Torres main reason for Di Matteo Sack

Thursday, November 22 2012 at 16:53 GMT+3

-The Sun

Roberto di matteo was warned he would be sacked if he axed £50million flop Fernando Torres. It has now been revealed that Chelsea chiefs were aware Di Matteo was thinking of dumping owner Roman Abramovich’s pet signing against Juventus on Tuesday.

They advised the manager not to but the Italian ignored the warning — even though he knew it would cost him his job.

Former Liverpool chief Rafa Benitez has been named as interim boss until the end of the season.

Di Matteo was ruthlessly axed at 4am yesterday, hours after Chelsea were effectively knocked out of the Champions League with a a 3-0 defeat in Italy.

Abramovich still hopes he can get former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola in the summer.Benitez is a dream appointment for Torres, who only showed his true ability when he was taken to Liverpool by Rafa.

Di Matteo decided to drop Torres after his dismal performance during the 2-1 defeat at West Brom on Saturday.He then refused to obey Chelsea’s orders and named Eden Hazard up front in Turin.And defeat was the final straw for Abramovich, who had been preparing to replace Di Matteo for almost a month.

The Russian billionaire had only grudgingly appointed Di Matteo in June after failing to lure Guardiola.A fresh approach was rebuffed following Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat by Shakhtar Donetsk last month.

And though Chelsea still hope to land Guardiola, Benitez has agreed to step in for the rest of the season with the brief of building a team around Britian’s most expensive footballer.

Torres, who is known by the other players to have the ear of Abramovich, was furious about being substituted against West Brom and in his previous game against Liverpool.

And he has been quietly lobbying for the appointment of Benitez, the man who signed him for Liverpool from Atletico Madrid in 2007.

The £180,000-a-week striker said in a recent interview: “Rafa has been the most important coach in my career. He’s the only one who knew how to improve me.”

Now Chelsea are banking on Benitez bringing the best out of a player who has hit just 19 goals in 87 appearances.

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000071261&story_title=Kenya-Torres-main-reason-for-Di-Matteo-Sack

Lampard and Cole can leave, says Benitez

Email this story Updated 1 hrs 46 mins ago
- Daily Mail

Chelsea legends Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole are to leave at the end of the season after Rafa Benitez confirmed the break-up of the Champions League-winning team.

Both players are out of contract next summer and Chelsea’s new coach admitted they are unlikely to stay at Stamford Bridge beyond the end of the season.

Lampard, Chelsea’s third highest goalscorer ever, has won three Barclays Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the European Cup in his glittering 11-year spell.


Cole, who joined from Arsenal in 2006, has won a Premier League title, four FA Cups and the Champions League during his spell at Stamford Bridge.

Asked directly if it was the end of a glorious era for the pair at Chelsea, Benitez said: “I think so, that is the case at the moment.

“I am only here for seven months. If it is for two or three years then maybe I would have an influence.

“Sometimes you are in a difficult position as manager because there’s too much to decide on, so it’s better to have a technical director sometimes.”

Benitez has been put in the picture by technical director Michael Emenalo and met owner Roman Abramovich for dinner on Thursday evening as Chelsea take a new direction.

He added: “I spent two or three hours with the owner, we talked about everything. He knows my ideas, but we didn’t have that much time together. Maybe we will in future.

“If you have confidence in yourself and explain yourself, everyone can understand. My impression with the owner is he’s a nice person. You can talk with him and he understands. He likes to see you have a clear idea: I think it’s black and white with him.”

Abramovich is changing the team’s constitution after years of relying on powerful dressing-room influences such as Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, John Terry, Lampard and Cole.


Cole already has interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United. Lampard, 34, is also considering other offers as he enters the final six months of his Chelsea career, but had hoped to finish his playing days at Stamford Bridge. Benitez still plans to use the pair in the short term as he attempts to stabilise the club after another managerial departure.
Benitez, who is preparing for Sunday's match with Manchester City, was forced to respond on Friday after Sir Alex Ferguson described him as a ‘lucky’ manager. The pair fell out when Benitez almost won the Premier League title with Liverpool in 2009.

Jose Mourinho, who was manager of Inter Milan before Benitez succeeded him in 2010, was also skeptical.

