Take your pick of the slogans associated with it: Where The West Begins, The Gateway to the West, the Jewel of the Midwest… In the minds of Americans it is where the continent divides, and where the dense, highly-populated areas of the north and east peter out into the flat, sweeping, rolling farmlands of the West.

On previous Stateside trips Chelsea have played in venues like New York, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington DC. Big, busy, bustling cities, many of them on the coast and with large nearby urban populations from which to draw the attendance. St Louis on the other hand, is a relatively small place of around 300,000 and is miles – and miles and miles – away from anywhere.

I have no idea of the negotiations or thinking that went on to arrange for us and Manchester City to play in a baseball stadium in Missouri. But it obviously worked as the match sold out with close to 50,000 tickets snapped up in the same length of time it took to concede four goals. At least the locals got their money’s worth I suppose.

And indeed, the days leading up to the event and the game itself felt different to previous tours, with a more laid-back atmosphere you would expect to find in America’s heartland.

The spectators were not the same either. Less diehard fans, more curious onlookers. I’ve written before about the American phenomenon of turning up to watch Chelsea play wearing an Arsenal shirt or waving a Spurs flag, and while first-timers find it strange, after a decade of witnessing it I’m used to it. What I did see for the first time though, was a fan in a Manchester United jersey jump up, cheer loudly, and applaud wildly every goal City scored. You wont find that happening in many other places around the world. We had lots of soccer moms. And lots of teenage girls, many clutching the free Chelsea flags or badges given away by the club outside the stadium.

It seemed to me that the dedicated Chelsea fans had a different makeup from previous years as well. Of course there are always the hardcore True Blues, the faces that I see every year, and who follow our team over land and sea and Leicester and make it to every game from Seattle to New York. But they were joined by new faces as the central location and affordable destination opened up the chance to see the English football experience for the first time.

Many fans drove from hundreds – thousands – of miles away, converging on St Louis from all four major points of the compass. Some diehards drove for 16 hours. A hotel room split three ways right in the heart of downtown cost the equivalent of 25 pounds per person per night, a fraction of the sky-high rates on offer in Manhattan this holiday Memorial Weekend.

My friend Colin Dennis, based in Los Angeles but currently working in Chicago, was able to work a half-day, fly to St Louis for the game, then fly back early the next morning to go back to work. His wife was visiting him from California and she came as well. Well, it was her birthday after all. Colin bought her a discounted 2012 tour t-shirt for $5. And they say romance is dead…

So the Chelsea war to conquer the hearts and minds of the American public continues with another resounding victory. At least off the pitch anyway.

The battle rages on, from Sea to Shining Sea, and all points in between.

Not the Baseball Ground in an old-fashioned-Derby-County-kind-of-way, but a baseball ground in an American-sport-kind-of-way. I’m sure there are plenty of older fans knocking about who followed the Blues to the ramshackle stadium in the Midlands in the seventies and eighties. Probably fewer associate Chelsea with the sport many Brits disparagingly refer to as Yank rounders.

It’s surreal sometimes being a long-time Chelsea fan who now lives in the States. My mum took me on my first visit to Stamford Bridge from Belfast more than 34 years ago as a nine-year-old schoolboy. Now I’m about to board a flight to jet from my home in Louisiana to watch my team in the American Midwest. When I lived in England in the eighties and nineties I watched us fight to get promoted from the old Second Division and regularly lose to lower-league teams in the cups. This weekend I’ll be cheering on the first club in history to simultaneously hold both major European trophies at one of the iconic Stateside sporting landmarks.

My last visit to Stamford Bridge was in November 2010. Luckily, the match I made it to was just about our only victory in that long horrendous run that probably cost Carlo his job, the 2-1 victory against Zilina in the Champions League. I haven’t been back to the Bridge since then due to a few factors: repairs to our 130-year-old house (thank you hurricane season); a dysfunctional New Orleans education system that means our child now goes to a private school; and frequent family trips to North Carolina after the death of my father-in-law, amongst other things.

I did make the FA Cup semifinal in April when I was back for my grandmother’s funeral, I caught two games in Philadelphia and New York on the US tour last year, and this week I’ll see the contests against Manchester City in St Louis and New York again. So just take a minute and think about that.

