charity shield

The TimesAugust 6, 2007
Ferguson celebrates as Van de Sar saves dayChelsea 1 Manchester United 1Oliver Kay at Wembley Stadium
The season’s first piece of silverware is barely worth its weight in scrap metal, but try telling that to the Manchester United players who cavorted around the new Wembley Stadium with the FA Community Shield while their Chelsea counterparts were contemplating an injury crisis that will consume José Mourinho during the final countdown to the new Barclays Premier League campaign.
A man with Mourinho’s competitive instincts would not readily concede a game of tiddlywinks - not to mention chess, as Sir Alex Ferguson did in a somewhat withering pre-match assessment of Chelsea’s entertainment value - but, as Wayne Rooney’s kick condemned them to the most perfunctory of penalty shoot-out defeats yesterday, the rueful smile across the face of the Portuguese seemed less to do with the loss of a trophy than with the potential absence of up to ten players when the new season starts for real this weekend.
Nor would United claim to be in rude health just yet, but Ferguson was happy to report afterwards that the cavalry is on its way, with confidence that Carlos Tévez will be on board in time to appear in a friendly match against either Dunfermline Athletic or Glentoran on Wednesday, when Owen Hargreaves, Anderson and Nani also expect to be involved after featuring only sporadically in pre-season. Contrast that with the absence of John Terry, Claude Makelele, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba, to name but four, and it was easy to see why Mourinho’s smile had cracked by the time he entered the post-match press conference.
Ferguson suggested that there were few meaningful conclusions to be drawn from the exercise, but if, as he said, the fixture represents a “stepping stone” towards the new season, it was United who crossed it with greater purpose. Mourinho dismissed such talk, claiming that a depleted Chelsea had “controlled the game for 90 minutes” against the league champions, but it was one of those days on which his attempts at defiance fell short.
United won the day thanks largely to Edwin van der Sar, who saved penalties from Claudio Pizarro, Frank Lampard and Shaun Wright-Phillips while Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and Rooney all beat Petr Cech, but they were also marginally the better team over 90 minutes. Ryan Giggs’s expertly taken goal gave them a lead that was more than deserved on the balance of play, while they will also reflect that Chelsea barely mounted a serious attack either side of Florent Malouda’s equalising goal on the stroke of half-time.
“We’re happy with the trophy,” Ferguson said. “This kind of match is not a great gauge because both teams were missing some players, but it was good for them anyway. It was a very warm day, but it will bring players on to the required pace of our game. There wasn’t much in it between either side, in terms of possession, but we did make the clearer chances. We deserved it for that reason.” United always looked the livelier team in a match that succeeded in whetting the appetite for next weekend. There is no such thing as a friendly match, let alone a meaningless one, where these two teams are concerned and, as Malouda introduced himself to English football by barging into the back of Cristiano Ronaldo with just ten seconds on the clock, it was apparent that this would be more than an exhibition match.
Rooney, perhaps unsurprisingly, was the player who was most eager to carry the fight to the opposition. A generous judge would give the young United forward the benefit of the doubt over a twelfth-minute incident when his studs landed on the thigh of Ashley Cole, but Mark Halsey saw fit to show him the yellow card in first-half stoppage time when he caught Cech, having overcommitted himself in his latest running battle with Tal Ben Haim.
Ben Haim, along with Malouda, was one of just two new faces on view of the 22 who started the game and, with United taking the initiative, he was to endure a difficult first 45 minutes in the Chelsea defence. Even more uncomfortable was Glen Johnson, recalled at right back after a season-long loan at Portsmouth but quickly identified by United - and, no doubt, by the notoriously unforgiving Mourinho - as a rare chink in Chelsea’s armour. Expect the Chelsea coach’s interest in Daniel Alves, the Seville right back, to be heightened before the transfer window closes on August 31.
It was a slick move down the United left that ended with Giggs putting them ahead in the 35th minute. Patrice Evra exchanged passes with Ronaldo to get behind Johnson before pulling the ball back towards Giggs, who steered a perfect shot beyond Cech and Ashley Cole, who was covering on the goal-line. Remarkably, it was his first goal in 17 appearances at Wembley at senior level, his only previous strike way back in the days that he represented England Schoolboys under the name of Ryan Wilson.
Unsurprisingly, given the lack of a recognised centre forward in their starting lineup, with Pizarro not yet match-fit, Chelsea were struggling to make any headway in attack, but Malouda equalised with a show of the strength and skill that would seem to make him perfectly equipped to adapt to English football. It is a goal that Ferdinand will not look back on with any fondness, as the Chelsea player beat him to Ashley Cole’s flighted ball down the inside-left channel, but Malouda showed considerable enterprise and determination in beating the United defender before shooting past the hesitant Van der Sar.
After a flat second period, Van der Sar emerged as the match-winner, a redemption of sorts after he blamed himself for Drogba’s winning goal in the FA Cup Final in May. This time it was the Chelsea players who left Wembley with heads bowed. For United, even the slightest psychological advantage is to be welcomed in advance of the challenge ahead, even if it is likely to be forgotten long before they resume hostilities in the Premier League at Old Trafford on September 23.
PENALTY FLOPS
CLAUDIO PIZARRO
Van der Sar dives to his right, but the goalkeeper manages to stretch out his left arm and block the Peruvian’s effort with a hand
FRANK LAMPARD
The England midfield player struggled to impose himself on the game and his strike lacked the power to beat Van der Sar
SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS
Van der Sar is quick off his line again as Wright-Phillips adds to Chelsea’s woes with another weak strike from 12 yards
Chelsea 1 Malouda 45
Manchester United 1 Giggs 35
How they rated
Chelsea
4-3-3 P Cech 7 G Johnson 4 T Ben Haim 5 R Carvalho 6 A Cole 8 F Lampard 5 M Essien 7 J O Mikel 7 S Wright-Phillips 5 F Malouda 7 J Cole 5
Subsitutes S Sidwell (for Johnson, 78min), L Diarra 5 (A Cole, 68), C Pizarro 5 (Malouda, 52), S Sinclair (J Cole, 82) Not used C Cudicini, Hilario, H Worley
Manchester United
4-4-1-1 E van der Sar 7 W Brown 6 R Ferdinand 6 N Vidic 6 M Silvestre 5 C Ronaldo 7 M Carrick 7 J O’Shea 6 P Evra 7 R Giggs 7 W Rooney 7
Subsitutes Nani 5 (Silvestre, 68min), D Fletcher (Giggs, 81) Not used T Kuszczak, G Pique, P Bardsley, C Eagles, L Martin.
Referee M Halsey Attendance 80,731 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Ryan Giggs an ageless inspiration for UnitedBy Henry Winter
Chelsea 1(1) Manchester United 1 (1) (United win 3-0 on penalties)
Football, the sport that never sleeps, hardly seems to have had a lie-down this summer, and events here yesterday maintained familiar themes from last season. All the talk was of Chelsea's injury travails, Jose Mourinho's quixotic streak, Manchester United's rich attacking potential, and the enduring excellence of Ryan Giggs, who continues to give Old Father Time the runaround.
Giggs' manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, keeps expanding United's creative department as if fearful of some flair famine stalking the land. Such an intelligent frontrunner as Carlos Tevez, who makes his debut on Wednesday, will doubtless link instinctively and prolifically with Wayne Rooney while Nani showed glimpses of his gifts against Chelsea. Like Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani can operate on either flank. Paul Scholes returns from injury soon. Marvellous options abound. Ferguson can play fantasy football for real.
Yet there was Giggs, 33 years of age but with the enthusiasm of a teenager, gliding through to score a superb 35th-minute goal to shake a clammy Community Shield into life. Florent Malouda subsequently conjured up a terrific equaliser, and Edwin van der Sar proved unbeatable in the penalty shoot-out, but the main memory was of Giggs, of a class that never ages.
When Patrice Evra crossed from the left, and Rooney cleverly dragged blue shirts out of position, Giggs calmly stroked the ball from 15 yards into Petr Cech's goal. "Ryan placed it,'' said Ferguson, his eyes lighting up at the recollection. "Ryan could see Ashley Cole on the line with the keeper looking after the other side of the goal, so he placed it.''
If the goal was exceptional, it certainly produced an extraordinary statistic. It was so long ago that Giggs last scored at Wembley that he had a different name. Then known as Ryan Wilson and captain of England Schoolboys, this special player last found the mark at Wembley 18 years ago.
Rooney was three at the time, and sometimes does not have appear to have matured much. The England international disclosed the shortness of his fuse as well as the depth of his talent yesterday, and the fear is that his conduct will continue to vex officials. Yet his booking yesterday was unwarranted: Rooney accidentally caught Cech while chasing a loose ball and knocked off balance by Tal Ben Haim.
Chelsea fans, some sporting T-shirts declaring that the title was only "on loan to United'', were enraged, and loudly questioned everything from Rooney's weight to his parentage. United's No 10 responded by holding up a solitary finger to signal who were the No 1 team in the land.
The Community Shield is rarely a good form-guide, but few would question that United are favourites to claim the Premiership. For all his "mellow'' intent, Mourinho remains a one-man debating society and he sent eyebrows rising faster than the mercury with his comment that "Chelsea controlled the game for 90 minutes in quite an easy way''.
Nonsense. Ashley Cole, who again dealt well with Ronaldo, and the purposeful Malouda certainly impressed for Mourinho's side, but they were hamstrung by the absence of John Terry and Didier Drogba with knee problems. Drogba aims to be back within 10 days but Terry's anticipated month on the sidelines is desperate news.
Such a committed leader and shrewd defensive organiser would have engineered more resistance to United's goal. Ben Haim, otherwise all right, played Evra onside while Ricardo Carvalho clearly missed Terry. Such were Chelsea's injury woes (with Michael Ballack, Arjen Robben, Wayne Bridge, Andrei Shevchenko and Salomon Kalou also unavailable) that Mourinho was forced to field Joe Cole at centre-forward in a 4-3-3 and name two keepers among the subs to make up the numbers.
Also on the bench was Avram Grant, Chelsea's new director of football, and the chemistry between him and Mourinho will be much scrutinised this season. Mourinho is not the type to accept interference in his first-team domain, but those who know Grant insist that he is far too savvy and diplomatic to engage in power struggles. Maybe it was the heat yesterday but there appeared a thaw in Chelsea's Cold War with Roman Abramovich consoling Mourinho and the players in the dressing room afterwards.
Chelsea will play better than this, and Mourinho looks to have invested smartly in Malouda, who showed courage, speed and technique to cancel out Giggs' strike on the cusp of half-time. Ashley Cole, uneasy on his right foot, used the outside of his left to bend a fine ball into the path of Malouda and United were exposed. Rio Ferdinand was left trailing, Van der Sar's attempt to close Malouda down was half-hearted and Chelsea's £13 million signing clipped the ball expertly home.
Van der Sar made amends spectacularly in the shoot-out, saving from Claudio Pizarro, Frank Lampard and Shaun Wright-Phillips. Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick both calmly converted their kicks, leaving Rooney to apply the coup de grace, and then repeat his No 1 signal to the departing Chelsea fans. Rooney, Giggs et al are again the team to beat.
Match details
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Johnson (Sidwell 77), Ben Haim, Carvalho, A Cole (Diarra 67); Essien, Mikel, Lampard; Wright-Phillips, J Cole (Sinclair 81), Malouda (Pizarro 51). Subs: Cudicini (g), Hilario (g), Worley. Goal: Malouda (45). Booked: Ben Haim, Carvalho, Mikel. Manchester Utd (4-4-1-1): Van der Sar; Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Silvestre (Nani 67); Ronaldo, Carrick, O'Shea, Evra; Giggs (Fletcher 80); Rooney. Subs: Kuszczak (g), Pique, Bardsley, Martin, Eagles. Goal: (Giggs 35). Booked: Rooney.Referee: M Halsey (Lancashire). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Chelsea 1, Man United 1: Mourinho's new mood blighted by loss and looming injury crisis By Sam Wallace Published: 06 August 2007 From his place on the bench even Jose Mourinho found it hard to suppress a smile at the appaling success his team endured from the penalty spot – and he is not known for making light of failure. On the English football season's great irrelevant opening day, Edwin van der Sar was the hero but the atmosphere was soon a good deal chillier around the Chelsea manager as the start of his campaign threatened to disintegrate.
While Manchester United walked off with the Community Shield, polished even brighter than the alloys on a Premiership footballer's Hummer, Sir Alex Ferguson could talk optimistically about Carlos Tevez's debut this week. For Mourinho there was only more injury misery; he now has 11 players out injured, and already the siege mentality was descending upon the Chelsea manager.
The mellow attitude he has claimed to have adopted looks like it will be severely tested in the next few weeks. Ferguson waits only upon Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in terms of injuries – Mourinho has a much more serious problem. John Terry's absence will be for a month at the very least, while Didier Drogba will find out today how serious the problem with his knee has become.
Days like yesterday may be the opportunity for experimentation but Mourinho admitted that he had never before been forced to pick a side that did not include an orthodox striker. With Claudio Pizarro not yet fit enough to play a full game, he started with Joe Cole as a makeshift centre-forward. It was far from a disastrous Chelsea performance but the implications for the start of their season could be much more dramatic.
Andrei Shevchenko, Claude Makelele, Paulo Ferreira, Salomon Kalou and Arjen Robben were the other absentees, as well as the long-term injured, Wayne Bridge and Michael Ballack. It was reflected in Mourinho's mood as he first refused even to take questions on the seriousness of his players' injuries, only brightening later to say he was not worried. "I'm ready for the fight and I'm happy with the team," he said.
At pitchside, temperatures crept past 35C and while the match never approached the intensity of last season's FA Cup final less than three months ago, it was not for lack of effort on the part of some individuals. Wayne Rooney discovered that it was not just the referee who can book him now, the linesman can have a say, too. Via his headset, Darren Cann advised the referee, Mark Halsey, of a kick at Tal Ben Haim from Rooney that earned the England striker a booking.
It was Rooney who looked among the sharpest on the pitch and Cristiano Ronaldo, too, but not before the latter mistakenly backheeled the ball mid-stepover and in doing so effectively tackled himself. United were blessed with pace in attack, especially with Patrice Evra promoted to a left-wing position where he excelled and was integral in the creation of the United goal for Ryan Giggs.
