Chelsea FC - Supporters' Rally

[Glen2712]

Cech Keen To Defy Logic

Blues keeper hopes title success makes Red Devils complacent

Petr Cech believes that winning the Premier League title may be detrimental to Manchester United's European aspirations.


The Chelsea keeper is hoping that domestic success will see the Red Devils take their foot off the gas in Wednesday's UEFA Champions League final.


The Czech Republic international is adamant that focus can be lost once silverware has already been secured, and is tipping the Blues to upset the pre-match favourites during their midweek showdown in Moscow.


Destructive

"Football is sometimes a game with no logic," Cech said in The Sun.


"Having won the title, you would say it was a big boost for them because they finished above us and celebrated.


"But that can be destructive. When you know you've won something you can relax more because in the back of your mind you have already succeeded.


"Maybe they will be more relaxed and this could be the advantage for us because we have to remember the feeling of going so close and ending up so disappointed."


Cech admits that the all-English nature of the final ensures that both sides know what to expect from their opponents, but has hit out at the critics who believe United's expansive style of play deserves to win out over Chelsea's more dogged approach.


Trophies

"It's difficult to say you play brilliant football when you finish the season with no trophies," the Blues' stopper told BBC's Inside Sport.


"Chelsea fans will not be happy if we played brilliant football this season and did not win a trophy."


"For our supporters, it is important we entertain. But they will only remember the years when we won trophies."


"I use Arsenal as an example of playing brilliant football without winning trophies."


"In 10 years people will not remember the Arsenal squad of 2007/08 because they played brilliant football."


"Maybe in 10 years' time they won't remember them because they did not win any trophies."


Contract

Cech was also keen to pledge his future to Avram Grant's side amid growing speculation that he could be set for a summer departure.


"I have two years left on my contract and I am very happy here," he said.


"This club is one of the best in the world and this league is the best in the world. And if you take this combination there is not really another place to move to."

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[Glen2712]

Ballack hands backing to Grant

It is hard to quantify just what Avram Grant has achieved as Chelsea manager.

The mere fact that coach hand picked by Stamford Bridge Tsar Roman Abramovich to replace Jose Mourinho last September is preparing to lead Chelsea into the first Champions League final against Manchester United suggests more than a little credit should be flowing in his direction, yet instead negativity continues to wash over him relentlessly.


After taking over a side that had just failed to beat the minnows of Rosenborg on home soil, Grant's achievements in mounting a sterling challenge for the Premier League title and then taking the club to the brink of the ultimate prize in Europe seem to be constantly dismissed by the majority who still believe he is out of his depth at the top level of European football.


Apparently destined to be cast as a permanent figure of ridicule, he spent much of Chelsea's Champions League press day last Wednesday answering questions about his future. Much to his frustration, and that of twitchy Chelsea Director of Communications Simon Greenberg, Grant was a punch bag for the world's media who refuse to believe this quiet man is anything other than Abramovich's stooge.


A glowing endorsement from the Chelsea owner would be enough to quell the belief that Grant is preparing for his final game as Chelsea manager on Wednesday night in Moscow, but such a message doesn't seem imminent from the Russian billionaire whose public pronouncements are as occasional as those of Osama Bin Laden.


It means the players Grant works with are left to offer their own defence of the most maligned Champions League final boss of all-time, yet they struggle to answer the questions the media inevitably ask about this mysterious Israeli whose nervous performances at press briefings inspire little confidence.


Take Michael Ballack. Here is a man who has seen it all in the game after playing at the highest level for over a decade and while his words in support for Grant are designed to be warm, his suggestion that the Israeli has done little to change the set-up he inherited from Mourinho says much.


'You don't need too much influence from the coach when you have a dressing room as experienced as the one we have at Chelsea just now,' states the German international, clearly not realising his words suggest Grant has had little influence on a squad packed with high-profile star names.


'When I was a young man learning my trade at Bayern Leverkusen, Christoph Daum was the coach and I learned so much from him. He would take you aside and talk to you when the time was right. I needed it at the time. At Chelsea, we have players who have all been in these pressure situations so many times now and we know what to do.


'The job of the coach is merely to make a tactical change sometimes and to make sure we have the conditions we need to succeed and our coach can do that for us. Avram Grant is a nice man and I'm sure will be at Chelsea next season. We are in a Champions League final and pushed Manchester United very close at the top of the Premier League. There is no need to change the manager when a team are achieving things like this.'


The general view is that Ballack and Mourinho didn't see eye to eye in the final few months of their working relationship at Chelsea. Indeed, when 'The Special One' left the German superstar out of his Champions League squad at the start of the season, the perception was that his Stamford Bridge career was all but over.