In the space of a month I will have watched Chelsea play Manchester City in Wembley, St Louis and New York. Since my last visit to Stamford Bridge I have seen Chelsea in Philadelphia, Wembley, St Louis and New York (twice.). Wow. A bit more exotic and exciting than going to watch us take on Grimsby Town in Cleethorpes, huh?

Back in the dark, distant, depressing days of the eighties Chelsea came to Ireland on a preseason two-match tour playing in Dublin and Kilkenny and I went with a bunch of fans on an ancient, arthritic bus. We wheezed out of Belfast, a bomb-scarred and shattered grey city in the midst of a bloody civil conflict, and passed through a border checkpoint manned by wary, gun-toting soldiers. We passed the days before the friendlies wandering around the dirty and forlorn streets of the Republic of Ireland, a country then mired in backward economic and social policies.

Today I left my home in New Orleans that is just blocks from the mighty Mississippi river and less than two miles from the historic French Quarter. Tomorrow I’ll visit the Arch that spans St Louis and signals to Americans: This is where the West begins. At the weekend I’ll wander around Times Square, maybe dander down Fifth Avenue, take a stroll through Central Park.

But whether I’m in Dundalk or Kilkenny, St Louis or New York, I’m there to watch Chelsea. And sure, in life you can go through dramatic changes in circumstance and geography. But some things always stay the same.

As you see, all good news that have made this week an incredible one. Looking back to this last year, I feel proud of the team and the way we got another European title, direct access to the Champions League and how we overcame the tough moments: early exit of the Champions, Supercups, Japan’s tournament… We close a very very long season, in my case with around 68 games and more than 5,000 minutes played, but with a very good taste.

Our historic week started with the Europa League final…

Click here for the rest of Juan’s blog…

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

Chelsea fans taken over Dam Centruim #CFCAmsterdam @coach_walesy @michael_wales twitter.com/LDev89/status/…

— Luke Devlin (@LDev89) May 15, 2013

Normal few days away #CFCAmsterdam twitter.com/Moakesy8/statu…

— Josh Moakes (@Moakesy8) May 16, 2013

Great day,great result,nearly been up 24 hrs but well worth it!!! #CFCAmsterdam ##DoubleChampionsOfEurope

— Alex (@grampyrabbit) May 16, 2013

Ivanovic header !! #CFCAmsterdam twitter.com/CISCgorontalo_…

— CISC Gorontalo (@CISCgorontalo_) May 16, 2013

We were sat behind the famous banner. #cfcamsterdam twitter.com/PaulWChappelle…

— Paul Chappelle (@PaulWChappelle) May 16, 2013

An absolutely unbelievable 33 hours. Couldn’t actually have wrote the script any better #CFCAmsterdam

— David Shannon (@DShannon001) May 16, 2013

Just rewatched the final from last night, got goosebumps all over again when ivanovic got the winner #ChampionsOfEurope #CFCAmsterdam

— Lewis Ryan (@LewisRyan18) May 16, 2013

The Perfect 24 Hours for Chelsea as we are crowned ‘Europa Champions’ and Frank Lampard signs a Contract Extension. #CFCAmsterdam #LEGEND

— Aryaman (@blueisdcolour) May 16, 2013

Cheerio amsterdam #CFCAmsterdam twitter.com/ZakBenj/status…

— Zak (@ZakBenj) May 16, 2013

Champion Europa League #cfc #cfcAmsterdam #chelseafc #europaleague twitter.com/edward_widodo/…

— Edward widodo (@edward_widodo) May 16, 2013

Thanks for all your tweets!

The Chelsea fans rejoiced, the media went crazy, but super cool Frank simply re-in acted his trademark salute to the skies, in tribute to his Mother who sadly passed away in 2008. He went on to state that ‘it means everything to me‘ and nobody, not even his critics can ever doubt that statement.

A random fact about Lampard that you may not be aware about, our goalscoring machine is actually a very intelligent individual, recently signing a contract to release his own series of children’s books entitled ‘Frankie’s magic football’, he also scored abnormally high in an IQ test with club doctors.

Frank started his career as a fresh faced youngster at West Ham, enjoying a loan spell in Wales with Swansea along the way. Rated highly, the then 22 year old made his dream move to Chelsea in 2001 for fee of £11 million after West Ham sacked both his father, Frank Senior (Assistant Manager), and his uncle Harry Redknapp (Manager). When you consider what Lampard has given Chelsea not even taking into account his 203 goals, you can say that the fee of £11 million is a true bargain.

