Saturday 24 December 2011

Time For An Honest Appraisal Of The Chelsea Squad


It’s been a roller coaster few weeks; poor form looked to be turning around before disappointment against Wigan and poor finishing against Tottenham left us fourth in the table with no real prospect of mounting a title challenge and, if we are realistic, looking over our shoulder in the fight for Champions League qualification next season. While we are busy laughing at the Manchester clubs’ exit from this year’s competition we should note that both are likely to finish ahead of us in the Premiership and that we might not even get the CL group stage next season if we are not careful!

So, what has gone wrong? Where is the squad too lightweight? Where must we strengthen?

Management

Let me start with management. There has been lots of ‘Trust in AVB’ crap (for that is what it is) with fans borrowing a phrase used by Scousers with regard the hopeless Rafa Benitez and Gooners with regard Arse W*n*er. However, there has also been plenty of crap giving the contradicting view that he should get the chop.

Why are both views crap? The ‘Trust in’ camp need to realise that blind faith is rarely a good thing especially in someone yet to prove himself while the ‘give him the chop’ camp need to gain perspective.

AVB came with a short but exceptional record but, as I have stated more than once, came untested by the kind of challenges that come with a downturn in form, with rebuilding a squad, with anything close to Premier League type pressure. In short, I would not have offered him the job but now he is here he deserves the chance to make amends for Carlo Ancelotti’s oversight in allowing a squad to both age and get thin without taking action. That task is not a small one and should we even fail to qualify for next season’s Europa League AVB must be given the opportunity to rebuild. Sacking him will only leave his replacement with the same squad and same task.

The Squad

That squad is looking desperately thin. Last season it was exposed when injuries to Lampard, Essien and Drogba left the team struggling in the middle part of the season. This season the picture is worse, especially if (God forbid) we have another couple of long term injuries.

Goalkeeper

Petr Cech has been at fault for both of the last two goals conceded but is still a world class keeper. But what if he should succumb to injury? Hilario and Turnbull are competent but would we really be comfortable if either had to have a long run in the side? They’re okay for occasional cover but not much more. We need better cover for Petr Cech especially given growing rumours his knees are ‘fragile’.

Defence

We have some serious problems here. JT continues to be a legend and Ashley Cole although no longer at his peak is still by far the best left back in English football. David Luiz is good and will improve and Branislav Ivanovic has provided competent cover both at right back and centrally. The less said about Jose Bosingwa the better and Paulo Ferreira is a loyal servant but, for all his great game v the Spuds, is at the tail end of a career. It says everything about the squad’s problems at right back when the injured Essien, a midfield player, is our best right back by far!

As a minimum we probably need one if not two right backs and another central defender preferably one with pace.

Midfield

I am less concerned about the ability we have in the middle than I was at the start of the season although quantity is still lacking. Romeu has been a revelation relegating Mikel to competent cover in that holding position. I’ve made no secret of the fact I am not a John Obi fan but as cover, he’ll do. Whether he’ll be happy with that is another matter. Lampard is still brilliant but AVB is right to use him more sparingly and to get the most out of his twilight years. Ramires has improved no end, while Mereiles is mostly good but needs to show more consistency. Essien has yet to come back and we can only hope two long term knee injuries have not reduced his desire, energy or confidence. Then there is Josh McEachran, one for the future and who surely deserves more playing time, not to say needs it, for his development – perhaps a January loan?

Our midfield has got ability without depth, energy without quality and creativity. We need at least one midfield player of quality, an artist to match the industry.

Up Front

Thank F*** for Danny Sturridge and Juan Mata! I include Mata up front although have little doubt he could also provide the artistry our midfield lacks but what would that do to our front three (assuming we continue to play the same system)?

Nicolas Anelka has gone and had passed his sell by date anyway and Didier Drogba still looks good in flashes but, though we love him, is no longer the Drog of old. Salomon Kalou? Well if he is the answer someone is asking the wrong question! Florent Malouda comes out and goes in with the sun and his inconsistency in a side desperately needing players to ‘turn up and be counted’ adds him to my transfer list. Danny Sturridge has been brilliant (despite wasted chances) and will get better. Lukaku? I remain to be convinced but will be happy to be as wrong as I was about Ramires.

I know I haven’t mentioned Torres but I’m not convinced we signed the right player. Yes, he was quality but was he made for Chelsea or would we need to change too much else to accommodate the player he was. As for the player he is? Blind loyalty aside; the jury must be out. The African Cup of Nations offers him what, to me, should be his last chance to rediscover old form.

