JT - The Best Summing Up I've Read

Like lots of other Blue Bloggers, I was intending to write my view on the FA taking the England captaincy away from JT. However, when I read the following quote from an old mate of mine on Facebook I thought I'd copy that instead (with permission). It says everything I would have, in fewer words and far more intelligently.


From Jim Cowan on Facebook. Jim was old school White Wall in the 70s and 80s who now, among other things runs equality training for businesses and raises bucket loads of cash for charities:


"I'm appalled by the FA's decision to strip John Terry of the England captaincy. True equality must mean equality for all including in the eyes of the law. That means the standard of innocent until proven guilty applies to all regardless of whether you like the accused or not. Without maintaining that simple position true equality will never be achieved.

Equality is not about race or gender or sexual orientation or disability or religion......it is about all human beings being given the same treatment, the same respect by their fellow human beings. If you would expect to be allowed the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, you must extend that to Terry or accept you do not believe in equality for all.

By all means if he is found guilty then throw the book at him (and then some) with my blessing. But please do not talk about equality unless you are prepared to practice what you preach."




KTBFFH

Mindless Racist Morons Do Chelsea Football Club No Favours

“I’ve half a mind to join the BNP – apparently that’s all I need.”

So said the graffiti I saw on a Hammersmith wall a couple of years ago, sharing a sentiment I share albeit with reservations that they overestimate the mental capacity required!

So when I hear that some morons have been singing racist chants in the name of Chelsea FC on a train back from Norwich I scratch my head and wonder.

Our club captain John Terry is due in court next month charged with racism. He denies the charge and vehemently protests that he is not a racist. Do the morons think they are somehow doing JT a favour?

Lots of our players are black, both the club and the fans have moved on a long way since the days when Paul Canoville was disgracefully abused by his own supporters on his debut*. Do the morons really think they are supporting the players of such a multi-racial club in their actions?

One of my best mates has a black wife. Both of them are Chelsea supporters but only he goes to games. She went twice but was put off by idiots making racist comments. Do the morons behind these chants thing this helps the club develop?

I just don’t get it. If you are really so racist that you have to sing about it on a train, why the fuck do you support Chelsea in the first place?  That’s the same Chelsea who are proudly a multi-cultural team from the planet’s most cosmopolitan city.

And if any of these morons are of the Hitler worship variety, perhaps they could take note that these days we are owned by a Russian Billionaire, the Russians being among the many peoples Hitler referred to as ‘untermensch’. I’ll leave you to figure out the translation (if you need it) and the contradiction in a Nazi supporting a team owned by such a man.

I just don’t get it. Half a mind? The graffiti flattered you.

Do us all a favour, fuck off and support another team. Or better still, go and play on a busy road.

KTBFFH

*If you haven’t already read it, I can thoroughly recommend Paul Canoville’s biography ‘Black and Blue’ which gives a startling insight into the hurt and damage caused by these racist morons.


(See side bar and click to purchase a copy from Amazon).

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

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

Equality In Football – Time For Some Discrimination?

Equality; it is something I believe in. Whether it be race, religion, sex, sexuality, gender identity, age, disability or any other group that has, and does, suffer the indignity and pain of discrimination; I believe that all deserve to be treated equally. 

And for those keen eyed readers who are thinking; “hang on, doesn’t he support John Terry?” my position is compatible with that support. That is because I believe that, by extension, all also deserve equal treatment before the law, meaning that there has to be a presumption of innocence until guilt is proven. Now, if JT is charged and then found guilty, it matters not how much I like him, he should have the book thrown at him – but not before; that would be a form of discrimination too.

So, what do I mean by the title of this blog? Well, I’m fed up with those who shout about discrimination but then don’t treat everyone equally themselves. I’m also (let’s be blunt here) more than a bit fed up with listening to the views of idiots – perhaps the time is right to allow me to be a little ‘idiotist’, to discriminate against idiots.