With Chelsea, the veteran terrace hero has won the Premier League 3 times, the FA Cup on 4 occasions, the League Cup twice, the Community Shield twice, the Europa League and who can forget him finally receiving his deserved and biggest achievement to date, the UEFA Champions League last season.

When you consider that Lampard has made over 400 appearances in a blue shirt, you might say that this particular achievement is his greatest. Many players have been and gone during his 12 years as a Chelsea player but super Frank has continued to feature on a regular basis and not only feature, but remain a key player and a real center piece with the rest of the team being built around him. With billionaire owner Roman Abramovich hungry for success, it was fair to say that many players would not make the grade, but I’m certain that even up until this season, Frank Lampard would be the first name on that team sheet regardless.

Growing up, youngsters who enjoy football need a role model. Lampard certainly hasn’t avoided his controversial moments but on the pitch he has always been the best possible role model and player to imitate, even to this day. A gentleman on the pitch, Lampard will always be that player who stops to pick an opponent off the ground, or the one to always makes sure he shakes the officials hands regardless of their decisions during the game, the type of man who will always genuinely appreciate the supporters coming to watch him and make a point of this by going over to clap them after every match.

In a football sense, Lampard simply has to be considered as one of the best all-round midfielders to ever grace the beautiful game.  I’m not talking about his achievements now, they go without saying, but watch this player from a football sense, watch him tactically. It’s difficult to find anyone better. His movement, positioning, decision making, his timing of runs, these are all his best traits that often get overlooked. His pace has slowed down over the years so these skills have become even more essential for him. I touched upon this a moment ago, but is there any other player in the world who is better at arriving in the box at that inch perfect time to slot home a  sublime finish? I think not.

Good on the ball, clear vision for a pass, a great right foot, hard in a challenge, strong, ability to read the game, I could go on and on, but he’s one of the best at it. These are just some of the reasons why he is one of the most loved players to ever wear the badge on his chest. Respected, loved, admired, Frank Lampard is a true Chelsea legend in a time where the word ‘legend’ is one of the most over-used in football, but this man fully merits the title. There are not too many true players like Lampard around today, players who play for their pure desire, passion and love for the game.

I will take this opportunity to remind everyone of his dedication to his national side as well, something that other players may take too lightly, not Lampard, close to reaching 100 appearances for England, he shows his pride every time he pulls on the shirt of the three lions.

With the announcement that Super Frank has signed a new contract, I can’t wait to see him continue to deliver in a Blue shirt.

Written By Simon Phillips @CFCneteditor

Amazing feeling to win the Europa League absolutely buzzing! twitter.com/VictorMoses/st…

— Victor Moses (@VictorMoses) May 15, 2013

#Champions2013 again!!! twitter.com/TheRealAC3/sta…

— Ashley Cole (@TheRealAC3) May 15, 2013

Yeeeeeeeeeessssssss!!!!!! twitter.com/MM_MarkoMarin/…

— Marko Marin (@MM_MarkoMarin) May 15, 2013

I come back with the cup. Thank you everyone. #CFC twitter.com/hazardeden10/s…

— Eden hazard (@hazardeden10) May 15, 2013

Wow buzzing Chelsea won, but more happy for my boy @nathanake, a Europa league winner at 18. Congrats bro. #Cfc #Cfcamsterdam

— Nathaniel Chalobah (@chalobah) May 15, 2013

Congratulation to the boys. An other major cup #ktbffh twitter.com/dembabafoot/st…

— Demba Ba (@dembabafoot) May 15, 2013

Buzzing for the lads! What a win! @chelseafc #championsofeurope #cfc

— Patrick Bamford (@Patrick_Bamford) May 15, 2013

Congratulations to @chelseafc for winning #europaleague

— Thibaut Courtois (@thibautcourtois) May 15, 2013

Congratulations @chelseafc.Euro leaugue Champions 2013

— jeffrey bruma (@JBruma) May 15, 2013

Fantastic!!!! What a game! Congrats @chelseafc well deserved #EuropaLeague

— Lucas Piazon (@LucasPiazon) May 15, 2013

Great win!! With the one and only!! twitter.com/YossiBenayoun1…

— Yossi Benayoun (@YossiBenayoun15) May 15, 2013

Congratulations to the Europa League Champions – Chelsea FC. Well done to you all – proud of you guys

— michael essien (@MichaelEssien) May 15, 2013

We did it again! Another european title! Very proud of this team!! Lo hemos conseguido de nuevo! Otro… instagram.com/p/ZWRD9UkCBT/

— Juan Mata García (@juanmata10) May 15, 2013

Very happy for Chelsea and all the Blues fans for this victory in Europa League

— nicolas anelka (@anelkaofficiel) May 16, 2013

Just enjoying being undisputed European champions for a little longer after amazing win in Amsterdam. Well done CFC again.