On 35 minutes, Evra's exchange with Ronaldo allowed him to cross to Giggs and United's 33-year-old captain struck the ball up into the roof of Petr Cech's goal. The Chelsea goalkeeper had made a brilliant save from Giggs in the 21st minute and Cech remains one of the very few whom Mourinho simply cannot afford to be without.
From his seat in the sunshine at Wembley, Steve McClaren will already have been worrying about the state of his England team's defence against Germany next week when Florent Malouda embarrassed the only fit first-choice centre-back the national-team manager has left. Chelsea's £13.5m signing did extremely well to out-muscle Rio Ferdinand as he ran on to a long ball from Ashley Cole and, with his last touch, steered the ball past Van der Sar. Just Mourinho's luck then that Malouda would later limp off with the injury he picked up in the act of scoring and later Glen Johnson was also forced to withdraw.
Pizarro gave Chelsea more presence in attack in the second half, but as a player who spent eight years in Germany, Mourinho might have expected him to be better at penalties. The Peruvian had his spot-kick saved by Van der Sar, as did Lampard and Shaun Wright-Phillips. When Rooney smashed in the third United penalty it was all over
Tevez will make his debut on Wednesday in one of two friendlies United play that day against Dunfermline Athletic and Glentoran in Belfast. Ferguson had clearly read the theories that his new Argentine is too similar to Rooney for the two to be compatible and was not of the same mind.
"I don't think they're identical at all, other than that they're both of a similar physique," he said. "Both are two-footed, both are quickish, both can beat their man. I don't think those similarities are a bad thing. When they get playing with each other, they'll hopefully get an understanding."
On the Premier League title race he was more cryptic. "Everyone in the country knows we're the two best sides, but Arsenal and Liverpool will play a bigger hand this season."
The United manager still claims that there is not much to be deduced from days like these but as a guide to the next month, the form favours the champions.
Chelsea (4-3-3) Cech; Johnson (Sidwell, 78), Carvalho, Ben Haim, A Cole (Diarra, 67); Essien, Mikel, Lampard; Wright-Phillips, J Cole (Sinclair, 82), Malouda (Pizarro, 51). Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Hilario (gk), Worley.
Manchester United (4-4-2): Van der Sar; Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Silvestre (Nani, 68); Ronaldo, Carrick, O'Shea, Evra; Rooney, Giggs (Fletcher, 81). Substitutes not used: Kuszczak (gk), Pique, Bardsley, Martin, Eagles.
Referee: M Halsey (Lancashire).
Booked: Chelsea Ben Haim, Carvalho, Mikel; Manchester United Rooney.
Man of the match: Evra.
Stamford Bridge sick list
* John Terry
(knee, one month)
* Wayne Bridge
(hip, three months)
* Frank Lampard
(broken toe, still playing)
* Didier Drogba
(doubtful for opener)
* Andrei Shevchenko
(back, doubtful for opener)
* Florent Malouda (right)
(doubtful for opener)
* Glen Johnson
(muscle, doubtful)
* Michael Ballack
(ankle, two to three
weeks)
* Salomon Kalou
(muscle, doubtful)
* Arjen Robben
(knee, doubtful)
* Claude Makelele
(knee, should be fit for opener)
* Paulo Ferreira
(muscle, doubtful)
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Van der Sar spots weak point to claim first trophy
Kevin McCarra at WembleyMonday August 6, 2007The Guardian
Given enough talent, a man can distil potent memories out of even a Community Shield match. Holland have had angst-ridden days when it comes to taking penalties but Edwin van der Sar has no inhibitions about facing them.The Manchester United goalkeeper threw himself lithely to his right, denying Claudio Pizarro and then Frank Lampard in the shoot-out. It was understandable that Chelsea's third effort would be downcast, as Shaun Wright-Phillips allowed Van der Sar an elementary save. Wayne Rooney then ended the contest by converting his penalty as methodically as Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick had done.
Van der Sar, who turns 37 in October, was troubled by his lapses towards the close of last season and very conscious that little time might be left to him in an Old Trafford contract that ends next summer.His pre-season had not been convincing but United can barely afford to let him retreat into the shadows. Tomasz Kuszczak is not regarded as his natural heir and Ben Foster's cruciate ligament injury will rule him out until the end of this year at the earliest. Even then he will have to build on the impression made at Watford.
For Sir Alex Ferguson the principal benefit of the afternoon at Wembley could be the fillip it gives Van der Sar. It would be rash to come up with larger deductions. The fact that each club can make six substitutions is the Community Shield's confession to being a jumped-up friendly, although neither manager was shameless enough to make full use of that facility.
While United, busier in attack, deserved to be victors, they will be conscious, too, that Chelsea's line-up was a distorted reflection of the prowess that Jose Mourinho can call on when there are fewer problems. Didier Drogba has hurt his knee and, though a scan should confirm that he will be back in 10 days, Mourinho was not confident enough of Andriy Shevchenko's fitness to use the Ukrainian here. If it was peculiar to witness Joe Cole give his own interpretation of centre-forward play, it is likely that Mourinho wanted to protect Pizarro, who eventually took part for 38 minutes, since he has no other fit strikers remaining.
The Peruvian was released from the dug-out to take over from Florent Malouda, who would have been feeling the effects of the knock he had taken while scoring a determined equaliser at the end of the first half. That moment of purpose and craft identified the Frenchman as the epitome of the sort of footballer who can capture Jose Mourinho's heart. Malouda has even played full-back trenchantly on occasion.
In the 45th minute the excellent Ashley Cole swerved a pass down the left and the £13.5m acquisition from Lyon had more resolve than Ferdinand, forcing himself free of the centre-back to clip an impressive finish past Van der Sar. The goal rounded off a first half in which the sides had striven to play in earnest.
There was even a sprinkling of spite to add flavour. A pointing Wayne Rooney, having been booked for a late challenge on Petr Cech, seemed to be in dispute with a section of Chelsea fans who had been demanding a red card. Even when there was no animus, United, with superior means at Wembley, were livelier in attack and Cech needed to block Ryan Giggs's effort following a Cristiano Ronaldo run in the 21st minute.
While Michael Essien and Mikel John Obi both failed to head home a Malouda free-kick shortly afterwards there was more of a flourish to United's display. The opening goal had thinking and technique that were both sharp. With 35 minutes gone, Patrice Evra took a crossfield ball on his chest, touched it to Ronaldo and raced after the return pass.
His low cross was probing and a lunge by Carvalho could not distract Ryan Giggs from recording his first goal at Wembley since his schoolboy days with a sweeping drive high into the net. By and large Chelsea showed that they retained the knack of stifling United all the same and Tal Ben Haim in defence seemed to be as reasonable a deputy for John Terry as Mourinho could have landed on a free transfer this summer.
So far as the flamboyant football now required of him is concerned, the manager can expect patience from his employers until genuine attackers are present. The main lesson of the afternoon may be that Chelsea, so well rehearsed in most areas, are not at all adept at shoot-outs, having previously been vanquished on penalties by Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final.

sunday papers rangers friendly

The Sunday Times July 29, 2007
Chelsea slip up at Rangers
Rangers 2 Chelsea 0
Douglas Alexander at Ibrox

SO much for the new mellow Jose Mourinho. By the closing stages ofthis match, after some slipshod play by his own team and a few refereeing decisions going Rangers' way, he was on the edge of his technical area screaming instructions to his players and arguing with the fourth official. When he digests it, the Portuguese will considersome problems which persist from last season. The lack of a trulypenetrating passer in his midfield and a tendency to be too narrow inhis midfield when compared to Manchester United. Having said that hegot a decent cameo from Florent Malouda in a first half which showedthe Frenchman has dig in his left foot and some devil in his make-up.Tal Ben-Haim spent the match flitting across roles in the back four,something that he may also spend the season doing, although SteveSidwell was easily outclassed by Barry Ferguson when they cametogether in midfield.It was a good test for Chelsea as Rangers were definitely up for it,their players seeking places in the lineup for Tuesday's ChampionsLeague qualifier against FK Zeta of Montenegro, and won the game withtwo goals in the last five minutes. First, Nacho Novo picked his spotsweetly into the bottom corner after Chris Burke burst down the rightand found him on the edge of the box. Then, Ibrox rubbed its eyes indelirious disbelief as a right-foot effort from Filip Sebo, the Paulle Guen misfit, deflected off Ben Haim and flew over Hilario into thetop corner. The stadium spent the remaining seconds chorusing "easy,easy" which cannot have helped Mourinho's mood.His assistant, Steve Clarke, believes the match was a good exercisefor his Chelsea troops and thought pitting their wits against teams ofthe calibre of Rangers is the best way to start the season. "We don'tselect easy preseason games," he said. "If we want to win 3-0, 4-0,5-0 we can go to other places and find easy games. The matches we playare difficult games. Ibrox is a difficult place to play and we allknew that when we selected them."Chelsea were arrayed in luminous yellow and the 4-4-2 he plans toemploy more frequently this season. Sidwell kept Frank Lampard companyin the central midfield and got forward to pull an early shot past thepost, while Ben Haim slotted in beside John Terry and Malouda providedthe width on the left with Joe Cole on the right. The Scotland vEngland aspect of the game meant it was not quite your usual tepidpreseason friendly and when Ferguson nailed Malouda with a flailingtackle as the Frenchman sped through midfield, Drogba was immediatelyin his face. Malouda didn't need his pal's assistance, waiting 10minutes for the revenge tackle on Ferguson which brought a booking.He also sent a drive flying narrowly past just before half-time, aftera first period which generally lacked fluency. Rangers had theirmoments, Ferguson lured Sidwell in and then sparked a one-two beforealmost playing Jean-Claude Darcheville in. The striker was halted by adubious linesman's flag but Boyd didn't have this excuse when drivingan earlier opportunity against Petr Cech after David Weir's passsnaked through Chelsea's defence. Terry's new lucrative contract didnot stop him missing a routine cross from Alan Hutton but Boyd, again,could not capitalise on his slip.At the other end, Drogba met a Lassane Diarra cross with a headerwhich dropped just wide and left Hutton, who had the temerity tochallenge him for it, writhing on the turf. Diarra had been drafted inat the last minute, when Paulo Ferriera was injured in the warm-up,while Glen Johnson played left-back with Ashley Cole in the finalstages of convalescence.The feeling of square pegs in round holes was accentuated after ahalf-time of Sven-Göran Eriksson style substitutions. Now Ben Haim andSidwell, the new boys, constituted the left flank of Chelsea's team asCarvalho came in at Terry's side and John Obi Mikel at Lampard's. Theversatile Israeli then went to right-back when Cole was introducedshortly after the hour."I thought Ben-Haim was excellent today," added Clarke. "He made a fewmistakes towards the end but that's fatigue, and don't forget heplayed three positions."Perhaps the most impressive newcomer on either side was CarlosCuellar, who Rangers paid Osasuna £2.2m for. He generally handledDrogba's physicality well and was also quick enough to cover acrossfor his colleagues. Terry, in contrast, again looked rusty when heslipped and had to foul Sebo to prevent him getting a run on goal.It was almost as if Chelsea were intent on providing succour to themuch-derided striker, signed by Paul le Guen last summer, when Mikelpresented the ball to Nacho Novo and the Spaniard played Sebo inperfectly only for him to fluff the chance with an incredibly poorconnection. No wonder, one report yesterday suggested that the man whosold him to Le Guen for £1.8m on behalf of Austria Vienna foundhimself being slapped heartily on the back everywhere he went in theAustrian capital subsequently. Now, belatedly, the match came to lifeand Cuellar had to block Lampard's shot on the line after allowingDrogba to escape down the left and provide a cross which caused panicin Rangers' box.Another Rangers' break then ended with Ashley Cole making a superbtackle to deny Ferguson as he prepared to score from Novo's pass. Yetthe goals, finally, came for Rangers as Sebo had the last laugh toleave Mourinho scowling. Chelsea now turn their attention to Tuesday'sgame against Brondby, their last game before Sunday's Community Shieldclash against champions Manchester United. Clarke added: "Hopefully wewill win the match and go into the Community Shield in a positiveframe of mind."Star man: Carlos Cueller (Rangers)Rangers:McGregor (Carrol ht), Hutton (Murray ht), Weir (Webster ht),Cuellar, Papac (Broadfoot ht), McColloch (Sebo 62min), Hemdani,Ferguson, Adam (Burke 82min), Darcheville (Beasley 46min), Boyd (Novoht)Chelsea:Cech (Hilario ht), Diarra (Carvalho ht), Terry, Ben-Haim,Johnson (A Cole 63min), J Cole (Wright-Phillips ht), Sidwell, Lampard,Malouda (Obi Mikel 46ht), Shevchenko (Pizarro 46ht), Drogba (Sinclair71min)Scorers: Rangers:Novo 86, Sebo 88Referee: Stuart DougalAttendance: 50,380----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:Rangers beat Chelsea in friendly at IbroxBy Bruce Maxwell at Ibrox, Sunday TelegraphRangers (0) 2 Chelsea (0) 0A Blues Brothers reunion, but the gap between the siblings has neverbeen wider than now. On a day when chairman David Murray announced hisintention to spend the thick end of £6 million on new players beforethe transfer window closes, Rangers still managed to look like thedistant poor relations of their illustrious and eye-wateringlywell-heeled opponents.That much could also be calculated from the fact that the John Terrywho sipped his bedtime cocoa last night was almost £19,000 better offthan the John Terry who had tucked into his breakfast cornflakes justa few hours earlier. The previous day, the Chelsea captain had signedthe £6.8 million deal that made him the Premiership's highest-paidplayer, but it would be pushing it to say his workrate wasconspicuously heightened as he returned to action in this tepid Ibroxfriendly.Murray is expected to announce shortly that Rangers' debt burden is inthe region of £15 million, the sort of figure he considers manageable,but the sort his Chelsea counterpart Roman Abramovich would probablyconsider good value for a decent tin of beluga. While Abramovichcontinues to add his personal twists to football's inflation spiral,Murray is obliged to count the pennies in the Govan poorhouse. Yet theman behind Rangers was in bullish mood yesterday as he refused toincrease his bid for Kilmarnock's Steven Naismith. Many in football,and almost everyone in Kilmarnock, consider the Glasgow club's mostrecent offer of around £1.5 million for the forward to be a tadmiserly, but Murray emphasised that it was the last he would make. "Ithink they should go and accept one of those other offers," he smiledwhen reminded that Kilmarnock claim to have found interest elsewhere.Murray was also confident that Rangers would be found to be in theclear when the investigation into transfer dealings that resulted in apolice raid on the club recently reaches its conclusion. However, theaffair has clearly angered him, as he described the suggestion thatRangers had something to hide as "a slur".A packed Ibrox will have done no harm to Rangers' cash-flow situationyesterday, but their finances would be better served by a decentresult on the same ground on Tuesday, when they takes on FK Zeta inthe first leg of their Champions League qualifying tie. Murrayestimated the net value of overcoming the Montenegrans to be in theregion of £10 million, the sort of money that not even Terry wouldsneeze at.advertisementAs for the game itself, Rangers looked markedly moreanimated than their English counterparts, displaying an industry thatwas eventually rewarded when Nacho Novo finished off a move ignited byChris Burke's spearing run down the right side with a lashing shotfrom the edge of the box after 85 minutes.Two minutes later, as Rangers pressed confidently, Filip Seboswivelled beautifully and arced an unstoppable strike into the topright corner of Henrique Hilario's goal.The margin may have flattered Rangers, but it was a fitting riposte toChelsea's rather languid approach. The Londoners impressed in themanner they dealt with Rangers' sporadic intrusions into the dangerarea, but they seemed worryingly uninterested in doing anything withthe ball once they had confiscated the thing from their Scottishhosts.Indeed, the closest Chelsea came to raising any head of steam was inthose moments when the friendly nature of the contest eluded them asthey clattered Rangers players.Florent Malouda earned a yellow card for the first-half challenge onBarry Ferguson that almost chopped the Rangers captain in half, whileTerry collected a caution with his equally fierce, if almost comicallyclumsy, tackle on Sebo. Perhaps Terry sensed a danger about Sebo thattends to elude more regular Ibrox attendees. When the Slovenianprovided the second goal, however, his threat was obvious to all.