But Benitez said: “If people push you and if you want to win, then maybe you have to push back. I like to respect people, but sometimes I can’t because they push you. I have to defend my team, my club. Some managers in the middle of the table can be friendly, but only one can win the trophy.”

On misfiring Fernando Torres, Benitez added: “If the striker is not scoring, the rest of the team have to create more chances for him. My idea isn’t just to improve Fernando, but the whole team.”

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000071378&pageNo=2&story_title=Kenya-Lampard-and-Cole-can-leave,-says-Benitez

Benitez named Chelsea interim manager
DateNovember 22, 2012 - 8:41AM

Chelsea announced on Wednesday that Rafael Benitez had been appointed their interim first team-manager until the end of the English Premier League season after the European champions sacked Roberto di Matteo.

Di Matteo was fired after Tuesday's 3-0 defeat by Juventus in Turin left Chelsea facing elimination at the group stage of the Champions League.

But within a matter of hours Roman Abramovicah, Chelsea's Russian billionaire owner who has now sacked seven managers since buying the club in 2003, appointed former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez, albeit in a caretaker capacity.

"Chelsea Football Club can confirm Rafael Benitez has been appointed interim first-team manager until the end of the season," said a club statement.

"The owner (Abramovich) and the board believe that in Benitez we have a manager with significant experience at the highest level of football, who can come in and immediately help deliver our objectives."

However, the fact he has joined Chelsea on such a short-term contract is bound to intensify speculation that former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola, currently on a one-year sabbatical from football, is the man Abramovich truly wants to take charge at Stamford Bridge on a full-time basis.

The 52-year-old Benitez is due to meet Chelsea's players at the club's training ground in Cobham, south of London, on Thursday.

Chelsea's statement said the Spaniard, a two-time UEFA Manager of the Year, came with an "outstanding pedigree".

At Valencia he twice won the Spanish League and the UEFA Cup while his six years at Liverpool yielded an FA Cup and the Merseysiders' fifth European Cup.

Benitez left Liverpool by "mutual consent" in 2010 after the club finished the Premier League season in seventh place, their worst position since 1999.

However, days later, he then took charge of Inter Milan only for his spell in charge of the Italian giants to last just a matter of months.

Benitez, who up until Wednesday had not held a managerial post since leaving the San Siro, quit Inter in December 2010 after calling on the club to back him or sack him in the upcoming January transfer market following the team's FIFA Club World Cup final win over Congolese side Mazembe in Abu Dhabi.



Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/benitez-named-chelsea-interim-manager-20121122-29r62.html#ixzz2CwtVK6mt

Di Matteo gone by early December?

Holiday Blues
Posted by John Brewin

Bringing the Holy Grail to Stamford Bridge didn't save Roberto di Matteo from Roman Abramovich's axeIt was the Munich midnight hour after Chelsea had won the Champions League.

"I just want to go on my holidays," said Roberto Di Matteo eventually. His face was flushed with success but the answers about his future were uncertain. There were no promises of forging a dynasty. It was highly possible that Di Matteo might not even be in charge of another Blues match, despite winning the prize that eight previous managers and approaching a billion pounds had previously failed to deliver. Six months later, he can start planning holidays once more and may already be feeling relieved.

The Chelsea wringer has done for better managers than him. Less than two years ago, he was sacked by West Bromwich Albion. He now has a decorated portfolio to offer to clubs across the continent and beyond. The problem is Rafael Benitez's now, for a highly foreseeable future, unless another Spaniard fails to be tempted.

Only at Chelsea? Not quite. Jupp Heynckes, the Bayern manager who Di Matteo's team had vanquished that night was once sacked after leading Real Madrid to their first European Cup in 32 years. Real's unmatched success of the last 60 years has happened in spite of, and perhaps because of, a disposable attitude to managers.

Permanence is also a stranger to Chelsea, where Roman Abramovich presides over a regime of similar cut-throat aristocracy. Loyalists can point to success in continued times of turbulence. John Terry and Frank Lampard will soon be working with their eleventh manager together at Stamford Bridge, and Terry's twelfth in all. Even as Benitez familiarises himself with Chelsea, plans for another manager are being laid.

Pep Guardiola is taking a 'year out', currently in New York before presumably backpacking across India, inter-railing and then working on a kibbutz. Until that is finished, many a manager's future lies on shifting sands. Roberto Mancini plugs gamely on, while Guardiola's former Barcelona henchmen push paper around their expensive desks at Manchester City, waiting for the call to come.

