It’s baaaack. Okay, it might ‘only’ be academy football, but for some (read: yours truly), the start of the FA Premier Academy Season is as exciting as the big kickoff at the top levels. Another eight months of action is ready and waiting to unfold on Saturday mornings as the stars of tomorrow take the next steps in their fledgling careers. Chelsea’s Under-18 team has a new manager in Adrian…
In the past week or two, there has been plenty of action in the lower ranks at Chelsea, but little of it has been ‘big’ enough to constitute a full-blown report. Thankfully this is where a round-up comes into its own, so let’s take a look back at all the bits and bobs that have taken place of late. As you’ll already be aware, the Reserve team kicked off their…
Chelsea began the defence of their Barclays Premier Reserve League title on Monday afternoon with a 3-2 victory over a talented Sunderland outfit. First half goals from Adam Phillip and Patrick van Aanholt cancelled out Oumare Tounkara’s opener before Milan Lalkovic clinched the win thirteen minutes from time after Roarie Deacon had levelled with his first touch. Dermot Drummy, coaching his first competitive match at this level, was able to…
The start of a season that heralded a new beginning, and a break from the old, turned out initially to be much the same as last season. A familiar line up read; Cech, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Mikel, Lampard; Kalou, Torres, Malouda – eight of whom started the final match of last season, with Kalou making a substitute appearance in that match too. Yet to focus only on the…
Chelsea begin their defence of their Reserve League title this Monday at home to Sunderland as another campaign which promised much change kicks off with the status quo having been maintained. Once again, four of the twenty Premier League sides have opted not to participate in this year’s league structure, whilst a small group of others may find themselves distracted by involvement in the Next Generation League, a European Under-19…
at·ti·tude [at-i-tood, -tyood] Noun 1. A settled way of thinking or feeling, typically reflected in a person’s behaviour. (Dictionary.com) Like most people I was very disappointed to learn of Pastore signing for PSG. I had thought – I still think – he is the type of quality playmaker that would benefit the squad. Going to PSG (the Man City of French football, as Arsene Wenger apparently described them) to most observers is…
Chelsea’s Under-18s continued their pre-season schedule with a keenly contested and engaging affair against Derby County which finished 1-1. Adie Viveash’s boys began their summer with a win over Colchester and followed it with a victory on tour in Austria, but suffered defeat against a very talented Nottingham Forest team in midweek. East Midlands opposition travelled to Cobham for the second time in a week and the Rams, much like…
Reports breaking this evening suggest that Chelsea have finalised a deal this week for Celtic’s young forward Islam Feruz. The Somalian-born Scottish youth international hit the headlines two years ago when playing in the Sky Sports Victory Shield aged just 13 and has long since played above his age group at Celtic Park. Now, sources at Scotzine – with plenty of other talk to go with it – claim that…
Part 1 concluded with your humble narrator shivering on the Ferry back to Jesolo. Then to make matters worse I misjudged the bus stop and ended up having to get off at the one after Piazza Mazini, leaving me with a 15 minute walk back to the hotel. It hadn’t just been showers local to Venice, the whole of the Veneto appeared to be under water. A sign on a…