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The ObserverRangers are Novo richRangers 2 - 0 Chelsea (friendly)Novo 86, Sebo 87Patrick GlennSunday July 29, 2007Assessments made on the basis of pre-season friendlies tend to beabout as reliable as sweating dynamite. On the evidence availablehere, it is safest to conclude that Chelsea are still short of agallop and Rangers, under Walter Smith, are experiencing a resurgenceof spirit and self-belief. The two late goals from substitutes NachoNovo and Filip Sebo that gave the Ibrox side victory were wellexecuted, but tended to emphasise the lack of stamina in the visitor.Novo's powerful right-foot drive, low to the right of substitutegoalkeeper Hilario, from the edge of the penalty area, was followed bySebo's shot from an angle on the left, which sent the ball high intothe far corner.As well as the victory, Rangers also satisfied their desire for acompetitive outing in advance of the first leg of their ChampionsLeague qualifier against FK Zeta of Montenegro on Tuesday. Theopportunity to achieve further match sharpness was, as Smith said, theone aspect of Chelsea's visit that could be beneficial, in terms ofthe European assignment.Nor did the Premiership club come to Ibrox to insult their hosts, JoseMourinho fielding a starting line-up that included some of the tallestreputations in the game. Not surprising since they face ManchesterUnited in the Community Shield on Sunday.John Terry and Frank Lampard were in their usual places, but, for thehome crowd, the most appetising news would be of the frontlinepartnership consisting of Didier Drogba and Andriy Schevchenko.The powerful, often irrepressible Ivorian and the expensive Ukrainian,who has been something of an enigma since his move from Milan toStamford Bridge, might have made the quickest possible impact bygiving their team the lead straight from kick-off. It was Lampard'sbeautifully controlled flick with the outside of his right foot thatreleased Schevchenko down the left, allowing the striker all manner ofoptions for his delivery into the goal area. These included Drogba,yelling for service at the back post.Schevchenko chose to wait for Steve Sidwell to stroll unattended tothe edge of the box and roll the ball straight to the former Readingmidfielder. The attempted drive, perhaps the result of rustiness, wasa miscue, Sidwell wrapping his right foot around the ball and pullingit yards wide.It was the kind of slick, instant movement the Rangers fans would havefeared, but it was rarely reproduced by the visitors for the remainderof a first half that was robustly contested without being dazzling.Rangers, to their credit, shrugged off the early scare to demand somerespect of their own with one or two forward pushes that threatened tobring them a lead. This seemed especially likely when David Weir, fromhis own defence, sent a precision pass through the inside-left channelthat gave the striker the chance to run, untracked, towards Petr Cech,in the Chelsea goal.Boyd's touch was not particularly heavy, but pushing the ball threeyards ahead of himself was enough to give a goalkeeper as alert and asquick as the big Czech the edge - and he was at Boyd's feet, snafflingthe ball, before the latter had the chance to make the scoringattempt.The extensive changes made by both managers at half time - six fromSmith, five from Mourinho - amounted to the standard reminder of theexperimental nature of pre-season friendlies, although they certainlyprovided Tal Ben Haim with an opportunity to demonstrate hisversatility.Having started as Terry's partner in central defence - and then beingmoved to left-back when Ricardo Carvalho came off the bench - theIsrael defender moved to right-back when Ashley Cole replaced GlenJohnson.Before those late flourishes from Rangers, Chelsea were denied twicewhen Drogba swept past Carlos Cuellar on the left and cut the ballback to Lampard. The England midfielder's low drive was cleanlystruck, but Cuellar recovered well to block on the line, while MikelJohn Obi's follow-up drive was saved by substitute goalkeeper RoyCarroll.Ibrox 50,380Rangers McGregor; Hutton, Weir, Cuellar, Papac; McCulloch, Ferguson,Hamdani, Adam; Darcheville, Boyd Subs used Carroll, Novo, Burke,Murray, Beasley, Broadfoot, Webster, SeboChelseaCech; Diarra, Terry, Ben Haim, Johnson; J Cole, Sidwell,Lampard, Malouda; Drogba, Schevchenko Subs used Hilario, A Cole,Carvalho, Mikel, Pizarro, Sinclair, Wright-PhillipsReferee S Dougal--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:Malouda can be a jewel in Jose's crownRangers 2 Chelsea 0By PETER HIGGSFlorent Malouda is promising to become a Stamford Bridge favourite onthe evidence of a lively 45-minute performance, despite Chelseasuffering the first defeat of their pre-season campaign.With Arjen Robben almost certainly on his way to Real Madrid, JoseMourinho appears to have found the ideal replacement in the Francewinger.Fast and tricky, the yellow-booted Malouda was involved in most ofChelsea's bright moments in an otherwise uninspired display — and evenmanaged to get himself booked in one of the game's two unsavourymoments.Malouda, a £13.5 million signing from Lyon, signalled his threat inthe opening minutes as he burst clear of the Rangers defence to set upSteve Sidwell. But the former Reading midfielder, with the opportunityto score his first goal since moving to the double domestic Cupwinners, dragged his shot wide from 20 yards.Malouda's elusive running led to the first flare-up of an afternoonthat was mostly as tame as any pre-season friendly. As he burst awayfrom Barry Ferguson, the Rangers captain scythed him down, incurring astern lecture from referee Stuart Dougal and an angry reaction fromDidier Drogba.When Malouda took revenge with a crude lunge at Ferguson momentslater, he became the first booking of the afternoon. Two furtherimpressive contributions from Malouda, a cross which Drogba headedwide and a fizzing 25-yard shot which went inches wide, came beforeMourinho took him off at halftime, having done enough to suggest thathe will play an important role in Chelsea's bid to regain thePremiership title.With Mourinho making seven changes in the second half, Rangers tookadvantage to send their fans home happy with two goals in the lastseven minutes.From Chris Burke's surging run down the right, Nacho Novo collectedthe pass before drilling a 20-yarder in off a post, with substitutegoalkeeper Henrique Hilario helpless.Four minutes later, Filip Sebo added a second with a curling shot intothe far corner which appeared to catch Hilario out of position.Earlier, John Terry was yellow-carded when he brought down Sebo, whowas clean through.Hemight have been sent off in a League game,provingthat even a salary of £135,000 a week is no guarantee againstmistakes.Although the defeat may cause diehard Chelsea fans cause for concern,Mourinho will have been satisfied with a good work-out two weeksbefore the season and the chance to run the rule over his newsignings.Sidwell was busy and competitive in midfield, defender Tal Ben Haimshowed his versatility by playing in three different positions overthe course of the match,and Peruvian centre forward Claudio Pizarro,at6ft 1in,looked more like a typical old-fashioned English striker thansomeone blessed with Latin American skills. But from his one goodchance midway through the second half, Pizarro wastefully headedwide,although a linesman's flag had ruled him offside.The return of Ashley Cole after injury was another bonus for Mourinho.The England leftback came on for Glen Johnson in the 63rd minute andalthough short of match fitness, he showed he had lost none of hisdefensive nous with a goalsaving tackle to deny Novo after a midfieldmisunderstanding between Sidwell and Shaun Wright-Phillips.Mourinho will have gained some useful pointers as he establishes hisstrongest side for battles ahead. In Malouda, he appears to have founda gem.

sunday papers birmingham away

Bruce draws hope at last The Observer Paul Wilson at St Andrew's Sunday April 2, 2006 After leaking 12 goals in three games, Birmingham finally stopped the bleeding to take an unlikely point from the champions, leaving co-owner David Sullivan feeling sheepish for questioning his players' commitment and Chelsea looking a pale shadow of the Liverpool team who hit seven here in the FA Cup. Before Sir Alex Ferguson gets too excited, though, he should check the video. Chelsea had at least seven clear chances, had a goal controversially disallowed in the second half and on another day would probably have won at a canter. It was simply one of those days when the ball would not go in and when it did, Jose Mourinho was adamant that an early offside flag had cost Asier Del Horno a winning goal. 'Let me say first that I thought the result was fair,' Mourinho said. 'Birmingham fought for 90 minutes and they fought hard. They deserved a point. No complaints about that. But what I also have to say is that we had a clear goal disallowed. The linesman put his flag up before the ball arrived in the box. I am sorry, but we were denied a good goal.' Good old Jose. This would have been the dullest of goalless stalemates but for the usual Chelsea controversy. Mourinho's players were on their best behaviour throughout the 90 minutes - no hint of diving or handling in a well-mannered game that passed without a single booking. In a spirit of glasnost, the Chelsea manager even turned up to the post-match press conference, only to be accused of moaning all the time. 'It's you who do that,' he replied. 'When we beat Newcastle we ended up talking about a red card in the final minute that made no difference to the result. Last week it was a handball in a win against Manchester City. You never want to speak about football. I hear other managers talking about our players diving when they have players of their own who do it. Everything is ridiculous to me.' Funny he should say that because ridiculous was exactly what Steve Bruce thought of the idea that Del Horno's goal should have counted. As Arjen Robben prepared to send in a free-kick from the right, Ricardo Carvalho took up an offside position at the far post. As the ball came over, he moved back onside and challenged for a header, failing to make contact and seeing the ball turned into the goal via Del Horno's outstretched leg. Mourinho's complaint seemed to be that the flag had gone up too early and the referee's assistant should have waited to see whether Carvalho played the ball. Because he ended up jumping for a header in front of goal, however, it was hard to see how he could not have been interfering with play. 'He became active as soon as he challenged for the ball,' Andy Garratt, the referee's assistant in question, said afterwards. Bruce said: 'We've got a grey area now where once we had a rule that everyone understood. But he can't say he's inactive and then challenge for the ball. That's a nonsense.' So Mourinho was wrong and he does moan a lot, but he provides good copy, too. 'We've been dropping a few points away from home, but all we have to do to be champions is to win our three remaining home games,' he predicted. Manchester United are at Stamford Bridge on 29 April. The actual game did not amount to much compared with the entertainment in the press conference. Birmingham started brightly, with Emile Heskey going through his repertoire of fluffed chances and Olivier Tebily coming closest to scoring with a 25-yard drive that Petr Cech was understandably not expecting. Chelsea hit back, with Robben and Damien Duff producing saves from Maik Taylor, although their game got going only after Hernan Crespo and Joe Cole came on in the second half and the visiting team switched to a bold 3-4-3 formation. Chelsea could afford to sacrifice a defender because Birmingham had all too clearly run out of steam up front, yet although Duff, too, had a goal disallowed, Didier Drogba twice went close and Crespo could have had a hat-trick in the closing minutes, the home team's luck held. 'We've been battered from pillar to post in the last 10 days. I was just looking for a response today and I got it,' a relieved Bruce said. 'Technically we didn't always do the right thing, but we matched them. If we can do the same with our game in hand against Bolton on Tuesday we've got a great chance of getting out of the bottom three.' MAN OF THE MATCH:: OLIVIER TEBILY A rare start in a hastily reorganised defence, but a surprisingly accomplished performance. Defensively sound whether dealing with Duff or Robben and brought the crowd to their feet with an early shot. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Independent: Birmingham City 0 Chelsea 0: Birmingham win back fans' hearts Bruce sees dignity restored as his counterpart attacks decision to disallow Del Horno 'goal' By Steve Tongue at St Andrew's Just when it looked as though a Chelsea match might pass by without controversy, the smartly raised flag of a referee's assistant denied them an undeserved goal that would have put the destination of the Premiership title beyond dispute. There was not a yellow card throughout, not a dive worthy even of the shallow end, but there was still cause for Jose Mourinho to berate the officials. To the neutral - which in these days of Anyone But Chelsea means all except the London club's followers - the decision to give Ricardo Carvalho offside was perfectly correct. He may not have made contact with an attempted header from Arjen Robben's inswinging free-kick, which Asier del Horno turned in at the far post but, as the linesman later confirmed, Carvalho had deliberately come from an offside position and was attempting to interfere with play. "We scored a clear goal," Mourinho insisted before admitting less contentiously: "The result is fair. Birmingham fought hard for 90 minutes and deserved a point. In the first half we were too passive and gave them an easy job to do." It was certainly an unexpectedly limp beginning from the champions, which a dominant second half somehow failed to erase. In the final five minutes alone, they forced five chances, mostly blocked or deflected by the sort of determined defending that made a mockery of Birmingham's last home performance, the 7-0 defeat by Liverpool, and won back the hearts of their supporters. They will keep right on to the end of the road, whether or not it leads back to the Championship. "We owed the supporters a performance and by God we gave one," said Steve Bruce, a proud manager. "Without eight or nine of our squad, we were up against it, and now we've restored a little bit of pride." One or two of them might return on Tuesday night for a critical game in hand at home to Bolton, offering an opportunity to put one over the other relegation candidates, West Bromwich Albion and Portsmouth, as well. Bruce had his tactics right, matching up with Chelsea's two wide men and pushing Nicky Butt up on Claude Makelele to cut down the supply lines. Stephen Clemence and Damien Johnson sat deep and the defence, with three changes, looked more solid than the one that had conceded 12 goals in the past three games. What was lacking was the cutting edge that the injured Chris Sutton might have provided. Oliver Tebily, the right-back producing what Bruce called "the game of his life", stole forward to force Petr Cech into his one save of the day, for after Emile Heskey had shot high into the crowd again, Cech could have been substituted by an outfield player. Mourinho was soon