please

sounded like a workmanlike performance and maybe a tad unlucky not to share the spoils

5 live suggest Bobby not too happy with certain defensive elements - Robbie Elliot? Interview not yet been on the radio.

thanks in advance

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

Answers

Elliot had a 'mare today. Their second goal was inexcusable - it was obvious 5 seconds before the cross was hit where it was going to go. Obvious to everyone except Robbie, anyway.

Cudicini was the real reason for their victory - excellent performance from him.

Referee and one of the linesmen were on another planet. Bellamy was kicked from pillar to post but it was overlooked every time. They could have easily had twice as many cards as they did.

Dyer - not his best game. Very static compared with the Boro game.

Shearer was good and Bellamy probably our MOTM - looked like he would die for the cause.

Bernard is NOT a defender. Left midfield, OK, but please not at left back again.

Robert, better but not at his best. At least he looked like he was trying a bit today.

Sorry that this isn't particularly incisive but I'm feeling angry / upset/ aggreived / sad and extremely sorry for myself at the moment.

By all rights we should have won today.

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

Well, it had to happen I suppose. Despite a fairly spirited performance in the first half, we conceded two poor breakaway goals to a very decent Chelsea team, and then ran out of ideas and steam in the second half. Hopefully, this is simply a glitch caused by fatigue catching up on several players, in particular Dyer and to a lesser extent Solano.

Too many players looked jaded today, and while we were perhaps a tad unlucky not to get a point, we simply made too many naive defensive errors. We created a few chances and Cudicini played pretty well, but that can’t disguise the fact that we never achieved any kind of control in midfield, and JFH and particularly Gudjohnsen pulled us all over the shop defensively.

We pressed forward in the first half, quite impressively at times, but were continually caught out by the blindingly obvious and entirely predictable act of Gudjohnsen dropping deep to find acres of space. This lead to both Chelsea goals on the break, and one had to wonder why we apparently weren’t prepared for Gudjohnsen to do precisely what he does every single game. Gudjohnsen’s movement in the penalty area to get on the end of JFH’s cross for the 2nd goal was superb – even though two of our defenders were made to look foolish as he danced between them in the 6yd box to score far too easily. He looked a really top-class striker today.

Robert was rather more involved today, and seemed to have the beating of Melchiot. However, it has to be said that he was continually ignored by team-mates when wide open on the left, and you have to wonder whether there may be something of a personal problem between him and some of the squad. Let’s hope not.

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

Pretty even on terms of who played better. We had a little more possesion but didn't do much with it. The referee allowed the game to be made the most boring game I have ever seen this season by not puttin any pressure on the Chelsea 11 to hurry up with goal kicks, throw ins, free kicks and even corners. Even when it was 0-0 they were wasting an unbelieveable amount of time. This meant there was no flowing football whatsoever. When substitutes came on for both teams they took forever. When the ref was giving out yellow cards he took forever as well. I watched for 90 minutes and saw about 30 minutes of football.

(If only that Shearer free kick had gone in) ;-(

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

I'll keep it underpant (brief)

Should have been a draw.

Their keeper was outstanding throughout.

Referee was hopeless, Bellamy and Solano both clean through at different times and offside is given for someone who isn't involved at all. Worst referee I have seen at SJP for a LONG time.

Dyer looked tired, Solano put some decent balls in but more often than not it was a long ball over the top to Shearer from defence so he wasn't used much.

Distin made a few mistakes, not his best performance. Speed was back to normal unfortunately. Robert did pretty well when he got the ball but rarely got it - time after time he was in acres but wouldn't be passed to. At one point Elliott looked up, saw Robert in acres and then booted it up to their 'keeper. Mind boggling.

In the second half Bobby had obviously told the team to involve Robert more. This happened, but Elliott took the piss, and decided to give Robert the ball at every opportunity, whether he was open or marked.

Some of the crowd were saying some pretty nasty stuff about Robert - "stupid get with no bloody talent", "pansy @rse f**kwit who should be dropped" and I really did feel like telling them to shut the f**k up. Stupid tossers.

All in all a disappointment, much like the Spurs and Liverpool games except we played a bit better today. The similarities were that like Spurs and Livepool, Chelsea played pretty bad today. They caught us out with two very weak goals and couldn't complain if we had won.

