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Chelsea need to keep the faith with AVB
- André Villas-Boas
So it would seem everyone’s agreed then? Andre Villas-Boas should be first sacked, second dragged through along the Kings Road by horse and cart and then fired from a cannon, at a wall, from a very short distance. Of course the British media are never ones to under-react to the slightest whiff of crisis, but the only way the young Chelsea manager is going to put these irksome stories to bed – particularly with club and Abramovich favourite, Guus Hiddink’s recent availability – with some victories and points.
Back to back home defeats, losses against their perceived main competitors, a blunt edge at the business end of their supposed attacking formation; all of these things have led to the departure of, amongst others, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Carlo Ancelotti in recent seasons. So what can the Portuguese do to arrest his side’s slump?
The summer so far: Chelsea
by Dean Mears
It’s been quite a summer of change at Stamford Bridge this season, even though in terms of playing staff nothing much has changed at all. There’s a change in direction, a shift in focus, a realisation, especially by Roman Abramovich that he had got it all wrong. You see, since 2003 Roman’s aim has been to win the Champions League at any cost. Managers have come and gone, players bought and sold, all of which has made a dent in his bank balance that was bigger than his divorce The club now however has a young manager and are targeting a different style of player. The future could be very bright indeed for Chelsea, if only they could sign someone.
The rise of the mediocre
Wayne Bridge completed his loan move to West Ham this week, after the Davids Gold and Sullivan agreed to cover his reported £80,000 per week wage as well as paying his parent club, Manchester City, an apparent six-figure loan fee. An astute signing many a West Ham fan will have you believe – one life-long Hammer in fact remarked earlier today when questioned about this signing, “Really? We’ve had Tal Ben Haim at left-back all season. Tal. Ben. Haim.”. If United stay in the Premier League due in some part to the input of the England International, then indeed this deal can be seen as a success. The statistics however do not bode well for a player unforgivingly stalked by a series of niggling injuries since he last played more than 30 games in a single season, in the 2003/04 season for Chelsea.England: Doomed to failure or destined to succeed?
In recent weeks we have been inundated by media reports detailing how the England team’s injury crisis, loss of key players and seeming lack of strength in-depth will destroy any slim glimmer of hope of success in South Africa this summer.
