So what is your view on Michael Essien and where do you think he fits into RDM plans this season?.
Let's be honest, he has featured in pre season but since then has had to make do with a place on
the Chelsea bench alongside Oriol Romeu.
It's seems as though Mikel has grabbed the opportunity RDM gave him when he took over and now
remains selected week in, week out by RDM.
Most of us have been quietly, and painfully, waiting for the day when Barcelona shows up at
Cobham with a few million euro and trudges back to Catalonia with a monster of a holding midfielder
named Oriol Romeu in its pocket. As it happens, that's probably not going to happen. Not unless
Chelsea loses its mind in the near future that is.
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has declared that winger Raheem Sterling has a "big future" at
the club after impressing in the Reds' 1-0 Europa League victory over Hearts.
Sterling, 17, joined the club from QPR's youth set-up in 2010 and has emerged as one of Liverpool's
most promising young players in recent years.
France midfielder Moussa Sissoko has put Liverpool on red alert after revealing that he is keen to
quench his 'thirst' for Premier League football.
Sissoko, 22, currently plays for Ligue 1 side Toulouse, where he has established himself as a key
player since making his first-team debut in 2007.
The 22-year-old, whose athletic style has seen him draw comparisons with Arsenal legend Patrick
Vieira, is out of contract next summer and he believes he would be well-suited to life in the
Premier League.
Eden Hazard, one of the most desirable transfer targets in world football at the moment, says he
is not moving this January. Definitively. Moving this coming summer, however? That's on fo sho. To
England? Why yes, actually.
Excuse me while I shit my pants with potential excitement.
Seeking a new challenge in the summer
Hazard spoke to Canal+ today and shed some light on his current situation.
What with Liverpool set for their first visit to 'Anfield South' in 16 years by way of their
Carling Cup semi-final win over Manchester City last night, we though we'd revisit the last time
the club earned themselves a day out at Wembley, i.e, the 1996 FA Cup Final against Manchester
United.
Liverpool defender Daniel Agger is enjoying playing for both club and country after getting his
career back on course.
The centre-back has featured regularly for Kenny Dalglish's side in the early stages of the
campaign and has also appeared twice for Denmark.
After being plagued by fitness problems in recent seasons, 26-year-old Agger is happy things are
running more smoothly.
The Indonesia Super League is mumbling about starting up again in November. There was initially
talk that a unified league would kick off in January but given the lack of progress on that
particular front the ISL seems to want to go it alone placing it on another collision course with
FIFA and the AFC.
Great news for Chelsea Football Club and the CPO today with news that Hammersmith & Fulham Council
have pledged to work with us to try and find ways to extend Stamford Bridge so that we do not have
to move from what has been our home since 1905.
In a statement featured here, the a spokesperson for the Council said:
"In light of the recent decision by Chelsea Pitch Owners PLC to retain its freehold of
the ground, we reaffirm our desire to see Chelsea FC remain in the Borough and our commitment to
help the club to remain at its historic home of Stamford Bridge.
Faced with the Group of Death in the 2012 European Championships, Ireland captain and Los
Angeles Galaxy striker Robbie Keane knows that his national team is in for a battle -- and that is
something that suits Keane and the rest of his Irish side just fine.
After leading the LA Galaxy to victory in the MLS Cup, former Manchester United and Real Madrid
midfielder David Beckham could be starting the next face of his career in Paris if talks between
city club PSG and La Galaxy are fruitful.
According to PSG sporting director Leonardo who also happened to coach Beckham during his short
stint with Milan confirmed that talks between the two clubs were underway.
Relegation is something like a breakup: most fans don't take it well, but the ones who knew they
were punching above their weight anyway walk away with solemn graciousness and heaps of gratitude.
Fans of Koln fall into the former.
In the midst of a spiral to the depths of the Bundesliga.
Finding a worthy replacement for Gary Speed was always going to be a tricky affair for the Welsh
FA, but according to team captain Aaron Ramsey, the suits haven't conducted the process properly at
all.
Ramsey has revealed that neither he nor any of his Wales teammates have been consulted over the
subject of a new boss, something that disappoints the Arsenal man.
It is a bit like that, really. Very little in the way of Arsenal news. Last night the teams too
terrible qualify for Euro 2012 had at it and it worked out pretty well for Ireland, by all
accounts.