Again though, first goal is vitally important. If we got it we would have gone on to win. Because Chelsea got it, our equaliser didn't force them to attack for a goal, they just waited patiently for the chance.

Finally, we had absolutely zero good fortune in this game. Every single bounce / deflection / miskick went the way of Chelsea and that is no exaggeration.

Also have to say that Steve Bennett brought out a new high in levels of anger in me the tw@t.

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

thanks lads

sounded better than a non interested Georgie Best

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

Its amazing how different people see different matches.

I was actually there today,in with the Chelsea fans,and I think that they held you off comfortably.

Given had as much to do as Cudicini from what I could see from the top of the north face of the EIGUR.

Terrible pies mind although the coffee was ok.

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

Disagree about Distin - thought he was good again, certainly the best of the back four, apart from one Dabizasesque howler. Elliot looked outclassed, everyone else in the 6 or 7 out of 10 bracket. The real problem was, quite simply, we kept giving the ball away, often under little or no pressure. Unfortunately, being top of the league the boys seem to have got it into their heads that they're Real Madrid and came a cropper with too much of the tappy-lappy.
There is another problem - I've talked about the dangers of relying on the central through ball for CB to chase, today I saw why we choose that route of attack so often. When Dyer/Solano/Robert/Bellamy go up the flanks to cross...there's never anyone in the box waiting. Our headers of the ball - Shearer and Speed - can't keep up with the wingers pace.

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

....then you must have missed Shearer's headed goal, and his header in the 2nd half that Cudicini brilliantly tipped over, dan?

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

Alright Clarky, 'never' is a bit of an exaggeration! But there were numerous occasions when Dyer or Bellamy in particular had to hold the ball up after a burst down the flank or make a run inside because there was no-one running in to meet a cross.

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

Any road, I've forgotten, but didn't the goal come from a free-kick? even Shearer can keep up with a set-piece!

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

What, nee chips up in 't Gods then Superkev?

What the hell you deeing any way, hob-knobing wi them cockerknees marra? You mean you'd rather sit wi them bar stewards than sit with us?

We were well below par today..........and I suppose it was a lot better than gannin to Ipswich!

;-{[

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

I have (new) mates who are Chelsea away season ticket holders.

They had a spare and phoned me this morning.

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

For my money, Shearer was possibly our best player today! Throw in the free kick that Cudicini could only parry away and that's a goal and two top saves from me man.

He might not be able to keep up with the speed merchants, but by my reckoning his attempts on target were more than all the speed merchants combined, and it was also his excellent cross in the 1st half that CB headed for Cudicini to make yet another excellent save.

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

Agree with most comments. Elliot very very poor. No decisions went our way today, didn't get the bounce of the ball, they were quicker to tackle and wasted loads of time annoyingly.

Dyer did look jaded and their game plan, which was to harry and press and catch us on the break worked a treat. Once they were2-1 up we couldn't get past them.

BTW - no offence SK but words fail me..........you (or yours) call us obsessed but attending a game at SJP? Not even at home listening to your game at Ipswich? I find it strange that's all.

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

Just back via far too many in the Strawbeery! Players looked tired (how many games have they played in the last couple of weeks?). Ref was bloody aaful, linesman didn't seem to understand the offside rule. Cudicini was superb. A draw would have been a fair result.

-- Anonymous, December 29, 2001

Sooper - come in with the lads next time - I'll even chip in towards getting you a B&W shirt to cover up your normal outfit.

-- Anonymous, December 30, 2001

Pop! There goes the sound of the bubble bursting. Not a great catastrophic explosion but simply something that had to happen one of these days.

There was a canny crowd of regulars (and a couple or so irregulars) in the Straabeery for post-Christmas festivities. Dougal, Softie, Steph, Pit Bill Jonno and Screach were joined by Ciara and Steve T (theyr'e regulars when in Toon) along with Loony and Rob Salter (in for his debut). Susie Brown Ale put in a long overdue appearance and Dougal chatted up a guy in the corner and gave him a URL.

After much ticket swapping, I found myself looking for prawn sarnies in tne Platinum Club. I have to say, I wasn't particularly disappointed not to find any. Mind, a turkey stottie might have gone doon aalreet hinney! With bums planted comfortably on the padded seats, Loony and I settled doon in the library. Eeh, wez this a footie match or were we at the bliddy theatre? More jewels and fur coats (and mebbes knee-knickas) than aah'd seen in a long while. Hopefully, not the pantomime anyway.

