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This week's topic then, concerns Andriy Shevchenko...striker for Chelsea, or is it the mole, spy, or rat?
The Ukrainian, much maligned for his lack of goals on the pitch, as for his alleged
unhappiness off it, has suddenly been thrust into the middle of Chelsea's behind-the-scenes power struggle between Russian owner Roman Abramovich and
Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho.
All because Sheva the "Dud' is good friends with Abramovich.
But let's rewind the affair once more.
It turns out that Israeli agent Pini Zahavi seems to be attempting to pull some glass-coated kite strings all this while.
Surely, he stands to gain something in the long run if Abramovich were to sack the
complaining Mourinho and hire the lurking Sven-Goran Eriksson.
After all, Eriksson was supposedly the No.1 choice for Chelsea in 2003 before he chose to stay with England under pressure.
Then, there has been mention of Zahavi angling for Israeli Avram Grant - currently
the director of football at Portsmouth - to replace Mourinho's assistant Steve
Clarke, which cheesed Mourinho off publicly.
The Postman's Question of the Week: Who's the real rat around Chelsea?
Reply in not more than 200 words, please. (Click the link right for an auto word counter)
Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll or e-mail us under
the title "Dear Postman" by clicking on the link right.
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The Postman
The New Paper
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69 comments:
The real rat among Chelsea is...I have two - Michael Ballack and Andriy Schevchenko.
Michael Ballack has been in horrible form for Chelsea. He can't work with Frank Lampard in the engine room. And looking at that free-kick against Liverpool when he was daydreaming sums up his worst season for a club. Ballack has not been the guy who scores from long range and excellent at set-pieces for Germany and Bayern Munich. He IS a RAT.
As for Andriy Schevchenko, same case isn't it. So majestic for AC Milan, go to Chelsea becomes, well, a rat. He's a top striker in the Serie A. At Chelsea, oh how hard is he to score a goal.
Even Speedy Gonzales is better than these two rats.
The Chelsea F.C. top management seems to be the real rat behind all these unsettling issues.
The one I find responsible for all is no one else but Peter Kenyon.His mind is all set out to turn Chelsea into a global brand,one that is much bigger than Man U,Liverpool and even Real Madrid.This ambition have driven him into sourcing all sorts of methods in order to succeed.We can trace everyone who are supposed to be the main suspects as spy or mole back to Kenyon.
First,Frank Arnesen who was signed from Spurs to be Director for youth developement and scouting,then the super agent,Zahavi who is the one pulling strings for the major transfer including managers in football world.Their direct boss - Peter Kenyon.These 2 fellows are surely causing disruptions for Mourinho with their works,one interferring with his transfer policy,another threatening his job.Lastly,Shevchenko whom Kenyon said the decision to sign him was by the club long before he arrived this season,I guess the club is referring to himself here.
To me Sheva is unfortunately made a scapegoat based sorely on his friendship with Roman and thats doing him a big unjustice.
The ship is in turbulance all thanks to Mr Kenyon and his little rat comrades with mighty bites.
Cheers
If a tree falls in a jungle and no one hears it, did it make a sound?
If a spy is among the team and there is no information to extract, is he still a spy?
There are 2 camps in Chelsea.They are Rat-Releaser and Rat-Catcher.
Rat-Releaser is King Roman Abramovich.He wants absolute loyalty and obedience without questioning his authority.The only way is espionage from loyal rats.
Roman Abramovich, coming from Russia infamously known for espionage activities through previous KGB to current FSB, purchases rats from players to club staff.
Chief Of Rats Staff is General Peter Kenyon, traitor who betrayed Manchester United, whose duty is to ensure all rats report their accurate espionage activities to him and his Russian master.
Captain Of Rats is Andrei Shevenchenko.
Rat soldiers are players either against Jose Mourinho or have grudges or feunds with him.
Rat-Catcher is Jose Mourinho, who wants to have absolute power in hire and fire players or staff and unlimited usage of Chelsea Treasury, only need Roman Abramovich to be his ATM with endless withdrawals and constitutional monarch without inteference.
Captain Of Rat-Catchers is John Terry.
Rat-Catcher soldiers are absolutely loyal to Jose Mourinho without question.They will quit Chelsea should Jose Mourinho being sacked or leaves.Examples like John Terry and Frank Lampard.
Real Rats are the ones whose aim is to earn highly undeserved salaries and commissions from rich Abramovich.They are sleazy agents and mediocre managers.
From: Chester Low
I think the real RAT in the Chelsea team is MR ROMAN abramovich hes the real RAT. Why did he make the dicision to splash the cash to get MR Andrev Shevchenko into a team which practically does not suit his style of football? Andrev would have been better of playing at Manchester United where they had a lack of top quality strikers. Even moving to Liverpool would have been a better choice where they lack a quality all and out striker. Mr Roman Abramovich has to blame himself for the situation his club is at now. Why is he falling out with Mourinho? Can't he just let Mourinho do his job and that is to be Coach of Chelsea football club. Why does Abramovich want Shevchenko to play even though he knows that Schevchenko form is so horrible at the moment? I do think something of the 'BROKEBACK' kind is going on between these 2 individuals. So, to me i think the real RAT IS MR ROMAN ABRAMOVICH
Sofa, Su Ying reading newspaper sport pages.
Su Ying:'Darling.Who do you think is real rat in Chelsea saga?'
I:'Let me say who behind it.That is Rat Master Abramovich, whose ability in releasing all rats from players to club staff.'
Su Ying:'Why would he do it?'
