LA Galaxy back for Lampard as Chelsea star told to join up with Beckham
By Rob Draper

PUBLISHED: 21:50 GMT, 30 June 2012 | UPDATED: 23:00 GMT, 30 June 2012

LA Galaxy are ready to make a fresh move to prise Frank Lampard away from Chelsea and make him a team-mate of David Beckham in the USA’s Major League Soccer.

The club believe they can put together an offer that can make it worth Lampard’s while to move to the USA, even though the midfield player has one year left on a £130,000-a-week Chelsea contract and is due a substantial loyalty bonus if he completes the final year of his deal.

Leaving Chelsea would clearly be a wrench for Lampard, 34, who has become an iconic player at the club since moving there in 2001. He has won the Champions League, three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups in the club’s most successful era.
But last season Lampard had to accept that he would not always be first choice in the starting XI and Roberto Di Matteo, made permanent manager last month, is expected to continue the team’s rejuvenation.

Chelsea would ordinarily not want to lose such an illustrious player but, if Lampard did want to go, it would lower the wage bill and help Chelsea meet UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations, which requires them to cut their losses or face being banned from Champions League football.

LA Galaxy remain hopeful that those factors will mean they can pick up Lampard without paying a transfer fee. One possible replacement for Lampard would be Luka Modric, but Tottenham have put a £45million price tag on their Croatia playmaker, despite no manager being officially announced at White Hart Lane.

Former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas, however, will receive one further payment from Roman Abramovich before taking over at Spurs this week. The 34-year-old has held off confirming his appointment at Tottenham until a lump sum from his settlement with Chelsea is paid into his account, due to happen tomorrow.
Once that is processed, Spurs will announce that he has been chosen to replace Harry Redknapp, who was sacked last month despite leading the club to fourth place last season.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2167084/LA-Galaxy-Chelseas-Frank-Lampard.html#ixzz1zKPjCdmT

Torres given no Chelsea guarantees

8 July 2012-PA Sport

New Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo expects a 'buzzing' Fernando Torres to be raring to go when he returns to pre-season training - but warned the EURO 2012 Golden Boot winner there can be no guarantees of being the Blues' number one striker.

The Spain striker came off the bench in the final, scoring one and setting up another in his side's 4-0 win over Italy to help fire Vicente del Bosque's Spain to its European crown.

The 28-year-old, signed from Liverpool in a £50 million ($75.82 million) deal in January 2011, had launched an outburst at the Blues in the wake of their UEFA Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich, attacking his treatment by the club and threatening to quit.

However, Torres later backtracked, claiming he is now ready to fulfil his dreams with Chelsea after admitting he 'lost hope' in his early days at Stamford Bridge.

Di Matteo maintained there was no lingering issues with the Spain forward, who scored three goals at EURO 2012, but insisted that despite the departure of Didier Drogba, Torres should not automatically expect to now be first choice.

"There is no concerns about Fernando at all," said Di Matteo, who was appointed to the Chelsea job on a permanent basis having taken over from Andre Villas-Boas and won the FA Cup before triumphing on penalties in Munich.

"I did have a chat with him the morning after the final, and have been in touch since as well.

"It (disappointment) was a feeling he had at the time, but I will continue to speak to the players.

"I am expecting him here in a good mood, to be buzzing and be very good next season,.

"Certainly winning the Golden Boot and the Euros, along with the trophies they won with us should give them a lot of confidence.

"I expect him next season to be a fantastic player with us."

Di Matteo, though, added: "We have three strikers at the moment in the squad, and I would not be saying who is going to be playing.

"They will all have to fight for their position and there is healthy competition.

"Whomever is in the best form and can give the best for the team will be playing."

Di Matteo also feels Frank Lampard can have another big part to play next season, as the 34-year-old England midfielder - who is coming to the end of his current Chelsea contract - looks to bounce back from the thigh injury which ruled him out of EURO 2012.

"Frank is a very fit man and can play for many years to come," said Di Matteo.

"He was very influential towards the end of last season maybe playing a little deeper role. He made some key passes and he performed very well.

"I was very happy. It depends on how he feels physically and mentally and I don't see any problems with him going on."

Chelsea may have secured Champions League glory on the back of what were resolute defensive displays to get past Barcelona in the semi-finals, but Di Matteo insists that is not the only way forward for his team.

