Griffon:
So in other to stiffen up a defence that has been noted for its fragility this season, Chelsea could be prepared to stifle their attacking prowess? Na the way?

I wouldn't mind seeing Chelsea rot in hell if they ever do that!!!

How can you exchange your best player with a defender?

Anybody that does that deserves to be stoned to death!!!

Na only defence we go dey watch our team play? Which kind nonsense is that?

Mtcheeew!!

lalaboi:
How can you write so much words and still not make an iota of sensible contribution?

Only one set of fans from the north know how to do this.

LOL

Lalaboi you senseless little-thing. Why should anyone be blamed for your lack of comprehension? Itibolibo!

“A guilty conscience has nowhere to hide”

It must surely show itself

Greatihex:
the way this bonocci rumuor dey go, you go begin wonder whether the guy na second coming of messi. Imagine giving them cesc plus €50m. Just imagine!

Never say never....Conte has shown he can be obsessed with his targets

We made crazy bids for Morata and Radja

Greatihex:
the way this bonocci rumuor dey go, you go begin wonder whether the guy na second coming of messi. Imagine giving them cesc plus €50m. Just imagine!

Never say never....Conte has shown he can be obsessed with his targets

We made crazy bids for Morata and Radja,imagine what he could do to get a trusted Italian

Emaprince:
I wouldn't mind seeing Chelsea rot in hell if they ever do that!!!

How can you exchange your best player with a defender?

Anybody that does that deserves to be stoned to death!!!

Na only defence we go dey watch our team play? Which kind nonsense is that?

Mtcheeew!!

Why would you believe such a rumor in the first place? You actually believe Shekpe will exchange Hazard of all people for Bonnucci? Shekpe most prized possession who just signed a new contract not too long ago meaning his buyout clause will be at least £80m? Like say Bonnucci is the only defender in the world? Fret not, a chicken would grow a tooth before such madness happens.

They said John Terry learned racist behaviour from his father. . . little did we know that old man has caught Jungle Fever. . .

lalaboi:
How can you write so much words and still not make an iota of sensible contribution?

Only one set of fans from the north know how to do this.

Spy360 right now!

bigkesh:


Never say never....Conte has shown he can be obsessed with his targets

We made crazy bids for Morata and Radja,imagine what he could do to get a trusted Italian

that kind of deal can never happen.

elrony:

Spy360 right now!

O bu gini kwanu? Onye Iberibe...

Conte effect…

Chelsea boss has turned star into the most dangerous man in Europe
The Chelsea revival under Antonio Conte was going swimmingly until four games ago. The Italian had a 100% league record ahead of the last international break, but a draw at Swansea followed by back-to-back losses at the hands of Liverpool and Arsenal somewhat dampened enthusiasm in the west end of London. Not even a routine win over Hull has buoyed the mood noticeably.

However, Conte is doing a sterling job with one man: Diego Costa. Indeed, the divisive Spaniard has been truly excellent this term in league action, as @OptaJose have revealed…

8 – There’s no player in the Top 5 European Leagues who has had a hand in more goals than Diego Costa this season (6G, 2A). Discard pic.twitter.com/NDvF62vdtE

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 9, 2016

Costa has had a hand in more goals than any player in any of Europe’s top five leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1), with six scored directly and another two laid on for team-mates.
That really is some going.
Chelsea surely have title ambitions this term after 2015/16’s collapse, and the pantomime villain forward will be key to those!

http://www.footballfancast.com/premier-league/chelsea/conte-effect-chelsea-boss-has-turned-star-into-the-most-dangerous-man-in-europe

Is Conte's distrust of Loftus-Cheek holding Chelsea's midfield back?


Chelsea's results and performances this season have been erratic to say the least, and it remains a mystery as to why some members of the squad have barely seen the light of day. Ruben Loftus-Cheek's absence from first-team action in particular has been conspicuous, particularly given that Chelsea's midfield was exposed as a problem area even after the summer signing of N'Golo Kante.