I:'For absoulte power and without questioning Abramovich's authority.Through espionage and accurate reports from rats, that Abramovich is able to plan how to subdue Mourinho.'
Su Ying:'Like telling Mourinho who is the boss, am I correct, darling.'
I:'Precisely.Jose Mourinho wants to be de facto ruler, having absoulute control in hire and fire players or staff without restrain in usage of funds.'
Su Ying:'In other words, Jose Mourinho wants to be Prime Minister Cao Cao who has absolute control of puppet emperor towards the end of Han dynasty China in Romance Of Three Kingdoms.'
I:'It looks like Mark Antony and Octavius Caesar with their army versus Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius with army in the Battle Of Philipi in Julius Caesar.'
Su Ying:'No.It is more towards soothsayer telling Julius Caesar :'Caesar.Beware The Ides Of March.'
I:'15th of March, is the day Julius Caesar is assasinated.Am I correct to say, it is a sign that it will be reckon when Jose Mourinho is being sacked or leaves Chelsea one day.'
Su Ying:'We all know it will happen.All good things must come to an end.It is a matter of time.'
I:'That will be the day Jose Mourinho, John Terry and John Lampard join Manchester United.'
Su Ying:'It will also be the day for Chelsea's demise in EPL and Champions League.'
I:'Precisely.If you have finished your reading, let's eat out at Maxwell Road Hawker Centre.'
Su Ying:'Give me ten more minutes will do.'
I:'Okay.'
From: Xiao Yu Er
Although I am a Chelsea fan, I have to admit Roman Abravomich is the Real Rat. Ok, he maybe the sugar daddy for Chelsea, but he is not helping them in their worse run and crisis under Jose Mourinho.
Perhaps, Abravomich have too much time in his office and therefore wants to shake things up at Chelsea.
Firstly, he invited his good friend Andriy Shevchenko to live in London and paid 30 million euros just for that to happen. (And perhaps to play some golf with Shevchenko in his spare time.) Shevchenko didn't perform to expectations but Abravomich is sure not to sell him.
Then, the injury crisis strikes Chelsea and he, like a spectator watching, decides to do nothing about it, not even wanting to spend some money on defenders from his over-loading pocket.
And lastly, with the recent run of disappointing results from Chelsea, he decides perhaps its time to say bye bye to Mourinho and hire another toy-manager (Guus Hiddink should be the next one) to play with.
We are in a footballing world and these actions will only caused havoc for Chelsea. Either Abravomich stop playing with Chelsea or it will be the end of a Chelsea force which dominated England just two seasons ago.
Error in the second paragraph.
Perhaps, Abravomich HAS too much ..
Thanks for your conversation. I bet it was interesting for all of us to hear about it.
>>All because Sheva the "Dud' is good friends with Abramovich.
I don't know why you believe tabloid newspapers Ernest, not all of them are true. I believe Sheva has mentioned repeatedly already that he has a professional relationship with Roman, nothing more.
>> hire the lurking Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Yeah, don't you wonder why no one wanted his services already. Eriksson don't even deserve to wash Jose's coat.
>>Then, there has been mention of Zahavi angling for Israeli Avram Grant - currently
the director of football at Portsmouth - to replace Mourinho's assistant Steve
Clarke, which cheesed Mourinho off publicly.
And Jose himself who had stated that the reports about replacing Steve Clarke was rubbish and the only time Steve's going would be when Jose's going.
cfcfan is now being a 'Legend Killer' and first on his list is...Ernest Luis. LOL
I think that the real rat in Chelsea is Abramovic. Firatly, let us analyse our options. There is Mourinho. Sure, he may be the rat, for all we know, but let's think about it. Why would he want to sabotage Chelsea by causing unrest?? I mean he stands to gain nothing. Abramovic surely will not pay him for leaving, neither will anyone, for that matter. So, i think that Mourinho really wants nothing more than to succeed with Chelsea, be it for money or for other personal reasons.
Then, there is Shevchenko. Sure, he may have caused unrest in the dressing room by being Abramovic's "Golden Boy," still, there is just no reason for him to intentionally cause unrest. Also, "Golden Boy" or not, Sheva will, at some point in time (if he keeps up his "terrific" form) be dismissed form Chelsea. So eventually, like Mourinho, Sheva stands to gain nothing and lose everything if he were the rat.
So that leaves us with Ballack and Abramovic himself. It may well be Ballack, since he came as a free transfer. Thus, it would relieve him of "burden," as he has literally no price tag to live up to. Which leaves us with Abramovic. I think he has recently gotten fed up with having spent so much on players and not getting a significant profit, maybe even a loss. This may well be a ploy so thathe can get rid of the "spending-happy" Mourinho or maybe even to drive himself out of Chelsea. Either way, he is the ultimate rat.
I STILL say Ballack and Shevchenko are the rats.
Between these two, I say Michael Ballack is the bigger rat. Sure, he has scored some goals but what he should be doing as a top central midfielder, he is not putting in more effort.
Ballack is expected to score from long range more often. His passes should mostly go to his teammates NOT the opponents. Michael Ballack is also well-known for his headers. How many times does he score from his head this season? 1 or 2?
Michael Ballack is a shadow of the man who looks grand for Germany and Bayern Munich
Name: Qyaerus-Syahrein
Abramovich as the rat? You guys must be joking! He is the source of funding of all of Chelsea's expenses. Remove him and Chelsea will go into administration.
Sheva, the poor chap was the next one being blame most simply because he spoke the same language as the Russian boss.
