Peter_H

Before the game, Frank Sinclair was presented with the keys to Stamford Bridge by Howard Kendall. Unfortunately, as Frank was accepting this honour, he dropped the keys down a drain and spent the whole match trying in vain to retrieve them.

This match was the worst we have played for along time, probably since Arsenal in the League last year. Nothing worked, everything was to elaborated and labored and the ball was never quite there. It would be
wrong to single out one player as everyone was as bad as each other and the only thing I could conclude at the end was that Everton defended well and would rightly have felt miffed that they didn't get at least a
point from this match.

From our point of view, it just goes to show that Lady Luck tends to even up the score as far as the league is concerned, this win now makes up for Coventry!

The first half was a snooze, with the exception of a Zola free kick that would have gone in were it not for Mr Been Pole (Ferguson) heading off the line and a Di Matteo shot that was brilliantly saved by Southall, we created little. Zola kept getting into promising situations and being unable to get a shot off and Frank sinclair saw more of the ball than anyone but with un erring precision, found the head of Billic with every cross. Had Billic been wearing blue, we would probably have been 8 or 9 goals to the good at half time.

Everton's one meaningful attack ended with a spectator in the shed end being stretchered off and that was about it for the first half. Things did not improve during the first part of the second half and Everton grew in confidence. In one forgettable passage of play , possession must have changed hands every 30 seconds for about 15 minutes. It was at this point the Toffee's realised the match was there to be won. We just couldn't mount an attack. Unfortunately (or fortunately) their imagination and vision didn't extend beyond hoofing
the ball in the direction of "The Gangly One", and by this time we'd worked out how to deal with this threat. However, this didn't prevent Ferguson beating Doobs (Who was otherwise excellent) in the air only to
see his header hit the post and the defense looked on (statuesque) and another ferguson effort that looked to be goal bound being acrobatically turned over by the under worked, but otherwise sound, De Goey.

Things improved with the substitution of Clarke and Nichols (who proved all his supporters wrong with a "WHY?" performance) though Hughes responded to his introduction by being caught offside 3 times in quick
succession. Granville initially looked shaky at center half but grew in confidence, but at this stage Everton looked the more likely. Then Baba (?) fed Di Matteo who was felled by a late challenge and Wise stepped up and (I hear, as I couldn't watch) smashed the Pen into the net. At this point, Evertons shoulders dropped and you could sense they were beaten. Up until this point they'd looked quite together but now they resorted
to long ball hoofing it at Ferguson once again. In the last 5 minutes something very strange happened. Hughes went quite mad!.. Keeping possession against Evertons spent force looked to be easy and with the
game all but won, this was the sensible cause of action. Hughes however, didn't see it this way and there times he attempted wildly over ambitious passes which played us straight back into trouble when the
simple ball appeared to be the better option. Eventually it was Petrescu (I think) who played the ball to Flo in Acres of space with virtually all Everton players in the Chelsea half they were totally exposed and I'm sure he would have scored had Billic not felled him *just* inside the box. Billic had to go. Then there was a moment of pure farce as the ball appeared to have disappeared (so to speak) - que cries of "gis our ball back". a ball was produced from the Chelsea dugout which Ruud kissed before throwing it to Zola who dispatched the
Penalty.

Before we go to ratings, I have to mention the F****G anoraks who sit behind us (Not Vaughan and the Gang) there are three of them and they sit through every game and note the time of subs, times goals, no. of
offsides etc. etc. TOTAL ANORAKS!!!!. Anyway, for the Penalties we, in common with everybody else, stood up to watch (as you do!) as we were leaving they balled us out because they couldn't see the penalties
because we were standing up and they remained seated. Fair enough, but they could have stood up along with everyone else. I'm afraid I wasn't having it and what I said will make the rest of the season rather
interesting. Why don't they piss off back to their railway platforms!!!!

Anyway, sorry about that, to ratings.

De Goey 9!!!! Did everything he had to do but I was very impressed
with his Schmichaelesque distribution.
Doobs 7.5 Good to see him back and once Beefys fit I think we'll look
good at the back.
Sinclair 5 Oh dear, luck to make the San Marino starting XI let alone
Jamaica, but to be fair had little support.
Baba 5 for his left foot 1 for his right (6) Because Paul is right,
he's so one footed it was painful to watch
Clarke 6 Anonymous and his distribution was poor. I think we won't be
seeing much of him if everyone is fit.
Di Matteo 8 Our best player on the night. I hope his form continues to
pick up
Wise 7 Gave the ball away to often in dangerous places and seem hell
bent on being sent off
Petrescu 7.5 Woeful first half but came alive in the last 15 minutes
(trying to prove something to the boss?)
Nichols 5 Oh dear!
Vialli. 6.5 Good first touch but not enough penetration and didn't look
like scoring tonight, one cross shot his only memorable contribution.
Zola 7 Wanted to many touches and was too slow in taking his chances
though you get the feeling he could suddenly explode into form.

