FIFPro World XI ··· Tuesday 20th September 2005

Need more proof of the how highly regarded our players are? Wondering how much we've eclipsed the likes of Man Utd and Arsenal? Check out the FIFPro World XI team, where each player position was voted on by 38,000 professional footballers in 40 countries:

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A Tribute ··· Thursday 18th August 2005

Author: Gem

I was going to wait until I returned from holiday to post this, but I thought the man deserves as much time up here than any other.

The man who got me supporting Chelsea sadly passed away a few days ago. Die-hard Chelsea fan, one of the best. Season ticket holder since the 70s, his life was so cruely taken away at the age of 40. There is nothing you could say or do to convince him Chelsea were not the best. He loved the club with all his heart. His house, his body covered in CFC tattoos, his station at work.. Everything IS Chelsea. Pictures, shirts... Anything and everything you can think of.

He took me to my first game and many more after that. He took me to have my picture taken with the cups, he bought me programs from EVERY home game for 5 years. He is Chelsea for me, and I'll miss him so much. I just wanted to post this because he was one of us. Dedicated, emotional and down right proud to support Chelsea.

I can't describe the amount of influences he's had on me, not just getting me to support Chelsea, but other aspects of life. I've never met a fan as dedicated as him. I could tell you some stories he told me, about Chelsea and experiences he had... He's seen it all. I don't want to mention his name, for personal reasons. I'm just glad he saw Chelsea win the league - he deserved to.

Rest in Peace my friend, you taught me well.

Thank you for reading.

» Read the many follow-ups to Gem's posting here

Early Season Thoughts ··· Thursday 18th August 2005

Author: Butch

Dear Friends,

I've had a few days now to reflect on our early season, and I mean REALLY early season - first and only game to be precise.

Now don't get me wrong, I am no exception to the "Chelsea fan must expect Blues to slaughter Wigan" rule. As a matter of fact, I think very few Wigan fans would have expected any different; so I am not without disappointment, especially since I'd been waiting for the season to start for just about forever.

But in a way, I am more concerned about some other issues than I am about the performance on the day. Sure - we were below par. Yet, as we showed last season, the making of champions is not the ability to play well every game; rather, it is the ability to win despite not playing well. And that is what we were able to do. In that regard, there is nothing to worry about and plenty to be happy about.

The things that really concern me are my perceptions with regards to the mind-frames of the players. When I think about it, I am cognizant of the fact that this is Jose's forte - the players' psyche, so I suppose in a way, my concerns are yet irrational. Nevertheless, they are there.

Let me explain. I believe that there are two things that will determine whether or not we will succeed this season, not only in defending our league title, but also in lifting other major trophies, and they are both psychological. I don't think there is any doubt whatsover regarding the physical skills of our players, but football is not only about that. I'm not sure it ever was, but if it were, it isn't anymore.

The two things I am talking about are (1) how well the players deal with the Champions tag, and (2) how well the players deal with not being automatic starters.

It is very difficult to know what is going on in the minds of the players. Not everyone, as a matter of fact not very many, knows what it feels like to... [continued...]

» Read the rest of Butch's article here

And So it Begins! ··· Friday 12th August 2005

Wigan are set to start with Jason Roberts and Henri Camara up front with Nathan Ellington set to join West Brom.

Arjan de Zeeuw and fellow new arrivals Pascal Chimbonda, Damien Francis, Ryan Taylor and Stephane Henchoz could play while Mike Pollitt will start in goal.

Chelsea's Asier del Horno is set for his Premiership debut but Shaun Wright-Phillips will be on the bench.

Wayne Bridge is their only long-term absentee with an ankle injury but he has returned to first-team training.

» Read the full BBC match preview
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SILVERWARE! Arsenal 1 - 2 Chelsea ··· Sunday 7th August 2005

A Didier Drogba brace guided Chelsea to victory in the Community Shield.

Drogba's goals came early in each half, the Chelsea striker deftly bringing down Asier Del Horno's pass and then clipping a volley in on eight minutes.

On 52 minutes the Ivory Coast striker shrugged off tackles from Philippe Senderos, Lauren and Jens Lehmann before guiding a rising shot home.

» Read the full BBC match report
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Wycombe 1 - 5 Chelsea ··· Wednesday 13th July 2005

And so it begins! First game back and we - not surprisingly - put a fair few in the net against Wycombe. Good to see Duff and Robben on the scoresheet as well as Carlton Cole and - shocker - two from Jarosik ;)

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"I will look forward to seeing the first pre-season training session on July 6th - I'll be coaching and watching and seeing what we want for the future. In such an important league you don't fail if you don't win the league but in my five years if I don't win the championship once or twice more I'd say we don't have a really great team." -- Jose Mourinho

Tickets For The AC Milan Match ··· Friday 24th June 2005

I've received the following message from the folks organising the ticketing:

"On July 24th Chelsea kickoff their US summer tour in the States at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA. Chelsea will take on Italian powerhouse AC Milan at 6PM. We are currently coordinating with the Blues supporter groups to seat everyone together. Tickets go on sale to the general public on June 28th. For ticket information, please contact Michael Green from Gillette Stadium at (USA) 508-549-0484, or at michaelg@revolutionsoccer.net."