Abramovich has been desperate to push the issue back in his favour. The summer saw a collection of Pep-esque players wash up at Chelsea's Cobham training ground. Di Matteo's brief was to fit them all in, and make sure his boss was entertained. It worked for a while too but the repeated presence of Andriy Shevchenko in Abramovich's heavily-secured private box at Stamford Bridge reminded of another task, one the Swiss-Italian could not fulfil.

Just as Sheva once was, Fernando Torres is the Russian's precious plaything, rumoured as singular among his colleagues for having his boss' private mobile number.

The cracks in Abramovich's relationship with Jose Mourinho began at the presenting of a £30 million 29-year-old to a manager whose faith was always with Didier Drogba. The pattern repeated itself when Carlo Ancelotti was given the 'gift' of Torres. Andre Villas-Boas's employment ended in a series of sleepless nights in his Japanese-style pod at Cobham, not long after publicly comparing Torres' goalshy failings to Shevchenko's loss of confidence as a Chelsea player.

The Torres malaise continued under a third manager. Di Matteo made an understandable footballing decision when dropping Torres in Turin, and may have thought that squeezing in three of Roman's other favourites in Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard might placate an oligarch's whims. The manner of defeat to Juventus, and Chelsea's destiny of an unhappy first - being the only champions to exit in the group stage - did for Di Matteo.

Abramovich, already unsettled by poor league form, an unsatisfactory conclusion to the John Terry affair, and the potential shame that the Mark Clattenburg ruling may bring, gave the word for a 4am firing.

A question of status lay at the heart of Abramovich's unease with Di Matteo. It mattered not that 'Robby' was a Chelsea playing hero from a previous era; he is simply not the blue ribbon name Abramovich likes to associate with. Avram Grant may have been the width of a post from the Champions League but a World Cup winner in Luiz Felipe Scolari was soon given his job.

Di Matteo had already presided over his paymaster's social embarrassment in the Super Cup final when Chelsea were thrashed in Monaco, the residence of many a comparable Russian oligarch, and the regular mooring spot for Abramovich's enormous yacht. Atletico's Radamel Falcao punished an ill-prepared Chelsea while Torres tottered aimlessly. For Abramovich, the idea of the same happening in Yokohama against Corinthians at the FIFA Club World Cup would have been unpalatable. Missing out on owning the club confirmed officially as the world's best would be a blight on his standing.



Fernando Torres produced the form of his life under Rafa Benitez at LiverpoolThe Japan trip can begin the damage limitation. Benitez has prior experience there. In 2005, he missed out with Liverpool. In 2010, he was victorious with Internazionale. Considering his undoubted hierarchy of affections for his former clubs, he might perhaps prefer to swap the two, but the latter achievement may well have franked his appointment. Another attraction, his excellence in the Champions League, will probably not be called on during his time at Chelsea, though Abramovich might fancy a Europa League glory night in Amsterdam.

Benitez, a man of intense personal pride, may have been an owner-baiting rebel at all three major clubs he has managed, but he has had notable success with other coaches' players. At Valencia, he converted Hector Cuper's team into double champions and UEFA Cup winners. The majesty of Istanbul was achieved with the rump of a team that had failed under Gerard Houllier. Inter was a different story, though Mourinho had bequeathed him a squad tired by age and made complacent by success. And there is the special relationship that Benitez once had with Torres.

Even Benitez might stop short of taking on Abramovich, especially after being given a chance to end two years of Wirral exile. He can perform a rescue job, maybe challenge for the Premier League title and perhaps settle some old scores but his Chelsea future is already entwined with both Guardiola and Torres. They hold the key to success, length of employment and when he takes his holidays.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/blog/_/name/espnfcunited/id/1815?cc=3436

Chelsea fires another boss, but what's the plan?
Posted by Gabriele Marcotti

So that's that, then. Roberto Di Matteo bites the dust at Chelsea. And if you can find the logic in it, you're a better man than me.

They say it's a "results business." And most likely, Chelsea will become the first defending Champions League winner ever to go out at the group stage following the 3-0 defeat at Juventus on Tuesday night.

But if you buy this "results" line then it's equally true that Di Matteo came in and rescued a wayward season and delivered Chelsea its first ever Champions League crown. Not just that; he also won the FA Cup.

