At 3.00pm GMT, today, it will be exactly 12 days until the first round of Premier League fixtures get underway.
At Ewood Park, Craven Cottage, Anfield, Loftus Road, White Hart Lane, The DW Stadium and at St. James' "We-don't-know-quite-what-the -stadium-will-be-called" Park, the first whistle of the season will blow, and with it, absolute joy will wash over millions of football fans up and down the country!
After the (shorter-than-it-seems) Summer period where limited football is played and the back pages become filled with news of Cricket and Golf, we will finally start to see normality return as football will start to dominate
The fixture list in full, then, for the weekend of 13th-15th August: Saturday, 13 August 2011 Blackburn v Wolverhampton, 15:00
Fulham v Aston Villa, 15:00
Liverpool v Sunderland, 15:00
QPR v Bolton, 15:00
Tottenham v Everton, 15:00
Wigan v Norwich, 15:00
Newcastle v Arsenal, 17:30
Sunday, 14 August 2011
Stoke v Chelsea, 13:30
West Brom v Man Utd, 16:00
With Chelsea as close as it is possible to be to signing a new player without actually having signed him, Thibaut Courtois, the 19-year old Racing Genk player, has hinted at a loan deal once he officially becomes a Blue.
The young goalkeeper, still to agree personal terms over his move to London, expects to be loaned out to Atletico Madrid once the deal has been agreed.
"It is better for me to go to Atletico, I can learn more in Spain than in Belgium. I'll have to fight for my place, but that is life at the top. The easiest option for me would have been to stay at Genk. I could be loaned out for a second or even third season before becoming part of Chelsea's first-team squad."
He revealed that some of the club's (Chelsea) senior players had already welcomed him to Stamford Bridge, such as Lampard, Terry, soon-to-be-rival, Petr Cech, and Didier Drogba (who told Courtois how he'd seen him celebrating the Belgian title with Genk on the television).
I checked Courtois out on YouTube to see just how good this player is. And I must say, I was mightily impressed. As a non-Chelsea fan (particularly after the signed Petr Cech all those years back and dominated through him for a couple of years, in my opinion) I wanted this player to be overhyped. And for the first few saves I saw, I thought- "he saves with his legs too often..". But as the video continued and the number of great saves clocked up, I thought "wow, this guy is amazing!"
See for yourself by clicking the link below. And remember, he is only 19 years of age. There are far more experienced goalkeepers with a much less impressive catalogue of saves from their entire career! Thibaut Courtois- Racing Genk goalkeeper
Chelsea FC has unveiled a new third kit for the 2008-09 season of English football. Manufactured by sporting giants Adidas, the kit is finished from head to toe in a darkish shade of yellow apart from blue inserts around the round collar, the stripes and the logo of club sponsors Samsung.
The shirt is made from 100 per cent polyester and features Climacool technology to provide the best comfort for players under all conditions. The release of the third kit completes Chelsea's set of football kits for the 2008/09 season of English and European football.
Portugal midfielder Deco has joined Chelsea from Spanish giants Barcelona after he was told he did not feature in Barcelona's future plans by new coach Pep Guardiola.
Despite suffering injuries and a loss of form for Barca last season, Deco was still one of Portugal's best players in their failed Euro 2008 campaign and is still regarded as one of Europe's most highly-rated playmakers. The 30-year-old has joined the Stamford Bridge outfit on a two-year deal for a fee of about £8m and will once again team up with coach Luiz Felipe Scolari who he played under for the national team.
The Brazilian-born midfielder has a bulging trophy cabinet which includes two Champion's League medals, a Uefa cup winner's medal, and two La Liga titles from his time at FC Porto and Barcelona.
Deco spoke to Chelsea TV after officially signing and said that winning the Champion's League was a top priority for him and the club: "It is good for me to be here and first of all I am very happy to be here.
"I am sure I have come at the right time to do great things and be able to help Chelsea go back to the way it was and come back to being the first one, not only in England but also to win the Champions League that has been their dream for so long."
