Chelsea’s youth team take on Blackburn Rovers this evening at Ewood Park looking to secure a second FA Youth Cup crown in three years. A 4-0 win in the first leg at Stamford Bridge just shy of three weeks ago makes the Blues overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy but everyone involved with the academy has been keen to avoid complacency, stressing that the tie is not over. What they…
The Loan Report: April 30 – May 7
It’s not quite the end of the season but the Bank Holiday Weekend issue of The Loan Report will be the last extensive one of 2011-12, with featured players dwindling from here on out. Kevin De Bruyne’s campaign ended prematurely last weekend through injury, whilst Milan Lalkovic’s was drawn to a close a few weeks earlier after an unsuccessful spell at ADO Den Haag. Rhys Taylor, Sam Walker and Jeffrey…
Didier Drogba: Supposedly Right Footed
Didier Drogba affirmed his status as the King of Wembley on Saturday with his eighth goal in as many competitive appearances under the new arch. Keen statisticians will have noted that the decisive effort came courtesy of his supposedly ‘weaker’ left foot, and in fact, exactly half of his Wembley goals have come in that manner. In honour of the goal and of another fantastic moment in his Chelsea lore,…
Ramires: The Man For The Big Moment
Goals in consecutive Wembley FA Cup ties. An astonishing chip and key assist in home and away clashes against Barcelona. Relentless enthusiasm and energy impacting game after game. Chelsea fans hardly need to be told about the impact of Ramires on the 2011/12 season, but as the campaign reaches the business end it has become more and more apparent that the Blues have another amongst their ranks who produces when…
Chelsea ‘IF’C: The Lion of Stamford Bridge – Lionel Messi
In the second edition of the Chelsea ‘IF’C series we travel back to the turn of millennia and imagine “What if… Lionel Messi had been found by the Chelsea scouts and was signed by the Blues” Yes, he probably would’ve been sold to Huddersfield Town or shipped off abroad only to shine on international waters and make the fans wonder “why have we let another one go?” But what if…
The New Chelsea Media Revolution
In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was print. James A. Catton was the earliest significant figure in football journalism, writing for the Preston Herald in 1875. Forty years later, he recalled “”In days long ago when Association football players wore beards and breeches, instead of being clean shaven and donning shorts or running pants, newspapers, as a whole, took very little notice of matches. The reports were…
The Loan Report: April 23-29
A mere handful of matches remain in the 2011-12 season, but for a few of Chelsea’s loanees, the campaign ended this weekend, and not in ideal circumstances. After a recent patch of sensational form, Kevin De Bruyne suffered a broken toe on Saturday night and will play no further part in the playoffs for Genk, ending his career in Belgium. The injury totally changed the match, with Genk eventually falling…
Mission Possible
Chelsea are only one perfect performance away from heading to Munich. One performance away from having a chance at finally lifting the UEFA Champions League. This more than anything is what we want most. It’s the one Terry and co. haven’t won. The one that has eluded us through refereeing ineptitude, wild controversy and plain old bad luck. The side that progresses will be the one that wants it more….
Chelsea ‘IF’C: Le Sulk takes the reigns
TheChels.net welcomes Mowing Meadows and the Chelsea IF’C series; taking a look at what could have happened IF an event in the past occurred differently at Chelsea FC and how events would unfold there on after. In the first of a regular series to be serialised on this website, we begin our first instalment with a look at ‘what if’ Nicolas Anelka wasn’t banished from the club and exiled to…
Reserves: Chelsea 1-4 Manchester United
Chelsea ended their 2011-12 reserve campaign with a whimper as they went down 4-1 to Manchester United at a rain-soaked Cobham on Monday afternoon. Goals from Ryan Tunnicliffe, Larnell Cole, Will Keane and Richie De Laet secured an emphatic and deserved win for the Reds, who will play in the National Final against Aston Villa to determine who will de-throne Chelsea as champions. The Blues looked a shadow of the…