— Pat Nevin (@PatNevin) May 16, 2013

Gratelations to @chelseafc

— Ruud Gullit (@GullitR) May 15, 2013

WE ARE CHAMPIONS!

Pre-match show

Luiz and Bolo warming up…

Hazard, Ba and JT meet fans inside the stadium..

Warming up at the Amsterdam Arena…

A look around the Amsterdam Arena ahead of the Europa League final..

Players arrive at Stamford Bridge ahead of the Premier League game with Spurs…

To celebrate surpassing the 2million follower milestone on Twitter, members of the 1st team squad thank fans for their support, in their native language…

The whole squad heads out to warm up at Wembley…

Petr Cech heads out to warm up ahead of Chelsea’s Europa League tie…

Chelsea arrive at Wembley…

All is calm at Wembley…

The Blues head out to warm up before taking on Manchester United at the Bridge…

Brazil v Russia at Stamford Bridge…

Brazilian samba band at the Bridge…

Keepy Uppy’s with our Brazilian boys…

Browsing through Feb’s edition of the Chelsea magazine…

Congratulating Ashley Cole on 100 England caps…

On the coach to the airport… #CFCAmsterdam twitter.com/chelseafc/stat…

— Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) May 14, 2013

Ready for take off Amsterdam here we come #CFCAmsterdam

— Andy Rivers (@andyrivs91) May 15, 2013

@wearechelseafc getting prepared & excited for the “dream of Amsterdam” ! #cfcslb #CFCAmsterdam #cfcfamily #chelseafc twitter.com/Marix89/status…

— MariX (@Marix89) May 14, 2013

the beautiful stadium of Amsterdam welcomes the best team in the world @chelseafc#bluesforever #CFCAmsterdam twitter.com/vikhyattandon5…

— vikhyat tandon (@vikhyattandon5) May 15, 2013

WELCOME TO AMSTERDAM #CFCAmsterdam twitter.com/drewsy1991/sta…

— Drewsy – LAMPARD203 (@drewsy1991) May 14, 2013

Who could of course forget the huge footballs at these European finals! #CFCAmsterdam twitter.com/drewsy1991/sta…

— Drewsy – LAMPARD203 (@drewsy1991) May 14, 2013

We’ve landed in #CFCAmsterdam after some quiet time on the plane… twitter.com/chelseafc/stat…

— Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) May 14, 2013

Good Morning Tweeps!It’s Matchday today! #EuropaLeagueFinal#CFCAmsterdam twitter.com/JennyRa3/statu…

— Jennifer Ra. (@JennyRa3) May 15, 2013

#CFCAmsterdamdam square yesterday ready for the big day! twitter.com/stuartplant84/…

— Stuart Plant (@stuartplant84) May 15, 2013

10 hours to go and counting! C’mon u blues #cfcamsterdam #CFC twitter.com/sportychev/sta…

— Malcolm Chevin (@sportychev) May 15, 2013

Sparta Prague 0-1 Chelsea - 14th Feb 2013

The Blues took a slender 1-0 advantage into the second-leg after Oscar came off the bench to produce a moment of magic and score the only goal of the game at the Generali Arena.

Chelsea 1-1 Sparta Prague - 21st Feb 2013

Eden Hazard’s late, late show earned us a draw against a spirited Sparta side, enough to send us into the last 16 of the Europa League.

Steaua Bucharest 1-0 Chelsea - 7th March 2013

The Blues gave themselves the challenge of needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit at Stamford Bridge after a Raul Rusescu penalty proved the difference between the two sides at the National Arena.

Chelsea 3 -1 Steaua Bucharest – 14th March 2013

When Steaua Bucharest levelled up Juan Mata’s first-half goal just before in the interval, Chelsea were facing an uphill task to keep our European campaign alive, but an attacking display with plenty of chances created in the second half yielded the goals needed – John Terry scoring from a set-piece and then Fernando Torres netting the vital third.

