Whilst the following story refers to real persons both dead and alive, it is a work of fiction. ‘Oh come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant…’. The sounds of the Salvation Army brass band outside Knightsbridge tube station on Christmas Eve floated gently after the armour-plated Bentley as it made its way down Sloane Street and towards Belgravia. The Oligarch sat back in the leather-cocoon, and pondered his problems, both…
On 20th October, in a dramatic lunch-time kick off, Chelsea defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 at White Hart Lane, having found themselves 2-1 down early in the second half. To come from behind in a derby against bitter rivals gave the Stamford Bridge faithful the belief that, given indifferent early season performances from all the title contenders, what had promised to be a transitional season could yet turn out to contain…
Already reeling from the departure of Robbie Di Matteo, the suits at Chelsea FC inflicted a further blow on the club’s supporters last night with their appointment of the almost universally-despised former Liverpool boss, Rafael Benitez, until the end of the season. Let’s take a look at some of his pearls of wisdom on CFC whilst he was in charge at Anfield:- “Drogba is a coward, a diver and a…
The news that Roberto di Matteo has been sacked as manager of Chelsea, just five months into a two year contract, has come as a huge and unwelcome shock to most fans. During an early season edition of The Chelsea Fancast, the presenters and benches were of the opinion that if Robbie failed to deliver silverware, he would probably be out of a job at the end of the season….
Saturday 27th October marks the first anniversary of the extraordinary victory of ordinary Chelsea Pitch Owners shareholders in their fight to secure a future for the organisation. It therefore seems an opportune time to look back on the dramatic events of last autumn and forward to what the future might hold. Readers will recall that the board of Chelsea Pitch Owners, then led by Richard King, required 75% of the…
Mention the 1970s to those of us old to remember it (and unlike the 1960s, if you can remember it you were there), and it conjures up instant memories of space hoppers, glam rock, The Sweeney and – up until the explosion of colour which appeared to accompany the advent of punk – a palette of browns, beiges and greys. Cars were cream, brown, or occasionally rust. Flock was popular….
Sadly the Travels are nearing their end. For various reasons I won’t make any of the away group games this season, so just a couple remain in the locker. So it’s time to go back to what, at the time, appeared likely to be Chelsea’s final Champions League game last season. I hadn’t originally intended to go Napoli. Indeed when the draw for the round of 16 was made in…
It started with a routine event on the pitch, during our first home game of the season against Reading; a player picks up an injury and the medical team, including Dr Eva Carneiro run on to attend the wounded hero. Treatment completed, Dr Carneiro made her way to the West Stand side of the pitch, and from there, to get back to the dug-out, walked past the Matthew Harding Stand….
Ah, glorious August, when football fans up and down the country are filled with what usually turns out to be misplaced optimism about the fate of their teams over the coming nine months. And speaking of misplaced optimism, TheChels.Net has asked their resident Old Crone to look into her crystal ball and see what might lie ahead. Please note that these predictions may contain a hefty dose of bias and/or…
There is a moment when you realise that you are a fan of something. Sometimes it’s a creeping gradualisation of feeling. Sometimes it can be triggered by a single event or personality. That match you saw on the TV when you were little. Or that player who had a profound influence on you. I started supporting Chelsea when I was 17, and it was mainly because of Pat Nevin. I…