Mon, 7th May 2007

Neil Barnett has been writing, editing and broadcasting for Chelsea for over 20 years.


1. If anyone had said in the early summer of 2003, you're going to come second, champions, champions and second in the next four years, Chelsea supporters would have laughed at a dreamer.

2. If anyone thinks that winning the Carling Cup and maybe the FA Cup - certainly, getting to the Final - coming second in the League and reaching the semi-final of the Champions League isn't an outstanding season, then they've been misled by the last four years.

3. If anyone thinks Frank Lampard hasn't had a brilliant season, they're out of their minds. He has played in 60 games, more than any other Chelsea player in history, scored 21 goals and accumulated 20 assists. The Arsenal fans booing him yesterday seemed to have grown out of the frustration of two years without any trophy and 10 games against Chelsea without a win.

4. Arsenal with 11 men for 90 minutes against Chelsea with 11 men for 42 minutes and 10 for the rest of the time, had less shots on target than us (2-3), less shots off target than us (4-5), less corners than us (3-7) and, because they didn't get behind our defence, less offsides than us (3-.

5. Shaun Wright-Phillips with his cross for the equaliser yesterday has now had this run of games:
Man City (a), sub 77 mins, hit crossbar.
Sheff Utd (h), all game, 2 assists.
Tottenham (a), first 86 mins, fed Shevchenko for opener, scored 2nd.
Watford (a), all game.
Valencia (h), sub 74 mins.
Tottenham (h), first 70 mins.
Valencia (a), unused.
Blackburn (FAC sf) sub 96 mins, assist for the winner.
West Ham (a), all game, scored 2 goals.
Newcastle (a), first 54 mins.
Liverpool (h), sub 84 mins.
Bolton (h), all game.
Liverpool (a), sub 106 mins.
Arsenal (a), first 79 mins, 1 assist.
Maybe he is a little unlucky not to have played even more recently.

6. We will play 64 games this season. That is a Chelsea record. Our most games in a season previously have been: 61, 1999/00; 60, 1965/66; 59, 2004/05 and 1970/71.

7. We have never had a manager like José Mourinho, no-one who galvanises his supporters like he does. Yesterday's 'chin up' instruction was impossible not to follow and was unique amongst our managers.

8. Yesterday showed what good pass-and-move football we can play. In truth, we didn't create numerous openings, even with 11 men, but without Didier Drogba we were still able to fight and dominate and pass-pass-pass. In contrast, Arsenal's goal was from a big lump down the middle.

9. Michael Essien this season from his positions in emergency defence has assisted the equaliser at Barcelona, won the corner for the equaliser at Man Utd, scored the equaliser home and away against Arsenal, scored the winner at Valencia, and on several occasions played in a back three while driving the team forward to a result (Everton away, Wigan away, Tottenham home etc). He is the epitome of a top modern footballer.

10. Before 2003 we had come in the top two once.

For those who say we have no history, that's rubbish. We have a history of entertaining, of glamour, of big crowds, of fun.

And, of course, we are making history.

Three games to go. There is more history to be made this season.

These people have started again. We need regulation of Chelsea thread openers.


Good history lesson though. Congratulations.

YEAH,
THANKS J-GIRL AT LEAST FOR THE CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE

History lessons from Neil Barnett who works for whom CHELSEA TV

JESUS!! You might as well have asked Mandy Henry or Steve Bower of MUTV to give you a history on Man United

Even taking your article, what you are saying is Pre 2003, Chelsea were Shyte!!

HISTORY

Of entertaining; SPURS Now Arsenal
Of Glamour; SPURS Now Chelsea
Of Big crowds; CHELSEA Now Arsenal
Of fun; CHELSEA (Fun cause you guys were the nearly men of football, pre 2004) Now its between Chelsea and Arsenal to be honest, but we hope to put that right soonest and leave you all in your rightful place of Fun filled Chelsea

GOONER 89

i nevr knew it would come to this. ,  . . chelsea fans trying to prove what they are not. .
if u really gat history, u wont need some clown to shout it, IT WOULD SPEAK FOR ITSELF!!!

. . . .and why are u guys trying to have a piece of the history anyway?

Scumies and gumies ruining a fine post. If you feel d thread is rubbish, can't you just ignore it and let those who are interested in it comment? Dumb!

enitan2002:


9. Michael Essien this season from his positions in emergency defence has assisted the equaliser at Barcelona, won the corner for the equaliser at Man Utd, scored the equaliser home and away against Arsenal, scored the winner at Valencia, and on several occasions played in a back three while driving the team forward to a result (Everton away, Wigan away, Tottenham home etc). He is the epitome of a top modern footballer.

