Stamford Bridge thread: BLUE is the Colour

[David Luiz]

Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool: Drogba fires Blues to FA Cup glory despite dramatic late Reds fightback

Ramires put Di Matteo's men ahead in the first half and they seemed to be cruising to victory before Andy Carroll scored one and almost grabbed a second in a late rally

By George Ankers

Didier Drogba scored a record-breaking fourth FA Cup final goal to seal glory for Chelsea who won 2-1 at Wembley despite an Andy Carroll-inspired Liverpool coming within millimetres of a dramatic comeback.

A quality-starved first half was punctured after only 11 minutes when Ramires capitalised on a series of Liverpool errors to burst down the right and slot into the net.

Drogba’s historic finish soon after half-time looked to have Chelsea comfortable, but Carroll came off the bench to slam home an emphatic finish shortly past the hour.

The striker thought he had pulled off an astonishing comeback in the 82nd minute when he powered a header at the far post, but somehow Petr Cech was able to claw it back before crossing the whole of the line, those few millimetres securing the Blues' triumph as they held off a furious final assault.

Kenny Dalglish opted to leave Carroll on the bench, Luis Suarez playing alone up front with the likes of Steven Gerrard and Craig Bellamy forward in support, while there was no place for stalwart defender Jamie Carragher.

Former Reds star Fernando Torres was named as a substitute for Chelsea, with Drogba chosen to lead the line, while Branislav Ivanovic partnered John Terry at the back and veteran Frank Lampard started.

After both sides spent the first 10 minutes acclimatising, an array of Liverpool errors allowed Chelsea through. Jay Spearing lost the ball in the centre, allowing Juan Mata into possession, who fed Ramires on the right. The Brazilian easily powered outside Jose Enrique before finishing calmly past Pepe Reina, who had committed to his dive far too early.

The Reds sought a quick response, some flowing football resulting in the ball falling for Bellamy just inside the Chelsea box. The Welshman hammered a fearsome snapshot but Ivanovic was on hand with a crucial block.

Both sides looked to attack as the halfway point of the first period passed, Salomon Kalou embarking on a mazy, unchallenged run into the Liverpool area before being caught out by Daniel Agger at the last minute.

The Dane himself then surged forward himself, but as he pushed on into the box, Enrique’s pass was hit slightly too hard, and the spark was snuffed out.

There was little more joy for either side, Suarez only able to stretch enough to tamely make headed contact with an inviting cross from Jordan Henderson five minutes before the break.

Chelsea opened the second period with a testing corner from Lampard, Glen Johnson displaying plenty of muscle to hold off Terry, though the Blues captain still got a desperate touch that flopped onto the top of the net.

They were on target five minutes later, though. Lampard had space to pick his pass with the Liverpool back line ahead of him, electing not to shoot but to play it in for Drogba on the edge of the area. The Ivorian took a touch and aimed through the legs of Martin Skrtel to roll his record fourth FA Cup final goal into the corner.

Dalglish threw caution to the wind by replacing the struggling Spearing with Carroll and the target man made an immediate difference.

Found by Enrique in the box, Carroll juggled and stepped over and seemed to have missed his moment to strike but instead whipped around the beaten Terry and slammed home left-footed to put Liverpool back in it.

The breakthrough woke the Reds up and they streamed forward, the substitute striker at the heart of it. His header down teed up Henderson to shoot wide from 20 yards as the crowd came alive.

Gerrard tried his luck next, attempting to meet a knock-down from over 30 yards out with a trademark howitzer, but he miscontrolled and fired wildly over the top. Carroll then came back into play as he met Enrique’s left-sided cross with a header not far off-target.

Liverpool thought the £35 million man had struck again in the 82nd minute, arriving superbly to blast a thumping header at the far post. Reds players and fans alike celebrated a goal but the referee's assistant made a superb call to point out that Cech had in fact jumped quickly enough with incredible reflex to keep the whole of the ball from crossing the whole of the line.

Dalglish's men hammered away in the final minutes with Chelsea clinging on desperately - although Skrtel had to cover for an exposed Reina at the death - but the final breakthrough just would not come and the Blues celebrated their fourth FA Cup triumph in six years.