Subs
Hughes 6
Granville 6.5 obviously very versatile, I think I prefer him at left
back at the moment
Flo 6 I like Flo and I believe he'll develop into a great player for us

Overall 4

West Ham

I could sum up this match in a short paragraph like this:

We were mostly crap, they started fighting each other, stopped playing as a team and blew the match and watch out premiership, GFZ is back.

But it was slightly more interesting than that. Rodney, Dubbery,
Morris and paul Hughes were in Drakes beforehand having a friendly pint
with supporters and signing autographs. They weren't being overly
mobbed and I wondered whether they enjoyed being able to drink in
relative piece or had gone in on an ego trip hoping to be hero
worshiped. Whatever, its easy to get blasé about celebrities at
Stamford Bridge these days, David Baddiel and his brother were also in
Drakes after the game and with the obligatory Johnny "motor mouth"
Vaughan in top form there are more stars at the Bridge these days than
are normally visible from the Greenwich observatory!

The game was a mixture of the sublime and the ridiculous. WestHam, had
they not been quite so cautious, might have won the game, but I think
Harry Rednapp was a bit wary of being on the end of a hammering.

The game started well enough with a move that nearly finished with a
goal being launched right from the kick off, but that was virtually all
we created with the exception of a great move that finished with Wise
putting the ball inches wide. This was after Ed had pulled off a
magnificent save from Lomas that looked for all the world like it was
going in.

The corner count in that first half must have been about 10-2 in the
Hammers favour and was fairly reflective of Chelsea's play. A
collective groan could be heard as Danny boy was Swapped for Nichols.
Now that was hardly and eye for an eye was it!!! we all assumed it was
an injury but Dan's reaction on his way from the pitch spoke volumes. In
the end what looked like suicide turned out to be a pretty good moves as
Nichols played well and rendered Berkovic ineffective for the remainder
of the game. This in turn allowed Robbie Di Matteo to have more freedom
and we looked alot better. For me, it is obvious that Eddie is not back
to his best yet and the midfield is lacking a bit of bite in the absence
of Gus Poyet. With Petrescu, Wise and Bobby D on the same field and
Eddie not being on top form, defense seems to go out the window. Any
way, full marks to Ruud for identifying the problem and rectifying it,
even if it upset Dan.

From this point on we did improve, if only gradually. and finished the
half with Zola forcing a goal line clearance from Rio (Riiioooo)
Ferdinand. In the second half, I can't remember De Goey making a save
(although he should have saved the Hartson pen) and dominated creating a
number of chances before RIO was on the end of a sweeping move and
cross from Zola to deftly slip the ball past his own keeper. A clinical
finnish. From there Robbie D should have made it 2 when fed by GFZ
before Hughes won the free kick that secured the match.

Before the kick my friend turned round and said, "He's going to score,
it doesn't matter how many people they put on the line, he's going to
score anyway" The Hammers defense must have heard him as they moved the
players off the line and Zola bent it into the same corner tey had been
previously defending. Queue scenes of delirium in the east upper. It
was just as well as about a minute later, Myers decided to be cute when
hoofing the ball out was the safe option, conceded possession and then
made up for it by conceding a penalty - sensible lad! Anyway, this led
to a nervy end to the match and a inordinate amount of injury time.

With Le Boeuf being stretchered off and Berkovic standing over a free
kick on the edge of the D, I was expecting 2-2. Fortunately, this was
the last meaningful action of the game as Berkovic spotted yet another
person he hated (in addition to Moncur and Impey) , this time in the
crowd behind the goal, and blasted the ball straight at him. 3 points
safely won.