And sure, Chelsea had good fortune on their side in overcoming Barcelona and Bayern Munich on their way to the big one. But it's also true that they weren't exactly lucky in their recent Premier League outings against West Brom, Liverpool and Manchester United. The Blues could easily have had another four points from those three games, in which case they'd be top of the table. Would Di Matteo have gotten the boot then?

Who knows?

It's becoming increasingly hard to decipher what goes on in Roman Abramovich's head. You will no doubt hear a whole load of anti-Abramovich stuff being thrown around right about now, much of it having to do with how he's "trigger-happy" because he sacked eight managers in less than nine years.

Strictly speaking, those numbers are misleading. Avram Grant and Guus Hiddink weren't sacked; they were always interim bosses who were let go after their spell. And Claudio Ranieri, the first guy to get the chop, was someone Abramovich had inherited from the previous regime.

You can give an owner a pass for removing a leftover boss (and one who had been there for four years), especially if he replaces him with a Jose Mourinho. The Special One's departure was the one most Chelsea fans regret, but internally, Mourinho had run his course and tensions had bubbled over with club officials and players. You can live with that one.

Furthermore, you can also understand why Andre Villas-Boas and Luiz Felipe Scolari both went, as they had the worst and second-worst results of any boss in the Abramovich era. AVB had also fallen out with senior players, while Scolari, at times, looked about as interested as a 10-year-old in an accountant's office.

But you can't give the club the benefit of the doubt when it comes to Carlo Ancelotti, the double winner who had Fernando Torres and David Luiz thrown into his lap unsolicited. Nor, by any stretch, can you do it with Di Matteo.

I don't buy this argument about whether someone "deserves" to be sacked. Merit has nothing to do with it. You remove a manager when you think you can get somebody better. I don't have a problem with that.

So the issue here is whether Chelsea thinks it can get someone better right now. Forget the Pep Guardiola business. He's on Manhattan's Upper West Side as you read this; unless he did some kind of sudden about-face, he's not on his way over to jump-start Chelsea's season. If -- and it's a huge if, as we've written before -- he comes to Stamford Bridge, it will be in the summer. And if he committed to Chelsea and Di Matteo had been let go at that point, few would have batted an eyelid.

Thus it becomes a question of whether there's a better available manager out there, but it needs to be somebody so good that you accept the fact that Guardiola is not coming. Why? Because no serious boss is going to accept an interim position. And if you were going to go for a Mr. Fix-It type who could deliver instant results, someone to "save" the season and then disappear into the background, why not keep Di Matteo? After all, it's not as if a top-four finish for Chelsea looks in question this season. And who else is going to put up with Torres?

Besides, in situations such as these when you do bring in a Mr. Fix-It -- or, if you prefer, Mister Wolf from Pulp Fiction -- you usually contact him before you give the manager the bullet and make sure he's ready to go.

Unless, of course, we are to believe that Di Matteo was sacked because Chelsea did not get the result they needed at Juventus. In which case it would be a simply idiotic decision. Because the implication is that, had Chelsea drawn the game, then -- presto! -- Di Matteo would still be good enough to be Chelsea boss.

The reason Chelsea is in this situation isn't hard to discern. It was folly to go into a season with Torres and Daniel Sturridge masquerading as the Blues' entire strike force. That was not Di Matteo's decision; somebody further up the food chain needs to take ownership of that.

Thinking that four central midfielders -- one of them somewhat limited (John Obi Mikel), one of them a recycled wide player (Ramires), one of them 34 (Frank Lampard) and one of them just turned 21 with little experience (Oriol Romeu) -- could be enough to see you through the campaign was equally silly. And equally not down to Di Matteo.

Chelsea says it'll announce its new boss shortly. Whether it's an interim guy or a permanent hire will tell us plenty about what the next move is and whether there really was a coherent plan. Right now though, it looks like a knee-jerk reaction and nothing more.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/blog/_/name/espnfcunited/id/1789?cc=3436

Chelsea bid arrivederci to Vialli

November 22, 2012
By Ben Blackmore

(Archive) Following the surprise sacking of Roberto Di Matteo at Chelsea, we flash back to the start of the Millennium to prove that it was not just Roman Abramovich who had trigger-finger at Stamford Bridge.