The real 'rat' must be the media. They seemed to always have insider information (from anonymous source) about the plans of the Chelsea management. Now even Mancini is being touted as a possible candidate for the hotseat. It just get spicer by the day. At the end of day, they are plain rumours and Kenyon is trying his best to paint a rosy picture about Chelsea.
Don't discount Zahavi's influence also. He could be the real rat as he has everything to gain and nothing to lose. But please do not bring back Eriksson. His pragmatic approach to the games is worse than Mourinho. It could possibly signal the end of Chelsea. They could be wiped out from the face of this earth! Ok I exaggerated!
The reason Chelsea are in turmoil is simply because of Roman’s ambitions. He wants Chelsea to be the biggest and most popular club in the world. To do that, Chelsea needs to be playing entertaining football with recognized stars in the team.
When Roman first arrived, he set on delivering the title to win over the fans He needed to build strong foundations in order to establish Chelsea as a world beater. Thus, he got a manager that could get him results and make Chelsea into an intimidating outfit. Enter Mourinho.
With Chelsea now a force in England and Europe, Roman’s priorities have now focused on making Chelsea a more attractive outfit in the same league as Barcelona and Man United. Hence, he needs a manager that shares his vision. As brilliant a manager Jose is, his philosophy does not suit Roman’s vision.
It seems improbable Roman would be easily influenced by anyone other than himself. You don’t become one of the richest men in the world by not being ruthless. While the mice, Kenyon and Sheva, seem to be coming out to play, the real rat that rules the roost is definitely Roman.
Roman in his stand has every right wanting Chelsea to be the best in this planet because he is the owner.Like what Boon Hock has said,without him Chelsea won't be what they are today.
So to fulfil his ambition he dug into his pockets and invite Mr Kenyon over from Manchester to join his London adventure in his BLUE yatch and appoint him the navigator.He is supposed to lead the yatch out to conquer the ocean via the smoother path which he did at first with the help of sailing specialist,Jose Mourinho.
After two seasons,the failure to locate the biggest prize in European football seems to irk the captain and vice-captain of the ship.So its the job of Kenyon to haul Mourinho off the boat while Roman watches on but he seem to have used the wrong method as it unsettle every sailors on board.Well Roman didn't do anything wrong with being ambitious but one thing he did wrong could be the appointment of Kenyon who don't do things that pleases the majority of people,ever since he jumped ship from Manchester United.
Cheers
HaHa well eric, every rat king needs a minion to do the dirty work..
who better for Roman to do it than Kenyon
whose features btw, does resemble a rat..the plot thickens eh? :j
Hm...Roman must be the richest rat then or maybe he is Garfield in disguise?haha.
On the mickey mouse features issue one does looks like being just woke up from some rich dreams,blurry mice,the other is the cheeky marketing mice.
A question on animals face-alike footballers?Oh come on Hadi.haha
The real rat has gotta be Mourinho. It can't be Roman, he's been supplying that much of cash, and spend 30million on Sheva. You all thinks he brought Sheva to be his spy? As said, Roman came to Chelsea because he wants to make Chelsea a club bigger than Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United or Real Madrid.
Sheva and Ballack was brought to Chelsea because Roman knows they are world-class and known players! Although Sheva and Roman has a good relationship, bringing Sheva to Chelsea is to make Chelsea more known. And although Sheva's and Ballack's performance hasn't been what expected it to be, you can't blame them as they need time to settle in the UK.
Back to Mourinho, although he won two league titles in a row the past two seasons, don't all of you think it's greatly because of Roman's money, to buy world-class players. Mourinho only gives the tactics what so ever. But he's getting all the credit, which i think should go to Roman!
Lampard, Terry and Drogba are also few of the many rats in Chelsea. They are 100% loyal to Mourinho, and I don't know why.
With Chelsea's 'crisis' now, and Roman not doing anything like bringing new players on board, many will think Roman's the real rat.
But NO! Roman probably wanted to test Mourinho this time. A good manager can handle well with injuries, it's a test for Mourinho.
Roman can't possibly spend few millions each time the transfer window opens. or each time there's a crisis in Chelsea.
Although we know Roman has that kind of money, but maybe Roman is getting sick of opening his wallet this time.
Chelsea has spent over 200million over the last few transfer windows. But if Roman keeps up spending ten or even hundreds of millions every transfer window, he'll be bankrupt only in a matter of time!
>>Although Sheva and Roman has a good relationship, bringing Sheva to Chelsea is to make Chelsea more known.
Hmm, I thought Sheva was bought to improve Chelsea's chances in the Champions League? Having been to the Champions League semis two seasons in a row and having won the premiership title two in a row, I'm sure Chelsea is well-known enough without the need to bring Shevchenko.
>>don't all of you think it's greatly because of Roman's money, to buy world-class players. Mourinho only gives the tactics what so ever.
Raneiri failed in winning the premiership trophy when Roman spent the most money in his first season. You think its that simple, "to gives the tactics what so ever"?
>>But he's getting all the credit, which i think should go to Roman!
Funny you should say that, coz the impression that I've been getting from the media for the past few years was that Chelsea bought the league, and no credit to the effort Chelsea had to make.
>>Lampard, Terry and Drogba are also few of the many rats in Chelsea. They are 100% loyal to Mourinho, and I don't know why.
I don't know about rats, but I know an idiot when I see one.
>> A good manager can handle well with injuries, it's a test for Mourinho.