During his time with various development squads at the club and in younger England international age groups, Loftus-Cheek has proved himself to be a stylish operator. With an array of silky skills, physicality and excellent spatial awareness, the prospect is there for him to develop into the perfect prototype of the modern Premier League midfielder. That seemingly complete package has yet to fully reveal itself at senior level though, in his defence, opportunities to showcase his wares have been sparse.

The 20-year-old has yet to play a single minute in the Premier League under Antonio Conte, and has not even been included in the matchday squads for the past four games. Given the dysfunctional nature of the team, it is surprising that there hasn't been room for a player so obviously gifted and physically suited to the task. Loftus-Cheek is undoubtedly still a work in progress with kinks to iron out and lessons to be learned, but those issues will always remain if he is not given the chance to develop. Nobody in the midfield has excelled regularly this season -- even if Kante has been the most reliable and Oscar has shown flashes of quality -- which makes the youngster's lack of involvement even stranger.

Part of the problem seems to lie in the manager's view of his ideal playing position. Loftus-Cheek spent his youth as an authentic central midfielder capable of driving from deep and getting involved in all facets of the game. Yet his time in the first team at Chelsea has seen him steadily pushed further forward. He began life in the first team under Jose Mourinho, who initially trialled him as one of the two deeper midfielders. He failed to set the world alight in the two games that he started after the title had been secured in the 2014-15 season, but performed with distinction the following campaign in the 4-0 home win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions League group stages. September 2015, however, was the last time he played in that position in a meaningful game.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has not played a single minute for the Chelsea first team under Antonio Conte.
Since then, Loftus-Cheek has largely been used as a dedicated attacking midfielder despite the role limiting his ability to utilise his entire skill set. In a strange way, his impressive showing for the England under-21s at the 2016 Toulon Tournament -- where he followed in the footsteps of established stars such as James Rodriguez and Javier Mascherano by being named as player of the tournament -- could prove to be more of a curse than a blessing. Having been deployed as a No. 10 by Gareth Southgate and encouraged to play close the main striker, his success in France seems to have prompted Conte into thinking that he is most effective in forward areas.

That thinking has meant that the Italian now sees him more as an auxiliary forward rather than a central midfielder, a role that does not seem to be a natural fit. A skilful and intelligent footballer, Loftus-Cheek has shown in brief instances in preseason and two EFL Cup outings that he can still contribute -- his link-up play with Michy Batshuayi offering encouragement. But it looks like a waste of natural ability, a case of shoehorning somebody into the side rather than slotting them in somewhere more suitable.

Perhaps it is Loftus-Cheek's languid playing style that is counting against him winning a spot in central midfield. Conte has continually reiterated his desire for players in those positions to possess a good engine and to show a willingness to affect the game at every moment. Loftus-Cheek rarely looks like he is breaking a sweat even though appearances can deceive and it could be that economy of movement is being mistaken for inaction.

At the moment, the team is crying out for a genuine box-to-box midfielder who is equally comfortable getting stuck in at the base of midfield and sparking and joining attacks. Nemanja Matic is too one-dimensional for the role, Cesc Fabregas is too lightweight and Oscar lacks consistency against better opposition. Allowing a young player to make mistakes while learning his craft is surely better than trying to teach an old dog new tricks. And with options limited and the transfer window not open until January, it surely makes sense to give Loftus-Cheek a few games with the senior team to see if he might just be the solution to a pressing problem.

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/club/chelsea/363/blog/post/2969714/is-antonio-contes-distrust-of-ruben-loftus-cheek-holding-chelseas-midfield-back

Willian battles on despite family tragedy

Reigning Chelsea Player of the Year, Willian has not hit the heights of his powers so far this season, though he has started most games for Conte and did score a fantastic goal against Hull City last time out. He dedicated that goal to his mother, who has been battling cancer back in Brazil (and knitting very special hats for her son, and her son's friends like David Luiz), just as he then dedicated Brazil's win over Bolivia on Thursday to her.