making changes, despite a flurry on either side of half-time in which Maik Taylor saved from Robben, Didier Drogba had two chances and Frank Lampard drove over the bar. Joe Cole and Hernan Crespo came on, the left-back Del Horno was removed, still miffed at his disallowed effort, and Chelsea settled for three men at the back. Without wing-backs, the formation still looked a little unbalanced, and soon Michael Essien was on for Eidur Gudjohnsen, with Lampard pushed further forward. Now the strain began to tell on the home side, whose many absentees included their leading goalscorer, Jiri Jarosik, the Chelsea loanee. A frantic final spell began with Crespo hitting Cole's pass straight into the goalkeeper's midriff. The striker then had a shot deflected for a corner, which a criminally unmarked Carvalho should have headed in, negating all the arguments over the previous incident. At the very least, the title cannot be decided next weekend, when Mourinho had predicted Chelsea would win it at home to West Ham. Perhaps that was what induced his grumpiness, along with press reports of a breakdown in relations with his chief scout, Frank Arnesen. But after Arsenal's fizz in midweek, it was all very flat fare. The locals, of course, did not mind that and were all smiles leaving the ground. A few might even have been tempted to head down the A41 and cheer on Liverpool at The Hawthorns. Is Mourinho devising an exit strategy at Chelsea? By Nick Townsend, Chief Sports Writer The minutes were ticking away inexorably towards the draw - one seized avariciously by Steve Bruce and stoically by Jose Mourinho - when Joe Cole treated us to a touch of the Michael Flatleys with a little gesture of rage. In a contest devoid of cautions, malice and "simulation", and which required virtually none of referee Dermot Gallagher's authority, the England midfielder's disputing of an innocuous decision was just about the only reminder of the Chelsea who have brought upon themselves such opprobrium recently. At the conclusion of a week in which Mourinho's relationship with his players has come under severe scrutiny, as have his dealings with the club's scouting director, Frank Arnesen, all amid continued uncertainty about the manager's own future at the club, Chelsea simply weren't themselves. At least, not in terms of their reputation as haranguers of referees. Yet, if they won over any critics here, it was at the cost of points. There was almost an air of contrition about the visitors in a subdued display which merited no more than they eventually secured. It was almost as if they feared making a strong challenge for the commotion it could create. We can only assume that was a response to the reported pre-match observation of their captain, John Terry, that Chelsea needed to win back their dignity. The booing of Arjen Robben and Didier Drogba, Chelsea's pair of pantomime dames, was predictable enough - the former did go down once rather theatrically, although it transpired that Nicky Butt's boot had caught him painfully just above his foot - but the crowd even grew bored with that gesture after a while. City's Premiership survival was paramount and, as it became apparent that at least a point was there for the taking, that was where they invested their emotional responses. Without the familiar edge to their game, Chelsea were as pale and insipid as their changed shirts here. Even Frank Lampard failed to inspire. How else could you explain why Mourinho's team, which has secured 104 more points than Steve Bruce's since he succeeded Claudio Ranieri, failed to capitalise, when matched against a side which has been operating like a pick-your-own goal shop? Mourinho, not for the first time this season, complained about the cancellation of a goal, this time by Asier del Horno. The Chelsea manager was probably wrong. Some will condemn him for grousing, although doesn't every manager do that, other than Stuart Pearce? Having raised the issue, he then dropped it, claiming: "Every single word I say in this country... the next day it is a nightmare." Could it be that Mourinho is preparing the way to depart England, publicly embittered by what he sees as unfair treatment by the media? For the moment, though, more auspiciously, he can contemplate the arrival of Michael Ballack from Bayern Munich, Andriy Shevchenko from Milan - certainly, Chelsea desperately need that cultured striker - and even perhaps Ashley Cole from Arsenal. Perhaps it was the juxtaposition with Arsenal's incisive forward play in their Champions' League defeat of Juventus, but the presence of Drogba at the point of an arrowhead, supported ineffectively by Damien Duff and Robben, appeared like a cosh in contrast to their London neighbours' employment of the deadly stiletto. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Telegraph: Chelsea wobbling as Birmingham stabilise By Roy Collins at St Andrew's Birmingham (0) 0 Chelsea (0) 0 Didier Drogba, the man we all assumed warmed up for games by performing a swallow dive from the top step of the team coach, miraculously managed to keep his feet throughout the 90 minutes. But Chelsea might feel they are ankle deep in quicksand after Manchester United's win at Bolton reduced their lead at the top of the table to seven points. Point taken: Birmingham manager Steve Bruce at St Andrew's Even on a day when the Londoners restricted their gamesmanship to a lone Arjen Robben dive in the opening 15 minutes, they did nothing to win themselves new admirers, because when it comes to artistry they are still more Tate Modern than Royal Academy. Chelsea's modus operandi, even against such lowly opposition, who had not beaten them since 1980, is to suck the life blood out of them before delivering a late knockout blow. It would have worked perfectly again but for two late misses by Hernan Crespo and an even later one by Ricardo Carvalho. With Drogba and his team-mates seemingly attempting to conduct a charm offensive on the pitch, we half expected manager Jose Mourinho to walk into the press conference heaping praise on Birmingham and handing out cigars. Half is about right. Having admitted that Birmingham deserved their point, he then raged that his team had been denied a clear goal before raking over old grievances from their previous two games against Newcastle and Manchester City. Mourinho believes referee Dermot Gallagher should have given a goal when Asier Del Horno headed in Robben's 57th-minute free-kick instead of disallowing it because Carvalho was offside. Despite Mourinho's claims that the latter was not interfering with play, he was actually contesting the header with Del Horno, which is about as interfering as you can get. Birmingham manager Steve Bruce's response to the Chelsea protests? "Nonsense. That was offside. In my day there wouldn't even have been an argument but we seem to have made the offside law more complicated and turned it into a grey area. It's hard enough for a linesman to tell whether it's offside without working out whether a player is interfering with play." Mourinho was at least right about Birmingham deserving their point, a remarkable one considering that they had shipped 12 goals and failed to score one in their previous three defeats. Their previous home game had seen them humiliated 0-7 by Liverpool in the FA Cup and Bruce's comment on this result was: "Absolutely crazy. After the Liverpool game we were looking for a response and for people to do their jobs. We restored a little bit of pride and who knows how vital that point could prove?" Birmingham might have had all three if they had a man capable of scoring. But even if England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson lost Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney and Jermain Defoe from his World Cup squad, it is a fair assumption that he would not put in a call to Emile Heskey, who could have settled the game with three opportunities in the opening 22 minutes. After heading one glorious opportunity wide, his first touch on a cross from Mat Sadler, playing his first game for three years, took the ball five yards further from goal. The second touch we will draw a discreet veil over, though suffice to say fans sitting 40 rows up behind the goal all dived for cover. Mourinho admitted that Chelsea did not turn up until the second half, saying: "We gave Birmingham an easy job in the first 45 minutes, but we gave them a difficult job to do in the second half." Not as difficult as one would expect from a team who were cruising to a second successive title. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson suggested recently that Chelsea looked as if they had hit the wall. Frank Lampard certainly looks as though he is running on the Tower Bridge cobbles after his marathon season, which will be of concern to Eriksson. After next Sunday, the day Mourinho said the title would be officially sealed, he should have been able to put his feet up until the England plane takes off for Germany. But if Chelsea cannot play football more inspiring than this they could still be involved in tight race. As for Birmingham, whose players have been slagged off by their fans and co-owner David Sullivan, they suddenly look as though they have got a second wind in their fight against the drop. Sullivan accused the players of not being worth their 65533;50,000-a-week wages, but Bruce quipped: "After this, perhaps he will pay them double." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Sunday Times April 02, 2006 Birmingham 0 Chelsea 0: Stuttering Chelsea fail to fire Joe Lovejoy at St Andrews IT WAS All Fools Day, and you would surely have been taken for one had you forecast this result. Birmingham, anchored in the relegation places, had conceded 12 goals in their previous three matches, and were again hard hit by injuries, yet they raised their game in heroic fashion to shut out the best team in the country. If it was a marvellous result for Steve Bruce and his battling Blues, it was no less so for Manchester United, who have not given up hope of overhauling the defending champions and League leaders. Jose Mourinho insists it won't happen, but after this, who knows? Chelsea huffed and puffed, but never really looked like breaking down opponents whose assiduous defence left everybody, their manager included, wondering how they shipped seven against Liverpool less than two weeks ago. More of the same at home to Bolton on Tuesday, and the "Great Escape" theme will replace "Keep Right On" as the St Andrews anthem. The tone was set by Olivier Tebily who, on his return to the side, was a charging, sleeves-rolled inspiration at right-back. "That's the best display I've ever seen from him," said the grateful Bruce. Following the Frenchman's lead, Birmingham were resolution personified right through the team. Not for the first time, Mourinho felt he had been hard done by, claiming a "goal" by Asier Del Horno, disallowed because Ricardo Carvalho was offside, should have been given. It was a specious argument, Carvalho clearly interfering with play as he ran towards the ball, as if to head it. It was when he failed to make contact that the full-back slid it home behind him. In fairness, the Chelsea manager added: "The emphasis should be on the justice of the result. Birmingham fought hard for the 90 minutes, every player totally committed to getting the point, so they deserved one. We scored a good goal, of that I have no doubt, but we didn't deserve to win because we played for only 45 minutes." Chelsea were poor in the first half, rarely getting out of second gear and it was only after the interval, when they raised the tempo and went 3-3-4, that they managed to apply real pressure. Birmingham were without half their best team, the absentees including Mario Melchiot, David Dunn, Matthew Upson, Muzzy Izzet, Jiri Jarosik and Chris Sutton, but they set about their work with impressive spirit and determination and threatened twice in the first 13 minutes. Emile Heskey was profligate when he headed an inviting cross from Jermaine Pennant horribly wide, then Tebily brought a spectacular overhead save from Petr Cech with a rasping 25-yarder. The closest a strangely pedestrian Chelsea came in the first half was when Didier Drogba's quickly-taken free kick enabled Arjen Robben to test Maik Taylor close in. The league leaders needed to stir themselves, and they did. Drogba saw a decent shot saved before the offside incident, which came after 56 minutes, at a Robben free-kick. Carvalho, caught offside by the Birmingham defence pushing out, started to walk back towards his own goal, but then moved as if to head the ball. He was an obvious distraction for the defenders and, significantly, none of the Chelsea players complained to the referee when Del Horno "scored" and the goal was ruled out. The referee's assistant, who flagged, said afterwards: "Carvalho became active when he went to head the ball. Not one Chelsea player complained to me, and I don't think Mr Mourinho would have complained if it had been at the other end." With Chelsea pressing, it happened again when Damien Duff had the ball in the net. This time, though, there was no disputing the offside flag. Mourinho sent on Joe Cole and Hernan Crespo and went three at the back in search of victory, but a good late save by Taylor at Crespo's expense ensured justice was done. Bruce, of course was delighted. "Playing Chelsea without eight or nine of your best players, you're up against it, but we matched them and stuck to our task", he said. "I was looking for a response after the 7-0 defeat in our last home game, and I got it. We came out on the front foot and in the first half we had the better chances. In the second half we rode our luck a bit, but that was understandable. "Tactically, we put three players in the middle and tried to match their system, but we also needed guts and bottle to go that extra mile. "From what I've seen today, with eight games left I'm not going to give up without a fight. I hope today's performance is a turning point. "At best, this point could be vital in that mini-league we're in at the bottom. Now the question is, 'Can we produce another performance like that against Bolton on Tuesday?'" Mourinho continues to insist that there is no question of the title changing hands, but Chelsea's lead, at one stage 18 points over Manchester United, is beginning to look vulnerable and they need to reassert themselves at home to West Ham next Sunday. Match stats Star Man: Olivier Tebily (Birmingham) Player Ratings: Birmingham: Maik Taylor 7, Tebily 8, Cunningham 7, Martin Taylor 6, Sadler 6, Pennant 6, Johnson 6, Butt 6 (Kilkenny 88min, 5), Clemence 6, Campbell 5 (Forssell 57min, 6), Heskey 5 Chelsea: Cech 6, Paulo Ferreira 6, Carvalho 6, Terry 7, Del Horno 6 (Crespo 64min, 5), Makelele 6, Gudjohnsen 6 (Essien 68min, 5), Lampard 6, Robben 7, Drogba 5, Duff 6 (Cole 64min, 6) Referee: D Gallagher Attendance: 26,364 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

sunday papers man city home

The Observer
Drogba has hand in another win
Kevin Mitchell at Stamford BridgeSunday March 26, 2006
The growing army of Chelsea haters might have reason to object to the West Londoners' wealth and their eccentric manager (while Jose Mourinho's swagger is not what it was, his dress sense remains impeccable), but you can't complain about the quality of their football. They toyed with Manchester City, from start to finish in what was, ultimately, little more than a tune-up for their FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool on 22 April. They ought to have the Premiership locked up by then, too. After 10 minutes this looked a bigger mismatch than Amir Khan versus, well, anybody. Chelsea might have been 4-0 up before they had worked up a sweat with Didier Drogba, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvahlo all going close. David Sommeil was working overtime to contain Drogba, Damien Duff and Gudjohnsen. All around him was unalloyed chaos. Brave punters might have fancied a long-priced go at Manchester United making up the 12 points on Chelsea (they play each other in the second last fixture and United, in decent form, will still have a game in hand after what ought to be a three-pointer against Birmingham), but it would have been a hideously adventurous wager.
City were barely hanging against the Blues, and it took a wonderful reflex save by David James to keep the rampant Drogba at bay again. Danny Mills kicked Gudjohnsen up in the air and was booked. When Mills got a sight of the ball going forward, he put in a fair shot that forced the first proper save out of Petr Cech. Drogba finally got the better of Sommeil, turning him beautifully after picking up a perfect pass from Gudjohnsen and sliding it past James's left hand.
