09-10 and 11-12: The Youth Cup Winners

May 16, 2012

Chelsea secured their second FA Youth Cup crown in three years last Wednesday night. Nathaniel Chalobah, Lucas Piazon and Jamal Blackman followed in the footsteps of Conor Clifford, Josh McEachran and Gökhan Töre in the 2009-10 season as both groups of Under-18s went on to lift the coveted trophy. Many will look to draw comparisons between the two teams and attempt to conclude if one is better than the other,…

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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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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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Reserves: Chelsea 1-4 Manchester United

April 23, 2012

Chelsea ended their 2011-12 reserve campaign with a whimper as they went down 4-1 to Manchester United at a rain-soaked Cobham on Monday afternoon. Goals from Ryan Tunnicliffe, Larnell Cole, Will Keane and Richie De Laet secured an emphatic and deserved win for the Reds, who will play in the National Final against Aston Villa to determine who will de-throne Chelsea as champions. The Blues looked a shadow of the…

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The Loan Report: April 16-22

April 23, 2012

It’s been a much quieter week than usual on the loan front, with many of Chelsea’s youngsters at other clubs sitting on the sidelines for their most recent matches. Of course, there’s a handful who are near ever-present, and chief amongst them is Thibaut Courtois, a name who has led us off on many a report this season. This week he started perhaps the most important match of his fledgling…

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FA Youth Cup Final First Leg: Chelsea 4-0 Blackburn Rovers

April 20, 2012

Chelsea hold a commanding advantage in the FA Youth Cup Final after an emphatic 4-0 first leg win on Friday night at Stamford Bridge. A second-half brace from Islam Feruz followed first-half strikes from Nathaniel Chalobah and Islam Feruz as the Blues put themselves in the strongest of positions ahead of the return fixture next month. Blackburn had their moments and chances but were unable to capitalise upon them and…

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FA Youth Cup Final Preview: Chelsea vs Blackburn Rovers

April 20, 2012

It’s a case of familiar territory in the Chelsea academy right now as, for the third consecutive season, the club’s junior ranks find themselves in a cup final. The FA Youth Cup triumph of 2009-10 was followed by last year’s success in the Premier Reserve League, where the Blues overcame Blackburn Rovers at Stamford Bridge. Rovers are once again the opposition this time around as the Youth Cup returns to…

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