Mmmm shrimp

There is nothing I like better than footie and all you can eat shrimp. The Blues won today and took the top of the table after Arsenal lost to Hull, and me and one of the roommates went out to Red Lobster for all you can eat shrimp. Now all I need is to sit around and read the rest of the league recaps from todays games and I can sleep a happy man this evening.

I think this could be the year for Chelsea to come back and really show Europe, and England, that they can survive without Mourinho. Granted, I would like to still have the special one here, but Scolari isn't doing too bad of a job.

Can Scolari Make The Blues Better?

Chelsea has announced the successor to Avram Grant and the chosen one is, (insert cheesy drum roll here) Luiz Felipe Scolari. The current coach of the Portuguese national team, who by the way are doing rather well at Euro 08, excels at coaching at the league and national level and will certainly bring his own flair to the Bridge.

Good luck Luiz and good luck Blues.

Cancun Day 3 And 4

Apart from the clouds trying to screw up my tanning, day three was rather exciting. We ate dinner at the Italian restaurant again and it was delicious. After dinner, we went to the rooftop bar for drinks. I walk out the door and say hello to Jose, the best bartender in the world, and I look to my left and see a guy wearing one of the new Chelsea jerseys. I jumped at the chance to go have a word with a fellow who seems to support the best team in the world. Now I had an instinct to not walk over to him and strike up a conversation. I really should start to listen to that little voice.

This guy and his fiance had been drinking since 10 that morning and you could tell. Me and the guy, who I never told my name (thank God for that), started to talk about footy and we discussed our starting 11's and all that jazz. Unfortunately the footy talk did not last for long. He and his fiance began to argue with one another and it got ugly quick. Jose ended up calling security and they started to follow the couple around. It was quite interesting to say the least.

Today (day 4) has been rather uneventful. We woke up to no air conditioning in the room. Apparently the power went out at some time during the evening. I ended up laying around for most of the day watching Angela's Ashes, rather good movie. And once again the clouds have laid subterfuge to my tanning. We have to be up at 3:45am to check out and head to the airport, so this will be my last post from Cancun.

"So,... Avram.. we'd um.. like you to come back"

And Avram Grant, the former skipper of the Mighty Blues, declined the offer to take over his prior position as director of football at the club. It makes me wonder what is going on at the Bridge. Is the club finally coming apart internally because of Abramovich's poor management of the clubs resources? While there have not been widespread disputes over how the coaching staff has operated it remains to be seen if the recent activity will cause the club to fall out of its second spot in the top four by the end of the next season. Chances are greater than sixty-five percent that this could happen. The situation at Liverpool this past season is a perfect example of how poor communication between staff and the ownership and it is likely that these conditions will translate into a rough season for Chelsea next year.

On a more positive note. I am in Cancun and if I would not have turned the waiter at the restaurant away, I would be plastered right now. I will have to keep everyone updated as the week goes forward.

You Don't Need To CGI My Kicks To Get them To The Bar

I have went down to the field for a second day and for a second day I hit the crossbar on the goal about six times on my free kicks. Now, I did punch the back of the net more times than I punched the bar but it is still a bit discouraging unless I want to be a stand in for Ronaldnhio in the next Nike commercial.

So why did I go down to the field for therapy? Chelsea lost to Man U in Moscow earlier today. Now mind you, I thought they would beat Chelsea but it was seriously touch and go for a moment. When it came down to penalties I started to pace around the living room and my mother looked at me like I had lost my mind and my friend Shibley just laughed at me.

I am not going to make excuses for Chelsea but I think the poor pitch conditions combined with the rain was the eventual downfall of the Blues. I think that UEFA really should have dealt with this problem well before the game instead of having to relay the pitch so soon to the match time.

Regardless of the pitch, United have won their third Champions League final and did it in amazing fashion. I do think that United started to back off in the second half and Chelsea had a few descent chances that could have ended it before the need for either extra time or penalties.

How does this effect the teams? Manchester is probably still partying at this hour even though it's close 4 AM on the other side of the pond. United are looking to dip their fingers into the transfer pool that will be opening soon and very well could increase the strength of their team even if Ronaldo decides to move.

As for Chelsea, I really think this will be a strong catalyst for them when next season rolls around. With or without Avram Grant at the helm, this will be a highly motivated team that will certainly be ready to take on the any of the worlds champions.

Congrats Red Devils. We will get you next year.

Sunny Spring Days in Moscow

Europe's premier club competition comes to an end tomorrow in the capital city of Russia and as a Chelsea fan, I can not wait for it to start. I have some bratwurst thawing in the fridge and I plan to toss on my Chelsea jersey and tuck in for the match. I will probably skip training tomorrow because I will either be too happy or too sad to really want to. But that is beside the point. The point of this blog is to discuss the match itself and who I think will hoist the trophy that hardly ever graces England.

