Chelsea News

Chelsea seem to have given up on trying to land Falcao. Which is OK by me and by many others who realize the future of the club. We have opportunities to pick up our very own signing that has played and showed his talent and scoring ability in the Premier League already. Lukaku can be our guy. Along with Demba Ba and possibly another signing as cover we will be fine up front.

I'm not sure about this next piece of news, seen here; Yes we could use another right back as cover for injury. However, at the moment we have Ivanovic who also plays on the right. Now hold your breath and try not to pass out as I explain this next bit... Say we bring in Clyne, we then will have Azpilicueta and Clyne on the right. Ivanovic will play in the middle with Cahill and Luiz. We still need one more, right? Possibly two. If this happens don't be surprised if we keep Terry and bring up Chalobah. We still need another well defined left back behind Ashley Cole. The papers are saying that Luke Shaw from Southampton will be our target at left back as well as Leighton Baines. However, Have you heard of Danny Rose? He is on loan at Sunderland from Tottenham. He runs constantly and maybe we can snatch him away for a nice early signing in the summer. So as it stands right now, we could make 2 defensive signings right off the bat. We made 5 in the summer last year, all of which were done fairly early in the transfer window. As I see it we need at least 5 more signings in the upcoming window to survive our fallout of this year and push up strong next year for the Champions League and Premier League titles, as well as the FA Cup and Capital One Cup. 2-3 signings need to be defensive signings. With those two outside backs we would have both youth and experience from the Premier League to bring into the squad. Don't forget we also have Wallace, another young Brazilian defender that plays right back. He signed in January but was loaned back to his original team.

So where do we need help at? Well, the papers are saying that Chelsea are in the hunt for Asmir Begovic My eyebrows are raised at this. Yes we need another GK as backup to Cech, but I don't think we need to sign another one when we can just recall Courtois from Athletico Madrid where he has been in fantastic form.

We have plenty of midfield options in my mind. Hazard, Moses, Oscar, Mata, Marin, Ramires, Ake, Mikel, Luiz(to an extent), Lampard(fingers crossed), as well as Kevin De Bruyne, Michael Essien, Thorgan Hazard, and Josh McEachran. We need a true replacement for Mata. Oscar is not a #10. Maybe that is where we can spend some money and get a young play maker to learn under Mata. Maybe we already have him. Time will tell.

Whatever the case we do need to offload some players to make room.

In my world we would sell Turnbull and Hilario and take back Courtois. Yes he wouldn't get the same playing time but we can use him in FA, Captial Cup and congested parts of the schedule. Hopefully he would be OK with that.
Sign Danny Rose, Luke Shaw or Leighton Baines-in that order of preference-for a successor to Cole.
Sign Nathaniel Clyne or recall Wallace as cover for Azpilicueta.
Sell Mikel, Essien, Benayoun, and Malouda.
Recall McEachran or Ruben Loftus-Cheek-for Mata successor.
Possibly sell De Bruyne.
Recall Lukaku.
Sell Torres.
Several strikers are linked to Chelsea FC. Pato, no. Schurrle, yes. Falcao, no. Genki Omae, uh never even heard of him, so no. Leandro Damiao, no. Loic Remy, maybe.

Always take a German.

Those are my choices. And I know you may not agree with all or any of them but give me your comments and/or suggestions and we can have a discussion.

Footy New from Around the World

Greece hands Katidis a lifetime ban from representing his country after taking off his shirt and making a Nazi salute to the AEK Athens fans after a goal. His coach had this to say, "The lad doesn't have political tendencies. I'm completely sure he didn't know what it meant. He was crying in the changing room when he heard about the reaction in the press. He's young and must be protected". Really?! He didn't know what that meant?? He is 20 years of age and I'm positive that anyone over the age of 10 knows about the Nazi party and the atrocities that occurred. Furthermore, if you score a goal taking of your shirt is OK if it was a big goal, but a Nazi salute? That is not my preferred method of celebration. What's even more scary in mind is how Katidis' coach is German. And defending him. Maybe it has something to do with how Germany bailed out Greece. I don't know, but I do know that he should be dealt with very harshly in the next few weeks by FIFA.

