Middlesex CCC

Blimey.

As a Chelsea season ticket holder, and a very long serving one at that, I have in fact been going to Stamford Bridge for over 60 years, I thought nothing would surprise me any more, and then yesterday happened.

Tottenham actually won a league game at Stamford Bridge for the first time since Saturday 10th February 1990 I believe, and yes I was at that games as well. It was I think the same day it was announced that Nelson Mandela would be released from prison.

At the end of yesterdays game the Tottenham fans were celebrating as though they had just won the Premier League and the Champions League combined, except at this moment in time, they have yet to win any trophy this season and I suppose that says all you need to know.

I think Tottenham, unlike my club, always seem to get great praise from the media. However they have not won a major trophy for rather a long time and like Chelsea the FA Cup is the one major trophy either of us can win this season. Pressure will surely be on Tottenham to actually start winning major trophies. They of course have a major advantage as rather absurdly they will be playing their semi final against Manchester Utd at home.

As for my team, this of course has been a disappointing season, though winning the FA cup may help. However, football, these days is all about qualifying for the Champions League and that will now not happen for us this season and the Europa League and Thursday night football awaits for next season.

However, the bottom line is, as I reminded my Tottenham friends yesterday.

Since Roman Abramovic took over the club at the start of the 2003-2004 season we have won incredibly.

1 Champions League. 1 Europa League. 5 Premier League titles 4 FA Cups 3 League Cups.

I have seen us win the lot and I have to be more than content at least as far as football is concerned.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2018 11:08 by lower pavilion.

Top trolling, LP.

Well done.

Chunkyinargyll.

I think to be honest, my posting was simply stating facts, and I think it was fair and reasonable.

I would also add. I thought it was a good game, and the difference was Tottenham took their chances and Chelsea did not.

All these runs have to come to an end at some point, and a truly incredible statistic finally came to an end yesterday.

I hope everyone is having a good and restful holiday weekend. I am told summer is approaching, As I look outside, I wish it would hurry up and arrive, the domestic cricket season is very nearly upon us

LP

Spurs win at Chelsea. Must have been April 1st...

Diamond must have been looking down smiling.

One other feature that Spurs seem to have got rid of is the reputation of being the League's most political club. United, Chelsea and Arsenal seem to be the most difficult places to be these days.


Adelaide

adelaide.

When i got home, I did remember Diamond, and he indeed must have had a big smile on his face

There has to come a time when good teams with good managers, have to start winning major trophies and I think Tottenham and Liverpool fall into that category.

We shall see what the rest of the season brings.

LP

Or he might have been thinking "why did they have to wait till I'd gone"?

With City probably going to "invest" even more, winning a major trophy is going to be difficult. Leicester's success was a major miracle and even Chelsea's last year a minor one. If anyone else matches City's spending, they just ratchet it up again. They aren't half good to watch for the neutral - and even opposition fans perhaps.


Adelaide

adelaide.

I agree, Manchester City have been on a totally different planet to the rest of the premier league this season.

Football is changing. Even Chelsea, with their billionaire owner, can it seems, no longer compete, on a regular basis, at the top end of the transfer market, with the two Manchester clubs, Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2018 14:21 by lower pavilion.

Watching Man City this year,They have played different football....De Bruyne has got to be player if the year,a joy to watch.
I always wonder how these teams would perform on the pitches of the 70's and 80's and not the carpets of these days!
On the other end of football,a club called 1874 Northwich play in the North West Counties Premier League and have got 19 games to play in a month.One week it's Sat/Mon/Tue/Thurs.
Can you imagine any club from the 4 divisions even playing 3 in a week?
And,at the club,every player have full time jobs.

Beefy

The pitches didn't seem to worry Hoddle, Brady, Hudson, Best, Brooking, Wilkins (come on, pull through), Currie and a few more that much. They also had the age of the clogger to contend with, when defenders appared to be allowed two or three hacks before the cards started appearing. There was even a magazine called Foul, which used to make Foul of the Month awards. Or, after Ray Evans kicked out at a pigeon, Fowl of the Month.

I've still got a "Best of Foul" compendium sitting somewhere, along with the classic Lillies single "And David Seaman will be very disappointed about that"!

Going back to money, I find it very hard to see how City are staying within the financial fair play rules. There is an argument that these rules prevent clubs dreaming and shooting for the moon but Leeds is an obvious example of how this can go badly wrong. Unless there are some limitations nobody without an unlimited sugar daddy account can keep up without risking bankruptcy - and by definition only a minority can actually fulfil the dream to win trophies, get (some of) the money back and thereby avoid catastrophe.


Adelaide

Beefy and adelaide

What you say is correct. Today in the premier league, managers and coaches complain their players are tired playing two games a week, which I think is totally absurd.

I remember years ago, the terrible state of the Stamford Bridge pitch, even half way through a season. It never seemed to worry a player by the name of Peter Osgood.

I also remember, when we played Leeds in the 1970 Cup final, and I was of course there with my dad. If memory serves me right, the Wembley pitch was in a terrible state, because someone thought it was a good idea to have the horse of the year show there the week before. The game ended 2-2. Me and my dad then went to the replay at Old Trafford. The hardest and dirtiest game I ever saw. We won 2-1, and it was the first time Chelsea had won the FA Cup. I still remember the total joy on my dad's face, when the referee blew the final whistle. In those days, winning the FA Cup meant everything.

I hope you forgive me Beefy mentioning the above. In those days Chelsea and Leeds had some wonderful hard fought games and of course Leeds had a great side.

The news about Ray Wilkins is so very sad. I think I am correct in saying, he was Chelsea's captain at about the age of 18. A wonderful player.