Willian did not start that game, getting dropped to the bench for just the second time since the 2014 World Cup. In fact, the 28-year-old has not missed a single game since Brazil's humiliating exit from their home tournament, starting 27 of the 29 matches played by La Seleção since. He was a favorite of Dunga's, the previous coach, and the new man in charge, Tite, has continued to play him. Until Thursday, that is, when Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho started in place of his good friend.

The story in Brazil now is that Willian has to win back his place, but thanks to Neymar's suspension for yellow card accumulation, he will get to try to do so at the first possible opportunity, on Tuesday against Venezuela. But he will be doing so with a heavy heart and a distracted mind, just as he's been for some time.

The caption is a Bible quote, Joshua 1:9:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
According to UOL, Willian's mother has undergone five surgeries and several rounds of chemotherapy in the last two years to try to win her battle against cancer, but her condition has worsened in the past week. Willian had previously expressed his utmost frustration at not being able to be by her side, with his job keeping him in England and away from her. While he was able to pay her a visit recently thanks to the international break, he will soon have to go back and leave her again. All the while, he has to concentrate on his job, his family, his livelihood, and his future.

I can't even begin to imagine how he's able to do this, and still put in a credible shift for both club and country. The more I think about it, the more I am in awe of his strength, his courage, and his dedication to both his club and his family.

Stay strong, Willian!

http://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2016/10/10/13229028/willian-fighting-for-his-place-brazil

The Mind of Conte: Analyzing Chelsea’s new 3-4-3 formation


Following back to back defeats in the Premier League against fellow top 4 contenders in Liverpool and Arsenal, Antonio Conte vowed to look for solutions to address his team’s recent form, or lack thereof.
As a result, the Italian manager setup his team in a brand new formation against Hull City. Next, I’ll cast an eye on the tactical changes introduced in the Blues’ most recent outing with the 343 formation.

The back three
The thought behind a back three is to reduce space in the middle and have an extra man to deal with opposition strikers.
In the new formation, Antonio Conte deployed David Luiz as the most central of his three center backs.
Similarly to how he used Bonucci with Italy and Juventus, David Luiz was asked to leverage his passing range to bypass the midfield on occasions and get the ball directly into the strikers.
Between the Arsenal and the Hull City game, we’ve already seen Luiz set Chelsea Strikers, both Batshuayi and Costa through on goal with long range passes.
Conte has also asked his defenders to play a higher defensive line, in order to recover the ball higher up the pitch and activate quick transitions from defense to attack.

The wing-backs
Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso were deployed as right and left wing-backs.
As such, they were charged with heavy attacking and defensive work load, going up and down the flanks.
In defensive situations, one of the two wing-backs would drop deep in order to form a back four along with the three center backs.

However, the biggest change with the introduction of the wing-backs was that Hazard and Willian were no longer being instructed to provide the width.
The wing-backs were hugging the touchlines, and allowing the attacking midfielders to tuck in closely to Diego Costa.

The central midfielders
While we’ve been accustomed to seeing three men in midfield thus far, the Italian manager partnered N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic vs Hull City.
Kante seemed to relish the type of freedom he enjoyed last season at Leicester.
Of the two midfielders, he was the one pushing forward the most, playing literally box to box, rather than playing the sentinel in front of the defense.
Kante’s response to this switch was immense, making 13 ball recoveries, 4 interceptions, 68 passes, and creating 2 chances.

The attacking midfielders
As discussed above, the introduction of the wing-backs providing the width has allowed Willian and Hazard to play more centrally behind Diego Costa.
Willian and Hazard frequently swapped sides while Diego was brilliant in coming deep to hold the ball up and combine with his attacking midfielders.
The three were not always on the same waveband, but the chemistry between them clearly improved as the game went.

