Drogba Wants To Leave Chelsea

This coming from the BBC Website.

Hate to say I told you so!

So who do you reckon will be likely to snap him up if he does leave? AC Milan are desperate for an out-an-out finisher who can score goals at will... what do you reckon liquid fans?

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Ronaldinho to Chelsea! (Yeah, yeah we've heard it all before)

According to the Sun, the big R has agreed a £58 million move to Chelsea after falling out with Frank Rijkaard.

The Sun, we love it. Mainly because it gives us hacks something to write about during a day when the BBC prints only 7 football stories in one day.

Ronaldinho to crumbling 6th-place Chelsea? Pull the other one.

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Man Utd v Chelsea - the Talking Points

1. Did Mike Dean get his cards mixed up?
First things first. It should not have been a red card for Obi Mikel. Yes his studs were showing, but he got the ball and placed his foot in the ground before Evra. The Man Utd # 3 then did some crazy acrobatic front flip before writhing about on the floor, which led to Obi's red card. Another decision he got wrong was the yellow card for Joe Cole. A desperate lunge from behind that caught Cristiano Ronaldo's ankle surely meritted a sending off. Funny how these things even out.

Rooney rightly did not warrant a 2nd yellow for his 'shove' on whining Chasley Cole, and neither did Wes Brown following his tackle on Malouda (the Frenchman did his best impression of leaping salmon). It smacks of desperation that Chelsea were looking for such pathetic excuses regarding their poor performance.

2. Should Ben Haim even be playing for Chelsea?

Was at fault for the first goal after poor marking, nearly conceded a penalty against Rooney, before actually conceding a penalty against Saha.

Why Chelsea acquired his services in the first place is still beyond me. When at Bolton he was competent, but not world class. If Chelsea are going to be challenging for any silverware this season, they need to be looking further than mid-table defenders. His stray legs and eyes cost the Blues dear yesterday.

3. Was it a penalty?
Ben Haim touched Saha, who proceeded to do his best dying swan impression, thus resulting in a penalty. It was by no means a stone waller, but there was contact, and the striker wasn't about to let it go unnoticed.

4. How much trouble are Chelsea in?
Lots. They were unable to test Van der Sar once, and had Cech to thank for keeping the scoreline respectable. They lacked threat, cohesion or any sort of desire, something that will be hard to instill after the departure of the Special One. Chelsea better hope Lampard, Carvalho and Drogba are up to the task of carrying a sinking ship once they return from injury. A very ordinary performance from the 'Ordinary One'.

5. Guess what we saw...
Was that Dutch manager Marco van Basten sitting behind Abramovich during the game? Don't worry, we're professional enough to not read anything into that... honest.

6. Finally, some interesting MOTD pundits
At first, I was slightly sceptical about Marcel Desailly's punditry skills, but him and Hansen had a right old go at each other over the game. The Scot brought out his figures and claimed that Chelsea were not in title winning form. Marcel responded saying that it wasn't a full-strength side, and that it's a marathon, not a sprint. He then stared at Hansen like he was about to land an uppercut to the chin before ripping his head off. It was awesome.

Better than Alan 'yes, I agree with you Alan' Shearer, anyway.

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Redknapp to join Avram at Chelsea?!!

Various newspapers this morning have suggested that footballing genius Jamie Redknapp will join Avram Grant's management team.

Is he just being hired to persuade his cousin Frank Lampard to stay on? Chelsea fans must be hoping he doesn't advise Mr Grant on anything football-wise.

"Cristiano isn't the best player you will ever see, but tonight he has shown he is probably the best player you will ever see." A classic gem from Jamie.

"I think Peter Schmeichel will be like a father-figure for Kasper." No shit Sherlock.

"Holy hell, are my new boxers made of wool? Because my weasel's getting heatstroke" Ooooookay.

"Yeah I think Chelsea deserved to win. They were the better team." Cuts to interview with Jose Mourinho, Ad Break followed by interview with Martin O'Neill. Richard Keys: "So Jamie, do you agree with either manager?" Jamie: "I disagree with Jose. I don't think Chelsea did deserve to win. Only two shots on target all game isn't enough so no I don't think they deserved to win." Idiot.

"If you're going to get in behind Rio Ferdinand you've got to show him what you've got and then go in hard." You'll be arrested as well as sacked if you give that sort of advice Jamie.

On second thoughts, it could make up for the loss of hilarious quotes that Mourinho regularly gave us. We say 'Redknapp for Chelsea!'

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10 Players who will Leave Chelsea... and 3 Players who won't

Now that Mourinho's gone who will follow? Several current players have spoke of their dismay at their Special One departing, so expect to see the Stamford Bridge door revolving some more this winter.

1. Carlo Cudicini
Will hardly be likely to get a game from Grant, and at the age of 34 will be looking to sign off his career not keeping the bench warm.

2. Paulo Ferreira

Brought in specially by Mourinho, his form soon dropped and he found himself out of the 1st team. Now the Jose has left, he will seriously be considering his future.