"Chelsea have never been a defensive side over the years and won't turn into one overnight," the Italian said.

"There may be a tactical situation when you have to play like that but I can't see our club turning into a defensive side.

"It was successful the way we approached certain games but it was just three games and the rest of the games weren't approached like that."

Di Matteo added: "It is not a question of overhauling the squad it is a question of finding the right players to integrate into the team.

"The team will change face over time as the players move on or retire and new players come into the team."

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1112502/Torres-given-no-Chelsea-guarantees

Lampard dismisses MLS link

July 8, 2012
By ESPN staff

Frank Lampard has shrugged off reports he is set to exit Chelsea to join former England team-mate David Beckham at MLS side LA Galaxy, after the pair were photographed together at a recent match.

Lampard is entering the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge and has recently been linked with moves to the MLS and the Chinese Super League. Speculation was fuelled this week when Lampard and his agent Steve Kutner joined Beckham to watch the Galaxy go down to the Philadelphia Union, but the 34-year-old moved to play down exit fears.

"There's nothing in that at all," Lampard told the Sun. "I'm here in Los Angeles on holiday with Christine (Bleakley). We got engaged here last year and we love it over here.

"Steve's over here a lot on music and football business, he organised a box, so we could go to see the Galaxy game. Becks was suspended for the match, so he came and sat with us and we had a good laugh, that's all."

After missing England's Euro 2012 campaign due to injury, Lampard declared he will be "fit and fresh" for the Blues next term as they look to build on last season's Champions League triumph.

"Now I'm really looking forward to getting back to Chelsea. I'm feeling fit and fresh and I'm raring to go. My thigh strain is completely healed now and maybe missing the Euros was a blessing in disguise for me.

"I had a full summer off and I'm ready to go back to start the hard work for the new season. We've more to look forward to with the Super Cup and World Club Championships," he said.

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo also backed Lampard to stay on at the club, hinting the midfielder may be offered a new contract beyond next season.

"Frank is a very fit man," Di Matteo told the Telegraph. "As long as he doesn't get injured he can play for many years. He's been very influential towards the end of the season. He made some key passes and he performed very well.

"At a certain age of course he will need a longer recovery time. I don't see any problems with him going on. The club will make the decision with Frank but certainly he'll be here next season."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1123423/chelsea?cc=3436

Terry taunted before racial slur

From: The Australian July 10, 2012 12:00AM

CHELSEA and England defender John Terry racially abused rival footballer Anton Ferdinand in response to taunts about his alleged affair with a teammate's girlfriend, his trial heard last night.

Terry was charged with a racially aggravated public order offence following the emergence of video footage appearing to show him abusing the Queens Park Rangers defender Ferdinand during a Premier League match last October.

The 31-year-old Chelsea captain allegedly called Ferdinand -- the brother of Terry's England colleague Rio Ferdinand -- a "f . . king black c . . t", Westminster Magistrates' Court in London heard as the trial opened.

He allegedly told Ferdinand, who is mixed race, to "f . . k off" and called him a "f . . king knob-head" as they exchanged insults.

"When someone brings your colour into it, it takes it to another level and it's very hurtful," Ferdinand, 27, told the court. He said he did not initially believe that any racist terms had been used.

...After the match, Ferdinand's girlfriend showed him a YouTube clip of the altercation which convinced him that racist language had been used, he told the court.

He added that if he had realised at the time what had been said, he "probably would have let the officials know what happened and dealt with it after the game".

If found guilty, Terry could be fined up to pound stg. 2500 ($3800), although the damage to the player's lucrative commercial deals would likely be far greater.

Prosecutor Duncan Penny said Terry's words "demonstrated hostility based on Mr Ferdinand's membership or presumed membership of a racial group".

The insult was made "most probably in response to physical gestures being made by Mr Ferdinand, which the defendant understood to refer to the well-publicised allegation of an extramarital affair with a teammate's girlfriend," Mr Penny said.

Allegations emerged in 2010 that Terry, who is married, had

an affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the former girlfriend of his England teammate Wayne Bridge, who was also formerly at Chelsea.

Terry maintains he was only sarcastically repeating words that Ferdinand wrongly thought he had said earlier, the court heard.

A few supporters outside shouted "Good luck, John!" to Terry as he arrived at court, wearing a grey suit and pink tie.