Verdict

It’s still early days, and there is still much to be seen to provide a solid assessment of Chelsea’s new formation.
However, against Hull City, the switch seemed to provide more solidity at the back and more attacking freedom for the front three.
It will be interesting to witness the evolution over the coming weeks.

http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/10/10/2016/The-Mind-of-Conte-Analyzing-Chelsea%E2%80%99s-new-3-4-3-formation

Pat Nevin: Getting on with it


As players on international duty clock up air miles, they may also clock up stresses and strains, but is it worth it? Pat Nevin considers that question in this week’s column…
As usual we look forward to the return of a couple of bus-loads of players after the international break and as ever, it is injury or tiredness that is the concern.

With talk of high presses being all the rage, some international players are being asked to wipe themselves out playing that exhausting style which will not necessarily delight their domestic managers. That however will not worry the international bosses; they have to do what they feel is right for their countries, which is totally understandable from their point of view.

As the players arrive back in dribs and drabs from a myriad of different countries and continents, the medical staff and sport scientists will be on high alert. Everything will be in place to provide the best help, advice and instruction to aid recovery and this is exactly how it should be.

I hope and suspect things have changed a bit since my time.
I vividly recall what it was like when I returned from internationals abroad. In those days Chelsea didn’t have quite so many internationals in the squad, so our recovery wasn’t the highest priority all of the time. Basically the idea was to get back into the club as soon as possible no matter what. This was not necessarily to get checked out but simply to get you back into a normal training rhythm, a daily routine and a sensible sleeping pattern as quickly as possible. To be honest it wasn’t always that well thought out, but then again there wasn’t a huge medical staff on call at the training ground.


After a Scotland game I would sometimes arrive back in Glasgow at stupid o’clock (4 or 5am if we had travelled to anywhere east of Germany) and if I managed to get a couple of hours sleep at the airport hotel I was lucky. Then it was up bleary eyed to get on the 8am flight to Heathrow. Fortunately at Chelsea we trained very close to Britain’s largest hub in those days which helped a certain amount.
[img] [/img]
If my flight was delayed I could often look out of the window as we landed and see the lads warming up before the session started. Even so I was usually in time for training at 10.30am, less than 12 hours after 90 hard minutes in somewhere like Sofia, Bulgaria. So a couple of thousand miles travelling, little or no sleep and a normal training session with the rest of the lads who had not been on international duty and instead had just enjoyed a day off! I will admit to not always being at my sparkling best on those days.

That was Thursday morning and by three o’clock on Saturday you had to be at your best, even if you had added on a six-hour coach trip to Newcastle or Sunderland on the Friday. I cannot remember once being rested for a domestic game in the 15 years I was travelling with international squads. You simply just got on with it, much the same way as most of the players do today with a little more help admittedly.

The technology and the medical advice is of course better for those who want to heed it these days, but if you were/are professional it is mostly pretty obvious stuff. Get as much rest as possible and at the same time, make sure you are stretching, bathing and icing when you should be. Alcohol consumption should be negligible under these circumstances and of course re-fuelling with the correct food is an imperative.

Later in my career if you shook me I would probably have rattled with the amount of anti-inflammatory tablets I was proscribed. These are obviously not performance-enhancing drugs, but with playing through injuries not only expected but demanded back then, there was no choice really. Not that I would have complained, I would have done anything to be out on the pitch, week in week out. Okay, so I might have chronically damaged ankles, new hips and a list of other football-related ailments as long as your arm by the time I was 50, but I didn’t care. It quite simply had to be done or you wouldn’t be in the side.

Here is the odd thing, now that I have had those two new hips, that back operation, the knee op and all the rest I still wouldn’t change a thing. It was all absolutely worth it without even a moment’s consideration. Other former players might be worse off than me and might feel differently, particularly as I can still run four times a week and play 90 minutes of football if I want to. The pain will arrive the next morning from my current exertions but from my perspective it was all worth it, with bells on!