3. Ricardo Carvalho
"It is a very sad day for me and the team. I had a big offer from Real Madrid but I stayed at Chelsea because of Mourinho." Not the words of a man staying at the club.

4. John Terry

Mourinho's golden boy. Will be deeply shocked by the news, and will no doubt receive several offers from top European sides.

5. Juliano Belletti

Was just signed recently, and is probably wondering what sort of mess he's gotten himself into. Could be heading for a more stable club soon.

6. Florent Malouda

"I joined Chelsea because of my first meeting with Mourinho." He has also said that he has found it hard to make friends at Chelsea, so don't expect him to be sticking around.

7. Michael Essien

Should I stay or should I go? BBC claims he's staying, contrary to a few other reports in the news.

8. Frank Lampard

Jose Mourinho's midfield Leuitenant. Still to sign a new deal, devastated by the loss of his friend and courted by a few Spanish sides. Need any more reason to leave Frank?

9. Claude Makalele

"This news was like a bomb for me. I would never have believed we would see the exit of the coach just two months into the season." Claude starts his excuses for a premature exit already...

10. Didier Drogba

'Furious and upset" at Jose's departure, AC Milan are apparently lining up a bid for the Ivorian.

Those that will be staying

1. Andriy Shevchenko

Abramovich's golden boy. Will be hoping to turn his disastrous form around with a fresh start under new manager Grant.

2. Ashley Cole

As long as he's got his money, don't expect 'Cashley' to be heading anywhere.

3. Shaun Wright-Phillips

Has stuck around and fought brilliantly to get back into the Chelsea starting line up. Will hardly be about to give up now that Mourinho's gone.

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Mourinho's Top 10 Chelsea Quotes

1. If I wanted to have an easy job... I would have stayed at Porto - beautiful blue chair, the Uefa Champions League trophy, God, and after God, me.

2. For me, pressure is bird flu. I'm feeling a lot of pressure with the problem in Scotland. It's not fun and I'm more scared of it than football.

3. A player from Man City showed half of his ass for two seconds and it was a big nightmare. But this is a real nightmare. (On Cech's injury)

4. It was like they parked the team bus in front of the goal! (On Chelsea 0, Spurs 0)

5. It was a goal that came from the moon. (On Liverpool's controversial goal against Chelsea)

6. I don't think we are so ugly that we should be seen as the devil and I don't think Arsene Wenger and David Dein are so beautiful that they should be viewed as angels.

7. Places like this are the soul of English football. The crowd is magnificent, saying 'f*** off Mourinho' and so on. (On Bramall Lane)

8. We have top players and, sorry if I'm arrogant, we have a top manager. I believe I am a Special One.

9. I think he is one of these people who is a voyeur. He likes to watch other people. There are some guys who, when they are at home, have a big telescope to see what happens in other families. He speaks, speaks, speaks about Chelsea. (On Arsene Wenger)

10. The style of how we play is very important. But it is omelettes and eggs. No eggs - no omelettes! It depends on the quality of the eggs. In the supermarket you have class one, two or class three eggs and some are more expensive than others and some give you better omelettes. So when the class one eggs are in Waitrose and you cannot go there, you have a problem. (Jose saves his best for last)

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Avram Grant Takes Over at Chelsea - Will He Last?

No is the short answer to that. No doubt Chelsea will be looking torwards Guus Hiddink failing to qualify for the Euros first, before making their swoop for the Russian. If you believe Pat Nevin that is.

Who is this guy anyway?

Well there's no question about whether he can manage or not. After being in club management with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa for a total of 9 years, he was appointed as head coach of the Israeli national team. In the qualification for the 2006 World Cup, he finished 3rd behind France and Switzerland, narrowly missing out despite being undefeated in the group.

He then took up his new position as director of football at Portsmouth, before his friend Ambramovich lured him to Chelsea in the same job role. Mourinho was against this appointment and concerned about his meddling in 1st team affairs.

So has his appointment been the final stab in the back for Jose?

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BREAKING NEWS - MOURINHO LEAVES CHELSEA!

Jose Mourinho has almost unbelievably handed in his notice at Chelsea.

What's happened?

Jose Mourinho has left his position as manager of Chelsea FC by mutual consent. This news has been confirmed by the club. He has texted several players, including club captain John Terry, with the shocking news.

Why has it happened?

Nobody knows for sure, but it is most likely that his frosty relationship with billionaire owner Roman Abramovich has finally come to a head. It has mainly been a style over substance matter, with Abramovich preferring to see Chelsea play silky, flowing liquid football, while Mourinho would care only about the win.

The signing of Shevchenko also caused some furore. Abramovich, who apparently signed the Ukrainian as opposed to Mourinho, wanted to see his man play up front every game. However, Sheva's finishing was lacklustre, and Mourinho stuck to his guns of picking players in form who deserved a place in the starting XI.

While Mourinho managed to win back-to-back Premiership titles for the London club, the Champions League remained ever elusive, with 2 semi-finals defeats to rivals Liverpool in the past 3 years. Chelsea's owner, who has invested hundreds of millions of pounds in the club, was clearly expecting more bang for his buck.

