The summer verdict must be one of failure, late flourish or not. It was all left far too late,
the boss and indeed the board too had the chance to get our house in order well before the start of
the season after a shambolic late winter and spring. Look back over 2011 and there have been a
handful, literally, of victories.
Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll illustrate perils of a striker's lot | Paul
Hayward
Spain and England left out £85m of misfiring striking talent this week but when a
centre-forward is on song it lifts the entire team As any Middlesbrough fan will tell you – just
mention Afonso Alves or Massimo Maccarone as prompts – buying the wrong striker is a peculiarly
calamitous act that invites external derision and internal angst.
With the Champions League starting again tomorrow night and Michael Ballack making an "emotional"
return to Stamford Bridge, I thought I would re post an article I wrote back when the day it was
confirmed that Ballack was leaving us was announced (so remember all of the below is back
then).
Ballack spoke about tomorrow and said:
"I was very happy.
It is said that you learn more in defeat than you do in success. In Liverpool's case, they will
have learned a lot from Saturday's defeat at the hands of Stoke City. So fickle is football these
days, that following three straight victories, there was heightened talk of a possible title push
this season.
Arsene Wenger said last week that the Gunners would begin talks with captain Robin Van Persie on
a new contract extension.
As expected, the Sunday papers are full of teams who are waiting to pounce on any indication
that Van Persie is becoming disillusioned about the future of Arsenal.