At an earlier hearing, Terry's lawyers entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Terry was stripped of the England captaincy in February as a result of the racial abuse allegations. The trial is expected to last five days.

AFP

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/terry-taunted-before-racial-slur/story-e6frg6so-1226422098920

He said he did not initially believe that any racist terms had been used.

...After the match, Ferdinand's girlfriend showed him a YouTube clip of the altercation which convinced him that racist language had been used, he told the court.

Terry maintains he was only sarcastically repeating words that Ferdinand wrongly thought he had said earlier,

You guys should sign Jeff Parke.

“Chelsea are sustaining their academy”Share:

Chelsea’s academy has come under fire in recent times for its failure to produce enough talented young players for the first team despite a considerable outlay. But as the Life’s a Pitch team discusses, not only is Chelsea’s academy paying for itself in player sales, but it is actually bringing players through in what is a notoriously difficult process.

“This is what kids at all big clubs should really accept if they’re going to move to the big academies,” explains the Guardian’s Dominic Fifield in relation to Josh McEachran‘s very slim chances of making the Chelsea first-team this season. “It sounds as if Di Matteo is going to spend the first week in August assessing which players go out on loan and it would be a surprise if McEachran didn’t go out. They’re even looking at people like Nathaniel Chalobah going out on loan. They recognise that going out on loan would make sense for him and Sam Hutchinson. There are other youngsters like Gael Kakuta who probably will move on this summer because they’re not going to be quite good enough. That’s the bottom line, he will end up back in France.”

But faced with such a long shot of making the first team, why would a talented young player choose to join Chelsea’s academy, asks journalist and author Ian Ridley. ”You wonder what’s gone on at Chelsea over the last five years. They had Frank Arnesen in charge of player development and he obviously got the sack because they weren’t delivering. But you wonder about the long-term future for Chelsea in that if you were the parent of a really good kid you wouldn’t want him to go to Chelsea because the way [to the first team] is going to be blocked.”

Not so, argues Dominic. ”Chelsea would argue that these players are getting decent development and when Chelsea are getting rid of them they’re selling them for money, therefore they’re sustaining their academy. That is how their academy system is working.”

The People’s Dave Kidd expects left-sided defender and midfielder Ryan Bertrand (pictured, above) to be the next to graduate from the academy to the first team. ”They really rate Bertrand and I think he will get a good run. Ashley Cole’s contract has only got a year to run, Bertrand played in the Champions league final, started his first ever Champions league game at left midfield. There are odd exceptions [to those who fail to make the grade at Chelsea] and Bertrand, I reckon, could be, more than McEachran, a better bet.”

http://www.lifesapitch.co.uk/laptv/chelsea-are-sustaining-their-academy/

Chelsea out to emulate Barca flair
DateAugust 12, 2012

THOSE who keep the blue flag flying high will not worry about all the ''winning ugly'' accusations thrown Chelsea's way last season. They have the Champions League trophy. They have the FA Cup. Yet owner Roman Abramovich clearly wants Chelsea to play with more elan, becoming almost a Barcelona in blue, and his recruitment of Oscar, Eden Hazard and Marko Marin signals his desire for style amid the steel.

''Everybody would like to play like Barcelona but there isn't another team in the world who play like them,'' reflected Roberto Di Matteo, breaking off from preparing his players for tonight's Community Shield match with Manchester City.

''It's a culture, a way of life, a style Barcelona have produced through the club for many, many years. But the aim for a lot of teams and clubs is to get there. As far as I'm concerned, there isn't one who plays like Barca. And there's only one Lionel Messi around.''

The Italian really bristled only when criticism was made about Chelsea's style last season. Certain games against Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool failed to seize the imagination. ''There was Aston Villa, Spurs in the FA Cup semi-final, Liverpool in the final,'' countered Di Matteo. ''I wouldn't say other teams play over the whole season consistently attractive football. It's quite difficult.''

To accelerate the transition towards a more beautiful game, Abramovich has invested wisely.

''His will to win has never decreased at any moment,'' said Di Matteo. ''He wants to win, and he backs it up.'' In style. Hazard has arrived for £32 million ($A47 million), Oscar for £25 million and Marin for £7 million.

''I am excited by these new players. You look at what they've done at previous clubs, and trying to bring them together to express their qualities for the team will be exciting,'' Di Matteo said.