The arrival of the Portugese star adds a new dimension for the Chelsea midfield which currently includes Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, Jon Mikel Obi and Claude Makelele although some would argue that his arrival has only hastened the departure of Frank Lampard who is rumoured to be a transfer target for former boss Jose Mourinho who is now at Inter Milan.
To say that Chelsea's away kit last season was hideous would be an understatement - that fluorescent 'electric' yellow colour was absolutely shocking.
The players dreaded wearing it, the fans dreaded seeing their team wear it...so both fans and players alike will breathe a sigh of relief on the arrival of a new away kit for season 2008/09 of the English Premier League.
Finished completely in black albeit for the white collar and three 'Adidas' stripes, the new away kit is far more conservative than last season's effort and without a doubt much easier on the eye.
The kit is manufactured by Adidas and will be officially launched on July 10. Pre-orders are available now.
Brazilian World Cup winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has been confirmed as the new boss of Chelsea Football Club.
The current Portugal boss will be the fourth manager of the London club since Roman Abramovich took ownership in 2004 and will start work after the Euro 2008 Championship.
The authoritarian coach takes over from Avram Grant who was sacked last month despite guiding Chelsea to second place in the Premier League and to their first Champions League final where they lost to English Premier League rivals Manchester United.
Chelsea's official statement from their website said: "Felipe has great qualities. He is one of the world's top coaches with a record of success at country and club level, he gets the best out of a talented squad of players and his ambitions and expectations match ours. He was the outstanding choice.
Out of respect for his current role as Head Coach of the Portuguese national team, and to ensure minimum disruption to this work, there will be no further comment from Chelsea FC nor from Felipe about his new role until his employment with us commences."
Despite never having managed an European club before, Scolari still boasts an impressive CV which includes coaching his country to victory in the 2002 World Cup and guiding Portugal to the final of Euro 2004. At club level, Scolari won two Copa Libertadores, a Brazilian championship, three Brazilian cups and three South Rio Grande championships.
Scolari's appointment as Chelsea boss should result in a much more attacking-style of play compared to the defensive and sometimes boring style of his predecessors, Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant - something which the club's billionaire owner craves.
With the richest club owner in world football, Chelsea hardly needs the revenue from merchandise sales so it is safe to assume that the special edition Chelsea Home Shirt 2008/09 with Champions League Final Embroidery is for commemorative purposes only.
Afterall, reaching the final of Europe's elite club competition is a cause for celebration in itself and having reached the final for the first time in the club's history, you can forgive them for getting a little carried away.
As you are probably aware, this special edition shirt is based on the new kit design for the forthcoming English Premier League season 2008/09 with the only difference from the standard shirt being the the orange embroidery on the player's right chest which says "FINAL MOSCOW 2008 - 21st May LUZHNIKI STADIUM Manchester United v Chelsea".
Priced at £49.99, it is exactly £10 more than the shirt without the embroidery - perhaps Chelsea needs the money afterall?
But what if Manchester United end up clinching a Premier League and Champions League double? Chelsea fans will be rewarded with an extra £10 out of pocket and bittersweet memories.
Captain John Terry models the new Chelsea home kit
Chelsea has become the second club after Liverpool to unveil their new home kit for the upcoming English Premier League season 2008-09.
Unlike the Reds who will be wearing their new kit for the next two seasons, the London club will be wearing this new design for one season only. The new kit is identical to the one that was leaked onto various forums in March and features a new collar design in white with a yellow rim around the outer edge of the collar and sleeves.
The kit also appears to sport a lighter shade of blue than the tradition royal blue colours of Chelsea and the main kit sponsor has been changed slightly to Samsung from the previous Samsung Mobile.
The goalkeeper's shirt is a disastrous shade of very deep orange which is ridiculously 'loud' and one must think the colour is to avert any dangers to their injury prone goalkeeper, Petr Cech.
Petr Cech's new goalkeeper's shirt for 2009
The new kit will be officially launched on May 8, 2008.
