Arsenal and Chelsea fined £100,000

Posted on March 27th, 2007 in Carling Cup, The FA by Left back

In a statement today the FA have fined both Arsenal and Chelsea £100,000 for the Carling Cup handbags. It does seem a little harsh though. Compare it to the following:

Tottenham Hotspur FC
Tottenham Hotspur FC v Middlesbrough FC
FA Premier League, 5 December 2006
Denied breach of FA Rule E20(a) – failing to ensure that its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion.

Result: Charge proved. Fined £8,000 (£4,000 suspended for 12 months) and warned as to future conduct

Middlesbrough FC
Tottenham Hotspur FC v Middlesbrough FC
FA Premier League, 5 December 2006
Denied breach of FA Rule E20(a) – failing to ensure that its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion.

Result: Charge proved. Fined £4,000 (£2,000 suspended for 12 months) and warned as to future conduct

Thanks to Vivb for sourcing the info. And I’m sure if you went digging around you’d find far worse incidents punished with much smaller fines. Is this the Sky Sports News justice Arsene Wenger was so upset about?

Pathetic

Posted on February 26th, 2007 in Carling Cup, Injuries by Left back

Miracle man? What a load of bollocks. I read last night about Terry’s ‘remarkable’ recovery.

Now, what happened to him wasn’t nice to see but there really is nothing miraculous or remarkable about a somebody regaining consciousness. It happens all the fucking time.

Keith Hackett on the Arsenal v Chelsea ‘brawl’

Posted on February 26th, 2007 in Carling Cup, Fights, The FA by Left back

I think players came together and I have no doubt the FA will look at the videos carefully and they will deal with it in their usual manner.

So, shoddily and with hilarious incompetence then.

Video of the incident with Chinese commentary. Well, it’s better than listening to Andy fucking Gray.

Where are Chelsea’s young players?

Posted on January 8th, 2007 in Carling Cup by Left back

I read yesterday that Chelsea will play Michael Essien (midfielder) and Paulo Ferreira (right back) as centre-halves for the Carling Cup quarter final against Wycombe Wanderers.

With John Terry and Boolaroloolaroooz injured and Carvalho suspended the manager certainly has to shuffle his pack but with the opposition far from mighty wouldn’t this have been a good chance to see a youngster from their academy get a first team run out?

What does it say for the quality of Chelsea’s academy that Mourinho would prefer to play two players out of position against inferior opposition in the least important competition of the season?

Unless Chelsea play these players from time to time they’re going to find it very difficult to improve the standard of player they produce. We’ve heard Peter Kenyon talking about how important it will be for Chelsea to produce their own players and become self-sufficient but as long as Roman’s millions can buy an experienced player to fill a gap in the squad there’s little or no chance of any youngster making the breakthrough at Stamford Bridge.