I'm looking forward to seeing Frank Lampard start for Chelsea tonight - and hoping he can make an immediate impact!

I reckon it's a difficult one to call... and just hope that Chelsea's success versus Arsenal in recent seasons continues!

Not a big Chelsea fan, but it's great to have Walter Wall footie back! Good luck Cold Sweat!

I watched the first session (day 2) of the Melbourne test last night and was somewhat surprised to see the crowd wrapped in coats and weather protective headwear!

An Arsenal win tonight would suddenly see our game against Chelsea become a bit of a six pointer...

What's your away form like?

Neighbours is based in Melbourne and they always look nithered!

Berbatov to the rescue yesterday, could have been more, wasn't to be still it's going to be tight till the end of the season with Spurs not far behind the chasing pack.


Glad Cardiff won yesterday, tight at the top of the Championship too.

Ref: Joe
Not a big Chelsea fan, but it's great to have Walter Wall footie back! Good luck Cold Sweat



You can't half go off some people

Well good luck to everyone vaggie! This is the Christmas me! It seemed unseasonal to go through my usual Gott straffe Chelsea, the players and supporters routine.

A draw tonight please


Il go for 1-1... Lampard penalty first half and Nasri goal from open play second half.



You heard it here first

Tough one to call tonights game...

...gone for Chelsea.

Good luck, Velvet donkey!

Very few clear chances in the first 20 minutes - although Arsenal have made more of their possession.

Arsenal came on stronger and stronger and deserved the breakthrough.

Hopefully a less lethargic Chelsea will appear for the second half. 

BTW I don't like Smudger commentating on Arsenal games.

I think its fair to put Walcott in the list of divers alongside Nani Both of them are pathetic

Speechless

Has Ramires actually contributed anything yet? I remember he also gifted us 3 points when he gave the ball away to Tevez which ended in a goal.

Nice one Veggie, 
 Maggie xx

Unfortunately, 3-1 to Arsenal was a fair reflection overall.

With only Alex, Anelka and Zhirkov currently missing from the Chelsea squad; the lack of strength in depth is glaringly obvious - so few oprions to make meaningful changes.

I recon Abramovich is gonna be tight with his money now... no doubt the tool will sack Ancelotti for his own mistakes aswell. Neglected his club and has put his attention on Russia's WC. Hasnt he got to fund 3 stadiums?

That performance pretty much summed us up. We always wait till we're chasing the game to start playing football. You can't do that against Arsenal when they're playing at home. We got what we deserved: sod all. I suppose it's a bit much to ask players like Lampard and Cole who only earn 180 grand a week to actually make some vague effort to earn their money.

Man U or Arsenal title now I reckon. We'll probably sack Carlo and appoint someone who will inherit a squad of players who quite frankly aren't fit to wear the shirt and won't do any better with them. I'm livid. I wouldn't mind if they put in an effort and played well and still lost. I hate when they just can't be bothered to put a game on as though we've disturbed their private lives by asking them to play a game of football. F*** them all.

absolutely dismal......it's clear there's something amiss going on at the bridge no matter how much the players etc chirp on that 'everything's great within the team'........

i still say that losing players such as ballack,deco,cole,belletti and not replacing them was a major mistake..........ramires is cack......he has to be one of the worst buys ever...

I don't know what's up with Ramires spongey but there's not a lot he can do when we keep passing either across the pitch or backwards even Ashley Cole doesn't go forward anymore. I think it's a cunning plan to give the opposition all the time they need to get every single one of their players behind the ball for all our attacks.

No urgency, no desire, they're not fit to wear the shirt.

only the drog,lamps,ash,j.t and cech went and applauded the supporters........the rest scuttled off down the tunnel.......for me there's 5 players who give a shit.....the rest just don't care.....all very well going over if we've won and taking the glory......they should be doing it more so now......not just bugger off

Ballack played 44 games during last season's double campaign... only Terry, Lampard and Malouda made more appearances. Perhaps a bigger loss than was immediately noticeable.

He's a good player but he often slowed our attacks down which means yeah, he'd slot right into our current setup, should have kept him.