. . .and scored a couple of own goals as well as an epitome of how not to be a defender which he shouldnt be

Chelsea? History? Where's the correlation. Its like putting 'Lagos' and 'Cleanest City' in the same sentence.
For your information a Russian Billionaire and 4 seasons does not equate to History. No wonder most chelsea fans in london are under 12 kids.

I agree for 2 years Arsenal haven't been able to beat Chelsea, i guess thats what ur lil club calls history. What will u call Chelsea's inability to beat Arsenal for 10 years, it took u guys a Russian Billionaire to beat us in 10 years, get a life. We went a season unbeaten, now thats history, Frank Lampard did this n that,please there have been and are much better players with much better and interesting stats than that.

Chelsea fans should learn to respect other fans n stop throwing their cash in people faces, even Tottenham have been more successful without any form of cash

I agree for 2 years Arsenal haven't been able to beat Chelsea, i guess thats what ur lil club calls history. What will u call Chelsea's inability to beat Arsenal for 10 years, it took u guys a Russian Billionaire to beat us in 10 years, get a life. We went a season unbeaten, now thats history, Frank Lampard did this n that,please there have been and are much better players with much better and interesting stats than that.

Chelsea fans should learn to respect other fans n stop throwing their cash in people faces, even Tottenham have been more successful without any form of cash

what has all that got to do with history

chuckdee4,

what 10 years are you talking about
please give us a time period.

last time i checked, history has to do facts and dates
the guy is just trying hard to form history

may be if he had told us more about how hard Chelsea have been fighting in the past.blah blah  we cld be talking history

why talk about a season that is yet to end as history

viee, let me educate you a little!

History means anything in the past, including things of one minute ago!

Everything that the guy outlined is in the past, so it's history!

Every club has history, including chelsea!

thanx for that
so the guys idea of chealsea history is that?
he should be fired!

Sharraaaaaaaaap Viee.

I am only being academic!

In the true sense of the word 'history', Chelsea has history! You can't fault that!

oh ok
sorry Prof

wormedup:

chuckdee4,

what 10 years are you talking about
please give us a time period.

Make I am help am:

Take the 10 years from 2004 to 1994

actually take the 100 years from 2004 to 1904

now tell me if Chelsea has achieved anything near what Arsenal has done.

Answer me with facts and I will accept defeat.

some history jo!
Neil or whatever he calls himself really should be fired!

Viee- why write like a kido?

may be im a kido

got anything else to say?
no
then get back to the topic
thank you

@vieira,

European Cup Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea 06-04-2004

English League Cup Arsenal 0-5 Chelsea 11-11-1998

English League Cup Chelsea 3-1 Arsenal 18-02-1998

English Premier Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal 30-09-1995

English Premier Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal 14-05-1995

i guess those weren't arsenal teams playing then huh ?

and something else vieira, keep going backwards

this is more like it

just out of curiosity, what happened in the other years?
say 1996, 1997, 2001, etc??

the two teams didnt meet?

viee,

the two teams met quite alright and arsenal beat chelsea silly .
i'm just interested in the 10 years !

In my candid opinion, winning does not really matter, especially when you end up without a trophy.

viee:

just out of curiosity, what happened in the other years?
say 1996, 1997, 2001, etc??

the two teams didnt meet?

hahahahahaha. . . . . . una no go kill me for this nairaland. but u arsenal fans i dey vex for una, why una no let chelsea win last sunday? now see those yeye manure bomboclaats are now prem champs stupendous ignoramuses

toshmann:

now see those yeye manure bomboclaats are now prem champs stupendous ignoramuses

My thoughts exactly! 

I hope Terry puts his leg between one of their legs so they can trip and fall down while walking through the guard of honour!     
That would be so sweet!

Anyway, we are just borrowing them the prem. We would get it back!     

Razorr:

My thoughts exactly!

I hope Terry puts his leg between one of their legs so they can trip and fall down while walking through the guard of honour!
That would be so sweet!

Anyway, we are just borrowing them the prem. We would get it back!

i can pay him to do that the foxy scummites
i hate those guys
i wish chelsea won the league again.
if not liverpool, then any other team BUT NOT MANURE

ha!
BREAKING NEWS!!!

razorr is a terrorist!
Ronlado beware!

is there any rule about guard of honor? must chelsea mount honour guard? nonsense

Toshmann, it is not compulsory, but it is the noble thing to do, since they did the same to us in 2005.

We are gentlemen in Chelsea!