The Official Thread of Chelsea FC

[new devil]

It is over Norf..yous have it in the bag 

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Now Mikel crocked...but Essien to return?? - From the Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/apr/20/michael-essien-chelsea-stoke-city

Chelsea's preparations for their potentially pivotal Premier League match against Stoke City on Sunday have been further disrupted after Mikel John Obi, their first-choice defensive midfielder, succumbed to a knee injury.The Nigerian, a regular in the side since Michael Essien suffered hamstring and knee injuries, is not expected to feature in a game Chelsea must win after Sunday's defeat at Tottenham Hotspur shaved their advantage at the top of the Premier League to a solitary point.Mikel hobbled off after 33 minutes of the game at White Hart Lane and, although Chelsea are continuing to scrutinise the extent of the injury, he stands little chance of featuring on Sunday.It would leave Carlo Ancelotti without a natural defensive midfielder against Stoke, forcing the manager to deploy Michael Ballack or Deco in an unfamiliar holding role. Essien has not played for Chelsea since the Champions League group game at home to Apoel Nicosia in early December, when he tore a hamstring after scoring Chelsea's first goal. He then damaged his left knee in training with Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations, an injury that initially was expected to keep him out for six weeks.That absence has been extended by complications – the player underwent extensive rehabilitation alongside Ashley Cole in the south of France last month – which saw the joint swell up after exercise. Chelsea have missed his dynamism and had hoped he would be fit to return against Liverpool on 2 May. His progress is being monitored on a daily basis.Ancelotti could do without having to play with an unbalanced midfield when he was already confronting the reality that he must reshape his defence for the potentially awkward visit of Stoke.

Ashley Cole may make his first appearance since fracturing an ankle at Everton in February but John Terry is suspended following his dismissal at Spurs. With Ricardo Carvalho sidelined for a further fortnight at least – the Portuguese started running only last week, as he recovers from an ankle injury – Ancelotti is considering playing Branislav Ivanovic, recently recovered from his own knee problems, as a central defender, alongside Alex. That would mean retaining Paulo Ferreira, embarrassed by Gareth Bale and withdrawn at half-time against Spurs, at right-back.  There remain doubts, too, over Didier Drogba's fitness though the club and player have opted for the moment against his undergoing keyhole surgery on his troublesome groin. Drogba has been suffering from a hernia problem over recent weeks and alarmed the coaching staff by pulling up as he prepared to kick off the second half on Saturday, seconds after Ancelotti had made his third substitution.
Drogba was assessed on the sidelines before the game restarted and ended up completing the match, though he could yet be rested on Sunday in favour of Nicolas Anelka, with the potentially critical trip to Liverpool the following weekend in mind. "It'll be his decision," said Ancelotti when asked about possible surgery for Drogba prior to the World Cup finals. "He doesn't have a big problem. It's more about controlling the situation but he'll take a decision at the end of the season whether to have the surgery or not. But it's by no means sure that he'll have an operation."

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Essien will now not play until the World Cup

[Norf Tyrone]

Essien will now not play until the World Cup

Big, big loss, as has been Ashley Cole over the last few weeks and Bosingwa over most of the season as well. Saying that Zhirkov, Ferreria and Ivanovic (Possible Chelsea POTY) have done fairly well the last few weeks.

[Minder]

Norf - If youse make a balls of this league you are locking this bloody thread.

[Norf Tyrone]

Norf - If youse make a balls of this league you are locking this bloody thread.

I am locking the f**king house and throwing away the key. It'll be good bye from me, and goodbye from Martin Quinn.

[Norf Tyrone]

The problem for Frank Lampard is that it has not been an exceptional season.

Not by his high standards. Mind you, Lampard has scored a career-best
23 goals this season and managed just a mere 14 assists.

In his previous four seasons he reached the 20 goal mark so we take it
for granted and don't regard this campaign as anything out of the
ordinary.