Not enough quality in the case of Kalou. He was presented with possession on the right many times and was either dispossessed, forced into an error or failed to find a killer ball into the Arsenal box in most instances.

Could be worse... you could have Balotelli.


Apparently (got this from my Dad and those that went on Bluemoon gave the same story) he was about to wander off down the tunnel, threw his gloves just before leaving but Mancini collared him and sent him over towards the fans. He got over, applauded once and walked off in a right huff. It was like the fans had just thrown a coin at him. The guy is a right tosspot... problem is there seems to be a father/son type relationship between him and Mancini. Mancini has managed him since he was 13.

I don't know what the hell is going on with that bloke. Put him in a position where he has it all to do, he'll score a goal. Give him a tap-in from two feet while the keeper's reading a book, he'll miss. I actually think he's really just not very bright. At all.

i still think he'd be a useful player though prom.........even if he was only getting on as a sub........no experience on our bench tonight at all.......you can't expect the likes of maceachran,van aanholt and bruma to fill the gap if players are injured for a while or we need to change the game........they just haven't got the experience yet

see a player like balotelli gives me the right hump.......i'd be fuming if i was a city fan....he's clearly only there for the dosh....doesn't he want to go back to italy?......correct me if i'm wrong meaty....but wasn't he at one of the milan clubs and wants to join the other?......sounds like he's using city as his stepping board...........reminds me of years an years ago we bought tom boyd.......celtic wanted him too......but motherwell(i think it was) wouldn't sell him to another scottish club.........so he came to us and about a year or so later buggered off to celtic..

mind you......the real one was gordon durie...he said he wanted to leave us to go back to scotland for family reasons......and he wanted to play for rangers....then he signed for spurs!!......obviously geography wasn't gordon's strongest subject at school!!

We shouldn't need them to fill in. We just didn't expect all the injuries. Ivan is fine at CB but with Bosingwa injured it means the utterly hopeless Ferreira is at RB because CA won't play a kid there. We have had an experienced midfield available even when hit with injuries, no need for kids. Kalou is our only real weakness but it's been obvious he's been a disaster for years and still he gets a game when Anelka or Drogba are rested instead of Sturridge who, like Benayoun, is also 100 times better than Kalou. Might I add that I, even at my age, am also 100 times better than Kalou, with a pint in one hand and a fag in the other.

I don't understand football managers, or football players. I don't understand football. Football can in fact just go and f*** itself. Yes. That's my last word (probably isn't).

prom................i think you should offer to play weds against bolton........hell even i'll puff around wheezing and coughing and stopping for a ciggie break......we can't be any worse can we?!!

What is happening at Chelski?, the Wilkins factor has contributed to it and yes although some players have injuries and to an extent it is an excuse but when you're underperforming too the excuses wear thin.


Arsenal were dominant, still sloppy at the back IMO and I don't rate Koscielny, I do hope they buy Christopher Samba as rumoured.

Actually I think Bolton are probably favourites given our current form. They're doing very well this year. An in-form Chelsea would take the game to them but I haven't seen that team for quite a while now 

i just think we don't have a strong enough squad darlo.......i don't think injuries can be used as an excuse........but we've had our fair share over the last few seasons.....long term ones.......cech,essien,lamps,j.t,both cole's......all vital players.....but we should have a squad to cover them......and we don't

i'm not sure if it's coincidence or not this bad run has hit when wilkins left........but there's definitely something going on at the club...........and i don't think there'll be any major signings in january either

bolton are doing great prom.......i agree....i think they'll definitely come thinking they can win it.......we need a result desperately......and it's got to be soon

How bad is the knee injury that Anelka has?

If only you had a bench like ours Mind you... there is the odd moment of:


(Insert Players Name) " I have had enough, if you don't play me im going on strike!"

Khaldoon al Mubarak: "Fine, we aint paying you"

(Insert Players Name): "Right! Fine! Il f*cking play" *storms off to tell agent plan failed*


It is good thought that when things aint going to plan, we can look to the bench and send on the likes of Adebayor and Johnson when things don't go to plan. Didnt see many options on Chelseas bench tonight, it looked seriously poor. Ramires and Bosingwa? Kakuta didnt look too bad though.

He's back for Bolton  (well, available for selection anyway).