QUARTER-FINAL: Chelsea 3 -1 Rubin Kazan – 4th April 2013

Fernando Torres scored his 17th and 18th goals of the season with Victor Moses netting his seventh to give the Blues a lead to take to Russia the following week.

QUARTER-FINAL: Rubin Kazan 3-2 Chelsea – 11th April 2013

Chelsea made it through to the Europa League semi-finals despite being narrowly beaten in Russia.
An early goal should have made things comfortable, but a second-half fight back from Rubin made for a harder night’s work than many would have predicted when Fernando Torres put us in front after four minutes.

An early scare was quickly forgotten once the Spaniard lifted us into the lead, seemingly putting us out of reach of our hosts, who took until the last minute of the first half to really stretch Petr Cech, who was forced to save well from Rubin captain Gokdeniz Karadeniz.
Ivan Marcano then headed level five minutes into the second half, only for Victor Moses to quickly restore our three-goal aggregate cushion. That should have been that but Karadeniz was then allowed a free header to level, before Bebras Natcho converted a penalty after a foul by Cesar Azpilicueta inside the area.
It made for a nervy final 15 minutes, but Cech was called into action only once, and we took our place in the last four, two games away from a trip to Amsterdam for May’s final.

SEMI-FINAL: Basel 1-2 Chelsea – 25th April 2013

We took the lead into the semi-final second leg thanks to David Luiz finding the net with the last kick of the game in Switzerland.
Victor Moses had given the visitors the lead early in the game and it was an advantage we held into the final five minutes. Then Basel were awarded and scored a penalty, but the Blues deserve great credit for not settling for what would have been a healthy result at that stage.

SEMI-FINAL: Chelsea 3-1 Basel – 2nd May 2013

The Blues secured a second successive European final with a ruthless second-half display which saw us overcome Basel 3-1 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate, ensuring we will contest the Europa League final in Amsterdam on 15 May against Benfica, who overcame Fenerbahce in the other semi-final.
Our progression had looked in the balance when Basel took the lead with virtually the last action of the first half, Mohamed Salah firing past Cech having been denied by the Blues goalkeeper moments earlier.
The outcome of the tie, however, was shaped by a 10-minute spell early in the second half when three Chelsea goals all but booked our passage to the final.
Fernando Torres levelled on the night with his 20th goal of the season from close-range, before Victor Moses scored in similar fashion to give us the lead.
If the first two goals were defined by their importance, the third will be remembered for its pure quality, as David Luiz – whose free-kick won us the first leg right at the death – curled a magnificent left-footed strike beyond Yann Sommer.

Bring on Amsterdam. COME ON CHELSEA!

I say ‘good feelings’ because, following our draw against Tottenham on Wednesday, winning at Villa Park was a ‘must-do’ in order not to leave everything pending for the final week. And we did it. Yet without Lampard’s contribution (once again) it would have been impossible. This last Saturday, 11/05/2013, will be remembered in the history of the club as the day when Frank became the all-time top goalscorer for the Blues. And he is a midfielder!

You can read the rest of Juan’s blog here.

Thank you sir Lampard

— Eden hazard (@hazardeden10) May 11, 2013

Congratulations to Frank Lampard on becoming Chelsea’s highest ever goal scorer. One of the best midfielders I have ever played with #FL203

— michael essien (@MichaelEssien) May 11, 2013

Congratulations Chelsea and Frank Lampard in particular. No one deserves the accolades more than him.

— Pat Nevin (@PatNevin) May 11, 2013

Well done Frank! It’s a pleasure to play with you! You really deserve it! #legend #leyenda #CFC #ktbffh #Lampard203 say.ly/rQm5NzX

— Juan Mata García (@juanmata10) May 11, 2013

Well done Frank, what an unbelievable record. #CFClegend

— Carlo Cudicini (@Capitancarloc) May 11, 2013

Ryan gets straight to the point..

#LAMPARD203

— Ryan Bertrand (@ryanbertrand3) May 11, 2013

@chelseafc Congratulations to Frank. Was lucky enough to be there at start of his magnificent achievement. Dedication, hard work, talent.

— Graeme le Saux (@graemelesaux14) May 11, 2013

Congratulation Frank Lamprd!!! Great player,you deserve it!!! #203goals

— Yossi Benayoun (@YossiBenayoun15) May 11, 2013

Congratzz #LAMPARD203 !!