How laughable, Fergie struggling with a few injuries for half a season and the loss of ONE player, and everyone is complaining how unlucky Man Utd are. That the squad is rebuilding. No sh*t! I wonder which league position which United will be in if they lost their 3 central defenders, 2 keepers, Ronaldo (for most of the time), Giggs (for the whole season), Scholes and Rooney for a couple of matches. Only Lampard, Essien, Hilario and Diarra have not been affected by any injuries, suspension or sickness. Not to forget hitting the woodwork 18 times and many players off-form.
Its a miracle, honestly I think, that Chelsea is in second position and still in the running for four trophies. If this isn't proof of a good manager, I don't know what is for you.
>>to buy world-class players.
Again, with this nonsense from the media.
Before Sheva/Ballack, we have only bought only Crespo and Makelele, who can probably be considered "world-class" before he came to Chelsea in the Roman era.
Even Claude Makelele's talents were underappreciated, where I recall Real Madrid president calling Claude's passing poor, lacks skill, and cannot tackle. Crespo was considered as no longer at his best when he came.
SWP who is considered a big hit, isn't really world-class.
The other players that became "world-class" made their name here at Chelsea. The likes of Cech, Terry, Carvalho, Essien, Drogba, Lampard, Joe Cole, Robben, Cudicini (at one point), Duff, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Gallas. All stars after they came at Chelsea. Not before. Its too bad we are smart enough to spot talents.
So please, enough of the buying of world-class players. Talented we bought them, but so do everyone else.
Peter Kenyon to me is the real rat. The instigator behind the scenes. The one who is more interested in making Chelsea the biggest football club in the world. The one who wants to run Chelsea like a business.
I do not think Zahavi has enough clout to cause a disruption behind the scenes. But certainly Kenyon has sufficient power to do so.
For me, Shev is a true professional. Even when not scoring, you can see him running his socks off. Yes, he has been made scapegoat for Chelsea's so-called demise this season. From Serie A to EPL, he was never going to score truckloads of goals straightaway. He may have not been firing, but at least his arrival has seen Drog hit form. Even though he and Abramovich speaks the same language, I agree with cfcfan that they share nothing more than a professional relationship.
I feel Abramovich has been wrongly advised and perhaps the chief culprit has to be Kenyon and to a lesser extent Arnesen who should only be given power to recommend but to pull through any transfers (that should be given to Mourinho). Such power struggles can only be detrimental to the performances of the players and ultimately could cause the demise and outflux of the star players if handled inappropriately.
Cheers,
kel
Let's give credit where it's due. Mourinho has formed a highly effective result oriented team. He gave Chelsea a winning culture. Not everyone can do that in the first season. Even Ferguson took a few seasons before hitting jackpot.
There is no doubt about the pedigree of Shevchenko and Ballack (SAB). The trouble with them is they are not what they used to be when they were 26 or 27. They are in Chelsea because of their reputation. With reputation comes expectation, and clearly, they have not been performing at the level that we are used to seeing.
SAB needs to work harder and prove their worth to the team on the pitch and not on paper only.
Btw if being second in the league, final in the league cup, still in running for FA cup and European cup is consider as a club being in turmoil, I can't imagine Chelsea functioning on normal basis, they could possibly just run away with the league!
It is better to have so called 'Real Rat' Roman Abramovich and his billions in Manchester United than being hundreds of million dollars in debt.
Which business man doesn't want his business taken up to another higher level of prestige and earning more millions of dollars.
Would you prefer to watch boring tap in goals or spectacular winning goals of the season scored every week.
Do you want to watch your team win with boring 1-0 games with winner scored in 2nd half injury time for the whole season or would you want to see them triumph exciting games with scorelines either 6-3 or 7-6 or 8-1.
It is Abramovich's perogative wanting his club to win every game in style with prestige.
From: Chester Low
There is a misconception that paying huge amounts of money will mean that the purchased players will end up being world class. Most of the time, whenever Chelsea is interested in particular player, that player's value will rocket upwards. It's true that Chelsea has been spending literally hundreds of million for the past 3 seasons, but if you study the players bought, most of them are actually overpriced. It easy to say that Chelsea win because they spend more but the rest of the teams are not exactly thrifty also. They have been spending millions too!
Have you guys watch Roman Abramovich watching the game? Sometimes he look just like a kid.
It is Abramovich's perogative wanting his club to win every game in style with prestige.
He must be be joking, even Man U and Arsenal sacrifice style for results sometimes. It like not Chelsea has been playing boring boring football all the way. There are also times that Chelsea mesmerized us with the way goals are scored - individually and as a team. It's just that Mourinho's philosophy is to keep a clean sheet first, then only the goals. I cannot understand why few people give recognition to the work of the Special One.
As mentioned earlier, if this situation is not dealt with properly, it could possibly signal the decline of Chelsea.
Real Rats are sleazy agents, who want to earn undeserving high commission, together with would be incoming mediocre Chelsea managers and current club management team.
Peter Kenyon and Frank Arneson are liken influential Chief Eunuch and Powerful Minister in ancient China's Ming Dynasty.They try all means to influence Emperor Roman Abramovich's decision into their own benefits.They are traitors working hand in hand with enemy.In this case, people who are jealous or various reasons want Jose Mourinho fall from grace and Chelsea goes back to losing ways without winning trophies.
Loyal Field Marshal like Jose Mourinho and his loyal Generals like John Terry and Frank Lampard are always persecuted and finally being beheaded.
Real Rats On Surface will be Peter Kenyon and Frank Arneson.But Hidden Real Rat Master Emperor Roman Abramovich filled with jealousy, full of distrustful misgivings on most popular charismatic and being loved by fans subject Field Marshal Jose Mourinho with loyal Generals John Terry and Frank Lampard, is responsible for Fall Of Chelsea Empire.
