It's Round and It's White

On 20th July 2004, Chelsea signed a 26-year-old Marseille striker in the name of Didier Drogba. Without doing anything particularly spectacular in his one season at Les Phocéens, people questionned Mourinho’s sanity, to which he replied: “Judge him when he leaves the club.” Eight years on, Chelsea’s fourth highest goal-scorer of all-time will be leaving for pastures anew. Didier Drogba’s time at Chelsea has ... Read More »

Eden Hazard has tonight revealed he will join Chelsea this summer, in a move that will see Roman Abramovich shell out 78 million in contract and transfer fees. This could be a pivotal signing for the London club. The transfer saga surrounding Hazard has been going on all year, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur all rumoured to ... Read More »

The crème de la crème of European football has come and gone for another year. It is often said the best team of the season doesn’t always find their way to the Champions League final, let alone win the title. Many pundits were labeling the unlikeliest of finals as one of destiny – destiny for Bayern Munich, who walked out ... Read More »

One of the biggest matches in club football takes place this evening as Bayern Munich take on Chelsea for the chance to lift the famous European Cup at the home of the Bavarians, the Allianz Arena. The build-up to the final has been an exciting one as both sets of fans travel to Munich in high spirits after their respective ... Read More »

Roberto Di Matteo was, in a sense, a surprise short-term appointment. The likes of Fabio Capello and Rafael Benitez was named as potential interims, but neither was really approached. Instead, Roman Abramovich opted for the safer, quicker option. Roberto Di Matteo. Assistant manager duties became managerial responsibilities. Quietly, he assembled his team, drafting in colleague and friend Eddie Newton. Slowly, in the background, ... Read More »

Sir Alex Ferguson recently celebrated his 25th anniversary as Manchester United manager. Such an elongated managerial career at such an esteemed club is a feat that will not be easily replicated. His achievements whilst in the United hot seat are also unlikely to be replicated, with an impressive 12 league titles under his belt. Amid the celebrations, notably the naming ... Read More »

A tired and flat Chelsea performance against Newcastle United was punished by two stunners from Papiss Cisse and a well organised Newcastle side, which now leaves Chelsea in the precarious position of having to beat Bayern in Munich to qualify for next season’s Champions League.  Despite our recent revival, it seems that a few spectacular performances on massive European nights, ... Read More »

  La…La…La…La…La…Romelu Lukaku Romelu Lukaku came to Chelsea Football Club in the summer of 2011 in a blaze of publicity. The Belgian striker was signed for a reported sum of approximately £18 million – £20 million, with great acclaim from Belgian and European journalists – the next Didier Drogba, a wonder kid at 17 years of age, (at the time), ... Read More »

After Fernando Torres scored the winner at Camp Nou last week things have been looking bright for Chelsea. And the man who has guided Chelsea to the Champions League and FA Cup finals has been heaped with praise in recent weeks as the saviour of the club. After the turmoil under his predecessor Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto Di Matteo’s tenure at ... Read More »

Adrian Chiles, face like a bruised thumb, looks over at Jamie Redknapp, before a television audience of millions and says “Well, we should give John Terry credit for being man enough to accept responsibility for what he did tonight.” No Adrian, no. Let’s be very clear shall we? John Terry did not behave like a ‘man’ (whatever THAT means). No, ... Read More »

I’m not a psychic, an experienced football journalist or an inside source but even now, weeks before the final, I (along with many of you) am able to name six players who definitely will not be playing in Munich on the 19th of May. Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires, Raul Meireles and Holger Badstuber, David Alaba and Luiz Gustavo are all suspended ... Read More »

There is a dark cloud lurking over Spanish football this week. As I sit at home in Pamplona, sheltered from one of the frequent regular downpours, the rain keeps falling and the clouds thickening. It is more hot chocolate by the fire weather, rather than cocktails on the beach. With both Spanish clubs out of the Champions League after losing ... Read More »

Above all else, to me, football is about passion. Whatever trials and tribulations your work or domestic week have brought you, watching the match allows you those moments where you just let your emotions go and shout out for or against those things that either please, frustrate or simply irritate you. In over forty years of watching Spurs I don’t ... Read More »

Chelsea will face Spanish heavyweights Barcelona in tonight’s Champions League semi-final, a tie which has seen many pundits and experts across the world write the Stamford Bridge club off at the first opportunity. There is no doubting that Chelsea are the underdogs – but they CAN qualify for the final, it is not mission impossible. Most people will agree that ... Read More »

Okay, let me just begin by admitting that, though I am a Chelsea man, I don’t think we’ll progress against Barcelona. I half agree with Mourinho’s thinly-veiled accusation against UEFA and their referees, and I half acknowledge that Barcelona are vastly superior in all areas of the pitch. But there is a chance, no matter how slim, that Chelsea can ... Read More »

When Spurs made the short journey across London to face Chelsea on Saturday, many Spurs fans were less than optimistic. For over a month, Spurs have been in the mire. This match though, will give them hope. The green shoots of recovery could be seen as Spurs more than matched their rivals. Despite Stamford Bridge being a graveyard for Spurs ... Read More »

Manchester City moved to within a point of leaders Manchester United with a comeback similar to those we’ve been seeing from their rivals for years. In a match of great magnitude both teams were without key defenders, but the most intriguing news was the return of City’s hero-turned-villain striker, Carlos Tevez. According to Roberto Mancini, the Argentinian wasn’t fit enough ... Read More »

After the drama and excitement of Wednesday night’s thrilling Champions League comeback, the debate surrounding the Chelsea trio of John Terry, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard has intensified. The three ‘old timers’ have never been far from the back – or front, in Terry’s case – pages this season, with many questioning their futures at the club. Under Andre Villas-Boas, ... Read More »

In the three weeks that felt like an eternity between Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat in Naples and the second leg at Stamford Bridge, I always maintained a sense of optimism and even predicted a 3-1 win after 90 minutes. My confidence though was rapidly diminishing in the early stages of the second leg. Chelsea looked blunt in attack, whereas Napoli seemed to be sharp ... Read More »

Many looking in from the outside will  suggest that Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Stoke was a poor performance, how could a top team take over an hour to break down a Stoke side, reduced to 10 men after just 20 minutes? Although it was a frustrating afternoon, it was by no means a poor performance. Stoke, whose original attitude towards the ... Read More »