It’s been a highly productive week for Chelsea’s youngsters as a series of excellent performances have led to some strong results both at home and on the road. A weekend trip to Manchester to face City in Under-18 and Under-21 league action was sandwiched by a double helping of NextGen Series action against Norwegian champions Molde. Twelve goals later, the Blues have emerged with three wins and a draw from…
The Loan Report: October 29 – November 4
His brother is one of the most famous faces in world football and a veritable world-class talent, but for this week at least, Thorgan Hazard takes centre stage in the Loan Report after scoring his first two goals for Zulte Waregem. ‘Esseevee’ have been enjoying their best ever season in the Belgian Jupiler League and it’s certainly due in part to the second eldest of the four Hazard brothers. Thorgan…
The Loan Report: October 22-28
Pride of place atop the Loan Report here on TheChels typically goes to those who make a notable impact in their performances. If someone scores a goal, they’re typically guaranteed to feature prominently, no matter their reputation or level of ability. So, for the second time this season our first focus is squarely on Ulises Dávila. The Mexican netted for Spanish Second Division outfit Sabadell on Saturday night to help…
Chelsea Pitch Owners – One Year On
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…
Young Blues Enjoy Productive England Week
Six of Chelsea’s budding young footballers have spent much of the last week on England duty at Under-17 and Under-18 levels, and return home with positive results and performances in the bag. Ola Aina, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Charlie Colkett and Alex Kiwomya were all part of John Peacock’s Under-17 team playing in the initial round of the European Championship Qualifiers. The draw pitted them against home nation rivals Wales and Northern…
Football Through Formica Tinted Glasses
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….
Winless Weekend For Blues Youngsters
In returning to action after the recent international break, it was a weekend of struggles for Chelsea’s youth teams as both the Under-21s and Under-18s came away from trips to Wolverhampton without a win. Adi Viveash’s Under-18s were the first to try their luck on Saturday morning as they sought to extend their six-game winning streak – the country’s only 100% record – in their first away fixture of the…
The Loan Report: October 18-21
Each week of the 2012-13 campaign up to this point has seen at least one Chelsea loanee find the back of the net, giving us a guaranteed headline act to focus upon in the weekly Loan Report. For the first time this season though, there was no goalscoring action to speak of, although it was hardly for the lack of trying. Therefore this week acted more as an affirmation of…
International Round-Up: October 9-16
We’ve had another exceptionally busy international period over the last two weeks or so, with Chelsea players in action at both senior and youth level spread wide across the globe. Here’s a look at how they all fared. Senior Internationals Petr Cech saved a penalty as the Czech Republic beat Malta 3-1 in the first of two World Cup Qualifiers, before recording a clean sheet in a goalless draw with…
Reflections On The Youth Season So Far
Since we’ve reached the halfway marker in the first half of the youth and development season (I guess that makes it the quarter pole overall?), it’s time for some reflections and musings on what we’ve seen so far in 2012-13. It’s a campaign which ushered in a ballyhooed new era, with the old reserve team structure making way for a new Under-21 league under the auspices of the Elite Player…