It's a bit of an unexpected grab-bag today, with plenty of newsworthy tidbits but not a whole lot to really sink our teeth into, so we've got a few highlights to hit before getting to the video that might normally round out a lazy Sunday here on the Liverpool Offside:

* The third round is done, the fourth round is drawn, and because it simply had to happen it means that Liverpool will host Manchester United in the FA Cup on either January 28th or 29th.

Petrol-head AVB is no son of anarchy

It's taken a while, no question.But, at last, at the end of last week, we saw the first signs that Andre Villas-Boas finally gets it.Not on the pitch. Those elements have been building, gradually, from the start of the season, the new Chelsea manager determined to do things his way and also ending the reign of the "untouchables".

Manchester United and Chelsea have battled for the English Premier League title for years, and both should be there when the title is decided this season. We will find out just which team has the stronger championship bid when the rivals meet on Sunday in this weekend's marquee match-up.

Chelsea's Raul Meireles accuses former club Liverpool

New Chelsea signing Raul Meireles accuses former club Liverpool of a broken promise and forcing him to submit a transfer request.

View the full story here: BBC

A news article on 2011-09-12 17:05:57 from: BBC

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

New Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata scores on his Chelsea debut to give Chelsea a 3-1 win over 10 man Norwich who had keeper John Ruddy dismissed.

Jurgen Klinsmann's 24-man crew now knows exactly who it'll be going up against in the upcoming friendlies.

Costa Rica and Belgium have put out their rosters for the matches against the U.S. men's national team, who will be hosting Los Ticos at the Home Depot Center on Sept.

Following their 0-0 draw at the Brittania on Sunday, Stoke manager Tony Pulis and Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas have been in a war of words. The new Chelsea manager has accused Stoke of being too physical, and Pulis has once again jumped to the defense of his resilient side.

"This big Stoke team was actually outmatched by Chelsea at the end.

So, the Best League In The World is back with a bang for a brand new season of, well, exactly the same as we're used to.
1. Opposition manager has a go at Stoke City
If there's one thing likely to get our hackles up, it's the assertion that teams who do not play Barcelona-esque fancy football are somehow less worthy than other sides.

It's here at last, sort off, some games may be re-scheduled, due to the terrible rioting the country has seen over the past week, but hopefully things will run smoothly over the coming weeks. Back to the footy, there have been untold comings and goings in pre-season on and off the football field.

Well hello there, Frank. It's been a while.

What's that fetching garmentage you're wearing as you sashay across the Kickette office (apologies about the intern you tripped over on the floor, she had a heavy night. We're sure you have access to a twenty-four hour dentist)?

Oh.

Chelsea have completed the signing of Belgian prodigy 18 year old striker Romelu Lukaku for an estimated £20m.

Lukaku has averaged a goal every two games in the Belgian Jupiler League since making his Anderlecht debut as a snotty nosed 16 year old and has been hailed as the next Didier Drogba following his powerful turn of speed and upper body strength.

Belgian side Anderlecht have confirmed on their official website that Premier League giants Chelsea have agreed a fee for Romelu Lukaku. The 18 year old striker is one of the hottest properties in world football, and after a summer of rumors it appears a transfer is imminent.

Lukaku will now travel to London for a physical before clinching a deal on Monday, and Anderlecht fans and staff are understandably disappointed by the move.

The Luka Modric to Chelsea speculation has been one of the most talked about subjects amongst football fans this summer.

The Tottenham midfielder has been consistently linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea having two bids rejected for his services including a £27m offer made earlier this week.

Several weeks ago London (the blogger) sent in this short post giving his reaction to the call to get DD involved in some capacity with Arsenal again:-

Question: If you were the agent of any grade A player and were in the process of concluding a transfer would you finish it speedily or would you wait and see if the new Chelsea manager was interested in signing your player?

talkSPORT Extra Joey Barton's agent admits shock at Newcastle stance

Plus, Graeme Souness tells us he's not convinced by new Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas

View the full story here: Talksport

A news article on 2011-08-01 17:27:31 from: Talksport

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Fernando Torres was on target as he scored Chelsea's second goal in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in the Asia Cup Final today to give new Chelsea boss Andre Villa Boas his first piece of silverware for the club.

Chelsea Supporters: Which doesn't belong and why?It's time to address new Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas.
A lot has been written about this 33-year-old and none of it is fair to the man--most of all his hiring at Chelsea. You can't blame him for jumping at the opportunity, but this just smacks of a guy being a little impatient and suffering from a little bit of an over-inflated ego.

Former Chelsea defender Tal Ben Haim scored an own goal as new Chelsea boss Andre Villas Boas got his Chelsea career off to a winning start with a 1-0 win against Portsmouth today.

AVB is featured in the new Chelsea Magazine and has revealed further what he is trying to do with the players this pre season. He said:

"It's not the case that managers who approach the game in the other way are not successful. You can be successful in the game in various different ways.

New Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has been warned star striker Fernando Torres will NEVER be the player he was at Liverpool.
Villas-Boas looks certain to make Torres, 27, his first-choice forward amid reports he is willing to listen to offers for Didier Drogba.
Chelsea say they are confident Torres, who cost £50m from Anfield in January, will come good next season despite scoring just one goal since his arrival in London.

New Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas will know the Champions League is of prime importance to the Blues next season as he looks to bring trophies to Stamford Bridge.
The Portuguese boss was brought in to replace Carlo Ancelotti after the Italian was axed following a trophy-less season in 2010/11, even though he won the double at Chelsea 12 months earlier.

The new Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has said that he will not get involved in any mind games with Sir
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New Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas says former England manager Bobby Robson has been one of the most important figures in his career.

New Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has rubbished speculation that he can single-handedly guide Chelsea to the kind of success that made him an instant hit at Portuguese side FC Porto last season.

Under Villas-Boas, Porto famously won the domestic double while also capturing the Europa League title a feat that allowed the 33-year old manager to walk away with much of the spotlight.

Let's Start Our Own Brazil - AFR Podcast Ep13 iTunes / Soundcloud / RSS

Oli Sparrow (London), Eric Beard (Boston), and Ulysse Pasquier (Paris) bounced our knowledge off one another to discuss everything going on in world football.
Topics covered in this podcast include:

• PSG and Malaga's new Qatari owners and how that will influence the transfer market.

Liverpool FC have unveiled their new third jersey for 2011/2012 today ( 16 June 2011). The new third Liverpool third jersey is a throwback to the Reds' first home kit in 1892 and uses white, blue and black as its colours. However the blue in the jersey has invited mocking comments from third parties, who [.

Real Madrid officially unveiled their new home jersey 11/12. The new Real Madrid white and gold jersey was already leaked on the internet prior to the jersey's official unveiling by Adidas and Madrid. Here is a photo of Kaka and Angel Di Maria unveiling the new Madrid jersey 2011/2012. Related posts:New Chelsea Jersey 11/12 Adidas [.

This is the new Chelsea away jersey 11/12, unveiled by Chelsea FC and their jersey partners Adidas on June 9, 2011. The new Chelsea away jersey 11/12 is a turqouise and black creation from Adidas. The jersey had been leaked on the internet prior to its official release by Chelsea and Adidas. Chelsea star Frank [.

Chelsea fans, feast your eyes on the new Chelsea Jersey your team will be wearing during the 2011/2012 season. Once again going with a black away kit, the new Chelsea... Read more »

Well, that's the message from Roman Abramovich to whoever the new Chelsea manager will be this summer and next season according to the Mirror. The article states that with no manager or director of football in place at the club, Roman has fielding interest in Didier Drogba but his preference is to keep Didier at Chelsea for next season.

Who will be the new Chelsea boss? 1. Guus Hiddink Roman didn't want to lose him the first time around after a successful stint at the club. The Dutchman lost just one game during his temporary stint at Stamford Bridge. 2. Marco Van Basten Another Dutchman who has been repeatedly linked with the Chelsea job [.

This is the new Arsenal jersey 2011/12 ( 11/12), officially unveiled by Arsenal FC in the wee hours of May 2, 2011. The new Arsenal home jersey 11/12 has been manufactured by Nike and is a 125th anniversary jersey ( Arsenal were founded as Dial Square in 1886). There were plenty of leaked versions of [.

This is the new Liverpool goalkeeper kit for the 11/12 ( 2011/2012) season that Pepe Reina will wear during Liverpool's forthcoming league campaign. This black and orange Liverpool home goalkeeper kit for 11/12 was unveiled by kit makers Adidas along with the new Liverpool away shirt 11/12. The new LFC goalkeeper kit 2011/12 is primarily [.

The new Chelsea goalkeeper Kit for the 11/12 season has been officially unveiled by Adidas. Petr Cech, Chelsea's goalkeeper will wear a white kit during his team's games in the 11/12 season. The white goalkeeper strip continues in Chelsea and Adidas' traditions of producing new goalkeeper kits every season.

The new Chelsea jersey for the 2011/12 home season has been officially unveiled by the Blues today ( April 12, 2011). The new Chelsea home jersey takes inspiration from Chelsea's past, with the design taking inspiration from the Chelsea strips of the 1980′s. The three stripes for jersey maker Adidas are in blue for the [.

Leaked photos of Chelsea's home shirt for the 2011-12 season have been revealed on the Internet. Designed and manufactured by Adidas, the new Chelsea shirt features blue horizontal stripes on the shirt and a white trim. It's a similar Adidas...
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The new Mexico jersey for the 2011 soccer season has been unveiled by Adidas. El Tri, the Mexican national soccer team, will wear this jersey during the course of their Gold Cup and Copa America campaigns. The new Mexican home jersey is green in colour, with white stripes on the shoulders ( representing the kit [.

By Geoff Reid

Kobenhavn vs Chelsea from Parken Stadion, Copenhagen
Already the Danish champions have made history by becoming the first Danish side to play in the knockout rounds. Of course similar to a few clubs who's domestic league shut down, Kobenhavn are no different and they say the break has actually helped them prepare for this challenge.

As new Chelsea forward Fernando Torres prepares for a mouth-watering clash with his former club Liverpool this afternoon, he has paid a tribute to his very first club Atletico Madrid by stating that the La Liga outfit is the only club he will ever kiss the badge for.

Torres, who was raised as an Atletico fan, proudly represented the side in the Spanish capital before moving to Anfield.

Fernando Torres vs Andy Carroll; Didier Drogba vs Luis Suarez

Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel combined fetched the Reds £56m in transfer fees which left them almost breaking even with their purchase of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll at £22.8m and £35m, respectively. The Reds would have loved to have Charlie Adams but Blackpool's bid of £14m was a bit too high.