Roberto Di Matteo should barely have been surprised when a P45 stamped with the Chelsea club crest fell through his letter box on Wednesday, given that he witnessed a very similar story unravel during his time as a player at Stamford Bridge.

Gianluca Vialli, like Di Matteo a softly spoken Italian, won five trophies in three years for the Blues, including European and FA Cups, but was dismissed under the cloud of "losing the dressing room" by chairman Ken Bates.

As Di Matteo sat in the lonely glare of the Juventus Stadium in Turin, helplessly flanked by Eddie Newton and watching his side slump to a 3-0 defeat, he knew the result meant Chelsea are likely to become the first Champions League winners in the competition's history to crash out in the group phase.

Almost symbolically, the club's record signing - £50 million Fernando Torres - sat perched above Di Matteo's left shoulder, an image every bit as powerful as if Torres had extended his arm to give his boss the decisive shove. By choosing not to play the club's prized asset and only out-and-out striker, indeed by choosing not to play a striker at all, Di Matteo appeared to lose the faith of his players, sections of his supporters and - crucially - his employer.

Vialli knows the feeling. If Di Matteo had Torres helping him through the exit door, Vialli had half a team pushing him through it. Once a great friend of his colleagues as a player, he alienated those same faces when trying to establish himself as a manager, with "lack of communication" cited as the reason for his departure.

"Vialli has problems with everybody, with Albert Ferrer and many others. It's normal for a coach to get on with his lads, but not him," Frank Leboeuf said of the Italian.

"The fans wanted me to play but Vialli didn't. And his word is final," said Dan Petrescu, who was forced out of the club by Vialli despite a fan campaign to keep him. "Vialli never said anything to me but the message was very clear."

Like Di Matteo, the reign of Vialli began mid-season and ended with trophies being placed into the cabinet. At 33 years of age Vialli became player-manager as replacement for Ruud Gullit, and led the west London outfit to victory in the European Cup Winners' Cup and League Cup.

Although not the Holy Grail that the Champions League represents, the Cup Winners' Cup triumph, achieved with victory over Stuttgart, still acted as a giant success for Vialli who became the youngest manager to win a UEFA competition. That record was later beaten by Andre Villas-Boas, who himself has experienced the gun-to-the-head style ownership at Chelsea Football Club.

Success continued for Vialli, who beat Real Madrid to the Super Cup before leading Chelsea to their highest league position for nearly 30 years. More silverware followed in the 1999-00 campaign as the Italian - now solely a manager - lifted the FA Cup.

However, much as it would for Di Matteo in 2012, that trip to Wembley acted as something of a premature leaving party, for within five games of the new season Vialli was sacked. A total of six points from those fixtures (comparing favourably to Di Matteo's five from his last five) brought things to a head.

A day that started with news that Chelsea were looking into the option of signing Vialli's compatriot and friend Paolo di Canio, actually ended with the Chelsea manager's dismissal. "It is in our best interests to seek a change of direction," read the club statement.

The decision drew a stunned response, with Graeme Le Saux saying: "All the Chelsea players are shocked and no one had any idea this was happening." Pierluigi Casiraghi, bought by Vialli, said: "Ken Bates does not know the meaning of gratitude. He is arrogant and has made a mistake."

Yet there was little anger from Vialli's camp, with agent Athole Still confirming the player-power factor in the decision. "The reason for Luca's sacking has nothing to do with the club's results at the start of the season," he said.

"The reason was that he had lost the confidence of some of the players. The spirit in the camp was not what he or Chelsea wanted to have. Gianluca accepts that he had lost the confidence of some of the players, and therefore completely accepts the club's prerogative in choosing to dismiss him."

Zola, so adored by the Chelsea faithful, was believed to be the catalyst as he and Vialli's relationship cracked, the little Italian genius rotated and overlooked despite the magic clearly possessed in his diminutive feet. Another big personality, Didier Deschamps, expressed how Vialli's efforts to switch from player to manager became lost in translation.

"I felt very frustrated on the pitch and also in my relationships with Vialli, which were difficult or even impossible. It was hard because I had a very different opinion of him as a player from the coach he became."

What happened next?
Another Italian, Claudio Ranieri, was named as Vialli's replacement and was soon given a £120 million war chest to spend under new owner Abramovich. Ranieri took Chelsea back into the Champions League and developed a love affair with the Chelsea faithful, but was eventually replaced by Jose Mourinho as Abramovich craved instant success.