From : Chester Low
I don't think there is any rat in Chelsea as the club is in a big mess right now. I believe their loss of form is only temporary as they do not have their inspirational captain, Terry. Why should we say that there is a rat in Chelsea when they have reached the Carling Cup Final & are still much in the title race. They are also still ahead of teams such as Arsenal and Liverpool, so do you mean to tell me that there are rats in Arsenal & Liverpool? Sheva is a decent player but like great strikers, he's undergoing a steep patch but I think he has bounced back from his slump after his two goals against Wycombe. Even as a Liverpool fan, I think that The Blues would have beaten us if they had Terry, Makelele & Carvalho. How can you play Essien at centre-back and expect Chelsea to win? Believe me, Chelsea will bounce back & Jose and Terry will stay.
We interrupt this Chelsea 'rat' show for a q-s report.
MALAYSIA, WHATCHA GONNA DO WHEN TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SINGAPORE FANS RUN WILD ON YOU?!
Would you prefer to watch boring tap in goals or spectacular winning goals of the season scored every week.
From what I've seen, goals scored by Chelsea this season are the spectacular goals of the seasons. The only goal which Man Utd can claim as goal of the season would be Scholes's. Thats only one. Chelsea have more than four already.
>>Do you want to watch your team win with boring 1-0 games with winner scored in 2nd half injury time for the whole season or would you want to see them triumph exciting games with scorelines either 6-3 or 7-6 or 8-1.
Scorelines like 7-6, 6-3 are ridiculous, its like playing 5-a-side. As Jose rightly says, he will slap the players and tell them to defend properly. and we all know 8-1 scores rarely happen, even for the mighty Man Utd. For what its worth, the first premiership-winning season when we played counter-attacking football to perfection, we scored many goals too, and defended real well. Chelsea was exciting.
I heard 45,000 seats sold. Is it true? Let the Kallang roar be heard tonight!!
Su Ying and Suzie were having conversation when I arrived.
Suzie:'Majority of readers agree Real Rats are Michael Ballack, Andriy Shevenchenko, Roman Abramovich, Peter Kenyon and Frank Arneson.'
Su Ying:'No Rat by young reader.Darling, your opinion?'
I:'Real Rats might be somebody else besides those mentioned by readers.'
Su Ying:'Really.'
I:'It is unknown mysterious persons or organisation.He or She or They want Abramovich fall out with Jose Mourinho result Fall Of Chelsea.'
Suzie:'Must be rich and powerful.'
I:'Definitely richer than Abramovich.May have the same source of revenue.'
Su Ying:'A brillant move to deal with most powerful enemy before making their grand entrance.'
Suzie:'Su Ying, I'm sure you know who is it, tell me?'
Su Ying:'For me to know only.'
Suzie:'What about you?'
I:'I don't know.At times, it pays to be ignorant and smart for when to be stupid.'
Suzie:'Both of you.'
Su Ying:'Let me give you a treat on your favourite meal.'
I:'Pay for your SPA treatment after our meals.'
Suzie:'That's better.'
From: Xiao Yu Er
With all due respect, Chelsea was never considered a big club before Roman took over. Thus, being the ambitious oil tycoon that he is, Roman has taken it upon himself to change this preconception.
In order to be a big club, Chelsea had to, first, have a team capable of beating the best. Roman went about doing this by acquiring Mourinho, a brilliant manager and motivator capable of getting results.
The arrival of Kenyon was to turn Chelsea into a global brand, capable of competing with the likes of United and Liverpool whose fan base outnumbers Chelsea. To attract new fans, Kenyon has to make Chelsea a viable commodity.
Hence, Arnesen was brought in to create a football infrastructure similar to Arsenal’s as and buy players capable of playing the sexy football Roman desires. With the purchases of Ballack and Sheva, Roman has set a precedent that highlights his desire to bring in star players to Chelsea.
If anything, the whole Chelsea board is the rat who shares Roman’s ambitions. Those who disagrees ala Mourinho are simply removed. Kenyon, Arnesen and Shevchenko are merely cogs in Roman’s quest for domination. Roman is the real king amongst a pack of rats.
What a thrilling match. It certainly live up to the expectations of a fiery derby. Syamsuri made a final world-class save to deny Precious. We're through to the Final! Deservedly so. The counterattacks in the game were so high-paced and rapid, I half-thought I was watching a premiership match!
I was there at the National Stadium to support Singapore against Malaysia. I was upset Malaysia scored first. Kelvin Chng, The New Paper's photographer was blocking my view for the Malaysia's goal. One more thing why I didn't address you Kelvin is because I'm STILL pissed off I wasn't invited to that photoshoot.
Well, Singapore equalized and on to extra time and penalties. I was sooooo happy Lionel Lewis saved from that Malaysian guy and every Singaporean returned PROUD and HAPPY.
Beware of Thailand.
Calling yourself 'The Special One', and you can't handle with injuries, he doesn't deserve that title. Every single match Chelsea loses or draws this few days, the reason will be, INJURIES!
Stop complaining.
Nice one, Lions. Go defend your tile! I'm backing you for it!
Lionel Lewis, you're the man!
Precious, I would love to see more of the blasting shots!
Amri, you certainly had a better game yesterday than in Shah Alam Stadium!
Be it Thailand or Vietnam we'll be facing, we'll gonna bring them down!
