The Devil Or The Deep Blue Sea?
Since May the world’s been turned upside down, we achieved the impossible and now we are European Champions and all that comes with it, we are going to be the biggest scalp for every team this season, and in a season where we really are both work in progress and in full transition, there are going to be some bruises along the way.
There are a few positives, balanced with a few negatives, long term its going to be for the best, so we need to have a little faith and a lot of patience from us fans, I’d view this season as akin to when Mr Abramovich first took over and in charge was the tinker man, but with a couple of major differences, these being that the league now is by far much stronger, and the officials are much worse. I can’t stand the officials these days, the only ones I can endure are the ones I don’t notice, when I watch or have been to games (well over a 1,000 Chelsea ones) I pays my money to watch the players, not a wanabee conductor who likes to stamp his opinion on a game with his own views, there are 40,000 of us who can do that, I just want an even handed anonymous bod who will up hold the laws of the game evenly and fairly.
The poor standard (last season maybe one of the worst) we saw week after week headline making incompetent officials. Players also need to take full responsible for their play acting which makes things more difficult. I always have been for year in favour of taking cards away from officials and give that duty to 3 ex-players (not connected to either team) the duty issuing bookings or red cards with the aid of TV monitors, this should cut out the weekly crazy antics.
Officials should never be put in charge of matches in which team they support or a game that could affect their team. The FA have to understand there is bias, we are all biased, to say other words to just plain ignorance and a lie, it is human nature, and already been covered by retired officials, who freely admit bias going on during the games. I really do await the first day a fan takes an official to court on incompetence, the FA neglect so many responsibilities with the game and often use their own agenda, and bring the game into disrepute, there again it won’t be long before the FA fall foul of their own laws ( I feel they have done many times already ). I don’t watch some games these days when I know what official is in charge, because I know already how it will be managed.
Players must stop the two footed challenge, it should be made a finable offence, it is asking for trouble and a sending off which will affect ones own team. Play acting has to be stamped out, the amount of players who act like they have been shot is a disgrace to the game. About time we put in a injury rule in, go down like you been shot as an extra in a platoon, then its five minutes in a injury bin ( like the old rugby sin bin) and your team can’t make any subs unless this binned player is the one replaced. It should also be monitored by the (independent observers watching).
Briefly Community Shield….. Man City are the league champions and give them an advantage it will be taken, they are a good team and will be the bench mark for everyone. Mr Friend has history with Chelsea (not good either) he is a poor official, and handed the game to City with Ivan’s sending off (warranted or not) 6 bookings for us and only 3 for City seems strange, I saw at least another red card for us with Ramieres at the end which Mr Friend should have given, she showed he was way out of depth and absolutely incompetent, (poor FA appointment) and there was at least two yellows for Agiero for hacking and blocking, plus several others ignored by City players. Luis was lucky to stay on late in the game and some how Cole was public enemy number one, but by that time the script had been written by Friend, who I hope we never see again, and the same goes for Foy who encouraged QPR in acting outside the laws and spirit of the game a Loftus Rd last October. The FA really do have it in for Chelsea, the agenda continues from after the FA cup semi-final late on a Sunday to hamper our progress in the CL ( they also invited disgraced Treisman to that game, so glad our management snubbed them at the time) we will get a disripute charge of failing to control our players along with the witch hunt already inflicted on John Terry. This FA is showing its consistent bias and unfit for the office it holds.
This season will be difficult, the target must 4th or better so expect nothing of challenging for the title we are still a year away from that, but enjoy the change to more free flowing football though it will be painful. Give RDM time, he is still a youngish manager and is learning how to handle change himself. Give him time to adjust, like the team, whist he might not be the best at tactics, he is immense at motivation, he did mould a broken spirited squad last season to both FA cup and Champions League, much was done on the ” Dunkirk Sprit” which will only last so long. Allow the aging members of the team an autumn season and new roles as they play to bring on the new blood. there will be more new faces, allow them the benefit of learning what Chelsea is all about, the heart, desire, passion, and that Jerusalem spirit. There is going to be so much more coming from our squad, give it time to mould itself. 50 years ago we had #Drakes Ducklings” today maybe Di Matteo’s Darlings. This team has the ability to produce the wow factor, just allow them the opportunity to make it happen. Of course the aim is the PL title and to retain the CL, but the desire for the Super Cup and the World Club Cup adds to our global appeal, maybe more show piece than quality, but essential for our growth and financial stability, and don’t forget that new ground we are looking for….. bright times ahead no doubt, we are much bigger than Manchester City, and streets ahead of Arsenal, light years beyond Liverpool, and pass that telescope to Tottenham as that is what they need to see how far ahead we are of them.
With relation to TV commentary, ITV is the lowest grade, expect nothing from the organisation who puts adverts on during live games and misses goals, plus their tucking up of the Coca cola league sponsorship a few years back when the clubs had spent the money due to them ( more fools them), they are low grade idiots with clear bias, actually the product is crap. The BBC are no better, with employment given to drivel artists like Garth Crooks who would be more at home in a mental instruction and taking about the number of bricks in his padded cell. The BBC have their tongue so far up old Fergie’s back passage, they can clean he’s teeth from the inside, the only thing that keeps match of the day on our screens is Hanson putting Lawrenson in his place as a buffoon for entertainment value. Sky whilst they are blinded by their shareholding in clubs and complete Penguin dribble from Thompson, do actually have Jeff Stelling as anchorman who is the best in the business, their football shows are the cutting edge as well as over priced for subscribers, even if some of the commentators do need a lobotomy.
The press well they are the press, no morals, self gratifying, self regulated and rats of the sewers, they love to hate us, never a fair hearing or trial, their influence on the game becomes less and less each passing year as they seek their own survival in a technology advanced world, the ex Fleet Street and Wapping gutter snipes, who’s reputation is to do their biased worst without the need of a bribe, or truth to sell their own siblings for a story, they seek to make mountains out of mole hills, and scandal in every photograph, they are bedfellows of the kiss and tell, they hide behind the words of free speech, and deliver nothing but rehashed yesterdays news in soggy chip wrappers, they are all that is bad and broken about Great Britain in the 21st century.
There are obvious concerns about a poor pre-season, which was more about advancing the product than the team, we have seen many new faces arrive, and some promising youngsters go out on loan. We are now starting to see the flow of impressive junior players joining the squad, Ryan Bertrand has made immense progress, and this week will get a full international debut, Hutchinson still a bit raw but shows he could play some part in the coming season, Piazon is improving all the time, Todd Kane and Nathaniel Chalobah have made good progress, this investment in youth is starting to show rewards.
With Sturridge picking up a toe injury and Lukaku out on loan at WBA ( with Steve Clarke) we are really alarmingly short of strikers, Torres should have a field day this season, but we need cover and a quality alternative for the event of injury or a loss of form, a right winger in Moses appears to be almost done and will ever increase our midfield options, so just a right back for this season and next to allow one of our juniors to take over in 2014.
I admit to feeling both excitement as well as anticipation for the new season, so given fair wind and a level playing field we will do well, however as above I am more concerned with bias and woeful officials than I am of any opponent. The EURO championships and later Olympics will mean some players will have had little or no rest, so expect a sever dip in form due to over working.
Posted by Voltaire