''Marin has been injured for a couple of weeks. Hazard is the type of player with great qualities. He will have to adapt to the English Premier League. Some adapt a bit quicker than others, so we'll have to be patient. I watched Oscar in the Olympics, and before the Olympics, and he will certainly add a lot of quality to our team and options.

''I'm also sure that, because he's still a young man, he will be able to learn from the players we have here and the mentality they have. We have a very driven team of players and they are never satisfied with what they've done in the past. Oscar is a great player. The good players can always play together.

''I don't think you can expect a completely different Chelsea overnight. The majority of the team are still here and, with those players, the club have been very successful already. So don't expect radical changes.''

Even if the experienced players such as Petr Cech, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard set the tone of habitual defiance, there will surely be a more fluid feel to Chelsea this season.

Chelsea is also looking for a centre-forward with Didier Drogba gone. Di Matteo admitted that Chelsea was ''a little bit light in that position''.

Di Matteo played down suggestions of a move for Mario Balotelli. ''He's a great player and he will get better as well but he belongs to Manchester City,'' Di Matteo said.

The game with City will give Chelsea fans some indication of the team's potential, although Oscar is still on Brazil duty and Marin is injured.

TELEGRAPH



Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/chelsea-out-to-emulate-barca-flair-20120811-241gs.html#ixzz23FR0qaxc

Focus on John Terry

Time for Terry to step out of spotlight

August 15, 2012
By Norman Hubbard

This time, he had a legitimate reason to wear the blue shirt and put his shinpads in. This time, however, there was no trophy for John Terry to hold aloft. The contrasts between Chelsea's last two competitive games are considerable, but particularly for their captain.

He was an inappropriately dressed spectator when they won the Champions League in Munich in May, a triumph that, despite Didier Drogba's headline-grabbing heroics, owed much to the semi-fit central defenders Gary Cahill and David Luiz. Terry's suspension did not prevent him from emerging from the stands to insert himself at the centre of the celebrations.

He was conspicuous again in Sunday's Community Shield and, in a different way, for the wrong reasons. It was Terry's weak clearance that led to Yaya Toure levelling the scores. A static Terry was unable to stop Carlos Tevez surging past him to put Manchester City ahead. His was a performance of worrying vulnerability, one that should prompt a rethink from Roberto Di Matteo. Whether or not the FA ban him for allegedly racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, Chelsea should end Terry's days as an automatic choice.

That might seem an overreaction. The Community Shield's reduced status means it is easy to dismiss the conclusions it produces. For some, it is part of pre-season preparations and it is more important Terry finds his optimum form at Wigan on Sunday. After a summer that featured a European Championship and a court case, he returned to training later than most. Match sharpness usually takes time.

And yet there was a predictability to what happened. Tevez has tormented Terry for years, most memorably in City's 4-2 win in February 2010, even if that game is more famous for Wayne Bridge's refusal to shake hands with his former team-mate. With his low centre of gravity, change of pace and constant running, the Argentine is precisely the sort of striker the Chelsea captain does not like playing against. Tevez's type are growing in number, too. His compatriot and City colleague Sergio Aguero shares some of the same characteristics. With Samir Nasri a midfield raider, Terry's task was to halt three short, quick players. His undoubted aerial ability was rendered irrelevant by the opposition.


Examine the top teams and the trend is for forwards to become smaller and speedier. Javier Hernandez is a case in point and has three goals in four games against Chelsea, embarrassing their defence with a first-minute opener at Old Trafford in May 2011, while Wayne Rooney has seven strikes in nine matches. Without scoring, Luis Suarez embarrassed Terry at Anfield this May, even if it is remembered more for an uncharacteristically torrid evening against a target man, Andy Carroll.

A week earlier, Papiss Cisse had troubled Terry when Newcastle won at Stamford Bridge. Rewind to last October and Robin van Persie, while less of a sprinter than the 31-year-old's other nemeses, outpaced him when scoring a hat-trick in Arsenal's 5-3 win. Increasingly, the high-class forwards' memory banks are filled with personal victories against this most daunting of defenders.

The manner in which they won their individual battles should send a message to Di Matteo. So, too, should the Champions League final when the more mobile pair of Cahill and Luiz excelled. If two defenders whose adventurousness has raised past questions about their reliability can continue to display more responsibility and improve their positional sense, they should be paired in the major matches.

