising when Fulham doubled their lead just under twenty minutes from time. Emerging from their own half for the first time in some ten minutes, they build the play down the right with Mesca and Oltman.

The latter was afforded time to set up his cross, a high, hanging one to the far post, where Tankovic had cleverly dropped off his man to find a yard of space and head past Blackman.

It took the wind out of Chelsea’s sails and momentarily their best efforts were reduced to ambitious shots from well outside the box.

Yet with ten minutes left, they forced their way back into it. Nathan Aké picked out Kane on the right, and he bustled his way to the bye line before cutting the ball back to Osmanovic, who made no mistake in making it 2-1.

Upping the pressure for one last hurrah, moments came and went for the visitors. Kane drew a save and Piazon saw an effort blocked but Fulham came closer than anyone to scoring the game’s fourth as Tankovic was denied a hat-trick in stoppage time by Blackman’s left goalpost.

Fulham emerged victorious and deserved something from the match but for Chelsea, it was a similar outcome to their last league outing against West Ham earlier in the month. They enjoyed healthy periods of domination but had little to show for it due to wasteful finishing, and the odd mistake in defence cost them three points.

The Under-18s are not in action this weekend, with the scheduled home game against Charlton postponed. They next play away to Norwich on the 28th of the month.

Team: Blackman, Gordon (Nortey 60), Nkumu (Davey 60), Aké, Nditi, Chalobah (c), Baker (Swift 45), Osmanovic, Kane, Piazon, Feruz
Sub not Used: Beeney

Goal: Osmanovic