Chelsea 1 - 0 Reading

... and it could have been five - Ballack and Makalele were just awesome and for an hour Reading barely got a touch. However it wasn't five and too many step overs, dummies and showboats meant that the last 10mins were more tense than they needed to be.

A Ballack free kick and a sweet curling shot from Joe Cole were just the opening acts before a sweet header from Ballack opend the scoring. With half-an-hour gone, Ferreira delivered a perfrct outswinging cross for Ballack to rise above both Ingimarsson and Hunt to make it 1-0.

The Joe Cole chant of "he's here he's there, he's every f**kin where" gets changed to "he's here, he's there, he's shaggin everywhere, Ashley Cole, Ashley Cole" - nice to see the home fans giving Ash their support ;-)

It was nearly two within 12 seconds of the second half when Joe Cole again outpaced the Reading back four but his shot flashed wide. Anelka wasted a couple of good chances, Ballack missed with a carbon copy hearder and Reading huffed a bit at the end - but Cech was rarely troubled (in fact I cant remember an actual save) and the game kinda just petered out.

Wigan 1 - 2 Chelsea

Through to the 5th round thanks to Anelkas first goal of the season and deft assist (I hate that Americanism !!) to SWP for the second in an otherwise dour affair.

The Blues started the better on an awful pitch and could have been one up inside 50 seconds but Joe Cole curled a through ball from Sidwell just wide of the upright. After that it all got a bit scrappy and messy until a moment of brilliance in the second half, when Belletti lifted a through ball over Titus Bramble and into Anelkas path for him stab home from 12 yards.
In an incident of extreme refereeing myopia, Makelele was caught across the throat by Michael Brown yet neither Rennie nor his linesman saw the assault - amazing; one for the video panel I hope (.... but doubt). Anyway, it was all over on 82mins when Anelka lost Kilbane in and squared the ball for SWP to sidefoot home through Kirklands legs. Sibierski's got one back for the home side with a nice swivel and shot from the edge of the box but it was too little, too late and the mighty Blues go marching on !

Everton 0 - 1 Chelsea ( we win 3 - 1 on agregate)

A big night (for Everton) at Goodison Park and it was a no surprise that they were really up for it' and came out with all guns blazing. That said it was SWP who had the first real chance seeing his shot from the edge of the box get deflected for a corner. Cech saved a 6 yard box scramble following a Lescott header and that seemed to spur Everton on again but in reality, the Blues were bossing the half with Anelka, Malouda and Belletti all going close.

Within a minute of the second-half starting, Anelka found space on the edge of the box and drove a shot that rattled the Everton bar. SWP had a shot cleared by Lescott and it really looked like a goal was coming however once again Everton rallied and we needed to good saves from Cech to keep the Toffees at bay.

And then it was all over.... a pin-point cross field pass from Malouda dropped beautifully over Joe Cole's head, he brought it down and in one movement rifled the ball past Howard.

That was it; game over and we're on our way to Wembley - AGAIN!!

Thousands of points knocked off football league tables

I just love Newsbuscuit...

The sharp fall in global markets spread to the Premier league this morning as hundreds of points were knocked off the totals for teams in soccer’s top flight. Manchester United fell seven points while five points were knocked off Arsenal’s current league total, putting the London club back on top of the Premier League. Chelsea dropped to fourth after a 12 point fall in the value of their league record so far and a corresponding collapse in the value of their goal difference.

‘Me and the lads is gutted to be honest’ said Wayne Rooney from the Manchester United training ground. ‘We thought the points was in the bag, but then you can’t take nothing for granted in this game. That’s football isn’t it?’

Worst hit were Derby County who saw a massive 112 point drop in the value of their points leaving them on minus 105, and facing an almost impossible task ahead of them if they are to avoid relegation in May. Across the major European leagues the fall in league totals was even more severe, with the value of away wins halved in La Liga and Seria A. But there were some signs of Blyth Spartansrecovery after lunch. In England’s Blue Square North League, clubs rallied after a shaky start and Blyth Spartans even increased the value of their league total to beyond what is mathematically possible at this stage of the season.

‘This is what happens when football gets too commercial’ said Alan Hansen on BBC’s Citywatch Extra. ‘Look at the replay of the Chelsea accountants transferring stocks to high risk bonds. There’s no cover there at all. It’s schoolboy stuff, if you want cash up front you needs solid investments in your reserves.’

Final Score from Wall St; Nasdaq 2; Hang Seng 0 (Dow Jones sent off 61 mins).

Posted: 23 January 2008 by newsbiscuit

Birmingham 0 - 1 Chelsea

Had to scramble to hear this one on the Internet - long story - and it certainly sounded / looked like we were lucky but in the end 3 points is 3 points.

A headed goal from a corner, late into the second half, from that goal machine (NOT) Pizarro settled a match that we should have won at a canter and really only ended up scraping. Still championships are won by teams that can 'win ugly' and we're showing that even with the absence of so many first team players, we can still do that.

Now off to Goodison for the so called 'meaningless semi final'; meaningless my a**e !!

Come on you Blues

The greatest action story ever told ...

Chelsea 2 - 0 Tottenham

..... or 'Le Sulk' est arrive

If ever Spurs had a chance to break their woeful sequence at the Bridge it was today. Still no Lamps, Sheva or Terry and with Drogs, Kalou, Essien and Jedi now away for the AcN, it was good to have Malouda back and a pleasant surprise to see Maka return early (so no need for Shoddy Sidwell). All this and the anticipation of Anelka who starts on the bench.