Drogba was in again after a ping-pong exchange yards in front of James, finally bringing the ball down with what might have been an arm and blasting it low and to the goalkeeper's right. Chelsea were meshing like a Ferrari gearbox, Claude Makelele and John Terry snuffing out the rare moves forward by Stephen Ireland and Darius Vassell, Frank Lampard feeding Gudjohnsen, who threaded pass after pass Drogba's way, Duff scaring City on the left, Joe Cole doing the same on the right.
How anyone can doubt Chelsea's pedigree is beyond belief. When they are on top of the game they are irresistible. And this was a wounded Chelsea who look to have put the Fulham blip behind them. Drogba could have had a third two minutes before the interval, only just failing to get enough of his head on a Lampard cross. Then came a bizarre interlude. After the half time whistle had gone Sylvain Distin was booked for arguing over the second goal, refused to give the referee the ball - and was booked again. Kiki Musampa was also booked.
With 11 they were really struggling. Down to 10 and without the captain, City had set themselves up for a proper caning. And only another fine save by James just after the resumption, diving at Gudjohnsen's feet, kept them in the contest. Mourinho felt comfortable enough to bring Duff off after only nine minutes of the second half, replaced by Michael Essien, and Hernan Crespo came on a few minutes later for Gudjohnsen. With only the suspended Robben and Gallas unavailable, the manager has at his disposal a truly formidable arsenal to call on in the remaining seven games.
Chelsea, reinvigorated, continued their stroll with only rare hiccups, Danny Mills blasting a long free-kick on to the post with Cech beaten. Cole, breaking into the area to seize on an Essien break, delayed the trigger on his shot but James timed his dive to perfection. The keeper, playing his 85th consecutive game, the longest unbroken run by a keeper in the Premiership, was having one of his better days. Only Gary Speed (474 games) and Alan Shearer (436) can better his tally of 430 appearances.
James was on the turf again soon enough, in anticipation of Essien's shot, but it took a deflection and went wide. Drogba should have had his third a quarter of an hour from the end, when a Shaun Wright-Phillips cross scooted just out of reach two metres from goal. Crespo botched an easier chance, a diving header from Drogba's cross, within minutes. That City managed to keep it to 2-0 owed as much to those near-misses as anything contributed by their own thoroughly outplayed personnel.
Man of the Match - Didier DrogbaScored two quick first-half goals to centre a formidable Chelsea attack. Had David James not been stellar then he could have easily had four or five, ending doubts about Chelsea's ability to bounce back after a league loss.
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Independent ;
Chelsea 2 Manchester City 0: Drogba's double a handful for City Dubious goal and Distin red card pile on misery as Pearce's men lose third successive game By Jason Burt at Stamford Bridge Published: 26 March 2006 Maybe, just maybe, when Jose Mourinho reviews the videotape of this match and Didier Drogba's second goal in particular he will admit to himself that there just might not be that conspiracy against Chelsea after all. The striker's blatant handball - unlike last weekend against Fulham - was not detected and such was City's anger that their captain, Sylvain Distin, received two yellow cards for protesting and was dismissed at half-time. The second caution came because he did not hand the ball back to the referee, Rob Styles.
Not that Mourinho was asked whether he agreed that those slings and arrows do not always just rain down on his head. The manager's omerta continued and he, once more, would not speak to the media. But, hey, according to the chief executive, Peter Kenyon, this is not a club with an image problem.
Instead there were Mourinho's programme notes and the accusation that some people are guilty of "not wanting to see this club grow up". Really? The siege mentality is truly a mindset and maybe maturity is something that is missing not just from Chelsea's critics.
Instead, it was down to City's Stuart Pearce to speak. Yes, he had talked to Distin and said the defender had indeed been told by Styles to "give me the ball back". Distin protested that: "I'm coming to you as the captain of the football club".
"I don't think he used foul or abusive language," said Pearce, who has captained many a team. "If it had been me there would have been the additional f-word coming out." The manager added that he abided by Styles' decisions, even if he agreed Drogba had handled. "When I first saw it I thought it was," he said. Replays only confirmed that.
It was cruel on City. Chelsea's victory was routine enough even if they did not play well - leaving them to garner just four more, according to their manager, to achieve back-to-back Premiership titles - but it was made all the more comfortable by the appalling misfortune that befell the visitors with their list of absentee players.
It meant their young team was even younger with 17-year-old Micah Richards starting in midfield, flanked by 20-year-old Willo Flood and Stephen Ireland, 17. They lacked experience, bite and numbers but no one could accuse them of lacking heart although Pearce felt some of his older players could have stood up more.
But there was no capitulation, no goal rush. Indeed of the two teams City came closer to scoring in the second-half when Danny Mills' curling free-kick struck the outside of the post. Still City began with a fragility that made the result somewhat predictable as if they believed too readily Pearce's claim that Chelsea are "one of the best [teams] in the world".
Drogba terrorised their three central defenders, with David James saving smartly from his low shot, tipping over Ricardo Carvalho's drive and watching as Eidur Gudjohnsen, also playing as a striker, dragged his effort wide. Finally Gudjohnsen slipped the ball to Drogba, afforded space by David Sommeil on the area's edge, and he checked back outside the defender to drive a left-foot shot over James.
If that goal was laudable in its execution, Drogba's second was not. James saved brilliantly from John Terry's header - after the Chelsea captain had again met a corner - and following Joe Cole's mishit shot Asier del Horno headed across the six-yard area to Drogba. The Ivorian clearly handled before the ball dropped and he slammed beyond James and into the net. The handball was so obvious that City appeared stunned. Drogba was unrepentant. "Yes, it was handball," he said. "But, you know, sometimes this is the game. I don't know how to explain. The ball comes to me and I cannot do anything about this."
Into the second-half and Gudjohnsen was released but Richards, now in defence, recovered with a wonderful tackle before Drogba got his angles wrong with an unmarked header, while James held on to Cole's side-footed effort.
Chelsea made a flurry of changes. Among them was Shaun Wright-Phillips, formerly of City, and he beat Richards to square just in front of Drogba. James once more denied the striker before Drogba found Hernan Crespo who stooped but headed wide with the goalkeeper stranded.
But City did not lie down. They pushed on themselves, continued to probe, but could not fashion a recovery or even a consolation, with Petr Cech holding on to Darius Vassell's low shot. A goal would have been deserved. But then, as Mourinho readily claims, there isn't always justice in football.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Distin dismissed after Drogba proves a handfulBy Patrick Barclay
Chelsea (2) 2 Man City (0) 0
Mike Dean and the assistant who buzzed him after Didier Drogba had handled before finding the net against Fulham last Sunday were rather faintly praised, I thought, and the players and supporters of Manchester City must have wished these officials had been in charge here. Instead both the referee, Rob Styles, and the relevant linesman failed to discern that Drogba's second goal followed a similar offence.
This is not to accuse either of incompetence; they can only give what they see and the thicket of City arms that appeared as soon as Drogba had made contact could hardly be taken as conclusive evidence. Nor was there any excuse for Sylvain Distin's refusal to hand the ball to the referee at half-time, which, according to the City manager, Stuart Pearce, prompted Styles to flourish a second yellow card and a red.
You need hands: Chelsea striker Didier Drogba scores his second On this evidence, Distin left Styles with no alternative bar the kind of supine retreat that demeans refereeing. And finally, on the context front, let it be understood that City were never in the match. Not even remotely.
So there was no miscarriage of justice, merely an error that hastened City's relief from the misery of their hope, if any existed, that a display as flaccid as this would be enough to trouble the champions at a home, where they have not lost in the Premiership for 25 months.
Pearce, his resources stretched by injuries, appeared preoccupied with damage-limitation. Afterwards he was characteristically kind towards the referee, saying: "I thought it was a handball straight away - but it's a very quick game out there.'' And, without being asked to talk tactics, he was off.
The only club to beat Chelsea in the Premiership last season, City lined up yesterday with five in midfield and Darius Vassell isolated at the front, handing Jose Mourinho's men an invitation to take the initiative which they had pleasure in accepting. As if life were not difficult enough for City's battalion of defenders, an additional difficulty seemed to be the constant stream of advice from Pearce: all of it judicious, no doubt, if a little distracting. They were reprieved when, from Asier del Horno's long ball, Drogba lobbed over the crossbar and when David James brought off an excellent one-handed save from the Ivory Coast striker.
Danny Mills tried a foray and shot from 25 yards. Although Petr Cech spilled the ball - drizzle was making the pitch slippery - John Terry cleared and the onslaught resumed. By now City had five at the back, but David Sommeil's presence alongside Distin and Richard Dunne proved no protection as Drogba, collecting from Eidur Gudjohnsen, twisted Sommeil inside out before beating James with a left-footed drive that flew high into the net.
That was Drogba's ninth Premiership goal of the season and although his 10th, a few minutes later, was shown to be illegitimate by video replays, no eagle eye alerted the referee. James did well to block Terry's header from a corner and, after the ball had been partially cleared, Joe Cole's miscued shot was headed into the goalmouth by Del Horno to Drogba, who used an arm in establishing control before whipping it past the hopelessly exposed James. Distin received his first yellow card for protesting.
Although City appeared to do better with 10 men, Chelsea were coasting, waiting for the occasional chance to arise. Gudjohnsen, having made one for himself, was foiled by a superb last-ditch tackle from young Micah Richards and the substitute Hernan Crespo headed wide of a near-open goal.
City were forced to chase. If they require consolation, it might be that some of their better performers, Richards included, have time on their side. Chelsea's behaviour, meanwhile, was impeccable. A delicious quote came from their chief executive, Peter Kenyon, after the dismissal of William Gallas at Craven Cottage. "Our image,'' he said, "is not as bad as people think.'' When paradox meets tautology, you might think confusion is bound to ensue, but I reckon we knew exactly what he was trying to say.
The truth is that Chelsea have become unpopular among not only neutrals but many of their own traditional supporters and blame should reside less with Kenyon or the director of communications, Simon Greenberg, than Roman Abramovich.
To paraphrase Arsene Wenger: how can we warm to him if he refuses to tell us what he is about? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Times:
Chelsea 2 Manchester City 0: Drogba hands win to ChelseaRob Hughes at Stamford Bridge ANOTHER Saturday, a thoroughly wet one in west London, and another inevitable victory for Chelsea towards the also inevitable retention of their Premiership title. They will win it. There will be no abdication in the manner that Newcastle, under Kevin Keegan, threw away the championship in 1996, but woe is the spirit with which Chelsea persist in grinding sportsmanship into their newly laid turf. We will not hear complaints from Jose Mourinho about this one because the clear miscarriage of justice, the error of a referee and linesman on this occasion heavily favoured Chelsea and allowed Didier Drogba to be named the home club's man of the match.
The portents for a mismatch were pre-ordained long before Drogba scored his two goals around the half-hour mark and before everyone realised that he had handled in setting himself up for the second.
That piece of deceit, seen by almost everyone bar the referee Rob Styles and his myopic linesman, had further repercussions when Sylvain Distin, having already been booked for protesting, received a red card during the half-time interval when he foolishly regarded it as his duty as captain to have further words with the linesman.
Mourinho had nothing to say to the media afterwards, unlike his counterpart at Manchester City, Stuart Pearce, who showed how to take defeat and how to treat refereeing error as an impostor. "It happens," he said. "It's a very quick game out there and it's not for me to criticise officials who have a very difficult job. Perhaps next week it will break for us and the referee will be just as generous to Manchester City."
We cannot start condoning disrespect for authority by the players, yet if ever one man's ire was understood, it was Distin's on this occasion.
Why on earth must Drogba sully his performance, seemingly every match, with gamesmanship? He had already made a dreadful, amateurish attempt to con the referee with a dive when no opponent was within a yard. He had scored twice, left foot and right, and he had missed at least two chances to help himself to a hat-trick.
City had come for damage limitation. They strung five defenders across the back, although Danny Mills seemed confused about whether his chief task was to track back and snuff out Damien Duff. City had excuses. They were without 10 members of their first-team pool and some of the absentees — Joey Barton, Georgios Samaras, Andy Cole, Trevor Sinclair among them — are key to the strategy and the heart of Pearce's philosophy.
As it was, to lie back and wait for the inevitable was misplaced. After barely three minutes, the ball was in City's net, correctly ruled out for offside. After six minutes Frank Lampard prised open the defence for Eidur Gudjohnsen and although the Icelandic striker's first touch was immaculate, his second was a dreadful, miscued shot, dragged wide from eight yards.
It continued, however, to be one-way traffic, and had Drogba been decisive after 20 minutes, he would surely have beaten David James one on one. But his shot was meek, and the big goalkeeper crumpled to the turf to save it.
In the 30th minute, obliged to live on his instinct rather than his thought, Drogba did score, and a marvellous execution it was. Gudjohnsen fed the centre-forward, who was lurking with intent on the edge of the penalty area in a central position. With his right foot, Drogba took control, shifted his body weight to the left, shrugging off David Sommeil, and then with the other foot swept the ball inside the far post.
Three minutes later came the controversy. Chelsea had caused confusion with a corner whipped in from the right. John Terry's header was saved but not held by James, the ball was driven back in by Asier Del Horno and there, six yards from the net, was Drogba. He controlled the ball with his right hand, got away with it, and then scored with his right foot.
The yellow shirts of City stood inert around him; three of them had their hands in the air, another three ran over to harangue the linesman, and both Kiki Musampa and Distin were booked for arguing.
City were spirited but toothless. Pearce responded to the red card by withdrawing another defender, Sommeil, and putting on Alberto Riera, an attacking midfielder. However, apart from a free kick by Mills that grazed the foot of the left post, they failed to trouble Chelsea's defence.