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/a-league/news/1129935/Beckham-deal-remains-a-possibility

Drogba asks FIFA for loan move Didier Drogba wants a loan move to boost fitness levels for the African Cup of Nations.


Updated Nov 21, 2012 6:59 AM ET
GENEVA (AP)


Didier Drogba has asked FIFA for special permission to move on loan from his Chinese club despite being outside the official transfer window.

FIFA said Wednesday it is considering the former Chelsea forward's request for an exemption from international rules.

''The FIFA administration services are looking into it,'' FIFA said in a statement.

Drogba's season with Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua finished this month.

If FIFA grants Drogba's request, the 34-year-old Ivory Coast captain could play for a new team to prepare for the African Cup of Nations, which kicks off on Jan. 19 in South Africa.

Existing rules prevent Drogba from representing another club until Jan. 1.

FIFA has upheld the rules in previous cases when David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Landon Donovan had to wait until January to make loan moves to Europe after the Major League Soccer season ended.

Drogba signed a contract through 2014 with Shanghai weeks after helping Chelsea win the Champions League title in May. He scored an 88th-minute equalizer against Bayern Munich, then struck the winning penalty in the shootout.

Drogba is an iconic figure in Chelsea history and was back at Stamford Bridge on Nov. 11 to see his old team draw 1-1 with Liverpool.

Even if FIFA relented and Chelsea was allowed to sign Drogba on a short-term contract, he could not play in its must-win final Champions League group match against Nordsjaelland on Dec. 5.

Champions League teams must register their squad lists for the group stage with UEFA in September before their first match.

http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/world/story/didier-drogba-requests-special-permission-from-fifa-for-loan-move-112112

Di Matteo gone by early December?

Going to head to the last Champions League game, will be great to be in the stadium when they are dumped into the Europa league.

Blues announce £1.4m profit

By DAN KING
Published: 09th November 2012

CHELSEA’S Champions League triumph helped the club make a profit for the first time in the Roman Abramovich era.

And Red Rom’s Chelski are now the world’s fifth biggest club in terms of income, boosting their turnover to more than £255million.


Figures for the 2011-12 season mean the club which was once a byword for reckless spending now has a good chance of meeting UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules.


Boss Roberto di Matteo said: “We’re in favour of Financial Fair Play. We’re doing everything in our power to comply with the new rules and this is great news for the club.


“It puts Chelsea Football Club in a strong position to remain competitive at domestic level and international level.”


As well as becoming London’s first European champions, Chelsea have leapfrogged rivals Arsenal in the league table of club income.


Blues’ £255.7m turnover beats Arsenal’s £243.4m and puts them behind Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.


But the profit, however small, is the big news.


Chelsea had lost more than £630m since Russian billionaire Abramovich bought the club in 2003. But in the year to June 30 they made a post-tax profit of £1.4m — a huge turnaround from the £67.7m loss in 2010-11.


But they could not have done it without the massive £48m prize for their unlikely penalty shootout win over Bayern Munich in the Euro final.


The books also show gains of £28.8m on player dealing, despite a splurge of around £100m on players such as Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Romelu Lukaku and Gary Cahill.


Money will have flowed out of the business in cash terms but the squad’s overall value has gone up by nearly £30m.


And, even though Chelsea sacked yet another manager last season, Andre Villas-Boas’ departure was a lot less expensive than giving Carlo Ancelotti the boot the year before.


Ancelotti and his backroom staff trousered £15m in pay-offs while Porto received £13m for releasing Villas-Boas.


The 2010-11 figures were also skewed by £7.4m written off on the value of players and a £6.4m settlement with the taxman over players’ image rights.


And the club is debt free after Abramovich converted £166.6m owed to him by Chelsea into shares.



Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4636193/Chelsea-announce-14million-profit.html#ixzz2BndpLTz2

Why Fernando Torres Must Be Sold Even If He Scores 20 Goals This Season

By Karan Yadav on November 4, 2012

As Chelsea edged increasingly close towards signing Fernando Torres from Liverpool, the decision wasn’t as straightforward for the fans, as it appeared to be for the club.