Yaya Toure could be on his way out. Apparently, the only person that recognizes his worth to the team is Mancini. And Mancini I don't see staying past this season. So... Toure could be on the out. Which to me is a good thing to hear. He makes that team run, he is the workhorse in the midfield, he is the battler and he is the lynch pin that keeps everything together. If he goes, then great. If he leaves Europe, even better. I will only like him if he plays for Chelsea. But I highly doubt that will happen. But stranger things have happened.

Raheem Sterling, who started off so bright, will go back to being a nobody. Rodgers will send him back to the U-21 squad and the Youth Cup team. I don't know why. But I do know that speed kills defenses and Liverpool really don't have any now. Maybe that's why they are sitting 7th in the table. Instead of using every available resource to finish out the season strong, Rodgers seems resigned to have another mediocre season. History wins you nothing. I did see a funny MEME today, it has a picture of a baby holding its fist and with a challenging look on its face with the caption above it reading, "Wore a Liverpool jersey to school" then underneath it says, "Passed my history exam". Have fun with Europa... Oh wait, you're not in it are you?

Transfer News:

Juve could buy Suarez. Fine by me. He dives too much for English football.
Rafa could be headed to Blackburn. OK. See ya.
Chelsea and Arsenal want to sign a young striker in Isiah Brown.
City want yet another striker in Cavani. Still no defenders.
Arsenal want another defender. They need a striker. Or two. Or three.
Redknapp wants another French player. Should they stay up. Yea, keep that asterisk up there bud.

Why England has problems...And my choice for the next CFC manager

Ever since the race row England has been in turmoil. The main problem with this is a few bad apples. I can name them too. Rio Ferdinand and company. Since John Terry quit national duty Rio has tried throwing his hat back in the ring. Only because he wants to have the last laugh. Now he says he can't because of medical conditions. What I think is that he had Fergie in his ear telling him not to go and make up an excuse so he can focus on finishing out the EPL season. The guy is a prick. The little kid screaming, "Pick me! Pick me!" Then claims he can't play because he doesn't have his asthma inhaler. What an ass. It is a very fast game and Rio is just too slow. He is more active on Twitter than on the field.

Do you see the difference between how a team like Germany and England act, both on and off the field? Do you hear Per Mertesacker causing a ruckus if something goes amiss? The only time that I've heard of something like that happening is when Ballack was left off the XI for the Euros and World Cup squad. He only had some words to say, but in the end, everyone on that team knows who the boss is. And his name is Joachim Low.

In my opinion, England need a manager that will not put up with any kind of gaff from any player. If the manager was Harry Redknapp, I am positive that all this selection mess would be dealt with quickly and publicly to let all the other players know that if you step over the line of the boss, you will be shamed. Publicly and harshly. Look what happened to Odemwingie. Redknapp came out to the cameras and basically said that he was wrong and got his wires crossed. Quickly and harshly. Look at Anton Ferdinand. He doesn't play anymore. I'm sure it's because he didn't approve and doesn't approve of the antics that Anton had versus a class guy in Terry. Anton is a follower and Terry a leader. Harry knows what went down and guess what, Anton is paying the price. That and he isn't very good.

What I hope for Chelsea is that QPR get relegated. Redknapp doesn't sign another contract with QPR and becomes the next Chelsea boss.

-or-

David Moyes finishes well, but not in the top 10. Draws and a win and two losses would be great. He then is let go by Everton and offered the Chelsea spot bringing over Baines, Jelavic and Felliani. Maybe not all at once, but at some point in the next season.

Like the Wind

Like the Wind

I only notice her hair at first.
It flows as if someone is walking in front of her with a fan.
Like in the movies it is falling in the all the right places.
She brushes it out of her eyes and glances my way.
All time stops.
She turns and I see her legs.
She reaches down to smooth her skirt.
I am mesmerized.
Her skin is tan.
Her hair is brown.
Smooth and supple.
She looks as if she was born on a hidden beach.
Far from the horrors of the city.
She has captured my every attention.
I can't move for fear that I might disturb nature itself.
I don't want her to notice me.
I want to take in this beauty.
And remember it forever.
She is like one of those flowers that you yearn to see with your naked eyes.
But you dare not pick it from where it grows.
You want everyone to see it.
You would defend her from every harm.
To just smell such a rare flower would be ecstasy itself.