Player Ratings: Chelsea: Cech 6, Ferreira 6, Carvalho 6, Terry 7, Del Horno 6, Makelele 8, Lampard 6, J Cole 6 (Wright-Phillips 72min, 7), Gudjohnsen 6 (Crespo 57min, 6), Duff 6 (Essien 53min, 5), Drogba 6 Man City: James 7, D Mills 7 (M Mills 84min, 5), Sommeil 4 (Riera h-t, 6), Dunne 7, Distin 5, Thatcher 6, Flood 5, Richards 6, Musampa 5, Ireland 6 (Croft 73min, 5), Vassell 6
STAR MAN: Claude Makelele (Chelsea)
Scorer: Chelsea: Drogba 30, 33
Referee: R Styles
Attendance: 42,321
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morning papers newcastle fa cup

Guardian :Terry strike takes Chelsea to semi-finalsKevin McCarra at Stamford BridgeThursday March 23, 2006Chelsea claimed their place in the semi-finals and Newcastle, as hastoo often been the case, took merely credit from the nature of thedefeat. The record books will suggest that this was vengeance for thevictors over opponents who had knocked them out of this tournament inthe fifth round last year, but it did not feel like it.This occasion did not see the Premiership leaders mounting a show ofstrength in the wake of the defeat by Fulham. Perhaps too manyfixtures have already been fulfilled and too many miles run for that.Shaun Wright-Phillips thrashed wide after 85 minutes and the initialimpression of this encounter was countered by the tense conclusion, inwhich Robbie Elliott was sent off after receiving a second yellow cardin the 90th minute.It was difficult on occasion to tell recuperation and challenge apartwhere Chelsea were concerned. Following the loss at Craven Cottage, itappeared, after a fourth-minute opener for Jose Mourinho's side, thatthey would build their confidence as well as advance their bid for thedouble. The visitors looked then, and in other first-half episodes, asif they had no means to defend themselves.Jean-Alain Boumsong had been so feckless even before his weekenddismissal that jokers argued Chelsea themselves ought to appealagainst the centre-half's suspension. Whatever the truth of soscathing a jest, the fact is that Glenn Roeder, the caretaker manager,has no simple means of replacing the Frenchman while Titus Bramble isinjured.Peter Ramage, the relative novice who has been nursed along atright-back, had to be shifted into the central position that he isexpected to occupy only in the longer term. There was no cover fromhim or anyone else when Damien Duff clipped a laconic corner into the
Nolberto Solano.It should have settled a Chelsea line-up that had been shaken up, withonly Terry, Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole surviving fromthe starting selection at Fulham. They were fairly sound, but the bidsto prey on the Newcastle defence were intermittent. Perhaps they werelulled into believing that it would be sufficient to hit the ball downthe middle.That was almost good enough, for instance, after 23 minutes whenDidier Drogba and Duff helped play on before Eidur Gudjohnsen thrasheda shot high from an angle. For all that, the visitors were notcompletely beleaguered and when Carlo Cudicini fended away a LeeBowyer shot in the 17th minute Terry had to react forcefully toprevent Alan Shearer from converting the loose ball.Chelsea\'s heart rate quickened, too, after the Asier Del Horno foul onBowyer four minutes later that allowed Solano to air his expertise atfree-kicks. The attempt went narrowly wide, even if Cudicini probablyhad it covered.Chelsea were spasmodic in their work and the employment of Cole in adeeper area meant that the side, with Michael Essien on the bench, didnot have as much muscle as usual to apply in midfield.Mourinho\'s team were merely in a workmanlike mood, confident thatvictory would emerge from diligence. That way of thinking often doesmake sense for them, particularly if the opposition are asunacquainted with marking as Newcastle. A minute before half-timeFrank Lampard bent in a free-kick and a stretching Ricardo Carvalhovolleyed wide of an open goal.Wastefulness of that order must encourage any opponents and Newcastle,whatever the other flaws that beset them, did not lack energy. SteveCarr, making his first appearance in two months after a herniaoperation, was as willing as ever to overlap. The visitors\'",1]
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goalmouth that left John Terry to shoot first time into the net offNolberto Solano.It should have settled a Chelsea line-up that had been shaken up, withonly Terry, Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole surviving fromthe starting selection at Fulham. They were fairly sound, but the bidsto prey on the Newcastle defence were intermittent. Perhaps they werelulled into believing that it would be sufficient to hit the ball downthe middle.That was almost good enough, for instance, after 23 minutes whenDidier Drogba and Duff helped play on before Eidur Gudjohnsen thrasheda shot high from an angle. For all that, the visitors were notcompletely beleaguered and when Carlo Cudicini fended away a LeeBowyer shot in the 17th minute Terry had to react forcefully toprevent Alan Shearer from converting the loose ball.Chelsea's heart rate quickened, too, after the Asier Del Horno foul onBowyer four minutes later that allowed Solano to air his expertise atfree-kicks. The attempt went narrowly wide, even if Cudicini probablyhad it covered.Chelsea were spasmodic in their work and the employment of Cole in adeeper area meant that the side, with Michael Essien on the bench, didnot have as much muscle as usual to apply in midfield.Mourinho's team were merely in a workmanlike mood, confident thatvictory would emerge from diligence. That way of thinking often doesmake sense for them, particularly if the opposition are asunacquainted with marking as Newcastle. A minute before half-timeFrank Lampard bent in a free-kick and a stretching Ricardo Carvalhovolleyed wide of an open goal.Wastefulness of that order must encourage any opponents and Newcastle,whatever the other flaws that beset them, did not lack energy. SteveCarr, making his first appearance in two months after a herniaoperation, was as willing as ever to overlap. The visitors'
had to make his debut by coming on for the injured Celestine Babayaro.Chelsea, despite the reputation for vigilance, have been afflictedrecently with lapses in concentration and they were striving lastnight for only their second clean sheet in 10 matches. The contest, atleast, did not put them in danger of drowsiness. There was a minorfracas in the 59th minute after Robbie Elliott had kicked Cole as helay on the ground.Steve Bennett restored order with cautions for Moore, Shola Ameobi andDrogba. Almost immediately, the Ivorian international forced anexcellent block from Shay Given. Gudjohnsen, though, failed lamentablyto do even that in the 63rd minute. Running through on the left, hisfinish ran so far askew that it remained in play.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Independent :Chelsea 1 Newcastle United 0: Terry\'s early strike keeps Chelsea\'sDouble dream aliveBy Glenn MoorePublished: 23 March 2006Chelsea\'s dreams of a first League and Cup Double remain very muchalive after they beat Newcastle United 1-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finalat Stamford Bridge last night. John Terry, the England centraldefender, scored the winner in the fourth minute with a volley from acorner.However, once again Jose Mourinho\'s Premiership champions-elect failedto entertain in what was a dour match. Their manager will probablyclaim not to care but if Chelsea lift the Cup they will have attractedfew new followers last night.For Newcastle the defeat means another season without silverware.Thirty-seven years and counting for the Tyneside faithful. For AlanShearer, their retiring striker and assistant manager, hopes of atrophy with his home-town club - as a player at least - came to an",1]
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perseverance kept having to meet new tests, though, and Craig Moorehad to make his debut by coming on for the injured Celestine Babayaro.Chelsea, despite the reputation for vigilance, have been afflictedrecently with lapses in concentration and they were striving lastnight for only their second clean sheet in 10 matches. The contest, atleast, did not put them in danger of drowsiness. There was a minorfracas in the 59th minute after Robbie Elliott had kicked Cole as helay on the ground.Steve Bennett restored order with cautions for Moore, Shola Ameobi andDrogba. Almost immediately, the Ivorian international forced anexcellent block from Shay Given. Gudjohnsen, though, failed lamentablyto do even that in the 63rd minute. Running through on the left, hisfinish ran so far askew that it remained in play.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Independent :Chelsea 1 Newcastle United 0: Terry's early strike keeps Chelsea'sDouble dream aliveBy Glenn MoorePublished: 23 March 2006Chelsea's dreams of a first League and Cup Double remain very muchalive after they beat Newcastle United 1-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finalat Stamford Bridge last night. John Terry, the England centraldefender, scored the winner in the fourth minute with a volley from acorner.However, once again Jose Mourinho's Premiership champions-elect failedto entertain in what was a dour match. Their manager will probablyclaim not to care but if Chelsea lift the Cup they will have attractedfew new followers last night.For Newcastle the defeat means another season without silverware.Thirty-seven years and counting for the Tyneside faithful. For AlanShearer, their retiring striker and assistant manager, hopes of atrophy with his home-town club - as a player at least - came to an
Had he scored a 203rd last night Newcastle United may have secured atleast a replay from this FA Cup sixth-round tie but he did not managea shot. Nor did enough of his team-mates as Newcastle strained in vainto level John Terry\'s fourth-minute goal.Shearer will head into retirement this summer haunted by the knowledgethat, despite his status as one of England\'s finest post-war strikers,his career honours list can be boiled down to the solitary Premiershipmedal he won with Blackburn Rovers in 1995.The Chelsea squad matched that last season and remain on course to addthe Double but, once again, they left a sour taste. The culprit wasShaun Wright-Phillips, who capped an abysmal 23-minute cameo with aninjury-time dive under the challenge of Robbie Elliott causing thedefender to be dismissed for a second yellow card.The England winger was one of seven changes Jose Mourinho had made tothe team beaten by Fulham on Sunday. Ordinarily, that might be putdown to squad rotation but so abject was the performance that severalplayers could consider themselves dropped. Wright-Phillips, hauled offafter 25 minutes at Craven Cottage, will have fallen into thatcategory.Newcastle, heavily beaten by Liverpool the same day, had fewer cardsto shuffle. With three centre-halves injured or suspended, thecaretaker-manager, Glenn Roeder, was forced to pair the rookie PeterRamage, who had spent most of his Premiership career at full-back,with Elliott, normally a left-back. This pair did not take long to beexposed.From Damien Duff\'s corner Terry, leaving Ramage trailing, struck a lowdrive. Shay Given may well have saved but Nolberto Solano, on thepost, stuck out a foot and inadvertently diverted the ball between thegoalkeeper\'s legs, and in. It was arguably an own goal but, morefairly, Terry\'s fifth of the season, a meagre tally given his",1]
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end.Had he scored a 203rd last night Newcastle United may have secured atleast a replay from this FA Cup sixth-round tie but he did not managea shot. Nor did enough of his team-mates as Newcastle strained in vainto level John Terry's fourth-minute goal.Shearer will head into retirement this summer haunted by the knowledgethat, despite his status as one of England's finest post-war strikers,his career honours list can be boiled down to the solitary Premiershipmedal he won with Blackburn Rovers in 1995.The Chelsea squad matched that last season and remain on course to addthe Double but, once again, they left a sour taste. The culprit wasShaun Wright-Phillips, who capped an abysmal 23-minute cameo with aninjury-time dive under the challenge of Robbie Elliott causing thedefender to be dismissed for a second yellow card.The England winger was one of seven changes Jose Mourinho had made tothe team beaten by Fulham on Sunday. Ordinarily, that might be putdown to squad rotation but so abject was the performance that severalplayers could consider themselves dropped. Wright-Phillips, hauled offafter 25 minutes at Craven Cottage, will have fallen into thatcategory.Newcastle, heavily beaten by Liverpool the same day, had fewer cardsto shuffle. With three centre-halves injured or suspended, thecaretaker-manager, Glenn Roeder, was forced to pair the rookie PeterRamage, who had spent most of his Premiership career at full-back,with Elliott, normally a left-back. This pair did not take long to beexposed.From Damien Duff's corner Terry, leaving Ramage trailing, struck a lowdrive. Shay Given may well have saved but Nolberto Solano, on thepost, stuck out a foot and inadvertently diverted the ball between thegoalkeeper's legs, and in. It was arguably an own goal but, morefairly, Terry's fifth of the season, a meagre tally given his
little doubt that Chelsea would join West Ham and Liverpool intomorrow\'s semi-final draw.Newcastle had not won at Stamford Bridge since 1986, when Roeder wasplaying for them, and had conceded 15 goals in their past four visits.But they did not succumb meekly like Birmingham City the previousnight and Chelsea did not appear in as clinical a frame of mind asLiverpool had been at St Andrew\'s.This, at least, gave Carlo Cudicini a rare opportunity to show hisclass. The goalkeeper, who presumably feels occasional cup outingssuch as this one, and healthy remuneration, are sufficientcompensation for his second-string status, had to leap full length topalm away Lee Bowyer\'s 16th-minute snap shot. A few years ago it wouldstill have been a goal for Shearer was following up but Terry gotthere first.Newcastle were given further chances through the indiscipline whichhas crept into Chelsea\'s defending, but Newcastle\'s makeshift defencecontinued to struggle at set-pieces. Immedi-ately after the restart,Joe Cole forced a good save at the near post from Given. Then EidurGudjohnsen dribbled through with evident intent only to spoon his shotover. With Newcastle\'s defence being stretched to breaking point CraigMoore, one of Graeme Souness\' summer signings, was introduced for whatwas, unbelievably, his debut.With Newcastle weathering the storm, tensions rose. Drogba, SholaAmeobi and Moore were all booked, and Elliott could have beendismissed, following an ugly scramble for a loose ball which hadbecome lodged under Cole.Duff later made way as Chelsea, having flaunted their riches on BudgetDay by putting £74m of talent on the bench, introducedWright-Phillips. With the home side counter-attacking at will heshould have settled the issue but blazed over. It will have done the",1]
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dominating presence at set-pieces. From that moment on there seemedlittle doubt that Chelsea would join West Ham and Liverpool intomorrow's semi-final draw.Newcastle had not won at Stamford Bridge since 1986, when Roeder wasplaying for them, and had conceded 15 goals in their past four visits.But they did not succumb meekly like Birmingham City the previousnight and Chelsea did not appear in as clinical a frame of mind asLiverpool had been at St Andrew's.This, at least, gave Carlo Cudicini a rare opportunity to show hisclass. The goalkeeper, who presumably feels occasional cup outingssuch as this one, and healthy remuneration, are sufficientcompensation for his second-string status, had to leap full length topalm away Lee Bowyer's 16th-minute snap shot. A few years ago it wouldstill have been a goal for Shearer was following up but Terry gotthere first.Newcastle were given further chances through the indiscipline whichhas crept into Chelsea's defending, but Newcastle's makeshift defencecontinued to struggle at set-pieces. Immedi-ately after the restart,Joe Cole forced a good save at the near post from Given. Then EidurGudjohnsen dribbled through with evident intent only to spoon his shotover. With Newcastle's defence being stretched to breaking point CraigMoore, one of Graeme Souness' summer signings, was introduced for whatwas, unbelievably, his debut.With Newcastle weathering the storm, tensions rose. Drogba, SholaAmeobi and Moore were all booked, and Elliott could have beendismissed, following an ugly scramble for a loose ball which hadbecome lodged under Cole.Duff later made way as Chelsea, having flaunted their riches on BudgetDay by putting £74m of talent on the bench, introducedWright-Phillips. With the home side counter-attacking at will heshould have settled the issue but blazed over. It will have done the
Chelsea (4-1-2-3): Cudicini; Geremi, Carvalho, Terry, Del Horno;Makelele; Gudjohnsen (Essien, 75), Lampard; Cole (Crespo, 75), Drogba,Duff (Wright-Phillips, 67). Substitutes not used: Cech (gk), Huth.Newcastle United (4-2-3-1): Given; Carr, Ramage, Elliott, Babayaro(Moore, 55); Parker, Bowyer; Solano (Emre, 69), Dyer, Ameobi; Shearer.Substitutes not used: Harper (gk), Faye, Clark.Referee: S Bennett (Orpington).------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph :Shearer out with a whimper as Chelsea cruiseBy Henry Winter at Stamford Bridge(Chelsea (1) 1 Newcastle United (0) 0So that is why Newcastle United organised Alan Shearer\'s testimonialfor two days before the FA Cup final.Shearer, the old warrior sadly now showing his 35 years, failed totrouble Chelsea in this unmemorable quarter-final, and the man whostifled him, John Terry, even found time to score the winner.So, Shearer\'s fine career will now end with a whimper, and not a bashat the Millennium Stadium that neutrals and the Toon Army craved.Newcastle have not won the Cup since Jackie Milburn was at No 9 andAnthony Eden was at No 10 but it was still disappointing to see thembow meekly to their fate last night.No one raged at the dying of their season\'s light. No one decided topush forward in proper support of the lone, frustrated figure ofShearer. Kieron Dyer, commendably, tried to insinuate his way upfieldwith some promising breaks but it was too little, too late.Maybe the 51 years of Cup hurt, and a record of not having prevailedat the Bridge for 21 years, weighed heavily on Newcastle minds.Belief, the trait that defines Shearer, was painfully absent from hisbeloved team. Newcastle\'s fans were more upbeat.",1]
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player no favours.Chelsea (4-1-2-3): Cudicini; Geremi, Carvalho, Terry, Del Horno;Makelele; Gudjohnsen (Essien, 75), Lampard; Cole (Crespo, 75), Drogba,Duff (Wright-Phillips, 67). Substitutes not used: Cech (gk), Huth.Newcastle United (4-2-3-1): Given; Carr, Ramage, Elliott, Babayaro(Moore, 55); Parker, Bowyer; Solano (Emre, 69), Dyer, Ameobi; Shearer.Substitutes not used: Harper (gk), Faye, Clark.Referee: S Bennett (Orpington).------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph :Shearer out with a whimper as Chelsea cruiseBy Henry Winter at Stamford Bridge(Chelsea (1) 1 Newcastle United (0) 0So that is why Newcastle United organised Alan Shearer's testimonialfor two days before the FA Cup final.Shearer, the old warrior sadly now showing his 35 years, failed totrouble Chelsea in this unmemorable quarter-final, and the man whostifled him, John Terry, even found time to score the winner.So, Shearer's fine career will now end with a whimper, and not a bashat the Millennium Stadium that neutrals and the Toon Army craved.Newcastle have not won the Cup since Jackie Milburn was at No 9 andAnthony Eden was at No 10 but it was still disappointing to see thembow meekly to their fate last night.No one raged at the dying of their season's light. No one decided topush forward in proper support of the lone, frustrated figure ofShearer. Kieron Dyer, commendably, tried to insinuate his way upfieldwith some promising breaks but it was too little, too late.Maybe the 51 years of Cup hurt, and a record of not having prevailedat the Bridge for 21 years, weighed heavily on Newcastle minds.Belief, the trait that defines Shearer, was painfully absent from hisbeloved team. Newcastle's fans were more upbeat.
