Are the wheels coming off the Chelsea bandwagon?

[Dunny]

CARLO ANCELOTTI is set to axe some of his Chelsea flops for tomorrow's clash with Portsmouth.

The Italian warned his players last week that another poor performance would mean changes.
And after Saturday's home 3-3 draw with Everton, Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Ballack are the big names in the firing line.
Alex and Florent Malouda will come in for the Blues - who were booed by their own fans against the Toffees. But goalie Petr Cech keeps his place.

[Dunny]

PETR CECH has launched a bitter attack on the Chelsea boo-boys.

The keeper is furious with home fans who jeered after the 3-3 draw with Everton.
Cech said: "I was very surprised to hear the boos from the crowd because this was our first Premier League draw at home all season.
"Look at the games we have played here, in the league, the Champions League and the Carling Cup and you will see all the clean sheets we have kept and all the goals we have scored.
"So I was really surprised to hear the supporters' reaction. Surprised because I don't understand it."
Cech insists he should not be singled out for blame - despite all three Everton goals coming from set-plays.
He said: "We lost a lot of the first headers. But it is not an individual responsibility at set-plays. It is collective."

[Dunny]

RICARDO CARVALHO wants his fellow defenders to pull together to cut out Chelsea's defensive lapses.

The Blues were held to a 3-3 draw by Everton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with all three goals conceded coming courtesy of mistakes.
Keeper Petr Cech has been singled out for most of the blame but Carvalho insists all the players must take responsibility.
The central defender said: "Right now every mistake we make, we concede a goal.
"We are playing well but we have to be more compact, especially at set-pieces, free-kicks and corners.
"When someone makes a mistake you have to be there to help him.
"Against Everton one goal came from a throw-in and the other two from free-kicks."
Carvalho, 31, is set to make his 200th appearance for Chelsea against Portsmouth on Wednesday.
But the Portugal international admits he is not a happy man at present — because Carlo Ancelotti's men have not won since last month's 3-0 success at Arsenal.
He added: "I think I am playing well compared to last season.
"However, I can't enjoy it because we're drawing or losing. I'm a little bit frustrated."

[Dunny]

JOSE MOURINHO might have been the Special One but Avram Grant insists he was simply the Guilty One.

Grant remains convinced he was made the scapegoat for Chelsea's shootout loss to Manchester United in the Champions League final in Moscow in 2008.
Three days after John Terry's sudden-death miss in Moscow, Grant's contract as Chelsea boss was terminated by ruthless owner Roman Abramovich.
Grant takes Portsmouth to Stamford Bridge tonight for his biggest test since becoming manager at Fratton Park.
He said: "Every day there is always someone in the street who will remind me of that John Terry penalty. Would I have kept my job if we had won the Champions League? I really don't know.
"The chairman said it was my fault Terry missed and it was my fault that we didn't start that season so well.
"He forgot I wasn't the manager at the beginning. It was all my fault. That was my job as the manager - to be guilty."
Nineteen months after his dismissal with three years left on a £2.5million-a-year Chelsea deal, Grant's lawyers are still arguing over his pay-off.
As well as being the only manager in the club's history to lead them to the Champions League final, he also finished just two points behind Premier League winners Manchester United and took them to the Carling Cup final, albeit losing to Tottenham.
No wonder Grant believes the billionaire Russian was wrong to replace him with the more high-profile Phil Scolari.
He added: "I proved everything I needed to at Chelsea. The facts speak for themselves.
"It was more than anyone at the club expected. I can only be proud. It was one of the best seasons in their history.
"The team was not in a good situation when I took over. Not in terms of performance, not in points and not in Europe after they had just drawn against Rosenborg.
"Nobody knew who I was and I was trying to do things a different way to Mourinho, which was going to take time.
"Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson needed more than one year to put their influence on the team. I did it in a very short time with the help of a great staff and great players.
"I believed it was right for me to stay because the team was improving all the time.
"Every month we got better. In the last three months we won all the big games.
"But the owner made a decision. I had two choices - to look back or look forward. I chose to look forward."

Advertisement

var RStag = "";try{RStag = segQS;}catch(e){RStag = "";}document.write('');


Grant, 54, insists he harbours no bitterness towards anyone he left behind at Chelsea.
He said: "The supporters were not very good to me at the beginning because they did not know who I was.
"But in the last months their reaction to me made my heart warm. I cannot say one negative thing about them.
"In my last home game against Bolton they stayed behind and chanted my name. But I never got a proper chance to say goodbye.
"I could read between the lines, so when they terminated my contract three days after Moscow, it was not a complete surprise.
"I did manage to contact most of the players and staff and even a few members of the board but not all of them."
Grant, who never lost in 25 home games as Chelsea boss, admits it will be the shock of the season if bottom side Portsmouth win tonight.
And he believes his former employers have learned a few lessons since his departure.
He claimed: "Chelsea are now more patient. They no longer take it for granted that they will win a lot of games.
"What did I learn there? That it's good to score penalties!"


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2773697/Avram-Roman-blamed-me-for-Chelsea-problems.html#ixzz0ZpjKDhK9