Roman’s Impulse Buying not good for Chelsea

So, you’re a billionaire with a high profile football club. You want success on the European and World stage and you wanted it yesterday. You have a good squad of players who have won domestic titles but you want some great players so you win things on a grander scale. What’s the solution?

Let’s go shopping!

And that is what Roman Abramovich has done in the past, and looks to continue in the future. The problem is that he has no experience in how to put a successful team together. He has no experience in managing a squad and making a group of people play together with a shared vision. The organization of individual footballers to result in a group stronger than the sum of the individual parts is an art form. Roman doesn’t mind this though, when he wants a big-name or world-class operator, he will get his cheque book out.

Case in point; Fernando Torres. Two years ago Torres was one of the most feared strikers in the world. He was in blistering form for both club and country and looked to be on the cusp of being a Liverpool great. Since then, he missed a lot of games through injury, resulting in a loss of form, disillusionment with his former club’s ambitions, and criticism from the press and fans. Roman didn’t see those problems.  Instead he saw the class of the former Torres, the lethal goal-scorer, as the missing link to bring his Chelsea side to the heights he desires. A cheque for £50 million and “El Nino” was on his way to London.

Is this the beginning of the end for Harry’s Spurs?

Take away last nights 4-0 battering at the Bernabeau last night, and this season has been the stuff of dreams for Spurs fans. It was the season that they arrived on the Champions League scene and announcing themselves to the rest of Europe. Unfortunately for them, it could be their last.

At the end of last season Spurs achieved something they have not done in the history of the Premier League, they qualified for the Champions League and were about to join Europe’s elite on midweek evening dates. They thrilled us during their qualifier with Young Boys as they came from behind to reach the group stages. They were then treated with one of the benefits of being a Champions league club, they attracted Rafael Van Der Vaart to come to White Hart Lane. Then they thrilled us further by topping the competition’s “Group of Death” surpassing Inter, Werder Bremen and FC Twente. And they played some brilliant attacking football along the way. Finally they took on the European super-power, AC Milan, and put them out setting up an encounter with Read Madrid.

Rooney loves cursing, and so do we.

“F**k”

(Wayne Rooney, April 2^nd)

The above is a direct quote of what caused Wayne Rooney to receive a two match ban from the FA today. For those who are reading this and wonder why I have chosen to conceal some of the letters, I simply do not want to offend anyone and risk the backlash of the internet community. I apologize that I have even used the F and the K. That in itself is offensive and bringing this blog into disrepute.

Premier League Injured Team of the Season

Injured XI

The season is nearing an end. But for some it has already ended. For others it never started. Here is a list of this season’s team of most notable absentees.

GK: Any Arsenal Goalkeeper

Much like the goalkeeping position at Arsenal  as a whole, it is hard to pick a definitive option here. At present they have 4 senior goalkeepers (Fabianski, Almunia, Szczesny and Lehmann) at the training ground.  Fabianski and Szczesny are injured and Lehmann has been retired since last season. Almunia has just returned from injury, but is prone to fall at any time. The fragile nature of Arsenal keepers since Lehmann has meant that he is their last recognised number 1. Arsenal fans must be wondering will any of these keepers amass 30 games or more in the team next season.

RB: Gary Neville

Injuries finally finished off his career this season. The United defender / fanatic called it a day when he realised the last 2-3 seasons of injury and recovery took its toll. His appearance against West Brom on New Year ’s Day showed that he was not close to the player he once was. He missed United’s two last Champions League finals due to injury and, even if “fit”, he would not be picked for any subsequent Champions League appearance. It wasn’t long into 2011 before he admitted it was over.

CB (2): Jonathon Woodgate & Ledley King

You have to group these two together as their plight is so closely linked. Both have had a horrid last 5 years with injury. Woodgate’s tale almost seems more tragic as his move to Spanish giants Real Madrid never saw him make an impact outside his calamitous debut. That night he conceded an own goal and was sent off. He did however leave to rave reviews from the fans and staff at the Bernabeau. King has suffered from a chronic knee problem that has prevented him training and playing back to back fixtures for the last few seasons. With both, as they recover from long established injuries, they seem to pick up groin, calf, quad, hamstring or back problems that delay a return. With a better fitness and appearance record they would probably be the first choice pairing for Spurs, and possibly England. King may still play a part this season. Woodgate however limped off in a friendly game against Barnet this week with a calf problem.

John Terry – leader among journalists

“We need to man up…”

The message from Terry to his team is clear. He wants them to “fight them on the beaches, fight them on the landing grounds, fight them in the fields and in…..” You get the idea. Are his team mates still listening or have they gotten tired of the same JT histrionics?

John Terry prides himself on being the hard, no-nonsense, never say die, leader of men and the man you want with you in battle. We know this because this is how he presents himself to the media time and time again. John Terry’s love for the media is not highly publicised or commented on, but it is obviously there.

This week he sent a rallying cry to his team and in defence of his manager (who he refers to as Carlo, not gaffer by the way). A few weeks ago he sent a message to those teams they are chasing in the league. They had beaten Bolton comfortably by 0-4 and looked like the Chelsea of old. This, he told us, was the turning point and everyone better get out of their way or else! Or words to that effect.