The destination of the Barclaycard Premiership trophy will be decided on the final day of the season after Chelsea's 2-0 win over Newcastle at St. James' Park last night.
Needing a win to stay level on points with leaders Manchester United, Chelsea's Michael Ballack opened the scoring for the visitors in the 60th minute with a header before French winger Florent Malouda wrapped up the win in the 82nd minute.
There were nervous moments for Avram Grant's side as the hosts had good chances of their own with Michael Owen going particularly close to scoring on a number of occasions.
Ultimately, Chelsea had too much class despite the absence of Ashley Cole, Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, and Salomon Kalou from the side that beat Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final.
Chelsea will now have to win their final game at home against Bolton and hope that Manchester United draw or lose against Wigan in the corresponding game to clinch the Premiership title.
Chelsea beat Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park overnight to reach within two points of leaders Manchester United albeit having played an extra game. The win keeps the pressure on the reigning Premiers with a possible title decider awaiting the two clubs at Stamford Bridge on April 26.
A first-half goal from midfielder Michael Essien just before the break was the difference between the two sides with the likes of Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira and Shaun Wright-Phillips returning for the visitors.
England midfielder Joe Cole's creativity was badly missed against Wigan on Monday and his return to the side gave the visitors a creative impetus that was lacking in their last game. Despite having 10 shots on goal with 5 of them on target, the home side failed to breach Petr Cech's goal with stern resistance coming from defensive lynchpins John Terry and Carvalho.
As it were, Chelsea grounded out an efficient 1-0 victory that leaves Everton's chances of clawing back a 5-point deficit on bitter rivals Liverpool for the coveted 4th place in tatters.
Arguably, the highlight of the match came afterwards in the post-match conference when Chelsea manager Avram Grant chose to answer questions from the press with short responses only.
Here's a transcription courtesy of Soccernet.com:
A deserved win Avram?
Grant said: 'Yes.'
What particularly pleased you about the performance?
'I'm pleased.'
What in particular pleased you?
After an eight second delay: 'I don't know.'
Is it a relief to win here?
'Yes.'
You seem lost for words by the performance. Are you more satisfied with the performance or the victory?
'Both.'
You seem distracted. Do you have a problem?
'No problem.'
Is there an issue?
'No. I'm ok. I have nothing to say.'
Do you have a message for the Chelsea fans?
'You represent the Chelsea fans?'
They must believe you are still in the title race, do you have a message for them?
'No message.'
Does this result mean you are back in it now?
'I don't know.'
How many steps have you climbed to undertake this press conference?
'I don't know.'
You seem less voluble than usual. Is it because of Sky TV moving the game to a Thursday?
'Maybe it's because of you. I don't know. I am ok.'
You are saying that you don't know if you are still in the title race?
'No.' Is it easier to say nothing Avram?
'I don't what to answer. It is a good question. I don't know what to answer.'
Is this because of Sky?
'No. Sky is ok. I enjoy watching them.'
Is it a protest against newspapers?
'No. Why?'
Why else would you come in and refuse to answer our questions?
'I answer every question.'
You are two points behind Manchester United and you don't know if you are still in the title race?
'No.'
Have you told the players that you don't know if you are back in the title race?
'What I tell the players is something else. You want me to tell you what I say to the players?'
We just want you to answer the question really. Are you in the title race?
'I don't know.'
Would you not like to gain some positive publicity for the result rather than this bizarre silence?
'I'm sorry. You can write whatever you want and I can answer what I want.'
Do you feel under pressure to deliver a trophy. Is that the reason for the monosyllabic answers?
'No.'
Are you upset? Do you feel you have been misrepresented?
'Maybe I have said because it is a bad season.'
Did Michael Essien faint?
'He had some problems, but he is ok.'
Michael Ballack?
'Injured.'
What's his problem?
'Ask the doctor.'
He's not here Avram.
'Well call him then.'
Have you ever played the yes/no game Avram?