[David Luiz]

Lampard hails 'special' FA Cup win for Chelsea
The 33-year-old remained coy on his side's chances in the Champions League final, but was quick to praise the roles of Didier Drogba and Roberto Di Matteo in recent weeks




Luiz adamant he will be fit for Champions League final
The Chelsea defender has been sidelined since last month's FA Cup semi-final victory, but is confident he will be available to take on Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena




Cech: FA Cup win is perfect preparation for Champions League final
The Czech goalkeeper feels that Chelsea's cup win puts them in good stead as they prepare to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League final at the Allianz Arena

[David Luiz]

Didier Drogba's agents to meet with Shanghai Shenhua owner - report
The Ivory Coast striker's good recent form has boosted his hopes of a new Blues deal, however Chinese media are reporting his agents will meet with the big-spending Shanghai side




Chelsea set for friendly clash with PSG at Yankee Stadium
The Champions League finalists will also meet Italian giants AC Milan, MLS franchise Seattle Sounders and an MLS all-star XI in their four game tour across the Atlantic.




No contact from Chelsea, claims Schurrle
Germany international attacker hints that he could be interested in a move to Stamford Bridge but has received no communication from the Champions League finalists




'I have plenty of energy left' - Chelsea attacker Mata
Spanish playmaker claims that, despite getting used to the long, draining English season in his first campaign since joining from Valencia, winning alleviates any fatigue




Lampard and Terry desperate for Drogba to stay at Chelsea
The Blues duo want the Ivorian international to remain at Stamford Bridge and are hopeful he will be offered a new deal to extend his stay in west London




Terry adamant he didn't snub Bernstein at FA Cup final
Chelsea skipper insists he didn not refuse to shake the FA chairman's hand in the Wembley pre-match build-up after being stripped of the England captaincy earlier this season

[David Luiz]

Chelsea team meet new sponsors… Formula One team Sauber

The historic partnership will mean that the Blues' club badge will now appear on the Swiss team's car when they take part in Grand Prix around the world

May 10, 2012 3:35:00 PM

By Daniel Kellard



FA Cup winners Chelsea have announced a partnership with Formula 1 team Sauber in a deal that will break new ground between football and F1.

The deal will see the west London club's logo appearing on the Swiss team's car as well as on interview walls that act as the backdrop for Sauber's official team interviews.

"This is an innovative partnership that will see a football club link up with an F1 team like never before, bringing together two of the world's biggest sports and uniting our fans," Chelsea CEO Ron Gourlay told reporters.



A statement from Sauber said: "The football club benefits from Formula One's television reach which, compared with the Premier League, is much higher and more international."Particularly in Asia,

Formula One enjoys enormous TV presence and, not least thanks to Sergio Perez (Sauber's Mexican lead driver), is currently captivating more and more fans in Latin America, as well."

[JWNY]

thank you for contributing David

[David Luiz]

Chelsea set to name Di Matteo as full-time manager - report

The Italian coach won the FA Cup and Champions League in a three-month temporary capacity at Stamford Bridge and will now be offered the job on a permanent basis

Jun 11, 2012 8:18:00 AM

Roberto Di Matteo is set to be named Chelsea manager on a full-time basis, according to widespread reports.

The Italian guided the Blues to a FA Cup win and a first ever Champions League crown after taking over on a temporary capacity in March following the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas.

Those accomplishments seem to have persuaded owner Roman Abramovich to reward Di Matteo with a permanent role, after reported previous target Pep Guardiola elected to take a year out of management.

It has been speculated that Di Matteo will be offered an initial one-year contract with an option for a further season.

Chelsea’s league campaign, however, was disappointing, as the west London outfit eventually slipped to sixth place in the Premier League, their worst finish since Abramovich bought the club in 2003.
Their league campaign appeared to take a back seat after they achieved an unlikely comeback against Napoli to progress to the Champions League quarter-final.

The Blues toppled Benfica before knocking out defending champions Barcelona with two remarkably robust performances in the semi-final which saw them go on to defeat Bayern Munich on penalties in the final.

And Abramovich now looks set to embark on a spending spree in order to return Chelsea to title contention next season. Lille playmaker Eden Hazard will join the club next month in a deal with over £30 million, with a possible deal for Porto forward Hulk also reportedly being negotiated.

[David Luiz]

Di Matteo handed two-year deal as Chelsea boss after finally convincing Abramovich

PUBLISHED: 16:22 GMT, 13 June 2012 | UPDATED: 18:21 GMT, 13 June 2012

Roman Abramovich has handed Roberto Di Matteo as two-year deal to stay as Chelsea manager.

The Italian guided the team to Champions League and FA Cup glory after taking over Andre Villas-Boas in March.And he has finally been confirmed as the permanent boss on a contract that suggests Abramovich has dismissed Pep Guardiola - for now.



