We went into the match hoping for a good performance and three points. We got the former, but sadly not the latter. A Pavlyuchenko opener for Spurs deflated Chelsea early on, yet a Didier Drogba goal courtesy of a rubbish save by Gomes sealed a point at least, yet a penalty in injury time that wasn’t converted by Didier meant we had to settle for the one, rather than all…
The Loan Report: December 7-12
After a weather-affected first week of December, the loan report returns this week after a near-full calendar of fixtures was fulfilled. Unfortunately, Michael Mancienne was an enforced absentee from a rare and much-needed win for Wolves on Sunday after picking up a knee injury against Blackburn last weekend. The extent of the issue is not yet known, but it was enough to keep him out of contention this time around….
Vote Your MOTM: Tottenham
An absorbing match at White Hart lane saw Chelsea come away with a point, yet had it not been for a late Didier Drogba penalty miss, we could have won the match. The goal came courtesy of Drogba, and poor keeping by Gomes, and Chelsea on the whole looked better than in recent weeks. You voted the man of the match for Tottenham as John Terry. Thanks for voting. VOTING…
Will The Real Chelsea FC Please Stand Up?
This afternoon Chelsea face Spurs at White Hart Lane, in what begins a run of matches that could shape the destiny of our domestic campaign. After Spurs, our two following matches are against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge then Arsenal at the Cameldome. If November felt bad, December could end a lot worse. Tottenham have been in good form recently and have surprised almost everyone with the Champions League performances…
Under-18s: Chelsea 5-1 Norwich City
Home comforts have rarely been in evidence at Cobham during the 2010-11 academy season, but in the final league match of the year, Chelsea gave a warming performance to those braving the December weather. A five-star performance crowned by a Billy Clifford hat-trick saw Dermot Drummy’s boys defeat Norwich 5-1 and pick up just a second home win of the campaign. With the fixture falling in between two proposed (and…
Age – It’s Just A Number
On Wednesday night, Carlo Ancelotti opted to field a near full-strength side in a meaningless Champions League tie against Marseille. Josh McEachran was the sole ‘youngster’ to be afforded a start, with the likes of Patrick van Aanholt and Gael Kakuta left kicking their heels on the substitutes bench, undoubtedly frustrated. It rankled with Chelsea fans, who felt the occasion to be another opportunity to give the next generation some…
Marseilles Defeat Extends Poor Run
Chelsea travelled to Marseilles hoping to break the winless run in the league and thereby becoming the first English club to win every game in group phases of the Champions League. But, as our recent form suggested, this was going to be no easy task, and so the case prove to be, as Olympique de Marseilles registered a 1-0 win through a late Brandao strike. Carlo Ancelotti stated in his…
Vote Your MOTM: Marseilles
So another match and another defeat, thankfully in a match where nothing other than a record was at stake. We’re through to the next round as group winners, but qualification does little to mask the problems on the pitch at present. Despite this, who did you think was the best player on the day? You voted the man of the match for Marseilles as Josh McEachran. Thanks for voting. VOTING…
In Search Of Positivity
It’s not often that a dead rubber ends up as one of the most important matches of the season. For Chelsea, however, the trip to Marseille to round off the Champions League Group Stages presents the chance to right some recent wrongs and pick up a first win since beating MSK Zilina in late November. With both teams already through to the last sixteen, neither can change position, and the…
Travels With The Chels – Monaco
Ah, the glamorous South of France. Casinos. Blue sky. Azure coastline. A terrifying approach to Nice Airport during which you think you will be landing in the Med. I have given this article some thought in the weeks prior to sitting down to the writing of it. As your local friendly Chels features writer, using a pseudonym, how much of oneself does one give away? Well, I think it fair…