“Fernando Torres is not worth £50m. He will soon be 27 and has a history of breaking down at alarming regularity. The club had burnt its fingers once, and should not go down that road again“, argued those who were against the move. “A player Chelsea fans have secretly yearned for ever since the Spaniard ended the Chelsea career of Tal Ben-Haim, before it had even taken off, in his first match for Liverpool on English soil. Each of the subsequent goals that El Niño scored against Chelsea only increased the respect and admiration the Blues had for him, even though his strikes, more often than not, led to a Chelsea defeat. After every loss, the distraught fans were struck with pangs of jealousy towards Liverpool. Now, the dream of seeing Fernando play for the team may become a reality and it’s too relishing to give up“, instantly retorted the other set of supporters. The club, essentially the owner, couldn’t resist the temptation either and Fernando Torres signed for Chelsea on the fateful day of 31st January, 2011.

They overlooked the fact that the player they were signing wasn’t the one they’d fallen in love with; they overlooked the fact that he had appeared a shadow of his dangerous self in months preceding the transfer, only to rise when Liverpool came face to face with Chelsea. On other occasions, in other matches, he appeared to have lost that sudden burst of pace that shattered the legacy of many seasoned defenders; he lacked self-belief and often drifted out of games. Moreover, his off the ball movement, ability to make devastating runs behind the backline appeared to be on the wane. Injuries and overuse had taken their toll, and it was then that Chelsea appeared with a truck full of money. Such was his aura, such is romance that it blinded everyone involved as they celebrated the biggest signing in the history of the West London club.

Today, twenty-two months later, it’s safe to say that the signing has turned out to be a failure of monumental proportions, but not entirely useless as it has helped reshape the transfer strategy at Chelsea. From signing superstars at the peak of their powers whose value only depreciated, those looking for a final substantial contract after already making a name for themselves to signing world-class young talent with high potential, hungry for success, hungrier to improve, those with at least two contracts in them, Chelsea’s strategy has undergone a paradigm shift.

Fernando Torres was signed on a five and a half year deal for £50m, with the player earning around £180,000 per week in salary. Over the course of the massive contract, the Spaniard will cost Chelsea close to £100m. As of today, he has drawn £20m in salary so the total cost on the books is £70m, with the club yet to spend £30m on the contract. If a club were to today offer say £15m for his services, in reality, the deal would relieve Chelsea of a burden in the region of £45m, and the club should jump at the offer. Frankly, it’s not just about the money.

Only thing that depicts that Fernando is a finisher, in most games, is the number 9 on the back of his shirt and not what he manages to do on the pitch. Three managers, at least three formations, and two distinctly different teams (players) haven’t managed to get the best out of the player. With Didier Drogba around, Chelsea predominantly played to his strengths, and to be fair, in such a setup Torres wasn’t a perfect fit. He couldn’t hold up the ball, play with his back to goal, wasn’t particularly strong in the air, and didn’t depend on his physical attributes to get past defenders. Previously, he relied on speed, on his movement to get behind the defenders, with intelligent balls being played through the middle, rather than crosses from the wings.

He did display flashes of his old previous self occasionally; the hattrick against Queens Park Rangers, the breathtaking shot against Sunderland that led to the only goal of the game, and the last goal at Camp Nou were reminiscent of his time at Liverpool. Yet, on the whole, he continued to appear a shadow of his former self. The fact that he wasn’t getting regular minutes on the pitch was considered to be the reason behind his lack of confidence, resulting in the abysmal form that he found himself in.

Once Didier Drogba departed, Chelsea announced that they believed in Torres and that he will be the first choice target-man come next season. With Drogba moving on, Chelsea too decided to reinvent their gameplay. Extremely intelligent, creative players such as Eden Hazard and Oscar, amongst others, were added to the squad, and they didn’t waste anytime in establishing a devastating attacking band alongside Juan Mata, behind Torres. Yet, Chelsea’s number 9 continues to struggle. He has scored more goals, but none when the club has actually needed him to step up and deliver.

Chelsea have got off to a fabulous start this season not because of Torres, but in spite of him. The players behind him exchange positions, spot movement of their teammates early, understand each other and deliver delightful, sometimes unbelievable, through balls in the final third. More often than not, Mata, Hazard and Oscar themselves are the ones making the runs to get to the end of these passes, and not Torres. He’s seldom in goal scoring positions, drifting either wide or deep with alarming regularity. With the kind of playmakers operating alongside him, all he has to do is finish the innumerable chances that they’re bound to create rather than try to play the role of creator himself. When he used to provide assists last season, it came as a relief as he was at least contributing to the team’s cause. That’s not required this season, with the kind of players Chelsea now have.