Without further ado, here is my list of people I want to actively discriminate against. I’m fed up with the way they want equality but don’t apply it and/or I’m fed up with their idiocy and the idiocy of their followers:

The Media.

What would happen if someone, let’s say someone involved in football, faced very serious allegations on a legal matter? Our media friends would, of course, treat them as innocent until proven guilty, no hounding, no pushy questions and an almost complete lack of coverage. Certainly they would never question his position as a leader at (let’s say) his London club?

That is, if your name is Harry Redknapp, who has faced allegations of fraud and has actually been charged. Or if your name is Robin van Persie who was clearly seen by millions of Sky viewers giving a nazi salute to Arsenal fans at Stamford Bridge. In the latter case the silence has been especially deafening!

However, if your name is John Terry…..

Equality anyone?

Sepp Blatter.

No, I do not for one moment believe that Sepp Blatter is racist maybe a bit sexist but not racist. Oh no, what Sepp Blatter is can be described in one word; idiot. An idiot who surrounds himself with bigger idiots who will continue to back him regardless of how many outbreaks of foot in mouth disease he starts in otherwise peaceful Switzerland.

I won’t dwell on Blatter, there is no case for the defence, he is an idiot plain and clear; we should be allowed to discriminate against him at will.

Tokyo Sexwale.

I’ll be honest, I had never heard of this chap prior to today but in less than 24 hours he has made a very strong case for inclusion on my list. Sexwale is a South African politician who also sits on FIFA’s ‘fair play’ committee.

 Today Sexwale waded into the Blatter/racism debate by criticising England for picking John Terry and allowing him to lead the national team out against Sweden.  Sexwale proves himself to be one of the bigger idiots who follow the head idiot at FIFA by his careful research which allowed him to comment on Suarez who (according to Tokyo) represents Mexico. So glad the top people at FIFA are watching the game so closely, for a moment I had mistakenly believed Suarez was Uruguayan???

Shortly after he afforded Suarez a new nationality, Sexwale, talking about racist incidents in football, described the John Terry case as the “most worrying” before slamming the decision to allow Terry to lead England, “while the indiscretion against another player of another race is still so fresh in the mind.” – That’s an indiscretion as yet unproven Mr Sexwale!

And what of Sexwale’s own ‘indescretions’?

2001: Accused of plotting to overthrow President Mbeke. Later cleared; thank God for due process and the principle of innocent until proven guilty.

2002: Denied a visa to travel to the USA who had him on their global terrorist watch list. Fortunately, thanks to due process, he could appeal and be cleared.

Sexwale’s name also appears in a United Nations report on illegal transactions under the Oil for Food Programme. He hasn’t appealed the report as being incorrect.

So, this is the man who has passed judgement on John Terry and, in an indirect way on England. This is a man who wishes to be treated equally but does not afford the same respect to others; a man who expects to be treated fairly under the law but sits as judge and jury on events thousands of miles away from his South African home.

In less than one day, Tokyo Sexwale has done more than enough to merit being on my list of people to discriminate against, qualifying by treating others unequally and for being an idiot.

Neil Warnock.

Oh dear, Neil Warnock, where do I start? Do you even need convincing he merits a place on my list?  Didn’t think so! But, just in case you haven’t heard about it, he further bolstered his CV today with more nonsensical, badly thought through drivel.

Dear old Neil believes that all black players should boycott the next round of international matches as a protest against Sepp Blatter’s statement on racism and as a way of demanding Blatter’s resignation.

What he fails to explain is why it should be left to the black players to make a stand against racism, why the white players shouldn’t also take part? Somewhere inside Warnock’s tiny mind black and white are clearly segregated and racism is an issue only black people should speak up about! Isn’t that a tad racist in itself?

It’s way past time to allow some legal discrimination against the idiotic manager of Hammersmith and Fulham’s third team.

Finally; the FA.

Let’s ignore the difference in treatment between John Terry’s alleged racist abuse and Robin van Persie’s nazi salute (recap, Terry denies racism but is being investigated while van Persie claimed it wasn’t racist to perform a nazi salute and was believed and not investigated; witnesses to Terry’s alleged offence, a handful; witnesses to van Persie’s salute, millons).