And so to the match. Pretty much end-to-end with both sides having some good scoring opportunities. Toon were denied a rare Bellamy headed goal by a good reaction save by Cuducini. AT the other end, JFH and previous Toon target (well, in the rumours anyway) Gudni Eiderdown were making their presence felt. A Toon attack down the right broke down when Nobby lost the ball and it broke to Eiderdown just on the half-way line. He left And O'Brien for dead and cut inside the box, shooting past Given into the bottom right corner. I thought Distin might have got in his tackle (!) but he probably feared he'd give away a penalty and subsequent red card. A poor goal to give away IMHO and I'm sure YBR wasn't too pleased.

However, we didn't let our heads go down and the game continued to flow, with both sides looking for goal. Eiderdown could have extended the lead when he shot just wide with JFK in space in the middle. At the other end, a lightening run down th right by Little Kevin ended with Terry shoving him into the crowd in the Leazes. The Nobster came over to take the free kick and he flighted it beautifully onto Shearer's unmarked head (I suspect the rest of Shearer as also unmarked too) and Alan rose majestically to place the ball wide of Cudicini's left hand. 1-1 and well deserved. Ranieri should be a bit concerned as that's the 2nd goal we've scored from a dead-ball on the right with an unmarked header. Let's hope the Derbys, Sotons and their like are taking note and can do it as well over the coming months.

If YBR and the team had been reading Saturday's Ronnie, they'd have known that Chewsee score most of their goals in the last 15 mins of the first half. Their first was scored after 35 mins and their second came in time added before half-time. A cross-field ball from Le Sox was missed by Elliott and found JFH out wide on the right. His cross was a good 'un, but we didn't look in too much danger with O'Brien and Elliott covering Eiderdown in the 6 yd box. However, neither seemed to know who should get the ball and the Icelander nipped in between them to prod the ball past Given. Bu99er.

Half time, and neither the prawn sarnies nor the turkey stotties had arrived, but a pint of Smith's and a pee were easy to acquire. Mebbes the extra money for the posh seats is worth it after all. The second half continued in a similar vein, with Shearer having the best chance from a left wing cross by substitute Olivier Bernard who'd replaced the disappointing Robbie Elliott. However, his header was too close to Cudicini who parried the ball away. Chewsee had some opportunities to extend their lead, but a combination of poor finishing and a great stop by Given prevented them scoring.

Nobby was replaced by Lua x2 but he didn't create any spark at all. Robert stayed on for the whole 90 mins and looked a bit more up for it than previous games but IMHO still needs to contribute a bit more. Little Kevin ran and got another 90 mins under his belt but he was less effective than against Boro or Leeds. Perhaps this is hardly surprising having played 270 mins in the last week, after just coming back from a lengthy lay-off. Try as we did, we were unable to break down Chewsee who it has to be said, played a good game. Overall, I thought we deserved a point, but in the same way we'd done the biz against @rse, Chewsee did it against us.

With ManUre away on Wednesday and Leeds the next home game, Saturday's FAC 3rd round tie against Palace has taken on greater significance when a good performance is essential to ensure the confidence doesn't drop. I'm not saying we'll lose to ManUre or Leeds, but they are top teams and it could happen. However, we must be in a position to win against the lower teams and Palace will be good practice for that. Fingers crossed.

And so to the post-match festivities. The aforementioned motley crew were joined by Mr and Mrs Clarky, while non-appearances were made by SBA, Steve T, Loony and Rob S. (Far too) much alcohol was consumed by some while others restricted their intake to Coke. Glasses were broken (and it wasn't Pit Bill's fault this time) and beer was spilled. Bubbly was bought to celebrate our defeat (or was it to see out 2001??) and plenty got p!$$ed. So, that was 2001 that was. We were still 2nd in the Premiership by goal difference. Had anybody dared suggest that way back in August on that p!$$!ng wet night in Troyes, I'd have called in the psychiatric nurse. But we are and we're in pretty good shape - myself excluded :-( Roll on 2002. Happy New Year to you all!!

-- Anonymous, December 30, 2001

Cheers for the ticket Screacher and good to meet you lot in the Strawberry. Disappointing game, but shit happens I suppose. Won't matter cos we'll turn ManU over at Old Trafford!!! (Well in my dreams anyway).