So the lads will come back this week carrying with them those sleep-deprivation headaches, as well as the aches and pains throughout the rest of their bodies. There may even be the odd concern about their future health, so I understand that the odd moan and groan might be shared between them. It is however worth recalling it is a magical life when it is going well and very few other jobs are so joyous and rewarding in the good times.

Obviously it pays ‘quite well’ these days which helps and the medical back-up is light years ahead nowadays, but even so there will be a price to pay in the future. From the perspective of someone who has been there and done it, and as no doubt every fan will agree, it is still almost certainly going to be a price worth paying.

Club's official site

Chelsea’s Recruiting Has Become A Major Hindrance
Something has to break at Chelsea.

At the beginning of the season, there was a false harmony within the side. Antonio Conte arrived, brought a great deal of attacking width with him, and the team looked to have been roused from their 2015/16 blues. As August turned to September, though, the sharp Autumnal sunshine showed Chelsea for what they are: flawed and fractured.

That isn’t Conte’s doing. Even by today’s absurd standards, it would be a nonsense to charge him with any culpability; he has inherited a mess.

So who to blame?

In modern football, in which all clubs are a nest of departments and interconnecting personnel, pointing the finger at a single person always seems reductive. In this particular instance, though, Chelsea’s recruiting department and Michael Emenalo, their technical director, have questions to answer.

Alarm bells should have rung on deadline day. The defensive unit at Stamford Bridge has been in decline for several seasons and, yet, Chelsea did little to address any of those issues before the final hours of the transfer period. N’Golo Kante arrived from Leicester City to provide a much-needed layer of protection but, until Marcos Alonso and David Luiz were signed, the club had remained remarkably passive. Conte’s success at Juventus was built on many factors, including his squad’s strength in relation to the rest of Serie A, but his mini-dynasty was part-constructed from defensive resilience.

The Grip of his Hand

If rumours are to be believed, Leonardo Bonucci is now a prime transfer target for whom Roman Abramovich is willing to pay nearly £50m. That’s understandable given the weaknesses which have already been exposed this season, but why was such a move not deemed imperative six months ago? John Terry has been physically creaking for a long time, Gary Cahill’s recent errors have hardly sprung from nowhere, and Branislav Ivanovic has spent the last eighteen months in a tailspin of decline; the issues which have plagued Chelsea recently have all been entirely predictable.

The Luiz deal was especially galling. When he was sold, for £50m and a sizeable profit, it represented a transfer coup. But that he has been bought back at considerable expense and for no obvious purpose has negated that deal and, worse, provided a descriptive example of how jerky the club’s transfer processes have become. The Bonucci whispers, if they are based in fact, lend it an air of parody and characterise it as a last-minute panic. Chelsea needed a centre-half and, with Big Ben creeping towards 11pm, any would do.

The club’s recruitment can be broken into two parts: the moves which are made with the future and the account balance in mind, and those conducted to furnish the first team. The former, generally speaking, has been highly successful. Though much maligned, Chelsea’s loan strategy has – and remains – a key weapon in the fight against Financial Fair Play. Though Michel Platini’s original initiative has now been greatly diluted, its sanctions still have to be avoided and plotted around. The loan network and the financial harvest its seeds were planted to produce are key components of Chelsea’s top-tier existence.

But, for whatever reason, the first-team has been neglected over the same period. Big budget moves are still made, but rarely with the same success or equivalent impact of their rivals. Chelsea may not have the same financial advantage that they once enjoyed and, to an extent, the broadcasting contract, the wealth at Manchester City, and Arsenal’s new liquidity, have all conspired to erode some of their allure. But to claim that they aren’t still a highly desirable destination for players, or that club are incapable of attracting the continent’s elite would be plainly wrong.