.....
[Transcript & Video source: Soccernet.com & DailyMotion]
Manchester United are sitting firmly in the driver's seat for a second successive Premiership title after nearest rivals Chelsea suffered a shock 1-1 draw against Wigan overnight.
The home side were punished by an injury time equaliser from England striker Emile Heskey which means the gap between the 1st and 2nd placed teams on the ladder has now stretched to five points with just four games remaining.
A lethargic Chelsea display capitulated in the dying seconds of the match despite Michael Essien giving the hosts the lead in the 55th minute following good work from France striker Nicolas Anelka. Chelsea had further chances to put the result beyond doubt with Joe Cole going close on a few occasions but their inability to finish off a side in the bottom half of the table came back to haunt them in injury time when Heskey volleyed home a cross from substitute Jason Koumas.
Chelsea will now have to beat Everton on Thursday if the much hyped 'decider' against Manchester United on April 26 is to have any bearing on the outcome of this season.
Watch the video of Heskey's dramatic equaliser here.
The Sun newspaper in the UK has printed an image of what appears to be the new Chelsea home shirt for the 2008-09 season of the English Premier League.
Seen here modelled by England midfielder Frank Lampard, the traditional shade of blue remains but the 'new' design by kit manufacturer Adidas features a white collar with a yellow ring on the edge and sleeves while the current Samsung Mobile sponsorship logo is replaced with just Samsung.
Whether this is genuine or not, we cannot be so sure - it could quite easily be just one of many shirt designs discarded in favour of the current Chelsea strip. If it does prove to be genuine, Chelsea fans around the globe will breathe a sigh of relief since it looks nowhere near as bad as their current away kit.
Another thing that remains uncertain is whether Frank Lampard will be around next season to model any new Chelsea kits if reports of stalling contract talks are true.
Chelsea captain John Terry and coach Henk ten Cate were involved in a bust-up prior to the Carling Cup final loss to Tottenham.
The pair traded insults and a few F-words before they were pulled apart by other players in front of bemused club owner Roman Abramovich. The coach later admitted to the fracas when interviewed by The Sun newspaper saying that there had been a disagreement about the intensity of the training session prior to the game and that heated words were exchanged.
Ten Cate said: "We are both kind of emotional - but we respect each other fully.
"We just had a discussion about the intensity of the training session. That’s a normal part of the game. There have been a few F-words, no doubt. But that’s common in England."
Whether this bust-up would have an unsettling affect on a team still trying to overcome the Carling Cup final loss to Tottenham remains to be seen. However, you can guarantee England manager Fabio Capello will be making notes about the incident which would go against Terry's chances of resuming the England captaincy on a permanent basis.
John Terry was made captain of the England national team by former England boss Steve McLaren in the aftermath of England's 2006 World Cup campaign and David Beckham's resignation.
However, there has been murmurs in the England hierarchy that Terry's off-field troubles - which has often made the tabloid newspapers - has given the team and the FA a reputation that it would rather do without.
Fabio Capello is due to select a permanent England captain before the World Cup qualifier in September.
Didier Drogba of Chelsea and Phillipe Senderos of Arsenal are two of the hard men of the English Premier League. Or so I thought. This weekend I have seen both of them fly through the air with all the grace of a top ballerina performing the dying swan. I hope they are both embarrassed when they watch the replays on television.
In Drogba's case, he was at least fouled. His ankle was clipped by a Tottenham player in the Carling Cup final defeat. It is remotely possible that the clip was enough to make him stumble and maybe even fall. It certainly wasn't enough to see him fly through the air with an arched back and land several feet away from the point of impact. It certainly wasn't enough to see him writhing in agony.
It got worse because Drogba then realised that the free kick was in a possible scoring position and if he received treatment he would have to leave the pitch and wouldn't be able to take it.
On realising this he managed to struggle to his feet and claim the ball. Of course, being a truly great player he then whacked the ball into the corner of the net to give Chelsea the lead.