Reports that Ballack underwent ankle surgery in Germany without Mourinho's permission last May were only loosely denied by the Chelsea boss and at that point, few could have imagined his season would end on such a remarkable high, but he tries to put that much-publicised controversy to bed once and for all.


Indeed, his glowing praise of Mourinho suggests Ballack had few gripes with the much lamented Chelsea boss whose shadow has been looming over everything Grant has tried to achieve in his first season as a coach of a major club.


'Our manager is a very different person to Jose Mourinho and he cannot change just to fit in with what people want,' continues Ballack. 'The fans loved Mourinho and they were very sad when he left. Obviously, the guy who follows was in a tough position.


'Mourinho brought me to Chelsea and I have a lot of admiration for him as a coach. Even though people always suspected there was a problem between us, I can say he was a good man to work with.


'The same is true with Avram Grant. You cannot compare the two because they are so different. Avram talks to the players in a much quieter manner and is very clear in his ideas. We all have respect for him, don't worry about that.


'I was injured at the start of the season and never had any problem when I was not in the Champions League squad. Everyone else seemed to panic when my name was not on the list, but it was never a problem for me. It was a tough time back then because I hate sitting on the sidelines, but all the hard work getting back to full fitness has paid off because the last six months have been my best at Chelsea.'


Finding his feet alongside Frank Lampard in a powerful Chelsea midfield, Ballack's big-game temperament has been vital for the progress Grant has made in his tenure as Blues boss and now the highly-paid Germany captain is dreaming of finishing what has been a confused season personally and for his club in the grand manner.


'We have the chance to finish the season with the ultimate success,' he adds. 'We are faced a Champions League Final where there is no favourite. It's a very exciting time for everyone at the club.


'I have been in this position before, but you cannot compare the Leverkusen team I reached the Final with in 2002 with Chelsea six years on. We have so much more experience at this club and we are ready to win the Champions League right now. At Leverkusen, it was amazing just to be in the Final, but this is different.


'Manchester United are a top side, so we know this will be a massive test for us, but our form in the last few months is good enough to give us real belief going to Moscow. When you have as much confidence and the knowledge as we have in this Chelsea squad, you don't fear any challenge.'


The absence of a track record at the top level is a major flaw in Grant's make-up and while he will be hoping victory over Manchester United will finally gives him the credibility he craves, such a scenario still seems a distant dream. In an era when style counts just as much as substance, you are fighting a losing battle when your personality is as dour as the team you send into battle each week.


Not being Jose Mourinho is a problem Avram Grant will never overcome.

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[no_faith]

i recall ballack was in the leverkusen team which beat manu to qualify the final stage of the CL

ballack did perform and we won agains manu in the BPL match.

now, ballack will be in the team, Chelsea in the final showdown against manu in moscow. will he be the one again?


countdown...

[yellowmilk]

Originally Posted by LiverPOO

True. Everyone has his own views. So if Liverpool fans call anyone associated with Utd names others can't do likewise to Liverpool?

Bro i shant argue with u anymore cause this is a chelsea supporters thread. i've said mine and you've said yrs. anyway, i will be rooting for chelsea to win this wed

Originally Posted by spinelli10

Bro Yellowmilk,

why bother with th scums utd.We are well known to be the most intelligent fans in the world whereby their is for trouble makings.Oh also prawn sandwich lovers.

bro spinelli

txs for the supprt. never seen u post before in the liverpool supporters thread? maybe can join us there , lots of 'pool supporters in sammyboy.

[uncle gg]

up the blues.

may the best team win tonight.

[Glen2712]

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[no_faith]

i cant take the blow

[uncle gg]

well frankly both teams have their share bit of luck, besides some bogus referee's decisions. imo, our team had gave their very best. put this down as a past, into history now, thou painful and look forward to a new season. keep that spirit high up. we are winners after all

up the blues!

[havana]

So sad.....Feel like crying
We have the skill, the determination but just no luck......

[Lychee]

Congra to all Chelsea Fan

Chelsea has done a Treble Runner Up (EPL, League Cup & Champion League)

[Glen2712]

Robinho - Chelsea want me

Kenyon in talks over £28million move for Brazilian

Chelsea are prepared to pay £28million to bring Real Madrid star Robinho to Stamford Bridge, according to the player and his agent.


The Brazilian forward has previously been linked with a move to Manchester United, possibly in a swap deal involving Cristiano Ronaldo, but his advisor has now revealed that he has engaged in talks with Chelsea.


