Chelseadaft

Chelseadaft has been writing A Chelsea Fans Blog for nearly two years now. After reading many websites and columns he wanted to have his voice on the club we all love so starting blogging in addition to working full time. The response he has had has been fantastic. His website has now become more than established and has won three awards so far including "Best Chelsea Blog 2010/11". Supporting Chelsea from a young age and growing up close to the ground he has followed Chelsea for over 30 years.

Posts by Chelseadaft :

WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT FRANK LAMPARD? “EVERYTHING!”

Where do you start even contemplating describing the man? There is only one way – “A Legend!”.

To quote Wikipedia: “Considered to be one of the best English footballers of his time and one of the best midfielders of his generation.”

There will be no one that will ever come close to what the man has achieved at this football club and it’s as simple as that. I doubt I will ever see anyone make the impact he has made at Chelsea in my lifetime and I expect to be around for a long time yet.

Taking you back to just before he signed, there was Gus Poyet who was seen as a great goal scoring midfielder at the club and we wondered how on earth we could ever replace him. Enter Frank Lampard.

It took time though didn’t it. In his first two seasons at Chelsea, Lampard played 101 times in all competitions, scoring 15 goals and he made two assists. It was his third season at the club, after Roman Abramovich took over that Lampard began to find his feet. In 2003/4 he made 58 appearances in all competitions, scoring 15 goals and making 7 assists. Lampard was reaping the benefits of having world class players around him.

However, it was when Jose Mourinho came to the club back in the summer of 2004, that Lampard’s goal scoring exploits really came to the fore. In those back to back title winning seasons, Lampard scored 39 times in 108 games and he made 26 assists. We will always remember his double at The Reebok!.

The second of those seasons Lampard scored over 20 goals for the first time and followed that up by doing the same over the next four years which for a midfielder is phenomenal. In 2009, Chelsea’s first ever double winning year, Lampard scored 27 times in 51 games and made 20 assists which is his best return in a season to date. Again though, what amazing statistics for a midfielder.

Since that double winning year, the club has had turbulent times with five different managers at the helm in three seasons. In addition to the constant upheaval, Lampard himself has had to deal with long term injury and squad rotation which is something that he hasn’t really been faced with for the most part at the club.

In the 2010-2011 season he started the season under Carlo Ancelotti and finished under Guus Hiddink. Lampard only featured in 32 games scoring 13 goals and making just 6 assists. He still finished the season off in style with the winner in the FA Cup against Everton.

The following season, Lampard working under AVB again had to deal with being left out of the side at times. Roberto Di Matteo took over, changed the whole mentality of the club, installed Lampard back into the side as a regular starter and Chelsea went on to celebrate their most successful season ever by winning The Champions League and FA Cup double. Lampard finally achieved his long term dream of becoming European Champions. He played 49 times, scoring 16 goals and making 10 assists including the through ball to Didier Drogba to score the winner in the FA Cup Final against Liverpool.

This season again being turbulent with yet another change of manager, Lampard has had to deal with rotation again. In and out of the team and for the first time missing out on some big, big games for Chelsea, Lampard has had to accept that he cannot play in every game. With his contract running out he has kept his head down and worked even harder in training. When he has played he has still made significant contributions to the team. With a single game to go, Frank Lampard has played 49 games, scoring 17 goals and has made 6 assists and don’t forget that been from playing in a deeper midfield position.

This season has seen Frank Lampard overtake Bobby Tambling as Chelsea All Time Record goal scorer. He has scored 203 goals for Chelsea and at Villa Park a week ago, he scored two goals first to equal the record and then to break it. The scenes on the pitch after his second goal and at the end of the game shows just how much he loves this club, just how much the players love him and just how much the supporters do. With the victory at Villa Park, Lampard’s goals ensured Champions League qualification for next season which means so much to the club.

He Captained the side in Amsterdam in the absence of John Terry on Wednesday night as Chelsea won the Europa League against Benfica and became the first club ever to hold the Europa League and Champions League together. Lampard forced the goalkeeper into a fantastic save and rattled the crossbar in the dying minutes to prove he still has what it takes at this level.

Finally, after what has seemed like forever, Frank Lampard signed a new one year contract to remain at the club next season which for the majority of us is fantastic news and is something we all wanted. Lampard said after signing the deal, “I always maintained the dream was to stay at Chelsea.”

As a Chelsea supporter looking in from the outside you can see the influence he has on players. You never hear a bad word said against him do you? Just last night at the player of the year awards, Bobby Tambling, John Terry and Juan Mata all spoke of the impact he makes both on and off the pitch. Always the last back inside after training, constantly working on his shooting with both feet and guiding the youngsters at the club.

Frank Lampard is a model professional and to this day, at the age of 34 (approaching 35), he still works just as hard at this game as he did when he was 21. It doesn’t matter if he has played week in, week out or if he has been part of squad rotation, he still works just as hard as everyone else to ensure he forces the manager to select him for the next game.

Bobby Tambling said of Lampard last night that he believed him to be “The best ever” at Chelsea and I have to agree. Gianfranco Zola, Peter Osgood, Charlie Cooke, Didier Drogba and Tambling himself are right up there too but Lampard is the one for me. He has scored 10 or more goals from midfield in a season for a decade! Most midfielders in the Premier League would bite your hand off to have a record like that.