The Transfer Jumble ··· Friday 24th June 2005

Author: Butch

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Anybody with a clue, raise your hands. No? Didn't think so. I guess Star is the only one who has any inclination, and that is based on faith in a "contact" person.

What of the rest of us? We can only speculate, and counter-speculate, based mainly on (1) what we hear/read in the various media outlets and (2) based upon our own "expertise".

First, how many players are we really looking to sign? Star says three, which mirrors what Jose has said in previous interviews. But this was said before Scott signed for the Magpies. Did Jose have this in mind? Will it now be 4? I don't think anyone can say with confidence because Jose said he wanted one defender (LB), one midfielder and one forward. There have been rumors linking us to both Joaquin and Essien, both of who are midfielders. Is Essien going to replace Scottie? Your guess is as good as mine.

So, we've made our first signing in Asier Del Horno. I know nothing of him, other than from what I've read or heard. He seems more adept at attacking than defense. So much for the left footed Ferreira, or are we still interested in Kaladzhe? 5 then? Galliani, Milan's VP casually said at the end of his comments about Sheva not being avaliable that Chelsea's offer and Milan's valuation of Kaladzhe were still far apart. That would seem to mean we were still interested. No?

In midfield, most fans believe we need another winger and the two that have been talked about the most are Joaquin and Shawn Wright-Phillips. In recent days the name of Schweinsteiger has been thrown into the hat. Apart from Star mentioning Joaquin on Jose's "hit" list, there hasn't been too much concrete news about us and a winger. Betis' numero uno seemingly said that he had received firm offers from Chelsea and Barcelona, but that has been all and it has certainly died down. The most persistent rumor is linking us to Essien, who isn't a winger. As of today, his agent has said he may be able to say something by Monday. What can we make of that? Who knows! And as long as Gerrard does not commit himself one way or another, we will always be linked with him.

Finally, up front. Sheva, Adriano, Eto'o, Gilardino and Torres - we've been linked with them all. Now Trezeguet? Well, I think the links with the first 4 have been the strongest. The other two sound more like press fabrications if you ask me, and certainly nothing concrete has been reported. With Sheva, we know Abramovich is a huge admirer and Milan have had to say many times that they have rebuffed offers from us. With Adriano, not only is he on the "hit list" but we also have Veron as a bargaining chip. But Inter have also said on many occasions that Adriano is not for sale. Eto'o? I think we've all read about him supposedly turning us down for his wife. Gilardino? Many say he is now our most likely option as our supposedly "large" offer has Parma now keeping their asking price to Milan high with the result that Milan have now said their offer is far away from the asking price and that it is unlikely an agreement could be reached. Are Chelsea going to use this to net a deal for Sheva? Honestly, if Milan rated Gila that highly and wanted Crespo that much, they would be crazy to reject a 50 million quid plus Crespo offer for their Ukrainian hitman. It is an awful lot of money. Many think Chelsea are crazy to make the offer. Milan must be crazy to refuse! They could significantly strengthen with that money!

Which brings me finally to Crespo. The longer this drags on, the more disappointed I become. Initially, I was frustrated with Kenyon for allowing us to be treated as "softies", not only by Milan but also by Crespo. Now? I am mainly disappointed with Crespo. OK, I understand he didn't settle in London. However, he did sign a long-term contract with us. Not only did we have to stump up a lot of cash to prize him away from Inter. We've now had to stump up a lot of cash to keep him happy in Milan for a year, while we struggled with our strikers. And he now expects us to do the same again? What nerve! I felt genuinely sorry for him, but I am quickly losing all patience. IF he doesn't want to stay in London, he can go where Chelsea, as holders of his contract, are best served, not where HE is best served. I truly hope Jose's comments about us no longer willing to loan out our best players to strengthen other teams is not a hollow threat. I am willing to see a thankless Crespo rot in the stands and "cheap" Milan deprived of a player they want. Either they stump up the cash or they can forget it.

So, we'll see. I was hoping the Crespo thing could be thrashed out by now. Galliani had said we'd know by now what was decided. Maybe we'll also hear something on the Essien front on Monday. It's only two weeks now until pre-season starts, thank goodness! I think it will be that long maximum before we know who all we will sign. I am still hopeful of either Sheva or Adriano, in all honesty. I think Abramovich may yet come up with a ludicrous offer for him - Crespo plus Gila plus 40-50 million or something like that. I mean, we all know it's his pet project. Or, Adriano could be unvieled as a Chelsea player upon returning from Germany. It may have been finalized already - stranger things have happened!