Ratings

De Goey; 7 One moment sums up his form at the moment, a tame shot came
in straight at him and there was a moment when we all held our breath
and he was visibly shaking!! but made a couple of could saves in the
first half

Le Boeuf 8 ; He is Bobby Moore in disguise and was even strong in the
air
Myers 7; Excellent game for him despite the pen. He didn't attempt to
beat Hartson in the air but always mopped up his knock downs.
Sinclair; 6.5; Not one of his better games of recent times
Baba; 8 He is a great player and you've got to ask how Le Saux is going
to win back his place when fit.
Petrescu 6; though hadn't done much wrong prior to being removed.
Robbie D; 7; Patchy game but you feel he's close to being back to his
best.
Wise; 8; Not everyone agreed with me that he played well, but I thought
his attitude alone deserved high marks
Nichols; 7.5 An excellent game by his standards and tackled and
defended well
Newton; 7 (and a generous 7) he's not playing as well as he can and
seems afraid to pass the ball forward, even selecting back passes when
they appear more difficult than attacking passes.
Zola; 8 Approaching top form and we really need him at his best, lethal
free kick.
Hughes. 7.5 Quiet game by his standards though his possession play was
excellent at all times and he was always available. (HTBUW)

All in all 6.5 for a team performance.

Moment of the Match; Berkovic lamping Lomas

Arsenal

Well, what can you say? It was a great match and worth the price of the entry fee. At times the game resembled a war with both sides totally committed. My own opinion is that a draw would have been a fair result but unfortunately we were treated to moment of "Winterburn" magic, if such a word can ever be used in
conjunction with this man.

The match was played in conditions reminiscent of the Seranghetti such was the heat in the East Stand, you'll be able to spot anyone who was up there yesterday as they will all be suffering 3rd degree burns!

We fielded the same side, Le Saux excepted, that played on Thursday, which I thought was an interesting decision considering the effort expended against the Slovakian side. Also an interesting decision given the quality and strength of Arsenal's defense. I thought it would be a certainty for Hughes to start and I thought the Height and power of Flo would also be of benefit. Perhaps Ruud was attempting to psyche Wenger out! whatever, hindsight tells us he got this match wrong all the way through, starting with this decision and running all the way through the match, including the decision to leave poor Paul Hughes alone to cope
with Overmars; there was a new dish on the menu in Ossies last night "Roast P.Hughes a la Overmars". Hughes will wake up screaming seeing the oncoming Overmars for many nights to come. I just hope his confidence isn't too badly effected. Other calamitous management decisions included the decision to try and win the game after we had equalised for 2-2 by sending on a third striker. It was a brave decision but backfired almost instantly with Le Boeuf STUPIDLY getting
himself sent off 2 minutes after we'd used or last sub. At that moment we all knew the writing was on the wall.

On the subject of Le Boeuf, a German college who was a neutral at the game was amazed to hear Le Boeuf applauded from the field "even though he just cost you the game!". He's got a point really, I mean this was the crucial moment in the game and it was lost in his moment of madness. Sometimes I wish Frank would think, and I also believe (Zola excepted) that we should not hire any more players who have the first name Frank ;-) as they are prone to rushes of blood to the head.

The game itself was so intense its difficult to recall that many clear cut chances outside of the goals. The opener came from Poyet, ably assisted by Doobs who must have known I had the Uruguayan in my fantasy team as he should have scored himself, heading the ball across the goal for and easy finish. The equalizer followed very swiftly afterward, you just knew we wouldn't be able to hang on to the lead, courtesy of a suspected handball and a debatable offside decision, Dennis Bergkamp notching easily.

Half time was spent angrily discussing the shortcomings of the officials and practicing our sign language skills with the help of the Arsenal fans sitting directly below us. What a lovely bunch they are! They regaled us in the second half with their huge song repertoire that ran to such demanding lyrics and "one team in London" "Ni Gel Win ter Burn" and "Your not very good". Obviously criteria for supporting Arsenal do not stretch and further than knowing the answer to the question "What's your name?"

The second half saw the Dennis Bergkamp show get firmly on the show, resulting in sweeping changes, the first having already taken place at half time with Mark Nichols chucked in the deep end replacing the (IMO) ineffective Petrescu. Next to make way was Vialli, replaced by Hughes, which was swiftly followed by some chaotic defending mainly thanks to Le boeuf that presented the ball to the un-marked Dennis Begkamp (unmarked because 3 Chelsea players were fighting to present the ball to him on a plate) who scored easily. At this point there was quite a bit more, not so good natured Banter between ourselves and the away fans beneath us, culminating in my highlight of the afternoon; With verbals and visuals
still in full swing with those below us, Hughes was played through completely on his own, hostilities between us and the Arse fans momentarily suspended as Hughes crossed perfectly for Zola to finish, rather unconvincingly. Well at this point I rather lost control of myself and spent the next 2 minutes screaming all sorts at our tormentors beneath us. Happy days were here again. Not for long.

