I'm a tad worried about the general direction that Chelsea could be going in. Roman Abramovich seems to be very heavily influenced by an Israeli agent called Pini Zahavi, who somehow manages to get himself involved in every deal in which Chelsea are involved (in much the same way as good old monster Eric Hall did in the Ken Bates days!). He was the guy who introduced Abramovich to Avram Grant and eased his way into the Chelsea setup. I hope to God that Grant's appointment as manager is for footballing reasons, and he isn't just doing a mate a favour.

^I think you should be worried about the general direction Chelsea is going in.

I give Grant three games max. He'll have v little fan support, forcing Abramovich to hook a far bigger fish by the end of the month. My money's on Scolari - who I think could prove a total disaster.

There's a strong rumour that Grant is keeping the seat warm for Guus Hiddink, who won't be available until Russia go out of the European Championships. That could be late November, or could be the Summer.

Man this conspiracy theory goes deep.

I haven't even suggested yet that, in order to get his man as soon as possible, Abramovich could pay off the Russians to make sure that they don't qualify! :eek:

Indeed.
OR the Brown Government couldve panicked about the potential economic consequences of England not being in the world cup, and forgive the Russians for the radiation poisoning fiasco earlier this year if they ask the Russians to pressure Abramovch into getting rid of Jose' so as he becomes available for England.

Allegedly

That could explain this too:

Gordon Brown has rejected a plea by UEFA president Michel Platini to become directly involved in battling "the influence of money" in football.Platini has written to all European heads of government as his "last hope for a healthy and balanced future of European football", calling for support to change the European Commission's rules on sport.

Brown however believes that the influx of money in football has brought many benefits and that it is up to the game's governing bodies to address Platini's concerns.

His tough stance is somewhat surprising given that Platini will be one of the key figures England need to have on their side for a successful bid for the 2018 World Cup - a campaign that Brown himself is very keen on.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: "Platini's letter has raised some important issues that fans care about and we do too. But these are matters for national football authorities to address and they should respond directly to fans' concerns. We will continue to encourage them to do so. The Government recognises and supports the autonomy of sport and its right to self-regulation. The running of football is down to the game's authorities and Government can assist when asked."

In his letter Platini expressed fears the prevalence of money could lead to a dangerous shift in traditional values.

He wrote: "A serious threat hangs over the development of European football: the malign and ever-present influence of money. Money has always been in sport and football has had a professional component for 150 years. But money has never been the ultimate objective of football: the main purpose has always been to win trophies. For the first time we may be entering an era in which financial profit alone will be the measure of sporting success."

Downing Street however argues that money is working its way down from the top.

The spokesperson added: "We believe that football can find a way forward. The recent Premier League broadcasting deal highlights this with money being split amongst the League's clubs as well as being redistributed to the grassroots. We have made great strides through the Football Foundation with funding from government, the Premier League and the FA supporting over 4,000 community projects worth over half a billion pounds in seven years. There is no doubt that the influx of money into football is a testament to its success and has brought many benefits. It, of course, brings challenges too and we welcome the ongoing constructive debate within the game."

There had been speculation that the new European Union Reform Treaty would give football's governing bodies more power to tackle inequalities in the game and the increase in foreign players. But Platini is upset that recommendations proposed by Portuguese minister Jose Luis Arnaut have been rejected in favour of a weaker version that could leave the sport open to legal challenges from clubs and players who do not agree with any tough new measures.

"This article doesn't go far enough to protect football from the rampant commercialism which assails on all sides," added Platini in his letter. "Millions of football fans, for whom I speak, are calling on Europe to do more to defend our football and the European sporting model based on financial solidarity between rich and poor, which is the only way to guarantee the values we cherish. If I am turning to you, the heads of state of government, it is because you represent the last hope for a healthy and balanced future of European football."

rumours abound that jose is white hart lane bound! i hope not or ill have to eat humble pie.....

we dont want a chelski reject!

did any of ye see the last champ league chelsea game with rosenberg i think. abramovich laughed when rosenberg scored and it was caught on camera......

Just the excuse he was looking for!
More telling was his lack of emotion when Schevchenko finally started earning his wages.

I bet Ashley Cole is on the phone right now to some other clubs with more money than sense, whoring himself to the highest bidder.

i'm so excited, i'm going to the Man U and Chelsea game on Sunday.

^
Have a good time, mate. I'm not even gonna bother trying to wind you up, 'cos I'm far too worried about Chelsea to think about other teams. Think of me sitting there crying when your fourth goal goes in.

Christ on a bike i wish id watched Spurs Villa the other night

fucking spurs. for the first time ever i fear for our season. spurscould be facing a relegation escape! we are absolutely awful. and then to play for 25 minutes like we were brazil 1970... what the fuck were they doing for the rest of the game!! paul robinson has really fucked up. i think he could be on some kind of hallucigenic solution........... keep jol, get rid of berbatov.......

also did you see ranaldos face in the cham league game against rome last nite. classic. sorry. i dont like him. all feet and white boots.......

HE WAS FAKING IT! Clearly hid a razor behind his buck teeth, i think he wanted to get home to watch the Hollyoaks omnibus.
And yes, we are in the shit. Its all Levys fault for wanting to get a new manager and increase the share price so he could sell up. Im fast thinking Usmanov was gonna buy Spurs til he realised we were in the shit this season. I might be wrong.

Well that would be a second lucky escape for you. If it weren't for Roman Abramovich flying over Stamford Bridge by chance, you could be owned by him right now.

Steer clear of Russian oligarchs, that's my advice.

Thanks i'll tell the board :rolleyes:

but why are we shit. we have great players collectivly just as a team it doesnt seem to work. typical spurs moan i know but if we dont bag at least 4 goals on thursday night, we are shit and we could face the prospect of not getting to europe next year, and perhaps battling for premiership survival as well.