8/28/02 Matchday III: Southampton v. Chelsea (R)

[GPK]

Chelsea 1-1-0 4 PTS, 5th Place (-2)
Southampton 0-1-1 1 PT, 15th Place (-5)

Wednesday match
7:45 PM Kickoff
2:45 PM ET

CFC Official (http://www.chelseafc.com/matches/next_fixture.shtml)

Big Blue Internet Radio (http://www.chelseafc.com/webtv/big_blue_radio.shtml)

News on Soccernet (http://www.soccernet.com/england/clubs/chelsea/index.html)

TEAMtalk-Chelsea (http://www.teamtalk.com/teamtalk/Team_News/0,1562,14,00.html)

BBC-Chelsea (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/default.stm)

Last Season:

Southampton 0 - 2 Chelsea 25/08/01
Chelsea 2 - 4 Southampton 01/01/02

[Clan]

Gone in 48 hours
So screams sky and was the lead story on the show on FSW tonight.

Interesting now i suppose to see who will actually start the game up front at the Dell.
I mean, if indeed JFH is going to go in 48hours would you bother to play him?

Could we see Cole and Gudjohnsen up front?

If Jimmy does start does that really mean he is staying?

Aaarrgggggggggggg......wish it would end already.
Wish even more that Forssell weas fit for duty.

How 'bout we give 'em back Petit, throw in Bogarde for free and promise not to beat them if we meet them in Europe this season.

[Clan]

And supposed to be starting tomorrow :)

Hope he gets his act together now.

[The Year Was1955]

Are gonna cost us, Petit seems fragile enough as it is just playing one game a week, and once Petit goes down we look pretty buggered to be honest.

I’d give my right nut for a new holding midfielder

[BridgeMonkee]

Barcelona have officially ended their interest in Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. The Catalans issued a statement on their website www.fcbarcelona.com, stating they would not be pursuing the Chelsea striker any further, even though their manager Louis van Gaal has spoken of the need to sign an additional striker.
Eidur - who still has NOT signed a NEW contract - will NOT be joining SPerz. WoW ! Shock! Horror! Scoop!

Enough! The media hates us. The Daily Tootenham, The Manchester United Guradian, The Evening Arsenal....they all have their own special agendas.
They would love to see us fail. F eck em.
bunch of wankers.

Today we face the Saints. I'm hoping for a win here. I tipped a draw, but that was IF we beat Man yoo. We drew wid man yoo and I tip a win here.
with lots of goals. We can always score.

The Midfeild, worries the hell out of me. What sort of shape will it be in when we have injuries?

Zenden---Lamps----Petit----De Lucas
Gronks as sub.
Where is the depth? Where are the players to bring on to strengthen the middle DURING a game? Tired legs against Man yoo in the second half and we had NO options - Man Yoo brought on Veron!

[BridgeMonkee]

MIDFIELD

8 Frank Lampard
11 Boudewijn Zenden
12 Mario Stanic
17 Emmanuel Petit
20 Jody Morris
21 Enrique De Lucas
30 Jesper Gronkjaer
36 Joe Keenan

What worries me most is IF/when Petit or Lamps get tired or injured (especially during a game) what are our options? to move the already tired winger De Lucas inside? To rely on the ability/temperament of Jody Morris?

[GPK]

************.

I don't think I am going to be able to listen to the game. I have a new PC at work without a sound card.

[BridgeMonkee]

Strachan off his line already...After an audacious Zenden chip

line up as against man yoo

[BridgeMonkee]

lol

[BridgeMonkee]

------------------carlo

melchiot-----Desailly----Gallas----Babba

Gronks------Lampard----De Lucas-----Zenden

-------Zola------------Jimmy

i'm waking up slowly...

[mst77]

----------------------Cudicini---------
Melchiot-------Gallas--------Dessa---------Baba
Gronkjaer-----De Lucas-------Lampard-----Zenden
-------------------Zola------------JFH---------

Not sure who is on the bench, probably Eidur, Cole, De Goey, Ferrer, Keenan?

[Clan]

Baba got the nod at left full ?

Rats.

[BridgeMonkee]

our crappy full backs should be able to cope today eh? Its ONLY sarf-hampton GLS probably not worth risking just yet.

[mst77]

very wet pitch so no need to risk GLS and his gimpy ankle. Not surprised to see Petit missing as well after he's been pulled off at the 60 min mark both matches. I thought eh was 100% this year. He's not doing himself any favors and his reputation as not being "up for the rainy, cold Wednesday night away matches at SHampton, Bolton, Blackburn et al" is only growing larger.

[Clan]

On paper our two seasoned internationals should be able to cope with the lads of S'ton no problems at all.

In reality however.....

It is vitally importent to keep them scoreless for the first half hour or so.
If wee can do that we will frustrate 'em enough to open it up for us to get 'em on the counter.

0-2 the Blues today. :)

[Clan]

At the selection of Gronkjaer over de lucas on the right.

Would have though that he would have brought in Stanic to the middle and left De Lucas on the wing.Has been largely invisible when playing here.
Both gromks and De Lucas don't impress me for trying to make any attempt at defence on that side.

[Clan]

Perfect time to score eh?

[Clan]

Is doing nothing at all.
We are barely holding our own here.

However if we can weather this spell till the break we will have done well.

We need to get the middle of the field to do something, anything at this stage.

Most of their attacks are coming down the right of our side and my fears of the two speedsters not being adequate in defending are proving to be coming true.

[GPK]

Bench

Ed de Goey 1
Albert Ferrer 2
Keenan 36
Mario Stanic 12
Eidur Gudjohnsen 22


Southampton born Keenan on the bench

[Clan]

Would you?
Yes i would and replace him with Gudjohnsen.

Hasselbaink is not being mentioned at all.
Plus we need help in holding the ball in the middle and somebody to chase and harry a ball carrier,none of these things jimmy is (ever) inclined to do.