Maybe that's why he has not been nominated for the PFA Player of the
Year award. The shortlist is Carlos Tevez (22 goals, 7 assists),
Didier Drogba (25 goals, 8 assists), Wayne Rooney (26 goals, 4
assists), Cesc Fabregas (15 goals, 13 assists).

Rooney, 24, and Fabregas, 22, have had such good seasons that they
have doubled up and been nominated along with James Milner (5 goals,
12 assists) and Joe Hart (10 clean sheets in 33 games) for the Young
Player gong, too.

Notice anything about those numbers. Lampard has better stats than
Tevez and Fabregas, has more assists than Drogba and Rooney put
together and the Chelsea and Manchester United strikers have only just
managed to score more goals.

Mind you, Drogba and Rooney are both strikers. Lampard plays in
midfield. To score as many goals as he has in Chelsea's push for the
Premier League title is remarkable.

His assist rate is sensational, too. He's always running, always
looking for the killer pass and is brilliant for Chelsea.

On Saturday at Tottenham, it was a bad result, bad defeat and a bad
performance. Despite leading the way, Chelsea have been inconsistent.

Not Lampard. Last season, there was a month when - under the hapless
Luiz Felipe Scolari - Lampard almost single handedly kept Chelsea
going. He was unbelievable. And yet still no nomination last season.

But his goal at White Hart Lane in the dying minutes to give Chelsea -
outplayed throughout - a glimmer of a chance of nicking a point was
just typical of Lampard.

It was a gruelling game and yet Lampard has the fitness to run into
the box to get onto the end of a cross and, somehow, he stretches out
a leg and pokes home. That took great stamina and energy.

Not just energy, either. But an amazing never-say-die spirit and
Lampard has that in abundance.

Lampard is the player who, when he joined Chelsea in 2001, we all
baulked at the £11m fee  paid to West Ham.

And yet throughout his Stamford Bridge career he has shown an appetite
and determination which has made him world class.

Every year Lampard delivers for Chelsea. And that's his big problem:
we've become used to it. We take it for granted.

I am probably going to vote for Wayne Rooney as my Football Writers'
Footballer of the Year. He's been exceptional. Cesc Fabregas, because
of the influence one individual has had on a team, is also in my mind.
But not even to nominate Lampard for the players' award is outrageous.

It's time Lampard's ability was appreciated. Chelsea and England will
miss him when he's gone. And yet despite all the doubters, because he
defies logic and age season after season, don't bet on that happening
anytime soon.

[nrico2006]

The problem for Frank Lampard is that it has not been an exceptional season.

Not by his high standards. Mind you, Lampard has scored a career-best
23 goals this season and managed just a mere 14 assists.

In his previous four seasons he reached the 20 goal mark so we take it
for granted and don't regard this campaign as anything out of the
ordinary.

Maybe that's why he has not been nominated for the PFA Player of the
Year award. The shortlist is Carlos Tevez (22 goals, 7 assists),
Didier Drogba (25 goals, 8 assists), Wayne Rooney (26 goals, 4
assists), Cesc Fabregas (15 goals, 13 assists).

Rooney, 24, and Fabregas, 22, have had such good seasons that they
have doubled up and been nominated along with James Milner (5 goals,
12 assists) and Joe Hart (10 clean sheets in 33 games) for the Young
Player gong, too.

Notice anything about those numbers. Lampard has better stats than
Tevez and Fabregas, has more assists than Drogba and Rooney put
together and the Chelsea and Manchester United strikers have only just
managed to score more goals.

Mind you, Drogba and Rooney are both strikers. Lampard plays in
midfield. To score as many goals as he has in Chelsea's push for the
Premier League title is remarkable.

His assist rate is sensational, too. He's always running, always
looking for the killer pass and is brilliant for Chelsea.

On Saturday at Tottenham, it was a bad result, bad defeat and a bad
performance. Despite leading the way, Chelsea have been inconsistent.