>> Calling yourself 'The Special One',
For the record, he said "I'm sorry, but I think I am a special one. Having won the UEFA Cup (and the Portugese equivalent of a treble) and Champions League (and the double) with a shoe-string budget, he's not way off there. Sure, of course he could have not said anything at all, and act like some monotonous idiot that he isn't.
>> you can't handle with injuries
Do you think this is the first time Chelsea has had injuries? If you actually used your brains and assess the current situation of the Chelsea squad, you would have figured out why "The Special One" can't handle injuries. Like I said before, Fergie had some injuries for half a season and they call themselves unlucky. And look where they were, 15 points behind at one point.
>>Every single match Chelsea loses or draws this few days, the reason will be, INJURIES!
Because people mocked on how Chelsea cannot get a result against a supposedly inferior team. What did you expect him to say, that team was too good for Chelsea? You want an explanation, you get it. Don't like it, shut up.
>>Stop complaining.
Maybe he could get on with it, like Glenn Roeder, thats true. But perhaps disappointment and pressure to be at the top of your game for every single match surely needs an outlet. But I don't expect you to understand that.
This was what he actually said, after some research.
Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one."
Hello, giving yourself a title and you can't maintain it! please, ok?
Winning the UEFA and Champions League was done by many managers before, why aren't they called The Special One?
He's just arrogant.
I like the suggestion that Kenyon could be the real mole. Ever wonder why from day one, it's only Kenyon who is painting a rosy picture about Chelsea when everyone else can see that there is an undeniable truth that Mourinho is not on good speaking terms with the Chelsea management. But one thing is for sure certainty is that most of Mourinho's 'Untouchables' are backing him up. I must admit that even if Mourinho is being sacked at the end of the day, I'm still a Chelsea supporter but I've also become a supporter of the 'Special One'.
Perhaps the management's obsession in making Chelsea into the world's most supported club is fast turning into a double edged sword. Liverpool's and Man U's massive support base was not achieved overnight. It was done over a long period of success and struggles. It is easier to win trophies and titles on the pitch in a short time but to win the hearts of people and convert them into fans, that is going to take a long time. It's not just attractive play but other factors such as the overall packaging of the club and the club ethics. Clearly, Chelsea still has a long way to go.
real mole?
real rat?
..
there aint any...
the true problem with chelsea???
communication breakdowns between the players..
manager..
and the boss..
the boss onli knows how to fund the team...
the managers oli knows how to handle players
the players?
onli know how to blindly follow mourinho.
but..
the boss wants to interfere...
the manager wants to be the boss..
and the players?
mishandled!!!
so now u know...
chelsea in turmoil..
all the better for man u's title quest!
Whether he deserves to be called 'The Special One' is subjective. Who knows, he might really still win everything this season (Though i will jolly hope not) I think Mourinho's arrogant demeanour and aloof persona is specially targetted to the media. I think from the way he shakes the hands of all his players and at times the opposing players, the cockiness is all just a facade. If he was really such a manager, we won't see so many Chelsea stars standing up for him. In other words, he's taking the flak for his players. His players are thus free to perform with less glare and media attention. But this is just an observation and no one really knows the real side of Mourinho.
Cheers,
kel
Before Abramovich's arrival, Chelsea nearly went into administration because of the the massive debts. Abramovich was hailed as Chelsea's saviour then (some Liverpool fans even quoted that had Liverpool ended as 4th that season, perhaps they could be in Chelsea's position today. *hints*) and to call him a rat after 3 seasons of massive spending is fast becoming a joke. This Russian boss cleared the debts of Chelsea and revamped the whole squad by investing hundred of millions, turning it into a force domestically and in Europe. He just wishes the team to play more attractive football after the success of the previous 2 seasons.
Of course this is going against Mournho's policy of safety first approach and hence the root of the disagreements. Will changing the manager change the team's approach to the game or will Mourinho's pragmatic approach be deeply entrenched in the team even after he is gone?
Both Abramovich and Mourinho want the best for Chelsea but it is their differing views on how the success should be achieved that is causing all the tension within the club. Poor Kenyon who is being sandwiched in the middle has to step out and clear the mess before it gets out of hand!
Yes LBH, I agree with you. To be the biggest club in the world requires more than just results on the pitch and winning back to back championships. It takes years of hard work and consistent achievements.
Hence, that's why Kenyon was brought to the club, to package Chelsea into a global product with some slick marketing. His overseas trips recently is set on extending the fan base around the world, especially in Asia where the Reds and the Devils enjoy substantial support. He is Chelsea's main PR man and whatever trouble brewing from within, he will still smile and laugh it off. It's his job to do that.
I think this business about Mourinho being arrogant is simply a media ploy. Kelvin hit the nail on the head about it merely being a facade. Jose is a confident man who believes in his abilities. He has been winning trophies for the past 4 season, major European trophies to boot too and why shouldn't he not highlight his achievements?
We don't necessarily need to love him but he deserves our respect for he has achieved in a short space of time.
HOHOHO...wHO the real rat in the chelsea camp...
NOt Roman Abramovich cause he help chelsea to clear their debt and help to change chelsea fortune around..
Not also Jose'special onE" Mourinho cause he help chelsea to win thE League twice and help them to be a strong contender for the Champion league..
aNd also not Peter Kenyon cause he help the team to promote over the world and even help alot of strong sigings..even thought he a bastard moving to chelsea from MAnutD..
So only left one guy remains and he iS Andriy Shevchenko and he is the real rat in the camp firstly, After many supports from his previous club Ac milan he yet still move to chelsea and than he still cost more than my HDb flat ten time and he cant even perform in the pitch..but only against lowly club he can..than he cant get along with many team mates and Jose too..yet still act create story that he maybe back t Ac milan..