It is not just that Terry is in decline. Football has changed over the course of his career. The sort of forwards muscular and physical with whom he has tussled, often successfully, may not be a dying breed, but they have fallen out of favour. When teams play 4-2-3-1, it is often with a quick striker and midfield runners arriving at pace. Terry is not best suited to halt either.

He remains a very fine central defender, but only in certain circumstances. The backs-to-the-wall effort at home against Barcelona was one, England's summer campaign at Euro 2012 another. Roy Hodgson played to Terry's strengths in Ukraine and Poland, even if those who suggested he should be in the team of the tournament can scarcely have seen Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Bruno Alves, Pepe and even Joleon Lescott. With a team defending deep, and holding midfielders sat just in front of him, Terry can be dominant in a small zone. In wide open spaces, his lack of speed is more evident.


It was notable that in the quarter-final, Italy targeted Terry, looking to play passes in behind and catch him on the turn. Others will do likewise. When Andre Villas-Boas played his infamously high defensive line, his captain was left exposed. And while Di Matteo is unlikely to order his back four to reach the half-way line, Chelsea's more expansive approach poses problems in itself. If Fernando Torres is supported by Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar, they will effectively have four forwards. It will be harder to protect Terry and, with the remaining six outfield players required to occupy more space, it makes sense to pick the quicker options.

Because while Terry's tub-thumping brand of defiance could remain invaluable in some situations - the football cliché of Stoke away springs to mind - the danger is that he will become a weak link in elite company. The man Stamford Bridge calls 'captain, leader, legend' could be captain, leader and liability.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story/_/id/1134326/norm-hubbard:-time-for-john-terry-to-step-out-of-chelsea-spotlight?cc=3436

Frank Lampard says Chelsea's Champions League success saved many players from being sold


25 August 2012

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard believes last season's Champions League success saved many players from being shown the exit at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues saw off Bayern Munich in May's final to deliver owner Roman Abramovich the one bit of silverware he desperately wanted - a European title.

It signalled a positive end to a season of ups and downs, with manager Andre Villas-Boas making way for Roberto Di Matteo amid rumours of dressing room unrest and differences with the players - among them Lampard.

And the influential England international admits the Champions League victory helped save the club from a summer of sweeping changes.

"If we had gone out of the Champions League, God knows what would have happened. Looking back, there probably would have been wholesale changes," he told The Times.

"That's the beauty of winning the Champions League. We remain in the Champions League and can look at spicing things up with new players.

"I didn't really think at the time that that was the end, but looking back, it probably would have been the break-up of that team."

Lampard also insists he has put behind him his rift with Villas-Boas, who is now in charge at Tottenham.

"Looking back, we were slightly different personalities," he said.

"What I found hard to handle was not so much the not-playing side, it was the communication - or the not talking about it.

"There are no hard feelings, certainly not from me. We sent messages after he left. I wish him all the best."

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/frank-lampard-says-chelseas-champions-league-success-saved-many-players-from-being-sold-8080981.html

Ashley Cole 'unhappy with Chelsea's one-year contract offer'

Chelsea defender Ashley Cole could be set to quit Stamford Bridge, after reports suggest he is angry at only being offered a one-year contract extension.

..The 31-year-old is in the final year of his contract at Chelsea, who he joined in 2006 after falling out with Arsenal over a wage row.

Now Cole, who is believed to be disgusted at only receiving a one year offer, looks to have another contract dispute on his hands.

‘Mr Abramovich has a rule that anyone over 30 can only be given a one-year extension but it’s madness in Ashley’s case,’ a Chelsea insider told The Sun.

‘Everyone knows he’s the best left-back in the world.

‘He trains hard, really looks after himself and can play at this level for many more years to come. There isn’t a club in the world who wouldn’t want Ashley on a free.’

Real Madrid boss, Jose Mourinho, is a big admirer of Cole – who he signed for Chelsea – and could be set for a move for the left-back, while Paris St Germain could also be interested.

Cole’s future at Chelsea was placed under further doubt earlier this week, when understudy Ryan Bertrand signed a new five year deal.