Whatever happens, I am already excited by the announcement of our opening day fixture at Wigan. How many do you reckon? 3? 4? 5? Who cares, really. And playing Arsenal twice in three weeks? It's time to show them who's the boss in London. Bring it on!

Cheers,
Butch

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Scott Parker Sold To Newcastle For £6.5m ··· Wednesday 15th June 2005

"I was a key figure at Charlton and playing every week, and then all of a sudden at Chelsea I wasn't a regular and had to get used to being on the sidelines. But that has made me a stronger person and I don't leave Chelsea believing that I have failed. I have learned a lot there and developed as a player and I'm confident you will see that at Newcastle next season."

Good luck Scott!

» Read more on this from the BBC here
» Check out Scott's career statistics
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Dorset Has Seen The Light ··· Monday 13th June 2005

Author: dorsetblue

Trawling through the posts of late I could not believe how critical we've been of players and management at the end of a season where the efforts of all concerned have meant we can now refer to ourselves as Champions. And then, quite suddenly, I realised how selfish I had become and the bigger picture has to be considered.

Of course, we don't want to revel in this success for too long do we? Let's get back to the more important business of becoming a better class of club. One that will earn the respect of the Great and the Good, such as the British Press (God bless 'em) and the Media moguls who are the pillars of our society and guardians of moral rectitude in this fair country of ours.

Clearly the exemplary standards, set by such luminaries as Sir Alex Ferguson, David Gill, Arsene Wenger and David Dein, have not been maintained by Roman, Jose, Bruce and Peter. So much so that we are rightly being brought to book for the foul deeds committed by this hierarchy and, clearly, the current vilification of Chelsea is fully justified, having everything to do with cleaning up the game, now that we have sullied it with domination, and nothing whatsoever to do with the bitter and twisted jealousies of those now finding themselves to be second rate and not enjoying it one bit.

Not long ago I judged Anders Frisk to be a poor referee, believed players agents were not worthy of their commission, and thought headhunting and tapping-up were underhand, but accepted practices. Now, after closer study of newspaper articles and recent outpourings on the CSR, I realise how wrong I have been and will try to set the record straight by proposing that the following stringent policies should be adopted by Chelsea FC in a belated attempt at contrition...

1. The Premiership trophy should be returned to the League's headquarters immediately - we are not worthy of such an honour in spite of rewriting the record books during the course of an incredible season of top class football.

2. Roman must promise never again to plough vast amounts of money into the game without reference or regard to the plight of opposing clubs, such practice being deemed unfair and unsporting. Henceforth it will be construed as buying success.

3. The said Peter Kenyon must resign his post with immediate effect, being solely responsible for all of the bad publicity the club has received since his arrival. Furthermore, he should be made to apologise individually to all those fans who have known from the date of his appointment that player transfers have been made purely on a whim and with no regard to Jose's wishes. The remainder of his contract should not be honoured due to his failure to sign a top class striker before the beginning of the new season, which is nothing short of a disgrace, or it will be if it happens.

4. Frank Arnesen must be appointed in his place (once the Kenyon induced 'gardening leave' is completed) and he should take over all responsibilities, including can carrying. His duties at Press conferences and Media interviews will consist of the issuing of cards to the assembly, upon which will be written the words 'No Comment'.

5. Each time a future Chelsea indiscretion is unearthed by those paragons of virtue at the News of the World, or within the pages of other well respected tabloids, every representative of the club must walk onto the Stamford Bridge turf and with one voice shout out "We are terribly sorry, please deduct three points from our current Premiership total". This will have the dual effect of placating our detractors and, more importantly, allow the Premier League authorities to move swiftly to a points deduction without the requisite hearing and compilation of all that totally unnecessary evidence. Once the punishment has been seen to be done and we are duly demoted in the Premiership Table the Chelsea representatives must gather on the pitch once again in sackcloth and ashes and shout in unison "Ooooh that really has hit us where it hurts. Much more painful than a cash fine would have been", before trooping off dejectedly for penitent prayers.

There are many so called experts in the game, such as those heavenly Collins Twins, Patrick and Roy, who will be far from impressed with the promises, pruning and penitence presented in my proposals, but for them and their ilk nothing short of ritual disembowelling is good enough for the Chels and it just goes to show how bad we are (or, maybe, how bitter they are). Oh dear, I suppose I'll have to apologise for that last improper (bracketed) thought. Jeez, this contrition business wears a bit thin after a while, doesn't it?

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