Let’s, instead, focus on the way the FA allows referees to make appalling errors without comment, to blatantly bias one team over the other without a word while immediately jumping on any manager (or other club representative) who dares comment on such poor refereeing.

Take Foygate for example, the single worst refereeing performance most who witnessed it have ever seen. From Foy; silence. From the FA (on Foy’s performance); silence. But when Andre Villas Boas questions that same poor performance he is charged. Surely if anyone brought the game into disrepute that day at Loftus Road it was Foy and the FA?

Equal treatment for all? Not on your life; the FA comfortably makes my list.

There are other idiots deserving of discrimination, there are those who treat others unequally while expecting equal treatment for themselves. Let’s make a point of saving our discrimination for this deserving group of people. Feel free to add to my list!

KTBFFH

Ferdinand Letter Lets Us All Down

Reports that Anton Ferdinand has received a letter which contained serious threats; even death threats according to some, does John Terry, Chelsea FC and all of us fans a huge disservice.

Regardless of how we feel about Ferdinand’s allegations against JT, making senseless threats helps no one and, given the illogical national hatred of all that is Terry only adds fuel to the fire of the ignorants who believe that because it is JT it is okay to judge him guilty without an investigation; to ignore the legal standard of innocent until proven guilty we would all want applying if it were us accused.

Now they can point their fingers at ‘us’ – the club, the fans and all associated – and say, “told you what they’re like.”

Ferdinand may not be the brightest; anyone who needs two days to figure out whether they have been abused or not can’t be running too many brain cells. He may be shown to have made false allegations, the police investigation will tell us. But death threats? Seriously? Whoever sent that letter makes Ferdinand look like a rocket scientist!

And those of us hoping the police investigation will clear JT of any wrong doing; consider this – by sending the letter the writer has given the police something else to investigate. Now that is hardly likely to speed up the investigation which we all believe will clear our captain is it?

One moron lets us all down with this letter and I have a message for him/her which I’ll keep in simple short words I am sure he/she will understand:

Fuck off you wanker, you’re not helping JT or anyone else.

KTBFFH

Jose Mourinho And The Key Bit His Successors Have Missed Out

I think we would all agree that watching recent Chelsea games has been difficult  and although yesterday’s result at Blackburn saw a clean sheet and three points, I am sure I’m not alone in finding it as unconvincing a performance as the defeats (and draw) which preceded it.

Reviewing recent events it occurred to me that an element of coaching last seen under Jose Mourinho and which I expected to see return under AVB is still absent. It could be it is too early for it to be showing under our new Manager but nonetheless I feel it is worth highlighting.

The Special One was indeed special in many ways but to me one of the most exceptional aspects of his coaching was in his development of ‘the thinking player’. The thinking player was developed by posing tactical problems to the team in training and facilitating their ability to solve those problems themselves without coaching intervention during matches.

We saw its benefits most clearly during Mourinho’s Champions League touch line ban but it was at work in every game and was incredibly frustrating for opposition managers who had got used to changing their own sides tactics and then having at least a short window in which to exploit the unpreparedness of the opposition before their coaching staff could relay instructions. Not so with Jose’s Chelsea, they thought as a team and reacted swiftly to opposition changes.

Perhaps the greatest triumph of this part of Mourinho’s coaching philosophy came after he had gone. Uncle Fester (aka Avram Grant) was in charge as we faced Liverpool in the Champions League semi final and were looking in danger of blowing it. Grant made some inexplicable substitutions; JT was seen gesticulating to the bench apparently seeking explanation which was not forthcoming. Never mind, the thinking player coaching of Mourinho kicked in and the team arranged its own tactics accordingly. I know others agree with my view that the run to Moscow was a triumph of Mourinho’s not of Grant’s and this example demonstrates why.

