The Loan Report: May 8-13

May 14, 2012

In the final edition of The Loan Report for this season, we’ll catch up with the remaining Chelsea loanees, most definitely headlined by a Europa League winner. Thibaut Courtois turned 20 on Friday, two days after keeping his 21st clean sheet of the season in the biggest game of his career to date. Atlético Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in Bucharest to lift a second European trophy in three years,…

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FA Youth Cup Final Second Leg: Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Chelsea (1-4 agg)

May 9, 2012

Chelsea won their second FA Youth Cup in three years despite a 1-0 defeat against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Wednesday night. With a sizeable first leg lead in the bag the return fixture was always likely to be underwhelming and so it proved, with a solitary first half strike from Tim Payne decisive on the night, but not enough to turn the tie in Blackburn’s favour. Both teams…

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FA Youth Cup Final Second Leg Preview

May 9, 2012

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…

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The Loan Report: April 30 – May 7

May 8, 2012

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…

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Didier Drogba: Supposedly Right Footed

May 7, 2012

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,…

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Ramires: The Man For The Big Moment

May 6, 2012

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…

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Chelsea ‘IF’C: The Lion of Stamford Bridge – Lionel Messi

May 2, 2012

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…

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The New Chelsea Media Revolution

April 30, 2012

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…

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The Loan Report: April 23-29

April 30, 2012

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…

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Mission Possible

April 24, 2012

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….

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