The Magnificent Seven!

Last Saturday, I went to my first Chelsea game. Was it worth it? Given they won 7-2, then the answer should be yes, but the curmudgeon in me has to say the following:

• Sunderland presented no opposition-Ashley Cole was allowed to operate as an auxiliary forward for crying out loud! So even though there were 9 goals, it wasn't really a great game (Still, my fear about going to a Premier League game was always that it would finish 0-0 or Chelsea would lose, so I really shouldn't moan).
• Florent Malouda was the most skilful player on the pitch. His recent comments about Frank Lampard haven't endeared him to the Chelsea faithful (there were more than a few boos when his name was read out and when he was on the ball) and himself and Lampard certainly seemed to get in each others way more than I would like to see.
• Joe Cole ain't the player he was. I'm not entirely surprised about these rumours.
  
• I would have liked to see Anelka get his hat-trick (and he should have-the shot that rattled the woodwork would have been a fine goal)
• I would have liked if I could have seen the video screens (if only for the fact that because it was my first time in the stadium I kept looking around me and missing the on-field action...)
• Beer in the stadium? Great. Heineken only? Not so much.
• And lastly, no Drogba, or Essien-how I would have loved to seen the Bison rampage!
  

But I'll be going back some day, that's for sure. Tis hard to beat live action.

P.S. You and now Follow Me! Yes, that's right, I'm now on Twitter. I'm sure it will be just as interesting as this blog...

P.P.S. If you like that Uncle Kracker song, please stop following this blog and don't ever talk to me again.

Don’t forget your shovel if you want to go work....

If you had a shovel.
If you had work.

Lucky me, I didn't have to brave the snow/slush/shit/frost/ice and venture out into the white today-I can work from home! So here's what caught my eye on the Beeb (and elsewhere) as I worked.

Portsmouth 'do not need to sell'

Odd-I was sure this headline read 'Portsmouth to sell stars' earlier. And so it did! The situation at Pompey reads like a League of Ireland saga involving the likes or Cork or Derry (more on that later). How on earth did whatever Sheikh/Sultan/Caliph/Ayatollah who currently owns the club pass the FA's 'fit and proper' test given that Pompey cannot seem to play their players on a timely basis (I wouldn't have thought bank loans are the best method of financing for a monthly expense like wages, but that's just the accountant in me....). Of course the situation isn't helped by the fact that the FA are withholding £7m in TV rights payments from the club and distributing directly to other clubs who are owed TV rights money from Portsmouth-Watford (who could use the money themselves I'm sure), Spurs (well 'Arry has to have readies to engage in his usual 'wheeling and dealing') and Chelsea (!!!).

Clive Delaney vents at the LoI

And who could blame him-given the fact he hasn't been paid for over 4 months? By the sounds of it, the days of the full-time footballer could be coming to an end in Ireland. And this might be no bad thing, right?

Disclaimer-I know Clive quite well and would consider him a mate. I hope he does well in Oz-I'd like to see him up against Robbie Fowler at some stage!

Opta Stats-they never lie!

Ok, I don't agree with the 'Lampard is the best player of the decade', but it sure is interesting that Kevin Kilbane has featured on more losing teams than any other player in that time. (I heard this story on Newstalk the other night, but the only links I could find were from that off forum above or the Sun. Easy choice which one to pick)

Birmingham are making moves

They've just signed Michel, enquired about Aiden McGeady, and had a £8m bid for Ryan Babel rejected. Egad-what are you thinking Rafa-take the money and run! At least someone in the Premier League is generating the right kind of headlines during the transfer window. Fair play to them-I'm seriously considering heading over to Stamford Bridge on 27 January to seem them play Chelsea-the last game wasn't bad. Hopefully Ghana and Ivory Coast will have exited the African Cup of Nations at that stage....


And finally, if you haven't caught the Winter vomiting bug, this should bring it on.