Learning to Evaluate the Loan Army

December 19, 2016

With more than fifty players having embarked on well in excess of one hundred loan moves over the past three years, Chelsea fans are well-versed in understanding the loan market, and the moves a young developmental prospect now must make if he is to realise his ambitions of a career back at Stamford Bridge. It’s an increasingly interesting/futile (delete as applicable) exercise and, with each passing year, the standard of…

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The Loan Report: December 12-18

December 18, 2016

The last full week of fixtures before many European leagues embark on a winter break saw four more goals added to the Loan Army tally, taking us to 67 for the season , whilst ensuring the streak of at least one being scored in every full week of the campaign so far continued. Headliners Three of them came in midweek, with a pair of them arriving at the Gelredome as…

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Development Squad: Chelsea 0-1 Dinamo Zagreb

December 16, 2016

Chelsea’s second Premier League International Cup outing of the season didn’t quite go to plan as they were edged out 1-0 at home to a well-drilled Dinamo Zagreb team. In a match that never really got going, the Croatians were impressive at the back and made it count when Filip Mihaljević gave them a first-half lead they never really looked like relinquishing. The result brought to an end a seven-match…

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FA Youth Cup: Chelsea 5-0 Cardiff City

December 13, 2016

Chelsea’s quest for a fourth successive FA Youth Cup triumph began in style on Tuesday evening with a 5-0 hammering of Cardiff City in the Third Round at Aldershot’s EBB Stadium. In control of things from minute one, the Blues once again outlined their credentials as favourites for the country’s most prestigious youth competition by clinically firing their way into a Fourth Round date away to either Oldham Athletic or…

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Defending The FA Youth Cup: The 2016-17 Edition

December 12, 2016

The standard has been set. When Jody Morris took the reins from Joe Edwards this summer and took charge of Chelsea’s Under-18s, ensuring the club’s recent and proud record in the FA Youth Cup was right up there with any short-term aspirations. It’s not just that the Blues have won the last three editions, becoming the first team in more than sixty years to achieve such a feat, it extends…

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