The need of the hour is a proper striker, a centre-forward who knows where the goal is, who backs himself to shoot at the right time, who can run with the ball for five yards without falling over or meekly losing possession, who can gauge the intent of players behind him and is confident enough to receive the ball in decisive areas, and most importantly, who can score goals in the most difficult of circumstances. Sadly, Fernando Torres isn’t that player anymore nor will he be that player again in his career. Chelsea have been very patient with him; the fans have left no stone unturned in supporting him, but a time has come for the club to accept the harsh truth that they made a mistake and end this unfortunate, horribly disappointing chapter.

It is said that hallmark of an astute businessman is his ability to know when to swallow his pride, cut losses and move on. An astute businessman, Roman Abramovich certainly is. A time has come for him to end this venture of his, howsoever desperately he may have wanted for it to succeed. Chelsea would undoubtedly take a big hit, but the writing was always on the wall the moment signatures were put on the dotted line.

http://www.thehardtackle.com/2012/news-chelsea-fc-fernando-torres-must-be-sold-even-if-he-scores-20-goals-this-season/

Refs 'ponder Chelsea boycott'

3 November 2012-PA Sport


Some Premier League referees are contemplating boycotting Chelsea games in the wake of the allegations made against Mark Clattenburg, according to former official Clive Wilkes.

Police and the Football Association have launched formal investigations into the European champion's allegations Clattenburg used "inappropriate language" towards Mikel, something Press Association Sport understands the official strenuously denies.

Leading figures such as Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson have had their say, backing 37-year-old Clattenburg.

And ex-Premier League referee Wilkes says the feelings of some of his former colleagues are so strong that they have started to discuss refusing to take charge of Chelsea`s games.

He told The Sun: "I keep in touch with a lot of the lads and there is such a strength of feeling about what is happening to Mark.

"I know a few referees who are even talking about boycotting Chelsea games because of all this.

"Remember, it's not the first time Chelsea have targeted a referee - there's been Anders Frisk and Graham Poll.

"And some refs are now saying enough is enough. It's no exaggeration to say the refs in this country have never felt lower.

"They are so disillusioned. They feel vulnerable, feel that they are being left isolated - that they are getting no backing, no support.

"They want to speak out themselves but are too frightened, they fear they will be sacked if they go public with their grievances.

"There have even been murmurings about strike action but that's very much the last resort.

"They'd much prefer to get around the table with the FA, PFA, the clubs and players to sort this out as quickly as possible."

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1127139/Refs-ponder-Chelsea-boycott

Any word on the what happened to the security guard and his condition?

Chelsea to offer only one-year deals to Lampard and Cole

By Andrew Tuft
Wednesday 10 October 2012

Experienced Chelsea pair Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole are facing a decision on whether or not to accept short-term contracts at Stamford Bridge or seek a longer deal elsewhere, as the Daily Mail reports the Premier League leaders will only offer one-year renewals to the England internationals.


The existing contracts of both Lampard and Cole are due to expire in summer 2013, with each therefore free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with a club outside the Premier League as of January 1. The Mail notes that Lampard is already attracting interest from a number of clubs in China, including Shanghai Shenhua, home of ex-Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, as well as MLS side LA Galaxy, who could team Lampard with David Beckham.


Drogba was in a similar situation a year ago, the newspaper adds, and was presented with an ultimatum of a one-year deal, having held out for two. When Drogba was not offered a longer contract, he accepted Shenhua’s offer instead and ended his eight-year Chelsea career.

Lampard has been at Chelsea for more than a decade, moving to the club from West Ham United in 2001. Cole also crossed London to join the Blues, leaving Arsenal in 2006, with France international William Gallas going in the opposite direction.


http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p6_1_17067_chelsea-to-offer-only-one-year-deals-to-lampard-and-cole.html

Considering we're being trolled by a pack of pricks living off their past and another bunch who haven't won something in years I don't think they'll want to talk much about current football.

So are we going to discuss football or just yell at each other?

Thanks in advance.

Oh look, you were rude to someone on the internet, you must be so cool.