Chelsea Blip-O-Meter Reading
86-8 = 78 points
And falling like a lead zeppelin.
Chelsea Blip-O-Meter reading: 9.5
And rising like a rocket.
Europa League beckons.
Well, only if we can manage to beat the team that is bottom of the league….like Wolverhampton Wanderers. One of the Top Four could win the FA Cup and/or League Cup, I suppose and let in sixth….
The fact is the rot had set in well before Wilkins departed. We weren’t actually playing all that well for much of our first few games. We were enjoying <i>“Old Trafforditis”</i> where sides hoped merely to limit the damage against us. Combine that with the most lopsided of fixture schedules and a lazy media (still describing us as<i> “freescoring”</i> long after we weren’t) we flattered and deceived even ourselves.
Major surgery required.
In the short-term what is needed is a Ranieri-style selection policy
Ortega: big name – no effort – out.
Mendieta: no name – big effort – in.
Pick a side based on the present rather than the past.
For example:
Essien out = McEachran in
Anelka out = Sturridge in
Kalou out = Kakuta in
Bosingwa out = Bruma in
Cole out = Van Aanholt in
Who would keep their places on current form?
At the moment probably only
Cech, Terry, Ivanovic, Ramires.
We don’t really have immediate replacements for Drogba and Lampard (or that I am aware of), Malouda? Hmnnnnnn.
As for the longer-term (in this case quite possibly only slightly longer-term) I suggest that negotiations have been ongoing with, say, Frank Rijkaard (who coincidentally parted company with Galatasaray in October); initially to replace Ancelotti at the end of his contract (ie June 2011) and now to take over when fourth place (and with it UCL football) is in serious jeopardy (ie now).
But would the preferred candidate want to take the job now?
| Match | Available | 10/11 | GF | GA | GD | 09/10 | GF | GA | GD | Par | PtsYTD | GFYTD | GAYTD | GDYTD |
| WBA (Hull) (h) | 6-0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 2-1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | = | = | +4 | -1 | +5 | |
| Wigan (a) | 3 | 6-0 | 12 | 0 | +12 | 1-3 | 3 | 4 | -1 | +3 | +3 | +9 | -4 | +14 |
| Stoke (h) | 2-0 | 14 | 0 | +14 | 7-0 | 10 | 4 | +6 | = | +3 | +4 | -4 | +8 | |
| West Ham (a) | 2 | 3-1 | 17 | 1 | +16 | 1-1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | +2 | +5 | +6 | -4 | +10 |
| Blackpool (Portsmouth) (h) | 4-0 | 21 | 1 | +20 | 2-1 | 13 | 6 | +7 | = | +5 | +8 | -5 | +13 | |
| Man City (a) | 3 | 0-1 | 21 | 2 | +19 | 1-2 | 14 | 8 | +6 | = | +5 | +7 | -6 | +13 |
| Arsenal (h) | 2-0 | 23 | 2 | +21 | 2-0 | 16 | 8 | +8 | = | +5 | +7 | -6 | +13 | |
| Aston Villa (a) | 3 | 0-0 | 23 | 2 | +21 | 1-2 | 17 | 10 | +7 | +1 | +6 | +6 | -8 | +14 |
| Wolves (h) | 2-0 | 25 | 2 | +23 | 4-0 | 21 | 10 | +11 | = | +6 | +4 | -8 | +12 | |
| Blackburn (a) | 2 | 2-1 | 27 | 3 | +24 | 1-1 | 22 | 11 | +11 | +2 | +8 | +5 | -8 | +13 |
| Liverpool (a) | 0-2 | 27 | 5 | +22 | 2-0 | 24 | 11 | +13 | -3 | +5 | +3 | -6 | +9 | |
| Fulham (h) | 1-0 | 28 | 5 | +23 | 2-1 | 26 | 12 | +14 | = | +5 | +2 | -7 | +9 | |
| Sunderland (h) | 0-3 | 28 | 8 | +20 | 7-2 | 33 | 14 | +19 | -3 | +2 | -5 | -6 | +1 | |
| Birmingham (a) | 2 | 0-1 | 28 | 9 | +19 | 0-0 | 33 | 14 | +19 | -1 | +1 | -5 | -5 | = |
| Newcastle (Burnley) (a) | 1-1 | 29 | 10 | +19 | 2-1 | 35 | 15 | +20 | -2 | -1 | -6 | -5 | -1 | |
| Everton (h) | 2 | 1-1 | 30 | 11 | +19 | 3-3 | 38 | 18 | +20 | = | -1 | -8 | -7 | -1 |
| Tottenham (a) | 3 | 1-1 | 31 | 12 | +19 | 1-2 | 39 | 20 | +19 | +1 | = | -8 | -8 | = |
| Arsenal (a) | 1-3 | 32 | 15 | +17 | 3-0 | 41 | 20 | +21 | -3 | -3 | -9 | -5 | -4 | |
| Bolton (h) | 1-0 | 33 | 15 | +18 | 1-0 | 42 | 20 | +22 | = | -3 | -9 | -5 | -4 | |
| Aston Villa (h) | 3-3 | 36 | 18 | +18 | 7-1 | 49 | 21 | +28 | -2 | -5 | -13 | -3 | -10 | |
| Wolves (a) | 0-1 | 36 | 19 | +17 | 2-0 | 51 | 21 | +30 | -3 | -8 | -15 | -2 | -13 | |
| Blackburn (h) | 5-0 | |||||||||||||
| Bolton (a) | 4-0 | |||||||||||||
| Sunderland (a) | 3-1 | |||||||||||||
| Liverpool (h) | 2-0 | |||||||||||||
| Fulham (a) | 2-0 | |||||||||||||
| Birmingham (h) | 3-0 | |||||||||||||
| Man Utd (h) | 1-0 | |||||||||||||
| Blackpool (Portsmouth) (a) | 5-0 | |||||||||||||
| Man City (h) | 3 | 2-4 | ||||||||||||
| Stoke (a) | 2-1 | |||||||||||||
| Wigan (h) | 8-0 | |||||||||||||
| WBA (Hull) (a) | 2 | 1-1 | ||||||||||||
| West Ham (h) | 4-1 | |||||||||||||
| Tottenham (h) | 3-0 | |||||||||||||
| Man Utd (a) | 2-1 | |||||||||||||
| Newcastle (Burnley) (h) | 3-0 | |||||||||||||
| Everton (a) | 3 | 1-2 | ||||||||||||
Posted by Steve S