At least Gallowgate and friends can give Shearer an emotional send-offwhen Celtic visit St James\' Park on May 11. By then, Chelsea could bewithin 48-hours of the Double, depending on how they fare in thesemi-finals, the draw for which takes place tomorrow. With Terryleading the side with such conviction, the Premiership pace-settersdefinitely have a chance of the Double.Terry\'s strike, leadership and tackling was a tonic for theblue-shirted troops after Sunday\'s disappointment down the road atFulham.In times of adversity, few men are better at delivering the perfectresponse in word and deed than Terry, who took his goal well, keptcajoling his colleagues and stuck closely to Shearer.After the Craven Cottage reverse, Terry admitted he and his team-mateshad discussed the need "to get back to basics", namely playing with a"high tempo" and "good pressing". The talks paid off.Chelsea\'s mood was so different to the Fulham failure. There werechanges in personnel (seven) and, significantly, in tactics, with JoseMourinho switching to a more fluent 4-2-3-1 formation which saw bluewaves flooding forward in support of Didier Drogba time after time.Frank Lampard shared the anchoring duties with Claude Makelele, thepair constantly releasing Damien Duff down the left, Joe Cole down theright or finding the receptive feet of Eidur Gudjohnsen as the cleverIcelander dropped off Drogba.Even with five in midfield, Newcastle struggled to limit thechampions\' non-stop movement. Chelsea were also encouraged by thesight of the black-and-white back-line.Newcastle\'s defenders always give the impression of having beenintroduced only in the tunnel and once again they were strangers inthe night. Even without the erratic twins, Jean-Alain Boumsong andTitus Bramble, Newcastle\'s rearguard was soon and predictably exposed.",1]
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At least Gallowgate and friends can give Shearer an emotional send-offwhen Celtic visit St James' Park on May 11. By then, Chelsea could bewithin 48-hours of the Double, depending on how they fare in thesemi-finals, the draw for which takes place tomorrow. With Terryleading the side with such conviction, the Premiership pace-settersdefinitely have a chance of the Double.Terry's strike, leadership and tackling was a tonic for theblue-shirted troops after Sunday's disappointment down the road atFulham.In times of adversity, few men are better at delivering the perfectresponse in word and deed than Terry, who took his goal well, keptcajoling his colleagues and stuck closely to Shearer.After the Craven Cottage reverse, Terry admitted he and his team-mateshad discussed the need "to get back to basics", namely playing with a"high tempo" and "good pressing". The talks paid off.Chelsea's mood was so different to the Fulham failure. There werechanges in personnel (seven) and, significantly, in tactics, with JoseMourinho switching to a more fluent 4-2-3-1 formation which saw bluewaves flooding forward in support of Didier Drogba time after time.Frank Lampard shared the anchoring duties with Claude Makelele, thepair constantly releasing Damien Duff down the left, Joe Cole down theright or finding the receptive feet of Eidur Gudjohnsen as the cleverIcelander dropped off Drogba.Even with five in midfield, Newcastle struggled to limit thechampions' non-stop movement. Chelsea were also encouraged by thesight of the black-and-white back-line.Newcastle's defenders always give the impression of having beenintroduced only in the tunnel and once again they were strangers inthe night. Even without the erratic twins, Jean-Alain Boumsong andTitus Bramble, Newcastle's rearguard was soon and predictably exposed.
The culprit this time was Peter Ramage, who was found wanting asDuff\'s fourth-minute corner curled across in front of the Geordielegions in the Shed. Ramage failed to keep track of Terry, who met theball with a neat left-footed half-volley that sped between NobbySolano and Shay Given.Chelsea should really have turned round further ahead. Only a divingblock from Celestine Babayaro thwarted Cole.Scott Parker, who was everywhere against his former employers,displayed marvellous awareness and agility to intercept a ball racingtowards Gudjohnsen. Then Given reacted well to punch clear a Geremicross destined for Drogba\'s head.To the home fans\' delight, the champions were playing with guile, gritand width. Sadly, some of Chelsea\'s less edifying traits were inevidence, notably a disgraceful piece of simulation from Asier delHorno as Parker challenged.Steve Bennett was tricked into awarding a free-kick, which Lampardimmediately bent into the box. Ricardo Carvalho, unmarked and closein, somehow contrived to miss.It was far from one-way traffic. Newcastle had their first-halfchances and Carlo Cudicini scrambled to his left to keep out a shotfrom Lee Bowyer. When Del Horno then fouled Bowyer 25 yards out,Solano bent in a free-kick that found only the side-netting.At least this was something to encourage the all-singing, all-standingToon Army, whose constant noise sparked the Chelsea choirs into vocallife. The temperature rose just before the hour-mark when RobbieElliott, already cautioned, recklessly kicked at a ball clearlytrapped under Cole, who had fallen to the floor.The usual playground posturing and pushing broke out, leaving Drogba,Craig Moore and Shola Ameobi cautioned. Bennett\'s failure toadminister a second booking to Elliott was perplexing, although thedefender was sent off in the final minute, wrongly as he never touched",1]
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The culprit this time was Peter Ramage, who was found wanting asDuff's fourth-minute corner curled across in front of the Geordielegions in the Shed. Ramage failed to keep track of Terry, who met theball with a neat left-footed half-volley that sped between NobbySolano and Shay Given.Chelsea should really have turned round further ahead. Only a divingblock from Celestine Babayaro thwarted Cole.Scott Parker, who was everywhere against his former employers,displayed marvellous awareness and agility to intercept a ball racingtowards Gudjohnsen. Then Given reacted well to punch clear a Geremicross destined for Drogba's head.To the home fans' delight, the champions were playing with guile, gritand width. Sadly, some of Chelsea's less edifying traits were inevidence, notably a disgraceful piece of simulation from Asier delHorno as Parker challenged.Steve Bennett was tricked into awarding a free-kick, which Lampardimmediately bent into the box. Ricardo Carvalho, unmarked and closein, somehow contrived to miss.It was far from one-way traffic. Newcastle had their first-halfchances and Carlo Cudicini scrambled to his left to keep out a shotfrom Lee Bowyer. When Del Horno then fouled Bowyer 25 yards out,Solano bent in a free-kick that found only the side-netting.At least this was something to encourage the all-singing, all-standingToon Army, whose constant noise sparked the Chelsea choirs into vocallife. The temperature rose just before the hour-mark when RobbieElliott, already cautioned, recklessly kicked at a ball clearlytrapped under Cole, who had fallen to the floor.The usual playground posturing and pushing broke out, leaving Drogba,Craig Moore and Shola Ameobi cautioned. Bennett's failure toadminister a second booking to Elliott was perplexing, although thedefender was sent off in the final minute, wrongly as he never touched
Shearer was so incensed he was cautioned for dissent. Shearer went outwith a shout, but not one of celebration.Match detailsChelsea (4-2-3-1): Cudicini; Geremi, Carvalho, Terry, Del Horno;Lampard, Makelele; J Cole (Essien, 78), Gudjohnsen (Crespo, 77), Duff(Wright-Phillips, 67); Drogba.Subs: Cech (g), Wright-Phillips, Huth. Booked: Drogba, Geremi.Newcastle United (4-5-1): Given; Carr, Ramage, Elliott, Babayaro(Moore, 52); Solano (Emre, 69), Dyer, Parker, Bowyer, Ameobi; Shearer.Subs: Harper (g), Faye, Clark. Booked: Elliott, Moore, Ameobi,Shearer. Sent off: Elliott.Referee: S Bennett (Kent).------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Times March 23, 2006Chelsea shatter Shearer\'s dream of final farewellBy Matt Dickinson, Chief Football CorrespondentChelsea 1 Newcastle United 0FIFTEEN million pounds, 10 years, 399 games, 202 goals, 0 trophies.That final statistic may read like a damning epitaph to Alan Shearer\'sNewcastle United career, but his decade at St James\' Park might havebeen gilded with silverware had others contributed half as much ashim.John Terry\'s goal in last night\'s FA Cup quarter-final carried Chelseacloser to their first Double and predictably ended Shearer\'s fainthopes of a glorious finale, but as he prepares for his final lap ofhonour, the old warhorse has nothing to be embarrassed about.His performance last night may have been notable for little more thana late booking for dissent, but then, given age, injuries and themonstrous burden of trying to lift his woefully mismanaged club, it ishardly surprising that he has flagged in his later years."Alan wouldn\'t want sympathy," Glenn Roeder, the Newcastle United",1]
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Shaun Wright-Phillips.Shearer was so incensed he was cautioned for dissent. Shearer went outwith a shout, but not one of celebration.Match detailsChelsea (4-2-3-1): Cudicini; Geremi, Carvalho, Terry, Del Horno;Lampard, Makelele; J Cole (Essien, 78), Gudjohnsen (Crespo, 77), Duff(Wright-Phillips, 67); Drogba.Subs: Cech (g), Wright-Phillips, Huth. Booked: Drogba, Geremi.Newcastle United (4-5-1): Given; Carr, Ramage, Elliott, Babayaro(Moore, 52); Solano (Emre, 69), Dyer, Parker, Bowyer, Ameobi; Shearer.Subs: Harper (g), Faye, Clark. Booked: Elliott, Moore, Ameobi,Shearer. Sent off: Elliott.Referee: S Bennett (Kent).------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Times March 23, 2006Chelsea shatter Shearer's dream of final farewellBy Matt Dickinson, Chief Football CorrespondentChelsea 1 Newcastle United 0FIFTEEN million pounds, 10 years, 399 games, 202 goals, 0 trophies.That final statistic may read like a damning epitaph to Alan Shearer'sNewcastle United career, but his decade at St James' Park might havebeen gilded with silverware had others contributed half as much ashim.John Terry's goal in last night's FA Cup quarter-final carried Chelseacloser to their first Double and predictably ended Shearer's fainthopes of a glorious finale, but as he prepares for his final lap ofhonour, the old warhorse has nothing to be embarrassed about.His performance last night may have been notable for little more thana late booking for dissent, but then, given age, injuries and themonstrous burden of trying to lift his woefully mismanaged club, it ishardly surprising that he has flagged in his later years."Alan wouldn't want sympathy," Glenn Roeder, the Newcastle United
but it is not for lack of him trying as hard as he could. He will dusthimself down, finish the season, then head into retirement, but I\'msure he\'ll be back at this club as manager, whether it takes one orsix years."Shearer, 35, was booked last night shortly after Robbie Elliott hadpicked up a second yellow card for blocking Shaun Wright-Phillips.Elliott had pushed his luck, but it was a harsh decision and Wright-Phillips was not spared by Roeder or Shearer."He dived and it\'s an element that is creeping into our game," Shearer said.Roeder said: "I would be disappointed in the young man. I don\'t thinkhis dad (Ian Wright) will be too pleased."The decision came too late to affect a victory that showed Chelsea tobe in reasonable spirit, if lacking ruthlessness. Manchester Unitedmight fancy their chances in a head-to-head at the moment, but withManchester City and Birmingham City next up for the champions, theyhave ideal opponents to bring them back to form for an uplifting endto the campaign, particularly if they can avoid Liverpool intomorrow\'s semi-final draw.Chelsea were dominant last night, although José Mourinho wassufficiently annoyed by some of his team\'s wastefulness to rip hisnotebook into pieces. He will not have expected any late anxiety whenChelsea went ahead within four minutes.Roeder had described it as the tie that no one wanted and this was thestart that no one in black and white wanted either as Damien Duffwhipped a corner to the near post for Terry to steer goalwards.Nolberto Solano attempted to intervene, only to steer the ball underShay Given. "I\'m definitely claiming it," Terry said.It was sloppy marking from Peter Ramage, while, if it is not kicking aman when he is down, Shearer looked rooted to the spot as the ball was",1]
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caretaker manager, said. "I'm sure he would have liked a medal or two,but it is not for lack of him trying as hard as he could. He will dusthimself down, finish the season, then head into retirement, but I'msure he'll be back at this club as manager, whether it takes one orsix years."Shearer, 35, was booked last night shortly after Robbie Elliott hadpicked up a second yellow card for blocking Shaun Wright-Phillips.Elliott had pushed his luck, but it was a harsh decision and Wright-Phillips was not spared by Roeder or Shearer."He dived and it's an element that is creeping into our game," Shearer said.Roeder said: "I would be disappointed in the young man. I don't thinkhis dad (Ian Wright) will be too pleased."The decision came too late to affect a victory that showed Chelsea tobe in reasonable spirit, if lacking ruthlessness. Manchester Unitedmight fancy their chances in a head-to-head at the moment, but withManchester City and Birmingham City next up for the champions, theyhave ideal opponents to bring them back to form for an uplifting endto the campaign, particularly if they can avoid Liverpool intomorrow's semi-final draw.Chelsea were dominant last night, although José Mourinho wassufficiently annoyed by some of his team's wastefulness to rip hisnotebook into pieces. He will not have expected any late anxiety whenChelsea went ahead within four minutes.Roeder had described it as the tie that no one wanted and this was thestart that no one in black and white wanted either as Damien Duffwhipped a corner to the near post for Terry to steer goalwards.Nolberto Solano attempted to intervene, only to steer the ball underShay Given. "I'm definitely claiming it," Terry said.It was sloppy marking from Peter Ramage, while, if it is not kicking aman when he is down, Shearer looked rooted to the spot as the ball was