Mourinho has also had several run-ins with the FA, with derogatory remarks aimed at referees resulting in several bans and fines for the Portugese man. He then said that he would keep his mouth shut to the media this season, prompting many 'Yes/No' press conferences.

Jose is also likely to be extremely frustrated with his squad. Injuries to key players such as Ballack, Drogba and Lampard means his side have stuttered to 5th place in the English Premier League, behind Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal. Couple that with a draw at home to Norwegian minnows Rosenborg where Chelsea lacked serious attacking threat.

Mourinho has recently complained of having his hands tied in the transfer market, with Florent Malouda being the only big money signing. Compare that with Manchester Utd and Liverpool, who both spent over £50 million in the summer.

Has Mourinho been fed up for a while and carefully considered this? Or is it a snap decision?

What will happen now?

Chelsea will inevitably begin their search for a new manager. No doubt rumours will be flying about like crazy, with Russia manager Guus Hiddink, Sevilla's Juande Ramos and German Jurgen Klinsmann in the frame.

The Chelsea players themselves won't be feeling great either. Stars like Frank Lampard and John Terry spoke of their special bond between them and Mourinho, saying that he was more like a friend than a manager. No doubt they will feel a slight sense of guilt that they were unable to perform well enough to stop Mourinho from leaving.

There have also been recent news reports that if Mourinho goes, so will all his players. Expect plenty a rumour to be flying about the tabloids over the next few weeks.

It's hardly ideal timing. The Blues face their 2nd crunch game of the season against Manchester United on Sunday. No doubt Utd will be relishing the opportunity of playing a less organised and despirited Chelsea team.

As for Mourinho, who knows? Will he take some time out, or has he got another job already lined up? Rijkaard's position at Barca is apparently under the spotlight following a rift between players, so expect that story to crop up somewhere.

What legacy does Mourinho leave behind?

The Special One will always be remembered fondly by Chelsea fans as one of the greatest managers ever to grace their football club. His honours list includes 2 Premier Leagues, 2 League Cups and 1 FA Cup. A remarkable fact about Jose's reign was that not once did he lose a league game at Stamford Bridge.

He will also remember by other football fans for his straight-talking, uncompromising, and colourful character. His interviews were honest, smart and funny, with some genuinely classic one liners. The 4-3-3 formation he deployed during his first season at Chelsea was an exciting mix of wing play, solid defending and spectacular goals from midfield.

Whether you loved him or you hated him, Jose Mourinho, you will be sorely missed.

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Desailly in 'Shevchenko will win Champions League for Chelsea' shock claim

"For the moment, he is not performing. Let's wait and I'm sure he will help Chelsea win the Champions League"

The only way Shevchenko will help Chelsea win Europe's Premier Competition, is by keeping the bench warm so that when Drogba comes off after scoring a hat-trick, his arse-muscles wont tighten and snap.

Sheva's recent scoring record does not bode well. In his final season at AC Milan, he racked up an impressive 19 goals in just 28 appearances. Compare that with his 1st season at Chelsea, where he managed to score less goals than Fulham full back Carlos Bocanegra. Yes, that's the left defender of the 17th placed team last season. (Don't worry Andriy, you scored as many as John O'Shea...)

Noone can deny his poor recent record, just as noone can deny his incredible finishing skills that were so clearly on display in Milan. The question is, what the hell happened?

There are a few possible explanations:

• The Premier League has a quicker pace than Serie A


• Striker's thrive on confidence, Sheva's getting none from Mourinho


• Quite frankly he's fat and old


• He's mistaken the ball for Christopher Samba's head (sorry, had to be said)

Well I think we can discard the 3rd one, he couldn't have gotten that used to English cuisine in the summer of 2006. And even though the first reason is valid, it doesn't excuse the poor touches and League One style finishing he displayed against Blackburn at the weekend.

In the word's of Alan Shearer, a striker needs love. Before we get into any sort of debate about Mr Shearer's pre-match 'love' routine, he has a point.

While signing for AC Milan, Shevchenko had nothing but positive press and instant backing from his then manager Alberto Zaccheroni, which turned him in one of the greatest strikers to grace Serie A. 127 goals in 208 games speaks for itself.

Compare that with the situation when he signed for Chelsea. Supposedly signed by owner Abramovich as opposed to manager Mourinho, coupled with Drogba's early impressive form, will have destroyed his confidence. You can visibly see it every time he picks up the ball and just doesn't seem to know what to do with it. It's incredible and deeply saddening that this is the same man who scored a goal of pure genius against Inter Milan in the Champion's League 3 years ago.

Unfortunately for Andriy, as long as Mourinho's in charge and Drogba's still banging them in, he will never be able to capture his old inspired form. Not only is it a shame to both him and Chelsea, but to the footballing world that a previous great has fallen so far.

As for Desailly's other comment about Chelsea winning the Champion's League...

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