Frank Lampard to this point has won the following:

Premier League – Three times
FA Cup – Four Times
League Cup – Twice
FA Community Shield – Twice
UEFA Champions League – Once
UEFA Europa League – Once.
Chelsea Player of the Year – Three times

“Super Frankie Lampard” is a living legend at this football club and has won it all. He has been the heartbeat of our football club through the most successful era of our history and will be there at Cobham in July ready for pre season training, prepared to work just has hard as everyone else to ensure the manager selects him this season. That’s just Frank Lampard’s way though isn’t it.

Loved and idolised by Supporters and Players a like, he is an inspiration for us all. Never give in, never give up, get your head down and to keep working hard to improve and to make an impact in games.

203 goals and countless trophies – Frank Lampard, Legend.

Written by ChelseaDaft

THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

Chelsea travel to Villa Park tomorrow with our destiny in our own hands which after a season we have had, is all we could ask for at this stage of the season.

Of course, the right results against Liverpool and Tottenham would have put us in a much better position but judging by the way our season has panned out, we are thankful for the point to put us where we are now.

It’s been a long, tiring season but there is light at the end of the tunnel with three points on offer tomorrow lunchtime and next weekend to ensure Champions League football is back at the Bridge next term.

The focus has always been on finishing inside the top four and for the most part, we have had our eye on fourth place. Now, with two wins we can cement a creditable third place and automatic qualification to the group stages.

On Wednesday night, we will contest our THIRD major European Final in six years which is remarkable thinking about it. Think of the other major teams in Europe who are still fighting to get to just one!

As for the Manager? There is divided opinion and no one can help that. No matter what, there will always be someone that agrees with you and others that disagree. People that like you and people that have a different view, it’s life.

I am not the biggest fan of Rafa Benitez but in recent weeks, I have done what he has asked us to do and got behind the players and the team. The majority of Chelsea fans have done the same and we have seen a real upturn in performances and results.

Some say that if we finish where we are now in the League, Rafa has achieved what has been asked of him and nothing more but I will leave that with you to decide whether that is true or not.

We cannot deny that the Europa League and the chance to create some positive history in Europe after what happened earlier in the season is a bonus!

To become the first team to hold both trophies in their current format at the same time is something to be proud of if it happens but there is still a game to be won in Amsterdam.

Without question, after a season that had promised so much, with seven trophies to fight for it’s been disappointing. But, in saying that, there are plenty of positives we can take from this term.

Eden Hazard, Cesar Azpilicueta, Juan Mata, David Luiz, Fernando Torres and Ramires have all been a success and all we need now is Frank Lampard to score just two more goals to become our record goal scorer!

We have three games left in eight days, and Chelsea have the chance to make a positive finish as we head into the summer and we simply have to deliver.

There is light at the end of the tunnel this season after all. All we need is the players to lift themselves for this final push.

Come on Chelsea!

Regards

CD.

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IF WE PULL TOGETHER…

November was a difficult month to say the least and no one wanted to see Roberto Di Matteo lose his job. Roman and the club made a decision and we have had to get on with it, whether we like it or not.

Saturday’s win against Sunderland is hopefully a change in fortunes. For once based on recent performances in the Premier League, we scored goals at important times and killed the game off before Sunderland could mount a serious response. It’s a sign of improvement and is encouraging.

We await the World Club Championship this week and are looking to win it. Whether you agree with the idea of the competition and the impact it has on our season, to win it and come back to England as World Club Champions would give us all a tremendous boost heading into the busy Christmas and New Year period.

This week is by far the most important for Rafa Benitez as Chelsea’s Interim Manager since he took over from Di Matteo. Ever since he took over, he has had to deal with preparing for games for two or three days at a time and it’s not really enough time for the new manager to get his message across and to work on ideas with the players.

This week with the players living out of each other’s pockets for a week, it’s an ideal time to work hard and for Rafa to really work on things he is looking for the team to improve.

Apart from the West Ham second half debacle, we have seen Chelsea look more solid at the back and in our last two games, we have seen Chelsea and Fernando Torres in particular, hit the back of the net nine times.

Listen, whether we agreed with the Di Matteo decision and the subsequent decision to appoint Rafa Benitez as his replacement, one thing hasn’t changed and that’s our support for the players and the team.

I understand why people reacted as they have in Rafa’s first two games (and we still haven’t had an official apology) but we have to move on now and support our club and the team.

We find ourselves just 10 points behind United and 4 points behind City. We have a massive chance to win the World Club Cup, the League Cup and the FA Cup again this season not forgetting our first attempt at the Europa League.

If we can all pull together, support the team as you have who knows what the future will bring to Chelsea and where we will find ourselves at the end of the season.

Without question, Rafa Benitez is working hard to improve Chelsea and overall our defensive performances have been better. In addition, Fernando Torres is now playing higher up the pitch and getting the service he has been crying out for ever since he joined the club and the result is four goals in two games.