So a guy that have so many trouble why bother about him..
JOse sell him..and Roman CLUB come after FRIEND so sell him..
and Andriy back to ITaly oR follow beckham to the US.
Anti- chelsea FANS
Lionel Lewis, villain to hero, a below average GK.If he is good, by now should be Notts County No.1 custodian.
It is Lionel Lewis, that made fans stay for additional 45-50 mins.
It is Lionel Lewis, made every fans heart lurking at their mouth openings during penalty shoot-outs.
It is Lionel Lewis who gave stress to our penalty kickers during the shoot-out.
Villain To Make Up Own Mistake Player is appropriate term to be lauded on that player.
Continue to make such silly mistakes to powerful Thais whose defence is much stronger and skilful than Malaysia's.
Mistakes are pardoned when playing against Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
But mistakes with losses will be unforgiven especially against Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Ask Jan Poulson, who learn the hard way by paying high price.
From: Chester Low
Like what Kel had said, I think Mourinho has been misunderstood and misrepresented by the press and hence the misconception that we have of Mourinho. His players simply love him because he gives them a winning culture and improves them! The best illustration is Joe Cole. Under Mourinho's tutelage, Joe Cole's transformation to one of the best midfielders in the world is completed. He not only can score or create but has added a defensive dimension to his play.
His short trophy laden managerial career has also earned the respect of managers worldwide. He is simply the benchmark for aspiring modern football managers. You can love or hate him, but one thing that you might now want to admit is that he is really good and one of the best mangers worldwide today!
The notion that Shevchenko is the 'rat' is fast becoming ridiculous. Shevchenko the poor chap is being made the scapegoat for Chelsea's dismissal season (as compared to past 2). He's blamed because he is a close friend of Abramovich and speaks the same language and his wife loves to shop with the boss' wife. If Shevchenko has been firing in goals from day one, he would have been worshipped like god and not be regarded as the 'rat' that causing the trouble. Can't blame the critics for feeling this way, cause afterall you don't pay ₤30m for a striker's assists but you pay that much to see goals and only goals.
If he was the rat, do you think Mourinho's 'Untouchables' like Drogba, Terry and Lampard would have stand up to speak for Sheva earlier in the season when he was having difficulty fitting in and scoring goals? Probably not for fear of offending the Special One.
This is only Shevchenko's first season in EPL. He is only human and not many players excel in their first season in EPL. Let's not crucify him now but judge him only at the end of season on his overall performance and contribution.
p/s: Stop labeling him as a 'rat'!
I fully agree! Even though i enjoy seeing Chelsea drop points and play badly, i agree that Shev is not the real rat. Like what Shev has said, he has been made a scapegoat for Chelsea's season. Such is the standards the Blues have set, they are attacked when they are second in the EPL, through to the knock-out phase of the Champ's League, final of Carling Cup and Fourth round of the FA Cup.
A footballer's career is short. Instead of moving to the EPL, he could have finished his career in Milan where he is already worshipped by many. Other than for the money aspect, we should applaud Shev's decision of moving onto another challenge. However, time is not on his side as his ageing legs might never make the cut in the fast paced EPL. And i am sure Shev did not have a say on the transfer fees. No one will want to be burdened by the immense transfer fees. About his relationship with the owner, its definitely not his fault that they speaks the same language. I am sure as a professional for more than a decade, Shev will rather grit his teeth than rat to Abramovich about the way he has not been playing. After playing at the top level for many years, i believe this is not the first time he has been left out of the team. A true professional is one who responds to adversity. Shev certainly has been responding lately.
Cheers,
kel
The rat in Chelsea?
I think that I'll point the fingers to Roman Abramovich.
As we know, Abramovich was the one who brought players Mourinho didn't have any intention of signing. Like Shevchenko and Khalid Boularouz. Poor Mourinho had to play them for the sake of not wasting Abramovich's money.
Now we know that Abramovich has banned Mourinho to spend money to buy new stars. Unless Abramovich is really cash-strapped (which he probably isn't), he should just give a transfer kitty to the manager and let the manager spend as he deems fit to. After all, the manager is the one who is responsible to think about which player fits into the team, not the chairman!
Even if Abramovich wanted to help the team, he should have asked Mourinho whether he wanted the players before signing them.
Khalid Boularouz was bought under the 'recommendation' of Frank Arnesen whereas Shevchenko was a long term Chelsea target long before the arrival of Mourinho. It's true that players should not be forced upon the managers by management but which manager in the world wouldn't want more options and more so for a player with a calibre like Shevchenko? As for Boularouz, he did have a few good games including the Barca match at Stamford before being cruelly exposed in the 2nd meeting by Ronaldinho. I remember Boularouz shutting out Ronaldinho in the first match and everyone was raving about him until the disastrous match at Nou Camp.
Of course it would be better if Mourinho could get a defender and an attacker by the end of the Jan transfer window that he craves for. We can never rule out that possibility because there is still a few days left in the transfer period and anything is possible if Abramovich dishes out his cheque book.
If there has to be a rat at Chelsea, I think it must be the "anonymous person" leaking out all those insider info to the media. I think Boon Hock mentioned this earlier, and I agree with him that the rat is the anti-Chelsea media here, and perhaps also the anti-Chelsea fans amongst us. Nothing terribly wrong with that actually, because after all, I myself am part of the anti-Chelsea brigade, and I rub my hands together in glee everytime there's "evidence" pointing to Chelsea crumbling from the inside.