That's my point. He's a great player, we do not need or want the theatricals.
As for Senderos, well his dive was even worse. He wasn't touched and it was in his own half. It was embarrassing and I hope the FA take a look at the video evidence because it was a disgrace.
Senderos is a fine player but that type of performance does nothing to enhance the reputation of hard and ugly centre halves everywhere!
Following Chelsea's win at Everton last night in the second leg of the Carling cup semi-final, Avram Grant said that he thought Chelsea deserved respect. He pointed out their good results in Europe, the Premier League, and now reaching the final of the Carling cup.
There is no doubt that Chelsea do deserve respect. Premier league winners in 2005 and 2006, runners up in 2007, and two Champions League semi-finals in that time. They are currently lying third in the league only four points behind the leaders and eight points clear of fourth place. They have drawn Olympiacos in the next round of the Champions League and have a great chance to progress. They have reached the Carling Cup Final and are currently on a winning run of seven games in all competitions during which they have conceeded only three goals.
My question is, who is it that Avram Grant thinks is not showing them respect?
Is it the fact that most pundits are saying that Manchester Unitd and Arsenal are playing the more entertaining football? I doubt it because even Grant must be able to see that is true.
I think it is more likely that Grant has learned from the master, Jose Mourinho, and is playing mind games with his players. He is trying to create an us against the world attitude, and make the players think that noone likes them and noone wants them to succeed.
Avram Grant has made an impressive start to his managerial career at Chelsea, and he might well win trophies for them this season.
English Premier League side Chelsea has signed France striker Nicolas Anelka on a three and a half year contract for a reported fee of £15 million in the January transfer window.
The much travelled Frenchman made his debut for Chelsea over the weekend and was unlucky not to score against Spurs with one effort hitting the post in what would have been a dream start to his Chelsea career.
Anelka receives his No.39 shirt from boss Avram Grant
'Le Sulk' made his Premiership debut over 10 years ago with Arsenal as one of the first signings of the then newly appointed manager, Arsene Wenger. He broke into the first team during the 97/98 season as an 18 year-old and played a key part in winning the Premiership and FA cup double for the Gunners.
He won the PFA Young Player of the Year Award in the 1998-99 season and after a contract wrangle with the Gunners, Anelka made his first move to Spain with European giants Real Madrid in the summer of 1999.
Despite figuring in the successful Champion's League campaign of 99/00, he became surplus to requirements after falling out of favour with fans, fellow players, and coach Vicente del Bosque and after just one season at the Bernabeu, he was transferred back to the club where he made his professional debut, French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
After staying with the French side for 18 months, he left for Liverpool on loan for 6 months and after that, Manchester City for 3 seasons (his longest tenure at ANY club!), Turkish giants Fenerbahçe for 1 season, Bolton Wanderers for a little over 1 season and finally, to Chelsea.
Despite featuring for nine different clubs in 10 years, the talented and pacy forward has proclaimed that Chelsea will be his last club.
Chelsea are through to face Everton in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup after knocking out Liverpool at the quarter-final stages overnight.
With Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez showing little intent in a starting line-up that included reserve keeper Charles Itandje, youngsters Jack Hobbs and Leiva Lucas and a substitutes bench missing captain Steven Gerrard and Spanish striker Fernando Torres, it was always going to be an up-hill struggle against a near full strength Chelsea side.
Chelsea's class and experience prevailed in the second-half courtesy of strikes from Frank Lampard and Andriy Shevchenko to seal a 2-0 win for the London club.
The match was marred by a moment of madness from England striker Peter Crouch who was red-carded for a two-footed lunge on Mikel John Obi shortly after Lampard's opener in the 59th minute.
Crouch will now miss Liverpool's home clash with Portsmouth and the visits to Derby and Manchester City over the festive period.
In the other draw, bitter London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham will battle it out for a place in the final.