Its all Chelsea from the start, Joe Cole whips in an early cross but Pizarro is AWOL then Malouda skins Chimbonda but his cross is too high for SWP (playn in midfield again). With just under 20mins gone Belletti ambles through the Spurs midfield and responds to the crowds calls to shoot by unleashing an unstoppable drive from over 30yards that flies into the top corner.

Spurs start to press up their tempo but there's no real threat. Midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng rugby tackles Joe Cole an amazingly get s off with just a booking and on 30mins Malbranque dives a volley at Cech (this proves to be Spurs ONLY shot on target). Joe Cole out on the right and SWP beavering away in the middle are having a great game and SWP almost makes it two before Ballack has the ball in the net, from a Malouda cross, only for it to be ruled offside.

The second half continues much like the first but the biggest cheer goes up in the 54th minute when Anelka replaces the hapless Pizarro. We look a different side and 4 minutes he almost scores with his 3rd touch in the game after a neat back heel from SWP sets him up. On 69mins Spurs get a free kick for a Ballack foul on Lenon and Berbatov swings the kick just wide. It seems to spur (pardon the pun) us back into life and 10 minutes from time, Joe Cole's run and pass allowed SWP drive low into the bottom corner.

2 - 0, game over and it could have been more. Its now 74 league games unbeaten at the Bridge and with Le Sulk looking a little bit tasty, who's to say the title is a two horse race. Come on you Blues !!

Can you really beta a car !!

.... apparently you can according to a post in the FT which explains that the electric car company set up by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk has been struggling to produce an advanced transmission for its hotly anticipated sports car. To avoid further delaying the launch, it has now opted to launch a "beta version".

This is how new Tesla CEO Ze'ev Drori explains it:

To help speed delivery of cars, we will begin production in 2008 with an interim transmission design. These transmissions will meet high standards for reliability and durability, but the car will not meet the original performance spec for acceleration, reaching 60 mph in 5.7 seconds instead of the promised 4 seconds. When the final transmission is ready, we will retrofit all cars, at Tesla’s expense, to meet the promised performance specifications.

Its a good job that its primarily Silicon Valleys finest - like Larry Page and Sergey Brin from Google - who are at the top of the Tesla waiting list. They'll know all about living with beta products

You couldn't make it up :-)

Chelsea 2 - 1 Everton

Back from my short break and straight into a Carling Cup semi against Everton. Still no Cech, Lamps, Maka, Sheva or Terry through injury as well as no Drogs, Kalou or Ess due to early ACN release requirements. Jeez, we're looking very thin on the ground but at least Carvalio is back, Jedi gets to play his last game before he gets ACN'd and Malouda makes an unexpected return

Despite being well under strength, the first half is all Chelsea with Ballack and Jedi having their best games of the season and its no surprise when in 26mins, SWP picks up a clever Malouda pass, swivels in the box and curls a peach past Tim Howard. It was nearly 2 - 0 three minutes later when Joe Cole was tripped on the edge of the Everton box and Ballack's free-kick shaved the paint off the far post with Howard beaten.

Everton came out strongly in the 2nd half (they had to really) but again it could have been 2-0 when SWP shot straight at Howard with the whole goal to aim at. On 59mins, Jedi makes a one footedl challenge on Neville and is shown a straight red - UNBELIEVABLE - Jedi's rep is preceding him now and it looks like he cant even put a tackle in. Unsurprisingly, this is the catalyst for Everton to up their game and on 66mins they equalize when Yakubu lashes in a loose ball after Hilario flaps (again !!) at a James McFadden's free-kick.

Its all kicking off now - Neville floors Malouda for an obvious second yellow but scampers away so quickly that the ref does nothing. Everton continue to press and could have got a second when McFadden cuts through the Blues defence but is cross-shot hits the post.

10mins to go and we're coming back now with a final push so its strange that AG takes off first Pizzaro for Sidwell and then Cole for Ferreira and it looks like we're settling for a 10 man draw with only SWP up front. But it turns out to be a masterstroke and on 92min, Ballack hits a hopeful overhead kick across the box and SWP amazingly out-jumps the 6'2" Lescott to cause him to head into his own net. Lescott could have made amens in the last few seconds when clean through o n goal but his touch let him down and Hilario smothered his tame effort.

So, 2-1 and back to Goodison for the second leg - maybe with Anelka up front :-)
Come on you Blues

On hols - so only got mobile footie updates ....

..... however

Fulham 1 - 2 Chelsea
Seems like another disastrous first half - we clearly don't like mornings, followed swiftly by a halftime rocket from AG and a much better second half. Links below
BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7163891.stm
SKY - http://www.skysports.com/football/match_report/0,19764,11065_2848168,00.html

Chelsea 1 - 0 QPR
Battle of the cash rich was ultimately won by a fluky Pizarro goal but, in truth, the mighty Blues never needed to get out of first gear. Links below
BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/7163956.stm
SKY - http://www.skysports.com/football/match_report/0,19764,11065_2925850,00.html

Now comes the tricky part where we loose Drogs, Kalou, Essien and Mikel to the ACN to make an injury hit squad even weaker. Its gonna be a tough few weeks