Chelsea 1 West Brom 0
Saturday’s win was a win. Not as close as the scoreboard would indicate, but honestly, we have no fault but own own that it was only 1-0. Sure, Ben Foster was genius, but we made him so. Onward.
Brian Reade of THE MIRROR is quite right when he says the rot at Chelsea can be laid at the feet of our owner and his quisling and insipid Board. I’ve been railing about this since Ancelotti was was classlessly dismissed, and while I’ve chimed in on the Rafa Out front a bit, it was more out of utter frustration with how our team has performed considering they have all the talent in the world and should, by most estimations be atop the table and defending their European title.
Instead, we’ve gone from Champions of Europe to Chumplins of Europe, and whether or not the coach(es) or players are partly to blame, this is all, at the end of the day Roman’s doing. This is not what he wants, but this is what he gets, given the way he goes about running and (mis)managing his business.
And us fans? We’re stuck with it. And yes, the wrath has been misdirected. This is not Rafa’s fault or doing. Now, mind you, there have been about 5 or 8 games where Rafa’s lineups, game management, and substitutions probably cost us a few points. He’s not the tactical genius he believes he is in his own mind. But at the end of the day, both Chelsea and Rafa should never have been in this position to begin with.
Roman Abromovich is the culprit. Clearly having a billion dollars or being an allegedly astute businessman does not necessarily equate with running a sports franchise. Money can buy stupidity as easily as it can buy brilliance. And that is what has to change.
I’m not advocating ROMAN OUT, or anything like that. I’d rather have Gourlay and Emenalo gone. Gone forever and replaced by good people who know the football side of the business….then let them do their job and stay the hell out of the way. But if Roman can not do that, then yes, it might be time for him to sell the club before he destroys the club and the glory both he and us fans wish for, any further.
Fernando Torres Can’t Even Score A Goal With His Ass
Stan Collymore of THE MIRROR had his take on Fernando Torres this morning. And naturally, I had to leave mine:
I agree with you on this one. Torres has GOT to go. It’s as sad to say as it’s been to see. He needs to go somewhere, but where. Where can he go where there will be no expectations whatsoever, let alone unrealistic ones? I’ve thought about this and can’t really think of one off the top of my head. The MLS?? It would have to be a club with less lustre than the one the “Unidentified Fan” plays for. Maybe the Chicago Fire would be a good place to rekindle the flame? [pun intended]
It hasn’t worked at Chelsea from day 1, so maybe he should take a pay cut, leave the money on the table, and walk away. It’s not like he’s going to starve to death anytime soon. But his heart and soul WILL if he doesn’t leave now.
Arsene Wegner contemplates a Summer transfer offer for David Villa. (picture not related)
If THE MIRROR has a page dedicated to NASCAR, which I highly doubt that it has ((it doesn’t)), I’ve never gone out of the way to look for it. In fact, I don’t rely on THE MIRROR for anything BUT football coverage, which is probably a wise choice all things considered.
In 3 hours and change as I bang this out, the Subway Fresh Fit 500k tees off at Phoenix with Mark Martin leading the charge. The old man is the oldest pole winner in Phoenix International Raceway history. He was also the oldest pole winner there last year as well. He shattered last year’s mark with a qualifying speed of 138.074mph. Starting behind Kahne, in row 2, is Kyle Busch who won the Nationwide race last night, and like Martin, is a force to be reckoned with in today’s tilt. Kyle, despite Mark Martin’s dominance at Phoenix is the odds-on favourite. I’m cheering Kyle these days, since he’s Matt Kenseth’s teammate. So, no more Roushketeers for me. To hell with The Biff and The Carl and Romeo.
As for Danica Patrick this week, her car setup has been a bit off. She didn’t get the speed she needed in practice or qualifying. She got loose in qualifying and will roll of in 40th. Happy Hour didn’t show any vast improvement in speed. Newman’s practice speed was down as well from what would be expected, but qualified 10th. So we’ll have to see if some magic has been worked overnight.
Finally, as I’ve been preparing this telegram, I’ve been watching today’s North London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal. And the aforementioned Arsene Wenger is not a happy man as Arsenal went down to a 2-1 defeat bumping Tottenham backup into 3rd place and leaving Arsenal 5 points adrift of Champions League qualification. As a Chelsea fan, I’d rather have seen neither side win this….a 2-2 draw would have been ideal and I was rooting for the Gunners to get the equalizer. But Tottenham were and are the better team. Arsenal is on the verge of becoming a fallen flag ((at least in eyes and minds of the Gooners)). If they can’t at least climb to 4th, then Wegner’s pickings in the Summer transfer market become quite slim and marginal. Instead of world class talent like David Villa or Victor Valdes, Wegner can have his choice of, say Yohan Cabaye from Newcastle. Not that Cabaye is no good…he’s top shelf talent where he is. But at Arsenal? Not so much.
I wonder what Mark Martin would have to say about all that.
Probably not very much.