-- Anonymous, December 30, 2001

Dan,
Having suffered the highlights on another dreadful Premiership on ITV, I have to admit you were correct - AS's goal was indeed from Nobby's free kick. To make matters worse, Shearer didn't provide the cross for CB's 1st half header either, yet again it was that man Solano.

I must stop wearing these rose-tinted specs at matches and put on some that actually work! Cheers Dan, and sorry marra.

-- Anonymous, December 30, 2001

Chelsea were worth their win.
Poor defensive play with our CHs pulled around by two excellent Chelsea strikers.
Distin was out of position too many times and OBrien was exposed for pace. But they are a potentially good pairing as long as Distin can be controlled.
Dyer was subdued, Solano tired. Speed workmanlike but his passing was in the R.Lee class - this is the noticeable effect of his increased confidence.
Robert was our only real cutting edge in the second half. But once again he didn't get enough ball. The first half was noticeable for the incomprehensible lack of service to Robert and the brilliant play of Shearer.
Galas is a very good player as is Terry.

-- Anonymous, December 30, 2001

Lynda.

I was at the match as some Chelsea fans had gone to the bother of getting me a ticket so I could not say no to it.

Thanks to mobile phones I was getting all too frequent score flashes from Portman Road.

I wpuld not have gone if the ticket was in with the Newcastle fans (unless we are there)

-- Anonymous, December 30, 2001

Clarky - nee probs! By the way, it wasn't meant as a criticism of Shearer, just an observation that perhaps he should be more selfish and leave the lay-off work in midfield to others a little more in order to get in the box earlier and take advantage of the pace up the wings.

-- Anonymous, December 30, 2001

I thought we looked knackered - in fact, just like we looked in the post-Christmas Cup game against Aston Villa. Whether we like it or not, we have to get some fresh legs on...

I'm not blaming the InterToto, BTW, because there wasn't an appreciable difference in energy levels between O'B who didn't start playing until a couple of games into the season and those who played in the InterToto.

-- Anonymous, December 31, 2001

Nowt to do with the Intertoto, if anything that helped our fitness. It's just the same players playing a lot of hard games in a short time.

-- Anonymous, December 31, 2001

I would suggest that the team will be suffering from mental fatigue,as opposed to physical. The games against Arse/Leeds will have took a lot out of them, coupled with the relative inexperience of holding down a top of the league position are all factors to consider which I feel that Bobby has managed to deflect. IMHO that this type of pressure hits defenders more, (witness Saturday), the old adage of `Jeez if I make a cock up - I`ll let em in`, that`s football.

-- Anonymous, December 31, 2001

Steph, we can't possibly know that: almost every team that has played in the InterToto in the past has whined about being tired by Christmas. However, what we have to hope is that this is just an excuse used by teams that go down with the Christmas lights (like West Ham and Villa normally).

-- Anonymous, January 01, 2002

Intertoto Schmintertoto. We had key players absent and for those that did play it was just like a slightly more focussed pre-season programme.

-- Anonymous, January 01, 2002

We had key players who played in it, too, like Robert for PSG, Solano, Dabizas, Given,, Hughes and Bellamy. Actually, for me, the bigger issue is that our internationals got about two weeks' holiday this season.

-- Anonymous, January 01, 2002

I agree with Steph, the Intertoto has boosted our fitness.

West Ham and Villa found it a convenient excuse for their bad form.

It gave the team a chance to gel and helped them get off to a good start. It also gave Bellamy a big confidence boost as he was a little bit down in the dumps at Coventry.

-- Anonymous, January 01, 2002

Paul, I'm not saying it hasn't boosted our fitness in the short term but it's a marathon, not a sprint, blah, blah, and we'll be better- placed to tell whether having two weeks off had a damaging effect at about the end of February.

-- Anonymous, January 01, 2002

In fairness, Paul, I've just looked at some of the InterToto theads and a couple of people thought we would end up struggling against relegation if we went into the competition. Which certainly hasn't been the case ;o)

-- Anonymous, January 01, 2002

If we'd win the Intertoto it would be another matter entirely, as another few games in the proper UEFA cup against potentially decent sides could take a lot out of us.

-- Anonymous, January 01, 2002