But think about it, Sheva, Kenyon, Abramovich, Mourinho, these are people who stand to benefit if Chelsea were doing well, so why would they create the chaos to send Chelsea into a downward spiral?
I don't know how close exactly Sheva is to Roman, but even Lampard and Terry once got to borrow Roman's £40 million boat for a few weeks. Oh, and in Lampard's case (according to his autobiography) he and his family even got picked up by a yacht with a helicopter and a mini-submarine. Well, Abramovich is really generous and great to his players, isn't he? It seems like Abramovich has many "friends" everywhere anyway, so why read so much into an apparent "friendship" with Sheva?
If it ever smells fishy (or ratty), it's only because we WANT it to be.
I just called Andriy Schevchenko a rat. What are you going to do about it?
Shevchenko is just the unfortunate striker amidst all these internal boardroom conflicts. His hefty price tag unjustified by his lackluster performance, coupled by the major injuries Chelsea faced provides the platform for these speculations.
I have to agree with Boon Hock and Ladylala but the rat is not only the anti-Chelsea media but the media in general. There are so much discussions and debates going on. The media just whips up whatever they can. The non-shaking hands stance (with Shevchenko) taken by Mourinho splashed the headlines. After the next game, they not only shake hands but behaved more like coach-and-player. What happens? A group of psychologists actually analyzed the handshake in detail. It’s becoming absurd.
As Peter has mentioned (during our prize collection), now that man u are sitting at the top of the table, the Glazers’ family seemed to have disappear from the media’s attention. For 2 seasons, Chelsea has been skiing away from the rest. Now, with the unexpected troubles within, the rat is going to make the most out of it.
Who exactly is the real rat(s) we don’t know but it’s obvious it is making a mountain out of the molehill.
I don't think Schevchenko is a rat or a spy.I think he is not suitable to play in Chelsea because he cannot even scored a least 5 goals or even secure a place in Chelsea and so his confidence level will be very low.I think he belonged to ManchesterUnited because if he plays for Mu,he still have a place to secure because there are too much forward at Chelsea but in Mu there is few forward.So i think Schevchenko should go Mu if he wans to contiune his football journey in England if not he shoulf g back to Italy.
Man Utd has Larsson, Saha, Rooney, Ole Gunner Solskjaer, Ronaldo.
4 out of 5 are strikers. One winger/Striker.
Chelsea has Drogba, Shevchenko, Kalou, Robben, SWP, Joe Cole.
2 strikers, 3 wingers and 1 winger/striker. Not much different whichever club he goes to.
Erm...I don't think Chelsea have that many 'real' strikers.The only out and out strikers presently in Chelsea are Drogba and Sheva plus Kalou if you takes him as a striker.On the other hand Man Utd have abundance of strikers now with Larsson,Saha,Rooney,Solskjaer plus the youngsters Rossi and Dong so Sheva presence in Old Trafford will be just what we called 'extra'.
Cheers
I wouldn't conclude from his 8 goals haul from 31 matchs (7 of them as substitutes) that Shevchenko is unsuitable for Chelsea's play. With Shevchenko in the team, he does free up lots of spaces for his teammates to run into. It's just that they have fail to exploit these spaces comprehensively for the team's advantage. Shevchenko's hefty price and his reputation is counting against him right now but with time and more shooting practices, he could be the missing puzzle in Chelsea's quest to the holy grail - European Champion League title. Give him some more time and he will fit in nicely into the team. When that happens, opponents beware!
The real rat among Chelsea is...Michael Ballack.
Michael Ballack has been in horrible form for Chelsea. He can't work with Frank Lampard in the engine room. And looking at that free-kick against Liverpool when he was daydreaming sums up his worst season for a club. Ballack has not been the guy who scores from long range and excellent at set-pieces for Germany and Bayern Munich.
Sure, he has scored some goals but what he should be doing as a top central midfielder, he is not putting in more effort. Ballack is expected to command the midfield. His passes should mostly go to his teammates NOT the opponents. Michael Ballack is also well-known for his headers. How many times does he score from his head this season? 1 or 2? He is a shadow of the man who looks grand for Germany and Bayern Munich.
Andriy Shevchenko is rat #2.
I don't know much about Pini Zahavi but trying to replace Jose Mourinho with Sven-Goran Eriksson and trying to dump Steve Clarke makes him rat #3.
Name: Qyaerus-Syahrein
So Jose is staying. Don't be too disappointed. Afer all, I'm pretty sure you media can come up with anothwe Chelsea crisis.
By accomodating Ballack into the midfield, Mourinho has sacrificed his team's width and pace. Ballack likes to play a slow build up game which is never going to work in EPL. He's is being closed down fast in EPL and has yet to adjust to the pace of the game which explains why most of his goals were scored from setpieces so far.
The freekick incident was just an one-off incident and we should not read too much into that freekick. I agreed that his performances so far has not been majestic but they are not exactly lousy too. He needs to contribute more to Chelsea's goal haul. But to call him a rat because of this doesn't make sense at all.
Enough said about Shevchenko. Refer to earlier comments.
Pini Zahavi is just an super agent trying to arrange deals. Unfortunately, through media's intervention, his name popped out of nowhere and his influence got exaggerated.
I don't know whether you people still like the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). Undertaker won the Royal Rumble 2007 after eliminating Shawn Michaels last.
Btw anyone of you going down to watch the finals this coming Wed?
I bought the tickets at East Entrance National Stadium earlier, Lim Boon Hock. Thanks for asking. :)
i'm definitely going! 100% man!
Let's go and paint the stadium RED!!!!
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