bridge views - the thinking fan's chelsea blog

Chelsea the real winners on snowy Saturday

It seems like an age since Chelsea fans have enjoyed Premiership football but, without kicking a ball, Ancelotti’s team had their lead at the top of the table consolidated yesterday.

With no disrespect towards either Everton or Birmingham, nobody would have dreamed that both would get results against Arsenal and Man Utd respectively. 

Chelsea now have a one point lead over Utd with a game in hand and three points over Arsenal who, for the first time I can remember in months, have played the same number of games as the Stamford Bridge club.

Points in the bag is almost always preferable to games in hand, but a strong showing against Sunderland at Stamford Bridge next weekend – when Arsenal face a tricky trip to the Reebok – could help Chelsea reassert themselves as favourites for the title despite a turgid December.

Depending on when the Hull game is rescheduled for of course, Chelsea probably also garnered another benefit from the postponing of their own game – in all likelihood that’s one less fixture the Blues will have to contest without Drogba and the rest of the African contingent. Get the game rescheduled for February – but before the Champions League resumes – and it could have all worked out perfectly for Ancelotti’s men.

Of course, had the Hull game not been postponed on Saturday due to the weather conditions (nothing to do with the pitch, incidentally) Chelsea could have been sitting on a four point cushion today. Whether the weather was actually significant enough reason to put football on hold is a debate I’ll leave to one side, but at least the ‘elf and safety people got to have a field day…

More swine flu? Bolton get excuses in early ahead of Chelsea clash

Sam Allardyce was quick to get his excuses in for his side’s 5-0 capitulation at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, revealing that two of his players contracted swine flu. Now, ahead of tomorrow’s Carling Cup fixture against the league leaders, Bolton manager Gary Megson has revealed that four of his players are now suffering from pig flu. I’m not normally so cynical, but could it be that is the excuses that are catching?

Megson said: “You are going to get one or two with swine flu and I think on the playing staff I think we have had five, four players and one member of staff. They are all okay at the moment, but it wouldn't be right to start giving you names.”

Clearly, whilst swine flu is relatively mild for most that catch it, it has had very serious consequences for many both in this country and around the world. I’m not trying to make light of the illness - it’s good news that evidently no-one is seriously ill. Saying all that, it has proved a handy post-thumping distraction for Allardyce, who has effectively shifted the spotlight away from his players. Perhaps Megson is similarly looking to play down the significance of tomorrow’s tie – although potentially for different reasons.

Meanwhile, Ancelotti has played down concerns that there might be a risk of spreading the illness to the Chelsea squad by the fixture going ahead. The Italian said: “The flu is not only on the pitch, it's everywhere. We take all the precautions and we want to think about playing, that's it. We are not worried about this problem because we've taken all the precautions.”

Amidst a freshly invigorated debate around spitting that has been stirred up by all the talk of swine flu, Ancelotti seems the voice of perspective and reason. And as it turns out, he has his own treatment for swine flu: “It's not a medical prescription. It's my grandmother's prescription - hot milk. Alcohol - red wine. Fantastic.”

Nice one Carlo. Perhaps the Italian is more fun than he lets on…

No Chelsea 3pm kick-offs? Football has changed, but could it damage the game

Looking back over the matches Chelsea have played so far this season, one of the ways increasing television coverage has changed football over the last ten years is startlingly apparent.

Chelsea have played 12 games so far this season, including the Community Shield, and only four haven’t been shown live on television. Of the 28 games that the team is scheduled to play before 1st January 2010, only nine won’t be on Sky or ESPN: just one third of games aren’t being shown on TV.

This means that some of the footballing traditions are being eroded too (at least for the bigger sides): namely, the Saturday 3pm kick-off. Of the eight Premier League games Chelsea have played so far, only two have been standard Saturday afternoon affairs. We’ll have to wait until 21st November for the first home game Chelsea will play on a Saturday at 3 o’clock (our 13^th league game). In total, of the 20 Premier League games Chelsea will play before New Year’s Day, 70% won’t be 3pm starts.

So the game changes. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. Yes, a 3pm Saturday kick-off does feel right somehow, offering just the right amount of time for fans to have a drink before the game and up the volume in the stadium. Conversely 12.45 kick-offs lead to quieter crowds and Sunday games often feel flat.