Finally, I think the fair play rules are a bit of a joke and I believe it is now being ignored.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2018 17:19 by lower pavilion.

LP

The fatigue point is an interesting one. Players would play 60+ games per season but they were playing against other players who had done the same, so it sort of cancelled out. If they were parachuted forwards in time and were playing against players who had played 20 fewer games I suspect that fatigue would become an important factor.

The 1970 Cup Final was pretty horrible stuff. Unfortunately it was impossible for both to lose! There were some tremendous players on both sides but kicking lumps out of each other seemed more important.

When Wilkins, Hoddle and Brady all emerged at the same time it seemed that all three clubs had a wonderfully gifted attacking playmaker coming through. Ray Wilkins's future turned out to be more defensive than the other two and you didn't get the same "wow!" moments but gifted he undoubtedly was.




Adelaide

Bit of a shock to see Fazio, who was awful at Spurs, in the Champions League semi-final with Roma. Paulinho, who was a bit less awful but has somehow got a gig at Barcelona, will not.

A lot of nonsense written about Madrid's penalty last night, mainly along the lines that you can't make a decision like that with the tie poised for extra time. If it would have been the right decision in the 30th minute it has to be right in the 90th. I thought it was a fairly clear penalty myself. Buffon has been a wonderful character and sportsman but his behaviour after the award and his statements after the match just demean himself. (Having said all that, extra time would have been good to watch!).


Adelaide

Okay, you all know I'm not interested in football, but there is a headline in one of today's papers (just mentioned on 'Breakfast'), 'Fans cost me my job'

Well, even I know Arsenal and Wenger had been treading water for at least five years, and 'nearly, but not quite' isn't good enough in football, but it does sound like he doesn't get it, and wanted to carry on and on and on.

LC recalls the 70 Final very well. Gray was unmarkable at Wembley encounter so Sexton switched Harris and Webb around for the replay which worked well.

Expectations were different then so success was more highly valued then than it is now. It is possible to become spoilt by success.

Phew! I can breathe again.

I thought at first - that's it, Europa League for Chelsea, but of course if Liverpool lose and Chelsea win on Saturday the CL is still on. It is the hope that kills you, mind.

It would have been ironic (if the old rules were still in place) if Chelsea were to overtake Liverpool and then have had to hope that Liverpool lost the final. It is not a nice situation! But if that did happen now and Liverpool beat Madrid it would be five English teams in the CL. Nothing (well not much, anyway) against Chelsea but I think Liverpool deserve to be in the CL one way or the other because their football has been so great to watch.

Huddersfield must be one of the worst teams to watch but given their position you can hardly blame them for playing that way. Give their 'keeper the freedom of the Tottenham High Road! I understand that Conte stayed on the pitch and shook the hands of each Huddersfield player. That is class from someone who is fiercely competitive during the match but a gentleman at other times.


Adelaide

At half time in yesterdays's England-Belgium match the pundits assured us that Martinez had already decided he wanted to finish second so we shouldn't expect much attacking from them in the second half (this was despite the first half indicating the opposite).

OK, anyone can get it wrong but did ANYONE on or asking questions of the panel mention it at full time? Not that I saw!

Germany have managed to do a Middlesex by stuffing up the next edition of the trophy they won, though they did have the excuse of a four year gap. What a pity the Germans have no word for schadenfreude.



Adelaide

And looking at their Under age sides who England have despatched in recent competitions by something like 4-1.

The future does'nt look so bright for the Rhinelanders..

England's younger players are demanding playing time not wishing to be stockpiled on a bench somewhere. Better news for England as they learn their jobs.

The ECB take note.

Quote:

adelaide
At half time in yesterdays's England-Belgium match the pundits assured us that Martinez had already decided he wanted to finish second so we shouldn't expect much attacking from them in the second half (this was despite the first half indicating the opposite).
OK, anyone can get it wrong but did ANYONE on or asking questions of the panel mention it at full time? Not that I saw!

Germany have managed to do a Middlesex by stuffing up the next edition of the trophy they won, though they did have the excuse of a four year gap. What a pity the Germans have no word for schadenfreude.

Adelaide

I was as puzzled as you, Adelaide, by the dogmatic comments on this by Gary Neville in particular, given the balance of play in the first half. It was amusing how quickly Belgium scotched that theory, though like you I waited in vain for some acknowledgement of egg on pundits' faces.

The assumption that many seem to have lept to that all England have to do is turn up against Colombia and Switzerland or Sweden to ensure a place in the semis is alarming, and seems rather a return to the bad old days of complacency and exaggerating England's strengths. One thing I think the Belgium match showed is that England lack strength in depth.

Quote:

Fozzie

The assumption that many seem to have lept to that all England have to do is turn up against Colombia and Switzerland or Sweden to ensure a place in the semis is alarming, and seems rather a return to the bad old days of complacency and exaggerating England's strengths. One thing I think the Belgium match showed is that England lack strength in depth.

Sounds like our Executive Board, Dirctor of Cricket and coaching staff on the subject of the County Championship.

Due to superstition, I feel uncomfortable about the idea of saying that certain opponents are ‘easier’ than others. It is generally accepted that it is more respectful to talk about having a ‘kinder’ run of matches. The irony, though, is that by finishing second in their group, England’s second round opponents Columbia are likely to prove tougher opposition than Japan, who England would have faced had they finished top.

Until England inevitably get knocked out, it is going to be hard to dampen expectations, as Spain’s defeat today means that one out of Russia, Croatia, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Columbia or England are going to reach the final, so I can see a lot of people fancying England as the strongest side out of that septet. Then again, Spain are the only side England have ever beaten on spot-kicks, so perhaps it would have been better had Spain still been involved!