Following Chelsea has never been for the squeamish or faint-hearted. I remember (dimly, I wasn’t sure what was going on at the time) Tommy Docherty leaving the club. With many talented young players appearing as if from nowhere, his team was a blend of youth and more youth (remember that) which boded well for the future. His motivational skills were stunning and those players achieved performances that belied their age…
Where Are They Now? Enrique De Lucas
Spanish midfielder Enrique “Quique” de Lucas Martínez arrived at Stamford Bridge on a four year contract in the summer of 2002 as one of the hottest properties in Le Liga. Enjoyed a good first season with the club, mainly playing on the right, and was unlucky not to get a look in at the start of the 2002/2003 season, before being allowed to join Alaves on a free transfer. Since…
Away Form Remains Cause For Concern
Chelsea’s away troubles continued as The Blues could only draw with Newcastle United on a cold snowy day in the North-East of England. The match was initially under threat due to the ongoing severe cold conditions prevailing in Newcastle, but was given go ahead, much to the relief of the travelling Blue supporters. Carlo Ancelotti made seven changes from the midweek win over MSK Zilina and called back experienced senior…
The Loan Report: November 22-28
This week’s loan round-up will be a considerably quicker read than usual, as inclement weather and FA Cup eliminations meant that many of the young Chelsea loanees were left without action this weekend. Sidelined because of snow were Adam Phillip and Michael Woods as both Yeovil’s trip to Hartlepool and Notts County’s home tie with Bournemouth were called off, with the latter being a very late cancellation. Woods had joined…
Vote Your MOTM: Newcastle
Our poor away record continues with a draw away to Newcastle at St James Park. As with the Birmingham match, we had a lot of possession yet couldn’t make it count. It’s clear that we’re missing players, and this is a point more than gained in the last Premiership match, but four points from the last 15 is not the form of champions. You voted the man of the match…
Snow Joke On Tyneside
Despite the massive amounts of snow around the country, it appears this afternoons match between Newcastle and Chelsea is going ahead. The Newcastle website currently states; “Staff at Newcastle United are doing everything they can this weekend to ensure that despite the heavy snowfall, Sunday’s Barclays Premier League game with Chelsea can go ahead as scheduled.” It adds; “Aside from the task of making the pitch area playable, health and…
A Slovenian Blue Tomorrow?
In twenty-first century football, everyone is trying to find an edge over the competition like never before. With margins between success and failure ever more fragile, and competition so high, stealing a march on your contemporaries is more valuable an approach than ever. So the news from Slovenia today that Chelsea have struck a working relationship with national powerhouse NK Maribor could be quite the story somewhere down the road….
Reserves: West Ham United 1-2 Chelsea
Chelsea’s Reserve team returned to action on Wednesday night in front of a rare public viewing, and rewarded those hardy souls making the trek to a cold Bishop’s Stortford FC with a 2-1 victory over West Ham United. Steve Holland was able to call upon three of last night’s first team substitutes, handing Jacob Mellis, Billy Clifford and Jacopo Sala starts, whilst Fabio Borini was able to return to the…
Where Are They Now? Charlie Cooke
One of the most skillful players ever to have pulled on a Chelsea shirt and is certainly one of the most popular. A truly great entertainer who played in four Cup Finals during his ten years at Stamford Bridge, as his Chelsea career was split into two parts either side of a 16 month stint at Crystal Palace. He had arrived at the club as a direct replacement for Terry…
Youngsters Impress Against Zilina
Defeats, sackings, internal turmoil, and rumours about Carlo’s future and injuries wasn’t the best preparation for the Champions League tie against MSK Zilina. But, here at Chelsea we have grown accustomed to all these things and the player‘s on the pitch showed that they have as well, as we overcame a 1-0 deficit to record a first win in 3 in all competitions and keep our 100% record intact in…