I can see what Ruud was thinking, the game was there to be won and we were the home side, Bobby D had not been in the game and the extra striker might have made all the difference, but now we'll never know. Beefys moment of madness lost the game and we were left to wait till the 88th minute for their Cart horse to administer the killer blow, ably assisted by the ref who probably thought that he hadn't done enough to help Arsenal. We were defending very deep and the ball was played across to Winterburn, Wise was ruining to cover, and looked like making it, when he was tripped by the ref, providing the extra time necessary
to steady himself and hit an unstoppable shot passed (Land ) De Goey.

At this point we have to be fair to Arsenal and admit that Bergkamp is a genius and given his ability to stay fit, might lead the Gunners to a title this year especially with Wright to partner him.

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Slovan Bratislava 1st Leg

First to all those who claimed it was difficult to buy your seats:

Season ticket holders can call the Credit card hotline and buy your normal seats over the phone quoting your season ticket reference number and they'll send your ticket to the address in your book!! No excuses next time;

So to the Match:

This match was reminded me of sitting in the garden on a blisteringly hot summers evening and watching as a huge dark black thunder cloud passes over head, you can feel the power and the odd spot of rain hits you but it moves off into the distance to unleash its deluge elsewhere leaving something of an anti climax. Lets hope it breaks over Arsenal on Sunday;

This was the most one-sided match I have borne witness to at Stamford Bridge, right from the off we played some majestic football and it was never as matter of whether or not we'd prevail but what the final damage to the Slavic team would be. Bobby D got the show on the road, finding space inside right after some school boy defending, he slotted the chance as though he were on the training ground. At this point we were so dominant that we might have been playing the Sunday morning Boys XI however, Vialli's profligate finishing and the teams general arrogance and desire to pass the ball into the net meant we left it very late
before we made the class gap tell. Notable misses between the 2 goals; Viallis unchallenged header had my granny turning in her grave, Viallis miss from 3 yards when it would have been easier to score, Vialli sent clear springing the offside trap only to get the ball stuck under his feet. Zola's free kick that nearly broke the frame of the goal, Zola's attempt to win the goal of the season contest where his
final ball, After nutmeging a player lifting the ball again over his head, left allot to be desired.

The second half was a story of arrogant little flicks that never quite came off and at times my frustration at the nightmare that Vialli was enduring boiled over to screaming at Gullit to haul him off. Then, finally, just as I was about to go berserk, danny Grannville came up with a superb piece of skill that should ensure I have no sleepless nights whilst on holiday on the night of the return leg. Wise knocked
the ball into the danger area, and Danny boy flicked the ball over a defenders head and finished on the volley. Much relief! But there was still time for Vialli to miss three more chances, shooting straight at their keeper every time. Really this was a miss match and I read that the Sloavan manager said after the game that he felt one of these two sides would feature in the final. Well I can tell him this for nothing; It won't be Slovan Bratislava!

Ratings.
De Goey 5 Impossible to judge as he didn't have to make a save. One Cross that he punched.
Granville 8 Very useful down the right, good defensively in the few times it was required and attacked at pace.
Le Boeuf 7 Steady if unspectacular, made the mistake on a couple of occasions of shooting from 40 yards!! Get real Frank!
Doobs 8 Was the main reason they were impotent in attack, cut out everything.
P Hughes 7 Got shouted at twice by Wise for conceding possession needlessly but overall did OK
Wise 10 No kidding, justified all the pre match hype, didn't waste a pass all night absolutely outstanding.
Di Matteo 8 Got kicked to bits and was clearly targeted, seemed short of pace but distributed the ball well.
Poyet. 7 Not such a great game, had a good chance that was squandered and drifted in and out of the game
Petrescu 7 This was his worst game this season and he was still pretty good.
Zola 8 Good in patches but still missing the vital spark
Vialli 6 Oh dear, Gullit obviously saw something that I didn't. To be fair he was very useful in that first half, but for the papers to say he might not have missed so many chances had he been starting more regularly is rubbish and is mischief making.

Overall 7 In the first it was better than watching Brazil. But woeful finishing and unnecessary show boating in the second half meant that a match that should be out of sight still has to be won.

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