I know the issues we have with Benitez, I do understand them but I am asking you the Chelsea fans to put the football club, the players and the team first and let’s see what happens.

Benitez has promised to win over the Chelsea fans by winning games. Let’s reserve judgement until the end of the season and get behind everyone from now until the end of the season.

Regards

CD.

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TIME TO REFOCUS – EXCITING TIMES AT CHELSEA

Well it’s been a long three months since THAT night in Munich and I am still buzzing from the fact that we are European champions! I am sure like me, you have mentioned it a few times and wound people up but we don’t care do we!

Anyway, we still have to move forward and look ahead to this new season and to say it will be interesting to see how Chelsea do without Didier Drogba is an understatement.

There is going to be even more focus on Fernando Torres to fill the big man’s boots and I still believe that with the right service from the right areas, Torres can get us 20-30 goals a season.

Roman Abramovich has spent money again and with that comes pressure and expectation on the young shoulders of Marko Marin, Eden Hazard and Oscar.

After our disappointing pre-season as far as results go, Chelsea (as usual) are already being written off by sections of the media. It’s important to remember being Chelsea fans that this is something we have pretty much had to get used to since Roman came to the club so it’s nothing new!

Stick with www.chelseafc.com for your news and the likes of my blog for opinion, and don’t read what is being speculated about. Even though we are used to it, there will still be times when some articles written in the media will wind you up!

So what of Chelsea this season? For me, it’s an exciting time. Without question our league form wasn’t good enough last season and that now has to be our focus. It’s nice to hear the likes of JT and Frank Lampard speak of the importance of the Premier League again.

With the signings we have made, long term I can see Chelsea playing some really exciting and attractive football. Now this may take some time for the players to get used to each other but I promise you it will be well worth the wait. We may have to grind out results here and there but that’s fine by me as long as we get the result.

RDM needs to work on solid foundations first and foremost and then build upon that with attacking flair. That’s what we all want to see but it does take time to find the right balance.

Teams are used to Chelsea’s strength in attacking areas, used to the big man up front causing havoc and feeding off that. The big man has gone now and it’s time for Chelsea to change our style.

The world will be watching and no doubt expecting Chelsea to fail this season. Just a gentle reminder, do you remember the last time they said that? Look what happened!

CD

THE SECOND CHANCE

I have celebrated some goals in my time either in the stands or on TV but I will tell you this, as Fernando Torres rounded Victor Valdes and stroked the ball into the empty net at the Nou Camp, I celebrated the goal like never ever before!

I have been following Chelsea for well over thirty years now and have seen us score plenty of goals over time both in the ground or at home but this goal was different because it means so much, it has given us the second chance we always wanted.

After Moscow and what happened there, all we wanted was another crack in another final and being honest over the last two years we haven’t looked like making it have we? It seemed as though our time had come and gone in an instant and I will never forget the feeling I went to bed with that night. I remember waking up the next morning and for an instant wondered if it was all just a dream. Within seconds it had hit home, we had lost on penalties to United.

During the last couple of seasons you couldn’t help but wonder if this group of players would be able to take us there and like I said, it had become something that seemed to be moving further and further away from our grasp.

As players they must have thought the same thing. Whether they would like to admit it or not is another thing, we always had that night in Moscow in the back of our minds. What we would give to have just one more crack at winning it!

The two performances against Barcelona mean so much to everyone connected with the club, the manager, the players and the supporters and I am still sitting here buzzing from the fact that we have beaten arguably the best club side the world as ever seen. The non Chelsea fans I come into contact with are sick of me going on about it but for once, I don’t care.

We all know the success we have had at this club in the last eight seasons but, the general opinion in football is that you can only be called a top, top European side and one of the elite when you have won the Champions League. It has become the biggest prize in club football.

We were written off before a ball was even kicked and no one gave us a chance, especially over two games against them. I kept hearing things like “You might get a good result at Stamford Bridge but over there will be a different story”. I will be honest, before both games I knew it would be a big ask but look what has happened.

In two games we have seen this group of players go above and beyond the levels of expectation from us all. We have seen everyone dig in, fight for the shirt, for the club, the manager, each other and for the supporters. We have seen players play in positions and roles that they will never be asked to again and they have done it. We have seen players literally form a defensive wall as one for almost three hours of football to hold out and to be given that second chance they always wanted.

The so called Chelsea “Old guard” have been written off during the course of the season and for one reason or another but it’s these players that have pulled us through. They knew what it would take to get us there, passed that knowledge and experience onto the players who have been added to the squad since Moscow and this group of players has taken us to the final.

The thing is, no matter who you are and where you watched the game last Tuesday at the Nou Camp, whether you believed in Chelsea or if you expected Barcelona to win. You have been left with little doubt about this Chelsea team. You have seen the hunger, the desire and the determination that our recent success has been built on rise up to the surface again.

Backs to the wall, written off and finding ourselves in the worst possible situation after 40 minutes of the first half gone, I think we all feared the worst or thought it was game over. Yet again, this team never gave up, pulled themselves together and kept on going, kept on fighting and delivered a performance that will go down in European history.

All these players wanted was a second chance and on Saturday May 19th in Munich they have what they wanted and will give everything to win it.

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