Nonetheless, even should the real Fernando Torres stand up, for a team which aspires to Champions League and Premiership glory our attack is under-whelming and only one injury away from being threadbare. We need at least two more decent strikers to back our likely end of season preferred trio of Mata, Sturridge, and El Nino.

Ah yes, the African Cup of Nations! Don’t get me wrong there are some fantastic African players out there and I love watching the tournament but please Chelsea, don’t sign any more Africans!

I do however think about the youngsters who can be added to bolster the team, not forgetting that surrounding them with the right quality will bring them through far better.

It was only a couple of seasons ago I smugly looked at other sides and played the game of ‘how many of your players would make it into our team?’ It was rarely more than one or two, very occasionally three. Now? Against the Spuds possibly only four of our starting eleven would have made theirs. You may agree with me on that or disagree but surely you will accept my argument that we simply do not have the quality or the depth required right now.

AVB must start to earn that trust some fans talk about by beginning the rebuilding process with some sound purchases and some difficult decisions on who to let go come January and (given it  won’t all be done in one go) again in the summer.

KTBFFH

Wednesday 21 December 2011

The Suarez Decision – Am I Alone In Feeling Conflicted Over This?


Racism: it is a really hot topic in football at the moment, and rightly so. There is no place for racism in society let alone football.

This afternoon we heard that John Terry is to be charged over that incident at Loftus Road but I am not going to comment on that other than to repeat what I have said all along; he is innocent until proven guilty and to treat him any other way would be to discriminate against him . I hope he proves to be not guilty but, if the verdict goes the other way it doesn’t matter how Blue I am, he will deserve to have the book thrown at him.

But did Liverpool’s Luis Suarez deserve to have the book thrown at him?

Don’t get me wrong, the fight for Champions League places will be tight this year and his eight match suspension certainly works in our favour and yet……I feel extremely conflicted and therefore uncomfortable over the treatment Suarez has received.

That he called Partice Evra ‘Negro’ is not disputed. That Evra found the term racist (and therefore offensive) is also not disputed. Case closed surely?

Had Suarez been born and raised in the UK, undoubtedly I would be happy with this outcome. But he wasn’t, he was born and raised in Uruguay a nation where the word ‘negro’ is in everyday usage and is not considered racist or otherwise offensive (the word even has its roots in the latin languages). Chelsea legend Uruguayan Gus Poyet has gone on record to confirm this, to insist Suarez is not making up a convenient story.

In his 1963 ‘I Have A Dream’ speech Martin Luther King Jnr used the term Negro to describe his own race. Was he being offensive, racist even? Okay, that was nearly fifty years ago and times move on but have those times moved on in different directions in the UK and Uruguay? Clearly they have, and not only in those two countries; in the US organisations such as the United Negro College Fund continue to conduct great work in assisting black people afford college educations and the 2010 United States Census included the term for individuals to identify racial origin.

Confused? Conflicted? To some (even to many) the term ‘Negro’ is undoubtedly racist and carries uncomfortable connotations and reminders of slavery. In the UK it is accepted as a ‘no-no’ word. But this is not so in many parts of the rest of the world.

I am conflicted because I fear that in the rush to condemn racism the FA have actively discriminated against Suarez’s own culture. They have chosen the defence of one culture over that of another.

That racism took place here cannot be disputed but surely the right outcome should be one of learning not punishment; learning for Suarez about what is acceptable and a warning that now he knows he should not repeat it (plus a public apology to Evra). Learning for the FA in that they must take the lead in ensuring that those coming into the English game from other cultures understand the new (to them) culture in which they now live and work and therefore avoid a repeat of this situation again. And learning for us all; if we are to celebrate the diversity of our culture we must guard against jumping to conclusions based on our own cultural background without taking steps to understand the culture of others – you, me, Suarez and Evra included. No matter how Blue (or Red) we are.

KTBFFH

Tuesday 6 December 2011

Are Football Managers Really This Dim?


Try as I might, I can’t let go of Foygate. It was the worst refereeing performance many of us have seen in a lifetime of watching football but the referee concerned, Chris Foy, escaped without comment let alone punishment as AVB was charged and fined and Chelsea FC were charged and fined by the FA. Not one of his fellow managers stood up for AVB and said (words to the effect of); “do you know, I think he has a point.”

Indeed the Clown in Residence at Loftus Road (Neil Warnock) stood up for Foy and chose to support the FA’s stance. So you must forgive me a snigger when last weekend Warnock himself felt the need to have a rant at the performance of a referee after QPR had a goal disallowed.  He had a point though, Sean Wright Phillips scored a valid goal but do I have sympathy? Not a jot!

It was a busy weekend for refereeing critics but I will single out Alan Pardew, Kenny Dalglish and Owen Coyle for a small amount of praise before I return to criticism.