Yet, at a time when English football has reached the zenith of its opulence, they find themselves behind. Manchester United’s commercial revenue streams allowed them to make their big, expensive lunge at Paul Pobga and the cash/Guardiola combination at City must have been extremely enticing for John Stones, Leroy Sane, and Ilkay Gundogan, but the processes seem somehow wrong at Stamford Bridge. There are reasons which do justify certain failures to improve their first-eleven, but there are many more vagaries which only add to the confusion. Jose Mourinho left them in a mess – that’s certainly true – but, even from a positive momentum perspective, with such a wealthy benefactor and capable head-coach, more should be going right than currently is.

Managers have been sacked, coaches, physios and players have departed, but the only constant – other than Abramovich himself – is Emenalo and his technical staff who, on this season’s evidence, cannot be long for the surgeon’sknife.

http://www.umaxit.com/index.php/columns/chelseas-recruiting-has-become-a-major-hindrance

Roman Abramovich has assembled a crack team to get Chelsea back to the top... and their plan includes a secret transfer hitlist, finally bringing through youngsters and matching Man Utd's commercial success.


Roman Abramovich spent millions on transfers when he bought Chelsea
Now though he is pursuing a different strategy to pull level with the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City without falling foul of FFP rules
The Russian has assembled a multi-faceted senior team to help with development on and off the pitch
The club still plan to spend in the upcoming January transfer window


On the afternoon of their pre-season match against Rapid Vienna, a group of tracksuited Chelsea players strolled into the sprawling conference room of their five-star hotel and immediately thought they were in the wrong place.

This was supposed to be the venue for the first pre-match meal of the Antonio Conte era but there were no hot plates, no steak or chicken and no pasta.
Instead, a number of dishes containing a selection of nuts, seeds and fruit had been laid out.

The perplexed players turned around and went outside to check on the door. Yes – this was where they were meant to be. If the gruelling training sessions had not given the game away, here was further proof that things under the famously strict Conte were going to be different.

There were minor complaints and the new man has since relented a little. Hot food is now back on the pre-match menu but players are aware of the dangers of carrying an extra half-kilo into the game. Post-game pizza is off limits as are brown sauce, ketchup and fizzy drinks in the canteen.

Whether intentional or not, such flexibility is a key feature of Chelsea, 2016.

Things have changed down the King’s Road. They have had to. When he arrived in 2003 nobody could come close to matching Roman Abramovich’s millions and the Russian, aided by Jose Mourinho, bankrolled almost instant success.

Such sprees are a thing of the past, for the time being at least. While Abramovich remains one of the Premier League’s wealthiest owners, Financial Fair Play means that a club hamstrung with a stadium capacity of 42,000 (more of that later) simply cannot blow the likes of United, Arsenal and City out of the water when it comes to transfer fees and wages. Liverpool, on the back of their 8,000 main stand extension, expect to generate more matchday revenue this year than Chelsea. One source told Sportsmail that FFP regulations ‘run through the club like a stick of rock’.

The flexibility stretches to transfer business. Chelsea, like many clubs, have a long-term list of transfer targets. These are put together by technical director Michael Emenalo, with the assistance of director Marina Granovskaia, Abramovich’s confidante who started her career at his oil company and followed her boss to west London.

When managers arrive they are shown the list, asked for their thoughts and given the opportunity to make their own additions and amendments.

Emenalo, a 51–year-old former Notts County and San Jose Clash defender who represented Nigeria, has been at the club since 2007 when he was asked by Avram Grant, for whom he played at Maccabi Tel Aviv, to analyse Valencia for an away Champions League fixture. The Blues won and he was promoted to chief scout.

When Grant left, Emenalo was promoted again, this time to assistant first-team coach under Carlo Ancelotti and a year later he became technical director.

Emenalo has survived several managerial changes and Abramovich sees the Boston University graduate as a fiercely intelligent operator and trusted adviser.

It is the technical director who is behind the decision to send 38 of Chelsea’s youngsters out on loan. The view is that academy and reserve football here does not prepare young men for the rigours of first-team football and does not bridge the considerable gap. It is a view widely shared at other clubs, not least at Manchester City, where they have admired and subsequently followed Chelsea’s lead.

The club are determined to produce young, British talent and go to great lengths to monitor the progress of those on the road. They employ a psychologist, Tim Harkness, who travels the globe speaking to the 38 to keep track on their mental well-being. Former player Eddie Newton heads a loans team that closely monitors their progress on the pitch.

Tammy Abraham is enjoying a successful loan spell at Bristol City, and has a future at Chelsea
There is a quiet confidence that these considerable labours are about to bear fruit. Much is expected from England Under 21 pair Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Central defender Andreas Christensen, Germany’s player of the season, did so well in the first half of his two-year stint at Borussia Monchengladbach that Chelsea tried to bring him back early. He will be competing for a first-team spot when he eventually returns.

Free-scoring Tammy Abraham is lighting up the Championship with Bristol City and, while next season may bring another spell away from the club, the 19-year-old has shown signs he could soon be competing with the likes of Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi. The aim is for the 2017-18 squad to feature four or five home-grown players.

Developing home-grown talent and a new, £500m stadium are high on the agenda. A planning application is currently with Hammersmith and Fulham council. The proposal is to lower the pitch and build a 60,000-capacity arena while the hope is that the new-build, should it get the go-ahead will propel Chelsea back into the financial elite.

Club officials hope to get the green light in the new year but are braced for delays. The latest hold-up surrounds the impact the project will have on a bat community at a nearby cemetery.

Should permission not be forthcoming, Chelsea will hold serious concerns over the impact it may have on their commercial operation and their ability to generate increased annual revenues in a fiercely competitive market.

WHO ARE ROMAN ABRAMOVICH'S A-TEAM?

Antonio Conte, manager: The former Juventus boss arrived at Stamford Bridge this summer after overseeing Italy's Euro 2016 campaign. Known as a disciplinarian who prefers a high-energy approach.

Michael Emenalo, technical director: A former chief scout who also worked as Carlo Ancelotti's assistant, the ex-defender has forged a close relationship with Abramovich. He's been in charge of scouting since 2011 and has pioneered the club's divisive approach to youth development.

Marina Granovskaia, director: Worked with Abramovich before he entered football and followed him to Chelsea. She is known as his right-hand woman and has his ear over all financial matters.

Bruce Buck, chairman: The American lawyer acts as Chelsea's chairman, and is a shareholder in Chelsea Limited, the ultimate owner of the club, and the company used for the 2003 takeover. He is described as helping 'the development of the club into a major player on the world football stage.'

Christian Purslow, head of global commercial activities: The former Liverpool exec joined Chelsea in 2014 and has been charged with helping the club become a true financial powerhouse away from the pitch in order to keep up with commercial juggernauts like Manchester United.

Tim Harkness, Jim Fraser, Eddie Newton, youth development and scouting: All three play key roles in an integral part of Abramovich's plan to develop youth talent. Fraser heads up youth development and scouting, Harkness, a psychologist, visits with the Blues' army of youngsters on loan and Newton monitors their on-field development.

Reporting into chairman Bruce Buck and Granovskaia, ex-Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow heads a team which oversees sponsorship deals and the club is expected to shortly sign a lucrative kit deal to replace their long-term partner adidas with Nike rumoured to be front runners. Purslow’s commercial team focuses on monetising the rest of the inventory but the workforce is dwarfed by Manchester United’s London operation which sees a staff of around 45 work out of Mayfair. Stadium expansion would help lift Chelsea’s commercial output to new levels. It is essential.

All of the above, although sobering for those of a Chelsea persuasion, points to a key positive.

When he arrived back in 2003, the slightly lazy fashion was to brand Chelsea Abramovich’s toy. Detractors said the rich oligarch had picked up a plaything like a spoilt child, would soon get sick of it and toss it out of the pram.