As with all things coaching, you use it or you lose it and, as managers came and went those players who had starred under Mourinho gradually forgot the thinking player and returned to the classic need for instruction from the bench.

I had hoped that as he had worked under Mourinho, AVB might bring the thinking player back to the Bridge. Maybe he still will? The signs are not good and the defensive frailties of this season only serve to highlight this fact. We had defensive lapses under the Special One but they were very quickly sorted out ON the pitch and hence were rarities.

Of all the Special One’s special gifts, to me the thinking player was the best. I hope we see its return before too much longer.

KTBFFH

Of John Terry, Racism And A Police Investigation

When the accusations of racial abuse against John Terry emerged shortly after the QPR farce, the initial reaction of most Chelsea supporters was; “you must be kidding?” Indeed, initially even the player making the accusation, Anton Ferdinand seemed unsure whether he had been abused or not, taking a full two days to figure it out (or ‘consult’ as the media kindly worded it).

Terry himself offered an immediate explanation, that he had been responding to Ferdinand’s own accusation that he had used a racist term by telling him; “I didn’t call you a black c**t.”

It seemed a clear case of misunderstanding which would soon be cleared up and, in the wake of Foygate, was probably not the most pressing matter that the FA should investigate.

Not so. While the performance (or lack of) of Chris Foy remains uninvestigated, the FA quickly launched into an investigation into Terry’s alleged racially abusive comment. JT himself welcomed the investigation as an opportunity to clear his name.

He has far more confidence in the FA than I do. After their ignoring of Foygate and ensuing silence over van Persie’s (apparent) nazi salute of last weekend it has appeared to many that the powers that be at Lancaster Gate have it in for us Blues. Right now, I wouldn’t have any confidence in them investigating a spat in a nursery, much less a serious (for that is what it is) allegation!

For whatever reason, John Terry seems to be one of the nation’s least favourite citizens (outside SW6 anyway) and the public, led by the media, have been quick to denounce the England skipper and to pronounce guilt.

I was therefore pleased to hear this morning’s news that the Metropolitan Police are investigating the matter and the FA’s inquiry will, as a result, be put on hold. This is good news for everyone concerned, an investigation by trained investigators not anti-Chelsea buffoons.

Now we must let the investigation take its course. I would hope that if JT is cleared there will be a flood of apologies, not least from Ferdinand, QPR and the media, plus an investigation into the false allegations. I won’t hold my breath though. But what if the pendulum of justice swings the other way? What if JT is guilty? I don’t really want to consider that as a possibility, I have met John Terry on a number of occasions and I like him. But….if that is the case then he should be heavily punished.

There should be no place in a civilised society for damaging false accusations or for racism.

Anton Fedinand, you know what you are. John Terry, you also know what you are. Innocent? Guilty? False accuser? Racist?

The rest of us are holding our breath while the Met find which is which!

KTBFFH

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly – A Blue Analysis

Was it really only six days? Six days which have included Foygate, defeat at Loftus Road, a win but at a stretch and with another red card, the CPO vote and home defeat to Arsenal. I don’t know about you but I don’t know how many six day periods like that one I can take!

Time to hit the pause button, time to analyse where we are, what we’ve got and what we lack.

Obviously we are not on the FA’s favourite’s list. Foygate was shocking as was the FA’s failure to investigate and the media’s total disinterest in exploring why not. Although today’s ref was better (he had to be), questions still need asking, not least how Szczesny’s foul with the scores at 2-2 warranted any less punishment than Bosingwa’s far more innocuous one of last week. A game changer without doubt but what might be of more interest will be (I predict) the total silence from both FA and media over van Persie’s Nazi style salute to the Arsenal supporters after his second goal. Both the foul and the salute would be major talking points had Chelsea players been responsible for either.

But what of the internal; the manager and the squad at Chelsea?

My intention here is to take a fans eye view of some of what we have and to suggest where change is needed. Of course, not everyone will agree but a good discussion would be healthy.