The highly-rated 23-year-old was part of Team GB’s Olympic squad this summer, made his England debut against Italy last month and in May, became the first player ever to make his Champions League debut in the final, as the Blues beat Bayern Munich on penalties
.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/910959-ashley-cole-unhappy-with-chelseas-one-year-contract-offer#ixzz25geKd7D6

Proud Lampard never thought of quitting

September 10, 2012

By ESPN staff

Frank Lampard insists he never considered quitting international football, despite coming in for abuse from England fans and missing out on this year's European Championship through injury.

Lampard, 34, will have the opportunity to become England's greatest midfield goalscorer when the Three Lions take on Ukraine at Wembley on Tuesday evening after netting a brace against Moldova last week. However, the Chelsea man revealed life on the international stage has not always been pleasant.

"I am very proud of my England career," Lampard said. "With England careers, they can't always be rosy for any player especially if you are going to get towards 100 caps.

"I am very proud of the games, the goals, the games I have been involved in. The only downside is that we have not won anything. That's something we all want to put right.

"I am pleased I didn't bail out when I was getting stick because there can be easy routes particularly when you get to 30. You are allowed to retire from that age onwards.

"I was never interested in that. Whether I carry on playing one more game or 15, I'd like to think people will say 'he was really proud to play for his country and put in a good contribution.' If they say that I will be very happy."

Lampard missed Euro 2012 through injury but it never crossed his mind that it would be an appropriate time to concentrate purely on club football.

"When I got injured in the summer, it was one of those but I never actually considered it (quitting). I haven't got it in me. I'm not saying I'll stay available to be picked forever because it becomes obvious at some stage. But it's not my thing.

"My dad has always been a quiet advocate of playing for your country and the fact you are a long time retired, that while you feel you can contribute, do it.

"Even in those tough times, when I had a tough game, or was getting stick, my dad was adamant on me staying in the game because we are so privileged to be here. But I didn't talk to him this summer as I knew the answer I'd have got - 'keep going."'

"I don't know whether I am taken for granted. I don't believe so. I am very proud to be here. I have played through injuries at times and I like to think I have made myself available every time because I am very pleased to be here."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1155151/proud-frank-lampard-never-thought-of-quitting-england?cc=3436

out of the blue

The condemnation of John Terry - a national obsession

On 27/09/2012 10:00:00 By Perillo

Is John Terry a racist? Was his contretemps with Anton Ferdinand just an explosion of frustration at a remark about his alleged affair with Wayne Bridge's ex-girlfriend? A moment when restraint was cast aside and his anger burst forth on a football pitch, surrounded by black footballers with millions watching on TV? That is certainly what the prosecution in the recent trial tried to suggest, questioning Terry on his "self-control; "you lost it, didn't you Mr Terry?"



I have watched Terry's career with exasperation at times. The allegations of dodgy dealings with the Wembley box, the supposed indiscretions with Bridge's ex, the nightclub ruckus. I have frequently felt him to be a less than pleasant fellow despite his undoubted commitment to his profession. In short, from a human perspective, I have rarely been a big fan of his. But there is a pattern and a level of vituperation for this player that extends from the very top of the game in the form of the FA through to other fans all the way to his fellow professionals. And it smashes all of the principles of natural justice and due process to smithereens.

Footballers become mindlessly childish in every respect when it comes to Terry. Wayne Bridge's behaviour as well as that of his colleagues at Manchester City in response to the tabloid reports that Terry had snuck through his ex's back door was breathtakingly puerile. This was a woman with whom Bridge's relationship had ended a significant length of time earlier. A clue perhaps came in the chuckling form of Craig Bellamy; "everyone knows what JT is like".

The handshake has now become the media insult du jour and players are lining up, literally, not to shake Terry's hand. As if this age-old greeting and sign of respect is something by which these learned, distinguished and dignified working class heroes live their lives. Fans love it, the media loves it; players want their names on the honour roll of those who wordlessly and without eye contact withdraw their hand as Terry passes them. They do this on principle, in response to the outrages seemingly committed by the former England captain. We are, they are saying, honourable men and you, Mr Terry, have broken our ancient codes of propriety and tradition. You are not one of us. Away with the facts or the evidence. We know what you are like Mr T.

