nothing could aptly describe. no one can rightly challenge. no soul could seemly defy. welcome to my world. where i make the rules and you stick by them.

About Me

Standing by, All the way. Here to help you through your day. Holding you up, When you are weak, Helping you find what it is you seek. Catching your tears, When you cry. Pulling you through when the tide is high. Absorbing your voice When you talk. Standing by when you learn to walk. Just being there, Through thick and thin, All just to say, you are my friend.

Monday, May 07, 2007

If anyone had said in the early summer of 2003, you're going to come second, champions, champions and second in the next four years, Chelsea supporters would have laughed at a dreamer.

2. If anyone thinks that winning the Carling Cup and maybe the FA Cup - certainly, getting to the Final - coming second in the League and reaching the semi-final of the Champions League isn't an outstanding season, then they've been misled by the last four years.

3. If anyone thinks Frank Lampard hasn't had a brilliant season, they're out of their minds. He has played in 60 games, more than any other Chelsea player in history, scored 21 goals and accumulated 20 assists. The Arsenal fans booing him yesterday seemed to have grown out of the frustration of two years without any trophy and 10 games against Chelsea without a win.

4. Arsenal with 11 men for 90 minutes against Chelsea with 11 men for 42 minutes and 10 for the rest of the time, had less shots on target than us (2-3), less shots off target than us (4-5), less corners than us (3-7) and, because they didn't get behind our defence, less offsides than us (3-8).

5. Shaun Wright-Phillips with his cross for the equaliser yesterday has now had this run of games:
Man City (a), sub 77 mins, hit crossbar.
Sheff Utd (h), all game, 2 assists.
Tottenham (a), first 86 mins, fed Shevchenko for opener, scored 2nd.
Watford (a), all game.
Valencia (h), sub 74 mins.
Tottenham (h), first 70 mins.
Valencia (a), unused.
Blackburn (FAC sf) sub 96 mins, assist for the winner.
West Ham (a), all game, scored 2 goals.
Newcastle (a), first 54 mins.
Liverpool (h), sub 84 mins.
Bolton (h), all game.
Liverpool (a), sub 106 mins.
Arsenal (a), first 79 mins, 1 assist.
Maybe he is a little unlucky not to have played even more recently.

6. We will play 64 games this season. That is a Chelsea record. Our most games in a season previously have been: 61, 1999/00; 60, 1965/66; 59, 2004/05 and 1970/71.

7. We have never had a manager like José Mourinho, no-one who galvanises his supporters like he does. Yesterday's 'chin up' instruction was impossible not to follow and was unique amongst our managers.

8. Yesterday showed what good pass-and-move football we can play. In truth, we didn't create numerous openings, even with 11 men, but without Didier Drogba we were still able to fight and dominate and pass-pass-pass. In contrast, Arsenal's goal was from a big lump down the middle.

9. Michael Essien this season from his positions in emergency defence has assisted the equaliser at Barcelona, won the corner for the equaliser at Man Utd, scored the equaliser home and away against Arsenal, scored the winner at Valencia, and on several occasions played in a back three while driving the team forward to a result (Everton away, Wigan away, Tottenham home etc). He is the epitome of a top modern footballer.

10. Before 2003 we had come in the top two once.

For those who say we have no history, that's rubbish. We have a history of entertaining, of glamour, of big crowds, of fun.

And, of course, we are making history.

Three games to go. There is more history to be made this season.

No comments: