8/17/02: Charlton v. Chelsea (R)

[GPK]

3PM Kickoff
10AM ET

Charlton v. Chelsea Pre-Match (http://www.chelseafc.com/matches/next_fixture.shtml)

Live Commentary on Big Blue Radio (http://www.chelseafc.com/webtv/big_blue_radio.shtml)

2 Losses to Charlton last season

Chelsea 0 - 1 Charlton 05/12/02
Charlton 2 - 1 Chelsea 02/03/02

Feel free to add all pre-match news to this thread.

Go Blues.

[The Year Was1955]

Bates is planning to answer questions from the fans on Big Blue before the Charlton game, you can e-mail him a question at sport@bigbluedigital.co.uk

[GPK]

Thought this would be good to merge here since many of us fans in the US will be tuning in on Saturday.

[The Year Was1955]

Melchiot: We won't take Charlton for granted

It's good to know that pre-season is now behind us and it feels nice to be preparing for a Premiership match once again. We may have one or two players missing through injury for the Charlton game but everybody is coming back to fitness at the same time and within a week or two we should have a full squad to choose from.

Everybody knows that we have a bad record against Charlton Athletic but you won't find any of us talking or worrying about that this Saturday. All I can say, is that you won't catch Chelsea taking anything for granted this weekend because we know from our own experience that Charlton are a good side. They won't make life easy for us at all.

Of course, we'll be looking to get our own back for the two defeats suffered at their hands last season but they'll be ready for that response. It's the first match of the season for them too, and they'll be fired up hoping to impress their fans.

It's important that we win these types of matches this season. In previous years we've proved that we can beat the best sides in the country on our day, only to let ourselves down against the so-called lesser teams. If we want to be considered as real title challengers we have to change that habit and beat teams like Charlton. That is easier said than done though because sometimes it is harder to win games that you are expected to win comfortably. But, if we can rise above that we'll give ourselves a better chance.

[BridgeMonkee]

Eidur Gudjohnsen still looks doubtful and Graeme Le Saux has been suffering from tendinitis. time to get a win against charlton, surely the time has come.

Man Utd game - The Part timers might not be with us for that one. Chelsea may be without the services of France stars Marcel Desailly and Emmanuel Petit when Manchester United visit the Bridge on Friday week. So no Desailly, and Gallas doubtful through injury (is he?), Terry already out...start as we mean to go on right?
Dessa & Manu - Isn't it about time these two retire from international football?

Btw - I'll miss you lads on saturday for the big blue as I'll be out of town.

[BrianCappellieri]

Charlton Preview

I'd like to say it has been a long hot summer but in reality it's been a pretty miserable one. On occasions I've wondered if sunshine actually exists. However, I knew that the faithful sun would reappear in time for the start of the new football season...
Blue and White Army (http://chelsea.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=884&p=2&stid=8271139)

The season has finally arrived. :)

[Clan]

And i can't wait.

C'mon you Blues.

[GPK]

Soccernet Match Preview (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/soccernet/preview?matchID=54417&leagueCup=ENG.1)

[GPK]

Chelsea

Carlo Cudicini 23
Celestine Babayaro 3
Marcel Desailly 6
Albert Ferrer 2
William Gallas 13
Enrique De Lucas 21
Frank Lampard 8
Emmanuel Petit 17
Boudewijn Zenden 11
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 9
Gianfranco Zola 25

Bench

Ed de Goey 1
Mario Melchiot 15
Jesper Gronkjaer 30
Carlton Cole 39
Eidur Gudjohnsen 22


Charlton

1 Dean Kiely
18 Paul Konchesky
3 Chris Powell
15 Gary Rowett
5 Richard Rufus
19 Luke Young
16 Chris Bart-Williams
10 Claus Jensen
21 Jonatan Johansson
4 Graham Stuart
9 Jason Euell

13 Paul Rachubka
24 John Fortune
2 Radostin Kishishev
23 Kevin Lisbie
20 Mathias Svensson

[Clan]

Live on talksport right now.

Good interview.Admited that money was tight.
Ranieri is happy with the current squad, although he would have liked more players.

Rumours of the big names being sold are just that.
Wishes media would investigate storys before printing.

BTW....game is not on Big Blue.
Only Home games.

http://www.talksport.net/listennow.asp

Le Saux,Gronkjaer and Terry definetly will not play today he said.

Something up with melchiot perhaps?
Not giving glowing reports and thinks he also will be on the bench today.

Team starting line up will be announced soon.

[mst77]

to everybody on here. Just a quick reminder that if you want in on tghe weekly tipping competition, go to the thread and put up your picks for this week before kickoff.

Lineup:

-------------------------Cudicini---------------
Ferrer---------Gallas--------Desailly---------Baba
De Lucas------Lampard------Petit---------Zenden
-------------------Zola--------------JFH-------

Subs: De Goey, Melchiot, Gudjohnsen, Gronkjaer, C Cole

[mst77]

I thought I read on the official site that big blue had it this week.

[GPK]

From the Blig Blue page:

"Big Blue also goes out over the Internet on a matchday, where they will be commentary and analysis on all home and away Chelsea matches."

I'm listening to pre-match now.

Whoooo...

Clanblue you scared me......

[mst77]

bastards started pre-match only 10 minutes before kickoff. false advertising I think....

[Clan]

I was listening to talksport for about a half hour and there was still nothing on Big Blue.

15 min before kick off and there was still nothing....just assumed that it was not on as it was an away game.

Great interview with ol Bates though.

[Clan]

Give 'em an early lead.

Babayaro shows yet again that he is great going forward but is very suspect in defence.
Le Saux would have belted that ball to the upper deck.

The defence found lacking once again.

[mst77]

Baba and Ferrer combine on a nice goal for Charlton...

[Clan]

Lads showing some grit here.
The commentary will be a lil on the biast side of course, i just wonder if the Addicks are happy to sit on the lead here for a while and let us burn off the initail energy.

Seem to be doing okay down the right.
Match fitness will be a huge factor in the second half so i hope we don't burn out to quickly here.

We need to press here though for the remainder of the half.
We really need to score b4 the half as the though of geting the first win of the season may be enough to lift tired legs through the second half whilst the losing team may wilt.

[Clan]

Babayaro the first Chelsea player booked in the new season.

[The Year Was1955]

Did he say much in his interview?