For starters, this is the first all English final and I could not think of two teams that are more deserving than Chelsea and Man U. I do not know what made Didier Drogba wake up at the end of the the second tie between Chelsea and Liverpool, but the docile tones of the Ivorian were reversed when he banged home a splendid shot in extra time to help carry the Blues to their first ever Champions League final. This will truly be one of the most splendid finals in Champions League history.

Moving on for a look at the teams and you see that there is no lack of talent on either bench. The question is, who will be sitting on the reserve list and who will be in the starting eleven. The team sheets are not out yet but it is worth speculation. The Blues will more than likely field the side that they have in the past few games and I do not know if playing Drogba up front alone will really do any good. I hope that Grant has used his time off to work the Drogba, Anelka combo. A 4-3-3 with the addition of Lampard could prove trouble for the Red Devils back four. With Ballack and Essien in the midfield feeding crosses in, it is likely that United will have something to deal with.

United have a completely fit side to square off with and there is no doubt that it is the most talented side in Europe right now. They will likely field a stunning eleven that will clamp down on Chelsea early on. The one thing to consider with United is that they lost earlier in the season to Chelsea during the run down of the Premiership.

Despite the loss, I really do not see an easy going for either team. Both teams are hungry for the win and their motivations are more than enough to add up to a shocking final that will really astound the fans of both teams. So, who do I think will lift the trophy? As much as I hate to say it, I think United will win on penalties.

What does this mean for the two teams? Avram Grant is possibly looking at packing his bags and leaving the Bridge after the end of the season due to his rough and tumble performance the past eight months. Out of the potentials, it is likely that Roberto Mancini from Milan fame will be making a residence in west London in the fall. Hopefully he will speak better English than Mr. Cappello.

As for Fergie, he is probably the safest manager in the Premiership these days. If anything, this is practice for next year when United may very well win the Treble next year. Reports out of the camp have said that they are looking to snag up talent over the summer that could truly make them the best team in the world. I would not be surprised if Fergie was elevated to the gaffer of the English national team at some point in the future.


If there is one thing that is for certain when the Champions League anthem is played over the PA system at the dilapidated Luzhniki Stadium, truer lyrics will never be sung about the two teams that are on that pitch. Go Blues!!

But Who Will Stop Wigan?

That's the question at the Bridge after both Carlo Cudicini and Petr Chech were injured in the past two weeks. Chech had to get an astounding 50 stitches after a misplaced hit on the traing pitch. Cudicini, who filled in for a better part of last season after Chech was injured, injured his hamstring in last nights Champions Leage win against Fenerbache.

So in comes Hilario. This kid isn't half bad in goal and he will step up to the task at hand. I don't know why the BBC consider this to be a setback. The keepers for Chelsea have proven themselves time after time as some of the best in the world. Sure, it's not a a goalkeepin core built of Chech's but they are all trained by the same coach and while Chech is a better keeper overall, there is no reason to be moaning about the third keeper coming into play. Chelsea have been in far worse situations and have come out smelling like a rose. But, only time will tell if the Blues will continue to climb the Premiership ladder and hop over United to take the league this year.

D.C. Will No Longer Be United!

I really wish I could say that but since United will not be in town this weekend I will have to settle for two good friends of mine, Josh and Shibley. I am heading down to our nations captial for the weekend to hang out with two of my good buddies. Now I haven't seen these guys in almost a year so I think there will be probably ten minutes of catching up and that will be pretty much it. By the time the eleventh minute comes I expect us to be tossing verbal assaults at each others teams. Me and Josh will probably swap slurs more than all of us. I support Chelsea and he supports some pansy boys from some northern city in England. Man Chest United or something to that extent. Sounds like Josh should be telling he fianc something important. Lol.

Jose is gonna cut people

(Queens Journal)


The Special One has threatened death to Chelsea if he faces them in the Champions League next year. He also said that he still talks to members of staff at the Bridge such as Peter Kenyon and Roman Abromavich.

So, Jose wants to kill his former team if he plays them. This is interesting for the fact that Jose is not currently coaching anywhere and he would need to manage a team that has a chance at getting into the Champions League. There is talk that Jose could be going all over the place but after Tuesday, it is likely that he will not be off to Milan in the next few months. He will more than likely make a move to Barcelona. This would be great for him. Someone with the skill that Mourinho has and the level of talent at the club will certainly be a force to reckon with in both domestic and international competitions.

Grant Grumbles like a Grade Schooler

(Courtesy BBC)


Chelsea gaffer Avram Grant spoke out earlier in the week about the bad press that he has been receiving after his side missed out on their first chance to snag silverware for this season.