But Chelsea fans (or fans of other big sides) can’t complain too much either, as TV coverage forms the financial backbone of the club’s success on the pitch, and has been the driving force behind the modernisation of the game. Furthermore, fans of clubs lower down the table don’t have the same opportunities to watch their team, and their clubs don’t reap the same financial rewards.

But increased television coverage could have further reaching and more damaging consequences. Many argue that the current lull in Italian football – characterised by matches frequently being played in half-empty stadiums – has its roots in the massive expansion of pay-per-view coverage, where fans could pretty much watch every game on television.

Clubs like Manchester United are unlikely to be affected by increased television coverage - their huge fanbase means they won’t struggle to fill their stadium. Clubs with smaller fanbases – perhaps even Chelsea – are more susceptible to more games being shown on TV however, as fans’ decision to make the large financial outlay for tickets becomes unbalanced by the ability to watch games more cheaply at home. Whatever benefits television coverage brings, it shouldn’t be to the detriment of the stadium experience.

We’re certainly not at that tipping point yet however, and of course clubs lower down the table aren’t as fortunate as us and are more vulnerable to falling attendances. The Premier League probably has it just about right at the moment, but with broadcasters ready to throw ever-increasing resources at the game, football will need to fight off the temptation and look to its long-term future.

Chelsea season-tickets holders and members – do you care that matches aren’t 3pm Saturday kick-offs anymore? Post a comment.

You might also be interested to look at:

• Chelsea’s 09/10 fixture list, including kick-off times, television coverage and bridgeviews.co.uk match reports

Introducing Chelsea's US Tour

Don't forget that Chelsea's pre-season US tour kicks off today, with a game against the Seattle Sounders (8pm UK time, live on Chelsea TV).  I have to confess, I don't know much about the Sounders, other than that they play in a very fetching green kit, and that they have a couple of familiar names on their roster (their word, not mine): Kasey Kellar and Freddie Ljungberg.  Their website's worth a look though, if only because they have a 'Soccer 101' section (which, in fairness, a few referees could benefit from reading). 

Seriously though, a bit of background on our opponents.  The Sounders were established in 2007, played their first game in March of this year, and are currently sitting third in the MLS Western Conference.  MLS teams are currenly mid-season (their league runs from March to November), so the Sounders should be operating at their peak.  And Chelsea should expect a great atmosphere at the game - Qwest Field (the Sounders' home ground) holds more than 65,000, and is expected to be packed for the game with fans hoping to see some of Chelsea's biggest names play. 

Chelsea will follow-up their friendly against Seattle by participating in the World Football Challenge (also in the US), where they will be up against Inter (22nd), Milan (24th), and Club America (26th), before heading home.  Check in at bridgeviews for match reviews.

Chelsea’s Premier League fixtures 09/10

So the fixture list for the 08/09 Premier League season is with us already (quite why it needed to be released so early is a bit of a mystery) and at first glance it looks like it has treated Chelsea fairly well.

Ancelotti will have the easiest start to life in English football he could have hoped for with early games against Hull, Sunderland, Burnley and Stoke punctuated only with a trip away to Fulham. Once again (and as with five of the last six seasons) our first game will be at home.

The first ‘big four’ encounter will come against our old chums Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on 3rd October, with home ties against Manchester United and Arsenal following in November. It’s worth noting that – like last year – all of our home games against our greatest rivals fall in the first half of the season. 

Christmas fixtures don’t look too challenging either, with fixtures against West Ham, Birmingham and Fulham falling on the 19th, 26th and 28th December respectively.

Three tough games against Man Utd, Liverpool and Spurs are scheduled for the last month or so of the season in what is an otherwise simple-looking run-in including games against Bolton, Stoke and Wigan.

What does all this mean? Clearly you can’t read too much into the impact of fixture timings. But the relatively straightforward start to the season is ideal for bedding in a manager new to the league. It’s also a good opportunity to start well and get our noses ahead (Man Utd play Arsenal and Man City before the end of September). 

Results against big four opposition at Stamford Bridge during 08/09 arguably cost Chelsea a title challenge. Once again these all-important games fall in the first half of the season and, coupled with a not-disastrous looking set of Christmas fixtures, we can expect to have a fairly good idea of the strength of Chelsea’s title challenge come 1 January 2010. 

Chelsea’s fixture list will be posted here soon.