Steaua Bucuresti v. Chelsea: Europa League

Football Gossip

Football gossip.

It is the only kind of gossip that I give a shit about. So, ladies, I can listen to all that stuff...and not offer an opinion. This, however, is different.

At 7:32 this morning I was reading The Daily Mirror, a UK magazine, and decided to read the transfer rumours. Yes I know I spelled it in the English style. Deal with it. Everyday I read this newspaper online. Have been doing so the last two years. The reason why I read the those particular transfer rumours is because they seem to be the most accurate. They have to be the most in depth, truthful and, most of the time, correct news stories. That's just me though. From my point of view as a player. But some of the stories seem like they are reaching for something to make a story with. Other times they seem to have insight, but in either case it is well teetered to one side. Never in the middle. Anyhow, they were saying that Torres could be on his way out. Their source came from The Express. Another UK newspaper. I'm wondering if this is any true.

Think about it.

The Express went into a little detail on Roman Abramovich. The guy to me is a gambler or a wicked Chelsea fan/owner. All this from a newspaper article...

Here we go:

I thought he was a gambler at first. Now he seems like he truly wants Chelsea to win every game 6-0 or better. And he is willing to spend A LOT of money to do just that. Torres was a fine striker. I don't know why he hasn't produced, but he has been at Chelsea for more than two years and NOW after all that money and no fruit, Roman is going to take a hit. Which, to be honest, he should. He brought in a striker and it didn't work. He does however want young kids in and we did find one with Lukaku. We've got it in Ramires Eden Hazard, Marko Marin, Oscar and David Luiz. Now we need to land the right manager so we can bring the circle complete. The right manager that knows the correct balance of youthful energy and mature wisdom. I do believe that Roman is a Chelsea fan. He just wants to win everything, as we all do, and big. Big margin, or big emotional. It doesn't matter. I believe he is listening more to John Terry than to Rafa. I believe he is hoping to win some trophies while we all have to suffer under Rafa and Torres a bit longer. But I'm pretty sure he won't be afraid to axe should the dire need arise. Maybe he is learning a lesson right now of trust. I very much believe he knows he listened to some wrong people and is paying for it. Literally.

I would know indefinitely that Roman is a die hard Chelsea fan if it was leaked that he had a call placed to Peter Odemwingie to lure him to QPR, knowing that it was false and also knowing that Harry Redknapp would refuse him entry. Thus making Odemwingie out to be an outcast to his club and knowing what Steve Clarke would do. IF that were the case, Roman Abramovich is a wicked awesome owner of Chelsea and I wouldn't want any other. Because that gave Lukaku his chance to shine. That allowed Lukaku, an 19 year old striker in the English Premier League, to be the leagues' current 8th highest goal scorer so far. He is 19.

But I doubt that it is true. The call.

If he is a gambler, then I'm just glad he has endless amounts of money to make our trophy winning dreams come true.

Now for my own gossip:

Be on the lookout for Chelsea to either sign Luke Shaw or Iasmin Latovlevici. Both get up and down the field and are great at both ends. And it was clear in our first game against Steaua that our backup left back is nowhere good enough. Both of these defenders are in my opinion great options and won't cost you an arm and a leg. Chelsea can promote from withing to blood the center backs, but that is not a real option right now since we have Terry, Cahill and Ivanovic. But we do play in enough games to let the likes of Chalobah a chance to play and show his worth on the big stage. Nathan Ake proved himself quite ready for the big time and is willing to put it all out there at a moments notice to win the game. We do need one more striker. Bring back Lukaku and add another good unknown to play as the third or just keep those two. Piazon and Lukaku would both be free. Why not? Piazon hasn't played much and hasn't made as big of a splash as Lukaku has.

Keep The Blue Flag Flyin' High!

