• Pathways To Destruction?
  • Previewing The 2024-25 Chelsea Academy Season
  • The Chelsea Academy Class Of 2024
  • Everything But The Chels
  • Reflections On The 2023-24 Chelsea Academy Season

Time to Attack Or Time To Win? Or….Both?

I’m prompted to write this little off-the-cuff rant as a result of (this morning) catching up reading some of the stuff (for “stuff” read “criticism of the team”) I’ve read on other websites. Usually I can ignore such criticism (even from Chelsea so-called “supporters” – who do nothing but criticise negatively and offer no constructive comment). Usually, it’s like water off a ducks back. When you lose, particularly to a…

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Chelsea Dominate Latest England Under-16 Generation

Late September invariably means a new England Under-16 generation is presented to the world for the first time as Kenny Swain and his group gear up for the annual Sky Sports Victory Shield during the closing months of the year. In recent years Chelsea have had an excellent presence in the schoolboy squad and this year is no exception, with four Blues youngsters making the cut for the first squad…

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Diplomatic Immunity: Swansea City

An occasional series of open discussions with opposition fans. They can say what they like about Chelsea and I promise not to be rude back to them. Number 2:  Joking with a Jack Introducing Noel “Once A Jack Always A Jack”, who has supported Swansea through thick and thin, man and boy for over forty years. He gives us his views on all things Swansea and Chelsea and also proves…

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Acceptable In The Eighties: Part One – The Bad & The Ugly 87/88

1987 wasn’t the best of years for me; the only year I really loved with any kind of memory during the 80’s was 1984. However, for this nostalgia trip, I’m going to forsake the good and move to the bad. Don’t give up reading just yet, because it gradually gets better. I honestly wouldn’t want to depress anybody with my torturous scything events of 1987; still, what do they say,…

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Fulham Pay The Penalty As Chelsea Progress

Chelsea progressed to the Fourth Round of the Carling Cup on Wednesday night following a 4-3 penalty shootout win over West London neighbours Fulham. Martin Jol’s team failed to take advantage of a 49th minute red card for Blues defender Alex, and after Pajtim Kasami missed the resulting spot kick, Chelsea put in what manager Andre Villas-Boas described as a “super human performance” to stay on terms for over an…

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Carling Cup Team News: Youngsters To Start

Speaking to the media ahead of tomorrow night’s Carling Cup Third Round clash with Fulham, Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas indicated that he would be using the tie and indeed the competition to hand opportunities to the club’s younger generation. Villas-Boas confirmed that Josh McEachran, Ryan Bertrand, Oriol Romeu and Romelu Lukaku would all be part of the starting eleven, whilst Didier Drogba is also expected to make a return to…

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Carling Cup: Chances Or Changes?

Chelsea enter this season’s Carling Cup on Wednesday night and as usual, speculation abounds as to how the club will approach the competition ahead of their third round clash with local neighbours Fulham. The tie represents Andre Villas-Boas’ first foray into the league cup and whilst many clubs treat it as an unwanted distraction, the Portuguese will no doubt recall that it represented his first piece of silverware in his…

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Much More Than Just A Defeat

It’s not often that a score line so blatantly refutes the events of the game, but the 3-0 sore line at half-time did just that, and even though Fernando Torres scored early in the second half and we had chances to reduce the deficit it was not to be, as Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the season came to end on a crazy day at Old Trafford. All of Manchester United’s…

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The Loan Report: September 12-18

A handful of Chelsea youngsters made debuts for their new clubs this past week but we’re still awaiting notable impacts from many as we take another look at how the loan boys are getting on. Whilst Gael Kakuta sat on Bolton’s substitutes bench for the second week in a row, Patrick van Aanholt made his Wigan bow and slotted straight into a typical attacking left-back role, making an impact at…

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Under-18s: Watford 2-2 Chelsea

Chelsea’s Under-18s battled back from two red cards in the opening fifteen minutes of their match away to Watford on Saturday morning to claim a share of the spoils, with two schoolboys on the scoresheet. Ruben Loftus-Cheek had given Adie Viveash’s boys the lead after a chaotic start to affairs which saw Lewis Baker sent off for violent conduct with a Watford player also receiving his marching orders. Minutes later…

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