Finally: Roberto Di Matteo helped Chelsea to Champions League glory

Oddly, Di Matteo has also taken the title of 'first-team coach' as well as manager.

Di Matteo said: 'I'm obviously delighted to have been appointed as manager and first-team coach. We all achieved incredible success last season that made history for this great club.

'Our aim is to continue building on that and I'm already planning and looking forward to the squad's return for pre-season.'Abramovich considered an ambitious move to lure former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola, who has started a one-year break from the game.But the club insist they are delighted to have Di Matteo on board for the next two seasons.

Chief executive Ron Gourlay says: 'Roberto's quality was clear for all to see when he galvanised the squad last season and helped the club make history, and the owner and board are very pleased he will be continuing his good work.



backing: Chelsea's owner Roman Abramovich has finally acted

'We all believed he was a young coach with much to offer when we first asked him to take charge of team affairs in March and the manner in which he worked with us, the players and all the staff, and the success that followed, made him the clear choice when it came to selecting the person to take us forward in the seasons to come.

'We will be working closely with Roberto in the weeks ahead, some exciting signings have already been made and Roberto has had input into those.

'Although he has set the bar very high in the short time he has been in charge, we know that Roberto is the right man to lead Chelsea on to further success.'Di Matteo was sacked by West Bromwich Albion in February 2011 before returning to the game at Stamford Bridge.

Former Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins, who left the club shortly before Di Matteo filled the same role, believes the decision to hire the 42-year-old full-time will bring much-needed stability to the Stamford Bridge club.



Big name: One of Di Matteo's tasks will be to revive Fernando Torres

'I'm delighted for him. It'll be nice to see that interim manager title now taken away,' he said.'I think Mr Abramovich was hanging on to see if Pep Guardiola wanted to come out from his year-long retirement. I think it's no secret he sees him as the man to take Chelsea forward.

'I don't think he has to change too much but I think there will be a few changes - with new players coming in whether it's the summer or in the December/January transfer window.

'Roberto in his wisdom selected older lads towards the latter stages of the season and it was fruitful. You need the senior players - your club is only as good as the senior players in it.

'They were playing with smiles on their faces and they got away with things (against Barcelona and Bayern Munich) through sheer persistence and endeavour.

'Roberto put a smile back in the dressing room. The confidence was pretty evident towards the end of the season.

'It's very important they bring a bit of stability back into the club and I think it'll go well for him.

'He's a former Chelsea player so the fans can relate to him as player and manager. It's not often you get a manager come in and within six months win the FA Cup and the Champions League.

But now it's extremely difficult to surpass what you've already done. It's going to be a very tough season for him.'

[David Luiz]

[David Luiz]

EXCLUSIVE: Crackpots! Chelsea embarrassed after staff damage Champions League trophy

By NEIL ASHTON PUBLISHED: 21:55 GMT, 18 June 2012 | UPDATED: 07:56 GMT, 19 June 2012


Three members of Chelsea's staff have been suspended after the Champions League trophy was damaged. One of the handles was left hanging off after the three security personnel posed for pictures with the trophy to show off to friends.

Although it was returned to its original position, a member of staff noticed the damage the following day and reported it to club officials.



Kings of Europe: Chelsea celebrated Champions League glory last month



The Champions League winners immediately sent the trophy to a London silversmith for emergency repairs following the incident at Stamford Bridge, which happened when the staff were outside their normal shift hours.

Chelsea confirmed the site visit was unauthorised and that they did not have permission to be in the building out of hours. The club's chief executive Ron Gourlay is conducting an internal investigation.
It is a huge embarrassment just weeks after the team finally achieved owner Roman Abramovich's ambition of winning the most illustrious competition in European club football.



Blunder: The famous old European Cup was damaged by club staff

Despite the significance of the trophy, it was not locked away when one of the handles was broken. Most clubs put the trophy on display in a secure cabinet for supporters to pose for pictures but Chelsea have been passing it around various departments at Stamford Bridge in recognition of the hard work of the club's 400 employees during their Champions League run.

A club spokesman said: 'The trophy was accidentally damaged while pictures were being taken. It was minor damage and has already been repaired. We don't make comment on staff matters.'

[David Luiz]

Villas-Boas to be named new Tottenham manager on Monday

The Portuguese is expected to sign a three-year contact and will make Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson his first signing at White Hart Lane

Jun 29, 2012 12:00:00 PM



By Wayne Veysey | Chief Correspondent

Andre Villas-Boas is set to be appointed the new Tottenham manager on Monday.