— Nathan Aké (@NathanAke) May 11, 2013

Congrats Lamps!!!!! What a player #cfc #legend

— Lucas Piazon (@LucasPiazon) May 11, 2013

Lampard, you are a Legend! 203!!! twitter.com/MM_MarkoMarin/…

— Marko Marin (@MM_MarkoMarin) May 11, 2013

Lamps again well done! A true top professional well deserved and great win @chelseafc

— Romelu Lukaku (@RomeluLukaku9) May 11, 2013

Congrats 2 Lampsy well done lad!!!

Didier Drogba pays tribute to Frank on Instagram..

’203 Goals for CFC,History has been made again today.Congratulations to you Lampsy!!’

]]> http://blogs.chelseafc.com/?feed=rss2&p=2311 0 http://blogs.chelseafc.com/?p=2267 http://blogs.chelseafc.com/?p=2267#comments Sun, 12 May 2013 08:48:15 +0000 Oh Dennis Wise http://blogs.chelseafc.com/?p=2267 Leaning on our successful academy should form an integral part of the club’s transfer policy. It could ease the Financial Fair Play burden or help to consolidate after an unsuccessful season. Either way, with the academy doing so well, it shouldn’t be an option to fall back on.

Brace yourselves, I’m going to make a bold suggestion. The club should only recruit externally if there is a player identified with world-class potential. I know this is incredibly subjective but, as with any transfer dealings, there are risks that certain players won’t live up to their price tags.

Who would supplement the bench and replace the journeymen midfielders? Yes, bright academy prospects, tapping in to Cobham’s conveyor belt of talent to strengthen weaker areas of the squad. They might not become first team regulars but, at the very least, they’ll be in the shop window for a move elsewhere, with an obvious financial benefit to the club.

Are they good enough? If we don’t provide them with opportunities to surprise us, we’ll never know. If Jack Cork had been given a chance, could he have established himself as the linchpin in our double pivot. What about Nemanja Matic? We’ve got a date to test how capable he is in Amsterdam. Will Chalobah or Ake get the chance to impress in that position? A position where we don’t have an abundance of options.

It’ll be nice to be able to rest Oscar, Mata and Hazard a little more often. Could Kakuta, Stoch or Tore have provided similar, or better, cover to other players that we’ve imported. What chance will McEachran or Piazon have of playing with some of the most exciting young attacking talent in world football? We’ll see.

Weak areas all over the squad could be reinforced. Bruma, Kane, Kalas and van Aanholt are waiting for an opportunity to stabilise our defence. Torres is the only eligible striker for the Europa League final. Maybe Borini, now a Liverpool player, could have been integrated into the squad instead of being sidelined over a contract dispute.

The loan system is all well and good but it’s heavily dependent on building a good relationship with a club and, in many cases, a manager. Getting a loan at a good club isn’t a guarantee that the player will spend enough time on the pitch. And, for the most gifted players, it could be argued that they would make more significant progress if competing at the highest level.

The squad isn’t big enough to give every academy graduate an opportunity but the very best, say, two or three players could be promoted to the first team every season. Many will be sold on, some will become squad players and a few will establish themselves in the first team.

Written by Nick Thompson. Follow @OhDennisWise or visit OhDennisWise.com – a Chelsea blog.

]]> http://blogs.chelseafc.com/?feed=rss2&p=2267 0 http://blogs.chelseafc.com/?p=2303 http://blogs.chelseafc.com/?p=2303#comments Sat, 11 May 2013 18:36:03 +0000 #allincfc http://blogs.chelseafc.com/?p=2303

Super Frank on the phone to Bobby Tambling. #FL203 twitter.com/chelseafc/stat…

— Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) May 11, 2013

Frank #FL203 twitter.com/middleoftheshe…

— Bryan (@middleoftheshed) May 11, 2013

Super Frankie LampardPure Class will never see your like again #Lampard203 #FL203 twitter.com/Les8Wilkie/sta…

— Les 8 Wilkie (@Les8Wilkie) May 11, 2013

what a guy. we’ll never see another midfielder like him at Chelsea #fl203

— Daniel Andrews (@nachocheez1) May 11, 2013

Huge Congrats to Frank Lampard.Just Incredible. #FL203

— Elliot Sandell (@ellsandell) May 11, 2013

Chelsea’s greatest player ever, Chelsea’s all time highest goal scorer,where else can you find 203 goals from the midfield #fl203

— Olayinka fajimite (@lordphaj3804) May 11, 2013

speechless when he scored @chelseafc @chelseafc_indo #FL203

— Ha171fan (@HanifanFauzi) May 11, 2013

#FL203 From Russia with love, Frank. You are awesome player, you are legend.