Carlos Tevez was told by Roberto Mancini he would never play for Manchester City again. Carlos
Tevez told Manchester City he never wanted anything to do with the club again. This week Carlos
Tevez is going to return to Manchester City and within a couple of weeks, after fitness training,
Carlos Tevez will be pulling on the blue Manchester City shirt all over again.
The timing of intuitions are markedly more accurate if one is dealing with a range of scenario
evaluations utilising an atmospheric analysis of a core competency.
Or...
... you can time things better if you know your stuff.
Welcome to the Football is Fixed Guide to Creative Strategy and Grassing.
... Olalla Dominguez giving Justin Bieber some serious side-eye?
Yes, Kickettes, it flippin' well is. As most of you are probably aware, the Bieb-u-lator was at
Stamford Bridge the other day for a kickabout with Frank Lampard and Olalla's hubby Fernando
Torres.
The artist formerly known as England's Brave John Terry. Again.
Innocent or guilty, right or wrong the time has come for the Chelsea captain to leave the Three
Lions, and the circus surrounding them, behind. Permanently.
An era passed
It's difficult to argue however much I disagree with the Football Association's decision to
relieve Terry of the England captaincy in wake of the racist abuse trial he faces in July.
Our old friends the Daily Mail run a headline this morning stating that Harry Redknapp has
‘pleaded' with Chairman Daniel Levy to do all he can in striking a deal that is tempting enough
to keep Emmanuel Adebayor at the club.
In contrast with The Guardian who slated the player at the start of the week, the Mail's article
underlines the striker's qualities but Harry's quotes do rather stop short of sounding like a
plea.
AC Milan recently held a Christmas party (of course, 'Natale'
is incredibly important for the land of the Pope!) where players, coaches, staff and sponsors were
invited to mingle, eat cheese and look bloody fabulous. Everyone needs to take a leaf out of these
smoldering Italians' books.
Welcome to La Liga Lunes, our Monday special on Spanish
futbol. Well, today Greaseano finally has something to be happy
about because he is now the La Liga's top-scorer with 16 goals, one over
Messi!
One of the Spanish cities we hope to visit soon is Bilbao, for their fantastic
architecture, sights and obviously, the Semana Grande (which happens every August and is
one big fieeeesta!) The Athletic Bilbao team unveiled their "official
suits" in a ceremony at the city's famous Guggenheim museum yesterday, which is an outfit
consisting of a charcoal-gray suit spun delicately from Merino wool, a white poplin cotton shirt,
silk tie with black stripes in red and grey, a pearl belt and shoes with rubber soles made of black
leather.
Tyson Chandler was a big reason why the Dallas Mavericks won their first NBA championship last
season. On the first day that agents were allowed to talk to teams, Chandler apparently didn't like
what the Mavs had to say.
Said Chandler to ESPN: "I really think I'm going to be on a new team come training camp.
We all know Luka Modric has got his heart set on a move away from Spurs with last season, Chelsea
looking like being his preferred destination.
However that seems to have changed now with Real Madrid looking to take him to La Liga but only at
a price that suits them and not Spurs.
I will be honest, I thought that Chelsea had finished their interest in the Croatian until I read
this article in The Mirror and it seems that Chelsea had looked to rekindle their interest
offering Raul Meireles AND Danny Sturridge as part of the deal!
With Germany keeping up their perfect record, an early goal for Netherlands against Portugal put
wind in the orange sails. But Cristiano Ronaldo made sure of Portugal's progression to the
quarter-finals; the Dutch go home without a point.
Could Group C offer the same excitement on its final day?
Let me list the reasons I hate Arjen Robben with the burning fire of one thousand imploding
suns...
1) He doesn't run, he gingerly minces.
2) He, and you may have noticed this yourselves, feigns career-ending injuries quite regularly only
to get up when it suits and keep on gingerly mincing.
Fernando Llorente gave us his best 'come hither' look as he modeled the official suits for Athletic
Bilbao, designed by Fuentecapala. You can drool some more courtesy of the photo shoot images posted
on his facebook page. Image Credit:Â Fernando Llorente.
In his regular column for The Seventy Two, AFC Wimbledon striker Jack Midson tells us that the
latest prank to achieve popularity among the players is to place items of fruit in each other's kit
bags. Given that in their heyday, the original club's 'Crazy Gang' were prone to setting fire to
Armani suits, smothering jock straps with Deep Heat and christening taxi doors with steel toe caps,
this