I’ve yet to meet another Chelsea fan who doesn’t agree with Pardew that David Luiz fourth minute challenge merited a straight red card. We were lucky, Newcastle were robbed (makes a change for a decision to go our way though). Pardew’s reaction was exemplary; measured, honest and calm.

Dalglish had a little to say about a Suarez (alleged) dive and his gesture to Fulham fans but was honest enough to say that if Suarez did what he stands accused of; “I’ll have words.” Refreshing.

Owen Coyle saw possible Blues target Gary Cahill red carded for what wasn’t even a yellow card offence. No rant but a forthright, measured view afterwards and Bolton’s ensuing appeal has seen the card rescinded but that hardly returns the match (and score) to where it was (and might have been) does it?

Unlike AVB when commenting on Foy’s appalling performance, none of the above managers have yet been charged by the FA for their comments. Perhaps there really is an anti SW6 bias?

But why does all this make managers a bit dim?

Think about it. If the Loftus Road Clown had stood next to AVB over Foygate and said; “I agree, that wasn’t good enough,” or if Alan Pardew, Kenny Dalglish or Owen Coyle had said, “hang on a minute, AVB has a point,” we might have taken a step towards the FA taking the low standard of match officiating seriously.

Managers have the solution to the problem in their own hands. They must speak up for each other as well as their own clubs when the refs get it wrong (Wenger aside – he never sees anything). That goes for AVB too.

You can force change through strength in numbers and by displaying a unified voice or you continue to look a bit dim and complain only when it affects you. Take your choice!

KTBFFH

Friday 2 December 2011

In AVB We Trust?


At the risk of upsetting some of my readers from the outset, the answer to that question should not be ‘we do’ or the further question ‘do we?’ Instead perhaps we should be a little less certain and plumb for ‘we should’ or even ‘should we?’

Let’s park the fact I hate the phrase which was used by Scousers to describe their blind faith in a clearly (to everyone else) underperforming Rafa Benitez and has since been picked up and applied by Gooners to Arse W*n*er. I would prefer to think us Pensioners are a bit more considered, a bit more intelligent than to blindly trust.

So, as we have entered the Premiership silly season of ‘who gets the chop next?’ what is the case for AVB? Is he the right man for our job or is he keeping the seat warm until a better option comes along?

It will surprise many to hear that I was far from convinced by Carlo Ancelotti. Yes, the Double was great but let’s not kid ourselves the opposition was below par that season and we got a bit of luck with FA Cup draws. That said, you can only beat what is put in front of you and the Double team certainly did that. But then what? Wasn’t Ancelotti fooled into thinking he had a better team than he did? And when the following season Lampard and Essien (as well as Drogba) suffered long term injuries suddenly the lack of depth in the below par squad was exposed. And we have yet to address those weaknesses.

When I look at Bosingwa, Kalou and Mikel I see players who are simply not good enough to wear the shirt of a top four team. When I look at Drogba, Malouda, Anelka and some others I think, ‘thanks for the memories chaps but your day has passed.’ Only a couple of years ago I used to look at other teams and feel smug at how few of their players would make a Chelsea starting 11. Now, more often than I would like with our ‘big 6’ rivals, I am looking at the question the reverse way around.

But much of that is not AVB’s doing, he is getting his first look at these players. The reality is that Ancelotti left weaknesses unaddressed for too long and now it is AVB who is suffering the consequences.

But that doesn’t mean I am putting my trust in him.

Yet.

When he came to Stamford Bridge many questioned his age and his lack of experience. Frankly, if he is good enough his age is irrelevant but what of his experience? He certainly came with a short but highly impressive CV but that CV lacked experience in one vital area; coping when it all goes wrong.

I’m not saying he can’t or won’t cope; that he can’t or won’t get us out of our current slump, I’m saying we are travelling blind because he has never had to cope with such a ‘moment’ (as he calls it) before. That is not his fault but the Board (or Roman) should reflect on that oversight in their selection process.

But panicking would be the wrong move. AVB must be given the opportunity to mould his own team and squad. He should not carry the can for what went before and for a flawed selection process. He deserves to get a period of grace to demonstrate he can cope with crisis and he deserves a transfer window to show he has spotted the squad’s weaknesses and to start the remedying process.

Beyond that, I am not committing myself. I would not have appointed him but now he is here he merits at least another couple of months to prove he can do the job. And if that means we miss out on the Champion’s League next season don’t blame him – blame Ancelotti for leaving the squad to start ‘rusting’ and the Board’s (Roman’s?) flawed selection process.

In AVB we trust? Not yet, but he deserves the opportunity to start to earn our trust.

KTBFFH