Agent Wagner Ribeiro claims he met with Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon on Thursday, during which a fee for the player was discussed.


"I met Peter Kenyon, Chelsea managing director, in London on Thursday," said Ribeiro to Brazilian TV station Globo.


"He told me that they (Chelsea) were considering making an offer of 35 million euros for Robinho."


Real possibility

The 24-year-old backed his agent's claim by confirming a firm interest from Chelsea.


"What could happen is that I could go to Chelsea, as I have an offer from them," Robinho added.


Robinho continued to reveal Milan were also monitoring his situation, but talk of a switch to Manchester United was nothing more than conjecture.


"Milan are also interested in me. The Milan directors have asked to hold a meeting with Wagner," he added.


Speculation

"There is nothing from Manchester, that's all just speculation.


"Cristiano Ronaldo is not going to leave there. He's just won the Champions League and he could be crowned the best in the world."


Only last week Robinho claimed he was settled in Spain and had no intention of leaving Madrid, but news of Chelsea's interest will certainly cause a stir in the capital.


Blues owner Roman Abramovich has made no secret of his desire to see a more aesthetically pleasing style of football being played in West London, and Robinho is certainly a player that would meet such criteria.

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[CKee]

Originally Posted by havana

So sad.....Feel like crying
We have the skill, the determination but just no luck......

Install a manager that the players will respect and die playing for. Buying more expensive players that dun gel won't work - and this includes a general who is an astute tactician and team motivator. Though I am a Man Utd fan through and through, I have regard for Mourinho and he is the perfect manager to replace Ferguson. And when he left, I was quite relieved. But Mourinho leaving is history now and will be interesting to see the next manager. Must win playing attractive soccer and this is Roman's vision of putting Chelsae on the map.

[uncle gg]

Chelsea manager Avram Grant has had his contract terminated, according to the Premier League club.

[Glen2712]

Chelsea sack Grant

Manager handed marching orders at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea have sacked manager Avram Grant after only eight months in charge at Stamford Bridge.


Grant has been under severe pressure in West London since replacing Jose Mourinho last September.


And the Israeli, who steered Chelsea to a second-placed Premier League finish, has now been handed his marching orders after the Blues ended the 2007/08 campaign without a trophy.


Grant's last game in charge of Chelsea was the UEFA Champions League final penalty shoot-out defeat to Manchester United on Wednesday.


A statement on the club's official website read: "Chelsea football club can confirm that Avram Grant has had his contract terminated today (Saturday 24th May). This follows meetings over the last two days.


"Everybody at Chelsea FC would like to thank Avram for his contribution since taking over as manager last September.


"We will now be concentrating all our efforts on identifying a new manager for Chelsea and there will be no further comment until that appointment is made."


The likes of Internazionale manager Roberto Mancini and Frank Rijkaard will now be strongly tipped to take over at Chelsea.

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[Glen2712]

Blues plan Drogba meeting

Chairman hoping striker stays at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck says the club will sit down with Didier Drogba to see if the striker wants to stay at Stamford Bridge.


Drogba has been tipped to leave the Blues over the summer, with Milan confirming he is on their list of transfer targets.


The Ivory Coast ace was sent off in the UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United in midweek, and Buck admits it was a 'silly' red card for the forward to pick up.


But Buck remains hopeful that Drogba will still be in West London next season and is planning to hold talks with the former Marseille man shortly.


Collective decision

''Didier is a superb player generally," Buck told Chelsea TV. "There have been some comments reported to be made by Didier over the last year that maybe he would like to leave Chelsea. On most occasions he has said that he has been misquoted.


"Now that the season is over, we have to sit down with him and see what the story is and what his future is. He is a great player, I hope he stays, but that is a decision the club and Didier will have to make collectively.


"This year he has had some niggling injuries, but we know he can change the course of a game, as he nearly did in Moscow.


"As I have said, he is a superb player, but if you are a world-class player, which he is, you have to avoid the silly red cards, the ones that come about over nothing - and I think Didier will be sorry that he got that red card."


Tweaking squad

Following Chelsea's failure to win a trophy this season, there have been widespread reports of a mass exodus from Stamford Bridge over the summer.


Buck expects Avram Grant's squad to be trimmed during the off-season, but he is not predicting wholesale changes of the playing staff.


He added: "We decided several months ago that our squad size is a few players too many. It is about 28 now and it should really be 22 plus three goalkeepers.


"So there is going to be some movement just to get the squad down to the size we think is optimum. In terms of other transfers generally, every year we want to tweak the squad a bit, so there will be some changes, but I don't expect there to be massive, wholesale changes."

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