My thoughts on recent football

UEFA Champions League...
Borussia Dortmund will win. I wouldn't be surprised to see it be Juventus v. Dortmund. They play so quick and Shaktar had no idea what was happening. Next thing they knew they were down two goals in the first half. Then Dortmund cruised to 3-0 and had no qualms about doing so. Celtic have no chance. I'm sorry. The owner of the semi-pro team I play on is a HUGE Celtic fan and yes they were screwed by the refs the last game. But I blame the manager for playing an already tired player...and at that a defender! Juve is a quick team and you don't want a defender to be half asleep and have tired legs at the start of the game. He did stick with his choice and it cost him three goals. Three costly away goals that he needs to make up in Italy. Not an easy way to do things. But hey, Chelsea did the impossible last year. Can Celtic? I don't think so. They are going without one of their strikers and it doesn't look good. Bayern will walk past Arsenal. I see PSG, AC Milan and Schalke going on. Real beat Man Utd yesterday. Controversially. But check this: A penalty was not given when Rafael raised his arm to deflect a header from a corner that would have put Real on equal terms. Not long after the red card to an acting Nani was shown and Fergie exploded. To be fair to United, they didn't play as if they were a man down. Real just smelled blood. The red I thought initially was a bit harsh. But then replays show that Nani went in then kicked out at the end of the contact, THEN crumples in a heap as if he somehow was shot in the side. Acting and a dangerous play. Red was shown. But you won't hear the commentators talking about either the deliberate handling in the area or the acting by Nani. Just how harsh the red was and how United were handcuffed by the ref. Bollocks. United the same as Barcelona have always had help from the refs...from giving away penalties and refusing others(usually to the other team) to allowing some gruesome tackles *(Scholes)* to go unnoticed but for other legal challenges to be punished. Even the acting of certain players gets attention as if they can not go on, but then a card is shown and they are miraculously alive and well *(Serio Ramos)* or *(Dani Alves)* I will never understand how people can fully support a team which gets so much unfair help in a game as simple as football. You run and you kick a ball. No need for cheaters. It's a tough game, a physical game, and you are moving around for 90 minutes. Why be lazy and fall down for no reason or get another player sent off because you are good enough. You should have stayed in and trained harder.

I was taking a kid that I train to one of my games and we were talking about different teams and why we liked or respected them, then we got into players. I felt I needed to do my part and set him straight on a few different thoughts that he had. He likes Messi because everyone else does. He's 11. I guess I can understand that. But I explained to him that even Messi dives when it behooves him to fall. Ronaldo has done the same. Even Bale his favorite player. I don't think I could ever think of any player that has not, at some point, dived to get a call. So, the inevitable question arose, "Have you even dived?" To which I honestly replied, "No, I have never fallen down to get a call." I explained to him, as all teachers should, that if you want to dive then you don't deserve to play the game. This beautiful game is played on your feet. I train to play the game on my feet. I train to stay on my feet. I gain balance and strength to keep upright and keep playing even though challenges may come in. That is what can make you great. Being able to stay on your feet and keep playing even though everyone else around you is falling like dead flies. I also explained to him that slide tackling shouldn't be committed to so quickly during the run of play. As soon as you g to ground you have lost your positioning. So much of this game is about positioning. But that is a different topic. During the game he saw that I meant what I said. I stay up. A very legal shoulder to shoulder challenge came in and instead of just falling over I stood my ground and took on the challenge. I stayed up and the challenger almost rebounded down to the ground. I am a tall guy, 6'3", not especially thick. I'm slender and athletic from outward appearances. Little does anyone know that my legs are relative tree trunks that can squat 405lbs. I do indeed have a stable base on which to stand. I asked my trainee if he saw some of the challenges that I endured during the game and he said yes. He was surprised that I was able to actually put off the challenges and create space from shrugging off those challenges given how slight I look. I laughed and responded that you can't judge a book by its cover. What looks like nothing usually is quite formidable and vice versa. I hope my teachings will sink in.

Europa League...
Chelsea face Steaua Buchuresti on Thursday and we need a win and a clean sheet to keep up our spirits for our upcoming matches.

FA Cup...
Millwall v. Blackburn...I see Blackburn going on.
Manchester Utd. v. Chelsea...Oh god I want to win this so bad and put a huge blot on Fergie and his resume in his final years. I want to win this game so bad that I want Fergie to retire after this year and maybe only winning the EPL. I want his team to spiral downward losing and drawing every last game. I want Chelsea to win the FA Cup for the 5th year running.

Premier League...
Chelsea need to win every last game on our schedule to cement our spot for next year in the Champions League. I know our schedule is packed but I believe that we can do it.