Chelsea FC - Supporters' Rally

[no_faith]

after a disappointing draw wif arsenal, we will tear newcastle apart at stamford bridge

[no_faith]

after a disappointing draw wif the gunnersm, we will tear newcastle apart to bag the 3 pts

[no_faith]

yes we won but it is a very poor display by chelsea
we could have lost the match

come on chelsea, gives us a better performance to shout

[Economist]

Ya Chelsea did poorly. I was supporting them.

[loppp]

Mourinho hails brave Drogba

Jose Mourinho saluted Didier Drogba for fighting through the pain barrier to help Chelsea get their title challenge back on track.

Chelsea boss Mourinho wanted to rest Drogba for Wednesday's match against Newcastle because the Ivory Coast striker was struggling with a thigh injury.

But Drogba insisted he was willing to play even though there was a risk of aggrevating the injury and being ruled out for the busy Christmas fixture list.

Mourinho agreed to put Drogba on the bench but was planning to leave him there if Chelsea were in control against Glenn Roeder's side.

However, with the champions struggling to break down Newcastle in a match they desperately needed to win to keep up with leaders Manchester United, Mourinho was forced to send on Drogba at half-time.

The former Marseille forward responded with a battling display that was capped when he scored in the 74th minute to clinch a valuable 1-0 win that narrowed the gap on United to five points.

Mourinho said: "A normal player with a normal attitude wouldn't play this game and I was trying to protect him.

"I told him that normally if a player is out for 15 days he misses two matches, but if he was out for 15 days at this time of year he misses four or five matches.

"The best decision was to save him. If the result was positive at half-time I wouldn't have played him but it had to be.

"We needed him at the time, not just tactically but mentally as well. His attitude in the game and the way he works for the team was very important.

"He is now at the absolute top of his game. I can't say he is the best in the world but now is his moment."

[loppp]

Chelsea were well below their best and it needed Drogba to liven up a strangely subdued display.

Michael Ballack was once again a shadow of the player who starred for Germany at the World Cup, but Mourinho is adamant that the midfielder and Andriy Shevchenko, who was dropped to the bench but came on to set up the winner, remain major players for his side.

Sections of the Stamford Bridge crowd were quick to express their displeasure when Ballack sent a shot over the bar in the second half, but Mourinho will not be influenced by fans or the media.

"The fans don't make the team, I make the team. I don't select players because of the fans or comments in the press. I select players from my analysis of the team," he said.

"I have analysis through scientific technology and, based on my vision and knowledge of the game, Ballack is still untouchable.

"I take players out based on my analysis. If I take Shevchenko out because of the press I would have done it in the second week. I felt the team needed different qualities.

"How did he take it? As a good professional. He was not happy but behaved properly and gave a good contribution to the team when he came on."

[loppp]

Mourinho is confident United can still be caught even though he is in the unusual position of having to chase rather than lead from the front.

"It is a bit fake when you have matches in hand but now we both have 20 or so matches to play," he said.

"I am not happy because I want to be top but I am enjoying a new experience because I have never been second in December.

Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder took heart from the way his side, without 13 injured players, fought bravely.

Roeder faces being without French midfielder Charles N'Zogbia for several weeks after he suffered a knee ligament injury, but he said: "Jose could hardly expect with the team we had to see us come and be ambitious.

"He had to bring on Drogba and Shevchenko. I'm sure he would rather have left them on the bench and that is the magnitude of our performance.

"N'Zgobia has a knee ligament injury. We are already virtually into single figures for fit players but we kept going."

[no_faith]

haiz....y drogba dorgba? come on, no1 see that sheva assisting him to score the winner vs newcastle?

last season, wifout sheva, dorgba was a flop. midfield got more goals den him.
now sheva becum supporting role where he juz wait for sheva to feed him.
can see sheva has recvd instructions frm JM, to pull defenders away from drogba
dorgba head getting bigger...
sheva becum drogba sidekicks, wa liew

[brattz]

Robben confident of finding space in wingless Chelsea

Arjen Robben insists he has a role to play up front in Chelsea's new wing-less formation this season.

The Dutch wide man has been limited to just nine starts in the Premiership this season, with manager Jose Mourinho opting for a midfield diamond.

That has resulted in Andriy Shevchenko being preferred as a strike partner to top scorer Didier Drogba, leaving Robben sidelined and without a goal to his name in this campaign.

But with Shevchenko struggling to make an impact since his 30-million-pound move from AC Milan in the summer, Robben believes he has a part to play alongside Drogba.

The 22-year-old has featured in key games such as Chelsea's 2-2 Champions League draw against Barcelona in October, and hopes to do so again against Everton in the Premiership on Sunday.

And although he last month admitted to being unhappy with his bit-part role at Stamford Bridge, Robben claims he will try to prove his manager wrong on the pitch, rather than off it.

He said: "As a player, you always want to play, but we've been playing a lot of 4-4-2 this season. I just have to show my qualities in training and when I play, that's all you can do.

"I had an injury at the start of the season and I've come back from that. I've played a few times in the middle as well with Didier, against Barcelona and Tottenham. I can play in that system as well, it's not a problem.

"I'm not really a player who likes to talk. I like to show what I can do on the pitch rather than speak to the manager. I don't think asking the manager why I'm not playing is the right thing to do; you have to show how good you are to get in the team."

[brattz]

Chelsea currently sit five points behind leaders Manchester United in the Premiership table, with both teams facing tough away games on Sunday.

The Blues travel to Goodison Park, looking to make it four wins in five league visits there.

United, meanwhile, travel to relegation-threatened West Ham, so Robben is convinced this year's title race is far from over.

Chelsea won the championship by eight points last season and 12 the year before that, but the Dutchman is ready for what looks likely to be a fight to the finish this time around.

And with United still to visit Stamford Bridge later in the campaign - as well as other top teams Liverpool and Arsenal - Robben is hopeful his side can capitalise on any slip-up.

And he knows Chelsea must focus on their own game if they are to keep the pressure on the leaders.

He added: "It's different to the last two years because we were on top quite early and stayed there, but we're not any less confident. It's only five points, there's still a long way to go and they have to go to Arsenal, Liverpool and to us, along with many more difficult games.

"We just have to focus on winning all our games and wait for them to slip up. Everton away is always a tough place to go so we have to have our minds on that game."

[no_faith]

wat a cls shave!

see, every victory, sheva was involved and his contributions to the team
he was not a flop after all
dun focusing on drogba

cheers for chelsea, cheers for sheva

[JWNY]

With Manchester unexpected loss....it's good news for us Chelsea bros.....

wanted to put $ on West Ham win...and Chelsea H A result....sigh....i'm happy and sad...

JWNY

[no_faith]

chelsea bros, lets toast for the 2 matches results

[ACE10]

What a wonderful display and come back for chelsea..3 cheers

[no_faith]

wat a bad performance chelsea put up against wigan
chelsea can kiz the title gdbye if it continues with such performance