— Alexander Blyano (@Radinpup) May 11, 2013

My daughter has announced she wants to call her son Frank. She’s 5,but I admire her sentiment and dedication… #FL203

— Alex (@grampyrabbit) May 11, 2013

203 goals from midfield! There’s only one frankie lampard! #superfrank #fl203 #203notout twitter.com/harvelio8/stat…

— Steve Harvey (@harvelio8) May 11, 2013

Frank Lampard has been an actual part of my life for like 10 years. 203 goals from midfield is an amazing achievement. Memories…#FL203

— Mohamed Adam Ali (@mohmuttib) May 11, 2013

FT: Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea. A record breaking Lampard double gives the Blues all 3 points at Villa Park. #FL203

— Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) May 11, 2013

He was the reason I love Chelsea. A model professional. Gives his all for the club. A living legend. #FL203

— alexanderenrico (@alexanderenrico) May 11, 2013

what a win to secure #CL quali. congrats to our partner @chelseafc and to the man of the match #FL203. just amazing, Frank. #CFC32 #CFC

— Sauber F1 Team (@OfficialSF1Team) May 11, 2013

Honestly can’t believe what I have just witnessed! Frank Lampard you are my idol and my hero! Im so proud of you! #FL203

— Kieran Whitehead (@KizzaWhitehead) May 11, 2013

Momentous day for Frank Lampard taking Chelsea goal scoring record ….from midfield . Astounding . #cfc

— Mark Austin (@markaustinitv) May 11, 2013

Congratulations to #superfrank! He’s a record breaker! #fl203 twitter.com/adidasUK/statu…

— adidas UK (@adidasUK) May 11, 2013

The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be.. Super Franky Lampard. What a moment to break the record! #FL203 #CFC

— Feroze Ali (@feroze17) May 11, 2013

The brilliance of Lampard and his impact to Chelsea FC and to the football world can’t be put into words. #FL203 #superfrank #CFC

— Timothy Leong(@TiimotiiLeong) May 11, 2013

Unbelievable achievement for Lampard. Leading cfc scorer, 10 seasons straight with 10+ goals, best pen. taker in prem, all as MF. #FL203

— Deacon Chapin (@dhchapin) May 11, 2013

The best signing we ever made.The best midfielder the club has ever seen. For us,the most beloved player we’ll ever see. We love you #fl203

— Arshi Yaseen_Machine (@Arshi_Chelsea) May 11, 2013

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.

http://www.chelseadaft.org

http://www.twitter.com/chelseadaft

http://www.facebook.com/chelseadaft

Perhaps the match was not very intense in terms of pace, but since the very first minute we tried to show that it was a final for us; there were chances for both teams, some inaccurate passing, but then came minute 86 with that play started by Ramires and a great pass from Oscar that I was able to finish with that goal to almost clinch the three points.

>>Click to read the rest of Juan’s post…

Three key points in our aim to be in the next Champions League, even more after Arsenal & Tottenham’s draws. And the day ended with a reading of many of your messages of congratulations on the social networks. Your support is amazing! Hundreds and hundreds of messages that will make me cope easier with the fact that I’m getting older… Thank you very much!

Also this Sunday was the gala dinner of the PFA Player of the Year Awards. I wasn’t able to attend, but I feel very proud and grateful about…

>>Click to read the rest of Juan’s post…

The last time I watched the Blues there was in May 2000 for the FA Cup Final win against Aston Villa. In truth it wasn’t a memorable match and I’m struggling to recall anything about it. That is what the history books are for, to remind us about another glorious trophy-lifting day that was added to our burgeoning collection. Back then winning anything was a major celebratory occasion, while reaching the knockout stages of the European Cup was reason enough for a day off work.

I certainly don’t yearn for those pre-Roman days, the years of wandering in the football wilderness, but this trip to the site of the former Twin Towers did have me wallowing in nostalgia for other non-sporting reasons, because I flew the Atlantic to see a dying relative.