Starting at the top with Andre Villa Boas, I was amazed to hear some Chelsea supporters on the platform at Football Broadway after the game today suggesting that he should go. My own view was (and is) that he should never have been given the job in the first place, however now he is here we should give him at least two seasons to shape the team in his image – unless things really go tits up!

Why did I think he shouldn’t have got the job? Experience. Not lack of experience based on age, I believe his success speaks for itself. What I questioned was his experience of dealing with adversity; for the manager we employed last summer has never had to manage a team through a ‘sticky patch’ and we therefore have no Way of knowing how or if he will cope when such a patch inevitably comes along. Mistake made, he has the job, let’s stick with him.

The defence has looked shaky all season and I’m sure I’m not alone in getting through more than my share of finger nails watching our defensive frailties thus far this season. Work is needed on tactical positioning not just in the defence but in a midfield which has, at times, left the back four woefully exposed. Remember 2005 and how we defended as a whole team? It seems a long time ago!

Other than that, we don’t look too bad! We play some nice flowing, attacking football. But is it winning football? Draw comparisons with Arsenal’s last Premiership away scalp (Blackpool) and you can soon see that such football should not be mistaken for good football and certainly not for successful football!

On the player front, we have more than a few passengers.

Top of most people’s passenger list seems to be Salomon Kalou and I don’t disagree but I made my feelings on Kalou clear earlier this month (‘Salomon Kalou? You’re Having A Laugh!). Today I want to look at some of the other components either not up to scratch or perhaps getting past their sell by date.

Top of my list is Jose Bosingwa. At times he looks quite stylish, he looks great going forward and has even been known to deliver a mean cross on occasion but Bosingwa is a right back and in that role he is perhaps average at best. Defensively he is often caught out of position, frequently loses his man and is not definitely not the world’s best tackler. It is time he was moved on and a replacement found. The club’s best right back is probably Ivanovic but he was needed in the middle today and the second best right back we have is out injured and, anyway, Michael Essien is of far greater value in midfield. Paulo Ferreira? Great servant but at this stage of his career no more than useful squad player. The right back slot has needed addressing for some time and must be sorted out in January, although I fear that will already be far too late to save this season. Not AVB’s fault, Ancelotti had two years to address it and failed, AVB has merely inherited it.

The next player in my sights might be more surprising; John Obi Mikel. Although he is regularly among the top passers in the Opta stats, he has failed to fill the role of holding midfield player adequately. His pass completion ratio may be north of 85% but of real concern is how many of the 15% are in critical areas of the pitch. The stats look good but the reality is he has a habit of leaving our back four exposed. His tackling is suspect too, on occasion looking great then seconds later clumsy. A genuine holding midfield player needs to be high on AVB’s January shopping list.

The paucity of defensive cover is highlighted by the above two players’ shortcomings and the lack of viable alternatives. Yes, Michael Essien is out and yes we do have four good centre backs (when David Luiz concentrates) but the weakness at right back and in front of the back four will inevitably leave us exposed several times a game.

Holding position aside, our midfield looks stronger than last season when it was the long term injuries to Lampard and Essien which, in my opinion, undid our campaign. Or, more accurately, the lack of genuine, quality cover. This season Ramires has looked improved, Lampard is getting back to his best (but will need more rests as he ages), Meireles is a bargain and, erm, well, Essien aside that’s it. Cover is provided by promising youngsters in the shape of McEachran and Romeu but they will need easing in to gain experience. Mata can play deeper than he has been but, In short, we are still short in the middle of the park and realistically only an injury or two away from real problems.

Up front, Kalou must go. Drogba, much though we have loved him, has had his best days and Anelka is a shadow of his former self. Malouda continues to lack consistency looking world class one minute and non-league the next (okay, a bit harsh but you understand my sentiment). Sturridge is definitely one for the future and is becoming one for now and, today aside, Torres is starting to look a little bit more like, well, Fernando Torres! I like the look of Lukaku but like McEachran and Romeu, he will need time.

Then there is Juan Mata. Sublime. By far the signing of the summer.

So, who should be shown the door?