Sources have told Goalcom that the Portuguese has accepted Spurs' job offer and the final paperwork on a three-year contract will be completed over the weekend.

Barring any last-minute hitches, Tottenham are hoping to name Villas-Boas as Harry Redknapp's successor after Sunday's Euro 2012 final between Italy and Spain.

The former Chelsea manager agreed to take over at White Hart Lane earlier this week, but official confirmation has been delayed until after July 1 due to contractual and legal reasons.

Villas-Boas was initially Spurs' second choice behind France coach Laurent Blanc, but impressed chairman Daniel Levy with his vision for the future of the club during a series of talks throughout the second half of June.

The 34-year-old is already actively engaged in the club's summer transfer plans and has approved proposed moves for Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jan Vertonghen as he looks to get Spurs back into the Champions League.

Sigurdsson will be confirmed as Villas-Boas' first signing at White Hart Lane as early as Monday after he passed a medical and agreed personal terms with the north London club.

Spurs have agreed an £8 million fee with Hoffenheim to steal the 22-year-old from under the noses of Liverpool after he snubbed the opportunity to re-join Brendan Rodgers.

The new Liverpool manager wanted to take the midfielder with him from Swansea City, where he spent the second half of last season on loan.

Sigurdsson will be working with an even younger coach than Rodgers after Villas-Boas convinced Levy that he has not been scarred by a dismal eight months in charge of Chelsea.

After sacking Redknapp, the Spurs supremo prioritised a young, dynamic coach who can make full use of the club's new Enfield training ground and continue to overhaul a squad that is expected to soon be deprived of Luka Modric, who is edging closer to a move to Real Madrid.

[David Luiz]

Chelsea's dreams of moving to Battersea Power Station dashed as Malaysian consortium buy site for £400m

Chelsea's hopes of moving to Battersea Power Station have been extinguished after a Malaysian consortium completed a £400million purchase of the London landmark.



Revealed: how Chelsea's bid would have used Battersea Power Station

By Telegraph Sport

2:50PM BST 05 Jul 2012

Chelsea are considering moving away from Stamford Bridge and had lodged a bid to move to the iconic 39-acre site on the south bank of the River Thames.

The west Londoners released plans in May that detailed how they hoped to turn the derelict site in to a 60,000-seater stadium incorporating the four famous chimneys.

Administrators Ernst & Young revealed last month that they had shunned the Blues' offer, opting instead to name a Malaysian consortium as the preferred bidders.

And after a 28-day due diligence process, the consortium's bid has been rubber-stamped.

''Following a global marketing process that started in February 2012 and covered all major world wealth centres, a consortium comprising SP Setia, Sime Darby and the Employees' Pension Fund of Malaysia have exchanged contracts on the (Battersea) site for £400m,'' a statement from Ernst & Young read.

The consortium have planning consent to build 3,500 homes and 1.7 million square feet of office space. They also plan to build a tube station on the premises that will connect to the Northern Line.
Last year Chelsea failed in their bid to buy back the freehold of the 42,000-capacity Stamford Bridge from supporters group Chelsea Pitch Owners.

[David Luiz]

Chelsea to get energy boost after Stamford Bridge club signs three-year deal with Russian firm Gazprom

Chelsea announced a “global energy partnership” with Russian energy firm Gazprom on Tuesday night that will help reduce the club’s deficits under Uefa’s financial fair play rules.



Energy boost: Roman Abramovich's Chelsea will have their gas and electric bills paid for the next three years Photo: GETTY IMAGES

By Matt Scott

12:30AM BST 18 Jul 2012

The deal will run for three years with Gazprom paying Chelsea’s gas and electric bills. The European champions gave no indication as to the value of the deal, saying it was “commercially confidential”.

Chelsea would not discuss whether the deal had been struck at market rates, although Uefa’s new Financial Control Body is likely to take a close interest.

Uefa’s rules demand clubs must not accept inflated sponsorship deals from “related parties”. Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich, sold his controlling stake in the oil company Sibneft to Gazprom for £8.4 billion in 2005 and Uefa rules define related-party transaction as including those with “significant influence” over clubs’ sponsors.

“Significant influence is the power to participate in the financial and operating policy decisions of an entity, but is not control over those policies,” the rules state. “Significant influence may be gained by share ownership, statute or agreement.”

It is unknown if any such legacy agreements exist between Abramovich, who had owned Chelsea for two years prior to selling Sibneft, and Gazprom, which is controlled by the Kremlin through a number of subsidiaries collectively holding 50.002 per cent of the company.

