London, we love it, but one of the worst parts has to be the continual ‘improvements’ being made to the underground most weekends, that more often than not finds us blues struggling to get to a match, or stuck in the vicinity afterwards. Ironically these improvements aren’t making it any better for us this weekend either. With the usual district line weekend fiasco and militant muppet Bob Crows’ extra actions…
Travels With The Chels – Lazio
Travel broadens the mind, so we’re told. So there’s nothing finer ahead of our trip to Zilnia in the Champions League than to look back to previous away trips in Europe with The Chels. I’m a sporadic European traveller. It tends to be either the famine or the feast with me, depending on the state of my finances, and I am perfectly willing to admit that prior to 2003 I…
New Deal Close For Kakuta?
It’s been a subject of some consternation for Chelsea fans in the last few months. Gael Kakuta’s contract with Chelsea, as far as any media source reveals, is due to expire next summer. The club have certainly never revealed an extension to the deal he signed when joining the club, and FA registration documents over the last twelve months have not mentioned his name. The wait and uncertainty may be…
The Young Internationals – September Edition
Twenty-nine of Chelsea’s current youth and reserve players have represented their countries at youth level. A number of them added to their caps in the last fortnight or so during what was an important round of fixtures for many. At Under-21 level, the qualifying campaign for the Finals in Denmark next summer came to a head, with teams seeking to secure automatic berths, or a best-placed playoff spot if necessary….
The Generation Game
Scott Sinclair, Miroslav Stoch, Franco Di Santo. Headline names amongst a group of young players who have permanently departed Chelsea this summer, and in doing so, have helped reveal something Chelsea are potentially working towards. It’s no secret that the club regards its 1991-93 generation as one of the finest to ever come through the youth academy. They made good on their promise last season in winning a first FA…
The Joy Of Six
Six. It’s a little word, just three letters. It can be elongated, and stretched out. Go on, you know you want to… Siiiiiiiiixxxxx….. And breathe. There is no doubt that for Chelsea fans, these are wondrous times. We have seen the odd six goal victories over the years. I remember the six scored against Coventry, back in 2000 or 2001 I think, when their goalie (was it Chris Kirkland?) was…
Squad List Announced
With a rather quiet closing of the transfer window, and contrary to many tabloid suggestions otherwise, there were no extra transfers by the club in addition to those of Ramires and Benayoun. Today the club announced the squad list for the forthcoming season, and with Premier League regulations now stating that only 25 players can be named, with eight being ‘home grown’ should the full 25 be named. A home-grown…
The Loan Report: August 23-29
With the loan contingent reaching double figures this week, the loan report will suddenly become a lot longer. With that in mind, let’s dive straight in. The story of the week was undoubtedly a trio of Blues youngsters joining Vitesse Arnhem in Holland under a relationship forged between the two clubs as a result of friendly relations between Roman Abramovich and new Vitesse owner Merab Jordania. Nemanja Matic, Slobodan Rajkovic…
Playstation Unplugged But Blues Still Game
In watching Chelsea defeat Stoke 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, Blues supporters were left pondering something. Had normal service resumed, or was this a blip in Carlo Ancelotti’s ‘playstation football’? After notching 21 goals in their three previous outings at home, expectations were high, but those who chose to temper them with more realistic goals will have come away with a feeling of satisfaction. For whilst Thomas Sorensen’s…
Stoked Up For Another Six?
Let’s get one thing out of the way early. Chelsea aren’t going to score six again tomorrow. It can’t happen. Can it? Ahead of the Blues’ second home game of the season, the talk of the town has been just how many Carlo Ancelotti’s boys are going to pot against Stoke City. Not helped by the seven they notched against Tony Pulis’ side last April, and the Potters’ poor start…