Archive for February, 2011

Frank Lampard to Captain England Against Denmark

With Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard out injured it looks likely that he will be replaced as England captain by Frank Lampard, whilst I think John Terry should still be captain as a long serving campaigner and vice captain during the World Cup it appears that Lampard will head off competition from Wayne Rooney to captain the side from the start tonight.

Guardian Article on tonights captaincy

Lampard has worn the armband as a substitute and there cannot be many greater honours for an England football than leading your country out at Wembley.

With Ashley Cole winning English footballer of the year and the likely captaincy of John Terry it really has been a week that highlights how important Chelsea have been to the national side in the last few years, even if fans of other clubs and the media seem to want to downplay and undermine this at every opportunity.

It may only be a friendly but if you do lead the country out tonight, we will be proud of you ‘Super Frank’

Chelsea Players In England U21 Squad

Three Chelsea players have been called up to the England U21 squad this week;

Jack Cork (on loan at Burnley)

Daniel Sturridge (on loan at Bolton)

In addition to these players Josh McEachran has been called into the squad for his second call up by Stuart Pearce’s.

Having made a string of substitute appearances for the Chelsea first team he has also made a start in the Champions League and has impressed both Chelsea fans and the media with every performance.

Congratulations to Josh, Jack and Daniel, whilst none are established in the first team at Chelsea, I hope they will feature for England and Chelsea more in the future.

Chelsea Torres Song Stutters After Poor Performance

Let’s be honest, we were simply not good enough yesterday and now we will have to endure the taunts of Liverpool fans who will feel vindicated and boastful following yesterday’s result and the ineffectual performance of Fernando Torres.

Yesterday was very frustrating we seemed to forget that despite the hype you still have to turn up and play football to win matches, something that we simply did not do. It was clear to see yesterday that we were totally ineffective going forward despite having Nicholas Anelka, Didier Drogba and Torres on the field at the same time.

Needless to say Carlo Ancellotti will have to address before we will see dividends from the signing of Torres.

Liverpool fans and the media will tell you that we deserved the result yesterday and on a performance level they are probably right, we were however in a poor run of form just before the window closed and there is no such thing as a quick fix in sport and it will take time for Torres and Luiz to bed down into the side and have a positive impact.

The boastful Torres songs of the midweek may look foolish now, but ask me again in 12 months and I am confident that we will have something to sing about and that both players can make a huge impact at the club.

Joe Cole and His Forgotten Return To Stamford Bridge

Joe Cole in red just does not look right!

Lots of the focus tommorow will be new signing Fernando Torres facing his old club on his Chelsea debut.

I will be at the Bridge tommorow and  am intrigued to see what reaction will be given to Joe Cole a player that spent seven seasons at Stamford Bridge and was seen as ‘proper chels’ by the Chelsea faithful.

Seeing Joe Cole wearing Red during the first game of the season, made me feel sick, like something had gone terribly wrong in the universe.

I had accepted the usual new club dance that he had done in the media about moving to a huge club that can win things, as he sought acceptance from his new employers and his new set of supporters (Torres has done the same for us), but seeing him in a Liverpool shirt got to me at the pit of my stomach.

Despite starting his career at West Ham, Joe Cole was a Chelsea fan, having been a ball boy at the Bridge during his formative years, everyone was convinced he was blue through and through and a Chelsea boy come good.

Just one year ago at the height of the will Joe Cole stay or will he go conundrum, I was convinced that he would be playing his football at Stamford Bridge for the rest of his career.

The full story will never be known of what happened in the corridors of power at Stamford Bridge between management and Joe Cole’s agents. We have all heard the stories of wage demands and seeking playing time, if they are true then it is a sorry commentary on the state of the game when £80k a week is not enough to play for a club you love.

However we should not forget that Joe Cole was a fantastic player for the blues earning himself the honour of the fans player of the year in 2008, he was part of the most successful period in the clubs history winning 8 trophies including the Premiership and FA Cup on three occasions each.

So hero or villain I hope that Joe Cole gets a respectful reception the first time he is in front of the Chelsea faithful having missed our trip to Anfield with injury.

Feel Good Factor Back After Good Week For CFC

I have still not totally recovered from a crazy week in my football world. The FA cup a transfer window and a truly exhilarating game away at Sunderland have combined to make sure that Chelsea is all I have been able to talk about this week, be it at work, home or on the bus.

 The feel good factor has returned to the club in the last 2 weeks with the club slowly tip toeing back towards form and a couple of massive signings that will shape the club for years to come.

There is no let up in site either with Liverpool on Sunday and I cannot wait to be at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and enjoy a game that is sure to be highly charged both on and of the pitch.

 Bring on the weekend I say!