Posts Tagged ‘AVB’

Chelsea Premier League Review 2011/2012 – The Bad

Following on from the bright spots of the 2011/2012 campaign it is now time to look at those who have underperformed.

Andre Villas Boas

I was one who welcomed the appointment of the young Porto manager who had achieved success both domestically and in Europe, however after only a few short months it became clear that he was losing the battle for the dressing room.

Inheriting an experienced squad that would require careful management he alienated Frank Lampard and a few other senior players for telling them the writing was on the wall as he chased his “project”.

The project may be needed but he managed it poorly and results on the pitch reflected the poor morale and lack of tactical options at his disposal.

A 1-0 defeat at West Brom sealed his fate and whilst its regrettable that it didn’t work out the players reaction to the arrival of Roberto Di Matteo showed how bad morale had got.

Jose Boswinga

I really rated Jose Boswinga under Carlo Ancelotti but he seems more of a liability in the Premier League this season.

He is still good going forward but has been exposed defensively countless times, losing his place to the reliable Branislav Ivanovic when the Serbian is not required in the centre.

This may be his last season at the Bridge and this would not disappoint me too much.

Raul Meireles

Raul Meireles has talent and can play at this level, yet it seems he is unable to do it consistently which may have been ok at Liverpool but will not get you a regular game at a club chasing trophies.

He has scored some great goals and played well on occasions but on others has looked second rate, he has had a mixed fan reaction and will need to step up next season.

Florent Malouda

An enigma throughout his Chelsea career, his form has declined rapidly in the last two years and he is a shadow of his peak under Carlo Ancelotti.

An often distracted and unmotivated player, he should be the first player set aside in the summer, thanks for the service Florent but it is time to move on.

Daniel Sturridge

It may be controversial for our top league scorer to make this list but that is sometimes the way the cookie crumbles.

He makes this list due to his inconsistency, he started the season with a bang and was our top scorer but he still has a lot of growing up to do before he can be considered a regular starter.

He has the makings of a great player and he is someone I like but the selfishness is beyond what you would want from a striker and when he is not in the mood he is simply awful.

I want him to stay but he needs to focus for next season.

What Next For Ryan Bertrand at Chelsea?

Despite the positive performance of Jose Boswinga at left backI was devastated that Ryan Bertrand did not play against Manchester United.

In my opinion the left back is ready to play and his omission really begs the question of what the future for Ryan Bertrand will hold given yet another example of an under pressure manager refusing to give a youth product a chance in the first team.

This was a massive smack in the face for our youth team, if you were a young player why would you sign for the Chelsea academy if there is little realistic chance that even if you perform that you will be given a game?

Surely it would be more cost effective at this point to just knock the academy on its head and pay millions of pounds over the market value for the players we want, after all that is all we seem to do anyway.

Even if we do then end up playing them out of position denying a specialist youth player a shot in that position.

I will finally put it another way Chamberlain for Arsenal had a great game for the Gunners against Blackburn after signing last year, do you think he would have even played a single game for Chelsea this season despite our issues?

I highly doubt it as well, AVB it is time you anted up and started giving talented younger players a chance.

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Why AVB Should Consider Champions League Cup Tied Players

Buying players in January is always fraught with issues and potential pitfalls such as having to pay an inflated price for a player due to the highly competitive, stressful nature of the transfer window and market forces.

However AVB has hinted that we would not buy players in this window that were cup tied for the Champions League and I would have to agree with Vital Chelsea that this does not make sense.

Whilst the Champions League is an important competition we only have a maximum of seven games to play in that whilst the FA Cup and League could number more than 20 fixtures.

Fixtures in which the right players bought in the window could be used to consolidate a Champions League position.

Therefore whilst inconvenient there is little sense in discounting a move for a player based on their Champions League availability unless the January supplement is too great to merit an immediate signing.

Club Statements On Signings

An interesting footnote to this is that the club has tried to be more upfront with the media and therefore fans about potential signings than in previous years responding to rumours where it feels appropriate.

In the case of Willian the information given by AVB that we would not be in for him due to him being cup tied was disproven by evidence of a bid being made just a few days later.

There are always several factors at play and maybe the club has decided that at a low enough price his lack of availability for the Champions League can be overcome.

The illusion of transparency may have been shattered but at least the club is still in the hunt for the next pieces of the AVB rebuilding job.

Daily CFC News Update – 1st December 2011

Here are today’s headlines from across the web on the start of advent.

ChelseaDaft has been offering an open debate on how the team can move forward after another turbulent November.

WeAintGotNoHistory do an in depth loan round up, with Jeffery Bruma and Thibaut Courtois starring for their temporary clubs.

BBCSport speak to Former Chelsea manager Avram Grant has joined a list of former players and managers who feel it necessary to say that Andre Villas Boas needs more time to make his mark at Chelsea.

FamousCFC.com looks at the return of Sam Hutchinson as a player after signing a new one and a half year contract with the club.

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Another Defeat Another CFC v Liverpool Video

I seem to be posting alot of these commiseration videos at the moment, here is one from the Carling Cup Final 2005