Grant, who took slack at the start of his coaching career with the club, is in the fire again but he is not taking it lightly this time. He has went on record saying that the allegations being made do not only hurt the team, but the club as well. Some of the allegations being thrown at Grant include a notion that the chief scout for the club wants Barca manager Frank Rijkaard at the helm for next season. Other allegations include accounts that club owner Roman Abramovich has been hand picking squads for matches. Grant flat denies this, however, there were strong rumors back when Grant took over in September that would give a large dose of credibility to these rumors. Lastly, the media is picking at the gaffer for a practice pitch dispute between team skipper John Terry and first team coach Henk ten Cate. Both parties have worked out their differences.

What does this mean? It means that Grant has earned his top-flight gaffer wings. His, "don't attack the team attitude" even though his actions are clearly under attack, are SOP for managers in the Premiership. The problem with this is that he is taking it in the wrong context. Instead of lashing out at the press, he should remind them that his team is still involved in three trophy races. And after the stomping that the Blues dealt to West Ham on the weekend, it is clear that his team has what it takes if they can hold out and knock off Man U and the Gunners, whom they both play at the Bridge before the season ends.

So Avi, the people are not insulting your friends literarly, they are doing it to see if you call them names and run off to Roman and they are getting their wish. Stop the grumbling, mate. Drogba does enough of that for the team.

Champions League draws announced

(arsedup.com)


It's nearly September and that means one thing: the Uefa Champions League is heading into group play. After the qualifying rounds drew some familiar and favorite faces(Liverpool & Arsenal), Europe's premier cup competition will begin it's group play later in the month. For a full listing of the tables you can zoom over to the BBC's sport section and look under the football tab and from there look for the Europe tab on the left side bar.

Looking at the group stages, there are some familiar battles from last year. Manchester United and Roma who met in the round of 16 and whom Fergie's lads destroyed in the home leg, will meet in the group stages. I look for these two teams to be the top of their group, honestly. The only thing that could hurt United is the loss of Rooney. Hell, the loss of Rooney is impacting the whole of English ball as well.

We will also see a rematch of Chelsea and Valencia. Chelsea barely scraped past the Spanish team last year and I remember sitting there watching the match with my friends, trying to put off going to work as late as I could. Just like Uniteds group, I take Chelsea and Valencia to get past the group stages.

As far as the other groups go, I have to take the elusive Liverpool from group A. This is a team that can't win the Premiership, but they can win against the rest of Europe. The FA should talk to the British government and see if they can extend dual citizenship to the players on Liverpool that aren't from Great Britain. Then they can field Liverpool's starting 11 as the national team. Also in Liverpool's group, I have to take Marseille over Porto. Marseille is a wonderful team with a good record in French football but I think they have a little more gusto than Porto does. And to add to Porto's folly, Chelsea are trying to wrangle one of their best players away, Quersma.

For group C, I am taking Real Madrid and Werder Bremen. These are both teams that know what they are doing when it comes to European football and they should breeze past their competition.

Group D has one obvious prospect and two circumspect prospects. AC Milan will lead the group. And as a runner up I am saying Celtic. The Scottish side is always a joy to watch and I think that they will give the group a run for the money. The other "upset" roles that might come out would be Benfica but I don't see that happening.

Group E is the group of death. You have Barcelona, Lyon, Rangers, and Stuttgart. These are all wonderfully composed teams. Lyon and Stuttgart won their respective leagues last year and Barcelona was a runner up. Despite loosing Eto'o for two months, I still think that Barcelona will be the first team safely clear of the group. Then comes the fight for the other position. I have to put my money with Stuttgart. German football is more aggressive than French football and while the intensity of Champions league games does not get turned up until later in the competition, by that time Stuttgart will have knocked Rangers and Lyon out of the running.

Groups G and H are the two groups that I think no one will pay much attention to. Your top draws are Inter and Arsenal, respectively. I think they will both emerge from the group stages but as for the second teams in the groups, I've got nothing.

By looking at the groups as we have them now, it is going to shape up to be another cracking year for the Champions League. I think the group stages will see more knockouts of bigger clubs this time around as opposed to last year, where there were still formidable clubs up until the semi finals. As far as picking a winner, it's too early on. However, I think if Chelsea can get it's players fit and not end up drawing Liverpool again this year, I think Chelsea could get to the final and probably face AC Milan or perhaps Liverpool. I do think AC or Liverpool will be in the final and who knows we might have a repeat of Istanbul and Greece, all over again. Good luck to all the teams. And to the fans, don't be upset if your team goes out in the group stages. It takes a great commitment to get to the Champions league. The winner wouldn't be referred to as the Kings of Europe if it wasn't so prestigious. Once again, good luck to all and go Chelsea.