Not Lampard. Last season, there was a month when - under the hapless
Luiz Felipe Scolari - Lampard almost single handedly kept Chelsea
going. He was unbelievable. And yet still no nomination last season.

But his goal at White Hart Lane in the dying minutes to give Chelsea -
outplayed throughout - a glimmer of a chance of nicking a point was
just typical of Lampard.

It was a gruelling game and yet Lampard has the fitness to run into
the box to get onto the end of a cross and, somehow, he stretches out
a leg and pokes home. That took great stamina and energy.

Not just energy, either. But an amazing never-say-die spirit and
Lampard has that in abundance.

Lampard is the player who, when he joined Chelsea in 2001, we all
baulked at the £11m fee  paid to West Ham.

And yet throughout his Stamford Bridge career he has shown an appetite
and determination which has made him world class.

Every year Lampard delivers for Chelsea. And that's his big problem:
we've become used to it. We take it for granted.

I am probably going to vote for Wayne Rooney as my Football Writers'
Footballer of the Year. He's been exceptional. Cesc Fabregas, because
of the influence one individual has had on a team, is also in my mind.
But not even to nominate Lampard for the players' award is outrageous.

It's time Lampard's ability was appreciated. Chelsea and England will
miss him when he's gone. And yet despite all the doubters, because he
defies logic and age season after season, don't bet on that happening
anytime soon.

Agree about Lampard, should have really been in the running for this award most years out of the past 6 or 7.  Unbelievable goals record and especially for this season considering he started slowly enough and seemed out of sorts at his new role under Ancelotti.  Why did he ever get rid of the Jnr though?

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Nice move on goal difference today...worth 1/2 a point??

[Shrewdness]

It's worth a full point if it comes down to goal difference!!. Excellent response from Chelsea today showing no signs of any pressure, but in all honesty, did anyone really think that Chelsea wouldn't win that game today .......and that they won't also beat Wigan on the final day, and United beat Stoke.

As i said over on the United thread, it's almost certainly going to be decided next Sunday, bar sensational results on the final day.

[A Quinn Martin Production]

It's worth a full point if it comes down to goal difference!!. Excellent response from Chelsea today showing no signs of any pressure, but in all honesty, did anyone really think that Chelsea wouldn't win that game today .......and that they won't also beat Wigan on the final day, and United beat Stoke.

As i said over on the United thread, it's almost certainly going to be decided next Sunday, bar sensational results on the final day.

Still doesn't make up for Antrim getting a stuffing last night

[ross4life]

It's worth a full point if it comes down to goal difference!!. Excellent response from Chelsea today showing no signs of any pressure, but in all honesty, did anyone really think that Chelsea wouldn't win that game today .......and that they won't also beat Wigan on the final day, and United beat Stoke.

As i said over on the United thread, it's almost certainly going to be decided next Sunday, bar sensational results on the final day.

Still doesn't make up for Antrim getting a stuffing last night

Cheer up mate you could be a Roscommon man instead 

[A Quinn Martin Production]

It's worth a full point if it comes down to goal difference!!. Excellent response from Chelsea today showing no signs of any pressure, but in all honesty, did anyone really think that Chelsea wouldn't win that game today .......and that they won't also beat Wigan on the final day, and United beat Stoke.

As i said over on the United thread, it's almost certainly going to be decided next Sunday, bar sensational results on the final day.

Still doesn't make up for Antrim getting a stuffing last night

Cheer up mate you could be a Roscommon man instead 

ross4life, it's counties like Roscommon (I've got family there and always keep an eye on you) and Antrim that are the bedrock of the Association...keep the faith!

[Norf Tyrone]

So three weeks of 'finals' start tonight, as the young Blues head to Villa Park for the 1st leg of the Youth Cup Final. Lets hope mssrs MacEacheran, Clifford, Tore and Bruma can get the week up and going with a good result.

[ross4life]

It's a long time since Chelsea won a Youth Cup so will be a big deal if they win it?

What was the score in the 1st leg or is it a one off final?