Kalou, Bosingwa and Mikel; thank you but good bye. You are not Chelsea class.

Drogba and Anelka; thanks for the memories, it’s been a privilege to watch you play but your time has passed.

Desperately needed?

A decent right back and a world class holding midfield player plus another midfield player of quality to bolster squad size and strength.

Add to that a better coached team (not just back four) defensively and we aren’t a million miles away from where we need to be.

Without? I don’t think it’s good. My preseason prediction last season was that we would struggle to qualify for the Champions’ League. That we did qualify was down to Arsenal and Liverpool’s woeful performances rather than any quality of our own. This season we need to improve considerably or start preparing for the Europa League (or worse). The starting point in personnel is at right back and holding midfield and in coaching terms is to again start defending as a team.

KTBFFH

Resolving The Chris Foy Issue

It’s been a very big week for everyone who shares our Blue persuasion, and it’s not even Friday yet!

First we had Sunday. Plenty has already been written about the events during and after the game at Loftus Road and I’m adding my little bit below. But first, don’t we need a catchy phrase ending in ‘gate’ to describe the day? Isn’t that the way these days? How about ‘Hoopgate’ or ‘Racial abuse gate’?

No, I don’t like them either. Okay, let’s try ‘Antongate’ or ‘QPRfullofshitgate’? Still not doing it?

Well, I’m going to settle on ‘Foygate’ but I’ll come back to that in a mo because Sunday’s events turned out only to be Act One. The second act came at Goodison Park last night. I couldn’t make it up to the former City of Culture (?) and couldn’t find a live feed either so had to settle for Iain Dowie on Sky Sports News. Another red card, extra time and another failure to keep a clean sheet but at least we’re through.

Act Three came this afternoon with the CPO vote and the club failing to achieve (by 14%) the margin they required to win the vote. I say win, but this has been a process with no winner. Let’s hope the club will now listen to genuine concerns instead of ignoring fans and spinning irrelevancies.

But back to Foygate.

Was it me or did the media really just let it go, ignoring the worst refereeing performance I have seen in over forty years of watching football at all levels?

As the news rolled in that AVB was to be charged for his comments, the club was to be charged for failing to control our players, John Terry is being charged for abusing someone who took two days to figure out whether it was abuse or not……and so on. The theme has been clear and consistent; whatever happened it was all Chelsea’s fault.

Christ, I’ve been waiting for a knock on the door because I once wore a Chelsea shirt visiting a mate at MacKay House on White City, I mean, inciting a riot or what!

Seriously, what I’ve really been waiting (and waiting and waiting) for is the news that the FA is to investigate Chris Foy’s performance. But no; nothing.

The FA can fine the club and fine AVB (and no one doubts they will, there is no innocent until proven guilty here), but who is policing the FA’s performance? Who fines the FA when they fail to deal with refereeing of such a poor standard most park teams would have walked off the pitch in disgust?

Wait a minute though. There is a group of people who have a louder voice than they realise and who can ‘fine’ the FA. This group of people have the ability to hit the FA in the pocket until they start to take their responsibilities seriously. I’m one of them and, if you’re reading this, you probably are too.

I’m talking about the fans, that huge army of down trodden folk without whom the game could not even exist.

What can we do? Well, here is what I suggest. We boycott ALL officially licenced FA products. That simply means not buying England shirts and other merchandise until they agree to investigate Foygate, i.e. to act as if they actually are responsible for the game in England.

It might not cost them millions but it will make the point.

If they then don’t investigate we can make the point further by producing our own range of T-shirts, branded something like; ‘Supporting England - Not The FA!’

Foygate was not just a bad day at the office for the ref it was (and I make no apology for repeating this) the single worst performance by a referee I have witnessed in over forty years of watching football at all levels.

Given the way the FA and (by their silence) the media have abdicated their responsibility, if we don’t act; who will?

I’m starting today with a stand of one, will you join me?

I SUPPORT ENGLAND – NOT THE FA!

KTBFFH