Birmingham 1 - 1 Reading
Derby 0 - 1 Middlesbrough
Man City 4 - 2 Bolton
Portsmouth 0 - 1 Tottenham
Sunderland 1 - 1 Aston Villa
West Ham 0 - 2 Everton
Wigan 5 - 3 Blackburn
Fulham 0 - 1 Newcastle
Sun, Dec 16:
Liverpool 0 - 1 Man Utd
Arsenal 1 - 0 Chelsea
Sun, Dec 16:
The Premiership 'Big Four' went head to head over the weekend with Manchester United and Arsenal coming out on top with 1-0 victories over Liverpool and Chelsea respectively.
Despite dominating the match at Anfield, Liverpool failed to make any in-roads pass the United defence and were made to pay when Carlos Tevez pounced on a Ryan Giggs corner to fire home the winner late in the first half.
The win for Sir Alex Ferguson's men has left United nine points in front of their fierce north-west rivals.
Meanwhile at the Emirates, Arsenal captain William Gallas made his former club pay by heading home the only goal of the game on the stroke of half-time. The Frenchman cashed in on an uncharacteristic error from Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech to give his side victory and a six-point cushion over their London rivals.
The match of the weekend - an eight-goal thriller - took place on Saturday between Wigan and Blackburn at the JJB stadium.
Marcus Bent and Roque Santa Cruz both completed hat-tricks in a pulsating match which saw Wigan throw away a three-goal lead before eventually overcoming 10-man Blackburn 5-3 to end their 14-match winless run.
In other matches, wins were recorded for Middlesbrough, Man City, Tottenham, Everton and Newcastle.
Arsenal 5 - 0 Derby
Liverpool 0 - 0 Birmingham
Middlesbrough 2 - 2 Sunderland
Reading 2 - 1 Wigan
Fulham 3 - 3 Man City
Sun, Sep 23:
Newcastle 3 - 1 West Ham
Aston Villa 2 - 0 Everton
Blackburn 0 - 1 Portsmouth
Bolton 1 - 1 Tottenham
Man Utd 2 - 0 Chelsea
SUMMARY:
Premier League leaders Arsenal ran riot against Derby on Saturday by firing five unanswered goals past the bottom team in the league.
Emmanuel Adebayor scored a hat-trick with further goals from Diaby and inspirational midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
Socceroos captain Mark Viduka showed the Toon army his ability with a double that sent his side on the road to victory against West Ham.
Dukes struck as early as the 2nd minute before completing his double just before the break. Viduka's striker partner Michael Owen had no such luck and limped off with an occurrence of a groin injury that puts his participation in England's Euro 2008 qualifiers in doubt.
Liverpool were held at home by a stubborn Birmingham side. A frustrating day for the Reds saw the side fail to break down the opposition defence thus falling 4 points adrift of Arsenal.
On Sunday, the most anticipated match of the weekend - Manchester United v. Chelsea - went underway with the Red Devils emerging victorious.
Chelsea's new manager Avram Grant debut could not have been any easier - away at Old Trafford - and he saw his new side fall a goal behind on the stroke of half-time to a well timed header from Carlos Tevez - his first goal for the club.
Frenchman Louis Saha made sure of the victory a minute from time when, after going down under minimal contact from Tal Ben Haim, he drilled home the penalty.
In other matches, wins were recorded for Reading, Aston Villa and Portsmouth.
The Sun newspaper in the UK has sensationally revealed that former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was SACKED and did not leave by 'mutual consent' despite the club’s insistence yesterday.
A fiery relationship with the club’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich finally came to a head after a poor start to the season and a disappointing 1-1 Champions League draw against Rosenborg on Tuesday.
No doubt his shaky relationship with superstar striker Andriy Shevchenko, a close personal friend of the club owner, played a huge part in the Chelsea hierarchy's decision.
Chelsea have since appointed their director of football Avram Grant as his replacement in the managerial hot-seat.
With three years of a £5million-a-year deal left on his contract, Mourinho can at least laugh all the way to the bank with an estimated £10million pay-off.
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