Uefa’s rules continue: “An arrangement or a transaction is deemed to be ‘not transacted on an arm’s length basis’ if it has been entered into on terms more favourable to either party to the arrangement than would have been obtained if there had been no related-party relationship.”

In 2010-11, the most recent year for which accounts are available, Chelsea lost £72.04 million in cash after player trading and were England’s highest wage payers.

Their attempts to break even under Uefa’s rules last season will, however, have been assisted by the £47 million they earned from theirChampions League triumph last season, up £12.1 million on the previous year.

[no_faith]

altho we have 6 points from 2 games, our defence damn shaky, not compact enuff.
furthermore, RDM, please we have more talented midfielders on bench, can you stop playing Lumpar and Mikel for 90min?

these 2 cockster can't handle and control the midfield. omg

[jw5]

altho we have 6 points from 2 games, our defence damn shaky, not compact enuff.
furthermore, RDM, please we have more talented midfielders on bench, can you stop playing Lumpar and Mikel for 90min?

these 2 cockster can't handle and control the midfield. omg

u mean Lampar played 90 minutes again?
I thot he would be rested for this easy game!!!

[no_faith]

u mean Lampar played 90 minutes again?
I thot he would be rested for this easy game!!!

yes 90min again. dunno for wat. good example from scholes and giggs. enuff for 90min.
buy and bench, sub the wrong guy. pengz san.

[no_faith]

very surprising, V.Moses has arrived Stamford Bridge. what for?

[jw5]

very surprising, V.Moses has arrived Stamford Bridge. what for?

to be the backup to the backup Sturridge.

[David Luiz]

CHELSEA HANDED EUROPEAN CLUB ACCOLADE

Posted on: Tue 11 Sep 2012

Chelsea Football Club has been named European Club of the Year 2012 by the organisation representing the leading clubs across the continent.

The European Club Association (ECA) announced that the award recognises our outstanding achievement during the 2011/12 season on European and domestic level. It was presented at the ECA's General Assembly which is currently taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.

Chelsea FC chief executive Ron Gourlay said: 'We are proud to have received this accolade. Last season saw us win the Champions League for the first time in our history as well as the FA Cup for the seventh time and it is an honour that the ECA has recognised our success in such a way.'

Chelsea is one of the member clubs of the ECA, which is the independent body that replaced the G14 Group and the European Club Forum when both were dissolved at the beginning of 2008. It is fully recognized by UEFA and FIFA.

The ECA awards were introduced in 2010 with the aim of rewarding outstanding club performances, encouraging best practice and highlighting successful club management.

[David Luiz]

Chelsea Talisman needed: Torres must step up to the plate in Drogba's absence
The Blues have not missed the big Ivorian in the Premier League this season, but others will have to provide the phenomenally consistent impact he had in big matches




Chelsea's European honeymoon is over four months on from Munich
The Champions League holders begin the defence of their trophy at home to Juventus but much has changed at Stamford Bridge since their triumph over Bayern Munich in May




Di Matteo urges Chelsea not to dwell on Champions League success
The Italian claims last season's victory will live long in the memory but wants his players to focus solely on the task in hand against Juventus on Wednesday night

[David Luiz]

Chelsea condemn racist tweets directed at Mikel

The Nigeria international has deleted his account on the social networking site after receiving several abusive messages following his mistake against Juventus

Sep 20, 2012 10:57:00 PM
By Glenn Noble



Chelsea have confirmed that John Obi Mikel has closed his account on social networking website Twitter after receiving racial abuse following the 2-2 draw with Juventus on Wednesday evening.

The midfielder was at fault for the Italians' equaliser, as his misplaced pass allowed Fabio Quagliarella in to deny the Blues all three points in their opening Champions League Group E game.

That error led to several racist tweets being directed at the Nigeria international, something which the west London club have now condemned.

Chelsea wrote on Twitter: "Abuse on social networks is abhorrent. Racist tweets towards Mikel are totally unacceptable. Police informed. #CFC supports strongest action."

Two hours earlier, the Stamford Bridge side had tweeted to deny reports that the 25-year-old had been targeted through the site but have now been forced to backtrack.

The original tweet read: "Not true Mikel quit Twitter due to messages received. He'd wanted to leave for a while & deleted his acct today without looking at it. #CFC"

Mikel accepted full responsibility for his mistake after Wednesday's game, telling Sky Sports: "I'm disappointed, it was my pass and I over-hit it."