So why all of this hate for Terry? Why does Terry endure months of opprobrium for a (denied) dalliance with a single woman when Ryan Giggs, for example, suffers no more than mild awkwardness for a reportedly eight year affair with his brother's wife, a situation that by comparison descends into bleak blackness when one considers the deceit and familial ramifications? Sure, Terry isn't to be applauded as a husband but what has it to do with anyone else and certainly the England captaincy? Well, we know what JT is like don't we?

The Ferdinand situation had, from the very beginning a special dimension of hatred. The emergence in court of suggestions that an acquaintance of Rio Ferdinand had encouraged the police complaint is, perhaps, a clue. It is as though there were those ready to pounce on Terry and what better than a race allegation with which to precipitate the final nail in his coffin? We know what JT is like don't we? But have rumours been circulating for years that Terry is a racist? Has he been seen at BNP get togethers? Have pamphlets been found in his locker? Has there been an enduring suspicion that he doesn't like foreigners? Was his worship of Marcel Dessailly merely a professional consideration? We know what JT is like but do we know he is a racist as well as everything else?

It is a very curious situation that seems to go beyond club rivalries. Journalists, who we all know have their own favourite teams despite their protestations, have been extraordinarily inexact and hysterical on the matter of the Ferdinand affair. Black players have, without thought, reacted with outrage, speaking with scarcely disguised contempt for the process of justice before the trial and then with spluttering disbelief afterwards. They didn't for a moment think that it would be worth hearing the evidence or more importantly considering the likely course of events on the day. They had seen the heavily edited You Tube clips and made up their minds. Ashley Cole, who stood up for his friend and colleague was vilified and abused for his temerity to speak in court.

There was at no point a preparedness to consider Terry as innocent according to the facts. He has been guilty from day one and there has to be a concern for Terry that in all he does, this is the default position; he is always guilty and merely gets away with it. When we take this position on individuals it demonstrates one thing; an immovable prejudice motivated by what we can only describe as a deep hatred. We all do this in one way or another but in Terry's case, his attackers carry influence, they push and prompt behind the scenes, they gather together others and more or less cajole them into speaking out. "He called Anton a black ****. You will support us right?" And if they don't? Well then they are ostracised and called a choc-ice on Twitter. And the journalists lap it up.

It is indeed curious that a player like Terry who has led countless other players of all colours to glory, who imbues others around him with fortitude and who by any standard is a leader of sportsmen has also engendered such blind and mindless biliousness in others. I too have characterised him in less than flattering ways but I have a distinct prejudice against racists and I have seen nothing in him to suggest he is one. If he was proven to be one I would open the door for him on the way out. But from the moment I first saw the YouTube clip (the one before all the edited versions appeared) it seemed plainly obvious what the situation was and that his version of the events rang true. There is simply no way that he would scream such abuse on a football pitch full of black players. None of his pursuers would ever consider that of course; here was further proof that what they all knew about JT was true. It is time to bring the curtain down on this man. He has gone beyond the pale, overstepped the line and he won't get away with this one.

Terry has been tried and found not guilty in a British court of law. The FA's pursuit is possibly worse than all of the moronic trumpeting of players on Twitter and the "considered" analysis of a myriad journalists. Theirs is the political vengeance of a body who lost the best recent England manager who stood on principle over Terry's treatment. They, cajoled by lobby groups and frustrated by the findings of a criminal court, have cast aside their own constitution and rules and decided to reassert the charge that Terry is a racist. We'll get him. We know what JT is like.

The whole affair is shameful and worst of all, in all of the media ranting and self -congratulatory gurning of the unconnected non-handshakers, the most disgraceful thing is that it puts back the cause of anti-racism, giving those who DO harbour malice for men of a different colour every excuse to claim that hysteria and idiocy motivate those of us who try to fight hatred.

John Terry is no saint. But who is? Is he a racist? I don't know but did he scream racist abuse at Anton Ferdinand? No. And a court said so as well.

But we all know what JT is like don't we?


Perillo.

http://bluetinted.com/site/articles/articles.aspx?articleid=286

So I saw the Chelsea thread resurface and I got curious... I did some maths.

Arsenal Thread: sept 25th 2010. 302 pages. A page every 2.42 days.
Liverpool Thread: Sept 29th 2010. 333 pages. A Page every 2.18 days.
United Thread: Sept 29th 2010. 250 pages. A page every 2.91 days.

Chelsea Thread: sept 24th 2010. 21 pages. A page every 34.95 days.

Nice work, Chelsea fans.