This has clearly not been the case, as the repositioning shows.
Last week, the owner spent three days at the Cobham training ground. This was not a crisis summit or a tantrum. Abramovich wanted to see his new man’s methods up close. He shared lunch each day with Conte and Emenalo and the chat, while at times serious, was not without frequent bursts of laughter.
Some of the talk was on transfer targets and Abramovich promised to back Conte in January.

The owner is not going anywhere – and neither are his club.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-3830433/Roman-Abramovich-assembled-crack-team-Chelsea-plan-includes-secret-transfer-hitlist-finally-bringing-youngsters-matching-Man-Utd-s-commercial-success.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

Spy360:

O bu gini kwanu? Onye Iberibe...

Nwanne,My hands are clean!!!

Chelsea to consider safe standing area when £500m revamped Stamford Bridge opens at 60,000 capacity
Chelsea hope to increase the capacity of Stamford Bridge to 60,000
The club are open to the idea of exploring the possibility of safe standing
Celtic have introduced a safe standing area for 2,975 fans
Chelsea will consider a safe standing area at a rebuilt Stamford Bridge – but only if the government change the laws.
Planning proposals have been submitted for a £500million project that would see the club’s home demolished and rebuilt, with the capacity rising from 41,000 to 60,000.
And the issue of including standing areas at the revamped stadium have been regularly raised by supporters groups.

Sportsmail understands the club are open to the idea, but will only explore the possibility should there be new legislation.
They will not campaign for such a change.
As reported by Sportsmail on Monday, Manchester United officials visited Celtic to view the Scottish club’s 2,975-capacity safe standing area.

The section, which features rail seating, was introduced this season and is viewed as a success, adding to the already-raucous atmosphere at the famous venue.
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell described it as ‘an investment in spectator safety’ given that rail seating is viewed as a safer environment for fans to stand in than traditional seating.
The issue remains emotive on Merseyside following the Hillsborough disaster, in which 96 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed 27 years ago.

However, the Liverpool supporters group Spirit of Shankly were recently asked to vote on rail seating. The ballot returned a result of 93 per cent in favour and 4.7 per cent against with the remainder abstaining.
Standing is outlawed in the top two divisions of English football following the Taylor Report into the disaster. Some believe rail seating could circumvent legalities, given that fans have the option to sit down should they wish.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport are monitoring the situation.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3832073/Chelsea-consider-safe-standing-area-redevelop-Stamford-Bridge.html#ixzz4MlztRFgh
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Re: The last article I personally would love it if they brought standing terraces back to English football...

It brings you closer to the game...and it's cheaper of course.

lalaboi:
How can you write so much words and still not make an iota of sensible contribution?

Only one set of fans from the north know how to do this.

Legend!

Tammy Abraham and Solanke are eligible to play for Nigeria??
Shocking



Has Ibe made his debut for England yet?? We could use him...I headed Akpom is good too


NFF better start working..

bigkesh:
Tammy Abraham and Solanke are eligible to play for Nigeria??
Shocking

Has Ibe made his debut for England yet?? We could use him

Apparently they are. But trust me, Tammy Abraham, if he continues the way he has, will never be allowed to play for anywhere else but England. Scored on his U21 debut today.

EDITED: Now scored 2 goals.


I don't think Ibe has played yet.

Who is Ibe better than in Nigeria? What has he done that is noteworthy?

Chuba Akpom too? how many professional goals as he scored in his career so far. He is 21, yet to break into arsenal, gone on several loans and has not even scored 10league goals since making a professional debut in 2014. why why why would Nigerian want such a player. We dont want another anichebe abeg.

J. Terry's father stealing someone's wife... The apple doesn't fall far from the tree... Nah so the fans of Chelshit sef dey behave...

Disgrace of a football club... *spits kelebe on the thread...*