I spent a lot of time with my grandmother when I was growing up, going to her house every day for lunch and then again after school, waiting there until my mum finished work. She had been in a nursing home for more than a decade and never recovered from a chest infection picked up in the winter. As March progressed her health deteriorated, and after considering it for the better part of a month I booked a flight home, both to see her one last time and also to help my mum and aunt with the funeral arrangements.

I hadn’t been back to Britain in two-and-a-half years, and after weeks of dithering and a 20-hour journey home I made it to her bedside just minutes before the heavy morphine injection knocked her unconscious, and less than 19 hours before she died. So the journey was worth it – the equivalent of a last-gasp 97th-minute equalizer you might say.

Anyway, I took the opportunity to nip across from Belfast to London for the semifinal, 19 years after I had first seen Chelsea play at Wembley, against the other team from Manchester (well, Salford) in the 1994 FA Cup Final. Another unhappy day by the way.

So in light of the circumstances you may appreciate why I wasn’t too downhearted by the result. The match was a wee bonus – a “lagniappe” as we say in New Orleans. Something a little bit extra, something that I wasn’t expecting. Normally when you live on the other side of the world, and only get to the UK infrequently, you plan trips around weddings, holidays, birthdays, Chelsea games… and cram as much as possible into your two weeks. This time it wasn’t like that. I went home for a specific reason and the Blues game was secondary. In the best cliched tradition of the non-league part-timers who get mauled by a Premiership outfit, I was just happy to be there. I probably would have been more disappointed if I had been watching it on TV in the pub in New Orleans. The fact that we didn’t turn up for the first half, and didn’t get going until we were 2-0 down, also meant that I couldn’t complain about the result.

The night before I flew to London for the match, I met an old friend who mentioned it was his wedding anniversary. Once he said that the memories flooded back – he was hitched the day before the FA Cup semifinal against Wimbledon in April 1997. He got married in the middle of nowhere deep in the wilds of Northern Ireland on the Saturday, and I well remember dragging myself out of bed at the crack of dawn the next day to drive to Belfast to catch the first flight to London to make it to Highbury for the noon kickoff. After a heavy night celebrating some of my friends had not even made it out of bed in time to watch the contest, never mind rising early enough to fly to a different country to actually be there.

But my favourite memory of that day is my aunt calling me after the game to congratulate me on Chelsea reaching the final. She told me, “Even your granny was doing a little jig around the room.”

So despite the sadness of my journey home, and the disappointment of my trip to Wembley, when I think about that dance by my granny – delighted because her only grandson would be so happy with our victory – it will always make me smile. And with another trophy still to play for, maybe I’ll get to jig a wee bit in her honour before this season ends.

Stephen Rea is the author of the book Finn McCool’s Football Club, a tale of supporting Chelsea from the United States, the formation of a pub football team in New Orleans and the devastating effect of Hurricane Katrina on that city. Visit his site here: www.stephen-rea.com or friend him at www.facebook.com/stevorea

It seems Bertrand is grasping the opportunity to establish himself in the first team squad but Terry was the last academy graduate to become a regular first team player.  I was at the Bridge when Terry made his debut back on October 28, 1998. Yes, over 14 years ago.

How the academy has changed since Terry rose through the ranks. The crumbling facilities at Harlington are a distant memory and the club has procured some of the most precocious young players to be cultivated at Cobham, our world-class training complex.

With managerial instability and huge pressure to succeed, our most promising youngsters are often farmed out on loan to gain first team experience. There are 26 Chelsea players currently out on loan and 32 players have been loaned out this season. Successes include Lukaku’s heroics at West Brom, De Bruyne impressing for Werder Bremen and Chalobah’s spell at Watford, a club well versed in maximising their return from the loan system.

It doesn’t always work out well, though. Kakuta, the mercurially talented young Frenchman, had unsuccessful spells at Bolton, then Fulham before finding form (and some time on the pitch) at Dijon. He’s now playing regularly and continuing to develop on loan at Vitesse. Still only 21, at a crucial time the loan process seemed to hinder his development.

Should some of our talented loanees have been given opportunities that have been afforded some of our less able imports? It’ll be interesting to see if and how the successful loanees are integrated into the squad next season. There’s so much talent in the academy that it’s only a matter of time until it starts bubbling through into the first team.

Written by Nick Thompson. Follow @OhDennisWise or visit OhDennisWise.com – a Chelsea blog.