the lax regime of Graeme Souness, the defensive manpower is hopelesslyinadequate.From the moment that they gathered for a huddle that briefly delayedthe kick-off, Newcastle\'s commitment could not be faulted, butferocity in the tackle from Scott Parker and eagerness in possessionfrom Kieron Dyer could not disguise the fact that they were going tobe restricted to chances on the counter-attack.From one, Carlo Cudicini parried Lee Bowyer\'s shot, but just asShearer attempted to capitalise on the rebound, Terry arrived to denyhim. A free kick by Solano also gave Cudicini a moment\'s anxiety, butit was back at the other end that the next goal should have come andRicardo Carvalho could spend a long time trying to explain how hefailed to score it.Lampard\'s free kick invited a finishing touch, but Carvalho\'soutstretched leg succeeded only in deflecting the ball back across theface of the goal. It was the sort of miss that could be laughed at inthe aftermath of victory, but as the whistle blew for half-time acouple of minutes later, Mourinho will not have been content with theslender advantage.The odd layoff and wrestling bout with Terry aside, Shearer wasstruggling to make headway. Dyer, looking to push for a place inEngland\'s World Cup squad, was causing more concern for Chelsea as hebuzzed around in his role as an auxiliary striker. He impressed,although Sven-Göran Eriksson will want to see a sustained run of gamesbefore he can consider taking such an injury-prone player to Germanythis summer.His swift attacks were thwarted by some dogged Chelsea tackling, butas long as the game stayed 1-0, Newcastle lived in hope of a luckybreak. It was not to come and Shearer was left to troop off,complaining bitterly.CHELSEA (4-3-3): C Cudicini — Gérémi, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Del Horno",1]
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played in. For all of Roeder's attempts to drill the back line afterthe lax regime of Graeme Souness, the defensive manpower is hopelesslyinadequate.From the moment that they gathered for a huddle that briefly delayedthe kick-off, Newcastle's commitment could not be faulted, butferocity in the tackle from Scott Parker and eagerness in possessionfrom Kieron Dyer could not disguise the fact that they were going tobe restricted to chances on the counter-attack.From one, Carlo Cudicini parried Lee Bowyer's shot, but just asShearer attempted to capitalise on the rebound, Terry arrived to denyhim. A free kick by Solano also gave Cudicini a moment's anxiety, butit was back at the other end that the next goal should have come andRicardo Carvalho could spend a long time trying to explain how hefailed to score it.Lampard's free kick invited a finishing touch, but Carvalho'soutstretched leg succeeded only in deflecting the ball back across theface of the goal. It was the sort of miss that could be laughed at inthe aftermath of victory, but as the whistle blew for half-time acouple of minutes later, Mourinho will not have been content with theslender advantage.The odd layoff and wrestling bout with Terry aside, Shearer wasstruggling to make headway. Dyer, looking to push for a place inEngland's World Cup squad, was causing more concern for Chelsea as hebuzzed around in his role as an auxiliary striker. He impressed,although Sven-Göran Eriksson will want to see a sustained run of gamesbefore he can consider taking such an injury-prone player to Germanythis summer.His swift attacks were thwarted by some dogged Chelsea tackling, butas long as the game stayed 1-0, Newcastle lived in hope of a luckybreak. It was not to come and Shearer was left to troop off,complaining bitterly.CHELSEA (4-3-3): C Cudicini — Gérémi, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Del Horno
(sub: H Crespo, 78), D Drogba, D Duff (sub: S Wright-Phillips, 68).Substitutes not used: P Cech, R Huth. Booked: Drogba, Gérémi.NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-4-1-1): S Given — S Carr, P Ramage, R Elliott, CBabayaro (sub: C Moore, 52) — N Solano (sub: Emre Belözoglu, 70), LBowyer, S Parker, F Ameobi — K Dyer — A Shearer. Substitutes not used:S Harper, A Faye, L Clark. Booked: Elliott, Moore, Ameobi, Shearer.Sent off: Elliott.Referee: S Bennett.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mirror :TERRY\'S ALL GOLD.. BUT ALAN\'S GOT NO SILVERFA CUP QUARTER-FINAL WEEK PART 3:CHELSEA 1 NEWCASTLE 0 FROM STAMFORD BRIDGEShaky Chelsea reach semisJohn CrossTHE acid test of true champions is how they react in defeat and lastnight John Terry led by example to keep Chelsea on course for a dreamDouble.The Chelsea captain fired home a fourth-minute winner as his teamresponded to Sunday\'s surprise setback at Fulham in determinedfashion.It was hardly a top-class performance but Terry was magnificent as hiswinner spelt more FA Cup heartbreak for Newcastle and provedchampions-elect Chelsea are prepared to dig deep to win silverwarethis season.Newcastle\'s caretaker boss Glenn Roeder must have grimaced whenChelsea lost at Fulham and he must have arrived at Stamford Bridgeexpecting a backlash.It was also ominous that Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho spelt out hisdetermination to win the FA Cup this season and avenge theirfifth-round defeat at the hands of Newcastle last February. That waswhen Chelsea - who went on to win the Premiership and the Carling Cup- saw their hopes of a domestic Treble end.However, no team is more desperate to do well in this competition than",1]
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— E Gudjohnsen (sub: M Essien, 78min), C Makelele, F Lampard — J Cole(sub: H Crespo, 78), D Drogba, D Duff (sub: S Wright-Phillips, 68).Substitutes not used: P Cech, R Huth. Booked: Drogba, Gérémi.NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-4-1-1): S Given — S Carr, P Ramage, R Elliott, CBabayaro (sub: C Moore, 52) — N Solano (sub: Emre Belözoglu, 70), LBowyer, S Parker, F Ameobi — K Dyer — A Shearer. Substitutes not used:S Harper, A Faye, L Clark. Booked: Elliott, Moore, Ameobi, Shearer.Sent off: Elliott.Referee: S Bennett.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mirror :TERRY'S ALL GOLD.. BUT ALAN'S GOT NO SILVERFA CUP QUARTER-FINAL WEEK PART 3:CHELSEA 1 NEWCASTLE 0 FROM STAMFORD BRIDGEShaky Chelsea reach semisJohn CrossTHE acid test of true champions is how they react in defeat and lastnight John Terry led by example to keep Chelsea on course for a dreamDouble.The Chelsea captain fired home a fourth-minute winner as his teamresponded to Sunday's surprise setback at Fulham in determinedfashion.It was hardly a top-class performance but Terry was magnificent as hiswinner spelt more FA Cup heartbreak for Newcastle and provedchampions-elect Chelsea are prepared to dig deep to win silverwarethis season.Newcastle's caretaker boss Glenn Roeder must have grimaced whenChelsea lost at Fulham and he must have arrived at Stamford Bridgeexpecting a backlash.It was also ominous that Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho spelt out hisdetermination to win the FA Cup this season and avenge theirfifth-round defeat at the hands of Newcastle last February. That waswhen Chelsea - who went on to win the Premiership and the Carling Cup- saw their hopes of a domestic Treble end.However, no team is more desperate to do well in this competition than
And for their talisman striker Alan Shearer the Cup represented afinal chance to win something at his beloved club.Roeder recalled fit-again Kieron Dyer - who has been struggling with amystery infection - in his only change to his starting line-up fromSunday\'s defeat to Liverpool.But Mourinho decided to ring the changes with seven new faces in thestarting line-up from the defeat at Fulham and it had an immediateeffect as Damien Duff\'s return at Shaun Wright-Phillips\' expensereaped quick dividends.Republic of Ireland winger Duff fired in a fourth-minute corner whichskimmed across the Newcastle box and their slack marking allowed theball to reach Terry.The Chelsea captain fired in a low shot which Nolberto Solanodeflected past keeper Shay Given to the horror of the travelling ToonArmy who were massed behind the goal.It was a disastrous start but Newcastle weathered the early storm andenjoyed a decent spell as they put Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini underpressure.Toon midfielder Lee Bowyer\'s 17th-minute shot was well saved byCudicini and then scrambled out by Terry who cleared ahead of theon-rushing Shearer.Bowyer created more danger in the 22nd minute when his clever turntricked Asier Del Horno into conceding a clumsy foul 20 yards out, andSolano\'s curling free-kick rippled the side netting. It wasfrustrating for Newcastle and Robbie Elliott was booked for pullingback Ivory Coast striker Drogba.There was little action in a dull and scrappy encounter with Newcastleconceding countless fouls and were lucky not to go further behindafter 43 minutes following another foul by Scott Parker on the rightedge of the box.Frank Lampard\'s curling free-kick found Ricardo Carvalho but hesteered high and wide from inside the six-yard box and Newcastle\'spoor marking brought an angry exchange between Given and left-back",1]
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Newcastle.And for their talisman striker Alan Shearer the Cup represented afinal chance to win something at his beloved club.Roeder recalled fit-again Kieron Dyer - who has been struggling with amystery infection - in his only change to his starting line-up fromSunday's defeat to Liverpool.But Mourinho decided to ring the changes with seven new faces in thestarting line-up from the defeat at Fulham and it had an immediateeffect as Damien Duff's return at Shaun Wright-Phillips' expensereaped quick dividends.Republic of Ireland winger Duff fired in a fourth-minute corner whichskimmed across the Newcastle box and their slack marking allowed theball to reach Terry.The Chelsea captain fired in a low shot which Nolberto Solanodeflected past keeper Shay Given to the horror of the travelling ToonArmy who were massed behind the goal.It was a disastrous start but Newcastle weathered the early storm andenjoyed a decent spell as they put Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini underpressure.Toon midfielder Lee Bowyer's 17th-minute shot was well saved byCudicini and then scrambled out by Terry who cleared ahead of theon-rushing Shearer.Bowyer created more danger in the 22nd minute when his clever turntricked Asier Del Horno into conceding a clumsy foul 20 yards out, andSolano's curling free-kick rippled the side netting. It wasfrustrating for Newcastle and Robbie Elliott was booked for pullingback Ivory Coast striker Drogba.There was little action in a dull and scrappy encounter with Newcastleconceding countless fouls and were lucky not to go further behindafter 43 minutes following another foul by Scott Parker on the rightedge of the box.Frank Lampard's curling free-kick found Ricardo Carvalho but hesteered high and wide from inside the six-yard box and Newcastle'spoor marking brought an angry exchange between Given and left-back
Chelsea started the second half as if they had received a rollickingfrom Mourinho during the break.Joe Cole and Eidur Gudjohnsen went close within four minutes of therestart as they started brightly. Newcastle defender Elliott, havingalready been booked, was lucky not to be sent off for kicking out atCole when the ball was stuck under his body.It sparked a nasty bust-up between both sets of players which then sawCraig Moore and Drogba booked. When the game finally restarted, Givenproduced a fine double save to deny Drogba.As Newcastle piled forward in search of an equaliser, Wright-Phillips,on as a sub, ran straight into Elliott who was booked for obstruction,and saw red for his second yellow.It was a scrappy end to scrappy tie as Chelsea had just enough qualityto sneak through.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------http://www.cfchistory.co.uk/forum/index.php",0]
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Celestine Babayaro.Chelsea started the second half as if they had received a rollickingfrom Mourinho during the break.Joe Cole and Eidur Gudjohnsen went close within four minutes of therestart as they started brightly. Newcastle defender Elliott, havingalready been booked, was lucky not to be sent off for kicking out atCole when the ball was stuck under his body.It sparked a nasty bust-up between both sets of players which then sawCraig Moore and Drogba booked. When the game finally restarted, Givenproduced a fine double save to deny Drogba.As Newcastle piled forward in search of an equaliser, Wright-Phillips,on as a sub, ran straight into Elliott who was booked for obstruction,and saw red for his second yellow.It was a scrappy end to scrappy tie as Chelsea had just enough qualityto sneak through.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------